APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday January 4, 2016
Quote of the day:
"When prominent politicians, at the level of ministers and MKs, find it difficult to define a crime so
heinous and cruel as an act of terror, it makes it difficult for the entire establishment to wipe out the
scourge, such as the youth of "The Revolt Network" from the agenda of the Jewish and democratic State of
Israel.
--MK Yaakov Perry, a former Shin Bet chief, in a special Op-Ed in Maariv.
You Must Be Kidding:
"Sometimes you get sick of damaging property, etc. and you want to make a clear strike that will set the accursed on fire, then you just want to set fire to the house itself with its inhabitants inside."
--From a document belonging to "The Revolt" network, the radical religious right-wing Jews who hoped to spark a war between the Palestinians and the Israelis in order to topple the government and create a Jewish kingdom.
You Must Be Kidding:
"Sometimes you get sick of damaging property, etc. and you want to make a clear strike that will set the accursed on fire, then you just want to set fire to the house itself with its inhabitants inside."
--From a document belonging to "The Revolt" network, the radical religious right-wing Jews who hoped to spark a war between the Palestinians and the Israelis in order to topple the government and create a Jewish kingdom.
Front Page:
Haaretz
- 21-year-old from Jerusalem indicted on murder of Dawabsheh family in Duma
- Jewish terror has yet been defeated // Amos Harel
- Police: The terrorist from Tel-Aviv is planning a second attack
- Government approved appointment of Mendelblit as Attorney General
- Two soldiers lightly and moderately injured in two shooting attacks in Hebron area
- Saudi cuts diplomatic ties with Iran
- The medical team ignored the signs of distress and the warnings of the parents – and the baby that who had a simple operation died
- Government probing: (Heritage) Channel 20 to replace Channel 33 Eidan Plus
- We are all Israelis // Haaretz Editorial
Yedioth Ahronoth
- The oversight – After the terrorist is caught and Tel-Aviv returns to normal, someone will have to answer the tough question: How did he succeed in mocking the police and Shin Bet for days?
- The immediate suspects // Nahum Barnea
- The solving of the (Duma murder) case
- Not in Malachi (Rosenfeld’s) name // Sarah Rosenfeld
- Fight the epidemic // Alex Fishman
- With an open face // Oded Shalom + Lauren Puris
- Today: Sara Netanyahu to be questioned again
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- “May this nightmare end already” – Tel-Aviv scared: Failure to locate the armed terrorist who murdered two on Friday
- Face of Jewish terror exposed - The accused in the arson at Duma: Father of a baby
- The revolt of the “Kingdom of Yehuda” // Yossi Melman
- Eradicate the scourge // MK Yaakov Peri
Israel Hayom
- Turning over every stone – The hunt continues: Police waiting for terrorist to make a mistake – and expose himself
- Hamas’ show: Video clip of Gilad Shalit preparing meat on a BBQ
- The crisis worsens: Saudi Arabia ended diplomatic relations with Iran
News Summary:
The hunt for the Tel-Aviv shooter enters its fourth day and one settler youth was indicted for the murder of the Dawabsheh family in Duma, but questions remain about other accomplices, making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Two shooting attacks on soldiers in the West Bank and a failed stabbing attack in Jerusalem yesterday no longer made big news in the papers. And Hamas released more video clips of Gilad Shalit relaxed in the company of his captors - but Ynet deleted its reporters' analysis.
Police believe the armed shooter, Nashat Melhem, 29, an Arab Israeli from Wadi Ara, wasn’t planning to return alive from the killing spree and is planning another attack. Fearful Tel-Avivis kept their children out of school as police forces continued to go door-to-door to see if he took anyone hostage. Melhem's two or possible three victims, two Jewish Israelis he sprayed with gunfire on Dizengoff St., and one Arab Israeli, who was killed an hour later, were laid to rest last night. The killer’s cellular phone was found in north Tel-Aviv and a flag with 'Islamic State' written on it was found in a north Tel Aviv penthouse.
The wave of criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for his controversial ‘loyalty speech’ (Yedioth), in which he put the blame for Melhem’s actions on the Arab Israeli community as a whole, continued. Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai also slammed Netanyahu for ‘inciting’ against Israeli Arabs, saying because Netanyahu can’t provide security, he ‘lashed out’ at the entire Arab community. Minister for Social Equality Gila Gamliel (Likud) expressed more understanding than her party leader. "We cannot let wild weeds harm a whole society," she said. Regarding the situation in Arab society in Israel she said: "All Israeli governments are responsible for the bleak picture of this society." (Maariv) The High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel, the top Israeli Arab body, condemned the Tel Aviv shooting and slammed Netanyahu for turning “incitement into an ideology and a lever to promote his political interests. He is the last person who can preach to the Arab population and its leadership."
