APNs daily news review from Israel
Monday July 11, 2016
You Must Be Kidding
#1:
A donation drive met its 400,000 shekel target within 12 hours. Those who donated 500 shekels get a tour of the right-wing Channel 20 studios and a lecture about the media.
--An Internet donation drive was created to help pay lawyer's fees for Elor Azariya, the ‘Shooting Soldier from Hebron,’ who is on trial on manslaughter charges after shooting dead an already wounded and incapacitated Palestinian assailant in Hebron.
You Must Be Kidding #2:
"I have thought about it since yesterday and in order for him to be able to improve his defense, my wife or I may do this today. It definitely may happen."
--Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) said he may donate to the fund.
A donation drive met its 400,000 shekel target within 12 hours. Those who donated 500 shekels get a tour of the right-wing Channel 20 studios and a lecture about the media.
--An Internet donation drive was created to help pay lawyer's fees for Elor Azariya, the ‘Shooting Soldier from Hebron,’ who is on trial on manslaughter charges after shooting dead an already wounded and incapacitated Palestinian assailant in Hebron.
You Must Be Kidding #2:
"I have thought about it since yesterday and in order for him to be able to improve his defense, my wife or I may do this today. It definitely may happen."
--Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) said he may donate to the fund.
Front Page:
Haaretz
- Attorney General announced opening of inquiry in Netanyahu affair
- Egypt proposes hosting talks for confidence-building between Israel and the Palestinian Authority
- First Phillistine cemetery of its kind found in Tel-Ashkelon
- Beersheva Municipality preventing budget for first gay pride parade in city
- After (film critic) Orsher was suspended, Army Radio fears capitulation to politicians
- Fitting recommendations (for Mizrachi heritage education) // Haaretz Editorial
- Release him (Moshe Katsav) // Raviv Drucker
Yedioth Ahronoth
- Police inquiry to examine whether there a criminal investigation should be opened following “information that was received regarding things that are related among other things to the Prime Minister”
- The ethnic divide (following film critic Gidi Osherer’s post): Op-Eds by Nahum Barnea, Anat Lev-Adler, Ben-Dror Yemini and Eli Amir
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- Attorney General approved: Opening police inquiry against Netanyahu
Israel Hayom
- Egyptian signal (for peace efforts)
- Attorney General: “Inquiryiv” on the issue of Netanyahu – criminal probe not opened
- 10 years since the Second Lebanon War
- 40 years since Entebbe Operation
- Gidi Osherer continues: This time he compared Culture Minister Miri Regev to the Nazi, Goebbels
News Summary:
Israel’s Attorney General opened an inquiry into “issues pertaining to the Prime Minister” and at rare and sudden meeting held in Israel between the Prime Minister and Egypt’s Foreign Minister, a summit was proposed – again, making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.
Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit made clear that the inquiry pertaining to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was not a criminal investigation, but he did not make clear what the inquiry was about. Media reports say it was related to wide-scale money laundering. Netanyahu’s spokesman said that it was “baseless” and “would turn up nothing.”
On the day of the expected announcement, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry arrived in Israel to meet Netanyahu, during which he called for Israeli-Palestinian confidence-building measures due to the deterioration of the situation on the ground. And he pushed the Arab Peace Initiative; saying resolving the conflict will have far-reaching consequences for the region. Senior Western diplomats and Palestinian officials told Haaretz+ that Egypt would host confidence-building talks between the sides in Cairo with Jordanian and Egyptian officials in attendance. Netanyahu said he welcomed Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi's initiative to renew the peace process. Together they watched the Euro soccer championship finals. (Maariv) Diplomatic sources told Maariv that Egypt said it would help Israel return the Israeli POWs and MIAs from Gaza.
Yedioth’s Arab Affairs analyst Smadar Perry wrote that just the fact that the meeting was held was significant, because “he reminded Netanyahu that Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas 'is a partner' and he dispelled the rumors that Egypt is cooperating with Israel on the ‘day after Abbas.’”
Meanwhile, in Ramallah, they were preparing for a peace summit that Netanyahu does not want to participate in. Maan reported that France's special envoy for its peace conference initiative met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki separately to discuss preparations for the international summit to be held by the end of 2016.
