APN's daily news review from Israel
Wednesday January 25, 2017
Quote of the day:
“Was the war really conducted in a negligent manner, or perhaps Netanyahu and (former defense minister
Moshe) Ya'alon actually demonstrated responsibility and caution? After all, they knew and understood, as well
as the chief of staff and his generals, that fast moves - as (Minister Naftali) Bennett urged: "Be galloping
horses" - will cause many deaths that Israeli society finds difficult to deal with… And there is another truth
that must be admitted: neither Hamas nor its tunnels pose a strategic threat to Israel's military
power.”
--Maariv’s Intel commentator Yossi Melman writes that while the State Comptroller’s report may make look Minister Naftali Bennett look good for exposing that information was kept from the security cabinet, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Bennett was strategically right in pushing for the destruction of the Hamas tunnels.*
You Must Be Kidding:
Israeli soldiers in a military jeep forced a left-wing activist to drive over a solid white line and then ticketed him. The Jerusalem Magistrate Court ruled the state will pay 45,000 shekels (about $12,000) to left-wing activist Ezra Nawi.
--Maariv’s Intel commentator Yossi Melman writes that while the State Comptroller’s report may make look Minister Naftali Bennett look good for exposing that information was kept from the security cabinet, it doesn’t necessarily mean that Bennett was strategically right in pushing for the destruction of the Hamas tunnels.*
You Must Be Kidding:
Israeli soldiers in a military jeep forced a left-wing activist to drive over a solid white line and then ticketed him. The Jerusalem Magistrate Court ruled the state will pay 45,000 shekels (about $12,000) to left-wing activist Ezra Nawi.
Front Page:
Haaretz
- Netanyahu and Lieberman advancing construction of 2500 apartments in settlements
- Thousands came to the funeral of the (Bedouin) driver who was killed in Um al-Hiran
- Yaalon gave testimony in submarine and ships acquisition affair
- Netanyahu met secretly with Chairman of Murdoch media empire
- State Comptroller: IDF was sent to battle in tunnels without a plan
- (Jewish) Israeli who went to fight ISIS was arrested in an Arab state on suspicion of murder
- Lieberman decided to transfer the responsibility of IDF Radio from the army to the Defense Ministry
- Three and a half years prison to former chief rabbi Metzger (for bribery)
- Trump is advancing establishing oil pipelines that Obama cancelled
- Stop the torture // Haaretz Editorial
- There must be a better system (than democracy) // Eli Eliyahu
- A bereaved, homeless father
- The bubble of freebie newspapers that shocked the media market is expected to pass from this world
Yedioth Ahronoth
- “Save me from the death sentence” -Jewish Israeli in jail in Arab country needs $120,000 to be released
- Health Ministry report: The most infected hospitals
- Storm at the end of the tunnel
- The secret cult of the famous
- White House: “Leave (Trump’s son) Barron alone”
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- Yaalon gave testimony in the submarines affair
- Operation Protective Edge – the battle over the (cabinet’s) protocol
- Azariya trial: Kfir Brigade commander was summoned to testify following his conversation with the father of the Shooting Soldier
- Netanyahu and Lieberman declared approval for construction of thousands of housing units over the Green Line
Israel Hayom
- Prime Minister: We conducted the war in the field, not in the protocol – Operation Protective Edge, the second round: The battle over the State Comptroller’s report
- Approved: 2,500 housing units in Judea and Samaria
- For the first time: Report on infection statistics
- Lieberman decided: Army Radio station will become a military unit in the Defense Ministry
- Elor Azariya trial: Kfir Brigade commander , Guy Hazut, was summoned to testify
News Summary:
The battle over the war report, the harassment of police investigating Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu,
and the green light from Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman to build thousands of housing units over the Green Line made top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Also, a Canadian-Israeli citizen who fought ISIS in an unnamed Arab country is on trial there for murder, the former IDF chief of staff Moshe Yaalon testified in the affair of the German submarine acquisitions, which he opposed, and Lieberman transferred the Army Radio Station from being under IDF control to being a part of his ministry – thereby giving him more control over it. And finally, thousands of people came to the funeral of Yakoub Abu al-Kaiyan, who was shot by police, after which his car ran into a policeman who was killed. There was no violence, despite the claims by police that there would be, which is why they held his body until forced by the High Court to release it without conditions.
