News Nosh 02.11.16

APN's daily news review from Israel
Thursday February 11, 2016
 
Debate of the day:
Knesset Law and Justice Committee Chairman MK Nissan Slomiansky (Habayit Hayehudi): "I wanted to hold a principled discussion."
MK Miki Rosenthal (Zionist Camp): “What principle do you want us to discuss? This law includes two words: ‘Arabs, Out.’”
MK Yousef Jabareen (Joint Arab List) to Slomiansky: “Perhaps you will propose we resign and that’s it?” 
MK Oren Hazan to MK Jabareen: “I’m prepared to drive you home.” 
--The 'circus' of a debate held in the Knesset Law and Justice Committee to discuss a bill that states that aims to be able to dismiss Arab MKs with a vote.*
You Must Be Kidding: 
1.) “First, Israel builds a military base in a Palestinian neighborhood, then, impertinently, it infringes on the neighborhood’s children’s basic right to education.”
--Ir Amim NGO said in response to Israel's objection to opening a school in East Jerusalem, claiming it would endanger a nearby Border Police base.**

2.) "I want to go back to history, what is our place here, about Jerusalem, about Palestine, when like we said, Arabic doesn't even have 'P,' so this loan-word also merits scrutiny." 
--Likud MK Anat Berko, a criminologist who  expert on Islamic terror, tells the Knesset plenum that the Palestinian nation doesn’t exist, because Arabic doesn't have a 'P.' (The Arabic word is Falasteen, not Palestine.)***


Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
Israel Hayom

 
News Summary:
Two court cases were the top stories in Thursday’s Hebrew newspapers, but the real action was in the Knesset Wednesday. A court ruled former prime minister Ehud Olmert would get another month in prison, which he will begin Monday, and a judge called Sara "an employer who abused her employees, as if they were [her] property” and awarded the Netanyahu residence former chief caretaker 170,000 shekels in damages. But in Knesset committees and the plenum there were charged debates, name-calling, and MKs removed from the meetings.
 
*In the Knesset Law and Justice Committee, the bill to suspend Arab MKs sparked anger. Strangely, as some MKs pointed out, there was no written draft presented and the Chairman, Nissan Slomiansky (Habayit Hayehudi) announced that the amendment would be submitted by the committee, rather than by an individual MK, thereby obviating the need for a preliminary vote and putting the bill on a fast track process. MK Dov Khenin (Joint Arab List) told Slomianky, "You are turning the committee into the government's rubber stamp." Slomiansky said he wanted to hold a principled discussion. “What principle do you want us to discuss?” asked a Zionist Union MK Miki Rosenthal. “This law includes two words: 'Arabs, Out.’” As the arguments ensued MKs were kicked out and then returned.
MK Miki Zohar (Likud) to MK Rosin: “You are whiners.”
MK Michal Rozin (Meretz): “We are wild beasts. Right?”
MK Hazan: "The left-wing has turned this discussion into Swan Lake."
MK Rozin to MK Hazan: "We are the enemies of Israel, in your view."
MK Hazan to MK Rozin: "I’m not ashamed to say that in my view you are the enemy of Israel."
MK Haim Yellin (Yesh Atid) to MK Hazan: "Those who you say support terrorism have children in Meglan (IDF anti-terror unit).” (Haaretz+ and Maariv) The bill, initiated by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, did not originally have Habayit Hayehudi support, because the latter demanded that the words 'incitement to racism' be replaced with 'incitement to terror,' as grounds for suspension of an MK “thereby making it applicable, in practice, only to Arab MKs.” But Habayit Hayehudi backtracked and gave its support to the bill.

***In a Knesset plenum debate on the subject of the two-state solution initiated by the Opposition, Netanyahu and Opposition leader Zionist Camp MK Isaac Herzog traded barbs. Netanyahu mocked Herzog for saying last week that the two-state solution was impossible. “Good morning, Bougie [Herzog's nickname]. I'm happy you woke up. Welcome to the Middle East,” said Netanyahu. Herzog retorted: “You are whimps. Annex the territories. Let's see what happens then.” (Also: Maariv and Haaretz+) And then Likud MK Anat Berko sparked laughter and outrage when she said that the Palestinian nation must be invented because the Palestinians don’t have the letter ‘P’ in Arabic. “What? Did everyone hear this? Are you an idiot?” responded Meretz MK Tamar Zandberg incredulously.”
   
