APN's daily news review from Israel

Monday November 11, 2013

Quote of the day:

"I want to contribute to the State in a way that would have made Yitzhak and Leah Rabin proud of me."
--Yitzhak Rabin, 18, a Jordanian immigrant, wants to serve in the IDF.**

Front Page News:

Haaretz

• Estimated number of dead from typhoon in Philippines reached 10,000; Access to area blocked
• US: We will demand to freeze the establishment of a nuclear facility in Arak
• What does Obama prefer // Chemi Shalev
• Government approved establishment of religious community in Negev in place of Bedouin village that will be destroyed
• Developments in investigation of suspicion of blackmail of 'X-Ray' rabbi
• 9 years prison to Nazareth resident, who poured acid on a young woman who refused to marry him
• Today the law of 'trapped earnings' expires: State reached less than half of its target

Yedioth Ahronoth

• Public battle - Dispute with US worsens
• The hell after the storm in the Philippines
• The cancer worrying Sheba Hospital - 5 doctors and a nurse fell ill with pancreatic cancer
• IDF not drafting Rabin - Jordanian named Yitzhak Rabin who was expelled to Israel has already converted, but that's not enough for the state
• "My life has been shattered" - Remedia CEO sues manufacturer of defective baby formula
• Listen to me - Shirley Pinto, a deaf student, is trying to make it easier for students like her
• Ben-Gurion University also noticed the success of owner of Hapoal Beersheva soccer team and its owner Alona Barkat

Maariv

• US: Worsening sanctions will cause Iran to join a race for developing nuclear weapons (Hebrew)
• Don't be jealous of him // Arel Segal on Netanyahu
• This morning: LIeberman returns to Foreign Ministry as the fifth minister of Yisrael Beiteinu; Lapid and Bennet: This is a violation of the coalition agreement (Hebrew)
• After the typhoon: Humanitarian aid delegation left for disaster areas in Philippines
• First study of its kind in Israel reveals: Number of children who experienced abuse is higher by hundreds of percentiles than the official statistics in the hands of the welfare services (Hebrew)
• Career navy commando (Shayetet) soldier admitted to smoking grass in the past and was dismissed from the unit forever (Hebrew)
• Detention of (crime boss) Shalom Domrani extended by 8 days on suspicion of blackmailing of Rabbi Ifergan using threats in elections in Netivot (Hebrew)
• Pareve MKs - Salad instead of meatballs: Will the Knesset join soon the initiative of 'Mondays without meat" and how will that change the cafeteria menu? (Hebrew)

Israel Hayom

• The Battle over the sanctions
• Don't say "impossible" // Amos Regev on the ability of the IDF to attack Iran
• Another mysterious assassination in Iran: Deputy Minister of INdustries and Trade shot to death in Teheran by unknown assailants
• Suspicion: Rabbi Abergil and (crime boss) Domrani threatned the 'X-ray' rabbi
• Surprise: Who won first place in the Hannukah donut march?
• Expose: Sami Ofer Stadium won't open this season
• Foreign Minister returns to his position: Lieberman to be sworn in today on the Knesset podium
• Psychiatrist ruled that father is dangerous to his children - without ever meeting him
• Super typhoon in Philippines: Contact lost with eight Israelis

Peace Talk Highlights:
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu accused the world of going about things the wrong way when it came to peace-making. At the Sunday morning government cabinet meeting he said that "peace will not be achieved by exerting international pressure on Israel." Sunday night, in a speech to Jewish leaders attending the General Assembly of Jewish Federations of North America, Netanyahu accused the world of ignoring Palestinian incitement and tolerating Palestinian violence, Ynet reported.

Iran-related News Update:
The deepening US-Israel dispute as a result of the agreement the US intends on signing with Iran was the top story in most Israeli newspapers this morning. The papers noted the 'battle of words' between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US Secretary of State John Kerry. And many, such as Maariv's Eli Bardenstein (see Commentary/Analysis below) agree that the possibility of military action against Iran, either from the US or Israel, is getting farther and farther.