Shooting is a 'serious detour' from 'democratic struggle Arab population has chosen,' says in statement.
Maariv ran an interesting piece written by Dr. Amir Gilat, who is writing a book with a chapter about the different versions, the police vs. the Melhem family, about the incident in 2006 in which a policeman who came to their home to arrest a member of the family, Nashat’s cousin, killed him - in front of small nieces and nephews and his brother.
Netanyahu said he wasn’t bothered by the criticism and reiterated that the government will focus on boosting law enforcement in Israeli Arab communities. In his Saturday night speech, Netanyahu said the issue of unlicensed guns in Arab towns would have to end. But Arab MKs, led by MK Ahmad Tibi in the previous Knesset, repeatedly demanded police to enforce the law against unlicensed gun owners, who shoot them at weddings. Some are local criminals, who have killed innocent residents. Moreover, the gun Melhem used was licensed. Yesterday, a Knesset panel called an urgent session for Wednesday to discuss the issue of illegal arms in Arab communities. Netanyahu also said he would enforce noise regulations against mosques. [‘Noise regulation’ of mosques appears to be a new term. In 2011, a bill proposed by a right-wing MK called to ‘restrict the noise' from mosques. It did not pass. In the north, a few Jewish communities asked nearby Muslim communities to install speakers in different neighborhoods that would broadcast the call to prayer at a lower volume rather than one very loud speaker. The inclusion of this issue in Netanyahu’s speech seems to be populist. – OH]
***The indictment against Amiram Ben-Uliel said he was the only one who committed the Duma arson murders, but the Hebrew press reported that Shin Bet investigators are not actually certain that he acted alone, that a document that had been under gag order was revealed in a Supreme Court petition by Yesh Din that shows they know that other settlers were witnessed at the site by Israeli forces and that in a TV report, a Palestinian witness said he saw three attackers. "We don’t rule out that he didn’t committed the murder alone," Shin Bet sources told Maariv’s Noam Amir, noting that those that were arrested are a fraction of the entire organization which includes 30-40 active members. The Shin Bet sources also said that there is no doubt that since the Duma attack, the Shin Bet has been granted better tools to deal with such Jewish. The papers, Maariv in particular, also shared fascinating, if not frightening, details from the documents found belonging to the members of the radical group, also known as the “Givonim” (Hilltoppers) or "The Revolt" network. On the one hand, the Shin Bet said that the Duma murders that killed parents Saad and Riham Dawabshe and their infant son, Ali, and severely injured their 5-year-old son, Ahmad, were part of the radical plan by the members of ‘The Revolt” network, which aims to topple the government, name a king, reconstruct the Temple, expel gentiles (Palestinians), and install religious coercion in the public domain. All this was to be done by harming Palestinians to cause them to fight Israel. They know this from a document they found on July 12, 2015, just a few weeks before the murders. (Maariv) Maariv’s Noam Amir gives fascinating details of their operational plans, which also describe the need to have direct confrontations with Arabs. One of the sections that incites to make attacks such as the one in Duma, is expressly described in the document, which was written by Moshe Auerbach: "Sometimes you get sick of damaging property, etc. and you want to make a clear strike that will set the accursed on fire, then you just want to set fire to the house itself with its inhabitants inside." The document also clarifies: "What's the difference? With the torching of a mosque or a vehicle you don’t have a direct conflict with the Arabs, so the (risk) is much lower and because there is no injury to anyone, so that in terms of the severity of the act in the view of the Zionists, it is far less than if you injured someone. When it comes to arson and possibly attempted murder, which is much more serious from the Zionists’ point of view, here you are running into a direct confrontation with the (Arab) occupants, although on the other hand they are busy with putting out the burning house rather than chasing you, and you even have the advantage of surprise."
