Yisrael Hayom remarks that "The Goldstone report would have remained an anti-Semitic document signed by an esteemed judge who is one of us. Most of us were in no need of Goldstone’s announcement to know that the report was, for the most part, a blood libel. But propaganda of atrocities spreads like a disease among friendly nations as well, even among the Israeli public. Now he has recanted, but the damage is already done, like an innocent person who is exonerated after having been executed."
Ma’ariv professes that "The article that Goldstone wrote is a great victory for Israel. Most of Israel’s claims were proven to be correct, but we must not allow ourselves to be misled. The damage has been done, much like with the A-Dura story. The few moments, in which the father and son were seen groaning in the face of fire by cruel Israeli soldiers, incited riots, not only among Israeli Arabs, but also a world-wide wave of slander. When it became clear that the whole thing was one big hoax – it was already too late."
Yediot Aharonot contends that "Goldstone is an exceptionally brave man. It is not to be taken lightly when a man of his stature stands up and admits, in public, that he erred. The man is willing to lose his good name and his reputation so that he can live with a clear conscience. Israel should not come down on him now."
The Jerusalem Post welcomes the proposal by Knesset Control Committee chairman Yoel Hasson (Kadima) to place the actual functioning of the state prosecution under the scrutiny of some form of in-house appraisal committee, thus enabling citizens who feel they have been wronged by the prosecution to air their grievances inside the organization, and notes that “No bureaucratic entities or professional collectives should be placed above internal scrutiny. In the prosecution’s case, exhaustive scrutiny can only ensure more equitable and reasonable conduct, which should go a long way toward restoring the trust that so many have lost in the system.”
Haaretz accuses Israel’s state prosecution of being guilty of corruption, and argues that “The State Prosecutor’s Office continues to defend ministries that violate the law and government decisions. Elected officials and their deputies routinely stick to their agendas despite the censure by the Supreme Court president and the other justices.”
[Dan Margalit, Ben-Dror Yemini and Alex Fishman wrote today’s articles in Yisrael Hayom, Ma’ariv and Yediot Aharonot, respectively.]