News Nosh 9.24.17

APN's daily news review from Israel
Sunday September 24, 2017
 
You Must Be Kidding: 
53 mosques and churches vandalized in Israel since 2009, but only nine indictments were filed.*

Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
  • “Trump is deranged, he’ll pay dearly” - N. Korea threatens: “Attack on US is unavoidable”; “I will deal with the Rocket Man” - Trump’s message: US bombers flew near N. Korea
  • Sergeant Paula is fighting for her home - Lone soldier from Mexico was visiting home when the earthquake occurred
  • Country without gas
  • Merkel being tested
  • Did you enjoy the long weekend? Continue dreaming - the revolution of long weekends is expected to be canceled
  • She’s one of ours - Gal Gadot will host the #1 entertainment show in America
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
  • Honking at Trump (Photos of Kim Jung-un and Hassan Rouhani)
  • Prime Minister’s investigations: “Evidence of fraud and breach of trust getting stronger, Netanyahu is expected to be interrogated again soon”
  • Germany votes: Radical right-wing will return to Parliament for the first time since WWII, Merkel expected to win again
  • From Israel, with love - 70 members of Israeli delegation to Mexico, where 300 people were killed from earthquake
Israel Hayom

News Summary:
The US and North Korean leaders exchange insults and threats, Israelis help Mexicans after a deadly earthquake, Iran tests a new missile that can reach Israel and Israel ‘probably’ was behind an attack on a Hezbollah arms depot in Damascus making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. And, a recap of the key statements by US, Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian and Iranian leaders at the UN General Assembly.

On Friday, Iran’s Rouhani revealed a missile with a range of 2,000 km (1,200 miles) – capable of reaching Israel - and announced that his country 'will not seek permission from anyone to defend' itself. On Saturday, Iran announced it had successfully tested – and would keep developing its arsenal despite U.S. pressure to stop. Israel called the test a 'provocation.’ Trump said it showed the weakness of the Iran nuclear deal. According to the Iranians, since they aren’t developing nuclear weapons then they are allowed to develop ballistic missiles. Israeli analysts mostly agreed that the test was a message to Trump. [See Commentary/Analysis below.]

And here are the UN General Assembly speeches and statements leading up to the Iran ballistic missile test:
In his speech at the UN General Assembly last Tuesday Trump slammed North Korea and said the nuclear deal with Iran was terrible. In his speech, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his country will not be the first to breach the nuclear deal, and warned the US against doing so, saying that Iran would respond: "The options that we say we have at our disposal ... will never be going towards nuclear weapons...Iran has never sought nuclear weapons, will never seek nuclear weapons, is not now seeking nuclear weapons." Trump said that he made his decision about whether to continue with the Iran nuclear deal, but he kept his decision secret, even from advisors. Top Democrats asked the Trump Administration for proof that Iran wasn’t complying with the nuclear deal. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that Iran was ‘technically complying' with the deal, but it remains a destabilizing force.

Meanwhile Netanyahu told the UN General Assembly Tuesday that Iran should know that threatening Israel puts one in peril. Netanyahu also made a joke saying he intends to visit Antarctica one day “because I’ve heard penguins' enthusiastically support Israel,” to which Iranian officials and civilians flooded the Internet with pictures making fun of the Israeli premier; ‘Even penguins in the south pole can’t bear the shame of support for the Israeli entity which murders children.’ Outside the UN building, some 100 Jews and Palestinians gathered in the rain to protest the cozy relationship between Netanyahu and Trump.

Speeches and statements about peace:
An hour after Netanyahu's speech to the UN General Assembly Tuesday, Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi addressed Israeli citizens, calling on them to support their current leadership as it works to advance peace, telling them that the opportunity for peace in the region may not again arise. On Wednesday, Trump told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas: I will give my heart and soul to achieve an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal. Hours later, Abbas told the UN: We'll give Trump's peace efforts a chance, but the UN bears an obligation to end the occupation. He also said that if Israel destroys the two-state solution, Palestinians will demand full equal rights for all inhabitants of historic Palestine. Trump told Abbas he needed more time for his American peace initiative.
 
