APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday June 9, 2015
Quote of the day:
“Not everyone who can’t stand Benjamin Netanyahu is an anti-Semite, dear Jews. On Sunday, in New York,
you deeply shamed us.”
--Top Maariv political commentator Ben Caspit slams the ‘clueless’ American Jews who booed US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew.**
--Top Maariv political commentator Ben Caspit slams the ‘clueless’ American Jews who booed US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew.**
Front Page:
Haaretz
- Fisher affair: Outgoing police commissioner Bruno Stein suspected of bribery
- Channel 2 report: Deputy Speaker of Knesset MK Oren Hazan pimped to gamblers
- CIA chief secretly visited Israel for discussions on Iran nuclear issue
- US Supreme Court ruled: US passports of Jerusalem-born citizens will not mark Israel as place of birth
- Labor court sets new precedent: No job discrimination against transgenders
- (AG) Weinstein refused to meet Shamgar (and other senior jurists during probe of ex-IDF prosecutor)
- Beginning next school year: Second assistant in pre-schools for 3-4 year-olds
- Police recommend: Electric bikes – from age 16 and with a license
- The guilty, boycotted // Amira Hass
- The cost of the conflict // The Marker
- The dance that was born in the wake of Operation Protective Edge
Yedioth Ahronoth
- Ronal Fisher affair: Police commissioner in detention
- Victory in the pre-schools (for another assistant), battle in the schools (over crowded classrooms)
- Sex, drugs and MK Oren Hazan
- Measles spreading in center of country
- Trans. Not a party. Noy Karmel, a heterosexual man, changed his clothes and experienced how transgenders feel in Israel
- Run over on the sidewalk by an electric bike
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- “(MK) Oren Hazan arranged escort girls for gamblers”
- (Foreign Minister) Kahlon’s home – Housing cabinet approved Minister’s plan to solve the real estate crisis
- (Arrested) Police Superintendent Malka signed agreement and incriminated retired police commissioner
- From September: a second assistant in pre-schools
- Police recommend: riding on electric bikes – from age 16 and with license
Israel Hayom
- Fisher-Malka affair: “Bribe for the police commissioner: flights abroad”
- “Washington is capital of US? Jerusalem is capital of Israel!” – says Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat
- MK Oren Hazan storm following Channel 2 investigative report: “He supplied escort girls and drugs to his (gambling) clients in Burgas”
- A boycott at home: (Arab-Israeli) actor Norman Issa refuses to perform in Bikat Yarden [West Bank]
- News for parents: Another assistant in pre-schools
- Police recommend: electric bikes – only with license
News Summary:
The Knesset Deputy Speaker reportedly pimped prostitutes and smoked meth, the police arrested yet another police commander for bribery, and the US said ‘no’ to Jerusalem being recognized as belonging (at this moment) to Israel making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Also, interesting boycott-related news reports, sharp words from Israel’s former president Shimon Peres, Israel Hayom omits key information on the prices of occupation vs. peace and the Czech Prime Minister slams Israel.
In what is perceived as a victory for the Obama administration and for those who oppose the Israeli occupation of E. Jerusalem, the US Supreme Court invalidated a Congress-passed law that let people born in Jerusalem-born list Israel on their US passports. Since Jerusalem is under dispute as part of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, most countries don’t agree that Jerusalem-born citizens write that Jerusalem, be it East or west, belongs to Israel. Jerusalem’s Mayor Nir Barket urged Obama to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Most countries don’t, which is why their embassies are in Tel-Aviv. Israel’s Foreign Ministry refused to comment on the issue.
On boycotts:
The Knesset Deputy Speaker reportedly pimped prostitutes and smoked meth, the police arrested yet another police commander for bribery, and the US said ‘no’ to Jerusalem being recognized as belonging (at this moment) to Israel making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Also, interesting boycott-related news reports, sharp words from Israel’s former president Shimon Peres, Israel Hayom omits key information on the prices of occupation vs. peace and the Czech Prime Minister slams Israel.
In what is perceived as a victory for the Obama administration and for those who oppose the Israeli occupation of E. Jerusalem, the US Supreme Court invalidated a Congress-passed law that let people born in Jerusalem-born list Israel on their US passports. Since Jerusalem is under dispute as part of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, most countries don’t agree that Jerusalem-born citizens write that Jerusalem, be it East or west, belongs to Israel. Jerusalem’s Mayor Nir Barket urged Obama to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Most countries don’t, which is why their embassies are in Tel-Aviv. Israel’s Foreign Ministry refused to comment on the issue.
