News Nosh 3.11.18

APN's daily news review from Israel
Sunday March 11, 2018
 
You Must Be Kidding #1: 
"Israel is intellectually alive and interesting, but has very narrow possibilities."
--Albert Einstein wrote to his Jewish-American physicist friend David Joseph Bohm, advising him not to move to the country. (Bohm, who took part in the Manhattan Project to develop the first atom bomb, did end up moving to Israel in 1955.)*

You Must Be Kidding #2: 
Mamoun Farhat, a young Palestinian man from E. Jerusalem, reportedly did not even manage to leave Israeli prison grounds on the day of his release from five years in prison for throwing a Molotov cocktail, before being detained again and sent to interrogation.**

Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
  • “We won’t agree to elections when it’s comfortable for Netanyahu” - Political crisis: no solution in the meantime
  • One against all // Ben-Dror Yemini
  • The Number One Female Pilot - Major Tuli, the first commander of an IAF squadron, and the members of her team talk about the historic achievement and the fears
  • The video clip that sparked a storm - IAF posted a satiric clip for Int’l Women’s Day of female pilots and officers claiming that the rabbis are against them
  • Investigation: This is how the ultra-Orthodox evade civil service
  • The dropped a bomb - Trump and N. Korean leader Kim Jong-un surprised the world: Prepared to meet
  • The light keepers // Ilana Dayan
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
Israel Hayom
  • Elections alert - Fateful days: Likely - Today it will be declared whether Israel goes to the polls in 2018
  • Trump’s achievement: Kim blinked first
  • Soon: All our medical files a click away
  • IDF officer suspected of running over and killing - and escaping the scene
  • Likely: Israel will bow out of the race for a place on the UN Security Council
  • Why is the Likud soaring in the polls? // Erez Tadmor

News Summary:
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu tried to convince his coalition government partners to do his bidding as the coalition crisis continued on with snap elections in the horizon, Israeli analysts expressed anxiety over the ‘Summit of Fear’ between the US and N. Korean leaders, while the Russian President sparked shock when he said that the Russians indicted by the US for intervening in US elections “might be Jews with Russian citizenship," and Israelis were outraged that the Israeli Air Force ‘caved in to pressure’ from religious people when it deleted its International Women’s Day video - making top stories in the Hebrew newspapers. (The video showed women serving in various air force roles criticizing those who speak out against women serving. Then former female soldiers and officers made a video bashing hard-line rabbis who spoke out against co-ed service.)

Netanyahu held a coalition meeting Saturday night to solve the crisis over the draft law and thereby prevent early elections. Netanyahu was expected to demand that his coalition partners agree they wouldn’t quit the government if he were indicted. But he even failed to solve the crisis. The ultra-Orthodox parties want to pass the bill that would exempt yeshiva students from military service, but Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman toughened his opposition to an exemption and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon said it needs to be solved by Wednesday to pass the budget or he leaves the coalition. Officials insisted that Lieberman and Netanyahu had not coordinated their positions. But, Yedioth reported that Lieberman’s toughened demands strengthen the assessment that this is all concocted by Netanyahu in order to hold early elections. Netanyahu faces five criminal investigations and in two of them the police have already recommended that he be indicted. Police said they needed two more weeks to question Nir Hefetz – the former Netanyahu aide who reached a deal with the police to testify against Netanyahu and his wife in Case 4000. Likud officials told Yedioth that Netanyahu has grown detached and distrustful. Moreover, some Likud party members are reluctant to publicly defend Netanyahu following his media attacks battle on law-enforcement authorities.
 
