Summary of editorials from the Hebrew press
MFA Newsletter
Summary of editorials from the Hebrew press
Today’s issues: The push to curtail the Iranian threat, criminalize the clients and rehabilitate the victims of prostitution, the ball is in Abbas’ court, and the Turkish-Dutch culture clash.
The Jerusalem Post comments on PM Netanyahu’s efforts to enlist the aid of Russian President Putin and US President Trump in curtailing the Iranian threat to Israel and neighboring countries in the Middle East, and, on the background of the Purim festival, which is taking place this week, notes: “Iranian mullahs’ threats to ‘wipe Israel off the map’ might be reminiscent of the genocidal machinations of the historical Haman. But much has changed in two millennia.” The editor argues that today, “Jews are no longer dependent on the grace of host countries like ancient Persia for their well-being,” and adds: “They can bring to bear international diplomacy and the leveraging of military might. Netanyahu’s prioritization of the Iranian threat as the geopolitical map shifts is a living example of the ra dical change in Jews’ standing in the world.”
Haaretz discusses the new version of the bill to criminalize paying for sex, which includes assistance and rehabilitation for the men, women and transgender people trapped in prostitution. The editor believes that the time has come for Israel to join other progressive countries that have adopted this revolutionary approach to prostitution, and explains: “This approach criminalizes consumers of paid sex and places responsibility and public shame on the clients for generating the demand for prostitution and harming its victims, sometimes even more than pimps and human traffickers.”
Yediot Aharonot discusses the recent telephone conversation between US President Donald Trump and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and notes that “when Trump informs Abbas that it is time to end 70 years of suffering for the Palestinians, he means: If you really are committed, stop running around international institutions, do your part, and I’ll handle Netanyahu.”
Israel Hayom notes that the recent confrontation between Turkey and the Netherlands is indicative of the significant change underway in both countries, and states: “The current crisis between the Turks and the Europeans will eventually subside, one way or another, but a resolution to the imminent clash between the two cultures is nowhere in sight.”
[Smadar Perry and Ariel Bolstein wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot and Israel Hayom, respectively.