Quick Hits:
- Azaria family raises over NIS 400,000 to cover trial costs - Crowdfunding campaign exceeds expectations in 12 hours; 'the trial expenses cost a fortune, and in our situation we can't afford it,' says father of soldier on trial for shooting dead an already-neutralized terrorist. (Ynet)
- Israeli Cabinet Minister Weighs Donation for Hebron Shooter's Defense - Transport Minister Yisrael Katz tells an ultra-Orthodox radio station he or his wife 'may do this today.' (Haaretz)
- Israel Expected to Pass Controversial NGO Bill After Marathon Knesset Session - Opposition lawmakers have submitted hundreds of amendments to the bill, which targets human rights organizations. (Haaretz+ and Maariv)
- Survey: 82% of public has trust in IDF, only 40% in government - Central Bureau of Statistics survey finds 70% of Ethiopian immigrants don't trust the police, while 58% trust the justice system; 85% do not believe they can influence the government's policies, while 31% felt discriminated against. (Ynet and Israel Hayom)
- Police detain East Jerusalem teens on suspicion of firebombing - Youths from Issawiya suspected of devising their own home-made fire bombs, which they then hurled from hill tops at passing cars on road to Maaleh Adumim. (Haaretz+ and Maan)
- Following shooting attack, Israeli army keeps up closure of Palestinian village of Sa’ir - Israeli forces violently suppress clashes in sealed Hebron village in wake of shooting. Saturday night, an assailant shot three bullets at a car carrying six children and their parents on Saturday, wounding the father. (Haaretz+ and Maan)
- Terror victim recounts harrowing attack: 'I felt my shoe filling with blood' - Eitan Finkel, his wife Tamar, and their six children were on their way home after spending Shabbat with the in-laws when a terrorist ambushing them opened fire at their car, hitting Eitan; 'the rest of the family came out without a scratch on them, it was a miracle,' he says. (Ynet)
- Rivlin: Entebbe Operation represents the essence of Zionism - 'The daring rescue mission illustrated what a long way we've come from Auschwitz to Entebbe,' says Prime Minister Netanyahu in ceremony marking 40 years to daring rescue mission. (Ynet)
- Radio journalist Natan Zahavi on the Gidi Orsher affair: “Why didn’t you suspend Erel Segal?" - Natan sharply slammed the Prime Minister, Defense Minister, Minister of Culture, and the commander of Army Radio, Yaron Dekel, for their reactions to the affair of Army Radio film critic Gidi Orsher. Speaking on 103FM, Zahavi questioned why Dekel did not suspend “the new hero of your radio station, Mr. Erel Segal” who said in May:"I understand our Deputy Chief of Staff is the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Wehrmacht." The German Army in World War II. Did you suspend him as soon as that appeared on Twitter? Did suspend him at that very moment?...He later apologized, and Orsher also apologized!” (Maariv)
- High Court rejected parents’ request, Hamas prisoners allowed to watch Euro Cup final - The parents of soldier Oron Shaul, whose body is being held captive by Hamas in Gaza, requested that Hamas members in Israeli custody be prevented from watching the Euro Cup final. High Court rejected their request. (Yedioth/Ynet and Maariv)
- Palestinian prisoner held without charge offers to end hunger strike if released in 4 months - Bilal Kayid, was put administrative detention on the day he was scheduled to be released from serving more than 14 years in prison. Kayid is on his 27th day of hunger-strike, lost 25 kilograms, and is suffering from chronic fatigue and insomnia, sleeping just an hour a day. (Maan)
- Israeli court sentences Palestinian man to 8 years in prison for "dangerous practices" - Marwan Maadi, a resident of Jifna, was initially detained in 2012 after being accused of taking part in the mob killing of two Israeli reservists in 2000 after they had accidentally wandered into Ramallah, a crime from which he was later found innocent. (Maan)
- Israel Widens Scope to Deny Entry to Relatives of Terror Suspects - Anti-occupation group discovers new category which seems to 'sanction' Palestinians with 'family connection' to suspected assailants. (Haaretz+)
- Archaeologists find first-ever Philistine cemetery in Israel - Cemetery in ancient Ashkelon, dating back 2700-3000 years, proves the Philistines came from the Aegean, and that in contrast to the conventional wisdom, they were a peaceful folk. (Haaretz)
- Islamic Jihad terrorist killed in Gaza tunnel collapse -Islamic Jihad terrorist group says one of its members -- 28-year-old Ibrahim al-Masri -- was killed when one of its tunnels in the Gaza Strip collapsed • Since start of this year, 14 Hamas members have been killed in tunnel collapses. (Israel Hayom and Maan)
