APN's daily news review from Israel

Wednesday August 5, 2015 
 

Quote of the day:

---

Front Page:

Haaretz

---

 

News Summary:
Israel puts three Jews (but possibly only one) under administrative detention (prison without charges), Israeli and US leaders battle for the support of US Jews on the Iran nuclear agreement and the incredible heat wave takes its dangerous toll making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Also, Maan news agency reports on important events at the Temple Mount compound.

Mordechai Meir, 18, from Maaleh Adumim and Eviatar Salonim, were detained yesterday and Meir was put under administrative detention, the Defense Ministry confirmed. Meir is suspected of participating in the arson at the Church of Multitudes and will sit for six months without trial for suspected involvement in violent activity as part of a Jewish terror group. That can be extended. The two arrests follow that of Meir Ettinger, the grandson of Rabbi Meir Kahane, on Tuesday. Nana Hebrew news website reported that this was the first administrative detention of an Israeli [they meant of a Jewish Israeli – OH] since 2006. It appears that, despite some Israeli reports, Ettinger and Salonim, the latter who was suspected of helping organize activities of Jewish extremists, were only arrested, but not jailed under administrative detention. Reuters reported that Ettinger was remanded in custody pending further investigation. All three had restraining orders preventing them from entering the West Bank and Jerusalem. Ettinger was living in Tzfat/Safed. Salonim was living in a moshav near Beit Shemesh. 

Lior Ackerman, a former senior Shin Bet official told Walla Hebrew news site that the ideology of the hilltop settler youth was like that of ISIS. "They do not receive instructions from anybody. For them, the rule of law is completely worthless. They have a Messianic ideology which they get from the Internet or from each other, and their ideology is local and very, very simple: they want to rebuild the kingdom of Judah and Israel in the area of Greater Israel. They want to build a new holy temple, and they want to kick out, expel, eliminate, what they call 'idolaters'. And if that, by chance, reminds you of the ideology of ISIS and Hamas, it probably is not far from reality.” [Note, this is not like Hamas’ ideology which calls for a Palestinian state within the ’67 borders and recognizes Israel’s existence alongside it. – OH] Ettinger’s lawyer, Yuval Zemer, complained that the Shin Bet was using the shaking method during Ettinger’s interrogation. “They used violent interrogation methods, which are against the law." [Note, years ago, the High Court approved the use of ‘tiltul’ for security reasons and it was used exclusively on Palestinians. – OH] 
 
But battling the hatred and the attacks at all levels proves to be difficult. In a rare move, police have asked the public for help in finding the murderers of the Dawabsheh toddler from Duma. Haaretz+ noted that Israel has a dismal record of arresting and convicting Jewish terrorists. A Yesh Din organization report shows that of the few cases that do end up in court, almost 23% of indictments are dropped or thrown out, while nearly a quarter of trials end with a guilty verdict, but a decision not to convict the defendant. “This measure of leniency – which is often applied to minors or people without a criminal record – is used unusually liberally with settlers, the report suggests, noting that such an outcome occurs only in 5.3 percent of cases tried in magistrates courts and 1.2 percent in district courts,” writes Haaretz+. And in the Knesset, not everyone wants to talk about Jewish terror. [Commentators argue about whether right-wing views are related to the violent acts. See Commentary/Analysis]  Right-wing MKs and religious parties boycotted a special session on the subject that was initiated by center-left parties, Haaretz+ reported.
  
However, the condemnations by so many in Israeli society did reach the ears of the Palestinians. In an interesting interview, Fatah official Jibril Rajoub told Ynet that the outrage expressed in Israel over the murder and wounding of the Dawabshe family changed the spirit of those who attended the emergency meeting of the Palestinian leadership that evening in Ramallah in an gathering, in order to decide on a response. “We said we must reach the right conclusion from this exceptional event in Israeli society, and understand that there are rational people with whom we can build ties in order to overcome the lack of a diplomatic process. The majority of the meeting's attendees spoke against incitement for revenge. I think that the reaction in Israel had influence (on the decision)." Haaretz+ noted that “given the magnitude of the arson attack in Duma…the Palestinian reaction on the street has been muted. By contrast, the murder-by-burning last July of East Jerusalem teenager Mohammed Abu Khdeir set off large-scale riots in East Jerusalem that lasted into this year. Reporter Jack Khoury attributed the muted response in the West Bank to the work of the Palestinian security services who are responsible for security in cities (and some) villages and refugee camps in the West Bank, while the Israel Police are in charge of security in East Jerusalem.

