APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday November 28, 2016
You Must Be
Kidding:
"The police should stop using Google Translate.”
-- Arab Knesset member Osama Saadia (Joint List) commenting on the ridiculous police detention of a Bedouin social activist, Anas Abudaabes, for a satirical post he wrote mocking Palestinians and Arabs who celebrated the fires in Israel. The police said the post was written in very high language and some would misinterpret it to think he was encouraging Arabs to set fires.**
"The police should stop using Google Translate.”
-- Arab Knesset member Osama Saadia (Joint List) commenting on the ridiculous police detention of a Bedouin social activist, Anas Abudaabes, for a satirical post he wrote mocking Palestinians and Arabs who celebrated the fires in Israel. The police said the post was written in very high language and some would misinterpret it to think he was encouraging Arabs to set fires.**
Front Page:
Haaretz
- Military Intel Chief: An unstable year expected in Palestinian Authority
- Fire abated, but tour of Jerusalem reveals burned land to the horizon
- Police: Probing suspicion of arson in 40 different fires
- Exchange of fire between ISIS and IDF creates new reality in Golan
- Labor dispute in El-Al ended: Pilots to receive 7.35% additional salary
- Prisoner Rehab Authority collapsing: Second CEO in 4 years quit, half of the centers closed
- And what about (special envoy Adv. Isaac) Molcho? // Raviv Drucker
- The date in Paris that Elie Weisel did not mention in his book
- In good company // Zvi Bar’el
Yedioth Ahronoth
- The children of the fire
- Heavy rains from Wednesday, chance of snow at Mt. Hermon
- Expose: The testimonies that got (former minister) Faina Kirschenbaum in trouble
- Golani vs. ISIS
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- The suspicion: one third of the fires were arsons
- Finance Minister generous (to fire victims) at taxpayers’ expense // Yehuda Sharoni
- Caught in their weakness // Dr. Revital Amiran
- Ceasefire // Avihu Sofer
- IDF destroyed ISIS cell
- (A private initiative or) Did someone give the order? // Yossi Melman
- El-Al: end of the dispute
- 16-year-old from Jerusalem suspected of beating to death his friend with a metal rod during a brawl
Israel Hayom
- Starting over – Government met in Haifa, PM: Extending a hand, shortening the bureaucracy
- Additional force: Another 17 F-35 fighter jets
- Incident in Golan: ISIS fighters shot at Golani force; IDF returned fire – and eliminated four
- Likely: End to the (El-Al) dispute and the strikes
News Summary:
The latest on the fires, which are almost put out, and the exchange of fire between Israeli soldiers and an ISIS force in the Golan Heights were the top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu pledged a quick rebuilding effort in the hardest hit city of Haifa. Although experts predict that it could take 30 years for the natural resorts and forests to fully recover. Of the approximately 90 fires across Israel, the police say about one third were suspected to be arson, but that it was not yet possible to determine which were politically motivated. Two of the 23 persons currently under arrest have confessed. Some of the cases against the suspects, most of whom are Arab Israelis are based on circumstantial evidence, while others are based on substantial evidence. An Arab Channel 2 News reporter slammed Netanyahu and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan for blaming the fires on the Arabs. "Both of you probably do not sufficiently know Elias, Nimr, and Farid and the 1,700,000 Arab citizens. Maybe I'm wrong, (and) you know them, but only because they are citizens of the state who are in the population registry. You know those suspected of arson in Haifa (if there are such people), and those that may yet be arrested. You know them because they represent the thesis and not the antithesis.” (Maariv+VIDEO) Due to weather changes, forest fires in Israel will only get worse in coming years, experts warned. What was barely mentioned in the Hebrew papers were the 110 fires that broke out across the West Bank. Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Israel has proof that 17 were caused by arson
**Among the five persons detained for online incitement was a Jewish man who called online to burn Arab villages in retaliation for alleged arsons by Arabs. "What happens to Haifa and Jerusalem should happen to Umm al-Fahm. Burn them back. Sons of bxxxxes." He was released under restrictive conditions. (Maariv) Ironically, another one of those detained for online incitement was a Bedouin social activist who in a satirical Facebook post made fun of Arabs and Muslims who celebrated the fires in Israel. He was the first one to be detained for online incitement and at the time, Ynet and the police stated that he incited and they mentioned that his uncle was a senior member of the Islamic Movement. The journalist and police didn't bother to note that his Facebook post ended with "#SatiricalNotSerious.' In another of his posts, he wrote: "What level of ignorance and unawareness have we reached?! Our country is burning, and it turns out that there are Arabs in the region who are engaged in claiming God did it and praise Him for it. It is extraordinary to me how the mind can stop thinking and turn into such a silly thing. The 'celebrations' shows our smallness and how far we are from where we want to be!" (Also שיחה מקומית)
Another issue in dispute was the ‘supertanker.’ The fire service accused police of putting the US Supertanker to frivolous use at a high financial cost before giving the green light to execute fire-extinguishing missions.
