Gone but not forgotten
Israel buries the victims of the Burgas attack; demonstrators march in memory of Moshe Silman; and foreigners find new volunteer opportunities in Israel
The aftermath of the Burgas attack reached its emotional climax on Friday when the five victims were laid to rest. While all the papers give the funerals prominent coverage, they differ in their front-page approach to the attack.
Yedioth Ahronoth dedicates the most coverage to the funerals, with four pages of articles on the funerals themselves. Its front-page headline is taken from a quote from Deputy UN Ambassador Chaim Waxman: “We are in the midst of a wave of global terror.” After the coverage of the funerals, the paper reports that the attack was a coordinated effort by Iran and Hezbollah.
Instead of putting the funerals on its front page, Maariv opts to show what it calls “The Burgas effect” — a helicopter hovering next to London Bridge with the headline, “Suspected: Terror attack against Israelis at the Olympics.” The story is based on a report from The Sunday Times saying that Israeli Mossad agents have been dispatched to London to prevent terror attacks. As if to prove its point, Maariv places a small article on the opposite page about a Muslim youth who tried, and failed, to kidnap the London torchbearer on Friday.
Israel Hayom covers the funerals and the manhunt for the second terrorist with a front-page box with both a picture of the funeral and a sketch of the possible second terrorist, who allegedly helped the suicide bomber.
The Syrian situation
While Haaretz covered the funerals in a full-page spread on Page 4, its front page was dedicated to the situation in Syria. “Assad fights for control of Damascus; rebels: the next target is Assad’s head.” A spokesman for the opposition told the paper, “The widespread feeling here is that regime has lost complete control of the territory.” However, Assad isn’t falling so quickly, as the paper reports 300 people have been killed since last week’s bombing, which took the life of the Syrian minister of defense and Assad’s brother-in-law.
Maariv focuses on the battles in Damascus, calling it “Assad’s blitz.” “President Assad uses tanks and helicopters to crush neighborhoods in the capital,” the article states. The paper includes a map of Damascus with eight highlighted locations that are being attacked by helicopters, tanks, or battles with the rebels. All is not going well for the opposition in the fierce battles, as all its efforts to disarm the Syrian tanks have failed.
Yedioth augments coverage of the ongoing Syrian conflict with an article about the increase in refugees since last week’s Damascus bombing. In the past week over 20,000 refugees arrived in Lebanon and some even made it to Libya and Egypt. However, the paper reports that Turkey, Iraq and Jordan have stated that they cannot handle any more refugees. Security sources told the paper that Israel created a plan to house Syrian refugees in a tent city if the need arises. Yedioth puts the number of refugees since the beginning of the 17-month conflict at over 400,000.
A march in memory
Israel Hayom reports that a thousand demonstrators marched in Tel Aviv Saturday night in memory of Moshe Silman, who died on Friday from his wounds. Silman lit himself on fire in protest of what he felt were unfair economic conditions. The paper quotes march organizers saying: “The march is dedicated to the memory of Moshe Silman and the memory of all victims of economic distress and political anti-social Israeli government.” Demonstrators carried signs that read, “We are all Moshe Silman” and “Moshe Silman is my brother.”
All the papers included on their front pages an article about the massacre at a Colorado movie theater. Yedioth dedicated two pages of coverage to the massacre, including pictures of the weapons used and a breakdown of precisely how the attack occurred. Maariv similarly covers the event but also includes a small article about how gun control in the United States has returned to the national debate.
Let’s go
Maariv reports that all may not be well in Kadima after party leader Shaul Mofaz decided to leave the coalition just weeks after joining it. The paper reports that Kadima bigwigs Avi Dichter and Tzahi Hanegbi met with Moshe Ya’alon from Likud on Friday. It was the second time in a week that Dichter has met with Ya’alon and many are wondering if this is sign of an impending exodus from Kadima.
Haaretz reports that many American college graduates are coming to volunteer in Israel, not on a kibbutz, but in hi-tech. The paper reports that while many post-army Israelis go to work in America, many young Americans are coming to gain experience in the hi-tech industry. The path to volunteering has been made easier in recent years with organizations like Masa and Israel Career setting up paths to guide young people to the right opportunity.
Dan Margalit writes in an opinion piece about the unease in Israel about the situation in Syria. “Israel has not taken an active part in the civil war in Syria, despite the debacle of Assad being a big blow to the enemy, Iran.” But now Israel is nervous about the Syrian arsenal falling into Hezbollah’s hands. Margalit is hesitant to say what Israel should do, but the worry is evident, despite reassurances from rebel groups that the weapons will be secured. “No one can predict what will happen the day after Assad.”
