APN's daily news review from Israel
Thursday December 10, 2015
Number of the day:
Number of the day:
776,500.
--The number of Israeli children living under the poverty line according to the figures in the just
released Social Security report. An increased number of them are from working families.
You Must Be Kidding:
You Must Be Kidding:
Two soldiers from an elite IDF unit were arrested on Tuesday for shooting a camel. Video of the incident emerged on Wednesday.
Front Page News:
Haaretz
- Poverty in Israel deepens – and spreads among working and educated people: 1.7 million poor, 770,000 of them children; 13.1% of working families poor
- Couple injured in shooting attack in West Bank; Terrorists escaped
- Netanyahu: I reject Trump’s remarks on Muslims, but will meet him in Israel
- This is what normality looks like // Barak Ravid on Rivlin's meeting with Obama
- [Main Photo: President Rivlin lighting Hanukkah candle while President Obama looks on smiling]
- High Court: Authors of ‘The King’s Torah” won’t stand trial, police investigation was faulty
- Police Investigation Unit of Police expected to file indictment against Lahav Unit Commander Ritman; His forced leave of absence was extended
- Chief Rabbi Lau opposes (Education Minister) Bennett visiting Conservative (movement) school: “This is unacceptable to all of Israel”
- Unnecessary prize // Haaretz Editorial
- This time you went overboard // Ari Shavit
- Contribute, that’s an order - Parents of paratroopers told to donate money for military equipment
- Artists furious over (Culture Minister) Regev’s intervention in an exhibition at Tel-Aviv Museum
Yedioth Ahronoth
- 23 shots on one car
- The President is in love // Nahum Barnea in Washington, D.C.
- Netanyahu’s dog bit a Likud MK
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- “Peace may seem far, but we need to keep trying” – President Rivlin was received with king’s honor at the White House and met with Obama for 1.5 hours; Trump considering visiting Temple Mount during his Israel tour
- Attack in Samaria (West Bank): Couple celebrated the birth of their grandson and were shot at, in moderate condition
- In the middle of the ceremony: Netanyahu’s dog bit twice
- The dramatic testimony of a senior German official: “My father was a Nazi criminal”
- The procrastination policy of Finance Minister Kahlon // Yehuda Sharoni
Israel Hayom
- The coin stopped the bullet – Another day of attacks
- Likely: There is evidence against (Police Maj. Gen.) Ritman
- Hanukkah coins
- Candles at the White House
- Social Security: Number of poor grew in 2014
- Netanyahu: Oppose Trump’s remarks about Muslims, but won’t cancel the meeting
- Fifth candle of Hanukkah
News Summary:
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has a wonderful meeting with the US President, poverty in Israel deepened – not only among Arabs and ultra-Orthodox, but also among working people, two settlers were moderately wounded in a shooting attack on their car and Donald Trump raises ire ahead of his visit to Israel, but Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu refuses to cancel their meeting making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.
President Rivlin, who took the train to Washington, said that in his 1.5 hour meeting with the US President, Obama expressed concern over the future of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and that Israelis still need to try to make peace with the Palestinians, to which Rivlin agreed.
The Israeli reporters noted that Rivlin was received with great honor at the White House and that there was a comfortable, relaxed, warm atmosphere between him and Obama, unlike the years of tension in the meetings between Netanyahu and Obama. Rivlin also told Obama that Israel has no war with Islam.
That statement comes just ahead of the visit to Israel of GOP presidential hopeful, Donald Trump, who created an uproar over his call to ban Muslims from the US. Thirty-seven Knesset members signed a letter on Wednesday calling on Netanyahu to condemn Trump's remarks and cancel their meeting, wrote Haaretz+. Most of the signatories were members of the opposition from Meretz, Zionist Union, Joint List and Yesh Atid – as well as two coalition MKs – Yakov Margi of Shas and Roy Folkman of Kulanu. Earlier, MK Ahmad Tibi (Joint List), who is among the signatories on the letter, said he had asked for the “neo-Nazi” not to be admitted to the Knesset. The Joint List party warned: "If Trump goes up to the Temple Mount, Israel will pay a heavy price,” and would ignite clashes, Maariv reported. Netanyahu rejected Trump’s statement, but refused to cancel the meeting.
