APN's daily news review from Israel
Wednesday June 28, 2017
You Must Be
Kidding:
Among the 37 countries Pew surveyed, US President Donald Trump scored higher marks than his predecessor, President Barack Obama, in two: Russia and Israel.*
Among the 37 countries Pew surveyed, US President Donald Trump scored higher marks than his predecessor, President Barack Obama, in two: Russia and Israel.*
Front Page:
Haaretz
- State formulating stance about Eritrea based on organization that battles against asylum seekers
- Lapid will fly today to Spain on trip funded by right-wing organization that acts against human rights organizations in Israel
- Second incident in two weeks: Criminal being tracked by police was murdered
- (Australian) businessman Parker will be interrogated abroad soon (over gifts to Netanyahu)
- Foreign Ministry to Israel consulates in the US: Prepare for protest over the freeze of the Wailing Wall (egalitarian space) plan
- Church land in Jerusalem was sold and the homes of residents are in danger
- In opposition to the parent’s position, High Court forced arbitration between Hadassah Hospital and doctors
- Only he can // Amos Mitzna
- The conscience is quiet // Letter to the Editor
- (Musician Dudu Tasa) The man who solved Israeli sound
Yedioth Ahronoth
- Expose - For the first time in Israel: non-anonymous sperm donors
- Expose – Hitech of IDF: Enormous bonus for outstanding officers
- Expose – Ultra-Orthodox are learning: Reform Jews are “scoundrels and traitors”
- Looking for hope – Justice Eliyakim Rubinstein, whose daughter was treated for cancer at Hadassah, will arbitrate in hospital crisis
- Diary of a struggle // Roey Ben-David, 14, child in oncology department at Hadassah
- The tennis champion who will get pilot wings
- Heart breaking – The tragic life and death of Avigil Lavi, who fell victim to incest
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- “Save the children” – Hadassah crisis – Parents (of cancer patients) blocked entrance to capital
- Forced arbitration // Adv. Yechiel Guttman
- Seven killed in traffic accident in Binyamin (West Bank)
- Handicapped are furious: We will exacerbate the protest
Israel Hayom
- Hadassah Hospital - Forced arbitration
- Wailing Wall storm: Trying to lower the flames
- Guarding from global cyber attack
- Syria demanded that Togo not to invite Israel to conference in Africa – and was rejected
- Handicapped protest leadership rejected Prime Minister’s offer; Demonstrations in front of his residence
News Summary:
Protests were top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers: Over the government’s backtracking on a plan for an egalitarian prayer space at the Wailing Wall, which Israeli and American politicians feared could create a rift with American Jewry, over the crisis at Hadassah Hospital, which the High Court said must be solved by arbitration, and over the amount of the monthly allowance the Prime Minister offered handicapped.
Quickees on the Kotel (Wailing Wall):
U.S. Envoy David Friedman on Kotel Crisis: Unbelievable That Jewish Group Says Will Examine Ties With Israel (Haaretz+)
US Israel envoy won't take sides on Kotel, conversion crisis (Ynet)
Congressman Jerrold Nadler to Haaretz: Israel's Kotel Decision 'Total Insult to U.S. Jewry' (Haaretz+)
Jewish Congressman Ted Deutch Warns: Israel's Western Wall Backtrack Sends Bad Message to U.S. Jews (Haaretz+)
Senior Israeli minister Tzachi Hanegbi urges world Jewish leaders to fight controversial conversion bill (Haaretz+)
Minister Naftali Bennett: Israel's relationship with U.S. Jews in 'serious condition' over broken Western Wall promise (Haaretz)
Irked by Delays, Reform and Conservative Movements Seek Quick Ruling on Kotel Petition (Haaretz+)
Kotel Crisis: Jewish Agency Instructs Emissaries to Tell Israel About Diaspora Anger (Haaretz)
Yesh Atid tries to pass Western Wall plan into law (Ynet)
Protests were top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers: Over the government’s backtracking on a plan for an egalitarian prayer space at the Wailing Wall, which Israeli and American politicians feared could create a rift with American Jewry, over the crisis at Hadassah Hospital, which the High Court said must be solved by arbitration, and over the amount of the monthly allowance the Prime Minister offered handicapped.
