APN's daily news review from Israel
Wednesday October 19, 2016
Quote of the day:
"I can't even hate you."
--Arab-Israeli rapper Tamer Nafer told right-wing hecklers at his concert supporting Arab-Jewish coexistence in Haifa last night.**
--Arab-Israeli rapper Tamer Nafer told right-wing hecklers at his concert supporting Arab-Jewish coexistence in Haifa last night.**
Breaking News:
Palestinian woman shot dead after allegedly attempting to stab Israeli troops in West Bank
Suspected assailant reportedly refused to stop and pulled out a knife at Border Police officers in West Bank ‘Tapuach’ junction, south of Nablus. (Haaretz and Maan)
Front Page:
Haaretz
- Operation Protective Edge report will severely criticize Gantz and Kochavi
- The rise in number of exit permits from the Strip: The Gaza Strip is an enormous prison // Amira Hass
- Testimonies from Mosul: ISIS is executing civilians trying to escape
- Trump needs a miracle in the last debate // Chemi Shalev
- State Comptroller: Right-wing rally on eve of elections was a prohibited donation; [anti-Netanyahu group] V15 acted according to law
- Lottery Tender for housing in Raanana: 22,000 people get to try to buy one of 81 apartments
- UN: Climate changes will bring millions to harsh poverty
- Stuck in a traffic jam // Haaretz Editorial
- In UNESCO’s resolution on Jerusalem there is architectural truth
- Secular paradise // Tomer Persico
Yedioth Ahronoth
- Teacher’s protest demonstration
- Discrimination in the afternoon pre-school in Ramat Gan– one for children whose parents can afford extra-curricular activities and one for children who can only watch and be jealous
- Obama: “Stop whining” – Tells Trump to stop complaining that “the elections are sold” and go out and get votes
- War song – Roars of support and boos, clapping and curses went with the performance of Arab-Israeli rapper Tamer Nafar yesterday in Haifa
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- Third round
- The tunnels oversight
- State Comptroller against Bennett – For third time, Habayit Hayehudi stars in the report and was fined a million shekels for violations of Elections Contributions Law
Israel Hayom
- Record tension ahead of last debate – Trump and Clinton meet for third time
- Health Ministry against pharmaceutical companies
- State Comptroller: Heavy fine for Joint List
- Boos and clashes at (Arab-Israeli rapper Tamer) Nafar’s performance in Haifa
- Iraqi Army and Kurds advancing to Mosul; In Europe fear: ISIS is in trouble and will go out to make attacks in the West
News Summary:
**Teachers protested missing wages, right-wingers protested and everyone else gave rounds of applause at the performance of an
Israeli-Arab rapper, the State Comptroller fined major parties for overspending their public funding (but the anti-Netanyahu V15 group’s activities got a thumb’s up) and initial conclusions of an army investigation into Operation Protective Edge determined that
the IDF didn’t brief the Prime Minister and cabinet on the scope of the Gaza tunnel threat and
was ill-prepared to deal with it – making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.
Also in the news, UNESCO officially adopted the Jerusalem resolution that upset Israel because it did call Harram Al-Sharif by it’s Jewish name, ‘the Temple Mount,’ and because it did not mention the Temple Mount is important to Jews. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu criticized it highly, but did not respond to any of the criticisms presented by the UNESCO resolution. The Hebrew papers took the Prime Minister’s line, however Maan noted that the resolution made clear that UNESCO recognized the importance of the Old City of Jerusalem for the “three monotheistic religions” -- Islam, Judaism, and Christianity -- and highlighted the significance of the holy sites in Hebron and Bethlehem for all three religions. Mexico and Brazil expressed opposition to the controversial assertion and both abstained. Afterward, Mexico’s Jewish UNESCO envoy, Andres Roemer, who walked out on the first vote, was dismissed. "I took a chance and I paid the price," he told the Israeli media yesterday.
Quick Hits:
Also in the news, UNESCO officially adopted the Jerusalem resolution that upset Israel because it did call Harram Al-Sharif by it’s Jewish name, ‘the Temple Mount,’ and because it did not mention the Temple Mount is important to Jews. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu criticized it highly, but did not respond to any of the criticisms presented by the UNESCO resolution. The Hebrew papers took the Prime Minister’s line, however Maan noted that the resolution made clear that UNESCO recognized the importance of the Old City of Jerusalem for the “three monotheistic religions” -- Islam, Judaism, and Christianity -- and highlighted the significance of the holy sites in Hebron and Bethlehem for all three religions. Mexico and Brazil expressed opposition to the controversial assertion and both abstained. Afterward, Mexico’s Jewish UNESCO envoy, Andres Roemer, who walked out on the first vote, was dismissed. "I took a chance and I paid the price," he told the Israeli media yesterday.
