APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday November 17, 2015
Quote of the day:
"I'm sick to death of the justifications: Our terrorist as freedom fighter (Choose one: Yasser Arafat
or Yitzhak Shamir). Our terrorist as a natural and legitimate response to oppression, injustice, hopelessness,
evil, history."
--Bradley Burston writes in Haaretz that the 'The enemy of my enemy is love.'
--Bradley Burston writes in Haaretz that the 'The enemy of my enemy is love.'
Front Page:
Haaretz
- President of France: We will change the constitution in order to revoke citizenship from terror activists
- In the West, don’t trust Arab intel // Zvi Bar’el
- Senior officials in Belgium exchange accusations
- Obama will need to make his tone harsher // Chemi Shalev
- Who is in favor of elimination terror // Sefy Hendler
- Solidarity in the face of barbarity // Annette Lévy-Willard
- Intel in France expected a big attack by Daesh, but got the timing wrong // Anshel Pfeffer
- Employees in (Culture Minister) Regev’s office were fired after they refused to do a polygraph over leaks (to media)
- The compromise in Givat Zeev: Demolition of the (illegal) synagogue to begin this week, the state will fund building of a new one
- 2 Palestinians killed in exchange of fire with IDF
- Escape of the dangerous prisoner: Was left without guard and exited through the window with the bag of a prison guard
- A move empty of content // Haaretz Editorial
- Shock and disbelief // Raviv Drucker
- Yonah Alian-Keshet no longer believes that theater can change reality
- (Finance Minister) Kahlon and (Chief of Staff) Eisenkott are preparing a fat retirement package for career soldiers
Yedioth Ahronoth
- Equal burden law (for drafting ultra-Orthodox men) was cancelled
- Israel on statement of Swedish minister: Chutzpah
- Hebron in Brussels // Nahum Barnea in Belgium
- “Come to our wedding” – Sarah-Tehiya Litman, who lost her father and brother in a shooting attack, said, “All the people of Israel are invited to the ceremony”
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- President of France: “This is war”
- Gathering the pieces – Parisians went back to daily life but fear still reigns // Eyal Levy in Paris
- The “brain” behind the horror in Paris: Abdulhamid Abbaud, Belgium terrorist with French citizenship residing in Syria
Israel Hayom
- Europe’s challenge: Cleaning out the Daesh enclaves
- The “brain” behind the horror in Paris – Abdulhamid Abaud
- Anger at Sweden: The ambassador was reprimanded
- Netanyahu: “Despite the 32,000 objections of the opposition – this week we will pass the budget”
- Hungary: Opposition to EU decision to label products
- Amb. Danon demands from UN Sec. Gen.: “Condemn the Palestinian Red Crescent”
News Summary:
France's President 'takes off his gloves’ in the battle against Daesh, Israel takes offense at a Swedish minister’s remarks connecting the Daesh attacks in Paris to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict making the top news in the Hebrew newspapers.
Also in the news were a number of demolition stories:
The government offered to pay for a solution to the demolition of a settlement synagogue built on privately-owned Palestinian land due to the fear of an outbreak of ‘bloodshed’ by settler protesters (and soldiers made a Facebook page inviting soldiers to submit photos of themselves with signs demanding that the synagogue in Givat Ze'ev not be demolished).
Meanwhile, blood was spilled in the demolition of the home of a suspected Palestinian attacker when the IDF killed two Palestinians who got in a gunfight with them over the demolition. (More from Maan and Israel Hayom) Thousands attended their funerals after which numerous Palestinians were hurt by IDF gunfire in clashes that broke out. Also, locals said that Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters at Palestinian ambulances attempting to reach those wounded in the raid and stopped an ambulance carrying a critically wounded youth and detained him while he was en route to hospital.
And the family of the Palestinian murder suspect denied the Shin Bet claim that they turned him in so that their home would not be demolished.
PARIS ATTACKS QUICKEES:
France's President 'takes off his gloves’ in the battle against Daesh, Israel takes offense at a Swedish minister’s remarks connecting the Daesh attacks in Paris to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict making the top news in the Hebrew newspapers.
