APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday December 7, 2015
Quote of the day:
Quote of the day:
"The creativity of those who combat against terrorism from Netanyahu's school (beit
midrash) isn't outdone by that of an interrogator of Chinese dissidents. There are plenty of
suggestions of oppression, most of which are for collective punishment..."
--Maariv political commentator Ran Adelist looks at the government's recent suggestions for dealing with the wave of Palestinian violence.
--Maariv political commentator Ran Adelist looks at the government's recent suggestions for dealing with the wave of Palestinian violence.
You Must Be Kidding:
Some 200 Jewish residents of Afula chased their mayor and called him a traitor and a terrorist after Arab citizens
won the tenders to build a few dozen homes in the city.
Front Page News:
Haaretz
- Sharp drop in number of youth from former Soviet Union with B.A.
- Achievement for radical right-wing in local elections in France
- One mortally wounded and two lightly wounded in stabbing attack in London. Terrorist shouted: “This is for Syria”
- Clinton warned at Saban Forum: The alternative to Abbas could be black flags of Daesh
- In Washington, they understand that Israel wants a 1.5 state solution // Barak Ravid
- Two lightly injured in car-ramming and stabbing attack in Jerusalem
- Difficulties in Duma interrogations (of Jewish youth) could push the Shin Bet to use exceptional interrogation methods // Amos Harel
- Afula residents tried to attack mayor because dozens of Arabs won tenders for housing
- Thailand under military rule: Crime in the streets and economy in crisis
- The NGO that treats a third of the deaf children in the country on edge of closure
- Cultural coercion // Haaretz Editorial
- The committee that won’t be established // Raviv Drucker
- 2.8 millions shekels for a photo of a diving polar bear
- The (gas) agreement is in danger
- The artist Thomas Hirschhorn doesn’t boycott Israel because that’s too easy
Yedioth Ahronoth
- The fear: Daesh attack on Israel
- Obama: America won’t capitulate to fear
- Sharp rise for radical right-wing in France
- Two states, one bluff // Nahum Barnea in Washington
- Frozen Hannukah
- (Former police commissioner) Danino knew about the complaint (of sexual harassment) of the female police officer, but he promoted Ritman (anyway)
- Yaakov Tumarkin won his second silver medal in the European swim championships held in Israel
- The situation is not sparkling - H. Stern jewelry company is closing branches in hotels due to the crisis in tourism
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- Jerusalem to Kerry: The Palestinians don’t want peace
- His last path – Yossi Sarid 1940-2015
- The terrorist from the US hated Israel
- Sweet (Hannukah) holiday
Israel Hayom
- Attack on Hannukah holiday – terror on Yermiyahu St. in the capital: Terrorist ran over with his car, looked for victims, stabbed – and was eliminated
- Father of the terrorist from California: “He was obsessive about Israel”
- Prime Minister: “We won’t be a bi-national state”
- Men, leave your hands in your pockets // Ilana Grinspan
- Lit up state (Hannukah)
- Director of National Security Council: Terrorists tried to attack gas piers – and failed
- Soldiers’ salaries to rise by some 50%: Combat soldier will receive 1,616 shekels
- Shake up in France: After the attacks – Sweeping victory for the radical right-wing in regional elections
News Summary:
US Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton warns Israel that Daesh could be an alternative to the Palestinian Authority if Israel does not move towards peace, as another Palestinian car-ramming stabbing attack takes place in Jerusalem and the security establishment warns that Daesh may attack in Israel, but Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu blames the Palestinians for no peace - making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.
Hillary Clinton said that if Israel doesn’t treat Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as a partner for peace it might end up getting Daesh. She called on Israel to “take action, including on settlements." Prior to Clinton's speech at the Saban Forum, Netanyahu blamed the Palestinians for the conflict and said that he opposes a one-state solution, which US Secretary of State John Kerry had warned of if Israel did not move toward solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The right-wing Netanyahu government was furious over Kerry’s statements. A political source told Maariv: "Kerry will be replaced soon, he can say whatever he wants."
