APN's daily news review from Israel
Sunday May 10, 2015
Quote of the day:
"I think this is the first time that someone has tried to put the conflict aside and said: 'Let's see if we
have another common denominator other than the fact that we are enemies.'"
--Matthew Nolan, who made an app to help Palestinians and Israelis date each other."**
--Matthew Nolan, who made an app to help Palestinians and Israelis date each other."**
Front Page:
Haaretz
- Attorney General expected to oppose transfer of coalition monies (for settlements)
- Bennett is first taking care of religious state education
- The agreement with Shas: 70 million shekels for establishing religious buildings
- Great victory for Prime Minister Cameron in British elections
- Cameron is leading Britain’s international decline // Anshel Pfeffer
- Unprecedented achievement for Scotland
- Mubarak and sons sentenced to three years prison for embezzlement of public funds
- Ronal Fisher affair: Former Tel-Aviv district prosecutor fainted before extension of her detention; Police: It was staged
- Artist and sculptor Menashe Kadishman died 1932-2015
Yedioth Ahronoth
- Government without limits – Problem: Not enough portfolios for Likud; Solution: Netanyahu changing the law
- Price of narrow coalition: MKs cancelled flights
- Also Britain had misleading polls
- Death of the sheep painter, Menashe Kadishman
- Careful, predator: Alligator walking near Zichron Yaakov, wolves attacked in the Golan
- Stop killing – Holocaust survivor Dr. Alex Hershaft dedicates his life to saving the weakest creatures on earth: animals
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- Netanyahu to Likud: “Support expanding the government and only then we will talk about portfolios”
- Dismantling and building // Ben Caspit on Netanyahu trying to cancel law to limit government to 18 ministers
- Give them a chance // Karni Eldad says its time to lessen the ‘dictatorship of the court’
- Parting from Kadishman: “An Israeli mentor”
- The polls were wrong big time in Britain: Sweeping victory for Cameron
- Shock in the north: Alligator took walk on the paths of Moshav Beit Hananya
Israel Hayom
- 20 ministers, 12 for Likud – The bill to increase the number of ministers is today in the cabinet, tomorrow in the Knesset
- Lapid’s populist claims // Mati Tuchfeld
- The (Yedioth publisher) Mozes Coalition failed – and he’s trying again // Itsik Saban
- Menashe Kadishman 1932-2015
- Also in Britain: Yom Kippur of the pollsters
- Israel: Villa or jungle? Photos of wolves in Golan and alligator in Beit Hananya
- Fisher affair: Adv. Ruth David fainted during extension of her arrest; Police: “She faked it”
- In a spectacular parade: Russia celebrated 70 years of victory over Nazi Germany
- Egypt: 3 years prison sentence for the deposed president Mubarak
News Summary:
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu faces two problems at the start of his new coalition government: he needs all members to vote in favor of expanding the government, which he reduced in the last coalition, and he needs the Attorney General not to oppose the coalition deals he made that give millions of shekels to coalition partners and to the World Zionist Organization’s Settlement Division, making top stories in the Hebrew newspapers alongside the death of the renowned ‘sheep painter,’ artist Menashe Kadishman. Also in the news, Israeli-Arab and Palestinian leaders fear the new Netanyahu government and Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid plans to 'supervise' it.
Even before being sworn in later this week, Netanyahu needs to ensure that all 61 members of his government coalition will vote to re-amend the law that he amended in the last government that limits the number of ministers to 18. He promised his party members that only afterward would he hand out portfolios. To that end, he has ordered coalition members not to travel abroad ahead of the vote this week. "If just one member of the coalition doesn't show up, we won't have the required 61 MKs majority to swear in the government, which will send (Prime Minister) Netanyahu back to the President's Residence," a Likud official told Ynet. He will also ask the cabinet to allow him to renew the controversial tradition of appointing ministers without portfolio to his new cabinet, along with increasing the number of deputy ministers. Haaretz+ reported that as part of his agreement with Habayit Hayehudi, a team will be appointed to review ways to legalize unauthorized settlement outposts and unauthorized buildings within settlements.
The financial aspect of some of his coalition deals may face trouble. Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein determined in February that the government must stop funding the Settlement Division and in March he determined that funds must not be 'given' to any specific party or faction. However Netanyahu has signed agreements promising both, including some $13 million for the Settlement Division.
