APN's daily news review from Israel

Thursday October 19, 2017
 

Quote of the Day #1:
“Is there anyone whose positions on Israel should disqualify him from any position in any Jewish institution? Suppose someone supports a boycott of Israel, or turning it into a state of all its citizens. Could he not serve as an accountant of a Jewish federation or a Bible teacher in a Jewish school?”
—US-based Maariv reporter, Shmuel Rosner, examines the questions that have arisen over the battle against the appointment of an anti-occupation Jewish-American historian as the head of the Center for Jewish History.*

Quote of the Day #2:
"The Israeli government has lost all its inhibitions, while promoting settlement expansion at a record pace for recent years and distancing us daily from the possibility of a two state solution."
--Peace Now said in settlement construction report, noting that, since the beginning of the year, Israel authorities have promoted 6,742 settlement housing units.**

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You Must Be Kidding: 
Israel Police detained four settlers over the past week on suspicion of involvement in stealing olives and vandalizing olive trees from Palestinian farmers' groves - but then it released all of them.***

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Front Page:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

News Summary:
Israel pooh-poohed Iran’s military chief’s threat while asking for more money to protect itself from Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin about Iranian forces in Syria while the US Ambassador to the UN called on other Security Council members to act against Iran and Meretz party chief Zehava Galon resigned from the Knesset making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Meanwhile, the European Union called on Israel to backtrack on its approval this week for the construction of hundreds of more settlement housing units in the West Bank.

A day after the Israeli Air Force attacked a Syrian SA-5 anti-aircraft missile battery near Damascus in retaliation for the SA-5 missile that the Syrian Army shot towards Israeli Air Force jets because the jets had infiltrated into Lebanese skies on a reconnaissance mission [something they do often without any retaliation - OH], Iran’s Chief of Staff General Mohammad Baqeri made a rare visit to Damascus where he said, "It is not acceptable for the Zionist regime to violate Syria anytime it wants” and told his Syrian counterpart, Ali Abdullah Ayyoub that together they must “assert and coordinate and cooperate to confront our common enemies, the Zionists and terrorists.” Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said such Iranian declarations were all talk and that it “won’t change Israeli policy.” Nevertheless, Netanyahu spoke later in the day with Putin by phone and reportedly asked for a 40 kilometer deep security zone from the Golan Heights border from which the Iranians would be prohibited from entering, according to the London daily, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat. (Also Maariv) [Note: That would leave the Iranians with access to Damascus. - OH]

Meanwhile, Lieberman has been pushing to get an additional $856 million for ‘security,’ despite a deal by his predecessor that there will be no more requests for additional security budget money. Haaretz’s economics correspondent Hagai Amit reported that “Lieberman’s behavior is liable to turn the Kahlon-Ya’alon deal, which purported to set a five-year-budget of 60 billion shekels for the military, into a joke. The whole premise of the deal was that Israeli citizens would pay the bill, but in exchange they could know that the defense budget was final and the public would not have to open its wallet year after year.” Amit wrote that “Defense sources asserted on Wednesday that the new strategic reality in the region – a stronger Russia, a revived Assad and a bigger Iranian threat – mandated the extra funds. Still, the demands in question are based on contingency plans that are nothing new and do not stem from a war or emergency military operation.” At the same time, the IPBC (Israel Public Broadcasting Corp) reported Wednesday that a few weeks ago, Netanyahu’s Office Bureau Chief Yoav Horowitz asked for a similar amount, 4 billion shekels, saying ‘the Iranian threat and the threat in the north’ were the reason.  

Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer said that U.S.-Israel relations have never been better than under US President Donald Trump. Dermer said that the Arab countries supported Trump decertifying the Iran deal, and 'when Israel and the Arab states are on the same page that should tell you something.’ Indeed, Israel got US support in the UN Security Council Wednesday when the US Ambassador Nikki Haley asked UNSC members "not to turn a blind eye" to Iran’s alleged support for terrorism, and its alleged human rights violations, anti-Semitism, and attempts to destroy Israel. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei said Iran would 'shred' the nuclear deal if US withdrew from it.

MK Zehava Galon announced she was resigning from the Knesset and will dedicate her time into changing her party's election system to ‘inject new blood on the left.’ "The Left has a much bigger audience than the number of people who voted for Meretz. To live up to this potential, Meretz must change." She will remain party chairwoman, but Meretz secretary-general Mossi Raz, a founder of Peace Now, will replace her as MK. Political commentators thought she was making a gamble in order to return to the Knesset. (See Commentary/Analysis below.)

