News Nosh 10.11.15

APN's daily news review from Israel
Sunday October 11, 2015 
 
Quote of the day:
"I don’t want to think that if I hadn’t been there, there would have been no one to protect him. I am deeply right-wing politically, but if we harm innocent people based on their ethnicity – they defeated us.”
--Right-wing religious Jewish man, Maimoun Himi, who saved the life of a young Israeli-Arab man, Abed Jamily, who was being lynched by a mob in Netanya.


Breaking News:
Pregnant Palestinian woman and child killed following Israeli strike in Gaza
Mother and two-year-old daughter reportedly die after Israeli strike causes nearby house to collapse; Israeli army says targeted two Hamas sites following rocket fire.
Policeman lightly injured as Palestinian driver sets off car bomb
Bomber pulled up by traffic officer after driving 'suspiciously' near West Bank checkpoint. Police say she carried a gas pipe and was heading to Jerusalem.

Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
  • With a drawn knife – 5 stabbing attacks, civil disorder in the Territories and in Arab (Israeli) communities. Fear: tension will transfer to south
  • Incitement from home // Alex Fishman
  • The fence test // Yossi Yeshoshua
  • With waving flags – Despite security situation, masses came to Jerusalem for the soccer game against Cyprus and the performance of Jewish-American singer Matisyahu
  • The curse of the social networks // Sever Plocker
  • In the land of knives // Oded Shalom 
  • Channel 2 poll: Lieberman and Bennett more suited than Netanyahu to deal with terror
  • Thank you to our heroes
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
  • Front opened in the south: Gaza joined the wave of terror
  • Horror scenario // Ben Caspit
  • Who is the responsible adult // Yossi Melman
  • Elections now // Ran Adelist
  • We need a sane voice // Prof. Alian Al-Krenawi
  • The fear effect – Terror disrupts daily life
  • The video clip and the protest – Clip showing security forces shooting a female Nazareth resident armed with a knife is making waves in the world. Her father: They didn’t shoot Rabin’s murderer
  • Terror vs. terror – The revenge in response to the attacks: Dozens of Jews attacked Arabs in Netanya, a youth stabbed Bedouin and Palestinians in Dimona and a female Arab cashier was attacked in Tel-Aviv
  • Another failure: Israel lost 1:2 to Cyprus and is out of the Euro Cup
Israel Hayom
  • Prime Minister orders: Emergency draft of 13 companies of Border Police
  • Deploy ‘Iron Dome’ of combat soldiers // Boaz Bismuth
  • Last night: Rocket launched into south
  • In Likud, anger at Bennett and Shaked
  • Embarrassing: Israel lost to Cyprus 1:2 – and was distanced from the European championships
  • Fighting terror – Today: Appointment of Al-Sheikh as Police Commissioner to be brought before government approval
  • (Defense) Minister Yaalon: “Citizens who are licensed to have guns – should carry them”
  • Turkey: More than 90 killed in explosion attack in Ankara

 
News Summary:
Palestinian violence – now also on the Gaza border, Jewish-Israeli revenge and the fear on both sides were the stories that filled the Sunday Hebrew newspapers.  
 
On Friday, Palestinians stabbed two Israelis, a teen and a policeman, lightly wounded them. The first suspect was apprehended, in the second incident the assailant was shot and killed. A Jewish man stabbed four Arabs in Dimona and was apprehended (without being shot, Palestinians emphasized.) Ynet wrote that he had a ‘psychiatric history.’
 
