News Nosh 03.15.16

by APN 03/15/16
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APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday March 15, 2016
 
Quote of the day:
"The institute known as Ariel University is not located in the borders of the state of Israel, and so it is not a part of the sociological society's activities, which associates only with Israeli sociologists and institutes."
--Prof. Uri Ram of Ben-Gurion University, the new president of the Israeli Sociological Society, ruled to 'refresh' a decision from 2010 not to work over the Green Line. 

You Must Be Kidding: 
“If I go in, I’ll say I’m pro-Israel and I’ve told that to everybody and anybody that would listen. But I would like to at least have the other side think I’m somewhat neutral as to them, so that we can maybe get a deal done.”
--Republican candidate for US President, Donald Trump, says publicly he will pretend to be neutral in negotiating an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
  • The withdrawal – Putin suddenly announced: We will begin withdrawing from Syria today
  • Exodus from Syria // Smadar Perry
  • Smell of a deal // Alex Fishman
  • Trumpmania
  • “Police Commissioner is supporting sexual harassments”
  • 5 years since the massacre of the Fogel family 
  • Last night in Dimona: Fear of leaking of dangerous substances
  • Meet the animals that are living in the Dimona nuclear research center

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

 
Israel Hayom

News Summary:
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Russia will withdraw troops today from Syria, Haaretz revealed Israel secretly offered to withdraw troops from Palestinian cities while Maariv reported that Israel may re-enter Palestinian cities if shooting attacks increase making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers along with the two Palestinian attacks against Israeli soldiers near Hebron.

Putin’s dramatic announcement Monday, caught Israeli President Reuven Rivlin by surprise, one day before his trip to the Kremlin, where he was going to discuss Israeli-Russian security coordination in Syria. Now Rivlin will be discussing the Israeli fear of weapons flowing from Syria to Hezbollah, Maariv reported. 
 
The Israelis and Palestinians were discussing a renewal of conditional Palestinian security control over Areas A, with Netanyahu's support, Haaretz+ revealed. In exchange Israel demanded that the Palestinian Authority 1.) Give Israel the right to make security operations whenever it deemed necessary, such as in 'ticking-bomb' cases, and 2.)  Follow steps that Israel prepared “to stop Palestinian incitement at schools and mosques.” The plan was prepared by the IDF, which found that increased IDF presence across Palestinian cities, due to the current wave of violence, was having a boomerang effect and agitating the volatile situation further. The Palestinians rejected the plan, which is why, said Netanyahu, he did not reveal the negotiations to his angry ministers. Ministers Zeev Elkin and Naftali Bennett vowed to fight against any handover of security responsibilities to Palestinian forces.
 
Oddly, Maariv ran a front-page story quoting a ‘senior military source’ who said that a "rise of shooting attacks will force us to enter Palestinian Authority areas,” the reference being to areas A officially under full Palestinian control. Yesterday, two young Palestinians from Hebron with makeshift arms tried to attack Israeli soldiers near the Hebron settlement of Kiryat Arba and were killed. A half an hour later, a Palestinian rammed his car into a military vehicle, wounding officer and a soldier before being shot. “Most (Palestinian) attacks with weapons do not end successfully,” said the IDF source. “If they were to succeed, we would be in a different place.” The response would be aggressive and similar to operations after Operation Defensive Shield: sieges on cities, mass arrests and combat against armed Palestinians. (Maariv)
 
The day before, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will "require international support,” possibly hinting that the US will support the French initiative to relaunch talks between the two sides this summer. Last year, the US did not support a UN Security Council resolution to set parameters for talks between the two sides and a deadline for a deal, as France has suggested. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas supports the French peace initiative and Israel opposes it. Yesterday, Israeli Foreign Ministry Director Dore Gold told a French envoy that the initiative was lacking and that Israel was struggling to "understand the logic."
  
Also on Monday, a 36-year-old Hamas field commander was killed in a tunnel collapse east of Gaza City in the Gaza Strip yesterday. He was the 12th Hamas operative to have died in a tunnel accident in the last two months. [Israel has hinted in the past that it was involved in such accidents. – OH] Later last night, a rocket from Gaza hit an open area in southern Israel. No casualties or damage were reported and no rocket alarm sirens sounded.
 