On boycotts:
- It turns out that the Meretz party has proposed a bill to mark settlement products sold in Israel, which Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu urged the party to pull. Meretz head MK Zehava Gal-On, said that until Netanyahu “ends the occupation… he will have to learn to live with devastating ramifications of his policies…at this rate he will soon forbid drawing of the Green Line on maps." Gal-On accused Netanyahu of trying to deflect criticism "by delegitimizing the left."
- Yedioth reports that Ahava cosmetics company is looking into moving its West Bank factory in to inside the Green Line. Interestingly, the article title reads: “Did you surrender to the boycott?” Presently, the factory is located in Kibbutz Mitzpeh-Shalem, which is in the north-eastern part of the Dead Sea, inside the West Bank. It is considering moving south, to inside the ’48 border, either at Kibbutz Ein Gedi or near Naveh Zohar. Reporters Gad Lior and Navit Zomer write that Ahava has long been considering making the move due to boycotts it ran into abroad. The largest pharmacy franchises in Norway removed Ahava products from their shelves. Ahava said it is considering the establishing a new factory because of “manufacturing needs and regulatory changes in certain Western countries.”
- Tel Aviv University academics held their first-ever discussion about BDS, reported Haaretz+’s Or Kashti. “…The very fact that a discussion was held that did not completely condemn the BDS movement and included some expressions of support, is considered unusual,” writes Kashti.
- Speaking at the Herzliya Conference, Shimon Peres warned Israelis that they better return to negotiations with the Palestinians “first and foremost in order not to become an Arab state and to change our situation internationally.” He had only good words for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas: “…he is the easiest Arab leader with whom to hold negotiations, he is a fighter of terror in cooperation with Israel and he says brave things that no Arab leader says.” Peres slammed the American Jews who booed US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew at the Jerusalem Post Conference Sunday, saying that their booing was “shameful” and that Lew was an Israel supporter, not our enemy.” On BDS, he said that Israel has countries that are friends, but private companies do their own thing and “we must do hasbara (advocacy/propaganda) with the global companies and show them that we are really interested in peace.” And he rejoiced over the defeat of Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan’s party in Turkey's elections.
Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek attacked Israel's West Bank – including E.
Jerusalem - settlement construction, blaming it for torpedoing the peace process. "It just reinforces
the atmosphere of hate,” he said. An Israeli official noted that “the Czech Republic is no longer in
our pocket.” But, former French president Nicolas Sarkozy called BDS a ridiculous scandal.
“Surprisingly,” at the G-7 Summit in Germany, the leaders only barely mentioned the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, noted Maariv’s Gideon Kotz, reporting from there. Too many other issues were on the agenda. Here’s the single sentence from the G-7 Leaders’ Declaration on the issue: On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we call upon the parties, with the active support of the International Community, including the Quartet, to work towards a negotiated solution based on two States living in peace and security.
Syria is finished as a state, according to Amos Gilad, Maariv reported. Speaking at the Herzliya Conference the head of the diplomatic-security department of the Defense Ministry, Amos Gilad, said: “I hereby declare the death of Syria. Assad receives his salary form Iran, but he only rules a quarter of Syria and his power is shrinking. Syria has no future on the horizon. Assad does not have the tools and the historic process is against him.” (Also in JPost)
Money is a big problem in Israel. And according to the highly-respected RAND Corporation, peace with Palestinians could add $120 billion to Israeli coffers. But only Haaretz+ reported on that. Maariv and Yedioth did not even share the findings from the study by Rand that was released by its Director who visited Israel yesterday to share the findings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders and journalists. Interestingly, Israel Hayom only reported on the $35 billion cost a year to Palestinians “if they return to the cycle of violence.” But the report, which does not call the Palestinians the instigator of future violence, also says that it would cost Israel $250 billion. In the four-sentence item, Israel Hayom also wrote that boycotts could cost Israel $6-8 billion, according to the study. According to the Haaretz article, the amount was $80 billion for Israel and $60 billion for the Palestinians. Haaretz’s Ilene Prusher interviewed the director of RAND, who said that the study is an attempt to show Israeli and Palestinian leaders the consequences of their decisions: "We hope it will be a tool from the policymaking perspective."
