News Nosh 02.03.14

APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday February 03, 2014

Quote of the day:
"They make it so that I need to be hassled, pay for representation, find proof and declarations, and then, even when I win, they don’t lose."
--Peace Now Secretary General Yariv Oppenheimer on West Bank settlers who filed libel lawsuits against him and lost.**


Front Page News:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
  • A hands length away - In one room: Israeli minister and Iranian minister
  • Kerry's word // Nahum Barnea
  • Israelis work hardest in world to buy home: 148 salaries. In US: 66 salaries.
  • The incarnations of my life: Her father served in the wehrmacht, her mother is a native American, her brother is Palestinian - and Sydney is joining the IDF
  • The cliff climbers - Thousands of Israelis are hanging between the heavens and the skies on steep walls. Do you want to?
Maariv
Israel Hayom

Peace Talk Highlights:
The boycott of Israel was today's top story, both in regards to the spat over US Secretary of State John Kerry's remarks and to what Israel is or is not doing about it. The spat did not prevent Kerry and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu from speaking on the phone about the framework agreement. Israeli and Palestinian negotiators met and a Saudi prince said Israel would be a major Mideast player if it did make peace. President Mahmoud Abbas offered more flexibility for a temporary Israeli presence in a future Palestinian state in a NYT interview. Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon made headlines not only because he said Israel 'could deal' even if it did not reach a peace agreement, but because he was photographed sitting in the front row at a panel that Iranian Foreign Minister Javar Zarif sat on at the Munich Conference. The settlers are at odds with each other over how to fight Netanyahu's negotiations that would mean their removal, while simultaneously receiving money from his coalition government.
 
The right-wing was enraged with Kerry and the left-wing was enraged with the right-wing after Kerry's comment at the Munich Security Conference that Israel might suffer boycotts and further delegimization if the current peace talks with the Palestinians failed.
The papers reported that Netanyahu rapped Kerry at the Sunday cabinet meeting, as did many right-wing ministers, for supporting a boycott of Israel, to which the US responded clearly: Don't misrepresent Kerry's words. The left-wing politicians called the attacks on Kerry irresponsible. Nevertheless, Kerry and Netanyahu spoke over the phone later Sunday about the framework agreement, Haaretz+ reported.
 
Both Yedioth and Maariv ran large stories about the spreading phenomenon of boycotting Israel. Maariv/NRG Hebrew quoted unnamed Foreign Ministry who said that the Ministry is not doing anything about the boycotts. Officials told Maariv they can't explain why suddenly there are more boycotts now when Israel is negotiating with the Palestinians. One official noted that there are steps that can be taken - mainly recruiting friends of Israel in Europe- but criticized the fact that the Ministry is making no special preparation. Yedioth quoted Foreign Ministry officials who aid that there is no world boycott against Israel, but that according to economists in the Finance Ministry, an expansive boycott could cost Israel $20 billion, dismissal of thousands of workers and harm 30% of the companies in Israel. Foreign Ministry officials told Yedioth that   if Israel expands settlements [as if it isn't doing that? - OH] and the peace negotiations fail. Another 2-page Yedioth article described how the boycott is limited - at this point it is mainly affecting Israel's image, and those paying the price are the products coming from settlements.
The paper gave a rundown of the boycott from different countries:
Germany - Marginal initiatives from radical left-wing
Australia - Public in general does not support it, but pro-Palestinian organizations still succeed in hurting Israel's economy and image.
France - Boycoting Israeli goods is illegal.
Italy - The economic crisis there is not encouraging locals to boycott Israel if they can do business with Israel.
UK - Minimal damage but very loud campaign.
Spain - Busy with its own economic difficulties
Canada - Boycott remains in the academia and the church.
US - Pressure on artists and actors mainly.
 
The Israeli and Palestinian negotiation teams met with Kerry in Munich on Sunday also to discuss the emerging framework proposal as well as the possibility of extending the negotiating window until the end of 2014. Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon told the conference that settlements are not an obstacle to peace and that Israel would 'manage' even without a peace agreement. And surprised the papers when he did not leave the plenum hall when Iran's top diplomat addressed the conference - and spoke out against the Holocaust. Interestingly, a Saudi prince said that if a peace deal with the Palestinians were reached, Israel would have significant role in Middle East.
 
