News Nosh 6.11.17

by APN 06/11/17
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APN's daily news review from Israel
Sunday June 11, 2017
 
Quote of the day:
"The perception that settlements serves security is anachronistic. The fact that they are sitting on this a slope or that foothill does not have any effect on our security capability, neither in warning us nor in deterrence."
--Former IDF deputy chief of staff Moshe Kaplinksy said in report by Molad – the Center for the Renewal of Israeli Democracy.*

Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
  • Anger of the academics: “You won’t shut our mouths”
  • Expose: New ‘Darwish storm’: Minister Regev opposes Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers in Israel
  • The [British] kingdom is frozen
  • Gay Pride [in Tel-Aviv]

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

  • The divided [British] kingdom
  • Exclusive: “The responsibility for administering foreign currency should be transferred from the Bank of Israel” – said Ministry of Finance in closed meeting due to continued fall of dollar rate
  • Trump: Comey is a leaker
  • The pedophile teacher affair - The principal on the accusations against her: My staff and I saw nothing wrong
Israel Hayom
  • The plan: Representatives of 161 states will come to celebrate Israel’s 70th anniversary
  • UNRWA revealed: Hamas tunnel under a school
  • Expose: Convicted of indecent acts against minors – and was employed for six years by the Handball Association
  • Trump: “Comey lied, he is a leaker; I’m prepared to testify under oath about our conversations”
  • Prime Minister May won – but lost the majority in Parliament; Calls for her resignation
  • French President Macron goes all the way: elections today for Parliament
News Summary:
Aside from British Prime Minister Theresa May’s loss of the majority in Parliament and US President Donald Trump calling former FBI chief a ‘leaker’, the big stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers was the fury of Israeli academia over a new ethics code that would bar them from expressing any political views and the calls for the resignation of a school principal to resign after she said she noticed nothing wrong with a teacher who turned out to be a pedophile.

Also in the news, Haaretz+ reported that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will tell the Israel Peace Conference Monday that he is willing to meet and negotiate with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu at any time, and at a peace demonstration Friday night in Neve Shalom marking 50 years since Israel conquered the Palestinian Territories, Abbas told some 1,000 demonstrators that it is “time to stop considering peace as a threat,” Maariv reported. Meanwhile, in an interview with Channel 2 News, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Israel was closer than ever to reaching an agreement with the Palestinians and that Netanyahu “is making a very great effort.” And former defense minister, Moshe Yaalon, revealed yesterday that he took part in a secret summit in Aqaba and said Arab leaders were more concerned about the Iranian threat than the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.“We tried to draw them into a diplomatic (peace) process, also at the summit in Aqaba. I was there. The Palestinian dilemma didn’t interest them…There is a Sunni camp that’s in the same boat with us. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict doesn’t bother them, but Iran does.” (also from Channel 10 Hebrew) Haaretz+ also reported that a document revealed that in 2014, Netanyahu had demanded from the US that settlers be allowed to remain in a future Palestinian state, as part of a US peace plan. He later withdrew his demand.
 
Israeli academics are furious with a proposed ethical code that “severely and fundamentally undermines academic freedom” by barring lecturers from expressing political views in class. The ethics code was initiated by far-right-wing Education Minister Naftali Bennett and written by Prof. Asa Kasher, who wrote the IDF ethics code. The code would also forbid academic staff from calling for boycotts of Israel, and would prevent institutions from collaborating with political organizations. (Maariv) Meanwhile, Yedioth also reported that Culture Minister Miri Regev is pouncing on the Society of Authors, Composers and Music Publishers in Israel for allowing Jewish-Arab singer Mira Awad to perform a song by national Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish at the annual ceremony tomorrow, after she already left a previous ceremony over the same poet.
 
