APN's daily news review from Israel
Wednesday December 16, 2015
Quote of the day:
“In 1995, they said the writing on the wall was blurry. They didn’t see, they didn’t hear, they didn’t
say, they didn’t stop. They didn’t ask for forgiveness or do soul-searching. But the privilege of not knowing
only works once.”
--Noah Rotman, granddaughter of assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, reacted on her Facebook page to the wave of insidious remarks against President Reuven Rivlin for his participation in a conference, where 'Breaking the Silence' organization was also present.**
--Noah Rotman, granddaughter of assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, reacted on her Facebook page to the wave of insidious remarks against President Reuven Rivlin for his participation in a conference, where 'Breaking the Silence' organization was also present.**
You Must Be Kidding:
"Everything we said is based on facts and research and we don't see it as a problem or incitement. The public needs to see and judge who makes the blood of Israel's soldiers and civilians fair game."
--Alon Shwartzer, head of Im Tirtzu's policy department, said about the video clip his organization produced depicting four leading Israeli human rights leaders as protectors of terrorists.**
Breaking News:
Two Palestinians shot dead in two overnight car-ramming attacks in West Bank during IDF raids
Three soldiers lightly wounded during raids, likely from friendly fire. (Ynet, Maan and Haaretz)
Front Page:
Haaretz
- Former worker of (Interior Minister) Silvan Shalom: He touched me against my will for more than a year
- Education system in Los Angeles completely stopped due to attack warning
- Profile of terrorists: Young, single and not necessarily incited
- Suspected attack in Modiin: Laborer attacked his boss and another worker at a construction site
- ‘Im Tirtzu’ campaign displayed left-wing activist as protecting terrorists
- Third new mother at Sheba Hospital had to have uterus removed; Hospital turned to 80 more women who gave birth
- Price index suddenly dropped by 0.4%
- Invisible laborers // Haaretz Editorial
- High Court to begin discussing in February appeals against gas agreement
Yedioth Ahronoth
- Bereaved parents break the silence – the protest letter
- “She shouted in pain and they called her spoiled” – Family of woman in labor, whose uterus was later removed
- “Come to me, I have a room alone” – wrote a teacher to her student during the trip to Poland
- Paradise for criminals: (famous Israeli soccer coach) Maliniak on the violence of soccer fans
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- (Los Angeles:) City under siege
- Attack in Modiin: Laborer attacked two workers with a hammer at a construction site
- Justice Ministry revealed: This is how you reach the Shin Bet headquarters – Minister’s website mistakenly gave directions how to reach the office where she had a meeting
Israel Hayom
- Expose: The controversial decision in the midst of the wave of terror: “The poor of your city come first” - The guideline: First treat the most badly injured – even if he’s the terrorist
- The Republican dispute – in the wake of terror in the US
- The infection at Sheba Hospital: Third woman who gave birth was infected with the bacteria
- Attack in Modiin: Palestinian laborer at a construction site attacked his Jewish boss with a hammer
- IAEA closing the file on Iran’s military nuclear plan: the West is pulling one over on itself // Dan Margalit
News Summary:
The campaign against Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin and against Breaking the Silence and other Israeli human rights NGOs, the suspicion or assumption (depending on the paper) that the attack of a Palestinian laborer on his Jewish boss was nationalistically motivated and the infection of new mothers with a bacteria that required the removal of their uteruses were top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Also in the news, the UN Nuclear Agency, IAEA, closed its decade-long probe into Iranian development of nuclear weapons.
