News Nosh 11.21.16

APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday November 21, 2016  

Quote of the day:
"The feeling will be like a baby in a diaper: In the beginning it will be warm and comfy, and then it will be cold and wet."
--In a fascinating Op-Ed that gives great information about the High Court's rulings' connections to the beginning of the settler movement, Yedioth's top political commentator Nahum Barnea gives a radical suggestion to the High Court justices on dealing with settlement related petitions.

You Must Be Kidding #1: 
Israel razed a makeshift Palestinian settlement camp, but left the nearby Jewish outpost standing.*
 
You Must Be Kidding #2: 
Israeli forces detained Abd al-Fattah al-Fakhouri, a 31-year-old Palestinian man in East Jerusalem, the day before his wedding because Hamas flags waved at pre-wedding festivities.**


Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
  • The submarine affair – new revelations: This is how Shimron pressed to establish a German shipyard in Israel
  • Moishe is 10-years-old – We returned to the boy who moved the state when he survived the attack in Mumbai and lost his parents
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
Israel Hayom

News Summary:
Israel’s Attorney General said he doesn’t think the police need to open a criminal investigation into a possible conflict of interests involving Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, his personal lawyer David Shimron and others in the deal to buy advanced submarines and other vessels from Germany, but the Justice Ministry said the affair is still being looked into as Netanyahu insisted that Israel’s security was his sole consideration making the top story in today’s Hebrew newspapers. (Haaretz has a live update on the latest in the submarine scandal.)
 
Meanwhile, Maariv’s Gideon Kotz reported from Paris that because Donald Trump was elected US President, the world believes that the France-led peace summit will likely be cancelled, although officially, French diplomats continue to promote the peace initiative.
 