Quick Hits:
  • Family of Shot Palestinian Teen Petitions High Court for Autopsy - Israeli Border Police say boy, 16, tried to stab officers; insist there is no suspicion of troop misconduct. According to petition to High Court, the police have agreed to release the body to the E. Jerusalem family on condition that it is delivered directly to the cemetery – without offering an option for an autopsy. (Haaretz+) 
  • Knives found on 2 Palestinian women trying to enter Jerusalem - The two Palestinians, aged 28 and 24, from the West Bank town of Abu Dis, just outside the capital, were stopped at the Zeitim checkpoint while trying to reach Jerusalem, police said. Police say the initial interrogation revealed they were “on their way to carry out a terror attack.” (Maariv and Times of Israel)
  • Israeli ambassador: UN Human Rights Committee needs psychiatric help - While Israeli diplomats criticize the UNHRC in Geneva for singling out Israel, accusing it of 'Obsessive Compulsive Disorder regarding Israel', others support anti-BDS students in South Africa. (Ynet)
  • Israeli forces level lands in southeastern Gaza Strip - Five bulldozers stormed an agricultural area east of Khuzza and leveled lands. No gunfire or injuries were reported. Israeli military forces routinely enter the Gaza Strip near the “buffer zone,” often interfering with Palestinian farmers whose land lies in the area. (Maan) 
  • PA: Israeli forces end partial closure of major West Bank checkpoint - Israeli forces on Monday ended the daily four-hour closure imposed on Friday at Jabbaa, a major Israeli military checkpoint between the central occupied West Bank district of Ramallah and the southern West Bank. The Zaatara military checkpoint closure is still in effect. (Maan) 
  • Israel hands demolition notices for two buildings in East Jerusalem area - The two owners of the buildings have already been paying fines for years to the Jerusalem municipality for the construction without permits – which they tried for years to receive. Palestinians' ability to build homes or expand existing structures legally has been severely limited by the municipality since Israel occupied the city in 1967. (Maan) 
  • Leading Israeli sociologist calls for boycott of West Bank university - Prof. Uri Ram, who heads the Israeli Sociological Society, urged colleagues to boycott academic institute in settlement of Ariel. (Haaretz, Israel Hayom and Ynet) 
  • Netanyahu Appoints U.S. Activist Critical of (regimes in) China, Egypt (and Russia) as Foreign Media Czar - David Keyes will replace Mark Regev, who will take post of Israel's ambassador to London. Keyes formerly worked at the conservative Shalem Institute in Jerusalem, which is funded by Sheldon Adelson, [a Netanyahu backer]. (Haaretz+ and JPost) 
  • Chinese general sees ties with Israeli military 'developing smoothly' - The general was quoted from talks with an IDF logistics delegation he met with last week in Beijing, China Military Online reports. (Haaretz) 
  • Israeli Finance Minister Backs Deportation of Terrorists’ Families From West Bank to Gaza - Kulanu chief Moshe Kahlon says move will provide deterrence against current wave of violence, now in sixth month. (Haaretz+)
  • Attorney general to support relocating terrorists' families within West Bank - Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit expected to approve forced relocation of terrorists' families within the West Bank, arguing that expulsions to Gaza or Syria proposed by Transportation Minister Israel Katz contravene international law and could expose Israel to ICC charges. (Yedioth/Ynet) 
  • Israel approves tough law to keep out Palestinian workers -  The move is part of a package of measures to try and quell the five-month wave of violence. (Maariv, p. 5, JPost and i24news)
  • New taskforce to tackle anti-Israel incitement on social media - Initiative brings together representatives from the Justice Ministry, Israel Police, Shin Bet security agency, the military, and the State Attorney's Office. Team will monitor online Palestinian incitement to violence, seek legislative countermeasures. (Israel Hayom)
  • Report: Israel builds underground defense system to tackle tunnels - Foreign Policy magazine reports Israel digging its own network of underground tunnels near Gaza, equipped with seismic sensors to monitor underground vibrations. U.S. to receive prototypes, access to test sites, and rights to any intellectual property. (Israel Hayom)
  • Authorities seize 15 improvised guns near Jenin - Shin Bet security agency: Information about the guns was revealed during an investigation of a weapons manufacturer. Route 78 terrorist refuses to stand for judge in court, refuses to admit to charges in plea bargain. (Israel Hayom) 
  • Arab cities in Israel to get new police stations - Ten new stations are to be built in order to boost law enforcement among Arab population, while existing stations will get hundreds of new officers. (Ynet)
  • 14 years after court ruling, Arabic signage remains rare in Tel Aviv - Repeated orders and warnings have resulted in little progress toward the inclusion of Arabic on Tel Aviv's signs and a civil rights group is threatening further legal action. (Haaretz+)
  • European boycott? European journalists toured the Galilee and the Golan border - President of the Union of Farmers held a tour for 15 senior journalists, to study from up close the situation of the communities and the farming near the borders. The trip was initiative of EIPA - nonprofit organization with no political affiliation, which promotes Israel's interests through EU MPs, senior officials in EU institutions, senior journalists, bloggers and opinion leaders in various (EU) countries. (Maariv) 
