News Nosh 09.17.14

APN's daily news review from Israel
Wednesday September 17, 2014

Quote of the day:
"But a big rocket more significant than any fired by Hamas is being welded at this time in Ramallah, at Abbas's office."
--Maariv's military affairs analyst, Alon Ben-David, says that Hamas may return to rockets when it discovers that Israel has no intention of giving it a seaport, but Israel's bigger threat will come from The Hague.**


Front Page News:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
  • Rabbi battle - Former IDF chief rabbi dressed in uniform and visited troops, despite not being drafted to reserve duty. Associates of Defense Minister say he was  Minister Bennett's mole and transferred confidential information to him. Bennett: "...I got information on my own from the field and because of that I understood the threat of the tunnels and demanded they be taken care of" 
  • At the end of the tunnel // Yossi Yehoshua
  • First rocket since ceasefire - Hamas insists: We did not shoot
  • Defense Minister: Galant will not be next IDF chief of staff
  • Interview with an open mind - Our reporter was present during a complicated brain surgery and spoke with the patient - who was wide awake
  • They forgot Hoka - None of the leaders of the state bothered to attend the funeral of Yitzhak Hofi, former head of Mossad and commander of Northern Command
  • Storm at Channel One: Ayala Hasson suspended (anchorwoman) Geula Even
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links)
Israel Hayom

News Summary:
More disputes between ministers - this time between the Defense and Economy ministers over Gaza tunnels and involving a former IDF chief rabbi - and the first rocket that fell in Israel from Gaza since the ceasefire, and which Hamas vehemently denied shooting, were the top stories in today's Hebrew newspapers. Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon also said that Hamas won't renew rocket fire at Israel anytime soon

