APN's daily news review from Israel - Wednesday November 4, 2020

Quote of the day:

"Trump created a new category of asymmetric negotiations and abolished the façade of the honest American broker, a false image that the U.S. had always tried hard to maintain. Trump’s rule was Israel first, and only after that, if he had any time and energy left, the Palestinians...Trump left Israel and the Palestinians with no diplomatic horizon. He left Israel with no chance to separate from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. And he left it with the occupation, which has dictated and continues to dictate the country’s character, laws and culture."
--Journalist Zvi Bar'el writes in an Op-Ed this morning.*

You Must Be Kidding: 
Settlers called the Israeli military, which arrived at farmland in the West Bank and detained the Palestinian landowner and an Israeli human rights volunteer who were documenting the outdoor pool that the settlers had built on the property of the Palestinian landowner.**

Front Page:

Haaretz

• US elected a president and prepares for riots (Photo of Biden on left and Trump on right)
• US woke up // Yael Sternhell
• Red Israel // Chemi Shalev
• America’s Golden Age has ended // Dafna Maor
• Failed in the test // Netanel Shlomvich
• The new corona crisis director, Prof. Nahman Eish, was dismissed from Maccabi HMO following professional dispute with the CEO
• Due to ultra-Orthodox opposition, the ministers’ committee recommended to decrease the raise in fines
• Attorney General Mendelblitt: No justification to delay appointment of senior officials, I will find it difficult to defend this in the High Court
• 4 killed in Vienna shooting attack; Terrorist believed to have acted alone
• Articles from the estate of Ben-Zvi offered for auction
• We won’t remain orphans (we’ll always have Bibi) // Zvi Bar’el
• The governance bluff // Sami Peretz
• Israeli hip-hop of Daniel On-Yami succeeds in being original and authentic in a sea of copies and duplicates
• At the height of an unprecedented economic crisis, the institution that is supposed to aid almost a million unemployable people is not operating
• Yedioth Ahronoth
• Mr. President (PHOTOS: Newspaper front page is divided. One half page has newspaper name at top and a photo of Trump, when you turn the newspaper upside down, you see newspaper name at to and a photo of Biden right-side up)

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

• High tension (Photo of Trump on left and Biden on right)

Israel Hayom

• America is counting - Our correspondent, Boaz Bismuth, reports from New York
• US voted on the ground // Amnon Lord
• It wasn’t Trump that divided America // Avraham Ben-Zvi
• Speak to Iran through sanctions // Danny Danon
• Fateful elections also for Israel // Michael Oren
• “It’s possible the background for the attack was anti-Semitism” - says Chancellor of Austria after attack in Vienna

Top News Summary:
The fear of US post-election violence, the internal rift, the meaning of the Trump era and the affect of it on Israel were top stories and commentaries that dominated today’s Hebrew newspapers. See 'US Election Hits' and 'Commentary/Analysis' below.

And, Malawi is to be the first African country to open an embassy in Jerusalem. Until now, the two countries held relations through representative offices in Kenya. While visiting Israel, Malawi Foreign Minister Eisenhower Mkaka called the decision a “bold and significant step." And, the Chabad ultra-Orthodox religious movement named its emissary to the UAE.

Also, renowned Haaretz+ interviewer Nir Gontarz went to Kaplan Hospital to interview Maher Al-Akhras, at his hospital bed, where he is on the 100th day of a hunger-strike against his detention without charges or trial. An illuminating and difficult interview about Shin Bet and Israeli judicial practices. Recommended reading. See 'Interviews' below for full interview.

