News Nosh 12.13.20

by APN 12/13/20
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APN's daily news review from Israel - Sunday December 13, 2020

You Must Be Kidding: 

“I trust Israel’s wisdom that it will know how to advance a solution to the (Palestinian) issue and not just (focus) on the issue of tourism.”

--Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said that solving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was a key part of the Morocco-Israel normalization deal.*


Front Page:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

  • The vaccine campaign began - On the way to defeating the virus: the vaccine was approved for use (Hebrew)
  • “Marhaba! We are waiting for Israeli tourists” - Israeli correspondent reports from Morocco (after Morocco declared full diplomatic relations with Israel) (Hebrew)
  • The tragedy of the Yungreis family: two children killed in car accident

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

  • Historic vaccination campaign
  • (MK Gideon) Sa’ar: Just not Bibi
  • The goal of the followers of Sa’ar: To change the (Likud) victory of 1977 // Limor Samimian-Darash
  • Killed (in car accident) on the way to grandparents
  • Holiday greetings from Moroccoa (which declared full diplomatic relations with Israel)
  • An agreement of light and happiness // Andrei Azoulay, (Jewish) advisor of the King of Morocco
  • In the light of the past: Lantern that was preserved in its entirety for 2000 years (was found)
  • Corona in Gaza: An opportunity for an agreement that will solve the problem of the captives and missing // Yoav Limor
  • The (Deputy State Prosecutor) Ben-Ari affair: Residents of Rosh Ha’ayin were suspected of lighter crimes than hers and stood trial
  • (Beitar Jerusalem soccer team owner, Moshe) Hogeg responds to the hate remarks against him (by fans for selling half the stakes in the team to an Arab): “The racism won’t win”



Top News Summary:
Pfizer’s vaccine was approved by the FDA, Likud MK-turned-renegade-prime-ministerial-candidate Gideon Sa’ar said he won’t join a coalition led by his former leader Binyamin Netanyahu and the papers highlighted very different news regarding the normalization agreement with Morocco in today’s top stories in the Hebrew newspapers. Meanwhile 2,000 Israelis protested against Netanyahu in Jerusalem for the 25th week in a row and Israel is using the transfer of corona virus vaccines as a condition to get Hamas to agree to a prisoner exchange deal on Israel’s terms.

Also of interest, Maariv (p. 10) and Ynet Hebrew reported that on Friday, an IDF officer "showed great restraint" and did not open fire on the three or four masked Palestinian youth who were throwing stones at him from point blank range. Ynet wrote that the officer pointed his gun "but did not shoot" and that was when the youth ran away. A video clip of the incident was on Palestinian social media networks. The incident took place in the agricultural area next to Al-Mughayer village. Some 30 Palestinians took part in violent civil disturbances, Maariv wrote, and soldiers responded by using crowd-dispersing means [i.e. tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets, usually. NOTE: What is interesting here is that, unlike in similar incidents reported on in the past, the newspaper did not rebuke the soldier for being 'weak' and not trying to respond with force. - OH] In the video, the officer can be seen ducking as stones rained on him.

And, Maariv reported (p. 10) that the Iranian leadership was giving conflicting messages: President Hassan Rouhani spoke about "fighting" Israel, while Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Zarif said he does not rule out peace with Israel. According to the official Iranian news agency, President  Rouhani promised in a conversation with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, who visited Teheran, that "Iran will continue to support Syria, its strategic partner, and to protect it until its final victory...Zionist occupation and terror are the joint target of both countries." On the other hand, Zarif said in a TV interview that normalizating relations with Israel is not impossible, but he did qualify his remark saying, "I simply say it is implausible to me."

People, alive, dead and imprisoned, are the subject of indirect talks between Israel and Gaza right now. Maariv’s military affairs reporter Tal Lev-Ram reported that Israel was using its demand for a more flexible prisoner exchange deal (the release of Israeli missing and dead, but no Palestinian prisoners involved in the killing of Israelis to be released in exchange, no long-term agreement between Israel and Gaza and no permission for large development projects in Gaza) as a ‘condition’ for Gaza to receive vaccines. Lev-Ram quoted sources, who said that there is a “golden opportunity” to progress in the POW and missing person deal with Hamas now due to Gaza’s corona plight. [NOTE: The Gaza Strip is part of occupied Palestine and as the occupier, Israel has the legal responsibility to care for the citizens there. Therefore, when the Palestinian Authority wants to transfer the vaccines it received from Russia to the Strip, legally, Israel must facilitate this. - OH]) Maariv’s Lev-Ram reported that the deal will NOT include a significant long-term arrangement in Gaza that would include very large projects. (See translation of article in Commentary/Analysis below.) However, Haaretz+ reported that the deal WOULD include a long-term cease-fire agreement whereby Hamas would pledge to refrain from violence and prohibit other Palestinian factions from launching rockets at Israel in exchange for large development projects in the Strip.  Yoav Limor wrote in ‘Israel Hayom’ Hebrew that Israel tarried and missed the opportunity to advance a deal last March when Hamas politburo chief Yahya Sinwar proposed an exchange of the missing Israelis in Gaza in exchange for the release of elderly Palestinians, women and children in Israeli prisons. However, Haaretz blamed Hamas for not achieving a deal earlier, writing that Israel could see at the beginning of the pandemic that Hamas was willing to compromise in negotiations over the return of the two Israeli civilians due to its need for urgent medical aid, but that a deal did not pan out because from the moment the Hamas leadership believed that it had brought the virus under control in Gaza, its desire for a deal faded.

Diplomacy:
One of the big stories was the new normalization deal with Morocco. Some of the papers sent correspondents to Morocco who wrote about how friendly the Moroccans were towards them and how much they want the Israeli tourists.  "I am a big fan of Israel," the immigration official who greeted a Yedioth Ahronoth Hebrew correspondent in Morocco declared. "We are waiting for you." Maariv reported that the Jewish community in Morocco is thrilled about the agreement, but concerned that “radical Islamists” who oppose the deal with the “Zionist occupation” would point their anger at the some 3,000-person Jewish community. Hamas called the normalization agreement "a political sin," while Islamic Jihad described it as "a betrayal of Palestine and Jerusalem."