**Parents of fallen Israeli soldiers petitioned Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon to outlaw ‘Breaking the Silence,’ an organization that exposes army misconduct in the territories, for “turning our sons into war criminals,” Yedioth reported and the far right-wing ‘Im Tirtzu’ organization displayed four leading Israeli human rights activists as protectors of terrorists and foreign agents of Europe in a video clip and in a full page ad in Yedioth. The "agents" are Yishai Menuhin, director general of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, Avner Gvaryahu from the Breaking the Silence organization, and lawyers Sigi Ben Ari of the Center for the Defence of the Individual ("Hamoked"), and Hagai El-Ad, director general of B'Tselem. Moreover, senior Israeli figures slammed the vicious statements by Israelis railed at President Reuven Rivlin for speaking at the HaaretzQ conference Sunday, where Breaking the Silence was also participating, "I do not agree over everything with the President, but I know what’s the purpose of the campaign of incitement against him,” said former Likud minister Gideon Saar. “This is the de-legitimization of the President (using) intimidation and silencing as a method.” (Maariv) Former President Shimon Peres said, “Any incitement against President Rivlin is incitement against the State.” Peres harshly condemned the incitement directed against the President: "We have one country and one president, we must not allow any manifestation of incitement or violence against him." (Maariv) Meretz MK Michal Rozin demanded the attorney general investigate the 'blatant incitement.' Yedioth reported that Noah Rotman, the granddaughter of assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, wrote on her Facebook page: “In 1995, they said the writing on the wall was blurry. They didn’t see, they didn’t hear, they didn’t say, they didn’t stop. They didn’t ask for forgiveness or do soul-searching. But the privilege of not knowing only works once.” Following the online campaign, Yishai Menuhin filed a police complaint for incitement and threats against ‘Im Tirtzu. (Maariv) Israel's Channel 10 news reported that media consultant Moshe Klughaft, a close adviser to Education Minister Naftali Bennett, was behind the video. Meanwhile, Education Minister Naftali Bennett has barred Breaking the Silence from schools. Breaking the Silence responded saying that Bennett's message was that army veterans are only good for cannon fodder.
Incitement and racist acts and remarks are becoming more widespread in Israel. The Coalition Against Racism found that the number of cases of assaults by Jews against Arabs has doubled since the wave of violence began. There have been 23 (reported) incidents, including 11 physical assaults and 24 people injured: The director of the Coalition, Adv. Nidal Othman accused Israeli elected officials and people in high-ranking positions of being at the root of the problem for “taking part in the racist incitement campaign. (Maariv) And Yedioth reported that "hatred has reached record heights on Israeli social media networks in 2015." According to the a report by the Berl Katznelson Fund, there was a 20% rise in racist and incitement statements and an even sharper rise of 40% in the number of calls for physical violence.
The 'Victims of Social Media,' i.e. the most hated on Israeli social media networks based on the number of hate posts:
1. Arabs (263,000)
2. LGBT (76,500)
3. Left-wingers (73,000)
4. Ultra-Orthodox (69,700)
5. Refugees (68,700)
6. Right-wingers (28,000)
7. Mizrachim (18,500)
8. Ethiopian-Israelis (8,000)
9. Ashkenazim (7,900)
10. Russians (5,100)
The campaign against Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin and against Breaking the Silence and other Israeli human rights NGOs, the suspicion or assumption (depending on the paper) that the attack of a Palestinian laborer on his Jewish boss was nationalistically motivated and the infection of new mothers with a bacteria that required the removal of their uteruses were top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Also in the news, the UN Nuclear Agency, IAEA, closed its decade-long probe into Iranian development of nuclear weapons.
**Parents of fallen Israeli soldiers petitioned Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon to outlaw ‘Breaking the Silence,’ an organization that exposes army misconduct in the territories, for “turning our sons into war criminals,” Yedioth reported and the far right-wing ‘Im Tirtzu’ organization displayed four leading Israeli human rights activists as protectors of terrorists and foreign agents of Europe in a video clip and in a full page ad in Yedioth. The "agents" are Yishai Menuhin, director general of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, Avner Gvaryahu from the Breaking the Silence organization, and lawyers Sigi Ben Ari of the Center for the Defence of the Individual ("Hamoked"), and Hagai El-Ad, director general of B'Tselem. Moreover, senior Israeli figures slammed the vicious statements by Israelis railed at President Reuven Rivlin for speaking at the HaaretzQ conference Sunday, where Breaking the Silence was also participating, "I do not agree over everything with the President, but I know what’s the purpose of the campaign of incitement against him,” said former Likud minister Gideon Saar. “This is the de-legitimization of the President (using) intimidation and silencing as a method.” (Maariv) Former President Shimon Peres said, “Any incitement against President Rivlin is incitement against the State.” Peres harshly condemned the incitement directed against the President: "We have one country and one president, we must not allow any manifestation of incitement or violence against him." (Maariv) Meretz MK Michal Rozin demanded the attorney general investigate the 'blatant incitement.' Yedioth reported that Noah Rotman, the granddaughter of assassinated prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, wrote on her Facebook page: “In 1995, they said the writing on the wall was blurry. They didn’t see, they didn’t hear, they didn’t say, they didn’t stop. They didn’t ask for forgiveness or do soul-searching. But the privilege of not knowing only works once.” Following the online campaign, Yishai Menuhin filed a police complaint for incitement and threats against ‘Im Tirtzu. (Maariv) Israel's Channel 10 news reported that media consultant Moshe Klughaft, a close adviser to Education Minister Naftali Bennett, was behind the video. Meanwhile, Education Minister Naftali Bennett has barred Breaking the Silence from schools. Breaking the Silence responded saying that Bennett's message was that army veterans are only good for cannon fodder.
