News Nosh 08.16.16

APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday August 16, 2016

While News Nosh's Israel editor is on vacation, we are publishing an abbreviated version produced in Washington and therefore it may be sent later in the day.
 
Quote of the day:
"All of the politicians who come to the southern neighborhoods [in Tel Aviv] and promise the residents that all of them are just about to be expelled back to their countries or to third countries, or the moon, are pulling the wool over your eyes. They’re not going anywhere, so let’s channel our energies into absorbing these people, at least temporarily."
- Deputy Tel Aviv Mayor Asaf Zamir
 

Front Page:
Haaretz
Israel Hayom
Times of Israel
Ynet News

News Summary:
The Shin Bet broke up a Hezbollah cell aimed at recruiting operatives in the West Bank through Facebook. Eight people have been arrested and indicted by the Judean Military Court before they were able to carry out an attack against an IDF patrol near Qalqilya.

The IDF carried out an overnight raid to uncover weaponry and  ammunition in al-Fawar refugee camp near Hebron. Red Crescent officials say 35 Palestinians were injured - 10 hit by live fire and 25 by rubber bullets. Last month the IDF closed off al-Fawar for 26 days after a gunman belonging to a Hamas terror cell fired on a car carrying an Israeli family on a nearby West Bank road, killing the driver and injuring his wife and two children.

Last Thursday, the IDF demolished Mohammed Tarayreh's family home in Bani Naim near Hebron - Tarayreh killed 13 year old Hallel Yaffa Ariel in her home in the nearby settlement of Kiryat Arba. Hallel's family has stated that demolishing his home is not enough. Her mother said, "the terrorist's family should be deported. We need to generate a reality where terror is entirely not worth the cost. The ownership of every house like this should automatically be transferred into Jewish hands."
 
Quick Hits:
  • Russia bombs Syrian militants (ISIS and the Nusra Front) from a base in Iran for the first time. Russia has placed several bombers in an airbase in Iran in an effort to cut down on travel time and carry out more bombing runs. This comes amid reports that Russia has asked Iran and Iraq for permission to fire cruise through their airspace from the Caspian Sea. (YNET)
  • Israel’s gas royalties hit a new record - royalties from gas and oil rose 12.8% in the first half of 2016, the Ministry of Energy reports. (Globes)
  • Israel offers security help as Argentina absorbs Syrian refugees. Israel signed an agreement of cooperation with top Buenos Aires officials to focus on counter-terrorism. (Times of Israel)
  • Turkey is expected to legally shield Israel over 2010 flotilla deaths. Turkey is preparing to submit the terms of its reconciliation with Israel to parliament. The restoration of ties is expected to unlock energy contracts worth billions of dollars as Israel seeks to export natural gas. (Bloomberg)
  • Israeli animators win top prize for design in a major US animation festival. The short film was called “Scapegoat” and was made by two graduates of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. (Forward)
  • Egyptian judoka Islam El Shehaby has been sent home from the Olympics after refusing to shake hands with his Israeli opponent, Or Sasson, who defeated El Shehaby and went on to win the bronze medal. (Reuters)
  • A team of Tel Aviv University researchers believe that virtual reality and treadmill exercises can reduce falls in the elderly by improving physical mobility and cognitive functions important for safe walking. (Times of Israel)
  • Controversy follows Pokémon Go as memorial sites, such as Auschwitz and Hiroshima, complain about "visitors bent over their mobiles trying to catch Pikachus instead of contemplating the weight of history." Game developer Ninatic can remove a Pokestop or Gym from a particular location, but the current algorithm can not remove a site completely. The most recent update removed Pokemon landmarks from Hiroshima and the Berlin Holocaust Museum. (Times of Israel)