APN's daily news review from Israel
Thursday June 29, 2016
Quote of the day:
"The occupation will end when Channel 2 begins to show it on the main news broadcast."
--Israeli TV show host, Asaf Harel, in a 'brave' interview.*
--Israeli TV show host, Asaf Harel, in a 'brave' interview.*
Front Page:
Haaretz
- 28 killed and 60 wounded in attack at airport in central Istanbul
- The Turkish target, the international message // Zvi Bar’el
- Dispute in cabinet: Ministers to discuss reconciliation agreement with Turkey today
- Israelis' math and reading skills – among the lowest in the West
- Police recommend indicting former Netanyahu advisor, Perach Lerner
- On the way to equality in screening: IDF to begin interviewing female candidates for combat service
- In war on drug cartel, Mexican army killing indiscriminately
- 40 years since Entebbe Operation: Former engineer in Uganda transferred the aiport plans
- A necessary agreement // Haaretz Editorial
- Who is the Israeli author hiding behind the penname Ben Paul
- Health Ministry: The policy of price gauging encourages the public to consume unwholesome bread
Yedioth Ahronoth
- Terror at the terminal – At least 28 killed in attack in Istanbul
- Reconciliation with Turkey, battle with the ministers
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
Israel Hayom
- Terror in Istanbul
- Political dispute: Reconciliation agreement with Turkey reaches the cabinet
- Worrying: Israel is at bottom of OECD in reading, calculation and math abilities
Suicide attacks on Istanbul’s main airport and disputes in the Israeli cabinet about the agreement with Turkey were today’s top stories in the Hebrew newspapers. Also in the news, Israel closed the Temple Mount to ‘visitors’ and the UN Secretary General gave Israel more recommendations and expressed his support for the people in Gaza.
Although Israel and Turkey formalized the reconciliation
agreement Tuesday after six years, the Israeli security cabinet had to vote on it today and three ministers were against (Education Minister Naftali Bennett said, “Payment to terrorists is a dangerous precedent") and four had not yet declared their position. (In the end it passed.) The parents of the four Israelis missing in Gaza continued to protest against the agreement with Turkey. The parents met with UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who said he would appoint a special representative to handle the matter. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu thanked Ban. Ban called on Netanyahu to prevent the occupation from turning into a one-state reality. Visiting Gaza, Ban told Gazans: "The UN will always be with you.” He said the siege was “a collective punishment for which there must be accountability.” The Mideast Quartet report on the stalled peace process is expected to be released today. Israel Hayom reported that the settlements chapter will be dropped from the report. Nevertheless, the report will still be very critical of Israel.
After three days of clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian worshippers at the Temple Mount (Harram al-Sharif) over the change in the status quo, which allowed Jewish (right-wing) visitors to enter during the last and holiest days of Ramadan, the Police decided to close the compound to ‘visitors.’ Maan reported that Israeli forces had stormed the Temple Mount and evacuated Muslim worshipers to allow right-wing Jewish Israelis to tour the compound freely. Most of the Hebrew newspapers were not clear about who was defined as a ‘visitor.’ As it turns out, visitors are anyone who is not Muslim. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu also decided to prohibit Israeli ministers and MKs from visiting the site. Yesterday, an elderly woman at the Western Wall was injured by rock thrown by a Palestinian from the Temple Mount. Jordan condemned “Israeli violations at Al-Aqsa” during which dozens of Palestinian worshipers and workers were assaulted by Israeli forces with rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas canisters, and beaten with batons.
