From MFA Newsletter, “Summary of editorials from the Hebrew press”, Dec. 18, 2013

(Israel Government Press Office)

Yisrael Hayom believes that Kerry’s stated desire of securing a permanent Israeli-Palestinian agreement by April will come to naught due to the Palestinians’ refusal to enter into any agreement, “whether permanent or interim, that requires compromises and concessions on their part, and not just on the core issues.” The author avers that “Kerry’s statement that ‘Israel will be more secure if it is integrated into a regional security network’ (with Syria? with Iraq?) sounds more than a little delusional if one casts a glance at what is happening in our region from Iran to Yemen, and from Syria to Africa,” and concludes, “Advancing an agreement with the Palestinians is an important goal in and of itself, but it has no bearing on the tangible threats, not just against Israel, but against the peace and stability of the world around us.”