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Ma\’ariv notes that the 19th Knesset will be inaugurated today. The author, who served as speaker of the 18th Knesset, believes that "The Knesset, with all its strengths and weaknesses, is the epitome of Israeli democracy and expresses the will of the people."
Yediot Aharonot says that even though Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is due to arrive in Cairo today, "The US and Israel can relax: Though the open link between Iran and Egypt will likely continue, the reconciliation that Iran is hoping for is still not on the horizon." The author, a former Israeli Ambassador to Egypt, believes – inter alia – that Tehran\’s and Cairo\’s differences over Syria are unbridgeable, and that Egypt is too committed to the security of the Gulf States for there to be any genuine reconciliation between the rival Shi\’ite and Sunni powers.
Yisrael Hayom refers to the recent partial system crash at one of Israel\’s largest cellular telephone service providers and notes that even though the possibility of sabotage has been ruled out for the time being, "The crash of only one switchboard caused significant panic on the Israeli street." While the author lauds Israel\’s technological capabilities and preparations, he nevertheless warns that "Israel\’s cyber space is not protected by an Iron Dome," and suggests that the country\’s advanced systems are an inviting possible avenue of attack.
The Jerusalem Post comments on the coalition talks on the question “of ending military exemption for tens of thousands of able-bodied haredi men, euphemistically known as ‘sharing the burden,’” and wonders: “Will Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu succeed in watering down demands to end haredi exceptionalism . . . in order to better facilitate the incorporation of the 18-MK Shas-United Torah Judaism bloc in the government?” The editor believes that “A halt to haredi exemption from national service should not be motivated by hatred, prejudice or a desire to take revenge,” and adds: “If party leaders are unwilling to rise to the occasion, a more egalitarian approach to sharing in civic duties should be worked out and implemented without them.”
Haaretz is angered that no Israeli official or authority has taken responsibility for last week’s bombing of the Syrian arms convoy, and states that “it appears the main purpose of the official ambiguity, certainly after the Syrians published the details, was to prevent a public debate in Israel about the wisdom and responsibility of Israel’s pushing itself into the boiling lava of the Syrian civil war.” The editor asserts: “The prime minister and defense minister would rather play James Bond and turn Israeli media into a fighter in the ‘perception-shaping’ army instead of explaining the action and its motives,” and opines: “This approach was barely suitable for Israel in its early years. It is time to grow up and act like a state, not like a boys’ club.”
[MK Reuven Rivlin, Itzhak Levanon and Nir Gaist wrote today’s articles in Ma\’ariv, Yediot Aharonot and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]