APN's daily news review from Israel
Thursday February 2, 2017
You Must Be Kidding:
"We will use every way to restrain the dictatorship of the High Court, the High Court of injustice, and to restore democracy to the State of Israel."
--Habayit Hayehudi MK Moti Yogev said after the High Court ruled that the State could not relocate Amona settlers from one privately-owned Palestinian property to another.**
You Must Be Kidding:
"We will use every way to restrain the dictatorship of the High Court, the High Court of injustice, and to restore democracy to the State of Israel."
--Habayit Hayehudi MK Moti Yogev said after the High Court ruled that the State could not relocate Amona settlers from one privately-owned Palestinian property to another.**
Front Page:
Haaretz
- Security forces evicted most of Amona settlers; High Court prohibited transferring homes to nearby plots
- Eviction-Construction // Yossi Verter
- Two police // Yaniv Kobovitz
- The negotiating card against Hamas: Israel holds the mentally ill brother of a senior member of the organization
- The driver who was shot to death in the Bedouin village of Um al-Hiran was filmed driving with his lights on, contradicting claims by (Public Security) Minister Erdan and the Police
- In Israel, mortality rate from cancer dropped by 25% within 20 years
- Trump’s choice for the Supreme Court: Young and relatively moderate conservative, who thinks the liberals “are addicted” to courts // NYT
- Low-cost flights expanding: 15 more lines to open to Europe
- The most persecuted minority in the world will be expelled to a sinking island in the sea (NYT)
- Misrepresentation (of the eviction of Amona) // Haaretz Editorial
- Forget the High Court // Avigdor Feldman
- Animated documentary film tries to deal with Auschwitz without mentioning the Holocaust
Yedioth Ahronoth
- Tears of eviction
- Obama on vacation
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- The eviction and the fury
- What a show // Yossi Melman
- Helpless // Karni Eldad (settler)
- The Buchris affair: Court to rule today whether to accept plea bargain with brigadier general convicted of sex crimes
Israel Hayom
- The eviction and the pain – Netanyahu: We will establish a new settlement for Amona evictees; The first since 1991
- We are all the police, we are all the evictees // Boaz Bismuth
- We evicted professionally with a pained heart // Police Commander Haim Azran
- An eviction that will give birth to many settlements // Dror Eydar
- Summit in London: Next week, first meeting between Netanyahu and May
- The “ultra-low-cost” takes off: RyanAir offers more locations in Europe with prices from 30 Euros
News Summary:
**While settlers clashed violently with unarmed police during the eviction of settlers from Amona outpost (photos), the High Court struck down the State’s deal to relocate the 40 Amona families to other privately-owned Palestinian land and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu declared he would establish a new settlement (the first in 20 years) for them wherever they wanted making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers – along with the angry declarations of right-wing politicians. MK Bezalel Smotrich (Habayit Hayehudi) called the eviction “a rape.” MK Moti Yogev (Habayit Hayehudi) said: "We will use every method to restrain the dictatorship of the High Court, the High Court of injustice, and to restore democracy to the State of Israel." (Maariv)
**While settlers clashed violently with unarmed police during the eviction of settlers from Amona outpost (photos), the High Court struck down the State’s deal to relocate the 40 Amona families to other privately-owned Palestinian land and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu declared he would establish a new settlement (the first in 20 years) for them wherever they wanted making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers – along with the angry declarations of right-wing politicians. MK Bezalel Smotrich (Habayit Hayehudi) called the eviction “a rape.” MK Moti Yogev (Habayit Hayehudi) said: "We will use every method to restrain the dictatorship of the High Court, the High Court of injustice, and to restore democracy to the State of Israel." (Maariv)
Quick Hits:
- Israel Imprisoning Brother of Senior Hamas Security Chief - To date, Hamas has avoided any discussion of making any kind of humanitarian exchange for two citizens and the bodies of two soldiers. (Haaretz+)
