News Nosh 10.24.19

by APN 10/24/19
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APN's daily news review from Israel
Thursday October 24, 2019  

Quote of the day #1:

“Even people who can’t imagine a reasonable life without Netanyahu must admit that Benny Gantz looked prime ministerial (or in American terms, presidential) Wednesday night. He paid due respect to every segment of Israeli society – the ultra-Orthodox, whom he promised to treat like brothers, Arabs, Druze, gays and rightists.”
—Haaretz political commentator Yossi Verter comments after speech by Kahol-Lavan leader Benny Gantz upon receiving the mandate to form a government.*

Quote of the day #2:
"Gantz spoke yesterday like a prime minister, he dressed like a prime minister and he acted like a prime minister. Now he needs the nerves of steel and the patience."
--Maariv political commentator Ben Caspit comments after speech by Kahol-Lavan leader Benny Gantz upon receiving the mandate to form a government.


You Must Be Kidding:
An Israeli nature authority inspector fined a Palestinian farmer 750 shekels ($212) for harvesting olives from his own tree on his own property.**


Front Page:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

  • In his hands (Photo of President Rivlin giving Benny Gantz mandate document to form government)
  • Exclusive - “We met in the neighborhood and I told him that I want to make an attack against settlers. He bought a knife and after 10 days we drove to Gush Etzion junction and we waited till we saw a settler” - Transcripts of interrogation revealed: This is how the murder of Dvir Sorek was planned (Hebrew)
  • Haaretz’s scare campaign (against Yedioth) // Ben-Dror Yemini

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

  • “There is no justification for a third round of elections” - President gave Benny Gantz mandate to form government
  • He fit the suit // Ben Caspit
  • The new evidence in the retrial of Roman Zadorov
  • Elderly man attacked because of a gold watch
  • The spy from the ‘Bad Business’ affair [Israeli spy terror operation in Egypt - OH] died

Israel Hayom

  • Senior sources in Kahol-Lavan: Gantz's speech was a sharp message to Lapid; Gantz received the mandate from the President
  • Keys of democracy are with the clerks // Simcha Rotman
  • Gantz, what about the ability to beat the other side? // Amnon Lord
  • 90% of the weapons confiscated - from Arab communities
  • A peek into the imprisonment (of Naama Issachar, convicted of drug smuggling in Russia)
  • Following claims of (sexual) harassment: Brig. Gen. Elbaz resigned from army
  • Will we go to space soon? Branson landed in Israel and made promises
  • At age 90, Marcelle Ninio, the spy from the 'Embarassing Business,' died

Top News Summary:

Today’s big story was that Kahol-Lavan leader Benny Gantz was tasked with trying to form a coalition government and while it was expected, it was still considered a monumental event. Headlines read, “It’s his turn now” and “Gantz’s time.” Yedioth printed four photos of Israeli presidents giving Binyamin Netanyahu the mandate to form a govenment with the years 2009, 2013, 2015 and 2019 at the tops of the respective photos and the headline: "End of the Mandate." Political commentators noted Gantz's stateliness and how he reached out to the leaders of all the factions and asked for a meeting - with the exception of Balad, whose leader said he had no problem with that. Gantz made it clear in his speech what kind of government he wanted to form: “I intend to form a liberal unity government as I had promised voters,” he said. But the right-wing parties, now being referred to as the ’55 bloc,’ politely refused to meet him before meeting with the Likud and after the leaders of the 55 block met with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, they declared that there would be no "personal meetings" with Kahol-Lavan representatives and Likud will represent the bloc. (Also Maariv) Chairman of Yisrael Beiteinu Avigdor Lieberman, as well as the left-wing parties, accepted Gantz’s invitation to meet. The coalition negotiating teams of Kahol-Lavan and Likud are expected to convene tomorrow. (Maariv) Joint List MK Ahmed Tibi expressed disappointment at the prospect of a unity government, saying Netanyahu has created 'more social divisions than ever' and is to blame for stalled peace process. Tibi said the Arab sector backed giving outside support for a Gantz-led government. President Reuven Rivlin made clear that he opposed a third election. "I've proposed an outline which aims to pave the path for Likud and Kahol Lavan to establish a unity government. There is no reason to hold a third round of election," Rivlin said.
 

