News Nosh 8.27.20

by APN 08/27/20
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APN's daily news review from Israel - Thursday August 27, 2020

NOTE: News Nosh will be off on Sunday August 30th.

Quote of the day:

“I didn’t hear ‘Stop.’ I acted the way I was taught.”
—Quote of the Border Policeman who shot dead the autistic Palestinian young man, Eyad Alhallaq. Haaretz’s crime reporter, Josh Breiner, revealed quotes from the testimonies of the two Border Policemen who were involved in Alhallaq's killing.

You Must Be Kidding: 
For the article Haaretz published today about the investigation of the killing of the autistic Palestinian young man, Eyad Alhallaq, reporter Josh Breiner asked the Justice Ministry department that probes allegations of police misconduct why there has, as yet, been no reenactment of the incident that took place three months ago. The reenactment then was held early this morning. Meanwhile, investigators have not yet arranged a confrontation between the two Border Policemen to try to reconcile their contradictory stories, even though the Justice Ministry’s investigation is almost complete...**


Front Page:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

  • Four children without a father - Terror in the cities returned - Terrorist murdered Rabbi Shai Ohiyon, 39, in Petach Tikvah
  • “They yelled ‘terrorist’ - I took a club and ran after him” -
  • Netanyahu, Gantz, Mendblitt, Ritman, Erdan, Hefetz, Elovich, ALSHEIKH - Former police commissioner Roni Alsheikh breaks his silence (Tomorrow’s ‘7 Day’s magazine supplement)
  • Paralyzation and epidemic // Nadav Eyal (on gov’t and corona) (Hebrew)
  • Acting as if // Sarit Rosenblum (on corona)
  • In Finance Ministry they are planning: Dramatic budget cut of civil service employee salaries (Hebrew)

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

  • “Rabbi Shai was a pious holy man” - After a year without murders from attacks, father of four stabbed to death in Petach Tikvah
  • An interview under the auspices of a man indicted for crimes
  • Israel: Hezbollah is getting empowered due to UNIFIL” (Hebrew)
  • “The delay will harm thousands of sick” - Committee for subsidizing medicines won’t announce its recommendations till January 1st
  • Senior official in government: “The agreement with the United Arab Emirates will make it easier for additional countries to go in its footsteps”
  • Next year in a healthy Uman: Ukraine banned entry of foreign citizens to the country


Top News Summary:
A Palestinian father of six stabbed to death an Israeli father of four inside Israel, the Ukrainian government banned the entry of foreigners to its country until Yom Kippur, thereby ending the battle between ‘corona crisis director’ Ronnie Gamzu and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu over whether to prohibit tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews from making the annual Rosh Hashana pilgrimage to Uman in Ukraine, (initially, Netanyahu asked Ukraine to make the ban, but then retracted. Gamzu insisted. In the end, 'Israel Hayom' reported that Netanyahu made the request, while Haaretz+ reported that Gamzu told Ukraine to ban them. Maariv reported that families of fallen soldiers were outraged that it was even considered to allow the ultra-Orthodox to go visit the grave in Uman in light of the fact that they were banned from visiting their dear ones at cemeteries on Memorial Day due to corona, and the commentators lamented that Netanyahu is acting in order to appease the ultra-Orthodox politicians). Meanwhile, the Israeli Air Force attacked Hezbollah posts in Lebanon. These were the top stories in today's Hebrew newspapers. Also, Maariv published its latest poll, which showed that Netanyahu's popularity is decreasing.

Lebanon was surprised at the extent of the Israeli attack response to the incident near the Israeli border and Lebanon denounced the ‘assault’ and decided to file a complaint at the UN. The Lebanese Army said Israel shot 13 missiles and about 100 tank shells. (Ynet Hebrew) ‘Israel Hayom’ Hebrew published an article titled “UNIFIL is a neutered force within territory where Hezbollah is getting stronger.“ However, no one in the article is quoted saying that. Israel's ambassador to the UN, Gilad Erdan, called on the members of the Security Council to significantly change the UNIFIL mandate, so that the force could have broad access and the ability to monitor areas in which Hezbollah operates, ‘Israel Hayom’ wrote. “Erdan’s appeal comes as part of the US-Israel diplomatic effort ahead of the UN Security Council's mandate decision in the coming days,” the paper wrote