US Elections Quickees:

• Pro-Trump and ‘MAGA’ messages painted on headstones at Jewish cemetery - Grand Rapids police officers find six headstones spray-painted with red paint at the Ahavas Israel Cemetery. The Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus it was outraged by "the desecration," and that the vandalism on the same day that President Donald Trump visited the city for his final campaign rally of the election was intended "to send an intimidating message to the president's opponents, and particularly, Jewish voters.” (Israel Hayom and PHOTO and Times of Israel and PHOTO)
• Can US Jews tip the scales? It's complicated - An in-depth report from the Ruderman Family Foundation and Professor Gil Troy indicates that it's doubtful that the Jewish vote has much effect at all on the results of US elections. (Dan Lavie, Israel Hayom)
• Survey reveals: An absolute majority of Jews in the United States voted for Biden - The J Street poll found that Jewish voters preferred Biden over Trump by an absolute majority of 77% versus 21%. 56& difference, compared to a 45% difference to Clinton in 2016. (Maariv)
• Cori Bush, Democrat Who Expressed Support for BDS, Wins Missouri Congressional Race - Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, who also support the movement to boycott, divest from and sanction Israel — known as BDS — won re-election. (JTA, Haaretz)
• Far-right Jewish Activist Laura Loomer Loses Congressional Race in Trump's Home District - Veteran Democratic incumbent Lois Frankel handily defeated far-right activist Loomer, a self-described ‘Islamophobe,’ in Florida’s 21st district. (Haaretz+)
• Former Jewish Federations Head Wins North Carolina Congressional Race - Kathy Manning, a former immigration attorney, defeated a Republican opponent in a Democratic district. (Haaretz)
• Two Prominent Jewish Democrats Win House Reelection in Florida - Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Rep. Ted Deutch, who both represent districts with a substantial Jewish population, kept their seats comfortably. (Haaretz+)
• Alaska Senate Race, Marred by Antisemitic Ad - The final days of the campaign were marred by an ad Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan released, which showed independent challenger Al Gross, who is Jewish, holding $100 bills, with Chuck Schumer’s face over his shoulder and a tagline that read “Lower 48 liberals are flooding Alaska with millions.” (Haaretz)
• Democrat and Republican political activists in Israel talk about the local campaign - They make phone calls to potential voters, set up stalls in the streets, are interviewed on television, and do not give up until the last minute - even after all the voting ballots of the Israelis have reached their destination. (Ilana Stutland, Maariv)
• 'US election results will not affect Israeli elections' - Likud official tells Israel Hayom that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already worked with Democrats who were less friendly to Israel than US President Donald Trump. (Israel Hayom)
• Israeli UN Envoy Says Partnership With U.S. to Persist Regardless of Election Result - Addressing fears of riots and violence in New York City on Election Day, Gilad Erdan, a former public security minister, says he would've resorted to barricading stores there. (Haaretz)
• 'It's Lovely to Watch': Khamenei Mocks U.S. Election in Televised Address - Supreme Leader says result will not influence Iran's policy on relations with the United States. (Agencies, Haaretz)

Quick Hits:

• Israeli settlers beat up, injure two elderly Palestinians near Jenin - A group of settlers attacked with stones Palestinian vehicles driving on Jenin-Nablus road, severally beating up two Palestinians, aged 62 and 65, after destroying their car, causing them injuries and bruises throughout their bodies. They were both hospitalized. Settlers also attacked a carwash and homes in the village of Burqa. No injuries were reported. (WAFA)
• Israeli settlers cut down dozens of olive trees south of Nablus - Settlers from the Israeli settlement outpost of Kida, built illegally on expropriated land in the village of Jaloud to the south of Nablus, cut down dozens of fully grown and years old olive trees. (WAFA)
• Hamas expresses outrage after over 80 Palestinians infected with COVID-19 at Gilboa Prison - The source warned that Hamas has sent "serious threats" to Israel that it would not remain silent if prisoners are exposed to risk. (WAFA, JPost and Al-Monitor)
• Lawmakers Find 'Intolerable' Conditions in Surprise Visit to Israeli Prison - 'The tension and the violence are growing,' says a former inmate, as incarceration conditions deteriorate under COVID-19 restrictions. Parliamentarians vow to take the case to Knesset committee. (Haaretz+)
• Palestinian security prisoner’s hunger strike hits 100 days - Shin Bet detained Maher al-Akhras, a 49-year-old dairy farmer, without charging him. Says he is suspected of membership in Islamic Jihad in late July, which he denies. [READ illuminating interview with al-Akhras in 'INTERVIEWS' below). (Times of Israel)
• **Testimony: The settler ordered, soldiers detained Israeli human rights volunteer and Palestinian farmer whose land settlers invaded - In April this year, settlers built pool on Amer Abu Hijleh's private land, north of West Bank town of Beit Istia. After Israeli Civil Administration demolished the pool, the settlers rebuilt it. The landowner and Yesh Din volunteers who arrived at the scene Tuesday to document the work were detained by the army and interrogated for hours. (Local Call Hebrew and PHOTOS and WAFA)
• Israel Postpones Demolition of West Bank Bedouin Village Amid Coronavirus Crisis - The government tells the High Court, which green-lighted the demolition back in 2018, that it won't evict Khan al-Ahmar until an 'agreeable' outline is formulated. (Haaretz+)
• Israeli forces demolish residential structures in northern Jordan Valley - Israeli forces demolished Tuesday dozens of structures belonging to 11 Palestinian families in Hamsa al-Foqa area in the northern Jordan Valley, said Ghassan Daghlas, who is monitoring settlers’ activities in the north of the West Bank. (WAFA)
• GoFundMe blocks BDS group from withdrawing funds on its platform - Palestine Action is seeking to raise 10,000 pounds to “support direct action against Israeli apartheid.” (Israel Hayom)
• 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+)
• No Justification for Delay in Appointing Senior Public Officials, Israel's Attorney General Says - Due to his ongoing trial, Attorney General Avichai Mendelblitt barred Netanyahu from involvement in the selection of the state prosecutor and police commissioner. (Haaretz+)
• Right-wing demonstration against Attorney Geneal Mendelblitt: About 300 demonstrators at Goren Square in Petah Tikva - The demonstration, organized by ‘Im Tirtzu’ [semi-fascist - OH] right-wing organization, focused on the recent arrests against three of Mendelblitt’s neighbors, who made (negative) remarks to him about Netanyahu's corruption cases. Mendelblitt’s security guards were the ones to file complaints. The protesters held Israeli and Likud flags and expressed support for the prime minister. (Maariv)
• Communication ministry's gear stolen before Internet event with minister - Communication Minister Yoaz Hendel headed south to the Bedouin communities of Kuseife and Tel as-Sabi on Tuesday to mark the beginning of a new high-speed Internet connection service there. However, the necessary gear that enables the service was stolen before he arrived. In July, Hendel promised the Bedouin fast internet, where infrastructure in general and internet services in particular are especially poor. (Maariv and JPost)
• Following the report in Maariv: MK Lahav Herzno demands an explanation from Education Minister regarding the “disparagement of Rabin's assassination" - Maariv reported that Rabin's assassination was taught this year in Israeli educational institutions under the theme, "From Crisis to Opportunity," comparing the heinous murder to the corona plague. Following this, MK Yurai Lahav-Herzno (Yesh Atid - TELEM party) demanded explanations from Minister Yoav Galant. (Maariv)
• State opposes assassin Yigal Amir's furlough request: "Considerations of state security and public order" - The assassin of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin wanted to get out of prison on the occasion of his son's bar mitzvah at the family home in Herzliya, and petitioned the court after being refused by the Israel Prison Service. The prosecution wants to dismiss the petition. The Shin Bet recently ruled: "There is a real security risk, Amir is a dangerous activist who headed a terrorist cell.” (Ynet Hebrew)
• Contentious Draft Exemption for ultra-Orthodox to Be Annulled, Israel's Top Court Rules - The divisive law, which has dragged Israel into an election in the past, has resurfaced after the High Court rejected a request for a further six month delay. (Maariv and Haaretz+)
• Ministers cut coronavirus-fine hike by half after pressure from ultra-Orthodox - Ultra-Orthodox lawmakers claim increased fines for opening educational institutions single out their sector and threaten to vote against motion in Knesset; penalties for opening businesses and holding mass gatherings in violation of health directives also reduced. (Ynet)
• Israel virus cases up, positive test rate falls - Health Ministry figures show 774 new cases with a 2.3% positivity rate on Monday as testing levels also increase. (Ynet)
• Israeli Scientists Use AI to Reconstruct Broken Babylonian Tablets - Gaps in ancient text are so frustrating. Now artificial intelligence can be trained to plausibly restore missing cuneiform signs in ancient Babylonian texts, Israeli historian demonstrates. (Haaretz+)
• Battle Over Control of Key Zionist Fundraising Organization Pits Jewish Donors Against Netanyahu - Lawsuit filed by board members of Keren Hayesod, which raises about $200 million a year for Israel from around the world, is challenging an agreement to oust its world chairman, Sam Grundwerg. (Haaretz+)
• Armenian PM slams Israel for siding with 'Turkey, terrorists' in Azerbaijan conflict - Pashinyan says Israel's involvement in dispute is clear since 'Israeli UAVs are actively used in the war against Nagorno-Karabakh,' adding that Jerusalem should take a step back and question who its partners are in this conflict. (Ynet)
• Eighteen Years On, Qatar to Fulfill Promise of Advisory Council Elections - Citizens set to elect two-thirds of the government's consultation council in 2021, but expert says it is unlikely to lead to a push for political rights. (Agencies, Haaretz+)
• Turkey Pulling Back From Second Syrian Military Post, Sources Say - The forces pulling back from Shir Maghar in the Hama province will rebase at a new military post in the rebel-held area of Idlib province, where thousands of Turkish troops are stationed, Turkish security source says. (Agencies, Haaretz)
• Four Killed, More Than 20 Injured in Suspected Terror Attack in Vienna - One 'Islamic State sympathizer,' who 'fooled de-radicalization program' killed. 14 arrested in immediate crackdown. Head of Jewish community says unclear if synagogue was the target. (Agencies, Haaretz)

