News Nosh 3.26.18

APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday March 26, 2018
 
Quote of the day:
“If there is something that really threatens our existence today its the polarity and hatred between parts of the nation and the disintegration of social solidarity."
--Dani Atar, Chairman of the Jewish National Fund (JNF/KKL) warned that hatred in Israel was endangering the country.*

Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
  • Red south - Because of heavy firing of machine guns, Color Red sirens were set off in most of the communities around the Gaza Strip and Iron Dome was activated; IDF attacked targets in Gaza in response
  • Wall-to-wall investigation - Seven of the heroes of Case 4000 will be questioned simultaneously
  • A low crime - Holocaust survivor Mireille Knoll was raped and murdered in Paris; Only recently she complained to the police claiming that her Muslim neighbor threatened to burn her
  • The infant died, the brother is fighting for his life and another sister jumped from the eight floor and survived
Israel Hayom

News Summary:
An Israeli toddler died in a house fire, the flashes and sounds of gunfire from a Hamas military drill falsely triggered sirens in Israeli communities as well as the Iron Dome missile defense system, and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, his wife and his son, Yair, are being questioned simultaneously today by police investigators along with others involved in Case 4000, the Bezeq affair making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. And, at the Yedioth Ahronoth Conference, a proposed ethical code for university lecturers, security affairs and hatred among parts of Israeli society were top subjects.

Head of the far-right-wing Habayit Hayehudi party, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, insisted that the ethical code that would prohibit college lecturers from expressing a political opinion is ‘balanced. But the heads of universities were furious, saying they won’t be used as a 'political thought police for the government,' and there were calls for Bennett, “not to castrate the academia.” (Also Maariv)

Israel's Military Intel chief, Maj.-Gen. Herzi Halevi, accused Iran of becoming more ‘daring’ following the nuclear deal in providing missiles and support for terrorists. Regarding Hamas, Haaretz reported that Halevi said that "running to Iran will worsen its situation” while Yedioth/Ynet reported that he said Hamas is already “running into Iran's arms and must under understand that doing so will only exacerbate things." Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the north of Israel is unprepared for a possible war, to which Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon said, the funds for its had been transferred already and adding, "Surely he doesn't expect me to come along with a cement mixer and build security for him."

Kahlon also told spoke about the investigations against Netanyahu and the latter's attacks on law enforcement. "I prevented legislation against the High Court, police and the State Attorney's Office," said Kahlon.

*Dani Atar, Chairman of the Jewish National Fund (JNF/KKL) warned that hatred in Israel was endangering the country. “If there is something that really threatens our existence today its the polarity and hatred between parts of the nation and the disintegration of social solidarity…We’ve known periods of deep rifts, but today it’s something else. Today, every one of us feels the boiling and divisive hatred, real personal hatred, which we meet everywhere.” (Yedioth, p. 12)

At around 3PM Sunday, Ynet’s Palestinian Affairs correspondent, Elior Levy, reported that Hamas’ military wing was launching a large-scale military exercise in Gaza, which was set to end today and would include firing at least one rocket into the sea as part of drill and include several replicas of Israeli tanks. Nevertheless, while nothing was shot at Israel, Code Red sirens were triggered as well as the Iron Dome missile-defense system hours after the exercise began. (NOTE: Only Israel Hayom reported that shots were fired into Israel. Maariv reported that Hamas said there was no intention to fire at Israel.) Levy also reported that tractors began preparing ground on the Palestinian side of the fence for the planned Great March of Return on Friday, which is on the day Palestinians mark ‘Land Day.’ Israel is also preparing for possible large-scale clashes along that border fence. The night before the Hamas military drill began, Israel hit a Hamas target in Gaza in response to the breaching of the border fence by four Palestinians who crossed to set fire to a crane being used to build an underground barrier, before they climbed back across the fence to Gaza.
 