Only Haaretz focused on the link between the Morocco-Israel deal and the controversial moves by US President Donald Trump: his notice to Congress that he is moving forward with a $1 billion advanced weapons sale to Morocco (on Haaretz’s front page) and that the US recognizes the disputed Western Sahara as belonging to Morocco. In contrast, Maariv and ‘Israel Hayom’ gave two sentences to the Western Sahara issue. The Polisario Front independence movement for Western Sahara said it "regrets highly" the U.S. decision. Interestingly, just last October at the session of the UN Security Council, the U.S. backed renewing the mandate of UN forces in the disputed Western Sahara, rather than recognizing it as Moroccan territory. Russia criticized the move saying that US backing for the Moroccan claim on the Western Sahara breaches international law. The US is also considering a $3 billion in Morocco investments, but the Trump administration said there was no connection to the agreement with Israel, the NYT reported.

*Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita gave interviews to the different Israeli media stressing that King of Morocco plans to work with the countries that already normalized relations with Israel in order “to find a solution to the difficult situation of the Palestinian people, while recognizing Israel’s security needs.”  Bourita added: “I trust Israel’s wisdom that it will know how to advance a solution to this issue and not just (focus) on the issue of tourism.” (Maariv) That said, local airlines are already preparing for direct flights to Morocco. The five-hour flight is expected to cost $400 and will begin within three to six months and the need for a visa will be eliminated, Yedioth Hebrew reported. The tourism companies believe that about 150,000 Israelis a year will travel to Morocco.

The papers also announced that Israel has established diplomatic relations with the tiny Asian country of Bhutan. But that didn’t get as much excitement in the papers.

 

Quick Hits:

  • Injured Deaf Palestinian Dies From His Wounds - Nasser Halawa, 47, a deaf and mute man from Nablus, who was shot by Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint on August 17th, 2020, died from complications related to his wounds Friday. (IMEMC)
  • Israeli settlers backed by army forces attack Palestinian journalist in Hebron - Several settlers from the nearby illegal Israeli settlements of Ramat Yishai and Beit Hadassah beat up local Palestinian journalist Mohanned Qafesheh Saturday, causing him injuries to the head, as Israeli soldiers stood by. (WAFA)
  • Occupation forces injure a Palestinian man during clashes in Kafr Qaddum - Israeli occupation soldiers raided the village, during which they stormed a house, forced the residents into one room for four hours and demolished some of its internal walls. They also clashed with protesters, and attacked them with rubber-coated rounds and teargas. (WAFA)
  • Report: “Israeli Army Killed Seven Palestinian Children In 2020” - 123 Palestinian children have been killed, and thousands have been injured, some seriously, by Israeli fire since U.S. President D. Trump recognized occupied Jerusalem as the unified capital of Israel on December 6, 2017. (IMEMC)
  • Palestinian hackers launch advanced cyberspying operation, Israeli firm says - Hackers linked to Hamas exploited Facebook, Dropbox and Google Drive to send out spyware targeting Arab leaders and states – using Netanyahu and MBS as bait. (Haaretz+)
  • IDF Coronavirus App Revealed Personal Details of Every Serving Israeli Soldier - Haaretz’s cybersecurity expert managed to crack the Israeli army’s coronavirus contact-tracing app and find the names and ID numbers of every one of the IDF's current soldiers. (Haaretz+)
  • Fearing 'selective enforcement,' Israel just doesn't prosecute COVID gatherings - Prosecutions have been temporarily suspended since reports that the police had consented to mass gatherings in the Hasidic community as long as film of the events was not made public. (Haaretz+)
  • Israel Sees Record Numbers in Poverty and Domestic Violence Since Start of Pandemic - 'These poverty rates belong to other worlds, not Israel,' social services minister tells Haaretz, as figures show many who have never turned to government assistance are doing it for the first time during the coronavirus crisis. (Haaretz+)
  • Israel Backs Off of Canceling Aid Program for Elderly, and Now Even Plans to Expand It - Pilot program providing support for hundreds of elderly people will be expanded to 250,000 people following Haaretz report. (Haaretz+)
  • WATCH As Israel set for election, Netanyahu releases duet with leading pop star - Video of the prime minister singing alongside Eden Ben Zaken drops online ahead of the first night of Hanukkah, to raise funds for charity helping senior citizens. (Haaretz+)
  • “Left-wing journalists": Why did MK Gideon Saar's replacement in the Likud hang up the phone? MK Nissim Vatori, the successor to the prime ministerial candidate, will be sworn in only tomorrow, but managed to provoke a storm live on Radio North. During the interview he was confronted with questions about his military and academic past, and decided to attack back.  (See full interview in Interviews section below. (104.5FM/Maariv)
  • Sa'ar's replacement in Knesset deleted information about unrecognized doctorate - The Council for Higher Education in Israel does not recognize degrees from the International University of Business and Law in Kherson, Ukraine, where Likud MK Nissim Vatury claims he got his doctorate. (Haaretz+)
  • Palestinians Report Highest Daily Corona Death Toll - Israel currently has 16,801 active cases; 2,996 people have died. In the West Bank, there are 15,802 active cases and 885 deaths, and in Gaza 9,308 active cases and 194 deaths. (Haaretz)
  • Palestinian Authority Set to Receive Four Million Doses of Russian COVID Vaccine - Palestinian public health commissioner makes announcement hours after the PA's Health Ministry reports highest daily death toll since pandemic began. (Haaretz+ and WAFA)
  • Iraqi President expresses support for peace that would lead to fulfillment of Palestinian rights -In visit to Iraq, Jibril Rajoub, Secretary-General of the ruling Fatah Movement, gives Iraqi President Barham Salih official letter from President Mahmoud Abbas to Iraqi counterpart. (WAFA)
  • President Abbas starts official two-day visit to Qatar - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will discuss with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, bilateral relations and the latest political developments in Palestine and the rest of the region. (WAFA)
  • Jordan's Foreign Minister rejects any alternative to UNRWA - Raising the alarm about the repercussions of the lack of (US) financial support needed to ensure the continuity of UNRWA’s vital services across its five fields of operation, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi emphasized the need for maintaining the delivery of the agency’s services. (WAFA)
  • Prisoners advocates: Israel detained 413 Palestinians in November, including 49 minors and 7 women - 157 of those detained by the Israeli occupation forces were from East Jerusalem, among them 30 minors and two women while 51 were from Isawiyya neighborhood. (WAFA)
  • Israel joins Abu Dhabi-based group fighting organized crime - International Security Alliance also includes France, Bahrain, Italy, Senegal, Spain, Singapore, Morocco and Slovakia. Manufacturers Association of Israel enters a cooperation agreement with the UAE's state agency responsible for facilitating foreign and domestic investment into Abu Dhabi. (Israel Hayom)
  • "I was traumatized”: The Israeli comedian arrested in Dubai retells the moments of drama - Guy Hochman just took out a professional camera and took pictures inside a mall, an move that ended him in an interrogation room. "I felt like I was in the 'Tehran' series," he told 103FM in an interview. (103FM/Maariv)
  • Qatar lobbies US for F-35 jets, despite terror financing, Iran ties - Doha reportedly pressures US politicians in an attempt to block proposed $23 billion arms sale to rival UAE. (Israel Hayom)
  • Chemical Weapons Watchdog Criticizes Syria Over 19 Issues - Syria ally Russia accuses the organization of conducting a 'political crusade' against Assad's regime, which is accused of using chlorine and sarin during its civil war. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Lebanese judge charges caretaker PM in August port explosion - Court charges interim leader, along with other senior officials, with carelessness and negligence leading to death of hundreds in Aug. 4 explosion at Beirut's port. (Agencies, Ynet)
  • Iran Executes Journalist Who Encouraged 2017 Protests - Ruhollah Zam, who was hanged Sunday morning, had used social media to spread the timings of the protests and embarrassing information about officials that directly challenged Iran’s Shiite theocracy. (Agencies, Haaretz)


