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Summary of editorials from the Hebrew press
Today’s issues: Israel’s thought police, Israel’s outdated archive law, unsurprising displays of anti-Semitism in Sweden, and a reminder from Teheran and Beirut.
The Jerusalem Post examines the reasons for calling last week’s mass demonstration of Likud loyalists in support of the prime minister, but points out: “In seeking their support, Netanyahu crossed an ethical redline in his blatant attempt to shift the focus of blame from himself to the messengers of his ongoing trial in public opinion: the media.” The editor argues that by accusing Israel’s journalists of being the ‘thought police,’ PM Netanyahu both revealed the depth of his fears of possible indictment and his deliberate scoffing of the Jewish imperative to pursue justice, and opines: “Israeli citizens should be wary when a politician attacks the media. Usually, it’s a sign of someone in distress looking to deflect attention from the true issue.”
Haaretz calls on the Knesset to update the antiquated State Archives Law, and asserts: “The law must determine a protocol for maintaining the delicate balance between the right to private property (in the spirit of the principles of the Declaration of Independence) and the state’s obligation to preserve intellectual property of historical and national importance.”
Yediot Aharonot is not surprised by the anti-Jewish protest held last week in the town of Helsingborg in southern Sweden, and explains: “In addition to its government, which is hostile towards Israel, the ‘neutral’ Scandinavian country supported Hitler’s Third Reich during WWII, so is it any wonder some of their descendants remain unequivocal anti-Semites?”
Israel Hayom discusses the eleventh anniversary of the Second Lebanon War, which seems to have served primarily to enhance Iran’s foothold in the region, and states: “Now the Americans and Russians have reached an understanding in Syria that could give the Iranians legitimacy to maintain a long-term presence there. Moreover, it gives Iran a land corridor linking Tehran to Beirut, via Baghdad and Damascus. Hamas’ leadership, after reading the new regional map, is now prioritizing its relationship with Iran and has already dispatched a delegation to Tehran. All these factors render Israel, and incidentally Jordan too, alone to face the menacing Shiite crescent rising beyond the northern border.”
[Noah Klieger and Eyal Zisser wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot and Israel Hayom, respectively. |