In Netanya, a local Jewish man rescued a young Arab-Israeli from death by a lynch by 30 Jews, Yedioth’s Gilad Tsweik and Noam Barkan reported. Meimoun Himi, who heard the calls, “Terrorist, terrorist!” ran to the site to save Jews, but discovered local youth were beating a young Arabs and his two friends. “They thought that if they attack Arabs they are fighting terror…It was an act of pure evil, an excuse to brutalize the helpless. They did not have control of themselves, they simply copied what those next to them did, like sheep. The yarmulkeh on my head helped (to stop them).” After the police arrived, Himi, who was injured, went to hospital where he saw Abed Jamil, the young man he saved. “His head was covered in blood and he suffered from pain. He yelled that he didn’t care about politics and he only came to work.” Jamil told Himi that he saved a Jewish family once from a burning car after a car accident. “I’m a religious man and I felt that here is eye for an eye. I saved and he saved. I told him that I want him to tell his family and friends that Jews are not that bad like they say on their TV. Those who tried to attack him are a stupid minority…It’s important for me to make clear that if he really had been a terrorist, I would have made sure he would not have left that incident alive. If he had drawn a knife, I would have turned it back into him. If he would have dropped the knife and surrendered – I would have done everything to protect him. I don’t want to think that if I hadn’t been there, there would have been no one to protect him. I am deeply right-wing politically, but if we harm innocent people based on their ethnicity – they defeated us.” (Oddly, Ynet wrote that the police saved the young man.)
 
Elsewhere, in Afula, a young Arab-Israeli woman waved a knife at security forces at an outdoor bus station and security forces shot her and seriously wounded her, sparking outrage among Arab-Israelis, after a video clip showed she was a distance from the forces. The video sparked violent clashes throughout Arab towns in Israel, which were also a show of solidarity with Palestinians and Al-Aqsa. Yedioth and Haaretz+ ran Op-Eds discussing the ‘extra-judicial killings’ of Palestinian attackers by Israeli security forces. (See Yehuda Shochat and Gideon Levy in Commentary.)

Also Friday, Israeli forces killed a 22-year-old Palestinian in Hebron and 410 Palestinian were reportedly wounded during clashes throughout East Jerusalem and the West Bank. In Gaza, Israeli forces killed seven Palestinians near the border fence when hundreds demonstrated in solidarity with their brothers in the West Bank, stirring fears that a southern front will open. Later on, a rocket from Gaza hit an empty area in Israel, causing no damage or injury.
 
On Saturday, two Palestinian minors were shot dead in another protest near the border fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip as dozens broke through and were arrested. And in Jerusalem, Jewish youths assaulted a Jewish man, mistaking him for an Arab, Haaretz+ reported.
 
There were peaceful protests, too, but they got little coverage. In Nazareth, thousands showed up for a Saturday rally organized by the Arab-Jewish Hadash party to protest against the current wave of violence and the occupation in the West Bank. MK Dr. Abdullah Abu Marouf told Maariv"This demonstration is a cry of the peace advocates, to say enough is enough of racism and occupation. The occupation is the root of what is happening now, it is a struggle that has lasted a long time.  But eventually it will come an end, thanks to the belief of all those who believe in peace and equality.” (More from Ynet) In Jerusalem, Meretz organized a protest against “Netanyahu’s incompetence” in front of the Prime Minister’s Residence. In response, it received many abusive comments from right-wingers, Maariv reported.
 
However, in other cities, Jews and Arabs demonstrated against each other. In Haifa, Hundreds of right-wing religious Jewish demonstrators in Haifa called: "Death to the Arabs." Some Arab and left-wing residents of the city shouted back for the sake of Al-Aqsa and against the occupation. In Ramle, Jews demonstrated against Arabs after Arabs held a demonstration earlier. And in Afula, young Jews demonstrated, also calling out ‘Death to Arabs.’
 
Yedioth and Haaretz+ ran features about the mutual fear by Jews and Arabs of each other in the country. Yedioth’s Oded Levy visited numerous cities in the country and reported that “when the Jewish terrorist began to stab (Arabs) in Dimona, the Palestinian cleaning employees tried to escape to an adjacent school – but there the gates were closed on them.” In Jerusalem, Jews were arming themselves with tear gas and Arabs were afraid of going to work or even pulling their hands out of their pockets for fear they will be shot on suspicion of pulling out a knife. 
 
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said he expected the Palestinian Authority ‘to stop the false, savage incitement’ and that Israel had not intention in changing the status quo on the Temple Mount and giving Jews prayer hours, as many Palestinians believed. Hundreds of Border Police reservists were called up and police are monitoring social media for agitators.
 
