APN's daily news review from Israel
Sunday November 27, 2016
Quote of the day:
"From our point of view, above all saving lives is what leads us, and so we decided to come. Our
motivation is very high, and we're happy to give help and human assistance."
--Suhail Abed, a firefighter from Qalqilya, Palestine, who helped Israeli firefighters put out flames in Haifa and outside Jerusalem.**
You Must Be Kidding:
"Though the initial concern was that the two were looking to commit arson out of nationalistic motives, after they were arrested, they were found to be known to the police to be part of a band of thieves. As such, the police began investigating whether the forest fire was caused due to security forces using equipment to light the way during the chase," Ynet reported.
--Israeli security forces may have sparked one of the fires in Israel due to negligence and their zealousness in suspecting Arabs.**
--Suhail Abed, a firefighter from Qalqilya, Palestine, who helped Israeli firefighters put out flames in Haifa and outside Jerusalem.**
You Must Be Kidding:
"Though the initial concern was that the two were looking to commit arson out of nationalistic motives, after they were arrested, they were found to be known to the police to be part of a band of thieves. As such, the police began investigating whether the forest fire was caused due to security forces using equipment to light the way during the chase," Ynet reported.
--Israeli security forces may have sparked one of the fires in Israel due to negligence and their zealousness in suspecting Arabs.**
Front Page:
Haaretz
- 1600 Haifa residents could not return home; at least 10 Arab Israelis suspected of arson
- The supertanker is better for photos than for putting out fires // Amir Oren
- Who will bear the damage – insurance companies or the state?
- Fidel Castro, the revolutionary who ruled Cuba for 50 years, died at age 90
- The friendship with Israel that was replaced with enmity // Ofer Aderet
- The fire that did not destroy Haifa // Gideon Levy and Alex Levac
- Spain: Giving the drone to Medavev – violation of (EU) sanctions on Russia
- Operation of light rail in Dan (Tel-Aviv) region could be postponed two years
- Enough of the pyromania // Haaretz Editorial
- Trump built a wall in Scotland, the residents paid – NYT
- Who said chivalry was dead? The Israelis in the footsteps of the Crusaders
Yedioth Ahronoth
- This is what’s left (after the fires in Israel)
- The power of a match // Nahum Barnea in the streets of Haifa
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- The black Sabbath (on the fires in Israel)
Israel Hayom
- The arsonists – and the heroes
- Preparing for restoration – 2,500 shekels for each person who can’t return to his home
- Collecting the shards
- Reinforcement player (photo of supertanker)
- Only now do people understand the importance of the fire squadron // Haim Shine
- At ‘Rama’s Kitchen’ restaurant, a wonderful fire always burned // Hila Alpert
- Adv. Weinroth: (Netanyahu's personal lawyer) Shimron is not supposed to receive a shekel from the agreement with the German submarine maker
- On the death of Fidel Castro: The world parts from a legend; history will harshly judge him // Boaz Bismuth
News Summary:
The damage from five days of fires across Israel, the questions over possible Arab arsonists and over the accusations themselves, the calls by political and religious leaders to ‘shoot arsonists,’ ‘revoke their citizenship,’ and ‘destroy their homes,’ the help from Palestinian firefighters were top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.
**Some 1600-1800 people in Haifa alone could not return to their homes, some 560 homes were burnt across the country and some 2,500 firefighters finally brought the flames under control. Beyond the physical damage (see aerial footage in Haifa) there was damage from the flames of hatred that ensued after accusations by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and other politicians accusing the Arabs of lighting the fires. But Israeli security officials gave preliminary indications that weather conditions were the prime cause of the initial wave of fires. Arsonists became a factor from Wednesday and into the weekend. And according to a Channel 10 report, officials believed those (politicians) who called the fires an “arson intifada” (not to mention ‘terror’) exaggerated, as most of the suspects were 16- to 20-year-olds with no record of security offenses who had jumped on the bandwagon after the first fires and were not affiliated with any organization or working in any hierarchy. Nevertheless, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) sparked outrage when he suggested destroying the homes of those who committed arson for nationalistic motives.” (Times of Israel) Most of those arrested in connection with the fires were Palestinians from the West Bank and a “small minority” of the suspects are Arab Israelis, Erdan said. Currently, Israeli Police is holding 23 people on suspicion of arson or incitement, but refuses to release details regarding the nature of the allegations on 13 of them. Nevertheless, according to the information released about several suspects, which allegedly links them to blazes in Arab communities, it appears the alleged actions are unlikely to be politically motivated. Ynet reported on one fire that was started when security forces chased two Palestinians they thought were going to light a fire. It appears Israeli security forces accidentally caused the fire, and the two men were known thieves, not nationalistically-motivated arsonists. Nevertheless, controversial Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu made a religious ruling permitting shooting Arabs who are trying to cause fires. Haaretz+ reported that while fires in Israel have been cheered by online comments from Gaza and Arab countries, many other Palestinians thought it would be nuts: These are our trees and lands, so why destroy them? Meanwhile, the Palestinians firefighting teams who fought the fires alongside Israeli firefighters were the 'celebrity attraction of the tragedy." (Maariv) As it turns out, the Palestinian Authority was the first group to offer help to Israel, but it was reported on only after other countries offered.
