News Nosh 11.2.20

by APN 11/02/20
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APN's daily news review from Israel - Monday November 2, 2020

Quote of the day:

“Police investigate every case of violence regardless of the identity of the perpetrator.”
--Israel Acting Commissioner of Police Moti Cohen insisted that the police do not discriminate between Arab and Jewish citizens in murder investigations. A day earlier, a report revealed that police have solved only 22% of the murder cases in Arab-Israeli communities this year as opposed to 53% of the murders in Jewish communities.*


Front Page:

Haaretz

  • The Democrats are worried less about an election defeat and more about what could happen to the US after them // Chemi Shalev (Hebrew)
  • Ministers talk about returning to routine, but it’s doubtful if that will happen before a vaccine is found // Amos Harel
  • Elementary school children followed the guidelines in classrooms. And then the children got mixed
  • In an exceptional move, MK Hauser is advancing the appointment of a prosecutor who is a friend of MK Hendel to directly become a district judge (Hebrew)
  • Suspicion of a triple murder: Three shot bodies found near Tel-Dan
  • Biden is preferable to us // Raviv Drucker
  • Wanted: (economic) policy // Sami Peretz
  • Corona crisis is expected to quicken the reform: Finance Minister Katz wants to raise the retirement age of women by the end of the year

Yedioth Ahronoth

  • Battle over the end - Trump or Biden: America will choose a President (Hebrew)
  • “The crisis is not being managed. I fear loss of control” - Interview with Prof. Yoram Ariav, former Finance Ministry director (Hebrew)
  • The neighbor who is surviving (opened her beauty parlor) and the neighbor who is collapsing (can’t open her shop) (Hebrew)
  • Adoption is advancing: Military units will be matched with adjacent communities to help them with the crisis

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

  • Revolt of the shop owners - Corona cabinet continues to argue over the opening of business, but desperate shop owners refuse to wait till next week
  • The last day - Trump and Biden in last efforts
  • Hold me back - Kahol-Lavan's ultimatum expired, the state budget is not in the horizon, but Gantz has not yet put an end to it all

Israel Hayom



Top News Summary:
The outrage of merchants whose shops must stay closed while beauty parlors, synagogues and B&Bs are allowed to open, the last day of battle between the two US presidential candidates before the election tomorrow (Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu praised US President Donald Trump’s policies Sunday, while opposition leader, MK Yair Lapid, said that "Netanyahu has turned Israel into a Republican party branch and decided to lose the Democrats” (Maariv) and 'Israel Hayom' was optimistic that Trump would win) and the question of whether Kahol-Lavan will stand by its ultimatum to go to elections if Likud does not move to pass the 2021 budget by the end of October - which the latter did not do. Kahol-Lavan Chairman, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, attacked the prime minister and finance minister, claiming they were preventing the passing of the 2021 budget out of political considerations. "Failure to transfer the budget is an economic attack," he said and called for a commission of inquiry on the matter. "If this is not fixed by the end of the month, there is no point in continuing.” These were the top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.

*Also noteworthy, three Arab-Israelis were found shot dead in an orchard in the north of the country, in a suspected triple murder, bringing the number of Arab citizens murdered in 2020 to 77. A day earlier, Haaretz+ reported that the Israeli police solved only 22% of murder cases involving Arab-Israel victims since the start of the year, compared with 53% of cases involving Jewish victims. At a meeting Sunday to assess the situation of the violence in the Arab sector, Acting Commissioner of Police Moti Cohen insisted that the police do not discriminate between Arab and Jewish citizens in murder investigations. “Police investigate every case of violence, regardless of the identity of the perpetrator” Cohen said. The Acting Police Commissioner suggested that the Arab citizens were the ones who needed to act in order to decrease the violence in their sector. “Only a deep-rooted change that comes from Arab society in Israel, in cooperation with the police, both in denouncing unacceptable norms and by by the leadership making pro-active, will lead to the desired change.”  (Maariv) Today, Haaretz+ put the story on its front page and made the subject of police not dealing with violence in the Arab sector today's Editorial. In contrast, Yedioth gave the murders a few lines at the back of the paper. In Israel Hayom, the story got a column on page 13. And, Maariv gave it almost a full page on page 14. Meanwhile, Maariv reported that Monday there was another assassination attempt in the Arab sector. A young man was seriously wounded by gunfire in the town of Jisr a-Zarqa, near Caesarea.


