APN's daily news review from Israel

Tuesday December 5, 2017
 

Quote of the day:

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Breaking News:
Israel Strikes Assad Regime Military Target in Syria, Foreign Media Reports
Israel reportedly attacked a military scientific research center in the Jamraya area on the outskirts of Damascus late Monday night, according to media affiliated with the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad. (Haaretz and Ynet)

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Front Page:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

News Summary:
David Bitan, the coalition whip and close ally of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, said he wouldn’t resign despite the corruption investigation opened against him this week on suspicion of taking bribes in the millions and against his wife for money laundering, while a police source told Maariv that "David Bitan has finished his political career" and five top Likud members quietly planned to dismiss Netanyahu, according to Yedioth’s Yoaz Hendel and in Jerusalem, security forces went on high alert ahead of a possible unilateral declaration by US President Donald Trump Wednesday that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, while many warned against it. Barely mentioned in the news, was the ongoing violence between settlers and residents of the Palestinian village of Qusra.

As journalists from around the world arrived in Israel ahead of the expected announcement from Trump about Jerusalem, Israel has remained silent (albeit increasing security forces), but internationally, many have called on Trump not to unilaterally declare Jerusalem the capital of Israel and not to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. Yesterday, Trump delayed the decision about the embassy move. French President Emmanuel Macron told Trump he was worried about the effects of such a declaration and Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the US said any Trump move would hurt the peace process and heighten regional tensions. Turkey said recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital would cause a catastrophe. Israeli Arabs said they ‘won't sit passively' if Trump names Jerusalem Israel's capital, Jerusalem Post reported and the organization of Muslim nations called for a summit if he did, saying it would be a ’blatant attack on the Arab and Islamic nations.' Even ex-Israeli Ambassadors urged Trump's envoy Jason Greenblatt to convince Trump not to do it.

The Hebrew newspapers took very different views of what happened Monday when far-right extremist Jewish activists marched to the West Bank village, where one settler killed a Palestinian farmer last Thursday in circumstances still in dispute during a bar-mitzvah hike in the West Bank that did not receive military approval. Haaretz and Times of Israel reported that the extremist Jews from a radical group called Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) marched into the village of Qusra to return to the scene of last week's deadly incident and Palestinians threw stones at them and Israeli soldiers showed up and a Palestinian young man was shot and seriously wounded,but it wasn’t clear whether the soldiers or settlers shot him. Yedioth’s settler affairs reporter, Elisha Ben-Kimon reported that the family who held the Bar-Mitzvah hike were going to do it again on Friday to give their son a better experience. Ben-Kimon reported in the print Yedioth that the ‘Jewish Power’ extremists tried to enter the village of Qusra yesterday. But in an article on Yedioth’s sister Ynet website, Ben-Kimon accused the villagers of Qusra of inciting against the settler (from the extremist Yitzhar settlement) who shot the Palestinian farmer, Mahmoud Odeh, because on a Facebook page called ‘Qusra Now,’ they posted a photo of the settler and noted that he was the one who killed Odeh and also noted that the Samaria Regional (settler) Council head Yossi Dagan had decided to award the settler a medal of valor. Moreover, while it was established that Odeh was uninvolved in the stone-throwing dispute with the hikers last Thursday, Ben-Kimon called the farmer a ‘Palestinian rioter’ and wrote that he was “among a group of Palestinian rioters throwing rocks at a group of some 20 Israeli children who were on a bar mitzvah trip in the area last week.” Maan reported that the Palestinian, Ahmad Fayiz Hasan, 24, was critically injured. An Israeli army spokesperson told Ma’an that “hundreds of Palestinians in Qusra began rolling burning tires and throwing rocks at Israeli forces.” When questioned on the reports that the clashes broke out only after dozens of settlers raided the area under the protection of Israeli forces, the spokesperson said she was “aware of Israeli civilians in the area,” but did not comment further.
 

Quick Hits:

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Features:

“I told the organizers of the Ma'apilim - 'If I'm not paid, I’ll volunteer' "
Hundreds of Americans turned overnight into sailors and brought tens of thousands of immigrants to Israel, but were never recognized for their activities. Now that’s going to change. Murray Greenfield talks about the recruiting, sailing and the revenge against the British. (Oz Rosenberg, Maariv)
'It took them 10 minutes to destroy what I built in a lifetime'
Ever since the Rajbi family home was demolished by Israeli authorities two weeks ago, the children have been staying with relatives, while the father sleeps in a tin hut next to the rubble. This is what it looks like when Israel turns its Palestinians into criminals against their own will. (Orly Noy, +972mag)
Steve Bannon's Best Jewish Friend: Morton Klein's Rise to Prominence in the Trump Era
He’s been president of the Zionist Organization of America for over 20 years but has never had as much influence as now – but at what price, critics ask. (Dina Kraft, Haaretz+)
Looted from Beirut 35 years ago, now on display in Tel Aviv
‘Looted and Hidden’ digs through the archive of films taken by the Israeli army in 1982, and shines light on more property stolen by Israel: the history of Palestinian cinema. (Rami Younis, +972mag)
 
