APN's daily news review from Israel

Thursday November 1, 2018
 

Quote of the Day #1:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Weekend (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

News Summary:
Today’s Hebrew newspapers focused on the winners and the losers and those who don’t yet know following Tuesday’s municipal elections and on the funeral for all eight members of the Attar family who were killed in a car accident when hit by a driver believed to be under
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-drugs-suspected-in-dead-sea-car-crash-that-killed-family-of-eight-1.6612958

 the influence of a drug. Also in the news, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was forced to participate in a Knesset debate over a recently adopted surrogacy law in order to embarrass him, Yedioth wrote. The MK Itsik Shmuli ‘stole the show’ when he told the Prime Minister to ‘look him in the eyes’ and tell him why he wasn’t good enough to become a father in this country. Netanyahu said he supported surrogacy for homosexuals, but not enough of his coalition partners did. Maariv reported that Netanyahu took advantage of the stage to say he plans on staying in politics for a long time and that the “rumors about the death of Israeli democracy” are exaggerated.

Also of importance: the Russian Defense Ministry held a long briefing about the situation in Syria on Wednesday, and a Russian ministry spokesman warned that the delivery of the S300 missile system to Syria “was a warning to all hotheads in the region." Although Israel wasn’t mentioned, the reference to the S-300 clearly is pointed at Jerusalem and the S-300 was meant to defend against Israeli actions in Syria. (Also Maariv) But it was Yedioth’s Alex Fishman who revealed the reason for the worsened relations between Russia and Israel: After the Russian plane was downed in the skies of Syria, Israel returned and attacked Syria again. According to a political source in Jerusalem, the story behind the aerial attack shows the depth of the crisis between Russia and Israel, which began with the downing of the Russian spy plane, for which no solution has been found so far.

And, while it made big news that Hamas demanded Israel transfer $15 million to the Gaza Strip monthly, the story has become clearer now. According to a report from Gaza, Israel has agreed to allow Qatar to transfer the funds to pay for the salaries of Hamas ministry officials. Palestinian sources said there has been significant progress in ceasefire deal with Israel, Ynet’s Elior Levy reported, noting that “as part of trust-building measures, Israel continues to supply Gaza with Qatari fuel, which enables the activation of a third turbine in Gaza's power station, vastly improving the electricity supply in the coastal enclave, while violence demonstrated by Palestinians along border fence has decreased.” Nevertheless, an Israeli drone airstrike targeted a group of Palestinians in Gaza yesterday afternoon, Maan reported. Moreover, 51% oppose holding negotiations with Hamas towards a long-term ceasefire arrangement and 50% want to negotiate a peace agreement with the Palestinian Authority. Only 43% of Israelis support improving living conditions for Gazans.

Quick Hits:

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Features:

Meet the Chilestinians, the largest Palestinian community outside the Middle East
They maintain good relations with the Jews, are reluctant to visit Israel and Palestine, but identify with their brethren in the territories. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians live in Chile - we spoke to some of them. (Roy Arad, Haaretz+)
Israelites in Biblical Dan Worshipped Idols – and Yahweh Too, Archaeologists Discover
Finds in the northern biblical city of Dan suggest that even if King Jeroboam pushed worship of golden calves and goat demons to spite Jerusalem, there was a big YHWH temple. (Philippe Bohstrom, Haaretz+)

