News Nosh 03.14.16

by APN 03/14/16
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APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday March 14, 2016
 
Quote of the day:
"The IDF is led only by its commanders; rabbis should not try to take their place.”
--Yesh Atid MK Ofer Shelah blasts the Chief Sephardi Rabbi's declaration that it's a 'mitzvah' to kill a terrorist.

You Must Be Kidding: 
"Judea and Samaria are not occupied territories."
--Said Likud MK Nava Boker, who is leading the struggle for the Jordan Valley farmers against European labeling of their products as 'Made in Occupied Territories.' 

Breaking News: 
Two Palestinian vehicular attacks on Israeli soldiers near Kiryat Arba in West Bank: Three Palestinians from Hebron and its vicinity were shot dead, four soldiers were lightly wounded, some by shrapnel of friendly fire. (Ynet, Haaretz, Maan and Israel Hayom)

Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
  • Katsav storm – A. (woman from Tourism Ministry whom he raped): Don’t release the past president
  • The composer of the country – Nurit Hirsch will receive a prize on Independence Day
  • Teacher of peace – Palestinian teacher, who teaches opposing violence, won international ‘teacher of the year’ competition
  • Inferno in Turkey – Third attack in six months
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
Israel Hayom

News Summary:
The storm over the suggestion that convicted rapist and former president Moshe Katsav might get a pardon, the shock over the midday assassination in Tel-Aviv of a state witness mobster, the derision for the police conclusion that it did not do anything seriously wrong in its hunt for the January Tel-Aviv terrorist attacker and the explosion in Ankara,
the first in Turkey for which Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu expressed his condolences, were top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.

Also in the news, Israel prevented the Indonesian Foreign Minister from entering the West Bank, the Swedish Foreign Minister ‘buckled’ and 'agreed' to oppose boycotting Israel (said MK Tzipi Livni), Netanyahu said Israel was considering relocating families of Palestinian assailants and called on the world to punish Iran for its ballistic missiles test, which France said the EU might do. And in Washington, senior Israeli and Palestinian officials held talks.

Most of the newspapers reported that Israel prevented Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi from entering the West Bank from Jordan because she would not meet with Israeli officials on her trip. Israel and Indonesia do not have official diplomatic ties. Israel Hayom wrote that “Another possibility is that Israel is trying to isolate Palestinian Authority leaders due to their lack of condemnation of terrorist attacks against Israel in recent months.” Haaretz+ noted that the move was “a departure from current Israeli policy regarding visits by foreign officials to Palestinian territories.” Marsudi was scheduled to inaugurate an honorary consulate of Indonesia in Ramallah.
 
 Meanwhile, according to Zionist Camp MK Tsipi Livni, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom, who has accused Israel of extrajudicial killings, told Livni Sunday that she will express opposition to the boycott of Israel today. Yedioth presented it as a done deal. Israel Hayom reported that Livni only called on Wallstrom to take a clear stance against BDS. (Also Maariv)
 
At the Sunday cabinet meeting, Netanyahu discussed the ways the government is trying to deal with the wave of Palestinian violence.  He said the government is studying the option of relocating families of Palestinian attackers within the West Bank. Yedioth reported that the Attorney General opposes expulsion out of the West Bank, but is expected to support the 'exile' within it. Some papers referred to it as exile. A poll conducted for the Knesset Channel last week found that 63% of Israelis support the expulsion of families of terrorists to Gaza or to Syria and that 62% of Israelis do not feel safe these days. Some 79% are not satisfied with the way Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is dealing with the wave of Palestinian violence. (Maariv) On the closure of the Hamas television station, which returned to broadcasting, Netanyahu said: "We are working through different channels to stop these broadcasts." (Maariv) Netanyahu did not express regret for the deaths of the two Palestinian children killed in their homes by the Israeli missile attack on Gaza and only said it was Hamas' responsibility to prevent Gaza rocket fire on Israel.
 
