APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday May 16, 2016
Quote of the day:
"This is a significant struggle like no other, perhaps the most vital and important one in many years. Not
just over the character of the IDF, but also the character of Israeli society."
--Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon did not mince words in an Independence Day speech last night.**
--Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon did not mince words in an Independence Day speech last night.**
Breaking News:
Ultra-Orthodox Israeli man, 26, lightly injured in stabbing attack near Jerusalem's Old City. Border Police officers chased assailant and arrested him. (Maariv, Haaretz and Ynet)
Front Page:
Haaretz
- Rift in the government: Yaalon gave his support to the officers who disagree with the political echelons – and was summoned for a talk with Netanyahu
- Jordan joins Israel and Egypt and prevents Gazans from traveling abroad
- French Foreign Minister in tense meeting with Netanyahu: We will promote the peace conference even without your support
- Without state support or responsiveness from the public, recycling organic waste will disappear
- Separation of women in academia?
- After months of decline, the CPI rose by 0.4%
- Heat wave across the country: eases only begins tomorrow
- Men in the closet // Haaretz Editorial
- The (left-wing politician) doormats // Raviv Drucker
- Harm to the periphery – Government approved plan to expand pastoral construction in periphery – which is expected to harm the development towns
Yedioth Ahronoth
- The rift – Prime Minister expected to reprimand the Defense Minister this morning
- In high shoes // Yossi Yeshoshua
- (Defense Minister) Yaalon’s Independence Day // Sima Kadmon
- Weekend on Sunday: The law will be formulated this week
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- (Netanyahu and Yaalon) On a collision course
- The putsch at the IDF Headquarters // Ben Caspit
- Political pressure – French Foreign Minister, after meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu: We will hold the regional peace conference despite Israel’s opposition
- Burning hot – 370 people needed treatment due to the extreme heat wave
Israel Hayom
- Netanyahu rages at Yaalon; Summoned him for “clarification talk”
- Yaalon’s advisor: “Fallen soldier Roee Klein – isn’t really a hero”
- Burning hot!
- For the first time since 2016: CPI did not drop – but rose by 0.4%
News Summary:
The rift between the military and political echelons over the face of the army and the country deepened with a penetrating speech by Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, whom Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was expected to reprimand today, and with the revealing of a talk given 10 years ago by Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan, in which he told recruits that soldiers should take risks in order not to hurt innocent bystanders. Meanwhile, left-wing and right-wing party leaders discussed joining – or not - the Netanyahu government and France said it will hold a peace conference despite Netanyahu’s rejection. Also Sunday, the Nakba was commemorated within Israel and in the occupied Palestinian territories.
**The political commentators of Yedioth, Haaretz and Maariv seemed shocked and impressed when Yaalon “took off his gloves” and made explicitly clear what was moral conduct by the IDF soldiers and that IDF commanders needed to make that clear to their soldiers even when it contradicted what the political echelons said. Ya'alon warned that "over the past few months, we have found ourselves fighting against an extremist minority that acts both on the ground and on social media. A part of this fringe group also made its way to the mainstream, under cover and guise, and is trying to influence the character and values of the IDF…This is a significant struggle like no other, perhaps the most vital and important one in many years," Ya'alon said. "Not just over the character of the IDF, but also the character of Israeli society. The continued undermining of the moral and ethical strength of the IDF and of Israeli society will be disastrous for the State of Israel. I will admit to you that the issue has caused me to lose sleep…” (Ynet translated a large part of Yaalon’s speech and it is worth reading.) The commentators noted that this comes during the trial of Sgt. Elor Azariya, who shot in the head and killed a Palestinian assailant who was laying on the ground after already being shot and neutralized. Some noted that Netanyahu called the father of the soldier in a show of sympathy, but summoned Yaalon for what was expected to be a reprimand following last night’s speech. If that weren’t enough, Channel 2 News showed a 10-year-old recording of IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan speaking to youth preparing to enter the army and telling them: “It is unimaginable that in an effort to ensure our soldiers’ safety, we can destroy whole apartment buildings. Killing women, children, uninvolved civilians. Unacceptable. The use of force in civilian areas must always be kept under control, and restricted to the minimum necessary.". Golan gave examples of incidents when Israeli soldiers wrongly killed Palestinians. (JPost has the most lengthy translation of his words. A must read. So is B. Michael's Op-Ed in the Commentary section. - OH)
As the military-political conflict played out, Opposition leader MK Isaac Herzog, leader of the Zionist Camp and the Labor party, explained his attempt to join the Netanyahu government, saying he saw a ‘rare diplomatic opportunity’ to boost Israel’s ties regionally. Meanwhile, Netanyahu said he would ask Avigdor Lieberman’s far right-wing party to join the government. But Lieberman rejected this saying it was just spin to get the Zionist Union to join.