Quick Hits:
  • Stone-throwing Gazan killed by IDF - Soldiers opened fire on Palestinian stone throwers Friday in the northern Gaza Strip, killing a 35-year-old man, four to eight others were also injured. (Haaretz, Maan and Ynet)
  • UNRWA finds tunnel underneath schools in Gaza, Hamas denies involvement - UNRWA spokesperson Chris Gunness said that UNRWA was able to confirm that the tunnel did not have any entry or exit points on the school’s premises and was not at all connected to the schools or other buildings. (Maan, Haaretz and Times of Israel)
  • Lieberman: Senior Hamas commander moved to Lebanon - The defense minister asks US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley for her country's help in deporting Saleh al-Arouri from Beirut; Hamas leadership to visit Iran. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
  • Thousands of Residents of Israeli Arab City Take to Streets to Protest Against Police - Many protesters in Kafr Qasem carry Palestinian flags and pictures of Mohammed Taha, who was shot and killed by security guard during disturbances last week. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
  • Two Jews convicted of incitement to violence against Arabs - Avraham Binyamin, 32, and Yehoshua Hess, 44, senior activists from Yitzhar are convicted after confessing; the website of their organization, 'Jewish Voice,' included calls to 'break open heads' and 'throw Molotov cocktails'; one of them will serve a half-year of community service, and the court has yet to decide on the other's sentence. (Ynet and Maan) 
  • Bill proposes deducting tax payments to PA over terrorist salaries - Bereaved families call on Ministerial Committee for Legislation to approve bill to deduct the amount of funds the PA pays to terrorists and their families from monthly tax payments Israel transfers Palestinians. (Yedioth/Ynet and Maariv)
  • Bill expanding administrative courts’ jurisdiction to settlements goes to ministerial panel - Bill is one of a number of efforts by right-wing legislators to advance laws that in practice impose Israeli sovereignty on the settlements. (Haaretz+)
  • ADL denounces top Israeli politicians' presence at anti-Arab book party - The Anti-Defamation League took to Twitter on Friday to call on Israel's leaders to 'reject this hateful rhetoric.’ (Haaretz+) 
  • Israel angry Turkish ambassador hosted Islamist at Iftar - Israel sends a harsh message to the Turkish ambassador in Israel after he hosts the leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, Raed Salah, at his home for a Ramadan fast-breaking meal. (Yedioth/Ynet) 
  • Palestinian embassy: Turkey to send aid shipment to Gaza during Ramadan - According to a statement released by the Palestinian embassy in Turkey, humanitarian aid would be distributed to Palestinian families in Gaza in order to “lessen their suffering” and help them prepare for Eid al-Fitr, an Islamic holiday that marks the end of Ramadan. (Maan)
  • Combat soldier who fled teen terrorist faces dismissal - Maglan special forces soldier had failed to engage 16-year-old Palestinian girl who attacked troops [that soldier – OH] in [Mevo Dotan settlement in] Samaria last week • Fleeing from terrorists, let alone a teenage girl, is unacceptable, official says • Decision on soldier's future expected next week. (Israel Hayom and Maan) 
  • Israeli forces suppress weekly march in Kafr Qaddum - According to Shteiwi, protesters had foiled an Israeli ambush to detain Palestinian youths by throwing rocks at the Israeli soldiers and “forcing them to retreat” without detaining any of the protesters. (Maan)
  • Mother of slain Kafr Qasim man says son died 'like a man' - Saraya Taha, the mother of Muhammad who was in riots that broke out following the arrest of a resident of the city, harshly criticizes the conduct of the security guard who shot him dead: 'He could have shot him in the legs but decided to kill him.' (Ynet)
  • Haredim attack another soldier in Jerusalem's Mea Shearim - Yet another incident requires police intervention; ultra-Orthodox throw stones at a uniformed IDF soldier; he takes refuge in a store until the police rescue him; none of the assailants are arrested. (Ynet) 
  • Demonstration outside AG's house calls for resolution in PM's cases - A demonstration is taking place in Shlomo Goren Square in Petach Tikvah near the home of Attorney General Avihai Mandelblit, calling for him to exhaust all legal proceedings against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and aim for a meaningful conclusion, soon. (Yedioth/Ynet) 
  • Tel Aviv Gay Pride Parade draws 200,000 - including 30,000 tourists - Anti-occupation protesters briefly blocked the Tel Aviv parade. (Haaretz) 
  • Israeli Minister Scolds Artists: Enough About the Occupation, There Are Other Stories in Israel - Culture minister's comments come as theater groups withdraw from Israel's fringe theater festival after a play about Palestinian prisoners was removed from program. (Haaretz+) 
