(Israel Government Press Office)

Ma'ariv says that in comparison to the bus bombings of the second intifada, "Yesterday's attack was amateurish. Not only was the bomb relatively small, it apparently did not contain shrapnel. Also, electric wires were noticeable inside the bag, which aroused the suspicion of the passengers and led to the evacuation of the bus." The author likens yesterday's incident to the bombing of a bus in Tel Aviv approximately one-and-a-half years ago, during Operation Pillar of Defense and suggests: "There is reason to assume that the attack is connected to the surging wave of violence in the territories in recent weeks."

Yediot Aharonot discusses the fate of Jonathan Pollard in light of the latest revelations of US spying on Israel. The author observes: "Now that it is becoming clear that the Americans have not shrunk from spying on any target, they must end Pollard's incarceration. There is no excuse or reasonable explanation for Israel's chutzpah in operating him. However, the claims that some of this material reached non-Israeli hands have been seen to be incorrect and in the end this information served Israel well vis-à-vis issues related to its national security. The White House is currently using this exact claim in order to excuse the actions of the NSA."

Haaretz criticizes the attempt last week of Likud MK Miri Regev to use nationalist incitement against the Bnei Sakhnin soccer team, and states: “in trying to extract personal gain by widening the rift between the Israeli establishment and the Arab community, Regev is actually doing great harm to one of the few areas in which Jewish-Arab coexistence is particularly successful.”

The Jerusalem Post believes that the surprise pardon granted to Mikhail Khodorkovsky by Russian President Vladimir Putin is, at most, “nothing more than a begrudging concession to world opinion as Russia prepares to host the Winter Olympics.” The editor notes that “too many opponents of the Putin regime remain in prison for the dubious crime of political dissent,” and concludes: “Pardoning of Khodorkovsky will not hide that sad fact.”