(Government Press Office)
Haaretz - http://www.haaretzdaily.com
Ma'ariv - http://www.maariv.co.il
Yediot Aharonot - http://www.ynet.co.il
Globes - http://www.globes.co.il
Jerusalem Post - http://www.jpost.com
Hazofeh - http://www.hazofe.co.il
Haaretz comments: "Had the state come down hard on the settlers' law-breaking in the past, it might be easier to convince them today that violent opposition to the evacuation will send them to jail. But for years, law enforcement agencies turned a blind eye to settler violence against Palestinians, policemen and soldiers, and even to genuine pogroms, as well as to the seizure of Arab property and the illegal expansion of settlements. The most blatant evidence of this blind-eye policy is the 100 outposts that are growing and flourishing throughout the West Bank, even though they have been declared illegal. The demand that settler leaders be indicted immediately for words that are construed as incitement, after years of ignoring actual illegal acts, smacks of too little, too late... The evacuation of settlements is not a historic injustice being perpetrated on the settlers, but the correction of a mistake, and it bears no resemblance to transfer; rather, it is reabsorption within Israel. The time has come for the settlers to give some thought to the rest of Israel's citizens instead of worrying only about themselves."
The Jerusalem Post writes: "The decision of the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip to call for nonviolent civil disobedience against the laws implementing disengagement represents an unfortunate escalation of rhetoric at a time when leaders should be looking to calm, not inflame... We share the concern of the guardians of our legal system over calls, particularly from elected officials, to disobey the law and to declare the law itself "illegal." While the council called for nonviolent disobedience, one could easily conclude from Wallerstein's description of the law that more is required. Indeed, Wallerstein's rhetoric is so inflamed that the reference to nonviolence borders on lip service, given "the immoral crime" he believes dismantling settlements to be."
Hatzofeh declares that, “Even those who oppose uprooting Jewish communities from Gush Katif cannot rely on Pinchas Wallerstein’s letter in which he calls for ‘violating the evacuation law even if this means going to jail’,” and says that, “The path on which Pinchas Wallerstein has chosen to go is not that of those who are faithful to the Land of Israel,” because, “They wage the struggle with integrity, within the framework of the law and not outside the law.” The editors assert that, “Not only has Wallerstein’s letter not contributed to the strengthening of the residents of Gush Katif, it is liable to weaken resistance to the evacuation,” and add that the Likud-Labor “coalition was formed within the framework of the law and there are no grounds for questioning its legality ‘despite its appetite to uproot communities and expel Jews.’ ” The paper says that Wallerstein’s letter was ill-timed and “does not serve the interests of Jewish settlement in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza; it especially harms the residents of Gush Katif who are fighting for their future.”
Yediot Aharonot analyzes the coalition negotiations and says that, “The Labor Party is joining Sharon’s government as a junior partner, like a fifth wheel,” and belittles the ministries that Labor has sought for itself. The editors assert that, “Labor’s social-budgetary demands were surprisingly low-priced,” and suggest that Prime Minister Sharon has bought Labor cheaply.
Yediot Aharonot, in its second editorial, discusses an IMF delegation’s current visit to Israel and avers that, “The finance minister and the governor of the Bank of Israel would do well this time to pay close attention to the balanced and professional voices of the IMF’s economists,” regarding the Bachar Committee’s proposed capital market reforms.
[Sever Plocker wrote today’s editorials in Yediot Aharonot.]