News Nosh: 7.18.18

APN's daily news review from Israel
Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Quote of the day:
"Reuven had a pure heart. He loved everyone, I met him in the 1990s, when I used to import goods from China. He was a good man. What they did to him is horrific. If more people were like Reuven, peace would have been achieved a long ago." 
--A Palestinian man, who asked to remain anonymous, was one of a number of Palestinians who donated to a fund to establish a synagogue in honor of Reuven Schmerling, who was murdered by two Palestinian employees.*

Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
  • The response to terror - Kibbutz Gvulot started building a new neighborhood that will receive 8 families
  • Explosive balloon in the preschool
  • 3 questions for the political echelons // Giora Eiland
  • Trump’s folding (on the issue of Russian interference in US Presidential elections)
  • A puppet // Orly Azoulay
  • Technion presents: Preparatory program for Israel Air Force’s pilot’s course - starting at age 17
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
Israel Hayom
News Summary:
The Gaza burning kite and balloon dilemma continued to make headlines from the south as an incendiary balloon landed in an Israeli preschool and dozens of Syrian refugees asking for refuge on the border in the north along with US President Donald Trump retracting his rejection of US intel agencies conclusion that Russia meddled in the US Presidential election were top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. And, the race to pass laws, many of them controversial, continued successfully, much to the chagrin of the left-wing and human rights supporters. Also, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a right-wing European leader, visits Israel today, but won’t be visiting the Palestinian Authority.

On the third day of a supposed ceasefire, IDF warplanes shot at a group of Gazan youth who launched incendiary kites towards Israel. Two youth were injured. Also, a balloon carrying a firebomb from Gaza fell in the yard of an Israeli kindergarten, causing a fire while children played, and firefighting crews continued to battle against the fires other balloons caused. Hours earlier, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman visited the Gaza border area, and Netanyahu said that the IDF was prepared for any scenario. But Haaretz+ reported that Hamas was likely to accept a deal ending the airborne firebomb attacks and Ynet reported that Cairo was pressuring Hamas to completely stop or significantly reduce number of incendiary balloons and kites, while the IDF called for Israeli political pressure on Gazacivilians in order to avoid war.

SYRIA:
Dozens of Syrian civilians waving white cloths came up to 200 meters from the border fence with Israel in the Golan Heights and asked to be let in and to have help. Interestingly, Maariv reported that Israeli soldiers shouted in Arabic: “Go back before something bad happens to you,” while the more propaganda-ish ‘Israel Hayom’ newspaper quoted the soldiers as saying: “Go back, we don't want to hurt you.”Haaretz only quoted the soldier as shouting, “Go back.” Israel Hayom presented the scenario is frightening for Israel, while Maariv presented it as desperate for the Syrians.

At the Knesset, the stormy debates continued into the night. The ‘Breaking the Silence Law’ was passed preventing lectures and activities at schools by organizations in favor of legal actions being taken abroad against IDF soldiers. Today’s Haaretz Editorial explained that the amendment to the State Education Law, which has become known informally as the “Breaking the Silence Law, “authorizes every education minister to set rules barring access to the schools to any outside person or organization 'whose activity stands in severe and significant contradiction to the goals of state education.' This wording will allow Bennett and his successors to bar any organization which contradicts their political views, in the name of defending the unspecified 'goals of state education.' Breaking the SIlence said that the law proves how much Education Minsiter Naftali Bennett fears his own ideology

NEW
The Knesset passed a new law that will limit Palestinians’ access to the High Court. The Knesset approved the transfer of authority over the West Bank from the High Court of Justice to a Jerusalem District Court for Administrative Affairs. Now administrative petitions by Palestinians regarding land ownership will be reviewed by the Jerusalem court, which will require them to meet higher threshold conditions. Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked reacted saying, “The petitions party is over for Palestinians and extreme leftists. Maariv’s Avishai Greenzweig and Arik Bender explained the behind the scenes of the law: “Minister Shaked explained that the transfer of authority from the High Court of Justice was due to the heavy workload placed on the bench of the High Court justices and the desire to make it easier for them. But it seems that the decision to transfer the powers to the Jerusalem District Court is not coincidental. Recently, Shaked appointed Haya Zandberg, who headed the committee to legalize settlement outposts, as the head of the Jerusalem District Court. In recent years, a number of right-wing judges have been appointed to the courts in Jerusalem, as well as to the District Attorney's Office, and it can be assumed that it was not for nothing that the authority was transferred specifically to a Jerusalem court.” Haaretz wrote thatt he law was meant to hamper Palestinian petitions against Jewish settlement construction in the West Bank. (Also Knesset Hebrew link.)