  • Europe so loves Miri Regev's dress that it won't let it go - After the culture minister shows up at Cannes in a dress depicting Jerusalem to celebrate 50 years since its reunification, the Jewish Museum in Berlin wants to display it; Regev accedes to the request. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Number of Women in IDF Combat Roles to Hit Record 2,500 - Women are already a majority in mixed-sex units, raising questions about the way forward. (Haaretz+) 
  • PLO applauds UN's adoption of draft resolution on Palestinian women - and slams the US - PLO Executive Committee Member Hanan Ashrawi slammed the United States and Australia, the only two countries who voted against the resolution, saying that they were “voting against Palestinian women.” (Maan)
  • International Graffiti Artists Bring Color to Israel and Jordan - Artists are painting walls and corners untouched by creativity. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Nikki Haley visits a Hamas tunnel - The visit of the US ambassador to the United Nations in Israel continues; after a stop at the Western Wall, Haley marches down a Hamas underground tunnel that was spotted before Operation Protective Edge and met with the residents and children of Kibbutz Nahal Oz. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • US ambassador to the UN visits Yad Vashem - Nikki Haley wraps up her trip to Israel with a tour of the Holocaust memorial; she visits the monuments and museum; Haley is presented with a multimedia program designed for US educators. (Ynet) 
  • Proposed bill would require U.S. to consult Israel before selling arms in Mideast - Bi-partisan bill aims to 'ensures Israel's qualitative military edge'; it comes in wake of massive Saudi arms deal. (Haaretz+)
  • NATO Holds Major Exercise in Eastern Europe; Russian Jets Photobomb It - One of the maneuvers in the Baltic involves over 50 aircraft and some 50 ships and submarines. Russian Su-27 surveilled nearby. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Bill Maher Rips Into Jared Kushner as Rich, Privileged 'Idiot' - 'How does a 36-year-old who's never worked in a job become the second most powerful man in America, right behind Putin?' asks Maher on his program. (Haaretz) 
  • At NYC 'Anti-sharia' Rally, White Nationalists and Conservative Jews Find Common Ground - Trump supporters, 'alt-right' figures and other conservatives gather in protests across U.S. against sharia law. (Haaretz+) 
  • Warming Israel-Africa ties prompt Arab League emergency meeting - Palestinians request meeting over concern at Israeli bid to rejoin African Union, Israel's resolve to improve relations with African states • "Israel is trying to enlist African support for its policies at the Palestinians' expense," says representative. (Israel Hayom)
  • Trump Says Qatar Funding Terror 'On Very High Level' After Tillerson, Pentagon Call on Gulf States to Ease Blockade - Trump accuses Comey of lying during Senate committee hearing, insists testimony vindicates him. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Arab Bloc That Broke With Qatar Praises Trump for 'Challenging Support for Extremism' - Four nations behind the split welcome the U.S. president's calls for Qatar to end 'the finding of terrorism.' (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • For Arab World, Hamas Is 'Legitimate Resistance Movement,' Not Terror Group, Qatar Says - 'We do not support Hamas, we support Palestinian people,' says Qatar's foreign minister; Hamas praises comments as officials hold talks with Egypt, eye visit to Iran. (Haaretz) 
  • Hamas pledges not to intervene in the affairs of Arab countries amid Qatar crisis -  "Hamas' weapons will be directed only at the enemy (Israel), and Hamas will maintain its policy of not intervening in Arab countries' affairs regardless of pressures or events,” Deputy Hamas chief Mousa Abu Marzouk was quoted in an official Hamas statement as saying. (Maan)
  • Arab nations add names to terror list amid Qatar dispute - While efforts to mediate between Qatar and the Gulf are still in full swing, the four countries who initiated the boycott are not budging; Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain announce in a joint statement 59 individuals and 12 organizations and institutions as operatives and terrorist entities receiving funding and support from Qatar. [Hamas not reported as listed.] (Agencies, Ynet)
  • Tehran attacks mastermind killed - The mastermind behind Wednesday's twin attacks in Tehran, which killed 17 people and wounded 43 more, has been killed on Saturday by security forces. (Agencies, Ynet)
  • ISIS threatens Saudi Arabia: After Iran, your turn will come - Islamic State's news agency publishes a video showing the five suicide bombers in Tehran, as one of the terrorists calls on Muslims to attack Shiites and threatens Saudi Arabia: 'After Iran, your turn will come.' (Ynet) 
  • Wonder Woman banned in Tunisia as well - After Wonder Woman starring Gal Gadot was banned in Lebanon, the court in Tunisia also decides to temporarily stop screening the movie because of Israeli actress served in the IDF. (Ynet)

