APN's daily news review from Israel

Sunday January 10, 2016  
 

Quote of the day:

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Front Page:

Haaretz

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News Summary:
The catching and killing of Tel-Aviv shooter Nashat Melhem in his home town of Arara, a week after he killed three fellow Israeli citizens, led the Hebrew newspapers today, as reporters and commentators examined all aspects of the attack, escape and his killing and the ramifications for the larger Arab-Israeli community. Also in the news, a police complaint to arrest left-wing activist Ezra Nawi was filed after an investigative program showed him on tape describing how he had turned in to Palestinian security services a number of Palestinian land brokers, who tried to sell West Bank land to settlers. Rightists slammed the left-wing and Leftists slammed the ‘expose’ as slanted, lacking any context about the occupation. (See Commentary/Analysis.) [Note: In Palestinian law, selling land to Jews, who ostensibly want to buy it to build settlements and prevent a Palestinian state, is treason. – OH]  
 
And, Yedioth reported that the Knesset’s Transparency Committee, led by MK Stav Shaffir, said that millions of Israeli taxpayers’ shekels were secretly transferred to settler organizations that support ‘price-tag’ attacks against Israeli soldiers and against Palestinians in the West Bank and to legalize illegal outposts. Those organizations included the Committee of Residents of Samaria and the Committee of Residents of Binyamin. Also, two Palestinians were shot dead at a West Bank checkpoint after soldiers said the two had approached them holding knives. No soldiers were injured and Palestinians rejected the accusations.
 
The papers reported on the final steps in the chase after Melhem, which ended in a firefight in his hometown, where he had been hiding. All the analysts discussed the questions that lingered after his death, some of which may not be answered because he was killed and not caught alive, as was the original intention. Ynet’s Ron Ben-Yishai wrote “Nashat Melhem was, no doubt, a cold-blooded man who planned his actions and was aware of what might lead security forces to him. However, it's clear that he was driven by personal impulses and anger, which grew and accumulated in his mind. Now what's left is to find out whether or not he was in contact with organization from within Israel or abroad, and whether he was aided by others in planning and perpetrating the attack, and not just during his escape.” Ben-Yishai added that the “silver lining in this dark cloud was the reaction by Israeli Arabs, specifically Wadi Ara residents, who condemned the attack.” Five residents of Arara were suspected of aiding him, including the man who provided details of his location. The lawyer of Melhem’s father and uncle said a relative called him and gave him the location after someone else from the town called the relative saying they believe they saw him in their neighborhood. Arara residents were quoted saying either that they didn’t know Melhem was in the town or that some people knew that he had taken refuge in an abandoned home, but didn’t want to snitch on him. Haaretz+ visited and spoke with Arara residents the day after Melhem was shot dead Israel Hayom said Arab Israelis were conflicted over what he did and Ynet reported on the reactions of his three victims' loved ones, whom Israel declared victims of terror.
 

Quick Hits:

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Features:

Palestinian father of three, shot and killed walking home from a friend's wedding'
Nashat was the father of children, an older person... Would someone who works in Israel with a permit, who was never in any kind of trouble, throw stones at soldiers?' his father Jamal asks. (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) 
The paradise that was Egypt
New documentary conjures up the world of post-WWII Egypt, when it was a multi-lingual, multi-ethnic society home to some 80,000 Jews. (Ynet) 
Paradise for terrorism: Palestinians operated in Denmark in order to carry out attacks
They were assimilated into the population, they recruited Scandinavian women as assistants and succeeded in establishing terrorist networks activities. Danish terrorism expert: "Until the 80’s the intelligence had no awareness and there wasn’t a person who knew Arabic." (Tal Bashan in Denmark, Maariv Magazine)

Commentary/Analysis:

A Flagship of Israeli Journalism Joins the Ranks of False Propaganda (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) The investigative TV program ‘Uvda’ should be ashamed of the report it aired which depicted human rights activists as dangerous, while ignoring the occupation. 
How respectable journalists are joining attacks on Israel's Left (Haggai Mattar, +972mag) The country’s top investigative news program airs a hidden-camera sting operation carried out by a shady right-wing organization, and fails to ask the tough questions and give the necessary context.
Tel Aviv Attack: Manhunt Over, but Questions Begin for Security Services (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) The police finally tracked down suspected gunman Nashat Melhem on Friday, but how did he manage to hide amid the civilian population for so long? 
Israeli Arabs fear terrorists too (Ayman Sikseck, Yedioth/Ynet) When the prime minister says there is a 'state within a state' of lawbreakers in Israel's Arab communities, he is intensifying Jews' fear of us and dismissing every ingredient of our life in Israel. 
Indyk's preposterous lie (Ruthie Blum, Israel Hayom) Netanyahu never said to Indyk that had Rabin not been assassinated, he would have gone down in history as a failure. 
Indyk is telling the truth about Netanyahu (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/Ynet) The former US envoy has no reason to fabricate stories after 20 years. There is also no reason to be shocked by what the then-opposition leader told him a day after Rabin's assassination; while it wasn't politically correct, it was definitely understandable. 
Israel Is in the Midst of a Cold Civil War (Rogel Alpher, Haaretz+) Arabs, leftists, secular people – none are seen as part of the new State of Israel. What is our obligation to the state when it declares we no longer belong in it? 
The shock is entirely ours: Shattering the myth that Arab society does not want terrorism (Kalman Libskind, Maariv) A browse of the map of attacks will expose you to an expansive nationwide network of Arab towns from were the murderers of Jews and their abettors came in the last 15 years and that is the depth of the bluff that many journalists are trying to sell us. 
Israeli Arabs are choosing integration over seclusion (Ronni Shaked, Yedioth/Ynet) Studies clearly show that Israel's Arab citizens play a minimal part in terror, despite collective feelings that have a potential for radicalization and revolt; the government must encourage their adaptation processes. 
Accurate shot, huge missed opportunity: the capture of Nashat Melhem alive would have shed light on his motives (Ran Adelist, Maariv) You cannot come with complaints against the sniper who killed Melhem , because no one can be in the shoes of someone who sees a murderer escape with a weapon. It is necessary to know whether the order emphasized the need to bring him alive for interrogation and trial. 
When an Israeli assaults a Palestinian, justice is hard to come by (Yossi Gurvitz, +972mag) A story of assault in Hebron perfectly exemplifies how police investigations fail when the victim is Palestinian. 
Netanyahu is ruing the day he approved funds for Israeli Arab development (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) The Tel Aviv shooting made the PM revisit 5-year plan to advance minorities; as his party mulls the chances that he will be the sole candidate in the upcoming primary, opposition sources say the idea of a unity government is dead. 
Religious Zionism must disengage from zealots (Bambi Sheleg, Yedioth/Ynet) The halachic definitions used by rabbis in regards to the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria have nothing to do with a democratic regime, with the era we live in and with the civil principles guiding the State of Israel. 
IDF's stance on Palestinian Authority could trigger discord with Netanyahu, Ya'alon (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) The army and government have been singing from the same hymn sheet in recent months, but this week offered signs that this may be about to change. 
Palestinian sense of victory over return of bodies exposes fundamental weakness of 'individual intifada' (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) Israel is now again returning the bodies of Palestinians, but doesn’t want autopsies performed lest it highlight how many bullets were fired or how long it took the victims to bleed to death.
Clinton's and Obama's interventionism (Mati Tuchfeld, Israel Hayom) What is Netanyahu's Congress speech in comparison to Clinton's clandestine efforts to help Peres or Obama's detachment from Israel? 
'Radical Islam' Is for the GOP in 2016 What 'Axis of Evil' Was in 2003 (Peter Beinart, Haaretz) What the Middle East needs is not an intensified cold war between the forces of light and darkness, but compromises that help end civil wars. 
