APN's daily news review from Israel
Wednesday March 29, 2017
Quote of the day:
“I came as a public representative, and AIPAC knows who I represent. What, do you [at Army Radio] think
my views can be bought by financing my trip?”
--Meretz MK Tamar Zandberg responded to Army Radio journalist who questioned why she attended a demonstration against AIPAC when she invited to speak on a panel at the AIPAC conference.*
--Meretz MK Tamar Zandberg responded to Army Radio journalist who questioned why she attended a demonstration against AIPAC when she invited to speak on a panel at the AIPAC conference.*
Front Page:
Haaretz
- (Culture Minister) Regev demands that arts fund provide lists of those who support and oppose funding for films
- Not McCarthyism, Regevism // Uri Klein
- Let Regev boycott // Shani Littman
- US Ambassador to UN: Days of Israel-bashing are over
- (Justice Minister) Shaked to Netanyahu: Cancel the committee for choosing an Attorney General and let the politicians decide
- Man accused of murdering his mother in Kibbutz Mahanayim was unanimously acquitted; Judges ruled that the testimony against him is not trustworthy
- Passerby seriously injured from shots by unknown people at a butcher in Um al-Fahem
- It’s not the (Israel Public Broadcasting) Corporation // Zvi Barel
- Actually, why should she resign // Rotem Rozenberg-Robbins
- A lesson in civics // Yuval Yoaz
- (Communications Minister) Hanegbi is also in conflict of interests with media: Friends with the owners of Charleton and Maariv
Yedioth Ahronoth
- The threat: Enormous strike of judicial system – over judges pensions
- Attorney General to Lieberman: You cannot hold a hearing for Rabbi Levinstein
- “I heard ‘acquitted,’ and I thought about mother” – Man acquitted of murdering his mother
- Ely gave us life – Four children received the organs of Ely Nir
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- “Netanyahu has the political option of making a big diplomatic move”
- (Interior Minister) Deri’s Tweet: In light of the challenges, Herzog and his (Zionist Camp) party need to join the government
- Baby boom – Six months after birth: Model Bar Refaeli is pregnant again
- Open file – Court acquitted Chen Ilati, who was accused of murdering his mother
- Ayala (who was seriously injured from a Molotov cocktail [in the West Bank] 2.5 years ago) faces Europe
Israel Hayom
- From indicted for murder to full acquittal – Kibbutznik acquitted of murdering his mother: “New page”
- Ayala, 11, facing all of Europe (at UN)
- Rabbi from center of country arrested on suspicion of harassing and raping women
- US ambassador to UN: “I am wearing heels in order to kick anyone who acts against Israel”
- (Israel Public Broadcasting) Corporation crisis: Meeting between Netanyahu and Kahlon ended without results
News Summary:
Today’s top stories included a man who was acquitted of murdering his mother and another meeting without results between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon to resolve the coalition crisis and a suggestion to bring the Zionist Camp into the coalition, Maariv reported that US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Jason Greenblatt, concluded that if Trump forced Netanyahu to cooperate in a "final deal” to make peace with the Palestinians, Netanyahu could expand his government and implement the plan that he discussed with opposition leader, Zionist Camp chief, MK Isaac Herzog.
Also making headlines was the speech at the UN by Ayala Shapira, 14, an Israeli settler, who was badly burned two years ago when a Palestinian threw a Molotov cocktail on her car in the West Bank. Not reported on in the print papers was that the Palestinian boy, Ahmed Darwashe, who was badly burned two and a half years ago when Jewish Israelis threw Molotov cocktails into his home, killing his mother, father and brother, now lost his grandfather, who had taken care of him ever since. (Maariv Online)
Not in the papers was a report from Ynet of a new video from the Umm al-Hiran shooting, in which a Jewish Israeli man is heard shouting ‘Don’t shoot, don’t shoot’ followed by sounds of gunfire. The new video comes more than two months after the incident in which police officer Erez Levi was run over by civilian Yaqub Abu al-Qiyan, who was shot to death. The police initially accused Al-Qiyan of being a terrorist and intentionally running over Levi, but previous video showed he was shot before his car sped up and lost control.
Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Jordan for the 28th Arab League summit, after making a tour of Europe and the Middle East seeking to gain support for the Palestinian cause.
