(Israel Government Press Office)

Two newspapers comment on the Harpaz Report:

Haaretz calls for a criminal investigation into the affair, and states: “The state comptroller's report on the Harpaz affair paints a grim picture of the power struggles among top defense officials, which paralyzed staff work on sensitive national issues, all under Netanyahu's apathetic eye.” The editor notes that “The state comptroller asked the attorney general several months ago to order such a probe, but the attorney general, as is his wont, is sitting on the material, and his associates say he is leaning against an investigation,” and asserts: “This would be a mistake: Such a probe is necessary to clear the air in the army's top ranks and prevent similar acts in the future.”

The Jerusalem Post is amazed at the “depressing revelation of the staggering amounts of time, energy and resources devoted to petty feuds and interpersonal intrigues by the highest ranks of the IDF and the Defense Ministry,” and asserts: “If it hasn’t already, our defense establishment needs to put its house in order, for Israel’s sake.”

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Yediot Aharonot refers to former ISA Director Yuval Diskin's recent press interviews and remarks: "At the head of Israel's security establishment stand people. It is their right to like the Prime Minister or be disgusted by him. It is their right to criticize in closed sessions, it is their right (some would say their responsibility) to try to fix what can be fixed. Criticism of Netanyahu is voiced by Diskin, Dagan and Ashkenazi, occasionally. They liked Olmert as Prime Minister and they despise Netanyahu, his replacement. The Israeli street thinks precisely the opposite. Electorally speaking, Netanyahu and his worldview are more popular. The former senior [security heads] are in the minority."

Ma'ariv believes that "The attempt to present [Chuck] Hagel as some sort of anti-Semitic enemy of Israel, is ridiculous. Correct, Hagel wants the USA to talk directly with Iran, and no, he is not convinced that war is a necessary result of the nuclear crisis there. He wants to avoid it at almost any price; and in that he is no different from President Obama or Hillary Clinton. Hagel understands that Israel is an ally, but he has no values-based relation with it. While this is not something that is particularly hopeful, it is nothing new."

Yisrael Hayom refers to the three major Center–Left parties, after their unsuccessful attempt to unite, as "The bloc that blocks itself." But the author asserts that "A unity that cannot materialize now, can certainly materialize later, at the most critical time – just before President Peres decides whom to assign the task of forming the [next] government."

[Yoaz Hendel, Nadav Eyal and Matti Tochfeld wrote today’s articles in Ma'ariv, Yediot Aharonot and Yisrael Hayom respectively.]