Quick Hits:
  • Israeli police intelligence officer indicted for beating Palestinian detainee - The officer allegedly struck the complainant with an iron bar and an electric fan, and kicked him as he lay on the floor. (Haaretz+)
  • Policewoman indicted for assaulting Haredi protester - Defendant suspected of striking Haredi man on the head three times during protest 8 months ago before fabricating report pinning blame on him; commander summoned for disciplinary hearing for use of unlawful force. (Ynet)
  • Israeli left-wing activist compensated for wrongful arrest in 2013 - Judge says videotaped evidence shows police misrepresented their description of events in which Guy Butavia, a Ta’ayush activist, had come to document the confiscation of a Palestinian water tank by the Israeli army. Meanwhile, this past Saturday, during another event involving Ta’ayush activists, Butavia had his hand broken by a settler. (Haaretz)
  • Israel on UN list of states punishing human rights activism - Record number of 29 countries, nine of them members of the Human Rights Council, retaliated against citizens communicating with the UN body; Israel finds itself in the company of Iran, China, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and others. (Agencies, Ynet
  • *53 Mosques and Churches Vandalized in Israel Since 2009, but Only 9 Indictments Filed - The latest attack occurred last Wednesday, at St. Stephen’s Church in the Beit Jamal Monastery, near Beit Shemesh. The many unsolved crimes are a question of police priorities, says head of monitoring group. 'Without a doubt, they aren’t looking hard enough.’ (Haaretz+)
  • Bernie Sanders Says He Would Consider Cutting U.S. Military Aid to Israel, Improve Ties With Iran - In an interview with left-wing website The Intercept, the former presidential candidate said that the U.S. is complicit in Israel's occupation of the West Bank. (Haaretz)
  • Prime Minister Netanyahu will be questioned again after the holidays - The prime minister is expected to return to the offices of Lahav Anti-corruption Unit 433, after suspicions against him intensified, as reported by Maariv, following the testimony of Ari Harow and Arnon Milchan. In addition, Yedioth publisher Noni Mozes is also expected to be questioned. (Maariv)
  • Eight Silwan men to be indicted for terrorism - E. Jerusalem group's members, sometimes known as 'Silwan Ghosts', were involved in multiple stone and firebomb throwing attacks and planned shooting attacks against Israeli vehicles and homes; their activities were financed and backed by elements in Gaza and Lebanon. (Ynet)
  • Israeli Defense Minister Seeks to Backtrack on Plan to Cut Army ServiceFrom 2018, male draftees are set to be discharged after serving 32 months, instead of three years. - (Haaretz+)
  • High schoolers vandalize wall at Auschwitz-Birkenau - Students from the Ort Rogozin high school in Migdal HaEmek wrote date of their visit, name of their school and added a drawing of a Star of David onto a wall on Block 25 in Birkenau; 'We're trying to think of the best and most appropriate way to apologize,' says member of school delegation; school says will 'handle the matter with all due gravity.' (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Israel moves to prevent Palestinian Authority from joining Interpol - International police organization to vote on PA's membership bid at annual assembly in Beijing this week • Admission to Interpol would significantly bolster the Palestinian statehood campaign, Foreign Ministry official says. (Israel Hayom and Ynet)
  • 'Arab efforts to normalize ties with Israel are a disgrace,' Israeli actor reportedly says   - Mohammad Bakri, an Israeli-Arab actor and director, arrives in Beirut to take part in Palestinian Days festival, despite (Israeli) law against on travel from Israel to Lebanon; newspaper Al Akhbar prominently features Bakri, who says his 'presence in Lebanon is a victory over racist laws.'  Bakri is quoted as saying that normalization with Israel is tantamount to a betrayal of Arab nationalism. Bakri: I never made those comments, what I did say was taken out of context. (Israel Hayom and Ynet)
  • Israel Hayom founder Adelson on list of 100 greatest business minds - Hotel and casino mogul and philanthropist Sheldon Adelson tells Forbes that "you don't always have to be the guy that comes up with a new idea … if you can take an old concept and put a new spin on it, success will follow you like a shadow." (Israel Hayom)
  • To culture minster's horror, 'Foxtrot' wins highest award at 'Israeli Oscars' - The movie which had drawn harsh criticism from Culture Minister Miri Regev, won seven awards at the ceremony, including Best Movie, the ceremony's highest honor. (Haaretz)