Quick Hits:

  • 14 Israeli Soldiers Arrested on Suspicion of Attacking Bedouin in South - Military Police will likely extend the detention of the soldiers, who all serve in Netzah Yehuda, an ultra-Orthodox battalion of the IDF’s Kfir Brigade. (Haaretz+, Ynet and VIDEO and Maariv)
  • ‘Try to kidnap the settler. If you can’t, murder him’: Terrorists recount attack - After stabbing Dvir Sorek to death in August, one of the suspects returned home and hid the bloodied knife above his kids’ closet, investigation transcripts show. “For months I’ve been going to pray at the mosque and hearing of the situation in al-Aqsa, that Muslim Palestinians are barred from entering and settlers are allowed,” Qasseem al-Asafra told investigators. “Also there is the construction in the settlements, and our land being raped by the Israeli occupier. I always wished to die as a martyr.” (Yedioth Hebrew and Times of Israel)
  • 'Traitors Choose to Harass Jews': Over 20 Palestinian Cars Vandalized in West Bank City - Graffiti sprayed-painted in scene likely refers to recent decision by Israeli army to declare hill from which settlers threw rocks at soldiers as closed-off military zone. (Haaretz+)
  • After attacks on troops, forces raze structures in illegal outpost near Yitzhar - Settlement lambastes ‘violent’ move Thursday that disrupts its efforts to calm tensions after several instances of violence against the IDF perpetrated by area hilltop youth. (Times of Israel and Ynet)
  • Marcelle Ninio, (Jewish-Egyptian) Israeli spy jailed by Egypt in infamous Lavon Affair, dies at 90 - In the 1950’s, Israeli spymasters recruited Egyptian Jews, including Ninio, to carry out terror attacks against [US and European - OH] civilian targets in the country [and make it seem as if Egyptians had perpetrated the attacks - OH] in order to destabilize the rule of President Gamal Abdel Nasser. However, the operation, known in Israel as ‘The Bad Business,’ failed, eight cell members were imprisoned and two others were executed. Ninio was sentenced to 15 years in prison and released in 1968, after which she immigrated to Israel. (Haaretz+, Yedioth Hebrew and Times of Israel)
  • (Jewish-Israeli) Minor Involved in Arson Murder of Dawabsheh Family Convicted of Membership in (Jewish) Terror Group - Court approves Thursday the plea deal in which the minor admitted to conspiring to set fire to the Dawabsheh family home in the village of Duma in the West Bank in 2015, which resulted in the death of the parents and their baby. The minor has not yet been sentenced on the crimes in the plea agreement, but prosecutors have agreed not to ask for more than five and a half years in prison. (Haaretz+ and Maariv)
  • Turkish NGO: Israel 'preventing olive harvest in east Jerusalem' - Blasting move, Lach Yerushalayim organization, which promotes Israeli sovereignty over all parts of Jerusalem, says, "The time has come to put an end to Turkish activity, which aims to undermine Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem." (Israel Hayom)
  • UN Expert Calls for International Ban on Israeli Products Made in Settlements - The UN expert on human rights in the Palestinian territories, Canadian law professor Michael Lynk, says this is a step to potentially end Israel's 52-year-old 'illegal occupation.’ He told the General Assembly: “No occupation in the modern world has been conducted with the international community so alert to its many grave breaches of international law, so knowledgeable about the occupier's obvious and well-signaled intent to annex and establish permanent sovereignty, so well-informed about the scale of suffering and dispossession." (Agencies, Haaretz and Israel Hayom)
  • Netanyahu appoints ex-Shin Bet head Avi Dichter deputy defense minister - Former public security minister says he’s ‘pleased to have the opportunity to add another brick in the wall of the security of Israel.’ (Times of Israel and Maariv)
  • Israel Extends Extradition Date of Imprisoned Russian Hacker to U.S. - Although the state filed for the extension after expiration of original deadline, it was granted in light of talks to release hacker in exchange for Israeli woman held in Russia on drug charges. (Haaretz+ and Israel Hayom)