“Surprisingly,” at the G-7 Summit in Germany, the leaders only barely mentioned the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, noted Maariv’s Gideon Kotz, reporting from there. Too many other issues were on the agenda. Here’s the single sentence from the G-7 Leaders’ Declaration on the issue: On the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, we call upon the parties, with the active support of the International Community, including the Quartet, to work towards a negotiated solution based on two States living in peace and security.
Syria is finished as a state, according to Amos Gilad, Maariv reported. Speaking at the Herzliya Conference the head of the diplomatic-security department of the Defense Ministry, Amos Gilad, said: “I hereby declare the death of Syria. Assad receives his salary form Iran, but he only rules a quarter of Syria and his power is shrinking. Syria has no future on the horizon. Assad does not have the tools and the historic process is against him.” (Also in JPost)
Money is a big problem in Israel. And according to the highly-respected RAND Corporation, peace with Palestinians could add $120 billion to Israeli coffers. But only Haaretz+ reported on that. Maariv and Yedioth did not even share the findings from the study by Rand that was released by its Director who visited Israel yesterday to share the findings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders and journalists. Interestingly, Israel Hayom only reported on the $35 billion cost a year to Palestinians “if they return to the cycle of violence.” But the report, which does not call the Palestinians the instigator of future violence, also says that it would cost Israel $250 billion. In the four-sentence item, Israel Hayom also wrote that boycotts could cost Israel $6-8 billion, according to the study. According to the Haaretz article, the amount was $80 billion for Israel and $60 billion for the Palestinians. Haaretz’s Ilene Prusher interviewed the director of RAND, who said that the study is an attempt to show Israeli and Palestinian leaders the consequences of their decisions: "We hope it will be a tool from the policymaking perspective."
Quick Hits:
- Israeli diplomatic victory: UN chief leaves Israel and Hamas off children's rights blacklist - Ban Ki-moon criticizes Israeli policy and urges a reexamination to ensure that children in West Bank and Gaza do not suffer harm, but leaves IDF off list against recommendation of his special envoy, following intense pressure from both Israel and the United States. (Yedioth, Agencies, Haaretz and Ynet)
- CIA chief makes secret visit to Israel ahead of Iran deal - John Brennan was the guest of Mossad chief Tamir Pardo and met with various members of the Israeli intelligence community, as well as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Haaretz+)
- Palestinian hunger striker forcibly hospitalized and restrained - Khader Adnan Musa, who is serving his ninth period of administrative detention, has been on hunger strike for a month. (Haaretz+)
- Trial over death [murder] of Palestinian teen: Prosecutor seeks to poke holes in Jewish minor's testimony - Prosecutor asserts that Y., a minor, was a party to the premeditated planning of the Palestinian teen's kidnap and murder last July. (Haaretz+)
- Bedouin facing eviction submit new appeal to Israel's Supreme Court - Acknowledging that the chances of obtaining legal redress are slim, opponents of the eviction are planning for a public struggle. (Haaretz+)
- Bank of Israel hosts convention to help bring in minorities - Dozens of members of Arab community attend event organized in conjunction with NGO promoting equal employment opportunities in business sector for Arab university graduates. (Ynet)
- Israeli army recruits thousands of soldiers with criminal records - The army enables soldiers to request that their records be expunged, but very few take advantage of the opportunity. (Haaretz+)
- Revealed: How IDF calculates soldiers' living allowance - Court orders state to provide breakdown of funds allocated to troops during compulsory service; highest amount goes to combat troops. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Israeli attorney general ignored approaches by senior jurists during probe of ex-IDF prosecutor - Former Supreme Court President Meir Shmagar and others accept Mandelblit's claim of lawyer-client privilege. (Haaretz+)
- Israel gives fast-track approval for building in Jerusalem nature area - Mitzpeh Naftoach, which is slated for 1,400 apartments, is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna, some of which are in danger of extinction. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli sets world record with largest magic lesson ever - Event led by magician Israel Cagliostro together with 1,573 Jewish, Muslim and Christian schoolchildren from across Haifa in name of peace and coexistence. (Ynet)