First Netanyahu attacked: "How many centrifuges will be neutralized in this agreement? Zero," he said in an interview with CBS. Then Kerry answered: "With all due respect, Netanyahu does not know the details of the negotiations" with Iran. Kerry said that the US is neither 'blind' nor 'stupid' in its dealings with Iran. Netanyahu responded: "I am updated on the details, this is a very bad deal." Yedioth quoted an unnamed senior US source, who said, "The Iranians are serious, but we don't trust them" and explained that the first article of the agreement on the discussion table deal with the West's ability to observe the Iranian nuclear program. "The US did not deceive or mislead Israel. It's likely that Israel was updated about the talks from other sources and that was how the confusion happened," implying that the 'other sources' were not very good ones.

Wendy Sherman, the US Undersecretary for political affairs and chief US negotiator in the talks, arrived with a US delegation to Israel Sunday to brief her Israeli counterpart on the talks. The papers report that the world powers have demanded that Iran suspend its work on the Arak nuclear reactor.  US officials told their Israeli counterparts that sanctions imposed on Iran would only be slightly eased if a nuclear agreement were reached, Haaretz reported. Netanyahu is due to visit Moscow on November 20, the same day as the next round of Iran talks in Geneva.
 
On Sunday, Netanyahu also revealed that over the weekend he spoke with leaders of United States, Russia, France, Germany and Britain in an effort to thwart an agreement with Iran. It was France that led the opposition to the current version of an agreement with Iran. Israeli and US hardliners applauded the French for blocking the nuclear deal on Saturday. French President Francoise Hollande, meanwhile, has changed his mind and will speak before the Knesset during his visit November 17. Yedioth reported earlier that Hollande originally planned to speak 'to the people' outside the Knesset, sparking anger among right-wingers and the right wing Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, who decided the Knesset would boycott official French representatives, who would not be invited to official Knesset events.
 

Quick Hits:

• Cabinet OKs demolishing Bedouin village, replacing with Jewish town - Unauthorized village Umm al-Hiran makes cabinet agenda even though its future is in the court's hands. Jewish community to be named Hiran. [Israel Hayom reports on the new Jewish town, but avoids mentioning the need to destroy a Bedouin village - OH. (Haaretz and Ynet)
• Israel issues demolition orders in East Jerusalem - Israeli forces raided al-Issawiya village in East Jerusalem on Sunday, handing out demolition orders for several houses owned by Palestinians in the area. (Maan)
• Israeli settlers attack Palestinian vehicles on road near Nablus - Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian vehicles on the road south of Nablus on Sunday, breaking windows and windshields. (Maan)
• Israeli forces attack, detain Gaza fishermen near Beit Lahiya - Israeli gunboats reportedly fired at the two fisherman late Saturday, causing them to lose their fishing nets. They were detained while searching for their nets the following day. (Maan)
• Israeli forces raid three Palestinian neighborhoods, detain one - Israeli forces raided Yabad and Jenin late Saturday and a village near Bethlehem early Sunday. In Jenin, three Israeli military patrols raided the village at night, leading to clashes between Israeli forces and locals. They left at 2AM and no injuries or detentions were reported. (Maan)
• Official: Bulldozers raze lands west of Salfit to expand settlement - Israeli bulldozers on Sunday razed lands in a northern West Bank village of Deir Istiya near Salfit in order to expand the illegal settlement of Revava. (Maan)
• Abbas: Adamant on intention to find true cause of Arafat's death - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that the Palestinian Authority is adamant in its intention to unearth the truth behind Yasser Arafat's death. (Ynet and Maan)
• Lieberman gets green light to return as FM - Cabinet approves reinstatement of Avigdor Lieberman as foreign minister; swearing in ceremony set for Monday. (Agencies, Ynet)
• Aid in housing rent for former South Lebanese Army families to be extended another year - State to extend aid in housing rental to some 470 SLA families living in Israel, at the initiative of Deputy Minister of Prime Minister's Office MK Ofer Akunis. The budget cost is 2.3 million shekels. (Israel Hayom, p. 23)
• **Yitzhak Rabin wants to be recruited to IDF - He was born 18 years ago in Jordan to parents, who decided to name him after the murdered prime minister. Since then, little Rabin and his family moved to Israel when he was a baby, he began conversion process to Judaism and now wants to serve in the army, if he would only finally receive an Israeli ID card. (Yedioth, p. 14)
• Begin monument erected in Belarusian hometown - One year after 100th anniversary of birth of Israel's sixth prime minister, monument unveiled in city of Brest. (Ynet)
• The World Cup is here (but it's not ours) - Children with cancer spent a few hours with the World Cup, which arrived in Israel for a few days. (Israel Hayom, p. 21)
• World Cup trophy arrives in Palestine - The FIFA World Cup Trophy arrived in Palestine on Sunday, where it was met by the Palestine Olympic Committee. The trophy arrived as part of a world tour during which it will visit around 90 countries. (Maan)
• 'Gaza Ark' against Israeli blockade to be launched spring 2014 - The closure of the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip has delayed the launch of Gaza Ark, an improvised cargo ship built by Gaza fishermen set to sail to Europe in protest against the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip. (Maan)
• Concern in Jordan: "Jewish extremists operating at Al-Aqsa (Temple Mount)" - In an article in "Al-Dustour" newspaper, the Jordanian minister in charge of holy places warned: "Discussion over division of Al-Aqsa is playing with fire." (NRG Hebrew)
• Lebanon: Israel spying on our phones - Complaint to UN to cite electronic espionage stations along border that can access any telecom network. (Haaretz)
• Riots in Lebanon after Nasrallah lampooned on prime-time - For first time since 2006, satirical Lebanese show pokes fun at Hezbollah chief Nasrallah, causing riots in group's strongholds. In show, Nasrallah asked if group has erred in Syria, in response: 'We joined fighting too late'. (Ynet)
• Iranian deputy minister of industries 'shot dead' in Tehran - State news agency IRNA reports Deputy Industries Minister Safdar Rahmatabadi shot by unidentified assailant. Last month, the Telegraph reported that Iran's commander of the Cyber Warfare Headquarters was found dead in a forest outside Tehran.  (Agencies, Haaretz)

