APN's daily news review from Israel
November 14, 2017

Quote of the day:

"Rabin understood that a good life would not be possible here without global support: You can call everyone anti-Semitic from here to Oslo, but as much as we deny it, there is no existence to a start-up called 'Israel' without the willingness of the enlightened world to continue investing in it."
--Commentator Nir Kipnis writes in today's Maariv.*

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Front Page:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

News Summary:
The testimonies from Israeli tycoon Arnon Milchan and his personal assistant that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara regularly requested cigars and champagne, which Milchan provided ‘carte blanche,’ the Iron Dome anti-rocket batteries that Israel stationed in the center, bracing itself from retaliation by Palestinian Islamic Jihad attack, in light of mutual threats between Israel and PIJ after Israel blew up one of PIJ’s tunnels and killed several of its militants, and the storm-sparking statement by the new Labor party chief and head of the Zionist Camp faction, Avi Gabbay, who said that “the Left-wing forgot what it means to be Jewish” (repeating almost word for word what Netanyahu said ahead of the 1999 elections) were today’s top stories in the Hebrew newspapers.

In diplomatic news, at a special parliamentary session initiated by the opposition, who accused Netanyahu of preferring an Israeli apartheid and of ignoring the chance for regional cooperation Netanyahu listed what he said were his achievements and noted that he recently spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi on matters concerning Israel's security. Meanwhile, US Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt said there has been no progress made yet to bring together Israeli and Palestinian officials together for peace talks.
 

Quick Hits:

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Commentary/Analysis:
Inspired by Trump, Israel Has Lost Its Shame (Uzi Baram, Haaretz+) The U.S. under Trump has abandoned its role as a beacon of freedom and sanctioned Netanyahu's war on democracy.
*(Yitzhak) Rabin was not “good-hearted,” he understood that it was necessary to survive in this violent neighborhood (Nir Kipnis, Maariv) From the moment Yitzhak Rabin was exposed to existential pleasures, he understood that they must be offered to future generations as well. Because with all due respect to the willingness to die for our country, most of us are still alive…Rabin understood that a good life would not be possible here without global support: You can call everyone anti-Semitic from here to Oslo, but as much as we deny it, there is no existence to a start-up called "Israel" without the willingness of the enlightened world to continue investing in it. Rabin was not what is commonly referred to as "good-hearted." On the contrary, he understood that sometimes it was necessary to "break their hands and feet" [reference to what he told Israeli soldiers to do to Palestinians throwing stones at the start of the First Intifada - OH] and preferably "without the High Court of Justice and without B'Tselem." But he knew that the world must understand that when act such when we are required to do so, not out of racist reasons but because of the need to survive in this violent neighborhood. His peace process was not coming from just a soul desire, but mainly as a means of reducing the friction with the Palestinians, first of all for us…
A Plan for Arab and Jewish Leftists to Save Israel (Itzhak Galnoor and Avishai Margalit, Haaretz+) The country is yearning for change, which means two left-wing parties – Meretz and Hadash – must leave their comfort zones and work together to save Israel from the occupation and becoming an apartheid state.
As tensions rise on Israel-Gaza border, a flare-up is only a matter of time (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) Islamic Jihad’s motivation to avenge the terrorist tunnel detonation is clear, while Hamas believes it can spur int. pressure on Israel to resume reconciliation talks. And when all interests to start a fire come together, that fire will burn.
Waiting Around for Trump's 'Ultimate Deal' Will Kill the Israeli Left (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Relying on an American panacea creates an idle left, a silent one drowning in inaction and paralyzed by fatalism.
'Don't you dare' (Yoav Limor, Israel Hayom) Israel issues an unusually aggressive message to Islamic Jihad and Hamas, warning that its response to a revenge attack will be severe regardless of its scope.
Zionist Organization of America Embraces 'Alt-right' Stars – Even Those Too Fringe for Trump (Allison Kaplan Sommer, Haaretz+) From ex-Trump aides to conspiracy theorists, figures like the man behind 'Pizzagate' and Jewish provocateur Laura Loomer have found a home at the Zionist Organization of America.
'We’ll Come for You Zionists Next.' South African Student 'Progressives' Defend Nazi Salutes and Hezbollah Flags – but Push Me Out (Adam Dison, Haaretz+) At the University of Witwatersrand, anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial are recurring features of the student body’s pro-BDS campaigns. After four years of trying, I now realise there’s no room for progressive Jews like me in South Africa’s ‘new' left.
In Israel, Poor Prisoners Are Less Equal (Haaretz Editorial) Effectively, poor Israelis don’t have the option of early release from jail.

 

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