APN's daily news review from Israel

Wednesday February 13, 2019

 

Quote of the day:

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Front Page:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

Elections 2019 News:
The campaign video battle between the top two candidates for premier, Benny Gantz and Binyamin Netanyahu, over the right-wing vote, the impending union between two parties within the right-wing, and the call and plans for a recount of the votes from the Likud primaries, following irregularities in the count, were top election stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Also making news, the Labor Party will get two or three seats more in the Knesset following the results of its primaries, according to a poll by Channel 13 News, and it if it ran on a joint ticket with the left-wing Meretz party they would get 14 seats together. That increase comes at the expense of Benny Gantz’s Hosen L’Yisrael party, Maariv wrote.

And Maariv’s top story was that Attorney General Avichai Mendelblitt will likely not meet his February 20th date to summon Netanyahu to a hearing before an indictment, which may push a possible declaration of the indictment of Netanyahu till after elections. Mendelblitt marked February 20 as the target date for the publication of a draft indictment before a hearing, Ma'ariv was informed that apparently Mendelblitt won’t make the date because Netanyahu's lawyers have been sending letters with various demands and comments. This technique of drawing out time and exhausting the prosecutor's office is routine and is not unusual, but due to the public sensitivity in the prime minister's cases, the Attorney General’s attention to the defense attorneys' demands requires special caution, wrote Maariv. In addition, Netanyahu's lawyers are working on a particularly long document that will be submitted to the Attorney General for review next week. Finally, Netanyahu's lawyers announced that they would consider petitioning the High Court of Justice if Mendelblit decided to announce a hearing before the elections. "Netanyahu thwarted Mendelblitt, who will not be able to decide on the hearing before the closing date of the party lists. If Mendelblit eventually makes a decision after the lists are closed, this may be interpreted as intervention in the election campaign, and the pressure and criticism on the prosecution and the Justice Ministry will only intensify. This seems to be what Netanyahu actually wanted from the start," a source in the political establishment told Maariv.

Elections 2019 Quickees:

Meet the candidate: Yaniv Sagi will promote the equal participation of Arab society
Elections 2019: Sagi is Chairman of the Meretz party administration and Director General of the Center for a Joint Jewish-Arab Community at Givat Haviva. He is also a teacher and educator and he is running for the Meretz party for Knesset. (Maariv)
Why vote for me? “Because the advancement of equal participation of Arab society is an existential need of the State of Israel, not only morally but also practically. Without the Arab society, no left-center government will be established that will be able to solve the problems of our society, especially the occupation and the social injustices. It is also an opening for Meretz to break into new audiences. I am very well known in Arab society, I am very popular there, and I can bring seats from there to Meretz. Additionally, I am the only kibbutz representative in Meretz, and probably on the left at all. My position at the front of the list will bring Meretz another mandate from the kibbutzim, whose connection to Meretz weakened during the years when there was no kibbutz member. At the age of 25 I was the youngest secretary-general of a kibbutz in Israel." (Maariv)

Other Top News Summary:

Netanyahu confirmed - even boasted - that Israel attacked Iranian targets in southern Syria, which killed two Iranian officers, despite the security establishment’s opposition to Israel taking credit, then he took off for Warsaw, to attend a summit with Arab representatives on peace and security in the Middle East - although the Palestinians and the Iranians won’t be there. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is urging Arab states not to support the Trump peace plan, and Russia said that Trump’s Middle East peace plan will foil all the Palestinian gains, as it doesn’t even include a Palestinian state, while US Mideast envoy Jason Greenblatt said the "Deal of the Century" has yet to be finished. And singer Kobi Marimi was chosen to be Israel’s representative at the Eurovision song contest, making top stories in the Hebrew newspapers.

