APN's daily news review from Israel

Monday May 20, 2019

 

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

News Summary:
The killing of four more workers in another construction site accident in Israel - and the lack of action by the government, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s difficulties in forming a coalition due to his partners’ demands, the White House announcement of the first part of the ‘Deal of the Century’ peace plan and the complaints about Madonna’s singing out of tune during her Eurovision performance were the top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers

With the clock ticking, Netanyahu told his potential coalition partners to ‘get back to reality’ and give up on their ‘unrealistic’ demands, but Netanyahu also got his present government to cancel the limit on the number of ministers so that he could offer more high positions to them. Right-wingers attacked Likud MK Gideon Saar for rejecting the personal immunity law that Netanyahu wants to pass, Maariv reported, and the Permits Committee gave Netanyahu until end of the week to disclose his finances otherwise they will reject his request to be allowed to get friends to foot his legal defense. (Also Maariv)

The White House announced that the US will hold an economic 'workshop' in June where the first part of US President Donald Trump's peace plan will be revealed. The conference is meant to bring together government officials and business leaders from around the world in an attempt to convince them to invest in the Palestinian territories and help jump-start the economic side of the ‘Deal of the Century.’

Many on social media attacked Madonna’s performance, giving her ‘zero points,’ for signing out of tune. Some criticized her for having dancers' wear clothes displaying the Israeli and Palestinian flags. Madonna responded: ’Peace is not political.’
 

Quick Hits:

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Features:

He Thought if He Just Ran Fast Enough, He Could Get Out of Gaza
There are some 1,600 amputees in Gaza. Here’s the story of one. (Alyona Synenko, Haaretz+)
The soldier who went AWOL was thrown out of his house, the military indictment against him was canceled
The military prosecution agreed to erase the charges against the cook, Corporal R., despite 129 days of desertion, after it became clear that his parents had threw him out because he was not serving in a combat unit. Cpl. R., it should be noted, wanted to serve in the army as a combat soldier, but in the wake of low recruitment data, he was found unsuitable for combat duty. At the end of basic training he was assigned as a cook at a naval base in the south. His parents rejected this  and his mother even turned to the commanders and told them: "We did not raise a cook, we raised a fighter." They threw him out of the house and he was forced to sleep at the homes of friends or stay on his military base on weekends. He asked to be recognized as a ‘lone soldier,’ but this was delayed. Due to his difficult situation he deserted and began to work to make a living. In court, after the full background of the circumstances of his defection was presented, the military prosecution agreed to cancel the indictment without a criminal record. It was also decided that R. 'would return to his previous role as a cook, complete his recognition as a ‘lone soldier’ and receive support from the army, including housing, and then continue to try to transfer to combat duty. In a conversation with the mother, she confirmed that she had removed her son from the house and forbade him to sleep there as long as he did not serve in combat duty. She confirmed that she had urged him to defect from the army until he was assigned combat duty. According to her, she thought she did the right thing for her son. (Maariv)
 
