(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 writes: "At least half of the prime minister's jokes last week were about the issue of filling his place in case of an illness. According to the present situation, it is not clear who decides when the prime minister is incapable of carrying out his duty and who decides when his deputy should temporarily replace him. Past experience indicates that prime ministers do not hasten to declare themselves 'incapacitated' and certainly don't readily hand over their powers. The authority should therefore be given by the Knesset to an independent body or person, by appropriate legislation, and the sooner the better. Israel's prime minister holds too much power to underestimate a situation of temporary incapacity. The Knesset must legislate who will decide whether he is fit for office. For example, the president, with the help of a standing, independent professional doctors committee, which could decide on this sensitive issue when necessary."
The Jerusalem Post writes: "The recent High Court decision rejecting petitions that protested steep cuts in welfare payments to the needy hardly comes as a surprise, not so much because of the substance of the petitioners' arguments as the constitutional ramifications of their request. The only way to overturn Knesset legislation is for the High Court to rule that it violates the rights guaranteed in the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Freedom, and the Basic Law: Freedom of Occupation. The court rejected the petitions on the grounds that the petitioners had failed to prove that the welfare cuts had lowered the standard of living of individuals to the point where they had lost their dignity. At the same time, however, it affirmed that there was such a point and that if an individual could prove to the court that welfare cuts, or any other act of government, pushed them below that point, the courts would act to redress the wrong. Social advocacy groups have announced that they will flood the courts with individual suits aimed at proving that the welfare cuts have, indeed, reduced their clients' material state to the point of humiliation. This is a welcome development that will force the courts to determine when the level of poverty reaches the point where it is unconstitutional."
Yediot Aharonot reflects back on 2005 and looks ahead to 2006, in which the editors predict the Iranian nuclear threat will loom large.
Yediot Aharonot, in its second editorial, says, "Whenever America sneezes, Israel catches cold," and speculates that US President Bush may seek to pressure Israel in order to secure some sort of achievement that might - hopefully - bolster his approval ratings.
Yediot Aharonot, in its third editorial, notes that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is known for playing his cards close to his chest but wonders, "Does he know where he is going and where he is leading us?"
Hatzofeh derides the IDF response to the recent Katyusha attack on northern Israel as "very lukewarm and shameful," and asserts that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is either unwilling or unable "to prove to Israel's enemies that Jewish blood cannot be shed with impunity."
[Eitan Haber wrote today's editorial in Yediot Aharonot.]