APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday July 25, 2016
Quote of the day:
"No good can come out of this trial."
--Yedioth military affairs commentator Yossi Yehoshua attended the trial where Sgt. Elor Azariya, 'the Shooting Soldier from Hebron' testified for the first time and left with mixed feelings.*
You Must Be Kidding:
Sgt. Elor Azaria also alleged in his trial that the B'tselem videotape that captured his execution of the incapacitated Palestinian assailant and which led to his prosecution, "was a violation of human rights, it shows only what he (the photographer) wanted to show."**
--Yedioth military affairs commentator Yossi Yehoshua attended the trial where Sgt. Elor Azariya, 'the Shooting Soldier from Hebron' testified for the first time and left with mixed feelings.*
You Must Be Kidding:
Sgt. Elor Azaria also alleged in his trial that the B'tselem videotape that captured his execution of the incapacitated Palestinian assailant and which led to his prosecution, "was a violation of human rights, it shows only what he (the photographer) wanted to show."**
Front Page:
Haaretz
- At the Public Broadcasting Corporation, claims of advancing political appointments
- A third of (divorced) men don’t pay child support and the government aid is not enough
- Elor Azariya testified for the first time at the trial: The company commander smacked me and said the shooting “will remain between us”
- The police in Turkey prepared over years a list of opponents for cleansing
- Education Ministry won’t be obliged to teach the book of concepts in civics
- Essential core // Haaretz Editorial
- Kicking the tradition –the case of Elad proves: An ultra-Orthodox city can also prosper
- Artist who painted the nude portrait of (Minister) Shaked removed it
Yedioth Ahronoth
- Elor Azariya’s version: They threw me to the dogs
- Everyone loses in this trial // Yossi Yehoshua
- F-35 against Bambi – Air Force demands Nature and Parks Authority to remove deer
- Today: Ofek Buchris takes his son to be drafted in Golani Brigade
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- The bereaved families demand: “Investigative committee for Operation Protective Edge”
- “They threw me to the dogs” – Sgt. Elor Azariya began testifying in trial against him
Israel Hayom
- Azariya’s version
- Police to investigate private publishing of complainant against Brig. Gen. Buchris
- Netanyahu returns fire: I will open the TV market up to competition
- Panic in Germany: Syrian refugee murdered woman with machete
- We got stuck in first place: “Israel is the most traffic-jammed country in the OECD”
Bereaved families demand: “Establish investigative committee over Operation Protective Edge”
Follow them: The soldiers who received medals of honor write to recruits
News Summary:
Sgt. Elor Azariya accused his commanders of lying, bereaved families of fallen soldiers demanded an inquiry commission into Operation Protective Edge and many expressed concern after the coalition government approved canceling the historic law that conditioned education budget money for ultra-Orthodox schools on the teaching of core subjects of math, English and the sciences. Also in the news, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is likely to accept the US military aid package without all of his previous demands and Netanyahu met with Cyprus’ president to allay the latter’s fears that the Israel-Turkey reconciliation agreement would come at the expense of Cyprus.
**The “Shooting Soldier from Hebron,” Elor Azariya, said the IDF top brass “threw me to the dogs,” that his commanders lied about the incident in which he executed a wounded incapacitated Palestinian assailant in Hebron. Maariv and Israel Hayom took more supportive stances of Azariya, while Haaretz pointed out the questionable statements he made, such as that his company commander, Maj. Tom Neeman, slapped him and told him not to discuss the incident and that “in my discussion with (my) lawyers I remembered things.” (Haaretz Hebrew) Yedioth’s military affairs commentator was at the trial and wrote an interesting summary (translated in Commentary/Analysis below.)
Follow them: The soldiers who received medals of honor write to recruits
News Summary:
Sgt. Elor Azariya accused his commanders of lying, bereaved families of fallen soldiers demanded an inquiry commission into Operation Protective Edge and many expressed concern after the coalition government approved canceling the historic law that conditioned education budget money for ultra-Orthodox schools on the teaching of core subjects of math, English and the sciences. Also in the news, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is likely to accept the US military aid package without all of his previous demands and Netanyahu met with Cyprus’ president to allay the latter’s fears that the Israel-Turkey reconciliation agreement would come at the expense of Cyprus.