  • Ashkelon Baby Dies of Critical Injuries After Suspected Abuse; Mother Released From Custody - The police investigation revealed that the 10-month old baby had suffered prolonged abuse, and the mother and her partner are suspected of causing her death. Their remand was extended on Monday until the weekend. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
  • Israeli Ex-commando Chief Resigns Amid Complaints of Sexual Harassment - Female soldiers who served under Brig. Gen. Shai Elbaz have testified he had improper relations with them. (Haaretz, Israel Hayom and Maariv)
  • Military Police Reviews Informer Recruitment After Soldier Suicide - Move comes after two investigators were charged with not reporting the distress of a soldier they sought to recruit as informer and who killed himself a few days later. (Haaretz+)
  • Netanyahu appoints ex-Shin Bet head Avi Dichter deputy defense minister - Former public security minister says he’s ‘pleased to have the opportunity to add another brick in the wall of the security of Israel.’ (Times of Israel and Maariv)
  • Israeli Arab sentenced to 16 years in prison for abetting 2017 Temple Mount terror attack - Amjad Jabareen of Umm al-Fahm was found guilty of helping three assailants plan the Jerusalem shooting that killed two policemen. (Haaretz+ and Maariv)
  • Israeli Army Demolishes Home of Palestinian Who Murdered Soldier – After It Was Rebuilt - Palestinian reports say troops entered Al-Aamari refugee camp near Ramallah Thursday, where youths confronted soldiers, who demolished the home of Islam Yousef Abu Hamid, 32, who was convicted of murdering a soldier, Ronen Lubarsky, [by dropping a cement block on Lubarsky who was raiding Abu Hamid’s home - OH]. (Haaretz+ and Maariv)
  • Abbas orders to rebuild home of soldier's killer razed by IDF for second time - 'Israel's bulldozers will not break us,' says PA's statement Thursday, issued hours after Israeli forces demolished the house of Islam Yusuf Hamid, who killed Staff Sgt. Ronen Lubarsky by dropping a marble slab on his head, for the second time within a year. (Ynet)
  • B'Tselem: A record number of houses demolished in East Jerusalem - Israel expanded the municipal boundaries to take in large areas of vacant land on which it later constructed Jewish settlements while expansion of Palestinian neighborhoods was limited forcing residents to build illegally, stated the human rights group. (Agencies, Ynet)
  • Man Convicted of Murdering Israeli Schoolgirl Seeks Retrial - The lawyer of Roman Zadorov, who was found guilty of murdering 13-year Tair Rada in 2010, claims to have an opinion from an overseas forensic expert that the crime was committed by a woman known as A.K. (Haaretz+)
  • Another blow to Israeli farmers: In the Israeli army they eat tomatoes imported from Turkey - The IDF did not condition supply by tomatoes being Israeli. Supplier: "There is a lack of tomatoes in the market.” (Yedioth Hebrew)
  • Israel reportedly preparing for Iran missile strike - Army Radio reported Tuesday night that Jerusalem preemptively bolstering defenses should Iran retaliate to ongoing series of attacks on its proxies attributed to IDF; sources says military will focus on deterring harder to detect, low-flying cruise missiles and drone strikes. (Ynet)
  • Australia asks Israel to quickly extradite alleged pedophile - PM Scott Morrison says he'll ask the next Israeli government for a quick resolution to the extradition saga of former Melbourne school principle Malka Leifer, after meeting with 2 of her alleged victims. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
  • The oil disaster at Evrona Nature Reserve: Towards a compromise - Five years after thousands of cubic meters of crude oil were spilled into the Evrona Nature Reserve, the class action lawsuit against Eilat Ashkelon Oil Pipeline Company is in the final stages of the mediation process. The settlement agreement will not prevent criminal proceedings against the company. (Ynet Hebrew+VIDEO)
  • Ancient Church Dedicated to Mysterious Martyr Found Near Jerusalem - Israeli archaeologists uncover stunning mosaics and glass windows but remain stumped by identity of the ‘glorious martyr’ to whom the 6th-century basilica was dedicated. (Haaretz+)
