APN's daily news review from Israel
Wednesday January 31, 2018
 

Quote of the day:
“We live alongside each other and the loss of Ron does not undermine my belief in peace.”
-Levana Kukia, whose son, Sgt. Ron Kukia, was stabbed to death by a Bedouin in Arad, where she lives, will hold a planting ceremony today together with Ghadir Hani, a Bedouin woman from nearby Hura town.*

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You Must Be Kidding: 
Exchange in Knesset between two MKs**:
Oren Hazan: I'd teach you a few things. [Said to MK Rachel Azaria. Hazan ran a casino in Romania. -OH]
Michal Biran: MK Rachel Azaria would do just fine without the skills of managing a casino in Burgas.
Oren Hazan: I wouldn't let you be a dealer.
Michal Biran: Pimp, it's a disgrace you're in the Knesset.
Oren Hazan: Do you want to fill out a job application? No one would look at you anyway.

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Front Page:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

News Summary:
The Netanyahu couple and their separate corruption cases, the IDF Chief of Staff's warnings as the war drums beat with Lebanon, and the badmouthing in the Knesset were top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.

Despite earlier claims by the Justice Ministry that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will not be summoned to testify in Case 3000, the scandal over the shady acquisition of submarines, the papers report that he will be for certain summoned. Former defense minister Moshe Yaalon was thrilled, saying, “At last it's happening…It is not possible that all of his associates are interrogated as suspects and he did not know. He added that while he was defense minister he blocked the deal, but “I did not know that all of them were involved in the way they were involved. They hid it from me. It is clear to me that there is a serious corruption affair here, and therefore the prime minister must certainly testify if not be questioned under caution.” (Maariv/103FM)

Meanwhile, the former deputy director of the Prime Minister’s Office, Ezra Saidoff, who is suspected of colluding with Sara Netanyahu to forge invoices to order expensive meals from restaurants and private chefs using state funds, blamed Mrs. Netanyahu, saying that it was not possible to say no to her. His statement came out following the chilling recording of Mrs. Netanyahu screaming at one of her advisors, making his statement that much more believable

As the Israeli threats of attacking Lebanon over an Iranian missiles factory continues, the IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot said “The IDF is working day and night to ensure preparedness” amid fears that Iran’s local ally, Hezbollah, is striving to arm itself with precision missiles. Eisenkot warned that Hezbollah was becoming increasingly 'powerful', but said Israel would “deliver a high and painful result to the enemy in wartime.” Maj. Gen. (res.) Amiram Levine told 103FM radio: "If the IDF is forced to defeat Hezbullah, all its missiles will be destroyed and Lebanon will be destroyed.” (Maariv) He also referred to the Submarine Affair on 103 FM: "It is very clear to me that Netanyahu was the man who pushed for the submarine deal, why didn’t Ya'alon object to that?" Meanwhile, a Russian delegation has arrived in Israel for security talks. Jerusalem and diaspora affairs minister Zeev Elkin, who accompanied Netanyahu on his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said the pair's interpersonal relationship is being leveraged to attain Israel's goals, such as freedom to operate in Syrian and Lebanese airspace; on likelihood of a third war in Lebanon, Elkin says it's up to Hezbollah—or, in actuality, Iran.

**Two MKs were barred from the Knesset for a week. MK Michal Biran was barred for calling Likud MK Oren Hazan a 'pimp' and MK Stav Shaffir (Zionist Union) from the Knesset plenum for a week after she called MK Miki Zohar (Likud) ‘corrupt.’ Today is the 69th anniversary of the Knesset and the papers disparaged the way Knesset MKs call each other names in the plenum. The Knesset is trying to end that.

 

Quick Hits:

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Features:

In Israeli Arab city where streets have no name, receiving mail is a feat
In a city of more than 60,000, street names and addresses are lacking, so some people wait for delivery at the entrance to town. (Jack Khoury, Haaretz+)
The facts behind the migrants expulsion plan
According to official figures, 34,187 Sudanese, Eritreans, illegally crossed into Israel; out of 12,136 asylum requests, only 11 were approved, compared to 90% in other countries; Many prominent Israelis oppose the expulsion on humanitarian grounds, but other assure that the migrants’ safety is not compromised. (Amir Alon, Yedioth/Ynet)
Head of Uganda’s Jews optimistic that Israel will recognize his community soon
Rabbi Gershom Sizomu, spiritual leader of the Abayudaya, encouraged by talks in Israel with Jewish Agency leader and head of Knesset immigration committee. (Judy Maltz, Haaretz+)
Painter Zoya Cherkassky, Israel's eternal dissident, is embraced by an unlikely institution
In a solo exhibition titled 'Pravda,' Zoya Cherkassky expresses the truth about the hardship, oppression, and disappointment faced by Israelis who immigrated from the Soviet Union. (Shaul Setter, Haaretz+)

