APN's daily news review from Israel
Friday October 17, 2014
Quote of the day:
"...if we went in there, we would get stuck there."
--Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon explains why Israel chose not to topple Hamas.**
--Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon explains why Israel chose not to topple Hamas.**
Front Page News:
Haaretz
- Head in the sand: Haaretz investigation reveals the full details of the tunnels oversight
- Ebola epidemic: 500 people died in five days
- The Israelis who are at the front of the battle against the epidemic
- At least 27 killed in snow avalanche in Nepal, 3 of them Israeli; dozens still missing
- 13-year-old Palestinian killed in clashes with IDF forces near Ramallah
- Research by Ph.D. students in Israel shows that (Ph.D.s) are no longer just for the rich
- The application that promises anonymity followed users, including IDF soldiers during the war in Gaza
Yedioth Ahronoth
- They froze to death
- Hugging the desperation // Nahum Barnea on the Berlin (‘Milky’) protest
- Riots in (E.) Jerusalem – Dozens of masked (Palestinians) threw rocks and Molotov cocktails at police; 13-year-old Palestinian killed by IDF fire near Ramallah
Maariv Weekend (Hebrew links only)
- Death trap in Himalaya
- The third inflation: Governor of Bank of Israel prefers acquiring bond over lowering interest rate again in order to stop slowing down of economy
- (Yesh Atid MK Ofer) Shelach goes to battle – “The clear lesson that Hamas will learn from the Operation is that they won because they achieved exactly what they wanted: A change of the situation. Therefore, every time they are in trouble, their solution, to shoot at Jews, will justify itself.”
- Bibi’s (Likud MK) Hanegbi – “Today I know that Netanyahu changed his position – not only by declaration, but in intimate discussions between us. He wants to try every way to achieve a settlement (with the Palestinians)”
- We didn’t win: Dr. Uri Milstein clobbers the security establishment (and says it did not win the Gaza war)
Israel Hayom
- Among the 3 killed: The (IDF’s) first female religious combat navigator – Death on the roof of the world – at least 3 Israelis killed in a snow avalanche in Nepal
- Tamar, a role model for women // Haim Shine
- There is nothing like that magical moment on the summit // Nimrod Dvir
- Celebration of going around (the Torah – for Simchat Torah)
- Today: Ebola drill at Ben-Gurion Airport
- This is how the US avoided helping find Oron Shaul (IDF soldier whose body was captured by Hamas during Gaza war)
- Consumer price index surprised: dropped 0.3% in September
- Not just the Old City: Jerusalem that you never knew
News Summary:
A snow avalanche in Nepal that killed three young Israeli trekkers was the top story in the Israeli tabloids, with the exception of Haaretz. Also in the news were the clashes at Jerusalem’s Old City and elsewhere in E. Jerusalem and the killing of a 13-year-old Palestinian boy, when an IDF soldier shot him in the chest in Beit Laqiya near Ramallah.
Only Ynet reported on peaceful protests at the Old City against Israel’s decision to limit the age of Muslim worshipers wanting to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque to pray Wednesday. Arab-Israeli MKs and protesters held signs, but that was not in the printed press.
On the negotiations front: Ynet reported that Hamas said Gaza talks will resume in late October and that as part of a goodwill gesture, Israel agreed to allow a ship-based Turkish power station off the Gaza coast to supply electricity to Strip to replace the station hit during the war. However, Maariv’s Yasser Ukabi and Israel Hayom reported that Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah conditioned Gaza’s reconstruction saying that "rebuilding the Gaza Strip would not be possible without removing the Israeli blockade on Gaza, which lasted for seven years." Moreover, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas promised US Secretary of State John Kerry there would be no military confrontations with Israel until the end of 2015, in order to encourage donor states to implement their plans for reconstruction in the Gaza Strip, Haaretz+ reported. In an Op-Ed in Maariv, former IDF Spokesperson, Avi Benayahu, wrote that in order for Israel to gain back the international community’s trust, it needs to invest in the rehabilitation of Gaza. Ukabi also reported that Abbas told the Palestinian media, “We thwarted a third Intifada in the West Bank.”
Haaretz’s Jacky Khoury writes that the Palestinians have been slow to win support for their end-of-occupation bid at the UN and that they are waiting for a change in the Security Council’s makeup to get the nine votes it needs. Nevertheless, Spain reportedly intends to vote to recognize a Palestinian state, following the British parliament decision to do the same. Maariv interviews Deputy Foreign Minister Tzachi Hanegbi who says that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu really does want to make peace.