Meanwhile, Abbas proposed putting a NATO mission in a future Palestinian state and that both an Israeli military and civilian withdrawal could take place over five years, but that recognizing Israel as a Jewish State 'is out of the question.'

The Yesha settlers are fighting between themselves over how to fight the peace process and could threaten the coalition government, reports Maariv/NRG Hebrew. One of the main sources of friction in recent weeks is related to strategic moves and campaigns against the peace process on behalf of some settlers. Now there is a satiric anti-Netanyahu video being circulated that is raising tensions even more. Those who support the Yesha council side say that the independent campaigns - particularly those led by the Samaria Resident's Committee, which is budgeted by the Samaria Regional Council [which is budgeted by the government - OH], are not strategically helpful and only create fear among the settlers. They note how problematic it is that one hand supports Netanyahu, invites ministers for visits to the settler council and enjoys the budget allotments, but the other hand has institutions working under its auspices which receive great amounts of money from it and then go and humiliate the prime minister. One source close to the Yesha Council said, "This (anti-peace agreement) campaign will cost us all dearly." 

Quick Hits:
  • Hamas withdraws 'anti-missile' force from Israel border - Rocket-prevention forces near border with Israel removed in protest against escalation, recent Israeli attacks in Gaza. Source says regular security forces are to remain in their place. (Agencies, Ynet)
  • Settlers uproot more than 1,000 olive saplings near Ramallah (again) - A group of settlers from Shilo settlement uprooted more than 1000 olive trees and newly planted saplings in the village of Sinjil north of Ramallah, planted with funding from ICRC. (Maan
  • Wounded Palestinian teens dispute Border Police claims - Say they were shot, beaten, attacked by police dogs for nothing; troops say they were about to throw bomb. (Haaretz)
  • Israeli police dogs mauled Palestinian teens shot at checkpoint - The two teenagers were visiting a friend's home when Border Police suddenly opened fire in their direction before siccing the dogs on them, which mauled Jawhar Halbieh's body before soldiers dragged the two youth on the 300 meters on the ground while simultaneously beating them with rifle butts and kicking and punching them. (Maan
  • Two West Bank settlers charged with incitement over racist website - 'Hakol Hayehudi,’ based in the West Bank settlement Yitzhar, called for violence against Arabs. (Haaretz+)
  • Israeli forces storm 2 Jenin area towns, ransack homes - Ten Israeli military vehicles stormed Qabatia and inspected several homes before leaving the town. A military spokesman said the raids were 'routine security activity.' Israeli forces also stormed al-Jalamah village and stopped a teenage roadside clothing peddler. [Wondering if this is another instance of Israeli forces training inside Palestinian village and homes. - OH.] (Maan)
  • Israeli forces raid hotel in Bethlehem and detain 2 Palestinians - Israeli occupation forces raided a hotel near Bethlehem's northern entrance and detained Raed Ayoub Daber and Nidal Khalifa. The raid occurred near Rachel's Tomb, which has been the site of near daily clashes in recent weeks. (Maan
  • **Jerusalem court throws out Im Tirtzu’s claim against left-wing activists - Judge rules Im Tirzu and fascism share some 'similarities,' strikes down libel charge, but forces defendant to pay for its own legal fees. (Haaretz+)
  • Israeli forces threaten Ein Hajla encampment, detain 9 - Palestinian and international activists at the Ein Hajla protest encampment in the Jordan Valley repulsed three attempts by Israeli forces to enter the village overnight, while nine activists from Jerusalem were detained trying to reach the area. (Maan)
  • Education Minister backs embattled 'leftist' teacher in open letter - Shay Piron says ORT teacher Adam Verete may have said some inappropriate things but also stirred a legitimate discussion in class. But also says must be careful not to set off 'cultural landmines.' (Haaretz+)