**The “Shooting Soldier from Hebron,” Elor Azariya, said the IDF top brass “threw me to the dogs,” that his commanders lied about the incident in which he executed a wounded incapacitated Palestinian assailant in Hebron. Maariv and Israel Hayom took more supportive stances of Azariya, while Haaretz pointed out the questionable statements he made, such as that his company commander, Maj. Tom Neeman, slapped him and told him not to discuss the incident and that “in my discussion with (my) lawyers I remembered things.” (Haaretz Hebrew) Yedioth’s military affairs commentator was at the trial and wrote an interesting summary (translated in Commentary/Analysis below.)
Quick Hits:
- Palestinian youth shot, injured in head with live fire during Israeli raid on Ramallah-area village - The soldiers shot the youth was taken to hospital in Ramallah in serious condition after soldiers shot him in the head with live fire during an arrest raid of three individuals in Silwad village. (Maan)
- Right-wing Lawmakers Aim to Expand Tax Breaks for 60 West Bank Settlements - Habayit Hayehudi pushing measure over objections of treasury, Knesset Finance Committee chief. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli forces beat and detain Palestinians after provoked by settlers - More than 20 Israeli settlers entered the neighborhood pushed a young Palestinian man walking past them prompting an argument that devolved into a fistfight. “Minutes later Israeli troops, police officers and special forces stormed the neighborhood, violently beating Palestinians who were on the scene without exceptions.” (Maan)
- Israel's Education Ministry Softens Stance on Mandatory Civics Booklet - Following court challenge, controversial booklet will now be recommended for use in the classroom rather than mandated. (Haaretz+)
- Alarming data: Tens of thousands of teachers are victims of violence in schools - A comprehensive survey revealed that 84% of teachers in the past academic year reported at least one incident of violence against them. "It would be better if (Education Minister) Bennet promoted a program on better behavior," said Teachers Association chairman. (Maariv)
- Police Continue to Employ Volunteer Despite Public Complaints of Fake Citations and a Court Order - Amiram Raz was accused on several occasions of making up events in traffic citations, leading a court to order police to drop his as a volunteer. (Haaretz+)
- Netanyahu: Criticism of My Handling of Communications Market Won't Deter Me - Prime minister says that he isn’t trying to take over the telecommunications market to sabotage the public broadcasting corporation. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli forces close road in Beit Jala amid wider Bethlehem area closures - The al-Sidir road serves as one of the main western entrances of Beit Jala. An Israeli army spokesperson said she was looking into reports. (Maan)
- Hamdallah visits sit-in in solidarity with hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners - Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on Sunday joined a sit-in in front of Bethlehem’s Nativity Church in the southern occupied West Bank, organized by activists showing solidarity for the dozens of hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli custody. (Maan)
- Israel joins UNESCO battle against homophobic bullying in schools - Accord signed by Education Minister Naftali Bennett states Israel's commitment to fighting discrimination, violence against LGBT community, including bullying in schools. Teachers to be trained to address bullying over sexual orientation, gender identity. (Israel Hayom)
- Convicted Israeli spy seeks to reverse US parole terms - Eliot Lauer, Jonathan Pollard's lawyer, argues that electronic tracking device and computer monitoring are arbitrary parole conditions that have prevented Pollard from finding employment. Judge cites limited authority to change parole conditions. (Israel Hayom)
- Turkey to Appoint State-approved Teachers to Replace Fired Staff - Turkey announced plans to appoint 20,000 state-approved teachers to fill the void left by mass firings. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Amnesty International Reports 'Credible Evidence' Turkey Torturing Post-coup Detainees - 'Reports of abuse including beatings and rape in detention are extremely alarming, especially given the scale of detentions that we have seen in the past week,' Amnesty International’s Europe director John Dalhuisen says. (Haaretz)
- Syria Government Air Raids Strike Five Clinics in Aleppo - Five people were killed, including an infant. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Nice Attacker Was Obsessed With Fitness and Sex - Information emerging suggests Bouhlel concealed his different worlds from each other and may have been following Islamic State guidance to hide his radicalism. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Features:
Israel Out to Destroy Lifeline of Gaza Business Owners
‘You can’t suddenly cross out all merchants,’ says one factory owner from the enclave. (Haaretz+)
Mahmoud Darwish Wanted to Be a Poet, Not a Symbol of Palestinian Nationalism
Are his works really, as Avigdor Lieberman labeled them, ‘fuel for terrorism?’ (Gili Izikovich, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
‘You can’t suddenly cross out all merchants,’ says one factory owner from the enclave. (Haaretz+)
Mahmoud Darwish Wanted to Be a Poet, Not a Symbol of Palestinian Nationalism
Are his works really, as Avigdor Lieberman labeled them, ‘fuel for terrorism?’ (Gili Izikovich, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
Restrict the Powers of the Israeli Military's Rabbinate (Yagil Levy, Haaretz+) The secular majority should be working harder to annul the moral influence
of rabbis in the army.