- Israeli civil servant killed in West Bank hit-and-run - Egg and Poultry Board worker participated in sting operation to catch Hebron Hills egg smugglers. (Haaretz+)
- Former Yisrael Beiteinu MK David Rotem passes away at age 66 - Former party chairman Avigdor Lieberman eulogizes Rotem as 'a man of the Land of Israel who was not afraid to fight for what he believes.' (Haaretz)
- In nearly half of Israel’s universities, only 20% of faculty are women - The situation is particularly dire in the fields of mathematics, statistics and computer science, where 93 percent of departments suffer from underrepresentation. (Haaretz+)
- Palestinians advertise soccer game with photos of slain soldiers - Pictures of Lt. Hadar Goldin and Staff Sgt. Oron Shaul, whose remains are believed to be in Hamas hands, on poster for match between the two cities where they were killed. "The two teams of kidnapping soldiers compete in the Gaza Cup final," says ad. (Israel Hayom)
- Hamas busy tackling pro-ISIS jihadis in Gaza - The Salafists include a number of ultraconservative groups that seek to turn Gaza into an Islamic caliphate. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Israel to reopen Gaza crossings after brief closure - Borders open on Monday morning after being shut because of rocket fire by Islamist group locked in power struggle with Hamas. (Agencies, Ynet)
- EU warns Iran: No deal without UN probe - EU demands that Iran cooperate with U.N.'s atomic agency probe before June 30 target date for deal between Iran and world powers. Agency chief says it is possible to clarify military aspects of Iran's nuclear program if interim agreement is implemented. (Agencies, Israel Hayom)
- Middle East Updates / Syria asks UN nuclear watchdog to use lower grade nuclear fuel - Syria opposition groups in Egypt to search for political solution; Saudi-led strikes hit office of former president's son in Sana'a; Turkey's deputy PM: AKP to try to form coalition, early election possible. (Haaretz)
- After vote, Turkey faces prospect of political turmoil and early election - 'Possibility of a government coming out of the current situation is very slim,' says one senior AKP official. 'With these results, an early election seems inevitable.' (Agencies, Haaretz)
- "Iran is here." The Instagram page of the rich kids in Tehran - Girls in bikinis, alcohol parties and luxury cars are only part of the world of the young rich in the Iranian capital. Jealous? (Maariv+PHOTOS)
- Obama: No 'complete strategy' against ISIS - US President speaks at G-7 summit in Germany vowing that ISIS will be driven out of Iraq despite setbacks, but that Iraq needs to offer greater commitment in efforts to fight ISIS. (Agencies, Haaretz and Ynet)
- Using your smartphone to verify evidence of war crimes - An international organization of lawyers and law firms said it was working to ensure 'eyeWitness to Atrocities' would be used in severe conflict zones including Syria, Iraq and Ukraine. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Features:
This huge settlement will 'turn Palestinian villages into a prison'
Construction proceeds apace in the settlement of Leshem, creating yet one more ‘settlement bloc’ in the West Bank and bisecting it irrevocably. (Alex Levac and Gideon Levy, Haaretz+)
My way: Meet the woman who reinvented Arab-Israeli Education
25 years after she left her village for higher studies (despite the fierce opposition of her mother who was afraid she wouldn’t be able to get married – but her father supported her), Dr. Dalia Fadilla continues to shatter more and more glass ceilings. She made her own history when it comes to education, the Arab sector and gender: she is the only woman who reached the position of deputy director at the Islamic College in Israel, she is the director now at the Baka Al-Gharbiyeh Engineering College, she is a lecturer on the Arab population at the IDC School of Governance at, she is on the President's Committee to encourage democratic education, and she is the founder and owner of "Q SCHOOLS," a network of schools of Western, bilingual (Arabic and English) education in Israel’s Arab sector and in Jordan, which employs Arab, American and Jewish teachers. (Tal Bashan, Maariv)
'Modern leaders are 'killed' before they can emerge' - A Tel Aviv historian explains why no modern leaders come close to emulating David Ben-Gurion's greatness, except maybe Angela Merkel. (Ayelett Shani, Haaretz+)
2,700-year old tomb of Hebrew prophet in danger from ISIS - A family of Assyrian Christians has been guarding the tomb of Nahum the Elkoshi for generations. That tradition may be ending soon. (Sheren Khalel and Matthew Vickery, Haaretz)
Commentary/Analysis:
Construction proceeds apace in the settlement of Leshem, creating yet one more ‘settlement bloc’ in the West Bank and bisecting it irrevocably. (Alex Levac and Gideon Levy, Haaretz+)
My way: Meet the woman who reinvented Arab-Israeli Education