Meanwhile, sources in Israel’s security establishment said that a Daesh attack on Israel was just a matter of time and pointed to the fact that a number of Israeli Arabs involved in Islamic State's activities has risen in the past year, Yedioth reported. Last week, the IDF General Staff carried out a massive drill dealing with the challenge posed by ISIS.
Meanwhile, in Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox Romema neighborhood, two people were wounded in a suspected car-ramming and stabbing attack. The assailant, Omar Eskafi, 21, of Beit Hanina neighborhood in E. Jerusalem, then fled down the street where a police unit stopped their vehicle to confront the attacker, Ynet reported. Meanwhile, a soldier disembarking from a nearby bus shot and killed him.
US Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton warns Israel that Daesh could be an alternative to the Palestinian Authority if Israel does not move towards peace, as another Palestinian car-ramming stabbing attack takes place in Jerusalem and the security establishment warns that Daesh may attack in Israel, but Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu blames the Palestinians for no peace - making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.
Hillary Clinton said that if Israel doesn’t treat Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas as a partner for peace it might end up getting Daesh. She called on Israel to “take action, including on settlements." Prior to Clinton's speech at the Saban Forum, Netanyahu blamed the Palestinians for the conflict and said that he opposes a one-state solution, which US Secretary of State John Kerry had warned of if Israel did not move toward solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The right-wing Netanyahu government was furious over Kerry’s statements. A political source told Maariv: "Kerry will be replaced soon, he can say whatever he wants."
Meanwhile, sources in Israel’s security establishment said that a Daesh attack on Israel was just a matter of time and pointed to the fact that a number of Israeli Arabs involved in Islamic State's activities has risen in the past year, Yedioth reported. Last week, the IDF General Staff carried out a massive drill dealing with the challenge posed by ISIS.
Meanwhile, in Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox Romema neighborhood, two people were wounded in a suspected car-ramming and stabbing attack. The assailant, Omar Eskafi, 21, of Beit Hanina neighborhood in E. Jerusalem, then fled down the street where a police unit stopped their vehicle to confront the attacker, Ynet reported. Meanwhile, a soldier disembarking from a nearby bus shot and killed him.
Quick Hits:
- Israel national security adviser: Terror groups tried to strike Israeli oil rig during 2014 Gaza war - NSC's Yossi Cohen warns Knesset committee that the natural gas industry is even more vulnerable today and the expense of protecting it is high. (Haaretz+)
- Mayor of Israeli town threatened by irate residents over Arab housing project - Protesters from Afula call their mayor a terrorist because Arabs won a local housing tender. (Haaretz+ and Maariv)
- Bentzi Gopstein expressed happiness about the death of Yossi Sarid; Herzog: "He is a dangerous keyboard bully" - Chairman of (racist far-right-wing) LEHAVA organization wrote on Facebook: "Joy over the perishing of the wicked!" Zionist Camp MK Itsik Shmuli: "Throw this terrorist nutcase into prison." (Maariv)
- Shamed MK has 'no face to lose,' reporter says in response to libel suit - Channel 2 reporter's response to MK Oren Hazan's defamation suit says lawmaker has no good reputation to be damaged; Hazan denies drug, prostitution allegations. (Haaretz+)
- Poll: Netanyahu among 5 leaders Americans admire most - When asked to "list the five American or international leaders that you most admire," new Brookings Institution poll respondents rank Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu third, after Obama and Reagan. Netanyahu most popular among Evangelical Christians. (Israel Hayom)
- President Rivlin to President of Germany: "Even today, the combination ‘Israel-Germany’ still causes us unease" - The two men met at Rivlin’s official residence in Jerusalem. The German head of state, Joachim Gauck said, "We will always listen to your criticism of us, of the Europeans in general, in all kinds of statements or actions." (Maariv)
- Israeli soldiers' wages to rise 50 percent in January 2016 - The cost of the pay hike for all soldiers doing mandatory service is estimated at $600 million a year. (Haaretz+)
- Study: Only 1% of Israeli Jews can read a book in Arabic - While 17% say they can understand Arabic and 10% can speak it fluently, only 1.5% can write a letter in the language. (Haaretz+)
