News Nosh 05.03.15

by APN 05/04/15
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APN's daily news review from Israel
Sunday May 3, 2015 

Quote of the day:
"I attended the competition in the past, and this time I decided to participate. I brought a lot of respect to Palestine." 
--Palestinian hairstylist Asma Massimi of Nablus, who defeated hundreds of competitors from Israel and around the world at a hair-styling competition in Tel-Aviv.**

Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
Israel Hayom
News Summary:
Likud is under stress as the deadline for forming a coalition reaches its final stretch, Ethiopian Israelis plan another protest against police brutality and racism today and the search continues for the last missing Israeli making top stories in Hebrew newspapers today. Also in the news, US Secretary of State John Kerry tells Channel 10 News that Israel’s criticism of the Iran nuclear deal is “hysteria” and former US president Jimmy Carter tells Channel 2 News that he trusts Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal’s intention to make peace more than Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s.
 
If coverage of Jimmy Carter’s press conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah yesterday is any indication of how much Israelis care about the former president and his peace-making efforts, then it is practically nil. Haaretz was the only newspaper to dedicate an article on former US president Jimmy Carter’s statements from Ramallah yesterday in a press conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. (Online news media of Ynet and Times of Israel also covered it.) Israel Hayom gave it a few paragraphs and mentioned that Carter had a meeting with a group of Israelis who live in towns near the border with Gaza, during which he said that many within Hamas are interested in peace. And only Times of Israel reported that in an interview with Israel's Channel 2 News Carter said that Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal was ‘not a terrorist’ and was ‘strongly in favor of the peace process' - but that Netanyahu was not. In recent days, the Palestinian unity government has come under intense pressure. And on Friday, Hamas PLC member Ismail al-Ashqar said the unity government failed to end Palestinian division and he reiterated that Hamas wants elections. Last week, the UN's new Middle East peace envoy Nickolay Mladenov also strongly urged Palestinian unity and an end to Israel’s blockade on the Gaza Strip. Carter came as part of the ‘Elders’ group, which focused on a two-state solution and was particularly concerned with Palestinian reconciliation efforts and the need for holding Palestinian elections. Despite reports that Netanyahu refused to meet him, Carter said he has never asked to meet with Netanyahu, because it would be a “waste of time.” 

