Summary of Editorials from the Izraeli Press
Yediot Aharonot contends that „The only thing that still separates the concept of two states for two peoples and a reality of one state for two peoples dividing it between themselves is the Oslo Accords, or, more precisely, its last shreds.”
Ma’ariv believes that „While it is a criminal act to throw a Molotov cocktail at migrant workers’ apartments, when the government is paralyzed – the riffraff take action.” The paper also notes that „It is easy to accuse the criminal…of racism. But not one of those who are screaming against this dastardly deed would agree to tens of desperate refugees living above them.”
Yisrael Hayom analyzes Israel’s current political system: „For the government to improve its effectiveness and make decisions that reflect the majority of the public, it must adopt a new form of governance. Public opinion surveys prove time after time the liberal stance of the Israeli Jewish public on the topic of state and religion, which stands in contrast to the government’s official policy.” The authors profess that „Every democracy is a perpetual compromise between representation and governability. In the [present] method of Knesset elections, too much weight is given to the principal of representation – which allows for the ascension of minority governance due to the principle of governability which the majority of the public desires.” The author argues that „The majority of the Israeli public is fed up with minority governance. Time has come for the majority revolution.”
The Jerusalem Post discusses former Shin Bet director Yuval Diskin’s recent criticism by of PM Netanyahu and MOD Barak regarding their position on the Iranian issue and its linkage to the government’s intent to initiate legislation that would prevent former security officials from making public comments on matters related to their field of expertise, and states that “in actuality, stifling the free exchange of ideas and criticism among those most qualified to express these ideas and criticism is the real danger to Israel’s security.”
Haaretz focuses on what it terms “Israel’s politics of discrimination,” and points out that the management of many institutions is largely made up of male Ashkenazim (Jews of European origin), and close to 60 per cent of the population – Arabs and Mizrahim (Jews of Oriental origin) – are the minorities left outside many centers of power. The editor notes that while “this situation has improved over time,” he nevertheless maintains that this “should not prevent us from asking why it is not improving faster.”
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