Incitement and racist acts and remarks are becoming more widespread in Israel. The Coalition Against Racism found that the number of cases of assaults by Jews against Arabs has doubled since the wave of violence began. There have been 23 (reported) incidents, including 11 physical assaults and 24 people injured: The director of the Coalition, Adv. Nidal Othman accused Israeli elected officials and people in high-ranking positions of being at the root of the problem for “taking part in the racist incitement campaign. (Maariv) And Yedioth reported that "hatred has reached record heights on Israeli social media networks in 2015." According to the a report by the Berl Katznelson Fund, there was a 20% rise in racist and incitement statements and an even sharper rise of 40% in the number of calls for physical violence.
The 'Victims of Social Media,' i.e. the most hated on Israeli social media networks based on the number of hate posts:
1. Arabs (263,000)
2. LGBT (76,500)
3. Left-wingers (73,000)
4. Ultra-Orthodox (69,700)
5. Refugees (68,700)
6. Right-wingers (28,000)
7. Mizrachim (18,500)
8. Ethiopian-Israelis (8,000)
9. Ashkenazim (7,900)
10. Russians (5,100)
Quick Hits:
- Israeli defense minister: Not enough evidence to prosecute West Bank arson suspects - Moshe Ya'alon says while Duma murders are 'clearly a Jewish attack' and that defense establishment can identify members of group behind attack, state lacks evidence to try suspects. (Haaretz)
- Netanyahu responds to Kerry: Palestinians, not Israel, to blame for diplomatic stalemate - After U.S. secretary of state criticizes Israel for having no plan regarding Palestinian conflict, Netanyahu cites polling data showing 75% of Palestinians oppose two-state solution and accuses Palestinian President Abbas of "stirring things up with false propaganda" and "rejecting any genuine attempt at coming to negotiations." (Haaretz)
- The (new) guideline: First treat the most severely wounded – even if it’s the terrorist - Until now, the ethics committee of the Israel Medical Association instructed medical teams to first treat all the wounded (targets) of the attack, from the point of view of “take care of your city’s poor first.” Due to a request by “Physicians for Human Rights,” the committee decided this week that the injured need to be sorted according to the severity of the injury, including the assailant. The decision was not published publicly for fear of criticism. (Israel Hayom)
- Palestinian stone-thrower acquitted of attempted murder - Even though woman hit with rock in 2012 incident in West Bank suffered brain hemorrhage, Israeli military court finds insufficient evidence to show intent to kill or ‘high likelihood’ of death; convicts defendant on lesser charge of causing serious injury. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli commandos charged with killing camel - Two soldiers accused of animal abuse and unauthorized use of weapons. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli soldiers who photobombed Palestinian reporter restricted to base for 14 days - Footage showing three soldiers making voices in background of television report spreads on social media, sparks criticism of conduct. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli forces detain child, 8, in occupied East Jerusalem - Witnesses the boy was about to enter a market near the Flowers Gate of the Old City, and police took him to a nearby Israeli police station. The reason for the detention is unknown. (Maan)
- Israeli forces detain Palestinian girl carrying screwdriver - The girl was reportedly detained in Jerusalem after Israeli forces searched her and found the screwdriver. (Maan)
- Israeli forces raid Nablus-area village, chase school students - Witnesses said Israeli forces raided al-Sawiya village on Monday deliberately threw stun grenades at students and chased them across the village, claiming they were throwing rocks at soldiers. No detentions were reported. (Maan)
- Rising violence: Dispute between pupils ended in stabbing of one of them – One 14-year-old stabbed the other at a school in Beit Shemesh. Police summoned his parents for a talking-to. In April, another pupil was stabbed during a brawl at the school. (Maariv, p. 12)
