Mi Ppeflm
Secular courts unworthy
ORLY AHARONI THE JERUSALEM POST
Sha.s mentor Rabbi Ovadia Yost'f s comment that the courts are unwortliy of jiulf,nng.Je\vs liecause they are l)ase<i on the laws of the >^en-tiles "is absolutely riahi and let us hope it stays that way for many years to come," writes B. Michael in Yrcliol. He claims that the fouit.s iuv "woilliy ofjud^inf^ human l)einf,'s, ix'fjardle.ss of racx' or religion" and that when the time comes that Rabbi Yosef praises the courts, then we shoulti wony.
Hd'ciivlz's Ze'ev Sej^al states that by usin(i words of cx)nt«mpt towaitls the K^gal system "tlie rabbi has isolatixl himself fi-om most of the Israeli i)ublic, it'lipous and M'cular alike, that acknowledges our unicjue justice system, one of the most significant assets shaping Israeli society."
On the Bible
President Kzer VVeizman's remark that "not eveiything in the Bible should lie I'ead because some things are not very nice," also piovoked media attention.
"As predictable, the Haredim criticized the president, but not fn)m a relevant standjjoint," s;iid Klyakim Ha'etzni in Yvdiot, adding that the picsident was cnticizcd (in- not appniaching the Bible blindly. The tumult should have W-i'W an)und the main question from Ila'azinu, the portion which he had n-ferretl to. "Are we in (act a ci-ooked and perverse gem-raticiii... a foolish and unwi.s*' peo|)lc'.'"
Rabin's death assessed
Marking the second anniver-saiy of the assassination of former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.the papers attempted to assess the effecl of his death on Israeli society and politics.
"The left was paralyzed not only by despair, but also by the need to survive alongside the gnowing mjlh of its dead leader," wrote Ma'arii's Sima Kiidmon, adding that Rabin's death set veiy high and burdensome stim-dards for his predecessoix.
According to Meretz leader Yossi Sarid, tlieiv aiv people who
iK'lieve that there will bo more political murders when the left returns to power, Ms. Kiidmon continued.
Yodiot Aharonot's Nahum Bamea wi-ote that the Mr. I^bin family's attempt to unite the nation with the memory of the former prime minister has been unsuccessful.
Writing in Ha'arctz, Yisrael Harel criticized academia, the metlia and Mr. liiibin's family foi-blaming a whole sector of .society for the murder.
"Instijad of drawing the nation ... to the values that this man believed in," he wintes, "the vindic-
tive talk causes the opposite to happen... the side that's attacked finds itself in the same cell with Yigal Amir,... defensive... reacting t<) the attacks by accusing."
Man of the week
Finance Minister Yaacov Nee-man worked on two fronts and scojied on both: the ajnyei^ion bill and the 1998 budget.
"Neeman represents a model unknown to the Israeli politics," Mr. Bamea wi-ote, "he has turned his biggest shortcoming - lack of a political bjise - into an indispensable power."
In Ha'arctz, Nehemia Strassler asserted that the budget cut, initiated by former finance minister Dan Meridor and Mr. Neeman, is a blessing to the economy: They initiated a small crisis and saved us from a
big catastrophe."
In Ycdiot, Uri Elizur praised Mr. Neeman for convincing the roligious parties and the Reforni and Consei-vative movements to continue working towai-d a compromise, and to put the conversion bill and petitions to the High Court on hold.
"The conversion bill has returned to the drawer for a few more months, in the hope that what the mind won't solve, time will," he wrote.
The issue "must bt^ examined in accuracy and not in hysteria," he wrote, suggesting that the extra time would be beneficial as it would allow the emotions aroused by harsh statements recently made on the issue to subside.'.
...And in the Palestinian press
MdUL SaA THE JERUSALEM POST
Israel's domestic disputes have always fascinated the Palestinians. This interest was reflected last week in the reports, analyses and Hebrew press reviews following the opening of the Knesset's winter session.
In the semi-oflSdal Al-Ayyam, Hani Habib related to the conversion bill.
'^e current dispute over the conversion bill reflects not only ideas and opinions of various Jewish groups. It reveals the scope of the split over Zionism - its platform and goals - in the thinking and hearts of Israeli individuals." Mr. Habib understands the
k«y question on this issue to be: lias Zionism ended with the founding of the State of Israel, or wiU it continue to guarantee the continuation of the Hebrew Stater
Aahraf al-AJrami mAl-Ayyam described the conversion bill crisis as the latest link in a long diain of problems whidt llbc. Netanyahu has managed to survive, with the help of Avigdor Lieberman. The conversion bill, however, is the most serious problem, he wrote, siiue the government platform includes, 'Ibe-sides the commitment to pump enormous amoimts of money to the religious parties' non-productive institutions, a promise
to pass the oonversioti bill."
The gdal.of this law is "to assure the niionopoly of the Or-thodoK at^ oimveiBion, rejecting the Reform and Conservative Jews, dea^ the &«t that they are tlw mi^ori^ of the Jewish
Al'/^ranU stiounarizes the conversion bill row in thd form of a question: '^ill^ee-man succeed in preventingjihe fall of Mr. Netanyahu's government and qxn the wi^ for more UJA money, donated mainly by Reforms and Conservatives?"
The David Levy-Mahmoud Abbas summit did not generate much optimism.
The official AlHayat al-Ja-
dida cartoonist Jalal al- Rifa'i drew two negotiating taUea The Palestinian-Israeli one is empty. At the 'Israeli-Israeli" table, Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Levy fiercely argue with no signs of any agreement
The main Palestinian concern is the growing Jewish settlements. Front page stories quoted Fidestinian officials wraiying about Israel's refVisal to openly commit itself to freeze the set-tlementef expansion and to withdraw fit>m territories according to the redeployment agreement. Ihese reports were accompanied by more reports about land confiscation for Jewish settlements.
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