APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday January 12, 2015
Quote of the day:
"With God’s help, the journalists at Haaretz will be murdered just like in France."
-- A comment by a Jewish Israeli on the Facebook page of journalist and far-right wing Im Tirtzu founder Ronen Shoval, after the latter posted a call for an investigation into Haaretz’s editors on suspicion of “defeatist propaganda.” **
-- A comment by a Jewish Israeli on the Facebook page of journalist and far-right wing Im Tirtzu founder Ronen Shoval, after the latter posted a call for an investigation into Haaretz’s editors on suspicion of “defeatist propaganda.” **
Front Page:
Haaretz
- Millions marched across France in show of solidarity with terror victims
- Hollande asked Netanyahu not to come – PM insisted
- Infiltration: This is how Netanyahu squirmed into the first row // Yossi Verter
- The call for Jews of France to come to Israel is submission to terror // Chemi Shalev
- In the eyes of the Palestinians, the terror in France serves Zionism // Amira Hass
- The attack in Nigeria: Boku Haram forced little girls to blow themselves up in suicide attacks
- Who will march with the kidnapped Nigerian girls sent to their death? // Asaf Ronal
- Kahlon’s top seven: A general, a journalist and a deputy mayor
- (Adv.) Ronel Fisher to stand trial for brokering a bribe
- Haifa received millions for a park – that was never made
Yedioth Ahronoth
- No to terror – Millions at biggest rally in history of Europe
- Mother of all rallies // Nahum Barnea in Paris
- Embarrassing dispute – Senior French officials: “Netanyahu took advantage of the rally for political purposes, we asked him not to come”
Maariv This Week
- European unity – Millions of people marched in the streets of Paris and the world in memory of the 17 murdered at Charlie Hebdo and Hyper Cacher
- The French people’s mistake, Netanyahu’s shame // Ben Caspit
- They brought back the old France // Or Heller, Channel 10 reporter in Paris
- The dream of unity // Gideon Kotz in Paris
- French Prime Minister: “Leave of the Jews – failure of the Republic”
- Western security services warn: “Fear of wave of terror across Europe”
- Bodies of murdered at Hyper Cacher supermarket in Paris to be flown tonight for burial in Israel
- President of Jewish World Congress: “Existence of Jews in France is in danger”
Israel Hayom
- “Fight terror together” – Some 4 million marched in cities of France and declared, “We are all Charlie, we are all Jews”
- The time for standing tall // Dan Margalit.
- Netanyahu’s crime: Zionism // Boaz Bismuth
- Why Europe has no chance // Yaakov Amidror
- As expected: (Shas party’s) Head of Torah Sages Council asked Deri to return
- Prosecution: “Olmert lies through his teeth in court just as he lied to the police”
- Sea of happiness: (Singer) Ninet Tayeb became a mother
News Summary:
The million person rally in France against hatred and the pushing by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to be where he was not invited were the top stories in the Hebrew papers today, which also provided more interviews with survivors.
French President Francois Hollande asked Netanyahu not to attend the Paris memorial march, it was revealed, but he did anyway – and forcibly put himself at the front, the papers (with the exception of Israel Hayom) reported. Hollande’s national security adviser, Jacques Audibert, said Hollande wanted the event to focus on solidarity with France, and not on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But when Netanyahu insisted on coming, the French invited Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as well. A source told Haaretz+ that “one of the French concerns - not conveyed to representatives of the Israeli government - was that Netanyahu would take advantage of the event for campaign purposes and make speeches, especially about the Jews of France,” thereby hurting the show of solidarity the French government was trying to promote as part of its way of dealing with the terror attacks. Indeed, Maariv's Ben Caspit accused him of such.
The opposition politicians slammed Netanyahu for the expenses of his last-minute trip and the French Interior Ministry was reportedly angry at size of the Israeli delegation. While most countries had one leader representing them, Israel had three and staff and security for them.