Also, Maariv reported that Channel 13 News reported that Netanyahu rejected the Saudi Peace Initiative after Operation Protective Edge, causing an explosion between the sides. Maariv wrote: According to the report, Prince Bandar bin Sultan met with the prime minister for 10 hours and proposed to advance the kingdom's peace initiative together in the UN, but the talks exploded, Channel 13 News reported Tuesday. Netanyahu: “The opposite of the truth.” Despite the explosion of the contacts, and instead of presenting the joint initiative, Netanyahu delivered a speech at the UN that embarrassed the Saudis: “We have a historic opportunity: to achieve peace, we must not only look at Ramallah and Jerusalem but at Cairo, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, and others. The involvement of the Arab states, those who are willing to express support on all levels, will lead to success," Netanyahu said at the time. According to the three Saudi sources who believed they had gone further than ever before towards Israel, they were furious and humiliated. They blamed Netanyahu for the failure of the move. The sources noted that two months later, Prince Bandar conveyed an oral message to Netanyahu that can be summed up in two words: "You are a liar." According to the report, the relationship between Israel and Saudi Arabia has been in serious trouble and almost a complete disconnect for more than a year - also on the Iranian issue. The crisis ended only after the death of King Abdullah with the coronation of King Salman and the strengthening of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman.

**And Yedioth/Ynet Hebrew got the testimonies from the case of the brutal abuse of a father and son by Netazah Yehuda Battalion soldiers: Palestinian Father and Son Abused by Israeli Soldiers: 'They Beat Us Up, Then Started Dancing' "I didn't control myself. Only later did I come to my senses and stopped the incident because I realized what I had done': New testimonies by soldiers indicted for beating and abusing Palestinian detainees. “They hit them for about 10 to 15 minutes - until the two detainees stopped screaming. The older one was silent and screamed at times, but he didn't put up any resistance,” said one of the soldiers. A different soldier told investigators: "I hit the detainee out of pain, not because I wanted to lash at him. It was because of my pain and loss. I lost myself for a few moments, but I didn't lose my humanity."
(Haaretz) The soldiers stepped on my face and beat me. When they finished, they danced. "Revealed: Testimonies from the file of abuse of Palestinians
According to the testimonies, the violence used by the soldiers of Netzach Yehuda against a father and son suspected of assisting the terrorist was extremely cruel. "They beat me with the weapon in my chest, knees and testicles," his 15-year-old son told Ynet. The soldier that filmed it admitted: "It was shameful." The exposure of the testimonies taken by the MPCID and which led to the indictment.
The full testimonies that led to the indictment of the five soldiers of the Netzach Yehuda Battalion were beaten by two bound Palestinians - a 50-year-old man and his 15-year-old son. Over 300 pages of pages detail the story of the incident in which the soldiers used brutal violence against those suspected of assisting Assam Barghouti to hide near Ramallah. The terrorist fled (to the village) after killing the soldiers’ fellow comrades in the attack at the Givat Asaf junction last December. On Thursday there will be a first hearing in the mediation process to which the parties - the military prosecution and the accused fighters - were sent in order to avoid a trial and to reach a plea bargain. The testimonies given and published here will have a decisive weight with regard to punishment.
On the night between January 7 and 8, an IAF force was sent to the village on the outskirts of Ramallah to arrest Asam Barghouti, one of the two brothers who carried out the two major attacks in the area. The battalion's soldiers helped secure the outer limits. It was supposed to be a successful night that released tension after a month of frustrating hunting, but the frustration began to arise immediately after the arrest. "We saw Barghouti lowered down on a stretcher. They did not even neutralize him [extrajudicially kill him - OH]. So we had to lift the stretcher of the shit who shot our friends,” testified one of the accused fighters. Immediately afterward, they received the task of escorting a father and son who, according to suspicions, helped Barghouti hide during his escape. This is where the affair goes and gets entangled. The father and son were hospitalized that morning at Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem with broken ribs and crushed noses. Their condition was so severe that Border Guard fighters, who were supposed to receive them from the Netzach Yehuda soldiers and take them to the interrogation facility, refused to do so. The father told in the investigation: ”When they came to my house they released dogs into my house. They interrogated me for half an hour at the neighbors' house, and then they took me in the car with the soldiers," he said. At first, they beat me with a belt and cursed me. When I asked why they were beating me, they beat me with the weapon. Then one of the soldiers stepped on my face and my nose broke. I was bleeding massively from the nose during the trip, and the soldiers gave me nothing. They beat me and I lost consciousness. "I went through an operation and they found three broken ribs. (The soldiers)  walked on me more than five times in every area of my body. I shouted at them in my highest tones, why are you beating me, and one of them shouted at me to shut up. I started to cry, and then they beat me in the face and I lost consciousness. They beat my son too and I heard him scream and cry.” The gold in the file is a half-minute video documenting part of the violence, and at the request of the military prosecution and the soldiers, the Jaffa military court forbade its publication. The documentation shows one of the soldiers calling the camera in the name of another fighter, who is not in the vehicle. "I shouted to our battalion commander, he was the commander of the soldiers and he brought us up," said in his interrogation the soldier who filmed . "I dedicated the video to him so he could see what kind of shit soldiers he raised. I sent him this video."

