1. HIT SQUAD FOR SENIOR HAMAS OFFICIAL AL-MABHOUH IN DUBAI USED STOLEN IDENTITIES OF ISRAELIS
Publication of pictures of suspects in elimination of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh led to identification of at least five Israeli citizens as assassins even though – in their own words – they were never in Dubai and have no idea how their details reached operatives.
2. NASRALLAH: WE WILL ATTACK BEN-GURION INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IF ISRAEL BOMBS BEIRUT
Iranian President: Israel planning to begin war this summer or spring; PM Netanyahu: Israel has no intention of attacking anybody.
MA’ARIV
1. What were Israelis' passports doing in hit?
STOLEN IDENTITY
Intelligence was high-quality, operation was polished but something in elimination of senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh went awry. Seven innocent Israelis, whose names appeared on operatives' passports, discover that they are wanted by Interpol.
2. GOOD CONDITIONS FOR "MAXIM" TERRORIST.
Jamal Mahajme, who drove terrorist that murdered 21 people in Haifa restaurant in 2003, has begun receiving furloughs and is likely to be released from prison soon. Victims' families: "We haven't been updated about anything. We will fight for our children."
YEDIOT AHRONOT
1. Elimination in Dubai: Perfect operation? Not this time.
EXPOSED CELL.
Senior Hamas official eliminated. But mishaps are now being revealed: Innocent Israelis awoke to find that their identities had been stolen. Planners did not take into account expertise of Dubai investigators. Agents were exposed and "burned."
2. Traveling and explaining.
EVERY ISRAELI AN AMBASSADOR.
Going abroad? State has prepared pamphlet that will remind you to say that we brought cherry tomatoes to the world.
YISRAEL HAYOM
1. Seven Israelis suddenly wake up to find that they are "assassins."
PASSPORT EMBARRASSMENT.
Mossad, according to foreign reports, copied passports of Israelis who immigrated to the country. Now they are wanted for the Dubai hit. Melvyn Mildiner, from Beit Shemesh: "I am stunned and afraid." New York Times: Passports were used in Europe before hit. The Times: Israel can expect diplomatic confrontation.
WALLA!
1. SENIOR PA OFFICIAL: HAMAS INVOLVED IN AL MABHOUH HIT.
Spokesman for Palestinian security services on West Bank claims that two Palestinians who have been arrested on suspicion of involvement in elimination of senior Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in Dubai belong to Hamas. "We have a lot of information about the two of them."
2. STORM IN BRITISH MEDIA: "MOSSAD STOLE IDENTITIES."
Main headlines in British media dedicated to use of British passports during elimination of Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh in Dubai. They are already sure who was responsible for operation: "Mossad death squad stole passports."
3. NETANYAHU: WE ARE NOT PLANNING WAR WITH IRAN.
PM comes out against Iranian President who said that Israel is considering starting war against his country "this spring or summer." Netanyahu said that, "The Iranians have already begun to discuss the issue with Syria."
NANA10
1. RUSSIA: SALE OF S300 MISSILES TO IRAN POSTPONED DUE TO TECHNICAL FAULTS.
PM Netanyahu, who has returned from trip to Moscow, implored against transfer of anti-aircraft missiles to Iran. This morning, senior Russian official said that missile sale will be delayed due to glitch.
2. SUSPICION: PASSPORTS WERE COPIED AT BORDER CONTROL.
Britain investigating Dubai assassins affair.
[Headlines for Walla! and Nana10 are from their websites as of 10:10]
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SUMMARY OF OP-EDS FROM THE HEBREW PRESS
Yediot Ahronot maintains that the 50-60,000 Israeli citizens residing abroad should be allowed to vote in elections. The author notes that, "In order to vote for the Knesset, it is not necessary that one be 'a party to Israel's existential struggle' but rather only to buy a plane ticket, arrive at the voting booth at Ben-Gurion International Airport and go back. You scrounged $800? You are free to determine Israel's fate. If you haven't, you can't."
The Jerusalem Post writes: "The visit to Israel this week by the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, underlined the growing urgency of the Iranian nuclear challenge, and the Obama administration's intensifying effort to keep closely coordinated with Israel while grappling with that threat." But adds: "For now, President Barack Obama has yet to add Israel to his travel plans. And eight months after his landmark visit to Cairo, and his outreach address to the Muslim world, his absence is keenly felt here. A presidential visit in the near future would certainly prove reassuring to many Israelis, and would disarm those critics who assert that our well-being is not a sufficiently high priority for his White House."
Haaretz writes: "State Comptroller Micah Lindenstrauss has cast a revealing light on yet another dark corner of Israeli politics. The report he published this week on party expenditures during the final days of the previous Knesset and the campaign for the current Knesset includes serious accusations of wasteful spending of public funds and suspicions of unethical behavior, with Yisrael Beiteinu the most profligate of the parties. This report must not gather dust and be forgotten. Vigorous action on the part of the authorities is needed in order to eradicate this ignominy."
Ma'ariv maintains that, "The phenomena of yellow journalism leads to a situation in which the media does not cover the functioning of ministers, and the public does not judge them on the fulfillment of their duties." The author accuses, "In a country in which everything is political, criticism and praise of a minister is measured by his party affiliation or the estimated political slant of the critic. We in the media are also to blame."
Yisrael Hayom reflects that, "The events in Dubai prove to us once again that the world has totally changed for those dealing in terrorism and, unfortunately, for those seeking to foil it." The author notes that, "The affair which is developing before our very eyes, is becoming weirder and weirder by the minute. So much so that it is even possible to surmise that this is not only about the Mahmoud al-Mabhouh assassination, but also about the incrimination of Israel."
[Sever Plocker, Nadav Eyal, and Rami Eigra, wrote today’s articles in Yediot Ahronot, Ma'ariv, and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]
