APN's daily news review from Israel

Sunday October 25, 2015 
 

Quote of the day:

• I hereby resign from the tribe that says killing unarmed people is a form of self defense, whose practitioners are heroes.
• I hereby resign from the tribe that says: We deserve everything, all the land, and we've got the Book that says so.  
• I resign from the tribe which says the other guys are monsters, animals, out only for our blood and our land, undeserving and disqualified from having a country of their own.
• I resign from the tribe that says settlers are not civilians and are fair game for murder. I resign from the tribe that says any Jew, because they're Jewish, deserves to be stabbed.
• I resign from the tribe that says Death to Arabs, the tribe which posts that hating Arabs is a virtue.
• I resign from the tribe that says Palestinian kids suspected of throwing rocks should be put to death on the spot.

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Breaking News:
Terrorist dressed as ultra-Orthodox man stabs Israeli in Gush Etzion
Settler stops car after being hit in the head with stone, and then jumped by terrorist who stabs him; Israeli opens fire at attacker, wounding him, but the stabber manages to escape.

Front Page:

Haaretz

• Kerry: Netanyahu agreed that cameras will film Temple Mount live
• [Main photo: Young Palestinian running with knife between cars at checkpoint]
• Emergency status quo // Amos Harel
• This time it’s not enough // Nir Hasson
• The backing for Netanyahu’s remarks about the Mufti: An essay from a right-wing research institute
• Under pressure from the Prime Minister: Deri is prepared to give up Ministry of Economy in order to allow approval of gas (monopoly) agreement 
• Senior officials in US to Wall Street Journal: Israeli plane entered Iran in 2012
• Nationalists expected to win elections in Poland and to deepen the rift with the EU
• (Jewish nation state bill) A Provocative bill // Haaretz Editorial
• The mezuzah of unity // Uri Misgav 
• The energy tycoons are recruiting more former government employees
• The Dead Sea is in a worse state than ever. Can it still be saved?

• The Temple Mount understandings – Israel and the Palestinians agreed: The status quo will be preserved
• Eyes wide closed // David Grossman
• [Main photo: Young Palestinian running with knife between cars at checkpoint]
• 20 years since Rabin’s murder – Warning sign // President Reuven Rivlin; The incitement is still here // Noah Rottman; How didn’t we see it? // Eitan Haber
• From today: raining but still hot

• Israel promised Kerry: Jews won’t pray at Temple Mount
• We are lacking Rabin’s leadership // Shimon Peres 
• Shimon Peres was not invited to speak at the central rally in commemoration of Rabin
• (Justice Minister) Shaked in defense of High Court: “Act quickly”
• Gas agreement: Netanyahu figured it out // Yehuda Sharoni

• “There is not change to the status quo” – PM’s Office: Construction won’t be frozen, cameras will be placed on Temple Mount
• Stop trying to “understand” the terror // Boaz Bismuth
• Shin Bet: We identify increasing interest in connecting with ISIS
• A year later: A man injured in the Jerusalem (synagogue) attack died
• Solution to the gas crisis? Deri is willing to compromise
• Jewish Nation State bill won’t be brought for a vote today – it will go for debate in a committee
• Winter arrives – From today, drop in temperatures and rain across the country

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News Summary:
Israeli Prime Minister agreed to video surveillance on the Temple Mount and not to allow Jews to pray and stopped the controversial ‘Jewish nation-state’ bill from being voted on, Israeli Economy Minister Arieh Deri agreed to resign in order to pave way for the controversial gas monopoly agreement and a Palestinian teen selling sweets at a military checkpoint was shot dead while running with a knife in his hand towards Israeli security guards making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Also, in the Hebrew papers, the Wall Street Journal reported that Israeli air force jets entered Iranian airspace in 2012.
 
Netanyahu agreed to put surveillance cameras on the Temple Mount that will broadcast live in order to show that Israel is not changing the status quo at the Temple Mount. He also reiterated the status quo, saying that Jews are not allowed to pray, only Muslims. US Secretary of State John Kerry said that in their talks, Netanyahu also stressed his commitment to freedom of worship on the Temple Mount, i.e. not preventing Muslims from praying. Earlier, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told Kerry that Israel must maintain historic status quo on Temple Mount. [Historic, meaning not allowing entry to large numbers of visits of right-wing Jews who want to build Third Temple. - OH]
 
Neither Palestinians nor right-wing Jews were impressed.
But Palestinians said the Al-Aqsa Mosque is only one reason for the tension and cited the occupation, settler aggression and the absence of a path toward ending the conflict, which would give young Palestinians hope. 
 
