APN's daily news review from Israel
Wednesday January 27, 2016
Quote of the day:
“After Operation Protective Edge, Cast Lead, Pillar of Defense and thousands upon thousands of dead and
injured that the IDF left in Gaza, a state whose government ministers and MKs call on civilians to shoot to
kill; a state whose soldiers shoot and kill Palestinians every day; in whose army a soldier killed a youth who
went out to collect thistles; and the trials of those who committed real atrocities goes on and is dragged out
and later it turns out that none of them are really responsible for their actions – in a country like this,
that’s what bothers us? One dead Palestinian?
--Israeli writes letter to the editor lambasting the ‘racket’ raised by the State of Israel, which arrested three left-wing and human-rights activists.**
--Israeli writes letter to the editor lambasting the ‘racket’ raised by the State of Israel, which arrested three left-wing and human-rights activists.**
Front Page:
Haaretz
- Regev initiates: Budgets for cultural institutions will be conditioned on loyalty to the state
- Israel supplying South Sudan government with equipment to wiretap those who oppose the regime in the civil war
- Brazil recruits 220,000 soldiers to fight the Zika virus
- Ban Ki-Moon: It is human nature to react to occupation; Netanyahu: He is giving terror a tailwind
- Education Ministry vs. the advisor who warned of bias in civics textbook: “He shared posts by Breaking the Silence and Meretz”
- Eichmann’s pardon request: “I was affected by human feelings, I asked to change jobs”
- All-time low in number of participants in biometric pilot
- In Egypt, probing who approved the screening of (Israeli film) ‘The Band’s Visit’
- Lesson in nationalism // Haaretz Editorial
- Say it with a full mouth // Avi Bar-El
- The small words // Rina Rosenberg
- ¼ page ad: Accelerating growth through US-Israel Strategic Partnerships – Opportunity to submit US-Israel Joint Proposals to the BIRD Foundation
Yedioth Ahronoth
- The chutzpah of the UN Secretary General – Ban Ki-Moon shows understanding for terror: “It’s human nature to oppose occupation”
- “How can we go back home without Shlomit?” – Shlomit Krigman, 23, had plans for life, special ideas and a big heart. It all ended when the terrorists caught her at the entrance to the mini-market in Beit Horon
- The world remembers International Holocaust Day: To freeze of cold and humiliation - Some 200,000 Holocaust survivors live in Israel and their lives are hard and humiliating – for us all, choosing between heating and food and medicine
- This morning: Threat of strike of high schools
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- Defense Minister in Greece: Turkey is aiding Daesh terror
- “Shlomit, II hope we will wake up from this nightmare” – Hundreds of friends of Shlomit Krigman, who was murdered in Beit Horon, escorted her on her last path
- Netanyahu to Holocaust survivors: “Daesh are the Nazis of today”
- (MK Merav) Michaeli vs. Regev: “This is a loyalty law to the Minister, not to the Declaration of Independence”
Israel Hayom
- Netanyahu: UN Secretary General gave a tailwind to terror
- Hundreds escorted to her grave Shlomit Krigman, who was murdered in the attack in Beit Horon
- Hamas is rehabilitating, incident in the north could deteriorate into war: IDF prepares for 2016
- Holocaust survivors, know your rights
- Storm over the Culture Funding bill
- Storm over civics textbook
- Sanctions by the teachers union: This morning – high schools will begin only at 10AM
- The message to first-graders in the science book: “It’s important to become really thin”
- Good friends: New study – dogs are able to understand human feelings
News Summary:
The UN Secretary General sparked controversy in Israel when he expressed understanding for Palestinian violence, the Israeli Culture Minister sparked controversy in Israel when she presented a bill that would require ‘loyalty to the state’ in order to receive state cultural funds, and the IDF said it was preparing for war in north and south making top stories alongside the funeral of Shlomit Krigman, who was murdered by Palestinians on Monday night. The papers also told stories about Holocaust survivors in Israel in commemoration of International Holocaust Day. Yedioth reported on their poverty here and Israel Hayom reported on how the Prime Minister told survivors that Daesh activists were equivalent to Nazis.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu accused UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of ‘stoking’ Palestinian terror, after Ban Ki-moon said it was “human nature to react to occupation, which often serves as a potent incubator of hate and extremism.” Yedioth and Israel Hayom took Netanyahu's side, accusing Ban of 'chutzpah' and 'hypocrisy,' respectively. Maariv simply noted that Ban’s statements echoed those of Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom, which also angered Netanyahu. Ban said he condemned “stabbings, vehicle attacks, and shootings by Palestinians targeting Israeli civilians…But security measures alone will not stop the violence. They cannot address the profound sense of alienation and despair driving some Palestinians –- especially young people." Ban also echoed the statement made by US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro that there are two sets of laws in the West Bank, one for Jews and another for Arabs, and that Israel doesn’t properly enforce law on Jews. “The full force of the law must be brought to bear on all those committing crimes –- with a system of justice applied equally for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” Ban said. Ban called on Israel to stop creating new 'facts on the ground' with settlement construction and land seizures.
