APN's daily news review from Israel

Wednesday August 13, 2014

Quote of the day:

---

Tension is high as the end to the 72-hour ceasefire nears and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu tries to convince his cabinet to accept an agreement with the Palestinians, while Israel debates whether to cooperate with UN Human Rights Council investigative commission that it considers partial.

Some papers said that the Cairo talks hit a stalemate last night, while Haaretz said that the Palestinians were cautiously optimistic about reaching a long-term Gaza truce with Israel. Haaretz+ writes, "Hamas has agreed to allow representatives of the Palestinian Authority to be stationed on the Gaza side of the border crossings, but it rejects any limitations on the entry of construction materials like cement and steel, which are needed to repair the damage caused by the war." Nevertheless, a "political official," whose nationality was not revealed, told Maariv that Hamas political echelons have accepted an agreement prepared in Cairo and the Hamas delegation is prepared to sign, but that Hamas military wing, led by Mohammed Deif, is taking a more aggressive stance and has yet to decide. "We have reached an absurd situation whereby Mohammed Deif will determine whether there will be a long-term agreement or not," the official said. Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said that fighting may break out again after the ceasefire ends at midnight tonight.

After canceling a cabinet meeting Tuesday, Netanyahu met individually with ministers to persuade them to accept a draft for a long-term agreement with the Palestinians over Gaza. Right-wingers expressed opposition to a deal. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel must topple Hamas and that no agreement should be made without the return of the bodies of the two soldiers. In an interview with the Jerusalem Post that was published in Hebrew in Maariv (same publisher), Lieberman also called for adopting the Saudi Peace Initiative and revoking the citizenship of Israelis "demonstrating in favor of Hamas." [This comes a couple days after a minister from the Yesh Atid party, Yaakov Perry, told the Washington Post that Israel should use the Saudi initiative to end the Israeli-Arab conflict.] In a number of interviews with foreign media outlets, including the New York Times, center-right-wing Finance Minister Yair Lapid said that the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza should be opened, Maariv reported.
 
Israel and most of the Hebrew papers were upset with the establishment of the UN tribunal that would investigate whether Israel committed war crimes in Gaza - and even more upset with the man at its head. Prof. William Schabas, a Canadian expert on international law, was appointed the head of the UN probe and spoke to numerous Israeli media outlets trying to convince them he would be impartial, despite saying in the past that Netanyahu should be put on trial. Israel has called the panel a "kangaroo court." Lieberman and others slammed the probe as 'hypocritical' and said Israel should not cooperate with it.
 
Haaretz has gone back to numbering its excellent review of the days events. Here is Operation Protective Edge, day 35. 

---

Quick Hits:

---

Features:

Alone in the battle
Lone soldiers (Israelis who immigrate to Israel without their families and join the IDF) recently made headlines when three of them were killed in fighting in Operation Protective Edge and tens of thousands were moved when they came to pay their last respects. But in normal days, many of them feel the state neglects them. Now they are asking: "Just don't forget us when the war is over." (In Maariv Magazine supplement, p. 4)
Combating the rockets with art 
South's children draw what makes them feel good to deal with the trauma of a summer under rocket threat. (Ynet)

Commentary/Analysis:

Arms embargoes had little effect on Israel in the past (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) Britain unlikely to carry out its threat to suspend weapons export to Israel if fighting in Gaza resumes. 
Don't downplay the achievements (Dan Margalit, Israel Hayom) There is plenty of fodder for investigative committees, but it's hard to say Operation Protective Edge wasn't a success. 
Now is the time for Israel to be generous with Gaza (Uri Halperin, Haaretz+) The formula for Gaza's future is out there in the open – real demilitarization of the Strip in exchange for true economic independence. 
Fight the double standard: Do not cooperate with the (UN Human Rights Council) commission of inquiry (Ben Caspit, Maariv) The dilemma of whether to appear or not, is not easy. There are weighty arguments to and fro. But there is also a limit to hypocrisy. There are ways to transfer the evidence, photographs, the materials and images that the IDF gathered without participating in the game. And maybe we even need to establish an Israeli commission that will steal the legitimacy. 
Of rocks and a hard place (Ruthie Blum, Israel Hayom) Woe is us if Israel succumbs to pressure to accept Abbas as a guarantor for and upholder of Hamas commitments.
`And I’m a leftist’ (Ravit Hecht, Haaretz+) No, you're not, because leftists don't prefer force over diplomacy and don't suppress speech.
A temporary fixer-upper (Zalman Shoval, Israel Hayom) Abbas as a comprehensive solution to the Gaza problem, however, is wishful thinking. 
International media failed professionally and ethically in Gaza (Eytan Gilboa, Ynet) According to civilian death toll measure, Nazi Germany – which had one million dead civilians in World War II – was a victim of the aggressive US, which lost 'only' 12,000 civilians.
Take control, you’re the majority (Shaul Arieli, Haaretz+) The world accuses Israel of violence, racism, discrimination and violating international law; but in fact, only a small, vocal and over-represented minority is responsible for that reputation. 
The UN is killing the peace (Shlomo Shamir, Maariv) Condemnations of Israel at the UN indicate that the chances of renewed talks between Israel and the Palestinians have vanished. This is how the negotiations died in the building  of the organization that is supposed to promote them.
Al-Sisi is not Israel's friend, he's a partner (Smadar Perry, Yedioth/Ynet) Coordination between Cairo and Jerusalem is intimate and tight, but Egyptian leader isn't ready for a real change in relations with Israel.
Israel’s brother al-Sissi (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Both Benjamin Netanyahu and Egypt’s president are judicious, wise and hate Hamas. Wait, maybe they’re not so similar. In Israel, everyone stands with the leader.
The cease-fire that broke itself (Elliott Abrams, Israel Hayom) The facts -- Hamas broke the cease-fire by shooting rockets into Israel -- are not ‎complicated. But that kind of simplicity offends too many journalists' desire ‎to appear even-handed. 
Hannibal Directive is the beginning of fascism in Israel (Uri Arad, Ynet) Protocol promoting idea that a soldier's life is expendable for good of state is one manifestation of growing fascism, fed by Benjamin Netanyahu.
Will this U.S.-Israel crisis go to waste? (Gershom Gorenberg, Haaretz+) Looking back at previous U.S.-Israel rifts, the real question isn't whether this one's the harshest (it's not) but whether Obama will take advantage of it. 

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