The Israeli papers (with the exception of Israel Hayom) thought it was shameful how Netanyahu pushed his way to the front line of world leaders, even though he was designated to stand in the second line. (Haaretz+ shared a video of the Netanyahu move on its website with LoonyTunes music in the background. Maariv’s website had an article on what the French media thought of Netanyahu at the rally and noted that French websites laughed at his behavior and French television channels, such as channel BFMTV called it “surreal" scenes, with one announcer noting that such behavior was not appropriate for a prime minister.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the crowd at the rally clearly identified with the victims of the Charlie Hebdo masscre but did not show solidarity with the Jews killed in the kosher supermarket attack. He called on all Jews to make aliyah to Israel. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls urged Jews not to leave the country, saying France would no longer be France. And, EU rabbi urged Israel to help fund security for French Jews, and not just urge immigration to Israel. According to Haaretz+, French Jews in Israel say 'non' to mass emigration after attacks, saying moving to Israel should come from ideology, not fear. Ynet ran an article titled ‘Wave of French aliyah to Israel on its way.’ However, the article gave no proof of that, only estimations that it would happen due to the fear of anti-Semitism. The French Jewish community is the largest in Europe and the third-largest in the world (after Israel and the United States), with some 500,000 Jews.
Ynet ran the interview with Lassana Bathily, the Muslim employee of the kosher supermarket who saved the lives of a number of Jews and was called a ‘hero’ by the Israeli papers. Yedioth ran an interview today with a Jewish employee of the supermarket, Jean Luc Salakmon, who hid while the killer, Coulibaly, was opening fire, but then walked over to Coulibaly when he stopped shooting because he was afraid he would be found and shot. Kolibali told him to sit with the other hostages, one of whom was dying. After Coulibaly shot dead the young man who tried to grab his weapon, “we sat and we waited and waited. We felt that he still wanted to kill people. That it wasn’t enough for him. He tried to justify himself. He told us again and again that he did not want to kill us, but that he just wanted all the Muslims in the world to be free. I was near him when the police shot him.” Maariv reported on a radio interview with a Jewish man who went to high school with Coulibaly. David, who moved to Israel four years ago, told 90FM that when the details came out about the killer he was shocked to realize that it was someone who studied with him. David said that Coulibaly and his Muslim friends would bother the Jewish pupils and he also got in trouble with police. He was thrown out of school after nine months for his bad behavior. “He would go around with gangs of Muslims and he and his friends would beat the French and the Jews. One time they beat me and some Jewish friends on my Bar Mitzvah day. But I was no sucker…I never thought he was so radical. I thought it was just a gang of young guys, young gangsters. I saw anti-Semitism but I didn’t think it would get to this level of extremism.”
The million person rally in France against hatred and the pushing by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to be where he was not invited were the top stories in the Hebrew papers today, which also provided more interviews with survivors.
French President Francois Hollande asked Netanyahu not to attend the Paris memorial march, it was revealed, but he did anyway – and forcibly put himself at the front, the papers (with the exception of Israel Hayom) reported. Hollande’s national security adviser, Jacques Audibert, said Hollande wanted the event to focus on solidarity with France, and not on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But when Netanyahu insisted on coming, the French invited Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as well. A source told Haaretz+ that “one of the French concerns - not conveyed to representatives of the Israeli government - was that Netanyahu would take advantage of the event for campaign purposes and make speeches, especially about the Jews of France,” thereby hurting the show of solidarity the French government was trying to promote as part of its way of dealing with the terror attacks. Indeed, Maariv's Ben Caspit accused him of such.
The opposition politicians slammed Netanyahu for the expenses of his last-minute trip and the French Interior Ministry was reportedly angry at size of the Israeli delegation. While most countries had one leader representing them, Israel had three and staff and security for them.
The Israeli papers (with the exception of Israel Hayom) thought it was shameful how Netanyahu pushed his way to the front line of world leaders, even though he was designated to stand in the second line. (Haaretz+ shared a video of the Netanyahu move on its website with LoonyTunes music in the background. Maariv’s website had an article on what the French media thought of Netanyahu at the rally and noted that French websites laughed at his behavior and French television channels, such as channel BFMTV called it “surreal" scenes, with one announcer noting that such behavior was not appropriate for a prime minister.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the crowd at the rally clearly identified with the victims of the Charlie Hebdo masscre but did not show solidarity with the Jews killed in the kosher supermarket attack. He called on all Jews to make aliyah to Israel. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls urged Jews not to leave the country, saying France would no longer be France. And, EU rabbi urged Israel to help fund security for French Jews, and not just urge immigration to Israel. According to Haaretz+, French Jews in Israel say 'non' to mass emigration after attacks, saying moving to Israel should come from ideology, not fear. Ynet ran an article titled ‘Wave of French aliyah to Israel on its way.’ However, the article gave no proof of that, only estimations that it would happen due to the fear of anti-Semitism. The French Jewish community is the largest in Europe and the third-largest in the world (after Israel and the United States), with some 500,000 Jews.
