64 and counting

The grills have been packed up for now but the Israeli newspapers are taking one last chance to mark Israel’s 64th Independence Day.

All the papers dedicated significant space to yesterday’s festivities, including front-page art of Israeli celebrations. Israel Hayom begins its four-page coverage with an article about how a million and a half Israelis celebrated Independence Day in national parks and historic sites. Most popular was the national park in Tel Aviv, with more than 11,000 visitors. The paper pads its coverage of the holiday with loads of pictures of people either watching the IDF’s air show or engaging in the Israeli tradition of “mangal” (barbecuing).

Maariv lays out its coverage of the holiday with a photo spread that includes shots of barbecues, the beach, and a frustrating traffic jam in the north of the country.  “On the lawn with Shimon Peres” serves as Maariv’s main holiday article and focuses on the 120 outstanding IDF soldiers who spent the day with the Israeli president. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also present at the ceremony, along with top IDF commanders, and they all took turns leading the celebration by singing Israeli oldies with the soldiers and the crowd.

Yedioth Ahronoth takes a more somber note in its coverage with the lead headline, “All for Hila,” a reference to the IDF officer who was killed one week ago during an accident at Mount Herzl. The article focused on the ceremony marking the transition between Memorial Day and Independence Day, where the Color Guard left a spot vacant for Hila. “On one hand, I am very proud,” said Hila’s mother, “But when I saw that vacant space I had no words.”

Yedioth also included a few small articles that took place on Independence eve, including an article on the Israel Prize recipients. This year the winners include veteran journalist Yaakov Achimeir, Rabbi Haim Druckman and a number of professors.

Among this year’s Independence Day celebrations was the annual diplomat reception at the President’s Residence. Haaretz reported that the only diplomat missing from the annual event was the Israeli foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman. The short article attacks Lieberman for being the first foreign minister to miss the event. “It is a lack of respect that the foreign minister couldn’t make it,” one Israeli diplomat reportedly stated.

Aside from the routine coverage of Israelis barbecuing and going to parks, Haaretz includes in its coverage an opinion piece on the IDF air show yesterday in Tel Aviv. “Foreign workers are more excited for air shows than the rest,” reads the headline of a somewhat cynical piece that details the lack of Israeli flags on the beach and a lot of complaining about the show — which, according to the author, foreigners enjoyed more than native Israelis.

The Syrian situation

Three out of the four papers gave significant space to the deteriorating situation in Syria (only Yedioth doesn’t report on it at all). Israel Hayom dedicates a large portion of its front page to the conflict northeast of Israel. “Assad’s version of a cease fire” reads the headline for the page 13 story. The article highlights the gory details of videos just released from Syria that includes a man being buried alive and a corpse being dragged behind a car. According to the article, France is taking the lead to move toward military intervention in Syria, saying that France will not wait for the May 5th deadline to pass to bring a new resolution to the Security Council.

Boaz Bismuth comments on the Syrian situation in an opinion piece where he applauds the French move but doubts its effectiveness. In the piece, entitled, “If this a cease-fire, then what is war?” Bismuth says that French President Nicolas Sarkozy is trying to beat the May 5 deadline, but wonders what France’s policy will be on Election Day, May 6, when Sarkozy is expected to lose.

Yedioth’s other front-page story reports that the majority of Likud members believe there will be elections this year. Knesset Speaker Rueven Rivlin went so far as to say that he believes that the summer session will be the last before elections.

Haaretz’s other top news is that the state is asking the Supreme Court to freeze the evacuation of the Ulpana neighborhood in Beit El. The request is for a 90-day stay in order to allow the government time to formulate an alternative solution to evacuating the neighborhood.

Monumental news

Maariv’s front-page headline offered Israelis some positive news out of the Sinai Peninsula. According to the article, the Egyptian army has placed extra security around the monument erected for 10 fallen soldiers who died in a helicopter crash on the site some 40 years ago. The extra security is intended to prevent the monument’s desecration.

Israel Hayom reported that Defense Minister Ehud Barak has warned a Middle East nuclear arms race could ensue if Iran develops a nuclear weapon. “Turkey, Syria, and even Egyptian would compete in the race,” Barak warned last night at a reception for the air force. Barak went on to express doubt regarding the effectiveness of sanctions to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, but added, “I would love to be proven wrong.”

Haaretz reported that the Supreme Court has upheld the disputed conversions performed under the authority of Israel Prize recipient Rabbi Haim Druckman. The Supreme Court overturned a decision by religious authorities that stated the conversions were not valid. In addition to validating the conversions, the court stripped of his authority the rabbi who first invalidated the conversions. The court’s decision is expected to make future challenges to conversions more difficult in the future.

Final thoughts on Independence Day

Dan Margalit, in Israel Hayom, asks Arab citizens why they protest on Independence Day. “It’s true it [Israel’s independence] hurt thousands of Israeli Arabs, but why protest today?” Most of the piece is spent recounting how the Arab leadership failed its people in the War of Independence. He concludes by saying that that there are many more appropriate days to protest Israel’s independence, including Land Day and May 15. Protests on Israel’s Independence Day, he charges, signals a desire to raise tensions.

In Haaretz, Yoel Marcus recounts some of the follies that the press and politicians have committed over the years. From Menacham Begin protesting against reparations (to which Marcus reminds readers that Begin later apologized to Ben-Gurion), to a government minster wishing to create a “Super Highway” between Haifa and Tel Aviv, this country has experience a lot. Despite this and the problems its faces, Marcus concludes that “it will still be a fun country to live in, a wonderful country.”