  • Survey finds Israeli Jews seek separation of religion from state - Religion & State Index finds 86% of Israeli Jews believe state should ensure freedom of religion and conscience for all of its citizens, while 65% call for equal rights and recognition to non-Orthodox Jews; 82% think ultra-Orthodox schools must be require to teach core curriculum subjects, while 36% call to conscript all yeshiva students. (Ynet)
  • Erdan slams Arab MKs over failed weapons amnesty operation - Police's firearm amnesty drive aimed at Arab sector lasts 10 days, but produces only three handguns; Erdan: 'Evident now problem runs much deeper.'; Tibi: 'Issue stems from weapon smuggling from IDF.' (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Hoover Dam may be saved by Israeli company - An invasive species of mussels threatens to clog the Hoover Dam's turbines; an Israeli company steps in to help with its water purification method using UV rays. (Ynet)
  • Post army service, 23 Israelis volunteer in Mumbai school - Israelis—joining 'Heroes for Life' mission in India dedicated to memory of Maj. Daniel Pomeranz who was killed in line of duty during Operation Protective Edge—volunteer in local school for two weeks, teaching pupils math, English and environmental studies while helping renovate it. (Ynet)
  • Prominent Muslim cleric issues decree against Israeli curriculum - "We will never allow the illegal Israeli curriculum to be learned," former Grand Mufti Ekrima Sabri states • Jerusalem mayor: He does not have students' best interests at heart • Poll: 48% of Arab east Jerusalem parents prefer Israeli curriculum. (Israel Hayom)
  • Hamas Leader Invites Abbas to Resume Control of Gaza - Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh says group is serious about returning power to the Palestinian Authority, calls on Abbas to respond with 'practical steps.’ (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Top Palestinian Official Waiting for Lung Transplant in Washington Hospital - PLO Executive Committee head Saeb Erekat flew to New York in Abbas' private plane and attended the UN General Assembly before continuing to Washington. (Haaretz+)
  • Trump Meets Jordan's King Abdullah, Praises Him for Taking in Refugees - The two leaders, who met Wednesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, also discussed the fight on ISIS, with Abdullah pledging to back the U.S. effort. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Trump: Turkey's Erdogan Has Become a Friend of Mine, He Gets High Marks for His Leadership - Eleven people were hurt in May in what Washington's police chief described as a brutal attack on peaceful demonstrators outside the Turkish ambassador's residence. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Israeli team spends Rosh Hashanah looking for Mexico quake survivors - IDF team of search and rescue experts, engineers, and medics is one of the largest international contingents in Mexico • Team leader Col. Dudi Mizrahi: It's a privilege to save lives • PM Benjamin Netanyahu: You are shining Israel's light in the world. (Haaretz, Ynet and Israel Hayom)
  • Bulgaria delays trial of two Lebanese nationals over 2012 attack on Israeli tourists - This is the third delay of the trial in absentia of two men accused of helping carry out the deadly bombing of an Israeli tourist bus in the Bulgarian resort town of Burgas. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Syrian activist and her U.S.-born journalist daughter found dead in suspected murder - Murder of Orouba and Halla Barakat in Turkey is the latest in a series of attacks targeting Syrian activists. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Two U.S. rabbis say Bahrain's king wants Arab boycott of Israel to end - Marvin Hier, who prayed at Trump's inauguration, is one of two rabbis who says the king expressed 'his personal opposition' to what he sees as a pointless boycott. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • U.S. pressures Iraq's Kurds to give up on independence - In a forceful warning, the Trump administration said the costs of holding the Sept. 25 vote would be high 'for all Iraqis, including Kurds.’ (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Turkey Heightens Pressure on Iraqi Kurdish Leaders to Cancel Independence Referendum - Ankara seeks to renew a mandate allowing the army to send troops over its southern border if developments in Iraq and Syria are perceived as national security threats. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Morrissey dedicates two songs to Israel on new album - The singer has made a number of appearances in Israel in recent years and was even presented with a key to Tel Aviv during his last visit. (Haaretz)
  • With anti-Semitism on the rise, German Jews fear far-right victory in looming election - 'We should be alarmed.’ (Agencies, Haaretz)


