Ma\’ariv contends that "In the psychological war for public opinion between us and the Palestinians, which is being waged in full force in the world and Israeli media, we are at a disadvantage. This is also against the background of the desire by some of our media to always be balanced, neutral and objective as much as possible and to present, without any proportion or justice, the stance of \’the other side\’." The author argues that, "When our media, especially electronic, provides a constant stage for propaganda and incitement to the representatives of the \’other side\’, who are our enemies, we are losing the battle."
Yisrael Hayom says, "It is not easy to view the video clip of the kidnapping of Udi Goldwasser and Eldad Regev that was released by Hizbullah over the weekend." The author says, "The lesson is important to us all, especially in order to sharpen our awareness which was lacking in 2006 (the result of years of neglect since our withdrawal from Lebanon) and to remind us that despite the clear disparity in strength – Israel and the IDF being much stronger – Hizbullah has the irrefutable ability to harm and hurt especially through kidnapping and much more extensive operations."
Yediot Aharonot argues that "The tax package that the Prime Minister Finance Minister will present tomorrow for Government approval is economically necessary, but not socially balanced. Under pressure of time and through a certain social outlook they chose tax solutions easy for the Government and tough for most citizens: Raising the VAT, which is a particularly regressive tax, and raising income tax at the median income levels. The Government has no intention of dealing will tax exemptions or benefits, which it has granted in the past to preferred sectors which amount to many billions."
The Jerusalem Post comments on Tisha Be’av, the fast day set in the Jewish calendar to mourn the destruction of the First and Second Temples: "If we are unable to feel real sorrow for the destruction of the Temple, how are we to go about making this Tisha Be’av a meaningful day of mourning? Perhaps one way is to recognize, through even a cursory look at current events, just how far the Jewish people are from redemption, whether heavenly or earthly. The destroyed Temple can stand as a metaphor for all those things in the world that need to be fixed."
Haaretz comments on Defense Minister Ehud Barak\’s decision to demolish eight Palestinian villages in the southern Hebron Hills, in Area C, located in a firing zone essential for Israel Defense Forces training, on the grounds that "The state expressed concern that the residents would gather information about IDF methods and use them for terrorist purposes. According to international law, the land under contention in the Hebron Hills – like all the land in the West Bank – is occupied land. The eviction of hundreds of farmers and shepherds using the pretext of "firing zones" is pyromania. The defense minister must prevent the Hebron Hills being set on fire, and act fairly toward all Palestinian residents under Israel\’s authority."
[Sever Plocker, Matti David and Yoav Limor wrote today\’s articles in Yediot Aharonot, Ma\’ariv and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]