News Nosh 04.18.16

by APN 04/18/16
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APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday April 18, 2016
 
Quote of the day:
"The attempt to argue that teaching Ze’evi’s legacy focuses solely on its “positive” aspects — that is, his love for the Land of Israel, as his family has claimed in media interviews — recalls the children of a Mafia don praising their father as an exemplary family man."
--Haaretz Editorial today calls to repeal the law that requires commemorating Rehavam Zeevi.

You Must Be Kidding: 
"...here there is one country which is like an island of stability, an island of sanity, an island of progress, an island of security - this is the State of Israel under the leadership of the Likud government."
--Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told Likud supporters Sunday.

Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
  • Herzog questioned under warning: “Be calm”
  • The (Labor party members) waited with knives // Kalman Libskind
  • “Proudly on Israel’s side” – Hillary Clinton, the candidate in the primaries for the Democratic party for US president, in a special Op-Ed for Passover
  • (Singer Eyal) Golan with the (Shooting) SoldierThe wheels of money are turning – Starting May 1st, tickets for bicyclists on sidewalks
    Infant fell from 8th floor and was killed
    Israel Hayom
  • Questioned under warning for 6 hours – Chairman of Labor party came prepared to the interrogation: he brought sandwiches
  • Herzog, Chairman on borrowed time // Dan Margalit 
  • Today: The Soldier will be charged with manslaughter
  • Tragedy: 4-year-old fell from 8th floor and was killed
  • You rode on the sidewalk? Pay 250 shekels
  • Netanyahu vs. Lieberman: “He connected with (Joint List Chairman) Ayman Oudeh in order to collapse the government”
  • Thousands of Holocaust survivors will receive stipends this week
 

News Summary:
Opposition leader Isaac Herzog was questioned by police under caution for six hours, an Israeli pop star will perform tomorrow in solidarity with the Shooting Soldier from Hebron, the latter who will be indicted for manslaughter, and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu declared that the Golan Heights will remain forever part of Israel making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Meanwhile, Syria’s Deputy Foreign Minister responded saying that Syria might use military means to recapture the Golan Heights,
 
Later in the day, at an event for Likud members, Netanyahu said "We go into places where we have never operated before, and we have one principle: the IDF enters every place it needs to enter to fight terror.” He also made a curious statement in light of the situation in Israel: "We look around us, we see the entire Middle East noisy and rough, hundreds of thousands were slaughtered and millions are on the move, fleeing for their lives. States are collapsing, radical Islam is lapping all governments with its flames, all the countries, and here there is one country which is like an island of stability, an island of sanity, an island of progress, an island of security - this is the State of Israel under the leadership of the Likud government. It’s not by accident.” (Maariv)
 
The storm continued about assassinated former far-right-wing minister, Rehavam Zeevi, since the TV documentary aired about him allegedly raping and murdering. On the comedy radio show of ‘Tal and Aviad,’ the pair said: "His legacy is filthy, he is a racist that shouldn’t be commemorated.” They also questioned those who questioned investigation alleged crimes of someone who is already dead. "We can't investigate wrongdoings of people after their death? Like, hello? As opposed to the vastly different Hitler? And Saddam Hussein?" (Maariv) In a debate on Gabi Gazits’s show between Meretz MK Tamar Sandberg and former far-right-wing MK Michael Ben-Ari, Sandberg said that Zeevi’s 'legacy was rape,' while Ben-Ari said it was “love of the country” and claimed: “Rabin brought the murderers of Rehavam Zeevi.” (Maariv) 

Quick Hits:

  • Police chief bans members of the Knesset from visiting Temple Mount: "It endangers state security" - Ronnie Alsheich sent a letter to the Prime Minister, Speaker and the Attorney General, saying that "in light of recent provocations, the visit by MKs to the Temple Mount could lead to worsening of the tension and an escalation of incidents at the site" during the holidays. (Maariv) 
  • Shin Bet Opposes Plan to Limit Israeli Army's Operations in Palestinian Cities - Security service fears impending deal with PA over Palestinian-controlled Area A would make it harder to foil terror attacks, though army and defense minister think otherwise. (Haaretz+)
  • World Bank: Raw Deal With Israel Costs Palestinians Millions in Annual Revenue - High handling fees charged by Israel and misallocated taxes augment Palestinian deficit, bank says, putting cost at $285 million a year. (Haaretz+)
  • Molotov cocktails hurled at homes in Jewish East Jerusalem neighborhood - Police arrest Arab hurlers of Molotov cocktails at homes in Ma'ale ha-Zeitim [settlement compound] neighborhood; residents of Ma'ale ha-Zeitim complain that similar incidents happen almost daily, but thank police for their efforts to undermine assailants. (Ynet) 
  • Israeli forces fire tear gas into Hebron school, injuring 11 - Eleven Palestinian schoolgirls suffered tear gas inhalation after Israeli forces showered their school with gas canisters in Hebron. (Maan) 
  • Hezbollah support rally held in the West Bank - The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine holds a pro-Hezbollah rally near Ramallah, attended by dozens of Palestinians as well as Druze from the Golan Heights. However, it seems there was also a financial reason for the rally…(Ynet)
  • Palestinian PM on Prisoner's Day: Israel has turned our homeland into a 'large prison' - Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah marked Palestinian Prisoner’s Day Sunday, highlighting the record number of children being held in Israeli jails. "The Israeli occupation has transformed our homeland into a large prison,” he said. Among the 7,000 total Palestinian prisoners, 68 are women, 438 are minors, and 98 are children under the age of 16, according to prisoner’s rights group Addameer. (Maan)
  • Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades: "We have the ability to make a deal for the release of prisoners" - Hamas's military wing noted on Prisoners’ Day that "Israeli attempts not to pay the price will not help." Its leader argued that "the goal is not just to make a deal, but to empty the prisons." According to the Palestinians, Israel holds some 7,000 prisoners, 400 of them under age 18 and 69 of them women and girls. (Maariv and Maan)
  • Group: 43 journalists jailed by Israel since October - The NY-based Committee to Support Palestinian Journalists said in a report that during detention and imprisonment, journalists have reported torture, medical negligence, and unreasonable and illegal rulings by the Israeli authorities. (Maan)
  • Hamas: Twitter 'sides with the occupation' - Hamas' military wing responded to the recent closure of their spokesperson’s Twitter account on Saturday by saying it proved the effectiveness of the brigades in delivering their message. (Maan)  
  • Singapore Prime Minister Arrives in Israel today for Historic Visit - Lee Hsien Loong will be the first prime minister to visit Israel since Singapore's founding at the establishment of relations in 1969. (Haaretz+) 
  • Abbas arrives in Moscow for 2-day diplomatic visit - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to meet with the Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday to address Arab League efforts to obtain a UN Security Council resolution against ongoing Israeli settlement expansion in the occupied Palestinian territory and discuss a possible international peace conference to address the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Maan)
  • Assailant in central Israel stabbing attack indicted, planned larger attack using explosives - Twenty-two-year-old Israeli Arab allegedly committed stabbing attack in Rosh Ha'ayin after failing to acquire an automatic weapon or construct an explosive device. (Haaretz+ and Ynet) 
  •  Israeli rapper, Subliminal: "The moment a terrorist attacks a soldier with a knife, he should die" - Ahead of a rally in support of the soldier who shot and killed the neutralized terrorist in Hebron, the musician defended the soldier. In an interview with Army Radio Monday, he said: "The soldier should get a medal, we need to legally kill the terrorist murderers of soldiers.” (Maariv)
  • 'BDS gets hundreds of thousands of dollars from Rockefeller fund' - In scathing letter, Israeli legal watchdog [right-wing NGO – OH] Shurat Hadin warns Rockefeller Brothers Fund that its support of groups that advocate boycotting Israel could cause the fund to be "considered complicit and as a participant in these groups' illegal activities." (Israel Hayom)
  • Opposition seeks to impose 2-term limit on PM - Zionist Union, Yisrael Beytenu, and Joint Arab List heads join forces to revive previously shelved bill proposal. "It's odd that [Avigdor] Lieberman is teaming up with the radical Left in a bid to bring down a right-wing government," Likud official says. (Israel Hayom)
  • Palestine to send medics, aid to Ecuador after deadly earthquake - Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said that Palestine and Ecuador have always shared a strong bond and been supportive of one another. Despite its limited resources and capabilities, Palestine would always try to help other countries hit by calamities, he added. (Maan)
  • Israeli ambassador briefed Trump's son-in-law ahead of AIPAC speech - Netanyahu's confidant Ron Dermer discussed diplomatic and security policy with Jared Kushner, who wrote Trump's speech, ahead of the conference. (Haaretz+) 
  • Terror victim's family to address UN - Slain Israeli Dafna Meir's husband and daughter are in New York to address the UN on Monday; Israel's ambassador to the organization hopes to expose its hypocrisy to victims of Palestinian terrorism. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Iran Unveils New S-300 Air Defense System at Tehran Military Parade - Iran announced the shipment of the system from Russia only a few days ago; report says the parts presented in the parade did not include missiles. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Iran: We Will Defend Fellow Muslims From Israel and Terrorism - In televised speech Iranian president Hassan Rohani says Iran's military power was for defensive and deterrent purposes, and should not be seen as a threat to its neighbors. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • John McAffee: Israeli Company Helped FBI Unlock San Bernardino Terrorist's iPhone - Cybersecurity expert tells Forbes that contrary to previous reports, the security agency didn't break into data of the San Berardino shooters with the assistance of professional hackers. (Haaretz)
  • Jordan: Muslim Brotherhood Raided in Police Mix-up - The Islamic Action Front demands a government apology following the accidental raid of the headquarters after it was ‘mixed-up’ with that of an outlawed group. (Agencies, Haaretz)