  • New Exhibition Brings Contemporary Morocco to Jerusalem - In 'Ziara,' featuring local and international artists brought together by their shared roots, curator Amit Hai Cohen aims to harness the force of the 'global social network' of Moroccan-ness to show the modern face of this North African culture. (Haaretz+)
  • IDF says Israeli drone crashed in Lebanon, no threat of intel leakage - Although Lebanese media says Hezbollah is responsible for the downing, the TV station affiliated with the terror group reported the UAV was shot do. (Ynet and Times of Israel and Israel Hayom)
  • 'This has been one of the IAF's busiest operational years' - Senior air force commander says Israel has mounted "hundreds of strikes" against terror targets in the northern sector. Ongoing military and intelligence effort to disrupt the inception of the Iranian-Shiite axis throughout the Middle East is imperative, he asserts. (Israel Hayom)
  • Nation-wide protests dominated by young Lebanese, calling to end country's sectarian-based regime - With an unemployment rate of 37 percent for those under 35, young faces have been at the forefront of protests over Lebanon's growing economic crisis. (Agencies, Haaretz and Israel Hayom)
  • Syria offensive deepening sense of alienation among Turkey's Kurds - Hundreds have been detained over social media posts critical of the military offensive and mayors ousted in anti-terrorism investigations. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Iraq tells U.S. Defense Secretary troops from Syria must leave in four weeks - Mark Esper said earlier that the U.S. troops withdrawing from Syria would stay in Iraq to continue operations against the Islamic State. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • US may now keep some troops in Syria to guard oil fields - The plan is still in the discussion phase and has not yet been presented to President Donald Trump, says Defense Secretary Mark Esper. White House official says GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham raised the issue of keeping US forces in eastern Syria to protect the oil fields and that Trump supported the idea. (Agencies, Israel Hayom)
  • FACT CHECK From ISIS to Syria's oil: 5 big lies Trump keeps telling about his Syria policy - Trump has gotten his facts wrong on at least five key points about the Syrian conflict. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Syrian Kurd sets himself on fire outside UN refugee agency in Geneva - The man had set himself ablaze and then tried to enter the UNHCR building, official says. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Trump's Syria envoy says ISIS fighters still missing, sees evidence of Turkish war crimes - Trump thanked Turkish President Erdogan hours after James Jeffrey said U.S. forces had seen evidence of war crimes by Turkish forces in Syria. (Haaretz and Times of Israel)
  • Trump announces lasting cease-fire in Syria, lifts sanctions on Turkey - U.S. president says its time to 'let someone else fight over this long blood-stained sand.’ (Haaretz and Israel Hayom)
  • Trump Said That ISIS Has Been Defeated. Local Forces in Syria and Iraq Tell Us Otherwise - Special report from Syrian-Iraq border: ‘For sure, the Islamic State will take this opportunity to come back,’ warns one Kurdish fighter, while U.S. coalition commander says: 'The mission against ISIS has been undermined.’ (Haaretz+)
  • Kushner, Mnuchin to attend Saudi Arabia's 'Davos in the Desert' The conference comes a year after U.S.-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi was murdered inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, prompting a global outcry. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • U.S. Lawmakers Call on Twitter to Remove Hamas and Hezbollah Content - In letter to Twitter CEO, congressmen say they were alarmed to find that the platform 'draws a distinction between the political and military factions of these organizations.’ (JTA, Haaretz)
  • Hamas' cat and mouse game over terrorist funding - As the U.S. cracks down on funds channeled from Tehran to Gaza via New York, the terror group in charge of Gaza is using banks and non-digitial interaction to reduce its exposure, says IDF terror finance expert. (Ynet)

