APN's daily news review from Israel
Friday February 9, 2018
Number of the day:
102.
--Number of US Congress members who urged US President Donald Trump not to slash funds to the UN Palestinian Aid Agency, URNWA.
Front Page:
--Number of US Congress members who urged US President Donald Trump not to slash funds to the UN Palestinian Aid Agency, URNWA.
Front Page:
Haaretz
- The crime scene, the media – Cases 1000 and 2000 got a number in the media industry, but they look like the movie trailer to Case 4000 – the Bezeq-Wallah affair
- Netanyahu’s confidantes attack (Police Commissioner) Alsheikh: He is trying to stage a coup
- Sixth incident on West Bank in less than two months: Palestinian youth who threw stones was shot in his head
- Aviv Kochavi is still the leading candidate, but the race for the next Chief of Staff is far from being closed
- Thousands of secular, ultra- Orthodox and Bedouin people united forces in a demonstration against phosphate mines near Arad
- The door to paradise has closed: Places that were holy for just a moment // Nir Hasson
- A day with the radio broadcaster, Eliko, in the search for the next Mizrachi popstar
Yedioth Ahronoth
- Frontal dispute – Storm following Police Commissioner Alsheikh’s claims that “powerful people” acted to gather incriminating materials about police investigators in the Netanyahu investigations
- Expose: Milchan’s version – Following police deliberation of whether to put Netanyahu and also Arnon Milchan on trial for bribery, the billionaire’s lawyer reveals his line of defense: “It was a friendship relationship, it’s not bribery”
- Drop in Wall Street – The fall of Teva Pharmaceuticals
- Until death did them connect – Two attacks, two widows, one pain: Miriam Ben-Gal and Yael Shevach in a joint interview
- Special to Yedioth: Author Yehuda Atlas in a story about an Eritrean youth
Maariv This Week
- Netanyahu: “Police Commissioner’s claims are severe”; Alsheikh: “I’m not sorry and I don’t retract” – Political establishment unanimously in favor of a probe into Aslsheik’s remarks; Attorney General’s associates responded to claims he was updated about the suspicions: “You don’t open an investigation based on feelings”
- (Justice Minister) Shaked against Alsheikh: “It’s impossible throw accusations against Netanyahu without basing them”
- “The way the crisis in Gaza is being handled –unprofessional (and populist)” – according to political source
- Burning hot intel information – Special: The full report about the illicit relations between police officer Guy Nir with officer Z., which led to the resignation of Roni Ritman from the police anti-fraud unit, Lahav 433
- The big dictator – Prof. Aharon Barak established in the State of Israel a special political-judicial regime of which there is nothing like in the world // (Right-wing) Adv. Yoram Sheftel
Israel Hayom
- “Jerusalem declaration – a high moment in the President’s first year” // Boaz Bismuth
- Former police commissioners: “Alsheikh erred – big time”
- Time bomb – 6 children injured in fire zones near Elad, the authorities are passing around the responsibility
- My Itamar: Miriam Ben-Gal, widow of Itamar who was murdered this week, in a special interview
- 8 years after losing his foot in a mine explosion in the Golan, Daniel Yuval puts on a uniform
News Summary:
Today’s big story was the storm over Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh’s claim in a TV interview this week that “powerful forces” hired private investigators who collected information to incriminate the police investigators who were working on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s cases. In a front page piece, Israel Hayom interviewed former police commissioners, who said Alsheikh should not have said that as did Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked. Alsheikh refused to retract and said he’s not sorry he said it. Netanyahu said Alsheikh’s statements must be probed to discover the truth and that he hadn’t attacked Alsheikh for them. Police revealed that Alsheikh had reported to Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit and State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan at the time that that the suspicions arose, but Mendelblit told him not to open an investigation on the subject. Channel 10 reported that the alleged digital surveillance of the police officers only stopped in January 2017, when Alsheikh first publicly spoke about it. Associates of the Attorney General told Maariv that the police commissioner could have opened an investigation into the suspicions himself if he had evidence and not wait for an order from Mendelblit, but since he didn’t it was likely because he didn’t have any evidence. Netanyahu's confidantes said Alsheikh was trying to stage a coup.
Today’s big story was the storm over Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh’s claim in a TV interview this week that “powerful forces” hired private investigators who collected information to incriminate the police investigators who were working on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s cases. In a front page piece, Israel Hayom interviewed former police commissioners, who said Alsheikh should not have said that as did Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked. Alsheikh refused to retract and said he’s not sorry he said it. Netanyahu said Alsheikh’s statements must be probed to discover the truth and that he hadn’t attacked Alsheikh for them. Police revealed that Alsheikh had reported to Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit and State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan at the time that that the suspicions arose, but Mendelblit told him not to open an investigation on the subject. Channel 10 reported that the alleged digital surveillance of the police officers only stopped in January 2017, when Alsheikh first publicly spoke about it. Associates of the Attorney General told Maariv that the police commissioner could have opened an investigation into the suspicions himself if he had evidence and not wait for an order from Mendelblit, but since he didn’t it was likely because he didn’t have any evidence. Netanyahu's confidantes said Alsheikh was trying to stage a coup.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.