Two Palestinian attacks against settlers and Israeli security forces took place in the West Bank Wednesday. One injured the former member of the Jewish Underground [Jewish terrorist group – OH], Shaul Nir, and his wife, as they drove through the West Bank. Shaul Nir served seven years of a life sentence for murdering three Palestinian students in a shooting and hand grenade attack on the Islamic College of Hebron in 1983, Haaretz+ reported. The assailants who shot at Nir’s car Wednesday escaped.
Earlier in the day, two were moderately wounded in a reported stabbing attack on soldiers in Hebron and the assailant was shot dead. Yitzhak Struk was lightly wounded when he charged the attacker. His mother, former Habayit Hayehudi MK Orit Struk, a settler in Hebron, said: "Why is it always the fabric of life of the Arabs is more important than our lives?" The mother said “the terrorist stabbed the soldier and then Yitzhak charged him with his bare hands. He was the first to charge, but thank God there were others who helped the act, because Yitzhak could not have dealt with him alone." Yitzhak got a cut in his leg and a broken bone in his hand. (Maariv)
Abd al-Rahman Yusri Maswada, the assailant, was the cousin of Ihab Zakariya Maswada, 21, who was killed by Israeli forces two days earlier, after he stabbed a settler near Hebron's Cave of the Patriarchs.
Ironically, Ynet’s Elior Levy learned that the freed Hamas prisoners from the West Bank whom Israel expelled to Gaza and abroad have, by remote, formed independent cells in the West Bank to lead the popular uprising in the West Bank because Hamas in the West Bank won’t do it for fear of being arrested. The cells lead independent civic activity such as protests, marches and clashes with Israeli security forces, as well as encourage incitement. The Hamas source also told Ynet that the Gaza rulers are encouraging and pushing for suicide bombings in the West Bank and East Jerusalem [Note: not in Israel – OH] in order to further escalate the situation, but these attempts have been unsuccessful.
Also worth noting: Unlike Israeli security analysts such as former National Security Adviser Yaakov Amidror, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot believes that it would be worse for Israel if the Islamic State were victorious in Syria over an Iran and Hezbollah-supported Assad victory. Speaking at a private event, Eisenkot said it was easier for Israel to meet an organized threat from Iran or Hezbollah than to identify and deter the Islamic State, if it controlled most of Syria. That said, Yossi Cohen, whom Netanyahu just appointed Mossad chief said that the “Iran nuclear threat must be the top priority.”
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin has a wonderful meeting with the US President, poverty in Israel deepened – not only among Arabs and ultra-Orthodox, but also among working people, two settlers were moderately wounded in a shooting attack on their car and Donald Trump raises ire ahead of his visit to Israel, but Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu refuses to cancel their meeting making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.
President Rivlin, who took the train to Washington, said that in his 1.5 hour meeting with the US President, Obama expressed concern over the future of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and that Israelis still need to try to make peace with the Palestinians, to which Rivlin agreed.
The Israeli reporters noted that Rivlin was received with great honor at the White House and that there was a comfortable, relaxed, warm atmosphere between him and Obama, unlike the years of tension in the meetings between Netanyahu and Obama. Rivlin also told Obama that Israel has no war with Islam.
That statement comes just ahead of the visit to Israel of GOP presidential hopeful, Donald Trump, who created an uproar over his call to ban Muslims from the US. Thirty-seven Knesset members signed a letter on Wednesday calling on Netanyahu to condemn Trump's remarks and cancel their meeting, wrote Haaretz+. Most of the signatories were members of the opposition from Meretz, Zionist Union, Joint List and Yesh Atid – as well as two coalition MKs – Yakov Margi of Shas and Roy Folkman of Kulanu. Earlier, MK Ahmad Tibi (Joint List), who is among the signatories on the letter, said he had asked for the “neo-Nazi” not to be admitted to the Knesset. The Joint List party warned: "If Trump goes up to the Temple Mount, Israel will pay a heavy price,” and would ignite clashes, Maariv reported. Netanyahu rejected Trump’s statement, but refused to cancel the meeting.