Quick Hits:
  • Israeli public security minister considers outlawing Jewish extremist organization Lehava - Such a move was nixed by the Shin Bet two months ago due to the lack of evidence against the group. (Haaretz+)
  • Interior Minister to revoke attackers' residency status - The minister instructs Israel's Population and Immigration Authority to begin the process of revoking the residency status of two terrorists who conducted attacks in the last week, saying 'These terrorists aren't fit to live among us.' (Ynet)
  • Kerry to Netanyahu and Abbas: Act to reinstate calm in West Bank, Jerusalem - International attempts to quell tensions will continue when Quartet representatives will travel to Jerusalem and Ramallah later this week. (Haaretz+)
  • France to push for UN Security Council resolution on West Bank settlements - French FM Laurent Fabius told Quartet meet 10 days ago that France intends to advance resolution and hopes to convene follow-up conference in Paris on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Haaretz+) 
  • Israeli Government Rejects Police Recommendation to Seal Off West Bank - Sealing off Palestinians wouldn't reduce number of stabbing attempts, would be seen as collective punishment, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon and Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot say. (Haaretz+) 
  • Safed rabbi: Terrorists must not be allowed to survive attacks - Shas' Council of Torah shelves letter to Netanyahu urging him to prohibit entry of Jews onto the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. (Haaretz+)
  • Abbas's party distributes pro-terrorist leaflets - Palestinian president says he doesn't want escalation, but new official Fatah flyers praise terrorists. (Ynet)
  • Iron Dome deployed across southern Israel in wake of Gaza clash - Military officials are concerned clash with protesters on Gaza border, in which seven Palestinians were killed, could lead to escalation in rocket fire. (Haaretz+)
  • Dennis Ross: Netanyahu agreed to withdraw from the West Bank in 2010 - 'He said that Israel could withdraw from most of the territory,' Ross, a former U.S. Middle East peace negotiator, writes in a book to be published next week. (Haaretz+)
  • Does Susan Rice think Benjamin Netanyahu is a racist? - An excerpt from a book by Dennis Ross, scheduled to hit stores next week, sure makes it seem like she does. (JTA, Haaretz
  • U.S. warns governments and bankers: Iran sanctions are still in place - The U.S. State Department cautioned against a rush by Western companies to invest in Iran's oil industry and other businesses until the country fully complies with the July nuclear agreement. (Agencies, Haaretz
  • Hajj stampede killed at least 1,399, AP count shows - An Associated Press count showed nearly 630 more were killed in the September 24 tragedy than the official toll. (Agencies, Haaretz
  • Israel, Iran Exchange Sharp Criticisms at UN Disarmament Panel Meeting - Two countries accuse each other of being a major destabilizing force in the Middle East. (Agencies, Haaretz)

