APN's daily news review from Israel

Tuesday January 21, 2020

 Quote of the day:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

Top News Summary:
World leaders began arriving in Israel for the Holocaust memorial event, which will be a platform for other behind the scenes moves and isolated far-right-winger Itamar Ben-Gvir said he would not drop from the election race - making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will speak with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu about pardoning the young Israeli woman, Naama Issachar, who was sentenced to 7.5 years in Russia, while Netanyahu will ask world leaders for support for his claim that The Hague cannot prosecute Israel for war crimes against the Palestinians, Haarez+ reported. And Israel warned Hamas against disrupting the Holocaust Forum event to gain attention. Hamas wants Israel to fulfill its part of the agreement and ease sanctions on Gazans. Maybe that’s why Israel will allow Qatari financial aid into Gaza, despite incendiary balloon attacks over the last few days. Nancy Pelosi visited Auschwitz before arriving in Israel today to attend the Holocaust Forum. Maariv noted that the Serbian president ordered a yellow badge to hang from the presidential palace ahead of his trip here. Israel’s Foreign Ministry praised the move and the president.

Elections 2020 / Netanyahu Indictment News:
According to some reports, Otzmah Yehudit chairman, Itamar Ben-Gvir, got offered to become an ambassador if he left the election race. Another report said he was offered to be a minister. But Ben-Gvir said that despite the heavy pressure from the right-wing factions to withdraw, his party has decided to run in the next Knesset election. (Maariv) Likud MK Miki Zohar praised the move to give Ben-Gvir a job and get him out of the race, Maariv reported. “He will find a party he thinks he can call on his friends to support, and that party will include him in its work," Zohar said to KAN Bet Radio.

In the newly united Labor-Gesher-Meretz list, a first fissure was formed over whether to disqualify an Arab-Israeli MK from elections after she called Samir Kuntar a ‘shaheed.’ MK Yair Golan, who is number 7 on the list, outraged some when he wrote in response “I’m not comfortable reading her words on Facebook, but disqualifying a law-abiding citizen from running is like rewarding those defaming Israeli democracy,” tweeted Meretz MK Yair Golan. “In a democracy you disqualify people for their actions, not for sharing outrageous posts on Facebook,” he added.  (Also Maariv) Yesterday at the first session of the united faction, members of Labor-Meretz-Gesher decided to allow members of the list freedom to vote as they wanted on the issue in the electoral committee. (Yedioth Hebrew)

Embarrassment in Kahol-Lavan: In favor and against annexation of Jordan Beqaa Valley -  MK Yael German caused some confusion and embarrassment when she stated that Kahol-Lavan supports "disengagement" from the Jordan Beqaa Valley. This declaration came out on the same day that (right-wing) MKs Yoaz Handel and Zvi Hauser launced Kahol-Lavan's campaign targeting the religious Zionist sector. (Maariv, p. 6) In an interview with IDF Radio, MK German said: "We are talking about some kind of disengagement arrangement. It is explicitly written in our platform." Regarding the annexation of the Jordan Valley, she said: "We are not talking about annexation of the valley, I do not know where that came from."After German's remarks, it was MK Yair Lapid who tried to correct the impression, saying that “Kahol-Lavan is against unilateral measures, we learned the lesson from the disengagement." (Yedioth Hebrew and Israel Hayom Hebrew) And as Kahol-Lavan went for the traditional right-wing voters, Netanyahu tried to get the traditionally left-wing farmers' votes by appointing Tzachi Hanegbi as the new Agriculture Minister.

 

Quick Hits:

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Features:

Anti-occupation, Pro-religious Pluralism Activists Aim Big in World Zionist Congress Vote
U.S. Jewish progressives hope to help decide how $1 billion in annual funding at World Zionist Organization is allocated – including curbing money for West Bank settlements. The name of the slate is Hatikvah, Hebrew for “The Hope” and later the title of the poem that became Israel’s national anthem. They champion issues such as an end to the occupation and a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, religious pluralism and a fight for the democratic rights of all of Israel’s citizens. (Dina Kraft, Haaretz+)
The 'Oman file': Inside the Mossad's alliance with Muscat, Israel's window into Iran
For more than half a century, a powerful convergence of interests has united Israel and Oman, the third Arab country after Lebanon and Jordan to maintain secret ties with the Mossad. (Yossi Melman, Haaretz+)
Playing Foul: Sports Spawn Sex Abuse in Israel, as Abroad
Ties between an athlete and her trainer provide fertile ground for sexual misconduct that's hushed up, new film reveals. Could abusers like Larry Nassar spring up here? (Itamar Katzir, Haaretz+)