The Palestinian Authority has said the newly formed Israeli government is a 'government of war' that will bury the two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israel conflict. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat says Netanyahu's government will 'set its sights' on settlement expansion. Chairman of the Joint List, MK Ayman Odeh, called Netanyahu’s new government "extremist” and said it needed to be overthrown. In an interview with the London newspaper "Asharq Al-Awsat," Odeh said that the composition of the coalition is dangerous for Israeli Arabs and the entire region and called it "a future of blood and violence," Maariv reported.
Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid made waves when he slammed the Zionist Camp for being a 'weak, silent' opposition. “Maybe they’re waiting for a phone call inviting them to join the government,” he said. Yedioth reported that Lapid was forming a 'shadow government’ within his own party that would supervise the government ministries, with different members taking responsibility for one or more offices according to their knowledge and experience in the field.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu faces two problems at the start of his new coalition government: he needs all members to vote in favor of expanding the government, which he reduced in the last coalition, and he needs the Attorney General not to oppose the coalition deals he made that give millions of shekels to coalition partners and to the World Zionist Organization’s Settlement Division, making top stories in the Hebrew newspapers alongside the death of the renowned ‘sheep painter,’ artist Menashe Kadishman. Also in the news, Israeli-Arab and Palestinian leaders fear the new Netanyahu government and Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid plans to 'supervise' it.
Even before being sworn in later this week, Netanyahu needs to ensure that all 61 members of his government coalition will vote to re-amend the law that he amended in the last government that limits the number of ministers to 18. He promised his party members that only afterward would he hand out portfolios. To that end, he has ordered coalition members not to travel abroad ahead of the vote this week. "If just one member of the coalition doesn't show up, we won't have the required 61 MKs majority to swear in the government, which will send (Prime Minister) Netanyahu back to the President's Residence," a Likud official told Ynet. He will also ask the cabinet to allow him to renew the controversial tradition of appointing ministers without portfolio to his new cabinet, along with increasing the number of deputy ministers. Haaretz+ reported that as part of his agreement with Habayit Hayehudi, a team will be appointed to review ways to legalize unauthorized settlement outposts and unauthorized buildings within settlements.
The financial aspect of some of his coalition deals may face trouble. Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein determined in February that the government must stop funding the Settlement Division and in March he determined that funds must not be 'given' to any specific party or faction. However Netanyahu has signed agreements promising both, including some $13 million for the Settlement Division.
The Palestinian Authority has said the newly formed Israeli government is a 'government of war' that will bury the two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israel conflict. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat says Netanyahu's government will 'set its sights' on settlement expansion. Chairman of the Joint List, MK Ayman Odeh, called Netanyahu’s new government "extremist” and said it needed to be overthrown. In an interview with the London newspaper "Asharq Al-Awsat," Odeh said that the composition of the coalition is dangerous for Israeli Arabs and the entire region and called it "a future of blood and violence," Maariv reported.
Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid made waves when he slammed the Zionist Camp for being a 'weak, silent' opposition. “Maybe they’re waiting for a phone call inviting them to join the government,” he said. Yedioth reported that Lapid was forming a 'shadow government’ within his own party that would supervise the government ministries, with different members taking responsibility for one or more offices according to their knowledge and experience in the field.
