APN's daily news review from Israel - Sunday May 3, 2020

 Quote of the day:

"We're at the dawn of a new era.”
--Daoud Siyam, a social activist from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, hopes that the positive treatment by Jerusalem's right-wing mayor, Moshe Leon, to help Palestinian Jerusalemites facing the corona crisis will not end with a vaccine.*

You Must Be Kidding: 
Justice Ido Droyan-Gamliel of the Lod district court has ruled to allow a young settler suspected of killing a Palestinian woman after throwing a five pound rock at her car, killing her, to return to his home, despite objections by the Shin Bet security service and state prosecutors. His DNA was found on the rock.**

Front Page:

Haaretz

Top News Summary:
Israel’s schools partially reopen and almost one million children are allowed to return, but unprepared municipalities got angry that the government gave them short notice and Israel’s High Court hears petitions calling to bar Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu from forming a government - making today’s top stories.

*Separately, one of the most interesting pieces in today’s papers was by Haaretz+ Jerusalem affairs reporter Nir Hasson who wrote about the highly surprising aid and cooperation of the right-wing Mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Leon, with E. Jerusalem civil society activists to help care for Palestinians in E. Jerusalem in regards to the coronavirus crisis. Leon has reined in numerous ministries and even the Israeli army to do what is necessary to help the Palestinians in E. Jerusalem. From getting the Home Front to distribute food for the unemployed needy, to coordinating that the Health Ministry bring people arriving from abroad to quarantine at a hotel paid for by Palestinian business people, to getting the IDF to also fly over a Palestinian hospital in E. Jerusalem in a show of respect to its medical staff treating corona patients, too.

Elections 2020 / Netanyahu Indictment News:
Today Israel’s top court opened the hearing on petitions against Netanyahu forming a government and against the coalition deal between Likud and Kahol-Lavan. The petitioners said that a man who is indicted on criminal charges should not be allowed to form a government. However, on Thursday, the man who approved Netanyahu’s three indictments, Attorney General Avichai Mendelblitt, said that there was no legal impediment to Netanyahu serving as prime minister again. (And Netanyahu, by the way, rejected the claim that he seeks to destroy Mendelblitt’s image. Haaretz had earlier reported that Mendelblitt was convinced of it.) Thousands of Israelis were out at Rabin Square to protest Saturday night for the third week straight against the formation of a Netanyahu-Gantz government under an indicted premier.

Corona Quickees:

• Israeli Arab Councils Announce Strike in Protest of 'Discrimination' in Coronavirus Funds - Leaders say in letter to Netanyahu less than two percent of the national budget is earmarked for Arab towns. (Haaretz+)
• Israel's Efforts to Contain the Coronavirus Move to a New, Long Neglected Hot Spot - Bedouin Town - The Bedouin town of Hura faces cultural and technological challenges all of its own in facing the pandemic. (Haaretz+)
• Druze and Circassian leaders protest Sunday against government, call for funds - After the Nation-State bill was passed the minority communities claimed they had been made second-class citizens increasing tensions with the Netanyahu government. (Ynet)
• *Dawn of a New Era? Jerusalem and Its Palestinian Residents Joining Forces to Battle Coronavirus - East Jerusalem activists and Mayor Moshe Leon report close and efficient cooperation in the fight against the coronavirus, with representatives of both sides meeting several times a week on a regular basis. (Haaretz+)
• Fearing spike in infections, Arab officials say will keep schools shut for now - ‘We will not take the risk’ and would rather wait out period of Ramadan, municipal leaders say. (Haaretz+)
• Muslims in Jerusalem pray outdoors amid virus lockdown - Ramadan usually brings tens of thousands of worshipers to Al-Aqsa mosque and adjacent Dome of the Rock for evening prayers, site is administered by Islamic endowment, which halted prayers there several weeks ago. (Agencies, Ynet)
• Israel's coronavirus death toll up to 230, with 16,193 confirmed cases - Seniors return to work. The Health Ministry says among the latest COVID-19 victims is a 86-year-old man from a nursing home in Yavniel, bringing the death toll at the assisted living facility to a staggering 22. (Ynet and Haaretz)
• Israeli Cyber-intel Firms Pitch Governments on Spy Tools to Trace the Coronavirus - Yet some technologists remain skeptical that spying tools reliant on phone location data can be used to effectively combat a virus, while privacy issues loom. (Agencies, Haaretz)
• Israel's National Security Council Rejects Call to Add Women and Minorities to Coronavirus Expert Panel - Only two out of 31 members consulting the government on the crisis are women, none are Arabs, and there is no representation from the fields of education or welfare. (Haaretz+)
• Many More Women Than Men in the Ranks of Israel's Coronavirus Lay-offs, Figures Show - Excluded from decision-making and seen as less essential, Israeli women join global trend in bearing the brunt of the coronavirus crisis' economic impact. (Haaretz+)
• Bodies of Jews From Abroad Still Flown to Israel for Burial Despite Coronavirus Crisis - Although bringing the bodies to Israel is complex and costly, even under ordinary circumstances, some 300 bodies, including many COVID-19 victims, have been flown in for burial since February. (Agencies, Haaretz and Israel Hayom)

