APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday October 13, 2015
Quote of the day:
“The attempt to take control through force over all of Jerusalem led to the violent
uprising of young generation of Palestinians and it is doomed to dangerous failure. We must not forget what
our real interests in the capital are.”
--Uri Savir, an Israel diplomat and former politician, in today’s Maariv.
--Uri Savir, an Israel diplomat and former politician, in today’s Maariv.
You Must Be Kidding:
“I think we cannot be indifferent and do nothing regarding the issue that we have an Arab living in the building. I invite you all to come for a meeting to discuss this issue and see what can be done. I’m not rejecting him personally, but I think it’s very important that we know him and check him out.”
--From a flyer posted in a residential building. The surprised young Arab-Israeli resident from Tel Aviv posted the flyer on Facebook and decided to use humor in his post: “Ya, I’m coming with mulukhiyeh (Palestinian national dish) muffins.” Within a short time, the post went viral. (Maariv)
Breaking News:
Three murdered, dozens wounded in 5 attacks
Over a dozen wounded in two simultaneous attacks in Jerusalem's East Talpiot and Geula neighborhoods; in two Ra'anana attacks: 1 seriously hurt, 3 moderately and 1 lightly; fifth stabbing takes place near IKEA in northern city of Kiryat Ata.
Front Page:
Haaretz
- Four attacks in Jerusalem; 13-year-old critically wounded
- Without convincing solutions // Amos Harel
- Despair met despair // Yossi Verter
- Fear divides Jerusalem // Nir Hasson
- In Jerusalem, even the sound of feet on the sidewalk turns heads
- Sharp drop in sales in Arab businesses
- New information about (alleged rape) at ‘Allenby 40’
- Elad to receive responsibility over archaeological park adjacent to Wailing Wall
- Across the world they are firing, but in Israel, the demand for hi-tech employees only increases
Yedioth Ahronoth
- 13-year-old terrorist vs. 13-year-old boy – The difficult day in Jerusalem: 4 attacks in 12 hours
- Intifada of the youth // Alex Fishman
- When a boy turns into a murderer // Merav Betito
- I am a worried father // Udi Etzion
- Bereaved grandmothers to demonstrate: Stop the terror
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- US Chief of Staff to arrive in Israel next week
- Terror of the youth: Wave of attacks in Jerusalem continues
- Despair, revenge and Facebook // Dr. Ido Zalkovitz
- Netanyahu at opening of Knesset winter session: “The Arab leadership is inciting”; Herzog: “I won’t be a minister in a government without a path”
- Stabbing in the eye of the camera – Chilling documentation of stabbing near Damascus Gate, in which 3 Border Police were injured
- Divided society – Confrontation between Chairman of Joint Party and between the Nazareth Mayor continues to make waves…Today, general strike in Arab communities
- 20 years to murder of Rabin – 63% of citizens of state believe that commemorations of Rabin had a clearly political nature
Israel Hayom
- The madness: 13-year-old with a knife in his hand and murder in his eyes
- 13-year-old from Beit Hanina went on murder rampage with knife in streets of Jerusalem, 13-year-old from Pisgat Zeev went to ride his back and was stabbed and critically wounded
- Terror in Jerusalem: four attacks in one day
- In the face of a terror virus: More forces in the field // Boaz Bismuth
- Today: General strike in Arab sector
- The injured from attack near Gan Shmuel: Liat is getting better, Oral is fighting (for her life)
- The (Border) policeman who was stabbed in the attack – “I want to go back to Damascus Gate”
News Summary:
More Palestinian youth attack, kill and wound Israelis making the top story in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Arab MKs exchange accusations of incitement and police deal with false reports of attacks. Netanyahu also cancelled the planned visit this week by the Mideast Quartet. But the top US military man, Joseph Dunford, is due to arrive next week to discuss Israel’s compensation aid package following the Iran nuclear deal as well as the entry of Russian forces into Syria. But the most interesting and revealing event about the present situation was the debate in the Knesset about security in Jerusalem.
