APN's daily news review from Israel

Friday February 13, 2015

Number of the day:

---

Front Page:

Haaretz

• “The Prize is contaminated, possibly irrevocably” – Israel Prize storm
• Election committee disqualified (Arab MK) Zouebi (far right-wing) MK Marzel, the decision goes to the High Court
• The crisis in Zionist Camp: A month to elections, Herzog turned to strategist Reuven Adler
• At (Netanyahu’s) residence, sushi for 13,000 shekels is just an appetizer // Amir Oren
• Ceasefire agreement signed in Ukraine
• ISIS: We caught an E. Jerusalemite resident
• Youth behind bars – The detainees of the ‘Children’s Intifada’ (2015 summer) having difficult rehabilitating; Malik Al-Khatib, 14-year-old girl, is two months in jail; In the West Bank, they are trying to get jailed to escape the reality
• IDF admits: the military quality category (‘kaba’) does not suit Ethiopian immigrants, they will be tested separately
• Education Ministry: Preparation for military – not for religious girls
• Sudanese Army’s rape campaign: More than 200 women attacked in Darfur region
• Most of those held in (Israel’s) Holot detention facility – from Darfur
• War correspondent Bob Simon killed in road accident at age 73

• Israel Prize: The disgrace – Attorney General ordered Netanyahu: Stop intervening
• Habayit Hayehudi: Netanyahu wants to destroy us and establish a left-wing government
• Not everything is accepted, Bibi // Nahum Barnea
• Judges on behalf of // Meir Shalev
• Shoots and cries // Sima Kadmon
• They don’t take them into account // Ben-Dror Yemini
• The pistol is on the table // Yoaz Hendel
• After the dust: Rain and snow
• Without him – Girlfriend of First Sgt. Dor Haim Nini, who was killed in the north, in a moving interview
• How much did they pay them for this photo – How Instagram turned into a business for celebrities

• (Renowned author) David Grossman to Maariv: “Prime Minister harming artistic freedom, freedom of spirit and freedom of thought”
• Netanyahu cannot blink now // Kalman Libskind
• Poll: Almost tied - One mandate advantage to Likud
• Habayit Hayehudi furious over Netanyahu’s attempt to draw voters to Likud: “This is a despicable act, an act of insanity. Bennet is the only one who is going to go with him the whole way, and he is trying to hurt him of all people?”
• Congress’ dilemma: Netanyahu is the victim // Carolyn Glick
• Go, Bibi, go // Ran Adelist
• Declaration of principles // Nadav Haetzni
• After the disqualification: High Court to decide political future of Zouebi and Marzel
• Going home – Gadi Yarkoni of Kibbutz Nirim who lost his legs on last day of Operation Protective Shield was released yesterday from hospital and said will run for head of Eshkol Regional Council 
• Removes his uniform: Parting from Chief of Staff Benny Gantz
• Queen of the desert: On the road with (Likud) MK Miri Regev

Israel Hayom

• “If Obama bypasses Congress – he is hiding something”; Steinitz: Iran is not compromising in the negotiations with the West in 7 of the 8 issues;
• The deal was exposed: “It was agreed to form a central block with Lieberman as Prime Minister” – Faina Kirschenbaum breaks her silence and claims: “There was a plan to dismiss Netanyahu after the elections”; Elections Committee rejected Zouebi’s and Marzel’s candidacy
• Israel Prize: Wave of resignations, protests and accusations
• Selective protest: Give expression also to others // Dror Eydar
• Be careful of the hnor of the Hebrew culture // Omer Lachmanovitch

---

**Election 2015 Polls:
Maariv Poll: Almost even – Netanyahu leads by only one mandate over Zionist Camp. Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid continues to rise, Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu makes some improvement and support for Naftali Bennett’s Habayit Hayehudi drops.
 
Likud: 24; Zionist Camp: 23; Joint (Arab) List with Hadash: 13; Yesh Atid: 12; Habayit Hayehudi: 11; Yehadut Hatorah: 7, Kulanu: 7; Shas: 6; Meretz: 6; Yisrael Beiteinu: 6; Yachad: 5
 
Do you think that the US administration is intervening in Israeli elections? 61% yes; 31% no; 8% don’t know.
What should Netanyahu do regarding the criticism over his planned speech in Congress? 41% go and speak; 36%: don’t go at all; 17% go, but speak only before AIPAC; 6%: don’t know.

News Summary:
Disqualifications made the top stories in the Friday Hebrew newspapers. More withdrawals of jurors and candidates (David Grossman spoke to media after withdrawing candidacy) as storm continues over Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s move disqualifying judges on jury of the esteemed Israel Prize (update: Netanyahu retracted today following order by Attorney General), while the Central Elections Committee disqualified firebrand Arab MK Haneen Zouebi (Balad) and far right-wing Kahanist MK Baruch Marzel (Yachad) from running in the upcoming elections (Maariv and Haaretz+ write about the stormy hearing), despite the Attorney General recommendation not to disqualify Zouebi, now leaving it to the High Court to make the decide.
 
Meanwhile, Habayit Hayehudi accuses Netanyahu of both trying to steal its voters, even though the far-right-wing party is Likud’s #1 ally in a future coalition, and of planning to form a left-wing government – which would not be supported by Habayit Hayehudi’s far right-wing voters. And ISIS said it has captured a 19-year-old Mossad spy from E. Jerusalem. Muhammad Musallam's family denied he was a spy.

Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.