Commentary/Analysis:
As an Ethiopian Israeli, I call out my country's African refugee policy for what it is: A racist manhunt (Shula Mola, Haaretz) When Israel chases down black Africans for deportation or jail, and gives white Europeans a free pass, there’s only one name for it.
"Pimp", “idiot”, and "donkey": the dirty mouth of our Knesset members (Arik Bender, Maariv) Against the backdrop of the removal of MKs Stav Shafir and Michal Biran (for one week) and the expected punishment for MK Oren Hazan, the impression is that parliamentary discourse is deteriorating. But perusing through the Knesset archive shows that curses have always existed in the Knesset.
The Deep State of the Union: Dictocracy. How Trump, Putin and Netanyahu run your life (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) They live as royals. They rule as royals. They are above the law. They alone know best. They exalt and exploit religion, but do not practice it. Democracy - the same. They are beholden to oligarchs. Some Russian. Some named Koch. Some named Adelson.
Russia is the primary address (Oded Granot, Israel Hayom) Israel wants to exhaust all avenues of "diplomatic leverage" before it endeavors to remove the menacing "Shiite crescent" from its border.
Before Embarking on a War of Choice (Haaretz Editorial) When it comes to a volatile threat such as Lebanon, close and skeptical scrutiny of the political and military decision-making processes is essential.
Israel and UNRWA's emergency meeting (Gerald M. Steinberg, Israel Hayom) Israel should use Wednesday's UNRWA donor nations conference to demand that the destructive status quo change and that donors condition aid on the return of Israeli captives and fallen soldiers.
Israel Just Created a New Type of Terrorism (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) On the Knesset website appears a new category of terrorism, ‘construction terror.’ Those convicted in advance include the Palestinian Authority, the Bedouin — and the European Union.
The daily reality in the Knesset building is not at all like the image it has (MK Yehuda Glick, Maariv) In all the parties - Arabs and Jews, left and right, ultra-Orthodox, traditional and secular - there are people who see themselves as public emissaries, who are giving all their time for the benefit of their constituents.
Could a drier Middle East be a more peaceful one? (David Rosenberg, Haaretz+) Access to water been mostly a source of upheaval and conflict, but Israel and its neighbors are starting to have little choice but to work together to solve a common problem.
There is no better time for soul searching than a birthday, the time has come to clean house (MK Karin Alharar, Maariv) After five years in the Knesset building, allow me to spoil the atmosphere of celebration. In recent years, the Knesset has lost its status and prestige, and we have witnessed a sharp decrease in its power in the past year.
Why Diaspora Jews care so much about the fate of the African asylum seekers (Dina Kraft, Haaretz) Even loyal advocates of Israel like Alan Dershowitz have criticized the government for its plan to forcibly deport Eritreans and Sudanese. Their story has touched a nerve with Jews abroad, who see deporting refugees as a violation of Jewish values and their own history.
Israel's Coordinator of Laughter and Tears in the Territories (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) 'Allah will shower his satisfaction on your morning,' the Israeli authorities are telling Palestinians on Facebook. Such goodwill abounds, but we only get reports about checkpoints, home demolitions, shooting and killing.
No monopoly on morality (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom) The Left resorts to gossip and slander because it cannot face the fact that it is losing control not only of the government but of culture, the courts and academia. It treats the people with contempt and earns a heaping portion of contempt in return.
A 13-year-old Existential Danger to Israel (Orly Vilnai, Haaretz+) If the country is deporting teenage asylum seekers into oblivion, why be surprised if it does the same to a dark-skinned Colombian girl?
For once, Netanyahu is rooting for Iranian president Rohani (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) Israel is hoping its tough talk on alleged Iranian missile factories in Lebanon will hit a nerve in cash-strapped Tehran and strengthen the president's position.
Netanyahu Sheds Crocodile Tears Over the Whims and Wrath of His Marie Antoinette (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) Leaders who cherish their spouse’s privacy don’t push them into photo-ops and state dinners and don’t give them a say in vital decisions and appointments.
 

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