SUMMARY OF EDITORIALS FROM THE HEBREW PRESS

2004. június 14 21:19

14-06-04
Yediot Ahronot refers …
Hatzofeh notes that, …
Yediot Ahronot, avers that, …


Yediot Ahronot refers to the preparations for the disengagement from the Gaza Strip and the evacuation of its Jewish residents and suggests that Minister Zevulon Orlev and two of his fellow NRP MKs, “are the only three Israelis out of 6,700,000 who still hold to the opinions that, ‘Nothing is final,’ and, “There is no government decision on evacuation,’ and other such comfortable illusions.” The editors assert that: “This a dishonorable game of hide-and-seek – no see, no hear. Today, the NRP is capable of making a historic decision in favor of Ariel Sharon’s policy, which rests on the evacuation of all Jewish communities from the Gaza Strip. Such a decision would return the NRP to the moderate political path which it trod for many years before it was led astray by Gush Emunim. The moderate national religious camp is stronger than the extremist. It would be better to decide than to stay in the government and behave like an ostrich that sticks its head in the sand whenever evacuation is discussed.”

Hatzofeh notes that, “Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s trumpet, Ehud Olmert, explains at every opportunity that the disengagement from the Gaza Strip is necessary due to the numerical increase of the Palestinians there, for which the Israeli side has no demographic response,” and suggests that using similar reasoning, one could argue for the evacuation of Jews from the Galilee and the Negev. The editors ask that, “In light of the intention to destroy Gush Katif and exile its residents for completely baseless reasons, why shouldn’t we discuss the logic of our very living here, especially given the possibility that the ayatollahs in Iran will possess nuclear weapons very soon?”

Yediot Ahronot, in its second editorial, avers that, “The legislation on the level of compensation that the Israeli government will pay the settlers who will be evacuated from Gaza must take into account two factors: Maintaining the settlers’ standard of living and preserving the framework of the state budget.”