Four attacks took place yesterday by both male and female Palestinian teens, leaving five Israelis wounded in what was until this morning the most violent day in Jerusalem. Palestinians say that in one case, an attacker was executed and in another, he didn’t actually attack. The biggest story in the papers was about a 13-year-old Jewish boy from the Pisgat Zeev Jewish neighborhood in E. Jerusalem, who is in critical condition after a 13-year-old Palestinian boy from the adjacent Palestinian neighborhood stabbed him. The attacker’s accomplice, his 15-year-old cousin, Hassan Manasra, was hit by a car and then shot dead by police. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s spokesman, Nabil Aburdeine, said that the older attacker was executed in cold blood and called on the Israeli government to arrest the shooters, Maariv reported. He warned that the escalation will lead to a loss of control over the situation. At Jerusalem Old City’s Lion’s Gate, a Palestinian man was shot dead when he allegedly pulled out a knife at officers. Palestinians witnesses told Ma'an that there was no attempted stabbing at the time of the shooting, and the man was killed as he was walking in the area. The suspect was identified as Mustafa Adel al-Khatib, 18.
Netanyahu took the podium at the opening of the winter session of Knesset yesterday and said that the state was fighting a ‘just battle’ and he accused the Arab (Israeli) leadership of incitement. For their part, the members of the Arab-Jewish party, the Joint List, walked out as soon as he began. The Arab MKs told Ynet that they blamed him for the current round of violence, saying his incitement led an Arab Israeli to carry out the Sunday night attack at Givat Shmuel. MK Masud Ganaim said the violence was due to the lack of a diplomatic process with the Palestinians and the rising tensions surrounding the Al Aqsa mosque. He feared that recent events like the shooting of the Arab Israeli woman waving a knife in Afula and the Jewish stabbing attack against Arabs in Dimona may lead other youths from the Arab sector of Israel to conduct attacks. "We don’t want this escalation; we want to end the bloodshed by way of the Arab Higher Monitoring Committee, so that people don't go out and express their rage in violent ways." Today the Arab sector is holding a general strike and an enormous rally.
One of the most revealing discussions about the division in Israeli society took place in the Interior Committee of the Knesset yesterday in an emergency meeting to discuss personal security in Jerusalem. MK Jamal Zahalka from the Joint List, was removed from the discussion after he accused the police and Jewish MKs of encouraging violence and killing of Arabs. Zahalka said: "We, the Arab leaders, are running a legitimate, legal and non-violent public campaign, and rather than respect it, you are warning us. The prime minister wants to outlaw the Islamic Movement. I warn you – this is a vicious and senseless act. Netanyahu wants to indict MK Zoabi, and that is not acceptable. I'm sorry to ruin the stereotype, but we never called for violence.”
On the subject of extra-judicial killings, Likud MK Miki Zohar sparked a storm in the session when he said that "Any person who throws a stone or swings a knife, needs to know he should expect to die." Meretz MK Tamar Zandberg said in response: "Israel has no death penalty. (The biblical saying) ‘He who stands to kill you, kill him first’ is only when there is no choice. When there is a third option, in Israel as a democratic state, it is the duty of every citizen, police officer or a security officer to act judiciously."
On the subject of Israel allegedly changing the status quo at the Temple Mount, Public Security Minister Gilad Ardan said: "I have practically become the ‘Minister of the Temple Mount.’ in spite of myself. I refrained from visiting the Mount since being appointed to this post. Nothing has changed in the status quo. If it has changed, it is to the detriment of the Jewish visitors and not in any other aspect." But far right-wing Habayit Hayehudi MK Yinon Magal said, "Nothing will help you. We will change the status quo on the Temple Mount. I have no problem with them praying their mosque to pray to Allah, but we want to pray on the Temple Mount. Each one in his place. Just as we changed here the attitude towards gays and lesbians, and rightly so, to be able to march in Jerusalem and to protect them from crazy murderers like Yishai Schlissel, we will change the status quo so that we can say, 'Hear O Israel’ on the Temple Mount.” MK Magal surprised those present when he expressed opposition to outlawing the Islamic Movement: "I think the Islamic Movement should not be banned because I think it will turn them into ISIS." (Maariv)
Maariv reported on how civilians are hyper scared and making false accusations. Each day the police receive hundreds of calls about reports of stabbings and car hit-and-run attacks that never happened. Every event of even the slightest friction that occurs in the country immediately becomes an initial report of a terrorist attack on social media networks. The police must respond to all calls and send forces include warnings and demands to be in defensive mode. "There is a report of a shooting attack at Bank Hapoalim in Kiryat Gat," was one police false report Monday that was all over WhatsApp. Within minutes came the denials. The climax was a rumor about a terror tunnel dug into Israel.