Features:

In photos: Battir's ancient terraces under Israeli threat
Battir is a Palestinian village southwest of Jerusalem famous for maintaining a Roman-era terraced irrigation system in continuous use for nearly 2000 years. The Hijaz Railway, an Ottoman-built track originally running from Damascus to Medina, winds through the valley intersecting the village. (Maan)

Commentary/Analysis:

Israel's terror of truth and reconciliation (Oudeh Basharat, Haaretz) South Africa proved how simple it is to pave a way to the future. But in this country it's so easy to sink into the animosities of the past.
The Geneva-Ramallah axis - What's he yelling (Shimon Shiffer, Yedioth) "From Netanyahu's point-of-view, the news regarding the limping negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians is bad, very bad...The US, and there is no other way to put it, is charging the Israeli side with full responsibility for the stalemate in the talks...The worse news, from Netanyahu's point-of-view, is related to what is going on in the Geneva talks about the Iranian nuclear issue, in which, as a result of the agreement that will be made, the international community is liable to force on Israel an outline for resolving the conflict with the Palestinians."
Israel's lazy left (Yitzhak Laor, Haaretz) The leftists want Lieberman deposed, but won't lift a finger to get it done; instead, they rely on the justice system.
History is repeating itself (Dr. Reuven Berko, Israel Hayom) The West's eagerness to strike a deal with Iran is reminiscent of its conduct ahead of the 1938 Munich Agreement.
Israel and U.S. Jews: Different challenges, one fate (Ari Shavit, Haaretz) Israel and the U.S. Jewish community are both success stories, but they also face dangers and need to support each other in their struggles.
The crisis between Israel and the White House intensifies (Eli Bardenstein, Maariv/NRG Hebrew) Exchange of harsh words between Prime Minister and US Secretary of State demonstrated how deep the chasm is between Israel and the United States. Kerry noted that Netanyahu does not really know the details of the agreement with Iran, but the prime minister said: "I am informed of the details, this is a bad deal."
Price of the unnecessary dispute (Alon Pinkas, Yedioth) "Prime Minister Binaymin Netanyahu is paying a price. He, and with him Israel's vital interests, are paying price of an unnecessary dispute, an out of place provocation, and defiance toward the Obama administration for four years, on subjects that are not vital to Israel, like freezing settlement construction, false rebukes of the President "who is abandoning Israel" or indirect and baseless support for his political opponent in the elections, Mitt Romney"...Pinkas writes that Netanyahu is hinting at an alliance with Saudi Arabia. "Yes, Saudi Arabia. The enlightened and democratic country that brought Al-Qaeda, radical Islam and the September 11 attacks to the world. While the US is in the process of withdrawing from the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and Israel have something in common: fear of abandonment. An alliance against Iran? It is interesting how Netanyahu will define the alliance with Sunni Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, if - in the not unreasonable scenario - Saudi Arabia acquires a nuclear bomb from Pakistan. This is not some political trick of Netanyahu, but a real position, deep and with intellectual honesty: preventing Iran from attaining military nuclear capacity. But the policy, the way, the style, the dumb arguments with the Obama administration they are no less than lack of responsibility, which hurts the issue itself...
Kerry: Stay home (Prof. Efraim Inbar, Israel Hayom) The enemies of the U.S. rejoice in Obama's foreign policy and relish in America's perceived decline in world affairs.
