Az Izraeli lapok vezércikkeiből angolul
Summary of editorials from the Hebrew press
Today’s issues: Judicial activism is the lesser evil, political influences and changes to the lottery system, Israel is not interesting anymore, and it’s not over till it’s over.
The Jerusalem Post comments on predominantly Right-wing criticism of the so-called judicial activism of the Supreme Court, but notes that “while excessive judicial activism is not ideal, it is the lesser of evils as long as Israel’s political system is set up in a way that allows small political parties to have excessive influence over government decisions – particularly in the field of religious freedom for non-Orthodox streams of Judaism.”
Haaretz commends Ministry of Finance measures to rid Israel of gambling machines and other state-run gambling operations, which draw their income from the segments of the population that are lower socioeconomically. Noting the dispute that has arisen as a result between the local authorities who ar e lusting after gambling revenue and the finance ministry, the editor asserts: “The changes in the lottery that will be passed on the initiative of the finance minister in the Economic Arrangements Law are fair and proper. Various political interests – local and national – must not be allowed to weaken them.”
Yediot Aharonot believes that Israel’s standing in the eyes of the world is largely dependent on its ability to keep the dreams of peace in the Middle East alive; eliminating those dreams makes the country less interesting. Realizing that “The Americans are now discovering that the old axiom about Israel’s importance in their political process is less true than they thought,” the author argues: “This is dangerous for us here in the holy land. An Israel whose conflicts are now at the point of boring the wider world, who no one believes has a chance of achieving peace, is a weaker and more vulnerable country.”
Israel Hayom discusses Donald Trump’s decline in the polls and the policy shift he has initiated to combat it, and declares: “In the craziest electoral race America has ever known, nothing is over yet.”
[Nadav Eyal and Boaz Bismuth wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot and Israel Hayom, respectively