Yesh Atid Chairman, MK Yair Lapid, also blasted Ban, saying that “Terror against innocent people cannot be justified, it is wrong to give explanations, it is not right that someone in the world, certainly not the UN Secretary General, would say that it is “a result of something.” (Maariv)
Interestingly, Ban’s words that “Palestinian frustration is growing under the weight of a half century of occupation and the paralysis of the peace process” were indirectly supported by the IDF, which gave a briefing to Israeli military correspondents yesterday. The IDF said it expected an escalation of violence in the West Bank in the absence of calming effects, economic improvement or close cooperation with Palestinian forces, Haaretz+ reported. The army noted that there have been almost no instances in which Palestinians with Israel work permits carried out attacks – with the exception of two. In the briefing, reporters were told that “Israel isn't expected to start a war of choice in the near future, but the IDF believes incidents on the borders with Syria, Lebanon and Gaza have the potential to ignite the area and create a tough conflict, which may include the taking of hostages by Israel's enemies,” Ynet wrote. The war with Hezbollah will be long and painful, Maariv wrote. Israeli jets and air vehicles could be shot done, missiles will paralyze cities and Hezbollah fighters will try to conquer Israeli communities along the northern border, Maariv reported. Israel Hayom noted that Ben-Gurion Airport could be shut down. Israel will respond by destroying Shiite villages in southern Lebanon and forcing hundreds of thousands to become refugees. In addition, the IDF is more concerned with Daesh in Sinai than the Syrian Daesh.
The UN Secretary General sparked controversy in Israel when he expressed understanding for Palestinian violence, the Israeli Culture Minister sparked controversy in Israel when she presented a bill that would require ‘loyalty to the state’ in order to receive state cultural funds, and the IDF said it was preparing for war in north and south making top stories alongside the funeral of Shlomit Krigman, who was murdered by Palestinians on Monday night. The papers also told stories about Holocaust survivors in Israel in commemoration of International Holocaust Day. Yedioth reported on their poverty here and Israel Hayom reported on how the Prime Minister told survivors that Daesh activists were equivalent to Nazis.
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu accused UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon of ‘stoking’ Palestinian terror, after Ban Ki-moon said it was “human nature to react to occupation, which often serves as a potent incubator of hate and extremism.” Yedioth and Israel Hayom took Netanyahu's side, accusing Ban of 'chutzpah' and 'hypocrisy,' respectively. Maariv simply noted that Ban’s statements echoed those of Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom, which also angered Netanyahu. Ban said he condemned “stabbings, vehicle attacks, and shootings by Palestinians targeting Israeli civilians…But security measures alone will not stop the violence. They cannot address the profound sense of alienation and despair driving some Palestinians –- especially young people." Ban also echoed the statement made by US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro that there are two sets of laws in the West Bank, one for Jews and another for Arabs, and that Israel doesn’t properly enforce law on Jews. “The full force of the law must be brought to bear on all those committing crimes –- with a system of justice applied equally for Israelis and Palestinians alike,” Ban said. Ban called on Israel to stop creating new 'facts on the ground' with settlement construction and land seizures.
