Is a mob war in the works?

A picture of the charred remains of a car outside a Tel Aviv courthouse is the one story that links Israel’s four major dailies. The attempted assassination of a state prosecutor failed, but it may have awoken the anti-mafia sentiment in the papers.

Yedioth Ahronoth gives the most coverage to the alleged mob bombing of the unnamed state prosecutor’s car Thursday, headlining its story with an unattributed quote, “They’ve crossed all the lines.” The prosecutor who was targeted sat his in office at the time and was unharmed, but the incident caused Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch to remark, “This is war.”

As to who could be behind the bombing (which Yedioth compares to a terrorist bombing), the paper reports that Amir Mulner is considered a top suspect. The bombing may be retaliation for an indictment of five soldiers in his crime family, but even law officials aren’t convinced that he’s behind it. One legal source told the paper that the case is relatively small and that Mulner isn’t even the center of it.

Regardless of who is behind it, former Tel Aviv prosecutor Erez Noureli writes in Israel Hayom, “Prosecutors live in a threatening atmosphere.” He references the lawlessness associated with Sicily as finally coming to Israel, but he doubts that it will affect the state at all. “I do not remember a situation in which a prosecutor refused to accept a case because the defendant was a heavy offender.” He bolsters his argument by stating that prosecutors aren’t in it for the money — as they’re not highly paid — but do it because they want to keep Israel safe.

The major news in Maariv is not domestic, but international. Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Abbas Araqchi, told the paper that an agreement between Iran and the West “could be signed today.” The agreement would call for a halt or reduction in Iran’s nuclear activity in exchange for a cutback in economic sanctions. However, Araqchi also cautioned it wasn’t clear if the agreement would be signed in this round of talks or an upcoming one. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the possible agreement, calling it “a huge historical mistake” and “the deal of the century for Iran.”

John Kerry took time from meeting with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to sit down for a joint interview with Israel’s Channel 2 and Palestinian TV, in which he criticized Israel’s settlement building. Haaretz reports that aside from the settlement building — which, Kerry says, sends a message that Israel “isn’t serious about peace” — he also warned a failure of talks could lead to another Intifada and further isolation of Israel. “If we do not find a way to find peace, there will be an increasing isolation of Israel, there will be an increasing campaign of delegitimization of Israel that’s been taking place on an international basis,” Kerry said.

Israel Hayom also reports on Kerry’s interview, but in a roundabout way: “Minister Ya’alon: No need to fear Kerry’s threats,” reads the article headline. Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon responded to the interview by saying, “There’s no sign of compromise, so we’re probably not going to solve it based on what we thought. This does not mean that we want to control [the Palestinians]; they have political independence and that is good. We will conduct negotiations wisely and not worry about threats of a Third Intifada.”

Lingering questions

The recent results of Yasser Arafat’s autopsy, which found heightened levels of polonium on his remains, have prompted a lot of questions but few answers. Maariv reports that Fatah, the main Palestinian political party in the West Bank, will call for an international investigation into the death of Arafat. Hamas is going a step further and blaming Israel for “assassinating” Arafat and wants the Palestinian Authority to break off negotiations with Israel. The paper makes no mention of whom Fatah will request to conduct the investigation.

Haaretz dedicates a page to the newly acquitted Avigdor Liberman and what his next move will be. While calling him “unpredictable” in the opening sentence, the article goes on to paint a pretty traditional path laid out for Liberman. First, he must rehabilitate his image as Israel’s top diplomat, and then he must ensure that he doesn’t lose Yisrael Beytenu’s voter base.

Yedioth takes time to wonder why enlistment into combat units is falling. The paper reports that, over the past three years, there has been a 9% drop in combat enlistments. No reason is given, but the paper writes that, overall, 25% of men and 43% of women receive exemptions from serving. Not all places are sending fewer people to the army, and the paper highlights the cities that have the highest draft rates: Rosh Ha’ayin, Yehud, and Givat Shmuel lead the way in sending men to the army; and Hod Hasharon, Ramat Hasharon, and Modi’in take the lead when it comes to female recruits.

Right to exist, serve?

In an op-ed piece for Israel Hayom, Haim Shain writes that “Israel’s right to exist is not subject to negotiation.” Shain reacts to Kerry’s interview by saying that the US secretary has misunderstood a very basic point. “Secretary of State Kerry and his predecessors failed to realize that Israel is not a protectorate… With humble pride we must explain, to enemies and friends alike, that the right of Jews to live in dignity and security is not negotiable.”

In Haaretz, the expected reappointment of Liberman as foreign minister doesn’t sit well with the editors. The paper understands that Liberman was not convicted of a criminal offense, but uses the statement of the judges as evidence that he should not return to the government. Extracts from the judges’ decision are published by the daily: “His acts are neither proper, nor ethical and do not meet the standard expected of a public figure, especially one in the lofty position of minister in the Israeli government.” The paper urges Netanyahu to internalize the judges’ characterization of Liberman’s actions and not return him to the Foreign Ministry.