Quick Hits:
- Israelis rank low in basic reading, math skills: OECD report - While there are Israelis who work in highly skilled positions and jobs that require a lot of expertise, a large portion of the country’s population is far behind. (Haaretz+ and i24News)
- Netanyahu promised in 1997: 'I'll only serve as PM for two terms' - 'If you don't get it done in your first term, you might get it done in your second term, but you don't need any more than that,' the candidate for prime minister said ahead of the elections. (Ynet)
- Prison tribunal acquits suspect in Be'er Sheva mob slaying - Footage published by Haaretz showed the suspect and another beating Zarhum's body with a bench. But the judges found he had 'acted reasonably to neutralize a threat.' (Haaretz)
- Israel's top court rejects Jewish terrorist Teitel's appeal - Justices leave in place sentence of two life terms plus 30 years against Jack Teitel for two 1997 slayings of two Palestinians and subsequent attacks. (Haaretz)
- IDF to revise controversial abduction prevention orders - Chief of staff orders Hannibal Protocol, designed to foil soldiers' abductions by any means necessary, including use of overwhelming firepower, be shelved in favor of less draconian measures. Once formulated, new directive will be given a new name. (Israel Hayom)
- Israel releases father of slain Palestinian advocating for return of withheld bodies - Israeli police released Muhammad Elayyan from custody, albeit sentencing him to five days under house arrest and banning him from accessing the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem for 15 days. Elayan’s son was killed in an attack he made against Israelis in October and his body has been held by Israel. (Maan)
- Israel moves Palestinian hunger striker between prisons on his 15th day without food - Bilal Kayid declared an open hunger strike to protest being placed under administrative detention -- internment without charge or trial -- for six months following the completion of his 14.5 year prison sentence. (Maan)
- Israel demolishes Bedouin village al-Araqib for 100th time - Al-Araqib is one of 35 ‘unrecognized’ villages in Israel that authorities refuse to provide with water, electricity or basic infrastructure. (+972mag)
- Israeli court orders state to grant work visas to three Sudanese asylum seekers - The three applied for asylum two and a half years ago but have not heard back from the Population, Immigration and Border Authority. (Haaretz)
- IDF female revolution continues: 50 more positions opened to females - Knesset Foreign affairs and defense committee unanimously approved the opening of dozens of new positions for women. Among the posts approved: developing cyber systems, satellite operators and drone operators. (Maariv)
- IDF acquires new long-range rockets - The IDF is set to reinforce its arsenal, adding rockets with a range of 150 kilometers capable of hitting targets within a 10 meter accuracy radius. (Yedioth/Ynet)
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Successful launch of missile from unmanned vessel - Elbit, carries out successful test of a torpedo missile from unmanned sea vessel called the Seagull; 'Success proves capability of the system’s different modules which can use sonar as an alternative to fight advanced submarines.' (Ynet)
- Israel to lease advanced drones to Germany - Germany to pay 600 million euros in massive deal with Israel for the lease of 5 Eitan drones capable of carrying bombs and rockets; German chief of staff preferred Israeli model to American competitors. (Ynet)
- Entebbe Shimon Peres: 'When I heard they were separating Jewish hostages, my blood boiled" - Passengers on Air France flight No. 139 who were children during the 1976 hijacking met this week with the then-defense minister. Shai Gross, age 6 at the time: 'I asked my mother if it hurts to die' (Haaretz+)
- Ancient Romans, Jews Invented Trash Collection, Archaeology of Jerusalem Hints - Archaeologists digging up 2000-year-old landfill think combination of Roman efficiency and Jewish obsession with cleanliness created a unique system to take out the trash. (Haaretz+)
- Palestinian swimmer eyes making a splash in Rio Games - Mary al-Atrash will be one of six Palestinians competing in 2016 Olympics Games. PA's delegation to Rio will be its largest since 1996 Atlanta Olympics. "Representing Palestine in competitions is a dream for any Palestinian athlete," she says. (Israel Hayom)
- UNHCR Gaza employees hide map showing Palestine in place of Israel - During Ban Ki-moon's trip to visit Gaza facilities, a UNRWA school was caught trying to hide a map which negated Israel's existence; UNRWA Gaza spokesperson - 'there was no map.' (Ynet)
- Water cuts heat up tensions in the West Bank - Water has been cut to Palestinian and Israeli towns and villages all across the West Bank, sparking an uproar amongst the population; Palestinian officials blame the Israelis for cutting off their water, while Israeli officials blame poor Palestinian management of water infrastructure. (Agencies, Ynet)
- Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs set to visit Ramallah on Wednesday - Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister Samih Shukri is expected to visit the city of Ramallah on Wednesday to deliver a message to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Egypt’s support for the Palestinian cause. (Maan)
- Natan Sharansky: No future for French Jews due to Arab immigration, far-right anti-Semitism - Jewish Agency head addresses Board of Governors meeting in Paris, held in the French capital for the first time as a sign of solidarity with French Jews. (JTA, Haaretz)
