Front Page News:

Haaretz

• Distancing themselves from Netanyahu // Yossi Verter
• My Israel - Labor Chairwoman wants to bring back Zionism to our lives // Ari Shavit
• Yes, they can - Kadima held a pre-end of term party with a guest of honor - Olmert
• The big yarmulkes - How Bennett overcame the ultra-Orthodox nationalists' suspicion of him
• Sub-district 81 - This is how the Tel-Aviv central bus station area turned into a synonym for neglect and terror for women (Hebrew)
• Rise in number of people tested with AIDS in south Tel-Aviv
• The chemical substance that harms fertility
• Ancient Jewish treasure from the caves of Afghanistan
• 1/4 page ad: We are MERETZ - 75 people signed on ad (includes Dana Olmert, Ehud Olmert's son)
• Hanin Zouebi is not nice
• History of the sexuality of Israeli dance

Yedioth Ahronoth

• "Netanyahu is afraid, he's zigzagging. Not taking responsibility. Personal interest comes before national interest" - Special to Yedioth: Yuval Diskin, former head of Shin Bet, in interview with Dror Moreh, director of the documentary film "Gatekeepers"
• Netanyahu and Barak: Diskin's claims are fallacies and are driven by personal frustration
• First shabbat at home - Officer wounded 6 weeks ago on Gaza border released from hospital
• "I won't join a government led by Netanyahu" - After months of avoiding a declaration, Labor Chairwoman says "Either I am prime minister or head of opposition"
• Which city leads  the statistics of the highest enlistment in IDF?

Maariv

• Elections 2013 Maariv poll: Likud-Beiteinu 36, Labor 18, Habayit Hayehudi 13, Shas 11, Hatunua 9, Yesh Atid 9
• "For some Israelis I am at best a Russian spy, and at worst Al Capone's brother, who takes over and wants to bring here a dark regime, style the Russian dictatorship" - Avigdor Lieberman speaks about everything
• On a journey - Sdeh Boke, Yerucham, shanti in the desert. Mordechai Chaimovitch joined Hatnua party's bus for a day in the south and heard Tzipi Livni quoting Ben-Gurion and explaining why she represents the path of Jabotinsky
• "My father sit on my shoulder and is, in general, happy. But I also learn from his mistakes, build something more rooted, more resistant to the winds of time" - Yair Lapid in an interview
• Buldozer -  For 22 years, Miki Rosental, head of Labor party's war against corruption, has a basement in his house built illegally, without permissions. He has never paid municipal taxes for it. Rosental: The contractor misled me... (Hebrew)
• Yachimovich: "I won't join a government headed by Netanyahu" (Hebrew)
• Harpaz document alert - After 2.5 years of investigation, the state comptroller report to be published today. It reveals there was no IDF putsch, but the IDF ranks are far from being clean (Hebrew)
• Jenin: Palestinians on IDF vehicle - Tension continues in Judea and Samaria: Hundreds of Jenin residents clahsed with security forces, threw stones and Molotov cocktails and even hung on an IDF jeep (Hebrew)
• Jeep escaping from tidings // Amnon Lord
• Almost one out of two: IDF statistics reveal: 42% of the young women do not enlist in the military (Hebrew)
• "Because of problematic publications" - Dr. Gilad Natan, a parliamentary researcher in the Knesset, was transferred from his position after he published "left-wing articles" and determined: The Austrian nationalist Jorg Heider is "less extremist" than Yisrael Beiteinu
• Holding water - Water entered Sonol fuel tanks and many cars who filled up at the station got stuck on the beach highway. The result: An enormous traffic jam (Hebrew)
• December blessing - 20 year record at the Kinneret: Rose half a meter in one month (Hebrew)
• Thousand-year-old Jewish manuscripts discovered in Taliban cave in Afghanistan and brought to Israel

