Israeli Press
Israel's Saturday papers open a bank file and count Likud's losses
Graphic: Times of Palestine
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The Israeli weekend papers led with money and arithmetic on Saturday, and the occupied West Bank sat underneath both.
Ynet carried the morning's exclusive. Nadav Eyal reported that Bezalel Smotrich renewed the indemnity waivers keeping Palestinian banking connected to the shekel, three months at a time, and collected settlement approvals in exchange — with the Shin Bet warning the cabinet that cutting the channel would only speed the Palestinian Authority's collapse.
Maariv ran the opposition's problem. Avigdor Liberman told the paper he has drawn up a mechanism to settle on a single candidate for prime minister that the whole opposition bloc could accept, said he had offered senior figures safe places on his slate and been refused, and warned of those running alone: "they will not pass."
The same paper reported that Netanyahu's circle fears members of Knesset pushed out in the Likud primaries will retaliate by backing a constructive no-confidence motion, and named Yuli Edelstein as the man who might lead it. Two sitting Likud members announced they will not contest the primaries at all.
Haaretz put the north on its front. Lebanese reports it cited said seven people were killed and three wounded in an Israeli strike in south Lebanon, a day after Hezbollah's secretary general, Naim Qassem, told supporters the party would fight "to the last drop of blood."
Across all of them ran Donald Trump's line from New York that he will soon declare the Strait of Hormuz American territory.
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