Summary of Editorials from the Hebrew Press

Four newspapers discuss various aspects of the Iranian threat:

Yediot Aharonot remarks that “As of this December, Israel will find itself in a state in which it is totally dependent on an external element, America, that will supposedly remove from it what it defines as an ‘existential threat’. Every Israeli leadership throughout the generations has done everything to avoid arriving at that corner.”

Ma’ariv maintains that “It is Netanyahu’s and Barak’s prerogative to bluff, but the time has come that they decide already whether to bomb [targets] in Iran. In the meantime, it seems that that both here and in the world they are no longer being taken seriously. And still, it must be clear: If Netanyahu and Barak decide that that’s it – it is their full right to do so. They will obtain a majority in the Cabinet and will commence an operation. That’s the way it is in a democracy.”

Yisrael Hayom suggests that “It seems that Iran has not yet been convinced that the international community, and especially the US, will do whatever it can to stop the Iranian nuclear program.” The author warns that “Now is the time to recruit the international community, and especially the US, for a last effort, before it’s too late to stop the Iranians.”

Haaretz notes that the decision to attack Iran “requires the approval of the Ministerial Committee on Security Affairs and perhaps the consent of the entire government as well, all according to the interpretation of the clause in the Basic Law on the Government, which deals with the declaration of war,” and observes that “The producers of the operation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, have been unable to pass the first hurdle of attaining a majority in favor of their position among the eight senior ministers, the octet.” The editor believes that their current media campaign to enlist public support for the attack is merely designed to show critics that that “Barak-Netanyahu line reflects the will of the people,” and asserts: “Iran will not attain nuclear weapons in the coming year, and while taking action against it might be imperative in the future, it is not an urgent necessity.” The edi! tor concludes: “Iranian nuclear weapons are dangerous for Israel. Demagoguery is just as dangerous.”
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The Jerusalem Post discusses government intent to raise taxes as an antidote to tax burdens dictated by growing budgetary deficits, and remarks that “In Israel, the upper two income deciles pay a full half of all direct and indirect taxes combined.” The editor adds: “Levying yet more extra-cumbersome taxes on them just won’t plug the budget hole,” and opines that the catch-all populist allure to make up society’s collective shortfall by taxing the ‘others’ “would merely lead to capital flight and more imaginative tax evasion.” The editor asserts: “This is the underlying danger of superficial slogans and failure to understand the workings and the interrelated complexities of economic dynamics.”

[Alex Fishman, Ben Caspit and Prof. Eyal Zisser wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot, Ma’ariv and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]