- Killing of Bedouin Driver: New Video Contradicts Claim by Israeli Police - Two weeks after Yakub Abu al-Kiyan ran over police officer in Umm al-Hiran, Shin Bet hasn’t linked him to ISIS. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli MKs protest decision to cut short debate of bill to seize Palestinian land for settlements - Knesset opposition members say will not cooperate with a House Committee decision not to allow a filibuster against the bill to legalize further expropriation of Palestinian land. (Haaretz)
- EU foreign policy chief: Israel's plans to build 6,000 new settlement units endangers two-state solution - France issued its own statement reiterating that settlement construction is contrary to international law, notably UN Security Council Resolution 2334, and that it seriously compromises the prospects of a fair and lasting peace. (Haaretz)
- NGO asks British court to issue arrest warrant for visiting MK - The Arab Organization for Human Rights in Britain alleges Yesh Atid MK and former IDF Maj. Gen. Elazar Stern committed war crimes during his IDF career. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Israeli Arab representation on TV talk shows shot up in 2016 - Compared with their percentage of the population, Israeli Arabs remain significantly underrepresented on television and radio, statistics show. (Haaretz+)
- Severe punishments for two soldiers convicted of rape - Military Tribunal imposed 11 and 6 years prison on Dean Tawil and Akiva Yisraeli, who were convicted of sexually harming and filming some of the acts against a female Israeli soldier who had served with them at the base. (Maariv and Israel Hayom)
- Heavy Prison Sentences for Fatah Members in Gaza for 'Links With Ramallah' - Palestinian human rights organizations condemn sentences as unjust and charges as vague and - and the confessions were made under torture. (Haaretz+)
- PM: Israel is at the forefront of global cybersecurity technology - "The Internet of Things can be hijacked by nefarious actors for dangerous purposes with dangerous results," Netanyahu says at Cybertech 2017 • He says it is a core interest for democracies to protect themselves and their citizens against cyber attacks. (Israel Hayom)
- Palestinian Officials Say U.S. Threatens 'Severe Steps' if Leaders Sue Israel in World Court - Palestinian leaders are fuming over warnings from Trump administration about halting aid and even restoring the PLO to list of terror groups. Not all these would be new policy, as a law authorizing some of these steps was passed in 2015. (Haaretz+)
- Jews Share Synagogue With Muslims After Fire Destroys Texas Mosque - 'Jewish community members walked into my home and gave me a key to the synagogue,' said Shahid Hashmi, a surgeon and one of the founders of the mosque. (Haaretz)
- White Supremacist Richard Spencer Hails Trump's 'de-Judaification' of Holocaust - The leader of the so-called 'alt-right' dismisses criticism of Trump's Holocaust Day statement that left out Jews as 'kvetching.' (Haaretz)
- Number of U.S. Jews opening files to immigrate to Israel spiked following Trump's election - Experts caution that figures have since leveled off and it's too early to attribute the rise to a 'Trump effect.' (Haaretz+)
- Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes Hit Record Levels in U.K., Report Says - 2016 saw a 36 percent increase in hate incidents against Jews, reaching the highest figure since watchdog started keeping records in 1984. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- US says it 'will not stand by' as Iran tests ballistic missiles - At emergency U.N. Security Council session, U.S. ambassador says U.S. is "not naive," will "act accordingly" • State Department official says U.S. may consider test breach of nuclear deal • Iran's foreign minister warns U.S. against escalating tensions. (Agencies, Israel Hayom)
Features:
The audience decides what happens to Israeli soldiers and Hamas fighters trapped in a tunnel
Actors in a new Gesher Theater production identify with their characters in this realistic play about army, politics and the media, but have also developed a sense of brotherhood and purpose. (Yair Ashkenazi, Haaretz+)
If these walls could talk: An Amona resident says goodbye to her home
The Nizri family, one of the leaders of the fight against the evacuation of Amona, is saying goodbye to their home; 'This was our place, that this was our land; this was our home.' (Elisha Ben Kimon, Kobi Nachshoni and Roi Yanovsky, Ynet)
Commentary/Analysis:
Netanyahu Is Doing Everything to Appease the Settlers, but Even This Won't Be Enough (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) If Amona were an Arab village, the prime minister would have incited against the protesters. But as the illegal West Bank outpost was evacuated, he kept silent.
