Yediot Aharonot advises Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu before his Washington trip: "If you do not really mean what you said about two states, if you do not have a diplomatic plan, it would be best for you to come down with the flu immediately and cancel the flight."
Ma’ariv remarks that "Benjamin Netanyahu is stepping through the ruins on his feet. In the past days, he managed it [the crisis] correctly. Apparently, sometimes you can find the half-full cup even after it is broken. If Netanyahu this week actually receives a meeting with Obama and Clinton and half of a cold hug in Washington, he will be able to breathe a sigh of relief. Correct, it is not a love story, but it is not darkness either. The American administration once again went too far. Netanyahu extracted himself from the ditch. The problem is the ditches to come."
Yisrael Hayom opines that "Hillary Clinton went too far with her demands and Netanyahu rejected most of them while agreeing to partial compromises. Are Netanyahu and Barak leaving for Washington, under these circumstances, after having worked out the differences? Yes and no. Both governments desired to diffuse tensions, but Israel’s reply is liable to awaken the awareness that Israel, ultimately, did not comply with the heart of the American demands."
The Jerusalem Post discusses the de facto capitulation of the Lebanese leadership to Syria, while the latter is making strides toward breaking free from international isolation, and notes that "Damascus is teaching the world an object lesson in how it reaches understandings and what it considers accommodation." The editor notes that "Many in the security establishment argue fiercely that it is in Israel’s vital interest to seek an accord with Syria, in large part to try to peel Damascus away from Teheran," but argues that "the grim evidence is that not only has the Assad regime not reformed, but its attachment to the Axis of Evil is being patently reinforced."
Haaretz comments that the US has given PM Netanyahu a second chance, and urges him not to waste the opportunity. The editor states that "Obama’s support is vital to achieving Netanyahu’s stated goals: preventing Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons and an agreement with the Palestinians for two states for two peoples," and states that "It is up to Netanyahu to repair working relations with the president and senior members of his staff; this is in Israel’s interest."
[Eitan Haber, Ben Caspit and Dan Margalit wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot, Ma’ariv, and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]