In Israel, we do things better (Eitan Haber, Yedioth/Ynet) Israel's newscasters harp on about how Israel would have handled the latest terror attack in Europe better, but they don't know much more than the average Joe. Still, they'll keep prattling on to keep the viewer from switching channels.
Everyone loses in this trial (Yossi Yehoshua, Yedioth) Even those who think that Elor Azariya acted wrongly and should be punished - could not remain indifferent yesterday to his testimony in court. He reminded all of us that behind "the Shooting Soldier" stands a confused soldier, who maybe really panicked when he met a terrorist for the first time in his life. Azariya surprised (the courtroom) yesterday and it was clear his defense team prepared him well for his first appearance in court. But one must remember he has not yet stood before the prosecution. That happens today. Yesterday, we saw the hero of the affair stand on the witness stand without getting confused and paying back the former defense minister (Moshe Yaalon), the brigade commander, and especially his company commander, Tom Neeman. Yesterday, Azariya remembered that his company commander slapped him twice and he claimed that Neeman even tried to cover up the incident and told (Azariya) not to speak with anyone about what happened there. If that were true, why didn't the defense lawyers raise these claims before Major Neeman during his cross-examination?...And the battles are far from over. The defense is expected to summon two former generals: former deputy chief of staff Uzi Dayan and former head of logistics Dani Biton. Gen. Biton will testify in support of Azariya and say: "Why did you act differently in the case of Binyamin Brigade Commander, Col. Yisrael Shomer, who shot in the back [and killed - OH] a stone-thrower who was running away? Why wasn't he put on trial like Elor?...If in the end the soldier is acquitted, the trust in the IDF brass will deteriorate to a low that has never been reached before. If he is convicted the public disgrace will be exposed, and the international damage will be great. No good can come out of this trial.
The Growing Pains of Israel's New Elite (Ravit Hecht, Haaretz+) What began with the 1997 elections and intensified with the IDF's demographic changes over the past 20 years is in a phase of more external expression - in the media, art and culture.
Field trial (Tamar Kaplansky, Yedioth) The truth is I don’t know if Brig. Gen. Ofek Buchris is guilty (of rape). How would I know? I’m not a court…The indictment lists no less than 17 articles of rape, sodomy, indecent acts and inappropriate behavior. And that does not mean he is guilty. But it also doesn’t mean he’s innocent. And yet we endlessly hear what an amazing officer he is, what a wonderful family man he is, a man of values, “of many credits,” as his former commander, Gershon Cohen, compared him to King David and then apologized. And why are they telling us this? So that we will declare his judgement without a trial? They even made a Facebook page called “Supporters of Brig. Gen. Ofek Buchris,” which urges people to remember that Buchris is innocent till proven guilty. That’s an important demand. A pillar of democracy…But it appears that the one giving him a field trial is the Facebook support page, where the name of one of the complainants was revealed. Where someone wrote that “two parasites were hot for this handsome guy and when he rejected them one turned to drugs and the other gave in..and another commenter wrote that…they are “nymphomaniacs”… This is a field trial in which on the one hand they determined Buchris’ fate that he is innocent and on the other hand they turned the complainants into accused and sealed their fates…
Bibi's Interest in Media Looks Frightening, but There's No Guarantee He'll Get What He Wants (Raviv Drucker, Haaretz+) I've heard all the rumors and reports of impending doom as Netanyahu plans to disembowel media in Israel. None of it has yet come true.
Terror of the depressed (Yossi Beilin, Israel Hayom) We should not come to terms with Islamic terrorism, nor should we accept terrorism perpetrated by those suffering from depression. Neither are chronic diseases that cannot be cured.
Both Israel and Turkey Splurge on a Purge, but What's Netanyahu's Excuse? (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) But if Erdogan justifies his monstrous purging campaign with the claim that he is preventing another coup, what can Netanyahu say?