More Palestinian youth attack, kill and wound Israelis making the top story in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Arab MKs exchange accusations of incitement and police deal with false reports of attacks. Netanyahu also cancelled the planned visit this week by the Mideast Quartet. But the top US military man, Joseph Dunford, is due to arrive next week to discuss Israel’s compensation aid package following the Iran nuclear deal as well as the entry of Russian forces into Syria. But the most interesting and revealing event about the present situation was the debate in the Knesset about security in Jerusalem.
Four attacks took place yesterday by both male and female Palestinian teens, leaving five Israelis wounded in what was until this morning the most violent day in Jerusalem. Palestinians say that in one case, an attacker was executed and in another, he didn’t actually attack. The biggest story in the papers was about a 13-year-old Jewish boy from the Pisgat Zeev Jewish neighborhood in E. Jerusalem, who is in critical condition after a 13-year-old Palestinian boy from the adjacent Palestinian neighborhood stabbed him. The attacker’s accomplice, his 15-year-old cousin, Hassan Manasra, was hit by a car and then shot dead by police. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s spokesman, Nabil Aburdeine, said that the older attacker was executed in cold blood and called on the Israeli government to arrest the shooters, Maariv reported. He warned that the escalation will lead to a loss of control over the situation. At Jerusalem Old City’s Lion’s Gate, a Palestinian man was shot dead when he allegedly pulled out a knife at officers. Palestinians witnesses told Ma'an that there was no attempted stabbing at the time of the shooting, and the man was killed as he was walking in the area. The suspect was identified as Mustafa Adel al-Khatib, 18.
Netanyahu took the podium at the opening of the winter session of Knesset yesterday and said that the state was fighting a ‘just battle’ and he accused the Arab (Israeli) leadership of incitement. For their part, the members of the Arab-Jewish party, the Joint List, walked out as soon as he began. The Arab MKs told Ynet that they blamed him for the current round of violence, saying his incitement led an Arab Israeli to carry out the Sunday night attack at Givat Shmuel. MK Masud Ganaim said the violence was due to the lack of a diplomatic process with the Palestinians and the rising tensions surrounding the Al Aqsa mosque. He feared that recent events like the shooting of the Arab Israeli woman waving a knife in Afula and the Jewish stabbing attack against Arabs in Dimona may lead other youths from the Arab sector of Israel to conduct attacks. "We don’t want this escalation; we want to end the bloodshed by way of the Arab Higher Monitoring Committee, so that people don't go out and express their rage in violent ways." Today the Arab sector is holding a general strike and an enormous rally.
One of the most revealing discussions about the division in Israeli society took place in the Interior Committee of the Knesset yesterday in an emergency meeting to discuss personal security in Jerusalem. MK Jamal Zahalka from the Joint List, was removed from the discussion after he accused the police and Jewish MKs of encouraging violence and killing of Arabs. Zahalka said: "We, the Arab leaders, are running a legitimate, legal and non-violent public campaign, and rather than respect it, you are warning us. The prime minister wants to outlaw the Islamic Movement. I warn you – this is a vicious and senseless act. Netanyahu wants to indict MK Zoabi, and that is not acceptable. I'm sorry to ruin the stereotype, but we never called for violence.”
On the subject of extra-judicial killings, Likud MK Miki Zohar sparked a storm in the session when he said that "Any person who throws a stone or swings a knife, needs to know he should expect to die." Meretz MK Tamar Zandberg said in response: "Israel has no death penalty. (The biblical saying) ‘He who stands to kill you, kill him first’ is only when there is no choice. When there is a third option, in Israel as a democratic state, it is the duty of every citizen, police officer or a security officer to act judiciously."