Quickees on the Kotel (Wailing Wall):
U.S. Envoy David Friedman on Kotel Crisis: Unbelievable That Jewish Group Says Will Examine Ties With Israel (Haaretz+)
US Israel envoy won't take sides on Kotel, conversion crisis (Ynet)
Congressman Jerrold Nadler to Haaretz: Israel's Kotel Decision 'Total Insult to U.S. Jewry' (Haaretz+)
Jewish Congressman Ted Deutch Warns: Israel's Western Wall Backtrack Sends Bad Message to U.S. Jews (Haaretz+)
Senior Israeli minister Tzachi Hanegbi urges world Jewish leaders to fight controversial conversion bill (Haaretz+)
Minister Naftali Bennett: Israel's relationship with U.S. Jews in 'serious condition' over broken Western Wall promise (Haaretz)
Irked by Delays, Reform and Conservative Movements Seek Quick Ruling on Kotel Petition (Haaretz+)
Kotel Crisis: Jewish Agency Instructs Emissaries to Tell Israel About Diaspora Anger (Haaretz)
Yesh Atid tries to pass Western Wall plan into law (Ynet)
Quick Hits:
- U.S. Rejects Reports That Trump Is Pulling Out of Israeli-Palestinian Peace Efforts - In apparent reference to difficulties during Kushner-Abbas meet, State Department admits: 'some conversations more difficult than others.' (Haaretz+)
- Israeli warplanes strike Hamas targets in Gaza after rocket fire - Two Hamas positions targeted, IDF says, after rocket explodes in southern Israeli community. Palestinian official: No casualties caused. (Haaretz and Israel Hayom)
- Police: There's sufficient evidence to indict Netanyahu in illicit gifts affair - Investigators believe an offense was committed, but have yet to determine what to charge the PM with; however, legal sources argue the question of whether Netanyahu provided something in return for the gifts remains the deciding factor between improper conduct or a criminal offense. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Israeli cops to question billionaire James Packer over gifts to Netanyahu - The Australian tycoon’s version of events is considered key in the investigation. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli Army Reopens Golan Heights Border Area, Closed After Flare-ups With Syria - Area opposite Syrian town of Quneitra was prohibited to civilians after three incidents of stray fire from Syrian war in as many days. (Haaretz+)
- Lapid's Trip to Spain Sponsored by Group That Attacks Israeli Human Rights Organizations - NGO Monitor lobbies to have Western states stop funding Palestinian civil society groups and leftist NGOs in Israel. Yair Lapid will address Spanish parliament, present monitor's report. (Haaretz+)
- Israel Tackles Environmental Hazards in West Bank - in Violation of Oslo Accords - Israel's Civil Administration is taking action against a waste disposal site and charcoal producers in Area B, the territory under Palestinian civil control. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli Arab Students Strip-searched in Airport Check Sue El Al and Arkia - The three plaintiffs, Arabs from northern Israel, are suing the airlines for over $100,000 over the humiliating treatment they went through before boarding a return flight from Belgrade, Serbia. (Haaretz+)
- Family of 'Israeli James Bond' appeals to public to save home - Yossi Gino took part in dozens of secret operations vital to Israel's security, but when he died six months ago, his wife and daughters were left with a huge debt and face losing their home. Many Israelis owe their lives to Gino's covert activities. (Israel Hayom)
- Israeli woman who refused to serve in army discharged after 110 days in prison - Atalia Ben-Abba, 19, released on the grounds of unsuitability after a ruling that she was not a pacifist. (Haaretz+)
- Habayit Hayehudi says Netanyahu 'blocking' bill to protect Jerusalem - Likud MK David Bitan is the only coalition lawmaker not to sign bill that would require an 80-MK majority vote for any proposed division of Jerusalem • Bitan: Provision requiring 80-MK majority admits dividing the capital city is a possibility. (Israel Hayom)
- Six dead after Palestinian taxi collides with Israeli bus in West Bank - Five family members from Bethlehem among the dead; two others injured, including the bus driver and a teen found unconscious at the scene. (Haaretz+)
- Top Israeli Army Officials Meet With LGBT, Women's Groups to Discuss Coed Service - Civil society groups voice concerns about mixed-gender units and the exclusion of women in the IDF in 'historic' meeting. (Haaretz+)
- Mossad Goes Hollywood in Video Launching Startup Investment Fund - Israel's espionage agency is seeking to invest in cutting-edge technology to maintain its edge over Israel's enemies. (Haaretz and Israel Hayom)