Quick Hits:
  • Suspended due to U.S. pressure, East Jerusalem construction plan may be revived - Plan to build 500 homes includes expropriation of private Palestinian land; Jerusalem is planning to thaw additional projects beyond Green Line in aftermath of Trump's election as U.S. president. (Haaretz+) 
  • Despite U.S. objections, Netanyahu mulls moving settlers to abandoned Palestinian lands - Prime minister says working to find solution to stop demolition of illegal outpost of Amona by reviving old idea. (Haaretz)
  • *Israel razes makeshift Palestinian settlement, but keeps Jewish one - Palestinians erected camp to protest the Israeli outpost - which was built illegally near the West Bank settlement - but the army left the Jewish camp standing. (Haaretz+)
  • Senior legal official doubtful if AG will defend 'Muezzin Bill' - If the controversial bill that aims to ban mosques from using loudspeakers to summon the faithful to prayer passes in its expected form, which would grant an exemption for synagogues' Shabbat sirens, the official says that such a discriminatory law could not be defended before the High Court. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Israeli Minister Vows to Investigate 'Disrespect' for National Anthem at Fringe Theater - Miri Regev's post came after an actress criticized a defamation suit against director Mohammad Bakri and after audience members, some of whom had already begun filing out, were asked to sing the national anthem. (Haaretz and Israel Hayom)
  • Hebron shooter's defense team wraps up, asks court to acquit Elor Azaria of all charges - Azaria is on trial for manslaughter for shooting Palestinian in the head after he had already been shot by two soldiers that he had just attacked. (JPost and Israel Hayom)
  • Israeli court orders release of wounded Palestinian youth - An Israeli court issued a second order to release an injured Palestinian youth, Anas Zaid, 15, from Israeli custody. (Maan
  • Israeli police detains 2 Jerusalem teens, charges 1 for 'social media incitement' - For the past two weeks, the youths, one who was 15, maintained a Facebook page called “Bahaa Elayyan news,” named after a Palestinian who was killed by Israeli forces last year after carrying out a shooting and stabbing attack. (Maan
  • Ministry of Education calls for protection of Palestinian minors on Children's Day - According to prisoners rights group Addameer, 400 Palestinian minors were detained by Israel as of October, many of whom the group said were beaten, threatened, sexually assaulted, and placed in solitary confinement during their interrogation and detention. (Maan
  • **Israeli forces detain Palestinian man in East Jerusalem on his wedding day - In the middle of the night, Israeli forces raided the home of Abd al-Fattah al-Fakhouri, 31, just hours before his Friday pre-wedding party - because Hamas flags had been waved during the wedding festivities, said Israeli police. Al-Fakhouri was set to get married on Saturday. [Note: In 2005, Israel allowed Palestinian municipal elections to be held in E. Jerusalem with Hamas candidates running. - OH] (Maan)
  • Poll: Palestinians pessimistic about peace talks, national reconciliation, general future - According to the poll, 53.5 percent of the Palestinian public oppose the return to the direct negotiations with Israel after Israel’s rejection of the French peace initiative, which called for a multilateral international peace conference between Israel and the Palestinians. (Maan
  • 3 Israeli soldiers lightly injured in rock-throwing incident - An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an that "suspects" threw rocks at a bus near the illegal Israeli settlement of Geva Binyamin, breaking the windshield and several windows Sunday evening. (Maan
  • Israeli forces open fire at fishing boats off Gaza coast - Witnesses said Israeli naval boats opened fire at fishing boats off the coast of Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza Strip, and chased boats near Rafah in the south. No injuries were reported. (Maan
  • Israeli police detain 5 Israelis attempting to pray at Al-Aqsa compound - 64 ultra-Orthodox Israelis entered the Muslim holy site and attempted to perform Jewish prayers. While Jewish visitation is permitted, non-Muslim worship is prohibited according to an agreement between Israel and Jordan after Israel’s illegal occupation of East Jerusalem in 1967. (Maan
  • Ashton Kutcher Confronted by Protester at Airbnb Event Over Listings in West Bank Settlements - Code Pink activist storms stage at Airbnb conference in Los Angeles, accusing the company of supporting illegal activity. (JTA, Haaretz)
