Summary of Editorials from the Izraeli Hebrew Press
Yediot Aharonot argues that „Thirty-five years after the Right won its first election it has finally come to power. It is there by itself, with no competitors. It controls the state broadcasting authorities. It holds in its hands the fate of the commercial television channels. Its tycoons are strangling free journalism with their money. It is alone at the top.” The author stresses that „It’s no big deal to be a democrat when you’re in the opposition. The big deal is to demonstrate patience, restraint and self-confidence when you are in power. In the next year the Right will be tested, amongst other things, for its ability to restrain itself. It will be a good year, without doubt. The question is, for whom?”
Ma’ariv quotes the famous saying that states that „The road to hell is paved with good intentions,” and states that „indeed, it would seem that in this instance, the intentions of Justice Minister Yaakov Neeman are good. The workload of the average judge in Israel is twice that of a judge in a Western country. But the ‘obligatory arbitration’ bill raises profound questions, first of which are the boundaries of privatization. Sometimes it seems that the first solution presented to every over-burdened or inefficient public service is privatization. This must be the last resort, certainly when regarding significant administrative authority such as the judiciary.”
Yisrael Hayom relates that „Since the agreement between Egypt and Israel, no Egyptian representative had visited Iran. This time, because Egypt had to pass the Non-Aligned Movement presidency to Iran, Morsi went to Tehran. On the face of it, Morsi, who goes out of his way to demonstrate that he is not in anyone’s pocket, cooperated with the Iranian show. In reality, not only did Morsi not provide the goods that Iran expected, but his speech boomeranged and foiled Iran’s deception program which was supposed to incriminate him in a display of strategic alliance between Egypt and Iran, against the West.”
Haaretz discusses the dire situation of IDB Holding, Israel’s largest holding company, and the foolhardy business decisions made by its chairman, Nochi Dankner, that turned it into a “collapsing pyramid.” The editor believes that it is fitting for the Knesset to initiate steps “aimed at reducing the size and strength of the business groups organized as pyramids,” as recommended by the government-appointed committee on economic concentration, but questions “whether the person who took such foolhardy risks while running the country’s largest holding company is worthy, or even capable, of being the one to save it and set it on a new course, or even of being the one capable of overseeing the breakup of the empire.”
The Jerusalem Post notes that “Gasoline prices have reached record highs,” but nevertheless supports the government initiative to increase taxes. The editor maintains that “Caving in to populist pressures and cutting taxes on gas might make Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz more popular,” and adds: “from a fiscal perspective, such a move would be irresponsible.”
