News Nosh 07.27.16

APN's daily news review from Israel
Wednesday July 27, 2016
 
Quote of the day:
"As a bereaved father, I will not let you harm democracy. I didn't pay such a heavy price for this."
--Yoram Tal, the father of Omri Tal, who was killed in Operation Protective Edge, shouted at Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu during a memorial ceremony for the soldiers who fell in that 2014 war.*


Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
Israel Hayom
  • Prime Minister: “Whoever claims that we weren’t prepared – lies”
  • Shock in France: “This is a religious war”
  • Suspicion: They tried to murder a fan of Hapoel Tel-Aviv soccer club
  • Adir (F-35) in the skies
  • Court ruled: “The right to privacy prevails” – and rejected Raviv Drucker’s appeal against Sheldon Adelson and Amos Regev

News Summary:
As the ‘Shooting Soldier,’ Sgt. Elor Azariya testified for the third day in the trial that has divided the country and increased the tension between the IDF top brass and the government, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot warned that the attacks on commanders by politicians was the biggest threat to the military. Meanwhile, parents of fallen soldiers heckled Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu at a memorial ceremony for those who fell in Operation Protective Edge – making the two top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Only Ynet’s Palestinian affairs correspondent, Elior Levy, reported on Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal’s statements in support of a two-state solution.
 
Yedioth/Ynet had the most detail from the warnings made by Chief of Staff Eisenkot in a closed meeting with the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Security Committee. Eisenkot warned that statements made by politicians and civil servants against IDF commanders, against IDF rules of engagement for opening fire, and against operating according to orders threatened a loss of public faith in the IDF and could lead to a ‘gang ethos’ within the military. Eisenkot pointed to the manslaughter trial of Elor Azariya as an example.

On the final day of testimony from Elor Azariya, the panel of judges addressed their questions to him, attempting to ascertain when he felt that he was at risk, and why he acted as he did when he did. A judge asked him why he didn’t shoot the incapacitated assailant sooner if he felt that the man was an immediate threat. (Also Haaretz+ and more from YnetMaariv wrote that at the end of the questioning, the prosecution was convinced that it exposed Azariya as lying, while the defense was pleased with Azariya’s testimony.

Unlike Elor Azariya, who the IDF put on trial, Israeli Border Police caught on film shooting dead a prone Palestinian assailant in February won't be charged as the Justice Ministry Police Investigation Unit decided to close the file, declaring that they did not commit criminal offense in fatal February shooting at Damascus Gate.
 
*At the two-year memorial service on Mt. Herzl for the fallen of Operation Protective Edge, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was booed and interrupted by parents of the deceased. "Film the man who makes a joke out of democracy,” shouted Yoram, whose son Capt. Omri Tal fell during that 2014 war. My son died for democracy, not for this kind of government." Moti, father of Lee Tal, who also fell in that war, shouted: "As a bereaved father I am not willing to have you speak. I am not willing for you to harm the democracy. I did not sacrifice the dearest and most important thing to me for nothing. You won’t touch the media and it’s time someone told you that.” Netanyahu responded by saying, "As a bereaved brother, I understand your pain" to which a parent said he was using his brother's death for his own purposes. (Maariv) After the ceremony Yoram Tal spoke with a Yedioth reporter: “This man (Netanyahu) lacks values, he hurts Israeli democracy, he is trying to take control of the media and he is doing many other inappropriate things. Not for this did I lose my son, that’s not the price. This man is not fit to be the prime minister of a democratic state.” The parents continued to demand a state inquiry commission. (Also Maariv)  
 
He has said it in the past on a couple of occasions over the years, but it is significant that he continues to say it: Hamas politburo chief Khaled Mashaal told Indian journalists that Hamas accepts a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital, with the right of return of Palestinians expelled during years by successive Israeli governments." On ‘recognizing Israel’s right to exist,’ Mashaal said, “Nobody can force us to treat Israel as friendly nation or a legitimate entity. All of this also doesn't mean that at a certain moment or at a proper moment, we will not negotiate with the enemy. Given the political circumstances, we are positive of achieving our national goal through political means.”
 