Netanyahu also called on world powers to punish Iran for its test launch of ballistic missiles that can reach Israel. France's foreign minister said that the European Union could impose sanctions on Iran over its recent ballistic missile tests. Australia's Foreign Minister said he will raise the missile tests issue with his Iranian counterpart and the US is bringing the issue to the UN Security Council, where it will be discussed today.
 
In meetings with US officials Washington, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon is discussing the US military aid package to Israel and Palestine Liberation Organization Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi is trying to get support for the French-initiated international peace conference and to get pressure put on House Republicans to release $159 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority. She also discussed the deteriorating conditions in the Gaza Strip and Israeli efforts to “destroy” the two-state solution.

Also, criticism of the Chief Sephardi Rabbi's call to "kill terrorists":  “Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, who, at the age when Israeli youth endangered their lives in military service, was editing his father’s books, pretends to give rulings on the ethics of battle and even challenges the chief of staff. The IDF is led only by its commanders; rabbis should not try to take their place.” The statement was in response to the Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot's statement that soldiers should not kill those who stand up to kill them - unless it is unavoidable. Yair Sheleg, head of the religion and state project of the Israel Democracy Institute, said Yosef’s comments were troubling, since they could be considered binding by those who heard them. (JPost and Maariv)
 
Quick Hits:
  • Most Palestinians in West Bank oppose stabbing attacks on Israelis, new poll shows - Palestinian polling center JMCC finds President Abbas losing support; 60 percent back a two-state solution, while more than half feel ISIS has hurt their cause. (Haaretz)
  • Israeli Border Policeman indicted for spraying tear gas in East Jerusalem cafe - Officer allegedly threatened bystanders, beat up a man and got commander to lie about incident. (Haaretz+)
  • Israeli forces shoot, injure 14-year-old in chest during Ramallah-area clashes - Adi Kamal Salamah, 14, was shot with a live bullet in the chest in clashes that broke out in al-Mazraa al-Gharbiya village when Israeli forces entered the area. (Maan) 
  • Germany: 'Occupied territories' is not part of Israel - German Ambassador to Israel Clemens von Goetze reiterates that because Jordan Valley is part of the "occupied territories," produce grown there cannot be labeled "Made in Israel" • MK Nava Boker (Likud): Judea and Samaria are not occupied territories. (Israel Hayom)
  • Palestinian companies protest Israeli decision to ban their products - Israeli troops used tear gas to suppress a march held by five Palestinian food production companies, after Israeli authorities banned their products from entering Jerusalem and Israel. Palestinians said the export inside Israel is part of Paris Protocol agreements with Israel and that there was no grounds for the ban. (Maan)
  • Outcry over Salafi movement's flags on East Jerusalem buses - Transportation Minister Katz orders investigation. The work of Palestinian Salafi movement, Hizb al-Tahrir, entails preaching and social welfare without the use of violence. (Right-wing) Israeli NGO says that placing such flags on buses 'constitutes incitement and support for terror.' (Ynet)
  • Israeli Businesses Learning to Insure Themselves Against Cyber Attacks - Banks lead the way in buying coverage but others are learning they need more than firewalls to protect their databases. (Haaretz+) 
  • Prof. Uzi Arad: "Netanyahu made a mistake and gambled on the US aid" - Former national security adviser to the prime minister told 103FM: “The Americans were willing to give more, but the Prime Minister was in a hurry, his assessments were proved wrong, and now reality is shattering in his face." (Maariv)
  • Shin Bet to quit asking academic institutions for alumni lists - Civil rights activists accuse the security agency of using a loophole in privacy legislation to try and seek more recruits. (Haaretz+) 
  • Student at Tel Aviv University: A professor presented the map of Israel as ‘Palestine’ - A (Facebook) Post by a law student caused a storm, claiming that Dr. Lina Shlaima, a lecturer of Jewish and Islamic law, presented a map in which Palestine is located on the territory of Israel. Student: "Shameful to the state." (Maariv)
  • Report: “Problematic results in polygraph testing of Brig. Gen. Buchris” - According to Channel 2 News, the test that military police conducted on the former Golani Brigade commander produced results that are inconsistent with his claims. Buchris’ attorneys refused to comment on the report. (Maariv) 
  • Palestinian Teacher Wins $1 Million Education Award - Hanan Al Hroub, who grew up in a refugee camp near Bethlehem, beats nominees from Japan, Canada, Kenya, the United States and the United Kingdom. "The Palestinian teacher can talk to the world now. Hand in hand we can affect change and provide a safe education to provide peace," she told the AP. (Agencies, Haaretz and Maan)
  • Heeding call from Abbas, Palestinian teachers agree to end strike - More than 25,000 schoolteachers to go back to work after a month despite only some of their demands being met. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • MK Ahmed Tibi attacks Israel in Chilean paper - In an op-ed for Chilean online paper El Dinamo, the Arab parliamentarian compares Israel's democracy to the dictatorship of Chile's ex-leader Augusto Pinochet. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Satmar Rebbe: Settlers causing terrorism - Anti-Zionist Rabbi Aharon Teitelbaum visits Israel and rails against settlers and ultra-Orthodox recruits who join the ID. (Ynet) 
