Summary of editorials from the Hebrew press
Today’s issues: : Zoabi’s outrageous Kristallnacht comparison, Israel’s deportation policies, Netanyahu and Obama: Not all is forgotten, and charting a new course forward.
The Jerusalem Post is outraged by remarks made by MK Haneen Zoabi at a ceremony in Amsterdam commemorating Kristallnacht, in which she likened contemporary Israel to Nazi Germany of the 1930s, but stAdmittedly, Zoabi’s view of history and current events is distorted, but feels “it is important that people like her have the political freedom to speak their mind.” The author adds: “She is living proof that even under the most trying conditions, the State of Israel struggles to uphold the democratic principles that provide politicians such as Zoabi with parliamentary immunity,” and concludes: “This reality is the best answer to Zoabi’s Kristallnacht comparisons.”
Haaretz calls on the government to cease the continuous attempts to rid the country of Eritrean and Sudanese asylum seekers by any means possible, and asserts: “Instead of treating them humanely, as required by both international law and basic justice, it is trying to embitter their lives so they will leave.” The author contends that asylum seekers are treated as if they were human garbage that can be thrown from one place to another, and declares: “Israel would have no real difficulty absorbing the asylum seekers who are already here and integrating them officially and legally into the job market, especially now that the fence in the south has been constructed.”
Yediot Aharonot notes that despite PM Netanyahu’s announcement that his meeting with President Obama was one of the best he had had, “the meeting can’t be summarized by concluding that the two have turned over a new leaf. Not everything is forgotten.” The author believes that the Administration expects Netanyahu to act differently from now on, and states: “The US will follow him closely and with skepticism in order to ensure that he does not violate his renewed declarations-promises about advancing the two-state vision, freezing construction in the settlements, improving the Palestinians’ situation in the territories and securing the rights of Israel’s Arabs.”
Israel Hayom states that “Despite the cold wind coming out of Washington in recent days, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu managed to defuse the tension with President Barack Obama by pledging his explicit support for the two-state solution,” and is hopeful that this will allow the two leaders to chart a new course, one that is defined by professional and practical considerations. The author argues that the White House has adopted a pragmatic posture toward Israel, hoping to minimize damage and reduce friction with its ally, and declares: “In light of this new reality, not only will Israel be free of political pressure in the coming months, it will also see its status upgraded to that of a key ally on regional issues.”
[Shimon Shiffer and Abraham Ben-Zvi wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot and Israel Hayom, respectively.]
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