Summary of editorials from the Hebrew press
BreuerPress
Ma’ariv discusses the calls in Europe for Israeli goods produced in Judea and Samaria to be labeled as such, if not boycotted outright. The author, the Chairman of the Samaria Regional Council, reminds his readers that the Barkan Industrial Zone, for example, „has 140 businesses, which employ 6,000 workers, including 3,000 Arabs from Judea and Samaria.” The paper contends that Arabs from Judea and Samaria who work in Israeli enterprises are far better paid and have greater social benefits, than their compatriots who work in the Palestinian Authority. The author asserts: „If the European boycotters succeed in causing the closure of Jewish-owned businesses, the first to be hurt will be Arabs from Judea and Samaria,” because – inter alia – they will receive no unemployment compensation in or from the Palestinian Authority.
Yediot Aharonot decries the ‘Price Tag’ phenomenon. The author says that „Eight million Israelis are paying the price – every day, in almost the entire world – for ‘Price Tag’,” as Israel’s image and good name suffer, and labels the ‘Price Tag’ vandals as „Several dozen youth, noxious weeds, thorns in the side of settlement in Judea and Samaria, who have taken far too seriously the idea that they are God’s emissaries on earth and the true representatives of the people that dwells in the Land of Israel.” The paper claims that both the settlement leadership and the authorities have been too lax for too long and calls on the ISA, Israel Police and IDF to finally take decisive action before Israel’s image sinks even lower.
Yisrael Hayom comments on events in Turkey and reminds its readers: „Turkey is not Egypt or Syria. Despite the Erdogan government’s systematic assault on freedom of expression and protest in the country, Turkey is still a democracy full of vitality in which administrations are replaced at the ballot box and not in military coups like in the past or in mass demonstrations in the street.” The author adds: „Time will tell if the protests in Turkey fade and become a footnote in Erdogan’s quest to become president in another year and thus further strengthen his position, or they herald the beginning of the end of the Erdogan era in Turkey.” The paper speculates that Erdogan might be compelled to call an early election, „and then it will become clear if the tens of millions of Turks side with the demonstrators in the streets or with their prime minister.”
The Jerusalem Post discusses the delicate balance that exists in Israel between Judaism and democracy on the backdrop of the High Court of Justice petition filed against the Ministry of Religious Affairs, obliging it to provide Reform and Conservative congregations with state funds to pay their rabbis’ salaries, and states: “The power struggle between haredim and religious Zionists affiliated with Bayit Yehudi over state funds for religious services underscores the problematic nature of mixing religion and politics and the sagacity of separating as much as possible state from religion.”
