1. Embarrassment in Britain: Court prevents arrest warrant from being issued for Barak.
GOLDSTONE EFFECT.
Two weeks after Judge Goldstone issued his conclusions on Operation Cast Lead – concern over report's repercussions is realized. Yesterday: Jerusalem and London dealt with one thing: Will Defense Minister of State of Israel be arrested in wake of complaint over war crimes in Gaza.
2. PLAN: GIANT JEWISH NEIGHBORHOOD IN EASTERN JERUSALEM.
Interior Ministry to discuss construction of 14,000 residential units near Arab village of Walaje in southeastern city.
YEDIOT AHRONOT
1. DM initiating commission of inquiry into accusations against IDF during Operation Cast Lead. Proposed that former Supreme Court President to head commission.
BARAK COMMISSION.
Defense establishment assessment: Establishment of state commission of inquiry in Israel regarding claims raised in Goldstone report will lift arrest threat against senior Israelis and IDF soldiers around the world.
YISRAEL HAYOM
1. Concern over wave of claims abroad against senior officials and IDF officers.
BARAK: "WE WILL NEITHER RUN AWAY NOR APOLOGIZE."
Yesterday: British judge rescues Israel and Britain from severe diplomatic incident when he rejected suit to arrest DM in London for "war crimes." Recommendation to senior officials: Be careful when visiting abroad. Attempt to recruit international jurists for "hunt" after IDF officers.
2. "STATE FAILED IN DEALING WITH DISENGAGEMENT EVACUEES."
According to report of state commission of inquiry chaired by Judge Eliyahu Matza.
2. STEINITZ: BUDGET CUT – FOR URGENT SECURITY NEEDS.
Supplement NIS 1.5 billion for defense and NIS 0.5 billion for swine flu.
GLOBES
1. Stock exchange broke 1,000 barrier: MAOF rose by 2% and completed 71% increase since nadir.
CROSSING 1,000.
Bank stocks climbed by approximately 3%. Stock exchange 21% away from all-time high.
WALLA!
1. Barak reacts to suit:
"WE WILL NOT APOLOGIZE FOR OUR STRUGGLE AGAINST TERRORISM."
DM reacts sharply to suit filed against him in London for war crimes in Gaza. In his words, "Theater of the absurd in which those who defend their citizens must stop." Clarifies: "I will oppose any committee to check Goldstone report claims." Suit for British arrest warrant against Barak rejected.
2. IDF ATTACKS TUNNELS FOR SMUGGLING WEAPONS INTO GAZA.
In response to upsurge in rocket and mortar fire, IDF attacked Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels. "IDF will continue to respond sharply to firing at Israeli territory."
NANA10
1. "GOLDSTONE REPORT – MENDACIOUS, TENDENTIOUS AND MANIPULATIVE."
Barak denies that he proposed establishment of committee of inquiry into report claims.
[Headlines for Walla! and Nana10 are from their websites as of 10:30. Ha'aretz was unavailable today.]
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SUMMARY OF OP-EDS FROM THE HEBREW PRESS
Yediot Ahronot says that, "We have heard again and again that the US President considers settlements to be illegitimate, that Israel's permanent borders should be based on the 1967 lines, that a Palestinian state, living in coexistence, should be established alongside Israel, without endangering it security – but not a word about 'technical details' have so much as left his mouth." The editor notes that, "The Obama peace plan has yet to see the light of day – certainly not as an practical diplomatic plan with that Israel could live with."
Ma'ariv maintains that, "If the free world were to demand that Pakistan behave according to rules that Goldstone formulated for Israel – today, the Taliban would be ruling in Islamabad."
Yisrael Hayom maintains that, "The Goldstone report acts with the intent to delegitimize Israel, but it is impossible to ignore it. It is impossible to leave a picture that ascribes to Israel the Nazi-like behavior of premeditated murders of civilians. This report exists and it will haunt us. It will appear in academic circles, in libraries, in international forums and will be used as a weapon by Israel-haters. Therefore, an official and serious inquiry must be made of the report's allegations – despite all of the one-sidedness and unfairness it contains."
Haaretz comments on the role of State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss, who during his more than four years in office "changed the style of the institution of state comptroller, giving it an activist approach. Critics of the state comptroller, of course, will disapprove of this approach. The cumulative result shows that Lindenstrauss was right in renouncing the model of the comptroller as a transient guest who may indeed spot every deficiency, but whose polite whispers do nothing to eliminate problems."
The Jerusalem Post comments that despite the good personal relationship between Israel Prime Minister Netanyahu and Egyptian President Mubarak, "internally Egypt's media is intensifying its abiding hostility toward Israel, ensuring that our cold peace cannot be warmed. The leading Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram, the semi-official voice of the regime, issued an absolute ban on Israelis. When Israeli officials have raised the issue of the vicious anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism - in words and, notably, in cartoons - that are such a staple of the Egyptian media, their counterparts, from the president on down, have argued, disingenuously, that the authorities are loath to intervene in the workings of the Egyptian press... The president's reluctance to take on the powerful journalists' syndicate may be understandable, but it is counter-productive. Unless or until they are confronted, the bitter rejectionists who set the media tone in Egypt will take ever-bolder actions to weaken Israeli-Egyptian peace, foster greater enmity for Israel among the public, and by thus radicalizing ordinary Egyptians, undermine the very stability of the Mubarak regime."
Amos Carmel, Ben-Dror Yemini and Prof. Uriel Reichmann wrote today’s articles in Yediot Ahronot, Ma'ariv and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]