Quick Hits:
  • Family of Bedouin Who Entered Gaza Two Weeks Ago: No Official Has Contacted Us - No official has been in touch with the family to provide information, advice or encouragement since Jumaa Abu Najima crossed into Gaza on July 12. 'The relevant figures are in touch with the family,' PM's Office says. (Haaretz+)
  • 50 members of diehard soccer fan club arrested in nationwide police sweep - Aided by fan-turned-state's witness, forces locate members of violent La Familia group, discover grenades and explosives. Several detainees suspected of attacking fan of rival club with an ax. (Haaretz and Ynet
  • Israeli Arabs cry foul on move to tie state funding to demolition of illegal construction - Community vows not to cooperate with new government move, tied to budget pledge, to destroy widespread illegal construction in their own locales. (Haaretz+) 
  • Israel destroys 20 Palestinian structures in East Jerusalem - Police use riot-control measures to quell protests against destruction of buildings, some beyond the separation barrier in Palestinian locales. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
  • Bill to drop minimum age for gun permit passes in committee - Bill authored by Yesh Atid MK Aliza Lavie was inspired by appeals by young women who completed their military service and wanted to work as security guards, but were not allowed to carry a gun because they were not yet 21. (Israel Hayom)
  • Three Held for Publishing Details About Israeli General Rape Plaintiff - Publicizing the name of a victim of a sex crime without court permission is a crime in Israel. (Haaretz+) 
  • Bennett slams Netanyahu over Gaza tunnels threat - Acting national security adviser rejects education minister's criticism: 'Cabinet ministers aren't the ones who send soldiers into battle.' (Haaretz+)
  • Foreign Tourism in Israel Still Hasn’t Fully Recovered From 2014 Gaza War, Say Hoteliers - Nazareth, Netanya hit hardest, while Eilat, Tiberias and Herzliya show growth. (Haaretz+) 
  • Turkey Fired 1,112 Religious Officials Since Coup Attempt - The influence of U.S.-based cleric Fetullah Gulen over Turkey’s religious elite still a major concern of Erdogan government. (Agencies, Haaretz


Features:
Suddenly, a Palestinian Breast Cancer Survivor Becomes a 'Security Threat'
'What security threat do I pose to Israel if I go for an exam at Tel Hashomer?' Abu Nahla wonders. 'At the hospital entrance they take my identity card and exit permit. I can’t just go out for a stroll.' (Amira Hass, Haaretz+)
 
Commentary/Analysis:
Why Are Israeli Soldiers Fraternizing With Hebron's Most Racist, Terrorist-inciting Settlers? (Larry Derfner, Haaretz+) Boston-born Hebron settler Baruch Marzel glorifies Arab-killers. We shouldn’t be surprised that one of his regular Shabbat lunchtime guests, Sgt. Elor Azaria, is on trial for shooting dead an incapacitated Palestinian. 
Helpless soldiers - They are abusing the son of us all (Elor Azariya) (Aviad Kleinberg, Yedioth) A 14-year-old Palestinian who threw rocks at a car is considered an adult by all measures. He can be arrested, interrogated, jailed for months and years. In contrast, an Israeli soldier who shot a Palestinian, is a boy. According to the dry law he is an adult, but the public opinion sees him as an infant.
A Sergeant Goes to War Against Israel's General Staff (Amos Harel and Gili Cohen, Haaretz+) The entire chain of command, all the way up to Eisenkot, has been presented as liars trying to evade responsibility by dumping it all on the lowly sergeant. 
The Chief of Staff’s mistake: IDF values can not be different from the values of the people (Nadav Haetzni, Maariv) Lt. Gen. Eizenkot was right when he pointed to the loss of confidence in the IDF as a grave threat. But the one who is actually to blame is the military leadership – which made a series of decisions that creates a sense of abandonment and injustice. 
How an IDF Soldier Suspected of Manslaughter Has Evolved Into Israel's New Dreyfus (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) By a twisted logic, Sgt. Elor Azaria can argue that the accusations against him are political, and that the only reason he was arrested was to placate one political side, the left. 
What are you afraid of (Netanyahu) (Shimon Shiffer, Yedioth) If Operation Protective Edge were the success story that Netanyahu described in his speech on Mt. Herzl yesterday, then what is he afraid of? What would a state inquiry commission discover? Clues can be found in the leaks of the State Comptrollers report. Those leaks point to mistakes preparations that did not stand the test of reality and caused many casualties and wounded of IDF soldiers and of civilians.
Abusing the term 'fascism'‎  (Isi Leibler, Israel Hayom) We must speak out and refute the lie that Israel is turning away from democracy, to prevent open-‎minded liberals from being drawn into the left-wing ‎anti-Israeli maelstrom.
Kaufman’s sharp criticism of the right-wing: La Familia is your political base (Ron Kaufman, Maariv) After an undercover agent infiltrated the organization and led to the arrest of 56 suspects, politicians, who till now have enjoyed keeping their eyes closed, need to understand that there is no avoiding making harsher sentencing rules that will bring a change to the rules of the game. 
Netanyahu's Actions to Advance Israeli Arabs Are What Count (Haaretz Editorial) Netanyahu would do well to implement a policy of true equality for Israeli Arabs, on both the practical and symbolic levels, while seeking a true peace agreement with the Palestinians. 
A bizarre attack on Israel's legitimacy (Dan Margalit, Israel Hayom) PA President Mahmoud Abbas' attempt to call the justice of Zionism into question permanently doesn't square with his supposed desire for a two-state solution.
Something New and Dangerous Is Going Down in Israel: Hope (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) Last Thursday on the streets of our most hatred-torn city, love won. An Israel to be proud of. A life cult. 

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