Elections 2020/Netanyahu Indictment Commentary/Analysis:
*Israel’s So-called Liberals Are Shamefully Spurning the Outstretched Hand of Israeli Arabs (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) Cowered by right-wing incitement, Jewish politicians turn a blind eye to the unprecedented changes they’ve long demanded.
The Arab parties in a sharp message to the center camp: Put your cards on the table (Haim Misgav, Maariv) Ahmed Tibi put things on the table. In fluent Hebrew, far better than quite a few other Knesset members, he informed Benny Gantz, through his party member MK Yoaz Handel, during a Knesset session that dealt in general with ways to oust Benjamin Netanyahu from his post as prime minister, that his and his friends' support for the left-wing government (Gantz) is seeking is actually dependent on the political agenda of the Arab population in Israel. This agenda includes, inter alia, progress toward a non-Jewish state; that is, there will be no more place to see it as the national home of the Jewish people. The state will, according to Tibi, become the state of all its citizens where there will be no advantage to the Jews. Which means, for example, that the Law of Return that gives a clear advantage to Jews will be erased from the book of laws. In practice, what Tibi wants is to roll the wheel of history backward, to go back to the days of our pre-independence war, which ended as it did, and cancel David Ben-Gurion's Declaration of Independence, in which the establishment of a Jewish state was made, with all that implied. In fact, Tibi talks about giving back to Arabs everything they lost during the wars they themselves launched in 1948 and 1967. If Gantz's party, Kahol-Lavan, which constantly stumbles on political issues in the face of a variety of opinions, will go in ways that would not be acceptable to Arab Knesset members, such as on issues that have so far been widely accepted by the Jewish public - annexation of the Jordan Valley and the northern Dead Sea - the support of “the blocking majority" would be nonexistent. Tibi was perfectly clear. If Gantz wants to be prime minister, any attempt to advance toward strengthening the existence of the Jewish state will have to be filtered out early by the Arabs.
Thanks to the union on the left: adrenaline was finally streamed into the election campaign (Yoram Dori, Maariv) The detractors who prior to the second elections repeatedly said that (Labor party chairman Amir) Peretz will not keep his word and he will join the Netanyahu government, now they claim he is not fulfilling his promises.
Edelstein, the Newest Target (Haaretz Editorial) Likud is the most democratic party in Israel, but only as long as it has a majority. When the numbers are against them, Likud politicians will do anything they can to prevent a decision by the majority, using pressure and incitement against those who stand in their way. They will even – heaven forfend – petition the High Court of Justice…When Netanyahu requested immunity, he did not intend to allow a debate and a vote on his request to take place until he had assured himself a majority. Indeed, since making the request, Netanyahu and his associates have spared no effort to prevent a debate on the immunity request, starting with a delegitimization campaign against Knesset legal adviser Eyal Yinon, which peaked with a petition to the High Court asking to invalidate his legal opinion on the matter on grounds of conflict of interest, and ending with the unprecedented and uninhibited pouncing on one of their own, Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein.