- German news network accuses Israel of teaching children to hate - A documentary titled 'teaching to hate?' will be broadcasted on German mainstream network ZDF. The documentary aims to show how children are educated to kill, and makes comparisons between the Palestinian education systems and Israeli education systems. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Clinton Supporters Reject Democratic Platform Amendment Calling to 'End' Israeli Settlements - Supporters of Bernie Sanders propose an amendment that would call for 'an end to occupation and illegal settlements.' The platform committee votes it down, 95-73. (Haaretz)
- U.S. Jewish Groups Call on Republican Jewish Coalition to Withdraw Trump Support - 'Withdraw the RJC’s support of Donald Trump until he actively rejects the white supremacists — including anti-Semites — who are eagerly supporting his campaign,' Bend the Arc says. (JTA, Haaretz)
- Canada's Trudeau at Auschwitz: 'We Shall Never Forget' - The Canadian premier toured the concentration camp together with Nate Leipciger, a survivor who now lives in Toronto. (Haaretz)
- British Invasion of Iraq Was Illegal, Former Deputy PM Says - John Prescott criticizes former British Prime Minister Tony Blair for stopping his ministers from fully discussing in advance whether the war would be legal. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Family of U.S. Journalist Marie Colvin, Killed in Homs in 2012, Sues Syrian Government - The lawsuit says Syrian officials deliberately targeted rockets against a makeshift broadcast studio where Colvin and other reporters were living and working. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Features:
The Shadowy Jewish Couple Behind Trump's Infamous Institute
Michael and Irene Milin of Boca Raton headed the Trump Institute and have a rich history with get-rich-quick educational schemes. (Haaretz)
Harrowing Second Lebanon War battle immortalized in recently declassified audio
The Battle of Bint Jbeil in Southern Lebanon was a major event in the Second Lebanon War; eight IDF soldiers lost their lives trying to take over the Hezbollah stronghold, while displaying incredible courage under fire; one such story is that of Deputy Battalion Commander Roi Klein, who gave his life to save those under his command. (Yoav Zitun, Ynet)
Commentary/Analysis:
Egypt FM's Visit Only a Limited Success Unless Israel Follows Through (Barak Ravid, Haaretz+) Sameh Shoukry’s rare trip could be the start of a diplomatic breakthrough between Israel and Arab states, but it could also prove to be a one-time event.
With every terror attack must come new construction ([settler] Elyakim Haetzni, Yedioth/Ynet) Settlement freeze policy sends the message to terrorists that violence and terror works. This mentality must be changed to a message conveying that every terror attack will be met with a new home, street or neighborhood.
Netanyahu's Africa Trip Draws Israel and Egypt Closer, Too (Zvi Bar’el, Haaretz+) The Egyptian foreign minister’s visit to Jerusalem marks cooperation on issues from the peace process with the Palestinians to Ethiopia’s controversial Nile dam project.
What Hamas plans for Protective Edge II (Elior Levy, Yedioth/Ynet) Two years have passed since Operation Protective Edge; With Hamas having restored its pre-war rocket arsenal and replaced its military leadership, it is now preparing for another round with more focus on tunnels.
Israelis Need to Learn About the Heritage of Mizrahi Jewry (Haaretz Editorial) Education Minister Bennett should be congratulated on establishing a panel on the role the history and culture of the Jews of Spain and the East play in Israel's public education system.
An important step for Israeli society (Dr. Limor Samimian-Darash, Israel Hayom) The Education Ministry's decision to introduce additional Mizrahi Jewish heritage studies into the school curriculum is an important move toward reducing the rift in Israeli society.
Why the Brits Don’t Have a Yair Lapid (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) The British have realized that governments are transient. In Israel, even leaders who talk foolishness believe that they are Churchill.
The day we decided to win (Emily Amrousi, Israel Hayom) On the day we decided to win, we left the murderers without a community: The imams were disconnected from their microphones; Palestinian television was taken off the air; and anyone who made an inciting post had their water turned off.
I Share My Fate With Arabs in Jaffa, Not Jews in Brazil (Rogel Alpher, Haaretz+) Renee in Sao Paulo, I as an Israeli share no common destiny with you. After 68 years of Israel’s existence, my shared destiny is with Arabs and Jews in Israel.
The war from the Lebanese side (Roi Kais, Ynet) Despite the clear signals showing that the Lebanese people don't want a war with Israel, Hezbollah is still gearing up for the next round of fighting 10 years after the Second Lebanon War. Hezbollah is losing its standing in Lebanese society, and may feel pressured to prove itself once again as the 'heroes of Lebanon.'
Leave Haneen Zoabi Alone, She's Proof Israel Is a True Democracy (Moshe Arens, Haaretz+) Some would like to throw her out of the Knesset, but I say, let her stay. She is not smart enough to realize that she is doing Israel a service.