Corona Quickees:

  • Beauty salons, synagogues reopen amid outrage from other businesses forced to stay shut - merchants burn wares in protest - As government allows for businesses that provide 'one-on-one' treatment to reopen, others decry having to stay shut without any government aid; Craft and Industry Association CEO says lockdown hitting low-income public the hardest. Operators of big chains and small-store owners vowing to defy the rules after the government’s latest easing of pandemic lockdown passes them by. (Haaretz+ and Ynet and Haaretz+)
  • As lockdown eases, Israel records rise in positive coronavirus tests - Infection rate from Sunday testing stands at 3.1%; Israel currently treating 372 seriously ill patients in in hospital, including 170 people on ventilators; coronavirus cabinet due to meet later Monday to discuss further steps in exiting closure. (Ynet)
  • Israel Begins Clinical Trials of Its Coronavirus Vaccine. Here's When to Expect Results - Two volunteers have received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine developed in Israel, following promising testing on animals. (Haaretz+)
  • Netanyahu, Gantz visit first vaccine volunteers as clinical trials kick off - PM and DM meet with Segev Harel, the first person who has been administered the vaccine, at Sheba Medical Center; 'I see the light at the end of the tunnel now,' says Netanyahu, while Gantz says the vaccine will take time. (Ynet)
  • Downward trend halted? Rise in new COVID cases sparks concern - According to Health Ministry data, 649 new coronavirus cases were diagnosed on Sunday; death toll rises to 2,554. Israel has recorded 315,131 corona cases since the pandemic erupted in mid-March. (Israel Hayom)
  • Coronavirus Live: Israel Shortens Quarantine From 14 to 12 Days - Health Ministry removes Italy, Germany from list of 'green' countries. (Haaretz)
  • Israel approves in principle higher fines for virus violations - Leaders of United Torah Judaism, MKs Yaakov Litzman and Moshe Gafni, told Netanyahu they oppose the proposal to increase fines for mass events up to 20,000 shekels ($5,871) and threatened to overturn it in the Knesset. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Spending time in the Palestinian Authority to evade corona restrictions Documentation - It is estimated that every week, tens of thousands of Israeli Arabs visit the Palestinian Authority, and enjoy a lack of restrictions enforcement: "Everything is closed here (in Israel), so we take advantage of the fact that the Territories are open." A hidden Ynet camera documented the overcrowding and violation of guidelines in Palestinian restaurants and entertainment venues. (Ynet)
  • Central Israel cops beat, taser man stopped for not wearing mask - David Uriel Biton hospitalized after Friday incident, now in custody until hearing on Monday; Holon police station says officers to be investigated internally after video of their violent attack on civilian goes viral. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • An indictment subject to a hearing against police officers documented beating a young man over an argument over a mask - The Police Investigations Department has announced that an indictment will be filed, subject to a hearing, against the police officers who were filmed last July beating and electrocuting a young man in Holon with a taser, in an argument over a mask. (Maariv)
  • Mass Friday Prayers Held at Jerusalem's al-Aqsa in Violation of Regulations - The prayer service took place after the crowd held a protest against French President Macron's recent remarks on Islam. (Haaretz+ and Israel Hayom)
  • Twelve Palestinian prisoners in Israel infected with COVID-19, says PPS - The Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) said today that 12 Palestinian prisoners in Gilboa prison in Israel have tested positive for COVID-19 raising the total number of infected prisoners to 43. (WAFA)
     

Quick Hits:

  • Will government implement plan to regulate both Israeli and Palestinian land in Area C? - Israel Hayom learns that Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit has approved an idea from the IDF's Civil Administration for a system of land registration that would replace the current one, which takes years and allows for petitions and challenges. (Israel Hayom)
  • Settlers steel saplings from inside nursery south of Nablus - Israeli settlers stole today dozens of saplings from inside a plant nursery belonging to Mohammed al-Khateeb in the village of As-Sawiya and wreaked havoc in the nursery. Security cameras recorded the theft. (WAFA)
  • Fear of vandalism: Fences and security at a monument in Rabin's memory - The Tel Aviv Municipality has erected fences around the monument in memory of Yitzhak Rabin that was recently renovated, following warnings of an intention to damage it towards November 4. A guard was also placed at the site and the security camera system was strengthened. (Ynet Hebrew)
  • Poll Shows Small Gains for Netanyahu's Party - According to Channel 13 News’ poll, if election were held now, the balance of power on the map in politics would have changed completely. The Likud movement - with 29 seats - remains the largest party, followed by Yamina with 22, and on the other hand there is Atid-Telem, which is strengthening with 20 seats. At the bottom are the Joint List with 12 seats, Kahol-Lavan, which crashes to only 10 seats, Yisrael Beiteinu with seven seats and Meretz with only six seats. In the ultra-Orthodox sector, there is Shas and United Torah Judaism with seven seats each. In addition, Labor, Gesher, Derech Eretz and the Habayit Hayehudi seem to remain outside the Knesset and do not pass the threshold. (Maariv and Haaretz+)
  • 'Thought Police': Israeli Minister Decries Interrogation of Protesters Against Attorney General - Public security minister calls on police to 'do all it can to strengthen public trust in it,' hinting it treats complaints having to do with Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit unlike 'other public figures.' (Haaretz+)
  • Suspicion of another assassination attempt in Arab society: A young man was seriously wounded by gunfire in the north - A 21-year-old man was shot in Jisr a-Zarqa and evacuated by medics who arrived at the scene. He is conscious and in a serious, but stable condition, at hospital. (Maariv)
  • After Seven Victims in a Week, Israel's Arab Community Fears Next Murder Is Inevitable - Failing to bolster forces, police argue that 'only a deeply rooted change will lead to change,' as one Galilee resident recounts 'a bad feeling in the air.' (Haaretz+)
  • Acting Commissioner of Police on violence in the Arab sector: "Deep rooted change is needed"  -Moti Cohen held a meeting to assess the situation regarding the preparation of the police and its activities to eradicate violence in Arab society. (Following report by Haaretz+ revealing that police have solved only 22% of murder cases in Arab communities this year as opposed to 53% of murders in Jewish communities), Cohen claimed: “Police investigate every case of violence regardless of the identity of the perpetrator.” Cohen concluded his remarks saying that "only a deep-rooted change that will come from Arab society in Israel, in cooperation with the police, in denouncing invalid norms and in active actions by the leadership will lead to the desired change.” [i.e. Cohen blames the Arab sector for the continued violence, but the Arab sector blames the police. - OH] (Maariv)
  • MK Hauser advancing an exceptional appointment of an attorney close to Yoaz Handel to become a district judge - Hendel, a member of the Judicial Selection Committee is working to appoint Adv. Shlomi Abramson, a friend of his partner in the Derech Eretz party, without him first serving in the Magistrates' Court - a route usually reserved for senior officials. (Haaretz Hebrew)
  • Israeli Archaeologists Are Uncovering the Lost Legacy of a Cursed Biblical Kin - The Bible describes King Manasseh as the wickedest monarch to ever rule in Jerusalem, but new discoveries show his reign brought peace and prosperity to First Temple period Judah. (Haaretz+)
  • He threw Molotov cocktails at an army post - and was stopped by undercover agents: VIDEO from Shuafat camp - A Border Police undercover force captured a 17-year-old Palestinian boy who threw Molotov cocktails in the East Jerusalem refugee camp at a security post (tower). Today he will be brought in for a remand extension. [NOTE: As people pass him by in the street, the teen threw the firebombs at a tall cement army post tower where there was no chance that soldiers would be injured. - OH] (Ynet Hebrew and VIDEO)
  • Turkey refused the Israeli aid offer following the earthquake - Defense Minister Gantz instructed the IDF to prepare for emergency assistance and the military attache in Turkey forwarded the proposal to the authorities - who also refused proposals from other countries. The Jewish community in Izmir has announced that there are no casualties in its vicinity. (Maariv)
  • Palestinian Authority to resume accepting tax money collected by Israel - Palestinian official later denies reports, insisting Ramallah will continue to refuse funds until Jerusalem agrees to its demands such as easing restrictions on movement of goods and people between West Bank and Gaza Strip. (Agencies, Ynet)
  • EU contributes €10 million for the payment of September salaries and pensions of Palestinian civil servants - The €10 million contribution is funded by the European Union and targets civil servants, mostly working in the social sectors of health and education, as well as pensioners in the West Bank. (WAFA)
  • Explained: Why the Muslim World Is Protesting Against France - Once again, Charlie Hebdo caricatures depicting the Prophet Muhammad have sparked outrage among the Muslim community and national conversations of freedom of speech and how to go about countering radical extremists. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Condemns Terrorist Attacks in France - The prince stressed his rejection of hate speech, and any justification for crime, violence and terrorism, WAM said. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Dubai’s DP World Joins Bid to Buy Haifa Port - Joint bid with Israel Shipyards Industries in tender to privatize port marks one of the biggest deals to emerge from normalization of Israel-UAE ties. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • In Texas, Jewish Republicans Step in Against Lawsuit Seeking to Reject 127,000 Drive-through Votes - Benjamin Ginsberg, who chairs the ADL's Southwest region, and Joe Straus petition lawsuit claiming drive through voting is illegal and that the sites were located in areas favoring Democratic voters. In a Washington Post opinion piece, Ginsberg wrote that the current wave of Republican voting litigation represents a setback for the party and urged readers not to vote for Trump. “The GOP lawyers managing these lawsuits may have tactical reasons for bringing each,” he wrote. “But taken as a whole, they shout the unmistakable message that an expanded electorate means Trump loses.” A fifth-generation Texan, Straus was the state’s first Jewish speaker, and some members of the Texas State Republican Executive Committee took issue with his non-Christian identity in 2010. (Haaretz+)


