News Nosh 6.12.17

APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday June 12, 2017
 
Quote of the day #1:
"The personality was examined in variables that are considered positive variables such as openness to experience, reliability as well as variables called the ‘dark triangle’: narcissistic, anti-social, scheming and adding a ‘vengeance’ variable, in which the basic given of people with this variable on a high level is: ‘I am willing to remove my own eye, if I take out two of yours,’ or in other words, ‘I am willing to do damage to myself, as long as I do you more damage.’”
--Prof. Avi Besser of Sappir College, who headed a study on characteristics of left-wing and right-wing people.*
 
Quote of the day #2:
“Palestinian, Israeli, Syrian and children from other countries receive treatment in the hospital for a variety of serious illnesses and need all the help they can get. I decided to contribute as much as I could, both as a humanitarian act and a symbol of solidarity.”
--After receiving treatment for cancer himself at Rambam Hospital in Israel, an unnamed senior Palestinian official donated tens of thousands of shekels underwriting the establishment of a children’s recovery room inside the oncology center.**


Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
  • Investigation: The oversight of the sub-teachers
  • Prof. Yuval Noah Harari: If the ethical code is accepted, I will violate it in every lesson
  • Kosher, but smells // Nahum Barnea
  • Fuss about nothing // Prof. Elisha Hass
  • We will turn into hostages // Prof. Yosef Klapter
  • (Jewish-Arab singer) Mira Awad against Miri Regev: “You incite”
  • Mysterious death: Two bodies found in hotel room, couple were formerly religious Jews
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
Israel Hayom

News Summary:
A storm rages over the silencing ‘ethical code’ for college lecturers, an Israeli journalist is forced to compensate the Netanyahu couple over $30,000 for libel, and after a heated debate, Israeli government security-diplomatic cabinet cuts the power supply to the Gaza Strip to two to four hours a day making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Also, the latest on attempts for a peace process.
 
Even Israel’s President, Reuven Rivlin, has spoken out against Israel's proposed university ethics code, saying that “The freedom to express a different opinion requires protection.” Yedioth reported that renowned Israeli historian Yuval Harari said in a special message to his students: “I am announcing from now that if and when the ethical code is accepted I intend to violate it every lesson. It is impossible to teach history in a serious manner without touching on political issues. It’s possible to close the History department, together with the other departments in Humanities and Social Sciences. This is the creation of an atmosphere of censorship, a thought and fear police. We are familiar with these things in history, which reached much more radical ends, like in the revolutionary courts in China in the trial to execute lecturers by their students. A tyrannical regime doesn’t from nowhere in one day, the solution is not to agree in advance.” The National Student Union threatened to shut down the education system. Education Minister Naftali Bennett, who initiated the code of ethics, said it was actually meant to combat people being silenced on campus. The Israeli professor who wrote the code, Asa Kasher, said university heads are "acting like the ultra-Orthodox rabbis who want to preserve their power and said that the Left-wing opposes the code because far right-wing Education Minister Naftali Bennett supports. Kasher also claimed that his code of ethics, which bars academics from expressing political views in class, mirrors the U.S. code. But Haaretz+ interviewed an Israel Democracy Institute researcher who said the US and Israeli ethical codes are completely different. Kasher’s code goes well beyond the call for caution and the American document, a note was added in 1970 stating: “The intent of this statement is not to discourage what is ‘controversial.’ Controversy is at the heart of the free academic inquiry which the entire statement is designed to foster. The passage serves to underscore the need for teachers to avoid persistently intruding material which has no relation to their subject.” Another essential difference the researcher pointed out was that while the AAUP is a voluntary organization applying ethical rules to itself, Kasher is working for the government to propose ethical rules for academia.
 