  • Rivlin: Amona settlers 'wonderful people who should not be hurt' - In India, President Reuven Rivlin says, "I don't think the [outpost regulation] law circumvents the High Court [ruling]."  Rivlin tours Foreign Ministry's Center for Cultural Excellence in New Delhi, says Indians see Israel as "a partner and an example." (Israel Hayom)
  • Israeli Army Digging in Against Possible Hezbollah Incursion - For the first time in many years, the IDF is taking pains to improve its ground capabilities - while preparing for incursion from the north. (Haaretz+) 
  • Army dismisses officer for fleeing deadly Jerusalem attack while armed - Combat soldier failed to confront the Palestinian assailant after he opened fired on commuters at a light rail station, killing a 60-year-old woman and, later, a police officer. (Haaretz+ and Ynet
  • Women's groups seek to weaken Israeli army, retired general says - Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yiftah Ron-Tal calls to keep women out of the tank corps. (Haaretz+ and Israel Hayom)
  • WATCH: Israel Military Industries hold live demonstration for foreign buyers - On display were the Magic Spear—a new 160mm precision guided rocket—and a large 155mm Artillery Ammunition shell, as well as a 120kg warhead, which is fitted to the long-range missile EXTRA. (Ynet
  • Israel tops list of child fatalities from car accidents - Children comprise 10.8% of car accident deaths in Israel, compared to the average of 3.2% in the 28 countries surveyed by an international traffic safety research group. This year's Road Safety Week focuses on family behavior. (Israel Hayom)
  • Tel Aviv declines Religious Affairs Ministry’s 'Jewish identity coordinators' - Meretz Councilman Michael Gitzin calls the program a 'system of political indoctrination' that has 'no place in secular community centers.' (Haaretz+) 
  • Riding global trend, Israeli women launch their own 'Pantsuit Nation' - Hillary Clinton supporters in Israel say they have a unique role to play as the world gets used to a Trump presidency. (Haaretz+) 
  • Four Israelis indicted on suspicion of trafficking in kidneys - The suspects, one of them a surgeon, are charged with forging documents and having the transplants done in Turkey. (Haaretz+) 
  • How Did Jared Kushner Get Into Harvard, Anyway? - The author of a 2006 book called 'The Price of Admission' suggests Trump's son-in-law did not get into the prestigious Ivy League school on the strength of his grades and SAT scores alone. (Haaretz
  • Possible Trump Pick for Defense Post Sees Israel Turning Into Apartheid State - Retired Marine Gen. James Mattis, who was known as 'Mad Dog,' also has said that the United States pays a 'price' for its support of Israel. (JTA, Haaretz
  • Palestinians propose a variety of museums for locals - Though the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Authority's territory in the West Bank are not very popular tourist destinations, but that doesn't stop the locals from making museums for all to enjoy. (Ynet
  • Video Shows Bombing of Syrian Hospital in Aleppo - CCTV footage shows the interior and exterior of the pediatric facility in rebel-held eastern Aleppo, as it was hit by the bomb. (Agencies, Haaretz
  • Damascus Rejects UN Proposal to Grant Eastern Aleppo Autonomy - Foreign minister says Syria doesn't accept leaving some 275,000 people in city as 'hostages to 6,000 gunmen.' (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • US disputes Jordan's claim that Americans caused shooting - The Jordanian military is blaming the deaths of three US soldiers at a Jordanian air base on the Americans' refusal to obey direct orders given to them by Jordanian troops; US denies all accusations. (Agencies, Ynet
  • Turkish Ruling Party Sparks Uproar With Sexual Abuse Bill - The proposal would allow sentencing in cases of sexual abuse committed "without force, threat or trick" before November 16, 2016 to be indefinitely postponed if the perpetrator marries the victim. (Agencies, Haaretz
  • In Post-coup Turkey, Some Jews Turn to Israel as Way Out - Approximately 250 Jews from Turkey have immigrated to Israel in the past year, a figure that doubles the 2015 tally and constitutes more than 1 percent of Turkey's Jewish community. (JTA, Haaretz
  • Report: Two assassination plots of Egyptian president thwarted - According to first conspiracy, al-Sisi was to be assassinated during a pilgrimage to Mecca; plotters also intended to murder Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhammad bin Nayef; one of the terrorists offered his wife as a suicide bomber to divert attention away from al-Sisi’s imminent murder. (Ynet


