(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: "Ever since the prime minister decided on the evacuation of the settlements in Gush Katif and northern West Bank, the army and police have tried to slough off onto each other the responsibility for the unpleasant job. Because of that evasiveness, the settlers understood that their campaign of fear conducted against the state's institutions could succeed. The settlers love to use the phrase "civil war" to give the police and soldiers the feeling that any use of force against the settlers will "split the people." But opposite that public relations campaign, which has been going on for a generation, there is a solid majority in the general public that supports the disengagement, and the polls show that some two-thirds of the potential evacuees have no intention of using force to resist evacuation... In any case, as the decisive phase of the evacuation approaches, those responsible for executing the mission must avoid any public and unnecessary soul searching that could send a message of weakness."
Hatzofeh notes that the State Attorney’s Office is currently checking whether Binyamin Area Regional Council Chairman Pinchas Wallerstein’s letter, in which he called on potential evacuees to break the law and go to jail, constitutes incitement to rebellion and says that, “Whatever the decision is, it will be insufficient to deter citizens who could be evacuated from their homes and exiled from also accepting the punishment for inciting to rebellion.” The editors roundly criticize Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for being anti-democratic and breaking election promises, and ask whether those who built on Arab lands would be willing to uproot themselves from their homes in the way they expect Gush Katif residents to move.
Yediot Aharonot points out that, “The de-Arafatization process has been quick” and looks back on the amount of money wasted by Arafat and the Palestinian Authority. The editors believe that a massive economic plan must be made to revitalize the Palestinian economy and add that, “Arafat’s death, the elections planned in the Palestinian Authority, the democratic reform and liberalism that they have promised to implement and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza… have created an historical opportunity for an economic and humane solution to the refugee problem in the natural and only place possible: a future Palestinian state.”
The Jerusalem Post writes: "For most Israeli Jews, Christmas is a non-event. But it is the perfect time to reflect on how well sovereign Israel has fulfilled its duties to the Christians of the Holy Land. A good place to begin may be by stating the obvious: The presence here of Christian believers is not a threat to Judaism but Israel's opportunity to connect with two billion Christians worldwide. They need to know that Christians are better off in Israel than anywhere else in the Middle East. Dr. Petra Heldt, a local Lutheran academic, calls Israel a "paradise" compared to neighboring Muslim countries. What Israeli Jews need to know is that the vast majority of Christians in this country - including evangelicals - are not interested in snatching Jewish souls but in fulfilling their own spiritual journeys... For now, let us wish our Christian friends and neighbors Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year."
[Sever Plocker wrote today’s editorial in Yediot Aharonot.]