APN's daily news review from Israel
Friday March 21, 2014
Quote of the day:
"I hope that Migron will become a symbol for settlers (showing) that you can not take control of all
the land and every hill - certainly not when it comes to privately-owned Palestinian land."
--Yariv Oppenheimer, secretary general of Peace Now, on the Attorney General's decision not to allow settlers to re-inhabit the Migron outpost, after police discovered the settlers had forged purchase of privately-owned Palestinian lands there.**
--Yariv Oppenheimer, secretary general of Peace Now, on the Attorney General's decision not to allow settlers to re-inhabit the Migron outpost, after police discovered the settlers had forged purchase of privately-owned Palestinian lands there.**
Front Page News:
Haaretz
- Bordering on escalation - Series of mine attacks heated up the week in the northern area. The other side is likely to think it can gain from a low-fire conflict with the IDF - but things could easily get out of control // Amos Harel
- Palestinian team preparing for day after the Palestinian Authority
- Weiner's and Benayahu's arrests and (former IDF chief of staff) Ashkenazi's political future getting farther away // Yossi Verter and Amos Harel
- Washington expanding sanctions on senior Russian officials, including Putin associates
- The pioneers who established a kibbutz in the Crimean peninsula
- Citizen complained of being attacked, police delayed at a party
- Even if parts of the Malaysian plane were found in the Indian Ocean, a solution to the mystery is still far
Yedioth Ahronoth
- IDF discovered terror tunnel
- After a night under arrest - Avi Benayhu, Former IDF spokesman, and Erez Weiner, aide to former IDF chief of staff Ashkenazi, were released to house arrest
- Apartment without VAT also for couples and singles without children
- Search for (Malaysian) "plane fragments" near Australia
- The great apartment-selling festival // Nahum Barnea on Lapid's plan to exempt certain people from VAT on first home purchase
- The people and the VAT // Sever Plocker on Lapid's plan to exempt certain people from VAT on first home purchase
- Crying over milk // Sima Kadmon on the affair of the prime minister's residence house manager who is suing the Netanyahu couple
Maariv
- Putin not scared by Obama: Put sanctions on senior American officials
- Paratroopers in the Hezbollah trap // Amir Rappaport
- The manipulation of the "Blue-White Future" movement // Kalman Libskind
- The Jewish state and the Palestinian fraud // Ben-Dror Yemini
- Ehud Barak, Bugi Yaalon and the attack on Iran // Shalom Yerushalmi
- Minister of Finance, the housing market and the next elections // Uri Elitzur
- The race for the Presidency - 7 MKs of ultra-Orthodox party committed to supporting Fuad Ben-Eliezer
- The Mossad reveals - 8 of the 11 Jews who tried to escape Iran in the '90's, were murdered (Hebrew)
- The threshold - Ali Salem, the elected mayor of Nazareth: "Arab MKs do not help the Arab sector" (Hebrew)
- Avi Benayahu, former IDF spokesman, and Erez Weiner, aide to chief of staff Ashkenazi, were released last night from their detention. Police: "There is significant evidence against them" (Hebrew)
Israel Hayom
- IDF: We discovered a terror tunnel on the Gaza Strip border
- Series of failures led to death of officer
- "Mystery of (Malaysian) plane is close to a solution"
- US and Russia in mutual sanctions
- Police: Benayahu and Weiner did not speak truth
- Instead of a TV fee - a Yedioth fee // Hezi Shternlicht
- Running to the capital: 25,000 runners from 54 states participating in Jerusalem marathon today
- 8 Jews of Iran who tried to immigrate to Israel in the '90's - were murdered on the way
- Lapid: VAT exemption on first apartment - also for single people
Security and Peace Talk Highlights:
Today's top stories in the Hebrew papers were the discovery of a 'terror' tunnel near the Gaza border fence and the release of the former IDF spokesman and an aide to the former IDF chief of staff from detention to house arrest as the police say there is significant evidence against them. On the peace talk front, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas received a hero's welcome in Ramallah upon his return from his White House meeting with US President Barack Obama. He told supporters he remained true to his principles and did not bow to American pressure. But, as Haaretz+ writes, his next test comes next week, when Israel is scheduled to release the fourth and final group of prisoners.Abbas also asked Obama to intervene and pressure Israel to include Fatah star, Marwan Barghouti, in the release. Meanwhile, a massive six-month study found that the Palestinian Authority is on the brink of collapse and that only achieving statehood could save the West Bank from an impending wave of violence, crime, chaos, disease.
Today's top stories in the Hebrew papers were the discovery of a 'terror' tunnel near the Gaza border fence and the release of the former IDF spokesman and an aide to the former IDF chief of staff from detention to house arrest as the police say there is significant evidence against them. On the peace talk front, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas received a hero's welcome in Ramallah upon his return from his White House meeting with US President Barack Obama. He told supporters he remained true to his principles and did not bow to American pressure. But, as Haaretz+ writes, his next test comes next week, when Israel is scheduled to release the fourth and final group of prisoners.Abbas also asked Obama to intervene and pressure Israel to include Fatah star, Marwan Barghouti, in the release. Meanwhile, a massive six-month study found that the Palestinian Authority is on the brink of collapse and that only achieving statehood could save the West Bank from an impending wave of violence, crime, chaos, disease.
