(Israel Government Press Office)

Ma'ariv comments on the upcoming presidential election and says: "The efforts that were made this time by the supporters of the various candidates – with or without their knowledge – in besmirching the [other] candidates and digging in their past in order to find and bring out the skeletons in their closets have driven the race to an unprecedented nadir." The author believes that "The dirty race for the presidency proves that the future of the lofty institution and its character deserve a thorough evaluation and not a superficial discussion on the eve of an election."

Yediot Aharonot suggests that "A considerable portion of terrorist attacks, including apparently the attack in Brussels, stem from brainwashing that turns rivals into representatives of Satan." The author adds that "When Peter Beinart, one of the stars of the Jewish Left in the US, tweeted a few days ago that Israelis had carried out a pogrom – this is a blood libel. Beinart is neither a racist skinhead, nor a jihadist, but he thus gave legitimacy to countless reports about 'war crimes' because he is a Jew and even pretends to be a Zionist. Beinart tweeted a correction, but there is something frightening in the insufferable ease with which Israel has been turned into a monster," and concludes: "What happened in Brussels – and not just there – stems from lies and incitement, and people like Beinart are also responsible."

Yisrael Hayom discusses today's celebration of Jerusalem Day and asserts: "Do not be confused by those among us who are mistaken: We did not occupy a foreign country. We have returned home, to Zion and Jerusalem. Those who return home are not occupiers. This is not just semantics. We liberated it from a series of occupiers – the last being the Jordanians – who, over many generations, mocked us and our rights."

The Jerusalem Post suggests that “if European integration once seemed inevitable, after the EU Parliament elections, that is no longer the case,” and believes that the situation of European Jews will worsen as a result: “[The Jews] will either be collateral victims of the European Right’s fight against immigrants – particularly Muslims, or, regardless of their personal opinions on Israeli policies, they will be singled out for attack by anti-Zionists.”

Haaretz discusses allegations of corruption at Ashdod Port, and asserts: “Ashdod Port has become a symbol of corruption that takes place shamelessly, in broad daylight.” The editor adds: “This corruption must be uprooted by all possible means,” primarily to send a clear message to the public that “the state has had it with corruption in general, and with corruption in the public sector in particular.”

[Avraham Tirosh, Ben-Dror Yemini and Nadav Shragai wrote today's articles in Ma'ariv, Yediot Aharonot and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]