Editoriais de quinta, 11 de maio *

The Jerusalem Post writes: "There is no doubt that State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss has correctly perceived the public's frustration over the recent burgeoning of government corruption, and his determination to combat this scourge is admirable. But given this week's headlines trumpeting the wrangling between Lindenstrauss and Civil Service Commissioner Shmuel Hollander over alleged corrupt practices, we would do well to remember that the State Comptroller's Office is also responsible for uncovering detrimental and wasteful practices in our public institutions, improprieties which can have a far greater impact on our daily lives. The highly public airing of disagreements between Lindenstrauss and Hollander was an unseemly business that diminished the standing of both their offices. Accused of tailoring a senior position at the CSC to match the qualifications of his personal assistant and of upgrading the job to that of deputy director-general after the assistant got it without a public tender, Hollander shot back with allegations of bias against him by the state comptroller's investigative team, and charged that the SCO had acted as investigator, prosecutor and hangman. Hollander should not have made his grievances public - and certainly not before the report was published - while Lindenstrauss should have let his report do the talking for him, rather than snapping back at Hollander via the media."

Haaretz comments: "The civil service commissioner's assistant was promoted twice in a short period of time, and she was appointed a senior department head for administration and human resources, a position whose rank and pay are comparable to those of a deputy director general. Even if that appointment deviated from the rules, we should not ignore the other findings involving the commission, which are no less important, and perhaps even more so... The report's findings confirm that which is already known: Matters are being conducted improperly in several spheres, including the health system, the police and the National Insurance Institute. As it does every year, the question arises of whether we can learn from the report that there has been a substantial improvement in public service compared to previous years. The answer is still 'No.' We must wait and see whether the new guidelines for critiques that Lindenstrauss has introduced in the Comptroller's Office will yield the desired results."

Hatzofeh declares that, "The criticism of State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss must be very sharply rejected," and says that not even Civil Service Commissioner Shmuel Hollander is entitled to be immune from the comptroller's oversight. The editors believe that while the State Comptroller's Office is not sacrosanct, criticism of it should be aired in the proper forums, such as the Knesset State Control Committee, and not in the media.

Yediot Aharonot says that despite the plethora of retired senior military officers - representing a broad spectrum of political views - who have entered politics in Israel over the years, Israeli democracy has never been under any sort of military-based threat. The editors note that the IDF is still a major engine of social mobility and suggest that, as the social composition of the senior officer corps changes over the years, so does - and so will - the social composition of ex-senior officers who go into politics.

Editoriais de quarta, 10 de maio *

Haaretz comments: "Even after the fence is completed, there still will be problematic settlers who will exhaust every legal and illegal mean in their struggle against the evacuation. There also will be complete settlements that will make life difficult for those who have come to evacuate them. An early evacuation-compensation plan does not relate to these people, but rather to the silent majority of settlers, thousands of Israeli citizens, who will want to build new lives inside the Green Line, and who may even be wise enough not to settle in Ariel or Immanuel - both currently included within the settlement blocs - on the assumption that the agreed-upon international border may not include them. Efforts should be made to limit the extent of suffering of those prepared to cooperate with the evacuation plan, and to that end, it is necessary to set up an active evacuation-compensation mechanism that will begin working immediately... There is no reason to repeat the mistakes of the previous evacuation."

Yediot Aharonot, in its second editorial, suggests that settler leaders will have to get used to far less hospitable treatment from the current government than they have received from previous governments over the past 30 years.

The Jerusalem Post writes: "The choice before Russia and China is unmistakable: Will they join the world in an attempt to peacefully prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, or will the US and Europe be forced to move ahead without them? Though Europeans tend to bristle at suggestions that it might be necessary to take the sanctions campaign outside the UN, or that military force might be necessary, we can only hope that - behind closed doors - Europe and the US are together presenting these options to Russia and China as the only alternatives to effective UN action... The Iranian threat is the greatest challenge to world peace since the end of the Cold War and, before that, the rise of fascism in Europe and East Asia. There are many ways the much-stronger West can defeat this unpopular and belligerent dictatorship. There is only one way we can lose: by failing to lift a finger - diplomatic, economic or military - in our collective self-defense."

Yediot Aharonot commends the conduct of State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss, whom the editors laud as "the Dutch boy with his finger in the dam of corruption," but urge him to be sure of himself in taking on Civil Service Commissioner Shmuel Hollander.

Hatzofeh discusses the recent annual report of the IDF Ombudsman and says that, "This report necessitates a thorough house-cleaning in the IDF." The editors note that 60% of the over 6,000 complaints were deemed to be justified and suggest that, "The uprooting of Gush Katif by IDF soldiers has affected the behavior of the military."