Ynet ran the interview with Lassana Bathily, the Muslim employee of the kosher supermarket who saved the lives of a number of Jews and was called a ‘hero’ by the Israeli papers. Yedioth ran an interview today with a Jewish employee of the supermarket, Jean Luc Salakmon, who hid while the killer, Coulibaly, was opening fire, but then walked over to Coulibaly when he stopped shooting because he was afraid he would be found and shot. Kolibali told him to sit with the other hostages, one of whom was dying. After Coulibaly shot dead the young man who tried to grab his weapon, “we sat and we waited and waited. We felt that he still wanted to kill people. That it wasn’t enough for him. He tried to justify himself. He told us again and again that he did not want to kill us, but that he just wanted all the Muslims in the world to be free. I was near him when the police shot him.” Maariv reported on a radio interview with a Jewish man who went to high school with Coulibaly. David, who moved to Israel four years ago, told 90FM that when the details came out about the killer he was shocked to realize that it was someone who studied with him. David said that Coulibaly and his Muslim friends would bother the Jewish pupils and he also got in trouble with police. He was thrown out of school after nine months for his bad behavior. “He would go around with gangs of Muslims and he and his friends would beat the French and the Jews. One time they beat me and some Jewish friends on my Bar Mitzvah day. But I was no sucker…I never thought he was so radical. I thought it was just a gang of young guys, young gangsters. I saw anti-Semitism but I didn’t think it would get to this level of extremism.”
Quick Hits:
- **Death threats to Haaretz journalists appear on right-winger’s Facebook page - Right-wing activist Ronen Shoval called for the investigation of Haaretz after the newspaper ran cartoons by its graphic designers who paid tribute to the cartoonists killed in the terror attack on the Charlie Hebdo newspaper in France. The cartoon by Noa Olchowski upset them most. Shoval promised to remove offending remarks. (Haaretz+)
- 12-year-old injured after settlers hurl rocks at Palestinian car - Rua Hazim Sawalha, 12, was in a car north of Ramallah near the Jewish-only settlement of Beit El when settlers standing on the side of the road threw rocks at her car, injuring her. In 2014, there were at least 329 incidents of settler violence against Palestinians in West Bank. (Maan)
- Suspect arrested on suspicion of stabbing policemen in Jerusalem - Ramallah man, 24, allegedly hit knife in Muslim cemetery and then used it to attack 2 officers. (Haaretz+)
- Arab and Jewish Israelis split on who should compile next government - New poll by the Israel Democracy Institute and Tel Aviv University finds that majority of Jewish-Israelis believe right-wing government will compile government while Arab-Israelis believe left-wing will take over control. (Ynet)
- Israeli court sentences injured Palestinian to 8 years - Relatives of detainee Muhammad Ibrahim Naghnaghiya told Ma'an that he would also be fined 8,000 shekels (around $2,000). Naghnaghiya was shot in his right leg before being detained from his home in Jenin refugee camp and has yet to receive medical treatment, said his family. (Maan)
- US senators threaten cut to Palestinian aid over ICC bid - Five prominent U.S. senators say once the Palestinians join the International Criminal Court they will "take an organization with laudable goals and undermine its credibility by turning it into a political battering ram against Israel." (Israel Hayom)
- Tel Aviv's French community shows solidarity for Paris victims - Recent immigrants from France gather in Tel Aviv to mourn the victims of the attack on kosher supermarket in Paris suburb. (Ynet)
- Palestinians gather in Ramallah, Gaza to support France - In Gaza, Palestinians lit candles in front of the French Cultural Center in Gaza City in solidarity with the victims of the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris. In Ramallah, participants gathered in al-Manara Square raising Palestinian flags and signs condemning all forms of terrorism. (Maan)
- Firebomb hits German newspaper that printed Charlie Hebdo cartoons - Days after deadly attack on French paper's offices, arsonists target German paper Hamburger Morgenpost, which published Mohammed cartoons. (Agencies, Ynet)
- Turkish Airlines remains most active foreign airline in Israel - easyJet ranks second following 53% growth in number of passengers it carried from and to Ben-Gurion Airport in 2014. (Ynet)
Commentary/Analysis:
In Israel, Charlie Hebdo would not have even had the right to exist (Ido
Amin, Haaretz+) In France, freedom of speech is considered a universal right, an Israeli law
bans 'offending religious sensibilities.'