Features: 
What it must be like to watch your dying teenage daughter being cursed by bystanders
The clip showing the curses hurled at a Palestinian girl who was shot after stabbing an Israeli soldier will turn any stomach; her family watched it too. (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+)
‘Kushner is Trump’s pet Jew'
She comes from a former Israeli anti-Orthodox family, he grew up in an assimilated family, and together they embarked on a different kind of journey to connect to their Jewish roots. After years of criticizing Israel’s policy in the territories, Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman—the supercouple of the American world of literature—are now trying to cope with a new reality in the United States. (Elad Zeret, Yedioth/Ynet)
Moral Minority Working in Israel’s Defense Industry: A Leftist’s Dilemma
'Am I deceiving myself? Do I need to take a hard look at my choices in life?' And the answer is ... (Haaretz+) 
Sometimes you can't take the soldier out of the army
They fought in the Six-Day War, and to this day insist on continuing to serve in the reserves; they're all grandfathers now, but that won't keep them from what they see as an honor. (Isaac Dabush, Yedioth/Ynet) 
Lone Jews among Arabs in pre-state Israel
The narrative of the Jewish population in pre-state Israel tends to focus on agricultural settlement or Jewish life in mixed cities, and ignores the tiny Jewish communities that put down roots in Arab cities like Jericho, Nablus, Bethlehem, and Gaza.
(Nadav Shragai, Israel Hayom) 
The Best Book Ever Written About the Israeli Army
'The Tanks of Tammuz,' Shabtai Teveth’s reporting on the Six-Day War, tells the story of the officers and soldiers who endured real fighting, no walkover — and of the triumphant atmosphere that followed. (Aluf Benn, Haaretz+) 
Former stone-thrower brings music to Palestinian youth
Rami Aburedwan, now a respected musician and composer, organizes musical training and performances for Palestinian youths from refugee camps, like where he grew up. (AFP)
Telegram to Yitzhak Rabin about Israel's conquest of Sinai in Six-Day War goes up for auction - 'Happy to announce that all our forces are encamped on the banks of the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, the Sinai Peninsula is in our hands. Congratulations to you and to the entire IDF.’ (Ofer Aderet, Haaretz+)
 
