News Nosh 1.23.19

by APN 01/23/19
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APN's daily news review from Israel
January 23, 2019

 
Quote of the day:
“Ultimately, Israel is a microcosm of the United States. You don’t have neo-Nazis in Israel, but there are many other aspects of racism. In the movie, a white guy meets a black guy and plays with his kid in the supermarket, and this leads to a blowup. If the film had been set in Israel, it could have been an encounter between a Jew and an Arab or between an Ashkenazi and a Mizrahi, or between a religious person and a secular person.”
—Israeli director Guy Nattiv, whose short film, ‘Skin,’ about the skinhead world and racism in America was nominated for an Oscar.*

You Must Be Kidding: 
"Warriors who are going to jail because they were fighting the rot."
--Municipal chief rabbi of Safed, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, said about the suspects in the murder of Palestinian woman Aisha Al-Rabi.*

Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
  • The terrorist hunters - YAMAM (Israelis SWAT)  fighters speak
  • Heating up in the south: Last night: IDF attacked in Gaza (Photo: The helmet that saved life)
  • The arrow hit - Successful testing of Arrow 3 system
  • The dark side of WhatsApp - Our reporter visited WhatsApp groups of youth, pretending to be a 12.5-year-old girl - and discovered that our children are exposed to pedophilia, sexual harassment and violence
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
  • Again an escalation: IDF attacked in Gaza Strip - Sniper fire from the Strip - Life of a soldier was saved by his helmet (Photo: The damaged helmet)
  • The diaries of [state witness against Netanyahu] Nir Hefetz
  • “The punching fist of Israel” - Successful testing of Arrow 3 system
Israel Hayom
 
Top News Summary:
An escalation between Gaza and Israel with differing reasons given including a behind-the-bars story and a freeze to the Qatari cash to Gaza and a successful test of Israel’s Arrow 3 missile defense system were today’s top stories in the Hebrew newspapers.

Two incidents of shots fired from Gaza, one which hit the helmet of an Israeli officer, were responded with Israeli attack on two Hamas posts Tuesday, killing one Hamas militant. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu also decided to freeze the transfer of $15 million of Qatari cash to Gaza that had been due on Wednesday as part of international efforts to head off a military confrontation. The Israeli media gave various reasons for the Palestinians shooting first, but they all said that it was Islamic Jihad fighters who shot. Haaretz+ said the flare-up could be linked to an internal conflict between the different Palestinian factions. ‘Israel Hayom’ reported that Iran was reportedly behind the escalation on the Gaza border, in order to divert attention from its failures in Syria.

But Maariv laid out another reason - linking it to Israeli prison official’s actions toward Palestinian prisoners and detainees. According to security sources, “There is a direct link between the escalation in the south and the events at Ofer Prison.” The senior security officials said Islamic Jihad fired at an IDF officer following the confiscation of telephones from Islamic Jihad inmates at Ofer prison. The assessment is that the disturbances and the shooting at an IDF officer are a response both to the events in Ofer Prison and to the events in the Gaza Strip, and therefore they also constitute an act of defiance against Hamas.” Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum accused Netanyahu of acting out of electoral considerations. "The resistance will not allow the blood of our people to be used as fuel for the election campaign of the occupation.” In another article, security sources told Maariv that the deputy commander of the Israel Prison Service Asher Vaknin was escalating the situation at the prison for personal reasons: his desire to head the IPS and to please the political echelon. Vaknin was promoted to acting head of IPS last month. Meanwhile, the protest of the Palestinian security prisoners at Ofer Prison continues. Yesterday it was reported that the prisoners began a hunger strike.