Also in the news were a number of demolition stories:
The government offered to pay for a solution to the demolition of a settlement synagogue built on privately-owned Palestinian land due to the fear of an outbreak of ‘bloodshed’ by settler protesters (and soldiers made a Facebook page inviting soldiers to submit photos of themselves with signs demanding that the synagogue in Givat Ze'ev not be demolished).
Meanwhile, blood was spilled in the demolition of the home of a suspected Palestinian attacker when the IDF killed two Palestinians who got in a gunfight with them over the demolition. (More from Maan and Israel Hayom) Thousands attended their funerals after which numerous Palestinians were hurt by IDF gunfire in clashes that broke out. Also, locals said that Israeli forces fired tear gas canisters at Palestinian ambulances attempting to reach those wounded in the raid and stopped an ambulance carrying a critically wounded youth and detained him while he was en route to hospital.
And the family of the Palestinian murder suspect denied the Shin Bet claim that they turned him in so that their home would not be demolished.
PARIS ATTACKS QUICKEES:
- Ya'alon speaks with French counterpart on strengthening cooperation against Islamic terror - 'Israel will grant France all necessary help, as always, in the struggle against Islamic terror, both in intelligence and also operationally' defense minister says. (Haaretz+)
- ISIS Threatens to Attack Washington in Newly Released Video - After footage of the aftermath of Friday's Paris terror attacks, video moves on to threaten other states taking part in air strikes against ISIS. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Obama Dismisses Calls for U.S. Ground Troops to Fight ISIS in Syria - U.S. President says Paris attacks were 'terrible' setback in fight against ISIS, says strategy to fight the terrorist group 'is going to take time.' (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Hacker Group Anonymous Declares War on ISIS - The international network of hackers said in a video that the Paris attacks conducted by ISIS 'cannot remain unpunished.' (Agencies, Haaretz)
- More Than a Dozen U.S. Governors Move to Keep Syrian Refugees Out After Paris Attacks - Leading Republican presidential candidates call on Obama to suspend plan to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees in coming year and some GOP lawmakers began moves in Congress to try to defund the policy. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Europe's Most-vilified Suburb Asks Itself How It Became 'A Jihadi Base' - Security forces are operating nonstop in Molenbeek, a Brussels suburb and the home of three terrorists apparently involved in the weekend attacks. Meanwhile, Belgian officials play blame game. (Haaretz+)
- Mastermind behind Paris attack currently in Syria, investigators say - Conflicting reports in Belgium regarding arrest of Saleh Abdeslam, 8th terrorist who fled Paris after attacks. Investigators say Belgian national Abdelhamid Abaaoud, mastermind of attack, is currently in Syria. French PM warns of more attacks in France and other European countries. Two more assailants identified. (Agencies, Haaretz and Ynet)
-
Jewish Community Life in Paris Freezes in Wake of Attacks - Jewish organizations around
Paris have already cancelled planned activities and events in compliance with the city's state of emergency.
(JTA, Haaretz)
Quick Hits:
- Israeli forces detain father and child from Jerusalem village - Israeli forces chased Ahmad Nidal Abu Sbeitan,12, to the front of his home in Al-Tur (Mt. of Olives neighborhood) before detaining him Monday evening, later returning to detain his father. (Maan)
- Ex-minister, former Israeli officers propose plan to unilaterally divide Jerusalem - All sides slam a new plan calling to erect a fence and transfer civil control over the capital's Arab neighborhoods to the Palestinian Authority. (Haaretz+)
- Egypt, PA agree on re-opening Rafah crossing, Fatah official says - Senior Fatah official says agreement will gradually enable students, workers and humanitarian cases, as well as merchandise, to enter Egypt from Gaza. (Haaretz+)
- In Israel, Hungary’s FM says his country opposes settlement labels - In first public defiance of Brussels’ guidelines, Péter Szijjártó calls EU initiative ‘irrational,’ harmful to peace efforts. (Times of Israel and Maariv)
- Israeli forces shoot, injure 2 Palestinian fishermen off Gaza coast - Locals said the fishermen sustained moderate injuries after being targeted off the coast near Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza by Israeli naval forces. (Maan)
- Netanyahu: "I did not mean unilateral withdrawals. I said, 'unilateral moves'" - The Prime Minister explained (again) his words in Washington during a Likud meeting, saying: "In any situation, Israel will remain on the eastern border. There is no possible scenario that we are not west of Jordan." (Maariv)
- Israel forces demolish housing structures in Hebron village - Muhammad Abed al-Fattah al-Shaladah said that Israeli forces demolished three corrugated metal housing structures, home to 15 people, and a sheep barn belonging to him and his son in the Khirbet Jurat al-Kheil and al-Qanub areas of eastern Sair. (Maan)
