Pressing for Pollard

With no major news story, the Israeli newspapers feature a hodgepodge of stories sprinkled across their front pages.

Yedioth Ahronoth’s lead story is the meeting between Noam Shalit and Esther Pollard. The father of freed Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, said Pollard’s situation is not identical to that of Gilad but told Pollard’s wife, “The State of Israel sent your husband and it needs to do more on his behalf.” The next page has the political side of the story, stating that Obama received Shimon Peres’s letter, but the White House has stated that nothing has changed in its stance regarding Pollard.

Israel Hayom also covers the Jonathan Pollard story but in a more optimistic tone with the page 1 headline reading, “Obama has not said ‘no’.” The article points out that while theWhite House Press Secretary Jay Carney said there was no change, Obama still has not said “no.” However, Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon stated that the CIA refuses to release Pollard because they believe he had an accomplice who is still free.

“Cease Fire? Assad continues to massacre,” reads the headline on Maariv’s lead story. The article (accompanied by a picture of Assad superimposed over a particularly gruesome scene) reports that, despite the cease-fire brokered by former UN chief Kofi Annan, tens of people were killed in fighting throughout Syria. The Syrian government requested additional conditions to impose the cease-fire, including a written declaration by the Syrian Free Army to end their struggle and hand over all weaponry. Maariv cited the spokesman of the Syrian Free Army, Bisma Kadamani, saying that the rebel group is ready to work with Annan but not ready for the new Syrian demands.

Haaretz’s front-page story is about Israel participating in secret talks for a possible conference on a nuclear-free Middle East. The article reports that the Finnish Deputy Foreign Minister Jaakko Laajava was in Israel last week to discuss Israel’s participation in a conference about banning nuclear weapons in the Middle East. The idea was first floated for the conference two years ago and it is expected that there will be a forum for Arab states to press Israel on its nuclear capability. While Israel did not reject the idea of the conference outright — as it did two years ago — no decision has been made on its participation, as the Foreign Ministry wants to coordinate Israel’s response with the United States.

Eh-merica

Emigration of Israelis to America has hit its lowest level since 2003, reports Yedioth on page 6. The paper reports that in 2011 only 3,826 Israelis emigrated to the United States, the lowest since 2,741 emigrated in 2003. The drop in Israeli émigrés is attributed to the American economic situation. The article points out that, in 2011, 4,070 new immigrants came from North America — 244 more than emigrated.

Maariv reports on page 8 that there are new allegations of sexual abuse against Rabbi Mordechai Elon. The allegations of additional abuse come from a former student and a social worker who saw the rabbi in a car with a 15-year-old boy. The prominent rabbi was indicted in November for sexual assault against his students. The new allegations come just days before the opening of his trial, which is scheduled to open on Monday.

Haaretz has a story about ticket inspectors on Jerusalem’s light rail system, who issue frivolous fines and act violently. The article describes many incidents of train inspectors being rude and threatening violence. Passengers, fed up with the inspectors, have begun recording the incidents and posting them on the Internet. A private company handles security for the trains; in response to the reports, the Ministry of Transportation could only state that it would work with the firm to cancel all frivolous fines.

Passover fun

The Passover holiday is still going strong in Israel with every paper dedicating a little space to the celebrations. All the papers (save Haaretz) had a photo of President Shimon Peres at a petting zoo. Israel Hayom had the biggest holiday spread, with two pages full of pictures of families out and about at zoos, parks, and gardens.

Yedioth reports, on page 9, about a proposed law that would allow women only over the age of 22 to have breast-enlargement surgery. The proposed law comes from Kadima MK Yulia Shamalov-Berkovich, who stated the reason for the law would be to give young women a “few years to live in the real world” before making their decision. Meirav Batito, writing an opinion piece for Yedioth, sums up opposition to the proposed law in her headline, “Educate, don’t legislate.”

In the opinion pages, Iran was again a topic of discussion. In Maariv, Yael Paz-Melamed writes that Netanyahu’s single-mindedness on Iran is hurting the country. “Has a messianic spirit invaded Netanyahu?” she asks. This single focus of saving Israel from Iran distracts him from other functions of government. She has no doubt that he has analyzed all the scenarios. “The problem,” she writes, “is when the messianic spirit takes over… logical actions do not always follow.”

Haaretz’s editorial comments on the Jonathan Pollard case and urges behind-the-scenes pressure to get the spy released. It argues that, since Peres’s letter to Obama was public, it of course would be rejected. “The American opinion is that every country, including Israel, can treat traitors as they see fit and that Pollard’s imprisonment is an internal matter.” Instead, the editors offer a solution: to quietly push for a 30-year limit on life sentences in the United States. The piece concludes that efforts should be made to free Pollard, but those efforts should focus on legal solutions so that the Americans don’t lose face on an internal matter.