Quick Hits:

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Features:

How Mossad Chief Got Arnon Milchan to Boost Music Career of Oligarch's Daughter
A behind-the-scenes look at the Hollywood mogul's relationship with various Israeli state organizations – relationships that continued until just a few years ago. A decade ago, Meir Dagan used the mogul to get close to an oligarch associated with the Russian president. Milchan performed similar tasks for Israel over the years. In his corruption probe, Netanyahu claims he helped the producer get U.S. visa in return for service to the country - not cigars and champagne. (Chaim Levinson, Haaretz+)
 
Elections 2019 Commentary/Analysis:
Most of the "social welfare” parties are false who are trying to steal the leftist agenda (Dr. Revital Amiran, Maariv) There is almost no list, from right to left, which does not define itself as social - the magic word…But for most of them, this disguise conceals the opposite of the truth. The Likud, with its periphery in its throat, is a neo-liberal party. During the period of its rule, the gaps between rich and poor grew, budgets for social services were cut, private spending on education and health increased, the cost of living declined, and the ownership of an apartment remained a distant dream. Painkillers were given here and there, but when in the periphery there is one hospital bed for a thousand patients, it’s hard to talk about socialism. Kulanu party has good intentions, but as long as it connected to a right-wing government whose priorities are to channel funds to the settlements and promote capitalism, it will not be able to make significant changes. Shas and United Torah Judaism are first and foremost social-sectoral parties, who until now will be content with the comforting crumbs that the ruling party will throw them to silence their sectors. Hayamin Hadash (Bennett and Shaked) and Habayit Hayehudi have nothing to talk about. The only welfare state they advance is the one in the (Palestinian) Territories. What is at the top of their agenda is increasing the state's territory and not increasing social services. Hosen L’Yisrael is a plethora of candidates, and it is not entirely clear what connects them. Michael Biton and Meirav Cohen may be in the party, but it is not at all clear whether they will be able to plot the way instead of being Gantz's dwarfs. And finally, the leftist parties. Labor is indeed the only one calling for a change in economic priorities. With Shmuli’s and Yachimovich's social intentions there is nothing to argue about. But still the issue of land distribution is in the party's detractors. As long as it is committed to the power group of the kibbutzim, it will not have the power to offer real distributive justice. Meretz focuses on a diplomatic agenda (vis-a-vis the Israeli-Palestinian conflict), and absurdly is not identified with a social agenda. Its small voting audience comes from the upper class living in the center of the country. Hadash is a real socialist party. But the economic agenda, which many of Israel's Jewish citizens could identify with parts of, is completely lost in its anti-Zionist platform, which seeks to turn Israel into a state of all its citizens. What remains for citizens to do until elections? To study the social welfare programs of the parties, to demand answers, not to buy the slogans, or in other words to remove the costume from the parties.
Labor Isn’t Dead (Uzi Baram, Haaretz+) It’s still the party that supports a diplomatic solution based on partition, the defense of liberal democracy and a change in the economic and social realities that weigh on so many people.
It's not enough to talk: If the Labor party wants life, it has to go to the political center (Lilach Sigan, Maariv) It was once clear in the party that universal values should be combined with a Middle Eastern reality, but over the years it has become such that some of its members belong ideologically to Meretz or Hadash.
It's still not too late for Labor (Sever Plocker, Yedioth/Ynet) The once-dominant party, while currently flailing, has a host of experienced and capable people who could do what is necessary to reverse its fortunes, and present a viable alternative to the next government; all they need is a comprehensive and detailed socioeconomic plan to counter the Likud's ruinous policies.
For better or for worse, under Labor party chief Gabbay, many small independent leaders have appeared (Meir Uziel, Maariv) The Labor Party is embarking on a new path with a new list. But the MKs are expected to continue to pull each in his own direction - and cause the chairman of the party quite a few headaches.
Bibi or Tibi (Ariel Bolstein, Israel Hayom) Even if Ta'al MK Ahmad Tibi hadn't spoken up, it would be clear that without the Arab parties, Benny Gantz would have no chance of winning. With them, we could see a repeat of the disastrous 1992 election
Not ideology - ego: If the right does not unite, the price amy be heavy (Prof. Arieh Eldad, Maariv) Twice in the past decade, the right has lost votes because of parties that did not pass the threshold. It's time for Peretz, Smotrich and the rest to stop playing the polls and unite.