Quick Hits:
- 2 Palestinian children attacked by settlers near Beit Furik - Two 11-year-olds suffered moderate injuries after a group of Israeli settlers from Itamar attacked them with sticks, striking their head, face and back near the village of Beit Furik and then forcibly taking them to the settlement. Clashes later erupted between settlers and dozens of young men in the village. (Maan)
- Plan for 839 Ariel housing units approved by Civil Administration - Civil Administration in West Bank also approves 300 housing units in Beit El. (Haaretz+)
- Israel advances plans for 2,269 West Bank homes - Committeee approves validation of 1,015 units in Leshem, Beit El and Almog and deposit 1,254 units in Ariel, Shvut Rachel and Shavei Shomron. (Agencies, Ynet)
- Israeli court rejects appeal against demolition of Bedouin village - The Israeli court's decision paves the way for the planned displacement of Umm al-Heiran's 1,000 inhabitants to make way for a planned Jewish town, 50 years after the state gave the village inhabitants' the land after their original lands were confiscated. (Maan)
- For transparency, settlement body may become public authority - Making Settlement Division of the World Zionist Organization public will force it to be more transparent about its spending, Meretz and groups such as Yesh Din argue. (Haaretz+)
- **Prosecution opposes resettlement of Migron (outpost) - Attorney General Weinstein opposes the repopulation of the outpost, following a police investigation that showed that the settlers forged the acquisition of land in the outpost from Palestinians. Yariv Oppenheimer, secretary general of Peace Now: "I hope that Migron will become a symbol for settlers (showing) that you can not take control of all the land and every hill - certainly not when it comes to privately-owned Palestinian land." (Maariv/NRG Hebrew)
- Israeli forces blockade village of Burin near Nablus after bus attack - Israeli forces closed all entrances to the village of Burin, preventing locals from leaving or entering their village, hours after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at an Israeli settler bus passing by the nearby village of Madama. (Maan)
- Two Palestinians arrested after clash with MK Feiglin on Temple Mount - Palestinian worshippers throw stones and shout 'Allah Akbar' at group of right-wing Jews headed by MK Moshe Feiglin. (Haaretz and Maan and Ynet)
- US senators see aid to Israel staying firm despite cuts - Talks about a new military aid package are underway. Current package of $3 billion a year, that expires in 2017, is likely to be similar. (Agencies, Ynet)
- U.S. insists on explicit apology from Ya'alon - Obama administration official denies Israeli defense minister apologized to counterpart Chuck Hagel in widely reported phone conversation for 'offensive and highly disappointing comments.' (Haaretz+)
- Jewish groups blast Ya'alon’s 'absurd and over the top' attack on Obama administration - Israeli defense minister 'clearly crossed a line' with remarks on U.S's foreign policy, says director of National Jewish Democratic Council. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
- Mossad: 8 Iranian-Jews that went missing in the 90s were murdered - Fate of three other Jews that attempted to escape Iran in 1997 remains unknown; Netanyahu: 'I send my condolences to the families and hope they find solace in the information they received.' (Ynet)
- Netanyahu forced to cancel historic Latin America visit due to Foreign Ministry strike - Prime minister had been planning to go to Colombia, Mexico and Panama, but was unable to organize the visit as the embassies there are staffed almost exclusively by Foreign Ministry personnel. (Haaretz)
- Mayor of Nazareth: Arab MKs are not helpful to us - Ali Salam refused to publicly support the recruitment of young Arabs to the IDF and declares already as he takes office that he will not continue for another term. (Maariv/NRG Hebrew)
- Jerusalem-area students spark controversy with KKK costumes on Purim - Other students wear blackface and don Afro wigs to play the role of American blacks threatened by their white-hooded classmates. (Haaretz)
- Israeli forces free recently detained Bethlehem woman - Nawal Ubayyat was detained on March 11 while she was visiting her son in Israeli custody. She was released after two people volunteered to pay a fine on her behalf at the central court in Beersheba. (Maan)
- Israeli DJs join Iranian-born techno musician to produce record - Deep’a & Biri discuss the unusual collaboration behind their new record. (Haaretz+)
- Peres sends Iranians traditional greeting - President Shimon Peres sends recorded greeting to Iranian people in honor of the Persian New Year; US President also sends message to mark Nowruz, encourages Iranians to welcome nuclear agreement. (Agencies, Ynet+VIDEO)
- Marathon fever hits Jerusalem: 25,000 runners take to the streets - Runners from 54 countries competing in Friday's race. (Haaretz+)
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.