The Palestinian news agency, Maan, reported about the vilification in the Knesset Education committee of left-wing former Israeli diplomat, Alon Liel, who supported and advised Breaking the Silence human rights organization.
  
VIOLENCE UPDATE:
Meanwhile, a Palestinian autopsy showed that a live bullet to the chest, shot by an Israeli soldier Wednesday, is what killed 16-year-old Omer Madi Jubarah at Al-Arrub refugee camp, near Hebron. The IDF said it shot at the lower body of youth throwing stones at cars on Route 60. Palestinians say a soldier shot him during clashes when troops raided the camp, which lies on Route 60. The IDF said it was ‘conducting routine security activity” when it "spotted a number of boys throwing stones at Israeli vehicles at route 60 near al-Arrub refugee camp.”

And in the northern West Bank, an Israeli settler from Karnei Shomron settlement was arrested for throwing an ax through the windshield of a Palestinian vehicle near the city of Qalqiliya, Israeli police said.
 
Quick Hits:
Ya'alon demands return of soldiers' bodies from Gaza as part of any Israel-Turkey reconciliation deal
  • The defense minister's hardline stance has contributed considerably to Netanyahu's hesitation in signing a reconciliation agreement with Turkey, senior Israeli official says. (Haaretz+ and Times of Israel)
  • Netanyahu's 'wild beast' quote was apartheid-speak, says chief Palestinian negotiator - Netanyahu's statement was "the same as those of the heads of apartheid in South Africa," said Saeb Erekat, who is also the general secretary of the PLO. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said on Tuesday that Israel needed to surround itself with fences and barriers against the "wild beasts" in the region. (Haaretz)
  • Israel objects to building school in East Jerusalem, says it would endanger nearby police station - School in Sheikh Jarrah 'could constitute a threat to the facility and its combatants,' state says. NGO: 'The government has found a new excuse to prevent building schools in East Jerusalem.' (Haaretz+) 
  • NGO: Israel ‘not willing’ to solve case of Palestinian on hunger strike - Mohammed Al-Qiq, a 33-year-old and father of two on day 77 of his hunger strike, launched it after being detained in November and held in Israeli prison under administrative detention without charge or trial. (Maan
  • Israeli treasury opposes Miri Regev’s ‘Loyalty in Culture’ bill - Regev proposed transferring authority to deny support to institutions that undermine state symbols from the Finance Ministry to her Culture and Sports Ministry. (Haaretz+) 
  • Israeli forces blockade Bethlehem-area village after nearby stabbing - Locals told Ma'an via telephone that Israeli forces had sealed all Nahhalin's roads, preventing residents from entering and leaving, including humanitarian cases. (Maan)
  • Palestinian teens indicted for stabbing attack at Jerusalem's Damascus Gate - Minors aged 14, 16 charged with attempted murder after watching videos of Israeli troops degrading Palestinian women. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
  • New survey shows worrying levels of school violence in Israel - Over 26,000 Israeli students gave their reports, indicating that 12 of those in the 4th-6th grades being victims of serious violence. 4% of 10th-11th graders have brought some kind of knife to school. (Ynet)
  • Planning Policy Changes Will Expand Area for Construction in Israel's Arab Communities - Among the Arab cities recommended for expansion are Sakhnin, Majdal Krum, Shfaram, Nazareth and the communities in the Beit Netofa Valley in the lower Galilee. (Haaretz+) 
  • Israel names first Muslim police deputy commissioner - Brigadier General Jamal Hakrush is expected to be promoted and to head the and Authority for the Arab sector, which will be established. Police chief Alsheikh said he intends to "dramatically increase the number of policemen in the Arab sector." (Maariv and Israel Hayom)
  • Senior diplomat David Govrin named Israel's new envoy to Egypt - Govrin, currently head of the Jordan desk at the Foreign Ministry, replaces Haim Koren, who asked to return to Israel following a two-year stint in Cairo. New appointment is pending the cabinet's approval. (Haaretz+) 
  • Israeli technology can detect terrorists through morning fog - A Hod Hasharon company has developed a new device that will allow drones to identify moving objects from a distance of up to 20 km. (Ynet)
  • Terror suspect almost went free due to dispute between IDF and IPS - Israel Prison Service refuses to take in security prisoners arrested in the West Bank, saying without IDF reinforcement, it doesn't have enough manpower to operate prisons. (Ynet)
  • Ran her over, killing her, and was acquitted – Faults in the police investigation, mistakes in the police measurements and conflicting police testimonies led Judge George Azoulay to acquit for reasonable doubt the (unnamed) driver, 24, who drove at a high speed and ran over an (Arab) woman, Aida Jawamis, as she crossed the street near her home in Beit Zarzir. “I feel there was no justice and I am really angry at the police…I expected him to be sent to jail for a year or two and in the end he was acquitted. They didn’t even give him community service or revoke his driver’s license,” said Jawamis’ brother, Wahid. (Yedioth, p. 14)
