Israel's press offers no solutions

The newspapers tell the stories of the victims

Israel's newspapers are leading with the names and life stories of the 14 Israelis who were killed in the suicide bombing in Jerusalem on Thursday.

But most of the editorials refrain from offering the government advice on what steps to take next.

The website of Israel's left-leaning daily Ha'aretz reports that five of those killed in the attack were members of one family - a mother, father and three of their children, aged 14, four and two.

The couple's two other daughters, aged eight and seven, suffered severe injuries and are being treated in hospital.

The website of the daily tabloid Ma'ariv leads with the news of Israel closing down offices of the Palestinian Authority in East Jerusalem and Abu Dis, in retaliation for the bombing,

Call for action

The Jerusalem Post, a right-leaning English language newspaper, is the only one whose editorial deals with Thursday's deadly attack.

The paper accuses Foreign Minister Shimon Peres - and the US State Department - of "constantly asking themselves, 'What can be offered to Arafat that will justify his acting against terrorism?'"

Instead, it says, Israel must "defeat Arafat's offensive."

It concludes: "Now is the time, not for talk, but for action. Israel can no longer play into Arafat's hands with tit-for-tat retaliations; the military pressure on all terrorist elements should be greater and relentless."

Online polls

In an online poll, the paper asks whether Israel should launch a massive military response to the latest suicide bombing attack.

Of the 12,352 participants by Friday morning, 87% replied yes and 13% answered no.

Ynet, the website of Israel's widest-circulating daily tabloid, Yedioth Ahronoth, also offers an online poll, asking readers whether Israel should: a) Recapture the areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority; b) continue its policy of assassinating militants; or c) immediately resume negotiations.

Out of 6,791 participants as of Friday morning, 67% chose the first option, 26% chose option (b) and only 12% selected the option of negotiations.