Yediot Aharonot discusses the controversy over the Ulpana Hill section of Beit El in light of the recent High Court of Justice ruling, which deems it to have been illegally built on Palestinian-owned land and has ordered its evacuation by July 1. The author notes that some right-wing MKs are attempting to initiate legislation that would bypass the High Court and allow Ulpana Hill and other settlement outposts to remain in place, but claims that only the IDF, not the Knesset, is entitled to legislate in Judea and Samaria, by right of their being occupied territory to which Israeli sovereignty has never been applied. The paper cautions that "If the Knesset tries to pass legislation that applies to the occupied territories, this would be considered as annexing the territories and placing them under Israeli law," and predicts that this would invite an international firestorm of criticism against Israel.
Ma\’ariv ventures that "The Arab world is convinced that behind the announcement about the formation of a unity government is Israel\’s intention to start a war, and not just on the Iranian front," and asserts "For whatever reason, official Israel has chosen to leave the field to the Arab spokesmen. Jerusalem\’s voice has not been heard – not in any attempt to dispel war concerns and not in an effort to blunt the diplomatic pressure being initiated by the Palestinian Authority." The author says that "The decision to form a unity government was made suddenly and at the last minute, but as soon as it became a done deal, it should have been marketed better to the public in the region. Israel would have done well to send out reassuring messages to regional leaders and public opinion-makers. Even though anything Jerusalem says is currently treated with suspicion, the deafening silence is being taken as tanta! mount to a declaration of war."
Yisrael Hayom refers to the earthquake that was felt in Israel last Friday night, and believes that "Israel is somewhat complacent on the issue partly because a
significant earthquake has not been felt here since the 6.3 quake in 1927."
However, the author warns that "Earthquake awareness in Israel is insufficient
and we must not be remiss in dealing with this substantive issue. To remove all
doubt, it is certain that there will be an earthquake – we just do not know exactly where and when. Therefore, we must not shut our eyes."
The Jerusalem Post approves of the new coalition government, and states that “In reality, there is nothing better for the State of Israel right now than a stable government that will survive its four-year-plus mandate.” Referring to public criticism of the formation of the 94-member government coalition, the editor asserts: “Claims that a broad coalition is ‘dangerous’ or ‘Ceausescu-like’ are based more on hyperbole and demagogy than on a rational analysis of the facts.”
Haaretz praises US President Barak Obama for his support of same-sex marriages. Commenting on the situation in Israel, the editor points out that apart from the approximate 18,000 same-sex couples who openly maintain family life but are barred from the right to marry, there are many thousands more who are unable to wed for religious and other reasons. the editor believes that “The huge government coalition which consolidated last week, most of whose members are secular, should correct this injustice and confer the right to marriage to people who have until now been denied this freedom.”