Quick Hits:
  • (Deaf-mute) Palestinian Man Killed in Clashes Friday With Israeli Soldiers in Hebron - Palestinians say Muhammed Zain al-Jabari, 24, a deaf-mute father of two, was severely handicapped. Israeli army: He was holding firebomb, soldiers responded to immediate threat. Witnesses claimed that al-Jaabari was not actively engaged in the confrontations when he was shot. (Haaretz, Maan and Ynet)
  • Second Palestinian killed in weekend clashes with Israeli army (near Yitzhar settlement) - Palestinian officials say Amir Omar Shahada, 19, was shot in the chest and later succumbed to his wounds in a West Bank hospital. Another Urif resident, Hammam Sobhi, 16, was reported injured with a gunshot wound to his foot during the same incident. (Haaretz, Maariv and Ynet)
  • Second incident in three days: Soldiers do nothing to stop settlers from throwing rocks at Palestinians, attempt to burn mosque in Hebron-area village - A group of 30 settlers from the Maon and Havat Maon settlements raided the village of al-Tiwani, in the south Hebron Hills under the protection of Israeli soldiers. Soldiers appear to attempt removing the settlers from the scene at one point, but none were detained. Second video shows soldier shooting Palestinian. (Haaretz with 2 videos, Ynet and Maan)
  • Israeli settlers attack Palestinians, cut down olive trees in Nablus-area village - Several Israeli settlers from the illegal Rehalim settlement, that is built on lands of al-Sawiya, attacked al-Sawiya farmers and prevented them from working on their lands Thursday. (Maan)
  • Israeli forces prevent Palestinian from accessing farmland in Bethlehem - Israeli soldiers briefly detained 60-year-old farmer, Moussa Issa, before ordering him to leave his land, claiming he did not have permission. (Maan)
  • **After serving 5-year sentence, Palestinian prisoner re-arrested on day of release - Mamoun Farhat reportedly did not even make it off the grounds of the Israeli prison in the Negev before being detained and taken to the Russian Compound in Jerusalem for interrogation. He had just completed serving a five-year sentence for throwing a Molotov cocktail at Israeli forces in (E.) Jerusalem. (Maan)
  • Hamas plans wave of protests for Nakba Day - In anticipation of Israel's 70th Independence Day—seen by Palestinians as 'Nakba Day'—and the planned move of the US embassy to Jerusalem, Hamas plans mass border protests involving elderly, women and children; IDF fears countering protests with force may tarnish Israel's image in the world. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • The Israeli Justice Ministry’s man who settles Jews in Arab East Jerusalem - Hananel Gurfinkel has also set up an NGO to help prevent the takeover by ‘foreign entities’ – Arabs – of state property in East Jerusalem. (Haaretz+)
  • The line outside Israel's sole office in East Jerusalem is sparking unrest among Palestinians - Men climb the fences while Palestinian women give birth outside the city just to save their kids from endless lines. Things are so bad that videos of the chaotic scenes outside of the office went viral this week. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
  • Israel expected to withdraw bid for seat in UN Security Council - PM Netanyahu, who also serves as foreign minister, has yet to make final decision on Israel's bid against Germany, Belgium in June elections. Foreign Ministry has expressed wish to withdraw Israel's candidacy due to extreme unlikelihood of victory. (Israel Hayom)
  • Court Slams Israel for Unreasonable Delay in Processing Sudanese Asylum Requests, 5 Win Temporary Status - Some 2,300 Darfuris have filed asylum requests in Israel, but so far only one has actually received asylum. Five others were rejected, and all the rest are still awaiting a response. (Haaretz+)
  • More female Eritrean asylum seekers working in prostitution in Israel - Aid agencies fear the number of asylum seekers engaged in prostitution will grow in the absence of suitable treatment for trafficking victims. (Haaretz+)
  • Hundreds march in support of African migrants in south Tel Aviv - Activists march in support of illegal African migrants Friday as deadline draws closer for them to either leave Israel of their own volition or face imprisonment; ‘On International Women’s Day women march in Israel and abroad. In south Tel Aviv we do so with asylum seekers,’ says activist. (Ynet)
  • Israeli State's Attorney offers community service to Asylum Seeker's lynchers - The prosecution is offering a plea bargain to four Israelis who attacked Haftom Zarhum, an Eritrean asylum seeker, after he was mistaken for a terrorist in Be’er Sheva in 2015. (Haaretz)