Features:
'A story of survival and rebirth' The Palestinians who didn't flee during the Nakba
Historian Adel Manna tells the story of the 120,000 Palestinians who remained in Israel in 1948 while 750,000 were driven out. (Dalia Karpel, Haaretz+)
Searching for the lost firman
An earthquake in 1546 inflicted great destruction in the Holy Land but also opened up space at the foot of the Western Wall. Researchers have spent decades looking for the Ottoman-era decrees that gave Jews the right to pray there. (Nadav Shragai, Israel Hayom)
Why Some Israeli Mothers Raise Their Sons as Cowards
In the 18 years between the ultrasound and conscription, mothers fear that their boys will serve in combat units. In her new book, psychoanalyst Hanni Mann-Shalvi says this concern can unconsciously lead them to repress their son’s masculine qualities. (Omri Zerachovitz, Haaretz+)
The father, the son and the Jewish spirit: Saving synagogues where there are no more Jews
In a Slovak town with no Jewish residents, a father and son restore a 200-year-old synagogue – and preserve the history of the Jewish life that once flourished there. (Ofer Aderet, Haaretz+)
Israel's Booming Medical Marijuana Industry Now Offers Hope to Autism Patients
Thanks to the country’s liberal research policies, two studies are progressing that could dramatically improve the lives of autistic kids and their families. (Dina Kraft, Haaretz+)
 