- Israeli discovers how to block ransomware damaging computers worldwide - Amit Serper discovers a simple mechanism that prevents the malware from encrypting computers and spreading onwards. (Haaretz+)
- Hackers Targeting Israel Often Experience 'Unexpected Mishaps', Says Israeli Security Chief - Head of Israel's Shin Ben security service also says groundbreaking technological advances have contributed greatly to reducing lone-wolf terror attacks in Israel. (Haaretz and Ynet)
- Short of IT workers at home, Israeli startups recruit elsewhere - Israel's technology industry is the fastest-growing part of the economy, accounting for 14% of economic output and 50% of exports, and employing 140,000 people • Innovation Authority predicts shortage of 10,000 engineers and programmers in next decade. (Israel Hayom)
- Israeli land sale by Orthodox Church puts tenants’ homes in danger - Some 1,500 families in Jerusalem will have to negotiate with developers, something they never expected. (Haaretz+)
- Health Minister Thwarted (attempt by Hadassah Women’s Organization to Fire) Embattled Hadassah Hospitals Director - High Court to hear demand for Zeev Rotstein’s removal and for new children’s cancer ward in a different Jerusalem hospital. (Haaretz+)
- **Poll: Israel ranks Trump higher than Obama on foreign affairs - Annual Pew survey finds that while there's great opposition in the world to Trump's Muslim travel ban, respondents in four countries, including Israel, support it; overall poll shows significant drop in confidence, with Trump getting 22% while Obama had 64%. (Agencies, Ynet)
- Iran urges Europe to help promote dialogue in Persian Gulf - Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif calls on Europe to help defuse tensions over Qatar • Zarif: Those who blame Qatar for terrorism are trying to avoid their own failures • Iranian President Hassan Rouhani backs Qatar, rejects "siege" on it. (Agencies, Israel Hayom)
- Germany urges all sides in Qatar crisis to talk, avoid escalation - "The longer the crisis around Qatar continues, the deeper and stronger the lines of conflict will become," German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel says • Germany and Iran remain "worlds apart" on Israel's right to exist, which is "non-negotiable," he says. (Israel Hayom)
Features:
My Aunt Had a Dinner Party, and Then She Took Her Guests to Kill 180 Jews
Swiss journalist Sacha Batthyany knew he belonged to an aristocratic family, centered around his respected aunt. He didn’t know about the murderous ball held in 1945, that led to a personal quest, threats from relatives and a book. (Gili Izikovich, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
Netanyahu’s Surrender to Israel's ultra-Orthodox Parties (Haaretz Editorial) Prime minister, who claims to speak on behalf of the entire Jewish world, must keep his promises and allow freedom of worship at the Western Wall.
Netanyahu’s empty real estate gestures (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/Ynet) In English, behind closed doors, the prime minister promises the world; in Hebrew, in front of the cameras, he holds on to every lump of earth. This game is being played even more intensely as he deals with the Trump administration’s expectations on the one hand, and with the ultra-rightist ministers in his government on the other hand.
Wake Up, Israel! Indian PM Narendra Modi's Visit Will Make History (Meirav Arlosoroff, Haaretz+) India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Israel next week to stunning public indifference. At least the government knows how vital bilateral economic, defense and tech ties are
The World Likes Obama More Than Trump - Except in Israel and Russia (Amir Tibon, Haaretz+) Israel is the second most supportive country toward Trump's signature travel ban, though Israelis oppose his climate policy and are lukewarm on plans for Mexican wall.
A window of opportunity in Gaza (Hannes Pichler, Ofek Ish Maas, Yedioth/Ynet) Changing the situation in the strip in a joint regional and Israeli effort can serve as a litmus test for the widely debated extent of ‘pragmatism’ Sunni Arab countries have vis-a-vis Israel.
How the Middle East Is Letting Saudi Arabia Impose Its Ground Rules (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Is it desirable for one Arab power to have a monopoly on the agenda in this part of the world - especially if that country has the ability to dictate Washington's policy?
Northern border heating up (Ofek Ish Maas, Israel Hayom) Given the errant Syrian fire hitting Israel, it is time to decide on a policy and stick to it before the tenuous quiet on Israel's northern border is destroyed.
