Three papers comment on the opening of the Egypt-Rafah crossing:Ma’ariv suggests that, "The chances for the situation in Rafah to revert to its former status are zero. The next president of Egypt will have to navigate between the demands of the army and those of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is expected to populate the Egyptian parliament en masse. Yet Israel still has an important card: The threat to export the Gaza mine field to Egypt. More than once Israel has warned that if Cairo allows a freeway for smugglers on its border with the Gaza Strip, Israel will close its Gaza crossings. Now the time has come to examine that option. There is no reason to maintain open crossings between Israel and the Gaza Strip, while Egypt allows free movement from Rafah. If the fate of Gaza is so important to Cairo, the Egyptians will be respected and the full responsibility will be theirs."
Haaretz comments that "Egypt’s decision to open the Rafah crossing to people raised great apprehension in Israel, as expected. The immediate concern is that the opening of the crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt will allow Hamas and other groups to bring in an unlimited supply of weapons." However, "The opening of the Rafah crossing is above all an important humanitarian gesture. As such, Israel should follow suit and open the crossings from the West Bank to Israel. The return of normal life to Gaza might encourage its citizens to put the brakes on terror."
Yisrael Hayom argues that, "Hamas will continue to blame us for an embargo. However, the Egyptian move will make it more difficult for them to convince the world and will make it easier for us to rebut the claim."
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Yediot Aharonot contends that "Netanyahu is a strange blend of eras. On one side a modern PR firm, and on the other side a walking anachronism – Wall Street suits, while his feet are stuck in the old cement of settlements."
The Jerusalem Post comments on the US State Department’s charge that a subsidiary of the Ofer Brothers Group, one of Israel’s richest consortiums, sold a tanker that eventually reached the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines. The Ofers hotly deny any dealings with Iran. The Post writes: "At this point in time, we cannot pass judgment. The Ofers’ line is that it’s all a misunderstanding. The US position, though, is that the Ofers cannot plead ignorance. All big-time operators owe it to the free world in which they function (to say nothing of Israelis, whose very survival hangs in the balance) to pay very close attention to the people with whom they do business. They must exercise ultra-scrutiny because international marketplaces brim with front-men who aren’t who they claim to be. That said, pitfalls abound and our officialdom cannot presume all businessmen to be vigilant or capable of vigilance. Where possible, Israelis must be warned away from dubious contacts."