Quick Hits:
- Israel's Military Intel Chief: 2017 Will Be Unstable for Palestinians, We Should Prepare for Terror Waves - In a closed talk, Maj. Gen. Herzl Halevi says Trump's true test will be how he stands up to the establishment from within the White House and sees the wave of 'religious extremism' in Turkey continuing. (Haaretz+)
- Erdogan Asks President Rivlin to Reconsider Mosque Loudspeakers Bill - The Israeli president had called his Turkish counterpart to thank him for Turkey's assistance in putting out the wave of fires raging in Israel. (Haaretz and Israel Hayom)
- **Israel Police release Bedouin activist arrested over satirical Facebook post about fires - 'Police should stop using Google Translate,' lawmaker says after Anas Abudaabes freed on bail. (Haaretz+ and Maariv)
- Knesset committee begins finalizing language of outpost bill - Controversial legislation that would allow the government to retroactively grant permits to contested outposts is being discussed by Constitution, Law and Justice Committee. Legal adviser says committee must address matters relating to international law. (Israel Hayom)
- Michael Oren, French Ambassador to Israel Engage in Twitter War - The Kulanu lawmaker and former Israeli envoy to the U.S. lashes out at France for regulations to label products from West Bank settlements, drawing return fire from French envoy Helene Le Gal. (Haaretz+)
- Left-wing Israeli party withdraws High Court petition against controversial new IDF chief rabbi - 'Petition achieved its goals,' says Meretz after Col. Eyal Krim released clarifications of statements on women and gays. (Haaretz+)
- Israel to expand fleet of next-generation F-35 fighter jets - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office announces that the Security Cabinet has approved the purchase of 17 additional F-35 fighter jets; in total, the acquisition will reportedly bring the number of planes in the Israeli Air Force to 50. (Agencies, Ynet)
- After months-long delay, Israel pays some Palestinian workers for sick leave - State’s payments to 248 laborers amount to a drop in the bucket. (Haaretz+)
- Iran backtracks on Russian fighter plane purchase reports - A deal on Sukhoi Su-30 fighter planes would need the approval of the United Nations Security Council and could further strain Moscow's relations with Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United States. Previous reports had made the deal seem likely. (Agencies, Israel Hayom)
Features:
A war to coexist
The bilingual Arab-Jewish community in Haifa was not only under physical threat by the fires, but also faced attempts to bash Israeli Arabs in the media; ‘If they discover the arsonists are Arab, they should be punished in the most severe way possible. But you shouldn’t blame all Arabs because of a few terrorists,’ says an Arab member of the bilingual community in Jerusalem; ‘More than the fires themselves, we’re worried about the flames of hate,’ says a Jewish member of Haifa’s bilingual community. (Isaac Dabush, Yedioth/Ynet)
Commentary/Analysis:
Israel Fires Raise Burning Questions About Occupation (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) Question: Why haven't we heard about the arrest of Jews calling for the murder of Arabs? Answer: Jews are exercising their right to free speech.