But Netanyahu appears less interested in regional ties. Yesterday in a meeting with France's Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, Netanyahu reiterated that he rejected the French proposal for a regional peace conference. Netanyahu said that negotiations with the Palestinians must be direct. Nevertheless, Ayrault said that France will hold the conference regardless. Ayrault added that US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke positively of the peace initiative, and that France is willing to postpone the May 30th event so that Kerry can attend.
Nakba Day was commemorated on both sides of the Green Line Sunday. The main display was the ‘Return Train,’ which traveled from the Dheisheh Refugee Camp to the Rachel's Tomb crossing in the West Bank. At Tel Aviv University, Arab students from displaced families read Nakba stories in three languages, Hebrew, Arabic and English, with the aim of spreading the story of the Nakba in Jewish Israeli society. Activists from the far right-wing NGO Im Tirtzu organization protested the holding of the event, in its fifth year. Meanwhile, students at University of Haifa reportedly were told not to show up to a Nakba event with Israeli flags. Not noted in the Israeli press, Palestinian Authority security forces prevented Nakba Day protesters from reaching Israeli military checkpoint at Beit El, outside Ramallah, Maan reported.
The rift between the military and political echelons over the face of the army and the country deepened with a penetrating speech by Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon, whom Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was expected to reprimand today, and with the revealing of a talk given 10 years ago by Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan, in which he told recruits that soldiers should take risks in order not to hurt innocent bystanders. Meanwhile, left-wing and right-wing party leaders discussed joining – or not - the Netanyahu government and France said it will hold a peace conference despite Netanyahu’s rejection. Also Sunday, the Nakba was commemorated within Israel and in the occupied Palestinian territories.
**The political commentators of Yedioth, Haaretz and Maariv seemed shocked and impressed when Yaalon “took off his gloves” and made explicitly clear what was moral conduct by the IDF soldiers and that IDF commanders needed to make that clear to their soldiers even when it contradicted what the political echelons said. Ya'alon warned that "over the past few months, we have found ourselves fighting against an extremist minority that acts both on the ground and on social media. A part of this fringe group also made its way to the mainstream, under cover and guise, and is trying to influence the character and values of the IDF…This is a significant struggle like no other, perhaps the most vital and important one in many years," Ya'alon said. "Not just over the character of the IDF, but also the character of Israeli society. The continued undermining of the moral and ethical strength of the IDF and of Israeli society will be disastrous for the State of Israel. I will admit to you that the issue has caused me to lose sleep…” (Ynet translated a large part of Yaalon’s speech and it is worth reading.) The commentators noted that this comes during the trial of Sgt. Elor Azariya, who shot in the head and killed a Palestinian assailant who was laying on the ground after already being shot and neutralized. Some noted that Netanyahu called the father of the soldier in a show of sympathy, but summoned Yaalon for what was expected to be a reprimand following last night’s speech. If that weren’t enough, Channel 2 News showed a 10-year-old recording of IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan speaking to youth preparing to enter the army and telling them: “It is unimaginable that in an effort to ensure our soldiers’ safety, we can destroy whole apartment buildings. Killing women, children, uninvolved civilians. Unacceptable. The use of force in civilian areas must always be kept under control, and restricted to the minimum necessary.". Golan gave examples of incidents when Israeli soldiers wrongly killed Palestinians. (JPost has the most lengthy translation of his words. A must read. So is B. Michael's Op-Ed in the Commentary section. - OH)
As the military-political conflict played out, Opposition leader MK Isaac Herzog, leader of the Zionist Camp and the Labor party, explained his attempt to join the Netanyahu government, saying he saw a ‘rare diplomatic opportunity’ to boost Israel’s ties regionally. Meanwhile, Netanyahu said he would ask Avigdor Lieberman’s far right-wing party to join the government. But Lieberman rejected this saying it was just spin to get the Zionist Union to join.