- Israeli forces ransack Islamic charity in Hebron during arrest raids - And in Sair village, Israeli soldiers raided the home of Raed Jaradat and Azzam Ezzat Shalaldah, 20, who was kidnapped from the al-Ahli hospital in Hebron last week. (Maan)
- Grandson of Ben Gurion: I will boycott my grandfather’s memorial if Netanyahu and his ministers show up - After ministers said that they won’t go because of the budget vote, Dr. Yariv Ben Eliezer told Army Radio: "If the government threatens to be absent for the memorial for the first Prime Minister of Israel - even if it only was as an idea - it just shows the extent of the government's abhorrence. Personally I do not hate anyone sitting in the Netanyahu government, but in connection with the current memorial - their behavior is ugly and demeans the dignity of my grandfather.” (Maan)
- Bill granting draft relief to Haredim passes first Knesset reading - Amendment to the conscription law wouls defer the application of criminal sanctions against ultra-Orthodox draft-dodgers until June 2023. (Haaretz+)
- Smuggling of rocket fuel to Gaza foiled - Security guards at a West Bank crossing discovered a chemical used to produce rockets on a truck from Hebron supposedly delivering soybean oil to the Gaza Strip. (Ynet)
- 57 Palestinians from Gaza visit relatives jailed in Israel - During a Palestinian prisoners' hunger strike in April 2012, one of the prisoners' key demands was that the ICRC "Family Visits Program" for Gazans be reinstated, after being suspended in 2007. (Maan)
- Danon: Red Crescent staff who ignored attack victims aided terror - Israel’s UN envoy files complaint with Ban Ki-moon after teen wounded in fatal shooting says Palestinian ambulance did not offer help. (Times of Israel and Maariv)
- Tasered Ethiopian-Israeli Sues Police for Misconduct - Justice Ministry says it investigated Jajao Binaro's claims, but closed the case file due to lack of supporting evidence. (Haaretz+)
- Tourism in Israel likely casualty of lone-wolf unrest - Tourism operators see 10-15 percent drop in bookings for upcoming months and fear key Easter holiday season will be disastrous amid wave of attacks in Israel and general Mideast violence. (Haaretz+)
- Boston Public Transit to Display Ads Calling to 'End U.S. Support for Israeli Apartheid' - The group responsible for it, the Palestine Advocacy Project, asserts that the poster is a form of protected First Amendment speech and should be allowed in a public space. (JTA, Haaretz)
- Roger Waters would rebuild 'The Wall' in Israel if gov't changed its policies - In a Rolling Stone interview, Pink Floyd star says he would rebuild the show 'If Israel works toward equality and actual, real, genuine democracy.' (Haaretz)
- Yitzhak Navon's last will and testament - The former Israeli President sat down and gave an interview of sorts, to be published after his death, as part of a video will project. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- 1700-year-old mosaic floor unveiled in Lod - Israel's antiquities authority said the newly discovered mosaic paved the courtyard of a villa in an affluent neighborhood during the Roman and Byzantine eras. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Features:
One Palestinian Family’s Demolition, Revenge on the Whole Neighborhood
The third-floor apartment where Abu Shahin lived with his wife and two daughters was destroyed. Nine other apartments were damaged, some seriously. (Amira Hass, Haaretz+)
Preserving the Heights
The EU decision to label products from the Golan Heights went under the radar. Owners of wineries and olive presses and the other businesses in the area made clear that they won’t leave even if their income is hurt. “We are an inseparable part of Israel.” (Eyal Levy, Maariv magazine, cover)
Evidence casts doubt on IDF version of deadly West Bank shooting
The IDF Spokesperson and Israeli media outlets said that a young Palestinian man from the village of Budrus was shot while trying to snatch a soldier’s weapon. An eye witness, photographs and the autopsy tell a different story — that he was shot in the back, from some distance. (‘John Brown,’ +972mag)
Commentary/Analysis:
The third-floor apartment where Abu Shahin lived with his wife and two daughters was destroyed. Nine other apartments were damaged, some seriously. (Amira Hass, Haaretz+)
Preserving the Heights
The EU decision to label products from the Golan Heights went under the radar. Owners of wineries and olive presses and the other businesses in the area made clear that they won’t leave even if their income is hurt. “We are an inseparable part of Israel.” (Eyal Levy, Maariv magazine, cover)
Evidence casts doubt on IDF version of deadly West Bank shooting
The IDF Spokesperson and Israeli media outlets said that a young Palestinian man from the village of Budrus was shot while trying to snatch a soldier’s weapon. An eye witness, photographs and the autopsy tell a different story — that he was shot in the back, from some distance. (‘John Brown,’ +972mag)
Commentary/Analysis:
In Speech of His Life, Hollande Promises France Blood, Sweat and Tears (Sefy Hendler, Haaretz+) Addressing two houses of Parliament at Palace of Versailles, French president
shows his declaration of 'war' is not just rhetoric. Liberte is out; securite is in.