Two Palestinian attacks against settlers and Israeli security forces took place in the West Bank Wednesday. One injured the former member of the Jewish Underground [Jewish terrorist group – OH], Shaul Nir, and his wife, as they drove through the West Bank. Shaul Nir served seven years of a life sentence for murdering three Palestinian students in a shooting and hand grenade attack on the Islamic College of Hebron in 1983, Haaretz+ reported. The assailants who shot at Nir’s car Wednesday escaped.
Earlier in the day, two were moderately wounded in a reported stabbing attack on soldiers in Hebron and the assailant was shot dead. Yitzhak Struk was lightly wounded when he charged the attacker. His mother, former Habayit Hayehudi MK Orit Struk, a settler in Hebron, said: "Why is it always the fabric of life of the Arabs is more important than our lives?" The mother said “the terrorist stabbed the soldier and then Yitzhak charged him with his bare hands. He was the first to charge, but thank God there were others who helped the act, because Yitzhak could not have dealt with him alone." Yitzhak got a cut in his leg and a broken bone in his hand. (Maariv)
Abd al-Rahman Yusri Maswada, the assailant, was the cousin of Ihab Zakariya Maswada, 21, who was killed by Israeli forces two days earlier, after he stabbed a settler near Hebron's Cave of the Patriarchs.
Ironically, Ynet’s Elior Levy learned that the freed Hamas prisoners from the West Bank whom Israel expelled to Gaza and abroad have, by remote, formed independent cells in the West Bank to lead the popular uprising in the West Bank because Hamas in the West Bank won’t do it for fear of being arrested. The cells lead independent civic activity such as protests, marches and clashes with Israeli security forces, as well as encourage incitement. The Hamas source also told Ynet that the Gaza rulers are encouraging and pushing for suicide bombings in the West Bank and East Jerusalem [Note: not in Israel – OH] in order to further escalate the situation, but these attempts have been unsuccessful.
Also worth noting: Unlike Israeli security analysts such as former National Security Adviser Yaakov Amidror, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot believes that it would be worse for Israel if the Islamic State were victorious in Syria over an Iran and Hezbollah-supported Assad victory. Speaking at a private event, Eisenkot said it was easier for Israel to meet an organized threat from Iran or Hezbollah than to identify and deter the Islamic State, if it controlled most of Syria. That said, Yossi Cohen, whom Netanyahu just appointed Mossad chief said that the “Iran nuclear threat must be the top priority.”
