Return of the Harpaz affair

Israel’s weekend papers are filled with investigations of an aviation crash and of former generals, along with the ongoing debate on the government’s performance and the scare from a possible polio outbreak.

Israel Hayom leads with Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein’s decision to open a criminal investigation into the Harpaz affair, under which former IDF chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi will be questioned by the police.

“The unending affair returns to the investigation room,” the tabloid writes, as it reports on the “dramatic decision” by Weinstein and the IDF’s legal department regarding the case of bad blood between Ashkenazi’s office and that of then-defense minister Ehud Barak.

It was “the finding of new evidence during the Military Police’s investigation, which was brought before the Attorney General,” that caused him to order the investigation, the daily writes. The evidence indicated direct involvement of Ashkenazi in the affair, and raised suspicion that criminal acts — such as breach of trust — were committed by him while in uniform, it reports.

“Ashkenazi, as always, will fully cooperate and hopes the truth will finally be exposed,” the former IDF chief of staff’s attorney said in a statement.

While Maariv leads with the new developments in the Harpaz affair, it also highlights a New York Times report that the military strike against a Syrian arms depot last month was indeed carried out by Israel — and that Israel failed to destroy the munitions targeted.

US analysts believe the raid was directed at advanced surface-to-sea missiles, and that many of them were removed from the compound ahead of Israel’s strike, the paper quotes the Times report as saying. As a result, “they think Israel will have to again strike in Syria.”

The US officials quoted in the story revealed that the Israeli attack had been carried out by aircraft that flew low over the Mediterranean and fired missiles at their target without entering Syrian airspace.

“Crashed in Eilat,” shouts the headline of Yedioth Ahronoth, with a large picture of the small plane that crashed in Eilat covering most of the front page. 

Igal Brightman, a leading Israeli accountant and recreational pilot, was flying with two of his friends on board when the small, single-engine plane crashed not far from the city’s main shopping center, the paper writes.

Though most landings in the country’s southernmost airport, located within the city, are made from south to north, strong winds forced the watchtower to alter the approach of the plane, the daily reports. As a result, when the plane crashed — due to a yet-unknown reason — it was in flight toward the city center.

“When we arrived at the site, the firefighters started rescuing the injured [people] from the plane, which miraculously didn’t ignite and catch fire,” recounts Moshe Lichiani, an MDA paramedic who rushed to the scene.

The death of Brightman “shook the Israeli accounting world,” the Hebrew daily writes. “Considered one of the country’s top accountants, and the head of one of its largest firms, Brightman’s clients included a number of large companies,” including Strauss, Mizrahi Bank and the Israel Electric Company.

Though Haaretz mentions all the news items featured by the other Hebrew dailies, its front page is dominated by a political analysis regarding the makeup of Israel’s current government and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s attempts to appease his many coalition partners.

Yossi Verter writes that during the Knesset’s first session since the elections, Netanyahu has managed to give the various parties in his coalition what they want; the paper illustrates his point with a colorful drawing of the various politicians having fun on water slides at an amusement park.

According to Verter, Tzipi Livni’s Hatnua party was given negotiations with the Palestinians; the Jewish Home, led by Naftali Bennett, received its wish for a referendum bill regarding land secessions; and Avigdor Liberman should be happy after the “anti-Arab” voting referendum was passed. During the next session, he states, “Netanyahu will be forced to appease his friends in the Likud.”

One story featured in all Israel’s weekend papers is the recently discovered polio carriers in the south of the country — and the various options facing the Health Ministry. Israel Hayom reports that, as of Monday, children under the age of 9 in the south will be further inoculated against the virus, but quotes officials who say “the plan might yet change.”

While Israeli authorities are pondering the best course of action, noting that the vaccinations themselves have a health risk, a World Health Organization official quoted in Yedioth says there’s no question at hand. “If you urgently take the right steps, you can quickly stop the virus from spreading,” he states.