APN sent the following written testimony to the platform drafting committees of the Republican and Democratic parties for consideration as they draft the portion of their platforms that addresses Israel and the Middle East:
The ongoing disagreement between Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Obama Administration over the terms of a new 10-year Memorandum of Understanding -- expected to commit the U.S. to annual financial assistance to Israel that will be far greater than that of the current MOU ($3.1 billion annually) -- is in the news this week, as Netanyahu and friends in Congress play hardball over demands for significantly increased funding for Israeli missile defense (over and above the funding in the current MOU).
Below are two articles from the Hebrew-language Israeli press, offering views that are somewhat different from those seen in English-language reports. [Translations by Israel News Today.]
APN's daily news review from Israel
Thursday June 16, 2016
Quote of the day:
“The message is: You are still the favorite child, but a spoiled and annoying child and the time has
come to set borders.”
--Yedioth’s commentator Alex Fishman writes that US President Barack Obama is changing the rules in regards to America’s dealings with Israel.**
You Must Be Kidding:
An Israeli-Spanish woman, who calls herself “Yael Cohen,” said she was the 'aunt' of the two Palestinian murderers at Sarona Market.**
--Yedioth’s commentator Alex Fishman writes that US President Barack Obama is changing the rules in regards to America’s dealings with Israel.**
You Must Be Kidding:
An Israeli-Spanish woman, who calls herself “Yael Cohen,” said she was the 'aunt' of the two Palestinian murderers at Sarona Market.**
APN Weekly Update - Solidarity with Terror Victims, APN on Instagram, Events with Alpher, and More
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"It is impossible to continue having people in a reality in
which you are occupying them, while thinking that they will reach a conclusion
that everything is fine and that life can continue as is."
Yossi Alpher to speak at APN events in Los Angeles and
the Berkshires (Western MA)
APN is pleased to invite you to two events featuring Yossi Alpher in Los Angeles - the World Affairs Council Dinner on Thursday, June 23, and the Hard Questions, Tough Answers LIVE lunch on Friday, June 24.
Yossi, the Israeli security expert with many years of experience in Israeli military and national intelligence, at Tel Aviv University's Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, and in conflict resolution and peace process efforts, writes the weekly Hard Questions, Tough Answers Q and A for APN. He has also just released a new book: "No End of Conflict: Rethinking Israel-Palestine." (A bio and more about the book is below)
APN's daily news review from Israel
Wednesday June 15, 2016
Quote of the day:
"'I just want to understand from you, Mr. President, what is my place?' This is what she asked me.
Personally, I am moved each time I see the Israeli flag raised, and at the same time, I understood and was
pained by her question. And she is not alone."
--Israeli President Reuven Rivlin shares a story and concludes that Israeli citizens do not have to be Zionists.*
You Must Be Kidding:
“The revolution I announced on the day I entered office is coming to fruition; the changes have reached the field.”
--Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev responded to accusations of anti-democratic conduct after her ministry sent Israeli cultural institutions a 'loyalty declaration' form, asking them to state whether they had or had not given performances in the Negev, the Galilee or West Bank settlements.*
--Israeli President Reuven Rivlin shares a story and concludes that Israeli citizens do not have to be Zionists.*
You Must Be Kidding:
“The revolution I announced on the day I entered office is coming to fruition; the changes have reached the field.”
--Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev responded to accusations of anti-democratic conduct after her ministry sent Israeli cultural institutions a 'loyalty declaration' form, asking them to state whether they had or had not given performances in the Negev, the Galilee or West Bank settlements.*
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 the analysis of the shared characteristics of the Sarona and Orlando terrorist attacks; the additional unique elements of the Sarona attack of June 8 that seem to have made it so traumatic; and what Netanyahu's fourth meeting in a year with President Putin, together with the fact that he met only once with President Obama during this time tells us about Netanyahu’s strategic world view.
APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday June 14, 2016
Quote of the day:
“The interesting thing about this system is that we aren’t born with it already developed, but it is
shaped throughout our lives,”
--World-class brain researcher, Prof. Talma Hendler, explains the ‘mentalization system' in the brain, which enables us to see the other’s point of view and thereby feel empathy for him, even when he is our enemy or when he is experiencing something we have not experienced ourselves. For some, this system doesn't develop and for others it gets sidelined.*
You Must Be Kidding:
“(Spit) on you and your honor, you dog.”
--An Arab abroad wrote on Facebook in response to the declaration by Saudi journalist Dahham Bin Tarif al-Enazi, following the Palestinian attack in Tel-Aviv that killed four, that "Our empathy with the Palestinians doesn’t mean that we agree to murder civilians and innocents."