Khalil Dweikat, 46, a Palestinian father of six from the West Bank village of Rajoub, is suspected of stabbing to death Rabbi Shay Ohayon, 39, a father of four, near a commercial center in Petach Tikvah. A passerby ran after Dweikat and caught him, after which Dweikat was transferred by police to the Shin Bet for interrogation. Hours later, Rabbi Ohayon was buried not far from where he was stabbed. Israeli soldiers raided the home of Dweikat in the West Bank village of Rajoub and mapped it out ahead of its demolition. family members were questioned in an attempt to understand whether they knew in advance of his intentions. (VIDEO of raid of home.) [We have yet to see if the High Court will allow that in light of their order preventing the army from demolishing the home of another Palestinian father of six who killed an Israeli soldier. - OH]. The Shin Bet said that an initial investigation revealed that Dweikat was mentally ill and was treated by health and welfare authorities in the Palestinian Authority. Moreover, Dweikat has no political affiliation and he had a permit to work in Israel. [It is rare for Palestinians with work permits to make attacks. - OH) A video from the first seconds before the stabbing shows a man crossing the street and a few seconds later another man calling out to him and pointing at him and then trying to catch up to the first man, then waving (and apparently shouting) at the first man more and when he gets close, then turning and running away and then turning toward him again. Late last night, three settler families and some teens quickly constructed an outpost in Area B of the West Bank, where Israel does not allow settlers to live. The settlers named the outpost after the rabbi. (Channel 13 News Hebrew and PHOTOS) This morning the IDF evicted the settlers from the outpost.

DIPLOMACY:

Speaking from Germany, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said Israel has 'shifted from annexation to normalization" and "we want to leave a door open for Palestinians." (Also Maariv) Ashkenazi also discussed Iran and Germany agreed that continuing the Iran arms embargo was important. US Secretary of State Miki Pompeo held meeting with Bahrain and the UAE. The Bahrainian king stressed the need for Palestinian peace and a two-state solution as per the 'Arab Peace Initiative.' Pompeo also met with the Sultan of Oman and the Secretary of State. Meanwhile, a US official said that the sale of F-35s and other 'various hardware elements' to the UAE was still 'on the table.'

MAARIV ELECTION POLL:
A poll by Panels Politics conducted for Maariv shows that if the 24th Knesset elections had taken place today, the Likud party led by Binyamin Netanyahu would  weaken by one seat and would receive 28 seats. The right-wing bloc would not be able to form a government with only 60 out of the 120 Knesset seats. In the previous poll, published two weeks ago, the Likud won 29 seats and it seems that this week too, the effect of corona and the economic crisis outweigh the normalization effect with the UAE. The one who continues to blow down Netanyahu's back is opposition leader Yair Lapid, whose Yesh Atid-Telem party receives 20 seats, as in the previous poll. The right-wing Yamina party, led by Naftali Bennett, who is perceived by the public as the alternate corona director, has apparently exhausted the increase to his power, and would get 17 seats - a decrease of two seats compared to the previous poll, Maariv wrote. According to pollster Menachem Lazar, Bennett loses one seat to the Likud and another seat to Kahol-Lavan, but the Likud itself loses a seat, which is currently among the undecided voters. The Joint List headed by Ayman Odeh maintains stability with 14 seats, unchanged from previous weeks. Kahol-Lavan, led by Benny Gantz, can draw encouragement from a one-seat increase in the current poll, perhaps under the influence of Gantz's strong speech yesterday, before the plenum vote. Kahol-Lavan now has a double-digit number of seats, 10 - compared to 9 in the previous poll. Three parties won the same number of seats as in the previous survey: Yisrael Beiteinu, led by Avigdor Lieberman - 9 seats; Shas, led by Aryeh Deri - 8 seats; and United Torah Judaism, led by Yaakov Litzman - 7 seats. But the left-wing Meretz party recorded a nice recovery when it rose from 5 to 7 seats. Analysis of the findings shows that Meretz is strengthening among the floating votes.

