Moments of truth

Geopolitical moves between Syria, Russia, the US and Turkey are featured alongside domestic politics in Friday’s dailies, some of which also make room on their front pages for a celebrity wedding.

“Tension in Israel,” reads the headline of Israel Hayom, as it reports on Moscow’s decision to deliver the advanced surface-to-air S-300 missiles to Syria as planned, despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempt to stall the move.

The paper features a 2-page spread rounding up the major global developments of the past 24 hours. It mentions Washington and Ankara’s mutual statement that “Assad must go,” as well as the brief surprise visit to Israel by CIA Director John Brennan.

Brennan’s trip to Israel dominates the front page of Yedioth Ahronoth, and the article says he had messages for Netanyahu and Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon. The senior American official reportedly asked Israel to “calm down” and refrain from acting on its own against Syria or Hezbollah.

The visit is Brennan’s first since taking office two months ago, and the daily claimed it was triggered by the recent threats of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah to attack Israel from the Golan Heights. Brennan’s main objective, according to the daily, is “to coordinate a joint policy” between the US and Israel.

Haaretz is the only daily that chooses to showcase Thursday night’s demonstrations by the ultra-Orthodox, although the story is included on the front page of the other papers. “Recruited,” shouts the headline, printed on a picture of the masses who took to the streets in Jerusalem.

Some 30,000 people, including a number of leading rabbis, attended the rally, held near the capital’s army recruiting station, in what was described as the first massive demonstration against the plan to recruit thousands of Haredim to the military and national service.

A number of demonstrators were arrested for throwing stones, bottles and diapers at the police, and 12 people were injured.

Maariv mentions the ultra-Orthodox demonstrations, but leads with reactions to its weekend feature, a preview of which “stirred waves in the political world.”

Inside the lengthy feature story, dozens of soldiers from across the spectrum describe their helplessness in the face of rioting Palestinians, and at the loss of Israel’s deterrence. The rules and regulations for opening fire must be changed “to allow soldiers to protect themselves,” said Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Naftali Bennett.

The testimonies, claims veteran columnist Amir Rapaport, showcase “a phenomenon well known within the army, which has only made the sidelines of the news.” There are differences between reserve soldiers and those serving their mandatory time, he says, but “the truth is the army is in a bind. Commanders really do deliver contradicting messages to the soldiers.”

Commanders and officers insist on trying to refrain from injuring Palestinians, so as not to escalate the situation, while also asserting a firm stance to avoid photos of soldiers being chased off by the Palestinians, Rapaport says.

The initial approval of ministers and the attorney general to label Price Tag offenders as a terror group was pushed to the inner pages, although the story appeared in three of the four Hebrew dailies.

Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich voiced their consent to the move, which still needs to be approved by the government. Such a decision would allow the Shin Bet and the IDF to use more resources and methods to track down the perpetrators of such crimes.

Yossi Verter of Haaretz reports that Netanyahu has plans to follow in the footsteps of former prime minister Ariel Sharon — to split the Likud in an attempt to gain more political influence and to distance himself from the growing hard-right flank in the party.

In another possible political split, Maariv reports that the alliance between Finance Minister Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party and Bennett’s Jewish Home is starting to crack.

Members of Yesh Atid on the Knesset Finance Committee “couldn’t believe their ears” when Chairman Nissan Slomiansky (Jewish Home) openly attacked the proposed budget. Sources in Lapid’s party told the paper that members of the Jewish Home party “are acting in a very problematic way” and breaking the coalition guidelines and rules time and again.

The gossip columns moved to the front pages of Israel Hayom and Yedioth Ahronoth, which reported the marriage of Interior Minister Gideon Sa’ar to news anchor Geula Even.