Haaretz comments on the result of the French referendum on the EU constitution: "What clearly arises is the danger inherent when a representative democracy gives up its elected representatives' authority to decide. Legislatures, governments and heads of the executive branch (presidents or prime ministers) are elected in order to bear the burden of making difficult decisions. Abandoning this responsibility and transferring it to the general public, which does not weigh the constraints and the available resources the way elected officials are supposed to do, transfers the vote from the domain of the intellect to that of emotion. And when this happens, a "no" vote can express anger at those in power and seizure of an opportunity to harass them, more than genuine opposition to the issue at hand... . As the evacuation draws nearer and the opposition to it increases, senior Likud officials are liable to revive this seemingly dead idea. Sunday's vote in France constitutes fresh, additional proof of why Israel must not adopt this system."
The Jerusalem Post writes about Saad Hariri's initial election victory in Lebanon: "The younger Hariri may be popular in Paris and Washington, but he isn't free of Syria's yoke. Hizbullah will cast its intimidating shadow so long as Beirut refrains from taking unequivocal control of Hizbullah's latifundia in the south. Lebanese sovereignty there is on paper only... Trying to please everyone will only render Hariri powerless and land him in trouble. He will never free himself or his country from Syrian hegemony if he turns a blind eye to Lebanon's south. If he chooses to hope for the best and avoid confrontation, his electoral success will prove to be yet another Levantine sham, a facade of progress concealing the same old quagmire."
Hatzofeh calls on the government to bar the immigration to Israel of non-Jews from the former Soviet Union and to require those who have already immigrated to leave.
Yediot Aharonot commends outgoing IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Ya'alon’s 37 years’ service in the IDF and declares: “The State of Israel thanks you!”
Yediot Aharonot, in its second editorial, offers its blessings to new Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz.
Yediot Aharonot, in its third editorial, fears that an infuriated driver may be tempted to attack one of the right-wing youths who have taken to blocking highways in protest against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s Disengagement Plan. The editors suggest that, “If any of the organizers of the demonstrations on the highways have any sense in their heads, they should be told that it’s time to move to another gimmick. Enough. Highway-blocking has played itself out. And why ‘gimmick’? Because those who are organizing the highway blockings know full well that the blockings will not stop the implementation of the Disengagement Plan.”
[Eitan Haber wrote today’s editorials in Yediot Aharonot.]