Three papers discuss various issues regarding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s
Summary of Editorials from the Hebrew Press
Three papers discuss various issues regarding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to appoint Yoram Cohen to succeed Avi Diskin as Director of the ISA: Yediot Aharonot rejects criticism that Cohen’s appointment is somehow suspect because he is religious, went to religious schools and wears a kippa. The author asserts that „The only influence his kippa has on his new position, I allow myself to guess, is that when he heard about the appointment he might have recited the shehechiyanu blessing. And afterwards, he rolled up his sleeves and went to fill the important post – with professionalism and dedication, like any ISA Director, with or without a piece of knitted cloth on his head.”
Ma’ariv believes that „The way in which Netanyahu announced the new director of the ISA, during primetime, at a JNF event, ill befits the organization and its director.” However, the author also lauds Cohen and wishes him success.
Haaretz questions the Prime Minister’s motives in appointing Yoram Cohen to replace Yuval Diskin as head of the Shin Bet security service, barely leaving time for the Turkel Committee to hold its discussions about the candidate before he takes over the job. The editor wonders if the appointment was made in this manner in order to draw attention away from other events to which PM Netanyahu’s name has been linked in recent days, and states that “The Turkel Committee would do well to hold a cross examination of Netanyahu over this matter, and should approve the appointment of Cohen only if it has laid to rest fears that there were vested interests and considerations behind the appointment.”
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Yisrael Hayom suggests that „The crowds that marched through the heart of Damascus yesterday and vowed ‘We will sacrifice our lives for Bashar Assad’ do not understand that those who sent them have missed the train.” The author contends that „The people who have had it with the dictatorship and corruption of two generations of the Assad family, or one long generation under Moammar Gadhafi,” will not be put off so easily and „want compensation for years of repression and humiliation.” The paper notes that „Assad hopes that cancelling the emergency laws will solve the problem,” but says that „He is throwing them a bone they do not want; neither are they interested in the cabinet’s resignation.” The author believes „The protestors’ ability to absorb more casualties, beyond the 61 counted yesterday, is their chance to cause rifts in the military, to cause soldiers to defect and officers to grumble. As soon as a substantial enough proportion of fighters will not stand at Assad’s disposal at the main junctures – the regime’s fate will be decided.” The paper speculates that „the end is approaching.”
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