“Those left-wing maniacs deserved to diiiiiiie – all of them. Amen."
--Jewish Israeli wrote on Facebook following the Palestinian attack in Tel-Aviv that killed four Israelis. See Op-Ed by Nurit Cannetti.
--World-class brain researcher, Prof. Talma Hendler, explains the ‘mentalization system' in the brain, which enables us to see the other’s point of view and thereby feel empathy for him, even when he is our enemy or when he is experiencing something we have not experienced ourselves. For some, this system doesn't develop and for others it gets sidelined.*
You Must Be Kidding:
“(Spit) on you and your honor, you dog.”
--An Arab abroad wrote on Facebook in response to the declaration by Saudi journalist Dahham Bin Tarif al-Enazi, following the Palestinian attack in Tel-Aviv that killed four, that "Our empathy with the Palestinians doesn’t mean that we agree to murder civilians and innocents."
“Those left-wing maniacs deserved to diiiiiiie – all of them. Amen."
--Jewish Israeli wrote on Facebook following the Palestinian attack in Tel-Aviv that killed four Israelis. See Op-Ed by Nurit Cannetti.
News Nosh 06.13.16
APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday June 13, 2016
*Note: Monday's News Nosh was posted Tuesday due to the celebration of the second day of the Jewish holiday of
Shavuot on Monday
Quote of the day:
“A hate crime is a hate crime and it doesn’t matter if it stemmed from jihadist terror or the desire to
eliminate the LGBT community.”
--Ayala Katz, whose son Nir was murdered in the 2008 attack on a Tel-Aviv gay youth club presumably by a local Jewish Israeli, wrote in Yedioth about the lack of tolerance that leads to such attacks.
--Ayala Katz, whose son Nir was murdered in the 2008 attack on a Tel-Aviv gay youth club presumably by a local Jewish Israeli, wrote in Yedioth about the lack of tolerance that leads to such attacks.
Front Page:
Haaretz
- 50 killed in attack at gay night club in Florida; ISIS took responsibility
- The battle over the narrative // Chemi Shalev
- Prime Minister affair: Police probing new information about Netanyahu; France to probe money from Mimran
- Breakthrough ahead of establishing new banks: Israel Bank agreed to decrease the required capital
- France to Netanyahu: “Even though you haven’t been persuaded by the peace initiative – the train is leaving”
- Two critically injured in riots between fans at Euro soccer game
- A woman’s right // Haaretz Editorial
- A match is enough // Raviv Drucker
Yedioth Ahronoth
- Strike in the heart of America – ISIS took responsibility for worst attack in US since 9/11
- Fear joins the campaign // Orly Azulay
- Euro riots: Street battles between Russian and English fans
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- America is in shock: 50 massacred in gay nightclub
- Shooting at themselves // Ron Miburg in Maine says Americans are responsible for allowing citizens to hold weapons
- Security oversight // Yossi Melman on weaknesses of state security forces
- Political tidal wave // Shai Bazak, former Israeli consul to Miami
- Reminiscent of Israel // Itsik Kleidad in Orlando
- The Sarona victims were brought to rest
- The Solberg storm – Haaretz Op-Ed attacked Justice Noam Solberg for being a settler (and simultaneously a High Court judge)
- Their rules // Kalman Libskind
- Unkosher criticism // Attorney Yechiel Gottman
Israel Hayom
- 50 murdered in the name of ISIS – Hatred without borders: the terrorist announced: “I swear loyalty to ISIS”
- Obama’s disconnection: He still did not say ‘Islamic terror’
- The jihadists swore loyalty to hatred, American and we swore to freedom and life – and that’s why we’ll win // Boaz Bismuth
- Ofri and Omri Gradi, who brought the terrorist from Sarona into their home, speak: “He was scared like a dog”
- Violence at Euro championships: English and Russian fans rioted; injuries and arrests
News Summary:
The attack on the gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, killing 50 people, was the top story in today’s Hebrew newspapers, which still had stories to share from the attack by Palestinians on a Tel-Aviv entertainment area last week that killed four Israelis.
**The Hebrew papers likened the attack to one on a gay youth club in Tel-Aviv eight years ago, where two people were killed. Ayala Katz, whose son Nir, was one of those murdered in the 2008 attack presumably by a local Jewish Israeli, wrote an Op-Ed in Yedioth saying: “A hate crime is a hate crime and it doesn’t matter if it stemmed from jihadist terror or the desire to eliminate the LGBT community.” She called for more education for tolerance. However, Israel Hayom made an issue out the fact that US President Barack Obama referred to it as a ‘hate crime’ and not ‘Islamic terror.’ Tel-Aviv showed solidarity with Orlando and lit up the municipality building in rainbow colors. The Israeli commentators argued whether the Orlando attack would help Trump or hurt him.