A Knesset panel postponed the release of the State Comptroller report into leadership failings in conducting the 2014 Gaza war, Operation Protective Edge. The report will likely make Education Minister Naftali Bennett look good, say the commentators. In leaks of the security cabinet protocol, which Yedioth published Tuesday, Bennett criticized Netanyahu and then defense minister Moshe Yaalon for not sharing the extent of the Hamas tunnels, which the report confirmed, and opposing an invasion of the Strip. Bennett argued that Israel Defense Forces brass and defense establishment should “come to the cabinet with a mind to go on the offensive, like galloping horses, not lazy bulls.” Yaalon said Hamas had no interest in attacking Israel and even if the IDF destroyed the tunnels, Hamas would build them again. The IDF operation was launched on July 8, lasted 50 days and dozens of Israeli soldiers were killed in the ground invasion. Many of the bereaved parents were outraged at the decision to postpone the publication of the report. However, others believed that publishing the report would only cause harm. Netanyahu insisted that he did warn of the threat months before and he quoted from minutes. Also, very interesting statements made at the tenth conference of The Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, approval of construction of 2,500 settler homes sparked outrage and condemnation. Haaretz, Yedioth and Maariv quoted Peace Now, which called the approval a “desperate attempt” by Netanyahu to divert attention away from the corruption cases against him and the criticism over the handling of Operation Protective Edge. Peace Now accused Netanyahu of “leading Israel into a bi-national state reality. The price of Netanyahu's transparent spin will be exacted solely at the expense of Israeli citizens.” Only Israel Hayom did not get the response of any left-wing organization or politician. The EU, Jordan and the Palestinians also denounced the plan – and surprisingly so did the Yesha settler council, fearing that it was “a deception meant to look like large-scale approval of construction, while in reality, as on previous occasions, only a few hundred will be built and the rest will only be planned.” At a White House press briefing, Press Secretary Sean Spicer neither condemned nor supported the Israeli approval and said settlement construction would be discussed in the upcoming meeting with Netanyahu.
And at the Institute for National Security Studies conference in Tel Aviv:
Lieberman: On the enormous settlement housing approval, Defense Minister Lieberman said, "There is nothing new about it, we have always constructed, including under the Obama administration."
Lieberman also said that he doesn’t rule out occupying the Gaza Strip in the next conflict: “If a quarter of the Strip is needed, then we occupy a quarter of the Strip. If more, then more.” He called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas “an illegitimate leader who is unable to lead or persuade.”
And on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Lieberman said: "I advise the Europeans, Americans and Russians to first of all steer clear of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Whoever wants to help solve the conflict should first forget the excessive involvement of the rest of the world powers, mainly that of Europe. It is mostly disruptive."
Yedioth and Israel Hayom reported that Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked revealed her five-point diplomacy plan, whose first point seemed to come in conflict with the rest of her plan:
1.) to repair and minimize the political damage created in the international arena in recent years.
2.) promote international recognition of Israel's borders that annexed the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
3.) Strengthen Jerusalem and settlement in it.
4.) Annex Maaleh Adumim. 5.) Annex Gush Etzion settlement bloc. (A settler website has details.)
Former CIA director David Patraeus said the US must keep the military option in Iran open and on moving the US embassy to Jerusalem he said: “My hope would be that there could be something along those lines that would also have reassurances about some of the very sensitive sites, not foreclosing the possibilities for a Palestinian capital," and emphasized that he believes in the two-state solution.
Abbas meanwhile met the US Consul-General in Jerusalem Donald Blome at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah and affirmed his full commitment to the message of peace and determination to work together and strengthen bilateral relations in order to achieve just peace for a stable and secure Middle East free from violence and terrorism, WAFA reported.