 

Quick Hits:

  • Commander of Israeli Cop Who Killed Autistic Palestinian Eyad Hallaq: 'I Told Him to Stop Shooting' - The junior Jerusalem police officer 'did not respond' when ordered to stop, his superior tells investigators, as high-profile probe nears conclusion. The incident began when a Border Policeman near the Old City’s Lions Gate deemed his conduct suspicious and shouted “terrorist.” The force’s 21-year-old commander then led a pursuit. (Haaretz+)
  • Three Months After His Death, Israel Reenacts Shooting of Autistic Palestinian Man in Jerusalem's Old City - Hallaq, 32, was a low-functioning autistic man who was on his way to a special needs school when Border policemen identified him as a threat, pursued him and shot him dead. (Haaretz+ and Maariv and VIDEO)
  • Second coronavirus death in Gaza as authorities clamp down on outbreak - Health officials concerned over the potentially disastrous combination of poverty, densely populated refugee camps and limited hospital capacity, as virus continues to spread in the enclave. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
  • Gaza Demands Medical Equipment From Israel as Coronavirus Lockdown Extended - Official warns enclave can't handle more than a few dozen COVID-19 patients. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Incendiary balloons spark dozens of fires in southern Israel - Explosive-laden balloons land near children's playground, residential house in Eshkol Regional Council area. (Israel Hayom)
  • Likud Members Told to Attack Prosecutor’s Office Directive to Limit Criminal Prosecution of Protesters - The directive follows escalation in arrests and violence at anti-Netanyahu protests in recent weeks. Despite criticism from public security minister, but legal sources say police participated in formulating directive. (Haaretz+)
  • Eilat Gang Rape Suspects Implicate Friends, as Investigation Continue - Police source confirms total number of perpetrators is in the double digits, while search continues for video footage. The investigation team has so far arrested 14 suspects involved in the rape - ten minors and four adults - and the hotel manager. None of the suspects confessed to the act, each in his own way and version distancing himself from the grave suspicions against him. So far, the court has extended the detention of ten suspects - three adults and seven minors. The hotel manager and two minors were released under house arrest under restrictive conditions, one minor was released home because he proved he was sleeping in the next room at the time of the gang rape. (Haaretz+ and N12)
  • Western Wall Rabbi Should Be Disciplined for Allowing Election Rally on Site, Commissioner Says - Shmuel Rabinowitz maintains he didn’t know the rally would be of a political nature, but organizers showed support for Jerusalem mayoral candidate, Moshe Leon (Likud). (Haaretz+)
  • Tel-Aviv Light Rail Work on Hold After Graves Unearthed at Construction Site - Ultra-Orthodox activists lay down on the ground to protect the graves with their bodies, but police removed them from the area. (Haaretz+)
  • Government Funding Favors Israel's Religious Schools, Ministry Says - Under right-wing religious minister, education budget for religious students swelled some 60% above the average for state Arab students, and 31% more than 'ordinary' state schools. (Haaretz+)
  • 9 residents of East Jerusalem were arrested on suspicion of carrying out activities on behalf of the Palestinian Authority's security forces - Police forces, including Border Police fighters, arrested nine residents of East Jerusalem at night, on suspicion of violating the Implementation Law. They were arrested after suspicion arose that they had carried out activities prohibited by law. [NOTE: Article does not say what they did. - OH] (Maariv)
  • After drug deal through the Telegrass app: An Israeli security guard was charged with murder of (Palestinian) East Jerusalem resident and with drug dealing - An indictment was filed against a Netanya resident for the murder of a young man from the Shuafat neighborhood, during a drug deal that was closed through the popular marijuana phone app. According to the indictment, Naor Bitton, by virtue of his position as a security guard, held a gun with a license and used it against the deceased during a drug deal. (Maariv and News1)
  • Israelis Should Watch Their Step in the UAE, It's Easy to Wind Up in Jail, Attorney Warns - Founder of legal assistance organization Detained in Dubai warns deal with Israel could help whitewash the UAE, a country where you can get jailed for a bad review on Twitter. (Haaretz+)
  • Silicon Wadi: Israeli tech's 'thirst' for UAE cash must overcome old enmity - Israeli investment experts say although the Emiratis have excess amounts of money, there are 'not enough places to invest it in the Middle East,' making Israel the perfect option as long as Arab investors overcome their deep-seated animosity towards the Jewish state. (Ynet)
  • Kamala Harris: Biden White House Will Not Place Conditions on Aid to Israel - Chasing the Jewish vote, VP candidate blasts Trump on issues ranging from the Iran nuclear deal to the coronavirus, insisting that America needs to be brought back together. (Haaretz+)
  • Think tank: Circumstances merit bolstering ties between African Americans, Jews - A new policy paper published by Reut Group posits that Jewish organizations in America have the opportunity to renew their alliance with the black community. (Israel Hayom)
  • Turkey gave Hamas members passports, Israel says - Turkey hosts Hamas chief Haniyeh and other officials in Istanbul for the second time this year as terror group reportedly keeps financing, organizing terror acts from the Turkish capital. (Agencies, Ynet)
  • Erdogan says Turkey will do 'whatever is necessary' to secure rights at sea - President's comments come a day after Germany's foreign minister sought to ease tensions between Turkey and Greece in their escalating dispute over control of eastern Mediterranean waters. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Russia Accuses U.S. of Hindering Patrol in Syria After Collision Injures U.S. Troops - Two officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said several U.S. troops suffered concussive symptoms following the incident. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • France gives Lebanon reform roadmap - Early election and a central bank audit are part of a French plan to reform Lebanon after the deadly port blast dealt the country a final blow. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Iran to allow access to 2 suspected nuke sites, UN watchdog says - International Atomic Energy Agency says Tehran was 'voluntarily providing the IAEA with access to the two locations specified by the agency.’ (Agencies, Haaretz and Israel Hayom)
  • Saudi Public Prosecutor Orders Review of Execution of Three Minors - Mohammed Bin Salman recently issues a royal decree to stop executions for people who committed crimes while minors. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Humanitarian crisis leaves Yemenis suffering as severe aid shortfall closes clinics - Due to competing demands such as the coronavirus pandemic, Yemen's aid response is poorly funded and remaining money is drying up. (Agencies, Haaretz)