The damage from five days of fires across Israel, the questions over possible Arab arsonists and over the accusations themselves, the calls by political and religious leaders to ‘shoot arsonists,’ ‘revoke their citizenship,’ and ‘destroy their homes,’ the help from Palestinian firefighters were top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.
**Some 1600-1800 people in Haifa alone could not return to their homes, some 560 homes were burnt across the country and some 2,500 firefighters finally brought the flames under control. Beyond the physical damage (see aerial footage in Haifa) there was damage from the flames of hatred that ensued after accusations by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and other politicians accusing the Arabs of lighting the fires. But Israeli security officials gave preliminary indications that weather conditions were the prime cause of the initial wave of fires. Arsonists became a factor from Wednesday and into the weekend. And according to a Channel 10 report, officials believed those (politicians) who called the fires an “arson intifada” (not to mention ‘terror’) exaggerated, as most of the suspects were 16- to 20-year-olds with no record of security offenses who had jumped on the bandwagon after the first fires and were not affiliated with any organization or working in any hierarchy. Nevertheless, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) sparked outrage when he suggested destroying the homes of those who committed arson for nationalistic motives.” (Times of Israel) Most of those arrested in connection with the fires were Palestinians from the West Bank and a “small minority” of the suspects are Arab Israelis, Erdan said. Currently, Israeli Police is holding 23 people on suspicion of arson or incitement, but refuses to release details regarding the nature of the allegations on 13 of them. Nevertheless, according to the information released about several suspects, which allegedly links them to blazes in Arab communities, it appears the alleged actions are unlikely to be politically motivated. Ynet reported on one fire that was started when security forces chased two Palestinians they thought were going to light a fire. It appears Israeli security forces accidentally caused the fire, and the two men were known thieves, not nationalistically-motivated arsonists. Nevertheless, controversial Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu made a religious ruling permitting shooting Arabs who are trying to cause fires. Haaretz+ reported that while fires in Israel have been cheered by online comments from Gaza and Arab countries, many other Palestinians thought it would be nuts: These are our trees and lands, so why destroy them? Meanwhile, the Palestinians firefighting teams who fought the fires alongside Israeli firefighters were the 'celebrity attraction of the tragedy." (Maariv) As it turns out, the Palestinian Authority was the first group to offer help to Israel, but it was reported on only after other countries offered.