The battle over the war report, the harassment of police investigating Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu,
and the green light from Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman to build thousands of housing units over the Green Line made top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Also, a Canadian-Israeli citizen who fought ISIS in an unnamed Arab country is on trial there for murder, the former IDF chief of staff Moshe Yaalon testified in the affair of the German submarine acquisitions, which he opposed, and Lieberman transferred the Army Radio Station from being under IDF control to being a part of his ministry – thereby giving him more control over it. And finally, thousands of people came to the funeral of Yakoub Abu al-Kaiyan, who was shot by police, after which his car ran into a policeman who was killed. There was no violence, despite the claims by police that there would be, which is why they held his body until forced by the High Court to release it without conditions.
A Knesset panel postponed the release of the State Comptroller report into leadership failings in conducting the 2014 Gaza war, Operation Protective Edge. The report will likely make Education Minister Naftali Bennett look good, say the commentators. In leaks of the security cabinet protocol, which Yedioth published Tuesday, Bennett criticized Netanyahu and then defense minister Moshe Yaalon for not sharing the extent of the Hamas tunnels, which the report confirmed, and opposing an invasion of the Strip. Bennett argued that Israel Defense Forces brass and defense establishment should “come to the cabinet with a mind to go on the offensive, like galloping horses, not lazy bulls.” Yaalon said Hamas had no interest in attacking Israel and even if the IDF destroyed the tunnels, Hamas would build them again. The IDF operation was launched on July 8, lasted 50 days and dozens of Israeli soldiers were killed in the ground invasion. Many of the bereaved parents were outraged at the decision to postpone the publication of the report. However, others believed that publishing the report would only cause harm. Netanyahu insisted that he did warn of the threat months before and he quoted from minutes. Also, very interesting statements made at the tenth conference of The Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, approval of construction of 2,500 settler homes sparked outrage and condemnation. Haaretz, Yedioth and Maariv quoted Peace Now, which called the approval a “desperate attempt” by Netanyahu to divert attention away from the corruption cases against him and the criticism over the handling of Operation Protective Edge. Peace Now accused Netanyahu of “leading Israel into a bi-national state reality. The price of Netanyahu's transparent spin will be exacted solely at the expense of Israeli citizens.” Only Israel Hayom did not get the response of any left-wing organization or politician. The EU, Jordan and the Palestinians also denounced the plan – and surprisingly so did the Yesha settler council, fearing that it was “a deception meant to look like large-scale approval of construction, while in reality, as on previous occasions, only a few hundred will be built and the rest will only be planned.” At a White House press briefing, Press Secretary Sean Spicer neither condemned nor supported the Israeli approval and said settlement construction would be discussed in the upcoming meeting with Netanyahu.
And at the Institute for National Security Studies conference in Tel Aviv:
Lieberman: On the enormous settlement housing approval, Defense Minister Lieberman said, "There is nothing new about it, we have always constructed, including under the Obama administration."
Lieberman also said that he doesn’t rule out occupying the Gaza Strip in the next conflict: “If a quarter of the Strip is needed, then we occupy a quarter of the Strip. If more, then more.” He called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas “an illegitimate leader who is unable to lead or persuade.”
And on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Lieberman said: "I advise the Europeans, Americans and Russians to first of all steer clear of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Whoever wants to help solve the conflict should first forget the excessive involvement of the rest of the world powers, mainly that of Europe. It is mostly disruptive."
Yedioth and Israel Hayom reported that Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked revealed her five-point diplomacy plan, whose first point seemed to come in conflict with the rest of her plan:
1.) to repair and minimize the political damage created in the international arena in recent years.
2.) promote international recognition of Israel's borders that annexed the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
3.) Strengthen Jerusalem and settlement in it.
4.) Annex Maaleh Adumim. 5.) Annex Gush Etzion settlement bloc. (A settler website has details.)
Former CIA director David Patraeus said the US must keep the military option in Iran open and on moving the US embassy to Jerusalem he said: “My hope would be that there could be something along those lines that would also have reassurances about some of the very sensitive sites, not foreclosing the possibilities for a Palestinian capital," and emphasized that he believes in the two-state solution.
Abbas meanwhile met the US Consul-General in Jerusalem Donald Blome at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah and affirmed his full commitment to the message of peace and determination to work together and strengthen bilateral relations in order to achieve just peace for a stable and secure Middle East free from violence and terrorism, WAFA reported.
