​The Jerusalem Post is concerned by the fact that the chairman of the government coalition does not have a particularly firm grasp of what it means to live in a democracy, and states: “David Bitan revealed his lack of appreciation for democratic principles when he submitted a hot-headed proposal to punish Israelis who engage in political activism by revoking their citizenship.” The editor argues that “Bitan’s proposal to limit this freedom, purportedly to protect ‘the state and its citizens’ from betrayal, is dangerous because it puts power in the hands of men like Bitan to determine which speech constitutes betrayal and which does not,” and asserts: “Bitan’s undemocratic aspirations should be nipped in the bud before they take hold.”

Haaretz notes the mounting use of aircraft drones in the Israeli air force, but regrets that Israel “isn’t up front about their use,” and “doesn’t acknowledge that these aircraft are armed and used in combat.”  The editor calls for an open debate on the subject, similar to the one in the United States, and declares: “The time has come to reveal the operations of these aircraft of silence in Israel, as part of the public’s oversight over the military and government.”

Yediot Aharonot comments on the condemnations against representatives of members of human rights organization by many right-wing politicians, who “are presented as Israel haters, who are plotting against the state, driven by burning self-hatred and shamelessly degrading Israel’s image,” and asserts: “The human rights organizations’ representatives are not Israel’s enemies, and the world is not driven by anti-Semitism. If we stop the descent to the abyss we are being pulled into by messianic nationalistic forces, we will be reaccepted as an enlightened and respectable nation among the international community. The world does not hate us because of our existence, but because of our conduct.”

Israel Hayom comments on the international involvement in the war against the Islamic State, and argues that the “problem of Islamic State terrorism is being solved along with the problem of instability in Iraq and Syria,”  by “ethnic cleansing -- even if no one is calling it that -- under the auspices of the international community.”

[Rafi Walden and Eyal Zisser wrote today's articles in Yediot Aharonot and Israel Hayom, respectively.]