APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday January 3, 2017
Quote of the day:
"You are declaring war against the Palestinians and the world. The Bennett government is carrying out the
Habayit Hayehudi vision and destroying the future of the country."
--Meretz MK Michal Rozin said in reaction to the proposal by Habayit Hayehudi leader Minister Naftali Bennett to apply Israeli sovereignty over Maaleh Adumim settlement.**
--Meretz MK Michal Rozin said in reaction to the proposal by Habayit Hayehudi leader Minister Naftali Bennett to apply Israeli sovereignty over Maaleh Adumim settlement.**
Front Page:
Haaretz
- Netanyahu interrogated on graft suspicions; Attorney General Mendelblit: The evidence against him recently strengthened
- An Israeli resident of the Galilee has been jailed for seven months without trial
- Military order prepares for relocating Amona (outpost) to plots in dispute
- Findings of autopsy: Mother from Jerusalem strangled her daughters before setting the apartment on fire
- Ministry of Environmental Protection to open criminal investigations against refineries following fire
- Big brother // Haaretz Editorial
- The surprise of Tel-Aviv Museum – The new curator: artist Doron Rabina
- To Russia, with love // Nitzan Horovitz
Yedioth Ahronoth
- Netanyahu suspected of graft; Under warning: Prime Minister was interrogated for 3 hours
- On incorruptibility and integrity // Nahum Barnea
- Expose: Minister Katz was interrogated on suspicion of receiving bribes
- Parents are furious: “A strike now?
- 4 small graves
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- Netanyahu interrogated under warning on suspicion of graft from wealthy people
- Mother and four daughters buried next to each other
- The Teachers’ Union threatens: Classes in all the educational institutions will begin at 11AM
Israel Hayom
- The investigation began; Netanyahu: “Wait with the celebrations”
- ‘Bibitours’ fell – now wait patiently // Haim Shine
- Father facing four graves: “Why did you take the girls?”
- Strike at kindergartens and elementary schools: Studies to begin at 11AM
- Fateful moment: Tomorrow – Court’s decision in Elor Azariya trial
- Yaakov Neeman was laid to rest: The man of wisdom and reason is no more”
- Dozens of new medicines for hundreds of thousands of ill: New list of subsidized medicines to be revealed this morning
News Summary:
The three-hour police interrogation last night of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on suspicions of graft was the biggest story in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Ahead of the arrival of the interrogators, Netanyahu continued to fend off the allegations that he received illicit benefits from wealthy patrons. Yedioth’s Yoaz Hendel (who once worked in Netanyahu’s bureau) wrote that Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit, who was appointed by Netanyahu, is in a tricky situation, because he is a “legally-engineered hybrid of a prosecutor and a defense attorney, simultaneously a close advisor (to Netanyahu) and responsible for (his) prosecution and that this leads to the investigation taking longer than it should. After the interrogation, Mendelblit did not provide information about the allegations against Netanyahu, and instead detailed a list of claims that did not present sufficient grounds to launch an investigation (e.g. ‘Bibitours). Yedioth’s top political commentator Nahum Barnea wrote that Mendelblit used the ‘severe’ phrase ‘tohar hamidot’ (translating to integrity, ethicality or incorruptibility), to describe the severity of the suspicions and why he agreed to allow Netanyahu to be questioned as a criminal suspect. Barnea stated that this is a type of suspicion that it is impossible to ignore and continue on. Moreover, Netanyahu was interrogated on “evidentiary basis” meaning following testimonies given by other people who were interrogated. It is already known that Ron Lauder was among those people and that he said he gave Netanyahu suits. Meanwhile, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked expressed support for a bill that would block probes into serving a prime minister. Haaretz+ wrote an explainer about the investigation here. See Commentary/Analysis below for the differing views on this investigation.
