News Nosh 11.22.16

APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday November 22, 2016  
 
Quote of the day:
“The Jews’ comfortable situation in America raises doubts as to whether it was worthwhile to gamble on the establishment of a Jewish state… In order to remove these malignant doubts, it would be good to have some anti-Semitism in America. Not serious anti-Semitism, not pogroms, not persecutions that will empty America from its Jews, as we need them there, but just a taste of this pungent stuff, so that we can restore our faith in Zionism.”
--Yedioth’s columnist and Channel 10 journalist, Yaron London, explains why white supremacy in the US suits the interests of Israel’s right-wing government.*

You Must Be Kidding: 
“There is substantial fear of real harm to their professional and economic interests as a result of the academic boycott."
----Jerusalem District Court Judge Yigal Mersel accepts State's position and allows Israeli archaeologists digging artifacts from the West Bank to keep their names secret - and the place where the artifacts are kept. To which archaeologist Yonatan Mizrahi of Emek Shaveh said the ruling shows "above all, that in the West Bank archaeology is treated as a secret military operation, not as academic research. Research is based on revealing the researcher’s identity and making the artifacts public. If it’s permissible to conceal the names of people excavating in the West Bank and the public has no way of knowing where these archaeological finds are, this means archaeology in the West Bank is fundamentally political."**


Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
  • The female officers’ response – “We can do everything, even in the battlefield”
  • High Court against the designated IDF chief rabbi
  • (Netanyahu’s personal lawyer) Shamron’s troubles
  • B is Berlin (not bayit/home) - Leaders of the 2011 social protest are in despair and considering leaving the country
  • Gigi Hadid does Melania Trump
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
Israel Hayom
  • Storm over the IDF chief rabbi: High Court delays his appointment; Anger in right-wing over decision
  • Women: Female pilots yes, female tankists no?
  • Round of appointments in the IDF top ranks: First Ethiopian-born Lt. Col.
  • High Court to police: “Explain why you didn’t take steps against police commander Ritman (accused of sexual harassment)”
  • Due to suspicion of sexual harassment: Alon Kastiel is expected to be interrogated

News Summary:
WOMEN – their right to serve in army combat units and the military generals who oppose, the High Court delaying the appointment of the IDF chief rabbi for his statements permitting raping them, and people accused of sex crimes against them were top stories in today’s newspapers – along with the latest revelations surrounding the submarines deal and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s personal lawyer, David Shimron.

Also in the news, far right-wing minister Naftali Bennet met with aides of President-elect Donald Trump and told them better not to adopt the two-state solution, after which Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu banned his ministers from talking to Trump’s people.

Also, Turkish Prime Minister Tayip Erdogan gave an expansive and interesting interview to Israeli journalist Ilana Dayan. (JPost and Times of Israel)  In the full interview with Israel's Channel 2, Erdoğan spoke of Israel and Turkey's reconciliation, the 2010 Mavi Marmara crisis, and his relations with Hamas. He criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza (“I don't agree with what Hitler did and I don't agree with what Israel did in Gaza”) and accused Israel of trying to change the status quo at the Temple Mount. He also  said Israel was on the verge of a peace agreement with Syria to return the Golan Heights, under his mediation. (Maariv) "We closed the details of the agreement and then the bombing of Gaza began while talks were held. We were supposed to continue to work, but in the end, Ehud Olmert was left outside the political arena and stopped being the leader,” he said. After the interview, Ilana Dayan told Army Radio, that she has never worked so many years to get an interview and said that Erdogan was very charismatic. (Maariv)
 
The latest in the submarine affair:
 
In response to a Meretz petition, the High Court has demanded that Col. Eyal Karim clarify his past contentious remarks, including calling gays 'sick,' terrorists 'animals’ and saying it was permissible to rape non-Jewish women during wartime. The right-wing was outraged at the Court’s intervention.His inauguration ceremony was postponed. He was not the only rabbi to get flack for such views.  Activists draped a gay pride flag at the office of Jerusalem Chief Sephardic Rabbi Shlomo Amar after he called homosexuality an 'abomination.' 
 
