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Yediot Aharonot suggests that the "refuted gimmick of universal national service was suggested as a way of realizing equality in the division of the burden, which has been presented as one of the holy principles of a western country based on the rule of law. But full equality does not exist, in fact, in any country, and the demand to achieve it is not a ‘natural’ right."
Ma’ariv discusses Friday night’s vicious murder in Be’er Sheva of a father of two who asked some apparently intoxicated youth in a public park adjacent to his home to be quiet. The author remarks that "More than once I have thought to go out to the youth and ask them to stop making noise during the late hours, but I have not done it. ‘Why invite trouble?’ That is the new motto in Israel."
Yisrael Hayom, on the background of the upcoming Lag B’Omer holiday offers that "Bar Kochba’s willingness to do battle, based on his beliefs, against the greatest empire of the ancient world, lit the torch of freedom for the generations to come." The author believes that "The fighters of the pre-state undergrounds and IDF soldiers are the continuation of Bar Kochba. Strength of character, determination in deeds and the fighters’ spirit of freedom ensure the future of Israel’s independence."
The Jerusalem Post discusses the situation of the Bedouin population in Israel, depicting it as a “country-with-the-country, where our system of justice is plainly absent.” The editor states that “The conclusion that official Israel has abandoned all authority in and around Bedouin communities is inescapable,” and concludes: “We mustn’t lose sight of the risk that disrespect for the law might spread to other segments of society. Ignoring a problem may be easy but won’t prevent it from mushrooming.”
Haaretz discusses the death of three brothers, residents of a Palestinian village on the West Bank, who were killed by IDF soldiers during a late night training exercise on 23 March 2012, and states: “The fact the soldiers continued to fire even after the men were wounded and did not give them immediate medical attention raises difficult questions.” The editor queries: “Why does the IDF have to infiltrate a peaceful Palestinian village in the dead of night to train among its houses?” and asserts that “These questions must be investigated quickly and those responsible be called to account for the unnecessary killing.”
[Sever Plocker, Shay Golden and Haim Schein wrote today’s articles in Yediot Aharonot, Ma’ariv and Yisrael Hayom, respectively.]