Israel's Western Wall crisis: Why Jews are fighting with each other over the Jewish holy site, explained (Allison Kaplan Sommer, Haaretz) A primer on the 50-year war that has divided Diaspora Jewry and Israel's religious hegemony.
Whether we like it or not, non-Orthodox Jews are our brethren (Rabbi Ilai Ofran, Israel Hayom) The two dramatic decisions made by the government this week constitute another contributing factor to the divorce certificate being drawn up by the State of Israel for millions of Jews in the Diaspora.
Netanyahu thinks liberal U.S. Jews are expendable. That’s a critical miscalculation (Jonathan S. Tobin, Haaretz+)
Right-wingers thinks Israel can depend solely on conservative Christians and Trump. Good luck with that.
Haredim win with home-team advantage (Nadav Shragai, Israel Hayom) PM Netanyahu made the right choice not to alienate a million ultra-Orthodox Jews who live in Israel. If one day Reform Jews become a force in Israel, formal recognition would soon follow.
Netanyahu’s Surrender to Israel's ultra-Orthodox Parties (Haaretz Editorial) Prime minister, who claims to speak on behalf of the entire Jewish world, must keep his promises and allow freedom of worship at the Western Wall.
Swiss journalist Sacha Batthyany knew he belonged to an aristocratic family, centered around his respected aunt. He didn’t know about the murderous ball held in 1945, that led to a personal quest, threats from relatives and a book. (Gili Izikovich, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
Netanyahu’s Surrender to Israel's ultra-Orthodox Parties (Haaretz Editorial) Prime minister, who claims to speak on behalf of the entire Jewish world, must keep his promises and allow freedom of worship at the Western Wall.
Netanyahu’s empty real estate gestures (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/Ynet) In English, behind closed doors, the prime minister promises the world; in Hebrew, in front of the cameras, he holds on to every lump of earth. This game is being played even more intensely as he deals with the Trump administration’s expectations on the one hand, and with the ultra-rightist ministers in his government on the other hand.
Wake Up, Israel! Indian PM Narendra Modi's Visit Will Make History (Meirav Arlosoroff, Haaretz+) India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives in Israel next week to stunning public indifference. At least the government knows how vital bilateral economic, defense and tech ties are
The World Likes Obama More Than Trump - Except in Israel and Russia (Amir Tibon, Haaretz+) Israel is the second most supportive country toward Trump's signature travel ban, though Israelis oppose his climate policy and are lukewarm on plans for Mexican wall.
A window of opportunity in Gaza (Hannes Pichler, Ofek Ish Maas, Yedioth/Ynet) Changing the situation in the strip in a joint regional and Israeli effort can serve as a litmus test for the widely debated extent of ‘pragmatism’ Sunni Arab countries have vis-a-vis Israel.
How the Middle East Is Letting Saudi Arabia Impose Its Ground Rules (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Is it desirable for one Arab power to have a monopoly on the agenda in this part of the world - especially if that country has the ability to dictate Washington's policy?
Northern border heating up (Ofek Ish Maas, Israel Hayom) Given the errant Syrian fire hitting Israel, it is time to decide on a policy and stick to it before the tenuous quiet on Israel's northern border is destroyed.
Israel's Western Wall crisis: Why Jews are fighting with each other over the Jewish holy site, explained (Allison Kaplan Sommer, Haaretz) A primer on the 50-year war that has divided Diaspora Jewry and Israel's religious hegemony.
Whether we like it or not, non-Orthodox Jews are our brethren (Rabbi Ilai Ofran, Israel Hayom) The two dramatic decisions made by the government this week constitute another contributing factor to the divorce certificate being drawn up by the State of Israel for millions of Jews in the Diaspora.
Netanyahu thinks liberal U.S. Jews are expendable. That’s a critical miscalculation (Jonathan S. Tobin, Haaretz+)
Right-wingers thinks Israel can depend solely on conservative Christians and Trump. Good luck with that.
Haredim win with home-team advantage (Nadav Shragai, Israel Hayom) PM Netanyahu made the right choice not to alienate a million ultra-Orthodox Jews who live in Israel. If one day Reform Jews become a force in Israel, formal recognition would soon follow.
Netanyahu’s Surrender to Israel's ultra-Orthodox Parties (Haaretz Editorial) Prime minister, who claims to speak on behalf of the entire Jewish world, must keep his promises and allow freedom of worship at the Western Wall.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.