**In interviews Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon gave to the Hebrew newspapers this week, he said:
There was no imminent threat from the North because Hezbollah was not interested in escalation against Israel and there was no Islamic State presence on the Golan border (Ynet). He explained that the reason Israel was treating wounded Syrians, providing baby food and winter blankets was so moderate rebels near the border kept extremists from the border with Israel. (Haaretz+)
Regarding Gaza negotiations he said “a seaport, an airport – those are pipedreams. We can discuss it in Cairo, but even Hamas understands that these things are not on our agenda or that of the PA or Egypt.” (Haaretz+)
On why Israel chose not to topple Hamas and ‘cleanse’ the Gaza Strip he explained: “After a cost-benefit analysis we concluded that it was not the right move right now to attempt such an operation. We realized that there is no one that could take our place once we conquer and cleanse: Not Mahmoud Abbas, not the Egyptians, not the Arab League and not the U.N. That means that if we went in there, we would get stuck there." (More from Israel Hayom)
And he says that Abbas is not a partner for peace, that the Palestinians will have autonomy but no state and that there is no construction freeze over the Green Line. (Israel Hayom)
A snow avalanche in Nepal that killed three young Israeli trekkers was the top story in the Israeli tabloids, with the exception of Haaretz. Also in the news were the clashes at Jerusalem’s Old City and elsewhere in E. Jerusalem and the killing of a 13-year-old Palestinian boy, when an IDF soldier shot him in the chest in Beit Laqiya near Ramallah.
Only Ynet reported on peaceful protests at the Old City against Israel’s decision to limit the age of Muslim worshipers wanting to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque to pray Wednesday. Arab-Israeli MKs and protesters held signs, but that was not in the printed press.
On the negotiations front: Ynet reported that Hamas said Gaza talks will resume in late October and that as part of a goodwill gesture, Israel agreed to allow a ship-based Turkish power station off the Gaza coast to supply electricity to Strip to replace the station hit during the war. However, Maariv’s Yasser Ukabi and Israel Hayom reported that Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah conditioned Gaza’s reconstruction saying that "rebuilding the Gaza Strip would not be possible without removing the Israeli blockade on Gaza, which lasted for seven years." Moreover, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas promised US Secretary of State John Kerry there would be no military confrontations with Israel until the end of 2015, in order to encourage donor states to implement their plans for reconstruction in the Gaza Strip, Haaretz+ reported. In an Op-Ed in Maariv, former IDF Spokesperson, Avi Benayahu, wrote that in order for Israel to gain back the international community’s trust, it needs to invest in the rehabilitation of Gaza. Ukabi also reported that Abbas told the Palestinian media, “We thwarted a third Intifada in the West Bank.”
Haaretz’s Jacky Khoury writes that the Palestinians have been slow to win support for their end-of-occupation bid at the UN and that they are waiting for a change in the Security Council’s makeup to get the nine votes it needs. Nevertheless, Spain reportedly intends to vote to recognize a Palestinian state, following the British parliament decision to do the same. Maariv interviews Deputy Foreign Minister Tzachi Hanegbi who says that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu really does want to make peace.
**In interviews Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon gave to the Hebrew newspapers this week, he said:
There was no imminent threat from the North because Hezbollah was not interested in escalation against Israel and there was no Islamic State presence on the Golan border (Ynet). He explained that the reason Israel was treating wounded Syrians, providing baby food and winter blankets was so moderate rebels near the border kept extremists from the border with Israel. (Haaretz+)
Regarding Gaza negotiations he said “a seaport, an airport – those are pipedreams. We can discuss it in Cairo, but even Hamas understands that these things are not on our agenda or that of the PA or Egypt.” (Haaretz+)
On why Israel chose not to topple Hamas and ‘cleanse’ the Gaza Strip he explained: “After a cost-benefit analysis we concluded that it was not the right move right now to attempt such an operation. We realized that there is no one that could take our place once we conquer and cleanse: Not Mahmoud Abbas, not the Egyptians, not the Arab League and not the U.N. That means that if we went in there, we would get stuck there." (More from Israel Hayom)
And he says that Abbas is not a partner for peace, that the Palestinians will have autonomy but no state and that there is no construction freeze over the Green Line. (Israel Hayom)
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.