APN's daily news review from Israel

Thursday April 4, 2019

 

Quote of the day:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

Top News Summary:
The return of the corpse of American-born Israeli soldier, Zachary Baumel, who was missing in action for 37 years,  grabbed the headlines of the Israeli newspapers - and according to Gantz the timing was political spin meant to bag the premiership for Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. As it turns out, Netanyahu's sudden visit to Moscow today was to thank the Russian President for helping achieve the locating and release of Baumel's corpse. "Operation Bittersweet Song" began two years ago by then Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman who had close Russian ties. It culminated with the return and identification of Baumel, but not the other two tank soldiers who went missing with him in the Battle of Sultan Yaakub in Lebanon. Colonel A., who led the operation, said he cried when they identified the remains. "We could immediately determine that the overalls belonged to the IDF’s Armored Corps. We looked at the writing on the back in Hebrew, which was amazingly preserved." According to reports in Lebanon’s Al Mayadeen news channel, Baumel’s remains were identified in the Yarmuq refugee camp near Damascus, following the withdrawal of ISIS from the area. The papers reported on the tragedy of Baumel's father, Yona, who died before the body was found and felt betrayed by the country.

What did not even make the print pages was the killing of a young Palestinian by a settler who gave conflicting versions of how he killed the Palestinian, who he said tried to stab him while he was in his car with the windows closed. The Israeli reporters took the settler's version as fact, although Palestinian witnesses said the settler shot the Palestinian while he was crossing the road. (Haaretz, Ynet and Maan) The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned the world's silence on the killing. "We are very surprised at the silence of the international community on such crimes and the indifference countries exhibit towards the life of the Palestinian citizen.”

Election Quickees:

Quick Hits:

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Features:

Record of alive and kicking
Give him respect: At the age of 74, Yitzhak Hayak, goalkeeper of Ironi Or Yehuda from League C is expected to break the Guinness World Record on his birthday tomorrow and to officially become the oldest footballer in the world. An official judge from Guinness International will arrive from London tomorrow. The official title will be awarded to Hayak official if he stands at the goal for ninety minutes. Born in Iraq, Hayak immigrated to Israel at the age of five, and from childhood he dreamed of standing at the goal. In the 1960’s he was the goalkeeper of Hapoel Or Yehuda and later served as the substitute goalkeeper for Hakoach Ramat Gan, which won the 1970-69 State Cup. "It was a moment that every player dreams of," he says. "I play today with the grandchildren of those I played with in my youth and it’s fun. My love for the grass and soccer is enormous.” (Yedioth Hebrew)
In ‘Occupied Scarsdale,’ There's Only One Question: Is Far-right Right Enough?
A political spat in the religious Zionist movement has placed many Orthodox voters in a bind — and nowhere is this more evident than Efrat, where nearly half of the settlers hail from English-speaking countries but few can say the words ‘I’m voting for a left-wing party.’ (Judy Maltz, Haaretz+)

Elections 2019 Commentary/Analysis:
*Annexation Will Free Israel From the Fake Commitment to Liberty and Equality (Yossi Klein, Haaretz+) The election on Tuesday is a “let’s pretend” performance of democracy. Our participation is just a bit of one-off background scenery lacking any influence. In a true democracy, a man pursued by the law does not impose elections on 9 million people as a means to avoid a trial. In a normal democracy, we don’t hold an election over corruption. You are tried for corruption, not elected. We hold elections over education, religion, economics and a 71-year-old war. The fate and future of our children, not that of Benjamin Netanyahu, will be determined by this war. We have been sweeping this war under the carpet, even though it is what gave birth to the aggression and corruption that have brought us to where we are today. But we are not talking about this war and not dealing with it. There is nothing to talk about. No one to talk to and nothing to talk about. When nothing is on the agenda in the election except for Netanyahu’s future, it is clear that what came before Tuesday will be what comes after it. But it will be even more flawed, more extreme, crazier. This is not a “crucial” election, it is only crucial for Netanyahu. The choice between one nationalist right and a different nationalist right is critical only for the right. The destruction of the legal system is more fateful, the internal rift is more painful, but we are in denial, insisting stubbornly on business as usual, driving a car without brakes – but making sure to signal on the curves.
Netanyahu is not interested in war or peace, but rather in continuing the conflict on a small scale (Ran Edelist, Maariv) Mainitaining the security tension gives birth to the twins, "fear" and "hatred,” which help the continuation of the occupation and the continued rule of the prime minister.
Imagining a World Without Netanyahu (Uri Misgav, Haaretz+) Imagine a world without a divine king, one who’s above the law and the rules and takes instructions only from Sheldon Adelson and Nathan Milikowsky. Many of us aren’t even capable of imagining the State of Israel surviving without him. What will we do, they wonder, how shall we continue to live here among all the Arabs who only want to kill us? Who would speak to Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, who would persuade the president of Brazil to open a business office in Jerusalem and the president of Guatemala to move the embassy here? They aren’t stupid or bad, they’re simply weakened. Imprisoned in an Erdogan-like, North Korea-like reality. A system of propaganda and brainwashing has turned them into prisoners of war.
https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-imagining-a-world-without-netanyahyu-1.7086222