Quick Hits:
- Rahat resident charged for transporting Kiryat Gat terrorist - The indictment says Zuhair Huzayal, 37, regularly transported illegal residents [Palestinian day laborers - OH] for a fee of about 100 shekels each. (Haaretz)
- Foiled attack in Afula: Three residents of Jenin caught with butcher knives - The suspects were arrested after the police received a report of three young citizens walking suspiciously down a street in the city. Police arrived at the scene and found three knives in their possession. (Maariv)
- Israeli police remove right-wingers from Al-Aqsa compound (Temple Mount) - Three right-wing Israelis, from a group of 30 who were touring with a police protection force, were evacuated from the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound by Israeli police on Wednesday after performing prayers. (Maan)
- Two soldiers from elite unite detained for shooting camel and filming the incident - The soldiers were on leave in the Dead Sea area when they saw the camel by the roadside and killed it. (Haaretz+ and Ynet+VIDEO)
- 39% of Israeli Arabs feel discriminated against in job market, poll shows - Bigger effort must be invested in giving weaker groups their basic rights in the workforce, says outgoing equal employment opportunity chief. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli officials remove 30-year-old Islamic sign in East Jerusalem - Mustafa Abu Zuhra said it was properly licensed, but Israeli municipality workers told locals the sign was taken down because "It is a symbol of Islam and cannot be displayed." The sign read: “There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” (Maan)
- Israeli Culture Minister Backs Off Nakba Film Festival -Miri Regev backtracks on effort to fine Tel Aviv Cinamatheque; committee finds that films are 'libelous,' but do not violate the law. (Haaretz+)
- Israel drops opposition to renewal of U.S. funding to UNESCO at Kerry's behest - U.S. funding was halted four years ago when UNESCO voted to admit Palestine as a member. Up until now, Israel has vehemently opposed a resumption. (Haaretz+)
- Lieberman: Netanyahu caved on UNESCO, renewed U.S. funding to cause damage to Israel - Former foreign minister asks Netanyahu if Israel had indeed agreed to drop opposition to U.S. funding of UNESCO at Kerry's behest. (Haaretz+)
- PLO slams sentencing of Palestinian MP Khalida Jarrar - “The actions of the Israeli military court are politically motivated and are part of a deliberate attack on Palestinian politicians,” said senior PLO member Hanan Ashrawi. Israeli military court sentenced her to 15 months jail for “incitement and membership in a terrorist organization,” the left-wing PFLP. (Maan)
- 'My Hanukkah miracle is being alive' - The whole country prayed for the 13-year-old boy who was seriously wounded in a stabbing attack in Pisgat Ze'ev (Jewish neighborhood in E. Jerusalem). A week after that, 3-year-old Tahal Sofer was also in the country's heart after being seriously hurt by a Molotov cocktail. On Tuesday both children were back on their feet and lighting Hanukkah candles. (Ynet)
- Terror rampant in Jerusalem - businesses are closing one after the other - Two months of attacks resulted in the closure of "Sakura" restaurant after 21 years. On the door of "Abu Yo-Yo Hummus" the owners hung a sign: "We had no choice, we ran into debt because of the situation." Chairman of the Union of Businessmen in City Center: "I get chills in my body with every business that closes." The economic victims of the wave of terror. [Note: The wonderful Cavalier restaurant is closing now, too. - OH] (Walla News Hebrew)
- Israel Revealed It Exported $400k in Gold to North Korea despite sanctions - Practice, for which UN demanded explanations, emerged during Knesset Economics committee hearing. (Haaretz and Ynet)
- Israel Won't Forgo Its $1.8b Billion Compensation Over Egyptian Gas Dispute - Egypt stopped supplying Israel with gas in 2012 after the supply pipeline was repeatedly attacked by militants. (Haaretz)
- Israeli military forces level Palestinian land near Gaza border - Witnesses told Ma'an that five Israel excavators entered 100 meters beyond the border fence east of al-Bureij refugee camp before leveling the land. (Maan)
- Beit Shemesh scraps plan for new neighborhood near archaeological site - Excavations at Hirbet Kaifeh have uncovered traces which archaeologists say date back to King David’s era. (Haaretz)
- Man Seriously Hurt by Car Bomb in Suspected Mob Hit in Central Israel - Car blows up at a traffic light near the Israel Institute for Biological Research in Nes Tziona. (Haaretz+)
- Boy, 8, who made death threats, caught with knife at school - Boy previously told a classmate he would murder him and was moved to a new class, where he threatened another boy with a knife. Mother of boy who was threatened demands emergency meeting. Police: Suspect is a minor, cannot be legally punished. (Israel Hayom)