Right-wingers insisted they would pray on the Temple Mount. “Nothing in the end will stop the Jews from praying at the Temple Mount, the holiest place for them in the world, not even the cameras of the Waqf,” said Habayit Hayehudi MK Yinon Magal told Maariv, echoing the voices of the right-wing Jews acting to change the status quo at the Temple Mount. One Palestinian official said that Kerry said that Netanyahu agreed to freeze building in settlements. But today’s Israel Hayom, rejected that.  
 
In violence over the weekend, three Palestinians were killed by Israeli security forces, two in clashes on the Gaza fence and a 16-year-old, who ran with a knife towards forces, and a 4-year-old Israeli girl was badly burned by a firebomb thrown at her family’s car. At least 95 Palestinians were wounded by live ammunition and plastic-tipped rounds, including a 13-year-old boy was hit in the stomach by a bullet in a clash in El Bireh.
 
A few thousand people called for peace talks at a rally in Tel-Aviv organized by Peace Now. Meretz leader Zehava Galon: "Netanyahu has failed to present any kind of vision to end violence." (Also, Maariv)
 
Despite claims otherwise by Israel Hayom commentators, a senior Israeli IDF commander testified in court that Palestinian attacks were fueled in part by settler violence. “Some of the motivation of the Palestinians to carry out terror attacks is due to the violence of right-wing elements in the West Bank,” the director of the IDF operations directorate, Maj. Gen. Nitzan Alon, said in testimony at a trial about incitement on the Hakol Hayehudi (The Jewish Voice) website. Alon came to testify in a trial against Avraham Binyamin and Yehoshua Hess, who are accused of being the editors and owners of Hakol Hayehudi website, which published words of violence and incitement. The two deny the accusation, Haaretz+ reported.
 
In a move seen as attempting to deflate the tension with the Arab-Israeli community, Netanyahu instructed cabinet ministers not to vote on the controversial Jewish nation-state bill. One source in the coalition told Maariv, "(The bill) was buried” partly due to the sensitivity security situation [meaning, Netanyahu does not want any Arab-Israeli to make an attack – OH]: "The last thing Netanyahu needs on his head right now is the nation-state bill," said a coalition source. Meretz chief Zehava Gal-On said the bill was "a declaration of war against the Arab citizens of Israel…Even the (bill’s) softened version seeks to establish the definition of the state as Jewish at the expense of being democratic." The Zionist Camp party said in a statement: "The prime minister tried to rewrite history this week and was forced to explain himself. He should order his cabinet not to rewrite the Declaration of Independence." The Israel Democracy Institute also expressed opposition to the bill. Prof. Mordechai Kremnitzer and Dr. Amir Fuchs argued that this is “an unnecessary and dangerous bill that could upset the delicate balance between two fundamental essences of a Jewish and democratic state.” (Maariv) However, last week, Likud MK Avi Dichter said the recent security escalation made the controversial "Jewish state" bill more relevant than ever. Dichter first presented the bill in 2011, while serving as a Kadima MK. The bill became one of the most contentious legislation proposals ever presented to the Israeli parliament, Israel Hayom wrote.
 

Quick Hits:

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Features:

Yitzhak Rabin: A soldier of peace, but not a nice guy
What was Rabin’s vision? Yossi Beilin has no idea. One of the architects of the Oslo Accords reveals some of the less pleasant aspects of the prime minister’s personality. (Ofer Aderet, Haaretz+) 
Georgian Jews: We'll come to Israel 'only when the Messiah arrives'
Tbilisi's Jewish community lives in rare coexistence with its Christian neighbors, strictly distinguishes itself from other communities in former Soviet countries and is showing no desire to make aliyah. (Tali Farkash, Yedioth/Ynet)
Departures / Arrivals: 'If I were afraid I wouldn’t come to Israel in the first place'
Jesse and Marcel say that in their home country of Holland there is no more patience for the Jews. (Liat Elkayam, Haaretz+)
10-year-old Israeli Arab is a chess champion, but no one's pawn
After being crowned Israeli chess champion for girls her age for the past three years, it's just a matter of time before Huda Qasem is the hot name in women’s chess in the country – maybe the world. (Roy Arad, Haaretz+) 
Letters to the Editor: ‘Nothing More to Lose in East Jerusalem’ and ‘A knife-wielding teen is no terrorist’ (Haaretz)
 
