Yediot Aharonot notes that when the IDF liberated the Old City of Jerusalem in the 1967 Six Day War, the late Mordechai Gur, then in command of a reserve paratroop brigade, declared: "The Temple Mount is in our hands." The author adds: "The reason I am bringing up the ghost of Mordechai Gur is that this week the police informed the Bnei Akiva youth movement that it was forbidden to go about the Old City with signs bearing the words \’The Temple Mount is in our hands.\’" The paper says that "In practice, in modern Israel, 45 years later, there is no sovereignty on the Temple Mount. The Waqf is in charge and decides what is permitted and what is forbidden, a state within a state." The author reminds its read! ers that under the auspices of the Waqf, "infrastructure work is being carried out [on the Temple Mount] that entails the destruction of archaeological treasures. There is no supervision by the Antiquities Authority. There is no supervision by the police. There is no preservation of history. Moreover, freedom of worship – a core value in a liberal, democratic state – completely disappears on the Mount when it comes to Jews who want to pray. The Waqf decides, the volatility dictates. And so, when Bnei Akiva wanted to deliver a message, the police preferred quiet. The police are not to blame. Its actions are a product of Israeli policy, or to more exact, the continuing lack of a policy regarding the Temple Mount."
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Ma\’ariv believes that "The decision to raise the prices of regulated bread is perhaps just, but not smart. It hits mainly at the lower strata and not those who eat focaccia. The timing is miserable: The increase that takes effect today comes before the upcoming holidays and provides more than a little ammunition to those in the opposition who are attacking the Government\’s substandard economic conduct." The author notes that "The prices of non-regulated bread and other food products will rise in the coming days," wonders what could be done, and suggests bringing forward the increase in the minimum wage that is due to take effect on October 1." The paper asserts that "The price increases, like the social protest, occurred on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\’s watch," but adds: "He is not to blame; with all due respect, not even Netanyahu has any influence over global wheat and energy prices." The author agrees with the Prim! e Minister\’s statement yesterday that "Israel suffers from too much regulation."
Yisrael Hayom is concerned that Egyptian President Morsi will prove true to his Muslim Brotherhood roots and seek to erode and undercut the peace treaty with Israel. The author declares: "As billions of dollars from America and Qatar flow into Egypt, it must be made certain that the economic and military assistance are conditional on an Egyptian commitment to the peace with Israel and the foiling of terrorism from Gaza."
The Jerusalem Post discusses last Sunday’s surprise move by Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy, in which he sent his powerful defense minister and other senior generals into retirement and revoked a military order curbing his powers, and notes that “Morsy and the Muslim Brotherhood have now emerged as the true victors of last year’s Tahrir Square uprising. They wield power in parliament and now in the military too.” The editor reminds his readers that “Morsy has pledged to honor Egypt’s peace treaty with Israel and to help revive the regional peace process,” and believes that now is the time “for Israel to attempt to normalize relations with Morsy’s Egypt after a long period of a cold peace under his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak.”
Haaretz believes that war criminals are walking around free in Israel, and notes that “Cast Lead, an operation that caused the deaths of hundreds of innocent civilians, is ending on a weak note, as only three indictments have been issued.”
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[Yoaz Hendel, Yehuda Sharony and Dr. Reuven Barko wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot, Ma\’ariv and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]