News Nosh 01.23.15

APN's daily news review from Israel

Friday January 23, 2015

Phrase of the day:
'Persona non-grata.'
--Yedioth's Shimon Shiffer on Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu after arranging a visit to the US without coordinating with the US President.**


Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
  • Obama’s revenge - He won't meet with Netanyahu
  • Elections attack // Sima Kadmon
  • Unwanted guest // Shimon Shiffer
  • Justified trip // Yoaz Hendel
  • Respect to the gender // Dana Spector opposes Netanyahu’s elections video clip portraying his government as children
  • Highest alert in the north
  • The lone soldier (from the US) who alone eliminated four terrorists (in Operation Protective Edge)
  • “I had to save the passengers” – Herzl Biton, bus driver injured in Wednesday’s stabbing attack
  • Israel police? Madonna speaking – Madonna personally called the commander of the cyber unit to thank him for catching the suspect in the theft of her songs
  • Headache – The stormy battle over who gets the job of the next Mossad chief
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
  • Obama’s revenge - Won't meet Netanyahu
  • Between two wars // Ben Caspit
  • Tzipi Livni in Maariv’s studio: “Netanyahu broke the trust of the US administration”
  • Sitting on the fence – on the Golan Heights and along the Lebanese border
  • (Examining the situation with Iran and Hezbollah in the north) // Yossi Melman
  • The Syrian trap // Alon Ben-David
  • The test result // Ran Adelist
  • Security growl // Avi Benayahu
  • One-year-old died from violent bacteria, 4-year-old died of complications from flu
  • Expose: The false affidavit that helped (Kulanu party #2) Yoav Galant at the High Court // Kalman Libskind
  • Maariv Poll: The (Herzog-Livni) ‘Zionist Camp’ and Likud are still neck and neck – Zionist Camp 24 mandates, Likud 22 mandates
Israel Hayom
  • North: End of tense week – Tension on border: IDF increasing forces and raising preparedness
  • Netanyahu to address Congress, there won’t be a meeting with Obama
  • Do you live beyond the Green Line? The doctor won’t make a housecall
  • (Arab ‘Zionist Camp’ party candidate) Zouheir Bahloul gave character testimony to a Hezbollah collaborator
  • Twins in arms – Both serving in Caracal Unit
  • Assassination of the ‘Prince of Terror’ and the attack in Tel-Aviv proved: Israel is a villa in the jungle // Yoav Limor, Daniel Sirioti, Dr. Reuven Berko, Yaakov Amidror
  • One-year-old baby and three-month-old died from violent bacteria; 4-year-old died of complications from flu
  • Breathtaking scenery and comfortable lodges: Weekend trip to Jerusalem
  • 70 years to liberation of Auschwitz: The amazing story of the Jewish soldier and the young girls he saved

News Summary:
The ‘humiliation’ of with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the increased military reinforcements along the Lebanese and Syrian borders were today’s top stories in the Hebrew newspapers. And, it’s official, the Arab parties united for the first time in the history of the state.
 
**In what Maariv called an ‘unprecedented low in relations with the US,’ US President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry announced they won’t meet with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu during his visit to the US two weeks before Israeli elections, saying it was improper ahead of an election. Senior Israeli political officials told Yedioth that “Obama humiliated Netanyahu.” Both Yedioth and Maariv referred to the decision as ‘Obama’s revenge’ after Netanyahu arranged the visit ‘behind Obama’s back. Netanyahu will be addressing Congress at the invitation of the Republicans and will speak about sanctions on Iran and about terror. Haaretz+ reported that in a phone call on January 12th, Obama demanded that Netanyahu stop encouraging US senators and congressmen to advance new sanctions legislation against Iran. Also breaking ranks with Netanyahu, Bloomberg reported that the Mossad also asked the US not to impose sanctions on Iran, saying it would be like "throwing a grenade" into the diplomatic efforts to strike a nuclear agreement. However, Mossad chief Tamir Perdo later denied opposing new sanctions on Iran. Maariv reported that senior Israeli officials said that the publication of the Mossad's declaration to US lawmakers was Obama's revenge on Netanyahu. Yedioth's Shimon Shiffer wrote that Netanyahu's was showing a pattern of behavior: pushing himself in where he wasn't invited, just like he did in Paris at the march of leaders.
 
Meanwhile, alertness is high on the northern borders and the IDF has sent reinforcements amid the tensions with Syria, Hezbollah and Iran, after the Israeli airstrike that killed the son of an assassinated Hezbollah leader and a top Iranian general.

Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.