Yesh Atid Chairman, MK Yair Lapid, also blasted Ban, saying that “Terror against innocent people cannot be justified, it is wrong to give explanations, it is not right that someone in the world, certainly not the UN Secretary General, would say that it is “a result of something.” (Maariv)
Interestingly, Ban’s words that “Palestinian frustration is growing under the weight of a half century of occupation and the paralysis of the peace process” were indirectly supported by the IDF, which gave a briefing to Israeli military correspondents yesterday. The IDF said it expected an escalation of violence in the West Bank in the absence of calming effects, economic improvement or close cooperation with Palestinian forces, Haaretz+ reported. The army noted that there have been almost no instances in which Palestinians with Israel work permits carried out attacks – with the exception of two. In the briefing, reporters were told that “Israel isn't expected to start a war of choice in the near future, but the IDF believes incidents on the borders with Syria, Lebanon and Gaza have the potential to ignite the area and create a tough conflict, which may include the taking of hostages by Israel's enemies,” Ynet wrote. The war with Hezbollah will be long and painful, Maariv wrote. Israeli jets and air vehicles could be shot done, missiles will paralyze cities and Hezbollah fighters will try to conquer Israeli communities along the northern border, Maariv reported. Israel Hayom noted that Ben-Gurion Airport could be shut down. Israel will respond by destroying Shiite villages in southern Lebanon and forcing hundreds of thousands to become refugees. In addition, the IDF is more concerned with Daesh in Sinai than the Syrian Daesh.
Quick Hits:
- Ya'alon: Turkey funds ISIS militants by buying oil from them - Despite efforts to normalize ties between Jerusalem and Ankara, the defense minister leveled scathing criticism at Turkey. (Ynet, Israel Hayom and Maariv)
- Gen. Mordechai: "We’ll close the crossings into Gaza if Hamas does not stop recruiting people for the purposes of terrorism" - COGAT director, who was interviewed by the Palestinian newspaper Al Quds, said that the terrorist organization takes advantage of the entry permits to Israel and obstructs the economic plan for the relief of Gazans. (Maariv)
- Following the infiltration attacks inside settlements: settlers are asked to walk around armed - Security establishment is concerned about the entrance of terror into communities (settlements) and the successes of the attacks. Simultaneously, it recognizes there has been a decline in the quantity of attacks and of (clashes) in the West Bank. The terrorists who murdered Shlomit Krigman entered through the fence of the community (settlement). (Maariv)
- Palestinian TV: "Israel murdered the martyrs in Beit Horon" - Two weeks ago, a Palestinian newspaper published that "Netanyahu is threatening and promising to continue executions on the ground." About the terrorists in Beit Horon it reported that they were "murdered in cold blood." (Maariv)
- Education Ministry Brands Critic of New Israeli Civics Textbook as Leftist - Education Ministry fires back in fight over Israel's new civics textbook, saying editor who complained about content is a member of Breaking the Silence. (Haaretz+)
- Ehud Yaari against Bennett: "Shame on you, rein in your loose hounds, go home!" - Channel 2 commentator defended his brother, Yehuda Yaari, the linguistic editor of the new civics textbook, the latter who revealed controversial quotes from a draft of the book. "To accuse my delicate brother of being an extreme leftist who supports Breaking the Silence ?? Are you crazy?" (Maariv)
- Eichmann pardon request uncovered - Pardon request by key figure in the Holocaust, still Israel's only executed convict, was sent to Israel's then-president Yitzhak Ben-Zvi and claimed that the Nazi never had enough authority. (Yedioth/Ynet and Haaretz+)
- Israel Supplies South Sudan Government With Wiretapping Equipment - While Israel stopped selling offensive weapons to African country after civil war broke, it continued to permit the sale of defensive and intelligence equipment, UN report says. (Haaretz+)
- Israel fears for 'spy' vulture caught in Lebanon - Residents in south Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil captured a griffon vulture with an Israeli ID and GPS transmitter and suspected it to be 'spying' for Israel. (Ynet)
- Egypt Cancels Planned Screening of Award-winning Israeli Comedy 'The Band's Visit' - The film tells the fictional story of the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra from Egypt that's invited to play in Israel. (Haaretz+)