Despite the plans of ‘The Revolt’ to overthrow the government by starting a violent conflict between the Arabs and the Jews, the Shin Bet also said the murder was revenge for the murder of Malachi Rosenfeld, However, Rosenfeld’s mother, Sarah, wrote a front-page Op-Ed for Yedioth saying that despite all the violence against Jews by Palestinians, no one has the right to take the lives of innocents and certainly not in the name of her son. Haaretz+ ran a profile of Amiram Ben-Uliel, 21, a third-generation settler from Karmei Tzur and the alleged killer of the Dawabsheh family, and the eldest son of Rabbi Reuven Ben-Uliel, who is identified with mainstream religious Zionism and also serves as the rabbi for Mechina Nokdim, a preparatory program for religious youths entering the army. Haaretz also ran a Q&A with settlers reporter Chaim Levinson.
Hussein Dawabsheh, the father of Ahmed, 5, the sole survivor, said he’s glad that the Shin Bet “found clues” about the murders of his daughter, son-in-law and grandson, Ali, but he has no doubt there were more murderers involved and hoped they would be caught. “The settlers usually come to us in gangs. I want to believe there is justice in Israel, I hope very much that they reach the other murderers and bring them to trial, otherwise my family, which was murdered for no fault of their own, will not rest in their graves. Dawabsheh said, “In my view the test of the Israeli authorities is whether they will destroy the homes of the attackers as they do to Palestinians.” Regarding his grandson, Ahmed, he said he all the time asks about his parents and his little brother, but Hussein is not able to tell him. The doctors say it will cause his health to deteriorate and he doesn’t feel he can tell him. “Every day I feel I am being stabbed a thousand times. I feel stabs when Ahmed asks me about his parents, his brother,” he told Maariv (print). "Every day I take Ahmad to kindergarten, my heart breaks. ‘Why do the other children have parents and I don’t?’ (he asks) And I ask, ‘What did he do to them? What did he do them?’ They should answer me.” (Maariv)
A new Hamas video shows Gilad Shalit in comfortable moments during his captivity. Interestingly, Ynet’s Elior Levy wrote that the aim of the video may be to show that Hamas acted humanely towards Shalit. Levy translated the part of the video in which someone says Islam requires proper treatment of captives. However, today Ynet erased both Levy’s analysis and the translation of the quote, possibly due to angry comments. Nevertheless, Israel Hayom did make note of it, writing: “Claiming that the footage proves that Hamas adheres to Islamic rules for the humane treatment of prisoners of war, the report showed Schalit drinking coffee, joking with his captors, watching television, and helping them set up a barbecue.”
Haaretz missed that point and simply wrote that a diplomatic source in Gaza said that the timing of the video was not coincidental and it was aimed at both an intra-Palestinian audience, particularly in the Gaza Strip, and Israeli public opinion.
The hunt for the Tel-Aviv shooter enters its fourth day and one settler youth was indicted for the murder of the Dawabsheh family in Duma, but questions remain about other accomplices, making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Two shooting attacks on soldiers in the West Bank and a failed stabbing attack in Jerusalem yesterday no longer made big news in the papers. And Hamas released more video clips of Gilad Shalit relaxed in the company of his captors - but Ynet deleted its reporters' analysis.
Police believe the armed shooter, Nashat Melhem, 29, an Arab Israeli from Wadi Ara, wasn’t planning to return alive from the killing spree and is planning another attack. Fearful Tel-Avivis kept their children out of school as police forces continued to go door-to-door to see if he took anyone hostage. Melhem's two or possible three victims, two Jewish Israelis he sprayed with gunfire on Dizengoff St., and one Arab Israeli, who was killed an hour later, were laid to rest last night. The killer’s cellular phone was found in north Tel-Aviv and a flag with 'Islamic State' written on it was found in a north Tel Aviv penthouse.
The wave of criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for his controversial ‘loyalty speech’ (Yedioth), in which he put the blame for Melhem’s actions on the Arab Israeli community as a whole, continued. Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai also slammed Netanyahu for ‘inciting’ against Israeli Arabs, saying because Netanyahu can’t provide security, he ‘lashed out’ at the entire Arab community. Minister for Social Equality Gila Gamliel (Likud) expressed more understanding than her party leader. "We cannot let wild weeds harm a whole society," she said. Regarding the situation in Arab society in Israel she said: "All Israeli governments are responsible for the bleak picture of this society." (Maariv) The High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel, the top Israeli Arab body, condemned the Tel Aviv shooting and slammed Netanyahu for turning “incitement into an ideology and a lever to promote his political interests. He is the last person who can preach to the Arab population and its leadership."