**At a press conference announcing the approval of more settlement construction in the West Bank, Defense Minister Lieberman celebrated that the Israeli government was "working at a pace not seen since 2000.” The European Union and the United Nations, however, were less than happy and called on Israel to stop, saying it was illegal, “harming the two-state solution” and “undermining peace.” Today, Peace Now released a statement detailing the Israeli Civil Administration’s High Planning Committee decisions, saying that over the course of meetings Tuesday and today, Israel’s Civil Administration (in the West Bank) promoted 2,615 housing units, bringing the total number of units promoted through plans this week to 2,646. Peace Now reported that, since the beginning of the year, 6,742 settlement housing units have been promoted by Israeli authorities. It wasn’t clear whether that was in blocks or isolated settlements. (Mako/Channel2) Israeli rights group B’Tselem reported that in 2016 Palestinians experienced the highest number of Israeli demolitions since the group began recording the incidents. At the same time, Peace Now reported that settlement construction in the West Bank increased by 34 percent in 2016.
 

Quick Hits:

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Features:

How extremist an Hamas leader became Egypt's strategic asset
After being hunted by the Shin Bet for years, Yahya Sinwar has a new cause for concern. As the person leading the reconciliation process with Fatah, he has gained many enemies—from Iranian intelligence in Beirut to Mohammad Dahlan’s supporters in Gaza. It's no wonder he’s one of the most heavily guarded people by the Egyptians, who see him as their most important investment in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet)

*Civil War: The Center for Jewish History in the United States has become a battlefield
The appointment of renowned historian David Myers as head of the Center for Jewish History and the attack against him raises the question over where the boundaries of attitudes toward Israel in American Jewry go, and whether there are those that are considered illegitimate. Myers finds himself under the strong attack of opponents of his appointment - because of his ideological leanings. Myers is a leftist, a member of the New Israel Fund's board of directors, who is connected to the left-wing J Street organization and a sharp critic of Israel's policy in various areas. The attackers are right-wingers. Members of the Zionist Organization of America, members of the Campus Watch organization and others. Some are marginal people, some less. The group is not necessarily big, but vociferous and aggressive. Myers and his supporters believe their claims are intolerable. "This is the tip of the iceberg and the fruit of the cooperation between right-wing organizations in the United States and the Netanyahu administration over the years," wrote historian Zohar Segev of the University of Haifa.  The right-wingers who fight against Myers, with the prominent advertising man Ron Torosian and the head of the Zionist Organization of America, Morton Klein, are convinced that they have raised the right fish…In fact, there are some interesting questions that are not always easy to understand. First, is there anyone whose positions on Israel should disqualify him from any position in any Jewish institution? Suppose someone supports a boycott of Israel, or turning it into a state of all its citizens. Could he not serve as an accountant of a Jewish federation or a Bible teacher in a Jewish school? Myers was elected for his professional abilities. Even those who do not agree with his views on Israel can accept the claim that he is suited to head a center whose main concern is the study of Jewish history in America. The second question is: where is the border line of positions regarding Israel, beyond which it is already possible to claim illegitimacy in American Jewry (if at all)? It is clear that in Israeli eyes - as far as many Israelis think - that the New Israel Fund is leftist, perhaps even radical. But in relation to what many, perhaps a majority of American Jews, believe, the New Israel Fund in general expresses central, accepted, and standard positions. Thirdly, what is the status of institutions such as the Center for Jewish History in New York - institutions that are professional on the one hand and on the other hand play a social role? Should such institutions be aligned by some consensus, should they avoid any upsetting activity or activities that have political connotations, is it possible to speak of history without political connotation? One thing is certain: Myers does not intend for the Institute to be a political platform for him and his friends. "Do you think I want to hear only the opinions of myself or those who think like me?" he asked me. "It'll bore me!" It will soon become clear that Myers is inviting left and right-wing activists, critics and sympathizers of Israel, those who agree with him and those who disagree with his views. He convinced me that he was interested in intellectual openness, that he was interested in diversity…Myers, of course, understands that his actions will be examined under a magnifying glass, and he understands that in the atmosphere created there will be disturbances, at least at the beginning. What he thinks about Israel, what he has said about it, Myers can not - and probably will not - change. He is a strong opponent of the occupation, willing to contemplate a "partial" boycott of the [Israeli] products from the territories. Therefore, some of his more vehement critics, who wish that the Center for Jewish History will be "a leadership that has the vision and the courage to support Israel's struggles" (Simon Stillwell's quote from Campus Watch), will probably not be accepting of the appointment. There will also be those from the left-wing and center who will be angry at Myers: any invitation from a right-wing intellectual, any conference or publication that will also express right-wing positions, will be interpreted as surrendering to intellectual and political terrorism. The question is what will happen to the rest: those who want an open and critical discussion, including the question of Israel, but do not want their important institutions to become a battleground of shouts that make any such conversation impossible. Here, this is a mission that the Center for Jewish History can try. It might even succeed. (Shmuel Rosner, Maariv Magazine supplement) [Also, Times of Israel news article on his appointment)

