Summary of editorials from the Hebrew press

Az izraeli lapok vezércikkeiből angolul 19 August 2018   Summary of editorials from the Hebrew press Today’s issues: Stay out of the IDF, a call to correct the injustice against a judge, the art of playing for time, and on the 25th anniversary of the Oslo Accords. The Jerusalem Post  slams the media campaign initiated by the right-wing organization Im Tirtzu opposing Maj.-Gen. Yair Golan’s candidacy for the position of IDF chief-of-staff, and asserts: “The criteria that need to be considered when choosing the next army chief include: experience, courage, the ability to manage a large organization, the ability to multi-task, to switch seamlessly from peace time to war and most importantly, someone who lives and operates according to a strict and clear moral code. Those trying to meddle in the selection process should stay out. There is a country that needs to be run and a military that needs to protect it.” Full article Haaretz  contends that the severe sentence handed out by the disciplinary tribunal in the case of Judge Ronit Poznanski-Katz, who exchanged texts with a securities authority investigator involved in a case, has failed utterly, and declares: “Excessive punishment to this end, and in general to make an impression of some sort, is an injustice. The High Court of Justice should correct this distortion.” Full article Yediot Aharonot  discusses the government’s mixed messages regarding the situation in the Gaza Strip, and states: “In general, Israel is interested in postponing any military conflict that is not inevitable as much as possible. This is not a good time for a military conflict, as the smell of elections in the air and a war might leave the electorate with a bitter taste. So the government is trying to stall for time, maneuver, improve its position.” Full article Israel Hayom  marks the 25th anniversary of the Oslo Accords, and asserts: “the experiment failed. As could be expected, the Palestinian leadership found it difficult – and quite possibly never even intended – to meet the commitments it took upon itself. The PA never tried to prepare the Palestinian public for the concessions that would be necessary in order to make peace. Worse still, it refused to abandon the use of violence and terrorism as a means to achieving its goals, leaving many Israelis skeptical of the plan.” The author notes that “The Palestinian Authority and the Hamas regime in Gaza have become faits accomplis and bones in Israel’s throat it can neither throw up nor swallow,” and adds: “A quarter of a century after the signing of the Oslo Accords, it seems it would be fitting for Israel to look for out-of-the-box solutions and find a way to escape the uncomfortable reality it has since found itself in.” Full article [Alex Fishman and Eyal Zisser wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot and Israel Hayom, respectively.