Nevertheless, the incitement and fear continues. Maan reported that Israeli settlers attempted to kidnap a Palestinian child yesterday near Hizma, adjacent to E. Jerusalem. "The settlers were driving their car on the right side, but changed their direction suddenly when they saw Ahmad crossing the road,” Nader Qaqour, Ahmed’s father said. “When the settlers drove near Ahmad, I rushed towards him and asked him to back off.” Maan reported that anti-Palestinian graffiti was found today in East Jerusalem. Hebrew-language graffiti included the phrases "price tag," "prison service," and "death to Arabs” spray-painted on walls near Damascus Gate outside the Old City of East Jerusalem. And the New Israel Fund filed a complaint in the wake of death threats. But at the hospital where part of the Dawabsheh family is being treated, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders prayed together for the victims and condemned terrorism. 
 
Meanwhile, in the US, the battle rages over the Iran nuclear deal. Obama will tell Congress in a speech today that rejecting it would be a ‘historic mistake.’ Ahead of his speech Obama spoke with some 20 prominent Jewish leaders and activists for more than two hours. Obama told them that if Congress strikes down the Iran deal, Iran will build a nuclear bomb forcing the US to attack it and ending in Hezbollah rockets raining on Tel Aviv. But Netanyahu said the opposite to leaders of US Jewish organizations in a live webcast. Yedioth’s Itamar Eichner wrote that there is 'almost fratricide' within the US Jewish community over the Iran deal. Possibly in an emphasis of its support for Israel, a U.S. administration delegation plans to visit Israel next month to focus on increasing cooperation to stop Iran's funding of Gazan and Lebanese terrorist groups, Haaretz+ reported. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry said he hopes for better behavior by Iran after the deal. The Qatari foreign minister said Gulf Arabs are "confident" the deal will create a safer region. 
 
An Israeli extremist attempted to raise the Israeli flag at the Temple Mount Tuesday ending in clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian worshipers, Maan reported, but not the Israeli media. Witnesses said that Palestinian worshipers asked Israeli police to stop the man who attempted to raise the Israeli flag over the holy site, but they were ignored. So Palestinian worshipers and compound security guards stopped him themselves and tore up the flag, but the extremist assaulted the worshipers with a sharp implement, injuring two and then the clashes broke out between the Palestinian worshipers and Israeli police. Maan noted that tensions were rising in recent days with Jewish organizations seeking to celebrate unconfirmed reports that Israel is negotiating the reopening of the compound to non-Muslim worship.
 

Quick Hits:

---

Features:

In their own words: What some Israeli politicians really think about Arabs and LGBTs
With sharp homophobic quips and racist remarks about the country's Arab community, some Israeli parliamentarians and ministers have helped provide fertile ground for minority baiting. Here’s what they have said. (Haaretz+) 
Architect of the future
Former President Shimon Peres celebrated his last 92nd birthday Monday. Although at his age he could just cling to the memories of the past, you'll always find him fantasizing about the future. (Uri Sevir, Maariv) 
Meet the IDF's second co-ed battalion - the Lions of Jordan
The newest battalion in the IDF is making history, where men and women fight side by side to defened Israel's border with Jordan. (Yoav Zitun, Ynet)
Letters to the Editor: Nakba films and why ZOA campaigns against Iran deal (Haaretz+)

Commentary/Analysis:

The mutant-alien Jewish terrorists who have nothing to do with the Israeli right (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) Citing overwhelming empirical evidence that countless terrorist incidents were carried out by Jewish Israelis who were either settlers, or Orthodox, or right wing, or any combination thereof, doesn’t prove a thing and is an old leftist ploy aimed at harming political rivals and weakening Israel itself, writes Shalev sarcastically, mocking such right-wing assertions.
You are irrelevant (Omer Dostri, Maariv) If there is anything the left-wing camp’s leadership excels at, it's taking a consensus such as denouncing violence and turning it into a narrow political issue. This is not the way the will become an alternative. 
Haifa Mayor Mustn't Undermine Freedom of Expression (Haaretz Editorial) The Haifa municipality likes to brag about coexistence, but now it turns out it is one of the standard-bearers in the cultural war of gagging and censorship that has been declared against Israeli artists.

