Ministry of Foreign Affairs of State of Israel : Summary of editorials from the Hebrew press

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We are pleased to resume the publication of the daily summary of editorials from the Hebrew press. This summary was in the past prepared in large part by the Israel Government Press Office, which discontinued the publication last summer. In response to requests by many of our subscribers, the MFA website will undertake the preparation of the summary, which we will make every effort to publish and distribute on a regular basis.

The Jerusalem Post upholds a suspect's right to remain silent under police and prosecutorial interrogation despite arguments put forth that staying silent implies guilt. In light of the public debate in the wake of the corruption scandal in which several public figures have been named, the editor points out that "while public officials do have the same rights as any citizen, there is something unpalatable when they exercise their right to silence in cases involving their office or the funds over which they had control." The editor adds: "To erase any doubt, the Knesset would do well to legislate special rules for holders of public office."

Haaretz calls on the government to "tell the truth about Iran oil arbitration," regarding the construction of the Trans-Israel Pipeline from Eilat to Ashkelon in 1968, which has always been shrouded in a veil of secrecy. After the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Israel nationalized the pipeline "de facto" and Iran sued in international arbitration to receive its share of the fruits, estimated to be worth in the billions of dollars. The editor notes that "While the legal battle has been going on for years, censorship over the Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Company has remained," and wonders whether "Israel's efforts to impose international sanctions on Iran also stem from financial considerations, not just security ones?"  The editor asserts that Netanyahu "must tell the people the truth about the oil arbitration with Iran in Switzerland," and concludes: "The conspiracy of silence must end."

Yediot Aharonot comments on the upcoming national elections, and focuses on the battle between the Labor and Likud parties as reflected in the social media. The editor believes that "The number of likes each party leader gets will not decide the outcome of the 2015 elections; a focus on security will mean success for Netanyahu, while a socioeconomic push will propel Herzog into the PM's office," and concludes: "It could be that this time, the election will be decided by the personality, not because of the person."

Yisrael Hayom quotes various Muslim Brotherhood religious leaders and concludes that the recent terrorist attacks in France are a "'civilizational attack on European values,'" and adds that the Paris attacks are just the opening shot of a global war that the Islamist extremists will be waging against the West and the rest of the world. The author asserts that until the West internalizes the threat of what it is facing, "a new wave of attacks in the West will only be a matter of time."

Globes believes that the most significant development in the region in recent weeks is the recent speech by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi before leading Islamic scholars at al-Azhar University in Cairo, in which he protested the fact that Islamist thinking should cause the entire Islamic world to be a source of anxiety, danger, killing and destruction for the rest of the world, and called for a religious revolution that would put an end to this. The author calls on Israeli political leaders not to overlook this great opportunity and asserts: "The moment is precious and fleeting; if not seized it will disappear."

[Baruch Leshem, Dore Gold and Norman Bailey wrote today's articles in Yediot Aharonot, Yisrael Hayom and Globes, respectively.]