Yediot Aharonot calls on the Government to coordinate with the US on reopening the relevant sections of the peace accords with Egypt in order to head off widespread demands to this effect in Egypt, following this week\’s incident near Rafah and Kerem Shalom. The author describes the Egyptian actions in Sinai so far as "cosmetic treatment for a malignant disease," and "a political show," designed to placate the Egyptian public\’s desire for revenge. The paper believes that "There will be no substantive change in Sinai until there is a change in the national order of priorities, replete with investment in this remote and neglected province. The Bedouin rebellion – which has led to religious extremism, violence and anarchy – is the product of poverty, unemployment, and mainly injured pride. The Egyptian authorities are not about to invest the ! billions they do not have in Sinai. And therefore Sinai will continue to be our problem. In such a situation, any discussion about the military annex to the peace agreements is critical."
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Ma\’ariv accuses the local media of over-hyping Israel\’s chances of winning medals at the London Olympics and remarks: "We should internalize and understand that our chance of winning another Nobel Prize is immeasurably higher than our chance of winning an Olympic gold medal."
Yisrael Hayom discusses the arrest of 14 Israeli Arabs, most of whom are believed to be drug dealers, for smuggling high-grade explosives into Israel at the behest of Hezbollah. The author suggests that Hezbollah wants to attack Israel "but not leave behind unequivocal tracks that could facilitate a sharp revenge," and adds that the incident points to both the link between criminal and terrorist elements and the problematic nature of the divided community of Ghajar.
The Jerusalem Post discusses the refusal of tenure to Adar Cohen, who headed the Education Ministry’s Civics Pedagogical Unit, and the resulting public outcry based on the argument that he is a victim of politicization, and notes that “Cohen’s own appointment was blatantly political.” The editor reminds the readers that Cohen’s predecessor, Esther Brand, was summarily fired in a similar manner because her “chief sin was her residence in beyond-the- Green-Line Kedumim,” and states: “It is high time that trendsetters in our public discourse concede that politicization is in the beholders’ eye. One man’s cronyism is another’s professional choice. Often those who protest loudest against political appointments – and the smut, scandal and sleaze popularly ascribed to them – can hardly claim a spotless record themselves.”
Haaretz avers that the Israeli contingent to the 2012 Olympic Games “will be the first Israeli contingent since 1988 to return from the games without a medal,” and contends the reason behind this is that “There is no sports education, no sports consciousness and no sports culture in Israel.” The editor believes that “For Israeli sports to get back on track there must be a revolution, not just in funding but primarily in education and attitude,” and concludes: “It\’s an ongoing, Sisyphean effort, just like sports training, but there is no alternative.”
[Alex Fishman, Yael Paz-Melamed and Yoav Limor wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot, Ma\’ariv and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]