In the present situation, only a protest vote for the sane will be wise (Lilach Sigan, Maariv) A protest vote comes to the table in light of the candidates' conduct. Because most protests do not see the ballot box, the defiance should be calculated in order to let them know that it happened.
Netanyahu and His Alternative Reality Must Go (Zehava Galon, Haaretz+) In his attempt to bat away the investigative report into his digital-libel army this week, the prime minister tried to summon up the spirit of the late Menachem Begin. “They called us chach-chachim, rabble, baboons, kissers of amulets and mezuzot, and now they’re calling us bots,” he said at a press conference. In Israel Hayom, three opinion pieces were entitled “I’m a bot” – full disclosure that would have been better provided earlier. But Netanyahu is not Begin, and the investigation into his network of fakes is not a racist slip of the tongue, but a deep and dark description of a party’s defamation mechanism that has been working for years to create an alternative reality for his voters. Although Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing, it’s hard to believe anyone is surprised by this.
The man of virtue fought the poisonous silence of the elections (Tzur Sheizaf, Ynet Hebrew) The disgusting Internet chaos called the “2019 election campaign" is intended to conceal the damage caused by the right-wing government over the past decade.
The Israeli Left is scared of democracy (Doron Nehemia, Israel Hayom) Like any good Bolshevik, it doesn’t want to hear what the public has to say, it wants to tell the public what to do.
Who's in Favor of Corruption (Haaretz Editorial) If the distorted ethical code that Netanyahu has formulated through his actions while in power were followed in the entire public sector, every ethical standard would be destroyed. If the prime minister is allowed to receive “gifts,” “discounts,” envelopes filled with cash and flattering pictures of his wife, why should other politicians, judges and police officers, army officers, rabbis and doctors, executives and teachers not cash in too? Many of them have friends and cousins who want to pamper them, finance them and help them out – and here or there receive a quick appointment, license or other benefit from the authorities. If the prime minister is allowed, then they too want their share of the goldmine and the government will become a mechanism for distributing bribes and protection money.
A chance to change the political status quo (Yedidia Stern, Yedioth/Ynet) Over-representation of religious sector in the next Knesset could be a national blessing if the religious-Zionists could form a unified block to counter the ultra-Orthodox on the matters of religion and state.
Israel's Last Election Before It Becomes an Illiberal Democracy (Steven Klein, Haaretz+) Preserving Israel’s democratic institutions, independent judiciary and free press must take precedence above all else. Including peace with the Palestinians.
The greatest political fraud in Israel's history (Anat Shalev and Liat Schlesinger, Ynet Hebrew) Feiglin presents himself as the knight of freedom for everyone. That is to say, apart from LGBTs, and single mothers, and the peace camp, and non-Jews, and those in need, and the sick. Some knight.
The Timing Is No Coincidence: The World Mobilizes for Netanyahu's Campaign (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) The recent chain of breakthroughs is no coincidence. Netanyahu is a master at enlisting the heads of great powers and 'third-party countries' to help him in his election campaign.
The reason for the low voter turnout in the Arab sector (Ahmed Iyad, Ynet Hebrew) Almost no one in these elections raised the social welfare flag. And when half the families in the Arab sector are below the poverty line, they have no reason to go to the polls.
Can the submarine scandal still sink Netanyahu’s promising electoral prospects? (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) With six days to go, Netanyahu is trying to distance himself from new revelations and accusations that could sway undecided voters against him.
Waiting for Netanyahu's doomsday weapon (Dr. Baruch Leshem, Ynet Hebrew - WRITTEN BEFORE THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE RETURN OF REMAINS OF ZACHARY BAUMEL) In each of the elections in which Netanyahu was victorious, Netanyahu knew how to pull out the card that played for voters on patriotism or fear. What was he planning this time?
Netanyahu Deserves to Win. And We Israelis Deserve Him (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) Outside Israel, there's disbelief at Netanyahu's success when he’s so corrupt, divisive, racist, rejectionist and autocratic. But he's delivered, on his own terms, and Israeli voters have serially failed to demand better.
Netanyahu’s Feat of Retrieving Missing Soldier's Remains May Win Him the Election (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Russia may have its own interest in Syria, but the Netanyahu-Putin link may have helped Israel return the remains of Zachary Baumel, who went missing in the First Lebanon War, after 37 years.
The Rabid Right Can Smell Victory, but Reality Will Lead Netanyahu to Gantz (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) New Haaretz poll shows Netanyahu poised for Faustian bargain of selling out his country in exchange for his own freedom - but Donald Trump could stand in his way.
Dr. Economy and Mr. Nationalist: Three reasons not to vote for Bibi (David Rosenberg, Haaretz+) The prime minister really is Mr. Economy, in the short run. But over time, his policies will doom Israel to backwardness and poverty.

Commentary/Analysis:
Secret Burial Place, Intel Feat, and a 3rd Country: Behind the Retrieval of the Israeli Soldier's Body (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Achievement is also a testimony to the extraordinary commitment Israeli society shows toward its fighters and fallen soldiers in an era of eroding solidarity.
When children escape from Gaza prison to get to jail (Ron Zeidel, Ynet Hebrew) Behind the two children who were caught after crossing the Gaza Strip fence is not only the story of the Israeli siege, but also the (country’s) impossible demands of IDF soldiers.
Israel Goes Easy on Hamas, Harder on Abbas (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) Promise to ease restrictions on Gaza means Israel has to forego its strategic aspiration to cut the Strip off from the rest of the country.
Netanyahu Could Have Prevented the Submarine Affair by Collecting Germany's $19b Holocaust Debt (Aharon Mor, Haaretz+) Israel once received submarines as ‘gifts’ from Germany. Netanyahu chose not to go that route.
Erdogan’s Next Front: The White House (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) The rift between Turkey and America could reach the point of no return with the U.S. threatening sanctions after Turkey's refusal to void Russia deal.
 

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