Yediot Aharonot discusses the debate over proposed cuts to the defense budget and suggests that there is much that may be cut without endangering national security. The author says that, "Those who scream from inside the General Staff that cutting the defense budget will hurt Iron Dome should look at the Defense Ministry compound. From this parcel of luxurious military construction in the heart of Tel Aviv it is possible to save billions. Additional billions may be added from the sale of hundreds of dunams within the compound, which is the most expensive piece of real estate in the country. The bloat at the Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv does not contribute to the IDF’s fighting ability; it impedes it." The paper concludes that, "The heads of the security establishment are looking down on us from the tops of the buildings that they are building for themselves. They are ignoring the social distress and are forgetting that health and education are security. From their expensive and aloof Tel Aviv fortress, they are scaring us over the next war even as they continue to fatten themselves."
Yisrael Hayom refers to the current controversy over construction in Jerusalem and suggests that "German Chancellor Angela Merkel… knows better than others that divided cities – Jerusalem or Berlin – are a recipe for failure." The author says that, "Insofar as it depends on its residents – Jewish and Arab – Jerusalem will not be re-divided," and reminds his readers that "270,000 Arabs and 200,000 Jews live in eastern Jerusalem and nothing there resembles the settlements. Jews and Arabs study at the same university, are treated in the same hospitals and use the same infrastructures. True, mistakes were made along the way, but the biggest mistake of all would be to re-divide the city or discriminate between its citizens, Jewish and Arab." The paper calls for construction in Gilo to proceed and adds that, "Merkel knows that in any future agreement, it will remain in Israel." The author asserts that construction for Jews in eastern Jerusalem is necessary to maintain a balance since "18,000 Jews leave Jerusalem every year, mainly because there is nowhere to live in it, while Arabs, on the other hand, are streaming to it lest they lose the rights that stem from residence in it."
Haaretz comments on last week’s ruling by the Tel Aviv District Court upholding author Yoram Kanuik’s request for a "no religion" status on the Population Registry: "The decision by Judge Gideon Ginat is refreshing news for those fighting for a separation between religion and state. The decision recognizes the right of a citizen to choose not to belong to any religion. It also embodies a more fundamental significance that leaves religiously observant Jews to deal with the age-old question of "Who is a Jew?" and promotes the debate on "What is a Jew?" – not those who the rabbis determine as one, but those for whom being a Jew is their nationality. Religiously observant individuals would rise up in anger if a secular person tried to force his interpretation of identity onto them. Secular individuals, too, should not have to suffer the authority and intimidation of the religious."
Ma’ariv notes that the Transportation Ministry’s National Road Safety Authority has refused to depict women on public outdoor posters – as opposed to internet ads – in the context of its public safety awareness campaign for the Jerusalem light rail and suggests that the Authority has given in to ultra-orthodox diktat. The author, a member of the Jerusalem City Council, regrets that "this happens not only with the National Road Safety Authority, but with commercial companies where women have suddenly disappeared from their advertisements," claims that this practice is illegal and warns, "If it appears that the companies are not attentive to the values of our society, we will return again and again to the High Court of Justice and we will see to it that the court reminds them that they are not above the law."
The Jerusalem Post writes: "The Great Israeli Cottage Cheese Uprising has taken a new and promising turn. The latest chapter in a saga demonstrating the tremendous power that can be wielded by engaged and united consumers is the resignation of Zehavit Cohen, head of the dairy giant Tnuva. The resignation, pending an investigation by the Israel Antitrust Authority into allegations that Tnuva might have hidden documents revealing that it abused its monopoly status to gouge prices, was accompanied by an announcement by Tnuva, which controls well over half of the NIS 8.6 billion dairy market, on a 15 percent price cut starting Tuesday. The same grassroots pressure that brought about Cohen’s resignation and Tnuva’s hasty announcement of a price cut will inevitably lead to more substantial and desperately needed changes in the dairy market. And it all began with one disgruntled consumer who refused to be taken advantage of any longer."
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