- Lapid: Israelis must fight BDS when abroad - Yesh Atid MK Yair Lapid is counting on Israelis flying abroad to fight against BDS as part of a 'war in which we are all emissaries.' (Ynet)
- Palestinian MP Jarrar: 'My detention has been political since the beginning' - Palestinian lawmaker Khalida Jarrar on Monday said -- through her lawyer -- that her imprisonment by Israel is a political move by the Israeli judicial system, which seeks to silence anyone who exposes Israeli crimes. (Maan)
- East Jerusalem Palestinian Behind 'Stab a Zionist' Facebook Post Charged With Incitement - With nod from Attorney General, indictment served on 21-year-old Sur Baher resident for inflammatory clips on Facebook. (Haaretz+)
- MKs Raise a Ruckus as Finance Minstry Seeks Hefty $4.8 Billion in Budget Changes - Giant amendments come less than a month after Knesset approved 2015 budget. One issue was some 284 million shekels slated for settlements. (Haaretz+)
- Knesset economic panel votes symbolically against gas deal - 7-6 vote on single clause is a technicality that will not stop Netanyahu from pushing forward controversial accord. (Times of Israel)
- Hamas marks 28th anniversary, boasts bloody history - Terrorist group brags that since its inception in 1987, its operatives have fired 16,377 rockets at Israel, carried out 86 suicide attacks, 36 stabbing attacks, over 500 border infiltrations, 250 shooting attacks and abducted 26 Israelis, dead and alive. (Israel Hayom)
- Erekat meets with US Middle East Coordinator - Secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the PLO Saeb Erekat met on Sunday in the US with US Middle East Coordinator Rob Malley, Palestinian sources told Ma’an. (Maan)
- Senior Israel Prison Service officer under investigation for sex offenses against subordinate - Officer questioned by police, sent to house arrest for five days and suspended from duty; Prison Service: We will protect the complainant. (Haaretz+)
- Foreign Ministry puts Palestinian 'rock throwing' dolls to good use - A week after Israel confiscates a Palestinian Authority-bound shipment of dolls dressed as rioters, Israel sends items to PA-donor countries • "The dolls were sent for one reason only -- brainwashing children," deputy foreign minister says. (Israel Hayom)
- Palestinian worker falls, dies at Israeli construction site - Younis Mahmoud al-Haroush, 34, from the southern occupied West Bank district of Hebron died after falling 20 meters. Israeli police are investigating the incident. (Maan)
- U.S. judge orders Pollard parole conditions to be reviewed - District Judge says stronger justification needed for electronic bracelet, computer monitoring for released Israeli spy. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Obama: Islamic State lost 40% of territories it captured in Iraq - American president says US and its allies are hitting ISIS harder than ever, killing five senior leaders since the spring. (Ynet)
- Egyptian warplanes using Israeli airspace - Egyptian Air Force makes unprecedented flights over Israeli territory, likely with IDF permission, en route to bombing Islamic State targets in the Sinai. (Ynet, Haaretz+ and Maariv)
- U.S. 'Not Ruling Out' Steps Over Iranian Missile Test - Emad rocket tested was a ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead, UN Security Council's Panel of Experts says, violating UN ban. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Commentary/Analysis:
Israel's Anti-occupation Soldiers Are Putting Their Necks on the Line (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Breaking the Silence violated the greatest taboo of all: It broke the “code of
loyalty” of blind faith in the sanctity of the army and purity of its arms.
Breaking the silence? No, distorting reality (Yoaz Hendel, Yedioth/Ynet) The organization of IDF soldiers and veterans isn’t publishing anonymous testimonies about individual cases, but a false testimony about an unbalanced army, an unbalanced state and good people who have turned into monsters.
