APN's daily news review from Israel

Monday December 16, 2019

 

Quote of the day:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Elections 2019/Netanyahu Indictment News:
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s rival, Gideon Saar, got a major boost from within the Likud by Likud bigwig, Haim Katz, making the top story of today’s Hebrew newspapers - with the stark exception of the Netanyahu-supporting newspaper, ‘Israel Hayom.’ Likud Knesset members Yoav Kish, Michal Shir Segman and Etty Atia already support Sa’ar. MK Katz, heads the Likud Central Committee and is believed to have influence over thousands of Likud party members at Israel Aerospace Industries, where he once headed the workers’ committee. The Likud leadership primary is next week. A poll by KAN Channel 11 found that a center-left bloc led by Kahol-Lavan leader Benny Gantz is only two seats from a Knesset majority - if Netanyahu leads the Likud party and if the Joint List joins the coalition. If Gideon Saar leads Likud, the party drops from 31 to 27 seats, but the right-wing bloc would grow by three seats to 56. (Also Maariv) Speaking at the conference of the International Institute for Strategic Dialogue in Jerusalem, Sa’ar tried to show his right-wing clout by slamming Netanyahu, for allegedly making endless compromises in order to appease the Palestinian President. He noted that Netanyahu “gave the Bar Ilan speech [expressing willingness for the Palestinians to have a demilitarized state]” and "froze building in the Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria.”
 
Also in election news, Kahol-Lavan co-leader, MK Yair Lapid, called on the smaller parties of the left-wing to unite (Yedioth Hebrew). But the Labor party said it was sticking with the Gesher party and that uniting with the ‘Democratic Camp’ (Ehud Barak, Stav Shaffir and the Meretz party) was not on the agenda for now. The fear is that the Democratic Camp may not pass the minimum threshold of four seats.

In the right-wing religious parties there is a similar fear and four parties are meeting to discuss establishing a unified list. In the last two election campaigns, Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) did not make it into Knesset and tens of thousands of right-wing votes were lost. So Ichud Leumi, Habayit Hayehudi, the New Right and Otzma Yehudit will hold a pre-election primary, but the assessment is that the initiative is unlikely to be implemented, wrote Yedioth Hebrew.

Meanwhile, there was a storm in the Knesset Arrangements Committee, when Likud MK Miki Zohar tried to quickly pass a proposal that would have delayed Netanyahu’s legal process. Zohar proposed that the authority to establish a committee to discuss the prime minister’s immunity be transferred from the Kahol-Lavan-controlled Arrangements Committee to the Consensus Committee that is jointly controlled by Kahol-Lavan and Likud. The Chairman of the Arrangements Committee, MK Avi Nissenkorn (Kahol-Lavan), blocked the move and clashed with MK Miki Zohar (Likud) and then had him removed after three calls. The rest of the members of the right-wing bloc walked out at the request of Zohar. But they returned after a few minutes. Shortly thereafter, the Knesset legal advisor, Eyal Inon, announced that the Consensus Committee is not relevant to the convening of the Knesset committee that will decide on Netanyahu’s immunity. MK Zohar’s move was meant to delay Netanyahu’s legal process because if there is no Knesset committee to discuss Netanyahu’s application for immunity when he requests it, the indictment against him cannot be brought to court, and the legal proceedings against him cannot be opened. In Kahol-Lavan, which controls the Arrangements Committee, they are awaiting the request for immunity and then they will try to persuade members of Yisrael Beiteinu party who are on the committee to give their support to the formation of a Knesset committee, in order not to give Netanyahu immunity from trial. Without Yisrael Beiteinu MKs, Kahol-Lavan will not be able to form the special Knesset committee, as it will not have a majority. In the end, it was agreed that the Arrangements Committee could hold discussions with the approval of Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein (a member of Likud), and after receiving the opinion of the Knesset legal advisor. The bottom line is that there probably won’t be a discussion on Netanyahu's immunity until the upcoming election, wrote Yedioth Hebrew. (Also Maariv)

Also the IDF warned that the political crisis is impeding the army’s preparedness because it delays the approval of the IDF's multi-year program and impedes its budgeting. In addition, an immediate budget increase of 4 billion shekels was not approved for the IDF's need for equipping and arming. (Yedioth Hebrew)
 