The three-hour police interrogation last night of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on suspicions of graft was the biggest story in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Ahead of the arrival of the interrogators, Netanyahu continued to fend off the allegations that he received illicit benefits from wealthy patrons. Yedioth’s Yoaz Hendel (who once worked in Netanyahu’s bureau) wrote that Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit, who was appointed by Netanyahu, is in a tricky situation, because he is a “legally-engineered hybrid of a prosecutor and a defense attorney, simultaneously a close advisor (to Netanyahu) and responsible for (his) prosecution and that this leads to the investigation taking longer than it should. After the interrogation, Mendelblit did not provide information about the allegations against Netanyahu, and instead detailed a list of claims that did not present sufficient grounds to launch an investigation (e.g. ‘Bibitours). Yedioth’s top political commentator Nahum Barnea wrote that Mendelblit used the ‘severe’ phrase ‘tohar hamidot’ (translating to integrity, ethicality or incorruptibility), to describe the severity of the suspicions and why he agreed to allow Netanyahu to be questioned as a criminal suspect. Barnea stated that this is a type of suspicion that it is impossible to ignore and continue on. Moreover, Netanyahu was interrogated on “evidentiary basis” meaning following testimonies given by other people who were interrogated. It is already known that Ron Lauder was among those people and that he said he gave Netanyahu suits. Meanwhile, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked expressed support for a bill that would block probes into serving a prime minister. Haaretz+ wrote an explainer about the investigation here. See Commentary/Analysis below for the differing views on this investigation.
Quick Hits:
- Israeli Arab, 20, jailed without trial for more than six months - Although he wasn't charged with any crime, Mohammed Khaled Ibrahim's detention was extended by three more months. Lawmaker: He was questioned after visits to Al-Aqsa Mosque. (Haaretz)
- Israeli army approves moving illegal settlement outpost to contested Palestinian land - West Bank commander issues directive to divide plots near Amona into smaller parcels; Palestinians can now lay claim to just part of the property. (Haaretz+)
- **Habayit Hayehudi announces plans to annex Maaleh Adumim - Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett: "By the end of the month, we will present the bill to apply [Israeli] law in Judea and Samaria, and we will set out on a new path." "You are declaring war against the Palestinians and the world," says Meretz MK. (Israel Hayom)
- INSS report: Hezbollah remains most serious conventional threat to Israel - According to report, Hezbollah has rockets that can reach any range, precision-guided missiles, attack and suicide drones, the best Russian-made air defense systems and ground units that are training to conquer Israeli towns and cities. (Ynet)
- Rivlin: High walls alone can't guarantee security, sovereignty - Hezbollah is the most serious threat, followed by Iran and Hamas, according to annual strategic assessment presented by Institute for National Security Studies head Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin to President Reuven Rivlin • Rivlin: Knowledge is power. (Israel Hayom)
- Minister Haim Katz suspected of taking bribes - Israel Securities Authority questions the welfare and labor minister for the second time, on suspicion of being bribed by close associate Moti Ben-Aryeh; Katz was previously questioned on suspicion of using inside information to profit NIS 290,000 at the stock market. (Ynet)
- Check into gas refinery inferno suggests criminal causes - One week after a gas refinery burst into flames in Haifa, special investigative team investigates workers, concludes it may have been caused by their criminal actions, both before and during the fire. (Ynet)
- Race for Israeli Labor Party' leadership heats up as lawmaker demands vote - In letter to Labor chair and opposition leader Isaac Herzog demanding leadership vote within 6 months, likely rival MK Erel Margalit decries 'deteriorating state of party.' (Haaretz+)
- Israeli forces demolish 11 Bedouin residential structures, 87 left homeless - Israeli bulldozers escorted by Israeli forces demolished 11 residential structures without allowing the owners to evacuate personal belongings and furniture. (Maan)
- Israeli Arab lawmaker barred from Knesset committees over cellphone smuggling case - MK Basel Ghattas accused of handing the phones to Palestinian prisoners has been under house arrest since last week after his parliamentary immunity was lifted. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
- Israeli prison service raid Nafha prison, assault Palestinian prisoners - Three Palestinian prisoners were injured as Israeli forces attacked prisoners, “beating them violently and firing tear gas.” The IPS transferred 10 Palestinian prisoners including Mohammed al-Dahnoun, who serves as the representative for the prisoners in section 4 of Nafha, to solitary confinement after the prisoners attempted to “break up the Israeli aggression against them.” Maariv reported that the prisoners refused to return to their cells as a protest and the prison guards “were forced to use tear gas and physical force” against them. (Maan and Maariv)