  • New bill targets Israelis employing Palestinian infiltrators - Legislation proposal stipulates the one-time harboring of a Palestinian infiltrator is punishable by a NIS 75,000 fine or two years' imprisonment • Serial offenders to be subject to a fine of between NIS 10,000 and NIS 226,000, up to four years in jail. (Israel Hayom)  
  • Two Israeli Arab gem cities tourists are missing out on - Jewish-Arab cooperation is burgeoning in Shfaram and Sakhnin despite the shadow of the violence of October 2000. (Haaretz+) 
  • Balad, Hadash slam Arab League decision to blacklist Hezbollah - Israeli-Arab parliamentarians voice objection after the Arab League officially recognizes Hezbollah as terror group. Hadash member Raja Zaatreh, accused the Arab League of being a pawn of the Gulf governments, who serve US policy interests: “Hezbollah isn’t a terrorist organization; it’s an opposition movement that succeeded in removing the Israeli occupation in Lebanon.” (Ynet and Israel Hayom)
  • Israeli ministers votes down raft of bills backing animal rights - Only one member of the committee showed up and opposed the legislation, even though some of the bills had been cosponsored by coalition MKs. (Haaretz+)
  • Trio of MKs wants Sara Netanyahu kept out of animal rights meeting - Sara Netanyahu has been helping Let Animals Live group advocate for a solution to the stray dogs on army bases that are often captured and put down. Leaders of Knesset Animal Rights Lobby: This is a professional meeting, not a political event. (Israel Hayom)
  • Female soldiers to receive less training - After years of the IDF priding itself on integrating women into combat positions, report says military intends to reduce the training provided to mixed-gender battalions. (Ynet) 
  • Police report rejects most of criticism over handling of (January) Tel Aviv shooting - Police say they must cooperate better with the Shin Bet security service and improve their call-center operations, after the January 1 shootings that killed three. (Haaretz+ and Israel Hayom)
  • Hundreds attend Jewish immigration conference - Aliyah fair in Manhattan draws record 1,300, a 30 percent increase over last year, with attendees saying they are not afraid of escalating violence. (Ynet) 
  • Seeing no end to power crisis, Gazans turn to solar power - With the problem of power outages seemingly unsolvable, Palestinians have begun adopting solar technology, with more and more public institutions and private residents are getting cheaper, abundant energy. (Agencies, Ynet) 
  • Gaza civil defense finds two bodies in flooded border tunnel - The Gaza Strip’s civil defense found the bodies of two Palestinians workers in a flooded tunnel late on Saturday, days after Egyptian authorities pumped seawater into the structure. Tunnels provide vital lifeline for besieged territory's 1.8 million residents since 2007, when Israel imposed military blockade on the Strip. (Maan)
  • Hamas shuts down religious charity organization - Al-Baqiyat al-Salihat’s chairman said that he was not given a clear reason for the closure on Sunday, but thinks it was for ‘political activities.’ (Maan)
  • Bizarre pro-Israel robot accused of harassing students at Brown University - Israel advocacy organization StandWithUs sends digital delegate to 'enrich' discussion on Palestinians in Israel, leaving Open Hillel to label incident a 'dystopian twist.' (Haaretz+)
  • American Jewish Congress Lists 'Donald Drumpf' as Runner Up in Poll - Organization apologizes for using Trump’s 'much less magical' ancestral family name in an email to members, blaming a Google Chrome extension that was downloaded by a staff member. (Haaretz) 
  • Sanders' Arab-American support grows as he struggles to connect with Jewish voters - While Clinton has emphasized her strong and longstanding support for Israel, Sanders has mostly shied away from the issue. (Haaretz)
  • Tourism minister: I too will not visit Germany due to Nazi past - After missing international tourism fair in Berlin, Tourism Minister Yariv Levin explains that he feels "uneasy visiting Germany."  Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz expressed a similar sentiment last month.  (Israel Hayom)
  • Former Ukrainian child soldier immigrates to Israel, joins IDF - Sergei Brezhnikov, 20, joined the Ukrainian "Children's Army" at age 16. At 19, he made aliyah and enlisted in the IDF three months ago after studying Hebrew. Now he plans to start training as a medic. "In Israel, I'll have a better future," he says. (Israel Hayom)
  • Israeli Arab killed in U.S.-led bombing raid on ISIS stronghold in Syria - Khalil Salah Asayed, 28, of the northern Israeli city of Umm al-Fahm, becomes sixth Israeli to die in Syrian conflict. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
  • Report: 161 Chemical Attacks So Far in Syrian Civil War Caused 1,491 Deaths - The Syrian American Medical Society reports that such attacks are increasing, with a high of at least 69 attacks last year, and 14,581 people injured in all. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Russia: Syrian Cease-fire Violated 29 Times in Past Day - Syrian rebels deny Russian claims that a missile was used to down a warplane. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Renaissance regions that didn't expel Jews reap the benefit today - New study published in MIT's The Review of Economics and Statistics shows that Jews, which became moneylenders in the 16th century, established the first banks, leading to better economies today. (Ynet)

