Giving up the grain

As Israelis eat their last pieces of bread before the Passover holiday begins Monday night, the Hebrew press reminds readers of other things Israelis might have to give up.

Israel Hayom warns that the peace and quiet that Israel has known for years along its border with Syria may only be a memory. Its front-page headline gives the gist of the article: “Assad regime has lost control of the Syrian Golan Heights.” Inside, the paper quotes Jordanian sources who say the brigade of soldiers loyal to Assad, which was stationed along the border, has disintegrated. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah militants who were also stationed along the border have also left, which leaves the area in the hands of the rebels, it reports.

The paper also touches upon Sunday’s incident in which IDF troops took fire from Syria and responded by firing back a missile, destroying the Syrian position and injuring two soldiers. IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz said Israel is “preparing for any scenario.”

Haaretz uses its front page to warn Israelis that they might have to give up the quiet that has existed for the past six years on Israel’s other northern border. The paper reports that the IDF is focusing on Lebanon as the next point to see spillover from the collapse of the Assad regime. Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, the IDF Military Intelligence chief, told a conference, “Iran and Hezbollah understand that Assad’s fate is sealed and they’re preparing for the day after.”

While the IDF may be looking towards Lebanon, newly instated Finance Minister Yair Lapid is looking to the Israeli public’s checkbook to solve some of the country’s budget woes. According to the front page of Yedioth Ahronoth, Lapid and Prime Minister Netanyahu have met regarding Israel’s deficit and have decided on some painful cuts. The belt-tightening proposals include the following: an increase in VAT from 17% to 18%; cutting the defense budget by NIS 4-5 billion; and ending the tax-free zone in Eilat. The paper does try to put some good news on the whole situation by stating that the price of gas is expected to drop by 30 agorot per liter (about $0.08) after the Passover holiday. Unfortunately for Lapid, the credit goes to declining global oil prices.

The recent apology by Israel to Turkey over the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident may not be the panacea for restoring relations with Turkey. As Maariv reports, Israel may have to give up more than just an apology. Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan stated that Israel must “make practical steps on the ground” before the two countries can normalize relations. These steps on the ground include compensating the families of the Turkish citizens killed in the raid (which Netanyahu has agreed to do) and ending the blockade on Gaza (which he hasn’t).

Who do you love more?

Apparently in an effort to give those at seder tables something other than the Exodus to discuss, Haaretz conducted its yearly poll on the popularity of Israel’s leaders. The three most popular public figures are Reuven Rivlin, with a 75% approval rating; Shimon Peres, with 74%; and IDF chief Benny Gantz, with 67%. Outgoing defense minister Ehud Barak comes in fifth with an even 50%, trailed by Netanyahu at 48%. Toward the bottom of the list are former foreign minister Avigdor Liberman, with 37%; Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein, with 28%; and State Comptroller Yosef Shapira, in last place with 21%.

Yedioth apparently didn’t read the Haaretz survey, because it invited Liberman to write an opinion piece about the apology to Turkey. Liberman writes that the decline in relations between the two countries started before the flotilla incident and was a strategic decision by the Turkish government to weaken ties with Israel. Liberman criticizes the government’s decision, by saying the apology hurts something deeper than pride.

“The decision to pay compensation sends a message of guilt. Such feelings destroy the nation’s ability to survive,” he writes.

Yedioth isn’t the only paper to snag a guest columnist to comment on the effects of Obama’s visit; Maariv includes a piece by US Ambassador Michael Oren. The diplomat writes that Obama left Israel strengthened by his visit, which added a personal touch to what were always “open and friendly relations.”

After praising Obama for actively trying to understand the Israeli point of view, Oren reminds us that Israel is the only place in the Middle East where American flags are not burned, but rather are waved proudly.

Let my people arrive on time!

The Passover holiday did not escape the attention of any of the papers; they all provided some useful info and fun facts about the holiday.

Israel Hayom provides logistic support to those who are planning on commuting to the Passover seder, by highlighting which roads are expected to have traffic jams (hint: all of them). The roads aren’t the only places with traffic jams: Ben-Gurion International Airport is expecting about a million passengers to pass through the terminal over the holiday — on 6,500 flights.

Yedioth provides a weather update for the holiday, with the conditions for the Monday evening meal expected to be cool and pleasant. Yet the good news ends there: The prediction for Tuesday is a heat wave, with temperatures rising to 28 degrees (82 Fahrenheit) around Jerusalem, 33 degrees (90 Fahrenheit) along the coast, and 35 degrees (95 Fahrenheit) around the Sea of Galilee.

Haaretz reports on a rebellion taking place in the Ashkenazi community as to whether legumes (kitniyot) are forbidden during the Passover holiday. A new group — the “Kityinot Liberation Front (KLF)” — has been set up on Facebook, and calls for Ashkenazi rabbis to approve the eating of beans. As the article explains, Jews of European ancestry don’t eat legumes because of the way they were grown and transported. This prohibition has lasted until the present day for European Jews, while Sephardic Jews rejected the custom. With no Ashkenazi rabbi heeding the KLF’s call, it looks as if the revolution will have to wait until next year (in Jerusalem, with hummus).