Yediot Aahronot comments on reports regarding the treatment of Jewish Israeli travelers at Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport and notes that one such traveler said that the treatment that she and others received, "took me back to my grandmother’s stories."
The paper suggests that, "Perhaps this is the opportunity to remind Israelis that at Ben-Gurion International Airport, Israeli Arabs – Muslim and Christian – receive especially onerous treatment and a hostile, humiliating attitude. At BGI, this is the daily routine." The author says, "One week ago, a civil servant told me about her sister, a successful scientist with a doctorate from the Technion, who works in the US. Her being an Israeli is reflected in her successful articles. But at BGI she is a fly on the wall. She underwent a very humiliating experience: All her luggage was opened and inspected. She was delayed for 1.5 hours. Every single item was x-rayed. She was subjected to a body scan. She was escorted to passport control," and adds that, "She was crudely treated as a ‘potential terrorist’."
The paper reminds its readers that "Complaints over the harsh and humiliating treatment of Arabs are frequently heard." The author concludes, "It seems that we are especially sensitive when it comes to us. We Jews are thin-skinned; we immediately recall ‘my grandmother’s stories’. We don’t care so much when others are hurt. You see, they are thick-skinned. Thus, we advise them to ‘Tell it to your grandmother.’"
Yisrael Hayom suggests that an Israeli apology regarding the Mavi Marmara would not have made any difference because "Turkey is not interested in reconciliation, it wants to humiliate." The author reminds his readers that upon taking office in 2004, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "I see no difference between Israel and a terrorist organization’," and adds, "Erdogan certainly knows a thing or two about terrorism. He knows so much that he can differentiate between the PKK, which must be hit, and Hamas, which must be defended." The paper contends that Erdogan longs for the days of Ottoman regional hegemony and says, "What a pity that Erdogan has chosen to go forward while looking backward. What a pity also that when Europe is closing the door to Turkey, it is Israel that must pay the price."
The Jerusalem Post comments: "Much has changed since the waves of social protest first began seven weeks ago. A new discourse has developed in our society that goes beyond the usual issues of contention and strives to create a more just, fair and decent society in which the gap between the poor and rich is not so extreme and where honest, hard work leads to a comfortable standard of living. The tent cities are gradually disappearing, but the economic challenges we face remain daunting. The momentum must not be squandered. We deserve a more comfortable existence."
Ma’ariv urges the Trajtenberg committee and all those concerned about social justice in Israel to not only not neglect environmental concerns, but to realize that they are an integral part of the pursuit of social justice.
Haaretz comments: "An opinion issued Sunday by the Attorney General’s Office with regard to Dead Sea Works deals mainly with the question of who should pay for the action needed to prevent the hotels at the southern tip of the Dead Sea from being flooded by the rising water levels caused by DSW’s evaporation pools. It states that the requisite action, harvesting the salt, should be financed largely by DSW, as it is the party that created the danger. The opinion also says a special fee should be levied on DSW, so that the public can enjoy a greater share of the enormous profits the company derives from the minerals found in the Dead Sea."
[Boaz Okun, Aviv Lavie and Boaz Bismout wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot, Ma’ariv and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]