  • Military Police investigating series of bribery, fraud offenses - Well-connected civilian suspected of taking bribes to ensure new recruits are placed in unit of choice; officers in secret elite technological unit suspected of fraud; Civil Administration officer suspected of bribery offenses. (Yedioth/Ynet
  • Report: Israel's Defense Ministry deems licenses necessary for arms exports to Burundi - The ministry decision on Burundi does not cancel any licenses, only establishes a need to request a marketing permit. (Haaretz+) 
  • India reportedly ready to clear $3 billion in arms deal with Israel - Prime Minister Modi said to be seeking his cabinet's approval before visiting Israel later this year. (Haaretz+) 
  • Petition to force Netanyahu to reveal conversations with Adelson suffers setback - Supreme Court accepted appeal by casino magnate, claiming he and Israel Hayom editor-in-chief had not been heard in the lower court. (Haaretz+ and Israel Hayom)
  • MK demands trips to death camps in Poland be suspended - At a Knesset Education Committee meeting Monday, MK Yaacov Margi insisted a solution for disadvantaged students who can't afford to go on the trip be found; MK Itzik Shmuli: We cannot acquiesce to the fact that these trips are only for the rich.calls for the trips to be suspended until a solution that allows disadvantaged pupils to also go. (Ynet
  • Palestinian Authority fails to cover Gaza student tuition fees pledged last year - Gaza-based Ministry of Education said the PA's failure to pay the costs as promised was "illogical" and that if students had been unprepared to pay for their own tuition fees, al-Aqsa University would have closed due to lack of funding. (Maan
  • Pentagon budget requests $146 million in support for Israel defense - US to continue cooperating with Israel on development of missile defense systems Iron Dome, David's Sling and Arrow, but budget is about $177 million down from 2016. (Agencies, Ynet)
  • Russia Proposes March 1 Ceasefire in Syria, Western Official Says - No agreement reached on Russian offer, official adds. (Agencies, Haaretz
  • Minor Damage Reported to Synagogue in Syria's War-torn Aleppo - Israeli-American activist with contacts in Aleppo says he received images and reports about condition of the synagogue from ninth century A.D. (JTA, Haaretz)
  • Waze, Iran-style? New App Helps Women Dodge Modesty Squad - Iran's government is trying to block Gershad, an app that uses crowdsourcing to report locations of morality police patrols. (Haaretz+) 
  • Iran publishes video of tearful captive American sailor - Iranian national television published new footage resulting from the Revolutionary Guard's capture of two American naval vessels. One of the sailors was depicted crying and wiping the tears away. (Ynet)
  • Iran to Upgrade Missiles, Set to Receive Russian S-300 Within Two Months - Defense minister rejects criticism of ballistic missiles, saying they would never be used with a nuclear warhead; delivery of S-300 anti-air defense system to be completed by year's end. (Agencies, Haaretz
  • Israel, California sign unique biotechnology deal - First of its kind agreement with the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine will focus on stem cell research. This is the "sharpest response to all the foolish initiatives to make academics boycott Israel," says Science Minister Ofir Akunis. (Israel Hayom)
  • BDS Founder Urges Hollywood A-listers to Reject Israel's Oscar Swag Bag 'Bribe' - The contents of the gift bag provided to select nominees also include a walking trip to Japan, free rental of Audi cars for a year and the bizarrely named Vampire Breast Lift. (Agencies, Haaretz
  • Indyk to evade event featuring Netanyahu as guest of honor - Tense relations between former envoy to Israel Martin Indyk and Israel's prime minister hit a low point recently when the former alleged that Netanyahu called slain PM Yitzhak Rabin a "failed politician."  Conference hosted by Israel Democracy Institute. (Israel Hayom)
  • Attack on Ronaldo – It was him or it wasn’t – that was the question that concerned many of Cristiano Ronaldo’s fans in Israel and angered others. The Portuguese soccer player appeared in an ad for the Israeli channel HOT3. He confirmed it on social media networks, after which many got angry. “That’s the land of Palestine, not Israel.” “I don’t respect you anymore.” “You disappointed me big time.” “You sold your truth, how much did they pay you?” (Maariv, p. 25 and Times of Israel)
  • Erdogan hosts delegation of American Jewish leaders - Delegation led by close Netanyahu associate Malcolm Hoenlein invited to meet with the Turkish president at the presidential palace in Ankara; Israeli, Turkish teams to meet in Geneva to discuss reconciliation. (Yedioth/Ynet)


