Summary of editorials from the Hebrew press

Summary of editorials from the Hebrew press 2/16

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    The Jerusalem Post extends “heartfelt condolences to the people of Denmark and the families of the victims,” in the wake of Saturday night’s terrorist attack, and urges the Danish government “to see the attacks as a wake-up call to Islamist extremism, and to ensure that its Jewish population is well protected.”
    Haaretz attacks right-wing leaders for cultivating anti-Left, anti-Arab propaganda in their election propaganda, and contends that the incitement “marks certain organizations as moving targets,” exceeds the bounds of a moral debate and “constitutes violence for its own sake.” The editor asserts: “Netanyahu and the other leaders of the right must recognize the enormity of the responsibility on their shoulders,” and adds: “Lip service will not prevent the disaster – only a real change in the tempestuous discourse that they are consistently and irresponsibly cultivating will do so.”
    Yediot Aharonot asks: “Why do we keep believing Netanyahu?” and states: “Every time the prime minister convinces Israel's citizens of the rightness of his moves, he backtracks on them.” Setting forth various examples, the author speculates that this behavioral pattern may result in the cancellation of the speech before Congress, and warns that if this is the case, “Netanyahu will once again leave us all wet in the rain, without an umbrella, without a shelter from the storm. And we believed him. And he always leaves us amazed over the fact that we fail to learn the lesson and keep believing him.”
    Yisrael Hayom regrets the decision by the Central Elections Committee to disqualify Arab MK Hanin Zoabi from participating in the March 17 elections, and declares: “Those who incite violence and terrorism should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, but it is up to the judiciary -- not the political system -- to find the proper balance between what is right and wrong in this respect.” The author states that insignificant annoyances the likes of Zoabi's statements notwithstanding, “Israeli Arabs' individual rights must be protected, and the state must be aware of their special cultural needs. We, as the Jewish majority, must demonstrate more self-confidence and allow the minority to speak its mind, as long as it avoids terrorism.”
    Globes op-ed was not available today.
    [Shimon Shiffer and Yaakov Amidror wrote today's articles in Yediot Aharonot and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]