Quick Hits:
- Israeli settler teen arrested over attack on West Bank farmers - Suspect previously convicted to three months’ community service for torching Palestinian home. (Haaretz+)
- 200 women demand peace agreement on Israel's Lebanese border - A protest, led by the Women Wage Peace organization, included Liberian Peace Prize laureate Leymah Gbowee, who spoke warmly of the initiative and working toward peace in the region. (Ynet)
- Poll: Nearly 60% of Palestinians oppose state on 1967 borders - Survey of 1,362 people in Gaza and West Bank finds most oppose a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders, and 74% believe Palestinians should stop pursuing Oslo Accords. Britain seen as responsible for Palestinian "catastrophe." (Israel Hayom)
- The Shoafat Shooting: Palestinian Reportedly Shot Twice by Israeli Police a Meter Away - According to the report, Mustafa Nimr was hit in the head by two bullets September 4th when he was sitting in a car driven by a relative, Ali Nimr, who was under the influence of both drugs and alcohol. (Haaretz+)
- Three (Israelis) lightly wounded from rock-throwing in Jerusalem - Two Israelis sustain light injuries after rocks hurled at their vehicle in the At-Tur neighborhood; Israeli security personnel arrest 15 year old during scouring if the area; third Israeli wounded after being struck by rock at the Lions’ Gate in the Old City. (Ynet)
- Committee: 'Overwhelming majority' of Palestinian minors in Israeli custody are 'tortured' - As of mid-October, he said, the number of Palestinian prisoners in Ofer under 18 years old reached 28, 14 of whom were under 14 years old. (Maan)
- More than 200 Israelis tour Al-Aqsa amid heightened restrictions on Jewish holiday - Director of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound Sheikh Omar al-Kiswani told Ma’an that “a group of 206 Israeli settlers have raided Al-Aqsa Mosque since Tuesday morning, and toured Al-Aqsa under the protection of Israeli special forces and police,” one day after an estimated 43 Israelis also toured the compound. (Maan)
- Hebron's Ibrahimi mosque closed to Muslims on Jewish holiday - Israeli police spokesperson Luba al-Samri said in a statement the closures would be in effect from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m. on both Tuesday and Wednesday, during which time thousands of Jewish visitors were expected to visit the site, which is known to Jews as the Cave of Patriarchs. (Maan)
- In bid to bolster ties, Russia's prime minister to visit Israel - Announcement of Dmitry Medvedev's November 10 visit made in honor of 25th anniversary of restoration of diplomatic relations between Israel and Russia. (Haaretz+)
- Palestinians Seek Transfer of Legendary Military Leaders' Remains From Syria After ISIS Destroys Grave - Israel said it has denied a request to rebury Abu Jihad, the late Yasser Arafat's top strategist, in the West Bank alongside dozens of PLO fighters interred in a cemetery wrecked by ISIS in Syria's Yarmouk refugee camp. (Haaretz+)
- Israel refuses to allow arch-terrorist to be buried in PA territory - The remains of one of the most notorious Palestinian terrorist were refused entry on the orders of COGAT commander Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai; Abu Jihad was responsible for numerous attacks that killed dozens of Israelis. (Ynet)
- Criticized judge refuses to step down in ISIS case - Hagit Mak-Kalmanovitch, who approved the postponed imprisonment the Ammunition-Hill shooter, has rejected an application from a defendant accused of belonging to ISIS to recuse herself. (Ynet)
- American Hispanics, Gays Are Target Markets for Israeli Tourism Drive - Tourism Ministry doesn’t see any contradiction between marketing campaigns aimed simultaneously at traditional, religious tourists and at the global gay community: 'Contradictions make us unique.' (Haaretz+)
- Victims of Israeli raid fear Turkish court to halt case - Activists who were present on the Mavi Marmara flotilla in 2010, express their concern that a Turkish court will dismiss their claims against Israel' use of force when taking over the flotilla as it attempted to enter Gaza; An Istanbul high court will hold a hearing in the case on Wednesday, four months after the two nations normalized relations. (Agencies, Ynet)
- Introducing Tzur: The IDF's new drone - The new Israeli UAV will be capable of carrying supplies and special reconnaissance equipment, hover for long periods of time, and operate at a range of 10 kilometers. (Ynet)
- Israelis Returning to Sinai: "We heard Hebrew everywhere" - People of Israel are ignoring the warnings and going south in droves. "It was fun and much cheaper than Eilat," said the father of two daughters returning from the peninsula. According to the data, there are currently about 4,000 Israelis there today. (Maariv)
- Wikileaks 'We Shouldn't Have Israel at Public Events,' Clinton Campaign Manager Says in Email - Robby Mook says the Democratic presidential nominee should avoid mentioning Israel at public events, with senior members agreeing that she should only mention the Jewish state 'with donors.' (Haaretz)
- Adelson Pours Money Into Super PAC Dedicated to Defeating Clinton - New campaign finance reports show that Adelson and his wife together donated $10 million last month to Future 45, a group that can accept unlimited amounts of money from donors. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- EU concerned about ISIS fighters flowing into Europe - Iraqi troops keep encroaching on ISIS, but the European Union is concerned with the possibility of more ISIS fighters infiltrating the continent and bringing about a wave of terror attacks. (Agencies, Ynet)
Features:
The brewmistress of Taybeh
The groundbreaking, family-run West Bank brewery is also shattering the glass ceiling with general manager Madees Khoury, who is considered to be the first Palestinian female brewer in the Mideast; 'there is great satisfaction when I go out and see people enjoying our beers. I feel really proud to tell them that I made the beers they are drinking.' (Ynet)
Commentary/Analysis:
Gaza, Once Againn (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) Even if 100,000 Gazans receive exit permits, the Strip would remain a huge prison.