Shooting is a 'serious detour' from 'democratic struggle Arab population has chosen,' says in statement.
Maariv ran an interesting piece written by Dr. Amir Gilat, who is writing a book with a chapter about the different versions, the police vs. the Melhem family, about the incident in 2006 in which a policeman who came to their home to arrest a member of the family, Nashat’s cousin, killed him - in front of small nieces and nephews and his brother.
Netanyahu said he wasn’t bothered by the criticism and reiterated that the government will focus on boosting law enforcement in Israeli Arab communities. In his Saturday night speech, Netanyahu said the issue of unlicensed guns in Arab towns would have to end. But Arab MKs, led by MK Ahmad Tibi in the previous Knesset, repeatedly demanded police to enforce the law against unlicensed gun owners, who shoot them at weddings. Some are local criminals, who have killed innocent residents. Moreover, the gun Melhem used was licensed. Yesterday, a Knesset panel called an urgent session for Wednesday to discuss the issue of illegal arms in Arab communities. Netanyahu also said he would enforce noise regulations against mosques. [‘Noise regulation’ of mosques appears to be a new term. In 2011, a bill proposed by a right-wing MK called to ‘restrict the noise' from mosques. It did not pass. In the north, a few Jewish communities asked nearby Muslim communities to install speakers in different neighborhoods that would broadcast the call to prayer at a lower volume rather than one very loud speaker. The inclusion of this issue in Netanyahu’s speech seems to be populist. – OH]
***The indictment against Amiram Ben-Uliel said he was the only one who committed the Duma arson murders, but the Hebrew press reported that Shin Bet investigators are not actually certain that he acted alone, that a document that had been under gag order was revealed in a Supreme Court petition by Yesh Din that shows they know that other settlers were witnessed at the site by Israeli forces and that in a TV report, a Palestinian witness said he saw three attackers. "We don’t rule out that he didn’t committed the murder alone," Shin Bet sources told Maariv’s Noam Amir, noting that those that were arrested are a fraction of the entire organization which includes 30-40 active members. The Shin Bet sources also said that there is no doubt that since the Duma attack, the Shin Bet has been granted better tools to deal with such Jewish. The papers, Maariv in particular, also shared fascinating, if not frightening, details from the documents found belonging to the members of the radical group, also known as the “Givonim” (Hilltoppers) or "The Revolt" network. On the one hand, the Shin Bet said that the Duma murders that killed parents Saad and Riham Dawabshe and their infant son, Ali, and severely injured their 5-year-old son, Ahmad, were part of the radical plan by the members of ‘The Revolt” network, which aims to topple the government, name a king, reconstruct the Temple, expel gentiles (Palestinians), and install religious coercion in the public domain. All this was to be done by harming Palestinians to cause them to fight Israel. They know this from a document they found on July 12, 2015, just a few weeks before the murders. (Maariv) Maariv’s Noam Amir gives fascinating details of their operational plans, which also describe the need to have direct confrontations with Arabs. One of the sections that incites to make attacks such as the one in Duma, is expressly described in the document, which was written by Moshe Auerbach: "Sometimes you get sick of damaging property, etc. and you want to make a clear strike that will set the accursed on fire, then you just want to set fire to the house itself with its inhabitants inside." The document also clarifies: "What's the difference? With the torching of a mosque or a vehicle you don’t have a direct conflict with the Arabs, so the (risk) is much lower and because there is no injury to anyone, so that in terms of the severity of the act in the view of the Zionists, it is far less than if you injured someone. When it comes to arson and possibly attempted murder, which is much more serious from the Zionists’ point of view, here you are running into a direct confrontation with the (Arab) occupants, although on the other hand they are busy with putting out the burning house rather than chasing you, and you even have the advantage of surprise."
Despite the plans of ‘The Revolt’ to overthrow the government by starting a violent conflict between the Arabs and the Jews, the Shin Bet also said the murder was revenge for the murder of Malachi Rosenfeld, However, Rosenfeld’s mother, Sarah, wrote a front-page Op-Ed for Yedioth saying that despite all the violence against Jews by Palestinians, no one has the right to take the lives of innocents and certainly not in the name of her son. Haaretz+ ran a profile of Amiram Ben-Uliel, 21, a third-generation settler from Karmei Tzur and the alleged killer of the Dawabsheh family, and the eldest son of Rabbi Reuven Ben-Uliel, who is identified with mainstream religious Zionism and also serves as the rabbi for Mechina Nokdim, a preparatory program for religious youths entering the army. Haaretz also ran a Q&A with settlers reporter Chaim Levinson.
