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.]