Amona evacuation operation: a well-produced show (Yossi Melman, Maariv) The main players in the fixed game that took place at the outpost are the police, settlers and government, who knew their roles well. The only difference is that the applause they are trying to achieve is at the expense of each other and not as a team.
This Is Why Jared Kushner Is Dangerous for Jews (Stosh Cotler, Haaretz+) If Jared Kushner were interested in upholding the values that the vast majority of American Jews share he would have distanced himself from the Trump campaign many months ago.
The Mexico Effect: the incident over Trump’s fence shows that we need to have a foreign minister (Lilach Sigan, Maariv) For almost two years there has been no one in the government committed to addressing the complex foreign issues of the country. The incident with Mexico proves this is a job that urgently needs to be filled.
The Mock Eviction (Haaretz Editorial) In exchange for this simulated evacuation, with all its accompanying drama, settlers will now extract additional victories for their nefarious enterprise
A little more humanity, please (Dr. Gabi Avital, Israel Hayom) The courts should rethink the practical effects of their rulings. Lives are touched by the expulsion of people from their homes, and leftist manipulations reduce trust in the courts.
Israel, a Few Steps Ahead of Trump (Aeyal Gross, Haaretz+) Not only does Israel have a southern border wall to keep outsiders out, it also bars entry to people from some of the countries named in President Trump’s executive order.
Evict by law, build by law (Dr. Haim Shine, Israel Hayom) The biggest tragedy that could befall the settlement enterprise is a violent clash between settlers and security forces.
Trump Needs a Holy War (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) It's an inconceivably scary thought that the Trump administration is simply winging it, breakneck, disrupting and detonating and taking America apart - and all of it without a plan. But here's the even scarier possibility - that there is, in fact, a plan.
More than a symbol (Ariel Bolstein, Israel Hayom) In stark contrast to his predecessor, President Donald Trump is starting his term by meeting with the Israeli prime minister. After Feb. 15, new rules will likely apply.
I’ve Already Prepared the Wheat and Lentils for Sowing (Maryam Hamad, Haaretz+) I’ve never understood how the settlers could come, take my land and tell me it was God’s will. That’s land confiscation.
A painful but necessary evacuation (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) Amona’s residents did not disinherit anyone from their land, but their evacuation is justified nonetheless because the national and Zionist interest cannot support settling beyond the settlement blocs – unless we want to turn into an apartheid or bi-national state.
Israeli Girls, Don’t Go Into the Army (Yael Flusser, Haaretz+) Patriotism doesn’t mean submitting yourself to a system that yells at you to 'charge' so that a bunch of guys can use you and never pay a price.
The world has changed (Eitan Haber, Yedioth/Ynet) The settlers know very well that if the world—and mainly the new US president—is not shocked and doesn’t shed rivers of tears over the Amona evacuation, it’s possible that all Judea and Samaria communities, with hundreds of thousands of settlers, will be evacuated too.
For Israeli Lawmaker, Comparing Amona’s Evacuation to Rape Is Natural (Ido Dembin, Haaretz+) For the far right, in the equation between 'state' and 'land,' the land will always prevail.
I've Never Lived in a Stolen Home. Maybe Leaving It Is Harder (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) From Umm al-Hiran to Amona, the comparison shrieked to the skies: apartheid police. One police for whites and one police for natives.