 

Top Commentary/Analysis:
This Is How the Israeli Army 'Deters' Palestinian Activists (demonstrators) (Haaretz Editorial)  …Last Wednesday night soldiers from the Nahal Brigade’s reconnaissance battalion planted three improvised explosives along the side of a road that is used by residents of the West Bank village of Kafr Qaddum and is very close to homes. The soldiers camouflaged the devices with stones, fabric and ammunition boxes and left them in the village primed to explode if anyone touched them. Why? Because Qaddum is the only village in the territories that still demonstrates against the occupation every week, which the army regards as “regular, violent disturbances over a number of years.”...Are we talking about a new practice in the IDF’s repertoire in the territories? Who gave the go-ahead to place improvised explosives along roads that village residents, including children, frequent? Is there a military legal adviser anywhere who would approve such a thing? Why were live explosives left unsupervised? Who prepared them? Were they placed with the knowledge or approval of senior division commanders? The army refuses to answer. These questions must not be left open. Whether this is some kind of new procedure or a personal initiative “from the field,” it crosses a red line and it was lucky it didn’t end with serious casualties…
A Striking Difference Between Palestinian and Israeli Protests (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) People are demonstrating against injustice and for justice both in the West Bank village of Kafr Qaddum and outside the prime minister’s residence on Jerusalem’s Balfour Street. In both places, the protesters are imbued with a sense of mission. It’s more pleasant on Balfour, more dangerous in Qaddum. There’s more sacrifice in Qaddum, more art on Balfour. Balfour gets exhaustive media coverage; Qaddum is completely excluded from the Israeli media. In Qaddum, the protesters are fighting for freedom; on Balfour, there’s a feeling of freedom. On Balfour, the demonstrators are citizens; in Qaddum, they’re subjects with no rights. On Balfour, the most privileged are demonstrating; in Qaddum, the most oppressed are…
A tireless liar (Avraham (Beiga) Shochat, Ynet Hebrew) Earlier this week, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu addressed the public. A muscle did not move in his face and blush did not rise in his cheeks when he repeated the lie as if a case in the State Attorney's Office about Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn had been closed by the Attorney General. Netanyahu knew he was lying, since during the weekend before that it had already been clearly and unequivocally made clear that the case was not closed because there was no case, only an investigation that did not reveal anything. He knew the facts for sure, and chose to ignore them. I remember the incident in which I first realized that the lie is an integral part of Netanyahu's political conduct, and is used to advance his status, glorify his name and humiliate his opponents. In late 1996, about six months after he was first elected prime minister, a debate was held in the Knesset on the 1997 budget. During the speech, Netanyahu pulled the mobile phone out of his pocket, waved it to the best of his theatrical ability and announced: For years this device cost thousands of shekels, the usage fee was very expensive, but I broke the monopoly, issued a tender, and the new franchisee lowered prices by 70%. My gasped. After all, three years earlier, when I served as finance minister, we issued a tender for a second operator to compete with the monopoly that existed in the market, and at the end of 1994 a second franchisee was indeed selected, which led to a 75% drop in prices within a few weeks. Because the facts as he presented them were incorrect, I turned to the then Speaker of the Knesset and the current President, Ruvy Rivlin, and asked them to state their accuracy. Rivlin replied that at the end of Netanyahu's speech he would allow me to respond briefly, and so I did: I went up to the podium, addressed Netanyahu with all due respect and said that he apparently made a mistake. At that moment I did not imagine that he lied knowingly, but when I got off the podium I turned to the finance people sitting in special places in the plenum and asked them why we did not update him on the tender dates and the reform that took place two years before he took office. There was silence, some of them smiled uneasily, and one of them said in a whisper: What do you think, that we did not tell him the exact dates? We told him clearly, but he chose to distort the truth. That was the moment when I realized that lying and not telling the truth are an integral part of Netanyahu's political conduct, and that in his statements there is no difference between truth and falsehood. I know and am