1. IDF CHIEF RABBI: WOMEN DO NOT NEED TO SERVE IN THE IDF.
At conference devoted to religious women's service, Brig.-Gen. Avihai Ronetzky said that this was his personal view. Last night he denied the remarks. IDF Spokesperson: He referred to difficulty in integrating service and Jewish religious law.
2. HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE ORDERS IDF: STIFFEN INDICTMENT AGAINST NCO IN NAALIN INCIDENT.
3. DAY OF FIRES IN THE NORTH: "LARGE PORTION OF INCIDENTS – ARSON."
MA’ARIV
1. FOR THREE MONTHS: BARAK HAS PREVENTED MEETING BETWEEN NETANYAHU AND ASHKENAZI.
For first time since taking office, PM will soon hold private working meeting with Chief-of-Staff Gaby Ashkenazi. Only now, after almost 100 days, has DM dropped his determined opposition to such a meeting.
YEDIOT AHRONOT
1. Netanyahu: Palestinians want concessions? They should give something in return.
"ISRAELIS ARE NOT PREPARED TO BE SUCKERS."
Thus PM told EU ambassadors. One of the conditions that Israel is demanding in return for freeze on construction in the territories: Normalization with Arab countries.
2. THE NORTH IS BURNING.
Wave of arson in the Galilee: More than 50 fires yesterday burned 1,000 dunam of forest. Last month: 550 fires.
YISRAEL HAYOM
1. FIRES AND ARSON ON THE HOTTEST DAY OF THE YEAR.
45 degrees Celsius at Dead Sea yesterday, 43 in the Aravah and 37 in Tel Aviv. Northern district firemen dealt with 26 fire areas, 1,000 dunam of natural forest burnt. Today: Cooler.
2. OUTRAGE IN IDF OVER HIGH COURT OF JUSTICE INTERFERENCE IN "NAALIN FILE."
In dramatic step, High Court of Justice cancelled lighter charges filed by Judge Advocate General's Office against those involved in shooting bound Palestinian. Response in IDF: "They don't understand the ground."
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SUMMARY OF EDITORIALS FROM THE HEBREW PRESS
Yediot Ahronot claims that, "Hamas is running away from a deal [on Gilad Shalit]." The author notes that, "Gilad Shalit is their main asset today, perhaps the only one Hamas has. He is what transforms them from a gang of terrorists into a respected organization with whom world politicians meet…The negotiations allow them to bring senior Hamas officials into Gaza, to transfer them to Egypt and Syria, to grant them immunity against eliminations. He provides them a great loudspeaker. He is a platform and an asset. A reasonable person does not give up such an asset."
Ma'ariv says that, "The Government opposed a draft law calling for pollution quotas. Thus, while in the United States industrialists had to wrestle with the Government, here the Government does that to itself for the polluters."
Yisrael Hayom notes that, "American history in the twentieth century points to the importance of oral agreements and understandings, even those that have never been put to pen." The author argues that, "The problem is with Clinton's contention, according to which even if oral understandings were reached between the Bush Administration and the Sharon Government, they do not obligate Obama. In this there is a display of disregard for the principle of continuity of agreements and understandings (written or unwritten) which are supposed to continue from one Government to the next."
The Jerusalem Post discusses French President Nicolas Sarkozy's recent suggestion to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu regarding the replacement of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and states that "Israelis' splenetic reaction to Sarkozy's meddling is understandable. Let it not distract us, however, from far more serious challenges."
Haaretz discusses the erosion of the public stature of Israel's universities and states that what is needed is "not begging for scraps or trying to beat private colleges on their home turf, but leadership and vision that will redefine the universities as Israel's leading centers of science, humanities, scholarship and research."
[Guy Bechor, Hadar Horesh and Prof. Avraham Ben-Zvi wrote today’s articles in Yediot Ahronot, Ma'ariv and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]
(Courtesy of Israel GPO)