25 years after she left her village for higher studies (despite the fierce opposition of her mother who was afraid she wouldn’t be able to get married – but her father supported her), Dr. Dalia Fadilla continues to shatter more and more glass ceilings. She made her own history when it comes to education, the Arab sector and gender: she is the only woman who reached the position of deputy director at the Islamic College in Israel, she is the director now at the Baka Al-Gharbiyeh Engineering College, she is a lecturer on the Arab population at the IDC School of Governance at, she is on the President's Committee to encourage democratic education, and she is the founder and owner of "Q SCHOOLS," a network of schools of Western, bilingual (Arabic and English) education in Israel’s Arab sector and in Jordan, which employs Arab, American and Jewish teachers. (Tal Bashan, Maariv)
'Modern leaders are 'killed' before they can emerge' - A Tel Aviv historian explains why no modern leaders come close to emulating David Ben-Gurion's greatness, except maybe Angela Merkel. (Ayelett Shani, Haaretz+)
2,700-year old tomb of Hebrew prophet in danger from ISIS - A family of Assyrian Christians has been guarding the tomb of Nahum the Elkoshi for generations. That tradition may be ending soon. (Sheren Khalel and Matthew Vickery, Haaretz)
Commentary/Analysis:
Europe must
not back down from labeling West Bank settlement products (Haaretz Editorial) The time may soon come when the EU must decide whether financing the
Palestinian Authority effectively enables Israel's diplomatic rejectionism.
Open letter to the Defense Minister: "The political stalemate harms Israel’s status” (Udi Dekel, Maariv) Deputy Director of the Institute for National Security, Udi Dekel suggests to Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon to lead the restoration of relations with Washington and to initiate a comprehensive diplomatic-security plan in coordination with moderate Arab countries.
U.S. Supreme Court decision: Small step for presidency, big blow for Jerusalem (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) The massive effort to use Zivotofsky's passport petition for recognition of Israel’s capital only made things worse.
President Rivlin's alarm bells (Dan Margalit, Israel Hayom) For a united society built on reliable conduct and shared interests, the extremists from every group must be excluded.
The rational response to Israel's state terror: boycott (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) People from Western countries whose taxes are being used as hush money for Israel are beginning to fight back.
**Good cop, bad cop: "Not everyone who can’t stand Netanyahu is anti-Semitic" (Ben Caspit and Aryeh Eldad, 103 FM/Maariv) Caspit writes: “I am almost certain that the audience at The Jerusalem Post Conference, which almost kicked the US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew off the stage on Sunday, doesn’t know a thing about the tremendous contribution of this Jew to Israel's security. Lew is one of our closest and most dedicated friends in the US administration, and is the one who built the sanctions against Iran. He is one of our advocates in the US administration and yesterday he got deafening boos from a clueless Jewish audience that was washed in hatred. The United States is not an enemy of Israel, it is an ally and according to all( (Israeli) security establishment sources, the Obama administration is the friendliest administration on security issues that we've ever had. Not everyone can’t stand Benjamin Netanyahu is an anti-Semite, dear Jews. On Sunday, in New York, you deeply shamed us.
How to stop the sporadic rocket fire from Gaza (Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynet) While Hamas can be deterred by Israel, the armed Salafi-jihadist groups affiliated with ISIS or al-Qaeda can only be neutralized through a sophisticated simultaneous use of a civilian carrot and a military stick.
Only when the U.S. is allowed to criticize Israel can it be a true friend (Ayalon Eliach , Haaretz+) Being a good friend doesn't mean supporting others blindly, cheering them on regardless of how self-destructive their behavior may be.
Netanyahu has fostered the outbreak of a national psychosis (Avirama Golan, Haaretz+) The widely covered flap raised by the boycott has gone completely overboard.
Israelis are still living the Six-Day War myth (Yitzhak Laor, Haaretz+) The hunger for more territory was given legal wording: reparations for 'a justified defensive war.'
The boycott affects us all (Omer Dostri, Israel Hayom) There are times when you simply have to unite against attempts to harm the country.
Seeing Orange: Israel aims at BDS, shoots self in the foot (David Rosenberg, Haaretz+) Orange is leaving Israel for business reasons, not to help the Palestinians, and Netanyahu & Company gave the boycott movement headlines it didn’t deserve.
To fight boycotts: Expose the truth (Dr. Udi Lebel, Israel Hayom) We need to use our existing military technology for purposes of public diplomacy.
