The different israeli newspapers give their views on various matters.
Yediot Aharonot wonders what would be so terrible if the Palestinians were to unilaterally declare a state in September: "Let us assume that the UN vote passes and we wake up to a new Palestine. OK, let’s see them function as a state. Let’s see their government provide their citizens with what we provide them because they are not a state (including basic infrastructures). Let’s see them create an orderly democracy and a local currency that does not collapse immediately given their fundamentally corrupt economy. Let’s see them fire mortars at us – and in effect declare war. They think that a state is a picnic, something wonderful and fashionable, and the solution to all their problems. But for every problem that will be resolved by the establishment of Palestine, three other – far more serious – problems will be born."
Ma’ariv claims that "Prime Minister Netanyahu was elected on the basis of the Likud platform, which requires construction and Jewish settlement throughout the country," and suggests that, "If our Prime Minister was loyal to his voters, he would resolve the housing crisis by building in the heart of the country – in Samaria, the Binyamin area and the Judean hills."
Haaretz writes: "Yesterday’s Supreme Court decision that former President Moshe Katsav will not begin serving his prison sentence, pending a decision on his appeal, is a bad decision, involving problematic reasoning and grave consequences. The court’s decision to delay Katsav’s incarceration shows, once again, there is a contradiction here to the principle of equality, and the decision can be viewed as showing preference to people in high places. Katsav’s walking around free undermines the credibility and authority of the courts in the eyes of the public."
The Jerusalem Post comments that "only better transport can solve the housing crisis: There are only two ways to burst the real-estate bubble and make more homes less expensive. One is to offer more housing where the buyers are and where they wish to remain – in the Central region. This means even higher high-rises in already over-congested sprawling metropolises. This cannot be the reasonable option. The other approach is indeed to encourage population dispersal – but not through handouts to buyers. Remote locations can be brought closer to the center via improved transportation infrastructure."
Yisrael Hayom discusses the expulsion of Israel’s military attaché in Moscow and says that, "If Israel does not expel the Russian military attaché in response, this does not mean that it accepts Moscow’s claims, but that it simply wants to calm things down." The author ventures that bilateral relations are not as close as Jerusalem would like because, inter alia, "[Arms] exports are Russia’s top interest and Israel is not a top client, far from it." The paper believes that, "The current story is not in Israel’s interest at a time when it is struggling against global isolation, even if things must be kept in proportion. Among the Quartet, Russia – like the UN – has never been considered easy to persuade. In the era when everything is revealed and everything comes out – we won’t have to wait long until we find out why the Russians are angry."
[Yonatan Yavin, Nadav Haetzni and Boaz Bismuth wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot, Ma’ariv and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]