Quick Hits:
  • Bedouin Home Demolitions in Israel Double in 2017 - Over 70% are dismantled by owners, under the state’s threat of heavy penalties. According to the Public Security Ministry, in 2017 there were 2,220 structures demolished overall, compared to 1,158 in 2016. (Haaretz+)
  • Jerusalem Police Authorize Passover Sacrifice at the Foot of the Temple Mount - Activists who practice the annual sacrifice get closer to the site of the Second Temple every year, and long for the day when authorities will let them slaughter at the center of the site. (Haaretz+)
  • Israel High Court Upholds Barring Bread From Hospitals During Passover - The court rejected a petition by the Secular Forum that aimed to allow visitors to bring 'chametz' into hospitals during the Jewish holiday. (Haaretz)
  • Facebook closes page of Hamas-affiliated Palestinian news agency with 1.3 million followers - Demonstrators protesting in favor of the news agency claim the move was inspired by Israeli pressure to limit the online presence of Palestinian media outlets. (Haaretz+)
  • Israel's Public Defense: No New Detainees Until Prison Overcrowding Ends - Public defenders ordered to argue against custody until state complies with High Court ruling increasing cell space. (Haaretz+)
  • Netanyahu lauds U.S. law banning 'salaries' for Palestinian terrorists, but Israel delays similar legislation - Under the Taylor Force Act, Washington will cut aid to the Palestinian Authority if it transfers money to prisoners convicted of terrorism or to their families. (Haaretz+)
  • Netanyahu suggests 'huge' developments could follow direct flights to Israel over Saudi Arabia - An Air India flight last week made history as the first one to fly to Israel over Saudi Arabia, even though the Saudis have no diplomatic relations with Israel. (Haaretz)
  • Israel convicts two West Bank Palestinians of murdering 70-year-old Jewish man - The body of Reuven Shmerling was found at his son's warehouse in the Israeli Arab town of Kafr Qassem in October 2017. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
  • Terror victim's husband threatens to take his own life - Tzipi Yaakobiyan was paralyzed from the neck down after being stabbed in a terror attack in 2016; Her husband says he threatened suicide, and to stab an officer, to raise awareness about insufficient treatment from the state. (Ynet)
  • New head of left-wing party apologizes after lying about adviser who worked for far right - 'It pains me that I managed to disappoint so many in so little time,' says Tamar Zandberg, adding that the scandal has been 'blown beyond any reasonable proportion.’ (Haaretz+)
  • Jerusalem mayor to forgo third term, will run on Likud ticket instead - Nir Barkat says he will seek a spot on Netanyahu's Likud party slate for parliamentary elections that must be held by November 2019. (Haaretz and Ynet)
  • Israel Says It May Shield Hundreds of Nuba Asylum Seekers From Expulsion - Tells High Court it is exploring giving humanitarian status to the people of the Nuba mountains of Sudan, over age 41, who fled genocide. (Haaretz+)
  • Leaker of (naked) video of Israeli model and singer is suspected of more than ten similar cases - A prosecutor's statement was filed today in court against Arnan Meisels, a religious father of six from a West Bank settlement, on suspicion of allegedly committing grave offenses of leaking intimate videos of more than 10 victims during 2017. Meisels was one of the authors of the religious book Orot HaTorah. (Maariv)
  • New plan for egalitarian prayer space at Western Wall to be unveiled Monday - The space has long been a topic of contention between Netanyahu's government and non-Orthodox religious movements in Israel and abroad. (Haaretz+)
  • Jewish Agency CEO Alan Hoffman announces resignation, leaving the institution leaderless - Hoffman's departure will align with that of Jewish Agency chairman Natan Sharansky, causing a shakeup in the organization. (Haaretz+)
  • Report: IDF hit Hezbollah outposts in Lebanon - Terror group's affiliated network Al Mayadeen denies reports in Al Arabiya alleging that the Israeli military had launched strikes on several Hezbollah outposts in the Lebanese Beqaa Valley region of Baalbek adjacent to the Syrian border. (Ynet)
  • U.S. House Minority Leader Pelosi to Lead Delegation to Israel, Jordan - The delegation of House Democrats will focus on 'global and regional security and cooperation issues,' Pelosi's office said. (Haaretz)
  • WATCH: Saudi Crown Prince 'Humiliated' by Trump's Oval Office Boast of Arms Sales - MBS looked very uncomfortable as Trump listed the amounts of weapons the U.S. has sold to the Saudis, '$880 million ... $645 million ... $6 billion ... that's for frigates.’ (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Holocaust Survivor Found Dead in Her Paris Apartment in Suspected Hate Crime - The 85-year-old woman's body was found burned and covered in stab wounds. (JTA, Haaretz)
  • At Yad Vashem, German FM Hails 'Miracle of Friendship' With Israel - In his first visit to Israel since the new German government was sworn in, Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Germany 'bears the responsibility for the most barbarous crime in the history of humanity.’ (Agencies, Haaretz)


Features:
Jewish candidate for Muslim party breaks barriers in Tunisia
"I chose Ennahdha because I found that because of the crisis the country is going through, everyone is turning toward this party," says Simon Slama. Opposition party calls candidacy "a propaganda operation" to keep alliances with the United States. (AP and Israel Hayom)
Ahead of Trump Decision, Four Israeli Military Chiefs Oppose Nixing Iran Nuclear Deal
Military Intelligence chief says, however, 2015 international accord emboldened Iran. (Haaretz)
How Haredi civilian service has become a popular way of beating the system
Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth investigation reveals that what was supposed to serve as an interim solution for an equal share of the burden has turned into a lawless system: Instead of doing what they have been assigned to do, most Haredi civilian service volunteers get hundreds to thousands of shekels a month and go on with their daily life.  (Yehuda Shohat and Ariela Sternbach, Yedioth/Ynet)
Archaeologists Glance Into Fox Burrow in Iraq, Find 4,000-year-old Sumerian Port
The ancient harbor uncovered near Ur, homeland of Abraham, is the oldest port found in Iraq and shows the Sumerians weren't only good farmers, they were skilled sailors too. (Ariel David, Haaretz)
 