Why is no one addressing the real reason for the weak Palestinian economy? (Amira Hass, Haaretz) When a journalist was invited to a meeting, asked a question, and the distinguished speakers invoked their right to remain silent. I never expected that Dr. Rajiv Shah, the administrator of United States Agency of International Development, would ignore my question completely, but he did...At a meeting on "Transforming the Palestinian Economy," I introduced my question by mentioning that only recently, a World Bank report calculated that the Palestinian economy was losing $3.4 billion per year -- roughly 35 percent of its 2011 gross domestic product -- due to Israeli control of 61 percent of the West Bank (Area C). My question was: Does USAID have the recipe on how to transform the Palestinian economy without 61 percent of the West Bank?
Netanyahu's empty gun (Shimon Shiffer, Yedioth/Ynet) PM's missed opportunities, clumsy moves have helped turn Iran into nuclear threshold country.
Israel should seek the achievable rather than waging an unwinnable, all-out war with Washington (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz) The ferocity of Israel's onslaught against the emerging pact with Iran threatens to return Netanyahu and Obama to their bad old days of yesteryear.
At least the French put up a fight (Boaz Bismuth, Israel Hayom) The French, like the Israelis, Saudis and Gulf states, do not want to be part of the "con game" in Geneva. 
If Iran and world powers want a deal, what's causing the delay? (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz) No one wanted to go home from the Geneva nuclear talks empty-handed, least of all the Iranians.
The return of appeasement (Prof. Abraham Ben-Zvi, Israel Hayom) Will the Americans continue to run amok toward a deal with Iran at any cost?
The Native Americans of the Middle East (Amos Gilboa, Maariv) Gilboa discusses US Secretary of State John Kerry's recent remarks in Israel in which he warned of a third intifada if Israel is not more forthcoming in the peace process and says, "Kerry recognizes that violence is an understood part of the DNA of the Palestinians in particular and the Arabs in general. He looks around him and sees violence running amok in almost every part of the Middle East...Kerry accepts this as basic and agrees that whenever the Palestinians do not get what they want, they turn to violence. This is the condescending and racist Western approach that does not at all care when Arabs kill Arabs or when they kill Jews. But woe if a Jew kills an Arab. These remarks of Kerry's only encourage the Palestinians to harden their positions in the negotiations and increase the violence...The impression one gets from the interview is that Kerry regards us as children who must be taught what is right for them and what is wrong...The heart of our problem is that we cannot tell him to his face: Go home! We are too dependent on the US. However, let us not forget that Kerry, as of now, does not represent all of the US."
 

Interviews: 

Former NATO chief: U.S. doesn't want another war
Amid high tension over Iran talks, Wesley Clark tells Haaretz that America still has Israel's back. (Amos Harel interviews in Haaretz)
This week he came to Israel as the tensions between the United States and Israel were increasing over the first-stage nuclear agreement evolving between the six world powers and Iran. Although Clark did not say so explicitly in his interview with Haaretz, it was clear between the lines that he doesn't think it very likely that America will seek another military adventure to try to stop Iran's nuclear project.
"In 2003 we went to war against Iraq for many reasons that weren't critical. In my view, that was a mistake," he said. "The war we had launched previously in Afghanistan wasn't managed correctly because the focus was subsequently moved to Iraq. That cost us 5,000 dead on our side and a trillion dollars in direct expenses. At the end of those wars, there developed in the United States a public sense of frustration and fatigue. We were trying to conduct two wars at once, in the midst of two tax reductions and the development of a real estate bubble. In the end, in 2008, the whole thing blew up," he said, referring to the economic crisis that erupted, and which further eroded American support for military action.
 
 

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