Other Quick Hits:

• **Suspected Israeli Killer of Palestinian Woman Can Go Back to Settlement Home, Court Rules - Minor suspected of killing Aisha Rabi in 2018, when he threw "a rock weighing almost two kilograms with the intent of using it to harm passengers in an Arab vehicle, driven by a racist ideology and hostility towards Arabs," will be released to house arrest in his West Bank home at Kokhav Hashahar settlement, despite Shin Bet concerns. (Haaretz+)
• Palestinian (man) in his 30s was found dead near Itamar (settlement) - Last weekend, residents in the [West Bank] area reported that three suspects who tried to steal a herd of cows. A few days later, the body of a Jericho resident was found, and the police thinks that he belonged to the group of thieves - and fell as he fled the scene. The body was transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Abu Kabir, where the cause of death will be determined.  (Channel 12, Maariv and Times of Israel)
• Israeli police officer shoots dead mentally unstable man who stabbed him - The officer was released after being questioned by the Justice Ministry for killing the 30-year-old man, whose psychiatric history was known to police. (Haaretz+)
• Best Israeli television actress winner gives up award in protest of ceremony held on Nakba day - ‘Every day I experience dilemmas in choosing the roles and projects I take part in, and through refusing utterly to accept roles that hurt me, my people or my humanity,’ (Arab-Israeli actress) Ruba Bilal Asfour says. Bilal Asfour won the award for her role in the series “Our Boys” as the mother of Mohammed Abu Khdeir, the Palestinian teenager murdered in 2014 by Jews. (Haaretz+ and full article in Haaretz Hebrew)
• Israel Strikes Syria Twice in 24 Hours, Says War Monitor - Missiles fired Friday from over (sic) the Golan Heights reportedly hit military installations in the Quneitra border area. Later Friday, Israel attacked a Hezbollah weapon depot in Homs, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says. (Haaretz and Ynet)
• Israel's High Court Temporarily Orders Barring Extension of Acting State Prosecutor’s Term - The order will leave the powerful post held by Dan Eldad unstaffed and temporarily in the attorney general’s hands. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
• After 25 years, Israeli enclave returned to Jordan, leaving farmers with few prospects - 'Our life's work has gone down the drain': Israeli farmers lose livelihood Friday to continued chill in Israel-Jordan relations. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
• Ramadan TV series about a Arab-Jewish romance stirs controversy - "Umm Haroun," Arabic for "the mother of Aaron," is set in an unnamed Gulf nation in 1948 and portrays Jews and Muslims living together in peace. Critics claim series seeks to "brainwash" Arab people. Creators: We have no political agenda. (Israel Hayom)
• High Court: Hospitals have no authority to bar leavened products brought in during Passover - Such a ban would violate fundamental rights including freedom of religion, and hospital security guards had no authority to enforce it, the court ruled. (Haaretz+)
• Bank Hapoalim agrees to pay over $30 million for role in FIFA scandal - U.S. prosecutors say bank employees agreed to launder bribes and kickbacks from December 2010 to February 2015, which were given in exchange for broadcasting rights for sports marketing executives. (Agencies, Ynet)
• Report: Trump threatened to cut US military support to Saudi Arabia to secure oil output slash - A dramatic price decline that followed threatened to bring down the US shale oil industry, which operates at a higher profit margin than the Saudi industry; two weeks after the threat OPEC announced it will reduce production. (Agencies, Ynet)

