APN's daily news review from Israel

Friday November 28, 2014
 

Quote of the day:

"Ben-Gurion's voice demands that we be what Israel was meant to be – a model state that is sane and enlightened, and seeks justice, equality and peace."
--Former President Shimon Peres now takes his turn diplomatically bashing the Jewish nation-state bill.**

Front Page News:

Haaretz

• Knesset to make fast-track approval of infiltrators bill (to allow detention of asylum seekers)
• Elections in the horizon: Netanyahu found in the Jewish nationa-state bill a flag to run with // Yossi Verter
• Prime Minister delaying appointment of chief of staff, and make (Defense Minister) Yaalon and (candidate) Eizenkot crazy // Amos Harel
• Chief IDF Rabbi Rafi Peretz to pre-military academy students: What are the Muslims doing on the Temple Mount anyway?
• Violence in Jerusalem actually broke out in the wake of the East side getting closer to the west side
• Uri Messer in recording about closure of case against him: "I have no idea why they didn't put me on trial"
• Between Ferguson and Cosby, the narrative of the integration of Blacks in the US is being shattered
• Driver caught naked with a youth, ran over a policewoman and escaped
• The forgotten exodus of the Jews of Arab countries receives recognition
• 1/4 page ad: Right-wing Government presents: Democracy for Jews only - Joining the emergency demonstration! (Jewish) nation-state bill - cannot be allowed to pass!  Saturday 19:30 in front of the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem. Signed: Meretz party, Israel's left

Yedioth Ahronoth

• Lieberman's peace plan - "The wholeness of the people is more important than the wholeness of the land"
• We've said all there is // Nahum Barnea says the government should accept it has lost the trust of the people and quit
• The dizziness war // Sima Kadmon says at a tense time like this the government chose to hold an election campaign and make the country dizzy over the racist and unnecessary nation-state bill
• Soccer player caught with (male) youth and ran over policewoman
• The delay in the appointment of a chief of staff: "Netanyahu is causing harm to the army"

Maariv Weekend (Hebrew links only)

• In the hands of Rabbi Steinman - Rabbi Aharon Yehuda Lev Steinman, 100, holds the keys now. If (the spiritual leader of  'Agudat Yisrael' ultra-Orthodox party) says yes, Israel will go to elections over nothing. If he says no, Netanyahu will have to compromise with Lapid and continue to suffer from him (and visa versa) for another year
• Peres: "Nation-state bill could turn the political conflict (with the Palestinians) into a religious upheaval"
• Teddy Stadium in the cross-hairs - Shin Bet arrested 30 Hamas activists who planned a series of kidnappings and attacks, including on the home of Beitar Jerusalem [racist -OH] soccer team
• War of attrition: After a decade of efforts, did Israel really succeed to ruin the Iranian nuclear project?
• "Maybe in the end we will reach quiet" - Parents of Lee Zeitouni battled in French court with suspects in running her over and killing her
• Industrialists: Raise minimum wage to 4,950 shekels a month
• Gave in to the pain: He put an end to his life next to the memorial monument for his son who was killed in a car accident

Israel Hayom

• Expectation announcement of 21st chief of staff  - Less than 3 months before change of staff - decisive moment has arrived
• In the crosshairs: Light rail and Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem
• Suspect in sexual crimes ran over policewoman - and escaped
• "They should come to their senses - or we'll go to elections" - say PM's associates
• Father committed suicide on monument in memory of his son
• Arik Rubik, one of those indicted for running over Lee Zeituni, admitted: "I drove intoxicated"
• Black Friday: The full guide to shopping celebrations - also from Israel

News Summary:
The arrest of 30 Palestinians for an alleged plan to make attacks on Israelis, the French trial of two men accused of running over and killing a young Israeli woman and the still awaited announcement of the appointment of the next chief of staff were top stories in today's Hebrew newspapers.

Also in the news, the IDF Chief Rabbi Rafi Peretz made explosive comments saying the Muslim's have no connection to the Temple Mount - al-Harram al-Sharif, a new bill could force Arab MKs to swear loyalty to the 'Jewish state,' which Arab MKs have refused to do, and eight Israeli human rights organizations have petitioned the High Court to end Israel's policy of demolitions of homes of Palestinian attackers.

Maariv wrote that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will call for elections if the head of Agudat Yisrael ultra-Orthodox party agrees to recommend him as the next prime minister were elections to take place,
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman has suggested a 'peace plan' by which Israel pays Israeli Arabs to move to a future Palestinian state.
 
**Meanwhile, former Israeli President Shimon Peres said Netanyahu's Jewish nation-state bill could turn the political conflict with the Palestinians into a religious conflict,
while the top Israeli political commentators, Yedioth's Nahum Barnea and Sima Kadmon, Maariv's Ben Caspit and Haaretz's Yossi Verter slammed Netanyahu for "abandoning the country" in order to win an election campaign by pushing an unnecessary bill ahead of an election that has not been announced. Only Israel Hayom, unsurprisingly, had no such commentary.

 

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