Features:

The Democrats' 'Jewish Squad' Is Fighting for Reelection in Trump Country
Reps. Elissa Slotkin, Elaine Luria, Kim Schrier and Susan Wild may not be as well known as AOC’s squad but they’re a new breed of blue lawmaker, flipping traditionally GOP districts. (Allison Kaplan Sommer, Haaretz+)

Top Commentary/Analysis:
Is Trump Working on a Syria Deal That Includes Normalization With Israel? (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) New Omani ambassador is a sign that the Arab League position could be softening on Assad, while White House dealings with Syria spark a flurry of speculation.
US Elections: "Trump First" vs. "America First" (Shlomo Shamir, Maariv) The president does not show a willingness to change his controversial conduct, on the contrary: in the face of Biden's politeness, he is getting wilder. Joe Biden, if elected, will have to face the progressive wing of his party, is he capable?…It is impossible to summarize the US presidential election campaign without considering Israel and its interests. It seems that for the Jewish community in the United States, no matter who wins the election, no significant change in America's friendly policy toward Israel is expected. Senior Jewish officials who have worked alongside Biden in his roles as senator and vice president say that Israel has no better, friendly, stronger and more confident supporter than Biden. The only change that is expected for Israel is its place on the political priority scale in the White House and in the Biden administration. Israel will not be a top priority. Biden as president will not invest special efforts to achieve normalization and peace agreements between Israel and Arab countries. In his eyes, Israel is a regional power, a solid democracy that can take care of itself. The fear of the Democratic Progressive wing's influence on him as president is exaggerated. The influence of this wing in the party is marginal and its representatives will not have the ability to change Biden's decisions and moves, if elected. What is certain is that Israel will not be harmed by the return of normalcy to the White House
A steadfast partnership (Dan Schueftan, Israel Hayom) Beyond the basic commitments to a democratic regime and individual rights, the ethos shared by the mainstream American public and the Israeli public is the same.
We must not turn political opinions into a test of who is with us and who is not (Nadav Tamir, Maariv) The current situation, in which the State of Israel makes decisions that affect the lives of all the Jews of the world without consulting them, will deepen the dangerous rift with Diaspora Jewry.
The Crusaders Are Back. Now They're Called Evangelicals (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) While Peter the Hermit was in Jerusalem on pilgrimage, Jesus came to him in a dream and told him to go back to Europe and gather an army that would return to liberate the Christian East from the Muslim infidels. This was the popular face of the origin of the Crusades at the beginning of the second millennium. These bloody wars went on for about 200 years. Simon Sebag Montefiore, in his book “Jerusalem: The Biography,” quotes a church figure who says of those days that violence had seized control over nations, and fraud, deceit and betrayal overshadowed everything. That was the spirit that prevailed in Europe on the eve of the Crusades. One could similarly describe the condition of the United States under the representative of the Christian evangelicals, President Donald Trump…
Trump is good for Europe, too (Eldad Beck, Israel Hayom) Since World War II, the Europeans' attitude toward the US has been infantile. They expect to get whatever they want, while giving nothing. Now they are learning that their preconceptions were wrong.
The settlements are flourishing, and thanks to Rabin's roads (Peace Now Settlement Watch team member, Hagit Ofran, Ynet Hebrew) The attitude of the late Prime Minister to the settlements was an unsolved riddle. On the one hand, he insisted on freezing construction, and on the other hand, he invested billions in infrastructure that doubled the Jewish population in the Territories…About two years ago, journalist Barak Ravid published a letter he found in the State Archives, in which then Yesha Council spokesman Aharon Domb told Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin that his actions could lead to his assassination: "Unfortunately, I have been hearing more and more lately that the only solution to this government ... is political assassination." The letter was sent in May 1994, about a week after the signing of the Cairo Agreement, also known as the "Oslo I" or the Gaza-Jericho Agreement. It stipulated that an authority would be established in the territories to take over the day-to-day management of the Palestinians, first in Gaza and Jericho, from which the IDF would withdraw, and then in other cities. According to the Cairo Agreement and the subsequent "Oslo II" agreement, settlements would continue to exist at all intermediate stages. Their final status will be decided in the permanent agreement. But not all settlers responded in the same spirit. A few months before Barak Ravid's revelation, a former American diplomat published a memoir of a meeting with one of the settler leaders in his office in Psagot. He told the diplomat calmly that he and his friends have plans to stop the Oslo process. He