(Israel Government Press Office)
Ma'ariv comments on Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon's recent remark to The Times of Israel to the effect that the Cabinet – including a majority of its Likud ministers – would vote down any two-state proposal. The author says that Danon "has thrown the Prime Minister's diplomatic effort into the trash bin," and adds: "What everyone thinks, Danon says, without thinking too much." The paper asks: "How should Secy. of State John Kerry regard the Prime Minister given that he has a Deputy Defense Minister who assures that his diplomatic moves are hopeless? And what party could Abu Mazen and the Palestinians throw today? 'We told you so' they will say, 'You are merely pulling the wool over everyone's eyes?'"
Yediot Aharonot discusses the motives of the anti-Erdogan demonstrators in Turkey and says: "It's no longer the mall or even the mosque, it is the 'We can't take it anymore' from a dictator who now wants to amend the constitution in order to be the next president of Turkey." The author asserts: "It is too early to rejoice; Erdogan is staying," but speculates, "He will look for the most efficient way to heal his domestic scars without showing signs of weakness."
Yisrael Hayom analyzes the role of international forces in the Arab-Israeli conflict in light of suggestions to station international units in Judea and Samaria and in the Jordan Valley. The author avers: "The history of international forces in our region has moved from farce to tragedy," and cites "The panicked withdrawal of UN troops from Sinai and Gaza in 1967, Hezbollah's digging in in southern Lebanon in contravention of UN Security Council Resolution #1701 and the repeated abductions of UN soldiers on the Golan Heights border." The paper concludes: "As long as the Palestinians, despite US Secy. of State John Kerry's efforts, continue to sabotage the chances of resuming negotiations with Israel, there is little likelihood that the discussion of security issues will reach an advanced stage. Netanyahu did well when he made it clear that the principle 'Israel will defend itself with its own forces' also applies, perhaps first and foremost, to the security of its borders."
The Jerusalem Post cautions against the proposal to ease the housing shortage in central Israel by extending “the jurisdictions of various cities so they in effect swallow up adjacent small cooperative agriculture villages (moshavim),” and asserts: “The populist ardor to come up with quick, easy cure-alls to the housing shortage is sure to cause more damage than to actually fix anything. It would be better to invest in transportation infrastructure to bring the periphery closer to the Center.”
Haaretz comments on the proposed anti-terror bill, which the Knesset may approve today, and warns that “it encompasses drastic changes and adjustments to all legislation related to terror (including emergency procedures).” The editor believes that “The anti-terror bill is one of the most important and dangerous bills proposed during the last government,” and declares: “This dangerous bill must not receive coalition support. If this government is not like its democracy-trampling predecessor, it must hold a basic, thorough discussion of the bill, and reword everything that needs fixing before signing off on it.”
[Shalom Yerushalmi, Smadar Peri and Zalman Shoval wrote today’s articles in Ma'ariv, Yediot Aharonot and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]