- Construction Activity in Israel Reaches Highest Level Since 1997 - Construction starts declined sharply in the central region and Jerusalem, dropping by 27.3% and 24.1%, respectively. (Haaretz+)
- A third of all suicides in Israel committed by olim (new immigrants) - Between 2000 and 2013, 4,806 people in Israel committed suicide, 1,658 of them were new immigrants. A worrying new report presented to the Knesset Committee for Immigration and Absorption reveals that a third of those are olim – immigrants who have come to Israel under the Law of Return – from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia. (Ynet and Maariv)
- Venezuelans in Israel 'We finally have hope' - In a historic and groundbreaking vote on Sunday, the people of Venezuela rejected the country's ruling socialist party, which has been a close friend to Iran and openly hostile to Israel for years. (Ynet)
- Ex-Israel Police chief Danino denies existence of incriminating material - Lahav 433 head Maj. Gen. Roni Ritman says that intelligence unit head Brig. Gen. Guy Nir engineered sexual harassment allegations against him in order to settle personal scores. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli security guard murdered in terrorist attack in Copehagen voted 'Dane of the Year' - Dan Uzan was protecting a bat mitzvah celebration at a synagogue and prevented the terrorist from entering; Denmark daily newspaper's readers chose him by overwhelming majority. (Ynet)
- WATCH: 'Should We Ban Jews Since They’ve Committed Terrorist Attacks?' - 'What are you talking about? There have been Jewish terrorist attacks.' CNN's Ashleigh Banfield spars on air with a Trump supporter over whether or not Jews should also be banned from entering the United States. (Haaretz+)
- Syrian Refugees Celebrate Hanukkah With Berlin Jewish Community - Lighting of giant menorah shows 'that peace and tolerance are stronger than any dispute,' says Berlin rabbi. (Haaretz)
- King of Bahrain Lights Hanukkah Candles With Rabbi - The ceremony is the first of its kind in the Persian Gulf nation’s palace since 1948. (Haaretz)
- Former-U.S. President Carter's Cancer Cured by Israeli Drug - Keytruda, a new 'immunotherapy' drug researched and tested at Ramat Gan medical center, has helped Carter overcome melanoma. (Haaretz)
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel Named Time's 'Person of the Year' 2015 - Her resilience and leadership when faced with the refugee crisis and turmoil in the EU over its currency this year led the magazine to its decision. (Haaretz)
Commentary/Analysis:
Rivlin-Obama Meeting: The Strange Sensation of Diplomatic Normality (Barak Ravid, Haaretz+) With no tension in the air, no edginess before the cameras, presidents' meeting
highlights what has been absent from Israeli-American relations during past seven years.
Winds of disillusionment blowing through Britain's Left? (Yossi Shain, Yedioth/Ynet) Last week, in the heart of London, one could feel the fear of jihadist terror. This major threat may even lead to a change in the Left, although the anti-Israel slogans will likely take center stage again after a few months of relative calm.
Bennett's New Award: Politics in the Guise of Culture (Haaretz Editorial) The prize initiated by Bennet aims to promote a specific perspective of Judaism – the religious perspective.
A change of leadership (Danny Hirschberg, Israel Hayom) People reared in the religious Zionist school system now head three out of four main branches of Israel's security apparatus.
Does Destroying the Homes of Palestinian Attackers Deter Others? (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) That's what Israeli leaders say. What about the facts?
Netanyahu's outline: A non-liberal democratic state (Tami Arad, Yedioth/Ynet) Israel's undisputed leader is on his way to becoming a sole ruler, and the Israeli democracy machine appears to have no ability to curb his ambitions; the opposition is weak and the people want a tsar.
Even a Political Trial Can't Budge Israel's Silence of the Ewes (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Palestinian parliamentarian Khalida Jarrar was jailed because of her political beliefs, but few Israelis seem to care.
Trump is coming: How much damage can he do in the Holy Land? (Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man, +972mag) Israel’s prime minister defies staffers and lawmakers, pledging to host the Republican presidential contender. Trump, the Islamophobe, says he plans to visit what might be the most religiously sensitive site on earth. Just how worried should we be?
The IDF will bring peace: the responsibility for a political solution does not belong to the Army (Uri Savir, Maariv) In fact the burden is imposed on the government. But a responsible government must be attentive to the defense establishment, and not ignore their advice.
