APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday October 28, 2019
You Must Be Kidding:
*Israel has given Palestinian photographer Mustafa Al-Kharouf three weeks to
change his residence status or leave the country. Al-Kharouf was born in Algeria and has lived in E.
Jerusalem since he was 12, he is married to a Palestinian woman and has no other nationality.**
Front Page:
Front Page:
Haaretz
- US: ISIS leader killed in US military activity in Syria
- Symbolic achievement // Amos Harel
- Temporary celebration // Chemi Shalev
- Netanyahu-Mozes tapes: The talks testify to conspiring against democracy // Mordechai Kremnitzer
- Now clear: Netanyahu and Mozes must be put on trial // Ido Baum
- It’s only left to ask: If that’s not a bribery deal, then what is? // Haaretz Editorial
- Gantz met with Netanyahu; (Likud MK) Levine: Likud sticks to the 55 Block
- Netanyahu’s spokesman and senior Likud people were interrogated on suspicion of harassing state witness Shlomo Filber
- Rabbinical court ordered to take children from their mother on claim that she stopped living a religious lifestyle
- While violence in the Arab sector increases, in the West Bank there is an opposite trend
- What is he crying about? // Raviv Drucker
- The empty chair // Neta Achituv on Israel preventing Gaza lecturer from leaving Gaza
Yedioth Ahronoth
- #1 terrorist eliminated - Abu Bakar Al-Baghdadi, founder of ISIS
- Trump celebrated the achievement: “He died like a scared dog”
- In the big guys field // Orly Azoulay
- ISIS, the day after // Smadar Perry
- Depend only on ourselves // Limor Livnat
- Final chord // Shimrit Meir
- Gantz and Netanyahu: “A good talk”
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- Barricaded in their positions
- “Died like a dog” - Shoot of encouragement from Trump
- Ended and not completed // Haim Isrovitch
- Lethal danger - Hospital doctors warn of crowded internal departments
Israel Hayom
- They closed accounts - Death of a murderer; Trump: “Al-Baghdadi died like a dog”; Fear in Europe of revenge attacks
- The US message to the Middle East: We are still here // Abraham Ben-Tzvi
- The ones who will continue the path of ISIS - only a question of time // Eyal Zisser
- They won’t scare us, the journalists, with blows and threats // Daniel Siriyoti (who was beaten by ultra-Orthodox youth)
- A new start - Medical school at Ariel University in Samaria was inaugurated with a celebratory ceremony. (In photo: US Ambassador David Friedman, the Edelson couple, and the dean of the medical school, Prof. Shai Ashkenazi
- (Trump envoy) Greenblatt resigns: He will continue to aid in the peace process
- History in Kibbutz Megiddo: For the first time - members will establish a synagogue
- Looking for unity: Gantz and Netanyahu met “in positive atmosphere”
- Suspicion: Senior officials in Likud campaign harassed state witness Shlomo Filber
Top News Summary:
The leader of the Islamic State was killed in Syria, Kahol-Lavan leader Benny Gantz and Likud leader, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, had a “positive” - but unproductive - meeting and senior Likud people were questioned on suspicion of harassing a state witness in one of the Netanyahu corruption affairs making top stories in the Hebrew newspapers.
The Hebrew papers loved US President Donald Trump’s statement that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi “died like a dog” and, with the usual exception of Haaretz, they all put it on their front pages. Their commentators, for the most part, agreed that his death was mostly a “symbolic” victory. Maariv reported that two months before his death, Al Baghdadi declared who is his replacement: Abdullah Kardash, a former officer in Saddam Hussein's army and a senior member of ISIS, has been appointed leader. Al-Baghdadi blew himself up, along with two of his wives and three of his children, when he caught by the US forces who had raided his home. The papers shared the details of how the raid played out. Netanyahu congratulated Trump for the killing (essentially a suicide). Haaretz published a ‘Who is Al-Baghdadi.’