Politics Are Leading Israel to Economic Suicide via Ultra-orthodox Education Laws (Haaretz Editorial) Ever the political survivor, Netanyahu is pushing to give religious parties a free ride to ignore core curriculum, leaving graduates too poorly education to get a job.
In Israel, we do things better (Eitan Haber, Yedioth/Ynet) Israel's newscasters harp on about how Israel would have handled the latest terror attack in Europe better, but they don't know much more than the average Joe. Still, they'll keep prattling on to keep the viewer from switching channels.
Everyone loses in this trial (Yossi Yehoshua, Yedioth) Even those who think that Elor Azariya acted wrongly and should be punished - could not remain indifferent yesterday to his testimony in court. He reminded all of us that behind "the Shooting Soldier" stands a confused soldier, who maybe really panicked when he met a terrorist for the first time in his life. Azariya surprised (the courtroom) yesterday and it was clear his defense team prepared him well for his first appearance in court. But one must remember he has not yet stood before the prosecution. That happens today. Yesterday, we saw the hero of the affair stand on the witness stand without getting confused and paying back the former defense minister (Moshe Yaalon), the brigade commander, and especially his company commander, Tom Neeman. Yesterday, Azariya remembered that his company commander slapped him twice and he claimed that Neeman even tried to cover up the incident and told (Azariya) not to speak with anyone about what happened there. If that were true, why didn't the defense lawyers raise these claims before Major Neeman during his cross-examination?...And the battles are far from over. The defense is expected to summon two former generals: former deputy chief of staff Uzi Dayan and former head of logistics Dani Biton. Gen. Biton will testify in support of Azariya and say: "Why did you act differently in the case of Binyamin Brigade Commander, Col. Yisrael Shomer, who shot in the back [and killed - OH] a stone-thrower who was running away? Why wasn't he put on trial like Elor?...If in the end the soldier is acquitted, the trust in the IDF brass will deteriorate to a low that has never been reached before. If he is convicted the public disgrace will be exposed, and the international damage will be great. No good can come out of this trial.
The Growing Pains of Israel's New Elite (Ravit Hecht, Haaretz+) What began with the 1997 elections and intensified with the IDF's demographic changes over the past 20 years is in a phase of more external expression - in the media, art and culture.
Field trial (Tamar Kaplansky, Yedioth) The truth is I don’t know if Brig. Gen. Ofek Buchris is guilty (of rape). How would I know? I’m not a court…The indictment lists no less than 17 articles of rape, sodomy, indecent acts and inappropriate behavior. And that does not mean he is guilty. But it also doesn’t mean he’s innocent. And yet we endlessly hear what an amazing officer he is, what a wonderful family man he is, a man of values, “of many credits,” as his former commander, Gershon Cohen, compared him to King David and then apologized. And why are they telling us this? So that we will declare his judgement without a trial? They even made a Facebook page called “Supporters of Brig. Gen. Ofek Buchris,” which urges people to remember that Buchris is innocent till proven guilty. That’s an important demand. A pillar of democracy…But it appears that the one giving him a field trial is the Facebook support page, where the name of one of the complainants was revealed. Where someone wrote that “two parasites were hot for this handsome guy and when he rejected them one turned to drugs and the other gave in..and another commenter wrote that…they are “nymphomaniacs”… This is a field trial in which on the one hand they determined Buchris’ fate that he is innocent and on the other hand they turned the complainants into accused and sealed their fates…
Bibi's Interest in Media Looks Frightening, but There's No Guarantee He'll Get What He Wants (Raviv Drucker, Haaretz+) I've heard all the rumors and reports of impending doom as Netanyahu plans to disembowel media in Israel. None of it has yet come true.
Terror of the depressed (Yossi Beilin, Israel Hayom) We should not come to terms with Islamic terrorism, nor should we accept terrorism perpetrated by those suffering from depression. Neither are chronic diseases that cannot be cured.
Both Israel and Turkey Splurge on a Purge, but What's Netanyahu's Excuse? (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) But if Erdogan justifies his monstrous purging campaign with the claim that he is preventing another coup, what can Netanyahu say?
Politics Are Leading Israel to Economic Suicide via Ultra-orthodox Education Laws (Haaretz Editorial) Ever the political survivor, Netanyahu is pushing to give religious parties a free ride to ignore core curriculum, leaving graduates too poorly education to get a job.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.