Features:
With Belgian Funding and Without Building Permits: The First Playground in Sur Baher
The small playground, which has two slides, a carousel and two swings reflects something about the situation in the Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem. (Nir Hasson, Haaretz+) 
Dream comes true for lone soldier from Peru
Staff Sgt. Fernando Rengifo, 23, was born in Peru to a Jewish father and a Christian mother. Just as he is about to finish his army service as a lone soldier, Rengifo gets a surprise: a ticket to visit his mother for the first time in nearly a decade. (Israel Hayom)
Border Dispatch: Stranded in Turkey, Some Syrians Dream of Returning to Aleppo 
Although regime troops and Shi'ite militias are tightening the siege on Aleppo, there are still some 300,000 people who want to stay. Some don’t intend to leave, just some cannot. (Anshel Pfeffer in Turkey, Haaretz+) 

Commentary/Analysis:
Weakened Netanyahu Lashes Out at the Whole World and Its Dog, Inventing Enemies (Meirav Arlosoroff, Haaretz+) Absolutely nobody threatens Netanyahu’s rule today, yet the prime minister has difficulty making hard decisions. 
De-humanization – the fence and the animal (Yonatan Yavin, Yedioth) After Netanyahu’s statement Wednesday that “We will encircle the state with security fences” because “In the area where we live, we need to protect ourselves from wild beasts,” Yavin writes that “Netanyahu can’t claim he meant “only terrorists.” Because in his eyes, “there’s no partner,” and therefore, the Arabs are terrorists or “wild beasts,” obviously the kind that goes in droves by bus [reference to Netanyahu’s race-baiting statement on Election Day that ‘the Arabs are going in droves to the polls.’ – OH] Does he really believe this or is he just saying that because he gets a strange enjoyment from irresponsible jibberish? His sources of inspiration are obviously the “drugged cockroaches in the bottle of (former minister) Rafael Eitan, and of course, the “two-legged animal” that Begin called Arafat back in the day (the same arch-terrorist whose hand Netanyahu joyously shook on a number of occasions). Also the Ashkenazim called the Mizrachim ‘Vilda chaya’ (wild beast), and people were compared to animals in other opportunities throughout history, but that’s because of the Mufti. And what about the cage? The animal that besieged itself in a fence and surrounded itself with bars is now lying around in the small living area has left. In one corner food and water in another its poop leaves a stench. Wait, a noise outside! Don’t move, don’t breathe, it’s clearly a wild beast! Oy, its’ the end. Yes, again! No, just a branch that broke, a leaf that was trampled on. We can go back to lying around. In peace and security.”
Call Apartheid in Israel by Its Name (Oren Yiftachel, Haaretz+) Citizenship here is reminiscent of South Africa's in the past: Jews are 'white' citizens, Arabs in Israel have 'colored' (in other words, partial) citizenship; and Palestinians in the territories have 'black' citizenship, without political rights.
Political initiatives and online outreach: We can stop incitement for terror (Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynet) This intifada has already reached a point in which military and intelligence initiatives can no longer provide an adequate solution. Israel needs to increase monitoring of social media and arrest main agitators, but also promote a political initiative that includes unilateral moves that could lower the tensions.
