APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday June 29, 2015
Quote of the day:
“I reached the conclusion that there is no reason to trust the prosecution’s witnesses’ testimony,
while the defendant appeared to the court to be trustworthy, from his account of the events until this
day."
--In a chilling tale in which the accused became the defendant, Judge Dov Pollock ruled that the defendant, a Palestinian man who called for help from soldiers and police to remove settlers from his property, was the one telling the truth, not the soldiers and police who gave false witness supporting the settlers.**
--In a chilling tale in which the accused became the defendant, Judge Dov Pollock ruled that the defendant, a Palestinian man who called for help from soldiers and police to remove settlers from his property, was the one telling the truth, not the soldiers and police who gave false witness supporting the settlers.**
Front Page:
Haaretz
- The gas dispute: Knesset to vote on bypassing the Anti-Trust Authority
- Moment before the final deadline, the world powers and Iran extended nuclear talks
- Parents disrupted school studies in protest against crowded classrooms
- Crisis in Greece deepens: Government ordered closure of banks for a week
- Minister approved unemployment benefits for self-employed
- Stop the abuse (of asylum seekers) // Haaretz Editorial
- The price list for blood // Oudeh Basharat
Yedioth Ahronoth
- Greece is collapsing
- Naval commandos wait in the heart of the sea (to stop the Gaza flotilla)
- 2 soldiers seriously burned in fire
- Good news for self-employed – You closed your business and don’t have work? Soon you’ll get unemployment benefits
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- Likely: Lieberman will support the gas agreement
- Transparent politics – the gas agreement became a political argument of slogans // Yehuda Sharoni
- Brother of the (Ethiopian-Israeli) combat soldier will land tomorrow in Israel – following story by Maariv
- The message to Freedom flotilla activists: “You made a mistake, maybe you intended to reach Syria”; Also,
- Hamas revealed 3.5 km long tunnel terror tunnel
- Suspicion: Head of national fraud investigation unit, Efraim Bracha, conducted improper contacts with suspects under investigation
- Deadline for Iran talks was extended
- In Greece, they closed the banks
Israel Hayom
- Gas drama – to test at Knesset
- Greece: The day the banks were closed
- “You went the wrong way, sail to Syria” – Navy preparing to stop flotilla to Gaza
- Known criminal arrested in the ‘512 affair’ is a suspect in another affair from the past
- US sources admit: We will be forced to extend the nuclear talks with Iran
- Special project: One year since Operation Protective Edge
- From now say, ‘Machtesh Yerucham’: The biggest machtesh (crater) changes its name
News Summary:
The vote over the gas agreement that allows Israel's gas cartel to bypass the anti-trust authority goes to vote at the Knesset today and Maariv believes that Avigdor Lieberman’s party will vote with the coalition, Greece shuts banks closed and the Gaza flotilla activists and Israel each fought for headlines ahead of the IDF stopping the flotilla (late last night), making top stories in the Hebrew newspapers. Also in the news, Egypt-Israel relations are warming up.
After the newspapers went to print, Israeli Navy commandos took control of the “Marianne,” one of the Swedish Freedom Flotilla’s ships trying to break the Israeli siege on Gaza. There was no violence between the soldiers and the 20 activists, among them MK Basel Ghattas and a former Tunisian president, the online websites reported this morning. Both Jewish Israelis also supported the flotilla, and called on the Israeli media to "stop being a mouthpiece for the Israeli government and the Israeli army, and begin to cover the reality of the flotilla," Maariv reported. A letter signed by seven organizations and 75 activists was sent to the government asking it not to prevent the ships from reaching shore. Among those that signed were, the Coalition of Women for Peace, Physicians for Human Rights, AIC, Ta'ayush, Gush Shalom, Tarabut and Women Against Violence. In the battle for the hearts and minds, the activists stressed they were carrying only medicine, while MKs called them terror collaborators and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu insisted there was "no siege on Gaza." The papers reported that Israel plans to greet the activists on the four boats after they are brought to the Ashdod port with letters saying, ‘Welcome to Israel! It appears you went the wrong way. Maybe you planned to sail to Syria. There, Assad’s regime is massacring his people daily with the support of the murderous Iranian regime.’ MK Basel Ghattas sent a message to Netanyahu asking him to “allow the passage of the ship. All the passengers are peace activists, whose only goal is to protest against the siege on Gaza and to give humanitarian aid and medical equipment.”
