News Nosh 09.10.13

by APN 09/10/13
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APN's daily news review from Israel

Tuesday September 10, 2013

 

Quote of the day:

"The question is, what is the message to commanders who are at the frontline, doing the dirty work and not hiding behind screens..."
--Lt. Col. Shalom Eisner reacts to his 'severe' punishment for beating a peace activist: two months of community service without pa and forced early retirement from the army**


Front Page News:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv

  • Assad accepted Russian offer: Give up chemical weapons in exchange for cancelling US attack (Hebrew)
  • Obama's ladder // Mordechai Keidar (Hebrew)
  • Everyone is happy // David Shine (Hebrew)
  • Turning point // Max Fischer, Washington Post (Hebrew)
  • New study: 69% of female doctors and 62% of female nurses were sexually harassed during their work
  • Following criticism: Education Minister Piron announced his intention to change the method of ranking communities based on the results of their matriculation exams
  • Israel Securities Authority recommends putting Nochi Dankner on trial on suspicion of stock manipulation
  • The last words - Project by organization of IDF widows and orphans tells story of Yom Kippur through last letters the soldiers sent to their families before they were killed

Israel Hayom

 

News Summary:
The top news in Israel is about the Russian offer that Syria gives up its chemical weapons. US President Barack Obama said his administration is skeptically exploring the proposal and added that he doesn't foresee Congress voting on a strike in the 'immediate future.' Maariv writes that Israeli official sources in Jerusalem say that if the Russian compromise is implemented, a similar move could take place in Iran, in the framework of which, Iran would stop its nuclear program.  That said, officials in Jerusalem want more details about the Syrian-Russian deal, writes Maariv's Eli Bardenstein. He notes that "while Israel continues to declare it is not intervening in what is happening in Syria, it is important for Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to see an American attack in Syria in order to return faith in and deterrence of the US in the Middle East and to give a message to Iran and radical organizations, like Hezbollah. However, if the Syrian-Russian deal is indeed reliable, then it serves Netanyahu's view as well regarding how to stop the Iranian nuclear program." (NRG Hebrew) Yedioth wondered if it was US Secretary of State John Kerry who gave the Russians the idea for the compromise, when he said yesterday during a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad could avoid a strike by handing over his arsenal of poison gas. The paper noted that the idea was first brought up earlier during talks between Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 summit and that both leaders agreed that a diplomatic solution was preferable.
 

Quick Hits:

  • **IDF offcer who struck activist: My trial is unjust - Lt. Col. Shalom Eisner who was documented striking Danish activist addresses his plea deal in email to friends: 'The question is, what is the message to commanders who are at the frontline.' (Ynet VIDEO)
  • Activists: Israeli forces assault 2 Palestinians in Hebron - Israeli soldiers, stationed at the entrance to Shuhada street in the center of Hebron, "brutally attacked Mufeed Sharabati before they detained him," Youth Against Settlements said. They also assaulted Imad al-Atrash, who was taken to Hebron's public hospital. (Maan)
  • Israeli forces order home demolitions in al-Khader - Israeli forces delivered house demolition warrants to two Palestinians from the Salah family notifying them that their homes in the Um Rukba neighborhood. Israel plans to control Um Rukba, which is "the only space for the town's demographic expansion," said al-Khader's mayor, Tawfiq Salah. (Maan)
  • Settlers uproot over 40 olive trees in south Hebron hills - Settlers from Maon destroyed over 40 olive trees in the village of al-Tuwani. (Maan)
  • Israel divides East Jerusalem neighborhood - Israeli bulldozers on Monday began to construct a dividing zone between the Palestinian (E. Jerusalem neighborhood) of Isawiya and the (adjacent) illegal Israeli settlement neighborhood of French Hill in East Jerusalem. (Maan)
  • Prime Minister's Office confirms Netanyahu will give political speech soon - The speech, which will be held at the Begin-Sadat Center at Bar-Ilan University, is expected to include a reference to Netanyahu's vision for Israel ahead of the year 2020. (NRG Hebrew)
  • Hackers pledge to attack Israeli websites on September 11 - AnonGhost, group evidently protesting Israeli policies toward Palestinians, urges followers to vandalize and flood Israeli sites with traffic. (Haaretz)
  • EU considering softening the boycott on Israel (settlements) - European officials stated that they will try to show flexibility in the article that declares that every agreement between Israel and the EU, including the 'Horizon 2020' program, will only be applicable within the Green Line. (NRG Hebrew)
  • Russia reprimands Israeli military attache over ballistic missile test - Russia's Defense Ministry protests secret Israel-U.S. missile test carried out last week, tells military attache to convey message to the Israeli army command that restraint is appropriate. (Haaretz and Israel Hayom)
  • EU announces €52 million development package for PA - The funding was announced during caretaker prime minister Rami Hamdallah's visit to Brussels. (Maan)
  • Gas mask distribution halted in Tel Aviv to allow camera crew to film reality show - Hundreds, including elderly people, pregnant women and children, are locked out of distribution center; 'it was unreal,' says waiting woman. (Haaretz)
  • Israel to close Ibrahimi mosque (Cave of the Patriarchs) on Tuesday - The mosque will be closed to Palestinians while Jewish holiday celebrations take place. Israel also closed the mosque over the Jewish New Year last week. (Maan)
  • Elkin rejects report that blames ministers for EU settlement shock - Foreign Ministry report blaming politicians for failure to anticipate EU sanctions sparks the ire of Deputy Foreign Minister MK Zeev Elkin, who decides to shelve it. Foreign Ministry officials: Elkin is looking for a scapegoat among ministry staff. (Israel Hayom)
  • Israel a leader in production of garbage - New survey for Clean Up Day: Israel makes five times more garbage than Switzerland. Researchers: Israel has a wasteful consumption culture and low awareness to treating waste. (Ynet)
  • Israeli documentary film chosen for festival in Afghanistan - 'White Night,' directed by Irit Gal, follows Palestinian women who are forced to infiltrate the separation fence to reach their cleaning jobs in Israel. (Haaretz)
  • 'Testament to the bond that links the people of Israel to Jerusalem' - A gold medallion featuring a menorah, a shofar and a Torah scroll discovered in excavation near Temple Mount. "This is once-in-a-lifetime discovery," says archaeologist.  PM Netanyahu: this succinctly describes the essence of the people of Israel. (Israel Hayom)
  • Iran's cabinet joins Facebook, despite official state blocking of social media site - Social media site is blocked in Iran; will the move herald the easing of Internet restrictions in the Islamic Republic? (Haaretz)


