APN's daily news review from Israel

Sunday September 15, 2013

Number of the day:

131.
--The dollar price of a round-trip ticket to Turkey for Israelis as Turkey tries to lure Israeli tourists back to their country.**

Front Page News:

Haaretz

• US and Russia agreed to disarm Syria from chemical weapons
• Experts in US: Israel froze chemical weapon production 9 years ago
• John Kerry from the National Lottery // Chemi Shalev
• Large room to maneuver for Assad // Zvi Bar'el
• Will Israel share the burden (and disarm)? // Barak Ravid
• US to act, but secretly // Anshel Pfeffer
• Student, smile for the camera - Haaretz discovers: No supervision over antenna cameras in educational institutions
• Because of the heat wave, rise in number of those who fainted on Yom Kippur

Yedioth Ahronoth

• Syrian chemical weapons to be destroyed within a year - US and Russia arrived at agreement in Geneva
• An exam in chemistry // Ronen Bergman
• Who won and who lost // Itamar Eichner
• Lieutenant A.'s victory - His body was crushed in a car accident..but all this did not prevent him from successfully completing naval officer's course
• Ready for Sukkot holiday
• New guidelines for parents: What vegetarian babies must eat
• Who said the ultra-Orthodox sector have not sense of aesthetics?
• Queen of hearts - What do the experts recommend to our (Miss Israel) Titi Aynaw

Maariv

• Attack on Syria cancelled; Assad will be demanded to disarm from chemical weapons within a year
• The best way out // Amir Rappaport (Hebrew)
• Elected president of Olympic Committee stands at head of body that promotes boycott of Israeli products in Germany (Hebrew)
• Jericho first: Frustrating journey to city that first passed to control of Palestinian Authority after the Oslo Accords (Hebrew)
• Ahead of crisis or in the backdrop of a secret agreement? Netanyahu freezes Lieberman's Governance Bill

Israel Hayom

• The chemical deal - Attack on Syria off the agenda: US and Russia arrive at agreement
• In the meantime, it's all talk and promises // Boaz Bismuth
• Bashar Assad's future is still ahead of him // Eyal Zisser
• Tragedy during the fast: 4-year-old entered mikvah whose doors apparently remained open, suspect being interrogated for negligence
• With end of Yom Kippur fast, people rushing to build sukkahs
• The next Governor of Bank of Israel: The decisive moment
• This morning on Mt. Herzl: State Memorial Ceremony for the fallen of the Yom Kippur War
• The students again on holiday: Thousands expected to go abroad this week
• Fire in the north burned hundreds of dunams; Residents of Amirim evacuated from their homes

Peace Talk Highlights:
US Secretary of State arrives in the country today to brief Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on the deal to disarm Syria of chemical weapons and discuss the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations. Haaretz writes that he will also meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas today. Maariv quoted a US spokesperson who said that the goal of the meeting will be "deep talks with the Prime Minister on negotiations for a final status agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians." Yedioth wrote that after the two sides have already held six meetings, "the Secretary of State will try to push the sides to arrive at the moment of truth - a real discussion on borders and the presentation of maps [which is what the Palestinians have been demanding - OH].

According to Science Minister Yaakov Peri (Yesh Atid) the peace talks are taking place in a good and conservative atmosphere. This he told participants at a gala event of the Israeli Forum of Chief Financial Officers last night, NRG Hebrew reported. He called the negotiations "An opening shot for long and difficult journey that will be paved with crises, but will likely lead towards understandings and even more - an historic diplomatic agreement. Time is running out for the Palestinians and for us, there will not be many more opportunities to solve this conflict. The tailwind of the public will be critical to the success of the talks or to preserving the talks in tough times. I think the Israeli public understands this. The strength the public has shown during difficult moments, such as releasing of the terrorists, proves it wants an agreement, it wants peace, even at a painful price. The government of Israel will act to end this journey with a diplomatic arrangement, with security arrangements and with the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel." (NRG Hebrew)

Syria-related News:
The papers front pages focused on the fact that a US attack on Syria is no longer in the cards. The US and Russia have made an agreement for the disarmament of Syrian chemical weapons within a year. Today US Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in Israel and will brief Netanyahu on the deal. Yedioth reported that in Jerusalem, officials were surprised by the US adamance to force Russia to put a six month time limit to the disarmament. Yedioth's Itamar Eichner also wrote that Israel fears that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad won't fufill his side of the agreement and some papers printed reports that he has already moved the weapons to hiding places. Some commentators wondered whether Israel will be required to sign an agreement to disarm itself of chemical weapons and they all noted a US report that Israel stopped producing them nine years ago. Meanwhile, the Syrian rebel chief rejected the US-Russia deal.
 