Quick Hits:
- Israeli forces shoot, critically injure Palestinian teen in Gaza - A 17-year-old Palestinian is in critical condition after he was shot in the head by Israeli forces in northern Beit Lahiya in the Gaza Strip on Friday, amid reports that Israeli forces also shot and injured a Palestinian fisherman. An Israeli army spokesman said a group of Palestinians were seen “approaching the security fence.” (Maan)
- Israel treats 4-year-old Gaza patient - Yara had her leg amputated in Gaza after she was hit by a truck in an accident, after her situation worsened, Hamas finally agreed to her parents request to let her get medical aid in Israel. (Ynet)
- Settlers attack PA official's car near Nablus - Settlers attacked the car of a senior adviser to Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on Thursday near the Halamish settlement north of Ramallah. Some 15 settlers attacked and threw rocks on the car of Jawad Naji, adviser for Islamic and Arab funds. (Maan)
- Likud to appoint representative who will prevent (incoming Justice Minister) Ayelet Shaked from changing sensitive laws - Minister of Justice planning changes to field of authority of the High Court and in the judicial appointments committee, but Netanyahu will have veto power. Also: NIS 15 million will be allocated to the Heritage Center Gush Katif and northern Samaria. (Maariv)
- Ex-minister on Ayelet Shaked: As pretty as 'women of Third Reich' - Former cabinet member delivers ad hominem attack on Habayit Hayehudi's Ayelet Shaked over her new ministerial portfolio, focusing on her physical attributes. Later, after being accused of chauvinism, he says she is a fascist. (Israel Hayom)
- Calls by EU for crackdown on settlement expansion - The European Union confirmed Saturday that the decision by Israeli authorities to expand the illegal settlement of Ramat Shlomo northeast of Jerusalem with 900 homes is illegal and threatens future peace in the region. (Maan and Israel Hayom)
- Former prisoner dies of medical complications - Head of Prisoners' Affairs Committee, Issa Qaraqe, said Israel responsible for death of Rami Kamal Shalamish, 33, who died on Saturday. Shalamish was released in 2006 in critical condition from complications related multiple sclerosis after being given the wrong medications, the committee said. (Maan)
- Bedouin families east of Jerusalem face forced evacuation - Dozens of Palestinian families living in Abu Nuwwar village will be forced from their land in less than a month, say locals. Abu Nuwwar is one of several Bedouin villages facing evacuation due to plans by Israeli authorities to build thousands of homes for Jewish-only settlements in the so-called E1 corridor, despite international outcry. (Maan)
- Settlers in Hebron harass FIFA tour delegation - Settlers harassed the head of the Palestinian National Union for Football and the South African head of an anti-racism group during a tour in Hebron's Old City this week. Israeli forces then prevented the delegation from entering several areas of the Old City, with settlers verbally insulting the group as they tried to continue the tour. (Maan)
- Beitar Jerusalem soccer club docked points for racist chanting - Israel Football Association disciplinary court says fans chanted racist abuse against rivals' Arab player during weekend match. "There is no other example of a club repeatedly facing a charge of this kind ... and justice must be meted out," IFA says. (Agencies, Israel Hayom)
- Israeli light rail guards assault young Palestinian woman - Natalie Abed Rabbo,18, said Jerusalem light rail guards accused her of boarding without a ticket and "eight security guards attacked me and pushed me into a corner, grabbing me by the neck.” She was taken to the local police station where she said she was again physically assaulted. (Maan)
- Another case of police violence: policeman was filmed hitting an 18-year-old (Israeli)- Disturbing video reveals a violent incident between a plainclothes policeman and a citizen, who apparently was involved in disorderly conduct at the beach and littering. Regional Police Commander condemned the incident and ordered the transfer of the investigation to the Police Internal Investigations Unit. (Maariv+VIDEO and Israel Hayom)
- Got something to hide? Police did not publish the report of the accident at Lehavim Junction (where 8 Bedouin women were killed) - An indictment was filed against the truck driver, but the police prohibits publishing the Transportation Ministry’s investigation report and won’t disclose details about the responsibility of police officers who escorted the truck in order to pave the way for it. The terrible accident killed 8 women. (Maariv)
- Nazareth court rejects state’s call to extend Hamas prisoner’s solitary confinement - In exceptional move, Judge rules that state had not provided recent information showing the need to maintain Murad Nimr, 25, of E. Jerusalem, in isolation. Public Defender’s Officer attorney Abeer Baker, who represented Nimr in the case, said, “Holding the prisoner in solitary confinement was a vengeful act from the outset…” (Haaretz+)