Features:

New Israel, Silicon ValleyThey work in companies like Google and Facebook, they live the American dream and the broken Israeli dream. Over the weekend, a few hundred hi-tech people who left Israel for the US attended a conference held in Silicon Valley, California with the participation of MK Stav Shafir, at the invitation of J Street. Is there a chance that they would return to us one day? Apparently not, and it’s not only about the money, but mainly about how our country looks today. (Yehuda Shohat, Yedioth’s ’24 Hours’ supplement, cover)
Meet Vladimir Groisman, Prime Minister of Ukraine, the first Jew in the respected role
Not long ago, no one dreamed this could happen in Ukraine, which was considered anti-Semitic: A Jewish prime minister with strong ties to Israel. He has family in Ashdod and colleagues in Bat Yam and a warm relationship with former foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman. He often boasts of his family origin and he is only 38 years old. (Arik Bender, Maariv’s Magazine supplement, cover) 
Beyond the wall: "Land Beyond the Mountains," the story behind the book
Then I read my notebooks and I noticed how, beginning in 2014, the Palestinians I talked to predicted that the violence would erupt shortly. A journey in the footsteps of the past and pondering about the future. (Author Nir Baram, Maariv)
United in opposition to the separation barrier
Two settlers, a Palestinian and two leftist activists are opposed to the resumed construction of the security fence around Efrat; 'We don't want a fence to separate us,' said the mayor. (Oded Shalom, Yedioth/Ynet) 
Were Hebrews Ever Slaves in Ancient Egypt? Yes
Ancient Egypt had intimate relations with Canaan, and most of the Semitic peoples migrating there would have been Canaanite. But not all. (Philippe Bohstrom, Haaretz+)
You also chose to close your eyes
The daily bombings and genocide. Mass rape incidents. Systematic starvation. And also reports of Sudanese refugees who were transferred from Israel to a third state and deported back to their home country – to their death. A special report for Yedioth from the hell in the uprooted camps in Darfur. (Alan A., Yedioth’s ’24 Hours’ supplement, pp. 4-5, April 11th)
Sweet when life is bitter
He is the most colorful and brave persona in this season’s reality show, ‘Chef Games.’ Karam Dadu, a young Arab from Acco/Acre, came out of the closet and became a drag queen. In response, his family ended all contact with him. But after he revealed his painful story on primetime, the relations were renewed. (Yedioth’s ’24 Hours’ supplement, cover, April 6th)