- Israeli military reorganizing its cybersecurity operations - Cybersecurity command to become part of army’s Teleprocessing Branch, which may now be renamed. (Haaretz+)
- Doron Rabina Appointed Chief Curator of Tel Aviv Museum of Art - 45-year-old Israeli is an award-winning artist who has previously spoken out against right-wing ‘repression’ of art studies. (Haaretz+)
- Rivlin eulogizes former minister Yaakov Neeman: 'A man of wisdom and reason is gone' - Hundreds, including senior political and judicial figures, come to pay their respects to the former justice and finance minister; 'You loved the State of Israel. Many times, you were the light that was sent in moments of crises and tension,' President Rivlin eulogizes. (Ynet)
- Bishop who smuggled arms to Palestinians dies in Rome - Hilarion Capucci, 94, who spent four years in Israeli prison and participated in Gaza flotillas, mourned as a ‘martyr’ by Palestinian Authority. (Times of Israel, Israel Hayom and Maan)
- Report: Sharp spike in repression of Palestinian journalists - Two new reports document the growing repression of Palestinian journalists by Israeli forces last year. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, Israel is currently imprisoning the same number of journalists as the Syrian regime. (+972mag)
- 2016: A deadly year in the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel - The wave of violence, termed by some as the “Jerusalem Intifada,” began in October 2015 and to date has seen 246 Palestinians killed by Israelis, with 135 Palestinians killed between the months of October and December 2015 alone. In 2016, Ma’an recorded the deaths of a total of 129 individuals from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2016. Of these dead, 111 were Palestinian (86% of deaths), 15 were Israeli (11.6%), and three were foreign nationals (2.3%) -- one American, one Sudanese, and one Jordanian. (Maan)
- U.S.-led Strikes Killed at Least 188 Civilians in Iraq and Syria, U.S. Military Says - Since the operation began in 2014 against ISIS targets, the U.S. has conducted 17,005 strikes as of December 30. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Features:
Sexism and aggression: What we learn from Israeli army T-shirts
Racy, sexually explicit items have become part of Israeli military culture. And the main targets are women, Arabs and gays. (Shachar Atwan, Haaretz+)
Salvation for the Jewish community in Uganda is in the hand of two boys from Raanana (in Israel)?
A particularly severe drought led the 400 Jews of the Abayudaya people to a plight of hunger and despair. Through Facebook they reached a pair of high school students from Israel who recruited the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a crowdfunding project. (Oz Rosenberg, Maariv Magazine supplement, cover)
'Local Testimony' press photo exhibit reflects Israel's broken reality
Terrorism and politics again dominate this year’s ‘Local Testimony’ exhibition of press photographs. Curator Micha Kirshner talks about some of the most striking images. (Itay Stern, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
In New Police Probe, Netanyahu’s Devil Is in the Details (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) The danger for the prime minister isn’t just legal: His public support could crumble if he is perceived as greedy and self-indulgent.
Annex, Bibi, annex (Haim Ramon, Yedioth/Ynet) If Netanyahu and Bennett really want to continue the occupation and are unwilling to give up a single inch of land, they should go all way and start annexing immediately. Such a move will finally put their vision to the test and present the full picture to the public.
Netanyahu's ties with tycoons face scrutiny, just as he's set to lead new fundraising effort (Ido Baum, Haaretz+) Beyond absurd: As investigation begins into prime minister's possible receipt of illicit gifts from billionaires, the state has given him the green light to forge closer ties with them.
Not exactly annexation, but raises legal questions. What is the significance of Bennett’s proposal? (Prof. Avi Bell, Maariv) The Minister of Education wants to enact a law according to which Israeli law w, jurisdiction and administration ill apply in Ma'aleh Adumim (settlement), but not territorial sovereignty. Does the world know the difference?
Big Brother Bennett (Haaretz Editorial) Education Minister Naftali Bennett will use any means to instill the separatist and racist ideology he and his Habayit Hayehudi party represent.
The dispute between principles: government stability is more important than an investigation (Attorney Yechiel Gutman, Maariv) Holding a police procedure and prosecuting a prime minister in a democracy leads to tension between equality before the law and the need to manage the state. It is better to postpone the test until after his term.
Only a Surprise Can Save Netanyahu From an Indictment (Amir Oren, Haaretz+) It now seems possible that Avichai Mendelblit will be first attorney general to indict the prime minister who appointed him.
The Foolish Equating of Israel’s 'Extreme Left' With the Radical Right (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) The fanatical right has the resources of an entire state at its disposal, while the ‘radical anti-Zionists’ barely have a newspaper column.
The Israeli Culture Minister's Warped Sense of History (Kobi Niv, Haaretz+) Miri Regev foolishly distinguishes between true history – the Jews' – and fallacious history – everyone else's. Well, she likes Donald Trump at least.
