Yediot Aharonot opines that "Netanyahu will not cross the Rubicon and will continue debating with the Americans until someone is exasperated. With all the danger involved, I dare to wager that dramatic decisions will not be made in the coming days. Furthermore, as things look right now, Yair Netanyahu will complete his tenure at the IDF Spokesman’s Office without having to explain why the army must evacuate settlers in wake of an agreement that his father signed."
Ma’ariv notes that "Of late, there has been an increase in calls for Israel to abandon its [nuclear] ambiguity. This change in strategy would lend legitimization to Iran and other countries with nuclear ambitions."
Yisrael Hayom contends that "If Netanyahu hesitates in accepting, here and now, the proposal which he brought back to Israel after seven hours with Hillary Clinton, it would be because he needs a bit more time to pass the budget in the Knesset without being held hostage by the right-wingers in the coalition. The crux of the matter is that the US is at the center of Israel’s priorities, and that must determine in favor of the time-limited proposal, after which another freeze extension will not be requested."
The Jerusalem Post discusses the rights of fugitive from justice ex-MK Azmi Bishara (Balad), who fled the country in 2007 to elude interrogation on charges that he actively abetted Hizbullah during the Second Lebanon War and who continues to receive his Knesset pension whilst heaping scathing scorn on Israel from afar and recommending armed struggle against it, and points out that "The unavoidable question for Israelis is whether they ought to continue footing Bishara’s bills." A preliminary bill aimed at plugging the loophole by denying publicly funded allowances to any serving or former MK who fails to honor police or court summonses or who dodges duly imposed penalties was recently approved in the Knesset, despite extreme opposition of Arab MKs. The editor is perturbed by the fact that "All Arab MKs who participated in the Knesset committee deliberations solidly sided with Bishara and boycotted the final vote," a fact which "underscores the vulnerability of our sovereignty and democracy." The editor states that "If anything, this behooves our democracy to defend itself against those who would exploit its tolerance in order to destroy it."
Haaretz remarks on the lessons that can be learned from the case of Lt. Col. (res.) Boaz Harpaz involving the document that Harpaz gave to the office of Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi in the apparent hope of damaging the chances of Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant to be appointed next IDF Chief of Staff, and states that in light of the issues revealed by the police investigation, "The Harpaz case requires tighter external oversight by the defense minister of the chief of staff, the intelligence bodies and appointments of officers to senior and sensitive positions. The security establishment and its leaders have proven that they must not be trusted blindly."
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