Yediot Aharonot, in its third editorial, notes that the soldier who refused to shake IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz's hand at the Independence Day award ceremony for outstanding soldiers recently said, in a Yediot Aharonot interview, "I am the emissary of the Holy One, Blessed be He, the emissary of the Divine Presence," and wonders how he was ever issued a weapon. The editors urge the IDF to refer him to a mental health officer.

Editoriais de terça, 9 de maio *

Haaretz comments: "In recent years, politicians have often spoken with understanding about the children of foreign workers who grow up in our midst. But when it comes to formulating policy, they display an inexplicable pettiness. There is no disputing the fact that the State of Israel should formulate an immigration policy that suits its needs, rather than open its gates to all. Employment agencies and farmers should not be entrusted with the task of determining the number of foreign workers allowed into the country. There should be tight controls on the number entering the country. A more restrictive policy should only be implemented on future arrivals; anyone who has already entered the country and settled here should be entitled to remain."

The Jerusalem Post writes: "So far, the core opponents of unilateral withdrawal have concentrated on raising the physical, political, and emotional price of carrying out this policy. This strategy has failed so far, and is unlikely to succeed in the future - while at the same time maximizing the rift between the state and what was formerly among its most patriotic sectors. An alternative strategy would be to hold Olmert to the two related conditions that he has rightly set: that disengagement deliver a concrete shift of the diplomatic landscape in Israel's favor and that it be done by consensus and persuasion rather than force. There is some possibility that the people of Israel will understand and even sympathize with a conditional opposition to "convergence," as Olmert has dubbed his plan."

Hatzofeh comments on the recent evacuation of Beit Shapira in Hebron and says that the debate over Beit Shapira "was accompanied by hatred for the Jewish residents of the City of the Patriarchs." The editors assert that, "The one-sided position that the government is taking in the confrontation with the Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria does not attest to a policy designed to promote Israeli unity and love of the people and Land of Israel; one can only regret this."

Yediot Aharonot suggests that the war of accusations between State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss and Civil Service Commissioner Shmuel Hollander "is symptomatic of two ills plaguing the Israeli public: a lack of leadership and citizens' sense of weakness."

Editoriais de segunda, 8 de maio *

Haaretz comments: "The Jewish community of Hebron, in the city itself and the surrounding countryside, once again provided the headlines over the weekend. The group of thugs who decided to mark for themselves the borders of disagreement did not like the deal on the evacuation, which was reached between the Israel Defense Forces and the families who have infiltrated the al-Nazar house in the center of Hebron. These thugs used eggs, paint, stones and blows to clash with the army, which was operating on the authority of a High Court of Justice directive... The violent thuggery of some Hebron residents and some residents of Maon and its environs has become routine. It is so taken for granted that a legal evacuation will encounter violence, it is so clear that Arab children will not be able to reach their schools in peace if they pass through an area under settler control, that these incidents no longer generate surprise, much less protest. The handful of Jews who volunteer to protect Palestinian rights are considered weird, the army is seen as incapable and it is as though the police left the law behind in the State of Israel and did not take it beyond the Green Line."

The Jerusalem Post writes: "Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reportedly predicted in his Saturday night conversation with Eitan Wertheimer, chairman of the board of Iscar - the metal-cutting tools firm in which American investor Warren Buffett acquired an 80% stake over the weekend - that this deal "will be spoken of in the same light as the Balfour Declaration." Even if Olmert laid it on a bit thick, his general sentiment isn't misplaced. The fact that the world's second-richest man (after Bill Gates) has chosen Israel for his Berkshire-Hathaway investment firm's third largest acquisition ever cannot be judged as anything but a monumental vote of confidence in Israel's economy."

Yediot Aharonot wishes the new government well, even as the editors urge it to get to work.

Yediot Aharonot, in its second editorial, criticizes as undemocratic the punishment meted out to the soldier who refused to shake IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz's hand at the Independence Day award ceremony for outstanding soldiers.

Yediot Aharonot, in its third editorial, eulogizes former Mossad agent and Nazi-hunter Moshe Tavor, who recently died.

Hatzofeh refers to yesterday's evacuation of Beit Shapira in Hebron and urges Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria and their supporters to thoroughly reconsider their future strategy.

Yediot Aharonot, in its fourth editorial, criticizes the Knesset conduct of rookie Labor MK and former journalist Shelly Yachimovich.