Quick Hits:

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Features:
**Vacation Days for New Targets: Israeli Officers on Bombing Gaza, Casualties and Political Pressure
Two airmen tell Haaretz about stretching limits when it comes to risk and the ‘trust me’ culture in decision-making – which can have deadly consequences. (Yaniv Kubovich, Haaretz+)
Wandering price tag - Stone throwing, vandalizing Palestinian equipment and graffiti. The lives of the residents of the village of Jabba near (the settlement of) Bat Ayin have become much more challenging in recent times, with numerous cases of ‘price tag’ attacks [whereby Jewish extremist youth attack Palestinian people and property or IDF soldiers - OH] in the area. Bat-Ayin strongly condemns: "This is not our way.” About three weeks ago, a price tag operation took place in Jabaa. Some vehicles were vandalized and graffiti were sprayed on the walls of the houses. Last Saturday night, a Palestinian reported that stones were being thrown at him while driving on the road leading to Jabaa. The report was forwarded to police, who arrested two suspects for involvement in the act, but they were released soon after. In between, Palestinian equipment was vandalized and graffiti was sprayed on building in a number of Palestinian villages in the area. A security official explained that the IDF assumes that the hilltop youth who were removed from the Komi Uri Hill outpost near Yitzhar (settlement in the northern West Bank), which became a closed military zone, wandered into the Bat Ayin (in the southern half of the West Bank) area and began operating near it. Following a number of other cases that occurred in the sector, residents of Bat Ayin were dragged into the issue. All residents, of course, condemn the phenomenon and try to stop it. Yesterday there was a meeting of all relevant parties trying to get advice on what to do about it. Earlier in the settlement, an unequivocal condemnation of these crimes was issued: "We recently learned that there was a phenomena of stone-throwing on vehicles, price tags in the form of graffiti and more. This contradicts our values, harms the image of the community and the good name of its residents, and jeopardizes everyday life." According to sources in Bat Ayin, it is a group of about 20 boys who recently arrived in the area. They are trying to settle in a few hills below Bat Ayin B’, an area where hikers go. A few days ago, one of the community representatives also came to the same area, talked to the boys and explained that if they want to stay in the area they must act properly. In the ‘Tag Meir’ Forum (grassroots organization of Jews who visit Palestinians harmed by price tag attacks - OH), they contacted Bat Ayin people and plans to tour the village of Jabba soon. "We are disgusted with the throwing of stones at the cars in Kfar Jaba," the forum wrote. "The security forces, which are slack in the face of Jewish terrorist activities in recent months, are bringing us closer to an event where innocent Palestinian residents will be harmed," they added, demanding that the IDF “act before it is too late.” (Elisha Ben Kimon, Yedioth Hebrew and Walla!News)
How to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, according to psychology research
Both Israelis and Palestinians are in competition over the victim role. A new study may have the key to breaking the impasse. (Netta Ahituv, Haaretz+)
Ayatollah Rolex
President Rouhani's niece studied at prestigious universities in London and New York, Foreign Minister Zarif's son graduated from a reputed institution in the United States and another minister's son uploads pictures of his with luxury cars. While Iranian citizens are groaning during the economic crisis, the leaders' children live in countries their parents call "the devil," without hijab and with all the Western abundance that money can buy. These gaps fuel the protest against the regime bubbling beneath the surface. (Noam Barkan, Yedioth Hebrew’s ’24 Hours’ supplement, cover)
Pro-Palestinian Activists Fear Trump’s anti-Semitism Order Will Clamp Down on Their Advocacy
Those involved in the Palestinian cause on university campuses lament Trump’s attempt to ‘exploit genuine concern about rising anti-Semitism to censor advocates for Palestinian rights.’ (Danielle Ziri, Haaretz+)
Inside a matchbox: A (52-year-old) letter from a Syrian soldier found at a former Syrian outpost in the Golan Heights
Israel Ben Harush and his son stopped for coffee and toured the lookout point named after Omri Tal. During a tour of the bunker, they discovered a Syrian soldier's uniform and in the pocket a letter. “We posted (the letter) in a (WhatsApp) group in the Golan and some Druze members deciphered the blurry letter,” said Yisrael Ben-Harush, whose son found it. “Apparently, it’s a letter from a father to his son. The father is a soldier and some of the sentences are: ‘In honor of my dearest son, remember that we owe her a thousand pounds…’ It’s either a letter someone received and put in a pocket or a letter that has never been sent." (Maariv)
LISTEN Pedophiles and Politics: Why Is an Alleged Child Rapist Still in Israel?
Israel’s failure to treat allegations of sexual child abuse seriously is taking a heavy toll on relations with Australia’s Jewish community and bilateral relations with Canberra. (Haaretz Weekly Audio)

