APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday January 28, 2014
Quote of the day:
“It’s unfortunate and worrying to receive yet another signal of the ongoing increase in extremism in
the Orthodox education system that is funded by the state, which acts like an ignorant soccer team that is not
prepared to accept even one Arab player. "
--Oren Yehi-Shalom, director of the NGO Israeli Education on the refusal of the Education Ministry to employ Arab teachers in religious Jewish schools.**
--Oren Yehi-Shalom, director of the NGO Israeli Education on the refusal of the Education Ministry to employ Arab teachers in religious Jewish schools.**
Front Page News:
Haaretz
- Education Ministry refuses to integrate Arab teachers in religious schools
- Largest Knesset delegation ever at Auschwitz
- Netanyahu to reprimand Bennett: "If he doesn't feel comfortable, he can quit"
- On the way to the dismantling of the government coalition // Barak Ravid
- State demands to receive military documents Sharon illegally took
- Sisi resigns from post in order to run for leadership of Egypt // Zvi Bar'el
Yedioth Ahronoth
- The Knesset at the death camp
- Netanyahu and Bennett: The scolding and the sting - While Netanyahu and Bennett argue it turns out: Back in 2011 Netanyahu suggested to Congress to leave settlers under Palestinian sovereignty and he did not claim then that it was a trial baloon
- (Singer Eyal) Golan in interrogation: I lost millions; Complained: Radio does not play my songs and my performances were cancelled. Also said: I had 50 women this year
- The escape from Yemen - Two Jewish sisters were forced to marry at age 12 and suffered brutality until they escaped to Israel
Maariv
- Netanyahu expected to scold Bennett today: "Acted with national irresponsibility" (Hebrew)
- Knesset delegation visited Auschwitz: Polish nationalists demanded they leave (Hebrew)
- How did they survive here? // Arik Bender in Poland
- Ignatz Milchberg, leader of "The Cigarette Sellers of Three Crosses Square" in Warsaw, passed away (in Toronto) (Hebrew)
- CEO of ORT schools on (left-wing teacher) Adam Verete: "Whoever says the IDF is immoral cannot be a teacher in our network" (Hebrew)
- "Peace Now" organizing tour in the footsteps of the radical right-wing to (Palestinian) villages that were harmed by 'Price-tag' (Hebrew)
- Sisi to run for presidency of Egypt (Hebrew)
- Thanks to the army // Ashraf Husseini, Egypt
Israel Hayom
- Netanyahu furious with Bennett: "This will not be ignored"
- Remembrance and pride - Knesset delegation visits Auschwitz
- (Sisi:) The natural continuation to Nasser and Mubarak // Boaz Bismoth
- New revelations by Snowden: Spy agencies gathered information from cellular phone users through games such as 'Angry Birds'
- The poisoning tragedy: 5-year-old Yitzhak Gross' heart returned to normal functioning; His brother Michael still in life-threatening condition
- Hypocrates, we're sick of you // Gonen Ginat on the affair of the teacher Adam Verete
- Looking for love? Israel has 2.46 million single men and women
Peace Talk and Security Highlights:
Today's top Israeli newspaper story was the scolding Economy Minister Naftali Bennett is going to get from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who is furious with Bennett for undermining Israeli efforts to expose the 'real face' of the Palestinian Authority. But Justice Minister and chief Israeli peace negotiator gave a piece of her mind to them both. The Palestinians and the US are trying to bridge gaps in the US framework deal and the head of the INSS, Israel's top think tank, said Israel should unilaterally withdraw from parts of the West Bank if the peace talks fail. But in an interview with the INSS, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he really wanted peace and Hamas was not a problem. Meanwhile, the Shin Bet revealed statistics on 'terror': Twice as many attacks in 2013 as in 2012. However, Maariv failed to mention that stone-throwing has recently been defined by the Shin Bet as terror [at least when the Palestinians are the throwers. - OH]. The report showed a rise in Jewish violence towards Palestinians and Peace Now is conducting a tour to Palestinian villages harmed by 'price-tag' attacks, Maariv reported.
