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Summary of editorials from the Hebrew press
Today’s issues: Israel’s turn to reach out, Israel must act wisely to protect its citizens while keeping the peace, nothing to be happy about, nothing to get killed over, and commendable defiance.
The Jerusalem Post comments on the flurry of activity in the region in the wake of US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and states: “The US policy shift has created an opportunity for Israel to reach out to the Palestinians and Jordan.” Noting that it is a unique time in the region’s history, the editor calls on the government to embrace this set of circumstances to engage in a major outreach to Amman and Riyadh, and asserts that PM Netanyahu must now act boldly to repair relations with Jordan “and show that Jerusalem can be a city of peace, not only a city triggering tensions in the region.”
Haaretz relates to the consequences of the U.S. president’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and declares: “If Israel views the U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as an important political achievement, it must not replace it with a brutal military campaign which will merely prove the claims of those who oppose recognition.” The editor contends that “Political and military wisdom is needed to calm things down and prepare for the next diplomatic steps, whether in the international arena or in leveraging Trump’s announcement to revive the peace process,” and adds: “The prime minister must move now to signal that Trump’s announcement will not be ‘orphaned,’ and that he intends to adopt all of its components, including recognizing the two-state solution, discussing the borders of the state in general and those of Jerusalem in particular, and guaranteeing freedom of worship on the Temple Mount.”
Yediot Aharonot notes the relatively moderate and subdued reaction in the Arab street to President Trump’s decision, and opines: “Joy in Israel over President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital was restrained, as was Palestinian anger; both sides realize the decision has no practical ramifications, so there’s nothing to be happy about, nothing to get killed over.”
Israel Hayom comments on the end results of numerous gross inversions of reality by the Palestinians regarding Israel’s standing in Jerusalem, and the acceptance of these distortions by many of Israel’s European allies and declares: “The Palestinians and European leaders have no one to blame except themselves for President Donald Trump’s declaration on Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem.”
[Ron Ben-Yishai and David M. Weinberg wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot and Israel Hayom, respectively. |
1:53 PM – 10 Dec 2017
