APN's daily news review from Israel
Friday May 20, 2016
Quote of the day:
"We need to steer the country in accordance with one's conscience and not whichever way the wind is
blowing."
--Outgoing Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said on the day after his job was given to MK Avigdor Lieberman and a day before he resigned from politics - today.**
--Outgoing Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said on the day after his job was given to MK Avigdor Lieberman and a day before he resigned from politics - today.**
Front Page:
Haaretz
- Progress in negotiations for expanding government: Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu on verge of signing
- [Cartoon of Binyamin Netanyahu piloting attack helicopter, with MK Avigdor Lieberman sitting behind him, and shooting a missile at Zionist Camp leader Isaac Herzog. Under helicopter, Egyptian President looks up from negotiating table where he sat with Herzog. Next to them, Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon has been eliminated by a missile]
- Without panic // Yoel Marcus
- The offer that wasn’t // Yossi Verter
- 29 questions for Lieberman // Gidi Weitz
- Suspect in enormous fraud in France testified in court: I gave Netanyahu a million Euros to fund elections
- Suspicion of attack: Plane crashed on way from Paris to Cairo, 66 killed
- In bars and kiosks in Beersheva, they see the promised land
- The first right-wing government // Nahum Barnea
- From the shake-up to the disillusionment // Sima Kadmon
- On alert for getting hit // Alex Fishman
- Begins basic training // Yossi Yehoshua
- The opposite of Yaalon // Yuval Diskin
- He could still surprise // Shimon Shiffer
- Words and actions // Yoaz Hendel
- Orly is no longer in our house – MK Orly Levy leaves Lieberman’s party
- Next week: State Comptroller report on BibiTours
- Flight 804 blew up in air
Maariv Weekend (Hebrew links only)
- Lieberman’s deal; Yaalon’s dilemma
- Al-Sisi’s anger // Ben Caspit
- It’s all talk // Yossi Melman
- Broadcasts of the coup // Kalman Libskind
- Security now // Udi Segal
- Assessment: The plane was downed in an attack
- The battle over the Labor party
Israel Hayom
- Poll: Most of public prefers Lieberman over Herzog in government
- Despite the scare: it’s a natural move // Mati Tuchfeld
- Lieberman will learn: Security is not just talk // Yoav Limor
- Herzog, first place in throwing out responsibility // Haim Shine
- MK Levi-Abukasis out (of Yisrael Beiteinu party)
- “Egyptian plane crash: terror operation”
- At the last minute: Prisoner Katsav regretted - and made an appeal to the release committee
- Eti Amzalag swears: “The IDF company commander who abused my sister and then she committed suicide – will pay”
- Same government, but different: Behind the scenes of the fateful day
News Summary:
**Today’s weekend Hebrew newspapers are all about Defense Minister Moshe "Yaalon’s dilemma and MK Avigdor Lieberman’s deal," but within hours of the papers reaching doorsteps this morning, the dilemma over Yaalon’s future in Likud was over – Yaalon announced on social media this morning that he resigned from his job, from the Knesset and from political life, citing lack of faith in Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. Yaalon said Thursday he has been "surprised" of late at a "loss of moral compass on basic questions" in Israeli society. At a press conference today, Yaalon said "Extremist elements have taken over Israel." The deal between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Lieberman was expected to be finalized today with Lieberman taking Yaalon’s job.
Israeli analysts debated in today's papers whether Israelis needed to head for the bunkers with the war-talking Lieberman at the helm of Israel's security forces and intel or whether his 'bomb-them' talk was only a façade behind which was a calculated man. (Haaretz’s Yoel Marcus, Maariv’s Alon Ben-David) But Maariv commentator Udi Segal wrote that after Netanyahu gave Lieberman the Defense Ministry portfolio, “Lieberman can relax in his chair, he came to take over the right-wing and to replace Netanyahu. Prime Minister Netanyahu gave Lieberman the key to the submarine, the code to the safe, the gun with which he plans to politically assassinate (Netanyahu). Netanyahu armed this week his most significant political rival in the right-wing.”
Maariv’s Ben Caspit reports that the Egyptians are furious, after Egyptian President Al-Sisi gave a speech in favor of peace, which Netanyahu praised [and which most analysts thought was arranged by Netanyahu and Opposition leader Isaac Herzog in order to gain support for a unity government. – OH] “They feel betrayed,” a European diplomat told Caspit. “Netanyahu sold them a story and did the opposite. Al-Sisi feels cheated. Bibi will have a hard time returning relations to the way they were.”
The Palestinians thought the message from Netanyahu’s choice for a partner to expand his government was clear: Lieberman in cabinet means no Israeli partner for peace. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry confirmed he will attend the Paris gathering of foreign ministers on the stalemate in the peace process, which was organized by France and is scheduled to take place on June 3.
Yedioth noted that this is the first time in Israel’s history that the ruling party gave four of the five top ministries to other parties in the coalition. Of the Finance, Defense, Foreign, Education and Interior Ministries, Netanyahu has only kept the Foreign Ministry to himself. “The situation with the entry of Lieberman points to the terrible problem of governance in Israel,” said Dr. Ofer Kenig, a fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute. “This is a testimony to Netanyahu’s weakness, he is forced to lower his head before the dictates of his partners in the coalition and leave the Likud party only the ‘crumbs.’”
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.