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said he intended to make a law targeting left-wing human rights NGOs even harder by not allowing any foreign government funding. Netanyahu also announced that he would review a bill to limit the right to stand before the High Court of Justice, “which is intended to harm mainly Palestinians who want to appeal to the High Court of Justice,” wrote Maariv’s Arik Bender. “This is a bill designed to limit a flood of petitions by left-wing organizations such as Peace Now and others, who appeal in the name of Palestinian civilians against [settler] construction on land they claim to own, leading to delays in settlement construction in outposts and house demolitions,” Bender wrote.

A heated discussion took place among the members of the government security cabinet Sunday over whether to heed the request of the Palestinian Authority to cut the Gaza electricity supply by 35%. The IDF supported the request, for which Minister Yuval Steinitz said was getting orders from Abbas. The IDF also warned that if Qatar stopped support for Hamas, as it is being pressured to do, it could lead to a further deterioration in the humanitarian situation in the Strip, which in turn could spark a military conflict. The IDF said it believes Hamas is not interested in a military conflict with Israel at this time. Zionist Union MK Zouheir Bahloul, meanwhile, decried the "awful and inhumane decision by the Palestinian Authority and Israeli government," saying it was "regrettable that the Netanyahu government chooses to strengthen the PA only when it means hurting the lives of the residents of Gaza."
 
On Renewing Peace Talks:
A top Trump Administration official told Israel Hayom that Israeli and Palestinian spoilers want to derail peace talks and that media reports suggesting that Israeli lawmaker Tzipi Livni was involved in U.S. efforts to relaunch Israeli-Palestinian peace talks were false. Jerusalem Post and Maariv reported that a five-person Palestinian delegation will be traveling to DC to meet with Trump Administration officials and discuss renewing peace negotiations. According to a senior Fatah official, US President Donald Trump asked Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas during his visit to Bethlehem in May to dispatch the delegation. Haaretz+ reported that Netanyahu asked Trump to accept isolated settlements as Israeli enclaves in Palestinian Territory in a future peace deal. “Netanyahu wants to avoid the evacuation of tens of thousands of settlers from the isolated settlements mainly because of the political price he and his Likud Party, which relies on support from the settlers, will pay for it,” wrote Haaretz+. Haaretz+ also reported that Netanyahu and Opposition leader Isaac Herzog secretly met with Egypt’s President in Cairo last year amid a regional peace effort. Yossi Verter reported that the “overnight trip took place after international and regional powers approached Israeli opposition leader Herzog asking for his help in promoting the peace initiative…As Netanyahu was assumed to be politically unable to lead a real peace process, namely due to his right wing coalition partners, international and regional powers reached out to Herzog through various channels. They told him that due to the new circumstances, a change in the right-wing coalition was critical for the regional initiative’s success.”
 