- Sadiq Khan calls for rooting out of anti-Semitism in London, Labour Party - London's Muslim Mayor says he wants 'to send a message around the world by being the London mayor of Islamic faith who does more to protect Jewish Londoners from anti-Semitism than any mayor in this city’s history.' (JTA, Haaretz)
- Leading Polish Lawmaker Honors Victims of 1941 Synagogue Burning - Jaroslaw Kaczynski stresses German responsibility for the Holocaust, the dangers of anti-Semitism and the need for cooperation with Israel in speech in Bialystok. (JTA, Haaretz)
- Jordan widens crackdown on ISIS amid signs of home-grown extremism - In light of an ISIS car bomb which killed seven Jordanian soldiers, Jordanian authorities have instituted a major crackdown on suspected Islamic extremists in the country; As part of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition, Jordanian stability is of paramount importance. (Agencies, Ynet)
- Former Iranian President Ahmadinejad to Run in 2017 Presidential Election - After slamming Iran's current President Hassan Rohani as incompetent, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad first signaled his desire to return to politics in April. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Features:
Why Jews in Terror-stricken Turkey Aren’t Fleeing to Israel Yet
Turkey has become the main crossroads in a burgeoning refugee crisis while Kurdish militants fight government forces and tourists are targets for ISIS attackers from neighboring Syria. So what drives local Jews to stay put? (Judy Maltz, Haaretz+)
Chief Rabbi of Turkey: the Jewish community feels tense
Rabbi Yitzhak Haliba reassured about the situation of the Jews in Turkey in the wake of the terrorist attack at the airport. "Like after any disaster happening in the world, the entire Jewish community is feeling tense," he said, adding that "like every Turkish citizen, we feel protected by the government." (Mor Shimoni, Maariv)
Commentary/Analysis:
Istanbul Attack Was Aimed at Turkey, but Delivered a Message to the World (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) While Turkey is stabilizing on the diplomatic front vis-à-vis Israel and Russia, the terror attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport is a reminder that it isn't immune to the efficient terror networks of ISIS and PKK.
Learn from the UK: Stop accepting what the leaders tell you as if it were sacrosanct (Nurit Canetti, Maariv) Let's learn a lesson from the British conduct and make use of the tools at our disposal to check the facts and predictions of our leaders. After all, we will be the ones in the end to pay the price.
Conquering the Israeli Army's Hannibal Directive (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) State comptroller’s recommendation to end IDF procedure already being implemented, but thorny questions remain.
Reconciliation order – the internal war (Tali Ben-Ovadia, Yedioth) The reconciliation that is most needed here is the real war among ourselves. The bubbling hatred, the breaking of all codes (of conduct), including continuously (slamming) of the Israeli holy of holies: the IDF and the security establishment. This hatred does not come from nowhere. It is constantly being lit by cynical politicians who lost their shame and are shattering everything in their way on their way to another vote in the nearing primaries…The train of hatred is speeding ahead and only sometimes stops for gas from a politician…Netanyahu has declared more than once that he is committed to the peace process. It would be good if he would demand from himself to start the peace process - a little less complicated and much more important – the one among ourselves. The one by which you don’t attack the Deputy Chief of Staff [Yair Golan who said there are revolting trends in Israeli society similar to Germany in the ‘30’s], you don’t hug the ‘Shooting Soldier’ [who shot dead an already neutralized Palestinian in Hebron] and you don’t stop budgets to theaters whose worldview does not suit the Minister of Culture, and no, really you don’t plant the seeds that will sprout the celebration on Facebook [against left-wingers] that comes with the next attack in Tel-Aviv.
The deal is an accomplishment (Zalman Shoval, Israel Hayom) There is no doubt that the geopolitical balance has shifted in Israel's favor.
In Turkey Deal, Israel Dazzles With Its Anti-agreement Pathology (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) There would have been no Israeli compensation to Turkey, no Israeli raid on a Turkish flotilla and no flotilla at all, for that matter, if Israel hadn't imposed its suffocating blockade on Gaza in the first place.
Turkey has become the main crossroads in a burgeoning refugee crisis while Kurdish militants fight government forces and tourists are targets for ISIS attackers from neighboring Syria. So what drives local Jews to stay put? (Judy Maltz, Haaretz+)
Chief Rabbi of Turkey: the Jewish community feels tense
Rabbi Yitzhak Haliba reassured about the situation of the Jews in Turkey in the wake of the terrorist attack at the airport. "Like after any disaster happening in the world, the entire Jewish community is feeling tense," he said, adding that "like every Turkish citizen, we feel protected by the government." (Mor Shimoni, Maariv)
Commentary/Analysis:
Istanbul Attack Was Aimed at Turkey, but Delivered a Message to the World (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) While Turkey is stabilizing on the diplomatic front vis-à-vis Israel and Russia, the terror attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport is a reminder that it isn't immune to the efficient terror networks of ISIS and PKK.