Commentary/Analysis:
Forget Rehavam Ze’evi (Haaretz Editorial) A country that chooses to ignore a moral stain that flies over it like a black flag forces parents, teachers and principals to stop the political indoctrination of their children on their own.
Cabinet decision to nix PA talks won’t change a thing (Itamar Eichner and Elior Levy, Yedioth/Ynet) The security coordination will continue, the gestures won’t be cancelled and the plans for massive construction in the settlements will remain on paper for now. The decision to suspend peace negotiations until Hamas is disarmed doesn’t change the fact that there have been no talks with the Palestinians since 2014, and even Abbas understands that a peace agreement with Israel won’t be signed under his leadership.
Can We Still Say That Yitzhak Rabin Was Murdered? (Emilie Moatti, Haaretz+) How is it that our bravest generals, who are organizing the late prime minister’s memorial event, are afraid to write ‘peace’ on the invitation?
Netanyahu is being dragged so that no one will think that Bennett is more right wing (Lilach Sigan, Maariv) They declare that they are building (settlement  homes), but they freeze them. They declare that they will not negotiate, but if necessary they will join hands with Trump and Egypt. No, it's not a zigzag. This is an unclear policy.
NIF’s fake monopoly over social justice (Yoaz Hendel, Yedioth/Ynet) The achievements Israelis take pride in—agriculture, high-tech, water desalination, religious tolerance and the integration of minorities—have nothing to do with the New Israel Fund, but rather with the Jewish mind and with the way a nation state deals with its minorities.
A heavy price to pay (Yoav Limor, Israel Hayom) Ever since the 2011 Israel-Hamas prisoner exchange, our focus has been on the heavy price the deal exacted from Israel. The case of missing aviator Ron Arad is the price we pay in the absence of a deal.
Zehava Galon’s resignation from the Knesset: The last battle to go for the whole jackpot (Arik Bender, Maariv) If she fails in her attempt to transfer Meretz to an open primaries system, she will withdraw from political life. If she succeeds, she may return to the next Knesset at the head of a larger faction.
Meretz leader Zehava Galon's resignation: Personal and political (Ravit Hecht, Haaretz+) It’s hard to ignore the other thing that’s driving her, and it’s just as sharp and fiery as her desire to shake up Meretz – the desire for political survival.
The Israeli Left Wanted a Leader Who's a Little Different. They Got It, Big Time (Yossi Verter, Haaretz) Avi Gabbay’s straying toward the soft right is an obvious move. In recent decades, being on the left in Israel does not bring power.
Are there voters on the right who suddenly ask if (Labor party chief) Gabbay is not worth another look (Shmuel Rosner, Maariv) It is not so important if Avi Gabbay goes with the Arabs or evacuates settlements, because these are imaginary situations at the moment. His statements this week are mainly important for his political standing.
Those Israeli Left-wing Purists (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) I can’t stand the thought that the Labor Party is headed by a man, Avi Gabbay, who says that he 'doesn’t deal with the rights of the Palestinians.’
Labor's past is its future (Dr. Haim Shine, Israel Hayom) New Labor leader Avi Gabbay will struggle to shed the shackles of the far Left inside his party and the media, but he will have to for Labor to remain relevant.
The comparison of events in Syria to the Holocaust reduces the horrors of Auschwitz (Ran Adelist, Maariv) The mention of the Holocaust in the context of the events beyond the northern border raises suspicion. Blood and fire and piles of smoke will always be good for those who want to distract themselves from the mud in which he is immersed.
Israel's Desperate Diaspora Rescue Mission (Noa Osterreicher, Haaretz+) The Diaspora Affairs Ministry’s bid to collect information on all Jewish college students in the United States was a form of outreach worthy of a cellphone company.
Sadat is not guilty: We deceived ourselves on the Yom Kippur War (Amos Gilboa, Maariv) The experts' assessments that Israel can accept that Iran has a nuclear bomb is not reassuring. They actually raise the fear that the surprise of 1973 may repeat itself.
A fusion of evils (Isi Leibler, Israel Hayom) The idea that a Fatah-Hamas merger is a step toward achieving an accommodation with Israel is delusional. Such a fusion of evil entities can have no positive consequences.
Land of terror: ISIS alive and kicking in Sinai (Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynet) After losing one stronghold after another in Syria and Iraq, the Islamic State organization has found a place where it can occasionally score achievements and get Hamas in trouble with Israel. Meanwhile, as it ponders whether to respond to ISIS’s strategic rocket fire, Israel is turning a blind eye to the massive amounts of weapons and forces the Egyptian army is bringing into the peninsula.
 

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