 
Commentary/Analysis:
Israel's lawless death penalty without trial buoyed by cheers of the masses (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) The people of Israel see these pictures and most of them are filled with delight and pleasure, as the media inflames their animal urges.
Hand easy on the trigger (Yehuda Shochat, Yedioth) Quietly, and is customary with us without any serious discussion and from the instincts of a hothead, the death sentence has been instilled in recent weeks. These are not statements by politicians or senior police officers who declare that every stabbing attempt must end in the death of the terrorist. These are mainly acts. From the video clips it is impossible to make a mistake: Time after time, (the Palestinian attackers) were executed, after a quick field trial, terrorists who tried to stab Israelis. In a number of incidents they were shot to death even when it was possible to take control of them in another way, for example, by shooting at the legs. Not for nothing, a deep discussion is required before deciding - just because the public is angry - to change the rules on opening fire. There are number of significant issues to discuss at length, consider deeply, to compare advantages and disadvantages - and then to decide. But not in Israel. Here, we first shoot and after investigate. "Let's act then hear," right?...The moment we cross the red line, it will be difficult for the establishment to prevent those carrying weapons from shooting, not only on those who are carrying a knife, but also on those who only look suspicious. Is this what will make Israeli society safer? Likely that it's the opposite. But there is no doubt that at the very least we need to discuss the issues before we open fire, and before the blood turns into the cheapest item in the Israeli market. 
Israelis will have security when Palestinians have hope
(Ami Ayalon, Gilead Sher and Orni Petruschka, Yedioth/Ynet) Had Netanyahu instilled hope and initiated, instead of the dangerous foot-dragging which has been characterizing his years in power, he would have secured Israel's position as a Jewish-democratic state, safe within its borders, for generations.
The enemy from within: Israeli Arabs sympathize more with the murderers rather than with us (Kalman Libskind, Maariv) We are engaged in ‘calming the winds’ and selling the lie about ‘violence on both sides’ and no one is serving the Arab public and its leaders the bill. 
Israel must recognize Israeli Arabs as Palestinians (Jack Khoury, Haaretz+) If Jerusalem believes in coexistence not based on the quality of hummus, it must seek a political deal with the Palestinians that provides a basis for civic equality in Israel.
Israel's Arabs are no longer afraid (Ayman Sikseck, Yedioth/Ynet) The events of October 2000 accelerated the political and cultural solidarity between young Israeli Arabs and Palestinians. There will be no cure for the current rage until the State of Israel recognizes the wrongs experienced by the Arab public.
The Palestinian terror wave isn’t an intifada, yet (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Still, the contract under which the PA is Israel’s subcontractor to fight Hamas in the West Bank and thwart terror is about to expire.
Wave of attacks: the bad news has not opened in the south, yet (Yossi Melman, Maariv)  Although the security ranks have a supreme interest in calming the situation, they have no influence on the strategic decisions of the political echelon and those (Palestinians) killed near the Gaza border may cause the ‘huba’ – the word the Palestinians are presently using to call this violence – to expand to the Gaza Strip. 
Killings on Gaza border increase danger of escalation (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) IDF concerned that shooting deaths of six Gazans at the border fence could lead to a possible spillover of West Bank violence.
Abbas can’t control his lost generation (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) Tens of thousands of families in East Jerusalem and the West Bank fear for the safety of their children, but are also proud that the young people collectively are showing that they are fed up.
How not to respond to Palestinian violence (David M. Weinberg, Israel Hayom) Don't whitewash Abbas' responsibility, say that restraint is power, ban Temple Mount visits, or pay for diplomatic cover with Israeli lives.
The cycle of violence: Hope won't help (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) The claims that giving Palestinians hope will bring an end to violence are delusional. Every time peace has been on the cards, all Israel has received in response is more terror.  
In search of an Israeli weakling to blame for recent violence (Raviv Drucker, Haaretz+) Israelis don't feel safe walking in the streets of Jerusalem. Who can be the scapegoat?
Realism or Messianism: Netanyahu must choose between the good of the state and between dangerous dreams (Prof. Cielo Rosenberg, Maariv) The prime minister has to choose between striving for a political solution and fighting the raging terror and between the realization of the vision of control over the entire West Bank. 
Believe it or not, Donald Trump is right about the Middle East (Peter Beinart, Haaretz+) Terrible as they were, the U.S. would be safer today if Saddam and Gadhafi were still around. 
We've seen worse (Boaz Bismuth, Israel Hayom) The current situation is like a two-bit horror flick in which zombies who have watched some Internet propaganda video come after the Jews.
'They had murder in their eyes' (Carolina Landsmann, Haaretz+) On what basis do Israelis continue to expect that their cries of pain and the sight of their blood will rouse the pity of the neighbors they have systematically oppressed for decades? 
Netanyahu is avoiding Israel's true enemy (Israel Harel, Haaretz+) The Palestinians, not terrorism, are the enemy. Terrorism is the means of combat that the Palestinians are using. Their ultimate goal is to expel us from our land. 
Peace talks without preconditions (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom) Every time there is a wave of violence, the Palestinians manage to get something out of us, but the West and the Left seem to ignore that .It is a good thing that our current prime minister insists on negotiations only without the pressure of terrorism. 
The dangerous rush to arm Israeli civilians (Haaretz Friday Editorial) Calls to enable civilians to carry weapons in the street are likely to sow unnecessary death and disaster, rather than foil terrorists.
Even Gandhi would understand the Palestinians' violence (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) The injustice can go on for many more years. Why? Because Israel is stronger than ever and the West is letting it run wild.
 
 
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.