Quick Hits:
  • Palestinian Authority urges Australia to restore 'balance' to Mideast policy - PA Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki currently paying first visit to Australia; welcomes signs that opposition Labor Party may support Palestinian state. (Haaretz)
  • **Palestinian hairstylist wins Israeli contest - While hairdressers from Jordan and Turkey boycotted international hairstyling championship held at Tel Aviv university, Asma Massimi of Nablus had no problem participating. (Yedioth/Ynet) 
  • Strategist apologizes for calling PM Netanyahu 'the devil' -  Udi Pridan, Kulanu's campaign manager, insulted Netanyahu and Likud voters in recent interview. "It was a poor choice of words. I'm sorry for that. I also owe an apology to those I offended by my insensitive stereotypical comments," he says. (Israel Hayom) 
  • Labor MK Erel Margalit: US officials are interested in Israeli projects - According to the developer, who met with US diplomatic officials, the Americans expressed willingness to take part in projects that promote economic cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. (Maariv)
  • Israeli Arab Zionist Union MK: Labor party not Zionist - Sportscaster turned lawmaker Zoher Behalul tells Israeli Heritage Channel that moniker given to Labor-Hatnuah faction is antagonizing, says "the Arab public can't be Zionist." Behalul insists he is not anti-Zionist, says "Israel is an amazing country." (Israel Hayom and Maariv)
  • Israel issues travel warning for Tunisia due to terror threat - Jewish pilgrims travel to Tunisia's island of Djerba for the Lag Ba'omer festival. (Haaretz and Ynet)
  • IDF worries over troops' use of social media - Instant messaging applications such as WhatsApp becoming growing threat both to battlefield secrecy and to privacy of women soldiers, military officials say. (Agencies, Ynet)
  • Hundreds pray outside closed mosque in Beersheba - The Ottoman-era mosque was first closed to (Muslim) worshipers in 1948. From the 1950’s on, the mosque was designated a museum, leaving the area's 10,000-strong Muslim Palestinian community with nowhere to pray. (Maan)
  • Israeli forces suppress Palestinian journalists march - A number of Palestinian journalists were injured on Saturday when Israeli fired tear-gas canisters and stun grenades into the crowd of journalists marching peacefully in Bethlehem in a march organised by journalists to mark World Press Freedom Day. (Maan)
  • Israeli forces injure 2 at Kafr Qaddum weekly march - The two men were shot in their legs by Israeli forces with live fire at the weekly protest against the Israeli separation wall and settlement expansion the Qalqiliya-area village. A group of Italian activists were also assaulted with tear gas canisters and stun grenades. (Maan)
  • Israeli forces shoot, injure 3 teens near Ramallah - Three Palestinian teenagers were shot and injured with live rounds on Friday when Israeli forces opened fire on them during clashes in al-Jalazun refugee camp north of Ramallah. (Maan) 
  • Israeli naval forces open fire at Gaza fishing boats - An Israeli army spokeswoman told Ma'an that when a vessel deviated from the designated fishing zone, the forces told the vessel to halt and fired warning shots into the air, after which the vessel returned to shore with no injuries or damage reported. (Maan)
  • Israeli forces open fire on Palestinian farmers in southern Gaza - Israeli forces deployed along the border east of Rafah city shot at Palestinian farmers and used tear gas to drive them from their land. No injuries reported. (Maan) 
  • Palestinians to ask international soccer federation to expel Israel - For the motion to pass, Palestinians need a three-quarter majority of FIFA's 209 members; they think they have it. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Palestinians: Don’t allow (international) games at Teddy Stadium (in Jerusalem) - Palestinian sports minister is trying to expel Israel from FIFA. He petitioned the soccer organization and said that international matches can’t be allowed at the stadium in Jerusalem. The reason: it is on occupied lands. (Yedioth Jerusalem supplement, Mynet) 
  • ICC prosecutor: Low-ranking Israeli soldiers, as well as Palestinians, could be prosecuted for war crimes - Fatou Bensouda tells Haaretz that 'it is in the interests of both Palestine and Israel to cooperate' in International Criminal Court's probe into Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Haaretz+ and Maan)
  • Another Gaza flotilla reportedly planned for this summer - Organizers say three ships will set out for the Strip to break Israeli blockade, but refuse to specify points of departure or timetable, according to Palestinian media report. (Haaretz)
  • Protest against Jehovah’s Witnesses seminar in central Israel turns violent - Hundreds show up to protest event, which is being held after a district court overturned the municipality's decision to block it. (Haaretz+ and Israel Hayom)
  • Tel Aviv ranked best city in Middle East for young people, 14th globally -YouthfulCities Index ranks New York as world's top city for 15-29-year-old set, followed by London and Berlin. (Haaretz)
  • Israel among costliest countries for food, but lowest for wages - Nielsen study finds Israel ranks third in Europe for price of groceries, household essentials and toiletries but 13th for salaries. (Ynet)
  • Experts: Israel vulnerable to quake damage - An earthquake hits the region roughly once a century but buildings constructed before 1982 are not up to legal standards -- and this is being rectified chiefly in places that need it less. (Ynet)
  • Al-Qassam fighter killed in tunnel collapse - Hamas' military wing Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades said that one of their fighters, Nihad Awad Khleif, 30, from Beit Lahiya, died in a tunnel collapse on Saturday in the northern Gaza Strip. (Maan)
  • Islamic Jihad militant dies during 'mission' in northern Gaza - The group said in a statement that Nasim Khalil Naim was killed during a "Jihadist mission," without giving further details. (Maan)
  • 200 Gazans pray in the Al-Aqsa mosque - Weekly access to the Al-Aqsa mosque by elderly Gazans has become routine since October 2014 when some 500 Palestinians in Gaza prayed at the mosque for the first time since 2007, having been prevented by Israel from traveling to Jerusalem since that time. (Maan) 
  • Palestinian activist has few places left to go after Jerusalem ban renewed - Dawoud al-Ghoul, 32, was initially banned by Israel from his hometown of Jerusalem in November for six-months, and on Thursday the ban was renewed by an extra four months. Israel also banned him from entering the West Bank and travelling abroad. (Maan) 
  • Bethlehem municipality considers introducing "tourist fee" - Deputy Mayor of Bethlehem Issam Juha said that the "symbolic fee" would only amount to one US dollar, but he believed it would help improve services offered to tourists while in Bethlehem. (Maan) 
  • Canada pledges funds to Jordan for refugees, security - Both Canada and Jordan are part of the US-led military mission targeting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria with airstrikes. (Agencies, Maan)
  • Hebron settler leader Moshe Levinger hospitalized in serious condition- Levinger was instrumental in establishing the first Jewish settlements in Hebron and Sebastia and the establishment of the Yesha Council. (Haaretz)
  • Danish bus agency removes ad against Israeli settlements - Movia, owned by eastern Denmark local authorities, said the campaign by the Danish Palestinian Friendship Association was 'unnecessarily offensive.' (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Scandinavian Jews move into Israeli real estate market - As in France, anti-Semitic attacks in Sweden and Denmark are leading members of the Jewish communities there to invest in Israeli bolt hole. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Israel Shipyards hopes to ship goods through Jordan to Arab world - Israeli company takes advantage of Syrian port closure due to the civil war to serve as a Mediterranean port for goods bound for Jordan, Iraq and Syria. (Ynet)
  • GOP conservatives support Rubio's 'recognize Israel' amendment to Iran oversight bill - Jeb Bush opposes deal but is noncommittal on disruptive amendments. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Israel accuses Arab neighbors of stalling on nuke-free Mideast - Statement distributed to global disarmament conference in United Nations headquarters in New York calls for 'direct and sustained dialogue' among region's countries. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Middle East updates / Use of explosive weapons in Yarmouk camp must stop, UN tells Syria - Iran pledges to protect shared security interests with Yemen; Amnesty says Egypt using courts and jail to intimidate journalists. (Haaretz) 
  • Abu Alaa al-Afri said to replace al-Baghdadi as Islamic State leader - Al-Baghdadi's deputy takes command following the caliph's incapacitating injury; he is said to be more important than his commander within ISIS, charismatic and very strict about Sharia law. (Ynet)
  • Israeli Arab teacher claims to have joined Islamic State - Salah al-Din Mahamid from Umm al-Fahm, formerly arrested in Israel on suspicion of joining terror group, confirms: 'I am in the Islamist country with my son and wife who converted to Islam'. (Ynet)
  • Turkish film 'Mastermind' purports to reveal Jewish conspiracy - Anti-Semitic documentary, based in part on Erdogan speech, claims Jews have conspired to dominate the world for 3,500 years; Turkish ruling party said to be encouraging such conspiracy theories. (Ynet)
  • Middle East Updates / Turkish police use tear gas on hundreds of May Day protesters - UN Security Council to hold urgent meeting on Yemen; Baghdad officials blame displaced Sunnis for wave of bombings; bodies in streets of Aden as Yemen health services crippled. (Agencies, Haaretz)