Commentary/Analysis:
In the spirit of the commander: How can a course called politics and government deal with an ethical code? (Ron Kaufman, Maariv) Education Minister Naftali Bennett's fascist program is a language in which the lecturers will be forced to recite the material and will be forbidden to express a political opinion on this material, mercifully, against the corrupt regime.
The ethical code storm at the universities: Academic Bolshevism (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth) In parts of the academia there is the shutting of mouths. When in certain disputes, for example, all the lecturers think exactly the same and everyone is part of the radical left-wing - then there is no critical thinking. But this direction need to be in the opposite direction: There is no need to limit the freedom of speech in academia, rather just expand it.
The Three Sins of Naftali Bennett (Dr. Revital Amiran, Maariv) Attempting to set boundaries for discussions in the classrooms is a structural contradiction. In these faculties, many of the texts range from public to political, ethical to political, economic to political, and more.
(New Meretz Chairwoman Tamar) Zandberg: On Probation (Haaretz Editorial) Zandberg raised doubts about her judgment and her image as a principled politician. From now on, she will be scrutinized with redoubled caution.
Despite the mistake: Zandberg does not have to resign, and Meretz voters don’t have to run away (Nurit Canetti, Maariv) In the end, the issues are the lie and the range of visibility. In every position, a leader is expected to show a deeper understanding of reality - but the new chairwoman missed seeing the gathering storm.
Tamar Zandberg, Go Home! (Alit Karp, Haaretz) The new Meretz chairwoman betrayed voters by using the services of a far-right spin doctor and compounded the damage by lying about it.
Live broadcast assassination: The target was not Tamar Zandberg, but the Meretz party (Yuval Bar, Maariv) Not two days have passed since the leftist party celebrated a new chairman, and it has already entered a whirlpool of blame and internal divisions, but did right-wing consultant Moshe Klugheft act alone, or perhaps even with people in Meretz itself?
You Bet It’s Apartheid (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) With Ahed Tamimi's sentence to jail, the truth has come out about Israel.
The required change is not related only to Netanyahu, but to the readiness of the public to fight for change (Uri Savir, Maariv) Israel is undergoing an unprecedented democratic crisis. Law enforcement agencies, the High Court, the media, and the opposition are under attack, yet the left is still lacking energy.
I Call ‘BS’ on the Syrian Reactor Affair (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) Nice reporting on the Syria affair, but I don't believe it. They want me to believe that a large neglected building in the middle of the desert, with no signs of life nearby, is the new ultimate site of extermination. Did the Syrians hire ghosts to build their nukes? The elements are too improbable, and Israel has been using scare tactics since 1948, and not even a thousandth of all the apocalyptic forecasts has ever come true.
Some causes for concern following John Bolton appointment (Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynet) The current makeup of the Trump administration doesn’t bode well, not only for Iran but also for North Korea and China, Putin, Assad and EU leaders. Netanyahu should be satisfied on the surface with the appointment of a clear friend of Israel as the new national security adviser, but the IDF might want to check its war reserve stores just in case.
Jerusalem's Outgoing Mayor Never Understood the City, but Still Made It Better (Nir Hasson, Haaretz) Nir Barkat took action in East Jerusalem, but mostly to benefit Jewish settlers. He made the city more secular friendly, but sparked a crisis with the church. The politician in him often triumphed over the mayor.
Partners in silence: IDF and Hamas maintain a low profile regarding the “March for Return" (Tal Lev Ram, Maariv) The security establishment's cautious assessments are that this Friday things will become more a degree more volatile, but that there won’t be huge processions of Palestinians in Gaza towards Israel. But radical developments will require creative thinking about an appropriate solution.
It’s time for an Israeli initiative concerning Gaza (Giora Eiland, Yedioth/Ynet) Israel must change its policy and acknowledge the existence of an independent state named Gaza on its border, whose government was elected in a relatively democratic vote. Furthermore, it should encourage Western and Arab states to invest in Gaza’s reconstruction, together with the Hamas government rather than behind its back.
Israel does not want pictures of dozens (of Palestinians) killed on the fence, the area is liable to be set alight" (Tal Ben-Ram, Maariv/103FM) The military correspondent of Maariv referred to the crossing over the fence of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip: “The IDF must be prepared for such events better” and he warned: "Almost every day a Palestinian infiltrates Israeli territory.”
The Saudi Nuclear Program: Here's What Should Worry Israel and Trump (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz) Riyadh says it has the right to enrich uranium just as the Iranians have been awarded, while Israel, which is pressuring Trump to leave the Iran deal, may find itself facing two nuclear powers.
Saudi Crown Prince Uses Israel's Supporters to Cement His Relationship With the U.S. (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) Mohammed bin Salman has one aim: to be the most powerful figure in the Middle East in the coming decades. But that goal didn’t end so well for Nasser and Saddam.
There's No Point in Europe Trying Again With Turkey. It Just Can't Compete With Putin (Simon A. Waldman, Haaretz+) Turkey and the West no longer share any strategic interests. In fact, Ankara regards the West as a key security threat.
 
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.