News Nosh 11.21.13

APN's daily news review from Israel

Thursday November 21, 2013

 

Quote of the day:

"The test is not what the writer meant but what the reader understands."
--Justice Edna Arbel said in response to State Prosecutor, which does not want to indict far-right-wing rabbis on incitement for book, 'The King's Bible,' which they wrote about conditions in which killing a non-Jew is permitted.**



Front Page News:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

  • Interrogator: Did you sleep with a minor? (Famous singer) Eyal Golan: I need young girls? I have 40 women - Famous singer interrogated by police yesterday
  • (Famous singer) Rita: As a mother of girls I cannot accept acts like that
  • Nuclear talks - Feverish negotiations in Geneva

Maariv

Israel Hayom

  • Sex trap for minors - No surprise: Eyal Golan confirmed that he is the 'famous singer'
  • After the smiles: Iran is making muscles

 

Peace Talk Highlights:
Israeli Foreign Minister says there won't be peace between Israelis and Palestinians in the foreseeable future and Israel needs to make new allies as ties with the US are deteriorating. Meanwhile, the Palestinian negotiators who quit will 'oversee' talks till a new team is formed.

Speaking at the Sderot Conference, Lieberman said that international mediation can't help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which he claims is not over territory. "The claim that painful concessions are necessary and that the settlements are an obstacle - that approach is pure fabrication," he said. "The people saying this don't want to accept reality. For example, there was never any territorial or familial connection between Judea and Samaria and the Gaza Strip."

Lieberman also said that while "the ties with the US are continually deteriorating...We have to find those countries that aren't looking for money, that don't need the Muslim world, but are looking for knowledge in technology, agriculture, hi-tech... The foreign policy should be diverse, looking for allies with a common goal."

Palestinian negotiators Saeb Erekat and Mohammad Ishteyyah, who resigned last week following more Israeli announcements of settlement construction, will continue in their positions on a temporary basis until a new negotiations team can be formed, a senior Palestinian official said Wednesday.

Iran-related News:
Iran and the world powers are meeting in Geneva with contradictory assessments of whether an agreement will be signed, while Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu lobbies in Russia against an agreement. Meanwhile, in Iran, Supreme Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran seeks friendly relations with the US, but that Israel is doomed to destruction. Haaretz has live updates from the talks here.
 

Quick Hits:

  • **Editors of extremist Jewish website to be charged with incitement - Announcement of pending indictment against editors of 'Hakol Hayehudi' comes as state prosecutor delays decision to charge far-right rabbi in another case of alleged incitement to violence. (Haaretz)
  • Golani soldier suspected of 'price tag' - Soldier arrested with older brother on suspicion of puncturing tires of police car, spraying 'Death to Arabs' on buses used to carry Palestinians in Emmanuel. 'Detention is outrageous,' lawyer says, suspect denies allegations. (Ynet)
  • 11-year-old Palestinian boy detained in Jerusalem for throwing rocks - Malik Daana, 11, was handcuffed by Israeli forces and taken to a police station from a barber shop in Ein al-Lawza neighborhood in Silwan, E. Jerusalem for allegedly throwing rocks, his father said. (Maan)
  • Israel: David's Sling missile interceptor passes important test - Designed to counter mid-range ballistic missiles, system could be operational as soon as next year. (Haaretz and Israel Hayom)
  • Israeli forces issue stop-work orders for 7 houses near Jenin - Israeli forces handed Palestinians in Bartaa village seven stop-work notices and two notices to evacuate poultry farms on Wednesday. (Maan)
  • Israelis ask: where have all the mall guards gone? Rumors of a reduction in the number of guards at important public and commercial institutions are making the public feel less protected. (Haaretz)
  • University students rally for Arab cleaning lady suspended from job - Fatma Shitawi, a Hebrew University worker, fought on behalf of other workers who complained of sexual harassment and lack of vacation days. The contracting company who employed her: a complaint was filed against her for theft. The students: They are falsely accusing her. (Maariv, p. 14/NRG Hebrew)
  • Brandeis suspends partnership with Palestinian university over Nazi-style march - Boston university to re-evaluate relationship after march at Al-Quds' Jerusalem campus. (JTA, Haaretz)
  • Palestinian journalists say freedom of speech in danger - Dozens of Palestinian journalists protest recent arrest of colleague, other similar detentions, as tensions regarding journalistic freedom of speech escalate. (Ynet)
  • Ancient coin that Bennett flashed on CNN was illegally removed from Israel - The antiquities law bars the removal of any antiquity from the country without written permission. (Haaretz)
  • Anti-Prawer protests held in Jerusalem - Hebrew University students, international activists, and residents of the Negev held a demonstration Wednesday in protest of Israel's Prawer-Begin Plan to relocate Bedouins from their land. (Maan)
  • Hezbollah calls for calm after bombing of Iranian embassy in Beirut - Shi'ite group's deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem says easing of sectarian tensions in Lebanon 'begins politically.' (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Kerry: Muslim Brotherhood 'stole' Egyptian revolution - Tahrir square 'kids' were not motivated by any religion or ideology, says Kerry in remarks likely to please Egypt's military. (Agencies, Haaretz)


Commentary/Analysis:

A Palestinian Ben-Gurion? I wish (Salman Masalha, Haaretz) It appears that since the chances for a new Israeli Ben-Gurion's birth are nil, someone in Israel has begun to wish for a Palestinian one.
Respect, and reserve judgment (Dan Margalit, Israel Hayom) (Newly chosen State Prosecutor) Shai Nitzan has a stellar professional reputation. But will he be lax in the battle against government corruption?
In the real tally of violence, Palestinians have it much worse (Amira Hass, Haaretz) There is no Palestinian without a personal and familial history of injustice that was caused by, and is still caused by Israel.
Palestinians from Syria: The worst treatment of all (Elliott Abrams, Israel Hayom) For Palestinians fleeing Syria, it's hard to see the special status of Palestinian refugees as a great boon. UNRWA has outlived its usefulness and is doing more harm than good.
Non-Orthodox Jews have yet to reach the Promised Land (Reuven Hammer, Haaretz) Orthodox Judaism's exclusive access to power and money in Israel doesn't reflect the wishes of most Israelis, let alone Diaspora Jews.
The changing lexicon of the occupation (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz) The term 'infrastructure' helped us believe that terrorism has an independent framework that is totally unrelated to the occupation.
Israel's David's Sling missile: Promising, but no magic wand (Amos Harel, Haaretz) Israel's missile defenses are effective in limited conflicts, but no substitute for diplomacy.

 

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