Elections 2019 Quickees:
  • Joint List reclaims Netanyahu's incendiary comment on Arabs voting 'in droves' - In new campaign, head of Joint List plans to use PM's much-criticized 2015 remark to ramp up voting turnout among the Arab community. Netanyahu ‘warned’ his base in the last election that Arabs were heading to the polls "in droves," it became a defining moment of the 2015 elections, drawing criticism and accusations of racism from across the globe. Netanyahu later apologized. "Arabs are not going to forget Netanyahu's incitement," MK Ayman Odeh said. "Netanyahu benefited from the slogan the first time around. Now it's our turn to benefit." (Reuters, Ynet)
  • Gearing Up for Election, Knesset All but Ignored Health, Women and Elderly in Recent Term - But there were a lot more laws and resolutions passed concerning issues such as officials’ travel abroad. (Haaretz+)
  • Politicians sign pact to maintain common decency in campaigns - Lawmakers, including some party leaders, sign pact drafted by rabbinical group to run on "implementable" promises, avoid attacking rivals' relatives • Signatories vow to "avoid humiliating and distorting attacks," keep clear of "baseless accusations." (Israel Hayom)
  • Likud accuses former police chief of tarnishing investigation into PM - Ronnie Alsheikh turned the investigations against Prime Minister Netanyahu into a process the outcome of which has already been decided, Likud officials say • Alsheikh has "continued to push with all his might" for an indictment at any price, they add. (Israel Hayom)
  • Yair Lapid Backs Freeze, Relocation of Leviathan Gas Project - The platform is currently slated to be 10 kilometers from the shore, which has raised objections from area residents. Halting development could delay gas supply from Leviathan, and necessitate use of more coal-fired power plants for longer. (Haaretz)

Quick Hits:
  • Israeli doctor helped save Palestinian leader Abbas's life - In May 2018, while the Palestinian president was suffering from pneumonia at a Ramallah hospital and his doctors feared a complete system shutdown, Israel sent a specialist to help treat him. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • **Fighters for Justice': Top Israeli Rabbi Defends Jewish Teens Suspected of Murdering Palestinian Woman - Safed municipal rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, whose salary is paid by the state, tells yeshiva students suspected of murder that many leaders start from prison. (Haaretz+)
  • In dig at PM, Rivlin laments declining respect for the law - As Netanyahu attacks AG Mandelblit and police over handling of his corruption investigations, President responds at ceremony honoring Shin Bet officers: "It seems to me, unfortunately, that respect for the rule of law has deteriorated over the years. The law is perceived as artificial, burdensome, restrictive and aggravating. But this is a grave misunderstanding of the importance of the law." (Ynet)
  • Former Netanyahu confidant’s diary details spending fights, alleged misuse - Channel 13 reports that Nir Hefetz, spokesman-turned-state’s witness in PM’s criminal probes, kept detailed records for years about Netanyahus’ demands for public funds, which included regular deliveries of food from the official residence to the Netanyahu's private home in Caesaria. (Maariv and Times of Israel)
  • Despite opposing Israel boycott, EU keeps funding pro-BDS groups - European Union gives over €5 million in 2017-2018 to organizations like Al-Haq and Al-Mezan, which openly promote boycott against Israel; 'Instead of hiding behind empty statements, the EU needs to implement its own declared policy and immediately cease funding organizations that promote boycotts,' says Strategic Affairs Minister Erdan. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Lebanon: We nabbed Mossad spy in Hamas assassination bid - Lebanese military says Hussein Ahmed was recruited by Israeli intelligence agency and is responsible for the 2018 attempted murder of Mohammed Hamdan, brother of the terror organization's top representative in the country. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Trump's Palestinian Aid Cuts Means Thousands Lose Access to Food and Healthcare - The Trump administration's decision last year to cut more than $200 million in aid to the Palestinians is forcing NGOs to slash programs and lay off staff as the effects ripple through a community fighting for peace. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Security guard who stopped terrorist: A knife in the heart can't defeat me - Asher Elmaliach, who was stabbed preventing Yassin Abu al-Qara'a from entering Jerusalem Central Bus Station in December 2017, will testify against his attacker, and tell the judges: 'Justice can only be done is if this villain rots in prison for the rest of his life.' (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • China Blasts US Over Warnings on Israeli Infrastructure Projects - Beijing official slams 'ridiculous' American warnings that are intended to attack 'normal' Chinese enterprises, accuses US of 'consistently ignoring facts and seeing enemies wherever it looks.' (Calcalist/Ynet)
  • Israel, Ukraine sign landmark bilateral free trade agreement - In meeting with Ukrainian President Poroshenko as Israeli, Ukrainian trade ministers ink deal, PM Netanyahu thanks his counterpart for Ukrainian efforts to counter anti-Semitism, warns of threat posed by militant Islam, particularly Iran. (Israel Hayom)
  • New immigrants, Israeli leaders plant trees for Tu B'Shevat - Joanna Ben-Gurion, a 23-year-old who recently made aliyah from Toulouse, France, plants her first seedling in Israel • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein mark holiday with disabled Knesset employees. (Israel Hayom)
  • Government examines paid paternity leave for new fathers - Proposed 2-4 weeks leave for fathers would be in addition to, not instead of, maternity leave • Annual hit to national budget for two weeks of leave estimated at NIS 1 billion • Israel Women's Network: Paternity leave is key to improving gender equality. (Haaretz+ and Israel Hayom)
  • Storms in Israel Unearth Ancient Horse Figurines - The two figurines dating to the ancient Israelite and Hellenistic periods probably don’t represent gods, but rather militarism and love of conquest. (Haaretz+)
  • Israeli doctors head to Tanzania to treat children with cardiac problems - A delegation of pedatric specialists from non-profit 'Save a Child's Heart' organization will perform life-saving procedures on local kids in Dar es Salaam. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • UN peacekeepers in Lebanon barred from Hezbollah tunnels - "It is unacceptable that the Lebanese government has not yet given UNIFIL access to the tunnel entrance on their side of the Blue Line," U.S. diplomat says • Israeli Ambassador to U.N. Danny Danon:  Lebanese army is allowing Hezbollah to continue building tunnels undisturbed. (Israel Hayom)
  • 12 Iranian soldiers killed in Israeli strike on Syria, watchdog says - Twenty-one people were killed in the overnight Syria strike, which targeted Iranian sites and Syrian air defenses, Syrian Observatory reports. (Haaretz and Israel Hayom)
  • One dead, 14 injured after car bomb goes off in Syria's regime-held Latakia - 'Terrorist explosion' claimed the life of the driver, state news agency SANA reports. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Assad Revokes EU Diplomatic Visas 'To Try and Force European Governments to Reopen Embassies' - Syria's possible rehabilitation by its Arab peers is also under consideration, as the Arab League debates whether to end its membership suspension. (Agencies, Haaretz and Israel Hayom)
  • Prominent Turkish Journalist Sentenced to Six Years in Jail for 'Disclosing State Secrets' - Nazli Ilicak has been under arrest since a failed military coup in 2016. In 2018, she was sentenced to life in a different trial for alleged links to anti-Erdogan cleric Gulen. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Turkey planning international investigation into Khashoggi murder - 'We see how those who spoke of freedom of press are now covering this up after seeing money,' says Turkish official. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Brazilian Jews Sue Cartoonist Over ‘Nazi Hug’ Drawing - The Rio Jewish federation sued cartoonist Aroeira for his image featuring Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Brazil’s new president Jair Bolsonaro. (JTA, Haaretz)