Rivlin is diregarding threats on his life - just like Rabin (Eitan Haber, Yedioth/Ynet) It takes only one crazy Jew out of eight million Israeli citizens to hurt and kill or injure, slain prime minister's bureau chief tells President Reuven Rivlin.
Taking off the gloves (Yoav Limor, Israel Hayom) The arrest of Meir Ettinger shows that the Israeli justice and defense establishments are getting serious when it comes to Jewish extremists.
Why are Israelis so startled by this particular murder? (Zvi Bar’el, Haaretz+) It’s hardly the first time that Jewish terrorists have struck. But this time the so-called ‘sane’ Israelis have understood something truly terrifying — about themselves. 
Meet them, this is American Jewry (Shlomo Shamir, Maariv) Netanyahu’s live conference call and the organizations chosen as channels of communication indicate that in Jerusalem they still haven’t internalized the latest power map of American Jews. According to the old map – the one the prime minister navigated his appeal to Jews in the US and Canada, he explained to them the seriousness of the threat to Israel's from the agreement with Iran and coaxed them to use their influence and thwart the agreement. The red pins are still fixed on outdated and incorrect focuses, the “convinced.” But the majority of US Jews see Barack Obama as a loyal ally, loyal to Israel’s interests and someone who will preserve Israel’s military superiority. This is the majority who gave Obama 80% support in both elections. Netanyahu ignored the influential rabbis and teachers in Jewish communities, too. 
Kahlon, nothing more than Netanyahu’s pawn (Akiva Eldar, Haaretz+) Kulanu, which promised to represent the middle path in Israeli society, is the only partner in the coalition that betrays its voters. 
US can't defend Israel against a nuclear attack (Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynet) A senior American official has vowed to protect Israel if it is attacked by Iran, but the only way to deter the ayatollahs from launching a surprise attack on Israel is by deploying tens of thousands of US soldiers on Israeli territory. 
What Israel’s dehumanizing occupation has wrought (Henry Siegman, Haaretz+) When the Israeli army repeatedly kills young Palestinians in non-life-threatening situations, should we be surprised by the emergence of Jewish terrorism? 
Hunting season against the Right (Dr. Gabi Avital, Israel Hayom) In Israel, there is no media platform that even tries to present a complete picture. 
The town is burning (Yitzhak Ben-Ner, Maariv) Elected officials, opposition leaders and members of the right - all those who assisted, ignored or remained silent in the face of racism and hate crimes - will be recorded in history as responsible for our annihilation crisis. 
Pride and prejudice (Ruthie Blum, Israel Hayom) Israeli leftists treat every individual Muslim murderer as a "lone wolf," yet blame Israeli society as a whole for the likes of Yishai Schlissel.
Netanyahu stokes Holocaust guilt to pit American Jews against Obama and Iran deal (Chem Shalev, Haaretz+) 75 years ago it was his father who rallied Republicans and railed against kowtowing Jewish leaders. 
A lion named Cecil and a boy named Lion (Liz Tyson, Maan) You may have seen news stories surrounding baby Ali’s death on Friday. Unless you followed the story in detail, you might not have seen that, later that evening, during violent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli armed forces, a young man was shot. He died a few hours later in hospital. His name was Laith -- which means “lion” in Arabic. He had his whole life ahead of him and a loving family. His father has supported the work of the Palestinian Animal League (PAL) and has been instrumental in establishing a volunteer group for us in Bir Zeit University, where he works. He is a personal friend of our team, a friend of the PAL organization, and a staunch supporter of our work for animals. Laith’s cousin works with us as a volunteer. Our hearts go out to the family as they begin to move forward without their beloved boy. What can we learn from this? As we have seen with Cecil, when we look beyond the numbers and seek the individual, this awakes in us a compassion and concern that can spread around the world and create meaningful change. Put simply, it can save lives.
 

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