Preventing Youth From Choosing Jihad Is the Challenge, Not Preventing Attacks (Asaf Ronel, Haaretz+) The danger of terror will disappear only if significant efforts are invested in solving the issues associated with the integration of Muslim communities into European society.
In Paris, Beirut, and Hebron: The Enemy of My Enemy Is Love (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) Just one thing before we kill this peace and love stuff for good. I saw it, this month. Peace. And that other thing.
Defeating terror the Parisian way (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/Ynet) Nahum Barnea joins French citizens of all ages, religions and ethnic groups as they take to the streets of Paris following Friday night's terror offensive, vowing that 'life will win.'
Arrests and Airstrikes Can't Make Up for France's Intelligence Failure (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) The most important question remains: How did the assailants organize and amass a cache of weapons over a considerable period of time?
It Would Only Take One Vote to Bring Down the Netanyahu Government (Sefi Rachlevsky, Haaretz+) Any of the four moderate Knesset members from Kulanu could bring down the Netanyahu government, could stop the madness, by voting against the budget.
Calling terror by its name (Sever Plocker, Yedioth/Ynet) The indiscriminate and death-worshipping terror has been led for many years now by the fascist part of Islam, which takes on different forms. Its acts of terror are only weakly linked, if at all, to the situation in Syria or in any other Arab state.
Israel's Delusions of Grandeur (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) How did the country maneuver itself into being an 'outpost of democratic capitalism' when it is really only a small country in a big world?
It works: Reconsider the death penalty for terrorists (Karni Eldad, Maariv) The father turned in his son to security forces out of fear their home would be destroyed. That proves that this is an effective deterrent step. Now we must examine the death penalty for perpetrators of terrorist attacks.
Obama Needs to Show 'How to Take Out Those ISIS Bastards' (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) After Paris attacks, public opinion yearns for the kind of bluster and bravado that Obama often disdains.
We Muslims Must Confront the Death Cult in Our Societies (Felix Marquardt, Haaretz) With each atrocity perpetrated in the name of Islam, our religion becomes even more associated with barbarism. We need to reconnect Muslim thinking with its original respect for life, openness and equality.
Intergenerational Gap: This week fatherhood cost me (Dror Raphael, Maariv) Not only my son wants to be a soccer player, but he also decided to become a fan of Beitar Jerusalem, a racist soccer team. I asked him gently and convincingly to stop it immediately, and please move to playing chess. Parenting hysteria?
ISIS is not waging a war against Western civilization (Peter Beinart, Haaretz+) A primer for Marco Rubio.
As Egyptians See It, Their Country Faces an International Conspiracy (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) The Egyptian media is arguing that allegations of sabotage in the Russian airliner crash are part of a continuing plot against the country.
Radical Islam must be destroyed (Jewish French MP Meyer Habib, Israel Hayom) To defeat radical Islam, we must have the will to open our eyes, recognize the new reality and fight together for the future freedom of humanity.
