APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday January 26, 2015
Quote of the day:
“Hello everybody, this Druze is my little brother and I wanna send you all a message after some
thinking
Love more
Be more patient
Be nicer
Be kinder
Give more
Share more
Laugh more
And cry more
After all, we all belong to the same race, the human race..."
--Adam Hasoun, brother of Tommy, who was beaten Friday by 10 religious Jewish men in Jerusalem when they heard him speaking Arabic, posted a message to English-speaking immigrants on a Tel-Aviv Facebook group.**
Love more
Be more patient
Be nicer
Be kinder
Give more
Share more
Laugh more
And cry more
After all, we all belong to the same race, the human race..."
--Adam Hasoun, brother of Tommy, who was beaten Friday by 10 religious Jewish men in Jerusalem when they heard him speaking Arabic, posted a message to English-speaking immigrants on a Tel-Aviv Facebook group.**
Front Page:
Haaretz
- (Housing) Minister Ariel ordered planning of expansion of Gush Etzion (settlement bloc) beyond the fence
- “Argentina has turned into a dark place, I don’t know if I’ll return” – Journalist who exposed murder of Argentinean prosecutor
- Israeli Amb. to US Ron Dermer reprimanded for campaigning for Netanyahu
- US stopped sale of Israeli arms to Nigeria – for fear they would be used to hurt civilians
- Boku Haram opened offense on capital of Nigerian province and killed dozens
- One year to Author’s Law: Sharp drop in sales and sharp rise in prices
- Blow to Euro bloc: Decisive victory to left-wing in Greece
- Asylum seeker (from Darfur) spent year in Holot detention facility even though he was eligible for (refugee) status – because of Interior Ministry mistake
- Distribute Charlie // Haaretz Editorial
- Sapir Prize draws fire again
Yedioth Ahronoth
- Losing America – Rising criticism in US on Netanyahu’s planned Congress address
- Present for Iran // Nahum Barnea
- Replacement of Chief of Staff in the shadow of worsening situation
- Biggest comedians united on stage for fundraising event for ‘Tal Oncology Center’
- “The employees were afraid of her outbursts, particularly after he drank large amounts of alcohol” – Testimonies against Sara Netanyahu at PM’s residence reveal more details about her conduct
- No longer “falling to pieces” – IDF changed wording of letter of appreciation to female soldiers that said they didn’t “fall to pieces”
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- Likely: Vote in Congress on escalating sanctions against Iran to be postponed – due to storm over PM’s speech in Washington
- The media lost its direction // Kalman Libskind
- “The employees feared infuriating Mrs. Netanyahu”
- Silence of the Lambs // Ben Caspit
- “You will pay the price” – Defense Minister Yaalon in message to Syria and Lebanon.
- Because of the fog: Two killed in light plane crash
- “The speech – against Iran, not against Obama” – Amb. Dermer in US: “PM respects the President and his supporters in Israel”
- Yedioth and Ynet crossed every line // Itsik Saban, opinion
- Drama in Greece: Victory for radical left-wing
- Never forget – Tomorrow International Holocaust Day
- IDF changes wording of Medals of Honor for women – the words “They didn’t fall to pieces” to be replaced
- Because of fear of shooting attacks: IDF placed cement barricades next to Lebanon border.
- 01:00 AM: Histadrut (National Union) and Egged (Bus company) reached agreement – no bus strike today
News Summary:
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu defends himself in Israel Hayom as Maariv and Yedioth continue to report
on US anger over his planned speech to Congress – as well as unbecoming details about the conduct of wife, Sara, at
the official residence making top stories in the Hebrew newspapers today. Also, Haaretz ran a fascinating piece on
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin’s visit to Brooklyn yesterday and a Gazan NGO announced plans to set up a
port within two months – but there was almost no mention in the Israeli press.
Israel Hayom is no longer taking the offensive in regards to Netanyahu’s address to Congress to take place in March, while Maariv and Yedioth continued to print articles that put a shadow on Netanyahu’s trip. Israel Hayom’s front page announced that the the address to Congress is anti-Iran, not anti-Obama and that the Israeli Ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer, respects US President Barack Obama and his Israeli supporters. The US reprimanded Dermer for violating Civil Service Commission rules and endorsing Netanyahu for re-election in interviews he gave to American television. The next couple pages of the Netanyahu-mouthpiece were devoted to attacking Yedioth and Ynet and calling them the mouthpieces of Opposition leader, Isaac Herzog. The paper also declared, as it has in the past, that the testimonies against Sara Netanyahu were meant to besmirch the PM, and now in the election period.