Commentary/Analysis:
Rosh Hashanah as the battle of Netanyahu vs. Soros (Avraham Burg, Haaretz+) Soros is a symbol of the holiday and the embracing of the 'other,' while Netanyahu is the type who says Israel must protect itself against 'wild beasts.’
The timing is not coincidental: the Iranian missile test was intended to convey a message to Trump (Yossi Melman, Maariv) While the deadline for a decision on the fate of the nuclear agreement is approaching, Tehran has made it clear that they continue to do their own thing. Israel should be concerned about progress in Iran's missile program.
Iran shows its defiance of the US, carefully (Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynet) While Iran's defiant stance against the US may seem provocative, especially after they unveiled a new missile and its test footage just days after Trump's threat to scrap the nuclear deal over their aggressions, a closer look attests to it being more calculated and risk averse than it appears to be at first glance.
Stop the Forced Uprooting of Bedouin Communities From the West Bank (Haaretz Editorial) Uprooting Bedouin communities and replacing them with new Jewish settlements is against international law, and the Israeli High Court of Justice must stand firm against it.
On the eve of Rosh Hashanah one can remove the glasses of fear and anxiety (Alon Ben-David, Maariv) There are enemies around us, but none of them can threaten our very existence. There are also many partners around us who will be happy to work with us, as well as a few potential allies.
Israel’s message to U.S. Jews: If you’re against the occupation, you’re not welcome (Libby Lenkinski, Haaretz) With the Jewish Agency now surrendering to the extremist right-wing witch hunt, more and more of Israel’s institutions are closing their doors to U.S. Jewish progressives. We must refuse to be excluded.
'Like-minded' dictatorships and the UN (Elliott Abrams, Israel Hayom) Too many U.N. member states are dictatorships that engage in horrible human rights violations, and they stick together, united in their heinous acts. It's time for democracies to better counter their actions.
Israel Simulates War With Hezbollah, but Iran Will Orchestrate Next Conflict in Lebanon and Syria (Amos Harel, Haaretz) Israeli army and political leadership's calculations can't help but change
Palestinian President Abbas Puts One-state Solution on the Table (Jack Khoury, Haaretz) The humanitarian crisis in Gaza and despair in the West Bank in the face of massive settlement construction have left the Palestinian president with few options and his back against the wall.
Trump’s Mideast policy: No motivation, no courage (Colonel (res.) Eldad Shavit, Yedioth/Ynet) The sigh of relief in the Middle East following the US president’s decision to begin his first foreign trip with a visit to Saudi Arabia and Israel has been replaced with disappointment and fear that the US administration is incapable of creating a fundamental change in America's involvement in the region, and is perhaps unwilling to do so.
Netanyahu's UN speech not only aimed at the average Israeli, but those mulling whether to indict him (Yossi Verter, Haaretz) The PM's address may have missed Israel's prime time TV.
Taking stock and looking ahead (Isi Leibler, Israel Hayom) Israel is one of the greatest success stories of all time. The formerly exiled and long-persecuted nation has evolved into a thriving, modern industrial state that will undoubtedly be able to triumph over the challenges ahead.
This Year for Rosh Hashanah, I'm Divorcing Netanyahu's Israel. Settlements Included (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) Look back to last Rosh Hashanah, and tell me that this is the same world, the same Israel, the same America. Tell me that in the age of the Trump and Bibi show, the sewers have not opened full.
Fight the tyranny (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom) Once the group that feels ownership over the state lost exclusive control, it began using the courts to override its lack of democratic power • The High Court says to the legislative and executive branches: You think you decided something? Think again.
The Israeli Right Will Bring About Justice for the Palestinians (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) When the right gathers the courage to declare a one-state solution, the world will gain the courage to declare a war on its regime.
Coexistence, not coercion (Eran Bar-Tal, Israel Hayom) Freedom cannot be obtained by force. As long as freedom is trampled on in Israel in the name of minority rights, life for those very same minorities will be unbearable.
This year’s least shameful politician: An ultra-Orthodox homophobe (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) The MK thrown out of Shas for attending a same-sex wedding is no poster-boy for ultra-Orthodoxy tolerance of the LGBT community. But he did the right thing, unlike Trump and Netanyahu who headline a year of shame.
The Egyptian maestro and his Palestinian marionettes (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) Hamas may have given up the Gaza administrative committee, but it will keep running the strip. The announcement, which was used as bait to bring the PA delegation to Cairo, will allow Abbas to lift the sanctions and renew the economic aid to Gaza. This is an Israeli interest too.
Review - Conan in Israel: Can a comedian cover a 45-sided conflict in 40 minutes? (Brian Schaefer, Haaretz) The special episode on Israel showed a comedian on a mission.
If North Korea can do it, so can Iran (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) Great Western experts have been explaining to Israel how complicated it is to move from an accumulation of fissile material to a nuclear warhead on a missile—and here comes Pyongyang and proves them wrong. Now, IAEA inspectors are searching for Iranian nuclear experts at Iran’s supervised facilities; but they’re not there—they’re in labs in North Korea.
'Nazis in the Reichstag': All Eyes on Far-right AfD Party as Germans Vote in National Election (Ofer Aderet, Haaretz) Sunday's election will bring into parliament dozens of ultranationalist representatives that call of Germans to stop feeling guilty for the crimes of the Nazis.
The return of racism: the trend of nationalism sweeps the world and reaches Germany as well (Prof. Moshe Zimmerman, Maariv) The most important outcome of the elections today is not related to who will govern, but the fact that the far-right party has entered the parliament. Israel closes its eyes to these parties and even flirts with them.
A year of security challenges (Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror, Israel Hayom) The volatile dynamics of the Middle East require Israel to remain highly vigilant • Israel's advanced air defenses will thwart most of Hezbollah's threats to strategic infrastructure, but we must also ensure the next conflict ends with a decisive victory.
Israeli Army's 'Purity of Arms' Doesn't Only Apply to Secular Soldiers (Daniel Goldman, Haaretz+) Those who make outrageous claims about integrating religious soldiers into the Israeli army must be reminded that every soldier, religious or not, has his own moral conscience.
Trump puts Iran back in North Korea's corner (Boaz Bismuth, Israel Hayom) After eight years of Obama speeches and failures, Trump's speech at the U.N. General Assembly signifies that new days are upon us.
The storm over the Wailing Wall is the way for Reform and Conservative Jews to maintain their power (Caroline Glick, Maariv/JPost) We must understand that the American Jewish community is in a crisis of difficult identity and that the leaders of the streams, especially the Reform and Conservative movements, have long since lost their way.
Netanyahu Refuses to Talk to Us. But We American Jews Won't Be Silenced (Rabbi Rick Jacobs. Haaretz) While Netanyahu cuts us Reform Jews out, he payrolls those who spew hatred towards us. But we won't give up on Israel, equality or democracy. And we will continue to demand our rights.
Relations between Israel and US Jewry must be mended (Yael Patir, Yedioth/Ynet) The Jewish American public has the best interest of the Jewish people’s homeland in mind, but the days in which being pro-Israel means blindly supporting the Israeli government’s policy are over.
 
