News Nosh 05.14.15

APN's daily news review from Israel
Thursday May 14, 2015 

Quote of the day:
“It was after this hit-and-run attack, the app states, that Arab villagers often tried to block Jewish traffic on the main road. Citing testimony from some of these villagers, iNakba also provides details pertaining to the reprisal operation that followed the convoy ambush – information not widely available via official Israeli sources. “
--Haaretz’s Judy Maltz shares stories revealed in a new app that shows two sides of Israel’s independence war story.**


Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
Israel Hayom
  • The march to the portfolios
  • Tonight at 19:00: Swearing-in of 34th government in Knesset
  • Attorney General: There is no legal obstacle to appointment of Deri as minister, but there will be difficulties defending it
  • Danino: “Re-examine policy toward cannabis”
  • Today: Indictments against Adv. Ronal Fisher and Superintendent Eran Malka
  • Protest in the south: Arad and Yerucham join solidarity strike in Dimona on Sunday
  • Following leaking of matriculation exams: Questionnaires to be sent by Internet, pupils to be kept locked in classes

News Summary:
The Knesset passed the bill to expand the cabinet, (despite the creative ways the Opposition tried to prevent it), paving the way for Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to pass out the portfolios (to the disappointment of some) and to swear in the coalition (which made no commitment to a two-state solution) tonight, making the top story of today’s papers. Also in the news were articles about the diplomatic battles Israel is facing - some already lost. What was almost absent from the news was that tomorrow is Nakba Day.

Both Haaretz+’s Barak Ravid and Maariv’s Arik Bender did not fall for the new coalition’s statement in which it said it would strive for peace. Both reporters noted that there was no specific call for a two-state solution, with the creation of a Palestinian state. But, Netanyahu will possibly face more EU and US pressure to do what he does not want - very soon. In an interview with the London-based Arab daily A-Sharq al-Awsat yesterday, US President Barack Obama said he expected Netanyahu to prove he was committed to the two-state solution, despite declaring otherwise – and retracting during the elections. "We look to the new Israeli government and the Palestinians to demonstrate - through policies and actions - a genuine commitment to a two-state solution. Only then can trust be rebuilt and a cycle of escalation avoided,” Obama said, adding that the Palestinians deserve an end to the occupation and that he “will never give up hope.” 
  
Indeed, officials in Jerusalem fear a “political tsunami after the agreement with Iran,” Yedioth’s Itamar Eichner wrote. They believe that the Europeans and the US made an agreement that the Europeans would deal with the ‘Israeli issue’ until the signing of the Iran deal at the end of June. The Europeans, who are frustrated with the diplomatic freeze and the settlement construction, plan to make a big move right after the new government is sworn in. After the Iran deal is signed, officials believe Obama plans to make a frontal confrontation with Netanyahu over the Palestinian issue. Ynet revealed that former European leaders wrote US Secretary of State John Kerry calling for new policies and a campaign of pressure on Netanyahu.
 
And in Paris, an annual meeting to coordinate strategy positions turned into a serious dispute between Israeli and French officials over the French initiative to pass a UN resolution for a two-state solution based on the borders of the Palestinian state along the 1967 lines, with a divided Jerusalem capital for both and a deadline, Haaretz+ reported. Yedioth wrote that Israel is very worried about the French initiative.
 
Meanwhile, the Vatican joined those who won’t wait for Israel to make it happen and officially recognized the Palestinian state, much to the chagrin of Israel, which expressed disappointment.
 
And at The Hague, the International Criminal Court has ‘threatened’ or ‘urged,’ depending which article you read, that Israel provide material for the probe on last summer’s war on Gaza – otherwise, the ICC may be forced to launch an official investigation on whether Israel committed war crimes - with only information from one side. 
 
Netanyahu, however, insisted that Iran posed the threat that will be the key challenge for the new government. Yedioth’s Ronen Bergman wrote that the battle now is between officials in Israel’s Foreign Ministry, the Israeli intel agencies and AIPAC – about whether Israel should just accept the Iran deal as done and demand compensation from the US government or keep fighting against it. Bergman wrote that US officials are surprised that the Israelis have made demands yet.

Haaretz aside, the only mention in today's papers of Nakba Day tomorrow was a small item on page 22 of Yedioth, titled: "Tomorrow: Rally marking ‘Nakba Day’ in Carmel." Yedioth’s Eitan Gluckman reported that the police and the Carmel Regional Council are preparing for the possibility of riots as the northern (and hardline) branch of the Islamic movement is holding a rally in a forest after the police rejected a request to hold it in an ancient mosque [likely the shrine for Sheikh Quttayna – OH] in the (Jewish) village of Kerem-Maharal [formerly the Palestinian village of Qumbaza – OH] or adjacent to a Muslim cemetery in the area.