Editoriais de domingo, 7 de maio *

Haaretz comments: "The former inhabitants of Elei Sinai live together at the [Yad Mordechai] intersection in order to demonstrate their demand to continue the community life they created in the Gaza Strip. That is why they have refused proposals that would divide up the families among various communities... The logic behind the evacuees' struggle is simple and understandable. Their desire to preserve their community framework and their willingness to make sacrifices toward this end are impressive. With the aid of Sela and the Israel Lands Administration, a creative, fair and legal solution that will ensure the rights of the next generation of Palmahim members, as well as the desire of the Elei Sinai evacuees to begin a new life can and must be found. This issue is strictly a humanitarian one and is not controversial. Bureaucracy cannot be permitted to prevent a solution, in the absence of which the question must be asked - how will it be possible to make a critical political decision in the near future and implement the necessary convergence plan?"

The Jerusalem Post writes: "The defunct Shinui has been replaced in the present coalition by its nemesis Shas, whose leader Eli Yishai has been entrusted with none other than Ehud Olmert's old Industry and Trade portfolio. His first order of business was to announce that from now on he will "strictly enforce Saturday-closure regulations at malls and roadside shopping centers," where for the past few years weekend commerce has been booming... In a milestone decision last year, the Supreme Court unanimously agreed that "existing Shabbat legislation protects workers' rights and that only a universal day of rest, shared by all family members, can afford them one free day that all can spend together. Alternative time off will not achieve the same social aim." The court unequivocally determined that "a uniform day of rest is in the socio-national interest" and that "mobile days of rest serve employers, not employees." Armed with this ruling, Yishai will be difficult to oppose... Ideally, what we need isn't a Shabbat indistinguishable from ordinary weekdays but a five-day workweek and a two-day weekend to offer Israelis the weekend shopping they crave. Until then, we need sensible governance that respects the diversity of our society and the status quo it has yielded on Shabbat observance."

Hatzofeh discusses Prime Minister Olmert's Knesset speech last Thursday and asserts that, "Olmert is basing his policy on the demagogic and mendacious claim that 'The continued dispersed settlement throughout Judea and Samaria creates an inseparable mixture of populations which will endanger the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish state.' " The editors believe that, "Today, it is possible to create a separation between Jewish settlement blocs and Palestinian blocs without dismantling any settlements," but adds, "Of course, nobody will discover this fact because uprooting communities has became the main thing."

Hatzofeh, in its second editorial, believes that IDF soldier Hananel Dayan should receive a citation for refusing to shake IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz's hand at the outstanding soldiers' awards ceremony that was held at President Moshe Katsav's residence on Independence Day.

Yediot Aharonot suggests that the symbolic value of the decision to raise the price of bread bodes ill for the government's policies toward the poor.

Yediot Aharonot, in its second editorial, commends Steff Wertheimer's enterprising spirit in founding ISCAR and building it up over the years.

Editoriais de quinta, 4 de maio *

The Jerusalem Post writes: "Israel's strategic goal since Hamas's election win has been to force it to change its extremist stripes or to impede its ability to govern and thereby hasten its downfall. Israel has successfully convinced significant elements of the international community to follow suit based on first principles: A regime which sustains and justifies terrorism should be isolated. Talks with the chairman of the PA, if poorly handled, could break this policy either by giving the PA as a whole international credibility and thereby decreasing pressure on Hamas, or by adding a nuance to the isolation approach: that it's OK to make distinctions between particular elements of the PA, dealing with some of them while ignoring Hamas. These are all consequences that Olmert has himself made plain he is determined to avoid."

Haaretz comments: "If Olmert does attribute great importance to the existence of independent public broadcasting, as he claims, perhaps there is one last opportunity to make improvements instead of abolishing Channel One. It does not really matter which reform plan is implemented, as long as it includes a normative change that will lead to a complete absence of interference by politicians in the channel. The structural separation must be absolute, and its management must be put into the hands of professionals, appointed and overseen by a public (nonpolitical) committee. The IBA plenum, to which parties appointed their favorites, must pass from this world... We should aspire to highly professional programs that are neither guided solely by ratings nor driven by political or commercial ends, while retaining successful and popular IBA assets such as Israel Radio, Radio 88, the Voice of Music and the remaining outstanding professional personnel who are currently not being utilized by the authority."

Yediot Aharonot comments on the new government and believes that, "In its current format it can surprise only for good." However, the editors still wish it well.

Hatzofeh suggests that IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz is reluctant to support a major IDF ground action in the Gaza Strip to eliminate Kassam rocket fire because of his air force background: "Even if the Defense Ministry will have a minister who doesn't know his right hand from his left on security matters, there are increasing voices today that it was a mistake to appoint an air force man as chief of General Staff, because he will naturally hesitate to support wide-ranging ground actions that he never trained for."