Another headline grabbing law passed yesterday was the one that granted Netanayhu a tax break, boosting his annual income by up to 200,000 shekels. It exempts him from paying taxes on prime ministerial benefits.

Lastly, a Knesset committee approved the last controversial clause of the Jewish Nation-State bill, preparing it for a vote in the Knesset today. The contentious bill was revised multiple times over the last few years. It redefines Israel as a "Jewish state with a democratic regime" and makes the establishment of communities for Jews-only a national priority and lowers the status of the Arabic language. Haaretz+ interviewed the President of the U.S. Jewish Federation, who said he was ‘disappointed’ after fighting the Israeli government over the bill.
 
Quick Hits:
  • Palestinian succumbs to wounds sustained in Gaza protests - Sari Daoud al-Shweiki, 20, succumbed to his wounds he sustained two months ago during  “The Great March of Return” protests. Family said Israeli forces shot their son in the neck causing him quadriplegia. Sari was immediately taken to a Jerusalem hospital for treatment and remained there until he was pronounced dead Tuesday. Death toll since the beginning of the protests on March 30th is 140, more than 16,000 Palestinians wounded, including 55 amputations. (Maan)
  • Israeli bulldozers raze lands in besieged Gaza - Israeli military bulldozers coming from Kissufim Israeli military post entered tens of meters into the outskirts of al-Qartara town and razed and leveled the land surrounding the town while Israeli military drones flew overhead. (Maan)
  • Israeli forces demolish house, structures in East Jerusalem - Resident of Shufat neighborhood, Saleh Abu Khdeir, said Israeli bulldozers demolished his ready-for-housing home without advanced warning, in addition to a surrounding wall and a steel structure. His house was previously demolished several months ago forcing Abu Khdeir to rebuild it for his family of six. (Maan)
  • Israeli forces confiscate money during raids in Beit Ummar - Israeli forces raided several Palestinian homes in Beit Ummar town near Hebron and confiscated about 5000 shekels from Sufian Zaki Bahr's home. Clashes broke out as the forces withdrew and the forces fired rubber-coated steel bullets and sound canisters at Palestinian residents and their homes. (Maan)
  • Israeli forces assault Palestinian farmers, confiscate crops in Hebron district - Israeli forces attacked Palestinian farmers and confiscated their cucumbers, almonds, peaches, grapes, which they were selling on the main road between the Jerusalem and Hebron on Monday. (Maan)
  • Suspicion: A European observer sabotaged a vehicle belonging to a resident of the Jewish settlement of Hebron - In a security video, a man emerges from a vehicle belonging to the TIPH, approaches the car of Nili Dvora, a resident of the city, and punctures one of the tires. (Maariv)
  • Israeli forces confiscate 120-dunam land in Bethlehem area - Palestinian owners of the targeted land in al-Khader town found notices placed on the ground, giving them a 45-day period to appeal. (Maan)
  • *Palestinians donate to establish synagogue in memory of terror victim - Several Palestinians, some from the Gaza Strip, who personally knew Reuven Schmerling, decided to donate to the campaign for the establishment of a synagogue in his memory. Schmerling was the victim of a terror attack in October 2017 and was stabbed and beaten to death by two Palestinians at his coal storehouse in Kafr Qasim, Israel. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Israeli forces detain 3 minors at Nablus- area checkpoint - The youth, Muntasser Bani Fadel, 15, Ghaith Bani Fadel, 16, and Abed al-Ghani Bani Fadel, 18, are all from Aqraba town. Reasons of detention were not immediately identified. (Maan)
  • Despite promises, Israeli military expanded religious activity over past two years - In 2016, responsibility was transferred from the military rabbinate to the head of the personnel directorate with the aim of maintaining the IDF as 'a national army in a democratic state.' (Haaretz+)
  • Falcon sent from Gaza used for fire terrorism - A common kestrel found with an incendiary device attached to a wire that was tied to a harness put on its body; this marks the first time an animal is used to ignite fires in Israel; Nature and Parks Authority considering filing complaint under international treaties. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Israel collected $100m from Palestinians. Now it wants to use the money to upgrade roadblocks - The Finance Ministry and the Population and Immigration Authority have accumulated millions of shekels in sick leave compensations belonging to Palestinian workers. (Haaretz+)