Features:

Netanyahu is 'confident' in his annexation plan. Experts outline his next steps
Israel’s prime minister has spent the last year talking about annexing the Jordan Valley and settlements in the West Bank. the question is no longer 'Can he do it?' but rather, 'Will he?' (Judy Maltz, Haaretz+)
Reflections on a remarkable life
Chaya Vermes, 91, shares with Israel Hayom the extraordinary journey of a life that could easily be made into a hit television series, including delivering a coded message heralding Israel's inception to David Ben-Gurion himself.  (Naomi Kemeny Suss, Israel Hayom)
The Fraught Task of Explaining Suicides in the Israeli Army
The usual reason given for soldiers' suicides is emotional problems that went unnoticed. That explanation exacts a steep price. (Nitzan Rothem, Haaretz+)

Elections 2020/Netanyahu Indictment Commentary/Analysis:
With Gantz Out of the Way, Netanyahu Marks a New Target (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) Who runs the country, Bibi is maliciously asking. The people through their elected officials or a small, elitist, unelected group of judges and prosecutors sowing evil?
The High Court will only harm itself (Amnon Lord, Israel Hayom) A decision to disqualify Netanyahu and the unity government will trigger a legislative chain-reaction that will also harm the most vital national interests – and the Supreme Court as an institution will be the main casualty.
Israel's attorney general knows Netanyahu is dangerous and still gave him a green light (Gidi Weitz, Haaretz+) Had he not become entangled in Netanyahu’s investigations and ended up indicting him, Avichai Mendelblit would have been the right-wing government’s darling and the prime minister’s closest confidant.
Israel's unity government may prove a constitutional time bomb (Evelyn Gordon, Israel Hayom) The deal involved changes to Basic Laws that may have been necessary in these political circumstances. But any country tinkers with longstanding constitutional arrangements at its own peril.
The Netanyahu Decision, the High Court’s Moment of Truth (Ehud Barak, Haaretz+) A man charged with bribery cannot serve as a minister, let alone form a government, just as a pedophile cannot be employed as a teacher, let alone as a school principal. This is a simple truth, common sense, which come to us from the depth of Jewish heritage, from the Ten Commandments and the Prophet Amos, from the Book of Lamentations and Pirkei Avot. It is also a truth that is at the heart of every modern solidary society and the values of our Declaration of Independence. This truth will be put to the test in the next few days, at the center of an unprecedented drama in our history. The High Court of Justice is facing its most important verdict ever, one that will determine Israel’s fate as a Jewish state in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence and the prophets’ vision – to be or not to be.
The High Court's unbridled imperialism (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) The court has repeatedly rejected reasonable legislation for undocumented workers that is far more lenient than most other Western countries, fueling claims it promotes certain ideologies rather than upholding rule of law.