Features:

**It Was a Great Day for Israeli Occupier. Not So for Palestinian Farmer He Ran Into
Dayan Somekh works as an inspector for the Israel Nature and Parks Authority’s investigations division, whose offices are located on Am Ve’olamo Street in Jerusalem. As a young man, he undoubtedly dreamed of being a permanent member of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. Perhaps he loves wildflowers, perhaps he climbs mountains, perhaps he raised hamsters. Perhaps he’s a settler, perhaps he’s an expert on snakes, perhaps he just wound up in this job by chance, after doing wonderful service in the army’s Kfir Brigade. On Wednesday last week, Inspector Somekh went to work as usual. That was during the intermediate days of the Sukkot holiday, and the nature authority had opened the renovated Ein Haniya spring for a few days. This is an apartheid spring, whose renovation cost 12 million shekels ($3.4 million), and only Jews are allowed to enter it, as Nir Hasson reported in Haaretz (October 15). As the nature inspector was driving down the dirt road that crosses the wadi, he was shocked to see an unnatural sight – a Palestinian farmer harvesting his olives. Can you believe it? It was exactly 11:17 A.M. Somekh quickly got out of his car and came closer to see what was going on. This valley, most of which is privately owned Palestinian land, was declared a “national park” in yet another con game of dispossession. The development work hasn’t yet begun. Nidal Abed Rabbo, whose family owns the land, was standing by his tree, on his own land, and harvesting his olives. Somekh didn’t hesitate for a moment. Such damage to a tree – harvesting its fruit – was something he couldn’t overlook. After all, trees have feelings too; that’s already been proven by research. Abed Rabbo’s harvest surely pained the tree. And it pained the inspector no less. From a bag at his side, the kind that nature lovers use, Somekh quickly pulled out a form titled “Announcement of a fine as per Article 228 of the Penal Code.” His description of the crime: “Destroying an olive tree.” The harvest had become destruction, almost a Holocaust. This is what the mechanism of dispossession, which we call the nature authority, decided – a 730 shekel fine. The stunned farmer took the fine and quickly left the site. The separation fence already separates his village from the remnants of his land, and now he has been completely dispossessed. His desperate attempt to harvest the last of his olives will now cost him half his monthly salary. (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+)
 
Commentary/Analysis:

The Wild East (Haaretz Editorial) The violent incidents near the settlement of Yitzhar in recent days managed to momentarily divert public attention from the political impasse and focus it on the moral blockage in Israel’s respiratory tract – its military control over the Palestinian people. Senior army and police officers who were interviewed by Haaretz following the latest outburst of violence against soldiers painted a picture that ought to keep all Israelis awake at night. And dealing with it must top the agenda of anyone who aspires to halt the collapse of Israel’s democracy. The golem of the settlements has turned on its creator, and the state is powerless against it.
Senior military officials also understand that the security situation is a disaster (Ran Edelist, Maariv) Faced with what is happening in our region, there remains the realization that nothing will change with the current leadership, which prevents internal politics and does not attempt to resolve a political security crisis.
See? We Condemn It, Too (Zehava Galon, Haaretz+) It is heartening that figures on the right remembered to condemn last week’s injury of a soldier. That denunciation tired them out so much that when settlers from Yitzhar assaulted soldiers this week, they were silent. Nu, you have to draw the line somewhere! It’s tempting to get upset about it. It’s tempting to compare the outgoing prime minister’s vigorous, shameful castigation of the TV series “Our Boys,” for example, to his vague and sterile criticism of the violence at Yitzhar. It is both instructive and dangerous to follow the delicate politics of censure that Netanyahu has perfected. Netanyahu and his allies on the right do not consider censure to be a moral gesture. To them, censure is nothing more than a political instrument that is likely to keep the issue on the public agenda, and for that reason he does not condemn anything that isn’t comfortable for him to discuss. For the same reason, he and his envoys obsessively demand condemnation from the rival camp.
About (Jewish) hilltop youth and generals (Tamar Asraf, Yedioth Hebrew) We live in a very changing reality where nothing really stays still. Neither the hilltop youth, nor the residents of Yitzhar (settlement). The only ones who may be stuck are some former generals who are expert at what was, but not what happens and certainly not what will happen. The veteran hilltop youth are no longer youth, their life story sheds some light on important processes that most of us prefer to paint them in black and white, but they are much more than that. The "hilltop elders" who grew up know today the story of boys crying out for help, the story of a great love for the country alongside great pain and disappointment. The feeling of betrayal, the loss of authority and the way, the first eviction that allowed scars, the loneliness on the hill, the cold and hunger, the social pressure and the fear. They also remember the condemnation and the shame, which also left scars. The condemnations, arrests and interrogations eventually caused them to come down from the hill and feel despair. Seemingly this despair is blessed, because they have returned, but despair is unhealthy. Some removed their long sideburns and their kippahs, some became left-wing anarchists, and some lost the little trust they still had. As for the attack on the soldiers at the Komi Uri outpost - everything has a price, and the big question is whether we want to manage this incident or shake it off. For years I thought it was necessary to shake it off, but today I think differently - it must be managed. Behind every boy who throws a stone is a family falling apart that needs help. Behind every such boy is the adult man who he will someday become. Alongside the red lines that must be placed we also have a great responsibility. Shaking off responsibility will not lead to it, but will only move the problem elsewhere. These boys are in our area of ​​responsibility, so we need to ask ourselves what is required of us as parents and what is required of us as a society and as a state. The settlement leadership, together with the local government professionals and the education and welfare ministries, have been doing this for several years. The attacks in Duma [Palestinian village where Jewish youth set a family on fire killing three people - OH] and the price tag attacks [attacks on Palestinian property - OH] made it clear to everyone that there is no other way. Even when it comes to boys who are not residents of the area, even when it comes to boys who are here one day and the next they are not. Today there are many who are working to return the hilltop youth back home, back to the framework, recruit them to the army and channel their great love for the country to a positive endeavor, one that goes hand in hand with the state and does not raise a hand against it. The agricultural farms that exist on state lands throughout Judea and Samaria [also outposts in West Bank - OH] are also a way of walking together: they address the need for Israeli holdings of state lands in Area C - a national interest also for those who want to negotiate the [sovereignty over the] territory - and also to help the boys who come there. The older families who live on the farms create a framework, the hard physical work drains all the forces into it, and the farmers, a rare breed of people who are disappearing in our country, receive the support and assistance that allows them to survive despite all the difficulties. It is advisable for anyone who opposes this, especially if he is a general in the reserves, to also go out, see and hear the people. Things change, and it's a shame to get disconnected.
Why Aren’t Israelis Protesting, Too? (Dafna Maor, Haaretz+) Eight years after the Occupy Wall Street movement and others like it swept the world in the wake of the global financial crisis, another wave of protests is underway. In Lebanon, Chile, Ecuador, Spain, Britain and Haiti, just to name a few, demonstrations are sometimes drawing up to a million people. They are often punctuated by violence, either from security forces or the protesters themselves. Yet if the protests sometimes lead to the loss of life, the protesters themselves are fighting for life. All these protests don’t show us Israelis in a good light. Even in places that are wealthier and live more comfortably than we do, people have taken to the streets to shake up the system and demand those in power take responsibility. Even in places where the authorities respond brutally to demonstrations people have risked their lives to protest injustice. And us? Israelis love to complain about how much they love to complain. The attacks on our democracy have brought out middle-class protesters, but the protests have been mild and well-mannered. The theft from our pockets by the monopolies, the neglect of our schools and infrastructure, the high costs of living and price of housing – none of these have sparked a fire of civil action.
DNA Research Holds the Keys to Human History – but It's Being Weaponized by Politicians (Nir Hasson, Haaretz+) As Netanyahu’s attempt to link the Philistines to the Palestinians show, DNA analysis of ancient humans is being harnessed for political purposes.
U.S. Out, Russia In: Can Israel Stand Up to the New Landlord in Town? (Avi Bar-Eli, Haaretz+) Russia’s growing presence in the Middle East includes economic interests like energy and arms. Israel should tread carefully as the new era evolves.
The Democrats’ disconnect from Israeli reality (Jonathan S. Tobin, Israel Hayom) The party’s turnout for the J Street conference and their presidential candidates’ threats of cutting off aid to Israel illustrate how little they understand the Middle East.
Israel is not the only country that has confusion between government authorities (Zalman Shoval, Maariv) The UK is currently facing an unprecedented crisis between the executive branch and the legislature, but the danger that hovers over its democracy in the long-term is more severe than the Brexit dispute…In America, to ensure separation of powers, the drafters of the American Constitution decided that the court could not oust an incumbent president, but only the House of Representatives and the Senate. But those who are particularly affected in these days by the serious consequences of confusion between the branches is Britain, the oldest of democracies. In Israel, for example, there are rumors that an overly-active judicial branch is allegedly trying to take control over one of the other two branches. One of the common denominators between Israel and the United Kingdom is that neither of them have a constitution. The British system of government is a mosaic, including the role of the royal house, and a series of laws, legal precedents, traditions and customs, while in Israel the basis is its Basic Laws on various issues, (in addition to) provisions of the hour, orders, etc.
The real danger that Brexit poses for Israel (Toby Greene, Haaretz+) Israel's right-wing is celebrating Brexit's blow to an 'institutionally hostile' EU, and back the ascendance of Europe's anti-Muslim populist nationalists. That response is unprincipled - and absurdly short-sighted
Why a Netflix Show About Rape Resonates So Much With Israelis (Judy Maltz, Haaretz+) Based on the case of a real-life U.S. serial rapist, ‘Unbelievable’ is drawing comparison to incidents in Israel — and a high profile case in Cyprus.
The Kurds are 'not angels' (Clifford D. May, Israel Hayom) That was US President Donald Trump’s characterization of the Kurds last week. He’s right, of course. But among Muslim nations, America has had no better friend.