  • Teen killed during alleged attempted car-ramming laid to rest in Hebron - The teenager, identified as Yousif Walid Tarayra, 18, was given a military funeral by the Palestinian Authority. Participants in the funeral shouted slogans urging Palestinian resistance to retaliate against “Israeli crimes on the Palestinian people.” (Maan) 
  • Israeli military's Ground Forces chief to head IDF operations division - Yitzhak Turgeman will take over now that Brig. Gen. Ofek Buchris [wont’ get the job because he is] under investigation for alleged sex offenses (Haaretz+) 
  • NY Times Editorial slams Netanyahu's cancellation of talks with Obama - Monday's editorial calls Netanyahu's announcement of his decision via news media a another example of 'the disrespect the prime minister has shown Obama.' (Haaretz) 
  • Chief Rabbi: Keep children away from secular family - Yitzchak Yosef instructed religious Jews to prevent all contact between observant Jewish children and any secular relations in his weekly lecture. (Ynet) 
  • Preacher of al-Aqsa gets 11 months prison sentence for inciting to racism - Khaled Mughrabi said that the Jewish Holocaust occurred because of corruption of the Jews and because they made "special bread" out of children. Judge said " the importance to condemnation of incitement sharpens in the present reality." Mughrabi was detained in July. (Maariv)
  • Father of Amir Mimuni, the Shin Bet combat agent who was killed (by friendly fire): "We are not angry, this comes from G-d” - In an interview with Channel 2, the father invited the combat agent who killed his son to come for a visit. “We want him to come here, to hug him. To the same extent, they both could have been killed by the enemy." President Rivlin visited the family: "The nation is grateful for his service.” (Maariv)
  • Fallen soldier's gravestone writing to be changed at widow's request - The Ministry of Defense will add the words "fell in battle" to the gravestone of Tuvia Yanai Weissmanm who was killed in a terrorist stabbing attack at a supermarket in the Binyamin industrial zone last month. (Ynet, Israel Hayom and Maariv)
  • Jewish Agency looking for volunteers in Ghana, Mexico, and Ethiopia - A drive to recruit young Jewish women and men for volunteer positions in various poor and developing regions around the world was launched in New York. (Yedioth/Ynet) 
  • Jerusalem Syndrome? American Tourist Goes Treasure Hunting in Old City Cave - During questioning, the young man could not explain why he spent the night in a cave under the Muslim Quarter in Jerusalem. (Haaretz+) 
  • Israel's justice minister on rapist ex-President Katsav: Remorse not needed for early release - Ayelet Shaked refutes allegations that she interfered in the case of Moshe Katsav, who will go before a parole board at the end of the month. (Haaretz+) 
  • Four hurt in Dimona train crash that caused bromine gas leak - Nearby residents told to stay indoors after two are hospitalized with burning sensation in their eyes. (Times of Israel and Israel Hayom)
  • Palestinian-American member of IS surrenders to Kurds - Palestinian-American ISIS fighter gives himself up to Iraqi Kurdish forces as Kurds report number of captured militants is on the rise. (Agencies, Ynet) 
  • Looking ISIS in the eye: New TV series probes roots of global terror - Award-winning Israeli journalist Henrique Cymerman feels at home in TV studios around the world and in the presence of Arab and Palestinian leaders. He has now created a four-part series called 'Jihad Now.' (Haaretz+) 
  • Israeli hiker stumbles on rare gold coin of Emperor Augustus in Galilee - The coin, only the second known of its kind, was issued as part of a commemorative series by Emperor Trajan, a successor of the founder of the Roman Empire. (Haaretz+ and Ynet) 
  • Reform Judaism’s Chiefs Say They'll Oppose Trump at AIPAC Conference, but Don’t Explain How - 'Mr. Trump's extreme anti-immigrant rhetoric reminds us that our own ancestors' access to American shores of freedom and promise were once blocked, with deadly consequences,' say Jewish leaders. (Haaretz+)
  • Israel Emerges as a Campaign Issue Ahead of Ohio, Illinois, Florida Primaries - Israel was the subject of a heated exchange in last week's GOP debate, with Donald Trump hammered by his opponents for saying he would be a neutral broker of Israeli-Palestinian peace. (Haaretz) 
  • Suspected Hezbollah Members Booted From Bahrain - Move comes after Gulf Arab countries declare Hezbollah a terrorist organization. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Iran Defends Missile Tests: Ask Netanyahu, Obama About Threats to Iran - Foreign Minister Zarif says he has not yet checked reports that missiles bore the phrase 'Israel must be wiped out.' (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • US vows to push for UN action on Iran despite Russian opposition - "Russia seems to be lawyering its way to look for reasons not to act," U.S. Ambassador to U.N. Samantha Power tells reporters after closed-door Security Council meeting on Iran's recent ballistic missile tests. (Agencies, Israel Hayom)
  • Israeli, US defense chiefs discuss security aid package - Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon meets at Pentagon with U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter. Ya'alon and Carter agree to increase cooperation in the cyber domain. "Our bond with the U.S. is the cornerstone of our national security," Ya'alon says. (Israel Hayom)
  • Turkey Arrests 11 Suspects in Connection With Ankara Bombing - Prime Minister Davutoglu says strong indications that attack was carried out by PKK. (Agencies, Haaretz)