Elections 2019 Commentary/Analysis:
Why the Israeli Right Hates the State of Israel and Is Bent on Demolishing Its Democracy (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) Netanyahu’s personal vendetta against the rule of law harnesses the right’s historic grievances against the bedrock institutions of the modern Jewish state.
A rushed indictment is a colossal mistake (Dr. Haim Shine, Israel Hayom) If the attorney general announces a pre-indictment hearing before the April 9 election, he would confirm what many Israelis think – that he is out to get Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
What does the Left hope to achieve? (Ariel Bolstein, Israel Hayom) All that remains for the left-wing elite is to ensure that control over the centers of power - the justice system, academia, the media and culture in general - are kept out of the hands of Israeli voters.
Israel’s Gate Crashers Are Beating the Gatekeepers (Uzi Benziman, Haaretz+) Amid Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to skirt corruption charges, the country’s moral decay is similar to that of Vichy France.
Netanyahu's well-oiled war machine (Tali Ben Ovadia, Yedioth/Ynet) Undermining the legitimacy of the justice system, trampling on the pillars of democracy, in this election race the prime minister takes no prisoners. Only a joint political campaign starring Lapid, Gantz and Ashkenazi could eat away at Netanyahu's electoral advantage.
What does the Left hope to achieve? (Ariel Bolstein, Israel Hayom) All that remains for the left-wing elite is to ensure that control over the centers of power - the justice system, academia, the media and culture in general - are kept out of the hands of Israeli voters.

