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Yediot Aharonot talks about Israel’s pre-military preparatory schools and contends that "The investment shows a positive return. According to the statistics of one of the more veteran institutes, 90% of its graduates joined combat units and 50% went to officers’ courses, while 60% of graduates become involved in volunteer work."
Ma’ariv argues that "There is no need to enforce conscription. It is possible to fight draft dodging through budgets. It is possible to impose a quota on full-time yeshiva students. Only the best would qualify. All of the rest can continue dodging the draft, but on their own account. Not on ours. The same thing must be implemented towards other dodgers – Jews and Arabs. They will be obliged to perform an alternative national service. Not by force. Whoever would insist on avoidance would pay for it through his own pocket; higher university tuitions, and so on and so forth, a series of mechanisms which would provide much more to those who contribute and less to those who do not."
Yisrael Hayom implores, "Will it take us another 60 years to understand that bloated governments are the root to all of our problems and not the solution? Will it take another half a century to understand that we will not receive good education, for example, by expanding the failed government-education monopoly to include children aged 3-6?" The author concludes, "Only a lean government can fulfill its legitimate role: Security and upholding the law. A burden of roles (many contradictory) causes it to fail."
The Jerusalem Post writes: "The controversy surrounding the use of the ‘Israel-firster’ slur [used to describe American Jews with a hawkish, pro-Israel orientation] has seemingly increased appreciation in America for the need to debate positions on US policy vis-à-vis Israel in an environment untainted by intimidation. Issues such as Israel’s settlement policies in Judea and Samaria must be conducted in a free and open manner regardless of where one is positioned on the political map. Claiming that the building of settlements is opposed to either US or Israel interests or both is legitimate. But those who believe differently should not be silenced with the accusation that they are putting Israel’s interests before America’s. Better to let rational argument and a free exchange of opinions determine American policy."
Haaretz criticizes Culture and Sports Minister Limor Livnat’s implied support for keeping "Jenin, Jenin" director Mohammed Bakri off the Israeli stage: "It is not legitimate to question whether Bakri – or anyone else whose opinions are considered by someone in power to be unacceptable – can perform in a play put on by a theater that receives funding from the Culture and Sports Ministry, and it is certainly none of the culture minister’s business. Actors should be chosen only for artistic reasons. Such decisions are supposed to be made by the individual theaters or any other artistic body, as long as they are made completely freely and autonomously."
[Ariela Ringle-Hoffman, Ben-Dror Yemini and Daniel Doron wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot, Ma’ariv and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]