The lone wolf Palestinian assailant: A profile (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Few assailants in the terror wave have links to militant groups or prior record; security officials’ recent analysis does not include incitement on the Internet or in the Palestinian media as a main impetus for attacks.
A changed Middle East (Prof. Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) By summer 2014, the Arab Spring had morphed into the Islamic Winter, and then the summer of ISIS.
Rivlin's 'Sin' Is His Being a True Democrat (Uzi Baram, Haaretz+) On the face of it, the loathing for Reuven Rivlin alongside the approval for Netanyahu seems inexplicable. But the explanation is simple.
It's a takeover, not a makeover (Annika Hernroth-Rothstein, Israel Hayom) Candlelightings at a former synagogue and at the White House fill me with rage and a sense of enormous loss.
The Deaths of Construction Workers Touch on Israeli Society’s Ills (Haaretz Editorial) Over last five years the number of construction workers who have fallen to their deaths reached 184 – much larger than number of Israelis killed in terror attacks or wars.
Iran, Case Closed: The West is interested in the future of Iran's nuclear program, not its past (Yossi Melman, Maariv) The IAEA decided to lock in the drawer Iran's nuclear past - in favor of the future. Observers will ensure that the Islamic Republic follows the agreement, we must only hope they will not give in to it.
The Role of Minorities: Creating a Mash, Not a Clash, of Civilizations (Khaled Diab, Haaretz+) In these times of widening chasms, the world needs the bridging role of minorities more than ever.
Haaretz buries the lede (Ruthie Blum, Israel Hayom) While HaaretzQ conference participants railed against Israel, they utterly ignored the lack of freedom in PA territories, and yet another attack on innocent Israelis.
Are John Kerry's Mideast Adventures Fueled by Rage at Losing the Presidency? (Seth Lipsky, Haaretz+) Losing to George W. Bush and the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth clearly still hurts, a devastating New Yorker profile discloses.
Breaking the silence? No, distorting reality (Yoaz Hendel, Yedioth/Ynet) The organization of IDF soldiers and veterans isn’t publishing anonymous testimonies about individual cases, but a false testimony about an unbalanced army, an unbalanced state and good people who have turned into monsters.
The lone wolf Palestinian assailant: A profile (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Few assailants in the terror wave have links to militant groups or prior record; security officials’ recent analysis does not include incitement on the Internet or in the Palestinian media as a main impetus for attacks.
A changed Middle East (Prof. Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) By summer 2014, the Arab Spring had morphed into the Islamic Winter, and then the summer of ISIS.
Rivlin's 'Sin' Is His Being a True Democrat (Uzi Baram, Haaretz+) On the face of it, the loathing for Reuven Rivlin alongside the approval for Netanyahu seems inexplicable. But the explanation is simple.
It's a takeover, not a makeover (Annika Hernroth-Rothstein, Israel Hayom) Candlelightings at a former synagogue and at the White House fill me with rage and a sense of enormous loss.
The Deaths of Construction Workers Touch on Israeli Society’s Ills (Haaretz Editorial) Over last five years the number of construction workers who have fallen to their deaths reached 184 – much larger than number of Israelis killed in terror attacks or wars.
Iran, Case Closed: The West is interested in the future of Iran's nuclear program, not its past (Yossi Melman, Maariv) The IAEA decided to lock in the drawer Iran's nuclear past - in favor of the future. Observers will ensure that the Islamic Republic follows the agreement, we must only hope they will not give in to it.
The Role of Minorities: Creating a Mash, Not a Clash, of Civilizations (Khaled Diab, Haaretz+) In these times of widening chasms, the world needs the bridging role of minorities more than ever.
Haaretz buries the lede (Ruthie Blum, Israel Hayom) While HaaretzQ conference participants railed against Israel, they utterly ignored the lack of freedom in PA territories, and yet another attack on innocent Israelis.
Are John Kerry's Mideast Adventures Fueled by Rage at Losing the Presidency? (Seth Lipsky, Haaretz+) Losing to George W. Bush and the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth clearly still hurts, a devastating New Yorker profile discloses.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.