- Yossi Sarid laid to rest in central Israel - Amos Oz praises Sarid as 'courageous, wise, stubborn' and true educator as hundreds attend funeral for former minister, Knesset member, Meretz chairman and Haaretz columnist. (Haaretz)
- Protests against gas plan continue across Israel - In Caesarea a protest march arrived at the house of the prime minister; other demonstrators gathered in Tel Aviv, Modi'in, Kiryat Shmona, Ashdod, Kfar Yona and other places, all protesting against the natural gas plan. (Ynet)
- NGO for deaf children fears closure after ministry slashes budget - Shema, which provides services to 1,000 children who are deaf or hard of hearing, will see its budget cut by 30 percent over two years. (Haaretz+)
- Due to the sensitivity of the issue: the proposal that the state will pay for Pollard’s expenses did not advance - MK David Biton decided not to bring the bill for a vote to the ministerial committee, following a request from the headquarters of the National Security Council. (Maariv)
- 200 Africans illegally enter Israel over fence - Using ladders 6-10 meters high and the help of smugglers, migrants manage to bypass new border fence; IDF troops arrest them and take them to Saharonim detention center. (Ynet)
- Imam Helps Complete Writing Torah Scroll in Germany - 'There is no place for xenophobia and anti-Semitism in this town,' says local Jewish community head. (JTA, Haaretz)
- NYC Mayor Under Fire for Urging Syrian Jews to Empathize With Refugees - Syrian Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn did not take well to Bill de Blasio's calls for empathy, as they had been kicked out of Syria decades earlier. (Haaretz)
- Israel-Jordan water pipeline plan shelved - Building committee cites potential harm to efforts to rehabilitate Jordan River. (Haaretz+)
- Egypt to appeal order to pay Israel $1.76 billion for halting gas supplies - Egypt sold natural gas to Israel under a 20-year agreement until it collapsed in 2012 after months of attacks on the pipeline. (Haaretz)
- U.S. Trade Representative calls on Israel to ease trade rules - Michael Froman calls on Israel to ease import laws, and at least make them on par with Europe, which has moved to mark settlement products. (JTA, Haaretz)
- Assad Says British Airstrikes in Syria Will Fail, Ridicules PM Cameron - You cannot cut out part of the cancer. You have to extract it,' Assad said in an interview. 'This kind of operation is like cutting out part of the cancer.' (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Knife attacker slashes man in London metro terror incident - "This is what happens when you f*** with mother Syria, all of your blood will be spilled," eyewitness recounts attacker as saying • "We are treating this as a terrorist incident," says head of Counter Terrorism Command at London's Metropolitan Police. (Israel Hayom)
- CA attacker 'hated Israel' - Father of Syed Rizwan Farook tells Italian media he tried to convince his son to stay away from terrorism: 'Be patient; Israel won't exist in another two years.' (Ynet)
- ISIS Claims Responsibility for Explosion in Yemen's Aden That Killed Governor - Gov. Gaafar Mohamed Saad was traveling to his office in a convoy on Sunday morning when the explosion took place in the Rimbaud area of the southern port city. Authorities are investigating the exact cause of the explosion. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Syrian Rebel Group Says Opposition to Meet in Saudi Arabia - The Saudi conference marks an attempt to bring together groups whose disunity has been a long-standing obstacle in seeking a peaceful solution to the nearly five-year conflict. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Features:
Meet the Muslim Arab staying in a West Bank settlement
Hani Awed, a Muslim Arab, is a surprising temporary resident of Ofra settlement in the West Bank. 'Even with my Arabic accident I don't feel like an outsider,' says Awed, who is in Ofra as part of the 'My Israeli Brother' project. (Elisha Ben Kimon, Yedioth/Ynet)
40 years of torture in a place where a Palestinian village and an Israeli settlement converge
With a blue hummingbird flitting over a rock and carpets of yellow flowers, you could forget Hajj Sami’s pain, but only until you see the olives darkening on the trees, unpicked, and the overgrowth of thistles. (Amira Hass, Haaretz+)
Weeks of violence dampen Christmas spirit at Bethlehem hotel
Empty tear gas canisters litter the street outside the century-old Jacir Palace hotel, and charred stains mark spots where Palestinian rioters burned tires; Bethlehem feels the negative impact of the current wave of terror. (Agencies, Ynet)
Commentary/Analysis:
Hani Awed, a Muslim Arab, is a surprising temporary resident of Ofra settlement in the West Bank. 'Even with my Arabic accident I don't feel like an outsider,' says Awed, who is in Ofra as part of the 'My Israeli Brother' project. (Elisha Ben Kimon, Yedioth/Ynet)