Quick Hits:
  • Israel moves forward bill to cut tax transfer to PA over prisoners compensation program - Israeli governmental committee advanced a bill on Sunday which would see the Israeli government cease to transfer an estimated 1 billion shekels ($280 million) per year to the Palestinian Authority over the controversial “martyrs” compensation program that provides financial allowances to Palestinians imprisoned by Israel and their families. (Maan, Israel Hayom and JPost)
  • Minister Regev to shun music awards over performance of Palestinian poet's song - Culture minister opposes Darwish song at ACUM ceremony on Monday night. "The world doesn't spin around what Miri Regev likes," said Mira Awad, the singer. (JPost and Yedioth, p. 4)
  • The nudity storm: Attorney General against Regev - Avichai Mendelblitt ruled that Culture Minister Miri Regev's decision to cancel funding for Israel Festival events that include nudity is outside her authority and illegal. (Yedioth, p. 4)
  • Lieberman snaps at settler leaders: Israel green-lit 3,600 new settlement homes last week - Israeli defense minister says number of settler homes approved for construction on the first half 2017 are at their highest since 1992. (Haaretz and Ynet
  • Company commander suspended after refusing an order to do a military exercise in order to allow his soldiers more sleep - GOC Northern Command decides to oust a company commander who refused an order so his soldier could have more hours of sleep, emphasizing: 'Refusing such orders is an exception to the norm.' Officer: "Not letting soldiers sleep is an illegal order." (Ynet and Maariv)
  • IDF dismisses combat soldier who fled from teen terrorist - Maglan special forces soldier who failed to engage 16-year-old Palestinian girl who attacked troops with knife is dismissed from combat role in his unit • Soldier's friends: He did not have his weapon and ran to give others a clean shot. (Israel Hayom and Haaretz)
  • Ministers to vote on bill to (better inform) members of Security Cabinet – Netanyahu opposes - MK Ofer Shelah's bill proposes Cabinet members would dedicate half a day per week to study materials for Cabinet discussions, as well as to appoint an advisor for Cabinet members; while Cabinet members openly support such legislation, Netanyahu opposes the proposal. (Yedioth/Ynet
  • 'There is massive support for united Jerusalem among US Jews' - Former Foreign Ministry Director General Dore Gold cites historical, archaeological evidence for Israel's claim to Jerusalem at LA event marking 50 years since the city's reunification, says Jews abroad need tools to fight delegitimization of Israel. (Israel Hayom
  • Visitors at Western Wall aghast as woman strips naked - The 23-year-old Jewish Israeli woman, who appears to suffer from a mental illness, walked naked around the women's section for several seconds [sic- at least a minute - OH] before plaza officials covered her up and escorted her to the restroom. She was released to the custody of her parents, who live in one of the communities around Jerusalem. (Israel Hayom, MAKO and YouTube video)
  • Sexy Women, 'Missions' and Bad Satire: Israeli Government App Recruits Online Soldiers in anti-BDS Fight - The missions include sharing positive news about Israel, reporting and complaining about designated YouTube and Facebook posts, and even emailing UNESCO's director general to ask that her organization 'stop their bias toward Israel.' (Haaretz+)
  • New book glorifies Palestinian terrorists from Qalandiya - "Stories of Qalandiya's Shahids 1967-2017" aims to "inspire" Palestinian youth by shedding light on stories of terrorists who lived in the Jerusalem-adjacent refugee camp • Israeli group says book "outrageous," center that published it must be shut down. (Israel Hayom)
  • **Palestinian man donates recovery room to Haifa hospital - Tens of thousands of shekels donated to Rambam Hospital by senior Palestinian official to improve treatment of childhood cancers and Israeli-Palestinian medical cooperation after he himself underwent treatment there; 'When I arrived at Rambam, I saw a medical team caring for patients, but I also saw the suffering of the sick children,' says donor. (Yedioth/Ynet
  • Netanyahu: I told American UN envoy Nikki Haley UNRWA should be dismantled - Netanyahu's remarks to Likud ministers follow UN agency's statement that it found Hamas tunnel under two of its Gaza schools this month. (Haaretz and Ynet)
  • Defense minister gives US envoy a shoe to 'kick' Israel's attackers - U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley wraps up Israel visit with meeting with Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who thanks her for her efforts on Israel's behalf and urges her to ensure that Hamas terror masterminds are expelled from Lebanon. (Israel Hayom)
  • Former prisoner of Israel detained by Palestinian Authority, reportedly for criticizing Fatah on Facebook - Nassar Jaradat, 23, has been detained by the Palestinian Authority (PA) over Facebook posts critical of the PA’s ruling Fatah party. A Palestinian court ordered to extend Jaradat’s remand by 15 days on Saturday, three days after he was arrested. (Maan
