Yediot Aharonot reminds its readers that "On the day on which the shocking massacre was perpetrated in Houla in Syria, a protest demonstration was organized in London against the Habima theatre company which was performing \’The Merchant of Venice\’ at a Shakespeare At the same time, The Guardian published a letter by dozens of British directors, playwrights and actors who accused Habima of collaborating with the Israeli occupation and the settlements." The author also accuses veteran British journalist Patrick Seale of whitewashing Syrian President Bashar Assad\’s record and claiming that the latter has been provoked by Western aid to the Syrian rebels. The paper asserts that "Israel is facing tough geopolitical and moral decisions, but the intolerable gap between the moral demands on Israel and the overlooking of such severe crimes in the Arab world distorts any chance for ! rational thought and discussion." The author also faults leading Israeli Arabs and contends that "Their deafening silence over what is going on in Syria reverberates sevenfold after the years in which they enthusiastically supported the brutal dictator."
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Ma\’ariv discusses US-Israeli relations in the shadow of the Iranian nuclear threat. The author suggests that "When the Americans understood that it was likely that Israel was not just talking, but had also prepared detailed plans, including maps and lists, this told them that they should start to act." The paper believes that "The US thus began to talk to Iran by means of threats and the imposition of sanctions," and contends that this is what "led the Tehran regime [back] to the negotiating table." The author supposes that "In the US, they understand that only this way would it be possible to delay, and perhaps stop, an Israeli attack," and adds: "As long as they continue this way, there is a good chance that Israel will wait and see where things are going… In Jerusalem, they know that the missile waiting on the F-15 is goading the Americans and the world to use active diplomacy."
Yisrael Hayom comments on the political situation in Egypt. The author avers that "It is difficult to assume that they [Egypt\’s Islamist leadership] will rush to abrogate the peace agreement with Israel," and ventures that “they will press the US into \’bringing stability to the region\’ by agreeing to substantial changes in the agreement, which will gradually make it devoid of all content." The paper reminds its readers that nearly all revolutions have led to foreign wars as a way to unite the nation around the new regime and says that "The State of Israel should learn this lesson well, starting as soon as the second round of the Egyptian elections is over."
Haaretz praises the government’s decision to pay the salaries of Israel’s non-Orthodox rabbis just as it does to Orthodox rabbis, and asserts that “the tiny crack that was wedged opened this week portends a new atmosphere that could offer new opportunities for the provision of religious and community services in Israel.”
The Jerusalem Post discusses the brutal assault of a young girl in Tel Aviv by three Eritrean illegals last independence day, and notes that due to a technicality only charges of attempted rape were filed. The editor states that “Sometimes too inflexible a reading of the law results in a miscarriage of justice,” and wonders why no outcry has been sounded, least of all by women’s organizations. The editor asserts: “If the fault is in the wording of the law, then changes ought to be seriously considered. Legal phraseology isn’t sacrosanct and revisions, especially in cases of such utterly incontrovertible viciousness, shouldn’t be out of the question.”
[Yossi Schein, Hanan Greenberg and Prof. Alexander Bligh wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot, Ma\’ariv and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]