(Israel Government Press Office)
Three papers discuss the situation in Egypt:
Ma'ariv believes that "[US President] Obama understands that he does not have many possibilities for changing the situation, that in the end he will need to have proper relations with the same army that is currently slaughtering Morsi supporters, and that stopping America's $1.3 billion in aid would be crossing a Rubicon that is liable to send the army looking for other – less democratic, more extremist – sources of assistance that are more hostile to the US and less friendly to Israel." The author suggests that millions of Syrians and Egyptians are paying the price for the US administration's ongoing education regarding the new Middle East.
Yediot Aharonot says that "Israel is in the midst of a diplomatic emergency, without a foreign minister and with a neutered and humiliated Foreign Ministry," and adds: "Senior Israeli officials, from the Prime Minister on down, are now engaged in a frenetic campaign with the White House, the State Department, the Pentagon and mainly with Congress in an effort to calm the American assault on the generals' regime in Egypt; as of now it seems like a lost cause. The American administration continues to make historic mistakes vis-à-vis Cairo: Congress is threatening to suspend the economic assistance to Egypt, the administration has suspended security cooperation – and the combination between the two will lead Egypt to explode all over us." The author asserts that US-Egyptian relations have always been "the flak jacket for the peace agreement with Israel," and reminds his readers that pro-military elements in Egypt are gathering signatures on a petition calling for an end to both US assistance and the peace treaty with Israel. The paper predicts a prolonged low-intensity conflict that will further damage the Egyptian economy and render it more dependent than ever on handouts from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states. While the author does not absolve the Egyptian military of its share of blame for the situation, he declares: "All of this is nothing compared to the damage being caused by the American administration, which is still not done wrecking just about everything possible – and it is Israel that will pay for it." The paper notes that Egyptian-Israeli security cooperation is still strong, "regardless of relations with the US. But the Egyptian street is beginning to press and the current regime will need to throw it a bone. Unfortunately, this will be an Israeli bone."
Yisrael Hayom claims that the fact that the US is doing nothing to halt the slaughter in Syria even as it prepares to take additional steps against the military regime in Cairo does not bode well for the future of American influence in the region. The author also reminds his readers that "President Barack Obama found nothing wrong with the results of the vote for Hosni Mubarak (over 90%) until the masses stormed Tahrir Square, and then he turned his back on him," and concludes: "When the Arab winter reaches its peak in another year or two, the US will find itself without bases of strength in Cairo and Damascus."
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The Jerusalem Post extends a warm welcome to the 50th chartered flight of the nonprofit aliya organization Nefesh B’Nefesh, which landed in Israel from New York on Tuesday, and remarks: “NBN olim contribute greatly to the social, economic and demographic welfare of Israeli society by serving in the IDF, settling in Israel’s cities and periphery, and boosting economic growth, while infusing the country with idealistic enthusiasm and optimism.”
Haaretz comments on a recent interview given by former Cabinet Secretary Zvi Hauser, and states that despite the changes in the region over the past 20 years, “What has not changed, apparently, is a prime minister who does not recognize the urgency of a peace agreement and the need to strive toward it with full force.”
[Tzach Yoked, Alex Fishman and Dan Margalit wrote today’s articles in Ma'ariv, Yediot Aharonot and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]