Quick Hits:

• Settlers raze Palestinian land near Nablus, 7 held - Israeli settlers from Elon Moreh accompanied by bulldozers razed Palestinian land east of Salim village on Thursday, leading to clashes. Two Palestinians were injured and seven were detained by the army. (Maan)
• Israeli forces assault mentally disabled woman in Hebron - A large force of Israeli soldiers raided the home of Khalil Mahmoud Abu Dayya in Beit Ummar. His mentally-disabled sister Nabila tried to stop the soldiers. The soldiers beat and kicked her, before throwing a stun grenade into the house. (Maan)
• Israeli forces detain 3 teens in Jenin, locals say - A Israeli military patrol raided the village of Yabad and arrested three boys between 14 and 15 years old. (Maan)
• The settlement outpost was evacuated on Yom Kippur - After the fast already began, Border Police and police forces evacuated seven youth from the Ramat Migron outposts, a closed military zone that it is forbidden to enter. The right-wing was outraged: "This lacks all reason." Police: This was an act to enforce the law. (Yedioth, p. 12)
• President of Olympic Committee promotes boycott on Israel - Thomas Bach, who was elected this week as the President of the OC, is involved in promoting a boycott on Israeli products in cooperation with the Arab League. He also opposed a moment of silence at the London Olympics in remembrance of the Munich victims. Simon Wiesenthal Center calls on him to quit his position at the German-Arab center for commerce. (Maariv, p. 1/NRG Hebrew and Times of Israel)
• Will the 'enemy of the settlement enterprise' replace Lador as State Attorney? Shai Nitzan, who is close to Yehuda Weinstein, who is expected to support his candidacy, was accused of constantly accused of particularly selective law enforcement. The right-wing is worried. When Nitzan was chosen as Deputy State Attorney some two years ago, the right-wing protested and Netanyahu announced he would not deal with issues pertaining to Judea and Samaria (W. Bank). (Maariv, p. 6/NRG Hebrew)
• Following the criticism, Netanyahu reconsidering the Governance Law - PM decided to freeze the legislation that Lieberman initiated to discuss it again. The main dispute: raising the election threshold, which would push the small parties out of the Knesset [particularly the Arab ones - OH]. (Maariv, p. 1/NRG Hebrew)
• Why do secular Israeli schools need rabbis? According to a pilot program for the current school year, a 'school rabbi' will be appointed for every state-run primary school in two Haifa suburbs. (Haaretz)
• Danon to Netanyahu: My comments weren't aimed at you - Netanyahu asked Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon to explain comment that any Likud member who supports an interim agreement with the Palestinians needs to be expelled from the part.  Danon: PM is opposed anyhow to such an agreement. (Israel Hayom)
• Meet the settlers - The British Daily Telegraph posted an internet series that travels between Israeli military checkpoints and wineries, between international boycotts and the joint shopping at a Rami Levy supermarket (in the W. Bank). The Yesha settler council as you have never seen it. (Maariv, p. 24/NRG Hebrew and Daily Telegraph)
• Hamas: Egypt arrests 2 Gaza fishermen - Egyptian naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishermen off the Gaza Strip's southern coast and arrested two of them. (Maan)
• Turkish co proposes Leviathan pipeline - Turcas Petrol wants to build a 470 kilometer pipeline from the Israeli Leviathan gas field to southern Turkey. (Globes)
• **Fly to Istanbul and back for $131 - it seems that Turkish Prime Minister's recent harsh statements against Israel have resulted in renewed attempts to lure the Israeli audience. Turkish Airlines is wooing Israeli passengers by adding seven more weekly flights on Tel Aviv-Istanbul route and offering non-refundable cheap plane tickets. (Ynet)
• IMF urges Israel to ease Palestinian financial curbs - The International Monetary Fund urged Israel to ease financial restrictions on Palestinians, warning that the Palestinian economy would otherwise not be viable. An IMF report said the Palestinian Authority faced a budget deficit of $300 million by the end of 2013. (Agencies, Maan)
• Israel slips out of top ten global real estate markets - Israel is only the world's 14th highest real estate market in terms of price rises, "Global Property Guide" reports. (Globes)
• Jihad leader: Arafat killed for not giving in to talk demands - Islamic Jihad leader Mohammed al-Hindi said Friday that late president Yasser Arafat was killed for not giving in to pressure to sign an agreement at the Camp David summit in 2000. (Maan)
• Egypt's Mubarak waves, grins as his trial resumes - Defense lawyer suggests that Muslim Brotherhood and Palestinian militants were behind killings of protesters during 2011 uprising - deaths for which Mubarak and others are being indicted. (Agencies, Haaretz)
• Egyptian army destabilizing Hamas rule in Gaza - Within the framework of its war on Jihad in Sinai and on Hamas in Gaza, the Egyptian army is establishing its own 'Philadelphi Route' - A buffer zone the length of the border - that would destroy the tunnel smuggling industry. Worried Hamas leaders ordered mosque preachers to stop attacking the new government in Cairo. But in the meantime, the (anti-Morsi) Al-Tamarod Movement that led the revolution in Cairo, already opened a branch in Gaza. (Maariv, p. 10/NRG Hebrew)