Today’s top stories included a man who was acquitted of murdering his mother and another meeting without results between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon to resolve the coalition crisis and a suggestion to bring the Zionist Camp into the coalition, Maariv reported that US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Jason Greenblatt, concluded that if Trump forced Netanyahu to cooperate in a "final deal” to make peace with the Palestinians, Netanyahu could expand his government and implement the plan that he discussed with opposition leader, Zionist Camp chief, MK Isaac Herzog.
Also making headlines was the speech at the UN by Ayala Shapira, 14, an Israeli settler, who was badly burned two years ago when a Palestinian threw a Molotov cocktail on her car in the West Bank. Not reported on in the print papers was that the Palestinian boy, Ahmed Darwashe, who was badly burned two and a half years ago when Jewish Israelis threw Molotov cocktails into his home, killing his mother, father and brother, now lost his grandfather, who had taken care of him ever since. (Maariv Online)
Not in the papers was a report from Ynet of a new video from the Umm al-Hiran shooting, in which a Jewish Israeli man is heard shouting ‘Don’t shoot, don’t shoot’ followed by sounds of gunfire. The new video comes more than two months after the incident in which police officer Erez Levi was run over by civilian Yaqub Abu al-Qiyan, who was shot to death. The police initially accused Al-Qiyan of being a terrorist and intentionally running over Levi, but previous video showed he was shot before his car sped up and lost control.
Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas arrived in Jordan for the 28th Arab League summit, after making a tour of Europe and the Middle East seeking to gain support for the Palestinian cause.
Quick Hits:
- Israel Police to Indict Cop Who Beat Palestinian Truck Driver, Won't Suffice With Reprimand - Moshe Cohen has confessed to the slapping, head-butting, kneeing and kicking of Mazen Shweiki that was filmed and posted online. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli police raid settler yeshiva, arrest six for attacks on cops, Palestinians - The raid is the second of its kind on the yeshiva in the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar within a week. (Haaretz+)
- 2 Palestinian youths injured in IDF shooting in al-Jalazun transferred to Israeli hospital - Two of three seriously injured 18-year-old Palestinians were transferred to a hospital in Tel-Aviv, four days after Israeli forces opened fire on them killing one of their friends. Israel said it coordinated the youths’ transfer, accompanied by two Palestinian doctors and an unspecified number of relatives, to the Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv. (Maan)
- Prominent Israeli Arts Fund Requires Filmmakers to Avoid Dishonoring Israel - To obtain funding, filmmakers working with the Rabinovich Foundation must declare their films won't present Independence Day as a day of mourning or insult symbols of the state. (Haaretz+)
- Police making unreasonable demands of anti-occupation march in Jerusalem, organizers say - No megaphones or marching in the streets: Left-wing groups, who planned march to mark 50 years of occupation, say police have set impossible conditions for permit. (Haaretz+)
- Jewish Temple Mount Activists Plan Passover Sacrifice Near Western Wall in Jerusalem - The ceremony has been conducted annually for the past 15 years, but it began as a semi-underground event in which an animal was sacrificed a few days before Passover. (Haaretz+)
- *Left-wing Israeli Lawmaker Blasted by Israeli Right for Rallying Against Occupation at AIPAC - Meretz MK Tamar Zandberg was in the U.S. capital to participate on a panel at pro-Israel lobby AIPAC's annual conference. (Haaretz+)
- Israel increases oversight of film industry, prompting cries of McCarthyism, blacklisting - A committee set up by Israel's culture minister is requesting the names of screenwriters, directors and producers, as well as the names of officials who approved or turned down each script and why. (Haaretz+)
- Israel's Justice Minister Wants Government to Appoint Attorney General - Justice Minister wants to revert to system scrapped in 2000 following scandal over perceived politically-inspired appointment. (Haaretz+)
- PM involvement in media supervision bill imperiled - In light of the ongoing conflict regarding the IPBC that is currently preoccupying the government, the AG is now looking into the PM's possible conflict of interest in the media supervision bill, which might put a stop to his involvement in legislating on the matter. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Judicial system faces first ever strike - The struggle over judges’ terms of retirement is threatening an all out, unprecedented strike in the Israeli judicial system; judges are protesting the decision to transfer them to an accrual pension, and many of them are refusing to retire until the conditions are settled. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Jerusalem neighborhood to cancel children’s choir for Remembrance Day - Har Homa, attempting to organize a ceremony for all the community’s members, announced the planned children choir, which includes girls, will not perform (because religious oppose girls singing). (Ynet)