presented her with maps of roads and infrastructure that were then in various stages of realization, which he said would bring in more masses of new settlers and connect them to Israel until it will not be possible to evict them. He knew what he was talking about. Following the signing of the Oslo Accords, the Rabin government invested billions of shekels in infrastructure and bypass roads in the Territories. They were built with great speed and investment (bypassing Ramallah, the tunnel road and the Hebron bypass), became the routes of the settlements and led to tremendous growth: No more travel within Palestinian cities on crowded and dangerous roads. Instead, highways and convenient roads that significantly shorten travel time from Israel and strengthen the sense of security. One of the remaining unsolved riddles in Rabin's image is his attitude toward the settlements. He began his term in 1992 with an unprecedented construction freeze, including a halt to projects in progress. The rampant construction of the Shamir and Sharon government as Minister of Housing - about 7,000 housing units a year - dropped to about 1,300 units. Rabin saw this as an Israeli interest and called it "changing national priorities." This is also the reason why he insisted that the cessation of settlements would not be part of the commitment in the agreement: he wanted to emphasize that it was done out of an Israeli interest and not the result of a Palestinian demand. Binyamin Netanyahu, who led the fight against the Oslo Accords, was elected prime minister after Rabin’s assassination and immediately canceled the construction freeze. Dozens of new settlements began to be built under his leadership, using the outposts method. Because Rabin made sure that the Oslo Accords did not include an explicit commitment to freeze construction in the settlements, but a vague wording that "neither side will take unilateral steps that will affect the permanent settlement," it was relatively easy for Netanyahu to return to construction without being perceived as violating the agreement. The infrastructure required to expand the settlements from the days of Netanyahu onwards was provided by the roads already built by Rabin. Why did Rabin do that? This was certainly not a conspiracy. He did not seek to leave the settlements forever and the Oslo Accords were not really intended to establish a "subcontractor" for Israel in the form of the Palestinian Authority that would take care of the daily lives of the Palestinians for it. Rabin apparently believed that the evacuation of settlements would cost him too much politically (later he paid with his life without evacuating even one settlement). But he was wrong if he estimated that it would be better to postpone dealing with the settlements at the permanent stage. Ehud Barak, who was elected in 1999, repeated the same mistake. In the year 2000 alone, 5,000 (!) housing units were built in the settlements, and to tell the truth, we, too, in Peace Now did not bother him too much about it because we wanted to support the big story, the seemingly imminent permanent agreement. Why did Rabin do so? This was certainly not a conspiracy. He did not want to leave the settlements forever and the Oslo Accords were not really intended to establish a "subcontractor" for Israel in the form of the Palestinian Authority, which would take care of the daily lives of the Palestinians for it. Rabin apparently thought that the evacuation of settlements would cost him too much politically (later he paid with his life without evacuating even one settlement). But he was wrong if he thought that it would be better to postpone settlement treatment to the permanent stage. Ehud Barak, who was elected in 1999, repeated the same mistake. In 2000 alone, 5,000 (!) Housing units were built in the settlements, and to tell the truth, we too in peace now did not bother him too much about it because we wanted to support the big story, the seemingly imminent permanent agreement. In the Book of Kings it is said of many kings in their time "only the stages did not go away.” Even righteous kings did not succeed in uprooting from the people the ritual of sacrificing animal sacrifices on the stages outside the temple. In this spirit, it can be said that even the Israeli leaders, for the sake of peace, did not manage to stop the settlements, in the sense that "only the settlements did not go away.” If in 1993 there were about 110,000 settlers, today the number stands at 450,000. The permanent agreement becomes much more difficult to implement. If we are people who have a desire for life, if we want to ever have the opportunity to resolve the conflict and reach two states for two peoples, we must immediately stop building in the settlements, regardless of negotiations. It is necessary and it is possible.
To Israel, Arabs Are Second-class Murder Victims (Haaretz Editorial) It seems as if the number of murdered Arabs isn’t of sufficient interest to the government. An examination by Haaretz found that police have solved only 20 percent of this year’s murders in the Arab community. In Jewish society the resolution rate is 50 percent. When the police want to solve a murder, they can. That’s what happened when gunmen seriously wounded a policeman during action in Tira. Within a month and a half the murder was solved and indictments were handed down, because the police allotted resources to find the perpetrators. It also happened after Rifa Abu Muamar, a teacher, was killed in her home just before school started from stray fire originating from a dispute among clans. But not every killing in the Arab community gets such attention. Most of those murdered are known to police from clan conflicts, and only when the victim is not involved in such disputes and it becomes public knowledge is the crime solved quickly.