Commentary/Analysis: 
*The (‘Shooting Soldier’) Elor Azaria legacy: The IDF must investigate the incident at Mevo Dotan (Ran Adelist, Maariv) In the incident in which a soldier chased and shot in the stomach a 16-year-old Palestinian girl, who earlier stabbed and lightly wounded, then shouted epithets at her as she lay on the ground dying…the IDF must interrogate the soldiers, detail and publicize the dynamics of the encounter between the girl and the soldiers (from what range were the shots fired, where they were directed and how many) and of course to prosecute the perpetrators. If the army does not investigate the abusing soldiers and prosecute them, Azariya won big time. All this happened at the gate of Mevo Dotan settlement, but the insult to the girl's death lies not only at the entrance of the local residents, but also inside their homes - in every house and and within everyone who lives there. In addition, this case should raise the question: What are they doing there anyway? God or Herzl said so – yeah, we understood. But the point is that they tell us that Mevo Dotan and the rest are protecting Tel Aviv. Headlines like "Judea and Samaria, Israel's flak jacket" (Channel 20) or "In Otniel (settlement) they are absorbing (attacks), and that's why they Gush Dan (the Tel-Aviv area doesn’t" (Yedioth Ahronoth). It was reported that 52% of the public believe that the settlements strengthen the security of the state, compared with only 35% who believe they are harming it. And what do senior IDF officials think about the contribution of the settlements to national security? Deputy Chief of Staff Moshe Kaplinsky says in the study by Avishai Ben-Sasson Gordis of the Molad Institute that "the perception that settlements serve security is anachronistic. The fact that they are sitting on this a slope or that foothill does not have any effect on our security capability, neither in warning us nor in deterrence." The Moledet report states that "this is a heavy security burden on the State of Israel, and among the senior members of the defense establishment there is almost complete consensus that this idea (that settlements protect Israel) has no validity and makes it difficult for the security forces to deal with Palestinian terrorism." Every reasonable person understands that the fate of about 90 isolated settlements in the West Bank will be like the fate of Gush Katif. The study presents the truth: "The IDF protects more than 90 illegal outposts - many of them located on extremely sensitive security points - where some 7,000 more Israelis live. The guarding of civilians in the heart of a hostile territory is a complex undertaking that requires a large investment of resources." In the Jewish community of Hebron, for example, there are 800 residents and about 250 yeshiva students in order to protect them, as well as three Border Police companies, which together count hundreds of security personnel. 
Escalation in Gaza: The writing is already on the wall (Yossi Yehoshua, Yedioth/Ynet) The humanitarian situation in the strip, the Qatar crisis, and the underground barrier being built against the tunnels could lead Hamas to initiate a military conflict in a bid to improve its position.
The reason that (Culture Minister) Miri Regev found for herself to launch a wild attack on the IDF chief of staff (Ben Caspit, Maariv) The culture minister attacked Eizenkot for using the words "unification of Jerusalem" and not "liberating Jerusalem," as the government put it: "This is shameful." And: Barak is not only flirting with politics, he has already returned.
Between Trump in U.S., Terror in Europe, Israel’s Star Is Rising Within NATO (Amir Oren, Haaretz+) Trump may not be calling NATO 'obsolete' anymore, but his dealings with the organization have left many European states nervous. 
Why did Netanyahu kick ministers off his trip to Liberia at the last minute? (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) The Israeli prime minister's dramatic statement this week proves he won't end the occupation - but settlers won't get what they want, either ■ The book written by the Netanyahus' confidant will make jaws drop. 
This is how Israel did not appear on the list of terror-stricken countries (Meir Uziel, Maariv) For a long time reality has been blurred by the language of the politicians' and most of the media until it disappears. Thus, the term "terrorism in Israel" still translates into "resistance to the occupation."
50 years to the end of the French-Israel love affair (Dov Alfon, Haaretz+) Israelis were riveted by news about Yves Montand that wasn't even reported in France. Many American songs were translated into Hebrew only after French-language cover versions were issued – that is, until the Six-Day War. 