Yedioth reported on how “America is angry.” Washington-based reporter Orly Azoulay wrote that “one needs to rub one’s eyes in order to believe: Netanyahu’s fortress in the US, Fox News Network, the right hand of the Republican party and its supporters, turned overnight into leading the criticism of Netanyahu – and its senior anchors tore him to pieces.” Haaretz posted a video of a debate on HBO's 'Real Time’ of Netanyahu's Obama snub during which Bill Maher said, “We are getting very close to letting Israel write American policy.” Yedioth ran a page-2 analysis by its premier political commentator, Nahum Barnea, who said that the storm Netanyahu created gave Iran a present and that at the end of the negotiations, Iran is likely to be a nuclear threshold state. “This is bad news for Israel and a burning failure for our foreign policy, but the die is cast.” Barnea called on Netanyahu to ask the elections judge to ban his speech to Congress from Israeli media to prove the move was not meant for elections purposes.
Maariv reported that according to a report by journalist Laura Rozen, Senator (D) Bob Menendez, who wrote the bill for more sanctions against Iran with fellow Republican Mark Kirk, is considering postponing the vote until to 26 March, the date by which the world powers and Iran should formulate an agreement in principle on the nuclear program, in order to allow Obama to exhaust the negotiations with Iran. Netanyahu rejected criticism and said it was his job to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Ynet found a quote of Netanyahu from 1996 when he slammed then-Prime Minister Shimon Peres' US visit shortly before Israelis went to polls, calling it a 'cynical attempt' to improve his chances for re-election.
Nevertheless, the White House played down the rift with Netanyahu, saying there was no room for the 'blame game.' Also, Maariv published a correction, stating that yesterday it erroneously quoted White House Spokesman Joshua Earnest as saying that “We hope that Netanyahu will lose in the elections.”
Meanwhile, while the “PM gets Washington’s cold shoulder, President Rivlin basks in Brooklyn’s warm embrace,” Haaretz+’s Chemi Shalev wrote in an interesting piece from New York. The papers noted how Obama, who refused to meet with Netanyahu during his planned visit in March, tried to schedule a meeting with Rivlin, but that Rivlin’s office cited “schedule conflicts.” Shalev writes “though it also stands to reason that he preferred to steer clear of the raging war of words surrounding Netanyahu’s scheduled address…” Yesterday, Rivlin addressed Christian African-Americans in a moving Brooklyn speech in which he said: “I asked myself, why? Why was it so important for (Martin Luther King) to attend a Seder. I think, it was because King knew, that one cannot fight for his own freedom, without fighting for the freedoms of others.” Shalev makes the connection to Israel and the occupation and writes “that this message is too hard for far too many Israelis to address.
According to the testimonies of former employees of the Prime Minister’s Residence, Mrs. Sara Netanyahu drinks heavily and acts terribly. But what was probably more worrisome was the piece that Maariv’s top political commentator wrote about how her husband, the Prime Minister, involves her in everything from who to hire and fire and what decisions to make in the Israeli government and even the deepest secrets of the State. “I can count at least ten cases in which this madness took an active part in important political or military decisions,” Caspit wrote. He accused all those keeping this fact secret out of fear for their personal interests are harming the state. He wrote that “this country has been taken captive, its gatekeepers are collaborating with the kidnappers, the regulators are intentionally keeping their eyes closed. Just we are left. Just us. We must save Israel. It has nothing to do with left or right-wing. We must bring sanity back to Israel.”
A Gazan committee to lift the Israeli siege held a press conference yesterday and announced it was preparing a seaport for international travel and that within two months a boat service would take sick people and students studying overseas out of the Gaza enclave, all of whose borders were closed by Israel and Egypt. The article by AFP said that opening a port was one of the main Palestinian demands to be tabled in the negotiations with Israel for the truce agreement, which ended the 50-day war in July and August. Meanwhile, Israeli forces routinely fire on any Palestinian vessel close to the outer limit it declared. Interestingly, Times of Israel posted the AFP article, but changed the word ‘Gaza’ to ‘Hamas’ and wrote in the subtitle that the aim was “to challenge the Israeli naval blockade,” not to help Gazans.