40 years of torture in a place where a Palestinian village and an Israeli settlement converge
With a blue hummingbird flitting over a rock and carpets of yellow flowers, you could forget Hajj Sami’s pain, but only until you see the olives darkening on the trees, unpicked, and the overgrowth of thistles. (Amira Hass, Haaretz+)
Weeks of violence dampen Christmas spirit at Bethlehem hotel
Empty tear gas canisters litter the street outside the century-old Jacir Palace hotel, and charred stains mark spots where Palestinian rioters burned tires; Bethlehem feels the negative impact of the current wave of terror. (Agencies, Ynet)
Commentary/Analysis:
This Unpredictable 'Wave of Terror' (Raviv Drucker, Haaretz+) How could Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ignore all the warnings about the
consequences of a diplomatic freeze? Easy.
Israeli interrogators must take off kid gloves with Jewish terror suspects (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) The Shin Bet will have to apply methods previously used only against Palestinian suspects — if they want to catch Jewish terrorists.
Saban Forum highlights anxiety and anguish of U.S.-Israeli rift (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) John Kerry’s powerful speech showed how Democrat America and many of its Jews feel powerless.
It’s time to end political correctness (Sever Plocker, Yedioth/Ynet) When institutional politics evades critical issues for fear of diverting from the correctness route, frustrated voters escape straight into the arms of non-institutional radicalism; in order to stop this dangerous flow, things like terror must be called by their real name.
Yossi Sarid saw where Israel was headed - and wasn't prepared to remain quiet (Uzi Baram, Haaretz+) Over the past year, Sarid expressed his sadness and pain over the state of things in the country and wanted to deliver one last speech in the Knesset.
Obama won't acknowledge the problem (Boaz Bismuth, Israel Hayom) Does the U.S. President really think that terrorists will abide by more stringent anti-gun laws.
The U.S. Has Realized What Israel Really Wants Is a 1.5-state Solution (Barak Ravid, Haaretz+) The conclusion reached by Obama administration officials, as well as those who might hold key positions in the Clinton administration, is that the Democratic Party and the Israeli government are living on parallel universes that are drifting apart.
The God of religious Zionism has solutions: Every day and its attack (Ran Adelist, Maariv) The creativity of those combat against terrorism from the school (beit midrash) of Netanyahu is no less creative than an interrogator of Chinese dissidents. There are plenty of suggestions of oppression, most of which are for collective punishment, come from this spring of sewage, each one more surreal than the next. Last week a few of these were launched into the air: the expulsion to Gaza of families of (West Bank) attackers, building a fence in the southern of Hebron hills, and dismantling the Palestinian Authority. Deportation to Gaza is part of the threat package to the families of terrorists, and in the next stage, maybe you should deport the whole extended family on the way to the long-awaited transfer (of Palestinians out of the Territories). And again they are showing the photos of the Palestinian laborers, who risk their lives when they (illegally) enter Israel in order to feed their families, and again we need to remind the heroes that hide behind their security guards that those same day laborers are releasing the pressure that could increase motivation for violence. A hungry child today is a child with a knife tomorrow. Perhaps in between the laborers some assailants sneak in, but family pressure causes violence no less than humiliation and revenge. Maybe more…. The last trick of (our) government of impotence is to dismantle the Palestinian Authority…..Then what will we do? Will the Mossad go back to the good old days when it knocked off PLO members in the 80's and destroy the ministers of the government in exile? Our tax money will finance the maintenance of the (occupied) Territories so that it doesn’t spill over to us? The God of religious Zionism has the answers. Meanwhile, Netanyahu is fighting the Europeans. After the publication of the new directives of the European Commission to label products from the settlements, he instructed the Foreign Ministry to suspend all diplomatic contacts with EU institutions. And those are also empty words. In another week envoys of the Quartet are supposed to arrive to continue talks with the Palestinians and the Israelis. Let’s see Netanyahu expelling them or prohibit Israeli officials from meeting them. After all, he already did his job. He stated in that the assertive baritone voice that...what exactly?