Interviews:
‘Anti-Semitism has been cleverly repackaged'
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman says, "We have to put the emotional issues aside" if we are to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict • His main goal as ambassador is to "manage a very robust, complicated relationship, like two family members." (Interviewed by Naama Lanski in Israel Hayom)

Prof. Shlomo Ben-Ami gave up: "Even with a left-wing government there wouldn’t be peace"
The man who was foreign minister at the end of the Barak government breaks a long silence in a rare interview and presents a gloomy picture: The Palestinians missed an opportunity that would not return and Oslo hurt more than it helped. (Interviewed by Eyal Levy in Maariv Magazine)

Interviewer: Why did the Oslo Accords cause us trouble?
Ben-Ami: "Just as the Palestinians did not treat Oslo as something clear, we didn’t either. Peres, even after four years, objected to a Palestinian state, and always asked: 'What do we need it for?’ Rabin spoke of something less than a state. When we came to negotiations on the final status agreement, we saw the reference in the Oslo Accords. There was no doctrine of a permanent agreement. The ambiguity caused the parties to determine fait accompli in order to influence the nature of the arrangement in the future: the Israelis by building settlements and the Palestinians through terrorism. You created what Kissinger liked to call 'constructive ambiguity.’ We came to negotiations on a final-status agreement on the assumption that we are going to solve the problems of 1967. They came in order to solve 1967, but also 1948, the refugee question, etc. Therefore, the Clinton Plan is, in my opinion, the most extreme border that an Israeli government can reach, and we didn’t succeed. Arafat pushed everyone into the abyss and it did not even convince him that on the other side Sharon was about to be made prime minister."

Interviewer: And in a sharp transition: We did not talk about Gaza.
Ben-Ami: ”We are not acting properly with Gaza. We have to give space for development, a port with international supervision. An atmosphere of change. The siege is leading nowhere. I heard experts say they are stronger today than in Operation Protective Edge [2014 Gaza War - OH], so why do it?  I asked Aharon Yariv once, ‘When did you understand that Egypt was interested in peace?’ He replied: 'When they rehabilitated the cities of the (Suez) canal.’ You don’t rehabilitate cities so that they can be destroyed. Hezbollah's deterrence is our ability to destroy Lebanon, not the ability to destroy them. Let them develop. This is good for the interests of the world and for our international image. And by the way, the Palestinians have a new discourse: how to revive the national movement outside the two-state paradigm. The discourse (is) in the academic community and in the large think tanks. They will focus on the struggle for human rights, equality. There is an acceptance that there will be a separation in the foreseeable future and therefore they need to direct energy into another dialogue.”

Interviewer: You also don’t expect change?
Ben-Ami: ”The change can only come from a huge shock, a big war, a mega-terrorist attack on the scale of September 11. Something almost apocalyptic that will change the head and create a necessity for a breakthrough with the Palestinians. I don’t see a leader growing in Israel that will take care, not only of his political base, but also will be able to lead to places that the political base didn’t dream about.

Ben-Ami knows that an extreme move is much more difficult today. The changes in Israeli society are sharp, but he predicted them in 1996, when Netanyahu defeated Shimon Peres in the elections for prime minister.