Features:
How a Facebook post triggered new complaints of sexual harassment in the IDF
The actions of a female soldier who this week publicly identified herself as the victim of harassment highlights a problem the army still struggles to handle. (Haaretz+) 
In the IDF officers' training course, diversity in uniform
Ali Hujirat, a Muslim, prefers his Jewish comrades to his neighbors who don't serve in the IDF. Settler Yehonatan Yekutiel says the key is to be decent. Meet the most culturally diverse, yet unified, team in the IDF officers' training course. (Danielle Roth, Israel Hayom)
Now me: The Riddle of Mohammed Dahlan, a potential successor to Abbas
He is a guest in demand in Israel, but under his command of the Palestinian Preventive Security forces harsh terror attacks were made (against Israelis). He is Hamas' bitter enemy, whose activists he tortured, but is working to establish an alliance with the leaders of Hamas in Gaza. (Sara Leibovich-Dar, Maariv)
Transparent, the Maariv satire page: An Israeli ass will replace the Palestine deer at the Jerusalem Biblical zoo 
Following the storm over the 'Palestine Gazelle,' the Biblical Museum will bring in also an Israeli ass. The European hyena [also 'hypocrite' in Hebrew] is distancing himself from the ass. “He is disrupting our relations with the Arab snake.” The Persian skunk complains: The ass stinks. (Nir Barzilai, Yuval Bustan and Alon Levin, Maariv) 
Israel’s Iron Lady unfiltered: 17 Golda Meir quotes on her 117th birthday
The wise, the whimsical and the downright polemical. (Judd Yadid, Haaretz+)