Other Commentary/Analysis:
Incendiary Balloons Are Launched at Israel – but Addressed to Egypt (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Israel believes Hamas still wants a deal. Holocaust Forum in Jerusalem seen by Hamas as Israeli soft spot.
Israel is kowtowing to Hamas (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) The IDF eliminated Islamic Jihad commander Abu al-Ata, who was opposed to Hamas rule over the Gaza Strip; but even those who engineered his death knew that it was neither the problem nor the solution to the coastal enclave's woes - the issue was and remains the terror group's conduct.
Concerns that gripped me before I arrived in Ramallah dissipated after a short visit (Maariv reporter, Talia Levine, Maariv) There are also people who want to live quietly, who want to talk, who want coexistence. I don't deserve to lose hope that it will…It’s enough to be in Ramallah for a few hours for your world to shake up completely. It is enough to walk around the streets almost without a sense of fear - but with a certain vigilance, due to the fact that we were educated that we should be afraid - to realize that we are mostly doing a disservice to ourselves that we act like children and do not talk. Still, we can't be naive. As you enter Ramallah and pass through one of the downtown squares, the picture (in one’s mind) of the brutal lynching in 2000 immediately emerges. You can't ignore it, but I do. I do not ignore it, but put it aside for a moment. At least I try. I want my memory of Ramallah to be different. Because there is brutal terror. But there are also people who want to live quietly, who want to talk, who want coexistence. Call me innocent, but I don't deserve to lose hope, so I'm here. So I try to ignore the red sign at the entrance to the city that warns against entering Area A. It's a violation of the law and is a life-threatening one, as it is written in black on red. I know, and I'm not going to break the law. My entry into Ramallah was coordinated under the Geneva Initiative's journalism enrichment program. I also try to ignore the news of incidents in the Ramallah area. Shooting events, stone throwing. Passing before us are sights of settlements and armed soldiers. Until we enter the territory of the Palestinian Authority's "bubble,” these pictures won’t leave my mind. Ramallah has 30% Christian residents, the rest are Muslims, and by 1993 it was considered a type of resort town. And, really, once you get into town and see the decorations left over from the Christmas festivities, you can be mistaken for a moment and think you’re overseas. With the yellow cabs passing through the roads and if you have one or two "Taybeh" beers, you can imagine that we are in New York. Even the cold weather (8 - 10 degrees Celsius in January) adds to the atmosphere. Occasionally, especially when walking around its ancient district, Ramallah is somewhat reminiscent of Nahalat Shiva in Jerusalem or Agrippas Street after Mahaneh Yehuda market. There is a bustling nightlife and a beer festival, there are - fancy -  hotels and good bars and restaurants. It is a tourist town that attracts young people, though not in large numbers. Well, that's the situation. You can enter the city through the Qalandiya checkpoint. We entered through Beit El checkpoint for security coordination. It’s half an hour from Jerusalem. A Palestinian police patrol car connected with us immediately after passing the checkpoint and escorted us throughout the visit. Ramallah is definitely surprising. After half an hour the fears are almost completely dissipated. Markets, stores, lots of wedding gowns, hairdressers and even American chains that went through a local adaptation like Pizza Hut and hamburger chains. If you happen to be around, look for the special knaffeh with the refined butter that is nowhere in the territories of Israel. Afterward, you won’t ever be able to stand in line for hours at any Israeli knaffeh place in Jaffa or on Dizengoff. I'm also excited about the hummus. Hadi tells me that the hummus is delicious, but if I come again he will take me to a much better hummus place in the Old City (of Ramallah). The city is surprising in its quietness and hospitality, and it does not disappoint and it doesn’t refute all the fairy tales associated with its name. We move between squares and neighborhoods that knew better days. To the meeting room on the fifth floor of the Fatah building, where we meet with senior officials and ministers in the Palestinian Authority, we go up on foot so as not to get stuck in the elevator. The electricity company disconnects the electricity for three hours every day without warning, due to non-payment. So it’s cold because of the power outage, and we sit with coats in the frozen room, and it still does not stop us from talking. As soon as we enter the conference room and warm up with coffee, all the remaining concerns are completely dissipated. Here they have 20 men and women sitting around the table talking and laughing and also arguing. They want us to ask all the hard questions and not censor thoughts. They can't answer everything on record. But at least there is a discourse even if the solution is far. The thought that we, at least during that time, just a moment before we went out for a (crazy) meal together at the well-known "Darna" restaurant in (Ramallah’s) Old City, was that perhaps as citizens we could do something to stop hating so much. And even if it is not a big step for humanity, at least it will be a small step for humans.
Before Ramallah, a pit stop at Yad Vashem (Prof. Shmuel Trigano, Israel Hayom) Europe turns a blind eye to Arab-Muslim anti-Semitism in the belief that the Arab world is not responsible for the Holocaust, and that Europe oppressed the Palestinians by contributing to the establishment of the Jewish state.