Elections 2019/Netanyahu Indictment Commentary/Analysis:
Netanyahu still Likud's main challenger but Sa'ar is closing gap (Moran Azulay, Yedioth/Ynet) Although PM is still the main contender to win next week's leadership primary, his former political bedfellow has been endorsed by two senior Likud MKs with the former welfare and social services believed to be the next in line.
Life After Netanyahu (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Someday in the not-too-distant future it’s going to happen: Benjamin Netanyahu will no longer be prime minister. A new government will arise, a national unity government. It will realize the wishes of most Israelis. It will be  headed by Benny Gantz and Gideon Sa’ar, or both of them in rotation, and a new and promising chapter will be opened in the annals of Israeli history. If Gantz becomes prime minister, and that’s the option that we seem to be looking at, he will reach out to Mahmoud Abbas to meet with him. The bells of peace will be in the offing. Defense Minister Sa’ar will threaten to leave the coalition. Gantz will propose setting up a mechanism for dialogue and a timetable. He will commit to a united Jerusalem remaining forever a part of Israel, in addition to the Jordan Valley and the settlement blocs, including Ariel and Peduel, and will propose to Abbas that Israel issue tens of thousands more work permits. The European Union will issue a special welcome note to the prime minister-elect, the White House shall also embrace him. And then the days will pass. Gaza will again be forgotten – the new prime minister, Gantz or Sa’ar, will have no intention off ending the siege of the enclave, and so Gaza will have to remind everyone of its existence in the only way it can. Qassam rockets will crash into the south. The new prime minister who will have to prove himself, Gantz as a non-leftist, Sa’ar as a general – will convene the security cabinet. It will be a new security cabinet, one that doesn’t only chatter. The results will come swiftly: Operation Foundation of Our Existence shall be launched with aerial strikes and a ground incursion. Thousands will die. The world will be silent, because Netanyahu is no longer the prime minister and the new one has to be given a chance. Hezbollah won’t sit by idly. The new prime minister, who has to prove himself, will also strike in Lebanon. The legal system will resume its shenanigans as a cursed slave of the security apparatus and the settlers, while acting reasonably in all other matters.
Israel's zero sum politics (Moran Azulay, Yedioth/Ynet) Making a bid for political power in Israel can be a dangerous process, but there is a simple formula to it: get power and use it wisely; as Israel heads to a third election within a year, some have yet to learn not to cash in that currency too soon.
Behind the move to a third election there is one very problematic message (Anat Moshe, Maariv) The stance of the majority of the nation does not interest politicians. The message is: You haven’t chosen well, and so we do not accept the people's decision. You don’t need to be a political commentator to assume that what was, is what will be, assuming there will be no personal changes in the major parties. And then what? Will you send us again, for the fourth time? And what in the meantime? Will people continue to die in hospitals and on the roads because there is no budget? Do you think this might help change the voting patterns? It's time for civil protest.
The silver lining to a third election (Hillel Gershuni, Israel Hayom) The current political paralysis is by default forcing the government to implement crucial austerity measures. The result – a move away from government reliance – could be a blessing for generations to come.
Poor Israel is a successful country with unsuccessful politicians (Meir Uziel, Maariv) We accept loss in a way that can't be explained to our children and grandchildren. Because of small excuses, we throw away everything we need, because we found it a little wrong.