  • Israeli aid in South Sudan greeted with joy - Locals dance and sing in celebration as Israeli humanitarian delegation distributes 20 tons of food relief to refugees affected by civil war plaguing the country. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • IDF officer suspected of drunk driving, lethal hit-and-run accident - Captain Ino Tadesa, 29, of Hadera will remanded until Monday by Rishon LeZion Magistrates' Court for alleged drunk driving, hit-and-run accident that claimed the life of a cyclist in his seventies; police representative claims in court Tadesa drove for 2.5km, refused sobriety test; his attorneys counters by claiming he attempted to revive victim. (Ynet)
  • In bid to boost motivation, schools to send students to IDF bases - "IDF service is not just an obligation, it is also a privilege," says Education Minister Naftali Bennett • Over 2,000 11th-grade students from 16 schools set to participate in program this school year, with twice as many expected next year. (Israel Hayom)
  • Israeli (settler) rabbi suspected of leaking nude videos of model, singer - Security camera footage of women changing into bathing suits allegedly leaked by settler rabbi who teaches at seminary for girls. (Haaretz)
  • Religious-Zionist rabbi: LGBT culture is a 'spreading sickness' - Rabbi Yehoshua Shapira, who heads the hesder yeshiva in Ramat Gan, causes ire after criticizing 'LGBTstan phenomenon' in Israel, claiming 'We're not homophobes and we're not extremists'; mayor calls on defense minister to take steps against rabbi; LGBT group plans protest. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Court: No house arrest for (religious) school principal accused of sex crimes - Malka Leifer, (ultra-Orthodox) Australian school principal who allegedly abused students and fled to Israel, had been under house arrest but Supreme Court has ruled she be placed in psychiatric ward. Leifer is wanted (in Australia) on 74 counts of abusing girls at religious school. (Israel Hayom)
  • Female soldiers say were made to move bases for Haredi soldiers - Women serving as military drivers in the Jenin sector had to leave their base and move to the Tulkarm area after the ultra-Orthodox reservists from the Netzah Yehuda Battalion were stationed there. (Ynet)
  • 'Palestinian women's groups use EU money to incite against Israel' - Report by NGO Monitor finds most female Palestinian role models glorified for participation in terrorism. Palestinian "Code of Conduct" requires Palestinian NGOs to refrain from "any normalization activities with the occupier," meaning Israel. (Israel Hayom)
  • Female unemployment in Gaza skyrockets, 66% without jobs - While number of qualified, educated women in Gaza Strip has grown considerably, security realities make chances for finding work slim; unemployment has dire effects, leading to depression, drug abuse, suicide; Israel must recognize legitimate needs of women, allow them greater freedom of movement, says report for International Women's Day. (Ynet)
  • Gaza perimeter agriculture in peril due to water reservoir contamination - With Gaza's sewage treatment facility still nonoperational and Israel having to bear the load of its wastewater, Israeli wastewater reservoirs in strip's perimeter are paying a toll, as their water becomes so contaminated it can no longer be used for irrigation—hurting the region's farmers. (Ynet)
  • Haaretz journalist Vered Lee wins human rights award - The award, given by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, is given annually to three recipients for their unique contribution to advancing human rights in Israel. (Haaretz)
  • Moshe (Bogie) Ya'alon opened a mass crowdfunding campaign to establish his new party - The former defense minister launched a surprising fundraising campaign and called on the public to support him. "The time has come for another leadership, I need you at my side. I will soon present a list - on the way to the premiership.” (Maariv)
  • Christians emerge as key patrons for Jews moving to Israel - Israel's evangelical Christian allies now fund about a third of all immigrants moving to the country, according to an Associated Press tally • While some Israelis are dubious about the support, evangelicals say the skepticism is "ignorant and offensive." (Israel Hayom)
  • "Bring the 9000 Jews from Ethiopia to Israel or we will go on hunger strike": Ethiopian-Israelis decry aliyah policy that splits families - Ethiopians who came to Israel in the 1980s and 1990s are fighting to be reunited with family members whose status is up in the air because they were forced to convert to Christianity and therefore not considered Jews or eligible for Israeli citizenship. (Israel Hayom and Maariv)