Israel Hayom is no longer taking the offensive in regards to Netanyahu’s address to Congress to take place in March, while Maariv and Yedioth continued to print articles that put a shadow on Netanyahu’s trip. Israel Hayom’s front page announced that the the address to Congress is anti-Iran, not anti-Obama and that the Israeli Ambassador to the US, Ron Dermer, respects US President Barack Obama and his Israeli supporters. The US reprimanded Dermer for violating Civil Service Commission rules and endorsing Netanyahu for re-election in interviews he gave to American television. The next couple pages of the Netanyahu-mouthpiece were devoted to attacking Yedioth and Ynet and calling them the mouthpieces of Opposition leader, Isaac Herzog. The paper also declared, as it has in the past, that the testimonies against Sara Netanyahu were meant to besmirch the PM, and now in the election period.
Yedioth reported on how “America is angry.” Washington-based reporter Orly Azoulay wrote that “one needs to rub one’s eyes in order to believe: Netanyahu’s fortress in the US, Fox News Network, the right hand of the Republican party and its supporters, turned overnight into leading the criticism of Netanyahu – and its senior anchors tore him to pieces.” Haaretz posted a video of a debate on HBO's 'Real Time’ of Netanyahu's Obama snub during which Bill Maher said, “We are getting very close to letting Israel write American policy.” Yedioth ran a page-2 analysis by its premier political commentator, Nahum Barnea, who said that the storm Netanyahu created gave Iran a present and that at the end of the negotiations, Iran is likely to be a nuclear threshold state. “This is bad news for Israel and a burning failure for our foreign policy, but the die is cast.” Barnea called on Netanyahu to ask the elections judge to ban his speech to Congress from Israeli media to prove the move was not meant for elections purposes.
Maariv reported that according to a report by journalist Laura Rozen, Senator (D) Bob Menendez, who wrote the bill for more sanctions against Iran with fellow Republican Mark Kirk, is considering postponing the vote until to 26 March, the date by which the world powers and Iran should formulate an agreement in principle on the nuclear program, in order to allow Obama to exhaust the negotiations with Iran. Netanyahu rejected criticism and said it was his job to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Ynet found a quote of Netanyahu from 1996 when he slammed then-Prime Minister Shimon Peres' US visit shortly before Israelis went to polls, calling it a 'cynical attempt' to improve his chances for re-election.
Nevertheless, the White House played down the rift with Netanyahu, saying there was no room for the 'blame game.' Also, Maariv published a correction, stating that yesterday it erroneously quoted White House Spokesman Joshua Earnest as saying that “We hope that Netanyahu will lose in the elections.”
Meanwhile, while the “PM gets Washington’s cold shoulder, President Rivlin basks in Brooklyn’s warm embrace,” Haaretz+’s Chemi Shalev wrote in an interesting piece from New York. The papers noted how Obama, who refused to meet with Netanyahu during his planned visit in March, tried to schedule a meeting with Rivlin, but that Rivlin’s office cited “schedule conflicts.” Shalev writes “though it also stands to reason that he preferred to steer clear of the raging war of words surrounding Netanyahu’s scheduled address…” Yesterday, Rivlin addressed Christian African-Americans in a moving Brooklyn speech in which he said: “I asked myself, why? Why was it so important for (Martin Luther King) to attend a Seder. I think, it was because King knew, that one cannot fight for his own freedom, without fighting for the freedoms of others.” Shalev makes the connection to Israel and the occupation and writes “that this message is too hard for far too many Israelis to address.
According to the testimonies of former employees of the Prime Minister’s Residence, Mrs. Sara Netanyahu drinks heavily and acts terribly. But what was probably more worrisome was the piece that Maariv’s top political commentator wrote about how her husband, the Prime Minister, involves her in everything from who to hire and fire and what decisions to make in the Israeli government and even the deepest secrets of the State. “I can count at least ten cases in which this madness took an active part in important political or military decisions,” Caspit wrote. He accused all those keeping this fact secret out of fear for their personal interests are harming the state. He wrote that “this country has been taken captive, its gatekeepers are collaborating with the kidnappers, the regulators are intentionally keeping their eyes closed. Just we are left. Just us. We must save Israel. It has nothing to do with left or right-wing. We must bring sanity back to Israel.”
