Yediot Aharonot opines that "The Iranians are raising their bets in their poker game against the West. This time they are doing it against Israel in the Mediterranean. They are intentionally raising the possibility of an incident between [the Israeli] navy and Iranian war ships. It is no longer about a conflict with Iran through a proxy such as Hezbollah in Lebanon or the Islamic Jihad in Gaza. This time the Iranians are standing face-to-face with Israel and are waving their naval missiles and are taunting, ‘Whattaya gonna do about it?’"
Ma’ariv maintains that "The economy’s growth is not felt in the pocket," and says that "The economic growth data proves just how much the Finance Minister erred when he initiated an additional gasoline levy and other taxes."
Yisrael Hayom addresses the general situation in the region and notes that "A serious country, and military that acts accordingly, must identify threats and prepare for the worst with a caution that does not squander means, but in a way that takes these threats into account."
The Jerusalem Post is concerned by the increasingly unsettling trends emanating from Jordan, as expressed by the call by the Jordanian Minister of Justice for the release of the murderer of seven 11-year-old Israeli schoolgirls in 1997, and states: “King Abdullah must surely be aware that he won’t secure his position by letting the genie of hatred out of the bottle. Instead of appeasing the voices of those who would legitimize the cold-blooded murder of civilians, the reforms he is being pressed to expedite should include a focus on education that rejects senseless hatreds.” Recalling the humane humility expressed by the late King Hussein when he came here personally and visited each of the bereaved families, the editor adds:”The right role model is close at hand. Abdullah should encourage his people to embrace his father’s brave heritage, forthrightly and fearlessly.”
Haaretz criticizes Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s decision to make student trips to the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron part of the school curriculum, and says that “In Hebron, schoolchildren will learn that might is right, that whoever takes over property that is not his and evicts others from their homes with violence, backed by acts of fraud and the guns of the IDF, wins.” The editor declares that “This is an extremely problematic educational message,” and adds: “For that reason, this new curriculum of his should be scrapped immediately.”
[Alex Fishman, Yehuda Sharoni and Yaakov Amidor wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot, Ma’ariv and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]