APN's daily news review from Israel

Friday December 20, 2013

Quote of the day:

"There is no doubt that the right-wing's incitement against Arab MKs has an effect."
--Arab MK Ahmed Tibi after a Jewish man threw hot water on his face.**

Front Page News:

Haaretz

• Gazan former prisoners released in the Shalit deal supervise terror cells in W. Bank
• Soul searching  after Nochi Dankner lost IDB and his cousin Dani was sent to jail for one year
• Mandela trained by Mossad in his youth
• Gatekeeper - Despite his weaknesses, Moshe Lador will be remembered as a courageous State Prosecutor who fulfilled his duty // Gidi Weitz
• Migrants who marched to Beersheva were arrested by force, many tried to escape (Hebrew)
• Illogical puzzle - How to map the infinite number of Islamist groups operating in Syria // Zvi Bar'el
• Conversion, child's game - Number of converts decreases - And rabbis began pushing for easing conversion of children

Yedioth Ahronoth

• "Evacuate (Jordan) Beqaa Valley (Jewish) communities" - American plan: IDF yes, citizens no
• Snowball // Nahum Barnea
• Dani Dankner sentenced to one year prison
• Performance in memory of Arik Einstein cancelled - Family members preferred private memorial service "The wound is still open"
• The weekend after the storm

Maariv

• Putin promised Netanyahu: I will thwart a conference for nuclear-free Middle East (Hebrew)
• Bennett at Maariv's Conference of Involved: "There will be no Oslo III" (Hebrew)
• Netanyahu to Conference participants: "My vision is that the State of Israel continues and rises on the list of most advanced countries in the world" (Hebrew)
• Education Minister Piron: "It's possible the division between the religious and secular education systems is one of the greatest failures for Israeli society to be homogeneous" (Hebrew)
• Former Minister Kahlon: "If for a child to succeed in life he must cross the Ayalon Hwy, then the State of Israel has no vision" (i.e. if a child can't succeed living in the periphery and needs to travel to Tel-Aviv to be successful then....) (Hebrew)
• Poll of Maariv's 100 inspiring people: Low scores for Israeli politicians
• Chief social worker Hannah Salotzki vs. the authorities: "Minutes after I report to the police on abuse of a minor - the media already knows about it" (Hebrew)
• Initiative of Justice Ministry: Extend the limitation period for sexual offenders (Hebrew)
• IAF pilots began an unofficial competition: Best and most interesting snow photos. In photo: 4 combat planes above Mt. Bracha in Samaria (W. Bank) at relative low altitude (shown above buildings), apparently just for the photo
• Nuclear discussion - Avram Burg and Shlomo Ben-Tzvi discuss demilitarization of Middle East from nuclear weapons
• Electricity in the air - Doron Rubi, Chairman of the probe of '92 winter: The storm proved we learned nothing
• Law and weed - Health Ministry decision to privatize supply service  of medical cannabis is shaking up the developing industry
• Extra large - "Let them check and investigate me. It doesn't bother me. Owner of Extra Group, Moti Ben-Moshe trains for the title of 'Chairman of IDB Holdings.' Interview

Israel Hayom

• The Dankner family's black week; Court: former chairman of Bank Hapoalim Dani Dankner to go to jail
• 26 Senators proposed bills to put (more) sanctions on Iran
• Putin the merciful: Will pardon his opponent
• 'Death road' in Petach Tikva: Another pedestrian killed

Peace Talk Highlights:
Another Palestinian man was killed by IDF forces - the second in less than 24 hours - sparking Palestinian officials to say that Israel is trying to torpedo the peace talks. A Palestinian official also said they would never accept Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's condition for peace: recognizing Israel as a Jewish state. And Economy Minister Naftali Bennett said he would not agree to transferring land to Palestinians as part of a peace agreement. Yedioth reports that the US is probing who might leave or join the Netanyahu coalition government if a peace agreement were reached. And it writes that the US security proposal for the Jordan Bekaa Valley would remove the settlers, but leave the soldiers.
 
Israeli soldiers ambushed and shot to death a Palestinian intelligence officer in Qalqiliya as he was going home - the second Palestinian to be killed by Israel forces in less than 24 hours. The Palestinians say Saleh Samir Abd al-Rahman Yasin, 28, was shot in cold blood and left to bleed to death. The Israelis say they ambushed him because he had opened fire at Israeli soldiers "on numerous occasions." Palestinian Presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina called it a "dangerous escalation" after the army killed another man in a raid in Jenin the night before, and said the violence was a deliberate attempt to scupper the peace talks.
 
Dr. Muhammad Shtayyeh, a Palestinian negotiator who recently resigned because of massive Israeli settlement construction, said the Palestinians would never recognize Israel as a Jewish state. He proposed a Geneva conference on the Palestinian issue because bilateral talks preserve an unfair balance of power. "There is a strong party and there is a weak party, and the Israelis want to dictate rather than negotiate," he told journalists at a dinner in the West Bank. "The Israelis want to replace occupation by force with occupation by an invitation, with our signature, and it will never happen."

Minister Naftali Bennett said he agreed to negotiations and dialogue with the Palestinian, but not to transferring land to them. "All the talk of the transfer of land to the Palestinians, or a change in status, that is from my point of view Oslo III - and I won't agree to it," the head of the pro-settler Habyait Hayehudi party told participants at a Maariv conference yesterday. (NRG Hebrew)

Bennett's party is expected to be the first to leave the government if a peace agreement were reached with the Palestinians. Hence, the US is probing the strength of the Netanyahu coalition government, Yedioth reported. US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro met with Shas Chairman Arieh Deri to examine Shas party's view on the negotiations with the Palestinians. The US believes that there may be coalition changes after it presents its final status agreement proposal. Yedioth also reported that US Secretary of State John Kerry's security proposal for the Jordan Beqaa Valley would entail removing the Israeli settlers and keeping the soldiers.