- German Jews Fear Rising Antisemitism Amid Mideast Refugee Influx - Most of asylum seekers come from Muslim countries that 'grew up with hostility towards Israel,' yet far-right Germans omit the vast majority of anti-Semitic crimes. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Hillary Clinton on Israel: 'More than policy, it's personal' - "The alliance between the United States and Israel is more important than ever in this time of terrorism and turmoil," presidential hopeful tells Jewish organizations in Iowa. Clinton calls for "distrust and verify" approach on Iran nuclear deal. (Israel Hayom)
Features:
**Letters to the Editor: Transparency, Hypocrisy and a Dead Palestinian
(Haaretz)
The Jewish Guide to the 2016 Presidential Candidates Ahead of the Iowa Caucuses
A look at the leading candidates – their Jewish friends, family, advisers and donors, their stances on Israel and their Jewish-related controversies. (Ron Kampeas, JTA, Haaretz)
The red color
Paratroopers celebrates its 60th birthday. Special project. (Yedioth’s ’24 Hours’ supplement)
Commentary/Analysis:
The Jewish Guide to the 2016 Presidential Candidates Ahead of the Iowa Caucuses
A look at the leading candidates – their Jewish friends, family, advisers and donors, their stances on Israel and their Jewish-related controversies. (Ron Kampeas, JTA, Haaretz)
The red color
Paratroopers celebrates its 60th birthday. Special project. (Yedioth’s ’24 Hours’ supplement)
Commentary/Analysis:
Why Israel's Occupation Isn’t More 'Brutal and Ferocious' Than Britain's in Ireland (Colin
Shindler, Haaretz+) Gideon Levy's assertion is a simplistic bending of history to suit a political
script. The centuries of massacres of Catholic civilians by British forces and of famine are still deeply
rooted in Irish memory.
Terror knocking on your door (Emily Amrousi, Israel Hayom) In a small community, people go to their neighborhood grocery store in their slippers and pajamas. In Beit Horon, the grocery store became a bloodbath.
How Bernie Sanders Should Respond to Hillary Clinton's Attack on Iran (Peter Beinart, Haaretz) Clinton has a fairly benign view of America's cold war against the Soviet Union. For Sanders, there is no such thing as a noble cold war.
IDF operations and moral considerations (Uri Heitner, Israel Hayom) The very existence of moral dilemmas in planning IDF operations is testimony to the true character of the army and Israeli society.
Hope According to the Israeli Military's Chief of Staff (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Gadi Eisenkot, as opposed to some of his predecessors, is not waiting until the moment he retires to call the political world to a reckoning.
Say goodbye to the fantasy of peace (Yoaz Hendel, Yedioth/Ynet) Herzog's statement about the non-viability of peace these days is a big step in the right direction for the Labor party. If only it can let go of fantasy and embrace reality, it can improve Israeli politics on both sides of the aisle.
Bennett’s Target: Israel's Secular Schools (Haaretz Editorial) The delicate task of teaching civics in Israel, a society that is divided over many issues, has been entrusted to a minority with missionary tendencies.
Syria still has chemical weapons (Roi Kais, Yedioth/Ynet) A massacre by chemical weapons in Syria in 2013 led to Russia and the US forcing Assad to give up on his arsenal of non-conventional weapons. But recent reports suggest that the regime is using Sarin gas against the opposition – and that the rebels themselves are using chemical weapons as well.
Israel's Logic of Dispossession (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) It is very tempting to say that the road to disaster is paved with logical steps, but the disaster is long in coming.
Put end to discrimination: Give Jews back their right to Judea and Samaria (Nadav Haetzni, Maariv) It is time to enforce the law in the territories in an equal manner and stop discriminating against the Israelis. If the Netanyahu-Yaalon government is not willing to do that, it is doubtful whether it has a right to exist.
A Shi'ite genie has escaped the bottle – and is threatening Hezbollah (Yaron Friedman, Yedioth/Ynet) The leader of the Shi'ite sector in Lebanon, Musa al-Sadr, mysteriously disappeared in Libya in the 1970s. A new book claims that the imam, who did not fit into the agenda of the Iranian revolutionary leaders, was killed by Muammar Gaddafi at the Ayatollah Khomeini's instruction.