Features:
IN PHOTOS: Reliving a medieval pilgrimage to Jerusalem
Dressed-up history enthusiasts march through the Judean Desert to relive the experiences of medieval pilgrims who travelled to Jerusalem, at a historical fortress near the settlement of Ma'ale Adumim in the West Bank. (Haaretz)
http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.708509
 
 
Israeli Arabs ' Hezbollah dilemma
Arab Israelis share different views about Hezbollah being listed as a terrorist organization by Saudi Arabia and the Arab League as well as their feelings about the Arab Knesset members' statements on the matter. Sheikh Kammal Hativ of the (outlawed) Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement said that since Hezbollah’s alliance with “murderous organizations in Syria and Iraq” and its participation “in the slaughter of the Syrian people” his movement no longer supports Hezbollah. But Dr. Thabet Abu Ras, co-director of the Abraham Fund Initiative and lecturer at Ben Gurion University, said most Arab citizens of the country are part of the Arab and Islamic world, and therefore “Most of them see that Hezbollah is on the correct side regarding Syria.” (Hassan Shaalan, Ynet)
In Pastoral Israeli Arab Village, a Cheesemaker Hones His Craft
On the outskirts of his village, Ar’ara, Shakib Mar’i runs a small dairy that produces yogurt and labaneh, as well 
as fine aged cheeses made from fresh 
goat and sheep’s milk. (Ronit Vered, Haaretz+) 
Jewish Cookie Exchange: Three Recipes From Around the World
The Purim mishloach manot is like the Jewish version of the Christmas cookie exchange. These unusual recipes will ensure your holiday gift basket is unique. (Vered Guttman, Haaretz)
Dear American Hummus/Falafel Joint, Who Do You Think You Are?
I arrived hoping to send my taste buds on a trip to Jerusalem and Amman – where falafel is gently spiced, hummus is smooth and creamy, and pita is fluffy and warm – but what I got was something else; something entirely else. (Yael Miller, Haaretz+)
 
