Summary of Editorials from the Hebrew Press

All of today’s articles comment on various aspects of yesterday’s „Nakba Day” events:
 


Summary of Editorials from the Hebrew Press

All of today’s articles comment on various aspects of yesterday’s „Nakba Day” events:
Yediot Aharonot asserts that, „What we witnessed yesterday on the Syrian border was a failure: The army was not properly deployed and it is reasonable to assume that the soldiers’ briefings weren’t good enough,” and adds that, „This was an operational failure – that someone in Northern Command will have to explain.”  The author reminds his readers that as yesterday’s events began to unfold, „the IDF Chief-of-Staff, the Israel Police Commissioner, the outgoing and incoming ISA Directors, the Defense Minister, ministers and the Prime Minister” were all at the swearing-in ceremony for the new ISA Director, and is amazed that „nobody thought to move the ceremony from Nakba Day – a sensitive day, destined for trouble – to some other date.” The paper warns that „yesterday’s success could lead to more attempted mass marches into Israeli territory, not just from Syria,” and suggests that, „This is liable to happen in June, at the same time as the Gaza flotilla, or in September, around the declaration of a Palestinian state.” The author views yesterday’s events as a warning and cautions that, „Marches and flotillas to implement the right of return will gather more and more momentum,” but notes that, „On this point, the state of Israel has a systemic problem: Except for deterrence, it has no means to prevent tens and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians – who succeed in getting organized and in realizing the dream of return with their own feet – from breaking across its borders.”
 
Ma’ariv says that, „The sagacious and prudent response of the brigade commander, who – with a few dozen soldiers – stood against approximately 200 people, many of whom were children and youths, who trampled the fence and entered Majdal Shams, allowed Israel to end the event reasonably well and avoided both a worse violation of its sovereignty and heavy international damage.” The author warns that, „It is clear that we received but a foretaste of what is liable to occur in September,” when the West Bank Palestinians, who were largely quiet yesterday, „will have a real reason to undermine their reasonable situation.”
 
The Jerusalem Post comments that „‘Nakba Day’ has expanded into ‘Nakba weekend,’ and judging from the potential diplomatic and military fallout in the wake of the turmoil in the north, now threatens to occupy our attention for days to come.”

Haaretz writes: „Palestinian, Lebanese and Syrian protesters timed their messages so that they would reach Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama at the onset of Washington’s „Middle East week.” Anyone who gives up on peace initiatives and leaves them to others is liable to wake up to a painful reality.”

Yisrael Hayom contends that yesterday’s events, „may be summarized as the crossing of a dangerous line in which the Majdal Shams myth was burned into the Palestinian consciousness.  In essence, this myth will hold that the Palestinian refugee is stronger than the Israeli soldier.  They will say that several hundred refugees, armed only with flags, crossed the minefields and fences and infiltrated into Israeli territory, and succeeded where Arab armies and terrorist organizations failed.”  The author says that the decision not to open fire at the infiltrators was correct and adds that, „The world is prepared to accept a large number of dead from Syrian fire but not from Israeli fire.”  However, the paper avers that, „But Israel will need to live with this hypocrisy during the next event, which will surely come: Yesterday’s precedent is liable to encourage, for example, the residents of the refugee camps in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan to march to ‘their homes’ as soon as a Palestinian state is declared in September.  The IDF must starting preparing – as of this morning – for this situation and see to it that the world, including that around us, acts aggressively.  Yesterday, the Lebanese Army did so efficiently, the Syrian army less so.  Coordination (even secret) in the future, perhaps via the UN forces, will assist in limiting the damage.  From Israel’s perspective, this is vital if Majdal Shams is to remain an isolated event and not become a turning point in the annals of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

 

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