Hamas set on carrying out attacks from West Bank (Yossi Yehoshua, Yedioth/Ynet) The discovery of two major Hamas terror cells in the West Bank over the past month shows the terror organization's determination in the face of Shin Bet's intense focus on breaking up such cells. 
Don't Lose True Meaning Behind IDF's Paradoxical Warnings on Palestinian Authority (Haaretz Editorial) Without diplomatic negotiations and a solution that is not military, Israel will cause the disintegration of its Palestinian partner and become the landlord in the territories as well, on the way to a binational state.
What Is the State Hiding in the Israel-Iran Oil Saga? (Aluf Benn, Haaretz+) The confidentiality order protecting the oil pipeline deal between Israel and Iran in the 1970s is about to be updated. Don’t expect the new version to be for the Israeli public’s benefit. 
It’s the Israeli Government That Keeps Its Arab Citizens Poor and Powerless (Meirav Arlosoroff, Haaretz+) Netanyahu demanded this week that Arab citizens be 'completely Israeli,' but he knows very well they are not — and the state is a big part of the reason. 
Racism and prejudice (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) Europe is slowly unburdening itself of the yoke of political correctness; in Germany, there are 'no-go' zones the police dare not enter, while Sweden is introducing border control now that it has had enough immigrants; the party of Arab refugees freely swarming into the continent is over, while the radical right-wing loses all restraint. 
Book Ban Exposes Hypocrisy of Israel's Lettuce-munching Left (Benny Ziffer, Haaretz+) Any of the terrible things the right-wing government is ostensibly doing to culture, the enlightened left has already done better.
The Scariest Thing About the Tel Aviv Terror Attack (Yoel Marcus, Haaretz+) Tel Avivians were shocked by last Friday's shootings in the city, which left three people dead, but Netanyahu's incitement-filled speech afterward was truly horrifying.
A pack of lone wolves (Yaakov Amidror, Israel Hayom) The government is dealing with the current surge in Palestinian terrorism in a correct and measured manner, preventing it from becoming a full-fledged intifada. The massive blow dealt to Jewish terrorism also helps the state's de-escalation efforts. 
Hush money and the huge fraud known as Israel's state budget (Stav Shaffir, Haaretz+) The minute the state is run without a real planned budget with clear, written goals, every day becomes a day for shady deals. With the Arab community, too. 
Herzog’s failed opportunity to defend Israel's democracy (Friday Haaretz Editorial) Instead of taking a stand and demanding civil equality after Netanyahu's inflammatory remarks against Arabs at the scene of the Tel Aviv shooting, Herzog tried to out-patriot the right wing. 
Is there any hope for Israeli-Arab coexistence? (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom) Integrating Israel's Arabs into society is a national and social challenge, and it is the responsibility of both Arabs and Jews. The Arab leadership's refusal to accept the Jews' historical and religious connection to this land serves as a key obstacle. 
Israeli Arabs, own up to being a ticking time bomb, and don't forget to say thanks (Sayed Kashua, Haaretz+) Do you really want to be a Palestinian? Do you want a fence, soldiers in your thoughts and under your feet? Just say the word and we’ll arrange it for you.
Why Israeli Courts Can't Stand Up to Corruption (Guy Rolnik, Haaretz+) Many of Jerusalem's judges are brilliant, but their misunderstanding of Israeli economics, as seen in Olmert's trial, helps weld the link of big money and government. 
Stranded in between: An American and a Muslim (Haroon Moghul, Haaretz+) My religion and my country are implicated in each other’s tragedies: As if a part of my body itself were broken by another part of itself and I can only watch 
Dear Israeli leftists: Things could still get much worse (Nissan Shor, Haaretz+) Fascism, religious coercion, rampant nationalism, ethnic cleansing, censorship of books – if everything is really so awful, why isn’t anyone doing anything about it?

Petraeus tells Haaretz: U.S. image as war-weary emboldens the enemy
With legitimate state authorities unraveling in the Mideast, the big winners are ISIS and Al-Qaida, as well as Iran, the former CIA director says. But even with chaos in the region, Israel should institute confidence-building measures vis-a-vis the Palestinians. (Interviewed by Amir Oren in Haaretz+)
 
'Israel is not isolated -- it is highly sought after'
Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely knows that Israel's standing in the international arena is very good: We are strong, independent and an island of stability; we just don't know how to appreciate it. "Israel is in an age of prosperity," she says. (Interviewed by Shlomo Cesana in Israel Hayom) 
 
 

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