- Clashes erupt in East Jerusalem when forces entered the village - Clashes erupted between Palestinian youths and Israeli soldiers in the neighborhoods of al-Issawiya and Silwan late Friday. Occupied East Jerusalem has been tense for months, particularly due to the ongoing increase in numbers of Israeli settlers that have moved into the area. (Maan)
- Israeli forces suppress Bilin weekly march - Dozens suffered excessive tear-gas inhalation when Israeli soldiers opened fire using tear-gas canisters and rubber-coated steel bullets. The weekly march set off Friday from the village center and comprised locals, including children, as well as international and Israeli peace activists. (Maan)
- Israeli forces destroy electricity network of Hebron-area village - Large numbers of Israeli troops stormed the Arab al-Ramadin village south of Hebron Thursday and destroyed the main electricity network for the second time. As a result, angry schoolchildren clashed with the soldiers who showered them with tear gas, injuring at least seven and detaining two of the children. (Maan)
- 4 Palestinian lawyers in Israeli custody - The statement identified the most recently arrested lawyer as Rami al-Alami, who lives in E. Jerusalem and worked for the Palestinian Authority prisoners' affairs committee. He was charged with providing "illegal" services, including couriering letters from prisoners. (Maan)
- Former MK Azmi Bishara wants to return to Israel, but won’t because he fears unfair trial - Bishara, who fled to Qatar and is suspected of treason and espionage, gave a rare interview to local media. (Haaretz+)
- Israel detains Palestinian singer for hours during video clip shoot - Israeli forces released Palestinian singer Shadi al-Burini after detaining him for several hours while he was shooting a video at the Huwwara checkpoint in southern Nablus on Thursday. (Maan)
- Israeli forces storm homes in northern West Bank village - Mansour Ubeid and Ayman Eshtawi, whose houses in Kafr Qaddum near Qalqiliya were ransacked, said that Israeli forces turned over the interior of their houses and "intentionally sabotaged personal property," adding that the forces used police dogs during the inspection. (Maan)
- European observers delegation arrives in Gaza - A delegation of eight members from a European observers mission to monitor the Rafah border crossing arrived in the Gaza Strip on Thursday. The crossing has opened only twice since the start of 2015. (Maan)
- Human rights group accuses PA of silencing student dissent - After Hamas student group wins elections at West Bank university, Palestinian Authority cancels all student elections in the area. PA official denies muffling political criticism: If it were true, "you would have seen thousands of people in jail.” (Agencies, Israel Hayom)
- Extremist group claims mortar attack on Hamas in Gaza - The group calling itself Supporters of the Islamic State in Jerusalem said it fired two 82 mm mortar rounds at a base of Hamas's armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. But the spokesman of the interior ministry in Gaza denied any mortar fire. (Maan)
- Natalie Portman: I'm very much against Netanyahu - Israeli-American actress, producer and director talks politics in new cover story for Hollywood Reporter and discusses living in Paris after the terror attacks, Gaza e-mail chains and fashion designer John Galliano's anti-Semitic rant. (Ynet)
- Class mobility is relatively high in Israel – at least among Jews - Ashkenazi with academic parents or Mizrahi with uneducated parents: Who earns more? “First of all, separation still exists: Ashkenazim are on top, Mizrahim on the bottom and the Arabs are even lower. Nobody disputes that,” Prof. Meir Yaish, social mobility expert at the University of Haifa said. (Haaretz+)
- **New dating app seeks to connect Israelis and Palestinians - Verona, a Tinder-style app, was inspired by a romance between a Palestinian and Israeli in New York. (Ynet)
- Half of French immigrants to Israel work for France based call centers - Study finds that despite not encountering many native Israelis during workday, immigrants' Israeli identity not negatively impacted. (Haaretz)
- From Baghdad to Israel: Actor Aryeh Elias passes away at age 94 - Israeli film legend was a veteran stage, TV and film actor - one of the only Jews to be accepted to prestigious drama faculty in Baghdad in 1941. (Ynet)
- Dionne Warwick tells Roger Waters: Art has no boundaries - Despite Pink Floyd frontman trying to force artists to cancel shows in Israel, legendary American singer says she would never fall victim to his or other political people's pressures. (Ynet)
- PLO pushes for food and shelter in devastated Yarmouk - "The situation inside the camp is deteriorating and miserable, conditions are difficult by all accounts," PLO member Ahmed Majdalani said. (Maan)
- Abbas attends huge Russian WWII victory day parade - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was among up to 30 world leaders on Saturday to attend a huge military parade in Moscow commemorating Russia's 70th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany. (Maan)
