Israel\'s print media are not happy with Prime Minister Sharon\'s handling of the economic situation. Ma’ariv editorializes today, “Prime Minister Sharon neglected the economic sphere in favor of political and security matters, precisely at a time when the deterioration was reaching a worrying, if not frightening, low point.” HaTzofeh sees the opposite side of the coin, suggesting that if the security forces had taken a far more aggressive stance at the outset of the current wave of Palestinian violence it might have headed off much of the current prolonged conflict, with considerable benefits to the economy. HaTzofeh editors claim that restoring Israel’s deterrent ability “is the first condition toward putting the economy back on track towards growth.”



Ma\'ariv demands that Sharon show greater leadership, and warns that his government “will be unable to survive amidst economic collapse.” Finally, Yediot Acharonot\'s Sever Plotzker writes that the economic crisis that everyone warns of \"has already occurred and we must now get out of it... [The government must] swiftly consider an updated and orderly budget.\"