Quick Hits:
  • In first, Palestinian official jailed for Facebook posts - E. Jerusalem Fatah official, Omar Shalabi, 44, gets 9 months in Israeli prison for 10 posts praising terrorists, inciting anger to ‘purify Al-Aqsa.’ (Times of Israel and Israel Hayom
  • Israel steps up diplomatic action as fears grow over FIFA suspension - Two weeks before FIFA vote orchestrated by Palestinians, Israeli Foreign Ministry has been in talks with more than 100 governments and soccer heads. (Haaretz+)
  • Slain soldier's family fights to cut funding for play about killer's life - Haifa's Al-Midan Theater produced play about Walid Daka, one of a group of Palestinians who kidnapped and killed Moshe Tamam. Tamam's niece: Theater misled city into funding play. Artists decry decision to freeze budget until investigation is over. (Israel Hayom
  • Haifa's Arab theater shocked by uproar over play - “We only explored the question of how people go about their daily life in prison. We’ve already been asked to stage the play in France and England. I really don’t understand who made up the allegation that we praise terrorists or political prisoners,” said the theater’s manager, Adnan Tarabash. (Al-Monitor)
  • Report: Human rights under Palestinian rule 'worst in years' - Palestinian Independent Commission for Human Rights advocacy group says hundreds have been tortured by authorities in Gaza and West Bank, Commission chief says rights violations have increased in volume over the past four years. (Israel Hayom)
  • IDF surprises lone soldiers with special visit from parents - Adopt-a-Battalion funds 20 mothers' trips from 10 countries to Israel for special ceremony marking 10 years of the project. "Our duty as a national military is to maintain values of equality and human dignity," IDF chief says. (Israel Hayom and Ynet)
  • Nefesh B'Nefesh leadership award recipient: I am a Zionist - "I fought to get drafted, because [the military] did not want me to enlist. ... I told them I would not give up and in the end I succeeded," Staff Sgt. Asaf Stein, Ph.D., or as his friends call him "Dr. Golani," says. (Israel Hayom)
  • Meretz MK Gal-On: "Dan Halutz is a lowly despicable man who was unworthy of commanding troops" - Meretz chief Zehava Gal-On slammed the former chief of staff for saying that the demand by her son to investigate logistical failures of the Second Lebanon War was a ‘political event’ just because he is the son of a politician: "My son and his soldiers who fought with him were numerous times on the verge of dehydration and had to break into a (Lebanese) petrol station to find water and they carried their injured friends many kilometers because the command did not open evacuation routes.” (Maariv)
  • Does the Israeli army cheat the treasury out of millions? - Former senior IDF budgets official reveals for first time how wars and special projects are used to fund the military in other areas. (Haaretz+) 
  • U.S. issues warning to citizens ahead of Nakba Day - Consulate urges U.S. citizens to exercise caution on May 15, citing past Nakba Day demonstrations that have turned violent. (Haaretz)
  • **iNakba app shows two sides of Israel's war story - Visitors touring the battlegrounds of Israel’s War of Independence can now also learn how Palestinians experienced these events. A guide to the ultimate dual-narrative tour. (Haaretz)
  • PA : Nearly half of world's Palestinians are still refugees - Palestinian Authority's Central Bureau of Statistics reports that there are 12.1 million Palestinians in the world; 6.1 million live in the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel, expected to grow to 7.1 million by 2020. (Ynet)
  • Germany announces $41 million to Gaza - The funding comes as UNRWA has reportedly received enough in donor pledges to rebuild 200 of the 9,161 Palestine refugee homes that have been assessed as totally destroyed in the 2014 Gaza war. (Maan)
  • Israel to demolish electricity grid in Nablus-area village - The Israeli civil administration issued an order Wednesday to completely demolish an electricity grid near the Qasra village in southern Nablus. In addition demolition notices given for a home and water well in the village belonging to two families. (Maan)
  • West Bank electricity grid to be connected to Jordan - The project is as part of an initiative to interconnect power usage in the Arab world, and is expected to be completed over the next three years. Israel will not likely interfere with the grid expansion as lines have already been built between Jordan and Jericho, the PA official said. (Maan)
  • WATCH: Merkava tank overturns in Golan exercise - No injuries reported in accident that was filmed by a soldier taking part in the related exercise. (Ynet)
  • Ethiopians call for integration, not isolation, in Israeli army - Community activists criticize the army’s late response to a video showing an Ethipian soldier being beaten by policemen. (Haaretz+) 
  • Bus of the (killed) mothers: Demand to prosecute the police officer in charge of escorting the truck - The (Bedouin) families claimed that the police absolve itself of responsibility for the accident: "The blame lies primarily at the doorstep of the Yoav police unit, particularly the commander of the force. We will continue legal and public pressure." (Maariv)
  • Israeli quality of life lags behind OECD - Israel bodes relatively well by three OECD measures — health, social connections and sense of happiness. (Haaretz+)
  • Hebrew University celebrated its 90 years of existence. The guest of honor: Chelsea Clinton - The daughter of US presidential candidate spoke about education, motherhood and women. At the event 4 new initiatives were announced in honor of celebrating 100 years of Albert Einstein theory of relativity. (Maariv)
  • European, Israeli rabbis gather in Toulouse to denounce Islamist terror - Three children and a rabbi were killed at a Jewish school in Toulouse, France was attacked in 2012. (JTA, Haaretz
  • Beyonce and Jay Z promote peace in the Middle East - American music power couple spotted wearing t-shirts with inspirational messages, including word 'peace' in English, Hebrew and Arabic. (Ynet)
  • Rubio backs Netanyahu, says conditions for 2-state solution 'do not exist today' - Republican presidential candidate cites Palestinians' lack of unity, mismanagement of government, incitement against Israel, rejection of Israeli offers. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Netanyahu meets with likely US presidential hopeful Scott Walker - After meeting with PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker tweets, "Our democracies share common values & work to confront shared threats." Walker also meets with Naftali Bennett, Yuli Edelstein and Isaac Herzog. (Israel Hayom)
  • Iraq defense ministry says ISIS' second-in-command killed\ - According to Iraqi defense ministry, Abu Alaa al-Afari, thesecond highest ranking member in ISIS, was killed by coalition airstrikes. (Agencies, Ynet)
  • Hezbollah, Syrian army make big gains in border battle - Assad's military and Lebanese allies secure border zone, Hezbollah says; Islamic State attacks gov't-held area in central Syria. (Agencies, Ynet)