Netanyahu is furious with Bennett, who attacked the Prime Minister for saying settlers could remain under Palestinian rule. Yedioth reports that this idea is not new: Netanyahu suggested this to Congress in 2011. Nevertheless, Netanyahu says that Bennett undermined his efforts to expose the 'real face' of the Palestinian Authority, i.e. that it will refuse to accept Jewish settlers under Palestinian sovereignty.
However, Livni who leads the Israeli negotiations with the Palestinians said "the objective is not to unmask the other side and prove that there is no partner, but to arrive at a peace agreement that will serve our interests." She also criticized Bennett in her remarks at the Tel Aviv conference. "I heard recently from various people that the Jews didn't dream about the Land of Israel for 2,000 years, just to hand over part of it," she said. "But nor did they dream about an isolated state ruling over another people." (NRG Hebrew)
Other key Livni quotes from her speech at the joint conference of "Friends of the Earth - Middle East" and the INSS think tank, which dealt with water resources and the environment in light of the political process:
Today's top Israeli newspaper story was the scolding Economy Minister Naftali Bennett is going to get from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who is furious with Bennett for undermining Israeli efforts to expose the 'real face' of the Palestinian Authority. But Justice Minister and chief Israeli peace negotiator gave a piece of her mind to them both. The Palestinians and the US are trying to bridge gaps in the US framework deal and the head of the INSS, Israel's top think tank, said Israel should unilaterally withdraw from parts of the West Bank if the peace talks fail. But in an interview with the INSS, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he really wanted peace and Hamas was not a problem. Meanwhile, the Shin Bet revealed statistics on 'terror': Twice as many attacks in 2013 as in 2012. However, Maariv failed to mention that stone-throwing has recently been defined by the Shin Bet as terror [at least when the Palestinians are the throwers. - OH]. The report showed a rise in Jewish violence towards Palestinians and Peace Now is conducting a tour to Palestinian villages harmed by 'price-tag' attacks, Maariv reported.
Netanyahu is furious with Bennett, who attacked the Prime Minister for saying settlers could remain under Palestinian rule. Yedioth reports that this idea is not new: Netanyahu suggested this to Congress in 2011. Nevertheless, Netanyahu says that Bennett undermined his efforts to expose the 'real face' of the Palestinian Authority, i.e. that it will refuse to accept Jewish settlers under Palestinian sovereignty.
However, Livni who leads the Israeli negotiations with the Palestinians said "the objective is not to unmask the other side and prove that there is no partner, but to arrive at a peace agreement that will serve our interests." She also criticized Bennett in her remarks at the Tel Aviv conference. "I heard recently from various people that the Jews didn't dream about the Land of Israel for 2,000 years, just to hand over part of it," she said. "But nor did they dream about an isolated state ruling over another people." (NRG Hebrew)
Other key Livni quotes from her speech at the joint conference of "Friends of the Earth - Middle East" and the INSS think tank, which dealt with water resources and the environment in light of the political process:
- "Those who say that the solution is marketing and public relations are mistaken and mislead others. It's not just a question of anti-Semitism and Islamization; some of the world's criticism of Israel arises from our own decisions and not our identity as Jews."
- "Those who say that we need hasbara (PR) - are mistaken. This is not just the matter of anti-Semitism and Islamization, some of the criticism really does stem from our decisions and not from our identity."
- "Israel does not exist because of the Holocaust, but because of Zionism and the connection of the Jewish people to the land and the right to self-determination of the Jewish people." According to her, there should be no comparison between the situation of the Jewish people before the Holocaust and the power of the State of Israel today, which is what some politicians said. (NRG Hebrew)
Haaretz+ reported that the Palestinian negotiating team expects to receive a written document from the Americans detailing their ideas about any future agreement and chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat plans to present US Secretary of State John Kerry with a list of what he called "gross Israeli violations" of the terms of the negotiating process and attempts to determine facts on the ground. On the issue of leaving settlers, Erekat said: “This is a balloon that deflated long ago. Everyone knows that this is an attempt by Netanyahu to spread more smoke around the negotiations and try to buy time."
Former Military Intel chief Amos Yadlin, who now heads the Institute for National Security Studies, said unilateral action was preferable to the status quo and if peace talks fail, Israel should withdraw from 85% of the West Bank and retain control of the large settlement blocs, the area known as the Ben-Gurion Airport corridor (for the purpose of thwarting potential Palestinian rocket attacks on planes), and keep military control over the Jordan Valley. The Jordan Valley should be used as a 'bargaining chip.' Yadlin also said that no peace deal with the Palestinians could be reached this year.