Commentary/Analysis:
Netanyahu’s Not Interested in Peace With Palestine. Is Herzog? (Ilan Baruch, Haaretz+) The leader of the 'opposition' is simply shadowing Netanyahu in describing his separation plan. Both take the Palestinians for granted as a silent third party, as if peace could be built without their consent. 
The "light" intifada (Yonathan Yavin, Yedioth/Ynet) During the "real" intifadas terrorists only sacrificed themselves if they could kill at least several Israelis. Currently, they settle for several lightly-wounded Israelis; well I've seen several "lightly" wounded people in my time - some forever carry a long and pale scar. Not so "light".
No Netanyahu, Not Every Attempt at Diplomacy Is a Threat to Israel (Haaretz Editorial) Israeli officials have offered nothing by scorn for France's new peace initiative when they should be hoping the U.S. will get on board as well. 
When disaster meets despair (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/Ynet) The generation of terrorists from the 90s lived under the illusion that Allah was waiting for them in paradise with 72 virgins. Today's terrorists are disillusioned and aimless. 
MK Tzipi Livni in a special column: Remembering who is the enemy (MK Tzipi Livni, Maariv) The move by the Gulf countries and the Arab League to define Hezbollah as a terrorist organization is correct and justified. The world needs to remember that the war is not only against Daesh, but against all extremist Islamic groups.
Hezbollah Is More Than Just Missiles Pointed at Israel (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) The group only benefits from its southern neighbor's threats, which give it political capital in its battles in Lebanon and Syria.
Their goal is to hurt Israel (Dan Margalit, Israel Hayom) Some Israeli Arab MKs feel that causing harm to Israel is more important than any legitimate Arab interests.
Israel's 'Enlightened' Liberals Show Their True Colors (Merav Alush Levron, Haaretz+) At the recent Haaretz Culture Conference the audience was upset — but it's not Minister Miri Regev who is the real source of their fears.
Full legal explanation why it is prohibited to deport families of terrorists (Adv. Yechiel Gutman, Maariv) The attorney general did right when he took the ministers down from their tree. 
Two Blows Against Arab-Jewish Reconciliation in Israel (Moshe Arens, Haaretz+) How can you integrate Israeli Arabs into a society if half of its members would like to see you expelled from the country? 
Americans don't always know everything (Prof. Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) Obama should have learned from Israel's experience: You can disengage from Gaza and Lebanon, but they won't disengage from you.
Why I Can't Defend Minister Miri Regev (Iris Leal, Haaretz+) The culture minister claims to be battling on behalf of Jews from Muslim states, so why does she reserve her strongest vitriol for Arabs and leftists?
 
Interviews:
Israel Should Back Off anti-BDS Fight on U.S. Campuses, Jewish Leader Says
In candid comments, Jay Sanderson tells Haaretz that aggressive efforts to combat the movement repel most Jewish students and ultimately do more harm than good. (Interviewed by Judy Maltz in Haaretz)

Giuliani to Israel Hayom: Trump not afraid to say 'Islamic terrorism'
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani tells Israel Hayom: Donald Trump is an intelligent man with strong opinions. Giuliani on Hillary Clinton: She never succeeded in anything. Her record as secretary of state was one of the worst in history. (Interviewed in Israel Hayom by Boaz Bismuth)

 
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.

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