Top Commentary/Analysis:
Israel's Future Health, Education Budgets Will Be Decided on in the White House (Hagai Amit, Haaretz+) A Trump reelection would likely mean a continuing arms race that would make increases in non-defense-related funding improbable.
Why Israelis Like Trump (Prof. Efraim Inbar, Israel Hayom) After four years, Trump's popularity in Israel has peaked. For most Israelis, no other American administration can claim to be more supportive of Israel than Trump's.
Trumpism Has Split the American Jewish Community Into Two Warring Tribes (Jonathan S. Tobin, Haaretz+) U.S. Jews constitutes some of Trump’s fiercest opponents – and his most fervent supporters. This is how, and why, the split happened, and whether the divide can ever be bridged
The world sees the US election as a reality show. Israelis are participating in it (Meir Uziel, Maariv) The United States with Biden is a different United States, and if that is the situation we certainly need Netanyahu's leadership. It became really necessary, because with Biden and a spice of Sanders, there is no Israeli leader who can stand (up to them) apart from Netanyahu.
Israel’s self-centered Trump-worship warrants an apology to American Jews (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) Public opinion loves the president’s pro-Israel policies and ignores the rest, including the fear and loathing he elicits among fellow Jews.
A fateful election for Israel (Michael Oren, Israel Hayom) Regardless who wins the US presidential election the US will continue down an isolationist path. We Israelis need to do more to stand on our own two feet and defend our vital interests. As a strong and sovereign state, we can.
The Mideast is waiting with bated breath (Shimrit Meir, Yedioth/Ynet) The outcome of the U.S. presidential elections are of great importance to the region, with some nations preferring not to position themselves in a way that could impact them negatively if Joe Biden does win the presidency.
Who is eroding the foundations of American democracy? (Pnina Shuker, Israel Hayom) Hint: It's not US President Donald Trump and the Republican campaign.
The election surprise is not the identity of the president-elect, but America itself (Ran Edelist, Maariv) Although anyone who wandered a bit between the East Coast and the West came back with stories about the primitiveness of the countryside. I did not believe that Trump would still give a fight to any non-gorilla candidate.
*Israel Doesn't Need Trump. We'll Always Have Bibi (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Trump thoroughly destroyed the basic formula of Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy – land for peace – as well as the formula that had united Arab states around the principle “first the territories and afterward normalization.” Both these (US policy) paradigms were overturned. Instead, Trump created a new category of asymmetric negotiations and abolished the façade of the honest American broker, a false image that the U.S. had always tried hard to maintain. Trump’s rule was Israel first, and only after that, if he had any time and energy left, the Palestinians...Trump left Israel and the Palestinians with no diplomatic horizon. He left Israel with no chance to separate from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. And he left it with the occupation, which has dictated and continues to dictate the country’s character, laws and culture. Nevertheless, his legacy will remain. Even if Joe Biden is the next U.S. president, Trumpism will survive in Israel for as long as Netanyahu remains prime minister...