The Bitter End That Israel Has to Offer the Weak (Kobi Niv, Haaretz+) We don’t need to waste any more time trying to profile the ‘lone-wolf terrorists,’ when the thing they have in common is so blindingly obvious.
IDF Chief of Staff's Courageous Step (Uri Misgav, Haaretz+) A prominent initiative taken by Gadi Eisenkot calls for closing the Jewish awareness unit that operates within the military rabbinate.
Culture Minister Wages Undemocratic Assault on Nakba Film Festival (Haaretz Editorial) It’s easy to rally public support against artists and cultural institutions by depicting them as 'traitors' who endanger the state’s existence.
What Israeli Policy and a Bad Joke Have in Common (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) Israel is living in denial of the reality surrounding it – a problem we can trace back to its Declaration of Independence.
The Cold War Is Warming Up Again in Syria (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Syria has become the playing field of the world powers and those aspiring to become such powers, but Israel is destined to play only a supporting role in the drama.
Why Are So Many Israelis Angry at the Impending Natural Gas Deal? (Tia Goldenberg, AP, Haaretz) The deal, which will involved U.S.-based Noble Energy and Israel's Delek Group, will take profits away from the Israeli social programs and instead continue to fuel monopolies.
Yossi Sarid shaped the model of the new Zionist left (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Even in an age of giants he had a respectable place and not only because of his rhetorical skills, which no one disputed, but because of his integrity
A rare bird (Mordechai Gilat, Israel Hayom) Yossi Sarid remained steadfastly true to his heart. He has left behind a huge void. I miss him already.
5 piercing op-eds by Yossi Sarid, 1940-2015 (Yossi Sarid, Haaretz) A former cabinet minister, Knesset member, Meretz chairman, Sarid wrote hundreds of opinion pieces for Haaretz since his retirement from political life.
The pleasure and pain of translating Yossi Sarid (Michal Yudelman O'Dwyer, Haaretz+) Sarid's columns were more akin to poetry than prose, and I dreaded translating them into English as much as I loved reading them in the original Hebrew.
Israeli interrogators must take off kid gloves with Jewish terror suspects (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) The Shin Bet will have to apply methods previously used only against Palestinian suspects — if they want to catch Jewish terrorists.
Saban Forum highlights anxiety and anguish of U.S.-Israeli rift (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) John Kerry’s powerful speech showed how Democrat America and many of its Jews feel powerless.
It’s time to end political correctness (Sever Plocker, Yedioth/Ynet) When institutional politics evades critical issues for fear of diverting from the correctness route, frustrated voters escape straight into the arms of non-institutional radicalism; in order to stop this dangerous flow, things like terror must be called by their real name.
Yossi Sarid saw where Israel was headed - and wasn't prepared to remain quiet (Uzi Baram, Haaretz+) Over the past year, Sarid expressed his sadness and pain over the state of things in the country and wanted to deliver one last speech in the Knesset.
Obama won't acknowledge the problem (Boaz Bismuth, Israel Hayom) Does the U.S. President really think that terrorists will abide by more stringent anti-gun laws.
The U.S. Has Realized What Israel Really Wants Is a 1.5-state Solution (Barak Ravid, Haaretz+) The conclusion reached by Obama administration officials, as well as those who might hold key positions in the Clinton administration, is that the Democratic Party and the Israeli government are living on parallel universes that are drifting apart.