On the subject of Israel allegedly changing the status quo at the Temple Mount, Public Security Minister Gilad Ardan said: "I have practically become the ‘Minister of the Temple Mount.’ in spite of myself. I refrained from visiting the Mount since being appointed to this post. Nothing has changed in the status quo. If it has changed, it is to the detriment of the Jewish visitors and not in any other aspect." But far right-wing Habayit Hayehudi MK Yinon Magal said, "Nothing will help you. We will change the status quo on the Temple Mount. I have no problem with them praying their mosque to pray to Allah, but we want to pray on the Temple Mount. Each one in his place. Just as we changed here the attitude towards gays and lesbians, and rightly so, to be able to march in Jerusalem and to protect them from crazy murderers like Yishai Schlissel, we will change the status quo so that we can say, 'Hear O Israel’ on the Temple Mount.” MK Magal surprised those present when he expressed opposition to outlawing the Islamic Movement: "I think the Islamic Movement should not be banned because I think it will turn them into ISIS." (Maariv)
Maariv reported on how civilians are hyper scared and making false accusations. Each day the police receive hundreds of calls about reports of stabbings and car hit-and-run attacks that never happened. Every event of even the slightest friction that occurs in the country immediately becomes an initial report of a terrorist attack on social media networks. The police must respond to all calls and send forces include warnings and demands to be in defensive mode. "There is a report of a shooting attack at Bank Hapoalim in Kiryat Gat," was one police false report Monday that was all over WhatsApp. Within minutes came the denials. The climax was a rumor about a terror tunnel dug into Israel.
Quick Hits:
- MK Zoabi: "Netanyahu is hysterical, he misrepresents and distorts my words" - Joint List MK lashed out against Prime Minister who attacked her on the Knesset podium."I strongly condemn the slander and incitement against the Arab leadership, against me and against the Islamic Movement." (Maariv)
- Thousands attend Ramallah funeral of slain 13-year-old - One of Ahmad Sharaka's friends told Ma'an that the boy had gone to a hilltop in the al-Balu area of al-Bireh, in northern Ramallah on Sunday, when he was shot by an Israeli sniper in the neck. He said that Ahmed had to leave school to help his ill father support his family, and had one brother and five sisters. (Maan)
- 'She kept screaming,' says father of 2-year-old killed in airstrike - Two-year-old Rahaf Hassan was killed along with her 25-year-old pregnant mother in an Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza City on Sunday. The family was trapped among the rubble, Rahaf's father, Yahya, told Ma'an, and his two-year-old daughter screamed for him in the hope he would hurry to pull her out. When her screams ended he cried. (Maan)
- Palestinian Health Ministry: 1,300 Palestinians shot by live, rubber bullets in October - The Palestinian human rights group al-Haq warned on Saturday that the occupied Palestinian territories stood "on the brink” and blamed "Israel’s wanton and excessive use of force against Palestinians, with no accountability for the deaths they cause" for the high death toll. (Maan)
- In apparent defiance of Abbas, Fatah leaders visit terrorist's home - Despite Abbas' proclamations against violent escalation, a delegation of his party’s senior members visited family of murderer of two Israelis. [Note: Palestinians perceive attacks on occupying forces as legitimate, as per the Geneva Conventions. – OH] (Ynet)
- Palestinian legal group honors terrorist who killed 2 Israelis
- The Palestinian Bar Association -- which receives major funding from the United Nations and European Union -- to award honorary law degree to Muhannad Halabi, the terrorist who murdered two Israelis in Jerusalem's Old City last week. (Israel Hayom)
- Israel arrests dozens on both sides of Green Line - Of those arrested, 19 were suspected of participating in violent rioting endangering Israeli civilians and security forces. (Haaretz+)
- On the Gaza border, about 20 Palestinians broke through fence into Israel - Israeli troops used live fire and tear gas in attempt to push them back, which took an hour and a half. (Haaretz)
- The star of the hit show, ‘The Arbritator,’ on the terrorist in Afula: “Murder in cold blood, this is a mental illness” - Arab Israeli actor Yussef Abu Warda, who played the character of "Amram the Bulldog," in the popular TV series, wrote a post on Facebook addressing video showing Border Policeman and a security guard shooting a terrorist from a few meters away. “This isn’t a war on terror, this is a dangerous mental illness. These men are armed from head to toe, nearly seven in number. They see themselves as David and gaunt and lonely woman facing them as Goliath. Did I say mental illness?..(This is) Blind racism, "wrote Abu Warda in his post, which he has since removed. (Maariv)