  • Israeli forces detain 13 Palestinians, including 6 minors, in West Bank raids - Israeli forces also raided Hebron’s Old City on Saturday and detained 14-year-old Hani Dana, after his family house was raided, locals reported. (Maan)
  • Israeli forces suppress 'Resist with your Prayer' event in Hebron - Israeli forces suppressed an event in the southern occupied West Bank city of Hebron on Saturday, organized to commemorate the 1994 Ibrahimi mosque massacre, when American-born Israeli settler Baruch Goldstein opened fire on Muslim worshipers at the mosque, killing 29 and injuring more than 120. (Maan)
  • Al-Aqsa Mosque put on lockdown after a rock is thrown at a group of Israelis - Israeli forces imposed a brief lockdown on the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem’s Old City on Sunday, denying entry or exit to Muslim worshipers, after one rock was allegedly thrown at a group of extremist Israelis who were touring the holy site. (Maan
  • Israeli forces deliver stop-work order for Palestinian home in Jordan Valley - The demolition orders were the latest amid a spate of incidents targeting Palestinians in the northern Jordan Valley, including settler attacks and multiple home demolitions since the beginning of the year. (Maan)
  • Israel Approves 99.8 Percent of All Weapon Export Requests - The Defense Ministry processes about 8,300 export requests to 130 countries a year; over the past five years, 98 applications have been rejected. (Haaretz+)
  • Hamas rejects Red Cross plea for information on Israelis held in Gaza - "Not one shred of information will be offered without a prisoner exchange deal that will see the release of our people held by the Zionist entity," Hamas official says after Red Cross asks for information on two slain soldiers and three civilian captives. (Israel Hayom)
  • Reuven Rivlin welcomes president of 3rd smallest country - President Rivlin welcomes the president of Nauru on his first visit to Israel, noting the flourishing cooperation between the two countries. 'Together with Nauru, Israel sees the global struggle against climate change as a top priority.' (Ynet
  • Rio de Janeiro city square named after Shimon Peres - The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Israel's honorary consul and heads of the local Jewish community inaugurate the new Shimon Peres Square; Consul: 'Peres' dream was to see Arabs and Jews live in coexistence. He didn't fully realize his dream, but now that is our mission.' (Ynet)
  • First visit to Israel by Indian premier to begin on July 4 - Prime Minister Narendra Modi slated to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his first day • Visit to mark 25 years of diplomatic relations • $2 billion defense deal expected to be signed • Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba lands in Israel. (Israel Hayom)
  • Dead Sea Likely to Recede Back to Lowest Point Ever, Israeli Researchers Warn - With rainfall modest, the sea dropped 16 centimeters last month, compared with an average of between 10 and 12 centimeters, the hydrological service says. (Haaretz+) 
  • Israeli scientists discover protein that can regenerate heart tissue - By injecting adult mice that survived heart attacks with the protein agrin, Weizmann Institute researchers "unlock" process in which heart tissue repairs itself • it remains to be seen whether the protein will work on damaged human hearts. (Israel Hayom
  • Ethiopian leader proud to show Israel the way when it comes to refugees - On a visit to Israel, Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn tells Haaretz his country has an open-door policy and will 'pay any price to help' asylum seekers. [NOTE: In actuality, Israel tries to prevent asylum seekers from reaching Israel, overwhelmingly rejects or ignores asylum requests submitted by Eritrean and Sudanese nationals, among others, and did not approve a single one half way through 2016.  – OH] (Haaretz+) 
  • IAI will teach the Chinese to maintain airplanes - The Israel Aerospace Industries is expanding its civilian activities and is establishing, for the first time in its history, an academy for technical aviation professions—in China. (Ynet
  • Committee: Prisoners still suffering from health consequences of 40-day hunger strike - Two weeks after hundreds of Palestinian prisoners ended a grueling 40-day hunger strike to denounce incarceration conditions in Israeli custody, many of the participants were still suffering from serious health consequences, such as brain damage and vision problems. (Maan
  • Dutch Muslim councilman blasts Israeli youth delegation as 'murderers,' 'terrorists' - Delegation arrived at The Hague to promote dialogue and friendly relations between the two countries' youth; Israeli ambassador: 'These words are nothing but anti-Israel incitement that can lead to violence that we have unfortunately seen in Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Manchester and London'. (Yedioth/Ynet)