A response to a leftist patriot (Yoaz Hendel, Yedioth/Ynet) Contrary to the talk about a status quo or a binational state, Israel is separating itself from the Palestinians wherever it can. With the absence of government decisions, things are dictated by reality.
So, Who Won the Yom Kippur War? (Amir Oren, Haaretz+) Israel ostensibly won the Yom Kippur War, but Egypt had a long-term plan that would be foreign to Israel’s current leaders more worried about tweets.
A victory in self-deception (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) The Palestinian ‘narrative’ has scored another victory, this time at UNESCO. But it’s not a victory; it’s actually a defeat. The addiction to lies does not change reality or solve any problem—it pushes away the chance for reconciliation or peace.
Does the 'Father' of the 1948 Ethnic Cleansing Narrative Really Want to Recant His Words? (Steven Klein, Haaretz+) The Benny Morris of 2016 seems to be doing what he once accused the 'old historians' of doing – interpreting history and downplaying Israeli misdeeds in order to defend Israel’s legitimacy.
The terror wave, one year on (Prof. Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) Any sensible Palestinian understands that the reality in the West Bank, however complex it may be, is preferable to the situation in the Arab world.
The Palestinian diplomatic front against Israel is an existential war for the country (MK Sharren Heskel, Maariv) Behind UNESCO's decision stands the Palestinian attempt to make the conflict a struggle between Islam and Judaism. But still, they are liable to lose this battle.
Liberal Jews Should Condemn Denial of Jewish Ties to Temple Mount (Peter Beinart, Haaretz+) If we denounce Jews who deny Palestinian identity, we must do the same when Palestinians deny ours.
"Iran is holding Arad": The despicable campaign of the Israeli government (Ran Adelist, Maariv) For years, there was a mass festival in Israel calling for the return of the captured navigator. Between the mass campaigns and the bitter truth there was no proven intelligence findings that the man was alive. Following the book I published of my investigation ("Ron Arad, the Mystery", Yedioth Ahronoth) in 2000 was boycotted by the family and “authorized sources,"some of whom supported me in private. I spoke with dozens of people, both in Israel and abroad, who were directly and indirectly engaged in the search for Arad, and the sad conclusion was that Arad was a hanger for all kinds of interests whose connection with bringing him back was slight. The most despicable was the Israeli government, which used the unfounded hypothesis ("Iran is holding Arad") to conduct an international campaign against Iran while recruiting the misery of the wife and daughter to prove that Iran is a terrible country that is holding the POW without informing his family, in contravention of the Geneva Conventions…(Hence how ironic) that of all the places in the world, it was the Prime Minister’s Office which recently released the intelligence reports and conclusion of IDF Military Intelligence and the Mossad that Ron Arad, the Israeli Air Force navigator, "According to the information of the last two years," is basically a fallen IDF soldier whose place of burial is unknown since October 1986, two years after he parachuted into Lebanon.
Who is to blame for terror? (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) Terror has nothing to do with either the ‘left’ or the ‘right.’ Terrorists don’t care about this exchange of accusations between us. Terror continues because there are those who incite, those who support, those who fund and those who brainwash.
Don’t Blame Netanyahu. Blame the Israeli Electorate (Steven M. Cohen, Haaretz+) An 'out-of-touch' rightist Israeli government further embedding the settlements and disdaining non-Orthodox Judaism? According to Pew, they faithfully reflect the will of the people.