25 years since the assassination of Rabin: Those who incited then, are distorting history today (Natan Zehavi, Maariv) Yitzhak Rabin was a role model, as was his mother, “Rose the Red." 25 years after the assassination, some of the instigators against him have become leaders who distort history. In this way, they also managed to turn the cigarette seller from Warsaw Square, who died this week, into a target…In one of the programs on Army Radio station, the station's senior commentator and real boss, Jacob Bardugo, returned to the name "Kings of Israel Square” (instead of its post-Rabin assassination name, ‘Rabin Square.’ - OH] It is difficult for him to say Rabin Square. When the military station was asked to explain this, they pumped up some weightless arguments, and moved on to the next story of the day. Recently a huge team of journalists and academic degree holders have distorted history, reality, and turned much of the written and broadcast media into propaganda broadcasts by Balfour [Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu - OH]and the ruling party. More and more often I find myself silencing the radio or switching channels on TV for fear of having a heart attack when I hear the poison squirting out of the mouths of the "media people" on behalf of [Netanyahu - OH]…In these days we mark the 25th anniversary of the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin by Yigal Amir, the son of the renowned kindergarten teacher and educator from Herzliya. A religious, right-wing young man, “Second Israel,“ who received permission from certain rabbis on the fanatical right to be the executor of "Pulsa Denura,” [religious permission to murder someone who harms the religion - OH] from the religious seminar of some weak-minded Messianic Jews, who convinced him that Rabin met the criteria of "persecuting law" [Jewish law that allows killing one of your own people in order to defend yourself - OH] and "moral law”[ Jewish law, according to which, it is permissible to kill a person giving away parts of Israel, in order to prevent him from doing so. - OH].
No, Netanyahu Is Not Yitzhak Rabin's Successor (Itamar Rabinovich, Haaretz+) In his article on October 30 (“Rabin’s legacy lives on through Netanyahu”), Haaretz editor Aluf Benn describes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as the successor of Yitzhak Rabin. “The agreements Netanyahu has signed with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain recall the Rabin legacy,” he writes. “It took another 25 years for Israel to get back on the path that had been blocked by three bullets from Yigal Amir’s gun.” This is a distorted perception of both Yitzhak Rabin’s path and of Benjamin Netanyahu’s policy. The core of Rabin’s policy, according to Benn, was the attempt to strengthen Israel’s international and regional status by cooperating with U.S. President Bill Clinton and forming an alliance with the moderate Sunni countries. Rabin, he says, “was leery of an agreement with Syria,” and regarded Yasser Arafat with suspicion and contempt…But the heart of his strategy was to develop relations with our nearest neighbors – Jordan, Syria, the Palestinians and Lebanon – in order to prepare for the threats posed by Iran and Iraq. He did not attempt to reach an overall solution to the conflict with the Palestinians, but believed in a gradual progress, and thought that a breakthrough could be achievedav by means of treaties with Syria or the Palestinians themselves…
The demonstrators against Netanyahu are not violent, and that is exactly what is bothering him (Relik Shafir, Maariv) Advice to my friends in the protest movements against Netanyahu, advice which was also given to demonstrators against Trump in the past: Do you want to upset the leader? Preserve law and order, be courteous and patriotic…The demonstrations against Benjamin Netanyahu took place for a long time in a relatively moderate atmosphere. With all the understandable fervor of the demonstrators, no incidents such as those of the ultra-Orthodox protests in the past in Mea Shearim were recorded, in which, for example, garbage containers were set on fire. How did it happen, then, that the current demonstrations became plays of violence? An examination of the demonstrations taking place in the United States reveals that the change did not take place by chance, and that it was not necessarily born on the initiative of the demonstrators. Researchers from the University of Toronto and Stanford examined three current protest movements: animal rights, anti-Trump and Black Lives Matter. They showed subjects pictures of demonstrators carrying posters and calling out slogans and then they showed them pictures of people demonstrating for the same purpose as they smashed shop windows and collided violently with the police. Their conclusion were definitive: Violent actions on the part of the demonstrators alienate potential supporters who stand aside and wonder among themselves whether to join the protest. The researchers explained that the violence evokes in the person standing aside the reluctance to harm the social order, and this outweighs his sympathy for the purpose for which the demonstration is taking place. Following this study, David Frum wrote in the Atlantic magazine to protesters against Trump: "Do you want to upset him? Keep the law and order, be kind and patriotic.”