News Nosh 01.17.17

APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday January 17, 2017  
 
You Must Be Kidding: 
The number of children living below the poverty line in Israel has quadrupled over the past three decades, reaching 30.3 percent in 2015 – the highest rate among developed countries.**


Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

 
Israel Hayom
  • Attorney General: I’ll consider releasing the recordings – later
  • Channel 2: “Mozes and Netanyahu spoke about decreasing the copies of and ads in Israel Hayom”
  • The newest words of the Academy of (Hebrew) language
  • Because of a medical procedure: Chief of Staff Eisenkot to be hospitalized; His deputy, Gen. Yair Golan, will replace him
  • Tragedy in the Golan: Sgt. Viaslav Gregory was killed while doing maintenance work on an APC
  • 72 MKs signed: Suspend Ghattas (from the Knesset) – goes to vote in the plenum
  • (Singer) Aviv Geffen, who dodged army service, plans to perform at IDF bases

News Summary:
The latest in the Netanyahu-Mozes talks, the hospitalization soon of the IDF Chief of Staff for a ‘medical procedure’ and the death of an IDF soldier in an accident were top stories in the Hebrew newspapers – but not the killing of a Palestinian youth who threw stones.

According to new transcripts aired by Channel 2, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yedioth Ahronoth publisher Arnon Mozes also discussed limiting advertising in Israel Hayom. Mozes was questioned again today by police. However, Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit rebuffed calls to release the Netanyahu-Mozes tapes and said he may do so - later.  Opposition members addressed the case as well. MK Isaac Herzog said these were difficult days for democracy in Israel. Netanyahu insisted the media was out to get him and was adamant that he would continue to lead the country for many more years.
 
The death of an Israeli soldier, killed while working on the tracks of an APC, was a top story in today’s Hebrew newspapers. But death of a Palestinian youth who was shot for throwing stones, didn’t even make it into Yedioth’s pages. Qusai Hassan al-Amour, 17, was hit by three bullets in upper body while protesting an IDF incursion into the lands of his village of Tuqu, near the settlement of Tekoa. A Palestinian news website
posted a chilling video on Facebook showing Israeli soldiers grabbing the wounded youth and carrying him off to their jeep by the arms and legs, his head bumping like a sack of potatoes along the ground. One soldier or commander is heard saying, “Hey, hey, hey, guys, carefully.” His death, declared later by the soldiers, “fired up the atmosphere even more, and many more youth took to the streets,” wrote Maariv’s Noam Amir. [For the sake of comparison, Jerusalem’s Shabbat Square was closed for traffic yesterday after a group of ultra-Orthodox became rowdy, throwing rocks at security forces, in anger over the arrests of IDF draft dodgers. One officer was lightly injured from a rock. No one opened fire. – OH]
 