Features:
No Man's Land: The shocking story about the prostitution industry of Syrian children
Hundreds of girls, who fled to Syria and live in refugee camps in Jordan, become victims of forced marriages and sold into prostitution. "I dream that I’m playing with my friends." A new column on the Arab world. (Yasir Ukbi, Maariv)
 
Commentary/Analysis:  
Putin Takes Syria Fight to the Diplomatic Arena (Zvi Bar’el, Haaretz+) Since the Russian president never actually spelled out the objectives of his military intervention in the war-torn country, only he can determine what constitutes success and when it was achieved.
A government running away from policy (Sever Plocker, Yedioth/Ynet) With the number of Palestinians employed in Israel on the rise, the government must lay out a framework for the matter; instead, they have buried the recommendations of their own commission, and the situation is only getting more convoluted. 
Trump Will Bring the Jews - Even Bernie’s - Home to Hillary (Don Futterman, Haaretz+) Fearful of selling out, Sanders’ young, progressive and universalist Jewish supporters won’t go canvassing for Hillary; they may even be considering not voting at all. But Trump will change all that. 
Israel's education minister wants to reduce Jewish history to pogroms (Gil Gertel, +972mag) A new committee is tasked with exposing Israeli students to Mizrahi and Sephardic Jewish history. The problem? There is more than one narrative. 
On Genies and Depression: A Day Running Errands in Ramallah (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) 'Isn’t it the most natural and healthiest thing for the two peoples that we make peace already?' wonders one weary Palestinian as others recount their tribulations. 
Did Bibi's patron newspaper just endorse Trump? (Edo Konrad, +972mag) Pro-Netanyahu paper Israel Hayom makes clear that Trump is the only candidate who isn’t afraid to go to war against ‘Islamic terror.’ 
Herzog’s Best Bet to Stop His Political Freefall Is ex-Israeli Army Chief Gabi Ashkenazi (Raviv Drucker, Haaretz+) The chairman of Zionist Union does not deserve this humiliation. But an entire camp wants a candidate who will challenge Benjamin Netanyahu, not a good boy who does his best. 
Hezbollah and the Muslim rift (Dr. Ronen Yitzhak, Israel Hayom) The Arab League's declaration of Hezbollah as a terrorist entity have turned up the flame of the Sunni-Shiite power struggles in the Arab-Muslim world. 
The problem with calling Hezbollah a terrorist organization (Lilach Ben-David, Israel Hayom) In Israel the question of whether Hezbollah is a terrorist group or an army boils down to the racist idea that Arabs do not have the right to defend themselves. Even asking is considered treasonous.
Israel's Justice Minister Shouldn't Intervene in Rapist Ex-president's Case (Haaretz Editorial) It is unseemly for Shaked to try and lobby Rivlin to discuss the pardon of Katsav, who was convicted of such serious crimes as rape, indecent assault, sexual harassment and obstruction of justice. 
A just war on incitement (Dr. Edy Cohen, Israel Hayom) The goal of Arab propaganda has always been to divert people's attention from truly important matters, like the cost of living and corruption, to issues on which there is national consensus, like hating Jews.
Five Decades of Occupation Have Created a Sort of Israeli-Palestinian Identity (Avi Shilon, Haaretz+) The forced integration has produced a joint identity, which has yet to receive an explicit name - but actually outside of Israel the conflict is noticeable in how alike we are. 
Latest boycott victories signify new momentum for BDS (Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man, Israel Hayom) That people are openly questioning whether policy changes by multinational corporations are the result of BDS is itself already a victory.
Will Dramatic Intelligence Breach Really Help the Fight Against ISIS? (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) A dissatisfied ISIS recruit gave Sky News a memory stick with the names of 22,000 jihadists in Syria and Iraq. But did the Islamic State decide itself to make public the names of its fighters? 
 
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.

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