The God of religious Zionism has solutions: Every day and its attack (Ran Adelist, Maariv) The creativity of those combat against terrorism from the school (beit midrash) of Netanyahu is no less creative than an interrogator of Chinese dissidents. There are plenty of suggestions of oppression, most of which are for collective punishment, come from this spring of sewage, each one more surreal than the next. Last week a few of these were launched into the air: the expulsion to Gaza of families of (West Bank) attackers, building a fence in the southern of Hebron hills, and dismantling the Palestinian Authority. Deportation to Gaza is part of the threat package to the families of terrorists, and in the next stage, maybe you should deport the whole extended family on the way to the long-awaited transfer (of Palestinians out of the Territories). And again they are showing the photos of the Palestinian laborers, who risk their lives when they (illegally) enter Israel in order to feed their families, and again we need to remind the heroes that hide behind their security guards that those same day laborers are releasing the pressure that could increase motivation for violence. A hungry child today is a child with a knife tomorrow. Perhaps in between the laborers some assailants sneak in, but family pressure causes violence no less than humiliation and revenge. Maybe more…. The last trick of (our) government of impotence is to dismantle the Palestinian Authority…..Then what will we do? Will the Mossad go back to the good old days when it knocked off PLO members in the 80's and destroy the ministers of the government in exile? Our tax money will finance the maintenance of the (occupied) Territories so that it doesn’t spill over to us? The God of religious Zionism has the answers. Meanwhile, Netanyahu is fighting the Europeans. After the publication of the new directives of the European Commission to label products from the settlements, he instructed the Foreign Ministry to suspend all diplomatic contacts with EU institutions. And those are also empty words. In another week envoys of the Quartet are supposed to arrive to continue talks with the Palestinians and the Israelis. Let’s see Netanyahu expelling them or prohibit Israeli officials from meeting them. After all, he already did his job. He stated in that the assertive baritone voice that...what exactly?
The Bitter End That Israel Has to Offer the Weak (Kobi Niv, Haaretz+) We don’t need to waste any more time trying to profile the ‘lone-wolf terrorists,’ when the thing they have in common is so blindingly obvious.
IDF Chief of Staff's Courageous Step (Uri Misgav, Haaretz+) A prominent initiative taken by Gadi Eisenkot calls for closing the Jewish awareness unit that operates within the military rabbinate.
Culture Minister Wages Undemocratic Assault on Nakba Film Festival (Haaretz Editorial) It’s easy to rally public support against artists and cultural institutions by depicting them as 'traitors' who endanger the state’s existence.
What Israeli Policy and a Bad Joke Have in Common (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) Israel is living in denial of the reality surrounding it – a problem we can trace back to its Declaration of Independence.
The Cold War Is Warming Up Again in Syria (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Syria has become the playing field of the world powers and those aspiring to become such powers, but Israel is destined to play only a supporting role in the drama.
Why Are So Many Israelis Angry at the Impending Natural Gas Deal? (Tia Goldenberg, AP, Haaretz) The deal, which will involved U.S.-based Noble Energy and Israel's Delek Group, will take profits away from the Israeli social programs and instead continue to fuel monopolies.
Yossi Sarid shaped the model of the new Zionist left (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Even in an age of giants he had a respectable place and not only because of his rhetorical skills, which no one disputed, but because of his integrity
A rare bird (Mordechai Gilat, Israel Hayom) Yossi Sarid remained steadfastly true to his heart. He has left behind a huge void. I miss him already.
5 piercing op-eds by Yossi Sarid, 1940-2015 (Yossi Sarid, Haaretz) A former cabinet minister, Knesset member, Meretz chairman, Sarid wrote hundreds of opinion pieces for Haaretz since his retirement from political life.
The pleasure and pain of translating Yossi Sarid (Michal Yudelman O'Dwyer, Haaretz+) Sarid's columns were more akin to poetry than prose, and I dreaded translating them into English as much as I loved reading them in the original Hebrew.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.