Meanwhile, three of the four Israelis killed in Tel-Aviv by two young Palestinians last Wednesday were laid to rest. One of victims, Dr. Michael Feige, was a scholar of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Zionist Camp MK Amir Peretz joined the chorus of blaming Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for the attack because he was not taking any diplomatic initiatives to solve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. “Bibi’s response to the attack in Sarona was that of a bureaucrat and not of a leader with vision,” Peretz said Saturday. “His government acts the same way over and over again and expects different results, instead of displaying courage and breaking the diplomatic deadlock.” Haaretz reported that French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told Netanyahu after the June 3 foreign ministers' meeting in Paris about the Paris peace initiative: “I know that I haven’t persuaded you, but the train has already left the station.” On Tuesday, Arab League Secretary General Nabil al-Arabi will arrive in the West Bank for the first time and meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah to discuss the Paris peace initiative. And Greece will soon recognize a Palestinian state, its ruling party said.
Over the Jewish Shavuot long holiday weekend, Israel put a closure on the West Bank and Gaza Strip and tens of thousands of Israelis filled Israeli parks to capacity. Following last week’s attack in Tel-Aviv, Israel also revoked 83,000 permits for Palestinians to enter Israel, which the French Foreign Minister warned, “could stoke tensions which could lead to a risk of escalation.” Last week in a special meeting, leading figures in Israel's Arab community harshly condemned the Tel-Aviv attack, saying the attackers 'don't deserve air to breathe.' Maan reported that Israeli police detained 27 undocumented Palestinians in Tel Aviv amid a crackdown following the attack.
Quick Hits:
- Israel Police's Anti-corruption Unit Reportedly Launches New Probe Into Netanyahu - According to Channel 2, new scandal is said to be unrelated to other allegations against the prime minister. (Haaretz)
- France Likely to Probe French Tycoon's Transfer of Funds to Destinations in Israel - Prosecution will also have to decide on the question of a reported direct payment from Arnaud Mimran to Netanyahu. Some 80 percent of proceeds from French 'fraud of the century' are said to have reached Israel. (Haaretz+)
- Following Haaretz Report, Israeli Envoy Cancelled His Republican Conference Address - Ron Dermer was to appear at an event dealing with Republican strategies to retain majority in Congress. (Haaretz+)
- Arab MK under fire for urging anti-Israel UN probe - Head of the Joint Arab List makes request with the help of Palestinian ambassador to the U.N., asking secretary-general for a probe into Israel's treatment of Bedouin in Negev. Israeli ambassador to the U.N. accuses Odeh of crossing red line. (Israel Hayom and Maariv)
- MK Oren Hazan: "Ayman Odeh is a 'terrorist of words" who has broken through the boundaries of treachery"- The Likud MK attacked the chairman of the Joint List and accused him of activities against Israel through a Palestinian delegation to the UN: "The Arab with the sweet talk again shows a lack of loyalty." (Maariv)
- Home of terrorist who killed Israeli mother demolished - Israeli security forces demolished the home of Murad Dais in the West Bank town of Yatta late Friday night. Dais murdered Meir in her Otniel home in January. (Ynet)
- IDF tests out future weapons for Third Lebanon War - At a giant computer lab in central Israel, the IDF held its largest ever battle simulation against Hezbollah using its newest, most cutting edge weapons systems. (Ynet)
- IDF changes status of 2 soldiers whose bodies were not found - The remains of Lt. Hadar Goldin, 23, and Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul, 21, killed in Operation Protective Edge in 2014 are held by Hamas. Soldiers now defined as both "missing" and "fallen" affecting how Israel will act to secure the return of their remains. (Israel Hayom and Ynet)
- Israeli show picked up by Fox - Fox International has reportedly purchased the rights to the Israeli drama ‘A Very Important Person,’ which stars actor Yehuda Levi and is partially based on his own life; VP at Fox called the show ‘undoubtedly one of the best shows made this decade.’ (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Hamas: Abbas to blame for no reconciliation - Al-Zahar says Abbas will not agree to a reconciliation agreement that includes elections because he knows he will lose; Fatah spokesperson calls on Al-Zahar to stop his 'recklessness' that is harming the Palestinian people and cause. (Ynet)
- Israeli Electric Corporation to up supply to Gaza to avoid pollution - Ashkelon desalination facility has been disrupted for years as masses of Gazan sewage has piled up; Israeli Electric Corporation is planning on supplying Gaza’s sewage treatment plant with power to reduce the level of pollution washing up on Israel's shores. (Ynet)
- Thousands of Iraqis Flee ISIS-held Fallujah - The United Nations fears for the fate of up to 90,000 people believed trapped inside the city with little food or water. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Features:
What Drives Palestinian Women Shot at Israeli Checkpoints to Their Deaths?
