(Israel Government Press Office)

Four newspapers discuss various issues regarding next week's elections for the 19th Knesset:

Yediot Aharonot says that even though Likud Beytenu will likely lose "five to ten seats," over what the two parties had in the 18th Knesset, "The humiliation will not prevent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from forming a government." The author suggests: "The irony is that the more the Jewish Home strengthens at the Likud's expense, the greater is Netanyahu's need to bring in Lapid or Livni," and adds: "In the campaign before the elections, [Jewish Home leader Naftali] Bennett is pushing him to the right; on the day after the elections, he will compel him to go left, into the arms of the centrist parties."

Ma'ariv wonders why 50% of MKs are not women and speculates that the root of the problem lays in Israel's electoral system in which voters cast ballots only for parties and not for actual MKs [see above link]. The author says: "Only when the public will have the possibility of directly electing MKs will it be possible for there to be more women in the legislature."

Yisrael Hayom notes the plethora of Israeli politicians and Knesset candidates with either criminal records or who are currently involved in criminal proceedings and asserts: "For years, Israelis believed that a leader needed a skeleton in his closet in order to succeed. Therefore, they elected leaders in the knowledge that their ethics were suspect. They did not appreciate how big the skeletons were and how much they cost the country. Now, we are in the midst of a necessary correction."

Haaretz feels that “Israel's Arab citizens are an important and inseparable part of society and deserve greater representation in the Knesset,” and states: “Massive Arab turnout in this election would serve all those who aspire to democracy in this country, Jews and Arabs alike. The Arab citizenry must get out and vote − for peace, for equality and for democracy.”

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The Jerusalem Post comments on “the worrying expansion of Israel’s fiscal budget deficit,” and asserts: “Israel does not want to wind up in a fiscal crisis even vaguely resembling that which the US has experienced.” The editor opines that “We should demand candidness from our candidates regarding how they propose to tackle the budget deficit, and adds: “Better that the discussion begin now, before the elections, so we can all make a more educated choice at the ballots.”

[Nahum Barnea, Orna Angel and Haim Shain wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot, Ma'ariv and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]