But Netanyahu appears less interested in regional ties. Yesterday in a meeting with France's Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, Netanyahu reiterated that he rejected the French proposal for a regional peace conference. Netanyahu said that negotiations with the Palestinians must be direct. Nevertheless, Ayrault said that France will hold the conference regardless. Ayrault added that US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke positively of the peace initiative, and that France is willing to postpone the May 30th event so that Kerry can attend.
Nakba Day was commemorated on both sides of the Green Line Sunday. The main display was the ‘Return Train,’ which traveled from the Dheisheh Refugee Camp to the Rachel's Tomb crossing in the West Bank. At Tel Aviv University, Arab students from displaced families read Nakba stories in three languages, Hebrew, Arabic and English, with the aim of spreading the story of the Nakba in Jewish Israeli society. Activists from the far right-wing NGO Im Tirtzu organization protested the holding of the event, in its fifth year. Meanwhile, students at University of Haifa reportedly were told not to show up to a Nakba event with Israeli flags. Not noted in the Israeli press, Palestinian Authority security forces prevented Nakba Day protesters from reaching Israeli military checkpoint at Beit El, outside Ramallah, Maan reported.
Quick Hits:
- Former Syrian general calls for peace with Israel - Speaker of the Knesset Yuli Edelstein received a letter from a former Syrian brigadier general, Nabil al-Dandel, who defected from the ranks of the regime in 2012; “We missed an historic opportunity to make peace with you,” he wrote in the name of the 'majority of the Syrian people.' Al-Dandel says Israel should open a dialogue with the Syrian people and support the opposition in its fight against the regime. (Ynet and Maariv)
- New campaign to disunite Jerusalem begins - Saving Jewish Jerusalem's (SJJ) initiative calls for the separation of Palestinian villages annexed to the capital in 1967 and returning them to be part of the West Bank. SJJ: One reason for campaign is: "Jerusalem is today the third largest producer of terrorism in Judea and Samaria.” (Ynet)
- Canadian delegation on Israel visit - A group of over 100 Canadian politicians and business leaders from Ontario arrive in Israel to strengthen the Israel-Canada relationship. (Ynet)
- Norwegian ambassador refutes Israeli remarks about aid cuts to PA - Hans Jacob Frydenlund said his country had not introduced any changes to its aid policy to Palestinians. Earlier Sunday, the Israeli ministry said, “Norway had made it clear that under no circumstances would it contribute funds that would be transferred to support convicted terrorists and their families.” (Maan)
- WZO Recognizes New Settlement, Citing Government's 'Technical' Inability to Do So - 'Technical-political' reasons are all that has stopped the government from designated Leshem as an individual settlement, head of settlement division reveals. (Haaretz+)
- 'Price tag' perpetrators to be charged with belonging to terrorist group - Members of a Jewish terrorist cell indicted last month are to have their charges changed to include affiliation with a terrorist organization, rather than an illegal organization. Amended charge to include unnamed IDF soldier, among others. (Israel Hayom)
- After 14 years in Gaza, Nativity Church deportees ask to return to Bethlehem - A group of Palestinians deported to the Gaza Strip following the 2002 siege on the Nativity Church in Bethlehem rallied outside UN offices on Tuesday, urging it to help them return to their homes in Bethlehem. (Maan)
- WATCH: Elite IDF forces arrest suspect in Hizma bombing - IDF officer who was seriously wounded when 4 pipe bombs blew up on a Homefront Command patrol last week is now in moderate condition. (Ynet)
- Defense minister reprimands aide for tarnishing war hero - Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon apologizes to family of Maj. Roi Klein, killed when he jumped on live grenade to save fellow soldiers, after aide says Klein sent troops into "death trap." Aide apologizes, deletes post, says he was in "storm of emotions." (Israel Hayom)
- Netanyahu: Iran mocks Holocaust while preparing another one - The prime minister's remarks come after as a Holocaust cartoon contest was staged in Iran. 'All of the world's countries must condemn this,' he adds. (Haaretz)
- Police body cams pit violence against privacy - Israeli policemen will soon be equipped with the cameras – but will they use them properly? And who will have the authority to delete or edit files? (Haaretz+)
