News Nosh 05.05.14

APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday May 05, 2014

Note: Note: News Nosh will be off on Israeli Independence Day.

Quote of the day:
"All that pioneering energy would have gone to the Negev and the Galilee..(there would have been a) different demographic balance that would have strengthened Israel."
--Security expert Amos Yadlin answers Yedioth's question: what if Likud had not won the elections in '77.**


Front Page News:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
  • In their death they gave life - Bowing heads: This morning at 11:00, siren for silence in memory of the fallen; Celebrating independence: Tonight at 20:00 the torches will be lit and the holiday ceremonies begin
  • The path of blood // Eitan Haber (Yedioth commentator)
  • Naftali Bennett // Our teacher and me (Economy Minister and leader of Habayit Hayehudi)
  • First Independence // Meir Shalev (author)
  • The Israeli miracle // Ben-Dror Yemini (Maariv right-wing commentator)
  • How do you live like this? // Eshkol Nevo (author)
  • With this torch // Shachar Peer (tennis champ)
Maariv
  • not published today
Makor Rishon
  • President Peres: "The amazing state of Israel was established on the blood of its sons who fell in wars"
  • Putin furious over violence in Ukraine: Threatens to send tank brigades to protect Russian patriots in the area
  • Iranian provocation - Iran to West: The Zionists are holding the US hostage
  • On the way to closing - The government approved Minister Erdan's plan: The Broadcasting Authority will close
  • Forgotten baby - Beit Haggai (settlement): Infant forgotten in car, rescue team found him dead
Israel Hayom
  • The pain and the happiness - Israel celebrates 66 years
  • Our forces, that they may return home safely // Chief of Staff Beni Gantz
  • Paying a heavy price, for a better future // General Gershon Hacohen
  • Israel, a refuge for Jews and a source of hope // Dan Margalit
  • At the height of the heat wave, Levy Yitzhak Constantinis, 1.5, was forgotten in a car and died
  • Netanyahu: "The Jewish State Basic Law - is not a political issue"
  • Hundreds attended funeral of Asi Dayan
  • An end to the fee: Government approved reform in Broadcast Authority
  • In the nature or at heritage sites: Going out to celebrate independence

News Summary:
Today is the beginning of the Independence Day holiday in Israel and the papers shared both stories of loss of family members as well as features about Independence Day and what it means. The Prime Minister, President and Defense Minister all spoke at Memorial Day events about the need to live by the sword and how Israelis would not be here if it weren't for those who fell, but only President Shimon Peres spoke of peace as well.
 
Yedioth's Ariella Ringel-Hoffman asked four senior researchers at the Institute for National Security Studies what Israel would look like 'if'. Here are some of the answers:
What if the majority in the UN voted against the creation of the State of Israel in 1947?
Udi Dekel and Dr. Anat Koretz
 both agreed that war would have broken out between the Jews and Arabs anyway and that Ben-Gurion would have 'found a way to create facts on the ground and establish the state, which the world would have no choice but to recognize."
What if Menachem Begin had not won the elections in '77, would we have bombed the nuclear reactor in Iraq?
Amos Yadlin:
 "Definitely not. The perception that Israel cannot live with nuclear development in an enemy state that calls for Israel's destruction is originally a perception that Begin led."
What if we did not bomb the Iraqi nuclear reactor?
Dr. Anat Koretz: 
"We would have dealt with a Iran on the way to nuclear power much sooner...We would have been a nuclear Middle East, in a complex balance of terror.
How would the map of settlements have looked had Begin not won the elections in '77?
Amos Yadlin: 
"Until '77, the settlement in the Territories was very controlled. From '77 it lost control. All that pioneering energy would have gone to the Negev and the Galilee and they would look different. A much more pioneering, ideological, and strong periphery. A different demographic balance that would have strengthened Israel."
What would have happened had Yitzhak Rabin not been murdered?
Amos Yadlin
: "He would have lost the elections to Netanyahu in '96 anyway. The public atmosphere in the country was that the Oslo process failed, that the terror attacks of Jihad and Hamas were unbearable, and Rabin himself would have reconsidered Oslo."
Would we have made a peace agreement with Syria?
Amos Yadlin: Yes.
What would have happened had there not been a withdrawal from the Gaza Strip (in 2005)?
Dr. Anat Koretz: "Hamas would not be ruling Gaza. We would not have gotten two authorities with a political and geographical division that makes it difficult to make an agreement."
Would we have saved ourselves from Amona, Yitzhar and the hilltop youth?
Sharvit Baruch:
 "No, it would have happened anyway because of the continued incompetence of all the governments of Israel."
Amos Yadlin: "If it weren't for the disengagement (from Gaza) we would have been responsible for another 1.5 million Palestinians....
What if Sharon hadn't gone into a coma and had continued to serve as prime minister?
Udi Dekel:
 "Sharon would have opened Gaza to Egypt and allowed the Gazans to build a port. There would not have been a siege by sea, there would not have been the Mavi Marmara incident and we would not be in trouble with the Turks."
Amos Yadlin: "Since Sharon did not believe it was possible to achieve an agreement with the Palestinians, he would have continued the unilateral move and (withdrawn forces and civilians) from Judea and Samaria (W. Bank). Not immediately, and not to the '67 borders, but he would have made a strategic move that would have preserved the political status of the state of Israel and given momentum to a process while preserving Israel's security and its vital interests."
Sharvit Baruch: "The Palestinians would not have accepted that move and we would have entered a difficult period with clashes and problems in the Territories."