- Court sentences Egypt's Mubarak to 3 years in prison, fine - The corruption case concerns charges that Mubarak and his two sons embezzled millions of dollars' worth of state funds over the course of a decade. (Agencies, Ynet)
- Syrian rebels: Hezbollah special ops chief killed in fighting - Hezbollah rejects claims that 40 of its fighters were killed after clashes on the Syrian-Lebanese border. (Haaretz+)
- Tunisian Lag Ba'Omer festival goes ahead under strict security - Last week, Israel warned Jews against participating in the annual pilgrimage to the Ghriba synagogue on Djerba island due to the possibility of a terror attack. (Haaretz)
- Pamela Geller has no regrets about cartoon contest that ended in gunfire - Geller believes she saved lives by hosting the Mohammed cartoon contest because the two Muslim gunmen shot to death by police would have picked another soft target and killed innocent civilians. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Middle East Updates / 50 Iraqi prisoners, 12 police officers killed in prison break - More than 100 Saudi-led air strikes hit Yemen, Houthis report. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Yemen's Houthis accept Saudi-proposed five-day humanitarian cease-fire - Saudi-led air strikes have killed more than 1,300 people in Yemen, sent locals fleeing from their homes and destroyed infrastructure - leading to shortages of food, medicine and fuel. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Iran's censors struggle to keep Bieber's abs off Instagram - Pop star's Instagram account was one of at least 983 accounts previously blocked in the Islamic republic, according to paper presented at technology conference in Berlin. (Agencies, Ynet)
- Middle East updates / New chlorine attacks reported in Syria's Idlib province - U.S. bid to lay blame on Syria for reported chemical attacks has 'majority' at UN Security Council. Saudi-led forces conduct air strikes in Yemen's Saada. Hezbollah says 3 of its fighters killed in border clashes. (Haaretz)
- Inspectors find undeclared sarin, VX gas traces in Syria - Diplomats say traces found at military research site had not been declared to global chemical weapons watchdog. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Features:
An odyssey from Birthright to the BDS movement
Some young Jews on the Israel excursion program say a rah-rah atmosphere has turned them into harsh critics of the occupation. (Naomi Darom, Haaretz+)
We're done with the niceties, Ethiopian-Israeli activists say
The unprecedented protests of the past week are the results of 30 years of discrimination against the Ethiopian-Israeli community, one activist says • "A war is being waged against us, a war that will lead to people getting killed," he warns. (Yehuda Shlezinger, Israel Hayom)
Commentary/Analysis:
Some young Jews on the Israel excursion program say a rah-rah atmosphere has turned them into harsh critics of the occupation. (Naomi Darom, Haaretz+)
We're done with the niceties, Ethiopian-Israeli activists say
The unprecedented protests of the past week are the results of 30 years of discrimination against the Ethiopian-Israeli community, one activist says • "A war is being waged against us, a war that will lead to people getting killed," he warns. (Yehuda Shlezinger, Israel Hayom)
Commentary/Analysis:
The Bennett-Bibi era of ‘no solution’ (Carolina Landsmann, Haaretz+) The possibility presented by Bennett and adopted by the right wing, of eternal
Israeli rule over the Palestinians, is impossible.
A government with no horizon and no future (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/Ynet) Likud leader and Bennett played a game of Russian roulette, and faced with a ticking clock, Netanyahu lost.
Democracy is dying: each wave threatens to sink our ship (Gideon Riecher, Maariv) The emerging government initiative to enact the High Court bypass law threatens the Israeli regime. The country cannot run when it is constantly threatened by the whims of politicians.
Forcing Arab-Israeli culture to conform - or wither (Haaretz Editorial) Fascist-like tendencies are on display in the defunding of Haifa's politically nonconformist Al-Midan theater. Tendencies that can only be expected to grow stronger under the incoming government.
For the sake of security, let Hamas rebuild Gaza (Giora Eiland, Yedioth/Ynet) Israel and the international community are making a big mistake in their political insistence to give the resources for the Strip's reconstruction only to the Palestinian Authority.
Election's big winner crosses the finish line battered and bruised (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) Netanyahu may have looked like a big winner on March 18, but he emerges from negotiations with the narrowest of coalitions, and having paid extortionate prices to his new partners in the government.
From large expectations to small results (Dan Margalit, Israel Hayom) How did a sweeping victory at the polls turn into a tiny, pale government doomed to stumble?
Stop whining. Long live Israel's new and honest government (Gideon Levy, Haaretz) Israel's new government won't spout hollow slogans about peace, human rights, and justice. The truth will be thrust in the faces of Israelis - and the world.
