News Nosh 04.09.15

APN's daily news review from Israel

Wednesday April 8, 2015 
 

Quote of the day:

"...but for some the running event will mean a grind to a halt."

--Haaretz describes how the first 'Bible Marathon,' an Israeli sporting event meant to recreate a Biblical run from modern-day Rosh Ha'ayin to ancient Shiloh, will shut down a major West Bank highway Thursday.**



Front Page:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

  • Tragedy at the river – 40-year-old fell 50 meters to death
  • Iran will jump to a bomb at end of nuclear agreement
  • After him, the flood // Alex Fishman
  • Hilary on edge of declaring: I’m running (for President)
  • “Eritrea is not dangerous” – according to a British report; Significance: asylum seekers won’t receive refugee status
  • “Probe the bitter battle at Sajaieh (sic- Shujaiyeh) – say families of those killed in APC following testimonies Yedioth revealed

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom


 

News Summary:
The top story in today’s main Israeli newspapers was the statement by US President Barack Obama that 'justified' Israeli concerns: 13 years after the start of the nuclear agreement, Iran could breakout a nuclear bomb in no time. Meanwhile, Hamas fights ISIS in Yarmouk refugee camp and in the Gaza Strip and the French prepare for a new UN proposal for a Palestinian state.

The Israeli papers appeared to be scaring Israelis with today's headlines about Iran's potential military nuclear ability using Obama's quotes about Iran's zero breakout period 13 years from now. Maariv and Haaretz seemed to have gotten the gist of what Obama was saying, noting that he also told NPR in the interview that “we're purchasing for 13, 14, 15 years of assurances that the breakout is at least a year" and that after that period ends: "We have much better ideas about what it is that their program involves. We have much more insight into their capabilities [as a result of tight inspections during the deal]." But Yedioth and Israel Hayom wrote that after the 13 years, the possibility of an Iranian nuclear bomb “will become the next President’s headache.” Nevertheless, Yedioth noted that the White House explained afterward that the President was not properly understood and he was trying to say that with no deal, the world would be even less equipped to stop a bomb.
 
However, officials in Jerusalem told Yedioth that they believed that once sanctions were removed Iran would be able to produce a nuclear bomb “within a very short time – just a few weeks.” As the US and Iran made contradictory declarations about the contents of the agreement, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif reportedly said he would publish the agreement because of the “US lies” about its contents. He also reportedly said that Iran could build a bomb today but isn't doing so because of the Ayatollah's religious decree, not because of sanctions. Officials in Jerusalem told Maariv that they believe Iran when it said it was promised the immediate removal of sanctions. Decision-makers in Jerusalem are giving the cold shoulder to what they are calling the ‘Niceness Attack’ by the US administration. They say the wave of interviews, the promises and the hints to invite Netanyahu soon to Washington are not succeeding, Maariv's Ben Caspit wrote. And Channel 10 News reported Tuesday that Obama sent a message to Jerusalem saying that he is ready to put on the table the other issues that trouble those sitting in Jerusalem, including a US veto against the recognition of a Palestinian state. However, it seems that Israel is not ready right now to cooperate, and continue its efforts to convince the American public and Congress to oppose the approving the agreement, writes Caspit. (Maariv) Indeed, Israel plans to continue its campaign against the nuclear agreement on all fronts: Congress, the US administration and in the international arena where Israel will "flood the subject" constantly, even if it means continuing the escalation against the American administration, writes Caspit.
 
Meanwhile, Maariv’s Yossi Melman revealed that representatives from Arab states that do not have diplomatic ties with Israel will be participating in the five-day convention of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization. The group hopes to make further progress on proving that it’s impossible to conceal a nuclear explosion.
 
Maariv’s Yasser Oukabi reported on an interesting interview with Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah by a Syrian channel. Nasrallah said the Second Lebanon War "was an American war carried out by Israel.” He also said, "We don't claim that Hezbollah can go to war against Israel or to destroy it in order to free Palestine. We are realistic, but unlike others, we are not submissive. Resistance works from defense. We said if we were attacked, we are able to enter the Galilee. But, not to reach Tel-Aviv or Eilat. That, no. We don't have that capacity." Nasrallah also said: "Our problem is with the Zionists, not the Jews, because it was the Zionists who killed and expelled the Palestinian people, and carried out massacres against the people of the Arab and Islamic nations."
 
