February 6 Headlines
Wednesday
HA’ARETZ
1. END OF THE BREAK: NINE HAMAS MEMBERS KILLED, WOUNDED KASSAM VICTIMS IN SOUTH.
Israel begins considering possibility of stationing multi-national force in Gaza Strip.
MAKOR RISHON-HATZOFEH
1. Kassam assault on Sderot, ten terrorists eliminated.
SOUTH CONTINUES TO BURN.
Two hours after IDF eliminates ten terrorists, ten Kassam rockets fired at Sderot – one scored direct hit on house but miraculously, only one girl was moderately wounded by shrapnel. Lyubov Razdolskaya, murdered in Dimona terrorist attack, laid to rest.
MA’ARIV
1. Winograd Committee member, in Ma'ariv interview:
"IF WE THINK THAT PM WILL ADVANCE PEACE, THAT IS A VERY RESPECTABLE CONSIDERATION."
Did political considerations affect Winograd report? In first interview, Committee member Yehezkel Dror says: "What would you prefer, a government of Olmert and Barak or new elections that will see the rise of Netanyahu?"
YEDIOT AHRONOT
1. IDF CLOSES MENTAL HEALTH OFFICER MACHINE.
Within one year, number of those receiving mental health discharges reduced by 15%. Method: Tougher release conditions.
2. AFTER THE ELIMINATION: 16 KASSAMS.
Seven wounded in rocket barrage on Sderot. After midnight: Hits identified near Ashkelon.
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SUMMARY OF EDITORIALS FROM THE HEBREW PRESS
Three newspapers discuss Minister of defense Ehud Barak's actions concerning Prime Minister Olmert's response to the Winograd Report in the Knesset:
Haaretz questions Minister of Defense Ehud Barak's absence from the Knesset two days ago while Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was responding to the Winograd Report, and calls upon him to act upon his pre-election promises: If Barak believes that Olmert is not worthy of continuing to head the government, and is interested in replacing him, he must resign and run at the head of his party in elections. If he has chosen to stay, he is signaling that he has confidence in Olmert.
Yediot Aharonot believes that Defense Minister Ehud Barak was being sincere when he said that he had misgivings while considering remaining in the Government, "for the good of the country." The editors refer to the "harsh words," which Barak directed at Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's Knesset speech and remark that "If the two do not cooperate in the Government, in the Knesset and in politics – they will find themselves competing for the title of 'Leader of the Opposition' in the next Knesset."
Makor Rishon-Hatzofeh notes that Defense Minister Ehud Barak remains in the Government while implicitly hinting that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert should take responsibility and resign, but refrains from doing so himself.
The Jerusalem Post discusses Prime Minister Olmert's apparent intent to relax the criteria that qualify Palestinian terrorist convicts to be swapped for kidnapped soldier Gilad Schalit, and states that despite the suffering of the Schalit family and the responsibility of the nation to share that suffering as its own, Israel knows all too well that the price of reckless prisoner deals is the loss of many civilian lives, more kidnappings and more suffering. A truly responsible and reformed premier cannot overlook such experience.
Ma'ariv asks why the Israeli public and decision-makers are not heeding the threat of a Syrian missile attack on our civilian population. The editors claim that "Logic dictates that the Syrians won't attack Israel with missiles. Only that this logic has not worked in past instances. And therefore, it would be worthwhile to be prepared."
[Eitan Haber and Joseph (Tommy) Lapid wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot and Ma'ariv, respectively.]
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