Yediot Aharonot, in its second editorial, calls on the IDF and Defense Ministry authorities to reconsider the ease with which fashion models may obtain exemptions from IDF service.

Editoriais de segunda, 2 de maio *

Haaretz comments: "The celebrations marking Israel's 58th Independence Day come at a time of upheaval in the country's leadership and coincide with monumental changes in the political landscape and the public discourse. After years of crippling internal strife, there is now a broad consensus among the public regarding our national goals, the most important of which are to safeguard the Jewish and democratic character of Israel and to tackle growing social gaps. The composition of Ehud Olmert's new government, which will take office the day after Independence Day, is an expression of the national effort to fulfill these goals. The new government will be judged on its ability to do so. From this moment on, Olmert must focus on one key task, something he undertook to do in his election campaign: dismantling the settlement enterprise established by his predecessors and pulling Israel's population together within new borders. This is to ensure that Israel continues to enjoy a Jewish majority and ends the subjugation of millions of Palestinians... The coming year will be fateful. By the time Israel reaches its 59th Independence Day, the country must be on a clear course to convergence within new borders and an end to the occupation. This is the best way to safeguard Israel's future and prosperity in the years to come."

The Jerusalem Post writes: "In April, IDF Manpower Division chief Gen. Elazar Stern was roundly criticized when he proposed reviving the practice of differentiating between various categories of casualties in uniform. Granting all the sensitivities involved, Stern deserves a hearing, not a silencing. Not every soldier injured or killed while in uniform or while technically a soldier can be considered to have been wounded or fallen in military service, Stern dared suggest. He informed participants at a closed conference on commemoration that a possible distinction is being considered between soldiers whose death or injuries arose from their service and those whose misfortune was 'exceedingly removed from any military framework.' ...In a letter sent to officers to clarify his stance, Stern wrote: 'Cemeteries were and are the holy of holies of Israeli society... [I]n extreme circumstances in which there are cases of death with disgrace, or in circumstances of death and injury which took place outside of operations or in circumstances which are not connected to them, such as during desertions, it is appropriate to rethink recognition of them as fallen soldiers.' ...No one can or should deny the grief of a bereaved family, regardless of the circumstances of that family's terrible loss. But the state has a duty to draw a line for collective commemoration, with all its moral, national and financial implications, in an appropriate place that does honor to the tens of thousands of soldiers whose sacrifice must be the heart and soul of today's national event. It is time, perhaps, to bravely address, not evade, this difficult and emotional dilemma."

[Yediot Aharonot and Hatzofeh were not available today.]

Editoriais de segunda, 1o de maio *

Haaretz comments: "Israel has a supreme interest in stopping the threat of nuclear weapons in the hands of a country whose president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, preaches the destruction of Israel and the evacuation of its Jewish residents. Interim Prime Minister Ehud Olmert addressed the matter in an interview with the German newspaper, Bild, in which he called Ahmadinejad a "psychopath" and compared him to Adolf Hitler. Olmert, who will meet with Bush in three weeks, is hanging his hopes on a West, "led by the United States," that, as he said in the interview, "will not under any circumstances allow Iran to have nuclear weapons." It's too early to tell whether Olmert's statements reflect a change in the policy of his predecessor, Ariel Sharon, who advocated a low Israeli profile regarding Iran, and refrained from reacting to Ahmadinejad's provocation. The concern Olmert has expressed is justified; but Israel would do better, still today, to restrain itself and not get dragged into a rhetorical duel with Ahmadinejad, despite the latter's outrageous comments."

The Jerusalem Post writes: "What does it mean for the international system if it is unable to act against a rogue state that - as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad himself said on Friday about the UN demand to end uranium enrichment - 'does not give a damn to such resolutions'? Europe is acting as if preventing the US from acting "on its own" is even more important than blocking an Iranian nuke. But Europe, by the lights of its own belief in multilateralism, should have another, no less important objective: proving that the UN system can force a blatant aggressor to back down and thereby remove a dire threat to the international community... It is the US, not Europe, that is now taking the international system seriously and acting in that system's best interest - including when the US threatens to form a "coalition of the willing." Europe should join the US in confronting China and Russia with this stance, which would force those countries to go along or risk shifting the action away from where they enjoy veto power. The best way to bolster the international system is to make it work."

Hatzofeh comments on a recent spate of anti-Semitic incidents in Ukraine.

Yediot Aharonot, on the occasion of May 1, comments on the situation of workers in Israel.