Quick Hits:
- Palestinian teen shot dead by Israeli forces after alleged stabbing attempt - Israel Police says Mohammed Nabil, 16, drew a knife and tried to stab an Israeli security officer at an East Jerusalem roadblock on Friday. (Haaretz)
- In rare move, Israeli court voids order barring 'dangerous' right-wing activist from West Bank - Neither past violent behavior nor current intel labeling Yosef Prissman as a security risk warrant his expulsion from the West Bank, military judge says. (Haaretz)
- Rabbis call fires divine punishment, OK shooting Arab arsonists - Safed's chief rabbi explains Fri. morning that shooting Arab arsonists would have saved the country from its current wave of flames; Rabbi Elyakim Levanon says that fires won't cease until 'Regulation Bill' is passed. (Ynet)
- Rabbis blame fires on settlement eviction, Shabbat desecration - "Until the threat of destroying settlements in the land of Israel, in Amona, in Ofra and in many other places, is lifted, the rain will remain stopped," writes Rabbi Elyakim Levanon. Another prominent rabbi says fires caused by desecration of Shabbat. (Israel Hayom)
- Report: Israel Changed Its Submarine Acquisition Chief When Netanyahu Became Prime Minister - According to Channel 10's Raviv Drucker, in 2009 Israel's submarine acquisition chief was supplanted by the businessman in the middle of a conflict-of-interest scandal involving Netanyahu. (Haaretz)
- Spain: Israel violated Spanish law, EU sanctions by gifting drone to Russia - An Israeli minister violated the purchase license for the Spanish-made drone by giving it to the visiting Russian prime minister, Spain says. (Haaretz+)
- Increase in murders of Arab women in 2016 - According to statistics released by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services, the number of Arab women murdered in 2016 by family members and spouses has increased since 2015; New campaign seeks to use the workplace as a means of aiding victims of domestic violence. (Ynet)
- Gazan boy paralyzed by Israeli army fire fights for compensation - Atiya Nabahin was shot in the neck by soldiers as he returned home from school. Now he awaits a ruling for compensation. (Haaretz+)
- Terrorism victim speaks out against 'lenient' sentence for attacker - Mendi Rivkin, who was stabbed earlier this year at a gas station in Pisgat Ze'ev by a 17-year-old terrorist, objects to the 15 year jail sentence handed to his attacker; 'we call for a harder stance in punishing terrorists and particularly in this case, as we witness a nationwide wave of terror,' says Rivkin's legal representative in his appeal to the IDF Court. (Ynet)
- Israeli soldiers' (religious) mentor blasts allowing women in combat - 'Women need to be women and men need to be men,' Rabbi Yigal Levinstein, who previously called gays 'deviants' and 'perverts,' tells students. (Haaretz+)
- Officials in Tzafria: Newcomers must remain religious or leave - Tenants committee in small central Israeli community of Tzafria says men who "walk publicly without a kippah" may not have their leases renewedץ But others say religious observance is a private matter and such threats are illegal and discriminatory. (Israel Hayom)
- Lettuce eat! BDS target foreign chefs coming to Israel - BDS activists attempted to convince, through intimidation and vandalism, 13 foreign chefs who were invited to Israel to take part in a culinary festival to cancel their trips and boycott Israel; 'The chefs didn't give in to threats and realized it was a cultural and not a political project.’ (Ynet)
- Israel's wealthy: 105,000 millionaires and 18 billionaires - According to a report by Credit Suisse, 17,000 Israelis became millionaires in 2016 alone, an increase of 19% from 2015; However, while the average Israeli's wealth has doubled since 2000, income inequality has steadily risen. (Ynet)
Features:
Palestinian mother: If Israel tears me away from my children again, I'll kill myself
For 10 years, Israel has prevented a Gaza woman married to an Israeli from entering the country, where her four children live; now that her husband died, the separation seems all the more daunting. (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+)
That Time Fidel Castro Embarrassed Netanyahu - and Praised His Father
In an interview, Castro said he had great sympathy for the Jewish people and praised Netanyahu's historian father. Some in the U.S. were not pleased. (Haaretz)
The Lesson Turkey’s Putschists Didn’t Learn From the Plot Against Hitler (Ofer Aderet, Haaretz+) Coup conspirators need to be flexible, spontaneous and aware that speed is more important than secrecy, Israeli historian Danny Orbach says.
Commentary/Analysis:
As Fires Rage Across Israel, Netanyahu Busy With Political Pyromania (Haaretz Editorial) The prime minister and members of his cabinet have been quick to point to Arabs as the arsonists behind the fires that raged across Israel last week, risking far more dangerous blazes that no supertanker can extinguish.
They burn, we build (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom) Our land is burning not just because of accidents, but because of the behavior of arsonists who have adopted the wrongful belief: "Let it be neither ours nor yours."
Palestinian arsonists? You forgot the real reason for the wave of fires (Yuval Bagno, Maariv) Israel joins the sad club of countries that are burning because of climate change and global warming. Experts explain: "Weather conditions have turned every fire into a mega-fire. It is up to us."
The First to Identify Terror by Arson (Ravit Hecht, Haaretz+) Education Minister Naftali Bennett uses thefts and arson to promote a racist ideology with national and territorial implications, by raising the question of whom this country belongs to.
