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Summary of editorials from the Hebrew press
Today’s issues: The unifying issues, the opposition leader is a Likudnik, the hypocrisy behind the canceling of Hotovely’s Princeton talk, and a princely agent of change.
The Jerusalem Post notes that a divide has always separated Israelis from Diaspora Jews, particularly those living in America, but adds: “we are now in the midst of crisis. The time has come for Israeli political leadership to ask itself whether its responsibility is restricted solely to the six million or so Jews living in Israel or whether the Jewish state has a broader mission of striving to be the nation-state for the entire Jewish people.”
Haaretz contends that due to the fact that Labor Party chief Avi Gabbay is a man of the right means that “the opposition to the right-wing government is in trouble,” and asserts: “The political opposition desperately needs a leader who refuses to talk in Netanyahu-speak, a leader who reformulates an old-new language that’s worthy of a sovereign people, free in its own land. A people whose country has recognized borders, sure of its Israeli identity. The opposition doesn’t need a language of an ethnic or a religious community cowering out of fear of assimilating or withering away. If Gabbay doesn’t soon remember that he’s the chairman of the Labor Party, not Likud, he won’t even be worthy of being a deputy to Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, let alone becoming the country’s leader.”
Yediot Aharonot comments on the cancellation of the speech scheduled to be delivered by Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely at Princeton University’s Center for Jewish Life, which is affiliated with the Hillel network of Jewish organizations, due to the petition organized by the Alliance of Jewish Progressives (AJP) accusing Hotovely of ‘stating her opposition to a Palestinian state’ and ‘repeatedly making racist statements,’ and declares: “Last spring, the same organization trying to silence Hotovely, JVP, hosted Rasmea Odeh, a Palestinian terrorist who is about to be deported from the United states after entering the country deceitfully. Odeh is calling for Israel’s destruction just like the BDS leaders are denying the state’s right to exist. Has it ever crossed these activists’ mind that there’s something wrong with their rules of ethics? Don’t make them laugh. Anti-Semites have no rules of ethics, even if they’re Jewish.”
Israel Hayom endorses Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the perfect agent of change for his country, and, noting the many significant changes he has already initiated, states: “the jury is still out. Some of the processes have been positively received, while others have been viewed as haphazard and dangerous. Mohammed may still end up losing his position for one reason or another, and someone else may be appointed crown prince. But it seems his chances of being the agent of change that transforms Saudi Arabia are improving day by day.”
[Ben-Dror Yemini and Yossi Beilin wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot and Israel Hayom, respectively. |