If you're Palestinian in Israel, satire can land you in jail (John Brown*, +972mag) Anas Abudaabes was arrested last week for publishing a satirical Facebook post criticizing Arabs who celebrated the wildfires raging across Israel. Three separate judges claimed he was inciting to violence.
Beware of the pyromaniacs (David M. Weinberg, Israel Hayom) There have always been tensions between Israeli and Diaspora Jews, but we need not force these tensions to the divorce stage.
The key to Netanyahu’s firefighting strategy: $1.5 million photo-op (Amir Oren, Haaretz+) The American Boeing 747 supertanker costs $275,000 a day to operate. This is small change for Netanyahu, but big change for the Israeli taxpayer.
Organized terrorism (Dan Margalit, Israel Hayom) It is easy to look at the wave of arson as another chapter of 'lone-wolf' terrorism, but the police and Shin Bet must first thoroughly investigate the possibility of organized terrorism.
No fires or inciting politicians can destroy our shared society (Samah Salaime, +972mag) The wildfire that struck Neve Shalom-Wahat al-Salam left our Jewish-Arab village more resilient than ever before. We invite Israel’s politicians to learn from us on how to heal our society’s wounds.
Ceasefire: Why do we need to get to an extreme situation in order to find unity? (Avihu Sofer, Maariv) The wave of fires is proof that it is possible to live here in a different way, and that it is essential to foster mutual assistance in times of no emergency. This is our only hope to survive here together.
How Israel thanks (or doesn't) Palestine for helping put out fires (Haggai Matar, +972mag) The Palestinian Authority contributed eight firetrucks and 40 firefighters to combat the fire in Haifa. All they got was a footnote.
An Israeli Minister Hovering Above the Law (Haaretz Editorial) Minister Uri Ariel lives in a parallel State of Israel, where he is permitted to give a visiting Russian prime minister any gift he chooses, without considering the cost, sensitivity or even the question of whether it’s his to give.
The main reason for the new anti-Semitism (Noah Klieger, Yedioth/Ynet) It’s neither Israel’s stand towards terror, nor the fact that it won’t give up all lands claimed by the Palestinians. The real reason for the growing hatred towards the Jewish state is pure jealousy.
Yes, Netanyahu, the Israeli Media Is Hostile - to the Country’s Arabs (Salman Masalha, Haaretz+) The media sought out cheap Arabist manipulators who tried to bring depth to their analyses and assert that the fires were linked to terror.
The Golan incident: local initiative or strategic change (Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynet) Sunday’s shooting at Golani forces was probably the act of a local ISIS commander who could not resist the temptation of trying to hit an Israeli target; a less likely possibility is that ISIS decided to attack an Israeli target as an act of desperation; either way, it would be prudent of us to remain alert and well-hidden in the future.
Opinion Israelis' Hopes and Expectations for Donald Trump (Moshe Arens, Haaretz+) The past eight years have been an aberration, as far as U.S.-Israel ties are concerned. Hopefully they will now get back on track.
Everything except for journalism: High Court candidate has went through a political assassination attempt on TV (Kalman Libeskind, Maariv) Army Radio reporter targeted Professor Gideon Sapir for no reason. Because he wears a kippah on his head, because he is the High Court candidate of the Minister of Justice, because the reporter has a problem with how the candidate voted in elections.
What About Netanyahu's Other Lawyer? (Raviv Drucker, Haaretz+) Isaac Molho is required to hand over the list of his clients only to the attorney general, who keeps it in a safe so that no one will know and try to cross-reference the interests.
The 'Conspiracy' Over the Appointment of the IDF's New Chief Rabbi (Yagil Levy, Haaretz+) An imagined conversation between the IDF chief and the army's head of personnel.
The bilingual Arab-Jewish community in Haifa was not only under physical threat by the fires, but also faced attempts to bash Israeli Arabs in the media; ‘If they discover the arsonists are Arab, they should be punished in the most severe way possible. But you shouldn’t blame all Arabs because of a few terrorists,’ says an Arab member of the bilingual community in Jerusalem; ‘More than the fires themselves, we’re worried about the flames of hate,’ says a Jewish member of Haifa’s bilingual community. (Isaac Dabush, Yedioth/Ynet)
Commentary/Analysis:
Israel Fires Raise Burning Questions About Occupation (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) Question: Why haven't we heard about the arrest of Jews calling for the murder of Arabs? Answer: Jews are exercising their right to free speech.
