"[This bill] is a declaration of war against Israel’s Arab citizens and against Israel as a democratic
and properly governed society.”
--Meretz Chairwoman Zehava Galon said at the passing of the nation-state bill, which revoked the status of Arabic as an official language of Israel.*
Quote of the Day #2:
“It is quite possible that it is precisely (Trump), the guttural, impatient leader, who lacks the
knowledge and the ability to analyze history, who will be the one who will force us to deal with (our) fear.
Without any glory and fanfare, there is not a bad chance that he will be the one who will help us find the
courage not to be weak.”
--In Maariv, Dr. Revital Amiran reviews Zionism’s change after conquering the Palestinian Territories in 1967
and explains how US President Donald Trump might be able to bring about peace.**
Last week, several press
reports have suggested that the government is preparing to advance 15,000 new housing units in three
Israeli neighbourhood-settlements at East Jerusalem. According to the publications, the plans are for the
establishment of a new neighbourhood at Atarot (10,000 housing units), expanding Ramat Shlomo (3,000 housing units)
and establishing Givat Hamatos (2,000).
Peace Now is deeply concerned regarding the possible development in Givat Hamatos in particular, which is
the most immediate, and will pose a serious threat for a compromise in Jerusalem based on the Clinton Parameters,
and thus for the possibility of a two state solution.
You Must Be
Kidding: Israel’s Coca-Cola franchisee contributed 50,000 shekels ($13,850) to
right-wing fascist group Im Tirtzu in 2015, Yedioth revealed. In attack social media campaigns it
held 18 months ago, Im Tirtzu "outed" individuals associated with Israeli human rights groups as foreign
"moles" and attacked several of Israel's most well-known artists, including writers Amos Oz, David Grossman
and A.B. Yehoshua, due to their opposition to the occupation.**
"Israeli civil society, including groups like Breaking the Silence, B’Tselem and Peace Now, have been a
beacon of hope in a period of despair."
--22 Israelis, former MKs, former ambassadors, artists, and Israel Prize laureates bought a front-page ad in today's Haaretz Hebrew and English thanking German
Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel for insisting on meeting with representatives of
Israeli civil society groups. The papers reported that the German President agreed not to meet with them in his upcoming visit.**
APN's daily news review from Israel
Thursday May 4, 2017
Quote of the day:
"If Trump only understood that this [what Mahmoud Abbas asked for - a two-state solution with E.
Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital] is the exact solution Prime Minister Netanyahu doesn’t want and can’t
accept, he would've realized at this stage that it would be pointless to dip his toes into the Middle Eastern
swamp. But Trump, whose power is in his ignorance, hasn’t studied anything thoroughly and therefore possesses
the optimism reserved for people with no knowledge: He doesn’t let the details get in the way."
--Yedioth's Washington correspondent, Orly Azoulay, explains why Trump's approach might work.*
In his meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today, President Trump vowed to work with the leaders of
Israel and the Palestinians to broker peace. "We will get this done," Trump declared.
“Not everything in our lives is right or left. The entire right isn’t a fascist right, and the entire
left isn’t a traitorous left. If we continue in this unacceptable fashion, we’ll lead to factionalism and bring
destruction down upon ourselves,” Edelstein added.
--President Reuven Rivlin said Tuesday at the annual Independence Day ceremony at the
President’s Residence.*
On May 2 2017, APN held a briefing call with Shibley Telhami, an expert on Palestinian politics
and on U.S. Middle East policy, to discuss Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ white House meeting with
President Trump.
Professor Telhami is the Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development at the University of Maryland, College
Park, and non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. He is the author of The
World through Arab Eyes: Arab Public Opinion and the Reshaping of the Middle East, the co-editor of The
Peace Puzzle: America’s Quest for Arab-Israeli Peace, 1989-2011, and a leading pollster of public opinion in
the Middle East and U.S. public opinion about the region.
Yossi Alpher is an independent security analyst. He is the former director of the Jaffee Center for Strategic
Studies at Tel Aviv University, a former senior official with the Mossad, and a former IDF intelligence officer.
Views and positions expressed here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily represent APN's views and policy
positions.
This week, Alpher discusses rising tensions with Syria; the outlook on Trump's upcoming meeting with Abbas and trip
to Israel; whether Abbas or Netanyahu are in a position to "deal"; possible ramifications of Germany's increasing
pressure on Israel; tension between Israel and North Korea; and celebrating Israel's Independence Day in light of
the present mood.