A divided country speaking 2 different languages (Boaz Bismuth, Israel Hayom) The chasm in the US between the warm support Trump receives from his "base" and the media's blatant enmity toward him is important for understanding his historical significance.
Attorney General's Conflict of Interests Agreement With Netanyahu Legitimizes Corruption (Haaretz Editorial) It’s hard not to laugh at Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit’s pretense of preventing the prime minister’s conflict of interests by making him sign a legal document. By this time, one would have expected Mendelblit to finally understand who he’s dealing with and what Benjamin Netanyahu’s word is worth. The bottom line is that no agreement in the world is capable of preventing the conflict of interests that Netanyahu has as someone accused of serious crimes. His interests as a criminal defendant are at odds with his obligations as prime minister and have a real influence on his decisions…And the agreement doesn’t prevent his obedient servants from doing the same in his stead, and they are actively involved in both the law enforcement system and judicial appointments.
Both the right and the left distort the memory of Rabin (Yossi Hadar, Maariv) On the one hand there are those on the left who use his memory only to slam the right. On the other hand, there are those on the right who continue to make light of Rabin Memorial Day and his image. What about a drop of respect, what about a bit of stateliness?
Can Happen With Trump, So Why Not Ask for the F-22 Jet? (Yossi Melman, Haaretz+) Reports that the United States has approved the sale of the world’s most advanced stealth fighter jet to Israel have no basis in fact. Also, Netanyahu learned from Trump how to cut the intelligence community down to size.
 