Quick Hits:
  • West Bank settler group boasts rapid growth - Hanan Ashrawi: 'These numbers released by the settlers council are an indication of Israel's policy of lawlessness, policy of colonization and land theft, policy of destroying the two-state solution and the chances of peace. (Agencies, Ynet)
  • West Bank Bedouin leaders reject relocation plan - Lawyer explains to three tribes slated to move to new town how unsuitable the arrangement will be. (Haaretz+)
  • Palestinian Foreign Affairs Ministry condemns displacement of Bedouins - The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned on Tuesday Israeli plans to "empty" areas in the occupied West Bank of Bedouin communities (as reported in Haaretz+). Israeli forces have destroyed more than 23 Bedouin villages in order to expand settlements, it said. (Maan)
  • War left four million tons of rubble in Gaza, says environmental group - Amount of rubble is five-times more than in last conflict between Israel, Gaza, advocacy group says in report; would take $30 million, six to eight months to clear. (Haaretz
  • Israel and Palestinians reach Gaza reconstruction deal under UN supervision - The Palestinian Authority said in a study recently that the reconstruction work would cost $7.8 billion, two and a half times Gaza's gross domestic product. (Haaretz)
  • Leader of Scottish independence compared ISIS to Israel - In an interview with BBC, Alex Salmond was asked how the Muslim community in Scotland feels about ISIS. "This community is not responsible in any way for the murders or extremist acts, exactly as the Jewish community of Scotland is not accused of the policies of the State of Israel," said Salmond refering to Israel's policies during Operation Protective Edge. (Yedioth, p. 24)
  • Forecasts show sharp contraction in Palestinian economy - Financial, social restrictions, drop in foreign aid to result in 15% drop in Gaza economy, 0.5% growth in West Bank. (Agencies, Ynet
  • Bank of Israel governor among world's top central bank chiefs - Prestigious Global Finance magazine names Bank of Israel Governor Dr. Karnit Flug one of the world's top seven central bank governors. Other top scorers hail from Taiwan, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Switzerland and Saudi Arabia. (Israel Hayom)
  • PCHR: Gaza detainees underwent 'torture' in Israeli custody - PCHR lawyers visited four detainees in Ashkelon prison, and said they had undergone beatings or had been shackled between two chairs for long hours in a method known as "Shabeh." (Maan)
  • Israeli forces detain child from Jerusalem - The local Wadi Hilwa Information Center’s Majdi Abbasi said police detained Mutaz Yusef Abu Diab, 12, Tuesday from his home and took him in a police car to the “Beit Jonathan” (settlement enclave) building. He was later moved to Wadi al-Rababa and interrogated about throwing rocks. (Maan)
  • Deportation of Palestinian legislator rescinded - Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine MP Khalida Jarrar refused to move from Ramallah to Jericho for four weeks until IDF reversed expulsion decision. Jarrar said it was reduced from six months to one month. Nevertheless, she never obeyed the order. (Maan and Haaretz+) 
  • Israeli courts extend detention of 89 prisoners - The detention period for several of the Palestinians has been extended more than three times, the Palestinian Prisoner's Society said. [Detentions mean that they are not charged with any crime. - OH] (Maan
  • Israel orders Palestinian family to evacuate home near Aqsa mosque - An Israeli magistrate court in Jerusalem ordered the Al-Bakri family to evacuate a small rented house adjacent to the al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City which the family has been living in for 25 years. (Maan)
  • Poll: Only 10 percent of Gazans would vote for Abbas - Some 29.8 percent would vote for senior Hamas official Ismail Haniyeh, who headed the former government in the Strip, and 28% would choose jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, according to the poll, by the Gaza-based House of Wisdom Institute. (Maan
  • Palestine joins European Energy Charter - Palestinian Ambassador Layla Shaid thanked said the EEC could offer major assistance at the level of regional cooperation in the energy field "especially at this critical period in Palestine where comprehensive rehabilitation of the energy sector in the war-torn Gaza Strip is a top priority." (Maan
  • Former IDF chief rabbi suspected of leaking secret Gaza war info to Bennett - Avichai Ronsky barred from border area during fighting after economy minister brags of insider knowledge. (Haaretz
  • Report: Former chief rabbi dismissed over leaks - Brig. Gen. (res.) Rontzki relieved from reserve duty for supplying classified information to Bayit Yehudi Chairman Bennett. (Ynet
  • Interior Minister decided that Israel recognizes the Aramean nation - Gideon Saar made decision after receiving the opinion of three experts. According to the opinion, the existence of an Aramean nation is visible to the eye, and it satisfies the conditions such as historical heritage, religion, culture and common language. There are an estimated 12 million Arameans in the world and some 13,000 in Israel. (Maariv and Israel Hayom)
  • Medicine studies from age 18 - Until now, it was possible to study medicine only from age 21, on the claim that it required emotional maturity. That limitation prevented the population that does not go to the army (Arabs) from beginning studies immediately after high school. From now on, the maturity will be examined in other ways. (Yedioth, p. 30)
  • Eritrean immigrant's attackers: 'We don't like blacks' - Former Krav Maga champion brought to court with another suspect accused of attacking two Eritreans in Petah Tikvah. (Ynet)
  • Palestinian killed in Israel after trying to escape police - Fadi Sweirki, 25, originally from Gaza but living in Qalqiliya, was killed after trying to avoid a police checkpoint as he was allegedly driving a stolen car and he crashed into an Israeli driver, killing them both. (Maan)
  • Israel halts drone sale to Ukraine to avoid irking Russia, report says - Kiev was eyeing equipment that it could use against the Moscow-backed separatists, according to Channel 2. (Haaretz+)
  • US strikes Islamic State target southwest of Baghdad - World powers meeting in Paris give public backing to military action to fight the Islamic State in Iraq. France sends jets on reconnaissance mission to Iraq. Iran's supreme leader spurns U.S. overture to cooperate against the Islamic State. (Israel Hayom)
  • US will retaliate against Assad if American jets are targeted - If the Syrian president threatens U.S. forces fighting the Islamic State, it would put his air defenses at risk, U.S. officials warn. American lawmakers race to authorize President Barack Obama's expanded mission to arm and train moderate Syrian rebels. (Israel Hayom
  • 8 Palestinians survive migrant shipwreck, dozens feared dead - According to survivors of the shipwreck, the Syrian, Palestinian, Egyptian, and Sudanese migrants set out from Damietta in Egypt on Sept. 6, and were forced to change boats several times during the crossing towards Europe. When passengers refused to cross over to a small boat, the furious traffickers rammed their boat until it capsized. (Maan)
  • Ultra-Orthodox Kosher supervisors working in Jordan wearing Bedouin costumes - The Jewish year 5775 will begin next week and it will be a shmita (no growing/harvesting) year. So for the ultra-Orthodox Jews who completely avoid eating agricultural food grown in Israel, vegetables are grown in Jordan and the ultra-Orthodox kosher supervisors who tour the fields wear Bedouin clothes so they won't be identified. (Yedioth, p. 32)
  • Report: 40% of European Jews conceal their Jewish identity - European Jewish Association and Rabbinical Center of Europe report states that 75 percent of European Jewish children don't go to Jewish schools, intermarriage rate in Europe is 80 percent. Some 500,000 Jews expected in synagogue for Rosh Hashanah. (Israel Hayom)


Features:
Alone in Cairo
On the one hand, a state that has turned into an ally. On the other hand, a hostile city and anti-Israeli residents. This is how the life of Haim Koren, the new Israeli ambassador to Egypt, will look. No family and under security limitations. His predecessors talk about the difficulties at one of the most challenging positions in the Foreign Ministry. "Despite the strong desire to succeed, it is very difficult to develop connections," they say. (Arik Bender, Maariv Magazine supplement, cover) 
Israel, Hamas' secret war of spies
After Gaza op, Hamas executed a number of alleged collaborators, AP spoke with one of their widows, giving rare glimpse into how Israel works to find local informants under Hamas' iron first rule in Gaza. (Associated Press, Ynet)
The Policeman’s House: A film about land, loyalty and belonging
Featured at the Toronto International Film Festival, Mich’ael Zupraner's film tells the story of his life in the outskirts of the Palestinian city of Hebron, where he lives with an Arab flatmate. Both the settlers and Zupraner’s Palestinian neighbors view him with suspicion. (Haaretz+) 
How much did Protective Edge really cost?
The accountant general claims the cost of the operation amounted to just NIS 6.5 billion, charging that the Defense Ministry included unrelated expenses in its bill; for its part, the defense establishment says it carried out daily and precise calculations during the campaign. (Ynet
Hunting down Israel's illegal hunters
Only the courts can deter the poachers in the Lower Galilee hunting for local deer, wild boar, porcupines and goldfinches, say Israel Nature and Parks Authority officials. (Yedioth/Ynet)
(Steven) Sotloff's guide tells about the abduction and captivity
Yusuf Abu Bakr, who accompanied the Jewish journalist on his last trip in Syria, talks about the ambush that led to the capture, about the torture and about their friendship. He accuses the government of the United States: "They did not try to approach me at all." (Maariv)