The no-man's-land: The source of the (violent) events in Kafr Qasem was ignored by the establishment (Lior Ackerman, Maariv) In the young city there is a phenomenon similar to that occurring in the entire Arab sector, despite its differences. The reason for the case lies in the hands of the (Israeli) regime, which creates a sense of discrimination and alienation,
Proposed Ethics Code Is Bennett’s Attempt to Stifle Debate (Or Kashti, Haaretz+) The purpose is to curtail discussion of controversial issues, but nothing is more political than the pretense of being apolitical.
Trump’s demand, Abbas’ dilemma (Moshe Elad, Yedioth/Ynet) The US president wants the Palestinian leader to adopt Egypt and Jordan’s commitment to a real war on terror. If Abbas agrees, it will be the end of the dream to ‘liberate Palestine through an armed struggle.’ How will he explain that to Palestinian refugees and to the offspring the people he marched with on the paths of terror? 
Afraid to tangle with Trump (Prof. Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) The Palestinians know that U.S. President Trump is not particularly empathetic to their cause and is willing to hammer out a regional peace deal without them, so they are wooing the administration with smiles and double talk.
As an American Jew, I Celebrated Israel's 1967 Victory. Now I'm Protesting the Occupation (Joel Migdal, Haaretz+) Like many other U.S. Jews, I felt thrilled relief at the outcome of the 1967 Six-Day War. Meeting Palestinians in West Bank villages after Israel's victory changed all that. 
Between a rock and a hard place in the West Bank (Andrew Friedman, TPS/Ynet) Settler leaders are frustrated with the prime minister, and they recently unleashed six month of pent-up anger; they say they were promised unlimited building under Trump and that Netanyahu isn't meeting his assurances. 
Instead of saying "no" to the Trump, Netanyahu is setting conditions that will give him room to maneuver (Udi Segal, Maariv) The prime minister does not refuse to mediate with the Americans, but he plays the role using such conditions that whoever succeeds in surviving them will be truly worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize. 
Encouraging integration in united Jerusalem (David M. Weinberg, Israel Hayom) "In another decade or two, the Arab teens who today engage more deeply with Israeli society will be the pragmatists who moderate Palestinian society." 
Qatar Crisis Took U.S. by Surprise. Israel Is Concerned (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Crisis is received with mixed feelings in Israel: Saudi and Egyptian pressure might lead to new Hamas conflict in Gaza, but pro-Palestinian Al Jazeera and ties to Tehran angered Jerusalem. 
Failed US policies at the heart of Middle East problem (Nadav Eyal, Yedioth/Ynet) The old understanding between Tehran and the Sunni radicals—that Iran is immune to attacks—was shattered Wednesday. The expanding hurricane is slowly encompassing the entire region, and Israel—for the sake of caution—should not assume it is immune. 
6 days and 50 years (Clifford D. May, Israel Hayom) The war and the motive behind it caused the occupation -- not the other way around.
Why ISIS Is Thanking Trump for His Response to Its Terror Attack on Iran (Ariane Tabatabai, Haaretz+) When the US president attacks Tehran rather than, even fleetingly, recognizing their shared interests confronting ISIS, the terror group has cause to celebrate. 
The More ISIS Loses Ground, the More Lethal It Becomes (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Its forces in Raqqa are prepared to use same defensive tactics the organization used in Mosul, including roadside bombs, mines, booby-trapped houses and car bombs, all with goal of causing as many casualties as possible. 
Terror in Iran: The paradox of jihad (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) The common assumption is that terror targets heretics in a bid to impose Sharia laws. This assumption is wrong, because the more Muslim and religious a certain place is, the more burkas and mosques it has—the more it is hit by terror and destruction, produced by jihad. 
The Experiment That Shows Under What Circumstances We Could Peacefully Live With the Palestinians (Yoram Yovell, Haaretz+) Over the past 70 years a natural experiment tested the relations between Jews and Arabs. The results speak for themselves. 
Terror Attacks in Europe Drive NATO Closer to Israel (Amir Oren, Haaretz+) Ties with the military alliance have become tighter thanks to the reconciliation between Israel and Turkey and NATO's thirst for terror-fighting strategies.
 
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.

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