Commentary/Analysis:

A Nation-state Law Which No One Needs (Haaretz Editorial) The only objective of this proposed Basic Law is to serve as fodder in internal wrangling over who is more patriotic within the right-wing camp.
End the incitement: prosecute MKs who incite against the High Court (Attorney Yechiel Gutman, Maariv) It is surprising and disappointing that Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked froze like stone when the unbridled attacks by her party members against the High Court.
Netanyahu Has Found the Perfect Scapegoat for Israel's Woes (Nehemia Shtrasler, Haaretz+) Instead of explaining why he has shattered any chance of a peace agreement with the Palestinians, Benjamin Netanyahu prefers to blame them for everything – including the Holocaust. 
Israel and Kerry pinning hopes on Jordan’s Abdullah (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Intensity of Palestinian demonstrations against Israel died down last week, with the Palestinian Authority especially keen to calm the situation in the West Bank. 
The lynching and the cover-up (Ronen Bergman, Yedioth/Ynet) When a senior police commander states that 'whoever stabs Jews is destined to be killed,' he encourages his people and citizens to take the law into their own hands.
Drifting into an interethnic war both in the West Bank and Israel proper (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon’s voice of sanity against the raging incitement is a good sign, but the top brass is preparing for a long confrontation. 
Fatah on the verge of eruption (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) IDF troops that entered Shuafat refugee camp this week had to withdraw after encountering dozens of armed militants; this is only an example of what might happen when Fatah's armed wing, Tanzim, joins the fight against Israel. And they won't do with just knives: There are thousands of weapons all over East Jerusalem.
The Tragedy of Lucy Aharish, Israel’s Neutralized Arab Talk-show Host (Rogel Alpher, Haaretz+) The Channel 2 reporter doesn’t think Israeli Arabs suffer terribly much and has kept mum about Netanyahu's mufti miscue. She’ll have to stay moderate if she wants to keep her job.
Palestinian terrorism is not random (Yoram Ettinger, Israel Hayom) To frustrate Palestinian terrorism, which aims to set Israel on a path of retreat, Israel should proclaim a constructive response.
In Cape Town, Hamas’ Meshal scores points against the Palestinian Authority (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) In a speech, the Hamas leader, who lives in Qatar, sounded as if he had just taken part in protests on the brink of a third intifada.
Only US can mediate in Israel (Eytan Gilboa, Yedioth/Ynet) Obama, Kerry want to put out the fire but also prevent the next flare-up; Netanyahu, Abbas must acknowledge that price of conflict is higher than that of an agreement, otherwise conflict can only be postponed. 
Israelis, Grab a Bucket and Start Bailing (Kinneret Rosenbloom, Haaretz+) The disease afflicting Israel is a collective one, and we no longer know how to solve a collective problem or how to fight together. 
A legal filter is vital (Dan Margalit, Israel Hayom) Attacks on the High Court damage its stature and the rule of law in Israel. 
I left Israel for two weeks. I came home to a different country (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) No chief, no plan, no security, no hope. There are times I think about resigning from the tribe.
The pornography of terror on Israeli media (Guy Bechor, Yedioth/Ynet) The electronic media play a huge part in spreading the anxiety virus among millions of people, and that is the exact purpose of terror. It’s time for the Israeli media to adopt American rules. 
When a German official puts the Israeli PM in his place (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) Netanyahu’s cynical, clumsy attempt to associate the Palestinian president with the Nazified worldview of the mufti of Jerusalem exploded in the PM’s face. But maybe that doesn’t matter: No one in the world believes a word he says. 
Some good news, too (Boaz Bismuth, Israel Hayom) Israel's investment in public diplomacy seems to be paying off, with more sympathetic media coverage in the U.S., including the correction of pro-Palestinian bias in a TV news report on camera. (Sheldon Adelson’s) Israeli-American Council leads the war on Israel boycotts.
Why Did Israel Fall Under the Spell of Mysticism? (Uri Misgav, Haaretz+) When leading politicians tell me to place my trust in mezuzahs and hamsas, it could be time to kiss Israel goodbye. 
Netanyahu's mufti myth (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) There is historical context to PM's comment about al-Husseini's role in the Holocaust, but Hitler didn't need the mufti to exterminate the Jews - birds of a genocidal feather simply flock together.
The Israeli assassination with the most political relevance today (Yossi Sarid, Haaretz+) Rehavam Ze'evi was murdered by an Arab, so everything is clear and simple. Yitzhak Rabin was murdered by a Jew, and that doesn't suit us or the times.
Israel's Government, Army and Police Must Calm Down This Wild West Atmosphere (Haaretz Editorial) The fear of terror attacks is difficult enough for civilians to cope with; it must not be exacerbated by the horror of unrestrained shooting. 
Pro-Israel PM's defeat is worse for Canada's Jews than for Israel (Willem Hart, Yedioth/Ynet) It is a very bad thing for the Canadian Jewish community domestically that it lost a tremendous supporter like Stephen Harper. Canada's relationship with Israel is more than a foreign affairs matter, and what happens there affects Jews there and around the world.
Keeping God on the Temple Mount (Avi Sagi, Haaretz+) As the framers of Jewish law knew, a physical assault on the sacred mount would mean forfeiture of its religious significance; its transformation into another territorial space subject to the control of mankind.
If Sayed Kashua Were in Jerusalem… (Sayed Kashua, Haaretz+) He would want to cry out but would make do with silence; he would want to demonstrate but would lock himself in the house. Anyway, what could he possibly do?
There's a Method to Netanyahu's Hitler-Mufti Madness (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) But bizarre Holocaust revisionism casts new doubt on past moves, including
Netanyahu's Hitler remarks: A blatant historical lie (Noah Klieger, Yedioth/Ynet) How can the Israeli prime minister claim that the mufti of Jerusalem was the one who suggested that the Nazi leader burn the Jews, when during their meeting more than one million Jews had already been massacred Germany and occupied Europe?
After the Mufti, Will Netanyahu Blame Sweden for the Holocaust? (Stefan Ihrig, Haaretz+) Revisionist attempts to deflect guilt away from the Nazis have a new champion. If the Palestinian leadership was 'responsible' why not blame the Turks and the Swedes too?
The subhumans among us (Yitzhak Laor, Haaretz+) The Palestinian body has become fair game. The prisons are full of them. Their release is our downfall. 
If we all look like Arabs, then we are Arabs (Nissan Shor, Haaretz+) We all look like Arabs. Even the Ashkenazim, who mistakenly think they look like Ashkenazim.
What Martin Luther King would say about the violence in Israel (Peter Beinart, Haaretz+) The problem isn’t that most Palestinians think violence will improve their lives. It is that most don’t think non-violence will either.
 