My Sisters in the Tank (Iris Leal, Haaretz+) Yes, women should serve in tanks if they want, but Tair Kaminer's brave fight to avoid military service is a good example of feminism without war machines.
The problem isn’t the rabbi, it’s the Rabbinate (Aviad Kleinberg, Yedioth/Ynet) It won’t be easy finding a liberal and egalitarian IDF chief rabbi. The solution is keeping rabbis away from the state’s decision-making positions altogether.
Religious Zionists vs. Women in Israeli Army (Carolina Landsmann, Haaretz+) Upholding women’s presence in IDF is the best way to halt the religious Zionist takeover of the army, and of Israel.
The decline of freedom of thought (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom) The discourse this week over integrating women into the IDF's infantry and armored tank units highlights the conflict that exists in Israel and the West between supposedly "liberal" values and the freedom to disagree with them.
In Battle Over a Rabbi, Israel's Culture War Becomes a Fight to the Death (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Women’s dignity, gay rights and Palestinians’ property rights are all left-wing issues that Naftali Bennett’s Habayit Hayehudi party feels it must fight to the endץ
It's Fun Being an Arab in Israel (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Arabs in Israel demonstrate amazing restraint and loyalty, but are the victims of appalling treatment by the state and other Israelis. One day, this is all going to explode.
Anti-occupation Jews: Time to Do Some Bible Thumping of Your Own (Mira Sucharov, Haaretz+) Right-wingers use Jewish sources to legitimize the occupation. The Hayei Sarah Project aims to break this interpretive monopoly. Is it time for the anti-settlement left to take back the Bible?
You cannot evict the settlers of Amona, on the contrary, residents in Judea and Samaria should be rewarded (Haim Etgar, Maariv) It is time to accept the new reality: in any case they don’t like us, no no matter what we do. True, construction and settlement must be done legally. But since the law was never enforced in the past - it would be absurd to destroy (the settlement).
Why Encourage Palestinian Hope With Mosque Loudspeakers? (Sayed Kashua, Haaretz+) For some reason, the advent of the holiday season reminds me of the muezzin's call to prayer. It's a symbol of identity for Israel's Arabs – so it too needs to be stamped out.
The first independent president (Boaz Bismuth, Israel Hayom) President-elect Donald Trump is showing he plans to live up to his promise to heal divisions in U.S. society by naming vocal critics to his administration. As a businessman he does not deal in philosophies and he knows things don't always go smoothly.
Israeli leaders' incitement against Reform Jews became death threats (Anat Hoffman, Haaretz+) When MKs, ministers and prominent (state-funded) rabbis call us Reform Jews 'dogs' and 'idolaters' and face no sanction, who's surprised their devotees now attack our synagogues and threaten our leaders?
It's Time for Liberal, Secular Israelis to Demand Their Minority Rights (Carlo Strenger, Haaretz+) No, Israel is no longer 'ours' if it ever was. We are a minority and if Israeli Arabs or religious Jews are allowed a separate education according to their values, we must demand the same.
Follow the lawyer (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/Ynet) In his fourth term, Netanyahu is a king in his palace. As the one who was the first to spot the Mount Carmel fire, can’t he spot a fire in his own courtyard? Those who oppose the submarines' purchase question its timing. The real question is the involvement of the PM's lawyers and relatives.
Netanyahu's shadow: the submarine affair will be the one to break the public's confidence in the Prime Minister (Udi Segal, Maariv) There is no longer "trust me" or "I believe." The one who ignores the rules, the State Comptroller, the court, the media – he must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he really didn’t know about the submarine deal.
Sorry, Israeli Media, Netanyahu Didn't Have a Conflict of Interest in Sub Affair (Oded Gazit, Haaretz+) Even if the prime minister should have refrained from involvement in the German submarine deal, there is nothing criminal to investigate here.
In Wake of Submarine Affair, Lonely World May Await Netanyahu (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) The submarine probe may lose the Israeli premier his closest confidant, money man and partner in political scheming. This would be a blow to his ability to functionץ
Israel's AG better see the big picture (Haaretz Editorial) Mendelblit had better raise his eyes from the page in front of him. Israeli society is losing confidence in political leaders as well as senior officials such as himself.