Features:
In Israeli Arab city, women’s political party challenges status quo
In Arab cities in Israel, women have traditionally been urged to stay out of public sphere. That's changing, albeit slowly, as more women run for public office. (Ben Sales, JTA, Haaretz+)
 
Commentary/Analysis:
Israeli courts must be wary of cracking down too hard on hate speech on Internet (Haaretz Editorial) Between the freedom of expression and explicit calls for violence there is relatively wide leeway for interpretation. 
We have something to lose: Perhaps it is better to cooperate with the International Court of Justice (Yossi Melman, Maariv) Israel's position, however right it may be, is like the ostrich that buries its head in the sand. The world does not skip a beat from its grounds, and perhaps it is better to play that game.
Israel has abandoned young U.S. Jews in fight against BDS (Ari Shavit, Haaretz+) Israel’s fate will not only be determined on the country’s southern or northern borders, but on the quads of American campuses. 
Fight on two fronts: the best hasbara (advocacy) will come from the opposition (Shmuel Rosner, Maariv) The left has the best tools for the management of Israel's important struggle in the world, so therefore it must criticize the government, as much as is necessary, for its actions.  But it must beware of sending out messages that feed the boycott movements.
If a Holocaust survivor can admit there's an animal holocaust - we can too (Eyal Megged, Haaretz+) There’s no difference between what those who took control of the Jews did to us and what we do to the animals we have taken control of.
Freedom of speech has limits (Omer Dustri, Israel Hayom) The state may withhold funding when free speech is interpreted as the right to incite violence.
The more Israel represses the Nakba, the stronger the memories (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) How nice it would be if Israel would allow its minority citizens to commune with their misfortune and at least respect their pain. 
Israeli authorities hide behind law, ignoring discrimination against Arabs (Myssana Morany, Haaretz+) In ruling against Bedouin, Israel's top court ignored years-long institutionalized policy that created serious shortage of housing in Arab society.
By protecting settlements, Congress joins the ranks of Israel’s delegitimizers (Peter Beinart, Haaretz+) American politicians and Jewish leaders claim to back the two-state solution but enable an Israeli government whose policies are killing it.
German boat deal: Everybody wins (Prof. Shlomo Shpiro, Israel Hayom) The four new ships are exactly what Israel needs to defend its natural gas fields.
Not everyone in Israel wants housing prices to fall (Eytan Avriel, Haaretz+) Incoming Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon has staked his career on reducing property prices. He will face a surprisingly large number of enemies. 
Politicians will do anything to see Kahlon fail (Eitan Haber, Yedioth/Ynet) Israel's new finance minister will do his best to successfully execute his plans, but too many people in the top are lurking in every corner.
Scott Walker's media strategy in Israel is genius: Hide in plain sight (Allison Kaplan Sommer, Haaretz+) The 2016 GOP hopeful buffs up his foreign policy credentials without those pesky reporters around to catch his gaffes.
A witch-hunt with shofars on 59th Street (Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt, Haaretz+) There is nothing new about protests against progressive groups participating in the Israel Day Parade. But this year, the campaign is far wider.
Interviews: 
Rivlin: Even a one-vote majority is a majority
Israeli president says state visit to Germany was an opportunity to sound the alarm on Iran's anti-Israel activity. On emerging coalition: It is best if a wide majority decides on existential issues. (Interviewed by Yori Yalon in Israel Hayom)
 

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