Features:

Israeli Troops Beat the Palestinian Teen, Shattering His Jaw. Then They Cuffed Him to the Hospital Bed
Soldiers bashed a Palestinian teen with their rifles, breaking his jaw. When finally taken to the hospital, 20 hours later, he was in shackles. His father waited in the hall for three days before he could hug him. (Gideon Levy and Alex Levac, Haaretz+)
Braving raging controversy, Muslim Indonesian woman hopes for peace with Israel
"I was raised as a Muslim but have always been curious about Judaism," says Azka Daulia, who thinks it's high time "to step up to fight for the diplomatic relations between Indonesia and Israel." (Hila Timor Ashur, Israel Hayom)
A Muslim Woman and a Gay Jewish Man Are the Perfect Couple in This Show
A new exhibition brings together the paintings of Anisa Ashkar, a female Muslim, and the late Moshe Gershuni, famous in part for his art’s homoeroticism. (Uzi Tzur, Haaretz+)

Top Commentary/Analysis:
Now's the time for Israel to make peace with Iran (Ofri Ilany, Haaretz+) The shifting sands in the Middle East have elicited surprising alliances and rapprochements between sworn enemies. Is an agreement with the Islamic Republic really science fiction?
Illogical Iran policy (David M. Weinberg, Israel Hayom) Abandoning America's leverage over Iran and bringing the unctuous Europeans back into Iran policy-making – if that is what Biden does – will lead nowhere good.
For the good of all: The Abraham Agreements are the essence of the good that happened to us during Corona and that’s true for everyone (Ruth Wasserman Lande, Maariv) Unlike their (Arab) representatives in the Knesset who claimed that the Abraham Agreements "harm the Palestinian people," the Arab street fully understands the potential of peace agreements with the Emirates.
Morocco-Israel peace deal will benefit everyone (André Azoulay, Israel Hayom) Close ties between Morocco and the Jewish community and people began developing hundreds of years ago. The Jewish community in Morocco is a source of pride, and so are the Moroccans who moved to Israel and became part of the Israeli society.
Israel may seal the deal with Morocco, but the U.S. is footing the bill (Zvi Bar’el, Haaretz+) Netanyahu can boast about the new peace treaties, but Arab countries are not making peace with Israel, rather choosing a reward that suits them in exchange for the diplomatic price they pay.
The Wall of Antisemitism: The agreements with Arab countries bother those who wish us ill (Prof. Arie Eldad, Maariv) My heart goes out to the left-wingers: Those who boycott the "settlements" may now encounter it at breakfast in Bahrain and Dubai…In 2005, the nternational boycott movement on Israel was established, the BDS (Boycott, Investment Prevention and Sanctions) movement. It was joined by about 170 pro-Palestinian organizations around the world. Most Jews and many of our friends in the world understood the danger of calling for Israel to be compared to the apartheid regime in South Africa. Many of Israel's haters around the world identified in the new movement a legitimate platform for expressing their deep anti-Semitism. On the face of it, this was only opposition to the policy of the State of Israel, to the "occupation" and to the discrimination of the Arabs. But those who also read beyond the title, understood that the BDSers demand the elimination of the Jewish state by returning all the Arab refugees from the War of Independence, themselves and their descendants, to the State of Israel, and making them citizens. It is not within the borders of 1967 that these haters of Israel are fighting, but within the borders of 1947. They want to erase Israel from the map. There were those in the extreme left in Israel who were happy about the establishment of the movement and hoped that an academic, economic, cultural and political boycott would bring Israel to its knees, force it to end the "occupation" and retreat from the liberated territories. But some have already realized that haters of Israel are not really interested in "territories" but in "Israel." And Jews wherever they are Jews in the world are persecuted by those anti-Semites. As part of the "Apartheid Week" events at academic institutions in the United States, "evacuation letters" are also sent to Jewish students living in the dormitories, and their rooms are marked. BDS activists threatened foreign artists to cancel performances scheduled in Israel. Some of them surrendered. The movement was born - of course - in the country, among Arab students at our universities, from within the Palestinian Authority, and also from the extremist nucleus of anti-Zionist Jews. Those who regularly drink from the well water spit into it. There are those who call for a boycott of the academic institutions that support them, and live here in peace only thanks to the IDF. There were those who tried to settle the contradiction and hypocrisy by defining that they "only oppose the occupation." They called for a refusal of military service in Judea and Samaria West Bank), a boycott of settlement products and the persecution of Israelis living there. This boycott also slipped into the heart of Israel's academic establishment, as university leaders fought frantically against Israeli academic recognition of Ariel University in Samaria (West Bank). There are university departments in the country that will not accept those who studied or taught in Ariel as faculty members. Scientific articles will be disqualified if written "there.” Some Israeli artists refuse to perform in Judea and Samaria (West Bank). The attempt to make an institutionalized boycott by entire theaters soon crashed when the Israel haters realized they were dependent on state budgets, and a call for a boycott against me could bring them down. Despite the "Oslo Accords" - the Palestinian Authority is the main engine in this war against us. Next to it stood most of the Arab and Muslim countries. And in Egypt and Jordan, which signed peace agreements with Israel, an actual boycott was launched. To the praise of the Israeli boycotters in these lands, it can be said that they did not differentiate between Judea, Samaria and Gush Dan. The European Union also joined the BDS effort in its "light" version: labeling settlement products and imposing high tariffs on these products, or a demand not to budget for research in academic institutions in Judea and Samaria as part of the union's research program. The first to succumb to the demand to mark "settlement products" was Ehud Olmert as Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor in the Sharon government and with his consent. It was already Ariel Sharon who waved an ax at the settlement enterprise. And the flow began. Netanyahu contributed his part by agreeing to the OECD's demand for statistical research on Israel inside the Green Line, and by signing the "Horizon 2020" agreement for budgeting research. Only after about ten years did the State of Israel wake up and launch an organized counterattack. The Minister of Strategic Affairs was tasked with coordinating the struggle. Within a few years important achievements were recorded. German Chancellor Merkel and the German parliament have declared that the BDS is an antisemitic movement (senior Israeli hater Gideon Levy  wrote an article in Haaretz entitled “Be ashamed of yourself, Germany"). British Justice Secretary Michael Gov. described the BDS as "new anti-Semitism.” In France, the Court of Appeals ruled that the BDS organization's actions were illegal. The Spanish government paid hundreds of thousands of shekels in compensation to Ariel University because architecture students from that university were expelled from an international competition organized by the Spanish government. Canada, Switzerland and many US states have enacted legislation against the organization and its actions. Only recently did US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declare the organization a "cancer." Then, in these very days, a few more large stones fell from the wall of boycott and antisemitic hatred. Bahrain's trade minister announced that his country sees no difference between Israeli and "settlement" products, and Samaria council chairman Yossi Dagan, led by a delegation of wineries, cloth houses and honey producers from Samaria, signed an export agreement with a large company in Dubai this week. Woe to that shame. It is not enough that the Emirates and Bahrain signed a political peace agreement with Israel - they came to do business. And not only with the State of Israel in general - but openly with businesses from the "settlements". My heart goes out to the leftists. After all, those who boycott the settlements' produce, and even published large ads in Haaretz with the list of industrialists and farmers, wineries, oil mills and beehives in Judea and Samaria and called for a boycott, will no longer be able to travel to the new Promised Land. Take a photo in the shadow of Burj Khalifa and indulge in the luxurious hotels of the Emirates. At breakfast they may lick "Paradise" honey from a scythe, their salad may be spiced with marmalade olive oil and perhaps worst of all - they may smell Tura wine [all settlement products - OH]. After all, if they know what they are eating and what they are drinking - they may choke God forbid. As a doctor, who must take care of the health of every person and save him from the danger of death, I can only recommend to them: it is better to stay in the country and not endanger your health with these traitors, who broke the boycott.