Other Commentary/Analysis:
Israel's Shameful Restrictions on Christian Gazans (Haaretz Editorial) Perpetuating the lie of Palestinian refugees (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) UNRWA, which is supposed to rehabilitate the Palestinians dispossessed after the creation of the State of Israel, is actually a machine invented to perpetuate their plight.
Change in the education system in Arab society is possible and necessary (Ahmed Muasi, Calcalist English) The current education system in the Arab sector operates on old teaching methods and that are based on repetition - thus causing huge gaps in knowledge and learning skills that continue to academia; The Ministry of Education's scoring system for Arab teachers does not allow the introduction of a fresh and young workforce.
The West Seeks to Put All Jews in the Pro-occupation Basket (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) Something terrible is brewing in the West, including the United States. Last week President Donald Trump signed an executive order that adopts a broad and controversial definition of anti-Semitism that includes certain types of criticism of Israel, according to the Haaretz report. But the process of extending immunity to Israeli government policy began seven months ago in Europe, when the German parliament passed a resolution defining the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel as anti-Semitic. Then the French National Assembly a few weeks ago passed an even sharper resolution saying that anti-Zionism is a type of anti-Semitism. In theory, these developments are an unprecedented victory for Israel’s extreme right; the world, or at least a substantial part of it, is agreeing to an extreme interpretation of anti-Semitism. Moreover, these resolutions grant Israel near-total immunity from any criticism. But after all of the surrounding verbiage is cleared away, this immunity is being given to Israel in regard to a single issue: the occupation in general and the oppression of the Palestinian people in particular.
A visionary Right against a reactionary Left (Dr. Eithan Orkibi, Israel Hayom) Simply look at those who jump to defend the establishment, and understand who wants to reform the power structure and who wants to preserve it. The Left has become a reactionary force, the protector of the old guard, while the Right is imagining a new future.
Discrimination education (Goel Beno, Yedioth Hebrew) Einat Kalish-Rotem, the mayor of Haifa for a year, has been responsible, among other things, for presenting the city's beautiful faces - but her recent decision to prevent Druze pupils from Daliyat Al-Carmel and from Usaffiyeh from continuing to study at Haifa's schools does just the opposite. Perhaps the mayor should come to a history lesson by Rada Mansour from Usaffiyeh, a Haifa graduate of Leo Baek High School, who has a Ph.D. in Middle Eastern studies and is the Israeli ambassador to Panama. He can tell her about the Druze, their heritage and their contribution to state security in general and the safety of Haifa residents, in particular, from the days before the founding of the state. Or maybe Kalish-Rotem can attend private lessons - voluntarily, of course - with former Deputy Foreign Minister Majli Wahabeh, a Likud man in his soul, who followed Arik Sharon to Kadima and currently serves as a traveling ambassador for the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean countries. He will be able to tell her, first hand, about his involvement in rescuing two members of the Mossad From Khaled Mashaal's failed assassination campaign, as he wrote about it in his book, “The First Druze.”…For Rada Mansour, the door to change has not been closed. "We've been on the Carmel Mountain for 450 years, and we have time," he wrote in a post referring to Kalish-Rotem, and he reminded her of the Druze's relations to Haifa's legendary mayor: "If you change, we might name a street after you, as we named the main street in Usaffiyeh after Aba Khushi." Will she be able to erase the disgrace (from her decision)?
Distortions in the fight against anti-Semitism (David M. Weinberg, Israel Hayom) Partisanship, "progressive" politics, legal pretexts, anti-Israel sentiment, and community divisions hamper the effort to combat surging Jew-hatred. The "fight" is also a distraction from even more urgent battles: keeping Jews Jewish and Israel safe.
Political logjam halts IDF's 'momentum' in its tracks (Yoav Limor, Israel Hayom) The endless election cycle has thrown a wrench in IDF chief Aviv Kochavi's plans for the military, and the damage to the defense establishment and, by extension, Israel's security, amounts to gross negligence.
Israel Watches Warily as Trump Again Talks About Iran Negotiations (Amir Tibon, Haaretz+) Iran threatens destruction, Israel invokes Vietnam – and one Mideast country fears getting caught in the middle.
NATO's strategy to protect Europe is doomed to fail (Ken Abramowitz, Israel Hayom) Until it decides to openly and honestly address the actual internal and external threats it faces, NATO has no chance of successfully defending the people of its member nations.
Unfazed by Erdogan, U.S. Recognition of Armenian Genocide Is a Warning for Trump and Israel (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Turkey has created a parallel narrative to that of the Armenians about what happened between 1915 and 1922 – and the Senate is refusing to play along.

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