Features:
In Israel and U.S., disproportionate assaults on artists who dare open their mouths
Donald Trump and Israeli Culture Minister Miri Regev are assailing artists who deserve more for their efforts, whether on Broadway or in Israel’s outskirts. (Yair Ashkenazi, Haaretz+)
 
Commentary/Analysis:
The Wisdom of the Israeli Occupation (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) Reality shows that Israelis who believe in the rule 'don’t do unto others what you don’t want others to do unto you' are of unsound mind, while those who support plunder are the wise ones. 
Like a baby in a diaper - The day that the High Court leaves the Territories (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth) Last week the Knesset passed in a preliminary hearing the Regularization Bill that will pave the way for legalizing settlement outposts built on land that isn't theirs. Netanyahu and Kahlon spoke against it but voted for it. The non-ideological right-wing, such as Netanyahu and Kahlon, is praying now that by the third reading a magic solution will be found that will satisfy the settler lobby or that the High Court will strike the bill down...I suggest to the justices a radical idea: reexamine the relationship between the High Court and the (Palestinian) Territories. The fateful decision after the Six Day War (1967) that the State will not oppose a petition by a resident of the Territories was seen by retired chief justice Meir Shamgar as important and right because it allowed efficient judicial supervision of the army's operations and encouraged Palestinian recognition of Israeli institutions. The decision integrated with the no-less-dramatic High Court decision in 1979. The Begin government reached a wink-agreement with the settlement leaders of Gush Emunim: six settlements will be established on the edges of army bases in the West Bank. One of those settlements was Beit El. It was established on private (Palestinian) land. The landowners petitioned the High Court. The state was represented by Dorit Beinish and Gabriel Bach, both future High Court justices. They claimed that the settlers are like soldiers - they, their wives, and their children are vital for security. The judges were not told a word about the political agreement with Gush Emunim. The ruling released the state from the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit settling populations in occupied land. "The decision closed the door on any possibility of attacking a principled attack on the legality of settlements in the Territories," wrote Michal Shaked, the biographer of then chief justice, Moshe Landau. Landau justified the ruling saying that the occupation was temporary. "The problem could arise during fateful international negotiation with the Israeli government," wrote Landau. "Any expression of opinion by the court in this sensitive issue won't harm or help." The decision in the petition spurred an opposite process. it opened the doors for massive settling and turned the occupation into something permanent. The High Court was a senior collaborator in the wink policy [let things pass without acknowledging that they aren't okay - OH], which the Israeli governments led. The High Court justices were the tailors of the new king's clothes. Since then, in anything regarding the settlements, the High Court is an armored vest and babysitter of the governments of Israel. The governments give in to right-wing pressures, violate the law and afterward attack the High Court in that it is trying to return them to the rule of law. That's what is supposed to happen with the Regularization Bill...I suggest an alternative to the Justices. This is what to write in your court ruling: "Twenty years ago the court reached decisions that were good for their time. In the meantime, the situation has changed: it is the 50th anniversary of the occupation and negotiations cannot be seen in the horizon. The validity of the grounds that motivated the High Court to enter the Territories have expired. If the Knesset decides to annex territories, we will answer them: That's our obligation. In the meantime, we withdraw." The ruling will disrupt the plans. The government will be forced to deal with the settler pressures without the High Court serving as a cushioning. The (Palestinian) petitioners and the NGOs that help them will look for help at the International Criminal Court at The Hague and in the international community. The High Court will no longer cause Ministers Shaked and Levine to lose sleep. The right-wing will feel that it finally is in control. The feeling will be like a baby in a diaper: In the beginning it will be warm and comfy, and then it will be cold and wet.
Settlers Failing to See the Big Picture in East Jerusalem (Nir Hasson, Haaretz+) Silwan will not be Judaized, and the Palestinians aren’t going anywhere. 
Occupational hazard: When Netanyahu defames the media, unimportant men call the police on them (Ron Kaufman, Maariv) In the old world there were rules. You want to silence a journalist? File a civil suit, lose, and start again. Today, it turns out, they send four police officers and one dog to his house to search for drugs. 
The Minister of Israel's ultra-Orthodox (Haaretz Editorial) By putting the brakes on a bill seeking to silence mosques, ultra-Orthodox Minister Yaakov Litzman created the impression he sought solidarity with Muslim worshippers. On Sunday, he proved just how mistaken that impression was. 
A prayer for silence, for Muslims and for all (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) The bill to limit muezzin calls is turning into another religious war, in which the Israeli Left is automatically siding with the provocateurs; however, the main victims of the ear-splitting loudspeakers—a rather recent addition—are other Muslims. 
Time for Israel's Attorney General to Surface (Raviv Drucker, Haaretz+) If Netanyahu is not allowed to deal with Bezeq, as the AG Avichai Mendelblit courageously decided, is he then allowed to purchase submarines? 
Another attempt to torpedo Netanyahu (Mati Tuchfeld, Israel Hayom) The purchase of submarines is a top strategic priority, and none of Netanyahu's critics have the knowledge or security clearance to voice an opinion about it.
In the Post-truth Era, Netanyahu Is the Inciter-in-chief (Avshalom Halutz, Haaretz+) Netanyahu provides on a regular basis half-truths, populist declarations and alternative news, while his main objective is almost always to demonize Arabs and the left-wing camp. 
On open ears: This is how the Israeli government is advancing the Jewish-Arab rift (Dr. Revital Amiran, Maariv) Trump’s appointments give a boost to the Muezzin Law initiative, whose goal is not to protect the peaceful sleep of the residents of Israel, but to move towards selective religious freedom in the country. 
Netanyahu Is Israel's Clinton, Not Its Trump (Amiel Ungar, Haaretz) The labored comparison between Trump and Netanyahu is not only politically stupid, it is wrong. And the liberal charge of racism against both Trump and Netanyahu is entirely hypocritical. 
Trump's election forces American Jews to choose a new direction (Avihu Sofer, Maariv) The crossroads that American Jews are at is an opportunity to strengthen the weak connection between them and the State of Israel and make us all one Jewish nation. (The writer is a lecturer of political science at Haifa University and runs the Lobby for the Unity of the Jewish People.) 
Culture Wars: Hamilton Cast Fires First Shot in Conflict Israel Knows Only Too Well (Don Futterman, Haaretz+) Donald Trump should take a look at Israeli minister Miri Regev to see how to really threaten artists and dictate a national cultural agenda. 
The Arab World Exists Without Corruption (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) Why? Because the ruler is also the rich owner.
The Regularization Law: Those who supported Oslo today oppose making judicial order in the Territories (Dr. Haim Misgav, Maariv) … The Regularization Bill needs to become law. Initially, the territories that Rabin spoke of, Area C, in which the (settlement) "blocks" are located. Because in any case, it will become part of the State of Israel, so why do not to them what Menachem Begin did to the Golan Heights? In the agreement that the Knesset approved, it was explicitly defined which territories will be under the the civil and security control of the Jewish state. Annexation would not hurt the demographic character of the Jewish state. The vision of "two states" never materialized, and Rabin’s view did not have anything material. So this is the time to make the necessary legal changes. 
Israel's Supreme Court Wants Amona Demolished. Where Are the Palestinian Plaintiffs? (Moshe Arens, Haaretz+) They should explain how they came into possession of the land on which the outpost was built, but they’re playing the role of phantom.

 
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.