This peace is the peace of the rich (Merav Batito, Yedioth/Ynet) The agreements between Israel and the UAE proves that Jerusalem only likes to make deals with Arabs who are wealthy and generous, while ignoring their brethren who live in devastating poverty within its borders and in Gaza.
The makings of a true Israeli-Arab friendship (Dr. Ahmed Charai, Israel Hayom) The new Middle East that has emerged since the Arab Spring is a region that is more divided on the one hand, while showing increased interest for rapprochement with Israel on the other hand.
To Normalize Ties With Israel, Saudi Crown Prince Must Placate His Father – and Biden (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) While the king sees his realm as the guardian of the whole Arab world, his son backs a Saudi-first approach. This debate will be key in relations with Israel, Iran and the new U.S. administration.
This is not Deep State, dear Yair, this is the Old State (Dr. Yoram Yuval, Ynet Hebrew) Contrary to the claim that the struggle for the end of your father's rule is being led by an unelected group of left-wing officials operating in the shadows, the truth is that these are old warriors. And they can not be stopped.
Round of Israeli Elections Would Be a Waste of Money [because Netanyahu will win] (Carolina Landsmann, Haaretz+) Oh, that Bibi. What are we going to do with him? How does he pull it off time after time? The week we saw Gideon Sa’ar giving birth to himself with forceps and no epidural, and Lucy Aharish and Tzachi Halevy sang like nobody’s listening, danced like nobody’s watching and loved like they’d never been abused by Lehava and co. activists, while Netanyahu succeeded – again – to live like this place was heaven on earth. Cross your heart and hope to die, at this stage of the game you have to take your hat off to him. The man doesn’t give in, doesn’t bend, doesn’t get scratched, doesn’t even sneeze. What, hasn’t he heard that the Netanyahu era is over? Yes, this isn’t a game and life isn’t a movie – no argument about that. And yet, there’s something in the love Netanyahu manages to generate in his supporters – that is heartwarming in itself. It’s hard to remain indifferent to it. Give me another politician in Israel who could take part in the video with (singer Eden) Ben Zaken and come out in one piece. Go to YouTube and see the comments: It’s a love story. Never mind why they vote for him – why do they love him so much? Netanyahu has that ingredient that some people have. It can’t be imitated, so it’s futile to even try.
Going to another round of elections is almost a national disaster (Uriel Lin, Maariv) Even if Kahol-Lavan’s claims about the need to pass a budget are justified, nothing will improve after the election. Higher chances of us getting a government in a worse composition than today.
Two Netanyahu Rivals Are Better Than One (Israel Harel, Haaretz+) Both Gideon Sa'ar and Naftali Bennett present an opportunity for replacing Netanyahu with a 'genuine' rightist.
https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-two-netanyahu-rivals-are-better-than-one-1.9364546
If Eizenkot forms a party, he mustn't skip this one step (Yossi Beilin, Israel Hayom) He needs to meet with every single person recommended to him, speak with them at length, and inquire about their views on a broad range of issues so that he isn't caught off guard and so that his voters don't quickly start pulling their hairs out.
To present an alternative to Gideon Sa’ar, the left-wing bloc must have a contra-big bang of its own (Ran Edelist, Maariv) The only way to make a tectonic move is a center-left bloc whose entire parts swear allegiance to a known and proven leader - and it's time to make the only person Bibi really fears  to stand up for the challenge…Saar's big bang in itself is pretty amazing, as if a crack has opened up and the Knesset seats are flowing through it. It is a result of the surprise effect that shakes a confused public seeking salvation. Despite the restrained geeky appearance, the residence in Tel Aviv and the liberalism of the upper class, Sa’ar is more extreme than Netanyahu. The irony of fate is that the transfer of mandates from Netanyahu to Sa’ar is due in part to the protests that have eroded Bibi's image. The result of the polls, insofar as it is not final, requires a constitutive left-center move. In order to present an alternative, the left-wing bloc must surprise and make a big bang. It is said that the center-left's golden goose is Gadi Eisenkot. The opinion of the commentators on all the channels is that Eisenkot may grab 4-5 seats from the right to the left. Maybe. The solid-minded man, who speaks at eye level and conveys a kind of normalcy, may convince soft-right-wingers of Kahol-Lavan who are looking for an alternative to the big Bibi who is in a Bibi Baby crib like Bennett or Sa’ar. I wish. The gossip says that Eisenkot, who has a winning Mizrachi scent, will join Sa’ar. I don’t believe it, but who knows. The man was Ariel Sharon's military secretary and supported all his moves. Whether he joins the right-wing or the left-wing, the only way to make a tectonic shift is a left bloc whose entire parts swear allegiance to a known and proven leader. One that served the parts of the block. If Bennett and Saar join Netanyahu (in the hope that the public, which is tired of broken promises, will not believe in a veteran politician like Sa’ar, who is a man of only justt-not-Bibi), Lieberman may join the center-left coalition. If we include Meretz, which must pass the blocking threshold to keep the coal burning and strengthen the real left-wing voters, and including the Joint List (forget the Mansour Abbas antics, they will add seats), which should be the anchor in the event of a dramatic draw. With all due respect to Eisenkot, he is not a man of lightning and thunder, which are the separating material in the "Bibi out" style, but it is also the materials that weld the public inside. In these data, Ehud Barak appears to be the ultimate answer. I have a strange belief in the sincere national nature of the key players in the left wing. They are all ego-maniacs - Lapid, Boogie [sic Moshe ‘Boogie’ Yaalon is far right-wing], Gantz, Eisenkot, Huldai and the rest. I am convinced that they will give up the ego and go with the man who has the best chance…
The Master Plan: Clone Likud Without Bibi and His Sycophants (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) For several months the prime minister's rival has been secretly spinning his web. Each week more advisers, lawmakers, mayors, key activists joined the secret circle.
Gideon Sa’ar can be the perfect address for Likud members who are starting to wake up (Nadav Haetzni, Maariv) Saar's move proves that not everyone in the right-wing are dim-witted. He presents at least two clean ideological alternatives, and maybe, just maybe, he will succeed in removing the spell from most Likud supporters.