Israel Hayom

• Yachimovich: I won't sit in Netanyahu government; Likud: She's stressed
• Battle over the ballot - Israel Hayom poll finds: Majority of public believes Netanyahu should be prime minister, but in the meantime gives his party only 34 mandates
• Modiin-Maccabim-Reut at the top of the enlistment to IDF
• Insurrection in Golani Brigade: 17 soldiers abandoned their post at Mt. Hermon
• 17-year-old arrested under suspicion of murdering her husband
• Jewish manuscripts discovered in caves in Afghanistan exhibited for first time in Jerusalem
• Friday trips - Rain returns tomorrow, but that's no reason to stay home

News Summary:
IDF soldiers retreat - again, others make an insurrection and the Labor party chief says - finally - that she won't join a government led by Binyamin Netanyahu -  all making top stories in Israeli papers today. Meanwhile, former Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin told Yedioth the personal interests of the Prime Minister and Defense Minister may lead the country to a Third Intifada and war with Iran and Netanyahu meanwhile has his say at the annual convention of Israeli ambassadors.

The IDF insisted that its forces did not retreat from Jenin, despite a YouTube clip showing locals hanging from an military jeep as it sped out of the city. An IDF force had gone to Jenin refugee camp before dawn to arrest someone. He was not at home and the force found itself surrounded by hundreds of locals who protested in the streets, throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at it. The force responded and a youth was apparently shot in the leg and a woman was bitten by an IDF dog, revealing that the IDF had broken its vow to cease using dogs to disperse demonstrations, after a Palestinian youth was bitten last year. Ynet's report on the event is the most detailed and interesting and includes the video. The reporter asked IDF officials about the fact that this is the second time in a week that mass stone-throwing forced soldiers out of a town. Their responses were revealing. This is the second such retreat following a mass protest by locals this week and it happened twice last month, as well.
 
After months of avoiding coming out with a definitive statement about her post-election plans with regards to joining a Netanyahu-led coalition, Labor leader Shelly Yachimovich finally announced that if she isn't elected prime minister, she'll lead the opposition. She said yesterday that the decision came in response to the radical turn that Likud's positions have taken recently. 

**In first interview since leaving office, former Shin Bet Chief Yuval Diskin painted a disconcerting picture of how Israel's most sensitive decisions are made. He said he has no political agenda, he is just driven by fear for the future.

Meanwhile, it was Netanyahu's turn to speak at the annual Israeli ambassador's convention. The media reported on two messages he had. One, that Iran has yet to cross the nuclear red line. And two, that the Palestinians must declare the conflict over and recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people for a peace accord to happen. He also said Hamas could take over the West Bank at any moment.

Quick Hits:

• Netanyahu delays E1 construction plans - Despite statements asserting building in contested area will forge on; PM hesitates to approve projects. (Yedioth/Ynet)
• 'Price tag' attack in Arab village caught on video - Security camera footage from gas station in Qabalan shows two people slash car's tires; words 'Solidarity with Esh Kodesh' found on wall. (Ynet)
• 2-year-old hurt as settlers raid village - Dozens of settlers entered Jalud village, south of Nablus, and pelted it with rocks Wednesday night. Two-year-old Farah Nanseem was hit in the head, his father and uncle were also hurt. (Maan)
• Medics: 4 injured in Jerusalem clashes - The clashes took place in Ras al-Amud neighborhood of E. Jerusalem when Israeli forces suppressed a march organized to show solidarity with hunger striking Jerusalemite detainee Samer Issawi. (Maan)
• Hamas defeated IDF in virtual warfare during Gaza conflict, study shows - Researcher says Israel's use of Twitter, Facebook during recent Gaza operation reflects a transformed approach to warfare, as world acknowledges importance of social networks during emergencies. (Haaretz)
• Gaza tourism booms despite IDF op - While Hamas government says recent round of fighting cost Strip $1.2 billion in damages, local hotels report high occupancy rates. Most visitors said to be members of solidarity delegations. (Ynet)
• State bars Westerners living in West Bank from entering Israel, East Jerusalem - Change discovered after foreigners renewed tourist visas, and saw that 'Judea and Samaria only' had been stamped inside. This also affects people born in the West Bank and whose residency status was rescinded by Israel prior to 1994 due to their prolonged residence abroad. Others are married to Palestinians, while still others work in the West Bank, often as university teachers. (Haaretz)
• Israel's State Prosecutor to close investigation into former PM Ariel Sharon and his son - Decision ends decade long investigation into former PM and his son, Gilad Sharon over the Cyril-Keren affair. (Haaretz and Ynet)
• 3,000 ultra-Orthodox Israeli's issued IDF draft notices - 'The question of their draft depends on the state,' says IDF Personnel Directorate chief, Maj. Gen. Orna Barbivai. (Haaretz)
• Bedouin stabbed to death in Israel's south, police suspect 17-year-old wife - Police say such case, where a wife suspected of murdering her husband, is not common in Bedouin community. (Haaretz)
• Israel bans excessively skinny models - New law taking effect with start of 2013 requires models to have Body Mass Index (BMI) of at least 18.5, considered the minimum for a healthy person. (Ynet)
• Israeli charged with espionage in Yemen - Security official says man arrested in December had contacts with Israeli security agencies, communications were found on his laptop. (Ynet)
• Egypt panel implicates Mubarak, military in deaths - Fact-finding mission says ousted leader watched uprising through live TV feed; during trial, Mubarak said he was kept in dark about situation's gravity. (Agencies, Ynet)
• Obama signs defense bill, focus on Iran - New sanctions to hit Islamic Republic's energy, shipping and shipbuilding sectors; bill also boosts security at US diplomatic missions. (Agencies, Ynet)
• Al-Jazeera buys Current TV from Al Gore - Pan-Arab news channel's acquisition boosts its reach to 40 million US homes. (Agencies, Ynet)

Election Quickees:

• Likud-Beiteinu rejects call to sign cross-party Jewish-Arab equality covenant - The agreement was conceived by a non-profit group founded by businesspeople; Labor, Meretz, Yesh Atid, Kadima will reportedly sign; Shas, Habayit Hayehudi have yet to respond. The preamble to the new covenant is taken from the Declaration of Independence. It also notes that Israel's Arab community "suffers  from discrimination in the allocation of state resources in society and development." (Haaretz)
• Likud Right: Attacking Bennett hurts us - The Likud unleashed its "Habayit Hayehudi -- not what you think" campaign two days ago, which emphasizes that most of the candidates on Habayit Hayehudi's list are unknown to voters, and that some of them hold views that are sexist or extremist. Likud-Beytenu prepares to launch a more positive election campaign, one that emphasizes their party's commitment to Israel's security. (Israel Hayom and Ynet)
• Political parties are translating English 'likes' into Israeli ballots - Most parties use the Internet to woo English-speaking voters, but Labor's page is 404. (Haaretz)
• Lapid: Yachimovich leading us to messianic government - Yesh Atid slams Labor chair for announcing she will not join Netanyahu led coalition, but later clarifies: 'We will not be fifth wheel in far-right government.' (Ynet)
• Habayit Hayehudi's radical side - Religious party's roster includes rabbi saying that same-sex marriage is 'recipe for demise of Jewish nation,' radical rightists who battled disengagement. (Yedioth/Ynet)
• Lieberman to seek foreign or finance portfolios, leaked document reveals - A document leaked to a Russian-language Israeli news website reveals that according to the agreement with the Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu will get six or seven cabinet members in future government. (Haaretz and Israel Hayom)
• At Arab village, Shas is met with enthusiasm - Shas party is met with enthusiastic support during campaign event at Arab village. 'I feel at home here,' says Shas leader, calling for joint fight for equality. (Yedioth/Ynet)

Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.