Commentary/Analysis:
The unknown history of the UN plan to partition Palestine (Jerome M. Segal, +972mag) Twenty years after the Palestinian leadership declared partition ‘entirely illegal,’ they reversed course and recognized that accepting the division of the homeland could lay the groundwork for an independent state.
Israel’s Last Chance to End the Occupation (Ilana Hammerman, Haaretz+) Paradoxically, the anti-BDS bill could very well hasten the end of the repression and subjugation of the Palestinian people.
*On the borderline (Michal Israeli, Mako/Channel 2) Freedom of expression is considered a supreme value and a principle that many media outlets are willing to fight for. But last weekend Avri Gilad abused it for the first time, encouraging attacking the residents of the  (Palestinian) village of Qusra and he called for Israeli citizens to take the law into their own hands. On the way, he did not forget to inform the TV presenter sitting next to him, Hila Korach, "to lower (your voice) a little.” After all, you can’t do without a bit of mansplaining before you go out speaking irresponsibly, can you? Korah won this arrogant response after she turned in astonishment to the co-host of "The World This Morning” who sat next to her and asked him to explain why he was encouraging an attack on residents of Qusra village by settlers from Judea and Samaria. The following is the actual news: On Thursday morning, a group of settler youths walked near the village of Qusra without the permission of the IDF, which was required for a civilian hike in the area. Residents of Qusra threw rocks at them and during the confrontation one of the adults who accompanied the hike opened fire and killed a Palestinian farmer who was working his land and was not part of the incident. Thursday evening, settlers arrived at the entrance to the village and tried to break into it, throwing stones and leaving behind six injured Palestinian, as well as damage to houses and property. Regarding the latter incident, Gilad told about it himself to the presenters sitting next to him on the program “The World This Morning,” which was broadcast on Friday morning in a video that Yedioth Ahronoth journalist Einav Schiff uploaded and posted on Twitter. In response to Gilad's statements, Korach muttered with sarcasm: “Great.” “Great, really great,” Gilad answered her with utter seriousness, causing her to turn around and demand an explanation. "You say that pogroms are great, I’m trying to understand," she replied without getting confused after he tried to chuckle away her resentment. "Many of the residents of the village took part in this, and it can not go without a response," Gilad replied. "I think that sometimes there is no choice but to demonstrate a presence, even a violent presence." “Of the villagers?” asked Maya Ziv-Wolf in shock and Gilad answered, “Of course” and even added: “I’m saying that we will not be the ones that they come to kill them and they just hide under the bed and think that the Fritz will come to protect them.” To the last remark he added a wave of hands that mimicked the image of cowards hiding. That is, those who allow military forces to do their jobs instead of getting up and going to seek revenge on their own. Two years ago, at a meeting with students and staff at the Ariel University School of Communications, Gilad said that "the leftist positions are childish." And here he says on television, with infinite smugness, that the response to a violent incident on the part of the Palestinians should be the violence of Israeli citizens. What can we say - a real adult solution. In any other country, this statement would have been considered incitement to violence, but in Israel it is a voice that represents many - the belligerent, capricious and violent voice that calls for the destruction of all enemies. It is not new that we have lost all human dignity, and this text will not convince the convinced. Those who respond here will say that Gilad is right, and that this country will continue to be led by violence and aggressiveness. This is not a matter of right-wing and left-wing, but of people who celebrate violence and vengeance...Not only on the left-wing, but on the right, you can find enough votes that really do not support unsupervised violence by civilians, while Gilad encourages her without blinking, and from the tone of his voice it shows that he believes it is not scandalous at all. Indeed, when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, violence is accorded the status of honor that it does not receive in other instances. One can understand how in the heat of the moment people who experience violence will react violently to it, but to sit in the clean, air-conditioned TV studio and encourage violence with such equanimity is another story. His attempt to calm and silence the enraged Korach while encouraging violent riots creates such an absurd situation that it is almost funny. But only almost.
Netanyahu Wrote Off the Jewish Diaspora (Isaac Herzog, Haaretz+) Netanyahu is basically telling Jews outside of Israel: 'Give money, fight BDS and shut up!' This formula no longer works.