A Time to Judge (Haaretz Editorial) By joining with Benjamin Netanyahu, Benny Gantz made the impossible possible: A man who has been charged with serious crimes will form the next government and serve at its head, unless the High Court of Justice intervenes. An enlarged panel of 11 justices, led by Supreme Court President Esther Hayut, is scheduled to hear Sunday and Monday petitions against giving the task of forming the government to a criminal defendant and against the coalition agreement between Likud and Kahol Lavan. Two years of propaganda from Israel’s No. 1 expert in marketing, incitement and mass communication sowed doubt in too many people about what should be obvious by common sense or according to any moral or democratic yardstick: If someone who has been charged with serious crimes is barred from serving as a cabinet member, then clearly this applies even more strongly to the position of prime minister. But the incitement against the judicial establishment has struck deep roots, shaking the confidence of many in the judiciary’s authority to interpret laws, let alone to rescind them.
The High Court cannot redeem us from Netanyahu, this is not its territory (Nadav Haetzni, Maariv) As much as the activism of the judges is essential, it must be remain within their jurisdiction, and not outside it. Will the High Court again use the power of judicial proceedings to neuter the people’s power and the Knesset’s authority?
Netanyahu’s Uncharacteristic Gamble (Iris Leal, Haaretz+) Two questions are bothering politicians and health officials these days. The first is where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is heading, and the second is why he’s in such a hurry to get there. The answer to both questions, I think, is the same – the decision to hastily and chaotically open the education system is the most political of all Netanyahu’s decisions since the pandemic broke out.
After 11 years of Netanyahu: High Court is wondering how to make a ruling to minimize damage to democracy (Ben Caspit, Maariv) The last few years in the Prime Minister's office have been dedicated to incitement against the legal system. The judges now find themselves wondering what is the smart decision, not just the right one, and what decision will lead to the most reasonable results.
A Herd on the Left (Carolina Landsmann, Haaretz+) Despite the fact that most Kahol Lavan voters are in favor of a unity government, the bon ton in leftist elites is to see the party’s leaders as spineless at best and as traitors at worst. Leftist elites are behaving like a herd these days. Suffice it to see their response to anyone who offers a point of view that doesn’t align with the herd masters’ word (for example, Raviv Drucker who dared to defend Amir Peretz and Itzik Shmuli – Haaretz Hebrew edition, April 27).
No stone unturned in Trump-Netanyahu mutual intervention alliance (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) New FBI documents hint at clandestine contacts in 2016 but both leaders routinely and repeatedly go to bat for each other – and will continue to do so.
The coalition agreement is a constitutional terror attack, but the High Court will not intervene in it (Dr. Yechiel Gutman, Maariv) Under the present circumstances, the High Court is not expected to invalidate the changes in the legislation (that were made in order to allow the coalition agreement to move forward.)
With New Winds Blowing, a Fourth Election Is a Must (Israel Harel, Haaretz+) To deal effectively with what has happened as a result of the pandemic, both in Israel and abroad, we need a government that has the ability to lead the country into a new, revolutionary era – a government that will bring good tidings, imbue the nation with a new spirit, have the ability to propose daring, creative solutions and enable us to deal with the social, health-related and economic challenges presented by the new world that is gradually emerging from the crisis.