The INSS also interviewed President Abbas, who said he wanted to meet with Netanyahu, adding that two states, East Jerusalem capital, IDF-free borders and refugee return are conditions for "opportunity for peace that might not return." He also said that "Hamas isn't a problem. Leave that to us."
What was most revealing about the figures the Shin Bet released on 'terror' was what they did not reveal: That stone-throwing is considered terror. The headlines say that Palestinian terror doubled since 2012. Haaretz+ writes that "Five Israelis were killed and 44 were wounded last year, compared with no fatalities and 40 wounded in 2012. The numbers, which do not include people lightly injured by firebombs or stones, are still well below those at the height of the second intifada more than a decade ago." However, Ynet reports that 'in the past year, 44 people were injured, compared to 40 in 2012 (when Operation Pillar of Defense took place). Most of the victims were injured by firebombs or stones that were hurled at them." Jerusalem Post, like Ynet, reports that rock-throwing and Molotov cocktail throwing is included in the terror count. It also noted an important detail the others left out: "Of the 44 injured, 15 were civilians and 29 members of the security forces." Haaretz+'s Amos Harel writes that the security developments in the West Bank this year will be influenced by the current peace negotiations and that the failure of the talks could have significant repercussions.
What Maariv did not report and Ynet did was that in the past year, there has been a rise in the number of radical right wing activists who carried out attacks against Arabs (25 as opposed to 18 in 2012). [It is not at all clear that the Shin Bet counted the stone-throwing attacks on Palestinian cars that Maan has reported on. - OH] The past year also saw a decline in the number of anarchist activities in the West Bank, partly as a result of the dissolution of the ISM (International Solidarity Movement). In 2013 there were no attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets around the world. The involvement of Israeli Arabs in attacks continued to be minor this year, wrote Ynet of Shin Bet's figures.
Israel's anti-settlement Peace Now movement will be holding tours in the footsteps of the extreme right. The peace movement has invited the public to tour the Arab villages victims of "price tag" attacks. The tour, called 'In the wake of 'Price-Tag'' will also include visits to "places hostile to the IDF," but Peace Now is not printing the date of the first tour for fear of harassment by the Jewish extremists, Maariv/NRG Hebrew reports.
"There is a great thirst, especially among students and other young people, to see the reality with their own eyes," said Yariv Oppenheimer, secretary general of the Peace Now. "The goal is to present the geo-political situation and show that the expansion of settlements undermines the prospects for peace and also (to show) the impact of settlements and outposts on life in the area. (We want) to expose the publi to the assaults made here. "
Quick Hits:
- Video: Israeli soldiers watch settlers attack 2 Hebron minors - A group of Israeli settlers on Sunday attacked two Palestinian children on their way home in Hebron's Shuhada Street in front of Israeli soldiers, who did nothing to stop the attack. The soldiers then detained one of the boys and his father. (Maan+VIDEO)
- Both insult and injury for foreigners, Palestinians hurt on job - They account for 40 percent of employees killed at work, but only 1 percent of disability-pay recipients. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli forces demolish 3-story building in East Jerusalem - Israeli forces escorted bulldozers to Issawiya neighborhood at around 6 a.m. and demolished a three-floor building belonging to Abdul-Hayy Dari. Israel destroyed more than 500 Palestinian properties in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 2013, displacing over 850 people, according to UN figures. (Maan)
- Israel demolishes 4 Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem Monday - A total of 20 people lived in the four buildings, two of them located in the al-Isawiya neighborhood and two in Beit Hanina. In 2013, Israel destroyed 99 buildings in annexed East Jerusalem, leaving 298 people homeless, according to UN figures. (Maan and Ynet)
- Israel attacked Syrian base in Latakia, Lebanese media reports - Israel neither confirms nor denies the strike; doubts raised as to whether it is responsible. (Haaretz)
- UNESCO to go ahead with disputed Jewish exhibition - After UN exhibition tying Jews to land of Israel was delayed due to claims by Arab member countries that exhibition could harm peace talks, organizers confirm exhibit to go ahead in June. (Agencies, Ynet)