The spread of the corona in Gaza - an opportunity to reach an agreement on the issue of the missing Israelis (Yoav Limor, Israel Hayom) The Corona epidemic has provided Israel and Hamas with another opportunity to reach an agreement on the issue of prisoners and missing persons, which will also make it possible to make significant progress towards the large-scale series in the Gaza Strip. A previous opportunity was also given under the auspices of corona. Then, at the end of March, Hamas was under tremendous pressure from the epidemic, which only just broke into our lives. The organization then feared that in light of the difficult humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, the overcrowding and poor conditions in the hospitals, Gaza would collapse and its rule would be endangered. In Israel at the time, they tried to link aid to the Gazans in the fight against corona and progress in the negotiations. Respiratory machines, test materials and other medical equipment in exchange for a convenient deal to return the bodies of IDF soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oren Shaul who were killed in Operation Protective Edge, and of civilians Avra Mengistu and Hisham a-Sayed who are being held in the Gaza Strip. Sources involved in the matter said that Hamas was in fact ready for the first time for a productive discourse. When Israel asked for proof of this, Yahya Sinwar gave an unusual interview and said: "We are ready to make partial concessions regarding the prisoners held by us, in exchange for the Israeli release of elderly prisoners, the sick and women prisoners as a humanitarian gesture in light of the corona crisis." However, the Israeli side delayed in making the decision, and the opportunity was lost. Now it is back again, against the backdrop of harsh corona data in Gaza: If in the first round Hamas managed to put the Strip under lockdown and maintain a single-digit number of infected, now there are more than 1,000 new infected a day and the number is expected to rise in the coming weeks. Among those infected are many senior Hamas figures, including Sinwar himself - although his condition is defined as well. The mediators in the efforts to bridge the gap are the Egyptian intelligence personnel. On the agenda: Israeli assistance to Gaza mainly on the issue of vaccines as well as additional equipment, in exchange for a humanitarian deal for the exchange of prisoners on "reasonable" terms. In talks in recent days, Hamas initially sought to determine the composition of the list of prisoners to be released, but in Israel they rejected the demand outright, making it clear that it would not include murderers or those who sent terrorists to murder Israelis. The ball is now on Hamas' side. Israel has made it clear that if it does not advance the issue, it will not help Gaza at all on the issue of vaccines - neither directly nor indirectly. In Israel, it is hoped that this threat will persuade the organization to be flexible in its demands, and especially to withdraw from the demand to release murderers from Israeli prisons. But even if Hamas shows pragmatism, the problem may re-emerge on the Israeli side. In the previous round, the political echelon gave very limited attention to the issue, and it is doubtful whether the necessary efforts and vigor will now be devoted to it. Moreover, even if Hamas is flexible in its stance, Israel will still be required to make difficult and unpopular decisions, which it is unlikely there will be excitement to accept during an election campaign, because they could serve as a tool for political blasting. Too bad this is so, because this is really a rare moment of willingness. Hamas is in distress not only because of the corona, but mainly because Gaza is on its knees economically. The Strip craves infrastructure, projects, livelihoods, the future. An agreement with Israel can give it all this, and at the same time give Israel security quiet and the closing of the case of the prisoners and the missing. If that does not happen now, it will be difficult to see what will happen between the parties in the future. This means not only that the bodies of IDF casualties and civilians will remain in Gaza, but that Hamas will look for other ways to get out of the crisis. As always, in the absence of a solution through talks, it may be tempted to look for it again.
Ending the circle of grief (Robi Damelin, Yedioth/Ynet) The fact that Israel has been keeping the bodies of 68 Palestinians as a bargaining chip does little to bring closure to the Israeli families whose loved ones are missing, and only continues the cycle of hate and violence among Israelis and Palestinians.
As a condition for resolving the issue of prisoners and missing persons: Israel will assist Gaza on the issue of the corona (Tal Lev-Ram, Maariv) According to sources in Israel, the intention is also to help by providing corona vaccines to the Gaza Strip. Sources in Israel said today (Saturday) in a conversation with Maariv that Israel is ready to provide substantial assistance to Gaza on the issue of the corona crisis, but before that there must be a solution on the issue of prisoners and missing persons. The intent of these things, is not only for mediation and assistance vis-à-vis the international community, but also for assistance by providing Corona vaccines to the Strip. Say, Israelis identify a very short window of opportunity because of the various circumstances, and clarify that in any case Israel will not release murderers with Israeli blood on their hands. In addition, sources in Israel say that there will be no significant long-term arrangement in Gaza that would include very large projects as long as the issue of prisoners and missing persons is not removed from the agenda. In Israel, the ball is actually being put in Hamas’s court, through the Egyptians, with Israeli officials saying that “(Hamas politburo chief Yahyeh) Sinwar has the ability to make informed decisions." Israel understands that it will also have to pay a price for prisoners, and Israeli sources say, that in coordination with Hamas’ expectations, that "prisoners are a component of the deal - but they will better not even consider that those (prisoners who were) involved in the direct or indirect murder of Israelis" will be released. This is not the first time that Israel has tried to build a package that combines aid to Gaza in the fight against Corona, and other actions to reach an agreement and a solution on the issue of prisoners and missing persons. In January, with the onset of the epidemic, POW and missing persons coordinator Yaron Blum initiated a Corona aid package to the Gaza Strip, with additional gestures and a limited release of prisoners. Then, for the first time in recent years, negotiations were held with Hamas. Although the gaps remained large, and negotiations did not progress to a solution.
'Forever Pure' Beitar Jerusalem Soccer Club – A Case of Empty Nationalism (Yair Assulin, Haaretz+) Those among us who warn about surging nationalism ought to take a good look at this deal, at the calm that surrounded it, at the fact that what would have seemed completely impossible just recently could not have gone more smoothly. It was the same with Netanyahu’s cooperation with the radicals from the Joint List and the agreement to sell advanced weaponry to buyers who Israelis had been conditioned to view as enemies for decades. I am deliberately avoiding a cost-benefit analysis of these different moves. I just wish to point out how empty all the nationalist talk has become, how for a long time now there has been hardly anything concrete or ideological behind it. It’s commonly said that money buys everything, but actually, money never buys ideology when it’s actively embraced. It can only buy it when the ideology been gutted of content, when it’s long past its prime and serves mainly as a tool for pursuing totally different interests….
From Syria to Cyber, Israeli Army Had a Good Year. So Why Is It Worried? (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Biden's Mideast policy is starting to take shape, and Netanyahu will have a hard time opposing. 'Armies of terror,' as the chief of staff said, continue to upgrade their offensive capabilities.
The Israelis are flooding Dubai, and with us came all the grievances (Haim Etgar, Maariv) In the past every visit to Dubai felt like a pioneering mission, today Hebrew is flooding the expanses. But as always with Israelis, along with the enthusiasm come all the usual complaints…It has been a little over a year since I first visited Dubai. Then I was a daring pioneer visiting an exotic place, discovering distant lands that were not yet known. I felt like a Columbus of the desert, and when I returned home I felt like a harbinger of news and a discoverer of hidden secrets that had never been revealed to the Israeli citizen. Today, after signing the peace agreements and the handshakes of senior government officials, I am one of many Israelis who have been engulfed in a flood of flights and endless Instagram photos…The complaints are many and varied. Among other things are inflated bills, unnecessary extended drives by taxi driver and restaurants where you can’t reserve a place. There is also another direction of grievances, of a moral nature. Questions that arise as to the nouveau riche that the place transmits, and that the prostitution and manual labor of the service providers here are, according to some of the media, slavery. Regarding the first point, that’s true…As for the claim of having working conditions reminiscent of slavery in the Emirates, well that too exists, and it is difficult to see. But is the situation in large parts of the Western world much better? Those who preach know it’s not.
 