Quick Hits:
- High Court OKs demolitions of Palestinian houses in Israeli army firing zone - Villagers in the southern Hebron Hills area, and their attorney, Shlomo Lecker, worry that the ruling to allow demolition of structures “adjacent” to an illegally built structure in the village will be taken advantage of by the inspectors - whom they believe are also settlers – to authorize the immediate and extensive demolition of residential and public structures. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli army carries out drills in Jordan Valley after expelling Palestinian residents - Israeli army forced out dozens of Palestinians from their homes in the West Bank village of Khirbet al-Kurzaliya in the northern Jordan Valley on Tuesday morning to carry out military training exercises, a day after dozens of structures were demolished in the area. (Maan)
- Amona settlers threaten to return to illegal outpost after eviction - 'The hand that evacuates Amona is not that of the police or the army, but of Bennett and Netanyahu. If you can't solve the problem—resign,' say Amona residents; Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan warns of 'uprooting for the sake of uprooting.' (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Thousands Protest Against Demolition Orders in Druze Towns and Villages - Demonstrators carried Druze flags and protest signs; at the end of the march, the protesters, including Jews and Muslims as well, gathered in the northern village of Maghar. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli army attacks Hamas position in Gaza after gunfire at soldiers - Tank fire (at Gaza) was in response to gunshots near border fence. In northern Israel IDF checks whether gunshots heard near Metulla was deliberate cross-border fire. (Haaretz and Ynet)
- Council of Europe report accuses Israel of 'systematic killing' in Gaza - The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe voted to adopt the report that places blame for humanitarian situation in Gaza on Israel, calling on it to lift blockade, bring Palestinians in to work and formulate a long-term plan to establish a Palestinian state. (Ynet)
- B'Tselem: Palestinian teenager shot dead last month was fleeing scene - Ahmad Hazem Ata Zidani, 17, was shot dead when clashes erupted with Israeli forces in Beit Rima village during an overnight raid. A 25-year-old resident of village was also injured with an Israeli live bullet during the same incident. (Maan+VIDEO)
- Injured Palestinian teen to be released from Israeli custody- Israeli released 14-year-old Usama Zeidat from prison on bail and a promise that he returns to the next court session. Zeidat was shot in the back and leg and detained after he allegedly attempted to carry out a stabbing attack near the illegal settlement of Kiryat Arba in September. (Maan)
- Azaria's father delivers emotional plea to the judges - In a final bid to convince the judges to lighten the sentence against his son, Charlie Azaria, weeping before the judges, described his son's innate kindness, lamented the physical toll the trial has taken on his family: 'My son has been abandoned.' [His son extrajudicially killed an incapacitated Palestinian assailant. – OH] (Ynet)
- Israeli University Heads Call to Scrap Plan Limiting Professors’ Political Remarks - 'We don’t want academics to fear sharing their views in public, as happens in some countries that we don’t want to resemble,' committee says. (Haaretz+)
- **Israel to Pay Left-wing Activist $12,000 for Road Harassment by Cops - A policeman and army officer to be prosecuted for forcing Ezra Nawi to violate traffic laws, then giving him a ticket. (Haaretz+)
- Palestinian cop accused of killing Israeli in Nablus acquitted of murder charges - Judge rules that it cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt that shots fired by Nawaf Fahd Bani Oudeh are what killed Ben Yosef Livnat at Joseph's Tomb in 2011. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli rape victim recognized as victim of hate crime - A Jewish student who was sexually assaulted by a group of Palestinians with nationalistic motives will be entitled to the benefits accorded to victims of terrorism. (Ynet)
- Netanyahu secretly met with Murdoch media empire execs in fall of 2016 - Previous reports said the prime minister attempted to negotiate the sale of Yedioth Ahronoth to the Murdochs in 2015, but the revelation of a new secret meeting suggests such activity continued much later than previously known. (Haaretz+)
- Police grill media mogul Mozes for fifth time over links with Netanyahu - Israel Police commissioner says senior officers involved in investigation have been harassed. (Haaretz+)