Features:

Mossad, Military Intel briefed king during Yom Kippur War
Sticking to Agent Babel (Nasser's son-in-law Ashraf Marwan) is the most appropriate explanation I can come up with for the failure of Israeli deterrence before the Yom Kippur War. (Israel Hayom)

Commentary/Analysis:
In case you were wondering: AIPAC is not Israel (Haaretz Editorial) Only the American people are sovereign to make decisions of war and peace regarding their country's army; Israeli decision-makers should give up any pretense of intervening.
AIPAC is looking out for us (Prof. Alexander Bligh, Israel Hayom) The citizens of Israel owe AIPAC a debt of gratitude for working to advance peace and security in our region for many years. 
Has the democratic peace theory become obsolete? (Einat Wilf, Haaretz) It used to be said that democracies don't go to war against each other; we have now entered an age in which democracies do not wage war at all. 
An open letter to my fascist friends and rivals (Rachel Liel, Haaretz) The ruling that vindicated activists who called a right-wing organization 'fascist' serves to remind that in a democracy one has the right to espouse positions that go against those of the many and the powerful.
Israel's shameful policy toward its few Christian friends (Moshe Arens, Haaretz) Sixty-five years after promising the Christian residents of Biram and Ikrit the right to return to their Galilee villages, the Israeli government is still failing to keep its word. 
Tolerate Assad now, pay on Iran later (Dan Margalit, Israel Hayom) Whoever doesn't want to pay the price for curbing Assad now will have to pay it back in innocent blood with compound interest in upcoming battles. 
Stop believing the Allies could have bombed Auschwitz to save lives (Asher Izrael, Haaretz) According to this fallacy - perpetuated, among others, by our Prime Minister - the Final Solution could have been stopped by military means that were easily available to the Allies at the time.
Hamas struggles to stay afloat, beset by challenges from Egypt, Syria and Iran (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz) Regional developments, particularly the enmity of the military-backed government in Cairo, are threatening the movement's continued rule in Gaza; decision to cut itself off from Syria has also led to a breach with Iran, which stopped most of its financial assistance.
When the king warned Golda (Orit Miller-Katav, Israel Hayom) Jordan's king expressed concern about how the Yom Kippur War might unfold and inquired whether Israel was duly prepared. Golda Meir said she would look into the matter. The rest is history.
Russian proposal on chemical weapons just might resolve Syria face-off (Amos Harel, Haaretz) Damascus, Washington and, of course, Moscow could all gain if Assad hands over chemical weapons and Obama holds off on attack; but what about the Syrian people?
A good mate down under (Isi Leibler, Israel Hayom) Tony Abbott's new Liberal government in Australia can be expected to foster robust support for Israel.
Israel can look forward to post-election honeymoon in Australia (Dan Goldberg, Haaretz) Despite the election victory of the pro-Israel Liberal Party, it's unlikely the result will be uncritical support for Israel at the UN.

 

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

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