Features:

Jericho First - and nothing since
Without making a living, without customers, without money, without hope. A reporter and photographer of Maariv visited the first city that was transferred to the control of the Palestinian Authority after the Oslo Agreements and left it more pessimistic than ever. (By Asaf Gabor and photographer Yossi Aloni, Maariv/NRG HebrewPHOTOS)
An Israeli-Jordanian park: mission impossible?
An abandoned hydroelectric power station founded in the Jordan valley in 1927 serves as a vestige of regional cooperation; an environmental group is now collaborating with Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian planners to preserve the historical site - a process fraught with obstacles. (Haaretz)

Commentary/Analysis:

Will Kerry ask Israel to ratify chemical weapons treaty, with Syria plan afoot? (Barak Ravid, Haaretz) Should Israel agree to dismantle its own chemical arsenal - if one does in fact exist - it could win the international credit it desperately needs, and also maintain more important strategic security interests.
The best way out (Amir Rappaport, Maariv/NRG Hebrew) The arrangement is the best way out for all sides. It establishes Russia's status as almost equal in weight to the US and Obama can also be satisfied with it: He has avoided getting embroiled and from an action that his public opinion opposes.... And what about Israel? The assessments in Israel on the eve of Yom Kippur were that disarming Syria of non-conventional weapons is a great achievement, if indeed it occurs. On the optimistic side, it is possible to see that the tangible threat of an attack can lead to results, and that perhaps this will lead to results in the future regarding Iran as well. The less optimistic assessment is that America's overall conduct broadcasts a weakness that can only encourage Iran to continue with its nuclear program based on the assumption that the US will always find a reason not to attack...
U.S.- Russia agreement on Syrian chemical weapons, is, theoretically, a godsend for Israel (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz) The pitfalls are obvious, but the successful removal of Syria's chemical arsenal would eliminate a major strategic threat to Israel's security. Tel Aviv and Tehran will both be watching closely.
An exam in chemistry - Is disarmament possible? (Ronen Bergman, Yedioth) "The agreement between Russia and the US that was signed yesterday in Geneva is good news for Israel. The two superpowers have agreed to get rid of one of the main threats that has been hovering over our heads for the past three decades...How could anyone be sure that Assad will have shown the inspectors all of the weapons at his disposal?" Bergman writes that he doubts whether the Russians will ever approve the use of force or even sanctions or that the Americans will attack Syria should, say, the inspectors be refused entry to a particular installation. He also doubts that, given the conditions inside Syria, it will be very difficult to ensure the inspectors' safety and cites expert opinions that actually destroying Syria's stock of chemical weapons could take at least two years. "The bottom line is that even if dismantling Syria's arsenal of chemical weapons doesn't take place as planned, from Israel's point-of-view, this is very positive progress...Who loses from the agreement? First and foremost, the citizens of Syria do. Assad and his cohorts are continuing to perpetrate appalling war crimes and are not being held accountable. 120,000 Syrians have already been slaughtered and no one is stopping the horror."
Yom Kippur War: Israel's tragedy remembered as Egypt's triumph (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz) What Israelis remember as the debacle of the Yom Kippur War, Egyptians venerate as the glory of 'October.'
Looks good on paper (Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynet) US-Russian deal to eliminate Assad's chemical weapons obviously positive, but its implementation will not be easy.