Quick Hits:

• **(Arab) MK Tibi: "This is the result of the incitement," (Jewish) man threw hot water on MK's face - Arab-Israeli legislator approached by man who poured scorching liquid on him at anti-Prawer protest. Tibi had previously symbolically spilled water on Prawer Bill in Knesset. (Maariv, p. 6 and Yedioth, p. 8/Ynet and Israel HayomVIDEO)
• Spoken Arabic studies counter anti-Arab prejudice among Israeli students - Program 'succeeded to a great extent in preventing the negative influence of anti-Arab opinion,' according to a Henrietta Szold Institute report. (Haaretz)
• EU support for labeling settlement products continuing to grow, envoy says - Outgoing EU Mideast envoy says European states in favor of labeling has grown to 14. (Agencies, Haaretz)
• Minister Livnat: Enlightened Left silencing others - Culture minister (Likud) strongly criticizes attempt to call off performance at Ariel (settlement) cultural hall. 'While the world boycotts us but doesn't see it fit to resist Iran or Syria, Israeli actors and artists are campaigning to boycott law-abiding Israeli citizens,' she charges. (Ynet)
• Netanyahu's associates: Livni is responsible for the coalition crisis - People in the Prime Minister's circle claim that Justice Minister Tzipi Livni is advancing problematic laws and accelerating collisions. MKs from Yesh Atid: We have no idea what are out party's positions. (Maariv p. 6/NRG Hebrew)
• 'With the Jewish mind and the Chinese engine, the sky's the limit' - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hosts Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Jerusalem. Yi: There is a profound traditional friendship between people of our two countries. (Israel Hayom)
• Report from Lebanon: (Lebanese) Soldier shot out of fear of Israeli penetration of border - Contrary to the government claims, Al-Arabiya network reported that the Lebanese soldier who shot at Master Sergeant Shlomi Cohen is an outstanding soldier, who acted after identifying a vehicle approaching the Lebanese-Israeli border fence. (NRG Hebrew and Ynet)
• Christian MK calls for Knesset Christmas tree - Israeli parliament considering request from lawmaker Hanna Swaid (Hadash). Sweid said the request was not political, but to honor Israel's 'multiculturalism' and its Christian minority. (Times of Israel)
• IDF officer gets community service for striking Danish activist (in face with M16) - Lt. Col. Shalom Eisner also forced to resign his commission at the IDF's minimum retirement age of 43. (Maariv, p. 13/NRG Hebrew and Times of Israel and VIDEO)
• Damage of millions for farmers (of radical settlement - OH) Itamar - Some of the farmers in the community have completely lost their farms. Goats and chickens died, orchard trees fell, and a lot of crops were destroyed when greenhouses collapsed. (NRG Hebrew)
• Israel officially enters lucrative EU R&D program - Israel has been accepted to the EU's Horizon 2020 program a month after striking a compromise with the EU over settlement directives. (Israel Hayom)
• Protesters demand release of activists detained in Bedouin demonstrations - Six adults, four minors arrested at protest in Hura village three weeks ago over government plan to to resettle 30,000 Bedouin residents. (Haaretz)
• Hamas PM calls for unified Palestinian government with Palestinian Authority - Ismail Haniyeh, prime minister of the Hamas-run government in the Gaza Strip, invited Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday to a meeting to discuss the formation of a unity government. (Maan)
• Even as Gaza reels from floods, Hamas and Fatah remain divided - 'Israel wrote the script, and the two actors - Hamas and Fatah - are playing their roles superbly.' (Haaretz)
• Islamist ex-crooner releases song about Jesus - Fadl Shakr, a former Lebanese pop star and heartthrob turned Islamist fugitive, has released a song about Jesus. (Maan)
• Putin: I will thwart a conference for nuclear demilitarization of the Middle East - In a private discussion between the Russian president and the Israeli prime minister, Putin surprised Netanyahu when he promised to "thwart the efforts to hold the conference" that US President Barack Obama announced in 2010. Putin added that despite the alliance between Jerusalem and Washington - Russia would stand with Israel. (Maariv, p. 1/NRG Hebrew)
• Israel to resume regular flights to Turkey - After more than five years and in light of security arrangements coordination in local airports, Israeli airlines to start flying to Turkish destinations again this summer. (Ynet)
• Official representative of UN: Israel makes genocide against the Palestinians - Richard Falk, an 83-year-old Jewish professor serving as an official reporter of the UN, said in a television interview earlier this week that "Israel harms Palestinians with the intention to make genocide." U.S. Ambassador to the UN did not condemn the statement. (NRG Hebrew)
• Israel unilaterally declares water border with Lebanon - Despite discussions in UN: Israel declared unilateral water border, higher than what Lebanon wants, in order to have exclusive rights to underwater oil and gas fields. (Yedioth, p. 10)
• Cyber warfare: Iran-linked hackers claim to have infiltrated IDF, Saudi databases - Group calling itself the Islamic Cyber Resistance says it stole the personal details of more than 2,000 top Israeli officers and Defense Ministry personnel; details of 1,000 Saudi officers also said to be taken. (Haaretz)

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