Commentary/Analysis:
Stop the expulsion of the Bedouin (Haaretz Editorial) The plan to establish a new town for Bedouin is yet another attempt by Israel’s government’s to clear part of the West Bank for settlements.
Who’s afraid of a national minority? (Alberto Spektorowski, Haaretz+) The threat of an independent Scotland has unleashed fears that have little to do with economics and much to do with identity. 
Re-liberate Jerusalem (Nadav Shragai, Israel Hayom) Israel cannot continue holding the stick at both ends in the Arab neighborhoods. It cannot demand control over the territory yet treat the residents there as an unnecessary burden.
Former IDF rabbi caught in middle of deep conflict over Gaza war (Yossi Yehoshua, Yedioth/Ynet) Economy Minister Bennett was the only one who professionally challenged Defense Minister Ya'alon's understanding during Operation Protective Edge. Even if he erred in the way he obtained the information, he was often right about the facts. 
The occupation has occupied the center (Sefi Rachlevsky, Haaretz+) The issue highlighted by the Unit 8200 letter was less one of human rights than the fundamental issue of why the army is perpetuating the occupation. 
**Resumption of negotiations in Cairo: There is an inexplicable complacency in the army (Alon Ben-David, Maariv) While we look at the borders and wonder where trouble will come from, but a huge political tsunami is coming towards us that might wash over this land: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is determined to lead Israel and its leaders to the International Court in The Hague. Ben-David also writes that "military intelligence has better access to those who are more exposed and using communications devices. Members of the political wing of Hamas must constantly coordinate positions with Khaled Meshal, who sits in Qatar, and that makes them more exposed. Even the junior levels of command Hamas use overt methods of contact. But military wing leaders were and remain, most of the time, a black hole for Israel. They strictly refrain from using any electronic or voice signature, which would expose them to the Israeli intelligence. So even now, ahead of the resumption of negotiations in Cairo, Israel does not really know whether Hamas will put the 'gun' of rockets back on the table. When Hamas people realize that Israel has no intention of giving them an achievement in the form of a seaport - the temptation to disrupt our holidays will rise." Ben-David writes that the Palestinians were also shocked that Israel had destroyed wealthy residential towers and that these targets created the 'Dahiya Effect' on Gaza. "...like the destruction by Israel of the Hezbollah populated neighborhood Dahiya in Beirut in the Second Lebanon War, which shocked Hezbollah, it appears that the destruction of the towers in Gaza had the effect of deterrence on Gaza and the feeling that 'the landlord has gone crazy.'" [This is a common phrase used by Israelis to describe Israel's deterrence policy: Hit them outrageously hard - OH]. "But Israel waited till the 46th day of the war until it began hitting the (economically) established heart of Gaza and only in the last four days did it allow itself to harm these assets... But a big rocket more significant than any fired by Hamas is being welded at this time in Ramallah, at Abbas's office. Despite threats from the United States and Israel, it seems Abbas made the decision in his heart to drag Israel to the International Criminal Court in The Hague and putting it on the path to charges and boycotts."
For Israel's leaders, it all about victory (Col. (res.) Shaul Arieli, Yedioth/Ynet) With a leadership loyal to the perception of 'conflict management,' it won't come as a complete surprise if Israel is required to launch another military campaign – in order to win it in advance.
Will seeds of peace ever bloom? (Matthew Kalman, Haaretz+) The jury is still out on whether peace-building people-to-people programs between Israelis and Palestinians have actually made any noticeable difference to the conflict.
Neglect leading to Jerusalem's division (Yoaz Hendel, Yedioth/Ynet) There is nothing our politicians are more afraid of than Jerusalem. And when they are afraid, no decisions are made and the situation is ignored. This is how an intifada develops.
Regional opportunities and risks (Zalman Shoval, Israel Hayom) Israel's relationship with part of the moderate Sunni Arab world is budding. But Israel must be careful.
Strong yet hesitant coalition facing determined enemy (Dr. Yaron Friedman, Yedioth/Ynet) Why are the Middle Eastern forces, whose integrity is being threatened by ISIS, afraid to attack the murderous organization? What will the offensive look like in the end and what role will Israel play in it?


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