(Government Press Office)
The Jerusalem Post feels that "it is way too premature for Jerusalem to be entertaining thoughts of a cease-fire. It is Hamas that needs an exit strategy to extricate it from a devastating situation of its own making". Claiming that a ground offensive, which Hamas expects, would be disastrous, the editor urges the government to utilize unexpected strategies against its enemies, and the homefront to demonstrate it's patience and resilience. The editor concludes by stating that "There should be no talk of a cease-fire until the declared goal of achieving long-term normality in the South has been attained".
Yisrael Hayom asks "Who and what is Hamas?" The editors answer by noting that "The Hamas constitution determines that the movement is an arm of the Muslim Brotherhood and quotes Hassan al-Banna, founder of the movement: 'Israel will rise and will continue to exist until Islam wipes it out, as it has those who came before it'.
Ma'ariv contends that "The protesters throughout the Arab world do not want a peace process or appeasement – only Hamas. There is no willingness to accept the essence of our existence".
Yediot Aharonot contends that "The odds that some move will end the fighting before a ground offensive are very low, not due to the feeling in the security establishment that Hamas has been beaten but because it has not been beaten enough for it to draw the right conclusions". The editors believe that "If only this were summertime, the ground operation would have already been at its height".
Haaretz feels that the idea of postponing the general elections is absurd, and states that "Those who represent the public and not some politician trying to catch a ride on the emergency must ensure that the election is held as scheduled".
[Dror Adir, Nadav Haetzni and Alex Fishman wrote today’s articles in Yisrael Hayom, Ma'ariv and Yediot Aharonot, respectively.]