The sacredness of skepticism in security debates (Former Mossad chief Efraim Halevy, Yedioth/Ynet) In its secret discussions, the new government will be required not only to listen to briefings about the enemy's abilities and the IDF's abilities to deal with them, but also to fundamentally examine all the perceptions under which Israel has been operating in recent decades.
Cameron's victory limits U.K.'s global standing (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) The U.K. prime minister will be too busy dealing with Europe and Scotland to provide anything other than moral support for Israel.
Like Herzog, Miliband was unelectable (Sara Miller, Ynet) Did anyone who ever saw or hear Ed Miliband seriously believe that he was prime minister material? Did anyone who ever saw or hear Isaac Herzog seriously believe that he was either?
Obama is not the problem (Yoel Meltzer, Yedioth/Ynet) Constant blame being thrown at US president for many difficulties Israel is currently facing is in reality a distraction from fact that Israel itself is not functioning like a full-fledged sovereign state.
Israel’s leaders of 2006 show no remorse for the Second Lebanon War (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) In a new riveting documentary by TV reporter Raviv Drucker, Ehud Olmert, Amir Peretz and Dan Halutz are good at settling scores and blaming others.
How did a crushing election victory turn into such a farce? (Sima Kadmon, Yedioth/Ynet) Even in their worst nightmare, Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu didn't believe that the Justice MInistry, which they had been saving for their yes man, would eventually fall into the hands of bitter rival Ayelet Shaked.
Politicized judiciary looms under new justice minister (Aeyal Gross, Haaretz+) Justice Minister-designate Ayelet Shaked has a record of criticizing Israel’s legal system in general and the Supreme Court in particular.
Israel must beware of the Syrian Druze trap (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) Limited humanitarian aid to ethnic groups in enemy states must not drag Israel again into imperial adventures and dreams about changing regimes and crowing kings.
Israel's new and dangerous government (Haaretz Friday Editorial) Devoid of any platform, Israel's new government will lead racist legislation while working to gut the courts - but razor thin majority gives opposition a fighting chance.
What's left: The decline of a brand (Maya Kornberg, Ynet) Israeli left has been plagued by dire branding issues for years; to regain people's support, it must find a way into nation's hearts.
The moment I discovered the humanity in Nazis (Steven Klein, Haaretz+) Suddenly, I understood why Eva Kor forgave former SS officer Oskar Groening; the key to justice is in considering how perpetrators can best serve society with a second chance.
Israel’s grip on Palestinian tourism (Amjad Alqasis, Maan) Israel's occupation and colonization of Palestine is not limited only to its military elements, but is also manifested in its use of tourism as a political tool for the dissemination of propaganda to millions of tourists, including politicians, community leaders and journalists who receive free-of-charge first class tours to Israel. All of these trips are accompanied by well-drilled Israeli tour guides whose primary purpose is to spread the official Israeli narrative among all visitors. This narrative is created through the omission of crucial information, and by ensuring that no contact between visitors and local Palestinian communities takes place.
The events in Anatolia of 1915 are incomparable to the Holocaust (Doğan Işık, Haaretz+) The only way to build a peaceful future for Turks and Armenians is via dialogue.
Disaster area, the IDF is acting as if the next war is around the corner (Alon Ben-David, Maariv) In light of the events in the Middle East there appears to be less chance of a flare-up here. Meanwhile, nothing is stopping the US administration from its frantic aspiration pursuit of an agreement with Iran.
What happened to Benjamin Netanyahu's political prowess? (Yoel Marcus, Haaretz+) How did he get into a situation in which not only can he not stand his Likud party colleagues, they cannot stand him either?
Herzog, don’t save Netanyahu from himself (Ben Caspit, Maariv) Will he become a fighting opposition or serve as Netanyahu’s his fig leaf? And how will Ayelet Shaked’s infiltration into the inner sanctum of the Prime Minister’s family end?
Violence doesn't erase the legitimacy of grievances – in Baltimore, Tel Aviv or the West Bank (Peter Beinart, Haaretz) Why do Israeli leaders respond so differently when the stone throwers are Palestinian rather than Ethiopian?
We'll meet in the lobby: Kurdistan is oping for help from Israel (Yossi Melman, Maariv) Dr. Nehru Zagros, Vice President of Soran University in Erbil, the capital of the autonomous region in Iraq, visited Israel and said: Help us advance the independence of Kurdistan in Washington.