  • Verete: Piron’s warning to avoid 'cultural land mines’ is 'Orwellian’ - 'The heart of the matter is the ORT's attempt to fire a teacher on political grounds failed. I hope other teachers remember this fact,' says Adam Verete. (Haaretz+)
  • Government postponed decision on tax benefits map - The government will seek a 2-week extension to discuss the criteria necessary to enter the national priority map. The controversial tax-break map included over 30 isolated settlements and outposts. (NRG Hebrew)
  • Settlers' archaeology tourism plans seen deepening roots - While Israelis are busy excavating in search of first palace of King David in heart of West Bank, Palestinians say their history is being sidelined. (Agencies, Ynet)
  • IDF seeks budget increase in 2015 - Knesset Subcommittee for Defense Budget mulls military spending after security cabinet approves IDF's multiyear work plan, including 2.75 billion shekel increase. Finance Committee chairman: We'll probably have to increase the defense budget. (Israel Hayom)
  • SodaStream boss accuses Oxfam of 'hypocrisy’ and funding BDS movement - Oxfam denies charges, says it is opposed to trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, not Israel in general. (Haaretz+)
  • "Boycotting harms both Palestinians and Israelis" - Israeli diplomats in Europe warn that boycott against Israel may become a 'tsunami'. 'The world doesn't understand the situation, they want to aid the Palestinians and end up hurting us,' says Palestinian worker at SodaStream factory. (Ynet)
  • SodaStream CEO: We're fighting Israel's boycott war - SodaStream CEO Daniel Birnbaum says company continuously fends off boycott attempts. Birnbaum: We employ both Israelis and Palestinians, all of our workers have equal rights, we are an "island of peace." (Israel Hayom
  • Boycott? Foreign Ministry still unmoved - Ministry officials told Maariv they can't explain why suddenly there are more boycotts now when Israel is negotiating with the Palestinians. One official noted that there are steps that can be taken - mainly recruiting friends of Israel in Europe- but criticized the fact that the Ministry is making no special preparation. (Maariv, p.1/NRG Hebrew)
  • SodaStream: Israel isn’t providing promised aid for plant inside Green Line - CEO Daniel Birnbaum says company will now be developing much smaller facility at Negev site than planned, employing 1,500 fewer employees. (Haaretz+)
  • Boycott on Israel: The overview - What's the history? Who's leading it? And what's Israel doing to reduce the damage? (Ynet
  • Israel returns Palestinian bombers' bodies, decade after attacks - In Israel, return of remains of attackers from second intifada provokes anger. (Haaretz
  • Photo opp: Yaalon takes front row seat for Iranian FM's panel - Israeli officials have traditionally walked out of speeches by Iranian leaders in international forums; Zarif used panel debate to condemn the Holocaust. (Ynet
  • Iranian FM tells Munich conference: Holocaust was tragically cruel - Iranian foreign minister says the Holocaust 'should not happen again', but links comments to rebuke of Israel over Palestinian issue; remarks are part of larger shift in Iranian regime's public face. (Agencies, Ynet
  • Holocaust marked in Arab world in 2 unusual events - First official conference dealing with Holocaust of Tunisia's Jews held in North African country. Bahraini ambassador to France visits Shoah memorial in Drancy. (Ynet)
  • Israel offers Turkey $20m in compensation over Gaza flotilla raid - Israel wants Turkish law to void legal action against Israeli soldiers, normalization of ties; resolution unlikely before Turkish elections in March. (Haaretz
  • Egypt to try eight for alleged Mossad spy operations - Trial to be held in absentia, as Mossad officers are 'on the run.' (Haaretz)
  • Report: Assad hoarding WMDs in Alawite enclave - Britain's Sunday Times reports that Syrian President Bashar Assad is hiding chemical and biological weapons in Syria, mostly in the Alawite enclave near the coastal city of Latakia • Assad reportedly preparing for possibility of Syria being divided. (Israel Hayom)
  • 15,000 attend pro-Israel rally in Paris - Thousands rally in support of Israel in a JNF-sponsored event in French capital. Organizers focus on Israeli research and development in technology, agriculture and ecology amid rising waves of anti-Semitism. (Israel Hayom)