Interviews:
'I'm a very militant type and a leftist. Since when is the left not militant?"
After becoming the nemesis of the right-wing with a host of stirring and controversial statements, MK Yair Golan bombarded in an interview without brakes: "Prime Minister Netanyahu is corrupt, his voters are blind.” (Interviewed by Eyal Levy in Maariv’s Friday magazine)


EL: You do not accept the rules of the game.
YG: "I'm the champion of the rules of the game."
EL: Even after two hours of conversation, it is difficult to decipher the motivation behind Maj. Gen. MK Yair Golan, who in the past year has become a red sheet for a significant number of right-wingers and difficult to digest in large branches on the left, to which he is affiliated. There is no doubt that he has a broad vision and a rich military resume, but it sometimes seems that Golan prefers to write the rules himself, such as the entry "democracy" in the new dictionary.
YG: ”In t he political system there is a big difference between left and right," he tried to explain. "The left says there is a framework we once called 'stateliness’ and within it all hell can break loos. Beatings, bites, but everything happens inside. When you play by the rules, you are within the boundaries of the court, maintaining stateliness, and what is the democratic idea? Consent of the public to resolve his affairs without violence. The right-wing in Israel is dismantling this framework. It says the rules of the game are not acceptable to it so this is not democracy. This is how countries become "apparent democracies" like Hungary, Turkey and Russia. The destruction of the framework is not immediate. We start here, move on and slowly discover that it is gone. The opposite of democracy is not a dictatorship but an apparent democracy, and we are on our way there.”
EL: Elections, isn't that a democratic decision?
YG: “The last election is the reason why the Israeli citizen loses faith in the political system. The election ended 58-62 in favor of the bloc that opposes Netanyahu, but within the bloc there were three traitors. In fact, I will moderate that and say ‘three who violated the voter's trust’: Yoaz Handel, Zvika Hauser and Orly Levy-Abukasis.
EL: And all three are right-wing in their views.
YG: “They were elected on a clear ticket, defected and we got a result that is not in accordance with the will of the electorate. We forget the big picture, which is 62 seats for Netanyahu's opponents, and we got him again as prime minister. Sometimes these events are surreal. In the second round of elections, Hauser and Handel said, 'We will not join a government supported by the Arabs from the outside.' A minute later (Kahol-Lavan leaders) Boogie Ya'alon and (Benny) Gantz had to say ‘go home'. Others would have come in their place who would have accepted the support of the Arabs (MKs) from outside. What I have said now is for preschoolers, you don't have to be a political expert."
EL: And in your opinion, would people have voted for a party supported by Hiba Yazbek?
YG: “A leader should knock on the table and say, ‘The mission is to save Israel, and that means the support of the Arabs from outside'. I am convinced that [the Arab MKs] would have received the support. How can a leader who knows that the election results may depend on this fact block the possibility? What’s wrong with him?”
EL: Perhaps now the bill to dissolve the Knesset shows that Gantz is still here.
YG: Gantz is making the moves of a toddler. If Netanyahu wants to go to the polls, he’ll simply not pass the budget, and if he passes it, he must do so with Kahol-Lavan, and then the bill will fall. It’s just a ridiculous step. Personally I think there won’t be elections in March, more likely in the direction of May-June, and the one who will determine it is Netanyahu and no one else.”
EL: Maybe what Gantz sees from there, you do not see from here?
YG: ”I will no longer change my mind about him, and I am not speaking about his time in the army. Gantz is a weak politician. A man who 19 days before the expiration of (Netanyahu’s mandate (to form a government) dismantles the base of political power and joins his opponent. I cannot understand it. You have a mandate to persuade, propose, to put pressure, and you break up the party?”
EL: On the other hand, Netanyahu nonchalantly connects to (Islamist MK) Mansour Abbas.
YG: “A politician who does what he wants is a testament to power, but also to how corrupt the system is."
EL: And his voters don’t notice?
YG: “Indeed, they are really blind and it does not surprise me. When you say that someone is 'blind' to someone, it's not because they do not see, but you are actually asking: how does he not understand the rationale behind it? I learned that politics is an emotional, passionate matter, and there is no logic in it. Whoever votes for Netanyahu should ask, 'He is constantly zigzagging. Once annexation, once not. Once with Arabs and once without. Who are you?' No one raises such a thought, and why? It's a more emotional psychological study.”
EL: And how will you change (things)?
YG: “Perseverance, tenacity, deep plowing. Think of Menachem Begin on the eve of the Yom Kippur War. Would you think he would come to power? You would be laughed at. I know someone who in '77, shortly before the election, submitted a doctoral dissertation that determined why there was no chance of replacing the Labor party. The doctorate was disqualified because the thesis fell through. Because we are captives in the here and now, it is difficult for us to imagine what it will look like differently, and it must look different.”
EL: And you're the red sheet?
YG: “I am not afraid of these wars, and the voice fighting against the right-wimng must be heard. I cannot understand the thesis of the Israeli left in recent decades. The only one who really raised his voice was Rabin, who said, ‘This is what I'm going to do.' Barak said he intended to leave Lebanon, but was less vocal on sensitive issues. So probably since Barak, for about 20 years, no one in our camp has said, ‘These are our positions'. What are these games pretending you are something you aren’t? When Yair Lapid says 'I am center-right,’ I feel like laughing. Who perceives you as such? Who are you trying to fool? Yourself.”
EL: This week, Golan announced that he would run for Meretz and run for a place on the list for the upcoming elections.
YG: ”There is one party left on the left that is currently going to pass the minimum threshold (to enter Knesset), and that is Meretz…The Labor party is not going to pass and it’s unclear if Kahol-Lavan will. The question is: what are we doing? In my opinion, we need to take Meretz and (remarket it) and it should be the patriotic, national party, on the left. To form the nucleus around which the (left-wing) camp will be formed."