…Presumably these matters have not gone unnoticed by our Prime Minister. First of all, he branded the protesters as "anarchists." But how can anyone call, for example, the 104-year-old Alex Ziloni, one of the founders of the Air Force, who joined the demonstrations, as such? This indicates, in my view, how much Netanyahu understands the danger that awaits him from a non-violent protest. On the 25th anniversary of Rabin's assassination, he went on to say in his speech in the Knesset that "there is an explicit incitement to assassinate the prime minister and his family - morning news - and almost no one opens their mouth here."After these comes the next step: increasing the level of violence in demonstrations to deter participants from joining. When the protesters are violently attacked, we did not hear any condemnation from the Prime Minister. Did he expect these clashes to escalate, and then it would be possible to justify a tougher hand on the part of the police? One way or another, to our delight this did not happen, and therefore, I suspect that Netanyahu apparently had no choice but to ostensibly harass the police in protest, for no justifiable reason. It seems that Netanyahu chooses to hide behind the one who does his work, Minister of Internal Security Amir Ohana, and he did, indeed, provide the goods, as was revealed more than once in demonstrations in Tel Aviv. "It seems that the police are acting today out of fear of the political echelon and not out of fear of the law," said former police commissioner Moshe Karadi recently. l suggest to my friends in the protest movements not to be dragged into Netanyahu's plan, and I will repeat the advice: do you want to upset his? Be law-abiding, courteous and patriotic. (The author is a brigadier general in the army, he was an one of the pilots who attacked the Iraqi reactor in 1981.)
Demonstrations against Rabin were furious, but incitement calls against Netanyahu are more severe today (Yossi Ahimeir, Maariv) The scars of the terrible trauma will remain in the heart of the entire nation for many years to come. Even today, a distinction must be made between legitimate criticism, which is the soul of democracy, and manifestations of incitement on the right and left.
Dubai has long realized that without political Islam and the Palestinian problem, the chances of growth are skyrocketing (Jacky Hougi, Maariv) Faster, stronger, higher. An Israeli who lands in the UAE understands very well why they found us so interested, which sometimes leads to admiration. We will soon adore them too. Notes from a visit.
The earthquake in the Arab world and the aftershocks in the Palestinian arena (Avi Issacharoff, Maariv) After the peace agreements with the Gulf states, the Palestinian problem is still alive and kicking. In Ramallah, they were shocked by the normalization of relations with Sudan and are now waiting for the results of the US elections. And also: Marwan Barghouti - the prisoner who plans to be the next Palestinian president. For those who have forgotten, Barghouti, now 61, is considered the architect of the Second Intifada, for those who worked hard to make it break out, and since its outbreak he has been among the first supporters of making it armed, or in Arabic "military." In April 2002, after a long chase, he was arrested at the home of his friend Ziad Abu Ein in Ramallah (Abu Ein died of a heart attack during a demonstration against Israel) by a force from the IDF Duvdevan undercover unit [which in contravention of Geneva Conventions pretended to be medics and rode in a Palestinian ambulance in Ramallah to avoid being stopped - OH] and since then, he has been detained in an Israeli prison for more than 18 years. A little over three years, Barghouti led a hunger strike that was supposed to be one of the largest known in Israeli prisons. It ended, however, with almost no consequences, after its leader and sergeant - Marwan Barghouti himself - was filmed secretly devouring a tortilla snack. It was a moment of victory for the prison service, which set up the ambush against Barghouti, but also to Barghouti's rivals on the Fatah Central Committee. To this day his men swear that some of the senior members of the movement took every possible action to thwart the hunger strike. Barghouti's mistake made him disappear a bit from the local political arena, as did the discussion about the possibility that one day he would be Abu Mazen’s successor. However, according to various Palestinian sources, Barghouti still insists that in the presidential election, if and when they take place, he intends to present his candidacy - as a Fatah representative or as an independent representative. That is, even if Fatah has another candidate, Barghouti will run against him. For now at least, according to opinion polls in the PA, Barghouti is still considered the leading candidate. In other words, there is a certain probability that one day Israel will wake up and discover that the president-elect in the PA is none other than its most famous security prisoner. "There is no point in