  • Bribery scandal at Israeli construction giant blows cover off its business practices in Africa - Police: ‘Picture arises of S&B (Shikun & Binui) systematically bribing gov’t officials with tens of millions of dollars for years.’ (Haaretz)
  • Israeli mining firm goes into administration as it faces legal disputes abroad - BSG Resources, the mining arm of Israeli billionaire Beny Steinmetz’s business empire, is caught up in legal disputes in relation to the vast Simandou iron ore project in Guinea. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • MFA official gives away $100,000 South Africa embassy sculpture - South African embassy's administrative officer gives away enormous, expensive Edoardo Villa statue, since she thought it was an 'ugly piece of junk'; official attempted to unload state 2 years ago, but was blocked by ambassador; new ambassador authorized move with no knowledge of statue's worth; Foreign Affairs Ministry mulling strident disciplinary action against officer. (Ynet)
  • Smoke grenade thrown at PM's Caesarea home - During demonstrations against the construction of offshore gas distillation rig which could harm residents of nearby communities, a smoke flare is thrown at the home of PM Netanyahu, prompting security forces to detain a 16-year-old suspected of throwing it for questioning. (Ynet)
  • Hundreds of Secular Israelis Protest Enforcement of Shabbat Laws Shuttering Businesses on Weekends - Southern town of Ashdod has become battleground for new bid to enforce ban on commerce during Jewish day of rest; mayor scrambles to cool tensions. (Haaretz)
  • PM Netanyahu, former President Bush attend Sharansky farewell bash - Outgoing Jewish Agency chief Natan Sharansky to conclude 9-year posting to US this June; Agency holds going-away party in his honor in NYC, with PM Netanyahu, fmr. President Bush, Minister Elkin, Bennett and Opposition Chairman in attendance along with dozens of JA envoys. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Polish Senator Suggests Expelling Israeli Envoy for Linking Ruling Party to 1968 Purge of Jews - Senator Jan Zaryn says Poland 'may have to ask this lady to leave this country' after Israeli ambassador Anna Azari warns that 'it has been very easy to wake up and recall all anti-Semitic demons in Poland.’ (JTA, Haaretz)
  • Polish bid for Tel Aviv Stock Exchange snubbed following Holocaust law rift, report says - Polish media report cite the two countries' recent diplomatic crisis as reason for why the Warsaw bourse was not shortlisted. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • *Einstein didn't see Israel's scientific potential - 'Israel is intellectually alive and interesting, but has very narrow possibilities,' the theoretical physicist wrote in 1954 to his friend Jewish-American scientist David Joseph Bohm, who was considering moving to Israel. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • The smart periphery: Cisco to launch a network of tech hubs in Israel - With President Rivlin in attendance, Cisco's CEO and Chairman Chuck Robbins inaugurates new network and will expand with 100 hubs in Jerusalem, the Golan Heights and the Negev. (Ynet)
  • Israeli stand at Berlin fair stormed by 'Arab security guards shouting Free Palestine' - German police alerted to defend Israeli stand at tourism expo after three security guards storm it. (DPA, Haaretz)
  • Palestinian Foreign Minister raps Arab states for spurring US Jerusalem move - Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki says Arab states’ failure to implement decisions also led to Guatemala’s ‘brazen’ decision to follow Trump; ‘If we are unable to implement these decisions, how can we prevent other states from making this kind of move?’ (Ynet and Maariv)
  • Report: "The United States and Israel plan to attack targets in Syria soon" - In the context of the joint exercise between the armies, the Arab media cite American sources who claim that Trump and Netanyahu formulated a military attack "against Iran's activity in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon.” (Maariv)
  • Can Syrian Carnage Be Compared With the Shoah? U.S. Holocaust Museum Insists It Must - The curator of a new exhibit about the atrocities in Syria, currently on show in Washington, says the museum doesn’t exist only to tell the story of the dead but also to teach lessons for the future. (Haaretz+)
  • Egypt Sentences 10 to Death for Plotting Attacks on Christians, Officials - State-run media says the defendants are affiliated with the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group. (Agencies, Haaretz)


