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Two newspapers discus recent displays of violence at soccer matches: Haaretz is angered by the displays of racism and violence at soccer stadiums, and calls on the government to intervene. The editordemands that Culture and Sports Minister Limor Livnat to get into the thick of things, and suggests she “adopt the model that has been successfully used in Britain, which combines persistent, preventive police action against hooligans and tough sentences against violent fans.” The editor concludes: “The State of Israel cannot allow a situation in which a sport avidly followed by hundreds of thousands of people, among them many youngsters, turns into an untreatable abscess of racism and violence.”
Yediot Aharonot notes that "The violence in football begins with the owners and with the managers – with some of them. Some of them are former criminals. Some are presently under investigation. However their essence is closer to the illegal gambling industry rather than to the joy of sport."
Ma’ariv remarks that "Something happened in Egypt: In the
most dramatic of events since the fall of Mubarak’s regime, the Muslim
Brotherhood announced that Mahmoud Khairat el-Shater would be its candidate for the presidency. We find ourselves ahead of an event that will change the Middle East: The political Islam of Egypt is conquering both the lower house and the administrative branch of government."
Yisrael Hayom professes that "18.5 years after the first Oslo agreement, known as the ‘Gaza and Jericho First’ agreement, the conflict is still the weightiest issue that Israel must deal with in the coming decades. Today, as the class of 94′ reaches the age of 18, it is worthwhile examining what the peace agreements gave Israel and what they made worse. First, Israel forfeited places of heritage, i.e. Jewish holy and historic places. Second, for the first time a Palestinian terrorist organization received international legitimacy. Israel, in the world’s consciousness, turned into a colonial element, no longer a long-suffering people that returned to its land after two thousand years of exile, but rather a conquering nation which took from the Arabs their homes." The author notes that "The Palestinians received territory, media channels and weapons. They have exploited it for everything it! is worth. They have practiced terrorism and exploited television and radio channels for hostile incitement and intensifying the armed struggle."
The Jerusalem Post examines the government elections, due to be held next year, and states that “Barring a major security flare-up or air strike on Iran, economic issues emerging as major focus of next elections.” The editor believes that “Our politicians are beginning to understand that socioeconomic issues – the price of gas, the price of a new car and efficient public transportation – can decide the next elections,” and adds: “when the so-called “middle-class” struggles to maintain a subsistence-level existence, even the potential existential threats presented by Palestinian terrorists, by Kassam and Grad rockets, or by an Islamic Republic with nuclear capability can pale in comparison to the immediate existential threat of failing to make ends meet.”
[Nahum Barnea, Eli Avidar and Prof. Avraham Tzion wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot, Ma’ariv and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]