Commentary/Analysis:
To the Israel Deadly Forces (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) The pledge of Israel's new army chief to make the military 'deadly' is a dark reminder of what Israel has become in 2019.
In Its Battle Against Iran, Israel Is Dependent on Russia's Plans for Syria (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) From Jerusalem to Tehran, all eyes are on Erdogan-Putin meeting today.
How Iran walked into Israel's trap (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) Just like last May, the IDF set up the Iranians in Syria with a well-laid plan to take out their military installations, but while it celebrates this achievement, it should also beware of unforeseen consequences.
The Hebrew University has become a space that, too often, is simply hostile to Zionism (Alon Schwartzer, Maariv) The university became hard nosed for the sake of its elite friends and chose to promote a clear fake news, what used to be known as a lie...The transfer of advanced studies to English language is, of course, only a sign of what is happening. It is integrated into the petition for a BDS campaign, a conference attended by BDS, the approval of repeated demonstrations for shahids in the heart of the campus, and the toxic atmosphere in the classrooms. Lecturers such as Dr. Ofer Kassif are allowed to claim that the State of Israel is passing Nazi laws, but when students complain, the university attacks them. The head of policy at the Im Tirtzu Movement calls on the university's leaders to wake up.
70 years of friendship (French Ambassador to Israel, Hélène Le Gal, Israel Hayom) President Reuven Rivlin's upcoming visit to Paris is an opportunity to celebrate the ties between Israel and France and the values that unite us.
A Potential Danger on the Northern Front (Haaretz Editorial) The skirmishes in Syria indicate that the potential for a slide into a military campaign broader than what any of the parties intend still threatens the northern front.
Netanyahu took responsibility for the attacks in Syria and the shooting on Mount Hermon is the result (Moshe Ya'alon, Maariv) The only explanation for the government's policy on the attacks in Syria is political. Is it right to prefer this over a security interest? You decide.
The new IDF chief's knockout victory over Iran (Yossi Yehoshua, Yedioth/Ynet) Israel was once again able to thwart an Iranian retaliatory strike, thanks to quality intelligence and foresight. But the Iranians will certainly not back down now, and the IDF must be ready for when the Quds Force try again.
 
Interviews:
Israeli Director Nominated for Oscar: ‘As a Jew, I Don’t Feel as Safe in America as I Once Did’
Guy Nattiv tells Haaretz about the American neo-Nazi family and the Israeli racism that inspired his work. (Interviewed by Itay Stern in Haaretz+)

"Bit by bit I lower the walls of alienation"
Rima Basharat, 34, from Nazareth Illit was the first Arab teacher at Kiryat Hinuch ORT high school in the conservative right-wing city of Afula. She knew she would face difficulties, but didn't imagine how hard. In the beginning, she heard shouts of "death to Arabs," she was asked, "Where's the button to your explosives belt" and cried from the insults. But Rima did not give up. She continued to preach tolerance and coexistence, and over time she felt she was making a difference. "Today, in retrospect, I call this period labor pains ... It was difficult at first, Sisyphean. There wasn't a day when I did not think that someone might curse me. But slowly there was a change in the air. The same student who insulted me also wrote me an apology letter a few days later, hugged me and said he was sorry." Seven years passed and she leads a project to prevent shaming on social media networks. On the 29th of this month, 100,000 ORT high school students will mark the "Nice Word Day" in a variety of activities throughout the country. (Interviewed by Yuval Gamliel in Yedioth '24 Hours' supplement, page 24 - Ynet Hebrew)

‘I Make the Glass Half Full’: U.S.-Israeli Family Clings to Hope for Soldier Son Severely Wounded in West Bank Attack
Instead of hosting a somber bedside vigil, the Felber family is determined to stay upbeat about youngest son Netanel’s chances of surviving after being shot in the head in the West Bank in December. (Interviewed by Allison Kaplan Sommer in Haaretz+)


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

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