  • Family of soldier abducted by Hamas sails toward Gaza - Leah Goldin, mother of the late Lt. Hadar Goldin, whose remains are being held by Hamas, says, "We are sailing toward Gaza to force the government to take action" • MK Shuli Mualem-Rafaeli: We are asking for any help possible in bringing the boys home. (Israel Hayom)
  • After reprimand from EU revealed in Haaretz, Israeli minister to present terror-funding claim in Brussels = 'Baseless accusations against me won't stop facts,' Israel's public security minister charges after Haaretz published the contents of the harsh letter Mogherini wrote him, but says he will still visit EU to prove claims. (Haaretz+)
  • Israel signs cooperation deal with Europol 'that doesn't mention settlements' - This is the first working arrangement signed between Europol and a non-EU country. (Haaretz+)
  • Cabinet to formulate plan protecting home front - Named 'Shield of the Home Front', the NIS 5bn multi-year plan is to beef up safety measures for range of scenarios, including earthquakes and other challenges; Lieberman hails 'historic decision. (Ynet)
  • Fewer Israeli Arab men have jobs – and wage growth has stalled - Low education levels make it harder for them to find work in Israel’s tech-oriented economy, and robots could make things even worse. (Haaretz+)
  • In Israeli town, ultra-Orthodox were filmed terrorizing girl for 'immodest clothes' - An ultra-Orthodox source at the Beit Shemesh municipality told Haaretz that the incident is the result of ultra-Orthodox extremists trying to exert control over territory. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
  • Five suspected pimps arrested in Israel for Facebook prostitution ring - The suspects allegedly made large profits from the work of dozens of young women as strippers, who also provided sexual services. (Haaretz+)
  • Asylum seeker and two children released from Israeli jail after two months' detention - Separation of the woman's family thwarted after NGO files appeal; husband, jailed elsewhere, awaits answer to asylum request. (Haaretz+)
  • Plan for wind turbines in Golan Heights – while sparing local vultures – passes key hurdle - The move is part of a program under which by 2030, 17 percent of Israel’s energy production will be derived from renewable sources. (Haaretz+)
  • U.S. Embassy refurbishments in Jerusalem will cost a lot more than expected - New figures show that the refurbishments and move will cost around $21.5 million. Donald Trump estimated $250,000. (JTA, Haaretz)
  • Netanyahu: "We persuaded Trump to withdraw from the (nuclear) agreement with Iran" - Channel 11, Israel Public Broadcasting Corp, revealed a rare recording from a conference of Likud activists, in which the prime minister takes credit for the historic move by the US president, who himself has given much credit to Netanyahu. (Maariv)
  • Trump: Putin is a great believer in Israel, he is a fan of Bibi - The U.S. president says Russian counterpart 'helps Israel and will continue to help Israel. This is good for all of us' and claims Putin is a 'great believer in Israel, a fan of Bibi.’ (Haaretz)
  • US report finds only 20,000 Palestinian refugees in the world - U.S. lawmakers pressure State Department to declassify Obama-era report on number of refugees from Israel's War of Independence • Republican Senator Ted Cruz: Access to report will help Americans have a transparent debate on U.S. funding of UNRWA. (Israel Hayom)
  • US Congress debates recognizing Israeli sovereignty in Golan - Former Foreign Ministry head Dr. Dore Gold tells panel three past U.S. administrations gave Israel assurances on its international status on the strategic plateau • Congressman Ron DeSantis: It would be "madness" for Israel to concede the Golan Heights. (Israel Hayom)
  • Lebanese president: US pullout from Iran deal will hurt Middle East - "The unilateral U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear agreement will have negative repercussions for security and stability in the region," President Michel Aoun warns • Deal a "cornerstone" for helping free region from weapons of mass destruction, he says. (Israel Hayom)
  • Human Rights Watch: Lebanon must investigate torture claims by actor falsely accused of being Israeli spy - Watchdog says it’s ‘disturbing’ that no investigation has been launched into accusations that Ziad Itani, who has now been released, was held incommunicado, forced to confess under duress and threatened with rape and physical violence against his family. (Agencies, Ynet)
  • Officials say fighting in Yemen’s Hodeida kills 30 civilians - Yemeni officials say fighting in the al-Tuhyta district, south of the key port city of Hodeida, has left 57 civilians wounded since the beginning of July. (Agencies, Haaretz+)
  • Amnesty calls for 'war crimes' probe on UAE-run prisons in Yemen - Scores of men had been subjected to enforced disappearance after being arbitrarily detained by UAE and Yemeni forces 'operating outside the command of their own government.’ (Agencies, Haaretz)


