(Government Press Office)
Yisrael Hayom reminds its readers that "The Interior Minister and the head of the National Security Council in New Delhi requested neither an investigation nor a hearing, and did not blame someone else for the success of the Pakistani terrorism in Mumbai…They did not play for time…They did not look to blame their predecessors, nor did they seek to tarnish their successors…They did not claim that the plans were good but that the implementation was faulty. They simply got up and announced that as far as they were concerned, there was no need whatsoever for criminal responsibility. It was sufficient that they were morally responsible, in their words, and went home…Nobody whined that the budget was insufficient. They also refrained from saying that in the light of the worsening tension between India and Pakistan, it was now forbidden to change horses and that they should be allowed to continue. They simply stood up and left quietly. What an example, India."
The Jerusalem Post criticizes Israel's incoherent policy towards Hamas, and calls for effective action against aggression from Gaza. "Rather than issuing empty threats about an all-out invasion, Jerusalem needs to tell Hamas that active belligerence will result in the IDF systematically picking off their political and military hierarchy". The editor feels that while the Hamas leaders may be keen to sacrifice themselves for jihad (and an eternity with 72 virgins), more than anything the movement wants to retain its hold over Gaza, adding that "If hunkered down and relentlessly hunted, they may find control slipping from their murderous hands".
Ma'ariv attributes part of former IDF Chief-of-Staff Moshe Ya'alon's popularity in the Likud, ahead of the party primary, to his Labor roots and to his being a former member of Kibbutz Grofit.
Haaretz criticizes public figures in Israel who ridiculed the Indian security force's handling of the attack in Mumbai last week, while commending the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its correct handling of the matter. The editor points out that terrorist attacks are a cause for sorrow and rage, not for arrogant statements and impossible ideas.
Yediot Aharonot complains that settlers, haredim and Israeli Arabs form cohesive sub-states within the larger State of Israel, "which serves as a punching bag for all of them. Its indifferent reactions increase the frustration, its lack of vision increases the despair."
[Motti Ravid, Shalom Yerushalmi and Dan Margalit wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot, Ma'ariv and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]