(Israel Government Press Office)

Two papers discuss US Secretary of State John Kerry's role in the peace process:

Yediot Aharonot suggests that, "In effect, regarding American foreign policy, it seems that Obama has left the field to Kerry." The author says that Kerry "believes that it is possible to change the entire [regional] picture with one achievement – an Israeli-Palestinian agreement," and wonders if Kerry would like to use such an agreement as a springboard to seek the presidency in 2016. The paper warns that if Kerry's efforts fail, "There is a danger that instead of the promised land, we will reach a boiling point. Kerry has no scenarios for the explosions. After him, the deluge."

Yisrael Hayom believes that Kerry's stated desire of securing a permanent Israeli-Palestinian agreement by April will come to naught due to the Palestinians' refusal to enter into any agreement, "whether permanent or interim, that requires compromises and concessions on their part, and not just on the core issues." The author avers that "Kerry's statement that 'Israel will be more secure if it is integrated into a regional security network' (with Syria? with Iraq?) sounds more than a little delusional if one casts a glance at what is happening in our region from Iran to Yemen, and from Syria to Africa," and concludes, "Advancing an agreement with the Palestinians is an important goal in and of itself, but it has no bearing on the tangible threats, not just against Israel, but against the peace and stability of the world around us."
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Ma'ariv discusses the presence of Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon. The authors assert that, "Jordan and Lebanon are finding it difficult to cope with the flood of refugees," and warn that the influx "also affects the economic situation and increases unemployment and poverty in the [two] countries, which is liable to lead to the radicalization of various population groups, such as the Palestinians from whom many jobs are being taken." The paper cautions that Islamic extremism and terrorist organizations could take root in such a situation and threaten regional stability in general and Israel in particular.

The Jerusalem Post comments the December 16 decision of the American Studies Association to boycott Israeli academic institutions: "The ASA’s decision is a worrisome development, but should not be cause for undue alarm; rather it should encourage pro-Israel voices on campus to go to work to repeal this motion and struggle against future resolutions. The ASA decision was made by a minority of members of a relatively small academic organization that has a long history of radical activism. Grass roots activism must go to work to repeal this motion, and to keep track of upcoming attempts to delegitimize Israel and pass discriminatory hypocritical boycotts like this."

Haaretz comments: "The most important social challenge facing Israel today is integrating its minority, non-Zionist communities – the Arabs and ultra-Orthodox. [Finance Minister] Lapid and [Minister of Economy] Bennett declared a need to “share the burden” by recruiting young Haredim and Arabs into the IDF or civilian service. Netanyahu promoted the “law regulating Bedouin settlement in the Negev”. But the minority communities were not deterred, and fought these decrees with demonstrations and parliamentary action. These struggles were successful; the Haredim are not going to be drafted, and the Prawer bill has been shelved. The achievements of the Haredim and the Arabs are a credit to Israeli democracy and proof that repressive policies are not effective. Now is the time to take heed: Instead of looking for new decrees to impose, the government should work to integrate minority communities in ways that respect their needs and contribute to the advancement of national goals."
 
[Yoel Guzanaky and Erez Striem, Yossi Shain and Zalman Shoval wrote today’s articles in Ma'ariv, Yediot Aharonot and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]