News Summary:
News
Half the pages of today’s Hebrew newspapers were devoted to the British decision to leave the European Union. Only
one paper was outwardly supportive of the move: Israel Hayom. The papers also examined what this would mean for
Israelis,
Israeli politicians praised Cameron following his resignation
Prime Minister Netanyahu calls outgoing British PM a "true friend of Israel and the Jewish people" • PM says he
will discuss Britain's exit from EU during meetings with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Italian PM Matteo
Renzi this week.
http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=34593
and Yedioth reported that Post-Brexit
British tuition fees for Israeli students may double.
The other big story in today’s Hebrew newspapers was the
expected announcement today of the approval of the
reconciliation agreement between Israel and Turkey. Ahead of the deal,
Mossad chief Yossi Cohen went on a secret visit to Turkey to meet his Turkish counterpart
and Turkish Prime Minister Tayip
Erdogan met with Hamas Politburo Chief Khaled Mashaal. According to the agreement,
Turkey will not enable Hamas to carry out any military activity against Israel but Hamas
offices may continue to operate in Turkey for the purpose of diplomatic activity. Meanwhile, the three
families of Israelis who are missing or killed in Gaza protested the reconciliation agreement with Turkey
saying Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin
Netanyahu promised that the return of their sons’ remains would be part of
it.
Netanyahu is flying to Rome today to meet with US Secretary of State John Kerry and
EU Foreign Policy Chief Frederica Mogherini in order to soften the Mideast Quartet’s report that blames Israel
for the freeze in the peace process and for settlement construction. He will also announce the Israeli-Turkish
reconciliation deal and discuss the possible effects of the British exit from the EU. (
Maariv)
Also making headlines today was the
‘attack’ by coalition chairman MK David Bitan (Likud) on the former
heads of Mossad and Shin Bet, saying, reportedly in a derogatory way that they turn into left-wingers
on the job. "[Former Mossad chief Meir] Dagan was a fundamentalist right-winger when he entered the Mossad, and he
came out of the organization the opposite…
Everybody's a leftist there except for Avi Dichter…Something happens to you over the years
when you're in that position. I believe that this is a development that happened as part of their
job." Former defense minister Moshe
Yaalon took this as an insult, calling it “dangerous political maneuvers to destroy the
security establishment and to incite against its heads.” Yesh Atid MK Yaakov Peri, himself a former Shin
Bet chief, said "This is nothing more than populism. Lashing out at the heads of the defense establishment is
highly inappropriate.
Is 'leftist' a derogatory term?"
The Multimillion Dollar Panama Channel to West Bank Settlements
The Amana movement that carries out settlement construction in the West Bank has been receiving tens of millions
from a mystery company in the Central American tax haven, via a nonprofit that was also controlled by the movement.
A Haaretz investigation as part of the Settlement Dollars Project. (Chaim Levinson,
Haaretz+)
Cleared for publication: unpublished documents from the “Lavon Affair," which shook the
country
The Defense Ministry published the minutes of the meeting in which the chief of staff Dayan and head of military
intelligence Gen. Gibli Givli to the General Staff about the failure of the sabotage operation in Egypt in July
1954. The question continues to be asked: "Who gave the order?" (Yossi Melman,
Maariv)
Could the deadly Gaza flotilla clash have been avoided?
Construction Minister Yoav Gallant, then GOC Southern Command, reportedly proposed using larger boats to block the
flotilla, with hundreds of soldiers on call to neutralize resistance, rather than sending a small number of
commandos to storm a boat. (Shlomo Cesana,
Israel Hayom)
In northern Israel, vestiges of Second Lebanon War's carnage
Gideon Levy returns to the scenes of the Katyusha rocket attacks that he covered a decade ago. The houses that have
been renovated, the scars that have healed – and those that haven’t. (Gideon Levy,
Haaretz+)
Lyin’ to Zion: Israel is haven for fraudsters from France
Efforts to attract Diaspora Jews have made Israel a haven for a few who are trying to escape the long arm of the
law. (Hagai Amit,
Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
Time for 'Israexit' From the Occupied Territories (Amir Oren,
Haaretz+) Cameron showed Netanyahu how a prime minister is supposed to act when he puts
his prestige on the line over his platform’s key issue and is defeated.
The emperor’s nakedness (Yaron London,
Yedioth/Ynet) Why do aggressive right-wingers insist on loudly confronting a fringe group
of leftist Israeli artists, when the better approach would be remaining silent and letting them go
extinct?
In the U.K. and in Israel, a Shift Toward Ultranationalist Isolationism (
Haaretz Editorial) Unlike the British, Israel doesn’t need a referendum to declare its
disengagement from Europe and the West. It's well on its way.
Identifying processes: all the signs show that conciliatory policy is coming back (Meir Uziel,
Maariv) I think there are similarities between us and the Europe of the 1930’s: the spirit
of defeatism, in the lies about violation of the rights of minorities and the illusion of agreements while
compromising with evil ideologies.
Moshe Ya'alon Demonstrates How Not to Run for Prime Minister of Israel (Yossi Verter,
Haaretz) Embrace Ya’alon is getting from the center-left is politically disastrous for
him. Barak isn't interested in becoming the premier, just getting rid of the incumbent. Netanyahu knows that
calling his detractors 'leftists' boosts his chance of staying on top.
An army afraid to exercise its own discretion (Aviad Kleinberg,
Yedioth/Ynet) Online abuse and shaming campaigns have rendered the IDF impotent to protect
the commanders called to testify in the Azaria trial.