Meanwhile, Channel 13 News released more recordings of problematic secret conversations between Netanyahu and Yedioth Ahronoth publisher, Arnon Mozes, while the papers reported that senior Likud officials are suspected of harassing state witness Shmuel Filber in Netanyahu corruption Case 4000, the Bezeq-Walla telecommunications affair. (Also Maariv)
Elections 2019 News:
The two leaders of the largest parties held their first meeting together since Gantz was appointed to form a government. But since both want to be prime minister first in a rotation unity government and Gantz wants a broad liberal government, while Netanyahu insisted he would not compromise on all of his ‘Bloc 55,’ the bloc of right-wing and ultra-Orthodox parties that he is representing, they remained stuck in their positions.
Quick Hits:
- Israeli Army: ‘Operational Failure’ Nearly Led to Major Escalation on Lebanon Border in September - Military ambulance carrying five soldiers should not have been in range of Hezbollah missiles on the Lebanon border during tensions in early September. (Haaretz+, Israel Hayom, Maariv and Ynet)
- 'Zionism Won': Adelsons Hail Opening of Controversial Medical School in West Bank - Despite obstacles, the philanthropist couple joined students and officials to celebrate the start of the academic year as the university tries to fight its reputation as a 'settler' institution. (Haaretz+)
- **Israel Releases Palestinian Photographer Held for Nine Months Without Trial - The authorities has given Palestinian, Mustafa Al-Kharouf, 31, three weeks to change his residence status or leave the country. Since nothing has changed regarding his lack of status in Jordan, Kharouf is expected to resubmit a request for residency based on family unification. He was born in Algeria, has lived in E. Jerusalem with his family since age 12 and is married to a woman from E. Jerusalem (Haaretz+)
- The crisis between the Foreign and Defense ministries exacerbates: tomorrow, (Israeli) embassies will be shut down and the crossings to the Palestinian Authority - The two labor unions of the two ministries announced the opening of sanctions following a new Treasury procedure. Israeli embassies around the world will close and it will not be possible to cross into the territories of the Palestinian Authority. (Maariv)
- Violence in the Arab sector: 37-year-old was shot dead in Kafr Qara - The injured man who was shot near the local post office. Police have launched an investigation. (Maariv and Walla)
- West Bank Resident Suspected of Aggravated Murder in Ashkelon Infant’s Death - Police believe the 10-month-old, who died last week, was being regularly abused. Her mother remains under house arrest. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli Reporter Assaulted While on the Job: 'They Asked if I Was [sic - were] a Journalist' - Israel Hayom journalist says he was attacked by six or seven ultra-Orthodox men who beat him after they ascertained that he was a reporter. (Haaretz)
- Israeli Family of Girl Killed in Holocaust Tries to Block Auction of Her Letters - 'When we go outside the goyim beat us and throw stones at us (...) I would very much like to go to Eretz Israel [where] I could respond to the attackers, not like here where I am afraid,' one of the letters says. (Haaretz+)
- Secret aliyah and healing Israel-Diaspora rift – the Jewish Agency sets new goals - Agency's trustees meet in Jerusalem to discuss three-pronged plan for work with Israeli government and Jewish communities and law enforcement bodies around the world. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Netanyahu Appoints Himself Israel's Diaspora Minister - The prime minister, who has been acting diaspora minister since June, also holds the defense, health and labor, social affairs and social services portfolios. (Haaretz+)
- Operating drones and growing cannabis: In the academic institutions, they are looking for the profession of the future - Higher education institutions are trying to keep up with the pace of technology development. The means is innovative subjects that we
- Lebanese Protesters Form Country-long Human Chain on 11th Day of Anti-government Protests - People from all sects and walks of life have flooded the streets, furious at a sectarian ruling elite they accuse of plundering state resources. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Iraqi protesters hold Baghdad square after night of clashes - Video of a protester holding an Iraqi flag while apparently being gunned down went viral over the weekend. (Agencies, Ynet)
- Clashes between Turkish forces and Syrian army in north Syria, state news reports - Fighting underscores risk of violence as forces struggle for new positions in northeast Syria. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- US: Talks progressing with Saudis on possible nuclear program - The world’s top oil exporter says it wants to use nuclear power to diversify its energy mix, but in order for US companies to compete for Saudi Arabia’s project, Riyadh would normally need to sign an accord on the peaceful use of nuclear technology with Washington. “The kingdom and the leadership in the kingdom will find a way to sign a 1,2,3 agreement with the United States, I think,” says US Energy Secretary Rick Perry. (Agencies, Israel Hayom)
Features:
This Revolutionary Woman Married a Spy – Only to Learn That Her Father Is One, Too
Sylvia Klingberg, whose father, Marcus Klingberg, revealed secrets to the Russians, and whose husband, Udi Adiv, revealed secrets to Syrians, died this month in France. (Ofer Aderet, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
If the Netanyahu Recordings Aren’t Bribery, What Is? (Haaretz Editorial) When you listen to the recordings revealed Saturday on the television program “Hamakor” – in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Arnon Mozes discuss trading favorable press coverage for customized legislation – you gain insight into the cynical, corrupt-to-the-core world at the top of Israel’s elites in both government and journalism. The recordings leave no room for doubt. Yedioth’s publisher was pushing for the deal that would save his outfit from the economic damage being done by Israel Hayom, the free daily published by the prime minister’s patron, Sheldon Adelson. Meanwhile, the prime minister promised that in return for favorable coverage, he would pass a law benefiting Yedioth financially.