- (Jewish) Teens arrested after threatening to hurt Arabs - Two high-school students questioned after texting about attacking Arabs, whom they claim were harassing female students. (Ynet)
- Coexistence? Haifa residents are in despair: "Security can disappear in a second" - While the wave of terror has already visited several cities in the country, the security quiet in Haifa has managed to be kept. But Jewish and Arab inhabitants, who got used to living side by side in times of war, are not optimistic: "Security can disappear second." (Maariv)
- (Givat Shmuel) Terrorist's lawyer: It was just an accident, the Jews attacked him - Perpetrator of Sunday's attack near Hadera appears in court, claims that he responded to Jews attacking him. Benayahu Arazi, a passerby who helped capture the terrorist, said that some of those present wanted to kill him, but were stopped. (Ynet)
- MK Anat Berko, "MKs should be searched at the entrance to the Knesset" - Likud MK petitioned the Knesset Speaker to order a thorough check of elected officials despite their immunity, following a wave of terror. "The concern is that MKs or their parliamentary aides can smuggle in knives to the Knesset," said Berko’s office. (Maariv)
- Signs of tension in Tel-Aviv: Demand in a building to do security check on Arab resident - A young Arab-Israeli from Tel Aviv posted the demand made by residents in the building where he lives to convene an urgent meeting to discuss the issue of the his residence there. He decided to use humor and wrote on the post, “Ya, I’m coming with mulukhiyeh (Palestinian national dish) muffins.” Within a short time, the post went viral. (Maariv)
- Israeli Mayor: Check Arab workers' papers - Amid ongoing terrorism, Kiryat Bialik Mayor Eli Dukorsky issues orders to increase police and inspector patrols and to check the IDs of construction workers, writes 'we are the masters of this land.' (Ynet)
- Maaleh Adumim dedicates cultural center hours after failed bombing - At inauguration ceremony hours after attempted attack, President Reuven Rivlin calls Israel's thriving culture "the ultimate response to terrorism" • "Right now, the homefront is a front of its own. ... We will not rest until we restore calm," he says. (Israel Hayom)
- Palestinian prisoner 'brain dead' in Israeli hospital - A Palestinian prisoner, Fadi al-Darabi, 30, from Jenin, was declared "brain dead" in Soroka hospital on Sunday evening after suffering a stroke, the head of the Palestinian Authority Committee for Prisoners' Affairs said. It said that he suffered bleeding in his abdomen two years ago, but was left in solitary confinement, without medical treatment. (Maan)
- Indian president expresses support for independent Palestine - Pranab Mukherjee made the remarks during a visit to Jordan. He arrived in Palestine on Monday and will begin a three-day visit to Israel on Tuesday. (Haaretz)
- Israelis traveling abroad in record numbers - Some 753,000 Israelis went overseas in September, a record for the month. Since start of 2015, 4.6 million Israelis have traveled abroad, up 17% from same period last year. Meanwhile, incoming tourism has dropped 6%. (Israel Hayom)
Features:
How much must we hate the enemy?
In 1948 IDF officers debated the appropriateness of stoking bitter hatred of the Egyptians, as embodied in the 'battle pages' by poet Abba Kovner, who wrote: 'In the stream we will march. In the stream of our invaders' blood.' (Rafi Mann, Haaretz+)
Caught in the (social media) net
The terrorist in the present wave of terror no longer feed off the sermons in the mosques or the speeches of leaders, but from the video clips of incitement and the status posts on Facebook. A peek into the Palestinian propaganda machine on the social media networks. (Eyal Levy, Maariv's Magazine supplement, cover)
Commentary/Analysis:
In 1948 IDF officers debated the appropriateness of stoking bitter hatred of the Egyptians, as embodied in the 'battle pages' by poet Abba Kovner, who wrote: 'In the stream we will march. In the stream of our invaders' blood.' (Rafi Mann, Haaretz+)
Caught in the (social media) net
The terrorist in the present wave of terror no longer feed off the sermons in the mosques or the speeches of leaders, but from the video clips of incitement and the status posts on Facebook. A peek into the Palestinian propaganda machine on the social media networks. (Eyal Levy, Maariv's Magazine supplement, cover)
Commentary/Analysis:
After years of calm, fear is dividing Jerusalem (Nir Hasson, Haaretz+) Citizens of Israel's capital - both Jews and Arabs - are suffering a loss of
their sense of security of a severity unseen since the second intifada.
Elections now: the question is whether to defeat terror using force and a punch or with the brain and heart (Ran Adelist, Maariv) Only elections will decide between the current policy and a policy in which alongside security measures a real agreement will be negotiated.