The Orange affair highlights France's two faces (Moshe Arens, Haaretz+) Still remembered is De Gaulle’s characterization of the Jewish people in 1967 as 'un people d’elite, sur de lui-meme, et dominateur' (an elitist nation, sure of itself, and dominating.)
Will Erdogan's slap in the face lead to real change in Turkey? (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) Even without the changes in the constitution, which would have turned the Turkish president into a sultan, he still has too much power; the anti-Semitism he nurtured won't go away soon, but it might start to retreat – like the man who led it.
Look who's playing the PR game now: It's Al-Qaida's Syrian affiliate (Amiel Ungar, Haaretz+) Nusra Front leader wants his audience to believe it's not planning any attacks on the West and will assiduously fight Assad and Islamic State.
Open letter to the Defense Minister: "The political stalemate harms Israel’s status” (Udi Dekel, Maariv) Deputy Director of the Institute for National Security, Udi Dekel suggests to Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon to lead the restoration of relations with Washington and to initiate a comprehensive diplomatic-security plan in coordination with moderate Arab countries.
U.S. Supreme Court decision: Small step for presidency, big blow for Jerusalem (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) The massive effort to use Zivotofsky's passport petition for recognition of Israel’s capital only made things worse.
President Rivlin's alarm bells (Dan Margalit, Israel Hayom) For a united society built on reliable conduct and shared interests, the extremists from every group must be excluded.
The rational response to Israel's state terror: boycott (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) People from Western countries whose taxes are being used as hush money for Israel are beginning to fight back.
**Good cop, bad cop: "Not everyone who can’t stand Netanyahu is anti-Semitic" (Ben Caspit and Aryeh Eldad, 103 FM/Maariv) Caspit writes: “I am almost certain that the audience at The Jerusalem Post Conference, which almost kicked the US Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew off the stage on Sunday, doesn’t know a thing about the tremendous contribution of this Jew to Israel's security. Lew is one of our closest and most dedicated friends in the US administration, and is the one who built the sanctions against Iran. He is one of our advocates in the US administration and yesterday he got deafening boos from a clueless Jewish audience that was washed in hatred. The United States is not an enemy of Israel, it is an ally and according to all( (Israeli) security establishment sources, the Obama administration is the friendliest administration on security issues that we've ever had. Not everyone can’t stand Benjamin Netanyahu is an anti-Semite, dear Jews. On Sunday, in New York, you deeply shamed us.
How to stop the sporadic rocket fire from Gaza (Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynet) While Hamas can be deterred by Israel, the armed Salafi-jihadist groups affiliated with ISIS or al-Qaeda can only be neutralized through a sophisticated simultaneous use of a civilian carrot and a military stick.
Only when the U.S. is allowed to criticize Israel can it be a true friend (Ayalon Eliach , Haaretz+) Being a good friend doesn't mean supporting others blindly, cheering them on regardless of how self-destructive their behavior may be.
Netanyahu has fostered the outbreak of a national psychosis (Avirama Golan, Haaretz+) The widely covered flap raised by the boycott has gone completely overboard.
Israelis are still living the Six-Day War myth (Yitzhak Laor, Haaretz+) The hunger for more territory was given legal wording: reparations for 'a justified defensive war.'
The boycott affects us all (Omer Dostri, Israel Hayom) There are times when you simply have to unite against attempts to harm the country.
Seeing Orange: Israel aims at BDS, shoots self in the foot (David Rosenberg, Haaretz+) Orange is leaving Israel for business reasons, not to help the Palestinians, and Netanyahu & Company gave the boycott movement headlines it didn’t deserve.
To fight boycotts: Expose the truth (Dr. Udi Lebel, Israel Hayom) We need to use our existing military technology for purposes of public diplomacy.
The Orange affair highlights France's two faces (Moshe Arens, Haaretz+) Still remembered is De Gaulle’s characterization of the Jewish people in 1967 as 'un people d’elite, sur de lui-meme, et dominateur' (an elitist nation, sure of itself, and dominating.)
Will Erdogan's slap in the face lead to real change in Turkey? (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) Even without the changes in the constitution, which would have turned the Turkish president into a sultan, he still has too much power; the anti-Semitism he nurtured won't go away soon, but it might start to retreat – like the man who led it.
Look who's playing the PR game now: It's Al-Qaida's Syrian affiliate (Amiel Ungar, Haaretz+) Nusra Front leader wants his audience to believe it's not planning any attacks on the West and will assiduously fight Assad and Islamic State.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.