Actors in a new Gesher Theater production identify with their characters in this realistic play about army, politics and the media, but have also developed a sense of brotherhood and purpose. (Yair Ashkenazi, Haaretz+)
If these walls could talk: An Amona resident says goodbye to her home
The Nizri family, one of the leaders of the fight against the evacuation of Amona, is saying goodbye to their home; 'This was our place, that this was our land; this was our home.' (Elisha Ben Kimon, Kobi Nachshoni and Roi Yanovsky, Ynet)
Commentary/Analysis:
Netanyahu Is Doing Everything to Appease the Settlers, but Even This Won't Be Enough (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) If Amona were an Arab village, the prime minister would have incited against the protesters. But as the illegal West Bank outpost was evacuated, he kept silent.
Amona evacuation operation: a well-produced show (Yossi Melman, Maariv) The main players in the fixed game that took place at the outpost are the police, settlers and government, who knew their roles well. The only difference is that the applause they are trying to achieve is at the expense of each other and not as a team.
This Is Why Jared Kushner Is Dangerous for Jews (Stosh Cotler, Haaretz+) If Jared Kushner were interested in upholding the values that the vast majority of American Jews share he would have distanced himself from the Trump campaign many months ago.
The Mexico Effect: the incident over Trump’s fence shows that we need to have a foreign minister (Lilach Sigan, Maariv) For almost two years there has been no one in the government committed to addressing the complex foreign issues of the country. The incident with Mexico proves this is a job that urgently needs to be filled.
The Mock Eviction (Haaretz Editorial) In exchange for this simulated evacuation, with all its accompanying drama, settlers will now extract additional victories for their nefarious enterprise
A little more humanity, please (Dr. Gabi Avital, Israel Hayom) The courts should rethink the practical effects of their rulings. Lives are touched by the expulsion of people from their homes, and leftist manipulations reduce trust in the courts.
Israel, a Few Steps Ahead of Trump (Aeyal Gross, Haaretz+) Not only does Israel have a southern border wall to keep outsiders out, it also bars entry to people from some of the countries named in President Trump’s executive order.
Evict by law, build by law (Dr. Haim Shine, Israel Hayom) The biggest tragedy that could befall the settlement enterprise is a violent clash between settlers and security forces.
Trump Needs a Holy War (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) It's an inconceivably scary thought that the Trump administration is simply winging it, breakneck, disrupting and detonating and taking America apart - and all of it without a plan. But here's the even scarier possibility - that there is, in fact, a plan.
More than a symbol (Ariel Bolstein, Israel Hayom) In stark contrast to his predecessor, President Donald Trump is starting his term by meeting with the Israeli prime minister. After Feb. 15, new rules will likely apply.
I’ve Already Prepared the Wheat and Lentils for Sowing (Maryam Hamad, Haaretz+) I’ve never understood how the settlers could come, take my land and tell me it was God’s will. That’s land confiscation.
A painful but necessary evacuation (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) Amona’s residents did not disinherit anyone from their land, but their evacuation is justified nonetheless because the national and Zionist interest cannot support settling beyond the settlement blocs – unless we want to turn into an apartheid or bi-national state.
Israeli Girls, Don’t Go Into the Army (Yael Flusser, Haaretz+) Patriotism doesn’t mean submitting yourself to a system that yells at you to 'charge' so that a bunch of guys can use you and never pay a price.
The world has changed (Eitan Haber, Yedioth/Ynet) The settlers know very well that if the world—and mainly the new US president—is not shocked and doesn’t shed rivers of tears over the Amona evacuation, it’s possible that all Judea and Samaria communities, with hundreds of thousands of settlers, will be evacuated too.
For Israeli Lawmaker, Comparing Amona’s Evacuation to Rape Is Natural (Ido Dembin, Haaretz+) For the far right, in the equation between 'state' and 'land,' the land will always prevail.
I've Never Lived in a Stolen Home. Maybe Leaving It Is Harder (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) From Umm al-Hiran to Amona, the comparison shrieked to the skies: apartheid police. One police for whites and one police for natives.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.