Commentary/Analysis:
Why we must raise the alarm about settler violence (Emily L. Hauser, Haaretz+) It may be depressing to read yet more reports of price tag attacks, but the costs of ignorance - and of abandoning the Palestinians under attack - are far worse. 
Carrot and stick: The real threat to Israel (Shimon Shiffer, Yedioth/Ynet) If peace talks fail, EU is threatening to impose sanctions on Israel similar to those used against South Africa during apartheid regime. 
A shared desire to untangle this mess (Dan Margalit, Israel Hayom) If Israel wants to bolt from the peace talks, it should go right ahead and do so; otherwise it should remain silent lest it inflicts more damage on itself.
What’s wrong with BDS, after all? (Avraham Burg, Haaretz+) Israel will be helpless when the discourse moves from who’s stronger/tougher/more resilient to a discourse on rights and values. 
Talking with the enemy (Smadar Perry, Yedioth) Perry criticizes a plan by Education Minister Shai Piron to cut back on the study of Arabic in middle and high schools. "There are two reasons to study the language of the other: Either you do so because 20% of the country's residents are neighbors beyond your door and you dream of one day having normal relations with them, or because you adopt the idea of 'Know your enemy', his religion and customs, culture and rich language." Perry writes that whatever one's motive, further reducing the study of Arabic will lead to a situation in which, "we learn about what is happening around us from what the local media sees fit to present."
Kerry: Not an equal opportunity threatener (David M. Weinberg, Israel Hayom) U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has never once publicly warned Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas that this process is the last Palestinian chance to gain recognized statehood.
Don’t attack Netanyahu (Uzi Baram, Haaretz+) A broad public campaign should be launched to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s proposals. 
Terrorism is a bigger threat than economic boycott (Nadav Shragai, Israel Hayom) The Kerry framework endangers Israel. It is worth saying out loud that continuing to manage the conflict would be better. 
Anti-Semitism in Europe? Not a problem (Eldad Beck, Yedioth/Ynet) EU has found an efficient way of fighting anti-Semitism – completely ignoring its existence. 
Demographic symmetry and asymmetry (Moshe Arens, Haaretz+) The very suggestion that there should be symmetry - a Palestinian minority in the Jewish State and a Jewish minority in the Palestinian state - almost brought down the present Israeli coalition. 
Mutual justice (Shalom Yerushalmi, Maariv/NRG Hebrew) "Close to one million Jews left their homes in Arab countries...They left behind property and memories that were not particularly pleasant." Yerushalmi, whose family was from Damascus, notes, "The State of Israel, after it arose, had many opportunities to demand the property of these Jewish refugees," but adds, "The state was silent even after the Palestinian refugees began to demand to return to their homes in Israel...With a genuine and sincere public diplomacy effort, it would be possible to cancel the Palestinian demand for a right of return and take it off the agenda," and regrets that the issue of the Jewish refugees from Islamic countries has garnered headlines only recently. "The possibility that the issue of compensation for Jews from Arab countries will be part of the peace accords with the Palestinians."
In Syria zero-sum game, neither side can win (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) The week-long peace conference in Geneva last week achieved next to nothing. Meanwhile, thousands of Syrians continue to die.
Munich conference: All talk, no action (Ronen Bergman, Yedioth/Ynet) Half empty auditorium at annual security conference indicates Syria crisis is not about to be solved soon, as no one really has the energy to deal with it anymore. 
Striking Jews in their pockets -- a failed idea (Gonen Ginat, Israel Hayom) Maybe Kerry just wanted to "commentate." But he is Obama's secretary of state and his words carry extra meaning. 
The sip heard around the world: Scarlett Johansson, Super Bowl and SodaStream (Ilene Prusher, Haaretz+) Overnight, the actress has become the Marie Antoinette of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, smiling regally and offering: 'Let them sip soda.'

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