EL: Meaning, to become centrist.
YG: “I do not think my opinions are fundamentally different from most Meretz people, that does not mean that everyone. There is a big problem in branding, and the future approach should be to open the lines, recruitment. 'Come on, you have a home. Even if you call it ‘Occupied Territories’ and you call it ‘Judea and Samaria.’ Sit together, because you both want to separate from the Palestinians. "This is an attitude that the left has a hard time with…
EL: Will you change the name?
YG: ”I do not understand what the brilliant patent is for a new party, because it usually fails. There is a party that has been around for many years, we will take and work with it.
EL: In Meretz there are people who are unable to accept you.
YG: ”I learned in politics that nothing comes easily."
EL: Would you like to head the party?
YG: “I do not want to sound pretentious, and on the other hand do not want to be unnecessarily modest. We will have to wait and see how things go. I have clear opinions on where the party should go and what its historical role is at this time. Will it succeed? I am not alone. Every day, a new party is formed. At the moment, it is impossible to say what the camp will look like on the day the lists are closed."
EL: Is leading the left-wing camp to much for Nitzan Horovitz?
YG: “Unfortunately, I think that there will still be alliances and divisions, because I would be happy if the discussion was on the path and less on character. We saw what came out of dealing with a promising list (Kahol-Lavan) of three chiefs of staff and Yair Lapid. Even frankly I say that I hope we do the best, because whoever ends up leading the camp does not think it will bring good news, and the polls unfortunately validate the pessimistic assumption. True, there is enough time ahead and everything can change, so it depends on what is done in the near future…
EL: If it stays that way.
YG: ”Once upon a time, the left had a clear main party, Labor. And during my [sic] it managed to shrink from 24 seats to a situation where it does not pass the blocking threshold. A vacuum has been created that it is not clear who will fill it. And the polls right now, in my opinion, don’t make us any wiser. For example, the amount of seats Kahol-Lavan receives is even before the campaign begins and Gantz abuses his political misery. I think they will (receive) much less.”
EL: You opposed turning Meretz into a Jewish-Arab list, and when you joined the party this week, you said you were in favor of a Jewish-Arab partnership, is that not contradictory?
YG: “On the contrary, Meretz should be the Zionist Left Party and have a partnership in it anyway. A Jewish-Arab list is beautiful thinking, it even has a romantic dimension, but at the moment it is not what is needed. There is a lack of a left-wing Zionist party that raises flags to the top of the mast, and comes to fight and unite the camp. One that promotes ideas. It is a fact that the camp humiliated its positions on the Palestinian issue and did not speak about them clearly and that is why I, at least, entered politics.”
EL: Will you stay in March?
YG: “You can not zigzag all the time. I have made a decision to stay. If I feel it is a home that embraces me and allows me to work from it, then there is no reason to change. At least Meretz has a heritage and tradition. I believe in my stubbornness and leadership and ability to create change. The Israeli public holds leftist positions and in the end its vote reaches the right, and that is a tragedy.”
EL: I did not understand.
YG: ”There is a big gap between what happens to the people and what happens in politics. The majority is with us in terms of positions, but not in terms of political support Most of the people are against corruption and the annexation of the Palestinians. I am in favor of a state that provides economic and social security to every citizen, separation of religion and state. Whether you believe it or not, that you must work through the chief rabbinate. That’s intolerable, outrageous. It has nothing to do with being identified as a Jewish state, on the contrary, it produces antagonism to religion. The Kashrut system. I am in favor, but let there be freedom. Rabbi A. will give (the kosher approval) for 10 shekels and another for 8 shekels. Why should it be through the monopoly of the chief rabbinate? The autonomy given to the ultra-Orthodox does not make sense. It is impossible for a state to allow systematic ignorance of its citizens. Hundreds of thousands are sent to institutions that provide education that does not allow them to cope with modern life."...
YG: ”The idea that the State of Israel will be run as a state of halakhah (religious law) is appalling. I do not come from the world of fantasies, the IDF is a subject I love and respect, and it is not perfect. Also the High Court is not perfect and the State Attorney's Office and the Ministry of Justice, but they are ours. They need to be guarded and be corrected at the behest of professionals, and there is no room for political discussion. When I see the systematic erosion of democracy, I am appalled. Ayelet Shaked's proposal, for example, that legal advisers be politically appointed, it drives me crazy. I go to the days when I was the commander of Judea and Samaria (West Bank) and I had a legal adviser, Sharon Afek, today the IDF JAG. The advisor is independent and needs to say if what you are doing is in accordance with the law. If you're a jerk, then you do everything according to advice, and if you're serious, you're having a good conversation. Shaked, a dangerous woman in my eyes, suggests that a legal adviser be a servant of trust. One that will explain how I make a deal that will allow what I want and she calls it governance. I tell you, unequivocally, that there is no governance problem in the country.”
EL: So you're against the High Court Overriding clause.
YG: “Naftali Bennett claimed that the IDF was interfering with the IDF fulfilling its missions. I was commander of Judea and Samaria from 2005 to 2007, one of the most experienced people in the complicated arena. I had two different legal advisers who never interfered. They made sure I acted within the law."
EL: Does a High Court judge know better than a field commander?
YG: “You can also ask if a judge knows better than a police officer who was at the scene of the incident. His expertise is to hear the testimony of the parties, take precedents and say that from everything he learned, this is his ruling. That's how the system works."