Meanwhile, a number of retired generals slammed the IDF’s decision to allow women to serve inside tanks. Maj. Gen. (res.) Yiftach Ron-Tal said it was a plot by the left-wing to weaken the army. Ron-Tal later ‘clarified’ his statements. Brig. Gen. (res.) Avigdor Kahalni argued that “a woman's job is to be a mother, the trauma of war will change her.” Rabbi Yisrael Weiss, a former IDF chief rabbi, claimed sexual impropriety would ensue from mixed-gender tank crews. If men and women were to serve in the same tank together, “a little ‘tankist’ would grow there nine months later,” he said. This comes as a second female commander was appointed to head an IDF combat unit. The IDF rebuffed the chauvinism and said women are a pivotal part of the military, citing experience.
 
Quick Hits:
  • High Court considers Abu Khdeir family petition for demolition of homes of Jewish extremists - Discussions held in light of a petition filed by family of Mohammed Abu Khdeir calling for the demolition of his murderers' homes; state lawyer argues policy not warranted as a deterrence measure, while family attorney cites 'double standards' and says it can deter future Jewish attackers. (Ynet and Maariv
  • Israeli soldier's lawyers accuse judge of bias in Hebron shooting case - During written summation, defense attorneys question approach of Military Court justice Col. Maya Heller toward the Israeli soldier in his manslaughter trial. (Haaretz
  • **Court: Names of Israeli Archaeologists Digging in West Bank Can Stay Secret - Jerusalem District Court accepts state’s position that publicizing names could expose archaeologists to academic boycotts and undermine Israel’s foreign relations. (Haaretz+ and שיחה מקומית.)
  • Israel releases injured Palestinian prisoner after six months - The Israel Prison Service (IPS) released on Sunday evening injured Palestinian prisoner Hasan al-Qadhi, 26, after completing a six month prison sentence with alleged improperly treated gunshot wounds. (Maan
  • Two terrorists each get 18 years in prison for 2015 terror attacks - Subhi Abu Halifa, who seriously wounded a yeshiva student in October 2015, and Abed Dawiat, who threw the stone that caused Alexander Levlovich's death in September 2015, reach plea deals with the prosecution. (Ynet
  • Taskforce to explore outpost regulation based on Cyprus model - PM Benjamin Netanyahu meets international law expert Professor Joseph Weiler, who helped devise Cyprus arbitration mechanism for land disputes • Netanyahu: Cyprus model may be used for outpost regulation, but fate of Amona will be decided differently. (Israel Hayom)
  • Arab lawmakers threaten legal action over penalties for supporting settlement boycott - MK Yoav Kish wants Knesset procedures changed so members who support boycott of settlements can be suspended from the plenum and committees. (Haaretz+) 
  • Turkey slams Israeli bill to reduce volume of call to prayer - Just days after Israel and Turkey appoint ambassadors to their respective countries as frozen diplomatic relations begin to thaw, Turkey's deputy prime minister describes bill as 'unacceptable.' (Agencies, Ynet
  • Yeshiva budget hits record high at NIS 1.167 billion - Following a 107% increase since 2014, the newest NIS 43 million budget allocation for yeshiva students seeks to cover 95% of living expenses for foreign students studying in Israeli yeshivas. (Yedioth/Ynet
  • After 42 Construction Workers Killed This Year, Minister Takes Steps to Fine Negligent Contractors - Enforcement will also be beefed up with the addition of more safety supervisors at building sites. (Haaretz+) 
  • 'Direct strike on Haifa ammonia tank could kill 17,500 people' - Knesset holds special session on need to relocate Haifa Bay chemicals facility, which has long since been a cause for environmental and security concerns. Yesh Atid head: There are solutions available, we just have to decide we're up to the challenge. (Israel Hayom)
  • More than 700 immigrants from Brazil to arrive in Israel by year's end, Jewish Agency says - The total for 2016 will be more than three times the annual average of about 200 new Brazilian immigrants, marking a 45-year record in Brazilian aliyah. (JTA, Haaretz
  • New initiative enlists lone soldiers to fight BDS on campuses - The Gideon Project is a "challenging and unique Zionist mission, on the front lines of the fight against hate organizations," initiative organizers say • Goal is to pull rug out from under BDS, shed light on human rights abuses in Palestinian society. (Israel Hayom
  • The Israeli Firm That Investors Are Betting Will Build Trump's Wall - Magal Security Systems, maker of perimeter-security technology, has seen its share price skyrocket since Election Day. (Haaretz
  • Poll: Only 44% of Israelis see Donald Trump as a "true friend of Israel" - A new poll ahead of the Jerusalem Post’s Conference of Diplomats brought interesting findings. According to the data, 49% of Israelis do not believe that President-elect will move the embassy to Jerusalem. (JPost/Maariv)
  • Impersonation of Melania Trump Lands Gigi Hadid in Social Media Trouble - Many Twitter users were not impressed by the supermodel's imitation, in a fake Slovenian accent, of the future first lady's Republican Convention speech. (Haaretz
  • 'Trump and ISIS Were Gifts From God' to Revolutionary Guard, Senior Iranian Official Says - Sidelined after the nuclear deal, Iran's Revolutionary Guard sees Trump's victory and the war on ISIS as an opportunity to regain economic and political power. (Agencies, Haaretz)