The ideal partner: We need a democratic America (Uri Savir, Maariv) It’s in Israel's interest that Clinton, not the chauvinistic and racist Trump, become the next president in the White House. On Balfour Street, the royal couple (the Netanyahu’s) are keeping their fingers crossed for Trump. Israel the revolution that turned it into a one-man rule, undemocratic, with racism as official policy, hatred towards the cultural elites, a war and occupation policy and isolation in the world has already happened. The hope is that this will not happen to the US in November. For Israel, Hillary Clinton is preferable. Trump will pay all the lip service to Netanyahu he can and is also willing (for Israel) to annex parts of the West Bank.
Michael and Irene Milin of Boca Raton headed the Trump Institute and have a rich history with get-rich-quick educational schemes. (Haaretz)
Harrowing Second Lebanon War battle immortalized in recently declassified audio
The Battle of Bint Jbeil in Southern Lebanon was a major event in the Second Lebanon War; eight IDF soldiers lost their lives trying to take over the Hezbollah stronghold, while displaying incredible courage under fire; one such story is that of Deputy Battalion Commander Roi Klein, who gave his life to save those under his command. (Yoav Zitun, Ynet)
Commentary/Analysis:
Egypt FM's Visit Only a Limited Success Unless Israel Follows Through (Barak Ravid, Haaretz+) Sameh Shoukry’s rare trip could be the start of a diplomatic breakthrough between Israel and Arab states, but it could also prove to be a one-time event.
With every terror attack must come new construction ([settler] Elyakim Haetzni, Yedioth/Ynet) Settlement freeze policy sends the message to terrorists that violence and terror works. This mentality must be changed to a message conveying that every terror attack will be met with a new home, street or neighborhood.
Netanyahu's Africa Trip Draws Israel and Egypt Closer, Too (Zvi Bar’el, Haaretz+) The Egyptian foreign minister’s visit to Jerusalem marks cooperation on issues from the peace process with the Palestinians to Ethiopia’s controversial Nile dam project.
What Hamas plans for Protective Edge II (Elior Levy, Yedioth/Ynet) Two years have passed since Operation Protective Edge; With Hamas having restored its pre-war rocket arsenal and replaced its military leadership, it is now preparing for another round with more focus on tunnels.
Israelis Need to Learn About the Heritage of Mizrahi Jewry (Haaretz Editorial) Education Minister Bennett should be congratulated on establishing a panel on the role the history and culture of the Jews of Spain and the East play in Israel's public education system.
An important step for Israeli society (Dr. Limor Samimian-Darash, Israel Hayom) The Education Ministry's decision to introduce additional Mizrahi Jewish heritage studies into the school curriculum is an important move toward reducing the rift in Israeli society.
Why the Brits Don’t Have a Yair Lapid (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) The British have realized that governments are transient. In Israel, even leaders who talk foolishness believe that they are Churchill.
The day we decided to win (Emily Amrousi, Israel Hayom) On the day we decided to win, we left the murderers without a community: The imams were disconnected from their microphones; Palestinian television was taken off the air; and anyone who made an inciting post had their water turned off.
I Share My Fate With Arabs in Jaffa, Not Jews in Brazil (Rogel Alpher, Haaretz+) Renee in Sao Paulo, I as an Israeli share no common destiny with you. After 68 years of Israel’s existence, my shared destiny is with Arabs and Jews in Israel.
The war from the Lebanese side (Roi Kais, Ynet) Despite the clear signals showing that the Lebanese people don't want a war with Israel, Hezbollah is still gearing up for the next round of fighting 10 years after the Second Lebanon War. Hezbollah is losing its standing in Lebanese society, and may feel pressured to prove itself once again as the 'heroes of Lebanon.'
Leave Haneen Zoabi Alone, She's Proof Israel Is a True Democracy (Moshe Arens, Haaretz+) Some would like to throw her out of the Knesset, but I say, let her stay. She is not smart enough to realize that she is doing Israel a service.
The ideal partner: We need a democratic America (Uri Savir, Maariv) It’s in Israel's interest that Clinton, not the chauvinistic and racist Trump, become the next president in the White House. On Balfour Street, the royal couple (the Netanyahu’s) are keeping their fingers crossed for Trump. Israel the revolution that turned it into a one-man rule, undemocratic, with racism as official policy, hatred towards the cultural elites, a war and occupation policy and isolation in the world has already happened. The hope is that this will not happen to the US in November. For Israel, Hillary Clinton is preferable. Trump will pay all the lip service to Netanyahu he can and is also willing (for Israel) to annex parts of the West Bank.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.