If Assad Surrounds Aleppo, Obama’s Mideast Policy Is Over (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Washington looks at Moscow's backing of Damascus with worry, while the American public is preoccupied with the presidential primaries and the Oscars.
Israel Must End Its Inquisition of Foreign Media (Haaretz Editorial) There are no grounds to expect that more desirably worded news reports would improve Israel’s standing in the world.
Lost their way: In the Zionist Camp, they are playing into the hands of the Prime Minister (Lilach Sigan, Maariv) The root of the mistake of members of the Zionist Camp is that they derive all their actions from Netanyahu. But rather than talk about him, they should offer a good and clear alternative. 
Sweden Has Long Since Crossed Lines Regarding the Palestinians (Gideon Ben Ami, Haaretz+) Social-democratic Sweden has turned the establishment of a Palestinian state into a flagship project of its foreign policy, and it will not rest until its vision takes flesh and bears its stamp.
Jabotinsky was right: there is no point in looking for new solutions to the conflict (Dr. Haim Misgav, Haaretz+) Despite attempts to sell us a new prescription, there is no way to "separate" from the Palestinians. The only solution to the situation is to be strong and to strike back until they give up their hope to remove us from here. 
Israel’s Threatening Conduct Toward the Foreign Press Degrades Its Democratic Credentials (Daniella Peled, Haaretz+) Criticizing 'hostile' and 'partial' international media coverage long ago became a replacement for actual policy. But Israel's accusations of malign intent are now losing all sense of proportion. 
Israel Must Rebuild Gaza, Big-time (Ari Shavit, Haaretz+) For both moral and political reasons, we cannot be indifferent to the fate of our Palestinian neighbors in the Strip. 
Shameful Arab leadership (Nael Zoabi, Israel Hayom) Arab MKs do not care to deal with the day-to-day issues facing their constituents. 
On Foreign Policy, Bernie Is Blowing It (Peter Beinart, Haaretz+) The leftist Vermont Senator is forfeiting his chance to influence the foreign policy agenda and to make Hillary Clinton less hawkish.
Where the Wild Beasts Are Netanyahu Trades Israel's Democracy for a Shtetl With German Submarines (Asher Schechter, Haaretz+) Tossing Arab MKs out of Knesset was a new low in Netanyahu's assault on democracy, but de facto, Israel is already an ex-'Jewish democratic' state.
Bernie broke the glass ceiling for Jews - but he doesn’t want to own it (Lea Rappaport Geller, Haaretz+) While Hillary Clinton and her supporters wrap themselves in the flag of gender politics, for Bernie Sanders there just is no Jewish flag.
Syrian Rebels Hold U.S. and Russia in Near-equal Disdain After Kerry's 'Betrayal' (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) The Syrian opposition has already agreed to negotiate with the regime, but they couldn't participate in talks while their homes were being bombed.
 
Interviews: 
Kahane’s widow: Today's Jewish extremists have failed to live up to Kahane's way
Libby Kahane, widow of the late far-right Rabbi Meir Kahane, talks about her grandson, Jewish extremist Meir Ettinger, and why the Israeli government has no right to cede any land. (Interviewed by Ben Sales in Haaretz+)
 
 
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.