Despite its limits: The stability of the Palestinian Authority is an Israeli interest (Rachel Dolev, Maariv) The existence of the Palestinian Authority ensures continued security cooperation, and keeps the State of Israel from managing and financing the needs of millions of Palestinians…Shin Bet chief Nadav Argaman recently warned members of the Political Security Cabinet about the consequences of the move initiated by the government to offset the PA's finances. This is in tandem with the attempts to come to a long-term arrangement with Hamas, a move that would mean awarding a prize to an organization using terror against Israeli citizens, while the offsetting of PA monies implies punishment of the organization appreciated by the Shin Bet and the IDF as a partner in counter-terrorism efforts in Judea and Samaria (West Bank). While it is essential to alleviate the plight of the Gaza Strip residents, both because of the human aspect, but not least because of their impact on security instability, the Israeli government should be careful not to respond to Hamas violence in measures that will only increase its assessment that "Israel only understands power" and therefore it exerts more violence that will yield more relief (from sanctions). With all its limitations and shortcomings, the stability of the Palestinian Authority, which guarantees continued security cooperation and keeps Israel from managing and financing the needs of millions of Palestinians, is an Israeli interest. Hence the need to avoid any course of destabilization, and even to strengthen and motivate its security mechanisms. The government would do well if it acted in the spirit of the Shin Bet warning. This can be done by promoting an arrangement with the Palestinian Authority, whose main goal is to return is to the management of the Gaza Strip. This agreement will include Israeli promises that as long as Hamas is not disarmed and the PA acts effectively to enforce the ceasefire, the IDF will not respond to it in the event of its breach by a third party. At the same time, the resources for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip - which the donor countries have stopped as long as it appears that they strengthen Hamas and as long as there is still no long-term ceasefire that will ensure that their investment does not go down the drain in another round of violence - will be invested through the PA's mechanisms. This will give the Palestinian Authority the ability to demonstrate to Gaza residents the benefits of its rule over the bleak Hamas period. The international funding will constitute the PA's entrance ticket, rather than the lever strengthening Hamas. The PA's control will also be completed In Gaza, this includes all law enforcement and legal powers, as well as security of borders and crossings…There are quite a number of barriers to the implementation of the initiative proposed here, first and foremost, the opposition by the PA Chairman and our Prime Minister.f The obvious conclusion is that circumstances in the Gaza Strip and throughout the region allow the plan to be implemented, and certainly disproves the argument that Israel's choice is only between the illusion of “Boom and its over” and the payment of sponsorship fees to Hamas. The writer is Brigadier General (res.), the former Chief Military Censor and is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the "Commanders for Israel's Security" movement.
How solidarity with the PA inspires resistance in Iran (Ben Cohen, Israel Hayom) Protesters are rejecting the basic principles and worldview of the Islamic republic; they are again proving that the people of Iran should not be confused with the Islamic Republic that rules them.
Expiating Western Guilt (Yitzhak Laor, Haaretz+) Cheapening the memory of the Holocaust is also seen in how the story of the West is now being told: There were Nazis, they were defeated, and from now on, anti-Zionism is “anti-Semitism.” International Holocaust Remembrance Day and our own Holocaust Remembrance Day cheapen the memory of the horror with live broadcasts of ceremonies and speeches, with the “state of the Jewish people” reaping the gains of a “moral advantage.” After all, in the neoliberal age the truth lies with the victim.
What's more rational than defending democracy? (Galit Distel Etebaryan, Israel Hayom) What would be the use of another right-wing government, assuming the national camp ignores the fact that the current prime minister was forcibly removed from office just because of his political views?
Soleimani's assassination left Nasrallah at risk and without protection - and we must take advantage of that (Yitzhak Levanon, Maariv) …Nasrallah probably understands that he is exposed to the Americans, and with such an unpredictable president in the White House it is better to hide even deeper in his underground bunker, probably in Beirut. All that he has left is to verbalize against the Americans and use insulting superlatives, such as, ”Soleimani is worth Trump's head, and more." This is not how one speaks to the leader of the most powerful superpower in the world. This indicates that Nasrallah is under pressure. In the Iranian arena, with the liquidation of Soleimani, Nasrallah, lost an effective advocate in Tehran. Despite Iran's financial hardship due to the US sanctions, Soleimani personally went out of his way to help his friend, Hezbollah's leader. Now, as mentioned, the situation has changed and Nasrallah will have to wait to know where the spirit is with the new leader of the Revolutionary Guards Special Forces. Meanwhile, Nasrallah repeats the remarks of the top Iranian officials about the revenge to come for the Soleimani assassination. Nasrallah's situation in the Lebanese arena is very delicate. Protesters from all denominations and religions who have taken to the streets of Lebanon in a demand for radical reforms and economic changes have also directed their protests against Hezbollah blaming it for Lebanon's ills. Nasrallah got the message, put his people on the streets to confront the protesters, and at the same time acted so that the Lebanese president would impose the formation of the new government train on a candidate that suited Nasrallah. But the pressure exerted on the candidate to form a government of technocrats, rather than according to ethnic sectors, could significantly diminish Hezbollah's influence in the internal Lebanese arena. Nasrallah is aware that he cannot launch a military adventure against Israel and risk the destruction of Lebanon's infrastructure. Here, too, all he has left is to make threats against Israel that he cannot now carry out. The situation Nasrallah is facing requires him to be careful about his actions, and much less in his words. At the same time, he must not be given the time he needs to recover from his last blow. Pressure must continue to be on him from all directions to bring about tangible change. He will have to lower his profile because the Americans intend to send forces to Lebanon to protect their embassy, but who knows, they might be assigned another task. The assassination of Iranian Qods Force Commander removed from the Hezbullah leader the "Iron Dome" that he enjoyed in recent years, leaving Nasrallah with dilemmas and concerns, which we do not need to take into account.
How can the Middle East change? (Jason Shvili, Israel Hayom) The two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can be the first step towards redrawing the region's borders.
 

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