Hussein Dawabsheh, the father of Ahmed, 5, the sole survivor, said he’s glad that the Shin Bet “found clues” about the murders of his daughter, son-in-law and grandson, Ali, but he has no doubt there were more murderers involved and hoped they would be caught. “The settlers usually come to us in gangs. I want to believe there is justice in Israel, I hope very much that they reach the other murderers and bring them to trial, otherwise my family, which was murdered for no fault of their own, will not rest in their graves. Dawabsheh said, “In my view the test of the Israeli authorities is whether they will destroy the homes of the attackers as they do to Palestinians.” Regarding his grandson, Ahmed, he said he all the time asks about his parents and his little brother, but Hussein is not able to tell him. The doctors say it will cause his health to deteriorate and he doesn’t feel he can tell him. “Every day I feel I am being stabbed a thousand times. I feel stabs when Ahmed asks me about his parents, his brother,” he told Maariv (print). "Every day I take Ahmad to kindergarten, my heart breaks. ‘Why do the other children have parents and I don’t?’ (he asks) And I ask, ‘What did he do to them? What did he do them?’ They should answer me.” (Maariv)
A new Hamas video shows Gilad Shalit in comfortable moments during his captivity. Interestingly, Ynet’s Elior Levy wrote that the aim of the video may be to show that Hamas acted humanely towards Shalit. Levy translated the part of the video in which someone says Islam requires proper treatment of captives. However, today Ynet erased both Levy’s analysis and the translation of the quote, possibly due to angry comments. Nevertheless, Israel Hayom did make note of it, writing: “Claiming that the footage proves that Hamas adheres to Islamic rules for the humane treatment of prisoners of war, the report showed Schalit drinking coffee, joking with his captors, watching television, and helping them set up a barbecue.”
Haaretz missed that point and simply wrote that a diplomatic source in Gaza said that the timing of the video was not coincidental and it was aimed at both an intra-Palestinian audience, particularly in the Gaza Strip, and Israeli public opinion.
Quick Hits:
- Washington Post: 'Transparency Bill' is a danger to Israeli democracy - Newspaper editorial says bill, which seeks to 'out' foreign-funded NGOs, 'reflects the kind of tactic that Russia and China have employed to squelch dissent.' (Haaretz and Maariv)
- Fear that Hezbollah will use stormy weather to attack Israel - The IDF has been firing into open areas in the Lebanese border region in order to prevent the terrorist organization from perpetrating revenge attacks over the assassination of Samir Kuntar. (Ynet)
- Viral image of Arab Israelis celebrating TA attack is declared fake - Photo shared by over 1,000 people on Facebook was actually of rejoicing in Lebanon over Ariel Sharon’s death in 2014. (Times of Israel)
- Egyptian Ambassador Returns to Israel After Three Year Hiatus - Netanyahu welcomes Hazem Khairat, saying his arrival 'will allow us to improve even more our relationship with a state that is central and important in our region.' (Agencies, Haaretz)
- IDF: 15 Israeli soldiers committed suicide in 2015 - Number identical to 2014, despite attempts to fight one of main causes of death among soldiers serving in Israel Defense Forces. (Haaretz+)
- Orange to sever ties with Israeli operator, eight months after 'boycott' controversy - Partner,Israel’s second-biggest mobile company, will get 50 million euros after it agrees to stop licensing Orange brand. (Haaretz+)
- Hundreds of Iranian Protesters Gather at Saudi Embassy in Tehran for Second Day - Demonstrators assemble the day after the embassy was stormed in response to Saudi Arabia's execution of prominent Shi'ia cleric, disregarding authorities. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Iran's Rohani: Attack on Saudi Embassy 'Unjustifiable' - The Iranian president condemns Saudi Arabia's execution of prominent Shi'ite cleric, which sparked protests across the region. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Saudi Arabia Cuts Diplomatic Relations With Iran - Riyadh has given Iran's diplomats 48 hours to leave the country, as the crisis between the ultraconservative Sunni kingdom and Shi'ite powerhouse takes a turn for the worse. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Iran's Khamenei: 'Divine Vengeance' Will Befall Saudis for Executing Shi'ite Cleric - The execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr threatens to further enflame Sunni-Shi'ite tensions in the region, as Iranian protesters break into Saudi embassy in Tehran. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Commentary/Analysis:
The End of the Beginning for Jewish Terror (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) The state found itself forced to use torture to find the Duma arsonists. Should
more have been done earlier to thwart the phenomenon?