Learn from the UK: Stop accepting what the leaders tell you as if it were sacrosanct (Nurit Canetti, Maariv) Let's learn a lesson from the British conduct and make use of the tools at our disposal to check the facts and predictions of our leaders. After all, we will be the ones in the end to pay the price.
Conquering the Israeli Army's Hannibal Directive (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) State comptroller’s recommendation to end IDF procedure already being implemented, but thorny questions remain.
Reconciliation order – the internal war (Tali Ben-Ovadia, Yedioth) The reconciliation that is most needed here is the real war among ourselves. The bubbling hatred, the breaking of all codes (of conduct), including continuously (slamming) of the Israeli holy of holies: the IDF and the security establishment. This hatred does not come from nowhere. It is constantly being lit by cynical politicians who lost their shame and are shattering everything in their way on their way to another vote in the nearing primaries…The train of hatred is speeding ahead and only sometimes stops for gas from a politician…Netanyahu has declared more than once that he is committed to the peace process. It would be good if he would demand from himself to start the peace process - a little less complicated and much more important – the one among ourselves. The one by which you don’t attack the Deputy Chief of Staff [Yair Golan who said there are revolting trends in Israeli society similar to Germany in the ‘30’s], you don’t hug the ‘Shooting Soldier’ [who shot dead an already neutralized Palestinian in Hebron] and you don’t stop budgets to theaters whose worldview does not suit the Minister of Culture, and no, really you don’t plant the seeds that will sprout the celebration on Facebook [against left-wingers] that comes with the next attack in Tel-Aviv.
The deal is an accomplishment (Zalman Shoval, Israel Hayom) There is no doubt that the geopolitical balance has shifted in Israel's favor.
In Turkey Deal, Israel Dazzles With Its Anti-agreement Pathology (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) There would have been no Israeli compensation to Turkey, no Israeli raid on a Turkish flotilla and no flotilla at all, for that matter, if Israel hadn't imposed its suffocating blockade on Gaza in the first place.
Interviews:
He left La Familia
He demonstrated blind hatred towards Arabs and was one of the heads of the radical fan club of Beitar Jerusalem soccer team, La Familia. And then came the dramatic change, which turned David Mizrachi into a preacher against racism. Today, he gives lectures across the country and tries to make a revolution also at the Beitar soccer stadium. (Interviewed by Shlomi Buchnik in Yedioth Jerusalem Mosaf supplement, 24 June)
The night patrol
The new and brave TV program of Asaf Harel lives on borrowed time. He has already prophesied his dismissal on air after he went full face against his bosses at Channel 10. But his perspective of the industry is more sober and somber than ever. Asaf Harel is the bravest man on TV and he is willing to pay the price. (Interviewed by Nevo Ziv in Yedioth's 'Laylot' supplement, 17 June)
"TV directors in Israel don't understand what they are doing. Our television is drowning in racism and discrimination."
"The occupation will end when Channel 2 begins to show it on the main news broadcast."
"The IDF cannot be a moral army."
"Binyamin Netanyahu is a dictator like Ceausescu and the media will be committing a moral crime if it doesn't try to bring him down.
He left La Familia
He demonstrated blind hatred towards Arabs and was one of the heads of the radical fan club of Beitar Jerusalem soccer team, La Familia. And then came the dramatic change, which turned David Mizrachi into a preacher against racism. Today, he gives lectures across the country and tries to make a revolution also at the Beitar soccer stadium. (Interviewed by Shlomi Buchnik in Yedioth Jerusalem Mosaf supplement, 24 June)
The night patrol
The new and brave TV program of Asaf Harel lives on borrowed time. He has already prophesied his dismissal on air after he went full face against his bosses at Channel 10. But his perspective of the industry is more sober and somber than ever. Asaf Harel is the bravest man on TV and he is willing to pay the price. (Interviewed by Nevo Ziv in Yedioth's 'Laylot' supplement, 17 June)
"TV directors in Israel don't understand what they are doing. Our television is drowning in racism and discrimination."
"The occupation will end when Channel 2 begins to show it on the main news broadcast."
"The IDF cannot be a moral army."
"Binyamin Netanyahu is a dictator like Ceausescu and the media will be committing a moral crime if it doesn't try to bring him down.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.