Maariv’s Oukabi also reveals that Hamas is fighting ISIS both in Gaza and in Yarmouk Palestinian refugee camp in Damascus. The disaster at the Palestinian refugee camp in Syria, which was conquered by ISIS last week, is getting much less coverage in the Israeli press. Out of the 170,000 residents of the camp, 150,000 have fled and Oukabi reported that an ‘activist’ said that the 18,000 people still there “are trapped by ISIS. Snipers are preventing them from leaving the camp to use them as human shields." Oukabi also reported that the camp has become a battleground between Jabhat al-Nusra and ISIS fighters on one side and local Hamas-affiliated fighters, ‘Aknaf Beit al-Maqdis,’ on the other side. Haaretz reported that supporters of ISIS published photos of two beheaded men who allegedly belonged to the Hamas-affiliated fighters who provided security at the camp. Both pro- and anti-Syrian government Palestinian factions are taking part in the fighting to push back ISIS. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is holding talks with Arab countries and international agencies including the UN, the latter which has demanded humanitarian access to the camp. The PLO says ISIS now holds 60% of the camp. Residents of the camp described the dire situation And in the Gaza Strip, Hamas is also fighting ISIS support. Maan reported that Gaza's Hamas-run security services arrested a radical Salafist sheikh, accusing him of membership in the Islamic State group, a security source said on Monday.
 
France is moving forward with its UN resolution for a Palestinian state. A Fatah member described the proposal as a possible 'backdoor' for negotiations, saying 'all actors, including the Americans, now realize that all other ways have been explored, without success'. The French proposal is based on the pre-1967 borders as a reference point for talks and also includes a requirement for Palestinian recognition of Israel as a "Jewish state.”
 

Quick Hits:

  • Israeli forces stop children's school bus for 2 hours - Soldiers claimed one of the children had thrown a stone at Jewish settlers from the bus that was returning from a school trip and travelling on the road between Nablus and (the extremist settlement) Yitzhar. (Maan
  • **Major West Bank artery to close for Israel's first 'Bible Marathon' - Ramallah-Nablus will be closed for the event recreating a Biblical run Rosh Ha'ayin to Ancient Shiloh. (Haaretz and Maan)
  • Watch: Soldiers hold trance party at an illegal outpost that was destroyed - "Rabbis for Human Rights" organization documented Golani soldiers who claimed they were making ‘a BBQ’ in an illegal outpost that only a week earlier was destroyed with the help of the same battalion. (Maariv+VIDEO)
  • Pictures published of APC destroyed in Shujaiyya - Channel 2 publishes photos of APC in which seven IDF soldiers were killed by an anti-tank missile during Operation Protective Edge. IDF concludes investigation into July 20, keeps findings private "out of respect for the soldier whose body is missing." (Israel Hayom and Maariv)
  • Likud source: "All options are on the table, even unity" - Despite attempts to make progress in discussions with the parties during the Passover holiday - there was no breakthrough. (Maariv)
  • PLO committee slams 'arbitary' detention of Khalida Jarrar - The Palestinian Higher National Committee called the arrest and six-month sentence of Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) member Khalida Jarrar "an outrageous violation of her parliamentary immunity” and called on the int’l community to intervene. (Maan
  • Explosive device set off near Gaza mosque - No injuries were reported. Gaza has been rocked by a series of violent incidents in recent months, the majority involving attacks on the property of Fatah officials in the Hamas-dominated region. (Maan)
  • Battle of versions continues between police, Hebron abduction hoaxer's friend - Eran Nagauker claims he didn't call police's emergency call center to report Niv Asraf missing, while police officials say recording of call to be presented in court. (Ynet)
  • Jerusalem tourism gets lifeline from unlikely source: Muslim visitors - Tens of thousands of tourists from Muslim and Arab countries visited the capital last year, with Indonesia and Turkey topping the list. (Haaretz+) 
  • Israel confirms errant IDF fire killed UN peacekeeper - Israeli official says IDF did not intend to harm U.N. forces during Jan. 28 exchange of fire with Hezbollah that was sparked by a Hezbollah attack in which two IDF soldiers were killed. IDF vows to ensure similar event does not happen again in future. (Israel Hayom)
  • 7-year-old Syrian boy tries matzo - and loves it - Boy was hospitalized at Israeli hospital where he learned about Passover and tried unleavened bread; he enjoyed it so much, he hasn't stopped asking for more. (Ynet)
  • Anti-Israel cyberattack a far cry from promised 'electronic holocaust' - Hacktivists belonging to Anonymous collective release what appears to be Israelis' private information and hijack websites. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
  • FIFA chief urges Palestinians to drop Israel complaint - Speaking in Cairo, FIFA President Sepp Blatter calls on Palestine Football Association to nix its effort to get Israel suspended from world soccer's governing body for 'racism against Arabs.' (Agencies, Israel Hayom and Maan
  • Kuwait pledges $200 million to Gaza reconstruction - The deal will provide $75 million for the construction of 1,500 housing units and for the construction of water pipes from the north to south of Gaza. (Maan)
  • Egypt power station breaks down, cuts off power to Rafah - Gaza currently receives electricity from the Egyptian electricity grid, the Israeli electric company, and from a power station inside Gaza. These supply provide 230 MW of the 350-450 MW of electricity that the Gazan people require. (Maan)
  • Middle East updates / U.S. speeds up arms supplies to Saudi-led coalition - Report: Iran's Revolutionary Guard chief backs nuclear talks; EU increases aid for Palestinian refugee camp Yarmouk in Syria; Red Cross says aiming for Yemen aid flights over next 2 days. (Haaretz
  • PA to evacuate up to 800 Palestinian students from Yemen - A "crisis cell" has been working over the last few days to secure their safe departure to several Arab countries from war-torn Yemen. (Maan)
  • Iraqi teams start exhuming mass grave of soldiers killed by ISIS - Hundreds of soldiers killed by Islamic militants in Tikrit found buried inside complex of presidential palaces. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Islamic State launches English-language radio bulletins - The first bulletin provided an overview of their activities in Iraq, Syria and Libya, including the alleged death of an IS commander in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus. (Ynet)
  • Hillary Clinton's Israel connection - Oren Shur, Hebrew-speaking son of Israeli, tapped to work on yet-to-be-announced 2016 presidential bid by Democrat powerhouse. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Turkish president visits Iran despite tensions over Yemen, Syria - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan visits Iran, meets with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani. Erdogan: We must stop Middle East bloodshed. Turkey, Iran sign new deals for economic, commercial and industrial cooperation. (Agencies, Israel Hayom)


Features:

The darkest night of the Gaza conflict
Testimonies from commanders in the field paint a chilling picture of what happened in Saja'iyya on the night of July 19, when 7 IDF soldiers were killed. (Rotem Elizera, Yedioth/Ynet
With no space to grow, West Bank refugees look upwards
Nael al-Sharif, 43, says his two-story home is too small for his entire family of around 30 people, so he is looking to add another two floors. In many of the Palestinian camps families that cannot afford to buy new land simply add floors to existing property. (AFP, Maan
Has Hezbollah’s cyber spy ring been exposed?
An Israeli report reveals that ‘Volatile Cedar’ has been operating against Israel and other countries since 2012. Investigators suspect the involvement of the Lebanese Shi’ite Muslim group. (Oded Yaron, Haaretz+)
  
Commentary/Analysis:

Fifteen years of quiet is an eternity in Israel (Zvi Bar’el, Haaretz+) Benjamin Netanyahu will keep raging against the nuclear deal with Iran, lest the voices of discontent about welfare and the housing crisis be heard.
Abbas's declaration reveals Benjamin Netanyahu's bluff (Ran Adelist, Maariv) Palestinian Authority Chairman’s declaration that he is ready to talk with Netanyahu exposes the ‘no partner’ bluff. It turns out that the (Israeli) Prime Minister is a poker player who bluffed the whole time.
Palestinians trapped dying in Yarmouk, Syria – a test for the left (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) If, as progressives, we truly care about injustices done to Palestinians, if our goal as leftists goes beyond expressing fury toward Israel, we must raise our voices every bit as forcefully, right now, to try to help the people of Yarmouk.
Bibi, talk to Obama (Shaul Mofaz, Yedioth/Ynet) In the absence of secret understandings between Israel and the United States, and without a close relationship between the leaders of the two countries, Israel will find it hard to influence any future negotiations with Iran.
Netanyahu should embrace the Iran deal as his greatest achievement (Avi Shilon, Haaretz+) One day the archives may reveal that the Israeli threat of an attack and the unremitting campaign against Iran merged with Western interests. 
Netanyahu's work: the great failure in preventing an agreement with Iran (Yitzhak Ben-Ner, Maariv) All the years that the prime minister vowed to devote himself, our army, our nerves, and our money to prevent Iranian nuclear proliferation ended in failure. Also: Doctrine Steinitz to the solution to the conflict.
Memo to Jewish Americans: It’s pro-Israel to find Netanyahu embarrassing (Carlo Strenger, Haaretz+) It is part of the democratic ethos that you are not only allowed to criticize elected leaders, but are obliged to do so if you have good reason to believe they are wrong.
Arab states and the Iran deal - it's complicated (Danny Rubinstein, Ynet) In the battle between Sunni Saudi Arabia and Shiite Iran, Israel only has a secondary role to play.
Marking "Soda Stream" products as produced in the West Bank: a means of political pressure (Yehuda Sharoni, Maariv) Abroad they relate to the marking of the country of origin of the product as a basic consumer right. Not everyone agrees to buy a sneaker that was manufactured in a country where workers are paid starvation wages…and not all consumers would buy products from the (occupied Palestinian) territories. Against this background came the demand that SodaStream to change the tag marking the place of production of the company's products from Israel to the West Bank. This requirement and others seek to mark a clear line between the State of Israel based on the Green Line and between Israel that includes the territories. This time, the demand came from the state of Oregon following a legal petition, but it may expand to other states…Unilever Group, which acquired Bagel-Bagel Factory, decided to transfer its operations in the Barkan industrial zone (in the West Bank) to Safed/Tzfat and the expectation is that other international companies will follow suit. For more than a year, (Israeli) farmers and flower growers are required by the largest buyers in the EU to mark their (West Bank) products. In addition, some of the international infrastructure companies began to refrain from participating in tenders that include works carried out over the Green Line. However, human rights organizations, political activists and radical leftist organizations are not satisfied with product marking, and are demanding the boycott of Israeli goods. EU authorities are not stopping this phenomenon because it serves their political interests. Europe hopes to reach a diplomatic solution to the problem of the (occupied) territories and the establishment of a Palestinian state. But because they are not succeeding to achieve this through diplomatic means, they will put all the necessary financial pressure. In this matter, the phenomenon is expected to expand beyond the US state of Oregon.
To win broad U.S. Jewish support, Obama must truly tackle Iran (Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, Haaretz+) The U.S. president argues that the Iran deal offers the best possible means to assure Israel’s security. The problem is that he is not convincing.
The last obstacle: the biggest and most fascinating battle between Congress and Barack Obama (Shmuel Rosner, Maariv) Is Congress really going to act to torpedo or change the Lausanne memorandum ahead of the signing of the agreement with Iran? What tools does it have at its disposal for that purpose, and how is President Obama preparing for the parliamentary battle that threatens to destroy his greatest achievement? 
'Messing' with Israel (Elliot Abrams, Israel Hayom) In his NY Times interview, Obama claimed to fully understand Israel's security problems, but the full text suggests that he does not.
Erdogan in Tehran: Turkey wants to dance at every Mideast wedding (Zvi Bar’el, Haaretz+) From breaking off with Israel and Syria, to the rift with Egypt and confrontations with the U.S., Turkey's foreign policy has suffered blow after blow. Would a nuclear deal with Iran help Turkey reposition itself in the region? 
Joint Arab List must reduce Jews' fear (Yaron London, Yedioth/Ynet) The Arab political leadership's challenge is to convince the Jews that Israel's Arab citizens have adopted a political culture which is different from the culture dominating the countries surrounding us.
Six messes Israel should clean up for Passover (Allison Kaplan Sommer, Haaretz+) The Palestinian question, Iran and ISIS may be too big to clean up right now, but there are a few grimy elements of Israeli life that certainly could use a scrubbing.

 

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