Commentary/Analysis:
To Those Racists in Israel Who Are Proud of a Murderer (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) Which leader is worthy of admiration: Ahmad Tibi or Rehavam Ze’evi? 
The defense of the minister of defense (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet)  With incitement against Moshe Ya'alon only on the rise, the Shin Bet is taking no chances; the volatile discourse surrounding Ya'alon has elements of political motivation.
The Palestinian Question: Ze’ev Jabotinsky and the Ethics of Zionism (Shaul Arieli, Haaretz+) Much can be learned from the moral standards of the leader of Revisionist Zionism.
**'Celebrated' Israeli General's Criminal Legacy Would Best Be Forgotten, Not Perpetuated (Haaretz Editorial) Rehavam Ze’evi does not deserve to have a law stipulating his commemoration - and leaders on the right must not fight for him for the sake of political considerations. 
Essential parts of the S-300 missile system not displayed in Tehran rally (Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynet) Iran held a military parade to mark Army Day on Sunday, showing off parts of the S-300 missile system; however, the parade did not feature the essential parts of the system such as the missiles, launchers, and radars. 
Hamas' internal dilemma (Prof. Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) Hamas government in the Gaza Strip has no interest in a new round of violence, but its military wing might have other plans.
How Israel's Left Is Playing Into Netanyahu's Hands (Tzvia Greenfield, Haaretz+) Bibi is not unbeatable. The left’s short-sightedness and misbegotten ‘purism’ in the last election is what put him in power. 
The interesting case of the British soldier that opened fire (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) In 2011, Sergeant Alexander Blackman shot a terrorist who was lying on the ground wounded and helpless, and the British reaction to what happened is quite interesting. 
Opposition Leader Herzog Feels the Heat, Putting Talks of Israeli Unity Government on Backburner (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) The Zionist Union leader’s standing — not great to begin with — has eroded further thanks to a police probe and his underhanded party rival Shelly Yacimovich.
No need to panic (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) The mounting panic about Hamas and imminent war is misplaced; the terrorist organization is in no state, operationally or mentally, to launch an attack any time soon.
Murder and eternity: Commemoration of Rehavam Zeevi is important, but the law needs to be changed (Attorney Yechiel Gutman, Maariv) Contrary to the chorus of the women of Meretz and several other saints, I would not revoke the law (to commemorate Zeevi), but I would make changes committed to emphasize that the commemoration is of his political assassination and of the value of Zeevi’s love of the land of Israel. 
Fighting oppression, inequality and injustice on Passover (Hillary Clinton, Yedioth/Ynet) Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton offers a few thoughts inspired by the story of the Jewish people's liberation from slavery in Egypt.
Fighting Oppression, Inequality and Injustice on Passover (Hillary Clinton, Haaretz) As Jewish people around the world prepare for Passover, I wanted to offer a few of my own thoughts on ancient lessons that still hold wisdom for today’s world. 
 
Interviews:
"In Ramat Gan, I felt I was among brothers": The Iraqi diplomat who dared to visit Israel
Hamed al-Sharifi, a former Iraqi foreign service diplomat and now one of the most prominent representatives of liberal Islam, visited Israel this week to spread one of his more audacious ideas: Peace between Israel and the Arab world. (Interviewed by Jacky Khougy in Maariv)
 


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

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