Summary of Editorials from the Hebrew Press
Yediot Aharonot remarks about Israel’s preparedness for an earthquake on the scale of the one that occurred in Haiti. Earthquakes strike here about once every 70-90 years; the last one took place in 1927. „The earth is not waiting: According to forecasts, a strong earthquake, on the scale of 7 on the Richter scale, is only a matter of time (by calculation about once every 80 years). Considering that reinforcing buildings takes years, this is really the last minute for deciding how we want to look the day after: Like California or like Haiti; dozens of casualties or dozens of thousands?”
Ma’ariv avers that „The Far-Right and the Far-Left are two sides of the same coin.” The author professes that „Sometimes the Left is correct: The Jewish repatriating of property in eastern Jerusalem is the best justification for implementing the Palestinian’s right of return.”
Yisrael Hayom argues that „The terrorists, who two weeks ago murdered Rabbi Meir Hai, were eliminated by the IDF immediately afterwards. This clear response – and not another roadblock – is likely to prevent other attacks.”
The Jerusalem Post notes that despite the Israeli and Egyptian blockade of Hamas-run Gaza, „there are few signs that the Hamas regime in Gaza is truly shaking,” and warns that should Hamas in Gaza fall, its demise may lead to a flourishing of the Al-Qaida-inspired global jihadi camp. The editor states that „Al-Qaida has proven its ability to move into the vacuum left behind by failed states, and convert territories with no sovereignty into bases for global jihad,” a fact that „only underlines the escalated complexity of attempting to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
Haaretz praises the plan to implement a planning and zoning reform, which according to the editor will open up one of the worst bottlenecks in the Israeli economy. Despite criticism of the proposal on the grounds that it could lead to the destruction of open spaces and impinge on Israelis’ quality of life, the editor feels that the reform should nevertheless be approved immediately, as it will increase the supply of available homes and reduce housing prices.
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