NORWAY

NORWAY

Aftenposten, Oslo, Dec. 10: A simmering rage, clearly with a variety of causes, has exploded into street fighting, attacks on police and arson. The cradle of democracy is marked by violence and un-parliamentary methods.

All in all, it seems that neither the demonstrators nor the authorities have any real direction.

The conservative government responds that the demonstrators can’t expect any leniency, and that all political forces must unite to condemn and isolate those responsible for the unrest.

Anarchists claim

Protests and demonstrations are nothing new in Greece’s modern history. Students took to the streets in 1973, and that contributed to the military junta giving up the next year. But the latest protests cannot in any way be said to be directed at an authoritarian regime, whatever anarchists claim.

They are more an expression of Greece’s serious social and economic problems, which are worsened by the international finances crisis.

Social and economic problems must be taken seriously. That is a major challenge for the Greek government.

ISRAEL

Ha’aretz, Tel-Aviv, Dec. 10: When the results of the Likud primary became known yesterday, party chairman Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the new leadership would “bring back hope, security and pride to the country.” It appears it was no mistake that the word “peace” did not appear on the list of challenges Netanyahu read out. The list’s human composition teaches us about its worldview and expected policies.

A quick glance at the top 30 candidates reveals a right-wing, if not extreme right-wing group that has opposed any iota of a peace initiative, from the Oslo Accords to the Annapolis Declaration. Likud’s voters have raised the curtain to reveal a team that includes people who revolted against Ariel Sharon’s disengagement plan and have reservations about the peace agreement signed by Menachem Begin with Egypt.

Unambiguous result

Likud’s list for the Knesset is not in line with the image of the moderate statesman that Netanyahu is trying to create. Whether Netanyahu was aiming at the same objective, or whether the party has deviated to the right more than he would have wished, the result is in no way ambiguous. Most of the leading candidates built their reputations on support for the settlement enterprise, opposition to any concessions toward the Palestinians and protests against the attempt to renew negotiations with Syria.