Israel's Police Chief, Public Security Minister Must Resign (
Haaretz Editorial) In view of the incitement and lies these two spread immediately
after the events in the Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran, whose houses were all destroyed, they can no
longer remain in office.
Settler leaders should have been put on trial, not Azaria (Amnon Abramovich,
Yedioth/Ynet) As a child, Elor Azaria was a victim of the education he received at
home and of his political opinions. As a soldier, he was a victim of his service in Hebron. As a culprit,
he was a victim of his advisors.
With Supreme Court Picks, Netanyahu's Government Launches Anti-constitutional Revolution (Aluf
Benn,
Haaretz+) Israel's justice minister has created a court that will serve her political
aim of perpetuating the occupation and annexing the West Bank without granting the Palestinians
citizenship.
The new Supreme Court: more conservative, more right-wing (Tova Tzimuki,
Yedioth/Ynet) After the four new judges selected on Wednesday are sworn in over the
next six months, Israel will receive a court which is more restrained in its intervention in Knesset
legislation and government decisions and more ‘sympathetic’ to the rightist-religious-settler
agenda.
Israel's Public Security Minister Actively Fomenting anti-Arab Incitement (Or Kashti,
Haaretz+) Conflict with Arabs is the lifeblood of the fourth Netanyahu government, the
justification for its existence. That’s why ministers vie with each other to nurture it.
Keep religion out of politics (Yoaz Hendel,
Yedioth/Ynet) The Reform Jewish movement’s protest will not stop David Friedman’s
appointment as US ambassador to Israel, but it definitely harms the movement’s own status among Israeli
society.
Isaac Herzog Details His 10-point Plan for Israeli-Palestinian Peace (Isaac Herzog,
Haaretz+) Israeli opposition leader's plan: Sides will agree on decade of calm, during
which time West Bank will be a violence and incitement-free zone; settlement construction outside blocs
will be frozen, with more powers to Palestinians – only then negotiations.
Please all, please none (Yoav Limor,
Israel Hayom) Logically, the claims of mitigating circumstances that were rejected
outright in Pvt. Elor Azaria's conviction for manslaughter would never have returned as grounds for an
easy sentence for a serious crime.
A Glass Ceiling for Druze Women? (Eman Hasisi Amasha,
Haaretz+) How about the ceiling put in place by the Haaretz writer who insists that
anyone who doesn’t live according to her worldview is challenged.
Israel in Trump’s eyes: An asset or a burden? (Udi Dekel,
Yedioth/Ynet) The annexation and construction policy, alongside an implementation of
the red lines on Iran, may lead to an escalation on the northern and Palestinian fronts, which is set to
clash with the US president’s cost-benefit calculations and with Israel’s strategic value.
In the name of political correctness (Dr. Eyal Levin,
Israel Hayom) In a world where the basic values on which we were raised are blasted as
outdated, any show of support for the soldier who shot a neutralized terrorist is a foreign
language.
Who Needs The Hague When You Have Israeli Army Justice? (Gideon Levy,
Haaretz+) There's nothing more Israeli than this court that gives a soldier, who
killed a Palestinian in cold blood, a sentence fit for a bicycle thief.
Trump helped Netanyahu pave road for one-state (Orly Azoulay,
Yedioth/Ynet) The meeting with Trump loosened Netanyahu from the shackles of the
two-state proposal. Netanyahu doesn’t have to freeze settlement building, or face threats and reprimands
from Washington. Most importantly, he no longer has to fake interest in a peace process based on two
states.
'The will of the people' (MK Benny Begin,
Israel Hayom) Despite claims to the contrary, not every law passed by the Knesset
represents the public's wishes. The High Court must be protected so it can in turn protect the rights of
everyone.
Hyperbole Over anti-Semitism Weakens Liberal Opposition to Trump (Jonathan S. Tobin,
Haaretz+) Be appalled by Trump’s stalling over denouncing anti-Semitism. But the
president didn’t invent Jew hatred in America, and trying to pin the 'anti-Semite' label on him won’t
work.
Win wars, not trials (Boaz Bismuth,
Israel Hayom) Any citizen would tell you that the role of the military is first and
foremost to win and only after that to preach morals and ethics.