- Netanyahu May Be Banned From Dealing With TV Station Due to Milchan Ties - Channel 10 shareholder Arnon Milchan, who allegedly gave gifts to the Netanyahu family, is key figure in graft investigation against prime minister, who is also communications minister. Prohibition may also apply to rival Channel 2. (Haaretz+)
- Military Skylark drone crashes during operation over Nablus - Tactical surveillance drone's wreckage recovered by IDF troops operating in the sector • Military investigating circumstances of the crash • Skylark crash the second in a few days, as another drone had crashed over Israel-Lebanon border last week. (Israel Hayom)
- Uproar in Knesset after Hitler comparison on Holocaust memorial day - Two lawmakers were removed from Knesset chambers after launching a verbal assault on MK Esawi Freige who said the rhetoric of early Nazi Germany is apparent today in the U.S. and in Israel. [Note: This was also said last year by the Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan. – OH] (Haaretz+)
- Israeli forces spray weed killers near Gaza border, burn Palestinian crops - One Gazan farmer called Abu Ahmad said Israeli aircrafts sprayed fields on the Palestinian side of the “buffer zone” in southern Gaza to “guarantee clear vision for the Israeli army, but the spray travels “dozens of meters” throughout the air away from the targeted area, causing serious damages to Palestinian crops far beyond the buffer zone. (Maan)
- Israel releases 2 Gazan merchants after 8 days of detention - Erez is the only land crossing between Gaza and Israel and Palestinians detained at Erez are often interrogated for several hours, sometimes for days, before they are either allowed into Israel or sent back to Gaza. (Maan)
- Palestinian-American Behind Women's March Attacked by Right Wing for Being 'Hamas Supporter' - Fellow marchers, members of Jewish and other human rights groups and celebs rally around Linda Sarsour, former recipient of White House award. (Haaretz+)
- Club Built for Jews Extends Invite to Obama Despite Anger Over Israel Policy - Former president hasn't indicated he plans to join golf club, but suggestion to offer him an exclusive membership, waiving an $80,000 initiation fee, sparked anger and even the resignation of one member. (Haaretz)
- Israel warns of 'concrete' terror threat in Sinai in travel alert - Warning focuses on January 25, marking 6 years since Egypt's revolution. (Haaretz)
- Brussels Airport Suicide Bombers Reportedly Targeted Jews and Israelis - Sources involved in investigations tell AFP that Delta's check-in counter was one specific target for the attackers, who also tailed Orthodox Jews and left a bomb near the El Al check-in counter. (Haaretz)
Features:
The Pioneering Writer Giving Voice to Israel's Oppressed
After 70 years of writing, a collection of essays exploring the oeuvre of Sami Michael has finally been published. It takes us back to the source, to the pellucid waters of the spring from which Israeli protest literature still drinks. (Vered Lee, Haaretz+)
Under cover of night, Syrian wounded seek help from Israel
While the two countries are technically still at war, Syrians injured by fighting in the civil war are coming to Israel every night, and having their perceptions about the Jewish state challenged. (Reuters+VIDEO)
Commentary/Analysis:
**The leaks from the State Comptroller's report on Operation Protective Edge are nothing more than political spin (Yossi Melman, Maariv) Politicians with interests leaked juicy quotes from the report, but the reality is much more complex. The bottom line of the report is that despite the fact that the IDF knew about the tunnel threat from the middle of 2013, about a year before the war, the extent of that threat and its significance were not presented to the cabinet. So, with all the political spins in the background, it is difficult to seriously discuss the real issues. For example, was the war really conducted in a negligent manner, or perhaps Netanyahu and Ya'alon actually demonstrated responsibility and caution? After all, they knew and understood, as well as the Chief of Staff and his generals, that fast moves - as Bennett urged: "Be galloping horses" - will cause many deaths that Israeli society finds it difficult to deal with. They also knew that the IDF can conquer the Gaza Strip and topple the Hamas government, but what happens then? The renewal of Israeli occupation in Gaza? Was there really a strategic alternative way to the way they conducted the war, which lasted 50 days? And there is another truth, which must be admitted to: neither Hamas nor its tunnels pose a strategic threat to Israel's military power. At most they are tactical nuisances. What's more, even today there is still no technological-operational solution to the tunnels, and there probably won’t be in the future. And not because they don’t want one.