Trailblazer: Israel's first Arab manager of a gov't hospital
In his first interview as director of the Galilee Medical Center, Dr. Mas’ad Barhoum speaks of the difficulty of succeeding as a minority (an Arab): 'All majorities oppress minorities, and every minority works a thousand times harder to prove that he is equal…."I didn't expect a carpet and, on the other hand, I didn’t expect the welcome to be so difficult." (Barhoum faced numerous protests and false accusations in an attempt to derail him. He also talks about going to an all-Jewish school.) (Interviewed by Smadar Shir in Yedioth/Ynet)
 
“The same thing happened when I wanted to close a certain department and merge it with another, because it wasn’t operating at full capacity. And following the professional rift that was created with the department head, there were local papers who came out with headlines saying that ‘An Arab director is harassing a doctor who survived Egyptian captivity’. I didn’t know he had been in Egyptian captivity and I had nothing against him personally. My concerns were strictly professional, but the responses were not.”
 “That the Israeli education system teaches Jews that Arabs are the enemy, and I, as an Arab in Israel, have become an enemy. Unfortunately, nothing has changed since then, not in education and not in perception.”
 
Dennis Ross: Israel-US crisis will be resolved
The veteran diplomat, who has spent more hours with American and Israeli leaders than any other person, talks to Ynet about his new book, which offers an intimate look at US-Israel ties in the past few decades. While Obama and Netanyahu don’t trust each other, he says, the unique relationship between the two countries is 'doomed to succeed.' (Interviewed by Yitzhak Benhorin in Ynet)
 
“Yigal Amir won and the state lost its direction"
Rachel Rabin Yaakov, the little sister of the late Yitzhak Rabin, is already 90-years-old. Lucid and articulate she lays down the consequences of that night: The path of Yigal Amir won, the inciters did not do soul-searching, the security guards failed twice and Israeli society become more fanatic. (Interviewed in Maariv Weekend Magazine by Yaacov Bar-On)
 
 

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