Yediot Aharonot refers to the upcoming New York meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Barack Obama and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and believes that „This is not a meeting; it’s not even half a meeting.
Summary of Editorials from the Hebrew Press
Yediot Aharonot refers to the upcoming New York meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US President Barack Obama and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and believes that „This is not a meeting; it’s not even half a meeting. The event that will take place tomorrow in New York is the US President’s joke at our expense.” The author suggests that President Obama’s plans for the Middle East began to unravel when the Saudis refused to make even the slightest gesture towards Israel and adds that the US decision to enter into the minutiae of precisely what construction would be frozen, or not, was „a chronicle of a failure foretold,” since Prime Minister Netanyahu could not be seen as capitulating to US diktat and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas could not be seen as appearing to accept any settlement construction of any kind. The paper asserts that the New York meeting „will be nothing more than a photo-op,” because it will not be „even the start of the start of a process.” The author opines that the root cause of the foregoing is that „Both Netanyahu and Abu Mazen currently prefer to make do with what there is instead of taking risky decisions that will claim heavy political prices from both of them.”
Ma’ariv commends the results of an opinion poll that was recently carried out in the Kurdish area of northern Iraq and which shows that a decisive majority of Iraqi Kurds supports relations with Israel. The author notes that „Here, in the heart of the Middle East, inside torn and violent Iraq, which is subject to unrelenting caprices and subversion by Syria, Iran and Saudi Arabia, which lead the regional campaign against Israel, an entire society has arisen and said a resounding ‘Yes’ to contacts with Jerusalem.”
Yisrael Hayom says that PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has „adopted the custom of torpedoing any final agreement at the last minute.” The author points out that when „he heard about the understandings – which are close to becoming an agreement – between Netanyahu and Mitchell, instead of a substantive response, he left for a round of talks in Jordan and Egypt, issued bellicose statements and [then] surprisingly agreed to a tripartite summit without a construction freeze.” The paper questions whether the PA Chairman really wants genuine negotiations and hopes that the upcoming meeting will shed some light on the issue.
Nana10 speculates as to what Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s real motives are and suggests that „Most Iranians are not really interested in Israel. Even most of the Islamic world finds it difficult to follow the conflict. But it is Ahmadinejad’s willingness to confront the West, no matter what the issue, that arouses admiration for him.” Nevertheless, the author avers that „Ahmadinejad’s hatred for Israel does not stem from narrow, populist motives; this is authentic hatred that stems from the man’s worldview and his messianic visions.” „Therefore,” the paper argues, „the man and his threats must be taken seriously.”
The Jerusalem Post calls on the government to confront rising youth violence, despite the fact that Israeli society almost prides itself on rearing ill-mannered youngsters. The editor concludes: „Cheeky kids aren’t cute. They are the ugly Israelis of the future. They start out being fresh, go on to shove their way past peers and elders and cheat on exams. They then become violent in school, at the pub, in the streets and behind the wheel. We need to confront them, early on.”
Haaretz discusses the forthcoming meeting between PM Netanyahu, PA Chairman Abbas and US President Obama. The editor reminds us that „On the eve of the Jewish New Year, Netanyahu called on Abbas to „show courage” and explain to his people that the conflict must end, and with it Palestinian claims on Israel,” and argues that „The prime minister must demand the same of himself. He, too, must show courage and tell his people, his party and his political partners that a peace agreement on the basis of dividing the land into two countries is distinctly in Israel’s interest, and that securing that interest would require Israel to pull back from most of the territory it occupied in 1967 and to dismantle most settlements.”
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