Undermining Israeli democracy with lies (Ze'ev Jabotinsky, Israel Hayom) B'Tselem head Hagai El-Ad's speech to the U.N. Security Council was factually inaccurate and intentionally misleading. The settlements are not illegal under international law.
Blue-and-white, That’s Our Color (Kobi Niv, Haaretz+) A blue ID card is perceived here as a prize, or a gift, or an honorary grant that we, the Jewish landlords, have in our goodness granted to Palestinians.
The groundbreaking, family-run West Bank brewery is also shattering the glass ceiling with general manager Madees Khoury, who is considered to be the first Palestinian female brewer in the Mideast; 'there is great satisfaction when I go out and see people enjoying our beers. I feel really proud to tell them that I made the beers they are drinking.' (Ynet)
Commentary/Analysis:
Gaza, Once Againn (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) Even if 100,000 Gazans receive exit permits, the Strip would remain a huge prison.
A response to a leftist patriot (Yoaz Hendel, Yedioth/Ynet) Contrary to the talk about a status quo or a binational state, Israel is separating itself from the Palestinians wherever it can. With the absence of government decisions, things are dictated by reality.
So, Who Won the Yom Kippur War? (Amir Oren, Haaretz+) Israel ostensibly won the Yom Kippur War, but Egypt had a long-term plan that would be foreign to Israel’s current leaders more worried about tweets.
A victory in self-deception (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) The Palestinian ‘narrative’ has scored another victory, this time at UNESCO. But it’s not a victory; it’s actually a defeat. The addiction to lies does not change reality or solve any problem—it pushes away the chance for reconciliation or peace.
Does the 'Father' of the 1948 Ethnic Cleansing Narrative Really Want to Recant His Words? (Steven Klein, Haaretz+) The Benny Morris of 2016 seems to be doing what he once accused the 'old historians' of doing – interpreting history and downplaying Israeli misdeeds in order to defend Israel’s legitimacy.
The terror wave, one year on (Prof. Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) Any sensible Palestinian understands that the reality in the West Bank, however complex it may be, is preferable to the situation in the Arab world.
The Palestinian diplomatic front against Israel is an existential war for the country (MK Sharren Heskel, Maariv) Behind UNESCO's decision stands the Palestinian attempt to make the conflict a struggle between Islam and Judaism. But still, they are liable to lose this battle.
Liberal Jews Should Condemn Denial of Jewish Ties to Temple Mount (Peter Beinart, Haaretz+) If we denounce Jews who deny Palestinian identity, we must do the same when Palestinians deny ours.
"Iran is holding Arad": The despicable campaign of the Israeli government (Ran Adelist, Maariv) For years, there was a mass festival in Israel calling for the return of the captured navigator. Between the mass campaigns and the bitter truth there was no proven intelligence findings that the man was alive. Following the book I published of my investigation ("Ron Arad, the Mystery", Yedioth Ahronoth) in 2000 was boycotted by the family and “authorized sources,"some of whom supported me in private. I spoke with dozens of people, both in Israel and abroad, who were directly and indirectly engaged in the search for Arad, and the sad conclusion was that Arad was a hanger for all kinds of interests whose connection with bringing him back was slight. The most despicable was the Israeli government, which used the unfounded hypothesis ("Iran is holding Arad") to conduct an international campaign against Iran while recruiting the misery of the wife and daughter to prove that Iran is a terrible country that is holding the POW without informing his family, in contravention of the Geneva Conventions…(Hence how ironic) that of all the places in the world, it was the Prime Minister’s Office which recently released the intelligence reports and conclusion of IDF Military Intelligence and the Mossad that Ron Arad, the Israeli Air Force navigator, "According to the information of the last two years," is basically a fallen IDF soldier whose place of burial is unknown since October 1986, two years after he parachuted into Lebanon.
Who is to blame for terror? (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) Terror has nothing to do with either the ‘left’ or the ‘right.’ Terrorists don’t care about this exchange of accusations between us. Terror continues because there are those who incite, those who support, those who fund and those who brainwash.
Don’t Blame Netanyahu. Blame the Israeli Electorate (Steven M. Cohen, Haaretz+) An 'out-of-touch' rightist Israeli government further embedding the settlements and disdaining non-Orthodox Judaism? According to Pew, they faithfully reflect the will of the people.
Undermining Israeli democracy with lies (Ze'ev Jabotinsky, Israel Hayom) B'Tselem head Hagai El-Ad's speech to the U.N. Security Council was factually inaccurate and intentionally misleading. The settlements are not illegal under international law.
Blue-and-white, That’s Our Color (Kobi Niv, Haaretz+) A blue ID card is perceived here as a prize, or a gift, or an honorary grant that we, the Jewish landlords, have in our goodness granted to Palestinians.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.