- Hoping for presidential pardon, Katsav won’t appeal parole rejection - The ex-president and his family believe that another rejection would undermine Katsav's chances of obtaining a pardon from current President Reuven Rivlin. (Haaretz+)
-
In Oil Spill Suit, State Mum on Link With Pipeline Firm - - Request for class action names the Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline Company, the Finance Ministry, the PM, others. (Haaretz+)
- IDF introduces Skylark 20 tactical UAV for brigade commanders - "The brigade commander will always have a plane in the air, the quality of his view [of the battlefield] will be higher and the aircraft's reliability will be better," officer says • Skylark 20 can stay in the air longer, has longer range than Skylark 10. (Israel Hayom)
- Lawyers Petition High Court Over Head of Asylum Seeker Panel - New government appointment has no background in fields relevant to handling asylum seeker's cases. (Haaretz+)
- One wounded in criminal car explosion in central Israel - Attack comes after assassination of Shai Shirazi, the son of a major crime boss. (Haaretz+)
- Undeterred by Hillel’s Opposition, Jewish Students Commemorate the Nakba - A group of Jewish students at Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design argued that Hillel on campus is ‘a pluralistic Jewish space’ that should promote an ‘open community’ by means of engaging in the more difficult conversations. (Haaretz)
- Bill Clinton defends Israel - Speaking in New Jersey, the former president spoke extemporaneously about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in response to a heckler and defended the Jewish State: 'I killed myself to give the Palestinians a state.' (Ynet)
- Israeli made president Brazil's Central Bank - As the suspension of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and corruption allegations loom in the background, a new appointment was announced: Ilan Goldfein, who was chief economist to Brazil’s largest private bank, will become president of the country’s largest bank. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Jewish brothers top Britain's richest people list - Businessmen and brothers David and Simon Reuben earned the number one spot on the Sunday Times' 1,000 wealthiest people list in Britain. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Heathrow worker who planned to bomb Israelis awaits sentencing - Vietnamese national Minh Quang Pham was arrested in 2011 after a six-month training stint with al-Qaida in Yemen, where he was told to rent a home in the U.K. and buy chemicals to build an explosive belt. Pham faces 50 years in prison. (Israel Hayom)
- ISIS 'On the Defensive' as Territory Shrinks, U.S. Envoy Says - U.S. envoy in fight against ISIS says organization is short on cash and hasn't gained significant ground since taking Iraq city of Ramadi last year. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- 14 Dead After ISIS Attack on Iraqi Gas Plant - Additional bombings throughout Iraq leave another 15 dead. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Kerry Meets With Saudi King to Discuss Syria, Yemen and Libya Ahead of Peace Summits - The U.S. secretary of state and Saudi officials talked about the need to strengthen the Syrian truce and their support for continued UN talks on the conflict. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- U.S. Reform, Conservative Leaders to Meet Netanyahu to Warn Against Changes to Western Wall Deal - Pressure from ultra-Orthodox parties could lead Netanyahu to change plan to erect an egalitarian prayer space for non-orthodox, mixed-gender Jewish ceremonies, prompting rabbis to plan urgent visit. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Features:
Israeli Singer Assaf Amdursky Turns Social Critic in New Album
The album has moments of powerful beauty, but sometimes the passion and humanism seem more important than the art. (Ben Shalev, Haaretz+)
Chaos of Israeli-Arab Existence Erupts on Rap Stage in Cross-genre Film
‘Junction 48’ owes much of its power to the fact that
it is unstable at the core and moves aggressively
around an absent-present center. (Uri Klein, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
The album has moments of powerful beauty, but sometimes the passion and humanism seem more important than the art. (Ben Shalev, Haaretz+)
Chaos of Israeli-Arab Existence Erupts on Rap Stage in Cross-genre Film
‘Junction 48’ owes much of its power to the fact that
it is unstable at the core and moves aggressively
around an absent-present center. (Uri Klein, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
Why Would That General Compare Israel to 1930's Germany? Hmm... (B. Michael, Haaretz+) What was going through that anti-Semite general’s head when he compared the
Chosen People to 1930s Europe? A few pointers.