certain that over the years of his public activity, Netanyahu has lied countless times to the citizens of the country, both to glorify his name in his actions and to harm and humiliate his opponents. There is a direct connection between that incident in the Knesset at the end of 1996 and his last speech in which the accusations were leveled at Nissenkorn: it seems that he did not internalize what is written in the Bible on his bookshelf, in the Book of Exodus, chapter 23, verse 7: “Distance yourself from speaking in lies.” Sad, depressing, but unfortunately this is the reality in which we have lived for many years. [Avraham (Beigeh) Shochat served as Minister of Finance in the governments of Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres and Ehud Barak.]
Nobody Will Remove Netanyahu's Corrupt Government for Us (Zehava Galon, Haaretz+) It is fairly likely that Israel will become a much more dangerous place than it is right now. “Blood will be spilled in the streets,” Benny Gantz warned, and clearly he’s right because blood has already been spilled in the streets, and we all know whose blood it is, who spilled it and who looked on from above. The situation is frightening. It’s dangerous, and it means we citizens have to make a choice.
The last thing that seems to interest decision makers is how to get the country out of the mud (Dr. Alina Berdach-Yalov, Maariv) We have finally managed to beat the corona virus and at the same time, of course, lower the unemployment rate dramatically. You don’t believe it? Ask Netanyahu and Gantz who postponed the budget decision.
Netanyahu Pummels the Protesters Then Blames the Victim (Yossi Klein, Haaretz+) What do Benjamin Netanyahu’s lies, the police brutality at the Balfour Street protests and the awful gang rape in Eilat have in common? Nothing, except for the attitude: “What are you going to do about it?” In other words, I can do what I please, and you’ll just have to eat it. Donald Trump illustrated this approach well when he said he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and get away with it.
Netanyahu sells out coronavirus fight to keep the ultra-Orthodox happy (Ronny Linder, Haaretz+) Coronavirus czar Ronny Gamzu had perhaps built up too much strength, and Uman pilgrimage controversy provided Netanyahu with an opportunity to put him in his place.
(Corona director) Gamzo sees up close how political considerations cost us in health (Orit Lavie-Nashiel, Maariv) This week the corona director chose to tread on a very narrow bridge when he made it clear that if he was not given the tools to reduce morbidity, he would resign. This time the Ukrainian government put an end to the saga…The Jewish Ukrainian President, Zelensky, met with rabbis this week and showed great understanding for their needs (to visit the burial place of Rabbi Nachman in the Ukrainian city of Uman). But he, too, understands the impending danger. The messages he received from Israel enabled him to announce that he had complied with Netanyahu's request to limit the number of followers who would be allowed to enter his country. But then the prime minister got up and kicked the bucket. Netanyahu, who prides himself on close personal relations with heads of state, was quick to shake off the announcement by the President of Ukraine and declared that he had not asked him for anything. For the sake of his (ultra-Orthodox) political partners who promise to continue his tenure, he is willing to embarrass Zalansky and turn his back on (corona director) Gamzo. Thanks to the Ukrainian government, the storm ended thanks to the Ukrainian government's decision to ban foreigners from entering until the end of next month.
Israel’s Lawmakers Don’t Care About the Budget – Which Is Great News for Netanyahu (Stav Shaffir, Haaretz+) A few weeks after I voted in the Knesset on my first national budget as a lawmaker, I attended a meeting of the Knesset Finance Committee. Suddenly my desk was covered with spreadsheets filled with changes to the budget ­– the same budget we had just approved. The agenda for the meeting had not been issued in advance. When I asked why, committee Chairman Nissan Slomiansky replied: “It’s a technical matter, we vote and leave.” I quickly riffled through the stack of pages. That “technical matter” included cuts totaling 10 billion shekels (around $3 billion), among them in education and public transportation. When I asked why, they laughed at me. “That’s the system. Did you come to make trouble?” A journalist who was there advised me not to bother with the budget. “It’s boring, no one will report on it; it’s of no interest to the public.” The same day, I posted the whole thing on Facebook. The public did in fact show interest in what the government was doing with their money...