Donald Trump’s Plot Against Israel and America (Ari Shavit, Haaretz+) As a Jewish and democratic state, Israel cannot roll out a red carpet for an inciter against Islam who could use the visit to Jerusalem to inflame emotions.
Why Is the Republican Jewish Coalition Silent on Trump’s Bigotry? (Greg Rosenbaum, Haaretz+) In all the condemnations — from politicians, both Democratic and Republican, and from Jewish organizations — denunciations from one organization were notably and shamefully missing.
Divided we fall? (Clifford D. May, Israel Hayom) Americans are in violent disagreement over who -- or what -- threatens us.
United With My Critics by Our Common Dread for the Future of Israel (Peter Beinart, Haaretz+) The Jews who bother me are the ones who don’t care enough to shout.
Yes to the collapse of the Palestinian Authority: Israel must destroy the hostile entity (Nadav Haetzni, Maariv) Those who have not understood until now that the Palestinian Authority is a bitter enemy rather than a smiling partner, it is difficult to explain further – let him continue to live in his stupidity and self-deception. Let us merely note the current wave of terrorism illustrates the role of the rulers of Ramallah in brainwashing an entire generation of Palestinians.
Israel paying price of Obama's fire sale (Prof. Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) From Israel's perspective, Iran and Hezbollah are no different than ISIS.
Ignore Putin's power grab in Middle East, China's the one to watch (David Rosenberg, Haaretz+) The anxiety about Russia filling the American vacuum in the region is baseless. The real emerging power is China, whose winning influence through business, not bombing.
Not like in America: Israel lost the war against online incitement (Ran Adelist, Maariv) Too bad the Ministry of Justice they don’t learn anything from Loretta Lynch, the United States Attorney General - how to deal with the masses of inciters on the Internet. In a meeting with representatives of Muslim American citizens, Loretta Lynch said, "There is freedom of speech in the United States, but when there are statements of incitement to stoke the violence, the justice system and the Department of Justice will take countermeasures as may be required ... and we have opened thousands of investigations against inciters.” Where Ms. Lynch when Netanyahu’s Arabs flocked to the polls and when Lieberman's fifth column took over a synagogue? [Adelist is referring to statements made by Netanyahu and Lieberman against Arab citizens that were considered by many as incitement. – OH] Minister of Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked isn’t dealing with the head of the fish or with the small fry.
Soviet spy Marcus Klingberg, of blessed memory, stood on the wrong side of history (Yitzhak Laor, Haaretz+) The Soviet spy stood at the major crossroads of Jewish history on the 'wrong' side, and did so with courage and genius. With pride.
Inequality, Not Just Poverty, Grew in Israel Last Year (Lior Dattel, Moti Bassok, Zvi Zrahiya and Janan Bsoul, Haaretz+) National Insurance Institute: Trend toward more equality was broken in 2014.
Winds of disillusionment blowing through Britain's Left? (Yossi Shain, Yedioth/Ynet) Last week, in the heart of London, one could feel the fear of jihadist terror. This major threat may even lead to a change in the Left, although the anti-Israel slogans will likely take center stage again after a few months of relative calm.
Bennett's New Award: Politics in the Guise of Culture (Haaretz Editorial) The prize initiated by Bennet aims to promote a specific perspective of Judaism – the religious perspective.
A change of leadership (Danny Hirschberg, Israel Hayom) People reared in the religious Zionist school system now head three out of four main branches of Israel's security apparatus.
Does Destroying the Homes of Palestinian Attackers Deter Others? (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) That's what Israeli leaders say. What about the facts?
Netanyahu's outline: A non-liberal democratic state (Tami Arad, Yedioth/Ynet) Israel's undisputed leader is on his way to becoming a sole ruler, and the Israeli democracy machine appears to have no ability to curb his ambitions; the opposition is weak and the people want a tsar.