Features:
Ripping the curtains open on Israel's targeted killings
Dr. Ronen Bergman's 'Rise and Kill First' shines a spotlight on some of the more shadowy parts of Israel’s history, from the successful hits on Hezbollah's Imad Mughniyeh and Fatah's Abu Jihad, to the botched and aborted attempts to kill Arafat; a must-read for those with a keen interest in Israeli history and the world of espionage. (Yaara Shalom, Yedioth/Ynet)
15 years of separation: The Palestinians cut off from Jerusalem by the wall
Palestinians see it as Israel's attempt to expel them from Jerusalem; Israelis see it as protection from terrorism. Haaretz investigates the separation barrier's impact on the city and its residents. (Netta Ahituv, Haaretz+)
IDF veterans volunteer at Rio favelas
Young Israelis on their post-army trip volunteer with Warriors Without Borders at various locations in 3rd world countries; Lior Tabib is volunteering in Brazil in memory of his army friend Capt. Tal Nachman, who was killed in a friendly fire incident in 2014. (Itamar Eichner, Yedioth/Ynet)
Gideon Levy - Palestinian boy loses his sight after Israeli troops shoot him in the eye
Paramedics told Mohammed's mom he was shot in the eye by IDF troops during a demonstration. She felt relieved. At least he’s alive. (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+)
Operation On Wings of Eagles remembered by volunteer pilot
As a young navigator with Alaska Airlines, Elgen Long volunteered to airlift 1,800 endangered Jews from Yemen to Israel in 1949, taking part in 12 separate airlifts; now, at 91, he came to visit the descendants of those he saved in Israel for the first time and reminisced about the clandestine mission; 'We flew nonstop, and did not file any flight plan, it was all secret,' he recounted. (Ahiya Raved, Yedioth/Ynet)
Yet another religious war averted in Jerusalem
After a three-day crisis that rocked the Christian world and led to the unprecedented closure of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, church leaders offer a rare peek into their headquarters; ‘We have been here since the Byzantine era,’ they say. ‘The demand to pay municipal taxes now is inconceivable.’ Meanwhile, despite criticism from senior state officials, Mayor Nir Barkat stands to gain politically from the international scandal he created. (Ynet)