Israel-Egypt relations are getting warmer, writes Yedioth’s Itamar Eichner. For the first time since 2011, a high-ranking Israeli official is visiting Cairo. Foreign Ministry director Dore Gold is in Egypt to discuss 'how to push the peace process with the Palestinians forward'. Reuters wrote that an Egyptian official said that the Palestinian issue is the “heart of the conflict in the region.” Gold met with Egypt’s deputy foreign minister. Another sign of the warming relations is that Egypt allowed Israel to set up a new Israeli embassy in Cairo, after the last one was evacuated in 2011 following a mob attack on it. The issue is being examined in Israel due to the high cost of securing it. Last week Egypt appointed a new ambassador to Israel, who is expected to actually sit at the embassy in Tel-Aviv.
The vote over the gas agreement that allows Israel's gas cartel to bypass the anti-trust authority goes to vote at the Knesset today and Maariv believes that Avigdor Lieberman’s party will vote with the coalition, Greece shuts banks closed and the Gaza flotilla activists and Israel each fought for headlines ahead of the IDF stopping the flotilla (late last night), making top stories in the Hebrew newspapers. Also in the news, Egypt-Israel relations are warming up.
After the newspapers went to print, Israeli Navy commandos took control of the “Marianne,” one of the Swedish Freedom Flotilla’s ships trying to break the Israeli siege on Gaza. There was no violence between the soldiers and the 20 activists, among them MK Basel Ghattas and a former Tunisian president, the online websites reported this morning. Both Jewish Israelis also supported the flotilla, and called on the Israeli media to "stop being a mouthpiece for the Israeli government and the Israeli army, and begin to cover the reality of the flotilla," Maariv reported. A letter signed by seven organizations and 75 activists was sent to the government asking it not to prevent the ships from reaching shore. Among those that signed were, the Coalition of Women for Peace, Physicians for Human Rights, AIC, Ta'ayush, Gush Shalom, Tarabut and Women Against Violence. In the battle for the hearts and minds, the activists stressed they were carrying only medicine, while MKs called them terror collaborators and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu insisted there was "no siege on Gaza." The papers reported that Israel plans to greet the activists on the four boats after they are brought to the Ashdod port with letters saying, ‘Welcome to Israel! It appears you went the wrong way. Maybe you planned to sail to Syria. There, Assad’s regime is massacring his people daily with the support of the murderous Iranian regime.’ MK Basel Ghattas sent a message to Netanyahu asking him to “allow the passage of the ship. All the passengers are peace activists, whose only goal is to protest against the siege on Gaza and to give humanitarian aid and medical equipment.”
Israel-Egypt relations are getting warmer, writes Yedioth’s Itamar Eichner. For the first time since 2011, a high-ranking Israeli official is visiting Cairo. Foreign Ministry director Dore Gold is in Egypt to discuss 'how to push the peace process with the Palestinians forward'. Reuters wrote that an Egyptian official said that the Palestinian issue is the “heart of the conflict in the region.” Gold met with Egypt’s deputy foreign minister. Another sign of the warming relations is that Egypt allowed Israel to set up a new Israeli embassy in Cairo, after the last one was evacuated in 2011 following a mob attack on it. The issue is being examined in Israel due to the high cost of securing it. Last week Egypt appointed a new ambassador to Israel, who is expected to actually sit at the embassy in Tel-Aviv.
Quick Hits:
- **Jerusalem judge takes word of Palestinian over that of Israeli army, cops, settlers - East Jerusalem resident, Monhand (sic – Mohannad) Anati was acquitted on assault charges from April 2009 after Judge Dov Pollock was convinced that police, soldiers, settlers gave false accounts of events. (Haaretz+)
- Settlers assault Palestinian in East Jerusalem - Three settlers reportedly stopped Ibrahim al-Alami, 31, Saturday evening "after making sure he was an Arab" while he stopped his car as he was heading to work in West Jerusalem. They verbally abused him, physically assaulted him, and attempted to strangle him before fleeing the scene. (Maan +PHOTO)
- Israeli forces break into homes of synagogue attack suspects - Family of Ghassan and Udayy Abu Jamal told Ma’an that Israeli forces took photos of the interior and exterior of their homes, as well as the roads that lead to them in the Jabal al-Mukabbir neighborhood, without giving explanation. They also questioned family members of both Ghassan and Udayy Abu Jamal before taking their photos, including of the families' children. (Maan)
- Arabs, women underrepresented as clerks at Israel's High Court - Justices also lean toward hiring from the country's most prestigious universities. (Haaretz+)
- Cyprus president plans to invite Netanyahu, Abbas to speak before EU leaders - President Nicos Anastasiades has said that inviting the two leaders to Brussels in the coming months could help restart the peace process. (Haaretz+)
- Senior U.S. official: Iran nuke talks to continue for several days after June 30 deadline - Official says progress has been made but some differences remain; Iranian FM to fly back to Tehran for consultations and return to Vienna Tuesday. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