Israel's 'Mr. Security' tells nation ‘it could be worse’ as terror attacks multiply (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) In his speech to the Knesset, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered no solutions and no hope for bringing an end to the stabbing spree that has stunned Israelis.
When wave of terror becomes a tsunami (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/Ynet) The current wave has roots, at least in part, in the fact that Palestinian and Israeli governments have been offering Palestinian youths nothing but despair over the years.
No easy solution to ‘lone-wolf’ Palestinian attackers (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Would a deluge of raids and arrests really help when the 'terrorist infrastructure' consists of teenagers armed with kitchen knives?
Split together: we must not forget what our real interest in Jerusalem is (Uri Savir, Maariv) The attempt to take control through force over all of Jerusalem led to the violent uprising of young generation of Palestinians and it is doomed to dangerous failure. We must not forget what our real interests in the capital are. The most dangerous policy of the current government touches on the Temple Mount, as it allows settlers like (Minister) Uri Ariel and his friends to pray provocatively near mosques sacred to Islam. A government that boasts of freedom of worship, but forbids Muslim men under the age of 50 or 40, to pray at the second most sacred place to Islam. The “occupation” of East Jerusalem by a draconian regime is what causes the violent uprising by the young generation of Palestinians, with the support of the Palestinian Authority and the fundamentalist Islamist organizations. Netanyahu divided Jerusalem and united Fatah and Hamas and Islamic Jihad. This is a dangerous situation, which may turn into a religious war. Israel can protect its real interests in Jerusalem, and not by hollow militant statements. Israel's main interest is to maintain Jerusalem as its capital and its religious-spiritual center and maintain the peace of Jerusalem. This requires a political settlement with the Palestinians, as well as with leading Arab states (especially Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia). They must recognize West Jerusalem as Israel's capital, which will include the Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall. Such recognition would facilitate the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the Israel in the world (now even the United States does not recognize it)…
For Palestinians, conflict with Jews is existential in nature (Yossi Kuperwasser, Haaretz+) The large number of knife attacks is a product of the long-running educational war conducted by the Palestinian leadership, including both Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas.
No One on Either Side Is Fighting for the People of Jerusalem (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) Forty-eight years after ostensibly being reunified, Jerusalem remains divided into three cities — Zionist-Jewish, Arab-Palestinian and Jewish ultra-Orthodox.
Protect our social fabric (Dan Margalit, Israel Hayom) Israeli Arab leaders must accept the rules and take into account the government's reaction to their protests.
Netanyhu is living in la-la land (Nehemia Shtrasler, Haaretz+) After all, there's no such thing as television overseas, so foreign investors, merchants and ordinary citizens simply don’t know what's happening here.
Why now? (Judith Bergman, Israel Hayom) PA President Mahmoud Abbas instigated the current terror wave because he had to do something to take back the world stage.
Weapons in civilian hands save lives (Uriel Lynn, Haaretz+) Giving gun licenses to civilians will enhance our defense against terror attacks and increase deterrence.
ISIS winds are blowing this way (Prof. Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) We need to realize that this form of extremism cannot be stopped by concrete walls and metal fences, but only by determination and fortitude.
The orchestra fanning the flames belongs to the old Israeli strategy (Yitzhak Laor, Haaretz+) Israeli public apathy to the Netanyahu government's provocations in Al-Aqsa and incitement against the Palestinians cannot be explained without understanding the role of the Labor Party in falling in line.
I Didn’t Carry a Gun in Jerusalem; Do I Need One in Boca Raton? (Ilene Prusher, Haaretz+) American politicians suggest I come to campus armed, but I never did in Kabul or Baghdad – so why start doing so in Florida?
Interviews:
"It doesn't matter if I'm an Arab or a Jew, I am a policeman"
Police Brigadier General Jamal Hakrush knew that it would be a complex mission when he received the call in his radio and went out to take command of the site of the attack at Gan Shmuel. The day after, the most senior Arab officer in the Israel Police speaks about the most tense situation of his life and tells how his neighbors received him with respect in Kufr Kana and how the Jewish police who serve under him follow his orders. (Interviewed by Noam Barkan in Yedioth's '24 Hours' supplement, cover)
Elections now: the question is whether to defeat terror using force and a punch or with the brain and heart (Ran Adelist, Maariv) Only elections will decide between the current policy and a policy in which alongside security measures a real agreement will be negotiated.