Eternal Soldier of the Revolution: Karni Eldad lived in Cuba and parts from the icon (Karni Eldad, Maariv) After Castro's retirement he left a different country that became the envy of other countries in the region such as Nicaragua and Haiti. It is hoped that after his death, his legacy will be preserved by his subjects.
Mosul: The gate to hell (Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror, Israel Hayom) After the Iraqi city is liberated from the clutches of the Islamic State group, it could turn into a bloodbath of a different kind as the victors try to divvy up the spoils according to their own conflicting priorities.
The Free Syrian Army follows orders from Turkey (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) The FSA was the Syrian rebels’ great hope to topple Assad, but this faded when the group split among militias, with some focusing more on the Islamic State and the Kurds.
For 10 years, Israel has prevented a Gaza woman married to an Israeli from entering the country, where her four children live; now that her husband died, the separation seems all the more daunting. (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+)
That Time Fidel Castro Embarrassed Netanyahu - and Praised His Father
In an interview, Castro said he had great sympathy for the Jewish people and praised Netanyahu's historian father. Some in the U.S. were not pleased. (Haaretz)
The Lesson Turkey’s Putschists Didn’t Learn From the Plot Against Hitler (Ofer Aderet, Haaretz+) Coup conspirators need to be flexible, spontaneous and aware that speed is more important than secrecy, Israeli historian Danny Orbach says.
Commentary/Analysis:
As Fires Rage Across Israel, Netanyahu Busy With Political Pyromania (Haaretz Editorial) The prime minister and members of his cabinet have been quick to point to Arabs as the arsonists behind the fires that raged across Israel last week, risking far more dangerous blazes that no supertanker can extinguish.
They burn, we build (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom) Our land is burning not just because of accidents, but because of the behavior of arsonists who have adopted the wrongful belief: "Let it be neither ours nor yours."
Palestinian arsonists? You forgot the real reason for the wave of fires (Yuval Bagno, Maariv) Israel joins the sad club of countries that are burning because of climate change and global warming. Experts explain: "Weather conditions have turned every fire into a mega-fire. It is up to us."
The First to Identify Terror by Arson (Ravit Hecht, Haaretz+) Education Minister Naftali Bennett uses thefts and arson to promote a racist ideology with national and territorial implications, by raising the question of whom this country belongs to.
My Sisters in the Tank (Iris Leal, Haaretz+) Yes, women should serve in tanks if they want, but Tair Kaminer's brave fight to avoid military service is a good example of feminism without war machines.
The problem isn’t the rabbi, it’s the Rabbinate (Aviad Kleinberg, Yedioth/Ynet) It won’t be easy finding a liberal and egalitarian IDF chief rabbi. The solution is keeping rabbis away from the state’s decision-making positions altogether.
Religious Zionists vs. Women in Israeli Army (Carolina Landsmann, Haaretz+) Upholding women’s presence in IDF is the best way to halt the religious Zionist takeover of the army, and of Israel.
The decline of freedom of thought (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom) The discourse this week over integrating women into the IDF's infantry and armored tank units highlights the conflict that exists in Israel and the West between supposedly "liberal" values and the freedom to disagree with them.
In Battle Over a Rabbi, Israel's Culture War Becomes a Fight to the Death (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Women’s dignity, gay rights and Palestinians’ property rights are all left-wing issues that Naftali Bennett’s Habayit Hayehudi party feels it must fight to the endץ
It's Fun Being an Arab in Israel (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Arabs in Israel demonstrate amazing restraint and loyalty, but are the victims of appalling treatment by the state and other Israelis. One day, this is all going to explode.
Anti-occupation Jews: Time to Do Some Bible Thumping of Your Own (Mira Sucharov, Haaretz+) Right-wingers use Jewish sources to legitimize the occupation. The Hayei Sarah Project aims to break this interpretive monopoly. Is it time for the anti-settlement left to take back the Bible?
You cannot evict the settlers of Amona, on the contrary, residents in Judea and Samaria should be rewarded (Haim Etgar, Maariv) It is time to accept the new reality: in any case they don’t like us, no no matter what we do. True, construction and settlement must be done legally. But since the law was never enforced in the past - it would be absurd to destroy (the settlement).