Remain on track: We must not succumb to outside pressure from due to the situation in the Middle
East (Yoram Ettinger,
Maariv) In their ceaseless pushing for diplomatic move, the Western countries are trying
to get Israel to ignore the reality in the region: terrorism, lack of democracy and instability.
The Military Police’s test: Indict the Israeli officer who shot Mahmoud Badran (
Haaretz Friday Editorial) Even if Palestinians were throwing rocks as the IDF claims, it
was unlawful for the IDF soldiers to open fire on a passing vehicle.
Slicing the salami of settlement costs (Merav Betito,
Yedioth/Ynet) West Bank settlements continually receive budget items, monetary diversions,
and transfers of funds; their pupils receive more money than other Israelis, and their hand remains
outstretched; how much are the settlements actually costing us?
The Purposeful Political Campaign to Nurture the Sectarian Demon (Saviona Mane,
Haaretz+) Likud has been in power for decades, but instead of bridging gaps, the party's
politicians prefer to perpetuate racial hatred and undermine the fragile social fabric.
The price of reconciliation is Turkish democracy (Tulin Daloglu,
Yedioth/Ynet) Turkish journalist Tulin Daloglu argues that while Israel and Turkey get
closer with an expected reconciliation deal, Turkish democracy is in danger; The reconciliation deal will only
strengthen Erdogan, and weaken Turkey's democratic institutions.
Israel's Lieberman, a playground bully, becomes star pupil in Washington (Amir Oren,
Haaretz+) The new defense minister made all the right noises when the Israeli F-35 was
unveiled in Texas this week. Is this a new Lieberman, or will normal service soon be resumed?
Not all in (Smadar Perry,
Yedioth/Ynet) The final details are still being discussed, but Israel and Turkey are
expected to announce their reconciliation on Sunday, after six years of rough relations. What brought about
the breakthrough?
What Israelis Can Learn From Britain's Revolutionary Voters (Gideon Levy,
Haaretz+) A referendum based on the will of the people who choose to ignore their leader’s
fear-mongering is something Israelis can only dream of.
They will remain on paper: the fear of European (peace) initiatives is excessive and unfounded
(Shlomo Shamir,
Maariv) Israel's fears of being criticized in the Mideast Quartet report and the effort to
thwart the French initiative are exaggerated. The chances of these moves yielding a political breakthrough are
slim.
Why I Want Israel to Break Away From Those 'Other' Arabs - the Palestinians (Sayed Kashua,
Haaretz+) Do I wish for the occupation to end only so I can feel less guilty about
enjoying the meager freedom the Israeli city offers Arab citizens who adopt its values?
The lie behind 'genetic citizenship' (Prof. Amnon Rubinstein,
Israel Hayom) A misleading headline led Israeli academics to declare at prestigious
conferences that Israel wants to conduct genetic testing to determine whether new immigrants are Jewish. This
claim could not be further from the truth.
It's not too late to save Israel from itself (Ari Shavit,
Haaretz+) The moderate left and right must work together, seek peace and stop bashing
Benjamin Netanyahu, however paltry his emotional intelligence.
Alone on the tree: Netanyahu's conduct regarding the US military aid borders on breach of trust
(Ben Caspit,
Maariv) Even when the finance minister and defense minister openly come out against him,
the Prime Minister prefers to slam his head in the wall than to admit a mistake and cut losses.
Don't just pay lipservice to the two state solution. Make it happen (Susie Gelman,
Haaretz+) If you want a Jewish, democratic, and secure Israel, start pressing the next
President, and the U.S. Jewish community, to prioritize the two state solution.
Abbas: An old-school anti-Semite (Dr. Haim Shine,
Israel Hayom) Time and again the Palestinian Authority president shows his true
colors, including this week, when he refused to meet President Reuven Rivlin.
I'm in Israeli military jail because I won't collaborate with the occupation (Tair Kaminer,
Haaretz+) The girls I meet in military prison aren't criminals. Most did trivial things
and many are from disadvantaged groups, which says a lot about our society.
The Sky’s the Limit for Iran’s Lofty Economic Ambitions (Zvi Bar'el,
Haaretz+) IranAir has struck deals with two Western aviation giants to buy over 200
planes. However, like much else in Iran, its dreams hinge on the fate of Hassan Rohani in next year’s
presidential election.
The Israeli Peace Camp’s Obligation: Demand Negotiations Without Preconditions (A.B. Yehoshua,
Haaretz+) The prime minister may have a forked tongue, but when he is publicly calling for
negotiations without preconditions, the Palestinians must respond affirmatively.
Interviews:
Israeli who signed with LA Dodgers hopes also to keep playing on Israel's national team
Dean Kremer says it's exciting to represent Israel in baseball, but acknowledges that it is not particularly
popular in the country and that 'Israelis are not patient enough to play the game.' (Interviewed by Irad
Tsafrir in
Haaretz+)
The Palestinian Authority man in charge of relations between Israel and the PA: "I don’t interfere in
your internal affairs"
Defense Minister Lieberman banned his entry into Israel, claiming that he was trying to establish a political
force, but Muhammad Al-Madani, is unmoved and insists on organizing Jewish-Palestinian meetings: Without peace
it will be harder. (Interviewed by Sara Leibovich-Dar in
Maariv)
'The Middle East has turned into a brutal bloodbath'
MK Tzachi Hanegbi is stepping down as chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Before his
departure, he decided to talk about exactly what the government knew about Hamas terror tunnels before
Operation Protective Edge in 2014. (Interviewed by Gideon Allon in
Israel Hayom)
"Teach your pupils that there is no occupation!"
Watch Yossi Alpher's remarks from yesterday's gathering
in Washington, D.C.