Interviews:
'In the Next Few Hours My Life Is in Concrete Danger. I Don’t Want to Die, but I'm Not Giving Up'
An interview with Maher Akhras, a Palestinian whom Israel is jailing without a trial, and who has been on a hunger strike for 100 days. 'I do not choose death. But I am standing steadfast until all of us, as human beings, are free.’ (Interviewed by Nir Gontarz in Haaretz+)
The interview, which this column usually conducts over the phone, was done face-to-face at the interviewee's room at Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot, due to the condition of his health.
NG: Hello to Maher Akhras, the administrative detainee who has been on a hunger strike for 100 days. My name is Nir Gontarz and I’m a journalist with Haaretz. Do you speak Hebrew?
A little.
With me is Rajaa Natour, the editor of Haaretz's Hebrew-Arabic Bilingual Arena. She’ll help me with the translation. How are you?
Praise the lord.
How old are you?
Forty-nine.
Your wife is here by your side. How many children do you have?
Six children. Three girls and three boys.
Where are you from?
A village near Jenin.
It’s obvious that your physical condition isn't good. How's your mental condition?
Praise the lord. In the meantime, stable.
Why are you here at Kaplan Hospital?
It was the decision of the court, and then of the military commander.
Were you there for the hearing?
I was not at any of the hearings. They were all done by video.
Not even the first one, when they sought to detain you for 96 hours for interrogation?
There was a video hearing in the military court. Did you see the judge’s eyes?
The video image wasn’t clear. I couldn’t.
Were you interrogated by the Shin Bet security service after your arrest?
They refused to interrogate me. There was a judge who said, in the remand hearing, that the classified material before her was not enough to warrant an extension of my detention. She freed me. The Shin Bet and the state prosecutor asked for more time to interrogate me. In the end, she gave them six days to complete the interrogation. But they refused to interrogate me on those days. They didn’t ask me anything. I begged to be interrogated. After six days I refused to enter the court, because I hadn’t been interrogated. They placed me opposite a police interrogator named Afif. He questioned me for ten minutes. He said the suspicion is that I am connected to some organization with other people. The judge decided to free me, because there wasn't any cause for my arrest. But she delayed the implementation because they said they were considering placing me in administrative detention [incarceration without trial]. Then the military commander signed a four-month administrative detention order against me.
Let’s go back to the beginning. One day the Shin Bet showed up and just took you from your family? What did they tell you?
The army came and took me to a military base near Jenin.
And then?
They handed me a phone. On the line was the Shin Bet commander in the Jenin district. Captain “Rabia.” I know him personally.
And then?
He threatened me and laughed hysterically and ridiculed me. He said that he would humiliate me and leave me in prison. He said that he would destroy my family and my farm.
What do you grow on your farm?
I have a very large dairy cow farm.
Let’s go back to the conversation with Captain Rabia.
He told me that even if I were released, I would regret it.
I don’t understand.
He meant that he would wreck my life and that it would be preferable for me to be in detention.
What happened after that?
I was taken to Hawara [a large checkpoint just south of Nablus].
And then?
Then they took me to Ofer Camp [a prison near Ramallah].
When did you start your hunger strike?
Immediately after the conversation with Captain Rabia.
Did they try to force-feed you?
Here in Kaplan. The director of one of the wards tried to make me eat on day 42.
With a tube or a spoon?
Through the vein. They tried to tie me to the bed. But I was strong and didn’t let them do it. It made me very tired. Until then I was able to get out of bed to go to the toilet. Since then and until now, I can’t stand on my feet anymore.
According to the reports, some time ago the Shin Bet offered you a deal in which, if you stopped the hunger strike, they would let you out within two months. Do you understand the logic? How can it be that right now, you are so dangerous and need to be in custody, and just like that, in a few weeks you won't be dangerous anymore?
They offered to release me on November 29.
What’s the logic?
They want to break my hunger strike only so they can put me back in jail after my health improves. That is my fear.
I don’t feel in danger next to you, and it’s not because you’re so weak. But I don’t know a thing. Tell me, do you pose a danger for anyone in Israel?
No. I'm not a danger for anyone. Not Israeli citizens and not any other citizen in the world. I want us to live in peace, Jews and Arabs. I long for that. I don’t want us to raise weapons and fight one another.
I understand.
My medical condition at the moment requires two months of rehabilitation just to stand on my feet. If nothing happens to me until then.
I understand.
I despise the Shin Bet and the judges. How can they say things about me? It is inconceivable. My administrative detention is a disgrace to the Israeli judicial system.
I also think that to hold a person in detention without trial and without the ability to defend himself is a disgrace to the State of Israel. How long will you continue the hunger strike?
Until my freedom is given back to me and I get home to my children. The state’s intention is to execute me and to liquidate me. The decision is not in my hands, it is up to the Israeli legal system.
It’s possible that in the days ahead your consciousness will grow fuzzy or disappear. Have you permitted the doctors to give you nourishing substances at that stage?
I do not allow it.
Are you afraid that they will remove your wife from the room and force-feed you?
I am certain they will do that.
I’m sorry to say this, but you and your condition are of no interest to most of Israel’s citizens. To them you are just another Palestinian Arab in the best case, and a terrorist in the worst case. Still, there are a few who care about you and about your condition. Is there anything that minority can do for you?
Doctors, legal experts and human rights activists need to stand up to the legal system and act as a pressure group at the United Nations and all kinds of other international organizations that support human rights. In the coming hours and the coming days my life is in concrete danger. This is a critical time. I don’t want to die. I love life. I do not choose death. I want to live and return to my family. But I am standing steadfast until all of us, as human beings, will be free, and will live in freedom and will end the wars between the nations and between the states irrespective of religion. That is my faith and that is how I am educating my children and my relatives and my neighbors. I hope that all human beings will be able to realize their freedom.
Thank you. I hope you get well and leave this place soon and return to your family.
Thank you very much.

A spokesperson for Kaplan Hospital stated: "The hospital did not provide any treatment against the patient’s will and did not restrict him physically."

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