Four papers comment on State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss\’s report on the government\’s performance regarding the 2010 seizure of the Mavi Marmara:
Yediot Aharonot reminds its readers that "It was clear to all that this flotilla was more dangerous than those that preceded it. This did not bother the Prime Minister. Five different entities demanded a serious debate. The Prime Minister ignored them. The Marmara report is a warning signal: This is how decisions are made in King Netanyahu\’s court."
Ma\’ariv contends that "In the Marmara affair, Israel disregarded approaching the Arab public through the media," and adds that this is a distorted assessment of the power of the street today. The author notes that "The serious findings in the State Comptroller\’s report on the Gaza flotilla, regarding the national public diplomacy apparatus, points to \’the continued severe multi-year deterioration in public diplomacy and in television and radio broadcasts in the Arab language, as well as tremendous lethargy in advancing public diplomacy in this language on the internet\’. In other words, Israel has not made a real effort to communicate with an extensive Arab community."
Yisrael Hayom maintains that "There is no reason to flog ourselves. State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss, towards the end of his term, has published an important report that should be studied and implemented. I have no doubt that the Government of Israel, the IDF and the intelligence branches will study the report and will extract from it the greatest benefit. The great advantage of criticism is that it is after the fact, but this wisdom is also important for looking at the future." The author retells that "Navy boats attempted to stop the flotilla without the use of military force. The flotilla organizers did not concur. They were looking for a conflict with the IDF; the very essence of a provocation. Thanks to determination by the Government of Israel and to a daring maneuver by the naval commandos, the flotilla was halted at the cost of blood that could have been avoided. It is a shame that blood was spilled. That said,! a country that does not know how to defend its borders with determination and self-sacrifice, cannot exist in the jungle that is the Middle East."
Haaretz notes that the report “unveils another gloomy collection of flaws and failures in the conduct of our most senior officials, for which ultimate responsibility rests with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.” The editor asserts that “In this report, the comptroller showed a yellow card to Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak in an effort to prevent reality from showing a red card to the State of Israel.”
The Jerusalem Post discusses the annual start-of-season lifeguard strike at Tel Aviv beaches. The editor notes that “this was only to be expected,” but adds: “The only way to once and for all discontinue the yearly disgrace is through legislation that would limit union ability to shut down essential services. Labor chieftains must be made personally accountable for the harm they recklessly wreak.”