Something really wrong is passing over the democratic regime in Israel (Dr. Haim Misgav, Maariv) There is no state in the Western world where there are institutions like the State Attorney's Office, which are exempt from public oversight and which are able to oust those who head the state. We are at the door of a slippery slope.
Netanyahu-Mozes Recordings Represent a Conspiracy Against Democracy (Mordechai Kremnitzer, Haaretz+) Israeli democracy must protect itself – including via criminal law when that law is broken – against the danger of a prime minister who is not only above the nation and its citizens, but above criticism.
Netanyahu and Publisher Have Been Doing Deals for Decades (Gur Megiddo, Haaaretz+) The recordings leaked over the weekend point to a long history of secret agreements for positive coverage — and buried stories — in Arnon Mozes's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
Israel, Make Peace With the Region (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) The only official response to the enormous wave of demonstrations in Lebanon has come – how could it be otherwise? – from the army’s chief of staff, Aviv Kochavi, who warned of the danger of conflict in both the north and the south of the country. This is what the picture looks from afar: Hundreds of thousands are demonstrating in Lebanon and threatening the corrupt political order there, but in Israel, people have rushed to place themselves on the opposite side – that of the corrupt politicians.
US tells the Middle East: We're still here (Prof. Abraham Ben-Zvi, Israel Hayom) And yet, the use of the military whip in the future will continue to be measured and selective, to avoid embroiling the American people in another painful and destructive quagmire in a part of the world they generally view as minor from a national security perspective.
Baghdadi's Death Is Symbolic Victory for Trump – but Can't Undo Damage Done in Syria (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) The timing of the ISIS leader's killing benefits Trump, but it is unlikely to hamper the group's plans for attacks.
Islamic State will not die with Baghdadi (Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynet) The terrorist organization's leader, killed during a U.S.-led raid in Syria, will likely achieve mythological status among his adherents, and while his demise will be a blow to morale in certain parts of the world, his message will still inspire many to carry out attacks.
Trump Basks in al-Baghdadi’s Bloody Assassination, but the Festivities Will End Shortly (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) The killing of the ISIS leader is bound to please most Israelis, who had begun to fear their hero president was a toothless tiger.
We must rely just on ourselves (Limor Livnat, Yedioth Hebrew) The elimination of ISIS leader al-Baghdadi will surely give many points to President Trump - especially in American public opinion - but he cannot change the lessons Israel has to derive from the latest developments and measures the president has taken in the Middle East. When US National Security Adviser John Bolton, a friend of Israel, was fired from his job about a month and a half ago, I felt uncomfortable. About a week later, when Iran attacked Saudi oil facilities, saying Iranian President Rouhani was a warning, and US President Trump responded by saying that "Iran seems to be responsible for an attack on Saudi Arabia, but I don't want war," I felt really upset. And when two weeks ago, Trump talked on the phone with Turkish President Erdogan, and then announced to the world in a tweet that he had decided to expel US troops from northern Syria - thus abandoning the Kurds who had been fighting for years in ISIS and saw America as an ally - I began to rock my seat with genuine concern...Netanyahu is doing right when he maintains a close and warm relationship with the President of the United States. And thank you, President Trump, for moving the embassy to Jerusalem - whose event we wished for 71 years and through who knows how many presidents - and for recognizing the Golan Heights as part of the State of Israel. Netanyahu's relations with Putin are also important and very valuable. But we must always keep in mind that in decisive moments, if they come, G-d forbid, we have no one to trust but ourselves.