Commentary/Analysis:
Analysis / Secret talks hold hope for lengthy Hamas-Israel truce (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Indirect negotiations going on for months; Hamas political wing in favor, Mohammed Deif and military wing opposed. 
What BDS really wants: A one-state solution, minus the Jewish state (Philip Mendes and Nick Dyrenfurth, Haaretz+) The movement may claim to be driven by a concern for Palestinian human rights and justice, but this idealistic message is a smokescreen that hides an ugly agenda.
Israel's non-representative new government (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) The voices of the Knesset members should be the voice of the majority – not of the left, or of the right, but of a majority that represents the Zionist and national interest.
Mutually assured destruction (Mati Tuchfeld, Israel Hayom) Giving the education portfolio to the religious Zionists and the Religious Services Ministry to Shas should create a balance of power between the two sectors and stabilize the new government.
Keep enemies close? Bibi practically hugging them (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) To obtain political quiet and government longevity, Netanyahu is piling his future partners' plates with honors, irrespective of the size of their factions. All except Naftali Bennett. 
Nothing like Israeli solidarity (Emily Amrousi, Israel Hayom) Faced with tragedy, the divided Israeli public becomes one body with many hands and hearts.
Democrats are losing Jewish vote (Guy Bechor, Yedioth/Ynet) Weakening alliance between US Jewry and Democratic Party, mainly due to President Obama's policy towards Israel, could have a dramatic effect on identity of next American president.
European Jews are fleeing Putin, not Islamist terror (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) A larger number of Jews left Europe in the first three months of 2015 than in 2014, but most of them were fleeing Russian aggression. 
Israel's economy defies logic (Yoram Ettinger, Israel Hayom) Judging by Israel's stellar economic performance, one would hardly guess that Israel recently waged a six-week war against Hamas.
Israel is up to its neck in Syria (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) The 'let them bleed' philosophy regarding the various parties fighting for control in Israel's northern neighbor has its exceptions.
Resist temptation of Lebanon campaign (Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror, Israel Hayom) A pre-emptive strike against Hezbollah at this time can significantly undercut its abilities and bolster Israel's security. Nevertheless, the international community is unlikely to tolerate an unprovoked Israeli military campaign against Lebanon.
Iran already preparing for the day after sanctions are lifted (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Iranians seem convinced that sanctions will be removed as soon as the nuclear deal with the West is sealed. Washington is doing nothing to dampen the enthusiasm.
Panic on the streets of Riyadh (Smadar Perry, Yedioth/Ynet) The recent upheaval in the Saudi leadership is a sign of uncertainty - over Iran, the US and the Islamic terror groups. 
South African Jews: apologetic about apartheid, abused over Israel (Benjamin Pogrund, Haaretz+) The Jewish community has confronted its complicity in apartheid, and now finds itself increasingly held to account for Israel's treatment of Palestinians.
Israel’s moral duty in southern Syria (Yakub Halabi, i24News/Ynet) Israel should show that it is ready to do everything possible to prevent other minorities from suffering the same fate as Europe's Jews during the Holocaust.
 

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

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