APN's daily news review from Israel
Friday December 18, 2015
Quote of the day:
"I, like everyone else who was there, knows that there are not a few immoral incidents and acts and
that the control over so many people for so long cannot but corrupt and we need to stand guard so that this
does not happen."
--Top Maariv political commentator, Ben Caspit, writes about the importance of 'Breaking the Silence' organization.
You Must Be Kidding:
--58%
Percentage of Israelis who think that the activities of ‘left-wing’ (human rights) organizations in Israel, such as Breaking the Silence and B’tselem, are illegitimate.
You Must Be Kidding:
--58%
Percentage of Israelis who think that the activities of ‘left-wing’ (human rights) organizations in Israel, such as Breaking the Silence and B’tselem, are illegitimate.
Front Page:
Haaretz
- Six women: (Minister) Silvan Shalom forced sexual contact on us
- The difficult testimonies from the Territories are not fantasies // Amos Harel
- Jewish citizenship –Declaration of Independence was exchanged for prayer, national identity was put in the center. Educators: We can’t let the new textbook on citizenship see light
- Ahead of the new relations: Israel and Turkey agreed on most of the principles of the reconciliation guidelines
- Bar Refaeli was interrogated at Tax Authority on suspicion of avoid of tax evasion in the millions
- Meeting the commander of Birkenau at a patisserie in Tel-Aviv
- Tour of the commercial oasis that popped up next to the Holot Detention Facility
- Numerous Arabs moving to Jewish cities in seach for quality of life
- Why isn’t Obama able to call Islamic terror by its name? // Gadi Taub
Yedioth Ahronoth
- “There is no avoiding a probe” – into sexual harassment claims against Minister Silvan Shalom
- Shalom’s way // Sima Kadmon writes that Shalom should have listened to advice that he not take a position that puts him under the ‘national microscope’
- Bar’s method (of allegedly evading taxes)
- There are no free presents // Raz Sukenik
- Likely: (Sexual harassment) Case against Police Maj.-Gen. Ritman to close
- Inciters, we’re sick of you – At initiative: Heads of political parties call to stop the stream of hatred from the right and the left, before the words turn again into bullets
Maariv Weekend (Hebrew links only)
- (Top model) Bar (Refaeli)’s presents
- Celebs are stressed // Miki Levine and Talia Levine
- Slippery slope // Adv. Yechiel Gotman
- Israel-Turkey: On the way to ending the dispute
- “Declare him missing” – Family of Sgt. Oron Shaul says he may still be alive, following letter released by Hamas
- The decision on the gas goes to court – Netanyahu signed anti-trust evading document, Meretz party appealed to High Court
- Likely: Case against Police Maj. Gen. Ritman to close
- License to incite // Ben Caspit says it’s okay to criticize the President, but not incite against him. That can end in murder
- Campaign of silencing // Kalman Libskind says the media is inciting against Heritage Channel 20 for originally calling President Rivlin shameful
- No limits // Udi Segal says threats to the President and the incitement against Breaking the Silence are symptoms of blurring our moral limits
- Open wound: The full story on the torture of the athletes in Munich
Israel Hayom
- On the way to reconciliation – Israel and Turkey
- Bad model: The troubles of Bar Refaeli and her mother
- 7 testimonies against Silvan Shalom
- Naor’s miracle
- Additional power: Fifth IDF submarine on the way to Israel
- Hi Jerry: Seinfeld landing in Israel today, fans prepared for first show
- Winter returns: After furious rains, less on the weekend
- Youth entertainment: Parties at luxury villas with alcohol and sex
- My brothers – Eliasaf Peretz, who lost his brothers Uriel and Eliraz, talks about it for the first time
- The Republican candidates – friends of Israel // Boaz Bismuth in Las Vegas
News
Summary:
The Attorney General is expected to probe Interior Minister Silvan Shalom after seven women claimed they had been sexually harassed by him, Israel and Turkey agree on most points ahead of a reconciliation after a five-year dispute, and top model Bar Refaeli is suspected of tax evasion in the millions making the top stories in the Friday Hebrew newspapers. In the Op-Eds and analyses, commentators discussed the campaigns to vilify President Reuven Rivlin and the Breaking the Silence organization. Maariv's Ben Caspit wrote, "Yes, Breaking the Silence go overboard and infuriate and worst of all, they run to international forums and cause us damage there. But the benefits are greater than the damage. Also the goyim listen to these guys of BtS and say to themselves at the end of the day, that in a country where there are combat soldiers like these, it couldn't be such an awful country as they thought. And we can't forget that at least seven indictments were filed following testimonies by BtS...I was also a combat soldier...and I, like everyone else who was there, knows that there are not a few immoral incidents and acts and that the control over so many people for so long cannot but corrupt and we need to stand guard so that this does not happen." Meanwhile, the Shin Bet issued a rare public statement defending its methods of interrogation of the Jewish suspects in the arson-murder of the Dawabsheh family, in response to what it called a campaign to slander the Shin Bet. And, Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben-Dahan contradicted the Prime Minister’s position and said the state would not be compensating the Dawabsheh family, because the law to compensate terror victims only applies to Israeli citizens.
A poll published in Maariv found that 43% of the public believed that the far right-wing Im Tirtzu organization video campaign against Breaking the Silence, which many prominent Israelis called ‘incitement,’ was actually legitimate. And 58% thought the activities of BtS and other Israeli human rights organizations vilified in the Im Tirtzu video, such as B’tselem, are illegitimate. Only 32% think their activities are completely legitimate. (Maariv)
The Attorney General is expected to probe Interior Minister Silvan Shalom after seven women claimed they had been sexually harassed by him, Israel and Turkey agree on most points ahead of a reconciliation after a five-year dispute, and top model Bar Refaeli is suspected of tax evasion in the millions making the top stories in the Friday Hebrew newspapers. In the Op-Eds and analyses, commentators discussed the campaigns to vilify President Reuven Rivlin and the Breaking the Silence organization. Maariv's Ben Caspit wrote, "Yes, Breaking the Silence go overboard and infuriate and worst of all, they run to international forums and cause us damage there. But the benefits are greater than the damage. Also the goyim listen to these guys of BtS and say to themselves at the end of the day, that in a country where there are combat soldiers like these, it couldn't be such an awful country as they thought. And we can't forget that at least seven indictments were filed following testimonies by BtS...I was also a combat soldier...and I, like everyone else who was there, knows that there are not a few immoral incidents and acts and that the control over so many people for so long cannot but corrupt and we need to stand guard so that this does not happen." Meanwhile, the Shin Bet issued a rare public statement defending its methods of interrogation of the Jewish suspects in the arson-murder of the Dawabsheh family, in response to what it called a campaign to slander the Shin Bet. And, Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben-Dahan contradicted the Prime Minister’s position and said the state would not be compensating the Dawabsheh family, because the law to compensate terror victims only applies to Israeli citizens.
A poll published in Maariv found that 43% of the public believed that the far right-wing Im Tirtzu organization video campaign against Breaking the Silence, which many prominent Israelis called ‘incitement,’ was actually legitimate. And 58% thought the activities of BtS and other Israeli human rights organizations vilified in the Im Tirtzu video, such as B’tselem, are illegitimate. Only 32% think their activities are completely legitimate. (Maariv)
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.