Commentary/Analysis:
Why I Call the Pittsburgh Massacre a Pogrom, and Trump a Czar (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) There is a czar in Washington, who has nothing against the Jews as a whole. But one who lets his people know about Jews who, he signals, seek to ruin the lives of Real Americans, that is, his loyal followers.
Unlike Culture Minister Regev, TV host Asayag doesn't ingratiate herself with the white master Netanyahu (Gal Stav Alfasi, Ynet) The culture minister has to pay a price for acceptance into the prime minister's elite. But there are Mizrahi women from the periphery who do not bow down to him.
The Israeli Far Right’s Ambassador to the United States (Wednesday Haaretz Editorial) Netanyahu’s man in Washington, Ron Dermer, and the rest of the Israeli government consider the extreme right in the United States and elsewhere a partner in the battle against radical Islam and asylum seekers.
Anti-Semitism on the Left (Itamar Fleishman, Israel Hayom) The Israeli Left issues dire warnings about the darkness that has fallen on the U.S. while ignoring the blatant anti-Semitism in its own ranks, some of which approaches white supremacist propaganda.
What’s a Little anti-Semitism Among Friends? (Noa Osterreicher, Haaretz+) One who sleeps with orange dogs will wake up among brown shirts infested with fleas. Israel’s bond with the Trump administration is in itself an anti-Semitic conspiracy.
The Left lectures us about hate speech? (Dr. Eitan Orkibi, Israel Hayom) The Right constantly warns about incitement in the Palestinian Authority. Unfortunately, that never elicits anything other than a shrug of the shoulders from the Left.
Pittsburgh Was Never anti-Semitic. Trump and the Internet Changed That (Cliff Savren, Haaretz+) I spent nearly a decade monitoring anti-Semitism in Western Pennsylvania, and if I were in Pittsburgh Tuesday I would only attend the president’s visit with a protest sign in my hand.
*It will cost us (Nadav Eyal, Yedioth/Ynet) There is a difference between amicable ties—which Israel should maintain with every country except those tainted by war crimes and crimes against humanity—and a tight relationship with countries that might jeopardize Israel's future once their authoritarian leaders disappear.
While Trump is president, violence against Jews will keep rising. We must be prepared (Eric H. Yoffie, Haaretz+) For two years, Trump has incited, race-baited, and immigrant-bashed, to the delight of America’s far right fanatics. To the surprise of absolutely no one, they are now killing Jews. Countering them, with our allies, is a battle we must fight, and win.
The root of American discord (Dr. Hanan Shai, Israel Hayom) As midterm elections approach, Americans must choose between traditional liberalism, which has safeguarded long-term stability, and Europe's brand of Utopian liberalism, which always ends in disaster.
As Pittsburgh Jews, We Will Mourn Our Dead by Mobilizing for Refugees (Jacob Bacharach, Haaretz+) Our big, florid president shouted about a 'caravan.' The shooter joined the mob declaring: The Jews are behind it all. To which our answer is: We, as Jews, will welcome every single person seeking safety and opportunity.
Why, in spite of anti-Semitic incidents, do American Jews not go in droves to Israel? (Avraham Tirosh, Maariv) The two bombs that landed on me at the end of the week and arrived from Pittsburgh and the Gaza vicinity reminded me of the article on the two ‘Cities of Refuge.’ A somewhat strange theory of equal reciprocity between Israel and the United States on the Jewish issue.
Will Trump's two years of incomplete Middle East progress turn into an explosive failure? It all depends on the midterms (Daniel B. Shapiro, Haaretz+) Trump’s two year Mideast policy scorecard is a mixed picture: Partial success stories that each face deep challenges. Will the election results constrain the administration's wilder policy instincts that could inflame the Mideast?
Israel vs. Gaza: The pendulum swings back toward renewed conflict (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Another round of violence with Islamic Jihad may lead to a more serious military response by Israel that could complicate efforts to achieve calm.
One can draw encouragement from what happened in the local elections regarding the ultra-Orthodox sector (Shmuel Rosner, Maariv) Tel Aviv was not moved by the cries of religionization. In Jerusalem, interesting coalitions coalesced and others disintegrated. Will this affect national politics? There absolutely will be. With time, the ultra-Orthodox block will be less of a block. Over time, the uniformity of ultra-Orthodox voting will be less uniform. And yes, they will continue to flock to the polls. You have to praise them for this habit, to learn from them. A matter of good citizenship, of high involvement. They will continue to flock because it is good for them. This is also good for Israeli society.
Women on Every List (Haaretz Editorial) Ultra-Orthodox support for Haifa’s new mayor demonstrates that the exclusion of women is not a decree from heaven or holy concept in Jewish law, but is primarily derived from power struggles.
In Israeli Arab local elections, new faces fail to overtake clan loyalties (Jack Khoury, Haaretz+) Women and young people played a greater role this time around, but tribe, family and money still rule.
No Matter Who Is Elected Mayor, Secular Jerusalem Has Already Lost (Nir Hasson, Haaretz+) Five takeaways from Jerusalem's local elections, where two exhausted candidates, Moshe Leon and Ofer Berkovitch, must now pull themselves to the starting line for the next round.
Did Israel's PM Netanyahu secretly visit Islamabad? How one tweet sparked hysteria and a political crisis in Pakistan (Kunwar Khuldune Shahid, Haaretz+) A report that an Israeli plane landed in Pakistan led to whirlwind rumors, fierce accusations and blunt denials – and a near-crisis for Imran Khan's new government. Was this another 'Zionist-Hindu conspiracy'? Is there, in fact, any chance Pakistan will recognize Israel?
Saudi Arabia is a model country. So is Israel, naturally (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Why is Saudi Arabia singled out for harassment, a country that is itself fighting terror, is a partner to the battle against Iran and creates thousands of jobs in the West?
With or Without Israel's Help, Foiled Iran Terror Plot Puts Europe in a Nuclear Bind (Zvi Bar’el, Haaretz+) Allegedly exposing the planned attack in Denmark plays into Israel's hands. Now Europe must decide whether it’s worth separating the war on terror from the importance of the nuclear agreement.
Did Israel's PM Netanyahu Secretly Visit Islamabad? How One Tweet Sparked Hysteria and a Political Crisis in Pakistan (Kunwar Khuldune Shahid, Haaretz+) A report that an Israeli plane landed in Pakistan led to whirlwind rumors, fierce accusations and blunt denials – and a near-crisis for Imran Khan's new government. Was this another 'Zionist-Hindu conspiracy'? Is there, in fact, any chance Pakistan will recognize Israel?
 

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