A Gazan committee to lift the Israeli siege held a press conference yesterday and announced it was preparing a seaport for international travel and that within two months a boat service would take sick people and students studying overseas out of the Gaza enclave, all of whose borders were closed by Israel and Egypt. The article by AFP said that opening a port was one of the main Palestinian demands to be tabled in the negotiations with Israel for the truce agreement, which ended the 50-day war in July and August. Meanwhile, Israeli forces routinely fire on any Palestinian vessel close to the outer limit it declared. Interestingly, Times of Israel posted the AFP article, but changed the word ‘Gaza’ to ‘Hamas’ and wrote in the subtitle that the aim was “to challenge the Israeli naval blockade,” not to help Gazans.
Quick Hits:
- Ministry planned expansion of West Bank settlement beyond separation barrier - Some $215,000 was allocated for Efrat expansion despite reversal of prime minister's decision to build on site. (Haaretz+)
- **Druze soldier beaten by Jewish gang: We are all the same race - Tommy Houssan calls for tolerance after being hit with glass, bottles in hate attack; president phones father to show support. (Ynet)
- Possible security incident in north prompts IDF to close roads - IDF closes roads in north as tensions rise after alleged Israeli attack kills Iranian general, Hezbollah fighters in Syria; roads reopened shortly after. (Ynet)
- UN Gaza probe looking for Israeli testimonies - Schabas Committee investigating war crimes in Gaza conflict calls on Israelis and Palestinians to submit claims by end of January. (Ynet)
- Hotels not recovering: How Operation Protective Edge caused the decline in tourism? - In most cities of tourism, occupancy decreased compared to last year. The sharpest decline was recorded in Jerusalem. (Maariv)
- Report notes 400% rise in anti-Semitic incidents during Gaza war - France noted as 'most dangerous country for Jews' after 100% rise in anti-Semitic attacks in the country - some 1,000 in 2014; WZO poll finds 55% of Diaspora Jews do not feel safe in their countries. (Ynet)
- France sees as many anti-Muslim acts in January as all of 2014 - More than 100 incidents against Muslims registered in two weeks after gunmen massacred journalists at Charlie Hebdo, according to French Muslim group. (Agencies, Ynet)
- Center-left Zionist Camp presents party list: We are the true Zionists - Center-left list – comprised of Labor and Hatnua – launch campaign Sunday and present candidate list, which includes ex-defense minister behind Iron Dome, Amir Peretz, social protest movement leaders. (Ynet)
- Fighters from an elite unit in the north suffered food shortages: "We are hungry" - One of the soldiers: "Already on Friday we realized there was a problem and we warned about it. At first they told us it would be OK, but it was not okay." Some of the commanders gave their meals to the soldiers. IDF Spokesperson: "There are no food shortages among the soldiers." (Maariv)
- U.S. prevented sale of Israeli helicopters to Nigeria - Nigerians wanted to buy retired Cobra attack helicopters last summer to fight Boko Haram. (Haaretz+)
- Israel moves to end crisis with New Zealand over sharing envoy with PA - The issue is vital now that New Zealand is a member of the UN Security Council. (Haaretz+)
- Lieberman: Yisrael Beytenu will distribute Charlie Hebdo for free - Party will buy thousands of copies and distribute them to the public in the name of freedom of speech; MK Ganaim: 'Only a week ago two Arabs were murdered in Rahat by police, so why add fuel to the fire?' (Ynet)
- Rabbis: French aliyah will lead to assimilation - Prominent religious leaders voice concerns that French Jews' immigration will result in mixed marriages, cause religious Jews to stop observing mitzvot. (Ynet)
- Assad: Israel is al Qaeda's air force - In first response to alleged attack by Israel, Syrian president tells Foreign Affairs magazine that Israel supporting the Al-Qaeda rebels: ' whenever we make advances in some place, they attack in order to undermine the army.' (Ynet)
- At least 15 killed in Egypt protests marking 2011 uprising - Egyptian authorities beef up security in Cairo as activists mourn the death of a female protester shot on Saturday; four killed in demonstrations. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Thomas Friedman wonders why Obama whitewashes radical Islam - New York Times columnist, usually an avid Obama administration supporter, blasts the White House for refusing to link radical Islam to global terrorism for fear of being "accused of Islamophobia." We've entered the theater of the absurd, Friedman says. (Israel Hayom)
- NYC offers a model for dealing with hate crime, Mayor de Blasio says - “Each time there’s an attack on the Jewish community anywhere in the world, the NYPD swings into action and reinforces key Jewish community sites and key Israeli government sites in this city,” he said. (Haaretz)