Commentary/Analysis:
Netanyahu has a solid excuse to go to early elections. Will the coalition call his bluff? (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) As the legislative crisis reached a boiling point, Ministers Bennett and Shaked hustled to resolve it, Kahlon and Lieberman issued threats – and the prime minister took refuge in applause in Washington.
As Israel Approaches Snap Elections, Netanyahu Allies Decry 'Crisis of His Own Making' (Chaim Levinson, Haaretz) Senior coalition figures tell Haaretz that Netanyahu is behaving 'like a commentator' and 'not making an effort' to solve the crisis threatening to bring down his government.
A true civil war (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom) A comparison of PM Netanyahu to his rivals enables us to understand why they are so intent on destroying him and his family. Given the aggressive efforts to sway public opinion, it is imperative that we fight for our right to think differently.
Upon his return from his dream trip in the United States, Netanyahu continues to burn the local club (Ben Caspit, Maariv) The prime minister would have been happy to ignite a civil war here to save his skin, and also: Did Hefetz’s trauma from IDF officer's course make him the person he is today?
The Wrong Man for the Job (Haaretz Editorial) Hananel Gurfinkel helps settle Jews in East Jerusalem. He should not be in charge of the claims of the city’s Arab neighborhoods.
Contrary to the conspiracy theories, there is no connection between the prime minister's investigations and the security escalation (Tal Lev Ram, Maariv) Netanyahu's situation alone does not justify the serious allegations of politicization of military decision-making, and there is no proof of it on the ground.
The impact of Netanyahu's investigations on right-wing voters will determine the character of Israeli society (Ran Adelist, Maariv) Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's campaign against the legal system is a battle for the public's psyche The impact of eroding his image on the right-wing public who sells his shtick is the most fascinating and important process ahead of the elections.
Torah, Testosterone and Nationalism: Why Two West Bank Rabbis' Anti-liberal Crusade Imploded (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) Religious Zionism's flagship rabbis, founders of the elite Eli yeshiva, dreamt of building an Orthodox cadre to lead Israel. Their bigoted and foul-mouthed outbursts have now stirred public outrage - but their own flock stopped obeying them years ago.
Israel expropriated a Palestinian spring. Why? Because it can. (Laura Wharton, +972mag) The residents of Walajeh, who have long suffered abuses under occupation, will no longer have access to their spring.
Fauda at a Palestinian University - Just Another Action-packed Israeli Evening (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Omar Kiswani - arrested by Israeli forces in a raid on a Palestinian university in what seemed like a scene taken from Fauda - is yet another political detainee.
At AIPAC, Israel's problems went unmentioned (Dahlia Scheindlin, +972mag)
Although AIPAC activists regularly acknowledge that, of course, Israel is not perfect, it felt like the people there were cheering and stomping for a different country.
Government’s message to US liberal Jews could cost us dearly (Yossi Shain, Yedioth/Ynet) The Netanyahu coalition’s eagerness to identify with the Republicans is open and unrestrained. National-religious Israel is demanding US Jewry’s absolute support and a rejection of the liberal ethos, which has defined the politics of most US Jews for about 100 years.
Israel’s justice minister is undermining democracy (Amos Schocken, Haaretz+) Ayelet Shaked wants freedom to violate human rights as the parliamentary majority understands it at any time, and freedom to discriminate between the rights of Jewish and non-Jewish citizens.
Netanyahu needs a pardon and a goodbye (Iris Leal, Haaretz) That’s the best way to prevent the next election from bringing Israeli democracy, which is now on its sickbed, to an even more critical state.
Netanyahu: Even in peace, the occupation will never end (Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man, +972mag) The next time anyone tries to blame the Palestinians for refusing to return to the table, remember that Israel’s prime minister repeatedly states his unwillingness to end the occupation.
Since when do achievements legitimize corruption? (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) Netanyahu's supporters are stressing his achievements: The declining international isolation, the thriving economy, the growing relations with some of our neighboring countries. But in some areas—like the crawl towards one state, like the surrender to the Haredim, like the attack on law enforcement authorities—the prime minister is becoming a problem. He’s acting in Netanyahu's best interest, not in the state’s best interest.
Israel is a police state for the better (Carolina Landsmann, Haaretz+) No organization, certainly not in the political opposition, has dared to confront Netanyahu the way the police under Roni Alsheich have.
Encouraging IDF service through carrots rather than sticks (Yoaz Hendel, Yedioth/Ynet) Israel doesn’t need more soldiers, but the Haredi integration process must be encouraged—and not through laws that won’t change anything because of political constraints. We must also create a new generation of Israeli Arabs who are interested in Israelization instead of in a Palestinian identity, in separatism and in supporting terror.
Why AIPAC Just Loves Nikki Haley (Emilie Moatti, Haaretz+) She offered cheap politics – emotions, not principles, intended to charm and flatter ('You guys are amazing') – and the audience reacted accordingly
Hoping for regime change in Iran (David M. Weinberg, Israel Hayom) Should more be done to advance an Iranian counterrevolution? Legendary diplomat Uri Lubrani, who died this week, certainly thought so, and he was not naive.
Israel and Iran Back on Collision Course in the North (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Two powerful yet contradictory trends are all but fated to collide: Iran’s insistence on establishing a military presence in Syria, and Israel’s insistence on preventing it.
Gender equality should be in the IDF too (Orna Barbivai, Yedioth/Ynet) While the public debate focuses on the nature of joint service and on women’s ability to serve alongside men in operational roles, we are missing the larger debate that should be held—the rate of women who don’t enlist at all.
AIPAC, the U.S. Branch of Netanyahu's Likud Party (Uri Misgav, Haaretz+) The group’s message is loud and clear: We’re not interested in nonsense like investigations, corruption, bribery, arrests and people who turn state’s evidence.
The Israeli Left’s Shallow Heir Apparent (Nave Dromi, Haaretz+) Tamar Zandberg of the Meretz party is devoid of principles, aside from the principle of ousting the right from power.
The Israeli activist who wants to bring an elitist left-wing party back to the people (Eness Elias, Haaretz+) Avi Buskila, who is Mizrahi and gay, is fighting for the leadership of the predominantly Ashkenazi Meretz party.
‘Let me die with the Philistines’ (Friday Haaretz Editorial) Netanyahu is the prime minister, not a run-of-the-mill citizen. Even if he believes he is a victim of injustice, he can’t behave like a garden-variety criminal trying to clear his name.
Despite warnings from experts, no one is examining China's involvement in various areas of the country (Yossi Melman, Maariv) The former head of the Mossad and a cyber expert believe that China's growing involvement in many areas of the Israeli economy poses a threat to the state's security.
Why Does an Israeli Arab Have to Stand for the National Anthem? (David Rosenberg, Haaretz+) You can be a good and productive citizen of the state without all the patriotic baggage, and that is exactly what Israeli Arabs are doing.
The quiet feminist revolution in Arab society in Israel (Samah Salaime, +972mag) Despite the hardships, Arab women are making gains in the Israeli legal establishment, local politics, academia, and even in the Islamic Movement.
Yad Vashem’s loud silence amid Israel's deportations of asylum seekers (Alon Harel and Uriel Procaccia, Haaretz+) Even though Yad Vashem has rejected any comparison between the distress of the refugees in Israel and persecuted Jews in Europe during the Holocaust, they also found it appropriate to make a limp statement about asylum seekers here.
 
Interviews:
Persian royalty to Israel supporter: Ryan Ali Yazdi's story
Ryan Ali Yazdi is an Iranian Shiite Muslim, and a prominent member of the pro-Israeli Students Supporting Israel group, combating BDS across campuses; 'Each generation has a new form of anti-Semitism. In the past it was Nazi death camps, and today, it's Iran and the ayatollahs,' he declares, recalling his marvel at visiting Israel and seeing IDF soldiers helping wounded in Syrian civil war; Israel's rebirth 'one of the more important milestones in humanity's history,' he states. (Intereviewed by Itamar Eichner in Yedioth/Ynet)

 
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.