A round-up of the Hebrew newspapers in Israel ; covering the major events happening in Israel and the Middle East . Haaretz-Maariv-Yedioth Ahronoth-Israel Hayom-The Jerusalem Post-Ynet-Arutz 7 News-Army Radio-Israel Radio-and Makor Rishon
The election of the Moslem
Brotherhood candidate as Egypt ’s
first post-Mubarak president dominates all the Israeli newspapers on Monday,
June 25, 2012. The official Israeli response to the election of an Islamist was
muted, but the newspapers appear to have already made up their minds about what
it means for Israel , for the
Israel-Egypt peace accord and for the security of southern Israel ……done
Yedioth Ahronoth had a five-page
coverage with a reference to the biblical plagues, calling Mursi’s election the
‘plague of darkness.’
Maariv’s headline….‘A new
Middle East’ is more neutral, but it goes on to say that ‘Israel ’s
greatest fear has been realized.’
Israel Hayom says that the
Egyptian people ‘voted for Islam’ and that Israel must ready itself for
Egyptian demands to renegotiate the terms of the peace treaty.
Officially, Israel sounded
a cautious note on the announcement of the election results. A statement issued
by the Prime Minister’s Office said that ‘Israel
appreciates the democratic process in Egypt and respects its outcome. Israel expects
continued cooperation with the Egyptian administration on the basis of the
peace accord between the two countries, which is in the interest of the two
peoples and contributes to regional stability,’ the statement continued.
Nevertheless, an unnamed Israeli
official told the Associated Press that ‘it looks like we were
right when we said the Arab Spring would become an 'Islamic Winter,' even
though Western nations laughed us off at the time.’ The official added that he
hoped the Egyptian government would ‘try to be more statesmanlike, by working
in the interests of the country.’
Eli Shaked, a former Israeli ambassador to Cairo ,
told Israel 's Army
Radio that Mursi's authority would likely be diluted by the powerful
Egyptian army, which relies on Washington 's
defense grants.
Channel 2's
veteran Arab affairs expert, Ehud Yaari said that armed with untiring patience,
the Muslim Brotherhood “will try to stabilize a monopoly on power – not
hurriedly, not through confrontations, but through a gradual building of force,
just as Khomeini did in Iran”. Mursi is not looking for war with Israel, Yaari
adds, and he will let the military manage relations with Israel. ‘But it is
nearly certain that, at a moment not too far off from now, he will insist that Israel
'reassess' the 1979 peace treaty and demand that the military protocol limiting
the Egyptian army's deployment in Sinai be amended”.
All the papers also report that,
in his first address to the nation just hours after being declared Egypt 's new
president, Mursi vowed to “preserve international accords and obligations”. In
what was seen as an indirect reference to the peace treaty with Israel , Mursi
said he had a “message of peace” and would “respect all international
agreements”. He also proclaimed himself the “leader of all Egyptians”.
On the other hand, in a message
that would have sent chills down Israeli leaders’ spines, he said in an
interview on Monday that he wants closer ties with Tehran to create a “balance”
in the Middle East.
Mursi told the Iranian Fars News Agency that closer relations
with Iran
“will create a balance of pressure in the region, and this is part of my
program”..
In other news, Russian President
Vladimir Putin arrives on Monday, June 25th on a state visit to Israel . He is
heading a 300-strong delegation comprising government ministers, advisers and
journalists that is arriving in four planes. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman
greeted the Russian entourage at Ben-Gurion
Airport . The delegation traveled
to Netanya, where Putin, alongside President Shimon Peres, dedicated a monument
to the Red Army's triumph over Nazi Germany. From Netanya, the Russian leader headed
to Jerusalem ,
for talks with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, and cabinet ministers
Lieberman, Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Vice Premier Shaul Mofaz. He dined
with his Israeli counterpart Peres that evening. Putin is scheduled to visit Bethlehem and Jordan on Tuesday, June 26, 2010.
Putin last visited Israel in 2005, during his first term as
president and in what was the first Russian presidential visit to Israel .
Finally, Maariv reported that Israel
and the U.S. will hold their
largest ever joint military exercise in October, featuring thousands of
soldiers and advanced anti-missile defense systems, simulating simultaneous
fire from Iran and Syria .
On a recent visit to Israel commander of the 3rd Air Force Lt.-Gen.
Craig A. Franklin established a planning committee with representatives of the
IDF to coordinate the details of the large exercise that was set to include
some 3,000 U.S.
soldiers alongside thousands of Israeli troops. The exercise is scheduled to
take place in October. The drill will simulate missiles being fired at Israel from Iran
and Syria
at the same time, with potentially tens, if not hundreds, of rockets mid-air at
the same time. Israel will
feature its upgraded Arrow 2 defense system, while the U.S. will
deploy the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System and PAC-3 Patriot air defense
platforms. According to Maariv, some military analysts have
nicknamed the exercise a “dress rehearsal”, noting that it sends a clear
message to Iran
at a time during which results of international sanctions will start to take
effect and be seen.