Eliminate the scourge that is the "Revolt group" that stains our lives (former Shin Bet chief MK Yaakov Perry, Maariv) When prominent politicians, at the level of ministers and MKs, find it difficult to define a crime so heinous and cruel as an act of terrorism, it makes it difficult for the entire establishment to wipe out the scourge such as the youth of "The Revolt Network" from the agenda of the Jewish and democratic State of Israel.
Jewish Terror Suspects Indicted, but Convictions, if Any, Will Be Long in the Making (Chaim Levinson, Haaretz+) Prosecutors face several hurdles in the upcoming trial of Amiram Ben-Uliel and the minor A.: First of all, the admissibility of confessions obtained under torture.
Arab (Israeli) leaders must denounce terrorists who come from among them (Alon Ben-David, Maariv) The diagnoses of his mental state should be left to the court. If there is a move towards violence among Arabs of Israel, Jews may be the butt of more attacks, but the Arabs will suffer more.
Let’s Stop Mixing Hummus With Blood (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) Demanding that Arabs demonstrate loyalty to the state carries an implied assumption that Arabs are not part of the state, but rather some object belonging to it
Tel Aviv is a part of Israel (Boaz Bismuth, Israel Hayom) Tel Aviv may express solidarity with victims of terror around the world, but for the world, an attack in Tel Aviv is not deserving of empathy.
Netanyahu's Racist Mudslinging Against Arabs (Haaretz Editorial) Netanyahu is outraged when people cast collective blame on settlers, but has no problem drawing racist lines of separation when it comes to Israel's Arabs.
Freedom of expression, not degradation (Prof. Aviad Hacohen, Israel Hayom) Shameful is a society in which freedom of expression turns into freedom of incitement, protecting those who abuse it.
Otherwise Occupied Ms. Livni, Mr. Shavit: See the Israeli Army Investigate Itself (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) As per Livni and Shavit's advice, two Israeli citizens complained to the Israeli system about the violence of its representatives. For all the good it did them.
Between Two Cities: a distance of heaven and earth separate the holy city and the city that never sleeps (Uri Savir, Maariv) Our leaders are making use of Jerusalem for the sake of Israel forever. But while the capital represents the difficult Jewish past, in fact, from Tel Aviv come the forces of democracy, multiculturalism and coexistence. Today Jerusalem is not the Jerusalem of Teddy Kollek, but a bastion of the religious right. The Jerusalem discourse, like many (Jewish) prayers, is xenophobic, paranoid, from the belief in the Chosen People and a Greater Land of Israel. Netanyahu's prophecy that "We will forever live by the sword" is becoming fulfilled in Jerusalem. The periphery of Jerusalem is settlements. Tel Aviv is not only an elitist bubble, as many like to describe it. Is the largest city, an Israeli New York. City of wealth, creation and sin. Power centers that drive the city and the state are high-tech and industry leaders, top security officials and members of the creative and bohemian culture.
Where the Fear of Sex Between Jews and Arabs Trumps Normalcy (Ravit Hecht, Haaretz+) The "Borderlife" controversy pens a demonic tale in which ‘they’ take ‘our’ girls, unites all patriarchal cultures, which try to define themselves by means of racial hierarchy and chauvinistic possession.
Line of defense: Why do they always defend the Arab sector every murder by someone from that sector? (Kalman Libeskind, Maariv) It is clear that not all Arabs are murderers and many of them are opposed to terrorism. How many, what power do they have and what are they doing about it? This is debatable.
Book Ban: Israel's New Mainstreaming of Racial Separation (Roy Isacowitz, Haaretz+) We in Tel Aviv are lagging behind the apartheid thinking associated with extremist rabbis in the settlements. But Israel's education ministry and settler elite are doing their best to ensure that we catch up fast.
What Israelis Aren’t Being Taught in School, and Why (Shaul Arieli, Haaretz+) The Education Ministry has for many years been guilty of replacing historical facts with political views about key aspects of the formation of the state. We must regain control of our educational system.