Quick Hits:
  • West Bank Military Court Verdicts Now Admissible in Israel - Knesset passes bill despite objection from attorney general. Amendment to Civil Code aims to help terror victims in damages cases against convicted terrorists. Opposition argues that law is de-facto annexation of West Bank, where Israeli law doesn't apply. (Haaretz and Israel Hayom)
  • 30% of Israeli Children Living in Poverty; Arabs, Haredim Worst Affected, Report Claims - Israel National Council for the Child nonprofit warns that child allowance cuts mean more families are unable to escape impoverishment. (Haaretz+ and Maariv)
  • Arab MKs stood for moment of silence in memory of Shimon Peres - Knesset held a special event in memory of the ninth president. Despite boycotting the funeral, almost all the members of the Joint List came to the event. Three left during Netanyahu's speech in an act of protest. (Maariv, p. 4)
  • Judges Slam Poor Jail Conditions at Jerusalem Police Station - Public defender officials say police stations all over the country hold inmates overnight but that Moriah lacks basic conditions, violating inmates’ rights. (Haaretz+) 
  • Ex-CIA Chief Spurns Report That Israel Was Warned Against Sharing Intel With Trump Administration - 'I don't think the Americans would do it. It is still America's CIA,' retired intelligence head Michael Hayden tells Jerusalem Post. (Haaretz
  • Israeli intel officers reportedly confirm: Global spy agencies looking into Trump's Russia ties - Buzzfeed cites two Israeli intelligence officials as saying unsubstantiated dossier on Moscow's dirt on Trump being looked into across world. (Haaretz)
  • In Rare Move, Britain Blocks EU Council From Adopting Paris Peace Summit Statement - Britain expressed its displeasure with the conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by sending a low-level functionary, instead of its foreign minister; 'The Brits read what Trump said and implemented it immediately,' diplomat tells Haaretz. (Haaretz+) 
  • Qatari Fuel Arrives in Gaza Amid Crippling Power Crisis - The strip's power authority says the $12 million worth of Qatari-bought diesel will double the amount of power provided to households in the coastal enclave. (Haaretz and Ynet)
  • Attorney general to publish opinion on conflict of interests in new Netanyahu-Shimron case - Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is expected to give his official opinion on a new conflict of interests between the Prime Minister's Office and PM Netanyahu's own lawyer, David Shimron; this comes after ongoing corruption allegations involving Shimron and the commissioning of naval defense vessels from German company ThyssenKrupp. (Ynet)
  • Israel police investigations chief to retire this summer, even amid Netanyahu's scandals - Haaretz has learned that Police Commissioner Roni Alsheich and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan may consider replacing Yitzhaki with someone from outside the police. (Haaretz+) 
  • IDF drone crashes in southern Lebanon - An IDF Skylark drone crashed in southern Lebanon as a result of what is believed to be a technical malfunction; Lebanese Armed Forces and Hezbollah are actively searching for the drone, while the IDF has notified UNIFIL of the incident. (Ynet)
  • IDF observation balloon falls in Palestinian territory - and found with Palestinian Authority help - Soldiers began looking for the observation balloon after noticing that it had been detached from its position above Highway 443; Israeli company announces the completed production of micro-balloon yet to have been acquired by the IDF.  (Ynet and Maariv, p. 6)
  • Israel arrests 13 Hamas terrorists in Judea and Samaria - Shin Bet-IDF joint operation exposes extensive Hamas infrastructure, command center in Ramallah and Binyamin that sought to topple Palestinian Authority and carry out mass terrorist attacks • Command center received funding from Gaza and abroad. (Israel Hayom
  • Report: F-35 has 276 deficiencies in combat performance - Outgoing Pentagon official cites "significant, well-documented deficiencies," but says Defense Department "has no plan to adequately fix and verify hundreds of these deficiencies" in current schedule • He says testing will not be complete until 2019-2020. (Israel Hayom)  
  • Zionist Union faction pushing for Arab List MK Ghattas to resign - Zionist Union, which opposes Removal Law that gives Knesset the power to force legislators to resign, wants Joint Arab List to exert pressure on Ghattas to resign his seat • Over 70 MKs have already green-lighted the Removal Law in Ghattas' case. (Israel Hayom)
  • Opposition lawmakers come out for expulsion of Ghattas from Knesset - Zionist Union has toughened its stance on the Arab MK suspected of intentionally smuggling phones to Palestinian security prisoners. (Haaretz
  • Ghattas questioned in financial corruption probe - Israel Police summoned MK Ghattas for questioning in regards to an ongoing investigation into financial corruption related to the Balad party, which has been ongoing since September; Ghattas: 'The investigation into Balad and its leadership is nothing more than political persecution with the object being to damage Balad's political image.' (Ynet)
  • How short is too short for Israel's parliament? New fashion arbiter to decide - A month after detention of parliamentary aide over 'immodest' attire, task force to meet to decide on appropriate hemline. (Haaretz+) 
  • No pants subway ride in Jerusalem - The No Pants Subway Ride started in New York City as a small prank, but has since become 'an international celebration of silliness,' the organization that stages the event says. (Haaretz
  • Character witnesses testify for Brig. Gen. Buchris (ahead of sentencing in rape trial) - As special court prepares to approve plea bargain for Brig. Gen. Ofek Buchris, who will be demoted to rank of colonel but will not be sent to prison over a host of sexual assault allegations, the former Golani commander calls character witnesses, including top military brass, bereaved families; ‘I know him as a brave commander and a warrior, titles which cannot be taken away from him.’ (Ynet
  • Sefad's chief rabbi testifies in MK sexual assault investigation - In ongoing investigation into sexual assault allegations levelled against Nissan Slomiansky, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu provides evidence, says he collected testimony from 2 women who claim they were harassed. (Ynet
  • Israeli Daily at Risk of Advertisers Fleeing Amid Netanyahu Corruption Scandal Probe - Many, but not all, media consultants say their clients are thinking twice about associating with Arnon Mozes' Yedioth Ahronoth. (Haaretz
  • Reshet in Talks With Channel 10 Over Merger - Tie-up would come as TV industry readies for era of more intense competition. (Haaretz
  • Corbyn Calls for Probe of Israeli Influence in British Politics After Al Jazeera Exposé - U.K. Labour leader's request comes after an Israeli embassy official was recording as saying he wanted to 'take down' British politicians he deemed unfriendly to Israel. (Haaretz
  • Two U.S. Jewish Congressmen Join Boycott of Trump's Inauguration - Rep. Steve Cohen and Rep. Jerry Nadler cite 'un-presidential remarks' and Trump's 'continued failure to address his conflicts of interest' as reasons for not attending. (Haaretz+) 
  • Hundreds of U.S. Jewish leaders reject charges of anti-Semitism against Keith Ellison - Some 300 community leaders, among them 100 rabbis, sign a letter to 'share our deep alarm at the unfounded accusations of anti-Semitism' against the congressman. (JTA, Haaretz)