Features:
*A comprehensive study found: What personality traits characterize right-wingers and leftists in Israel?
A study conducted at Sapir College examined the characteristics of thousands of Israelis in the face of their willingness to reach a compromise with the Palestinian people. The results: Narcissists and neurotic vengeful people turn to right-wing views. “We found that people with negative characteristics: low receptivity, high scheming, and so forth, were in keeping with the perception of the Palestinians as more threatening. It turns out, therefore, that personality traits constitute glasses through which the worldview is shaped, and that personality has a clear connection to the perception of the threat from the Palestinians,” said Prof. Avi Besser, who headed the study. 
Did the statement "Arabs are flocking to the polls" work and succeed in changing positions?
"Anyone who interpreted this as a statement that threatens his existence and has the personality qualities that are appropriate to what we found in the study, this is certainly a strong enough trigger to encourage such a person to go in the direction of a less compromising vote. As we have seen, the higher the threat level the (more the) differences between people are narrowed and they stay in a less compromising stance. If we really want significant progress of peace between Israelis and Palestinians, it will not happen as long as we continue to see them as a threat."
What needs to happen for the public to vote for compromise and a peace process?
"Two things have to happen: The first is that actions need to be taken to reduce the level of perceived threat of the Palestinians by the Jewish Israelis. So, for example, the ‘Israeli Hope Project’ of the ‘four tribes’ [secular, national-religious, ultra-Orthodox and Arabs] initiated by the President of the State is an action to reduce the threat. The second thing is that it’s likely that it right to put the negotiations in the hands of people with high openness to experiencing - that allows the best opportunity to reach a compromise and peace with the Palestinians. Moreover, those should be people with the right personality who bridge and that the external reality at the time will not threaten the public so that it does not turn on the survival trigger which exists in a threatening reality."
(Orit A. Brown, Maariv)
In Israel, it's still not easy being gay on the job
'Every time you change your workplace – you have to come out of the closet again.’ (Tali Heruti-Sover, Haaretz+) 
 