Commentary/Analysis:
The Illusion of Withholding the Palestinians’ Tax Money (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) If Israel withholds the cash, terrorists’ families will still be paid, but fewer funds will go to education, health and development. Israel sells tricks as an illusion for solutions to basic problems.
A Last-minute Settler Grab (Haaretz Editorial) It’s not just the question of an Israeli medical school in the West Bank that hangs in the balance. What’s at stake here is an academia free of political pressure.
Warsaw Summit Will Show if U.S. Gamble on Israeli-Arab Pact Against Iran Can Pay Off (Amir Tibon, Haaretz+) Experts agree that although relations between Israel and Arab Sunni states have improved in recent years, that doesn’t mean the U.S. peace plan has a big chance of succeeding.
Palestine Won't Play Trump's Game, in Warsaw or Anywhere Else (Nabil Sha'ath, Haaretz+) The White House shares the Israeli government’s illegal settlement ideology and backs its attempts to normalize relations with the Arab world while maintaining control over our country. That’s why Palestine won’t participate in Trump’s anti-Peace Plan.
An anti-Iranian show of force (Oded Granot, Israel Hayom) The Warsaw summit offers Israel a rare opportunity to engage Arab leaders in a forum that does not deal with the Palestinian conflict. The biggest measure of success: whether they take steps against Iran.
On the streets, but less: the economic failure of the regime in Iran overshadows the celebrations (Yossi Mansharof, Maariv) Although the Iranian media claimed that millions packed the streets to mark the 40th anniversary of the revolution, opposition circles claimed that the number of celebrants had dropped. The nucleus will not protect the regime from the disgust of the nation.
*Ilhan Omar Has Sparked Panic in AIPAC (David Rothkopf, Haaretz+) Rep. Ilhan Omar has apologized for her inexcusably insensitive tweet. But the core issue behind her comment - whether the U.S. should continue to reflexively embrace the views of the Israeli government - won’t go away.
Trump Is Making Socialism Great Again. I'm In. (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) Donald Junior and Senior may be in for the surprise of their lives.
The case should be closed (Osher Rubinger, Israel Hayom) The state attorney is aware of the inherent flaws in the case against Sara Netanyahu but is refusing to back down, though no crime was committed.
 

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