- Prosor to UN: Anti-Semitism is spread by governments, teachers - At UN assembly in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Israeli ambassador to UN urges governments 'to educate the next generation; take a stand against indifference.' Spielberg addresses UN, says 'despair of those who would otherwise act is evil's triumph.' (Ynet)
- **Israel keeps Arab teachers out of Jewish religious schools - Critics charge that policy encourages growing extremism in Orthodox public system. (Haaretz+)
- "Those who say that the IDF is immoral will not teach in our school network" - Zvi Peleg, CEO of ORT school network, which is holding a hearing for teacher Adam Verete because of his statements on the IDF, makes clear that if Verete does not apologize - he is doomed. (Maariv, p. 1/NRG Hebrew)
- Israel to release remains of Jenin area man who died in 2002 - The remains of Abdul-Karim Tahaynah from Silat al-Harithiya in Jenin district will be returned on Sunday, twelve years after he carried out a bombing inside northern Israel. (Maan)
- Mujahideen Brigades: We created a new missile against Israel - A statement by the military branch of the Palestinian Mujahidin in Gaza, announced: "The Rocket 'Sair' will be used against the Zionist enemy, and it is just an example of the surprises we are preparing for Israel." (Maariv, p. 3/NRG Hebrew)
- British Mandate-era arms cache found under Israeli kibbutz - Dozens of rifles believed to have been concealed after Israel was established, and not during the War of Independence. (Haaretz+)
- Defense Ministry prepares to seize military documents Ariel Sharon kept illegally - State comptroller investigating complaint over ministry’s decades-long failure to retrieve papers from former prime minister. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli documentary wins Sundance Audience Award - "The Green Prince," which tells the story of Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of Hamas co-founder Sheikh Hassan Yousef, who spent a decade as an Israeli informer in the West Bank, garners one of prestigious Utah film festival's top honors. (Israel Hayom)
- Shas leader: Woe are we if Netanyahu's son is dating Norwegian - Ultra-Orthodox leaders, including Aryeh Deri, lament report that Yair Netanyahu is in a relationship with Norwegian national Sandra Leikanger. (Haaretz+)
- Knesset official tells Israeli delegates at Auschwitz: Hurry to the crematorium - Awkwardly worded text message mars International Remembrance Day ceremony at Auschwitz-Birkenau. (Haaretz)
- Al-Manar: Israeli soldier injured near Lebanese border - The TV channel, which is affiliated with Lebanese group Hezbollah, reported that an explosion occurred while the soldier was working inside a trench Israeli forces had dug a month ago near the fence. (Maan)
- Lockheed Martin to open Beersheba research center - American companies Lockheed Martin, EMC looking to use great abundance of Israeli innovation in technological realm. Initial investment to stand at one million dollars. (Ynet)
- N.Y. State bill bans funding to schools with BDS ties - Legislation triggered by American Studies Association's boycott. (JTA, Haaretz)
- US official warns against business deals with Iran - Top US Treasury official says companies should 'hold off' doing business in Iran because many of the sanctions against the country are still in place despite an interim nuclear deal. (Agencies, Ynet)
- Congress secretly approves U.S. weapons flow to 'moderate' Syrian rebels - Officials: Shipments, mostly to non-Islamist groups, include light arms and anti-tank rockets. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Commentary/Analysis:
It's the settlements, stupid (David Zonshine, Haaretz+) Elite technology firms are about to pay a tax for Israel’s acting against
international law.
The remembrance industry - historic journey (Anat Meidan, Yedioth) The largest delegation in the history of the state visiting Auschwitz to mark International Holocaust Day was called an 'historic journey.' It included some 60 MKs, four ministers and four deputy ministers, some 250 public figures....My mother, a Holocaust survivor, looked at the reports as if she didn't believe it. "In order remember Auschwitz they have to hold a Knesset session in Poland? In order to identify with the murdered they need to eat a fancy dinner in Cracow? And on whose bill did those MKs travel?"...
Israel or Palestine: Who will take in the settlers? (Sara Hirschhorn, Haaretz+) Despite the Netanyahu government's jockeying for position before Kerry's plan is unveiled, the idea that Jewish settlers could remain in a Palestinian state shouldn't be rejected out of hand.