- Rabbi Levinstein apologizes for 'disrespecting the fighting girls’ - In a letter to the Eli yeshiva graduates, the rabbi wrote that his disparaging remarks about women in the IDF had been taken out of context, and that he apologizes for the style, but not for the content: ‘I think they are wrong and what is being done to them is terrible, but it is not right to belittle them and in that, I was mistaken.’ (Ynet)
- Israel's New Fire Chief Accused of Preventing Women From Becoming Firefighters - Head of national firefighters’ association says entrance exams have been changed in a way designed to prevent women from joining force. (Haaretz+)
- Deputy AG: 'Women's exclusion is worsening' - A report filed to the Knesset by deputy AG warns that gender segregation is becoming more common and acceptable, saying that efforts against the trend are needed now more than ever. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Ariel: Bennett wants to break off Bayit Yehudi-National Union partnership - Sources in Minister Ariel's National Union faction say that Bennett plans to overhaul his party by reducing religious-right members and including more liberal women in effort to appeal to new voters. (Ynet)
- 10 Al-Aqsa guards detained after altercation with Israeli archaeologist - Waqf officials say Israeli archaeologists tried to remove a stone from an underground section below the al-Qibli mosque, violating status quo. The archaeologist was removed from the area, which is closed to the public, but later tried to re-enter via an underground prayer hall. (Haaretz+ and Maan+VIDEO)
- Video shows bleeding soldier who accidentally entered Palestinian village - Soldier made the wrong turn, finding himself in Sa'ir, where residents pelted him with stones, wounding him; he was aided by other locals and later extracted by Palestinian police. (Ynet+VIDEO)
- Israel's controversial passport bill might quell donations from Russian oligarchs - Under the current law, immigrants receive a passport after a year and by proving their lives are based in Israel − unless they donate to Israeli groups or Jewish education abroad. (Haaretz+)
- 'We lived through Hitler, we'll outlive you,' call Haredim protesting draft - Thousands of protestors oppose the mandatory Israeli draft to the IDF on Tuesday, with signs that decry what they feel is a threat to Jewish existence; Ultra-Orthodox leader Rabbi Auerbach calls to fight draft 'until the last drop of blood.' (Agencies, Ynet)
- Former MK accused of spying speaks about allegations - Accused of spying for Hezbollah during the Second Lebanon War and faced with possible life imprisonment, Azmi Bishara fled Israel 10 years ago; in an interview held in Doha, the former Knesset member insists: 'I didn't discuss any security issues of any kind.' (Ynet)
- Israeli Air Force Holds Joint Exercise With United Arab Emirates, U.S. and Italy - Photos from Iniohos 2017 training from past days show F-16 aircraft from UAE alongside an American Air Force transport plane at the Greek air force base. (Haaretz)
- Israeli rights group petitions High Court to halt use of 'harmful' biometric database - Petitioners seek revocation of demand that each resident join the database – which they claim does not help prevent identity theft – and of temporary order allowing police to collect fingerprints. (Haaretz+)
- Right before Passover, 230 olim from Ukraine land in Israel - 78 families of new immigrants escape the war-torn country, where they were living as refugees, and make Aliyah; among them are four Holocaust survivors and over 40 children; 'I am happy and excited to reunite with my son who already lives in Israel,' says one. (Ynet)
- Israeli lawmakers reach out to US Jews on anti-Semitism - A group of Israeli lawmakers representing a cross-section of the political spectrum is reaching out to American Jews amid uncertainty over the direction of US policy toward the Jewish state under President Donald Trump. (Ynet)
- Israeli rights activists ask Yad Vashem to cancel Philippine president's visit - Rodrigo Duterte has been accused of Holocaust denial and ordering the extrajudicial killing of drug dealers and addicts. (Haaretz+)
- Nicaragua: Diplomatic Ties With Israel to Be Restored After Political Break - Nicaraguan President Ortega suspended ties with Israel in 2010 after the deadly raid on the Turkish flotilla trying enter Gaza. (Haaretz)
- Israeli forces detain 20 Palestinians, including lawmaker, in overnight raids - The Hamas movement confirmed the detention of Nassif, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), adding that he had previously spent a total of 15 years in Israeli custody. (Maan)
