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Summary of editorials from the Hebrew press
Today’s issues: Amona’s precedent, Lieberman has his own laws, a return to militant democracy, and the bane of Arab countries
The Jerusalem Post is thankful that the deal reached between the government and the residents of Amona will prevent violent scenes of security personnel grappling with settlers on a hilltop in Samaria, but cautions that “the budget devoted to the evacuation sets an expensive precedent for future evacuations – whether of Jews or Arabs.”
Haaretz comments on the relentless cronyism of Minister of Defense Avigdor Liberman, who insists on appointing ‘his people’ to senior positions in defense industry companies contrary to government regulations, and asserts: “The Israeli legal system is going through a constant process of bending and weakening due to aggressive politicians like Lieberman.” The editor warns that “The go al is to wear out every brake that prevents the politicization of the civil service,” and declares: “The prime minister of any properly functioning country would have put Lieberman in his place. But Benjamin Netanyahu himself recently expressed jealousy at the way the incoming Trump administration is making political appointments in the United States. And while Netanyahu is talking, Lieberman is acting.”
Yediot Aharonot discusses the recent storm of events surrounding MK Basel Ghattas, who allegedly smuggled cell phones in to jailed terrorists against the law, and proposes a return to the concept of defensive democracy and changing the law to disqualify candidates and lists for the Knesset: “The Central Election Committee, which is a political forum, can make decisions only by a special majority in order to avoid wholesale disqualifications that are politically motivated. However, the majority required in the Supreme Court to cancel and change a decision made by the Central Election Committee is also a special majority. If we do not go back to the concept of defensive democracy, the public will lose faith in the democratic system itself.”
Israel Hayom examines the chaos of the Arab world in the wake of the Arab Spring, and asserts that “the claim that Israel is to blame is ludicrous.” The author stresses the “corruption, chauvinism, social injustice and misguided priorities rife in Arab countries,” as well as the insufficient rewards and incentives for education, and declares: “This is the bane of Arab countries in the modern age, when development and progress are based on these pillars. It turns out that in an era when information and technology are principle commodities, here they are lacking.”
< br/>[Gideon Sa’ar and Edy Cohen wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot and Israel Hayom, respectively. |