Why Encourage Palestinian Hope With Mosque Loudspeakers? (Sayed Kashua, Haaretz+) For some reason, the advent of the holiday season reminds me of the muezzin's call to prayer. It's a symbol of identity for Israel's Arabs – so it too needs to be stamped out.
The first independent president (Boaz Bismuth, Israel Hayom) President-elect Donald Trump is showing he plans to live up to his promise to heal divisions in U.S. society by naming vocal critics to his administration. As a businessman he does not deal in philosophies and he knows things don't always go smoothly.
Israeli leaders' incitement against Reform Jews became death threats (Anat Hoffman, Haaretz+) When MKs, ministers and prominent (state-funded) rabbis call us Reform Jews 'dogs' and 'idolaters' and face no sanction, who's surprised their devotees now attack our synagogues and threaten our leaders?
It's Time for Liberal, Secular Israelis to Demand Their Minority Rights (Carlo Strenger, Haaretz+) No, Israel is no longer 'ours' if it ever was. We are a minority and if Israeli Arabs or religious Jews are allowed a separate education according to their values, we must demand the same.
Follow the lawyer (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/Ynet) In his fourth term, Netanyahu is a king in his palace. As the one who was the first to spot the Mount Carmel fire, can’t he spot a fire in his own courtyard? Those who oppose the submarines' purchase question its timing. The real question is the involvement of the PM's lawyers and relatives.
Netanyahu's shadow: the submarine affair will be the one to break the public's confidence in the Prime Minister (Udi Segal, Maariv) There is no longer "trust me" or "I believe." The one who ignores the rules, the State Comptroller, the court, the media – he must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that he really didn’t know about the submarine deal.
Sorry, Israeli Media, Netanyahu Didn't Have a Conflict of Interest in Sub Affair (Oded Gazit, Haaretz+) Even if the prime minister should have refrained from involvement in the German submarine deal, there is nothing criminal to investigate here.
In Wake of Submarine Affair, Lonely World May Await Netanyahu (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) The submarine probe may lose the Israeli premier his closest confidant, money man and partner in political scheming. This would be a blow to his ability to functionץ
Israel's AG better see the big picture (Haaretz Editorial) Mendelblit had better raise his eyes from the page in front of him. Israeli society is losing confidence in political leaders as well as senior officials such as himself.
Eternal Soldier of the Revolution: Karni Eldad lived in Cuba and parts from the icon (Karni Eldad, Maariv) After Castro's retirement he left a different country that became the envy of other countries in the region such as Nicaragua and Haiti. It is hoped that after his death, his legacy will be preserved by his subjects.
Mosul: The gate to hell (Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror, Israel Hayom) After the Iraqi city is liberated from the clutches of the Islamic State group, it could turn into a bloodbath of a different kind as the victors try to divvy up the spoils according to their own conflicting priorities.
The Free Syrian Army follows orders from Turkey (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) The FSA was the Syrian rebels’ great hope to topple Assad, but this faded when the group split among militias, with some focusing more on the Islamic State and the Kurds.
Interviews:
Rivkaleh speaks without self-censorship
Now, that she’s almost 80, TV personality Rivka Michaeli is not S-C-A-R-E-D of anyone. In an angry interview she explains why in her eyes the settlers of Hebron act “like a superior race,” why the people of B’tselem, are “patriots that sacrificing their souls for the truth,” why (Mizrachi singer) Eyal Golan is not an example of “Mizrachi culture,” and what she answered an Internet commenter who wrote her, ‘Yallah, you old Georgian, go home.” The First Lady of TV breaks the screen. (Interviewed by Itai Segal in Yedioth’s Friday ‘Seven Days’ magazine, 18 Nov.)
Rivkaleh speaks without self-censorship
Now, that she’s almost 80, TV personality Rivka Michaeli is not S-C-A-R-E-D of anyone. In an angry interview she explains why in her eyes the settlers of Hebron act “like a superior race,” why the people of B’tselem, are “patriots that sacrificing their souls for the truth,” why (Mizrachi singer) Eyal Golan is not an example of “Mizrachi culture,” and what she answered an Internet commenter who wrote her, ‘Yallah, you old Georgian, go home.” The First Lady of TV breaks the screen. (Interviewed by Itai Segal in Yedioth’s Friday ‘Seven Days’ magazine, 18 Nov.)
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.