Ben-Ami: "On television, I said, 'The victory of Jerusalem over Tel Aviv,'" he recalls. "Jerusalem as a metaphor for Judaism and Tel Aviv as a metaphor for secular, progressive, left-wing Israel. Bibi had a big part in that - don’t forget what his election slogan was."
Interviewer: Peres will divide Jerusalem.
Ben-Ami: ”A more important slogan was 'Bibi is good for the Jews,' not for the Israelis, not for the state, but for the Jews, so the emphasis is on Jerusalem. The secular, Zionist revolution has lost momentum and was replaced by the national religious ones. The secular Zionist movement, the Labor Party, had no response. Add to that the way the Israelis see the peace process - ‘We gave (them) everything and they made an intifada.’ This is the narrative that pushed to the right, and sometimes I wonder about Netanyahu's anger against the elites. There are new elites and they are more Mizrahi, religious. They determine the spirit of the time and the period."

5 soldiers talk about the year in which they became heroes
A group of IDF soldiers recall incidents that brought them face to face with terrorists and in which their bravery helped them neutralize the attackers and save the lives of their comrades • They credit their instincts, training for their rapid response. (Interviewed by Shlomi Diaz in Israel Hayom)
 
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.

Legislative Round-Up: September 22, 2017

Produced by the Foundation for Middle East Peace in cooperation with Americans for Peace Now, where the Legislative Round-Up was conceived

  1. Bills, Resolutions & Letters
  2. Hearings
  3. On the Record

Shameless self-promotion: Debate continues to swirl around the "Israel Anti-Boycott Act" and the threat it poses to Constitutionally-protected free speech. This week, Churches for Middle East Peace hosted a webinar examining the legislation and related issues, featuring FMEP's Lara Friedman - video of the webinar is here.

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News Nosh 9.20.17

APN's daily news review from Israel
Wednesday September 20, 2017

Note: News Nosh will then be on holiday Thursday and Friday September 21-22, on Erev Yom Kippur September 29, and during Sukkot October 4-6. APN wishes you a happy new year, Shana Tovah!”
 
Quote of the day:
"One year, six continents. Now, it's true: I haven't yet visited Antarctica, but one day, I hope to go there. I want to go there, too, because I heard that penguins are also enthusiastic supporters of Israel. Now, you laugh, but penguins have no difficulty recognizing that some things are black and white, are right and wrong, and unfortunately, when it comes to UN decisions about Israel, that simple recognition is too often absent."
-- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his address to the UN General Assembly
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The Berkshire Edge - EDITORIAL: Neal surprisingly unschooled on free-speech issues

It has been said before that — and forgive us for channeling F. Scott Fitzgerald — politicians are different from you and me. Nowhere is the simple maxim of the Lost Generation’s preeminent writer more evident than in U.S. Rep. Richard Neal’s performance during Friday’s town-hall-style forum at Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield. Click here to see the full forum on video.

The congressman is a smooth-talking operator fluent in a variety of issues, most notably tax policy — an expertise borne no doubt from his 24 years on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. But despite his extensive knowledge of tariffs and revenue raising, Neal showed a troubling unfamiliarity with free speech issues in fielding questions from audience members about his sponsorship of a bill that raises obvious First Amendment questions.

Neal co-sponsored a highly controversial bill, the Israel Anti-Boycott Act, which opposes a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution urging countries to pressure companies to divest from Israel. The controversy lies mostly in the second part of the bill, which prohibits Americans engaged in interstate or foreign commerce from supporting an international boycott of Israel. Violations are punishable by a fine of up to a $1 million and 20 years in prison.

On its face, the prohibition against participating in boycotts sounds like a glaring departure from the American tradition of free speech. The American Civil Liberties Union has attacked the bill as “antithetical to free speech protections enshrined in the First Amendment” and urged the Senate to reject it.

On the other hand, some reputable legal scholars have argued that “federal law has for decades generally banned participation in boycotts of friendly nations” and that such bans only place prohibitions on commercial activity, not on actual speech.

Be that as it may, Cheryl Hogan of Charlemont pleaded with Neal to reconsider his support of the legislation, noting to much applause that she sees “that law not only as really stepping on our constitutional rights to free speech, but also attacking the one powerful nonviolent resistance movement that there is to try to change what we see happening in the Middle East.”