 


“Left-wing journalists": Why did MK Gideon Saar's replacement in the Likud hang up the phone on the radio show host?
MK Nissim Vatori, the successor to the Likud seat of prime ministerial candidate Gideon Sa'ar, will be sworn in tomorrow, but he has already managed to provoke a storm live on Radio North. During the interview on Liat Ron's show on Radio North 104.5FM, Vatori was confronted with questions about his military and academic past, and decided to attack back. Vatori stated that he had a law degree from Shaarei Mishpat College, and was then asked about the doctoral degree he presented in past interviews and inaccuracies about his military past. "The left-wing journalists are trying to find dirt on me and I have not even been sworn in to the Knesset yet." (Interviewed by Liat Ron on 104.5FM/Maariv)
LR: Josh Breiner from 'Haaretz' newspaper wrote about you a few things that made you raise an eyebrow. In the interview now you said that you have a bachelor's degree in law, but in my reports you claimed that you are a doctor of business administration.
NV: "That's not true. That was an old publication from 2008." LR: Why don't I have the title Ph.D. attached to my name?. I would be happy to have it.
NV: "In 2012 I studied at a college and it was decided at the Council of Higher Education not to accept the degrees learned from that country, so I dropped it."
LR: This is at UBL college in Ukraine. S why did you declare it in court in some personal legal proceeding that you are a doctor? You thought it was real?
NV: "It was probably a mistake."
LR: Did you serve in an Air Force rescue unit?
NV: "I was a rescue commander. Listen, do you know what's not nice? The left-wing journalists are looking for dirt on me. The pen is not yet dry and I have not yet been sworn in."
LR: Are you calling me a leftist?
NV: "I was the commander of a rescue team and I never said I was commander of a rescue unit. Yes, I went bankrupt because I underwent a kidney transplant five years ago. Do you want to let me talk? With this our conversation has ended."

 

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

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