Limiting the Supreme Court's powers would improve Israel's justice system (Amiel Ungar, Haaretz+) I generally object to the Americanization of Israeli institutions, but the relationship between U.S. courts and government is preferable to that in Israel, where the courts have become a tool with which the ailing left can flex its muscles.
Humanizing the soldier (Judith Bergman, Israel Hayom) Those who find war crimes in every Israeli military action lack the most basic prerequisites for scrutiny of such acts.
The Republican Party and Netanyahu’s new coalition: Separated at birth? (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) We have ultra-Orthodox, national religious and Messiah-is-coming Jews while the GOP fields Evangelicals, born-again Christians and End-Times enthusiasts.
A manipulation of human rights (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) The IDF is not perfect, and some of Breaking the Silence's claims on the fighting in Gaza may be true, but these deviations have been put on display, without any context or proof.
Assimilation successful: Sayed Kashua now embarrasses his daughter (Sayed Kashua, Haaretz+) He hoped to give his kids a better life by moving to the U.S., and his reward is that his accent and cluelessness cause them endless discomfort.
Reminders about Iran (Elliott Abrams, Israel Hayom) Iran has given us powerful reminders of its defiance of international law and its contempt for the U.S. and its president.
Failing to live up to the standards of the greatest generation (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) World War II has become an embarrassment: How long before the same thing happens to the Holocaust?
A government with no horizon and no future (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/Ynet) Likud leader and Bennett played a game of Russian roulette, and faced with a ticking clock, Netanyahu lost.
Democracy is dying: each wave threatens to sink our ship (Gideon Riecher, Maariv) The emerging government initiative to enact the High Court bypass law threatens the Israeli regime. The country cannot run when it is constantly threatened by the whims of politicians.
Forcing Arab-Israeli culture to conform - or wither (Haaretz Editorial) Fascist-like tendencies are on display in the defunding of Haifa's politically nonconformist Al-Midan theater. Tendencies that can only be expected to grow stronger under the incoming government.
For the sake of security, let Hamas rebuild Gaza (Giora Eiland, Yedioth/Ynet) Israel and the international community are making a big mistake in their political insistence to give the resources for the Strip's reconstruction only to the Palestinian Authority.
Election's big winner crosses the finish line battered and bruised (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) Netanyahu may have looked like a big winner on March 18, but he emerges from negotiations with the narrowest of coalitions, and having paid extortionate prices to his new partners in the government.
From large expectations to small results (Dan Margalit, Israel Hayom) How did a sweeping victory at the polls turn into a tiny, pale government doomed to stumble?
Stop whining. Long live Israel's new and honest government (Gideon Levy, Haaretz) Israel's new government won't spout hollow slogans about peace, human rights, and justice. The truth will be thrust in the faces of Israelis - and the world.
The sacredness of skepticism in security debates (Former Mossad chief Efraim Halevy, Yedioth/Ynet) In its secret discussions, the new government will be required not only to listen to briefings about the enemy's abilities and the IDF's abilities to deal with them, but also to fundamentally examine all the perceptions under which Israel has been operating in recent decades.
Cameron's victory limits U.K.'s global standing (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) The U.K. prime minister will be too busy dealing with Europe and Scotland to provide anything other than moral support for Israel.
Like Herzog, Miliband was unelectable (Sara Miller, Ynet) Did anyone who ever saw or hear Ed Miliband seriously believe that he was prime minister material? Did anyone who ever saw or hear Isaac Herzog seriously believe that he was either?
Obama is not the problem (Yoel Meltzer, Yedioth/Ynet) Constant blame being thrown at US president for many difficulties Israel is currently facing is in reality a distraction from fact that Israel itself is not functioning like a full-fledged sovereign state.
Israel’s leaders of 2006 show no remorse for the Second Lebanon War (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) In a new riveting documentary by TV reporter Raviv Drucker, Ehud Olmert, Amir Peretz and Dan Halutz are good at settling scores and blaming others.
How did a crushing election victory turn into such a farce? (Sima Kadmon, Yedioth/Ynet) Even in their worst nightmare, Benjamin and Sara Netanyahu didn't believe that the Justice MInistry, which they had been saving for their yes man, would eventually fall into the hands of bitter rival Ayelet Shaked.