The suffering of the Kurds: The dreadful horror is afflicted by too many people in our area (Meir Uziel, Maariv) Do we really understand what dangers we are facing? Or are we comfortable innocently clinging to the belief that all humans are gentlemen?
Netanyahu and the (right-wing/ultra-Orthodox) block have no idea how the new Middle East is functioning (Ran Edelist, Maariv) Trump's isolationism and the strengthening of Democrats turn Netanyahu and the right-wing into a security risk. Gantz could present an alternative, but only if he could digest a government with the Joint List.
Electoral crisis causing Israel to miss major opportunities (Rachel Avraham, Israel Hayom) The prolonged political deadlock is seriously undermining Israel's domestic and regional interest. Blue and White's stalling tactics in the coalition talks are a disgrace.
The slow death of a promising peace (Smadar Perry, Yedioth/Ynet) The peace agreement signed between Israel and Jordan in 1994, was supposed to be a 'warm and true' peace, but looking at it today, not much is left of that promise; we can still do a lot not only to save it, but to further it.
When it comes to Israel and Jordan, cold peace has its advantages (Ariel Kahana, Israel Hayom) The foundations of the 1994 peace treaty between the Jewish state and the Hashemite Kingdom run deeper than most think. While in recent years Israeli-Jordanian relations have been tense, cooperation on vital issues proves peace is alive and kicking.
Will the Palestinian Government Fight the Work-permit Collaborators With Israel? (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) Robbing Palestinians is Israel’s daily bread. But it remains to be seen whether the Ramallah government will keep its promise to fight the Palestinian profiteers who help Israeli employers illegally trade in work permits.
Protests in Lebanon: A wrench in Hezbollah and Iran's plans (Prof. Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) The mass protests in Lebanon and Iraq have thrown Iran and mainly Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah off balance, even to the point of alarm. Sadly, due to traditional ethnic and tribal allegiances, the angry youth in the streets aren't likely to foster any real change.
Sylvia Klingberg, whose father, Marcus Klingberg, revealed secrets to the Russians, and whose husband, Udi Adiv, revealed secrets to Syrians, died this month in France. (Ofer Aderet, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
If the Netanyahu Recordings Aren’t Bribery, What Is? (Haaretz Editorial) When you listen to the recordings revealed Saturday on the television program “Hamakor” – in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Arnon Mozes discuss trading favorable press coverage for customized legislation – you gain insight into the cynical, corrupt-to-the-core world at the top of Israel’s elites in both government and journalism. The recordings leave no room for doubt. Yedioth’s publisher was pushing for the deal that would save his outfit from the economic damage being done by Israel Hayom, the free daily published by the prime minister’s patron, Sheldon Adelson. Meanwhile, the prime minister promised that in return for favorable coverage, he would pass a law benefiting Yedioth financially.
Something really wrong is passing over the democratic regime in Israel (Dr. Haim Misgav, Maariv) There is no state in the Western world where there are institutions like the State Attorney's Office, which are exempt from public oversight and which are able to oust those who head the state. We are at the door of a slippery slope.
Netanyahu-Mozes Recordings Represent a Conspiracy Against Democracy (Mordechai Kremnitzer, Haaretz+) Israeli democracy must protect itself – including via criminal law when that law is broken – against the danger of a prime minister who is not only above the nation and its citizens, but above criticism.
Netanyahu and Publisher Have Been Doing Deals for Decades (Gur Megiddo, Haaaretz+) The recordings leaked over the weekend point to a long history of secret agreements for positive coverage — and buried stories — in Arnon Mozes's Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.
Israel, Make Peace With the Region (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) The only official response to the enormous wave of demonstrations in Lebanon has come – how could it be otherwise? – from the army’s chief of staff, Aviv Kochavi, who warned of the danger of conflict in both the north and the south of the country. This is what the picture looks from afar: Hundreds of thousands are demonstrating in Lebanon and threatening the corrupt political order there, but in Israel, people have rushed to place themselves on the opposite side – that of the corrupt politicians.
