ISRAEL

ISRAEL
Haaretz, Jerusalem, Jan. 31: The suicide bombing in Eilat on Monday was a painful reminder of a reality that has been pushed to the periphery of public debate.
The Shin Bet and the IDF have had great success in preventing attacks, to the point that this success is almost taken for granted, but there is no happy end to every case in this constant struggle. The Israel-Egypt border is porous, for the use of both terrorists and criminals, and no Israeli community is immune to attack - either by Katyusha rockets or by suicide bombers.
Nonetheless, this does not mean that the hastily reached conclusion, that it is necessary to invest billions of shekels in a border fence, with sophisticated electronic equipment, from Eilat to Kerem Shalom, a total of 240 kilometers across desert and mountainous terrain, should be adopted.
Attacks and casualties
Overall, the Israeli security services have managed to limit the number of both attacks and casualties. They employ the proper tactics, and the proof of this is the decreasing frequency of the attacks. This does not mean that the Palestinians and Egypt -- either directly or indirectly -- have no responsibility for the bombing in Eilat. The divided Palestinian government is not trying to prevent attacks. Hamas, the Resistance Committees, and Islamic Jihad cooperated in the abduction of Corporal Gilad Shalit, and they continue to plan attacks and carry them out.
Some sources allege that Fatah, which prides itself on its moderation, and aspires to return to power, was also involved in the attack in Eilat. Egypt does not insist on exercising its sovereignty over its territory or along its borders, neither that with the Gaza Strip nor that with Israel. A diplomatic effort to demand from these parties to assume their responsibility, in addition to maintaining the intelligence and military efforts to prevent attacks, will be more useful than the illusion of a costly fence.
BRITAIN
The Independent, London, Jan. 31: There is a far greater scandal in our criminal justice system than the small number of men who are victims of malicious accusations: the vast number of men who are committing rape and getting away with it. Less than six per cent of rape allegations in the UK result in conviction, one of the lowest rates in Europe. Few would suggest that 94 per cent of allegations of rape are false. This failure by our courts to hold so many to account must therefore be acknowledged as an outrage. It is certainly difficult to prove the charge of rape. But our courts should be doing far better than they are.
According to a joint report by the Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, police forces are dismissing rape allegations in nearly one third of cases when they should be investigated further.
Failing rape victims
The report shines a bright light on where the system is failing rape victims. For instance, it argues there is little consistency in the way forensic doctors are employed to examine victims. Call-out lists and rotas for police officers who have been specially trained to deal with such crimes are poorly managed. Front-line police officers have very little training to deal with the crime before specialists arrive. Proper police work at an early stage is essential to the prosecution case. All of these failures decrease the likelihood of conviction. The police and the prosecuting authorities must be made to understand by the Government that their underperformance will not be tolerated.
More women than ever are reporting rapes to the police. But anonymous surveys still suggest that only a small proportion of women who have been abused in this way are coming forward. Our criminal justice system is still not securing justice for the victims of rape.