 
Commentary/Analysis:
Miri Regev Is Israel’s Trump in Waiting (Sami Peretz, Haaretz+) The Trump way of seeking power through loudmouthed invective has its practitioners in Israel, too, and the sports and culture minister is the one most likely to succeed using it. 
*Why Israel isn’t shocked by anti-Semites in White House (Yaron London, Yedioth/Ynet) A world view which supports white supremacy matches our government’s interests. If Trump’s people are more disgusted by Arabs than they are by Jews, we have struck quite a good deal. 
The ball is in our hands: now there isn’t anyone in the White House who will preserve our morality (Uri Savir, Maariv) Trump is bad for Israel because he is bad for the United States, and for the next four years, the burden will be imposed on us: to show excessive democracy and readiness for peace with a Palestinian state. 
Just Don’t Come Across as a Leftist (Ravit Hecht, Haaretz+) Anyone who dares say anything against the settlement enterprise should prepare to be labeled a 'leftist' for the whole of eternity. 
Is it all a coincidence? Submarine affair: the full and disturbing picture (Ben Caspit, Maariv) The sudden break of contacts with the United States. The replacement of the esteemed representative with Ganor. And the decision to purchase another three submarines despite the opposition of Ya'alon (who was replaced). The picture that is becoming clearer in the submarine affair requires case a police investigation. 
The Plot Against America Succeeded (Nitzan Horowitz, Haaretz+) Now we can divest ourselves of the illusion that international intervention will save us.
Perfect Madness: Rabbi Eyal Karim should announce that he won’t cooperate with the High Court (Kalman Libskind, Maariv) The Court’s decision to suspend the procedure for his appointment as chief rabbi is a complete crossing of lines. The day that a rabbi needs to protect Moses or Maimonides in court is a day with a black flag waving over it. 
Netanyahu sets a new record (Dr. Haim Shine, Israel Hayom) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has now spent more continuous time in office than any previous Israeli leader. He has guaranteed that the Right will remain in power for many years to come. 
The Women in Tanks Will Win (Haaretz Editorial) The IDF should follow in the footsteps of the world’s most advanced armies, and not capitulate to zealotry and ignorance.
Half a Turkish delight (Smadar Perry, Yedioth/Ynet) Suddenly, after six years of a diplomatic crisis, Erdoğan urgently wants to turn over a new leaf. It’s hard to say, however, that Ankara and Jerusalem see eye to eye on current affairs. 
Erdogan Wields Powerful Weapon in Battle With European Union (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz) The Turkish president is threatening to swamp Europe with refugees if it withdraws from talks about Turkey’s accession to the EU.
The Muezzin Law: instead of coercion and a volume war, we need to find a compromise (Efraim Ganor, Maariv) Before the muezzin law is passed, the loudspeakers are taken down from mosques and the flames of hatred are fanned, we should bring together Jewish and Muslim representatives and encourage dialogue.
 
 
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.