- WATCH: Winning hearts and minds through hasbara - Can a public relations campaign turn enemies into friends? • What is the place of empathy in hasbara? • Can hasbara harm Israel's image? • Host Steve Ganot speaks with video producer Yona Morgenstern about her efforts to show Israel in a positive light. (Israel Hayom)
- 2 Palestinians held without charge continue hunger strikes in Israeli prison - University student Kifah Quzmar recently launched a hunger strike, while Mahmoud Ali Saada entered his 16th day without food on Tuesday, after the two announced hunger strikes in Israeli prisons in protest of being held in administration detention, an Israeli policy of imprisonment without charge or trial. (Maan)
- Palestinian man from Gaza killed in Syria - Salih al-Arqan left the Gaza Strip to Syria a few years ago to “join the fighting there,” his family told Ma’an, adding that they were notified on Monday about al-Arqan’s death in Aleppo. (Maan)
- Palestinian foreign minister meets with Arab League members in Jordan -
- Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki met with members of the Arab League in Amman and urged them to "put into effect and follow up with the implementation" of resolutions “seeking to restore stability and security and bring to an end all troubles in Arab countries,” particularly regarding the question of Palestine. (Maan)
- PA opens nominations for local elections amid ongoing opposition by political factions - Hamas rejected the plan, saying that elections should only take place after the more than decade-long rivalry between Hamas and Fatah came to an end and reconciliation was achieved. (Maan)
- Iran Says Russia Can Again Use Its Military Bases for Syria Airstrikes - Russian deployment in Iranian bases stopped after lawmakers said it breaches the constitution. Now, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says Moscow could use its bases ‘on case by case basis.’ (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Trump to Meet Egypt's Sissi at White House on April 3 - Unlike the Obama administration, which was critical of the military takeover that brought Sissi to power, Trump has warmly embraced Egypt's president. (Haaretz)
- Against All Odds, Syrian National Soccer Team Performing Wonders in International Competition - It might be hard to support a team that is in part the Assad propaganda machine. But it’s also hard not to root for a team that is playing so hard. (Haaretz+)
Features:
Drugs and Delusions in Despondent Gaza
When despair mounts in the beleaguered Strip, addiction spreads — either to opioids or to dreams of waging a holy war. (Amira Hass, Haaretz+)
Jewish, Arab children work together to excavate Lod mosaic
"These meetings [between the students] allow for change regarding tolerance, respectful relationships, understanding and intercultural sensitivity," says Etai Ziv, project manager at the Efshar Aheret organization • Students learn about Lod's history. (Yori Yalon, Israel Hayom)
Does the Political Scientist Who Foresaw the Trump Era Still Believe Democracy Has a Future?
Forget the nostalgia for 21st-century social democracy, says Harvard political scientist Yascha Mounk. Nationalism is here to stay. (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
Are Israelis More or Less Violent Than Their Potential? (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) The high levels of violence in Israeli society reflect the reality in the occupied territories.
One law for all: Was the senior (officer) saved from a trial because of his rank? (Ran Adelist, Maariv) It’s not feasible that a senior officer is acquitted and a simple soldier is convicted of what appears to be the same offense. The army must take advantage of the opportunity to prosecute Colonel Yisrael Shomer, who shot (in the back and killed a) Palestinian boy who threw a rock at his vehicle and fled.
To the Attention of Israel's Propaganda Minister: The Second Boycott Will Do It (B. Michael, Haaretz+) A boycott worthy of the name – one that's economic, cultural, sports-related and applies to tourism – is the most legitimate, human and philo-Semitic way in the enlightened world to try to save Israel from itself.
In Israel, elections are a sort of escapism (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/Ynet) Netanyahu has a dream government. It’s submissive and obedient, and all its ministers speak with one voice. There is no one threatening him and no one undermining him. Nevertheless, after two years, he is fed up again and may drag Israel to elections.
Leave the Temple Mount Alone (Haaretz Editorial) Despite pressure from right’s pressure, even Netanyahu understands that even after 50 years of empty slogans about the unity and eternity of Jerusalem, Israel can’t do as it pleases on the Temple Mount.
There's a Word for Jewish Resistance to Trump and Netanyahu: Daylight (Bradley Burston, Haaretz) After all these years, resistance is the reason that there are still Jews in the world.