Sowing seeds of terror, reaping fruit of talks (Nadav Shragai, Israel Hayom) Negotiations are a form of resistance, and they must be accompanied by armed struggle, says PA security advisor.
Netanyahu's maneuvers, feints and deceptions (Haaretz Editorial) The Israeli public, like the Palestinians and the international community, should be able to know what the prime minister’s true position is.
The Netanyahu plan is baseless (Nadav Eyal, Maariv/NRG Hebrew) "If Abu Mazen was smart enough, he would simply say 'OK' and watch how the Israeli egg begins to cook over the (justified) nightmare scenarios regarding the fate of the settlers at Yitzhar one minute after the IDF leaves. One minute? Three seconds." Eyal asserts that Jewish Home leader Naftali, "Bennett knows that Netanyahu is bluffing, he knows him well and understands that no Israeli prime minister would leave Israeli communities under Palestinian sovereignty. The result would not be a commission of inquiry, but a criminal trial," and writes that Bennett chose to respond anyway in order not to miss, "a Facebook opportunity...Truth be told, it is good that there are no real negotiations with the Palestinians. With poker players like these, it could end with a state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea – a Palestinian state."
The Israeli concern concerning Kerry (Dr. Haim Shine, Israel Hayom) We cannot afford to budge one inch from our right to live as a free nation on our land.
Rouhani’s comedy routine in Davos (Jeffrey Goldberg, Maariv and Bloomberg) There is an unbearable gap between the smiles attacks of Rouhani and Zarif in Davos and Iran's active support for terror organizations and murderous dictatorships.
Netanyahu mad Rohani stole his magic at Davos (Nehemia Shtrasler, Haaretz+) The Israeli PM can only fume after losing the show of deception to the Iranian president at the World Economic Forum.
The remembrance industry - historic journey (Anat Meidan, Yedioth) The largest delegation in the history of the state visiting Auschwitz to mark International Holocaust Day was called an 'historic journey.' It included some 60 MKs, four ministers and four deputy ministers, some 250 public figures....My mother, a Holocaust survivor, looked at the reports as if she didn't believe it. "In order remember Auschwitz they have to hold a Knesset session in Poland? In order to identify with the murdered they need to eat a fancy dinner in Cracow? And on whose bill did those MKs travel?"...
Israel or Palestine: Who will take in the settlers? (Sara Hirschhorn, Haaretz+) Despite the Netanyahu government's jockeying for position before Kerry's plan is unveiled, the idea that Jewish settlers could remain in a Palestinian state shouldn't be rejected out of hand.
Sowing seeds of terror, reaping fruit of talks (Nadav Shragai, Israel Hayom) Negotiations are a form of resistance, and they must be accompanied by armed struggle, says PA security advisor.
Netanyahu's maneuvers, feints and deceptions (Haaretz Editorial) The Israeli public, like the Palestinians and the international community, should be able to know what the prime minister’s true position is.
The Netanyahu plan is baseless (Nadav Eyal, Maariv/NRG Hebrew) "If Abu Mazen was smart enough, he would simply say 'OK' and watch how the Israeli egg begins to cook over the (justified) nightmare scenarios regarding the fate of the settlers at Yitzhar one minute after the IDF leaves. One minute? Three seconds." Eyal asserts that Jewish Home leader Naftali, "Bennett knows that Netanyahu is bluffing, he knows him well and understands that no Israeli prime minister would leave Israeli communities under Palestinian sovereignty. The result would not be a commission of inquiry, but a criminal trial," and writes that Bennett chose to respond anyway in order not to miss, "a Facebook opportunity...Truth be told, it is good that there are no real negotiations with the Palestinians. With poker players like these, it could end with a state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea – a Palestinian state."
The Israeli concern concerning Kerry (Dr. Haim Shine, Israel Hayom) We cannot afford to budge one inch from our right to live as a free nation on our land.
Rouhani’s comedy routine in Davos (Jeffrey Goldberg, Maariv and Bloomberg) There is an unbearable gap between the smiles attacks of Rouhani and Zarif in Davos and Iran's active support for terror organizations and murderous dictatorships.
Netanyahu mad Rohani stole his magic at Davos (Nehemia Shtrasler, Haaretz+) The Israeli PM can only fume after losing the show of deception to the Iranian president at the World Economic Forum.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.