Commentary/Analysis:
Why Israel Isn't Doing More to Prevent Construction Workers' Deaths (Lee Yaron, Haaretz+) 'Because of their negligent conduct and extreme foot-dragging in moving forward or making decisions, the casualties are continuing, and even worse, the number of deaths is rising’.
They don’t care (Sever Plotzker, Yedioth/Hebrew)  Accidents at construction sites do not happen, they are caused. What causes them is the lethal Israeli combination of ignoring the law when the law is not imposed, running to the bottom of the cost of production even at the cost of harm to human life, government regulation without teeth and the public’s lack of means and distorted priorities.
Netanyahu Is Seeking a Free Hand to Commit Crimes (Mordechai Kremnitzer, Haaretz+) If Netanyahu succeeds, the Knesset will become an institution that obstructs justice, like a crime organization
The tower of cards: Where did the prime minister's version go, in which he says that there will be no indictment? (Ben Caspit, Maariv) Contrary to Netanyahu's statements on the eve of the elections that the charges will fall one by one, the only thing that is about to collapse is the rule of law. I suggest to the opposition members: Break the rules…Netanyahu's plans to obtain personal immunity from incrimination and to crush, on that same festive occasion, the Israeli legal system (because this is what he will have to pay to Betzalel Smotrich or Yariv Levin) is a breaking of all the rules. The creeping process by which the secular-liberal Zionism of the founding fathers is being turned into the state of Judea, a nationalist, religious and extremist one, is getting a boosted steroid injection here. Against this act we have to fight with all our might. What can we do? MK Ofer Shelah (Kahol-Lavan) is planning a political protest, which will probably be launched this coming week…As far as the protest succeeds in driving the masses into the streets, we will know later. Had it been up to me, breaking of the rules by the coalition, under Netanyahu's orders, should be followed by a countering of breaking the rules by the opposition. Without violence, without talking about "war," without incitement, but with deeds. All members of the opposition, from the first to the last, should resign from the Knesset. Not only them, but everyone on the candidates list of Kahol-Lavan, Labor, Meretz and the Arab parties. All 120. In this situation, the Knesset will be empty and will have only 65 MKs. Did you want the tyranny of the majority? You got it. You wanted to dismantle the institutions of democracy? You got it. There is no reason to cooperate this action, there is no reason to be part of it. There is no diplomatic, political or security decision here. This is not the Oslo Accords or the annexation of the Territories. There is a dramatic change here to the face and character of the Jewish state. This is a process that is unclean, fundamentally unacceptable, unforgivable. I have been writing here for several years now that Netanyahu is trying to do to Israel what Erdogan did to Turkey. Act by act. In the past year, he has almost closed the gap between the achievements of the Turkish tyrant and what is happening here. The only thing that has not happened here yet is the throwing of generals and journalists into prison. It must not be allowed to happen, and if that happens anyway, no one should be part of it. Even indirectly.
Arming Dictators, Equipping Pariahs: Alarming Picture of Israel's Arms Sales (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Extensive Amnesty report cites Israeli sales to eight countries who violate human rights, including South Sudan, Myanmar, Mexico and the UAE ■ Amnesty calls on Israel to adopt oversight model adopted by many Western countries ■ Senior Israeli defense official: Export license is only granted after lengthy process.
Israel and South African apartheid: A dangerous comparison (Yaakov Ahimeir, Israel Hayom) The assertion that Israel has an apartheid regime is a total distortion. South African-born journalist Benjamin Pogrund is waging a war against the imbecilic comparison.
Thanks Iceland, Madonna for Disrupting Eurovision's Big Deception (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+)  Tthere are some anti-Semites in the BDS movement, but there are many people, including Jews, who see a boycott as a legitimate means of combating the wrongs inflicted by Israel on the Palestinians. Many boycott supporters see such action as a warning bell, a means of informing Israelis that occupation leads to a dictatorship, a regime in which normative government procedures are alien, as evident in the immunity law now taking shape.
The Germans, the Jews and the Poles Are on the Battlefield Again (Ofer Aderet, Haaretz+) The Poles see themselves as the ultimate victims, the Germans repent and pass anti-BDS resolutions, and Israel speaks in two voices.
The Deadly Consequences of a Dead-on-arrival Trump Mideast Peace Plan (Evan Gottesman, Haaretz+) When the U.S. ambassador states 'Israel is on the side of God,' he's voicing in off-base terms the Trump administration's one-sided support for Israel. But an excessively pro-Israel 'ultimate deal' could tip Israeli-Palestinian relations into apocalyptic territory.
Can academia make room for honest scholarship on Israel? (Jonathan S. Tobin, Israel Hayom) The smearing of scholars for publishing a journal that examined misleading attacks on the Jewish state exposes the intellectual dishonesty of academic Israel-bashers.
The Agony and the Ecstasy of Israel’s Eurovision Extravaganza (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) The kitschy, gay-friendly spectacle gave liberal Israelis a tantalizing glimpse of the country they once cherished - but it could turn out to be their swan song
Europe, stop trying to save the Iran deal (Rachel Avraham, Israel Hayom) The fate of the free world depends on the EU not saving the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action but walking away from the worst deal of the century.
A Win for Deniers of the Occupation (Haaretz Editorial) The decision by the German parliament to condemn the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel and to define it as anti-Semitic is a diplomatic achievement for those who deny the occupation and refuse negotiations, chief among them Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The strategic investment in public diplomacy and nurturing German guilt for the Holocaust paid off; this is the first time that a major European parliament has declared the BDS movement anti-Semitic.
At low intensity: Israel continues to push out the Iranian presence in Syria (Yossi Melman, Maariv) Iran continues to consolidate its presence in Syria, and is not deterred by the Israeli attacks against it, and if there is a reduction in the scope of its activities, this is more due to domestic problems and the American sanctions.
If the U.S. goes to war with Iran, Netanyahu will be the prime suspect (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) He convinced Trump that Tehran will capitulate to crippling sanctions and a credible military threat – but the ayatollahs disagree.
Iranian aggression is all about the economy (Eli Leon, Israel Hayom) Iran, it appears, is trying to create a crisis in reaction to its worsening economy and its unsuccessful effort to overcome U.S. sanctions.
Israel Claims Victory After Germany's BDS Ban at the Expense of Minimizing the Holocaust (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) The Bundestag has equated the boycott calls of an anti-occupation organization to those heard in 1930s Germany. The move is a coup for the Israeli government - and minimizes Nazi anti-Semitism.
What lies ahead for American Jews? (Victor Rosenthal, Israel Hayom) Most American Jews are not expecting the irrational, unfair treatment they may be in for should war break out between the United States and Iran.
Israel's Attorney General Must Take Action on Litzman (Raviv Drucker, Haaretz+) Rabbi Yaakov Yitzhak Rata committed horrific sex crimes against a girl, starting when she was 8 and ending when she turned 18. She courageously testified, and Rata received a 16-year prison sentence. Yaakov Litzman was involved in the case, before and after becoming deputy health minister, including by pressuring psychiatrists who report to him and decide on Rata’s fate. On Thursday we reported, on Channel 13’s “Hamakor,” on intervention by Litzman and his ministry in behalf of at least 10 convicted sex offenders.

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