APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday, January 9, 2018
You Must Be Kidding:
"I think it's time to annex the settlement blocs."
You Must Be Kidding:
"I think it's time to annex the settlement blocs."
-- Finance Minister Moshe Kalon, said in a weekly government meeting
Front Page:
Haaretz
- Israel sets up secret firm with former diplomats, generals to "clear Israel's name"
- Mossad chief: Israel has eyes, ears, and "even more" in Iran
- Syrian army: Israel strikes near Damascus with jets, ground-to-ground missiles intercepted
- Israel to pay $9,000 to any civilian willing to help deport African asylum seekers by force
Israel Hayom
- In 2017, Palestinian Authority paid terrorists NIS 1.23 billion
- Israel strikes weapons depots near Damascus, Syrian army says
- Jerusalem should be shared capital, UK's FM tells Palestinians
- National Security Council warns Israel may face ICC investigation
Times of Israel
- Erekat: No peace talks until US revokes Jerusalem recognition
- Iran's supreme leader: Anti-regime rallies are a US, Zionist "plot"
- Netanyahu hints Israel has stopped hijacked planes crashing into European cities
- Netanyahu defends son Yair, says he was taught to "respect women"
Ynet News
- Syria to UN: Israeli "aggression will cause a conflagration"
- UN urges Israel to find solutions for African migrants
- Iran reprimanded for spying on Israel in Germany
- No increase for defense in 2019 budget
i24 News
- New 28-minute train line from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem to start in March
- Israeli air strikes, rockets hit Syria: Syrian army says
- Israeli opposition leader suggests Saudis take lead over Jerusalem Muslim sites
- Israel passes law to shutter stores on Shabbat with razor-thin majority
News Summary:
The Syrian army and Syrian opposition-affiliated media outlets said that Israel attacked Syrian military arms depots near Damascus last night. Some of the ground-to-ground missiles were intercepted, but others hit weapons caches, supposedly earmarked for Hezbollah. The Syrian regime warned the UN in a letter that "Israel’s aggressive attitude will lead to a regional conflagration and further exacerbate the situation [in order to] support terror and perpetuate the occupation of Arab lands." The regime also demanded that the Security Council "condemn the Israeli strikes and take steps to stop its aggression.”
Quick Hits:
- Jerry Seinfeld and his family reportedly visited the Caliber 3 Israeli Counter Terror and Security Academy, a military fantasy camp in a West Bank settlement that boasts "a simulation of a suicide bombing in a Jerusalem marketplace, immediately followed by a stabbing attack, a live demonstration with attack dogs and a sniper tournament."
- The Israeli Defense Ministry is drafting a bill that would deduct the welfare payments the Palestinian Authority pays to Palestinian prisoners and their families from the tax revenue that Israel transfers to the PA annually.
- Senior Hamas official Imad Al-Alami - supposedly a key link between Hezbollah and Iran - was shot in the head this morning and is in critical condition. Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum said Al-Alami accidentally discharged his own weapon while inspecting it.
- The IDF's Judea Military Court continues to mull over the case of Ahed Tamimi and has scheduled a final hearing for January 15.
- Israel's security cabinet has had several recent meetings about developments on the northern border and Iran's presence in Syria. The meetings are said to be "extremely significant".