Summary of Editorials from the Hebrew Press

Yediot Aharonot avers, “Bringing in Labor now is not important, but bringing in the haredim, especially Shas, is, on one condition - that all United Torah Judaism and Shas representatives in the Cabinet and the Knesset vote in favor of dismantling the settlements in the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria.” The editors believe that Shas’s support for the disengagement plan “will have far-reaching consequences, the national importance of which cannot be exaggerated,” and calls on Shinui leader Joseph “Tommy” Lapid to drop his movement’s objections to sitting in the government with Shas and decide “whether he is a politician or a statesman and what he considers more important - implementing Sharon’s disengagement plan, the likes of which haven’t been seen since the Six Day War, or his most recent election slogan.”  The paper addresses Shinui supporters: “Partial civil marriages can wait.  Amending the ‘Tal Law’ can wait. Even carrying out the cuts in support payments to large families can wait. What cannot wait is the Sharon government’s disengagement from the occupation.”

Haaretz writes: "A unity government that includes Labor and United Torah Judaism has become such an unavoidable move under the current political circumstances that even the utterly superfluous assault launched by Yosef Lapid on the ultra-Orthodox party, and that party's harsh response, will find it difficult to prevent its formation. If indeed Shinui regard themselves as the voice of the political center in Israel, their path to glory won't be found in disgracing and scorning a party ready to accept the coalition guidelines of the coming government, and especially the principle for which it is being formed: the disengagement from Gaza and the removal of the settlements there."

The Jerusalem Post writes: "In politics, there can be no virgins. We are minded of this fact as we observe the contortions Shinui is going through to remain in government with a haredi party while staying true to its anti-haredi principles. Shinui's behavior in the ongoing coalition talks does it little credit. If, on grounds of principle, they wish to remain the anti-haredi party, they can simply stay out of a haredi-inclusive government. If they want to remain in government - whether because they've grown fond of their ministerial powers or because they believe that disengagement trumps all other considerations - they'll need to bend a little. For Shinui's sake, we hope they choose the latter course."

Hatzofeh claims that “the unilateral withdrawal from Gaza will not contribute to Israel’s security,” and cites former US envoy Dennis Ross as sharing this opinion.  The editors assert, “Sharon, as usual, is completely ignoring the experts and is clinging to the withdrawal policy while almost totally ignoring the country’s security interests, which require a ‘strong hand’ in order to stop the ‘SCUD’ fire at Sderot and the other communities on the southern front.”  The paper accuses Prime Minister Sharon of making political promises to the Labor Party in contravention of a government decision stating the evacuation of Gush Katif will only take place in March 2005 and of running roughshod over the Likud Knesset faction as he pursues the negotiations with Labor.

Yediot Aharonot, in its second editorial, discusses the ongoing port workers strike and its implications for Histadrut Chairman MK Amir Peretz’s possible future political ambitions.