Call for French aliyah: Fulfillment of Zionism or capitulation to terrorism? (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) Encouraging mass Jewish emigration would help terrorist fanatics finish the job started by the Nazis and their Vichy collaborators: making France Judenrein.
France's Jews are under double attack (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) While French people are beginning to feel like foreigners in their own country, local Jews are facing both anti-Semitic right and anti-Zionist left, which marched alongside Hamas-supporting jihadists in the summer's protests.
Terror in the service of Jewish immigration (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) Palestinians are saying that the terrorist operation in the kosher supermarket, which was carried supposedly on their behalf, only caused them more harm.
The mistake of the French, Netanyahu's shame (Ben Caspit, Maariv) The million person march was moving, but terrorism is not defeated at rallies, but rather with an all-out war. It was embarrassing to see the Israeli Prime Minister, who was not even invited to Paris, pushing his way onto the bus that he was not supposed to go on, making his way adamantly from the second row, where he was placed, to the first row, where he forced himself in, acting like he was on an election campaign – he was first to wave at the crowd – and doing a typically Israel move on the French, rude and so unnecessary.
Israel must stop encouraging French Jews to emigrate (Allison Kaplan Sommer, Haaretz+) There's a fine line between offering Israel as a refuge for Jews and insensitive opportunism. Israeli leaders have opted for the latter.
This is not how you fight terrorism (Ronen Bergman, Yedioth/Ynet) Intelligence hitches, lack of coordination, legal restrictions and more have allowed the terrorists to operate under the noses of the French authorities.
Freedom of expression, but not only for Charlie (Maya Michaeli, Haaretz+) The developing discourse in response to the Paris terror attacks continues to prove that freedom of expression is given only to those whose voices the government wants to hear.
French security services' colossal failure (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) As long as Jews were the only ones getting killed, France avoided dealing with the Islamic terror. The red lights, which should have been triggered several years ago, didn't even flash for a second.
Paris attacks play into Israeli right wing’s hands (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz) The Israeli center-left has failed to maintain a constructive relationship with the Diaspora.
Attack the systems of incitement (Elazar Merom, Maariv) Al-Qaeda and ISIS are a phenomenon, and therefore must be extensively operated against including, but not only, aerial bombing and military shelling.
In networking for national security, Israel gets failing grade (Amir Oren, Haaretz+) In contrast to the thoroughness with which the Americans prepare personal dossiers on Israeli officers, the IDF is remiss about compiling similar information.
Between The Hague and Rafah (Adv. Yechiel Gutman, Maariv) The opposition by politicians to the Israeli investigation into events during Operation Protective Edge is puzzling: This is the only step that can save Israel from the calamity inherent in the Palestinian appeal to the International Criminal Court.
Why aren't Muslim leaders being heard? (Rabbi Marc Schneier, Yedioth/Ynet) Mainstream Muslims around the world have issued strong and unambiguous statements against virtually every violent attack, condemning such acts as immoral; yet somehow their responses are barely registering in the public consciousness.
Benjamin Netanyahu, a leader on the way down (Yoel Marcus, Haaretz+) Don't let him deceive the nation again.
Like it or not, Israel is Europe's outpost in the war on the West (Moshe Arens, Haaretz+) Whatever sympathy or understanding Europeans extend to Arab terrorist acts against Israelis or Jews buys them no immunity from such acts directed against them.
Broke the barrier: The Netanyahu government united the Arab parties (Michal Aharoni, Maariv) Netanyahu, Lieberman and Bennett tried to limit the steps of Arab citizens, but got the opposite effect: a union of the Arab population, and perhaps one party which brings will draw the Arab population to the polls. Thus raising the threshold (for entering the Knesset) and the (Jewish-state) national law overturned the intentions of their creators.
In Israel's sinful prison, the innocent are freezing (Haaretz Editorial) The moral disgrace of banning the use of heaters for asylum seekers proves once again that the Holot prison must be dismantled and its 2,200 inmates released.