- Netanyahu: Western concessions to Iran growing as nuclear deal looms - Israeli PM says deal getting 'worse by the day;' EU foreign policy chief: Getting a deal is going to be tough, but not impossible; senior U.S. official says talks will continue beyond June 30 deadline. (Haaretz)
- Knesset's Legislation Committee rejects call for transparency - Like its predecessors, MK Shaffir’s bill to publish minutes of committee meetings gets nowhere. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli cabinet bypasses hurdle en route to deal between gas companies, government - Interior Minister Arye Dery drops his power of veto; Knesset to vote on gas deal Monday evening. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
- No grounds to stop Netanyahu from deciding on natural gas issue, AG rules - The deputy attorney general’s ruling comes in the wake of a Haaretz expose revealing correspondence on the issue between the prime minister and his close associate American billionaire Sheldon Adelson. (Haaretz)
- Code red sirens heard in southern Israel - Sirens blare in Hof Ashkelon Regional Council in southern Israel; IDF: launched rocket seems to have landed in Gaza Strip. (Ynet)
- Hamas released a video showing tunnels dug in the last year - Iranian television showed a 3.5 km long tunnel that appears to reach Israel. Hamas members indicated that they intended to use it in the next conflict. (Maariv)
- Two rocket sirens sound in Golan Heights, near Israel's border with Syria - Sirens in north seem to have been triggered by fighting inside of Syria, IDF checking if errant rocket landed in Israeli territory; false rocket alarm sounded earlier Sunday in southern Israel near Gaza border. (Haaretz)
- Christian evangelical-funded charity to provide aid to Druze fleeing Syria - The International Fellowship of Christian and Jews will provide NIS 500,000 donation to cover six months of food and medical care costs for 50 families who recently fled Syria to Jordan. (Haaretz)
- Ger Hasid suspected of running illegal sex shop network - Police suspect the man, who claims to be a rabbi, sold sex improvement drugs and accessories to the haredi public without a license. (Ynet)
- Israel's Channel 10 receives 15-year operating licence - It is believed that Channel 10’s new status will expedite the unification of Keshet and Reshet. (Haaretz+)
- Netanyahu's connection to Australian billionaire James Packer is growing stronger - Gambling, blows, Channel 10 and interests in Japan: Meet the prime minister's new friends. (Haaretz+)
- Erekat: Reshet Bet report a "cheap" trick - PLO chief negotiator Saeb Erekat said the Reshet Bet report on Palestinian Authority officials' days spent abroad is a “cheap” Israeli technique, and is a proved of the success of the PA’s diplomatic efforts. (Maan)
- DJ faces Arab ban after collaboration with Israeli musicians - Paul van Dyk believes music brings people together, but finds using Israeli guest musicians has led to his album being pulled from Arab countries; 'I really thought we had progressed further than that already,' he says. (Agencies, Ynet)
- Jews in Paris: If you're pro-Israel in France, you're finished! - While armed soldiers are sent to secure synagogues in the French capital, members of the country's Jewish community say it is not enough; 'There are areas in Paris where you can't show that you're a Jew. If you enter the Metro with a kippah, you'll have a problem.' (Ynet)
- Prisoner dies in Palestinian police custody in Bethlehem - Palestinian Police said Hazim Yasin Mahmoud Udwan, 29, from the town of al-Eizariya east of Jerusalem, “committed suicide.” (Maan)
- Hamas demands taxes that Gazan companies pay to PA in Ramallah - Hamas also orders closure of Strip's only cell phone company for nonpayment. (Haaretz+)
- Ambassador: Qatar to employ 20,000 Palestinians - Palestinian ambassador to Qatar Munir Ghannam said, "Practical steps have started to embrace Palestinian workers in Qatar, as the country plans to host the first group of Palestinian workers after the holy month of Ramadan." (Maan)
- Jewish think-tank: Anti-Israel activity on U.S. campuses is over-hyped - The JPPI annual reports recommends Israel take the offensive in the fight against BDS, finds that relations between Israel and Jewish communities suffering. (Haaretz+)
Features:
What does a Palestinian taxi driver talk about? The next blow from Israel
On the short trip to military court, there's also time to discuss permit problems and divided families, with the Islamic State and Syria thrown in. (Amira Hass, Haaretz+)
Concrete tent embodies contradictions of Palestine refugee life
Bethlehem’s Duheisha refugee camp on Friday officially became home to a new community center housed in an unexpected but albeit quite familiar structure for local residents: a refugee tent constructed entirely out of concrete and mesh. (Alex Shams, Maan)
Commentary/Analysis:
On the short trip to military court, there's also time to discuss permit problems and divided families, with the Islamic State and Syria thrown in. (Amira Hass, Haaretz+)
Concrete tent embodies contradictions of Palestine refugee life
Bethlehem’s Duheisha refugee camp on Friday officially became home to a new community center housed in an unexpected but albeit quite familiar structure for local residents: a refugee tent constructed entirely out of concrete and mesh. (Alex Shams, Maan)
Commentary/Analysis:
An Israeli TV host presents: A blood price list (Oudeh Basharat, Haaretz+) Avri Gilad is an authentic representative of a culture that has already been
blossoming here for a generation that believes that the whole world is against us.