- Iran parliament summons FM over stroll with Kerry - Zarif had a 15-minute walk down Geneva sidewalks with the U.S. secretary of state during discussions on January 14 aimed at reaching a deal on Iran's nuclear program. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Features:
Je Suis Yoav: Friend of slain Tunisian Jew recalls remarkable courage, talent
Yoav Hattab, one of the four Jewish hostages killed in the attack on a kosher supermarket in Paris, embodied a Jewish ideal. (Yohann Taieb, Haaretz+)
Why I fled Argentina after breaking the story of Alberto Nisman’s death
In an exclusive column, Jewish journalist Damian Pachter – who first reported on the death of the special prosecutor – recounts the intimidation, the sleepless nights, the agent who stalked him and his ultimate decision to head for Israel. (Damian Pachter, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
Yoav Hattab, one of the four Jewish hostages killed in the attack on a kosher supermarket in Paris, embodied a Jewish ideal. (Yohann Taieb, Haaretz+)
Why I fled Argentina after breaking the story of Alberto Nisman’s death
In an exclusive column, Jewish journalist Damian Pachter – who first reported on the death of the special prosecutor – recounts the intimidation, the sleepless nights, the agent who stalked him and his ultimate decision to head for Israel. (Damian Pachter, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
U.S. Jews, choose Obama over Bibi (Don Futterman, Haaretz+) Is Congress truly dependent upon the wisdom of Israel's premier to decide what
to do about Iran? And does antagonizing the very world leaders Israel is most dependent upon to stop Iran
serve Israel's interests or Bibi's electoral ambitions?
Obama is a great friend of Israel (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) President's appeasement policy towards Islam is wrong, but not driven by hostility; Netanyahu needs to back out of detrimental speech to Congress.
What Ariel Sharon would have said to Netanyahu today (Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, Haaretz+) There is a reason why these leaders didn't get along – Netanyahu is the ultimate status quo politician, while Sharon, fearing the dangers of do-nothing politics, hated to leave things as they are.
Virtual Reality (Prof. Cielo Rozenberg, Maariv) The Israeli government is busy with bombastic declarations and justifying arguments that no one is listening to instead of understanding that continuing to irritate Europe and the US could lead to our international isolation.
Desperate journey, stupid act: Why Israelis voters should see right through Netanyahu (Amir Oren, Haaretz+) PM's efforts in recent days to save his slipping hold on his rule with the aid of the Republicans in the U.S. Congress is 'Hannibal' against U.S. President Barack Obama.
The right speech at the right time (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will stand before Congress and tell America -- and through it the free world -- a few clear truths.
Silence of the Lambs: When the truth about Sarah Netanyahu comes to light (Ben Caspit, Maariv) An enormous industry of silence surrounds the exploits of "The Lady" Netanyahu. Lawyers, crooked consultants, fawning public relations people and political sycophants know the truth from up close, but are silent and profit from it.
Shimon Peres, apologize for Israel's enablement of the Rwandan and Serbian genocides (Yair Auron, Haaretz+) It is still not too late to admit theses crimes, that will be remembered forever, were committed in the name of the citizens of Israel.
Israel could pay a price for Netanyahu's Congress speech (Eytan Gilboa, Yedioth/Ynet) If prime minister's US visit does help him win elections, he may find an even more hostile and critical president in the White House. Without America's support, Israel will be unable to deal with European and Palestinian challenges lying ahead.
Behind the mask, Bennett is a hate-mongering extremist (Avirama Golan, Haaretz+) Up to now, the leader of Habayit Hayehudi has done well with his deceptive image. Voters of Israel, don't be fooled.
Nasrallah, a secretary-general in distress (Ronen Bergman, Yedioth/Ynet) Golan strike caught Hezbollah's leader at a really bad time. If it were up to him, he would rather not face the dilemma of whether to retaliate against Israel or keep quiet.
What A. B. Yehoshua refuses to recognize (Kenneth Levin, Israel Hayom) Why does the Left cling to the delusion that Israel has a genuine peace partner in the PA and that sufficient Israeli concessions would attain peace?
Sanctions on Iran are the issue, not whether Netanyahu addresses Congress (Moshe Arens, Haaretz+) The Kirk-Menendez bill, which contains a warning of further sanctions if a nuclear agreement is not reached, is a good way to pressure Tehran.
Saudi king is dead, but his peace plan still lives (Smadar Perry, Yedioth/Ynet) For 13 years, Israeli politicians have been avoiding the comprehensive Arab peace initiative proposed by then-crown prince Abdullah; Riyadh is still waiting for our phone call.