The wall that could spark a war between Israel and Hamas (Yossi Yehoshua, Yedioth/Ynet) If another round of fighting breaks out on the southern front this summer, it likely won’t be over the assassination of Hamas commander Mazan Fukha, which the organization is attributing to Israel, but rather over the obstacle defense system—the major project aimed at eliminating the tunnel threat.
Wall Street and Israel: Sucker-punched by Trump and Still Smiling (David Rosenberg, Haaretz) The settlers and the markets are suffering battered-wife syndrome: they have been lied to and abused still insist Trump is their man.
The new star: Nicky Hailey has become Israel's hope, but what can she do? (Shlomo Shamir, Maariv) The US ambassador to the United Nations has excited AIPAC with pro-Israel statements, but the operational part of her job is expected to be much more difficult. It’s not certain there is anything to expect.
Israel's Settlers Are Beginning to Miss Obama (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) If the unpredictable Trump launches a bid to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace, it will be hard for settler supporters in the U.S. to accuse the Republican of throwing Israel under the bus.
When despair mounts in the beleaguered Strip, addiction spreads — either to opioids or to dreams of waging a holy war. (Amira Hass, Haaretz+)
Jewish, Arab children work together to excavate Lod mosaic
"These meetings [between the students] allow for change regarding tolerance, respectful relationships, understanding and intercultural sensitivity," says Etai Ziv, project manager at the Efshar Aheret organization • Students learn about Lod's history. (Yori Yalon, Israel Hayom)
Does the Political Scientist Who Foresaw the Trump Era Still Believe Democracy Has a Future?
Forget the nostalgia for 21st-century social democracy, says Harvard political scientist Yascha Mounk. Nationalism is here to stay. (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
Are Israelis More or Less Violent Than Their Potential? (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) The high levels of violence in Israeli society reflect the reality in the occupied territories.
One law for all: Was the senior (officer) saved from a trial because of his rank? (Ran Adelist, Maariv) It’s not feasible that a senior officer is acquitted and a simple soldier is convicted of what appears to be the same offense. The army must take advantage of the opportunity to prosecute Colonel Yisrael Shomer, who shot (in the back and killed a) Palestinian boy who threw a rock at his vehicle and fled.
To the Attention of Israel's Propaganda Minister: The Second Boycott Will Do It (B. Michael, Haaretz+) A boycott worthy of the name – one that's economic, cultural, sports-related and applies to tourism – is the most legitimate, human and philo-Semitic way in the enlightened world to try to save Israel from itself.
In Israel, elections are a sort of escapism (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/Ynet) Netanyahu has a dream government. It’s submissive and obedient, and all its ministers speak with one voice. There is no one threatening him and no one undermining him. Nevertheless, after two years, he is fed up again and may drag Israel to elections.
Leave the Temple Mount Alone (Haaretz Editorial) Despite pressure from right’s pressure, even Netanyahu understands that even after 50 years of empty slogans about the unity and eternity of Jerusalem, Israel can’t do as it pleases on the Temple Mount.
There's a Word for Jewish Resistance to Trump and Netanyahu: Daylight (Bradley Burston, Haaretz) After all these years, resistance is the reason that there are still Jews in the world.
The wall that could spark a war between Israel and Hamas (Yossi Yehoshua, Yedioth/Ynet) If another round of fighting breaks out on the southern front this summer, it likely won’t be over the assassination of Hamas commander Mazan Fukha, which the organization is attributing to Israel, but rather over the obstacle defense system—the major project aimed at eliminating the tunnel threat.
Wall Street and Israel: Sucker-punched by Trump and Still Smiling (David Rosenberg, Haaretz) The settlers and the markets are suffering battered-wife syndrome: they have been lied to and abused still insist Trump is their man.
The new star: Nicky Hailey has become Israel's hope, but what can she do? (Shlomo Shamir, Maariv) The US ambassador to the United Nations has excited AIPAC with pro-Israel statements, but the operational part of her job is expected to be much more difficult. It’s not certain there is anything to expect.
Israel's Settlers Are Beginning to Miss Obama (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) If the unpredictable Trump launches a bid to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace, it will be hard for settler supporters in the U.S. to accuse the Republican of throwing Israel under the bus.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.