Even a Political Trial Can't Budge Israel's Silence of the Ewes (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Palestinian parliamentarian Khalida Jarrar was jailed because of her political beliefs, but few Israelis seem to care.
Trump is coming: How much damage can he do in the Holy Land? (Michael Schaeffer Omer-Man, +972mag) Israel’s prime minister defies staffers and lawmakers, pledging to host the Republican presidential contender. Trump, the Islamophobe, says he plans to visit what might be the most religiously sensitive site on earth. Just how worried should we be?
The IDF will bring peace: the responsibility for a political solution does not belong to the Army (Uri Savir, Maariv) In fact the burden is imposed on the government. But a responsible government must be attentive to the defense establishment, and not ignore their advice.
Donald Trump’s Plot Against Israel and America (Ari Shavit, Haaretz+) As a Jewish and democratic state, Israel cannot roll out a red carpet for an inciter against Islam who could use the visit to Jerusalem to inflame emotions.
Why Is the Republican Jewish Coalition Silent on Trump’s Bigotry? (Greg Rosenbaum, Haaretz+) In all the condemnations — from politicians, both Democratic and Republican, and from Jewish organizations — denunciations from one organization were notably and shamefully missing.
Divided we fall? (Clifford D. May, Israel Hayom) Americans are in violent disagreement over who -- or what -- threatens us.
United With My Critics by Our Common Dread for the Future of Israel (Peter Beinart, Haaretz+) The Jews who bother me are the ones who don’t care enough to shout.
Yes to the collapse of the Palestinian Authority: Israel must destroy the hostile entity (Nadav Haetzni, Maariv) Those who have not understood until now that the Palestinian Authority is a bitter enemy rather than a smiling partner, it is difficult to explain further – let him continue to live in his stupidity and self-deception. Let us merely note the current wave of terrorism illustrates the role of the rulers of Ramallah in brainwashing an entire generation of Palestinians.
Israel paying price of Obama's fire sale (Prof. Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) From Israel's perspective, Iran and Hezbollah are no different than ISIS.
Ignore Putin's power grab in Middle East, China's the one to watch (David Rosenberg, Haaretz+) The anxiety about Russia filling the American vacuum in the region is baseless. The real emerging power is China, whose winning influence through business, not bombing.
Not like in America: Israel lost the war against online incitement (Ran Adelist, Maariv) Too bad the Ministry of Justice they don’t learn anything from Loretta Lynch, the United States Attorney General - how to deal with the masses of inciters on the Internet. In a meeting with representatives of Muslim American citizens, Loretta Lynch said, "There is freedom of speech in the United States, but when there are statements of incitement to stoke the violence, the justice system and the Department of Justice will take countermeasures as may be required ... and we have opened thousands of investigations against inciters.” Where Ms. Lynch when Netanyahu’s Arabs flocked to the polls and when Lieberman's fifth column took over a synagogue? [Adelist is referring to statements made by Netanyahu and Lieberman against Arab citizens that were considered by many as incitement. – OH] Minister of Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked isn’t dealing with the head of the fish or with the small fry.
Soviet spy Marcus Klingberg, of blessed memory, stood on the wrong side of history (Yitzhak Laor, Haaretz+) The Soviet spy stood at the major crossroads of Jewish history on the 'wrong' side, and did so with courage and genius. With pride.
Inequality, Not Just Poverty, Grew in Israel Last Year (Lior Dattel, Moti Bassok, Zvi Zrahiya and Janan Bsoul, Haaretz+) National Insurance Institute: Trend toward more equality was broken in 2014.
Interviews:
Pro-gay, pro-women, pro-Arab: Israel's most unorthodox ultra-Orthodox lawmaker
Shas MK Yakov Margi supports gay rights, has no problem with women wearing prayer shawls, and backs a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Interviewed by Judy Maltz in Haaretz+)
Shas MK Yakov Margi supports gay rights, has no problem with women wearing prayer shawls, and backs a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Interviewed by Judy Maltz in Haaretz+)
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.