(Israel Government Press Office)

Three newspapers discuss the controversy over President Shimon Peres' recent remarks about Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas:

Yisrael Hayom agrees that "The president of the state does not need to take a one-sided position on controversial issues during an election campaign," but nevertheless feels that "The heart of the problem lies in the content of his remarks." The paper avers that President Peres ignored much in Abbas's record and says: "Abbas renounced the right of return and does not want to return to Safed? This is throwing sand in our eyes. He personally will not return to Safed because he hopes to sit in the Palestinian government house in Jerusalem, but he has not renounced the right of return for millions of descendants [of refugees]. This Peres did not say."

The Jerusalem Post states: “[President Shimon] Peres has decades of political experience under his belt. If he is of the opinion that a diplomatic opportunity is being missed, he not only has the right to voice his opinion, he has an obligation to do so,” but nonetheless adds: “Peres and future presidents should be careful not to overstep the boundaries of their office.”

Haaretz feels that “Peres' speech expressed something Netanyahu refuses to recognize: The line the prime minister is taking, his evasion of frank and far-reaching talks with Abbas, might lead to disaster,” and states:  “Likud, which has been denouncing Peres' remarks, prefers the arrogance and aggressiveness of the Netanyahu-Lieberman school of foreign policy, which will end up serving a Naftali Bennett-style far-right political doctrine. For Israel's sake, it would be wise to listen to Peres.”

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Yediot Aharonot discusses the recent Supreme Court decision allowing MK Hanin Zoabi to run in the upcoming Knesset elections: "Zoabi symbolizes the drawbacks that vex the democratic electoral system - not because she wasn't properly elected, but because she inflicts considerable damage on the public she is supposed to represent. Instead of drawing Israeli Arabs closer and advancing them, instead of flying the flag of the Arab secularism from whence she sprang, instead of being a bridge and a symbol of co-existence – Zoabi, from her first day in the Knesset…has been a pyromaniac who zealously adds fuel to the fire of already tense relations." The author adds: "If it depended on me, I would be happy to see her out of the next Knesset, enjoying her pension along with her comrade Michael Ben-Ari." The author asserts that he is "no blind devotee of the Supreme Court," but he nevertheless says: "As an Israeli, I am proud that there is a Supreme Court in Israel that can decide otherwise. In the reality in which Israel's policies are attacked on all sides, the Supreme Court is a legal shield. In the reality in which the political extremes are more vocal than the center, the judicial authority is a national bit and bridle. In a state that lives on its sword, the Supreme Court is a symbol of democracy and moral strength."

Ma'ariv questions the efficacy of the Government's policy goal of repatriating illegal infiltrators to their countries of origin. The author suggests conditioning the issuing of work permits on an arrangement in which 50% of a foreign worker's salary is deposited in a special bank account that he/she may withdraw from only upon leaving the country.

[Dan Margalit, Yoaz Hendel and Ben-Dror Yemini wrote today’s articles in Yisrael Hayom, Yediot Aharonot and Ma'ariv respectively.]