Jews, don't run from France (Oudeh Basharat, Haaretz+) Jews are part of the French people and of all progressive society, which includes Muslims and Arabs, is the vast majority of the French population, and is at the forefront against Al-Qaida and ISIS.
Call for French aliyah: Fulfillment of Zionism or capitulation to terrorism? (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) Encouraging mass Jewish emigration would help terrorist fanatics finish the job started by the Nazis and their Vichy collaborators: making France Judenrein.
France's Jews are under double attack (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) While French people are beginning to feel like foreigners in their own country, local Jews are facing both anti-Semitic right and anti-Zionist left, which marched alongside Hamas-supporting jihadists in the summer's protests.
Terror in the service of Jewish immigration (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) Palestinians are saying that the terrorist operation in the kosher supermarket, which was carried supposedly on their behalf, only caused them more harm.
The mistake of the French, Netanyahu's shame (Ben Caspit, Maariv) The million person march was moving, but terrorism is not defeated at rallies, but rather with an all-out war. It was embarrassing to see the Israeli Prime Minister, who was not even invited to Paris, pushing his way onto the bus that he was not supposed to go on, making his way adamantly from the second row, where he was placed, to the first row, where he forced himself in, acting like he was on an election campaign – he was first to wave at the crowd – and doing a typically Israel move on the French, rude and so unnecessary.
Israel must stop encouraging French Jews to emigrate (Allison Kaplan Sommer, Haaretz+) There's a fine line between offering Israel as a refuge for Jews and insensitive opportunism. Israeli leaders have opted for the latter.
This is not how you fight terrorism (Ronen Bergman, Yedioth/Ynet) Intelligence hitches, lack of coordination, legal restrictions and more have allowed the terrorists to operate under the noses of the French authorities.
Freedom of expression, but not only for Charlie (Maya Michaeli, Haaretz+) The developing discourse in response to the Paris terror attacks continues to prove that freedom of expression is given only to those whose voices the government wants to hear.
French security services' colossal failure (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) As long as Jews were the only ones getting killed, France avoided dealing with the Islamic terror. The red lights, which should have been triggered several years ago, didn't even flash for a second.
Paris attacks play into Israeli right wing’s hands (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz) The Israeli center-left has failed to maintain a constructive relationship with the Diaspora.
Attack the systems of incitement (Elazar Merom, Maariv) Al-Qaeda and ISIS are a phenomenon, and therefore must be extensively operated against including, but not only, aerial bombing and military shelling.
In networking for national security, Israel gets failing grade (Amir Oren, Haaretz+) In contrast to the thoroughness with which the Americans prepare personal dossiers on Israeli officers, the IDF is remiss about compiling similar information.
Between The Hague and Rafah (Adv. Yechiel Gutman, Maariv) The opposition by politicians to the Israeli investigation into events during Operation Protective Edge is puzzling: This is the only step that can save Israel from the calamity inherent in the Palestinian appeal to the International Criminal Court.
Why aren't Muslim leaders being heard? (Rabbi Marc Schneier, Yedioth/Ynet) Mainstream Muslims around the world have issued strong and unambiguous statements against virtually every violent attack, condemning such acts as immoral; yet somehow their responses are barely registering in the public consciousness.
Benjamin Netanyahu, a leader on the way down (Yoel Marcus, Haaretz+) Don't let him deceive the nation again.
Like it or not, Israel is Europe's outpost in the war on the West (Moshe Arens, Haaretz+) Whatever sympathy or understanding Europeans extend to Arab terrorist acts against Israelis or Jews buys them no immunity from such acts directed against them.
Broke the barrier: The Netanyahu government united the Arab parties (Michal Aharoni, Maariv) Netanyahu, Lieberman and Bennett tried to limit the steps of Arab citizens, but got the opposite effect: a union of the Arab population, and perhaps one party which brings will draw the Arab population to the polls. Thus raising the threshold (for entering the Knesset) and the (Jewish-state) national law overturned the intentions of their creators.
In Israel's sinful prison, the innocent are freezing (Haaretz Editorial) The moral disgrace of banning the use of heaters for asylum seekers proves once again that the Holot prison must be dismantled and its 2,200 inmates released.
Jews, don't run from France (Oudeh Basharat, Haaretz+) Jews are part of the French people and of all progressive society, which includes Muslims and Arabs, is the vast majority of the French population, and is at the forefront against Al-Qaida and ISIS.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.