The Palestinians fear that talking about personal motives will free Israel from responsibility for killing women who approach checkpoints armed with knives. (Amira Hass, Haaretz+)
Tel Aviv Gunmen's Families Describe Shock at Killings
In shooters' hometown of Yatta, now encircled by Israeli army, relatives say relatives' assault on Tel Aviv's Sarona Market caught them by surprise; high Palestinian casualties in Hebron area since October may have influenced them, mayor says. (Jack Khoury, Haaretz+)
Father’s home: The three children of the mythological right-wing leader make a journey through his path
He was the sharpest philosopher of the Revisionist Zionist Movement, Jabotinsky admired him, and he turned the "Alliance of Thugs" into a trademark. On the anniversary of the death of Abba Ahimeir, his three children got together to make a journey in search of their roots. (Mordechai Chaimovitch, Maariv)
Domestic Violence Is a Major Threat for Israeli Arab Women. Why Won't the Police Intervene?
A social worker and an activist against violent crime in Israeli Arab society says the police is negligent in getting guns off the streets and preventing attacks on women in Arab towns: 'Let them kill each other, they say.' (Ayelett Shani, Haaretz+)
Silk Road Jewish Documents Dating Back to the 11th Century Come to Light
Written in Aramaic, Hebrew, Persian, Judeo-Arabic and Judeo-Persian, the 1,000-year-old documents are the family archive of Abu Nassar Ben Daniel, who lived along the old Silk Road. (Nir Hasson, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
It Won’t Take Much for Israel's New Defense Minister to Set It All Ablaze (Raviv Drucker, Haaretz+) In an effort to live up to his macho image, Avigdor Lieberman could unleash a new intifada that the chief of staff has worked so hard to avoid.
Lieberman's trial by fire (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) The Sarona Market attack is a test for the new defense minister; his previous polemic must be laid aside to follow defense procedure; his initial reaction has been to stick to previous methods, leading to an unimpressive response.
Limits of power: Lieberman received a lesson on the nature of the wave of terror (Ben Caspit, Maariv) When attacks took place when his predecessor, Moshe Ya'alon, was defense minister, Lieberman would make a variety of demands. Now he realizes that all this is not really relevant: No method was yet invented to thwart the will of the young people who are ready to die.
Benjamin Netanyahu Breeds His Own Pet Tycoons (Guy Rolnik, Haaretz+) Netanyahu has Sheldon Adelson on his right, Shaul Elovitch on his left, Tshuva in the background and his ministers are cowed.
A game of 'War' (Sima Kadmon, Yedioth/Ynet) Prime Minister Netanyahu's alleged actions, even if they turn out to not entail criminal penalties, certainly seem to violate traditional ethics, and to go against the integrity we expect from our leaders.
The response of the security establishment to the attack at Sarona in Tel-Aviv is more of the same (Yossi Melman, Maariv) The steps taken by the security system following the attack in Tel Aviv are a continuation of policy rather than a revolutionary change, as some may have wanted and maybe even expected from Lieberman among the right-wing circles.
The next prime minister (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth) “The mountain did not give birth to a mouse. It did not even give birth to a baby mouse,” said Netanyahu during his visit to Moscow [about the suspicions of receiving illicit political contributions]. It’s possible that his zoological differentiation is exact. Nevertheless, the probes of the police, the decisions of the prosecution, the investigations of the reporters and the nerves of the politicians have their own dynamic…The possibility that he will be forced to resign is far at the moment. But it won’t hurt to talk about it… Netanyahu’s resignation does not have to be accompanied by hysterical trauma like those of Begin and Ben-Gurion. But he has no natural successor: He made sure to dry them all out. The last was Moshe Yaalon. Among the present government ministers, there is not one at the moment who has accumulated ministerial experience and status in public opinion that will pave his way to the crown.
The Netanyahus vs. Israeli Democracy (Iris Leal, Haaretz+) It seems everybody is on Bibi and Sara’s blacklist: left-wing organizations, the media, the poor – and that's just a start.
It's time for Netanyahu to be replaced (Yoaz Hendel, Yedioth/Ynet) We need to thank Netanyahu for all of his accomplishments in office, especially in terms of security, but we also need to replace him with one of the many suitable candidates in the national camp.