Veni, Vidi, Vici (I came, I saw, I conquered): US President and his civil servants are harassing the Prime Minister (Ran Edelist, Maariv) Those who think that Obama has collaborated with Netanyahu’s flattery attack, do not appreciate the harsh coldness of the US President and should examine the results of the meeting.
Sweden is no friend of Israel (Mathias Sundin, Haaretz+) Despite the mollifying declarations by its foreign minister, Sweden's government won't unconditionally condemn Palestinian terror attacks on Israeli civilians.
The same fight (Judith Bergman, Israel Hayom) Radical Islam is the enemy of both Israel and the rest of the West. Failure to acknowledge this undermines the West's own fight against it.
Preventing Youth From Choosing Jihad Is the Challenge, Not Preventing Attacks (Asaf Ronel, Haaretz+) The danger of terror will disappear only if significant efforts are invested in solving the issues associated with the integration of Muslim communities into European society.
In Paris, Beirut, and Hebron: The Enemy of My Enemy Is Love (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) Just one thing before we kill this peace and love stuff for good. I saw it, this month. Peace. And that other thing.
Defeating terror the Parisian way (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/Ynet) Nahum Barnea joins French citizens of all ages, religions and ethnic groups as they take to the streets of Paris following Friday night's terror offensive, vowing that 'life will win.'
Arrests and Airstrikes Can't Make Up for France's Intelligence Failure (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) The most important question remains: How did the assailants organize and amass a cache of weapons over a considerable period of time?
It Would Only Take One Vote to Bring Down the Netanyahu Government (Sefi Rachlevsky, Haaretz+) Any of the four moderate Knesset members from Kulanu could bring down the Netanyahu government, could stop the madness, by voting against the budget.
Calling terror by its name (Sever Plocker, Yedioth/Ynet) The indiscriminate and death-worshipping terror has been led for many years now by the fascist part of Islam, which takes on different forms. Its acts of terror are only weakly linked, if at all, to the situation in Syria or in any other Arab state.
Israel's Delusions of Grandeur (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) How did the country maneuver itself into being an 'outpost of democratic capitalism' when it is really only a small country in a big world?
It works: Reconsider the death penalty for terrorists (Karni Eldad, Maariv) The father turned in his son to security forces out of fear their home would be destroyed. That proves that this is an effective deterrent step. Now we must examine the death penalty for perpetrators of terrorist attacks.
Obama Needs to Show 'How to Take Out Those ISIS Bastards' (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) After Paris attacks, public opinion yearns for the kind of bluster and bravado that Obama often disdains.
We Muslims Must Confront the Death Cult in Our Societies (Felix Marquardt, Haaretz) With each atrocity perpetrated in the name of Islam, our religion becomes even more associated with barbarism. We need to reconnect Muslim thinking with its original respect for life, openness and equality.
Intergenerational Gap: This week fatherhood cost me (Dror Raphael, Maariv) Not only my son wants to be a soccer player, but he also decided to become a fan of Beitar Jerusalem, a racist soccer team. I asked him gently and convincingly to stop it immediately, and please move to playing chess. Parenting hysteria?
ISIS is not waging a war against Western civilization (Peter Beinart, Haaretz+) A primer for Marco Rubio.
As Egyptians See It, Their Country Faces an International Conspiracy (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) The Egyptian media is arguing that allegations of sabotage in the Russian airliner crash are part of a continuing plot against the country.
Radical Islam must be destroyed (Jewish French MP Meyer Habib, Israel Hayom) To defeat radical Islam, we must have the will to open our eyes, recognize the new reality and fight together for the future freedom of humanity.
Veni, Vidi, Vici (I came, I saw, I conquered): US President and his civil servants are harassing the Prime Minister (Ran Edelist, Maariv) Those who think that Obama has collaborated with Netanyahu’s flattery attack, do not appreciate the harsh coldness of the US President and should examine the results of the meeting.
Sweden is no friend of Israel (Mathias Sundin, Haaretz+) Despite the mollifying declarations by its foreign minister, Sweden's government won't unconditionally condemn Palestinian terror attacks on Israeli civilians.
The same fight (Judith Bergman, Israel Hayom) Radical Islam is the enemy of both Israel and the rest of the West. Failure to acknowledge this undermines the West's own fight against it.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.