If you're Palestinian in Israel, satire can land you in jail (John Brown*, +972mag) Anas Abudaabes was arrested last week for publishing a satirical Facebook post criticizing Arabs who celebrated the wildfires raging across Israel. Three separate judges claimed he was inciting to violence.
Beware of the pyromaniacs (David M. Weinberg, Israel Hayom) There have always been tensions between Israeli and Diaspora Jews, but we need not force these tensions to the divorce stage.
The key to Netanyahu’s firefighting strategy: $1.5 million photo-op (Amir Oren, Haaretz+) The American Boeing 747 supertanker costs $275,000 a day to operate. This is small change for Netanyahu, but big change for the Israeli taxpayer.
Organized terrorism (Dan Margalit, Israel Hayom) It is easy to look at the wave of arson as another chapter of 'lone-wolf' terrorism, but the police and Shin Bet must first thoroughly investigate the possibility of organized terrorism.
No fires or inciting politicians can destroy our shared society (Samah Salaime, +972mag) The wildfire that struck Neve Shalom-Wahat al-Salam left our Jewish-Arab village more resilient than ever before. We invite Israel’s politicians to learn from us on how to heal our society’s wounds.
Ceasefire: Why do we need to get to an extreme situation in order to find unity? (Avihu Sofer, Maariv) The wave of fires is proof that it is possible to live here in a different way, and that it is essential to foster mutual assistance in times of no emergency. This is our only hope to survive here together.
How Israel thanks (or doesn't) Palestine for helping put out fires (Haggai Matar, +972mag) The Palestinian Authority contributed eight firetrucks and 40 firefighters to combat the fire in Haifa. All they got was a footnote.
An Israeli Minister Hovering Above the Law (Haaretz Editorial) Minister Uri Ariel lives in a parallel State of Israel, where he is permitted to give a visiting Russian prime minister any gift he chooses, without considering the cost, sensitivity or even the question of whether it’s his to give.
The main reason for the new anti-Semitism (Noah Klieger, Yedioth/Ynet) It’s neither Israel’s stand towards terror, nor the fact that it won’t give up all lands claimed by the Palestinians. The real reason for the growing hatred towards the Jewish state is pure jealousy.
Yes, Netanyahu, the Israeli Media Is Hostile - to the Country’s Arabs (Salman Masalha, Haaretz+) The media sought out cheap Arabist manipulators who tried to bring depth to their analyses and assert that the fires were linked to terror.
The Golan incident: local initiative or strategic change (Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynet) Sunday’s shooting at Golani forces was probably the act of a local ISIS commander who could not resist the temptation of trying to hit an Israeli target; a less likely possibility is that ISIS decided to attack an Israeli target as an act of desperation; either way, it would be prudent of us to remain alert and well-hidden in the future.
Opinion Israelis' Hopes and Expectations for Donald Trump (Moshe Arens, Haaretz+) The past eight years have been an aberration, as far as U.S.-Israel ties are concerned. Hopefully they will now get back on track.
Everything except for journalism: High Court candidate has went through a political assassination attempt on TV (Kalman Libeskind, Maariv) Army Radio reporter targeted Professor Gideon Sapir for no reason. Because he wears a kippah on his head, because he is the High Court candidate of the Minister of Justice, because the reporter has a problem with how the candidate voted in elections.
What About Netanyahu's Other Lawyer? (Raviv Drucker, Haaretz+) Isaac Molho is required to hand over the list of his clients only to the attorney general, who keeps it in a safe so that no one will know and try to cross-reference the interests.
The 'Conspiracy' Over the Appointment of the IDF's New Chief Rabbi (Yagil Levy, Haaretz+) An imagined conversation between the IDF chief and the army's head of personnel.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.