Features:
'Tourism here is completely dead': Flaming kites create lose-lose situation for Israeli businesses
Farmers can file for damage claims, other businesses are left out in the cold. (Hagai Amit, Haaretz+)

Commentary/Analysis:
The Cruel Similarities Between Israel’s Occupation and Assad’s Regime (Wesam Sharaf, Haaretz+) I live under Israeli occupation, and I was a passionate supporter of Bashar Assad, the 'Messiah of the Resistance.' Now I realize you can’t oppose Israel’s occupation and support Assad’s tyranny: it’s the same fight.
The new era of Jewish terror (Aviad Mendelbaum, Yedioth/Ynet) There is a growing acceptance and support of extreme right-wing views demonstrated by support for the defendants in the Duma terror trials. The practical objectives of Jewish rebel groups have turned into attempts to overthrow the government and start religious wars in order to establish a state governed by radical Jewish Law.
Israel’s Holocaust credit line is running out (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) The day will come when not only Israeli politicians and military officials will be put on trial, but also jurists, military and civilian judges, architects and planners, everyone who enabled and enables the division of this land.
The military's mistake (Amnon Lord, Israel Hayom) The IDF chief of staff needs to realize that the military's top echelon is a partner in the nation's leadership and speak up about military failures, such as the situation on the Gaza border.
Gaza Flare-up: Israel Must Admit the Truth - Burning Kites Don’t Justify War(Amos Harel, Haaretz+) The government is dragging Israel dangerously close to an unnecessary war in Gaza, despite assertions by top security brass that the situation doesn't warrant it.
The political echelon has no vision vis-à-vis Hamas's strategy, except for preserving the status quo (Yossi Melman, Maariv) The leadership offers only defensive tactics to restore the quiet. But if the fields continue to burn, the political echelon, which is beginning to lose its cool, will be forced to order the IDF to embark on another operation.
Between cynicism and childish bragging: the Helsinki summit was a purposeful display by Putin (Ran Adelist, Maariv) Trump scolds and lambasts journalists who make it difficult for him, and Putin reportedly kills them. Aside from that, neither of them cares about anyone except for their personal interests and the way they see the national interests of their countries.
The Education Commissar (Haaretz Editorial) The passage of the NGO Law that limits anti-occupation organizations is a glaring example of the way efforts to silence opposition to the occupation are undermining our entire democratic structure.
Know thine enemy (Dr. Edy Cohen, Israel Hayom) The Saudis are playing a double game, signaling to Israel that Iran is a common threat while making sure the people at home believe the enemy is Israel, followed by Iran.
As GOP recoils from Trump and Putin, Netanyahu gloms on (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) Even for Israel – where 'normal' never is – there was something exceptionally peculiar in the prime minister's response to the Trump-Putin meeting.
The moment of truth in Gaza (Prof. Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) The problem with Gaza is not defeating Hamas, it is dealing with Gaza should Hamas fall. Until a good solution to this dilemma is found, it is best to pursue the path of restraint.
How a West Bank highway's road sign captures the Israeli psyche (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) There’s nothing more political than a company paving roads beyond the state’s borders to enable Jewish Israelis to violate international law, completely oblivious of Palestinian residents.
Helsinki Fiasco Proves That Netanyahu’s Adulation for Trump Is a Miscalculated Risk for Israel (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) A U.S. president who shames his country in public won’t hesitate to stick a knife in the back of its ally in the Middle East.