Israel Loses Its Right to Lament (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) With Trump in power, Israel will feel that hunting season has opened, with no threats and especially without an international morality police.
IDF preparing for Trump’s embassy decision (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) Defense establishment officials believe any American move – whether declarative or practical – regarding the US embassy’s relocation to Jerusalem will echo on four circles in the Arab and Muslim world and lead to different levels of violent outbursts.
The car running over incident in Um al-Hiran: An accusatory finger must be pointed at Public Security Minister Erdan (Ran Adelist, Maariv) Although the investigation of this serious incident in which a Bedouin man was killed by police and his car hit and killed a policeman, is not over, what is audible to the ear and what is visible to the eye are enough to blame the people who incited with their immediate rulings, (Police Commissioner Roni Al-Sheikh and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, who declared immediately that the Bedouin driver was an ISIS supporter who intentionally rammed into the policeman.) Those responsible for those accusations are guilty even if the investigation shows a different result. [The video showed the police opened fire first on the Bedouin car and an autopsy showed they shot the man in the knee and chest and the video showed that only after the police fired did his car accelerate and go astray – OH.]
Israel's Judges Paved the Way for What Happened in Bedouin Village (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) The life of the Palestinian is cheap in our eyes, because our eyes are coveting his land. For his land’s real-estate value to rise in our hands, his life must be made miserable, and then his death too.
Finally calling a spade a spade (Dr. Ephraim Herrera, Israel Hayom) Trump has called for the eradication of radical Islam. This is good news for the entire world. To deal with a problem, one must recognize its existence.
Israel Must Stop the Torture (Haaretz Editorial) Torture during an interrogation has no place in a democracy. All it yields are false confessions and distortions of justice.
Netanyahu is not irreplaceable (Eitan Haber, Yedioth/Ynet) Israel’s next prime minister could come from politics, from agriculture, from the academia, from the army, from anywhere. He could arrive at the helm from the periphery or from a wealthy city. He could be Ashkenazi or Sephardic or mixed. He could be everything and everyone. The best recent example is Donald Trump.
On Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Trump Switches From Bravado to Cautious Diplomacy (Barak Ravid, Haaretz+) Netanyahu’s room to maneuver in Washington on the Palestinian issue has no doubt grown, but it is far from being the bonanza the settler lobby in Jerusalem was dreaming of.
The Palestinian reflex (Dr. Reuven Berko, Israel Hayom) The Palestinian leadership is responding to the idea of relocating the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem with empty threats, which amount to no more than a knee-jerk reaction.
Gaza War Report to Buoy Bennett, Netanyahu’s Rival on the Right (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Bennett's claims that he's better at protecting Israelis will be bolstered by the state comptroller's report. Bereaved parents, meanwhile, have other reasons to ensure that the report is published.
As Trump era begins, Arab leaders should prepare for bad days (Smadar Perry, Yedioth/Ynet) So far, the new American president has made no effort to prove that he has a vision. He is a businessman who is out to sell the headline ‘America First.’ Whoever wants to make him offers on issues unrelated to the homeland should take a number, get in line and be ready to pull out their wallet.