Remembering other historic flights (Moshe Phillips, Israel Hayom) As Secretary of State Mike Pompeo highlights the first non-stop flight from Israel to Sudan, we remember the Zionist values that led to years of flights bringing Ethiopian Jews home.
How the UAE and Saudi Arabia Now Hold Israel Hostage (Eli Podeh, Haaretz+) The UAE and Saudi Arabia now have significant leverage over Israel’s policies towards the Palestinians. And Riyadh is Israel’s real prize.
The world is changing, and time is running out for the Palestinians (Ghassan Sharbal, Ynet Hebrew) From the fall of the USSR, through the Gulf War to the suicide bombings of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the status of Palestinians in the world has weakened in the process that ended in Israel's agreement with the Emirates…The passing of time clearly affects the aspirations of the Palestinians. In reality, they must overcome the divide between them regarding negotiations with Israel on the basis of the Arab Peace Initiative. It is also necessary to say the obvious: time has worked against the Palestinians and served as a weapon in the hands of Israel. Israel expanded its territory and took advantage of global and regional changes to weaken at the international level the advancement of a just peace and the Palestinian issue. This does not mean that it will be possible to establish real peace relations in the region without a two-state solution, but it is impossible to ignore the blows suffered by the Palestinian interest. It is no secret that in the United Arab Emirates, as in other countries, it is felt that the policy of no relations with and the boycott of Israel has not served the interests of Palestinians and Arabs. That is why they chose an approach based on recognition of Israel and communication with it. Now the Palestinians are required to decide whether to blame the ravages of time again or to try to stand up and take action. In my opinion, they need to think about how they can benefit from the new window of opportunity. In light of the agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates, they must clarify their position to the US side and to the Israeli side. They must understand that time is working against them and any delay will only result in a waste of time and lands. They need to think about how to change the trend, and perhaps how to really implement the words of Abyssinian: Time works for the benefit of those who take advantage of it and deal with it well. [Ghassan Sharbal is the editor-in-chief of the London-based Al-Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper, in which the full article was published. This abridged version is published under the auspices of the Ofek Project - a joint venture of the Van Leer Institute, the Forum for Regional Thinking and the Alam Center. Translation from Arabic: Saleh Ali Suwad.]
UAE-Israel deal exposes true face of Palestinian Authority (Mendi Safadi, Israel Hayom) The Palestinian Authority and its leadership cannot continue to hold the Arab world hostage.
Pompeo’s Controversial Jerusalem Endorsement of Trump Hits Home With Israelis No Less Than Evangelicals (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) After more than a decade with Netanyahu, public opinion identifies with Christian Zionists more than American Jews and shares evangelical fears of a Democratic victory in November.
Trump made history by discarding Obama's approach (Ariel Kahana, Israel Hayom) Why has Trump's plan, out of all other plans, drawn the Arabs closer to Israel?
A serious warning sign for Hezbollah (Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynet) The terror group has failed again in its attempt to avenge the death of its operative in Syria, and next time Israel's response - if the Iranian proxy chooses to continue to ignore its warnings - will be much more painful.
Hezbollah flags in NYC? (Bryan E. Leib, Israel Hayom) I am all for freedom of speech and diversity of opinions but I refuse to accept the promotion and vindication of Hezbollah on American streets.
Despite its troubles in Lebanon, Hezbollah is still bent on revenge on Israel (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Despite internal criticism over Beirut port blast and Hariri tribunal, Nasrallah does not stray from strict policy of retaliation.
 

Interviews:
From partial paralysis to a Merkava tank
Dor Frir, a tank gunner with the 7th Armored Brigade, is the first soldier with cerebral palsy to serve in a combat role in the IDF. (Interviewed by  Eran Navon in Israel Hayom)

What Eilat Gang Rape Case Says About Israeli Society
'We bombard young men with aggressive, stereotypical imagery that weakens men, not women,' explains Israeli sex educator, Shlomit Habaron, co-director of the Reliable Information About Sex (Meida Amin Al Min) initiative. (Interviewed by Tsafi Saar in Haaretz+)

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

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