Features:
The Inbetweeners New Film Shows 'Catch-22' Facing Liberal Palestinian Women in Israel
Maysaloun Hamoud’s debut feature 'In Between' shines an illuminating light on three young Arabs living in the heart of Tel Aviv. (Janan Bsoul, Haaretz+)

 
Commentary/Analysis:
Eligible for Aliyah, Barred From Israel: The Absurdity of the anti-BDS Law (Haaretz Editorial) The true purpose of the bill is to impose a sweeping sanction on anyone who doesn’t accept the Israeli occupation policy. 
In a Facebook Post, Netanyahu Finally Admits to Being a Corrupt Leader (Uri Misgav, Haaretz+) In a highly revealing post on Sunday, the prime minister inadvertently highlighted three lies, including why he called the 2015 election. 
Gaza Rocked by Rare Mass Protests Against Hamas - but Israel May Pay the Price (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Conditions in the Strip are so badly deteriorated, that thousands have taken to the streets against the Hamas regime. Heating up of protest against militant group may loosen its trigger finger against Israel. 
Living in the Darkness of Gaza (Mohammed Azaizeh, Haaretz+) My children are Yusuf, six, and Karim, five. I don’t know exactly why, perhaps because of the bitter cold or because of the growing tension at home since the electricity shortage began, but they have wet their beds a number of times.
The man who seeks to eliminate Yedioth (Sever Plocker, Yedioth/Ynet) Contrary to the common perception, American Jewish billionaire Sheldon Adelson did not create Israel Hayom in order to glorify and praise the Netanyahu family. He founded his free newspaper in order to destroy Yedioth Ahronoth and pave the way for a hawkish-nationalist change in the Jewish public opinion in Israel. 
The weaponization of threats (Dr. Reuven Berko, Israel Hayom) While the influence wielded by some European countries that participated in the Paris peace conference is waning, they can still inflict harm.
With Tape Excerpts Making Daily Headlines, Netanyahu Launches Pathetic Attack on Media (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) He was the speaker on the tapes, he's the suspect and it was the attorney general who decided to launch investigations, but for Netanyahu, the media is to blame. 
Israel’s war on Hezbollah’s accurate missiles (Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynet) All signs indicate that the strike attributed to the IAF in the Damascus area early Friday was aimed at destroying a shipment of accurate Iranian surface-to-surface missiles, which threaten most essential facilities in Israel. This is part of the war between wars, in which the IDF is supposedly trying to minimize casualties and damage in the next battle with Hezbollah.
Home field: Our future depends on the government of Israel, not on the United States (Uri Savir, Maariv) Israeli society is facing a critical crossroad and must choose the path that leads it back to the values of the Declaration of Independence and to the preservation of democracy and the two-state solution.
Netanyahu's Bad Cop Is Retiring, but That Might Not Help Him (Amir Oren, Haaretz+) Every politician will know that his fate is in the hands of the police commissioner alone, if Roni Alsheich implements his big plan to make all units subordinate to him. 
Why is Obama looking for a ‘legacy’ at Israel’s expense? (Yossi Shain, Yedioth/Ynet) The outgoing US president’s irresponsibility is fed by the arrogance of Israeli leaders, who have managed to position the settlements high in the international consciousness just in time for the change of administration. 
Barack Obama was a great president who could have achieved more, if it weren’t for racism (Ron Miburg, Maariv) Even if his credit rating in Israel dwindled, there are enough reasons to remember Obama as a great president. He could have reached greater achievements if not for racism which acted against him from his first day on duty. 
A farce in Paris (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom) Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem is the best guarantee of security for Paris.
New Film Depicts Deep Israeli Crisis (Avirama Golan, Haaretz+) 'In Between' is powerful expression of one of most significant contradictions in Israeli society: between great change brought on by feminism and religious radicalization seeping into every sector. 
The Paris peace conference (Elliott Abrams, Israel Hayom) This week's conference will be remembered only as yet another feeble effort to undermine Israel's legitimacy and its ideological and diplomatic defenses.
Syria's Palestinians Hope, at Best, for a Quick Death (Zvi Bar’el, Haaretz+) The Yarmouk refugee camp in Syria is not Aleppo, and the media is not interested in the some 6,000 Palestinian refugees under siege.

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