Neal’s response was revealing. He said he would ask Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Maryland) for “clarification” in order “to eliminate the idea that there might be a problem with free speech.” Neal added that he had read the Congressional Research Service’s report on the legislation and “and I came to the conclusion that there is no threat to free speech” because “this is about commercial activity.”

Read more

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News Nosh 9.19.17

APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday September 19, 2017

Note: Due to the coming three weeks of Jewish High Holidays, News Nosh will be available intermittently. Tomorrow, Rosh Hashana Eve, a truncated version will be sent. News Nosh will then be on holiday Thursday and Friday September 21-22, on Erev Yom Kippur September 29, and during Sukkot October 4-6. Happy Jewish New Year!
 
Number of the day:
5.6
--Ahead of the Jewish New Year, Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics released the latest numbers about the state, revealing that most of Israel is uninhabited. In all of the State of Israel, i.e. inside the Green Line, only 5.6% is built up area - and that number is particularly significant in light of the country's housing crisis and Israel's construction of homes for Jews in the West Bank.*
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PeaceCast #25: Surprisingly Positive – Obama’s Envoy to Israel on Trump’s Peace Efforts

You might expect Daniel Shapiro, Barack Obama’s ambassador to Israel, to dismiss the Trump administration’s rickety Israeli-Palestinian peace brokering efforts.

Surprisingly, Shapiro believes that Trump and his aides have only marginally strayed from traditional U.S. policies on the issue. In fact, he says, more than in any other policy arena, the Trump administration is exercising more continuity and adherence to past administrations’ policies in the field of Israeli-Palestinian relations.

This episode is based on a September 14th 2017 APN briefing call with Ambassador Shapiro. It is preceded by a conversation between APN’s Stephanie Breitsman, Debra Shushan and Ori Nir, PeaceCast’s host.

Listen to the full podcast episode here

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Hard Questions, Tough Answers (9.19.17) - Who wants to annex the West Bank?

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Yossi Alpher is an independent security analyst. He is the former director of the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, a former senior official with the Mossad, and a former IDF intelligence officer. Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy positions.

This week, Alpher discusses the National Union's (a faction of the Jewish Home party) plan for annexing all of the West Bank and either expelling or disenfranchising its Arab residents; what other right-wing members of Netanyahu’s coalition say on the issues of annexation and the subsequent rights of West Bank Palestinians; what advocates of more minimalistic annexation say; whether anyone in Israel wants to annex everything and give all Arab residents of expanded Israel full democratic rights; and the bottom line.

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News Nosh 9.18.17

APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday September 18, 2017
You Must Be Kidding: 
Parents of grade school students in state-religious schools were outraged to find a comic strip in the journal given to their children depicting the Jewish law regarding a "beautiful captive woman"—in which the woman is presented as a seductress and property of the soldier who captures her.**
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News Nosh 9.17.17

APN's daily news review from Israel
Sunday September 17, 2017
 
Quote of the day:
“Hamas leader in the West Bank, Hassan Yusuf, who has just been released from 22 months of administrative detention, was quick to share in the Jerusalem Post a proposal for a long-term ceasefire. In Israel, as usual, we do not listen. Even 20 years ago, in early September 1997, we did not listen. At that time, King Hussein of Jordan transferred a Hamas proposal for a 30-year hudna with Israel, but we were busy planning to assassinate Khaled Mashaal. More than three years have passed since Hamas fired a bullet or rocket into Israel. Three years in which the one which calls itself the leading resistance organization of the Palestinians has locked its weapon. If, in the coming year, we go into another unnecessary confrontation in Gaza, it will be more because of us than because of them.”
—Alon Ben-David, military affairs reporter and analyst for Channel 10 News, writes in Maariv that Israel chooses to ignore opportunities for peace with Hamas.*
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News Nosh 9.15.17

APN's daily news review from Israel
Friday September 15, 2017
 
Quote of the day:
“It isn’t a constitution they seek, but rather the destruction of democracy and the High Court."
--Zionist Union MK Tzipi Livni, a former justice minister, reacted to the proposal by serving Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and Education Minister Naftali Bennet to limit the powers of the High Court.
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