Keep the police out of politics (Akiva Bigman, Israel Hayom) The police practice of publishing recommendations to the State Attorney's Office turns them into a political player, something that must not be allowed for the sake of our democracy.
Netanyahu's new anti-police campaign (Yuval Karni, Yedioth/Ynet) The prime minister has replaced the ‘there will be nothing because there is nothing’ campaign with a new, updated version: Since the police recommendations are meaningless, he will be able to remain in office even if his investigation is concluded with a recommendation to indict him on serious charges like bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
The Revenge of the Caretaker at Netanyahu’s Residence (Nehemia Shtrasler, Haaretz+) Public protests – like those launched by disgruntled chief caretaker Meni Naftali – endanger Bibi because the police, attorney general and judges want to know that much of the public supports them.
Business as usual in the hangman's square (Dr. Gabi Avital, Israel Hayom) The march calling for the prime minister's head is a reboot of the 2011 social justice movement – the same people, the same elitism and intolerance.
What really stands behind the claim that "this is the best government for the people of Israel" (Yitzhak Ben-Ner, Maariv) In the coalition are elected officials who have been interrogated or convicted of criminal offenses, or who will be state witnesses. Therefore, perhaps, the prime minister did not want, did not try and has not succeeded to find himself an heir.
American Jewish SOS: How to Defend Israel but Fight for Its Democracy and Decency (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) In the age of Trump, Netanyahu is perceived as an Israeli leader who does not share or appreciate American Jewish values.
Mr. President, this is our land (Nadav Shragai, Israel Hayom) While Trump has sung a different tune, he hasn't changed the substance.
Trump, Take Note: How Jerusalem Went From Hosting 16 Embassies to Zero (David B. Green, Haaretz+) President Donald Trump may still be mulling whether to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but countries such as Chile, the Netherlands and Kenya once had ambassadors in the city.
Enough is enough! Jerusalem must be recognized as Israel’s capital (Arsen Ostrovsky, Yedioth/Ynet) It remains an absurd anomaly that Jerusalem is the only world capital not recognized by the international community, and in which Israel, like every sovereign nation under international law, has been denied its inalienable right to designate its own capital. There is never a wrong time to do what is right, just and moral.
A pro Israeli basketball player just came out - but the real shock came next (Ran Shimoni, Haaretz+) When Uri Kokia told Israel's main sports channel he was gay, TV commentators quickly turned his brave announcement into racist nonsense about the 'other.’ Stating that being Mizrahi makes it hard for thousands of…players to make their sexual orientation known is racist. This thinking, by its very nature, won’t tell us that families who reject a gay family member come from all sorts of socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds. Worse, it will hide the parents who were able to accept their gay son or daughter – and there are plenty of them.
Halachic Bridge: The state must also preserve Judaism, not only the Jews (Sarah Beck, Maariv) Each one lives according to his faith. But the state can and should consider positively not to turn Shabbat (Saturday) into a day for renovation of national infrastructure, even if it may cost us in traffic jams.
Explained: What Michael Flynn’s Guilty Plea Means for Jared Kushner and Israel (JTA and Ron Kampeas, Haaretz) It all goes back to the Logan Act.
The Real Story of How the Nazis Have Returned to Germany's Parliament (Leon Kohl, Haaretz) Why denazification failed in communist East Germany – and how that fuels today's Holocaust-denying, anti-immigrant German far right, the Alternative for Germany
The Kurds who came to Israel to learn to do the impossible (Karni Eldad, Maariv) After no one in the world (apart from Israel) recognized the results of their referendum, the Kurds are in a much worse position than before. "We are optimistic, even though it is difficult, we will not stop until we become a free nation, like you.”…This week I met with a delegation of exiled Kurdish leaders who came to Israel to learn from us. The Kurds feel a deep connection with Israel, and see it as a true friend. The meeting was organized by the International Legal Forum, a human rights organization that includes groups from around the world that support the war on terror and fight delegitimization.
Israel Must Extradite Teodoro Gauto, Wanted for Crimes in Argentina's 'Dirty War' (Haaretz Editorial) Gauto has been living in Israel since 2003, and despite two Interpol notices Jerusalem has refused to revoke his citizenship and allow him to be questioned.
The UN Can't Save Syrians When It's Complicit With the Assad Regime (Daniel Beaudoin, Haaretz+) UN agencies, in their obedience to Syrian government instructions, have suffered a critical loss of norms and neutrality. That's in stark contrast to the conduct of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
 
 

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