Commentary/Analysis:
Gaza Power Cuts Boost Tension With Israel (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Army warns cabinet of implications of further disruptions to the electricity supply in the Strip.
Start by Fighting anti-Arabracism in Israel (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) It’s hard to fight racism against Jews all over the world when there’s such terrible racism among Jews in Israel 
Reject the Academic Code of Ethics (Arik Carmon, Haaretz+) As one of the pioneers in the study of German academia during the transition to Nazi rule, Arik Carmon wants to issue a warning. 
Ethical code for professors won’t solve the problem (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) The problem is not academics expressing their political opinion; the problem is that it’s always the same opinion. So instead of silencing people, critical thinking should be allowed through a diverse and wide presentation of approaches.
A New Way to Delay Negotiations (Haaretz Editorial) Netanyahu is doing everything he can to buy time by adding new obstacles and conditions that cannot be met. 
The occupation festival (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) The 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War is an opportunity to remember that the war broke out because of annihilation plans, before there even was an occupation. The Palestinians could have founded a state and improved their situation a long time ago, but have instead become completely addicted to victimization. 
Dr. Bibi and Mr. Netanyahu: Israeli prime minister initiated extreme NGO bill, but also softened it at the last minute (Jonathan Lis, Haaretz+) Netanyahu has yet to reveal the wording of the draconian NGO law he intends to promote, but it will likely run into diplomatic and legal difficulties. 
Proposed ethics code is Bennett’s attempt to stifle debate (Or Kashti, Haaretz+) The purpose is to curtail discussion of controversial issues, but nothing is more political than the pretense of being apolitical. 
As shot at the academia: The ethical code will force the universities to lead changes (Kalman Liebeskind, Maariv) The code formulated by Prof. Asa Kasher at the request of the Minister of Education will examine whether the academic world can bring about balance and diversity. If not, the political system will do it for it. 
The Justice Minister Versus Israeli Soldiers (Carolina Landsmann, Haaretz+) Ayelet Shaked is playing a dangerous game by taking on the Breaking the Silence veterans' organization. 
Why, Naftali? Was it worth it for one and a quarter seats in the Knesset to imprison freedom? (Ben Caspit, Maariv) What's next? Did Dr. Neve Gordon [Ben-Gurion University professor who supports boycott of Israel – OH] ever get a right-wing student to accept his views? Academia must be free and liberated, and any attempt to restrict it is doomed to failure. 
The Wind Would Have Yellowed Anyway (Doron Rosenblum, Haaretz+) We shouldn't kid ourselves that the occupation was the only reason for the corruption of the Jewish state. 
Israel’s Emerging Arab Middle Class (Meirav Arlosoroff, Haaretz) Rapidly falling birthrates point to a wider social phenomenon: Israeli Arabs are aspiring to ever-higher standards of living and education by having fewer and fewer children.
The Plot Against Israel (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) Right-wing assaults on army, academia and judicial system erode Israel’s foundations and undermine its legitimacy 
The ethical code of Asa Kasher: A brutal action against the academia (Prof. Yuli Tamir, Maariv) The document, which is supposed to "regulate" the behavior of the lecturers in the classrooms, attests to the weakness of the State of Israel. A special Op-Ed by former Minister of Education. 
Thom Yorke, This Is Why You Should Boycott Israel (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Hasn’t the time come to do away with this artificial distinction between 'nice' Israelis and the brutal occupation they are responsible for?
On contempt: Dan Margalit's dismissal (from Israel Hayom) is not the end of democracy (Kalman Liebeskind, Maariv) The senior journalist speaks about the values of the free press, years after he puts them aside for money. 
Cutting Abbas down to size (Ruthie Blum, Israel Hayom) Trump's bark caused Abbas to fear that a bite might follow. Whether any pain is actually inflicted remains to be seen, but perception often carries more weight than reality. 
Why Israel Doesn't Have Its Own James Comey (Amir Oren, Haaretz+) How realistic is it to hope for a live broadcast of a Knesset committee hearing featuring Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit or State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan?
The evil spirit that Netanyahu has nurtured for years could lead to civil war (Dr. Revital Amiran, Maariv) If the government’s face is to a diplomatic move, it is important that it stop the security scare campaign, which its extremist parts have begun, before things get out of control.
It's Offensive to Say We American Jews Are "Parachuting In" to Anti-occupation Protests (Natasha Westheimer and Oriel Eisner, Haaretz+) Yes, we international Jews do make the headlines but it's so Palestinian voices, at last, will get heard. 
The Syndrome of blaming the entry guard: Senior officials in the top echelons of the security establishment are subject to light punishments (Yossi Melman, Maariv) For decades, the secrets of the Israeli nuclear program were kept secret until Yitzhak ‘Yatza’ Yaakov, who within the framework of his positions in the Defense Ministry was aware of very sensitive projects, decided that he should leave his mark on history. 
Archie Bunker in the White House (Shlomo Avineri, Haaretz+) What does a democracy do when the man elected to head it obviously doesn’t have the minimal qualifications to run a state, and could cause it and the whole world to deteriorate into deep crises?
"People of the Book"? Miri Regev's values are no different from those of "La Familia" (racist soccer fan club) (Natan Zehavi, Maariv) Culture Minister Regev, the First Lady of painting, sculpture, theater and cinema, under the umbrella of the bosses Sara and Bibi Netanyahu, could completely change everything related to the word "culture" and "art." 
Iraqi Kurds' Independence Referendum Has Become a Weapon for Regional Control (Zvi Bar’el, Haaretz+) Saudi Arabia targets Turkey, with its restive Kurdish region, after the country declares its support for Qatar in the Gulf rift.
 
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.