Release the Obama-Netanyahu surveillance transcripts (Seth Lipsky, Haaretz+) Can Netanyahu's private conversations at long last give us, and the American president, a fuller picture of the thinking of Congress and American Jewish leaders on the Iran deal?
Eliminate the scourge that is the "Revolt group" that stains our lives (former Shin Bet chief MK Yaakov Perry, Maariv) When prominent politicians, at the level of ministers and MKs, find it difficult to define a crime so heinous and cruel as an act of terrorism, it makes it difficult for the entire establishment to wipe out the scourge such as the youth of "The Revolt Network" from the agenda of the Jewish and democratic State of Israel.
Jewish Terror Suspects Indicted, but Convictions, if Any, Will Be Long in the Making (Chaim Levinson, Haaretz+) Prosecutors face several hurdles in the upcoming trial of Amiram Ben-Uliel and the minor A.: First of all, the admissibility of confessions obtained under torture.
Arab (Israeli) leaders must denounce terrorists who come from among them (Alon Ben-David, Maariv) The diagnoses of his mental state should be left to the court. If there is a move towards violence among Arabs of Israel, Jews may be the butt of more attacks, but the Arabs will suffer more.
Let’s Stop Mixing Hummus With Blood (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) Demanding that Arabs demonstrate loyalty to the state carries an implied assumption that Arabs are not part of the state, but rather some object belonging to it
Tel Aviv is a part of Israel (Boaz Bismuth, Israel Hayom) Tel Aviv may express solidarity with victims of terror around the world, but for the world, an attack in Tel Aviv is not deserving of empathy.
Netanyahu's Racist Mudslinging Against Arabs (Haaretz Editorial) Netanyahu is outraged when people cast collective blame on settlers, but has no problem drawing racist lines of separation when it comes to Israel's Arabs.
Freedom of expression, not degradation (Prof. Aviad Hacohen, Israel Hayom) Shameful is a society in which freedom of expression turns into freedom of incitement, protecting those who abuse it.
Otherwise Occupied Ms. Livni, Mr. Shavit: See the Israeli Army Investigate Itself (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) As per Livni and Shavit's advice, two Israeli citizens complained to the Israeli system about the violence of its representatives. For all the good it did them.
Between Two Cities: a distance of heaven and earth separate the holy city and the city that never sleeps (Uri Savir, Maariv) Our leaders are making use of Jerusalem for the sake of Israel forever. But while the capital represents the difficult Jewish past, in fact, from Tel Aviv come the forces of democracy, multiculturalism and coexistence. Today Jerusalem is not the Jerusalem of Teddy Kollek, but a bastion of the religious right. The Jerusalem discourse, like many (Jewish) prayers, is xenophobic, paranoid, from the belief in the Chosen People and a Greater Land of Israel. Netanyahu's prophecy that "We will forever live by the sword" is becoming fulfilled in Jerusalem. The periphery of Jerusalem is settlements. Tel Aviv is not only an elitist bubble, as many like to describe it. Is the largest city, an Israeli New York. City of wealth, creation and sin. Power centers that drive the city and the state are high-tech and industry leaders, top security officials and members of the creative and bohemian culture.
Where the Fear of Sex Between Jews and Arabs Trumps Normalcy (Ravit Hecht, Haaretz+) The "Borderlife" controversy pens a demonic tale in which ‘they’ take ‘our’ girls, unites all patriarchal cultures, which try to define themselves by means of racial hierarchy and chauvinistic possession.
Line of defense: Why do they always defend the Arab sector every murder by someone from that sector? (Kalman Libeskind, Maariv) It is clear that not all Arabs are murderers and many of them are opposed to terrorism. How many, what power do they have and what are they doing about it? This is debatable.
Book Ban: Israel's New Mainstreaming of Racial Separation (Roy Isacowitz, Haaretz+) We in Tel Aviv are lagging behind the apartheid thinking associated with extremist rabbis in the settlements. But Israel's education ministry and settler elite are doing their best to ensure that we catch up fast.
What Israelis Aren’t Being Taught in School, and Why (Shaul Arieli, Haaretz+) The Education Ministry has for many years been guilty of replacing historical facts with political views about key aspects of the formation of the state. We must regain control of our educational system.
Release the Obama-Netanyahu surveillance transcripts (Seth Lipsky, Haaretz+) Can Netanyahu's private conversations at long last give us, and the American president, a fuller picture of the thinking of Congress and American Jewish leaders on the Iran deal?
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.