Obama's finest hour (Orly Azoulay, Yedioth/Ynet) After being called a 'lame duck' by his critics, US president had two revolutionary achievements this past week. Now, armed with public support, he will try to secure his foreign policy and reach a historic nuclear agreement with Iran.
Treading on Israel's sacrosanct principles (Moshe Arens, Haaretz+) From a frenzied mob of Druze in the Golan to the deputy interior minister himself, there are elements in society riding roughshod over our most sacred tenets.
The battle for hearts and minds: IDF preparing to stop the flotilla and knows that the world is watching (Noam Amir, Maariv) The army has realized that the media aspect is no less important than the carrying out an operation and therefore it decided to record the event from every angle. However the event will develop the security establishment will wait for instructions from the political leadership.
Obama on Iran and Syria: See no evil (Elliott Abrams, Israel Hayom) Let's stop protecting, ignoring, and downplaying the murderous role Iran is playing in Syria and the terrible human rights violations taking place in Iran itself.
Ambassadors of sabotage: The Israeli diplomats who left only scorched earth behind (Shlomo Shamir, Maariv) Both were born and raised in America, but their in their roles in Washington, Michael Oren and Ron Dermer revealed that they had no qualifications to fill the sensitive position they were sent to do.
Michael Oren's contempt for U.S. Jews (Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, Haaretz+) Far from the genuine respect you would expect from a former Israeli ambassador, Oren seems to view America's Jews as unreliable and quick to criticize the Jewish state.
It's time to change the rules of the game (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) Thousands of young people from Western countries have joined the Islamic Stat's Jihad Army in recent years, and there is no end in the horizon; in order to fight the Islamist terror, the free world must conduct a reassessment.
The Chinese aren't coming – get real, they’re here (David Rosenberg, Haaretz+) It’s about time we dropped the fantasies about our budding special relationship and get real about what Beijing wants from Israeland what we’re prepared to give.
Obama's finest hour (Orly Azoulay, Yedioth/Ynet) After being called a 'lame duck' by his critics, US president had two revolutionary achievements this past week. Now, armed with public support, he will try to secure his foreign policy and reach a historic nuclear agreement with Iran.
Treading on Israel's sacrosanct principles (Moshe Arens, Haaretz+) From a frenzied mob of Druze in the Golan to the deputy interior minister himself, there are elements in society riding roughshod over our most sacred tenets.
The battle for hearts and minds: IDF preparing to stop the flotilla and knows that the world is watching (Noam Amir, Maariv) The army has realized that the media aspect is no less important than the carrying out an operation and therefore it decided to record the event from every angle. However the event will develop the security establishment will wait for instructions from the political leadership.
Obama on Iran and Syria: See no evil (Elliott Abrams, Israel Hayom) Let's stop protecting, ignoring, and downplaying the murderous role Iran is playing in Syria and the terrible human rights violations taking place in Iran itself.
Ambassadors of sabotage: The Israeli diplomats who left only scorched earth behind (Shlomo Shamir, Maariv) Both were born and raised in America, but their in their roles in Washington, Michael Oren and Ron Dermer revealed that they had no qualifications to fill the sensitive position they were sent to do.
Michael Oren's contempt for U.S. Jews (Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, Haaretz+) Far from the genuine respect you would expect from a former Israeli ambassador, Oren seems to view America's Jews as unreliable and quick to criticize the Jewish state.
It's time to change the rules of the game (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) Thousands of young people from Western countries have joined the Islamic Stat's Jihad Army in recent years, and there is no end in the horizon; in order to fight the Islamist terror, the free world must conduct a reassessment.
The Chinese aren't coming – get real, they’re here (David Rosenberg, Haaretz+) It’s about time we dropped the fantasies about our budding special relationship and get real about what Beijing wants from Israeland what we’re prepared to give.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.