Israeli bookstore chain must distribute Charlie Hebdo as originally planned (Haaretz Editorial) There is also no need for Yisrael Beiteinu to take advantage of this important struggle to advance its own political interests.
The folly of partition (Gidon Ben-Zvi and Harry Ben-Zvi, Israel Hayom) By delegitimizing Israel's right to defend itself, the ICC has granted the Islamist jihadists cover to commit acts of exceptional barbarity in Gaza.
The absurdity of giving Michael Douglas the 'Jewish Nobel' prize (Joel Braunold, Haaretz+) The actor hasn't been outspoken about Israel or his faith, and has never sought to be a beacon of Jewish culture. So what qualifies him for the Genesis Prize?
Obama is a great friend of Israel (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) President's appeasement policy towards Islam is wrong, but not driven by hostility; Netanyahu needs to back out of detrimental speech to Congress.
What Ariel Sharon would have said to Netanyahu today (Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, Haaretz+) There is a reason why these leaders didn't get along – Netanyahu is the ultimate status quo politician, while Sharon, fearing the dangers of do-nothing politics, hated to leave things as they are.
Virtual Reality (Prof. Cielo Rozenberg, Maariv) The Israeli government is busy with bombastic declarations and justifying arguments that no one is listening to instead of understanding that continuing to irritate Europe and the US could lead to our international isolation.
Desperate journey, stupid act: Why Israelis voters should see right through Netanyahu (Amir Oren, Haaretz+) PM's efforts in recent days to save his slipping hold on his rule with the aid of the Republicans in the U.S. Congress is 'Hannibal' against U.S. President Barack Obama.
The right speech at the right time (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will stand before Congress and tell America -- and through it the free world -- a few clear truths.
Silence of the Lambs: When the truth about Sarah Netanyahu comes to light (Ben Caspit, Maariv) An enormous industry of silence surrounds the exploits of "The Lady" Netanyahu. Lawyers, crooked consultants, fawning public relations people and political sycophants know the truth from up close, but are silent and profit from it.
Shimon Peres, apologize for Israel's enablement of the Rwandan and Serbian genocides (Yair Auron, Haaretz+) It is still not too late to admit theses crimes, that will be remembered forever, were committed in the name of the citizens of Israel.
Israel could pay a price for Netanyahu's Congress speech (Eytan Gilboa, Yedioth/Ynet) If prime minister's US visit does help him win elections, he may find an even more hostile and critical president in the White House. Without America's support, Israel will be unable to deal with European and Palestinian challenges lying ahead.
Behind the mask, Bennett is a hate-mongering extremist (Avirama Golan, Haaretz+) Up to now, the leader of Habayit Hayehudi has done well with his deceptive image. Voters of Israel, don't be fooled.
Nasrallah, a secretary-general in distress (Ronen Bergman, Yedioth/Ynet) Golan strike caught Hezbollah's leader at a really bad time. If it were up to him, he would rather not face the dilemma of whether to retaliate against Israel or keep quiet.
What A. B. Yehoshua refuses to recognize (Kenneth Levin, Israel Hayom) Why does the Left cling to the delusion that Israel has a genuine peace partner in the PA and that sufficient Israeli concessions would attain peace?
Sanctions on Iran are the issue, not whether Netanyahu addresses Congress (Moshe Arens, Haaretz+) The Kirk-Menendez bill, which contains a warning of further sanctions if a nuclear agreement is not reached, is a good way to pressure Tehran.
Saudi king is dead, but his peace plan still lives (Smadar Perry, Yedioth/Ynet) For 13 years, Israeli politicians have been avoiding the comprehensive Arab peace initiative proposed by then-crown prince Abdullah; Riyadh is still waiting for our phone call.
Israeli bookstore chain must distribute Charlie Hebdo as originally planned (Haaretz Editorial) There is also no need for Yisrael Beiteinu to take advantage of this important struggle to advance its own political interests.
The folly of partition (Gidon Ben-Zvi and Harry Ben-Zvi, Israel Hayom) By delegitimizing Israel's right to defend itself, the ICC has granted the Islamist jihadists cover to commit acts of exceptional barbarity in Gaza.
The absurdity of giving Michael Douglas the 'Jewish Nobel' prize (Joel Braunold, Haaretz+) The actor hasn't been outspoken about Israel or his faith, and has never sought to be a beacon of Jewish culture. So what qualifies him for the Genesis Prize?
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.