When Bernie Sanders Goes Forward, anti-Semitism Will Follow (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) More than any other Democratic candidate, Sanders fits the bill of the GOP’s favorite Jewish bogeyman, Saul Alinsky.
Acknowledge the Iranian threat (Zalman Shoval, Israel Hayom) If America fails to acknowledge that the main threat to regional peace and stability also comes from Iran, its war against Islamic State will never succeed.
Tsipras Comes to Jerusalem: Israel and Greece’s Ambivalent Relationship (David Patrikarakos, Haaretz+) There's nothing the European left so dislikes as Israel, and the Jewish state fares particularly poorly in the popular, Hellenic imagination. So what's bringing the leftist Greek prime minister and Netanyahu ever closer?
Terror knocking on your door (Emily Amrousi, Israel Hayom) In a small community, people go to their neighborhood grocery store in their slippers and pajamas. In Beit Horon, the grocery store became a bloodbath.
How Bernie Sanders Should Respond to Hillary Clinton's Attack on Iran (Peter Beinart, Haaretz) Clinton has a fairly benign view of America's cold war against the Soviet Union. For Sanders, there is no such thing as a noble cold war.
IDF operations and moral considerations (Uri Heitner, Israel Hayom) The very existence of moral dilemmas in planning IDF operations is testimony to the true character of the army and Israeli society.
Hope According to the Israeli Military's Chief of Staff (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Gadi Eisenkot, as opposed to some of his predecessors, is not waiting until the moment he retires to call the political world to a reckoning.
Say goodbye to the fantasy of peace (Yoaz Hendel, Yedioth/Ynet) Herzog's statement about the non-viability of peace these days is a big step in the right direction for the Labor party. If only it can let go of fantasy and embrace reality, it can improve Israeli politics on both sides of the aisle.
Bennett’s Target: Israel's Secular Schools (Haaretz Editorial) The delicate task of teaching civics in Israel, a society that is divided over many issues, has been entrusted to a minority with missionary tendencies.
Syria still has chemical weapons (Roi Kais, Yedioth/Ynet) A massacre by chemical weapons in Syria in 2013 led to Russia and the US forcing Assad to give up on his arsenal of non-conventional weapons. But recent reports suggest that the regime is using Sarin gas against the opposition – and that the rebels themselves are using chemical weapons as well.
Israel's Logic of Dispossession (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) It is very tempting to say that the road to disaster is paved with logical steps, but the disaster is long in coming.
Put end to discrimination: Give Jews back their right to Judea and Samaria (Nadav Haetzni, Maariv) It is time to enforce the law in the territories in an equal manner and stop discriminating against the Israelis. If the Netanyahu-Yaalon government is not willing to do that, it is doubtful whether it has a right to exist.
A Shi'ite genie has escaped the bottle – and is threatening Hezbollah (Yaron Friedman, Yedioth/Ynet) The leader of the Shi'ite sector in Lebanon, Musa al-Sadr, mysteriously disappeared in Libya in the 1970s. A new book claims that the imam, who did not fit into the agenda of the Iranian revolutionary leaders, was killed by Muammar Gaddafi at the Ayatollah Khomeini's instruction.
When Bernie Sanders Goes Forward, anti-Semitism Will Follow (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) More than any other Democratic candidate, Sanders fits the bill of the GOP’s favorite Jewish bogeyman, Saul Alinsky.
Acknowledge the Iranian threat (Zalman Shoval, Israel Hayom) If America fails to acknowledge that the main threat to regional peace and stability also comes from Iran, its war against Islamic State will never succeed.
Tsipras Comes to Jerusalem: Israel and Greece’s Ambivalent Relationship (David Patrikarakos, Haaretz+) There's nothing the European left so dislikes as Israel, and the Jewish state fares particularly poorly in the popular, Hellenic imagination. So what's bringing the leftist Greek prime minister and Netanyahu ever closer?
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.