After 70 years of writing, a collection of essays exploring the oeuvre of Sami Michael has finally been published. It takes us back to the source, to the pellucid waters of the spring from which Israeli protest literature still drinks. (Vered Lee, Haaretz+)
Under cover of night, Syrian wounded seek help from Israel
While the two countries are technically still at war, Syrians injured by fighting in the civil war are coming to Israel every night, and having their perceptions about the Jewish state challenged. (Reuters+VIDEO)
Commentary/Analysis:
**The leaks from the State Comptroller's report on Operation Protective Edge are nothing more than political spin (Yossi Melman, Maariv) Politicians with interests leaked juicy quotes from the report, but the reality is much more complex. The bottom line of the report is that despite the fact that the IDF knew about the tunnel threat from the middle of 2013, about a year before the war, the extent of that threat and its significance were not presented to the cabinet. So, with all the political spins in the background, it is difficult to seriously discuss the real issues. For example, was the war really conducted in a negligent manner, or perhaps Netanyahu and Ya'alon actually demonstrated responsibility and caution? After all, they knew and understood, as well as the Chief of Staff and his generals, that fast moves - as Bennett urged: "Be galloping horses" - will cause many deaths that Israeli society finds it difficult to deal with. They also knew that the IDF can conquer the Gaza Strip and topple the Hamas government, but what happens then? The renewal of Israeli occupation in Gaza? Was there really a strategic alternative way to the way they conducted the war, which lasted 50 days? And there is another truth, which must be admitted to: neither Hamas nor its tunnels pose a strategic threat to Israel's military power. At most they are tactical nuisances. What's more, even today there is still no technological-operational solution to the tunnels, and there probably won’t be in the future. And not because they don’t want one.
Israel Loses Its Right to Lament (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) With Trump in power, Israel will feel that hunting season has opened, with no threats and especially without an international morality police.
IDF preparing for Trump’s embassy decision (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) Defense establishment officials believe any American move – whether declarative or practical – regarding the US embassy’s relocation to Jerusalem will echo on four circles in the Arab and Muslim world and lead to different levels of violent outbursts.
The car running over incident in Um al-Hiran: An accusatory finger must be pointed at Public Security Minister Erdan (Ran Adelist, Maariv) Although the investigation of this serious incident in which a Bedouin man was killed by police and his car hit and killed a policeman, is not over, what is audible to the ear and what is visible to the eye are enough to blame the people who incited with their immediate rulings, (Police Commissioner Roni Al-Sheikh and Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, who declared immediately that the Bedouin driver was an ISIS supporter who intentionally rammed into the policeman.) Those responsible for those accusations are guilty even if the investigation shows a different result. [The video showed the police opened fire first on the Bedouin car and an autopsy showed they shot the man in the knee and chest and the video showed that only after the police fired did his car accelerate and go astray – OH.]
Israel's Judges Paved the Way for What Happened in Bedouin Village (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) The life of the Palestinian is cheap in our eyes, because our eyes are coveting his land. For his land’s real-estate value to rise in our hands, his life must be made miserable, and then his death too.
Finally calling a spade a spade (Dr. Ephraim Herrera, Israel Hayom) Trump has called for the eradication of radical Islam. This is good news for the entire world. To deal with a problem, one must recognize its existence.
Israel Must Stop the Torture (Haaretz Editorial) Torture during an interrogation has no place in a democracy. All it yields are false confessions and distortions of justice.
Netanyahu is not irreplaceable (Eitan Haber, Yedioth/Ynet) Israel’s next prime minister could come from politics, from agriculture, from the academia, from the army, from anywhere. He could arrive at the helm from the periphery or from a wealthy city. He could be Ashkenazi or Sephardic or mixed. He could be everything and everyone. The best recent example is Donald Trump.
On Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Trump Switches From Bravado to Cautious Diplomacy (Barak Ravid, Haaretz+) Netanyahu’s room to maneuver in Washington on the Palestinian issue has no doubt grown, but it is far from being the bonanza the settler lobby in Jerusalem was dreaming of.
The Palestinian reflex (Dr. Reuven Berko, Israel Hayom) The Palestinian leadership is responding to the idea of relocating the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem with empty threats, which amount to no more than a knee-jerk reaction.
Gaza War Report to Buoy Bennett, Netanyahu’s Rival on the Right (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Bennett's claims that he's better at protecting Israelis will be bolstered by the state comptroller's report. Bereaved parents, meanwhile, have other reasons to ensure that the report is published.
As Trump era begins, Arab leaders should prepare for bad days (Smadar Perry, Yedioth/Ynet) So far, the new American president has made no effort to prove that he has a vision. He is a businessman who is out to sell the headline ‘America First.’ Whoever wants to make him offers on issues unrelated to the homeland should take a number, get in line and be ready to pull out their wallet.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.