(Israel Government Press Office)

Three papers comment on the expected announcement today of the Fatah-Hamas unity government:

The Jerusalem Post writes: "As Abbas claims the new Fatah-Hamas government will recognize Israel and use peaceful means for solving the conflict, Hamas officials are saying the exact opposite. Hamas continues to openly declare its intention to use violence against Israel - and against Palestinians who dare to coordinate security arrangements with Israel. Anyone listening to what Hamas is actually saying understands that not only will the unity deal fail to advance peace between Israelis and Palestinians, but that it will only boost terrorists and the opponents of peace."

Yisrael Hayom believes that the government's best course of action vis-à-vis the projected Fatah-Hamas unity government is to condemn it, "announce that the negotiations can continue only with Abu Mazen and know that waiting and silence are also diplomatic options." The author urges the government not to precipitate a confrontation with the Americans and Europeans by acting hastily.

Haaretz writes: "The quality of the Palestinian government and its makeup are the Palestinians’ business. Just as Israel or any other country cannot dictate the composition of the Egyptian or Jordanian governments, so it must be with the Palestinian government. The mission of the new government is to tend to the needs of five million Palestinian civilians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, to manage their health, education and welfare services, maintain law and order, and develop the Palestinian economy. Israel should welcome the fact that it is not required to operate or fund those services. So long as the new Palestinian government continues to stick to the agreements it signed with Israel and seeks to continue cooperating with Israel, Netanyahu may not cut off ties with it or threaten to boycott it."
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Ma'ariv discusses the arrest of Mehdi Nemmouche on suspicion of perpetrating the recent murders at the Jewish Museum in Brussels, and says that Western security services are well aware of the possibility that European Muslims who have gone to fight with Islamist anti-Assad rebels in Syria might return home radicalized and ready to perpetrate out terrorist attacks. The author suggests that reports to the effect that Nemmouche "was arrested during a routine security check on suspicion that passengers on his bus from Amsterdam were smuggling drugs," are "a cover story designed not to expose intelligence information on the true circumstances of his arrest," and adds that "lone wolves" like him are a very real danger.

Yediot Aharonot says that Israel, like any state, needs clearly defined borders, in Jerusalem and in Judea and Samaria - "if not by agreement, then we will decide on our own." The author claims that the current situation "is leading to two possibilities, both bad. Binationalism is bad and so is being accused of discrimination," and asserts, "A border completely changes the situation."

[Yossi Melman, Gilad Sharon and Dan Margalit wrote today's articles in Ma'ariv, Yediot Aharonot and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]