Taking a new crack at an old alliance (Prof. Abraham Ben-Zvi, Israel Hayom) Monday's summit in Helsinki sends a clear message that from the Trump administration's perspective, the key to maintaining global order lies with Moscow.
Trump's Appalling Display in Helsinki Shows Netanyahu Was Right All Along to Invest in Putin (Daniel B. Shapiro, Haaretz+) Israel is prepared for the post-Helsinki reality: With Trump so beholden to Putin, for whatever reasons, Russia alone is calling the shots in Syria – and alone will decide whether to take Israel’s interests into account.
In Helsinki, Trump's critics go off the deep end (Eldad Beck, Israel Hayom) U.S. indictments against 12 Russians for hacking Democratic Party officials, filed days before Trump's meeting with Putin cast a shadow over the historic summit • Neither leader came to Finland to fight. They came to try to forge a new bilateral dynamic.
Understanding the Syria Moment at the Trump-Putin News Conference (Ron Kampeas, JTA, Haaretz) There was at least one corner of apparent normalcy in the news conference: Russia and the United States seemed to agree that any Syria outcome should reassure Israel about its security needs.
With Orbán and Soros, Hungary’s Jews trapped between pro-Israel and anti-Semitic politics (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) The Hungarian government is spending heavily on the Jewish community and Budapest’s Jews walk the streets without fear. So why is Benjamin Netanyahu's alliance with their own prime minister 'making Hungarian Jews shiver'? The second of three special reports.
Orban visit: May your arrival be cursed – anti-Semitic garbage (B. Michael, Haaretz+) It is hard to swallow an official visit by an anti-Semite, racist, Islamophobe, demagogue, provocateur and liar, who is also anti-democratic, hostile to human rights and a hater of law and enlightenment.
Orban, Take the Holocaust Off Our Hands, the Murdered Are Already Dead (Mordechai Kremnitzer, Haaretz+) The deep common values that unite you and Netanyahu ought to legitimize any form of cooperation, even a joint statement for the benefit of the present and future at the expense of the past.
If we have a religious right to a state, others can determine that there is a religious right to destroy us (Attorney Uriel Lin, Maariv) The term "religious right", which was embedded in the race to pass the nation-state law, is extremely dangerous to our existence and our future.
Trump’s Empty Threat to the International Order (David Rosenberg, Haaretz+) He talks the talk, but don’t worry: He has neither the intellectual nor the leadership tools to make it happen.
Unemployment, corruption fuel south Iraq’s protests (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Region’s vast oil wealth is siphoned off by tribal leaders, foreign producers and a dysfunctional central government
 
Interviews: 
Editor of "Al-Masdar": "Arabs are cheering from the stadium - we are paying the price"
Is there any logic behind the conduct in the south? The editor-in-chief of the Israeli news website in Arabic, Shimrit Meir, was hosted by 103 FM and claimed that “It is unreasonable that Israeli soldiers risk their lives to allow Abu Mazen (Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas) to regain control of Gaza.” (Interviewed by [right-wing journalist - OH] Erel Segal on 103FM/Maariv)
Meir: "Let's assume that we are drawn into an escalation move and a confrontation similar to ‘Operation Protective Edge’ (Gaza War 2014) begins -  what do we want to achieve from it? Is there a consensus on what will be the desired outcome in Gaza? To finish another round while we’re begging the United Nations, Qatar and Egypt to get us out of this endless loop? ‘Operation Protective Edge’ was only four years ago. That’s not a lot of time and it's still fresh in memory. Those 50 days have become useless.”
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.