Elections 2019 Commentary/Analysis:

37 Days After the Fact, Israel Saw Today the First Real Manifestation of Netanyahu’s Election Defeat (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) The incongruous sight of someone other than Netanyahu taking charge could alter expectations of his rival’s inevitable failure.
The Right has forgotten the damage a narrow government can do (Dr. Limor Samimian-Darash, Israel Hayom) The possibility a left-wing government will be established should concern us all. Narrow or short-term as it may be, we could find ourselves facing another irreversible diplomatic reality in a matter of months.
For the second time in a row there is no answer to the simple question: So who won? (Lilach Sigan, Maariv) Now that the mandate has passed from the Likud to Kahol-Lavan, it is worth repeating the obvious: except for a unity government formed from the two major parties, no government can be formed.
*This Man Is Benny Gantz's Only Hope to Form a Government (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) After 11 years of Netanyahu getting the mandate to form a government, it was refreshing to see someone else receive it. But Gantz's political fate is uncertain.
***The suit fit him (Ben Caspit, Maariv) Gantz spoke yesterday like a prime minister, he dressed like a prime minister and he acted like a prime minister. Now he needs the nerves of steel and the patience...Gantz's speech hugged and cuddled everyone. he exuded calm, normality, simplicity, things that we have forgotten we have here. Yes, he will fulfill his promise to form a liberal unity government, but at the same time, he invites the ultra-Orthodox to join.
Gantz must pick Netanyahu over Odeh (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) Tasked with forming the next government, the Blue and White leader must break one of the party's campaign pledges to prevent a third round of elections in one year, and repairing Israeli society takes precedence over inclusion of Arab factions.

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

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