Other Commentary/Analysis:
Arab TV makers imagine Israel's future: from complete destruction to possible détente (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Three series for this year's Ramadan have revived the debate on the taboo of normalization – and on whether Israel will meet its demise in 2120.
An opportunity that must be seized (Yoav Limor, Israel Hayom) There is a consensus among defense officials that we are facing a rare opportunity to reach an understanding with Hamas on issues that until recently seemed insurmountable.
What the Coronavirus Can Teach Us About the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (Micah Goodman, Haaretz+) This is how a society is trapped by patterns of thinking: It conducts a long argument, in which each side entrenches itself with recycled claims. As time passes, the participants in the dispute dig themselves even deeper into these same positions and viewpoints, and independent thinking freezes and becomes paralyzed. But once in a while a crisis appears that shakes up society, breaks its patterns of thought and provides an opportunity to open up to new ideas.
My longing for a unified Israeli society (Aharon Ze'evi-Farkash, Yedioth/Ynet) We have gathered from all over the world to build a society where everyone can enjoy security and prosperity; now, the coronavirus crisis offers opportunity to redefine how we all, religious and secular, can live together with common purpose.
Please Install a Tracking App (Friday Haaretz Editorial) Neither the decline in the incidence of illness, the flattening of the curve of infection nor the fact that the number of Israelis who have recovered from the coronavirus exceeds the number of active patients has diminished the government’s appetite for tracking its citizens. The use of special tracking technologies has enthralled the state, which refuses to give them up even amid a gradual return to normalcy. It even seeks to increase intruding on citizens’ privacy.
I was privileged to see the miracle that revealed the hypocrisy of those bearing the flag of the ‘occupation’ (Prof. Arie Eldad, Maariv) An act in the Sanhedrin, olive oil, the Israeli left-wing’s flagship newspaper, and an “occupation" that has been going on for about 4,000 years. You can read the Torah, but anyone who isn’t a believer is welcome to read the Haaretz newspaper of 93 years ago….And what are things supposed to mean? A week ago I read in the Haaretz supplement that every year, before Memorial Day and Independence Day, the Ministry of Defense sends a greeting and modest present to the bereaved families, and this year a bottle of olive oil was added to the greeting from Ahiya farm in the Samaria Hills. From personal knowledge I will testify: it’s wonderful olive oil. In Nir Gontarz’s regular column, "On the Line,” the writer tried to extract from the Ministry of Defense spokesperson an answer to the important question "Why does the Ministry of Defense distribute to bereaved families a gift from land stolen from the Palestinians?” Spoiler: He didn’t get an answer. Because there is no need to answer a dumb and provocative question.
Israel's Coronavirus Exit Strategy Chaos Exposes All of the Government's Ills (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Confusion over the reopening of schools highlights the delayed planning and surrender to pressure groups prevalent in the country's pandemic response.
How much of Trump's foreign policy would Biden preserve?(Jonathan S. Tobin, Israel Hayom) Democrats want to reject everything the president has done. But when it comes to Israel and Iran, a new Democratic administration would be wise not to turn back the clock.
Biden, Show Trump What 'pro-Israel' Really Means. Oppose West Bank Annexation (Blake Flayton, Haaretz+) On Israel-Palestine, the Democrats around Biden need to stop worrying about what Trump and Jewish right-wingers will say. It's pro-Israel to oppose annexation – and loudly.
A vaccine for Israel's political paralysis? (Danielle Roth-Avneri, Israel Hayom) The coronavirus pandemic has managed to push the political system into overcoming divisions among parties, enabling them to rise above political feuds and egos.
A Tribute to a South African Jewish Hero and Freedom Fighter (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) A Jewish hero died on Independence Day, with his death unmarked here. Denis Goldberg died in Cape Town, the city he was born in, at the age of 87. He was the epitome of struggle, sacrifice, courage and solidarity, all the qualities so lacking in Israel’s left. If he’d immigrated to Israel, he’d be considered a traitor and terrorist here. But Israel never had Jews such as him, willing to sacrifice everything in the struggle for the freedom of the Palestinians. Goldberg wasn’t an esteemed Jew like Sheldon Adelson or an influential one like Israeli media personality Sivan Rahav Meir, but he and his friends were the heroes history will remember. They didn’t fight for their nation, they fought for others. It’s hard to think of loftier or more courageous conduct. If there is a reason for Jewish pride, it is these Jews who crossed the lines in South Africa, not falling in line with position taken by Jewish leaders in their country and the Jewish Board of Deputies, the biggest collaborator with the apartheid regime and its inveterate ally, the state of Israel.
It’s all just a show: High Court judges again cancel legislation in accordance with the positions they brought from their homes (Kalman Libskind, Maariv) No one was surprised when the court once again stuck sticks in the wheels and thwarted the continued effort to remove the infiltrators (from Sudan and Eritrea). That's how the judges disregard the Knesset and the public, and take the mandate to set policies.
When Israel Allows the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to ‘Manage the Virus' (Umm Forat, Haaretz+) Stuck at home, no daycare, my toddler chatters away in English, Hebrew and Arabic, while I try to get some work done ■ Post #12.
The people of Israel have dark corners that can benefit from the light of the Gentiles (Rafi Carasso, Maariv) The manner of speaking that I have been exposed to on TV talk show programs abroad is quite different from the one that has taken over the television in our country.
Bill de Blasio’s ‘Jewish community’ tweet was intemperate, but he wasn’t wrong (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) The vociferous critics of the New York mayor's ‘anti-Semitic’ tweet, calling out those Jewish communities blatantly defying coronavirus social restrictions, aren’t actually protecting Jews at all.
 

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