making a decision at the moment regarding Marwan's participation in this election," explains his associate and friend Qaddura Fares in a conversation with me. "When Abu Mazen publishes the presidential election order, he will then announce what he intends to do. But the chances are that he will indeed run, and I do not know whether in the name of Fatah or not. It depends on the movement and how it chooses its candidate. If there is no real democratic plan for Fatah in the run-up to the presidential election, that is, real primaries, then Fatah will have more than one candidate. I still think Marwan has the best chance of winning, even from prison.” Barghouti is no longer a child. It has been 18 years or more since he played "Cops and Robbers” with the Shin Bet and Duvedevan unit soldiers. He maintains his figure and does quite a bit of sports in prison and still strives for a solution according to the formula of the "two states.” However, according to Fares, there is no doubt that Barghouti also shares the need for soul-searching and change in Palestinian politics in the face of regional developments, i.e. the agreements with Arab states and the understanding that the Palestinian Authority's era in its current form is nearing completion. And here we must already say the things that there are those who want to escape from them on the Israeli and American side. The Palestinian issue is not going anywhere, certainly not disappearing. What we were hoping to hide now we might encounter in a different, more dangerous and problematic way, Marwan Barghouti-style, down the road. The era of the day after Abu Mazen is not expected to be similar at all to the current one. "This whole period, in terms of Palestinian and Arab politics, is not clear. My assessment is that we are at the end of a period," Fares explains. "The current picture, that of the last 27 years (the Oslo Accords and the establishment of the Palestinian Authority - Israel) will not remain. This quiet, the acceptance on the Palestinian side of the situation, it will not last. It stems from weakness and confusion. We are heading for a new era for us. Everything has changed around us, and only with us nothing has changed. It is true that there are still people who talk about two states here and there is quite a bit of talk about a 'Palestinian state', but perhaps instead of a Palestinian state we should talk about equal rights. Why do we need a country without sovereignty, without an army, a demilitarized state? What's the point? Many of us today think that it would be better for there to be a country called Israel, but for us to have equal rights there like those of Israeli citizens. One thing I can assure you - staying under occupation, it will not happen. And between equal rights and the establishment of a Palestinian state, my feeling is that the majority of us prefer equal rights. The agenda of the current Palestinian leadership is over. Failed. Who made it fail? That’s less important. The significant point is the failure. We do not want ‘Fauda’ (chaos), and there is great disappointment from Hamas as well. One of our big problems is the tendency to blame the occupation and not take stock. It does not exist in our culture, to check where we went wrong. It is one of our unfortunate customs - is to blame the Israeli occupation and not to take stock. And unfortunately, our leaders today say things that repeat themselves and no one listens to them anymore. "
The Latest in Jewish Morality: House Demolitions, Displacement, Settlement Construction (Amira Hass, Haaretz+)  Israel destroyed a 1.5-kilometer water pipeline, and in doing so cut off the villages of Mughayer al-Abid and Khirbet Al-Majaz in the Masafer Yatta (Hebron district) from their water supply. The destroyers ignored the fact that the villagers of Masafer Yatta have petitioned the High Court of Justice against the damage to the pipes that bring water to them from the central tap in the village of Al-Tawani. The proceeding has been scheduled for March. Israel claims it has a right to expel the residents from their villages so the IDF can conduct training exercises with live fire in the area. That is why it forbids them to link up to the infrastructure and destroys roads that they widened and cleared of rocks…But the unauthorized outpost of Avigayil was established in Masafer Yatta and is linked up to the electricity and water infrastructure, and a paved road leads to it…
The agreement with Sudan fills me with horror (Adam Yahya, Ynet and Ynet Hebrew)  Most Israelis are happy with the (diplomatic) relations with Sudan and I also want to be optimistic. But I know who the agreement is with. These are the people who acted to murder me. Op-Ed from the view of an asylum seeker from Darfur.
The Only Way France Can Defeat Islamic Extremism (UAE counter-terror chief Ali Al Nuaimi, Haaretz+) The West sees freedom of speech as sacred. For Muslims, respect for the Prophet is sacred, too. There needs to be dialogue, and action: Muslims need to integrate. France needs to respect Islam

Interviews:
US Ambassador to Israel tells ‘Post’: ‘Trump can change Middle East for next 100 years’
US Amb. David Frideman looks back on US president’s Israel policies and predicts what he may do with another four years. (Interviewed by Lahav Harkov in JPost/Maariv)

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

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