American arms, not boots, on the ground in Syria? (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz) U.S. is looking to play a bigger, albeit clandestine, role in helping the Syrian rebels in the war against Assad.
New lessons from 1973: Is it acceptable to lie during times of war? (Amos Harel, Haaretz) The Yom Kippur War constitutes an interesting laboratory for exploring the truth - and more specifically, to whom it is permissible to lie in wartime.
Oslo is dead, long live Palestine (Nasser Lahham, Maan) Twenty years after the Oslo Accords were signed, it has become clear that the Arabs have failed in every field, while the Palestinians have triumphed over their circumstances.
Forty years on and we still haven't learned the true lesson (Haaretz Friday Editorial) Israel is convinced that it will live by the sword forever and that therefore there is no point in making efforts for peace. That is the greatest sin. 
Ramallah, Gaza and the Palestinian identity crisis (Ramzy Baroud, Maan) There was indeed a time in which a Palestinian teacher in Kuwait held similar ideals to a refugee from Lebanon, to a student in Russia, and to a laborer in Gaza. Those times are long gone and many factors contributed to the demise of the collective Palestinian discourse. never before.
The privatization of Al-Qaida (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz) The Russian plan to supervise and disarm Syria of chemical weapons has a lot to do with Al-Qaida.
The failures of the successful (Amnon Lord, Maariv/NRG Hebrew) After Assad receives immunity, it is expected Obama will also give legitimacy to Iran through meetings with Rouhani and the support of Putin's initiative to build another nuclear reactor.
The importance of being an oasis of stability (Yoel Marcus, Haaretz) Is it really in Israel's interest for Assad to fall and be replaced by Hezbollah and Al-Qaida? Who knows, perhaps the agreement to be reached will apply to Iran and liberate us from our paranoia? 
20 years to Oslo (Prof. Efraim Inbar, Israel Hayom) While the Oslo process failed to attain peace and security for Israel, it relieved it of the Palestinian burden. 
Hail to the IDF chief (Haaretz Editorial) Gantz is emerging as a dedicated, down-to-earth public servant, who fulfills an important role in the checks and balances system of decision making regarding Israel's security.
The children of winter 1973 (Yoaz Hendel, Yedioth/Ynet) Post-Yom Kippur War Israel is a country which has abandoned concept of solidarity in favor of sanctifying individual.
Golda versus Bibi (Amir Oren, Haaretz) Despite her blunders in the Yom Kippur War, Golda Meir didn't have Netanyahu's arrogance. His enthusiasm for an operation against Iran may lose him his Washington flank.
Murder will only continue (Hagai Segal, Ynet) Assad proved a long time ago that in addition to being a mass murderer, he is also a compulsive liar.
The real Ramallah (Gideon Levy, Haaretz) The West Bank's roads are relatively open to Palestinians and - wonder of wonders - terror has not resumed. The conclusions should be clear: it is safe to open the West Bank.
They don't learn (Dr. Cielo Rozenberg, Maariv/NRG Hebrew) There is no real possibility to supervise the chemical weapons stockpiles in Syria. The world has failed, time after time, in similar circumstances. The most obvious example is Iran.
Defining who is an Israeli (A.B. Yehoshua, Haaretz) When Israeli citizens define themselves as Jews - instead of Israelis - they weaken their link to the country and bar national identity from flourishing.
Ditch the analogies (Varda Meyers Epstein, Ynet) Death of innocent civilians in Syria is horrific, but Holocaust is standalone event in modern history.
Netanyahu's remarks on Iran: a cheap shot at Obama (Alon Pinkas, Haaretz) PM Netanyahu is both foolish and plain wrong to criticize President Obama by stating that Israel can only rely on itself to act on Iran in view of the U.S.'s risk-averse Syria policy.
 
 

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