Run, Ehud, Run (Tal Niv, Haaretz+) Ehud Barak, you must get up to take the position as head of a camp including all the fair politicians in Israel at the moment. Start the second revolution.
Three Reasons Israelis Stopped Being Secular (Rami Livni, Haaretz+) Nonreligious Israelis have only themselves to blame for their country’s increasing religiosity, but they can do something about it.
Terrorism from all sides (Dr. Nimrod Goren, Israel Hayom) Terrorism is on the rise in Turkey. Hopefully, regional cooperation and the pursuit of peace will be able to bring about change for the better.
Will the Last Newspaper Editor to Leave Beirut Please Turn Out the Lights (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Is the financial crisis threatening Lebanon’s newspapers a blow to press freedom and freedom of speech? Or were they illusions in the first place?
Racy, sexually explicit items have become part of Israeli military culture. And the main targets are women, Arabs and gays. (Shachar Atwan, Haaretz+)
Salvation for the Jewish community in Uganda is in the hand of two boys from Raanana (in Israel)?
A particularly severe drought led the 400 Jews of the Abayudaya people to a plight of hunger and despair. Through Facebook they reached a pair of high school students from Israel who recruited the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a crowdfunding project. (Oz Rosenberg, Maariv Magazine supplement, cover)
'Local Testimony' press photo exhibit reflects Israel's broken reality
Terrorism and politics again dominate this year’s ‘Local Testimony’ exhibition of press photographs. Curator Micha Kirshner talks about some of the most striking images. (Itay Stern, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
In New Police Probe, Netanyahu’s Devil Is in the Details (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) The danger for the prime minister isn’t just legal: His public support could crumble if he is perceived as greedy and self-indulgent.
Annex, Bibi, annex (Haim Ramon, Yedioth/Ynet) If Netanyahu and Bennett really want to continue the occupation and are unwilling to give up a single inch of land, they should go all way and start annexing immediately. Such a move will finally put their vision to the test and present the full picture to the public.
Netanyahu's ties with tycoons face scrutiny, just as he's set to lead new fundraising effort (Ido Baum, Haaretz+) Beyond absurd: As investigation begins into prime minister's possible receipt of illicit gifts from billionaires, the state has given him the green light to forge closer ties with them.
Not exactly annexation, but raises legal questions. What is the significance of Bennett’s proposal? (Prof. Avi Bell, Maariv) The Minister of Education wants to enact a law according to which Israeli law w, jurisdiction and administration ill apply in Ma'aleh Adumim (settlement), but not territorial sovereignty. Does the world know the difference?
Big Brother Bennett (Haaretz Editorial) Education Minister Naftali Bennett will use any means to instill the separatist and racist ideology he and his Habayit Hayehudi party represent.
The dispute between principles: government stability is more important than an investigation (Attorney Yechiel Gutman, Maariv) Holding a police procedure and prosecuting a prime minister in a democracy leads to tension between equality before the law and the need to manage the state. It is better to postpone the test until after his term.
Only a Surprise Can Save Netanyahu From an Indictment (Amir Oren, Haaretz+) It now seems possible that Avichai Mendelblit will be first attorney general to indict the prime minister who appointed him.
The Foolish Equating of Israel’s 'Extreme Left' With the Radical Right (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) The fanatical right has the resources of an entire state at its disposal, while the ‘radical anti-Zionists’ barely have a newspaper column.
The Israeli Culture Minister's Warped Sense of History (Kobi Niv, Haaretz+) Miri Regev foolishly distinguishes between true history – the Jews' – and fallacious history – everyone else's. Well, she likes Donald Trump at least.
Run, Ehud, Run (Tal Niv, Haaretz+) Ehud Barak, you must get up to take the position as head of a camp including all the fair politicians in Israel at the moment. Start the second revolution.
Three Reasons Israelis Stopped Being Secular (Rami Livni, Haaretz+) Nonreligious Israelis have only themselves to blame for their country’s increasing religiosity, but they can do something about it.
Terrorism from all sides (Dr. Nimrod Goren, Israel Hayom) Terrorism is on the rise in Turkey. Hopefully, regional cooperation and the pursuit of peace will be able to bring about change for the better.
Will the Last Newspaper Editor to Leave Beirut Please Turn Out the Lights (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Is the financial crisis threatening Lebanon’s newspapers a blow to press freedom and freedom of speech? Or were they illusions in the first place?
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.