Only Solution to Palestinian Terrorism Is the End of the Occupation (Friday Haaretz Editorial) In the wake of the deadly Tel Aviv attack, ministers voice empty bravado and call for collective punishment, thereby just pushing more Palestinians to violence. It's time Israel learned the lesson: Terrorism will continue as long as the occupation does.
The 'occupation' is not the cause (Dr. Haim Shine, Israel Hayom) The time has come for everyone to internalize that Arab-Israelis and Palestinians believe that the occupation began in 1948.
What Is Holding Back Israel's Arab Politicians From the Modern Age? (Moshe Arens, Haaretz+) Many individual Arab citizens have come face to face on a daily basis with Western civilization. But in the political sphere there is as yet no significant expression of a desire to Westernize and modernize.
The tragedy of us all: We will do and talk about everything, just not on a diplomatic move (Michal Aharoni, Maariv) How can it be that an intifada is raging here for many months and nobody does anything? Because the government knows the public has gotten used to it, that it accepts the attacks as if it were a decree from Heaven.
Muhammad Ali’s Message: Fight for Your Vision and Change the System (Rabbi Michael Lerner, Haaretz+) In this vein, the U.S. must halt drone warfare, bring the troops home, stop sending arms to the Saudis, tell the Turks to stop bombing their Kurdish minority, and tell Netanyahu to end the occupation.
Strangling Nasrallah (Smadar Perry, Yedioth/Ynet) With the US Treasury just having brought a 'blacklist' to Beirut and Hezbollah constituting 40% of the Lebanese economy, the system is going under the table.
The true intentions behind Netanyahu's 'winds of peace' (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) The prime minister is trying to divert the focus of the debate from withdrawal, borders and refugees to the outline of the normalization with Arab nations, if and when an agreement is reached with the Palestinians.
The Israeli justice who violates international law every time he comes home (Uri Misgav, Haaretz+) Justice Noam Sohlberg is allowed to curb freedom of expression in defamation cases if he likes. But as a resident of the West Bank, he’s an offender.
When the rules do not fit: the line of religious hatred "country" (Kalman Libskind, Maariv) Amos Schocken, the publisher of Haaretz newspaper, claims there is complete freedom of expression, but the Op-Ed presenting the High Court justice (Noam Solberg) as a “criminal of international law in court” (because he is a settler) is part of a continuum articles with the same theme.
The Real Reason Why Some Israelis Like to Compare Their Country to Nazi Germany (Gadi Taub, Haaretz+) Responding to the arguments of those who make this baseless comparison gives it far more respect than it deserves, but a closer look the motivations behind it reveals a desire not to save Israeli democracy but to turn one's back to it.
Israel Already Has Its Own Trump Serving as Prime Minister (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) In Israel, there is a different Trump, who inflames hatred against Arab citizens at every opportunity.
What Tel Aviv's Answer to Terrorism Should Be (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) Perhaps the occupation we should be opposing is the occupation of the Torah by those who have been monopolizing it.
Nuclear Secrets and Lies: Petition Seeks to Move Israel's Atomic Policy Out of the Shadows (Avner Cohen, Haaretz+) Of the three main secret organizations under the prime minister’s authority, the IAEC is the most secretive. This harms democratic rule and grants unqualified authority to the executive branch.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.
Written by Rabbi Jonah Geffen for APN.
Rabbi Jonah Geffen serves as the spiritual leader of Congregation Shaare Zedek. A member of the New Shul's Rabbinic Havurah, Rabbi Geffen was the National Rabbinic Director for the J Street Education Fund and spent two years as a Marshal T. Meyer Rabbinic Fellow at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun on the Upper West Side.
The Torah instructs the Israelites how to celebrate the upcoming holiday of Shavuot:
In the book of Deuteronomy (ch. 26) we read that upon entering and dwelling in the Land of Israel, the people are to take the “first of all the fruit of the ground” (v. 2), bring it to a designated place, and give it to G-d. As the priest takes the produce, the person who has brought it is to state as follows:
(26:5) And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God: ‘Arami oved avi, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there, few in number; and he became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous…. (10) And now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the land, which Thou, O LORD, hast given me…
Arami oved avi. A seemingly simple phrase can actually be understood in two very distinct ways. Rashi, the 11th century sage sees a past of survival and near genocide. He focuses on the narrowly escaped destruction of the Jewish people. Rashi explains that when the pilgrim brings first fruits “He mentions the loving kindness of the Omnipresent saying, arami oved avi - an Aramean destroyed my father, which means: “Laban wished to exterminate the whole nation” when he pursued Jacob” (Rashi on Devarim 26:5). He emphasizes that this fate is one of which we remain at risk: this (near destruction) happened to us. Genocide is in our immediate past, because this happened to my father.