Politicized judiciary looms under new justice minister (Aeyal Gross, Haaretz+) Justice Minister-designate Ayelet Shaked has a record of criticizing Israel’s legal system in general and the Supreme Court in particular.
Israel must beware of the Syrian Druze trap (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) Limited humanitarian aid to ethnic groups in enemy states must not drag Israel again into imperial adventures and dreams about changing regimes and crowing kings.
Israel's new and dangerous government (Haaretz Friday Editorial) Devoid of any platform, Israel's new government will lead racist legislation while working to gut the courts - but razor thin majority gives opposition a fighting chance.
What's left: The decline of a brand (Maya Kornberg, Ynet) Israeli left has been plagued by dire branding issues for years; to regain people's support, it must find a way into nation's hearts.
The moment I discovered the humanity in Nazis (Steven Klein, Haaretz+) Suddenly, I understood why Eva Kor forgave former SS officer Oskar Groening; the key to justice is in considering how perpetrators can best serve society with a second chance.
Israel’s grip on Palestinian tourism (Amjad Alqasis, Maan) Israel's occupation and colonization of Palestine is not limited only to its military elements, but is also manifested in its use of tourism as a political tool for the dissemination of propaganda to millions of tourists, including politicians, community leaders and journalists who receive free-of-charge first class tours to Israel. All of these trips are accompanied by well-drilled Israeli tour guides whose primary purpose is to spread the official Israeli narrative among all visitors. This narrative is created through the omission of crucial information, and by ensuring that no contact between visitors and local Palestinian communities takes place.
The events in Anatolia of 1915 are incomparable to the Holocaust (Doğan Işık, Haaretz+) The only way to build a peaceful future for Turks and Armenians is via dialogue.
Disaster area, the IDF is acting as if the next war is around the corner (Alon Ben-David, Maariv) In light of the events in the Middle East there appears to be less chance of a flare-up here. Meanwhile, nothing is stopping the US administration from its frantic aspiration pursuit of an agreement with Iran.
What happened to Benjamin Netanyahu's political prowess? (Yoel Marcus, Haaretz+) How did he get into a situation in which not only can he not stand his Likud party colleagues, they cannot stand him either?
Herzog, don’t save Netanyahu from himself (Ben Caspit, Maariv) Will he become a fighting opposition or serve as Netanyahu’s his fig leaf? And how will Ayelet Shaked’s infiltration into the inner sanctum of the Prime Minister’s family end?
Violence doesn't erase the legitimacy of grievances – in Baltimore, Tel Aviv or the West Bank (Peter Beinart, Haaretz) Why do Israeli leaders respond so differently when the stone throwers are Palestinian rather than Ethiopian?
We'll meet in the lobby: Kurdistan is oping for help from Israel (Yossi Melman, Maariv) Dr. Nehru Zagros, Vice President of Soran University in Erbil, the capital of the autonomous region in Iraq, visited Israel and said: Help us advance the independence of Kurdistan in Washington.
Limiting the Supreme Court's powers would improve Israel's justice system (Amiel Ungar, Haaretz+) I generally object to the Americanization of Israeli institutions, but the relationship between U.S. courts and government is preferable to that in Israel, where the courts have become a tool with which the ailing left can flex its muscles.
Humanizing the soldier (Judith Bergman, Israel Hayom) Those who find war crimes in every Israeli military action lack the most basic prerequisites for scrutiny of such acts.
The Republican Party and Netanyahu’s new coalition: Separated at birth? (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) We have ultra-Orthodox, national religious and Messiah-is-coming Jews while the GOP fields Evangelicals, born-again Christians and End-Times enthusiasts.
A manipulation of human rights (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) The IDF is not perfect, and some of Breaking the Silence's claims on the fighting in Gaza may be true, but these deviations have been put on display, without any context or proof.
Assimilation successful: Sayed Kashua now embarrasses his daughter (Sayed Kashua, Haaretz+) He hoped to give his kids a better life by moving to the U.S., and his reward is that his accent and cluelessness cause them endless discomfort.
Reminders about Iran (Elliott Abrams, Israel Hayom) Iran has given us powerful reminders of its defiance of international law and its contempt for the U.S. and its president.
Failing to live up to the standards of the greatest generation (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) World War II has become an embarrassment: How long before the same thing happens to the Holocaust?
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.