Israel's 'Mr. Security' tells nation ‘it could be worse’ as terror attacks multiply (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) In his speech to the Knesset, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered no solutions and no hope for bringing an end to the stabbing spree that has stunned Israelis.
When wave of terror becomes a tsunami (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/Ynet) The current wave has roots, at least in part, in the fact that Palestinian and Israeli governments have been offering Palestinian youths nothing but despair over the years.
No easy solution to ‘lone-wolf’ Palestinian attackers (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Would a deluge of raids and arrests really help when the 'terrorist infrastructure' consists of teenagers armed with kitchen knives?
Split together: we must not forget what our real interest in Jerusalem is (Uri Savir, Maariv) The attempt to take control through force over all of Jerusalem led to the violent uprising of young generation of Palestinians and it is doomed to dangerous failure. We must not forget what our real interests in the capital are. The most dangerous policy of the current government touches on the Temple Mount, as it allows settlers like (Minister) Uri Ariel and his friends to pray provocatively near mosques sacred to Islam. A government that boasts of freedom of worship, but forbids Muslim men under the age of 50 or 40, to pray at the second most sacred place to Islam. The “occupation” of East Jerusalem by a draconian regime is what causes the violent uprising by the young generation of Palestinians, with the support of the Palestinian Authority and the fundamentalist Islamist organizations. Netanyahu divided Jerusalem and united Fatah and Hamas and Islamic Jihad. This is a dangerous situation, which may turn into a religious war. Israel can protect its real interests in Jerusalem, and not by hollow militant statements. Israel's main interest is to maintain Jerusalem as its capital and its religious-spiritual center and maintain the peace of Jerusalem. This requires a political settlement with the Palestinians, as well as with leading Arab states (especially Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia). They must recognize West Jerusalem as Israel's capital, which will include the Jewish Quarter and the Western Wall. Such recognition would facilitate the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of the Israel in the world (now even the United States does not recognize it)…
For Palestinians, conflict with Jews is existential in nature (Yossi Kuperwasser, Haaretz+) The large number of knife attacks is a product of the long-running educational war conducted by the Palestinian leadership, including both Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas.
No One on Either Side Is Fighting for the People of Jerusalem (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) Forty-eight years after ostensibly being reunified, Jerusalem remains divided into three cities — Zionist-Jewish, Arab-Palestinian and Jewish ultra-Orthodox.
Protect our social fabric (Dan Margalit, Israel Hayom) Israeli Arab leaders must accept the rules and take into account the government's reaction to their protests.
Netanyhu is living in la-la land (Nehemia Shtrasler, Haaretz+) After all, there's no such thing as television overseas, so foreign investors, merchants and ordinary citizens simply don’t know what's happening here.
Why now? (Judith Bergman, Israel Hayom) PA President Mahmoud Abbas instigated the current terror wave because he had to do something to take back the world stage.
Weapons in civilian hands save lives (Uriel Lynn, Haaretz+) Giving gun licenses to civilians will enhance our defense against terror attacks and increase deterrence.
ISIS winds are blowing this way (Prof. Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) We need to realize that this form of extremism cannot be stopped by concrete walls and metal fences, but only by determination and fortitude.
The orchestra fanning the flames belongs to the old Israeli strategy (Yitzhak Laor, Haaretz+) Israeli public apathy to the Netanyahu government's provocations in Al-Aqsa and incitement against the Palestinians cannot be explained without understanding the role of the Labor Party in falling in line.
I Didn’t Carry a Gun in Jerusalem; Do I Need One in Boca Raton? (Ilene Prusher, Haaretz+) American politicians suggest I come to campus armed, but I never did in Kabul or Baghdad – so why start doing so in Florida?
Interviews:
"It doesn't matter if I'm an Arab or a Jew, I am a policeman"
Police Brigadier General Jamal Hakrush knew that it would be a complex mission when he received the call in his radio and went out to take command of the site of the attack at Gan Shmuel. The day after, the most senior Arab officer in the Israel Police speaks about the most tense situation of his life and tells how his neighbors received him with respect in Kufr Kana and how the Jewish police who serve under him follow his orders. (Interviewed by Noam Barkan in Yedioth's '24 Hours' supplement, cover)
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.