He took off the gloves: It’s as if Ya'alon is pleading with Netanyahu to fire him (Ben Caspit, Maariv) His speech yesterday at the annual reception of the Defense Ministry on the occasion of Independence Day, is a ‘step up’ in the culture war that now the echelons are now involved in. This is a war of the few against the many. Ya'alon stands almost alone in the difficult struggle. Facing him is Prime Minister Netanyahu, his ministers, and also all the Likud MKs. (But) The defense minister has lost his fear and also his patience. He is stretching the rope, watching it slowly bursting and it seems that he is enjoying every moment.
The troublemaker of Hezbollah: The senior official who was assassinated was controversial even within the organization (Noam Amir, Maariv) The Hezbollah chief of staff’s behavior was perceived as problematic, which antagonized not only the rebels but also his colleagues. The assessments are that Nasrallah will divide the authorities of Mustafa Badr Al Din among a number of officials.
Hezbollah Knows Exactly Who’s Responsible for Their Commander's Death (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Mustafa Badreddine was said to have many flaws and many enemies, but Hezbollah’s problem isn’t its top command, but filling its ranks with fighters in Syria.
Barghouti is not the answer (Dr. Reuven Berko, Israel Hayom) Palestinians would be wise to realize jailed Fatah terrorist has nothing new to offer.
Hezbollah is hurt, but wants no escalation (Yoav Limor, Israel Hayom) The assassination of yet another top operative reflects the Shiite terrorist group's distress, but any reprieve is bound to be temporary.
The Double Nakba (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) Reconciliation will only be achieved when the Arab world stops deceiving itself and takes responsibility for the double nakba. Both the Arab one and the Jewish one. Inshallah.
Netanyahu Is Bringing the Whole Center-left Camp to Its Knees (Raviv Drucker, Haaretz+) How did Issac Herzog become such a political rag? How does he suddenly not care what hundreds of thousands of his voters think of him?
The civics textbook has become a political tool in the hands of politicians at the expense of students (Galit Dahan Carlebach, Maariv) The storm over the new civics textbook raises the question: Has flooding the social divisions ever led to change? And if not, why not consider perhaps a new approach?
He took off the gloves: It’s as if Ya'alon is pleading with Netanyahu to fire him (Ben Caspit, Maariv) His speech yesterday at the annual reception of the Defense Ministry on the occasion of Independence Day, is a ‘step up’ in the culture war that now the echelons are now involved in. This is a war of the few against the many. Ya'alon stands almost alone in the difficult struggle. Facing him is Prime Minister Netanyahu, his ministers, and also all the Likud MKs. (But) The defense minister has lost his fear and also his patience. He is stretching the rope, watching it slowly bursting and it seems that he is enjoying every moment.
The troublemaker of Hezbollah: The senior official who was assassinated was controversial even within the organization (Noam Amir, Maariv) The Hezbollah chief of staff’s behavior was perceived as problematic, which antagonized not only the rebels but also his colleagues. The assessments are that Nasrallah will divide the authorities of Mustafa Badr Al Din among a number of officials.
Hezbollah Knows Exactly Who’s Responsible for Their Commander's Death (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Mustafa Badreddine was said to have many flaws and many enemies, but Hezbollah’s problem isn’t its top command, but filling its ranks with fighters in Syria.
Barghouti is not the answer (Dr. Reuven Berko, Israel Hayom) Palestinians would be wise to realize jailed Fatah terrorist has nothing new to offer.
Hezbollah is hurt, but wants no escalation (Yoav Limor, Israel Hayom) The assassination of yet another top operative reflects the Shiite terrorist group's distress, but any reprieve is bound to be temporary.
The Double Nakba (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) Reconciliation will only be achieved when the Arab world stops deceiving itself and takes responsibility for the double nakba. Both the Arab one and the Jewish one. Inshallah.
Netanyahu Is Bringing the Whole Center-left Camp to Its Knees (Raviv Drucker, Haaretz+) How did Issac Herzog become such a political rag? How does he suddenly not care what hundreds of thousands of his voters think of him?
The civics textbook has become a political tool in the hands of politicians at the expense of students (Galit Dahan Carlebach, Maariv) The storm over the new civics textbook raises the question: Has flooding the social divisions ever led to change? And if not, why not consider perhaps a new approach?
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.