US tells the Middle East: We're still here (Prof. Abraham Ben-Zvi, Israel Hayom) And yet, the use of the military whip in the future will continue to be measured and selective, to avoid embroiling the American people in another painful and destructive quagmire in a part of the world they generally view as minor from a national security perspective.
Baghdadi's Death Is Symbolic Victory for Trump – but Can't Undo Damage Done in Syria (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) The timing of the ISIS leader's killing benefits Trump, but it is unlikely to hamper the group's plans for attacks.
Islamic State will not die with Baghdadi (Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynet) The terrorist organization's leader, killed during a U.S.-led raid in Syria, will likely achieve mythological status among his adherents, and while his demise will be a blow to morale in certain parts of the world, his message will still inspire many to carry out attacks.
Trump Basks in al-Baghdadi’s Bloody Assassination, but the Festivities Will End Shortly (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) The killing of the ISIS leader is bound to please most Israelis, who had begun to fear their hero president was a toothless tiger.
We must rely just on ourselves (Limor Livnat, Yedioth Hebrew) The elimination of ISIS leader al-Baghdadi will surely give many points to President Trump - especially in American public opinion - but he cannot change the lessons Israel has to derive from the latest developments and measures the president has taken in the Middle East. When US National Security Adviser John Bolton, a friend of Israel, was fired from his job about a month and a half ago, I felt uncomfortable. About a week later, when Iran attacked Saudi oil facilities, saying Iranian President Rouhani was a warning, and US President Trump responded by saying that "Iran seems to be responsible for an attack on Saudi Arabia, but I don't want war," I felt really upset. And when two weeks ago, Trump talked on the phone with Turkish President Erdogan, and then announced to the world in a tweet that he had decided to expel US troops from northern Syria - thus abandoning the Kurds who had been fighting for years in ISIS and saw America as an ally - I began to rock my seat with genuine concern...Netanyahu is doing right when he maintains a close and warm relationship with the President of the United States. And thank you, President Trump, for moving the embassy to Jerusalem - whose event we wished for 71 years and through who knows how many presidents - and for recognizing the Golan Heights as part of the State of Israel. Netanyahu's relations with Putin are also important and very valuable. But we must always keep in mind that in decisive moments, if they come, G-d forbid, we have no one to trust but ourselves.
The suffering of the Kurds: The dreadful horror is afflicted by too many people in our area (Meir Uziel, Maariv) Do we really understand what dangers we are facing? Or are we comfortable innocently clinging to the belief that all humans are gentlemen?
Netanyahu and the (right-wing/ultra-Orthodox) block have no idea how the new Middle East is functioning (Ran Edelist, Maariv) Trump's isolationism and the strengthening of Democrats turn Netanyahu and the right-wing into a security risk. Gantz could present an alternative, but only if he could digest a government with the Joint List.
Electoral crisis causing Israel to miss major opportunities (Rachel Avraham, Israel Hayom) The prolonged political deadlock is seriously undermining Israel's domestic and regional interest. Blue and White's stalling tactics in the coalition talks are a disgrace.
The slow death of a promising peace (Smadar Perry, Yedioth/Ynet) The peace agreement signed between Israel and Jordan in 1994, was supposed to be a 'warm and true' peace, but looking at it today, not much is left of that promise; we can still do a lot not only to save it, but to further it.
When it comes to Israel and Jordan, cold peace has its advantages (Ariel Kahana, Israel Hayom) The foundations of the 1994 peace treaty between the Jewish state and the Hashemite Kingdom run deeper than most think. While in recent years Israeli-Jordanian relations have been tense, cooperation on vital issues proves peace is alive and kicking.
Will the Palestinian Government Fight the Work-permit Collaborators With Israel? (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) Robbing Palestinians is Israel’s daily bread. But it remains to be seen whether the Ramallah government will keep its promise to fight the Palestinian profiteers who help Israeli employers illegally trade in work permits.
Protests in Lebanon: A wrench in Hezbollah and Iran's plans (Prof. Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) The mass protests in Lebanon and Iraq have thrown Iran and mainly Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah off balance, even to the point of alarm. Sadly, due to traditional ethnic and tribal allegiances, the angry youth in the streets aren't likely to foster any real change.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.