Israel media split over killing

The papers all lament Zeevi, despite his hardline positions

Israel's media anticipate the government's reaction to the assassination of Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi, with some papers calling for calm and others supporting a call for war.

Thick black banners top both tabloid-style dailies, Maariv and Yedioth Ahronoth, reading "Assassination" and "A warrior's murder."

Zeevi refused to have extra protection

Smaller headlines in red say Israel is threatening war and quote Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as saying: "The Era of Arafat is over."

Haaretz, Israel's liberal daily, reports that the cabinet has given the Palestinian Authority one week to hand over the heads of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which said its members murdered Zeevi, and to outlaw terrorist groups.

'Opponent and friend'

In its editorial, Haaretz laments Zeevi, quoting a parliament member from the opposite side of the political spectrum, Yossi Sarid of the left-wing Meretz party, who described Zeevi as "an opponent who was a friend".

The editorial says Zeevi "became a symbol of intransigent ideological extremism regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," but notes that he was popular with many of his opponents - both Jews and Arabs.

Sharon said the era of Arafat is over

It says that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon last week hesitantly decided to return to the political process rather than take Zeevi's uncompromising path.

The newspaper now calls on the prime minister not to change his mind because of the assassination and to pursue a political solution to the conflict with the Palestinians.

'Destroy PFLP'

The Jerusalem Post, Israel's right-leaning English-language daily, writes in its editorial that, following the assassination, Israel has no choice but to destroy the PFLP.

"Just as the Taleban was given an ultimatum to cough up Osama Bin Laden or be destroyed, Yasser Arafat's regime must crush the terrorism in its midst or be destroyed as well," the Jerusalem Post editorial says.

The daily Maariv says the minister's murder calls for stricter security measures for senior politicians.

It says many other politicians, like Zeevi, have refused to be escorted by guards.

But Israel cannot allow those who need protection to determine the nature of the protection they need, because an assassination like Zeevi's has far-reaching defence and political repercussions - much beyond the victim's fate, Maariv writes.

'Frightening step down'

Maariv says the murder is not an escalation, as the cliche says, but "a further frightening step down the slippery slope on which Israel and the Palestinian Authority are sliding, along a deteriorating conflict."

It is easy to decide on unprecedented military moves, Maariv says. It is much more difficult - but no less important - to seek ways to get out of the abyss.

Yedioth Ahronoth's editorial is a eulogy for Rehavam Zeevi, written by Eitan Haber, the former advisor to the late prime minister, Yitzhak Rabin.

Haber eulogised Rabin after his assassination, and now eulogises Zeevi, who had also been a life-long colleague and close advisor to the late prime minister.