Quick Hits:
  • New yeshiva to open in East Jerusalem - The yeshiva, which includes sleeping quarters and could house as many as 300 young Jews, is the first Jewish housing venture on Saladin Street, the main (E. Jerusalem) Palestinian shopping thoroughfare. It was funded by Ateret Cohanim - Jewish NGO working to settle Jews in East Jerusalem. (Ynet)
  • Palestinian who confronted soldier: He provoked us - The Palestinian, who was filmed in the widely circulated video in the confrontation with the Israeli soldier known as “David the Nahlawi” last week in Hebron, told Channel 10 on Sunday that the clip only showed only part of confrontation. (Haaretz+)
  • Police arrived in Yitzhar settlement and were attacked with stones - Following the arrest of the couple from the settlement who was suspected of involvement in a price-tag attack in Umm al-Fahm town, investigators wanted to search their home, but were attacked. (NRG Hebrew)
  • PA: Israel bans Hebron call to prayer 60 times in April - Israel has forbidden the Muslim call for prayer through loudspeakers at the Ibrahimi Mosque (Cave of the Patriarchs) in Hebron 60 times in April because it bothers Jewish settlers, the Palestinian ministry of endowment said Sunday. (Maan)
  • Thousands of Palestinian police transferring to Gaza - Move is part of Fatah-Hamas unity pact.Some 3,000 Palestinian Authority police are slated for transfer from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip, as part of the Fatah-Hamas unity deal, the Palestinian news agency Ma'an reported Sunday. (Ynet
  • Qatar contributes $5 million to Gaza govt to support reconciliation - Qatar had contributed money for "community reconciliation": reimbursing families for damaged property caused by the conflict, medical treatment for those injured, and paying blood money. (Maan
  • Hamas won't recognize Israel, accept Quartet terms - Mussa Abu Marzouq said Hamas, would never agree to recognize "the Zionist entity." (Maan)
     Netanyahu: You can't have Palestinian state alongside bi-national state - After scorching criticism, prime minister defends his 'Jewish state' basic law proposal, saying existing legislation gives full expression to Israel's democratic nature, but not its Jewish nature. (Ynet)
  • 6 injured in clashes in (E.) Jerusalem - Israeli forces erected a flying checkpoint near al-Madares school in al-Issawiya neighborhood and thoroughly searched people, which sparked the clashes. (Maan)
  • Israeli forces 'smash car, injure 5 with tear gas' in Salfit raid - Israeli forces raided the central West Bank city Sunday, firing tear gas and stun grenades. Five locals were hospitalized from excessive tear gas inhalation. An Israeli military spokesman said it was a "routine patrol." (Maan)
  • Israel Electricity Corp threatens to cut off Palestinian power over debt - The Palestinians owe Israel Electric Corporation NIS 1.5 billion, and the debt grows NIS 80 million a month. (Globes)
  • Fallen soldiers' school monument vandalized -Unknown vandals deface the memorial monument to honor the memory of the AMIT high school fallen soldiers in Beersheva; Headmaster: 'We won’t let a bunch of low lifes hurt the memory of the fallen.' (Ynet)
  • Rabbi, bereaved parents clash over women's singing - [Infamous] Safed Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu angers families of fallen IDF soldiers when he insists that female singers should not perform in city's memorial ceremony. (Ynet)
  • IN PICTURES: Welcome to Ramallah Fashion Week - 'Palestine Fashion Week', an annual 3-day fashion event, kicks off in Ramallah; Excitement brews over planned visit from popular Turkish actress Beren Saat. (Ynet)
  • Times of India: Pakistani intel planned terror attacks on Israeli, U.S. consulates - Indian security sources say Sri Lankan led them to plot against consulates on subcontinent. (Haaretz+ and Ynet
  • Lebanon closed its doors to Palestinian refugees from Syria - About one million Palestinian refugees living in Syria were expelled from their homes. Many of them went to Lebanon but the Lebanese government now decided to put an end to that. (NRG Hebrew)
  • Iran says it has briefed nuclear agency on suspected detonators - Tehran provides IAEA with information on exploding bridge wire detonators, which have both civilian and military applications. (Agencies, Ynet)
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.