APN's daily news review from Israel
Sunday January 31, 2016
Quote of the day:
"A nation that is in a civil war cannot publish a civics textbook."
--Haaretz journalist Uri Misgav writes that the storm over the details in a new Israeli civics textbook expose the quiet war between the two Israels.**
--Haaretz journalist Uri Misgav writes that the storm over the details in a new Israeli civics textbook expose the quiet war between the two Israels.**
You Must Be Kidding:
"We will continue to admit our mistakes."
--Im Tirtzu Director General Matan Peleg apologized for his organization's campaign 'outing' left-wing Israeli artists and intellectuals as 'foreign moles' - but didn't remove the campaign poster with their faces on it from the organization's Facebook page.
Breaking News:
Three Israeli soldiers wounded in shooting attack at military checkpoint next to West Bank settlement, assailant killed (Haaretz+, Ynet and Maan)
Front Page:
Haaretz
- Israel rejects French initiative to hold summit to renew negotiations
- 17-year-old lightly injured in stabbing at Damascus Gate, two Palestinians detained
- Israel and Hamas in race against time under the ground // Amos Harel
- Clinton gets in trouble: sent top secret documents from personal email
- First test of the outsiders // Chemi Shalev
- Germany hardens its policy: Will hasten expulsion of asylum seekers whose requests were rejected
- Minister for Religious Services won’t fund the arrangement for the Women of the (Wailing) Wall in order not to recognize those who aren’t Orthodox Jews
- In Kfar Bialik, they discovered, to their surprise, that most of their lands will be appropriated
- Indifferent to their deaths // Haaretz Editorial
- Every man to his tent - Israel Is in a Civil War, Not a War of Brothers // Uri Misgav
Yedioth Ahronoth
- Arrow in the crosshairs – spying affair: new revelations
- Youth injured in a (stabbing) attack: “I want to join a army commando unit”
- History at the Wailing Wall
- First step to the White House
- Hilary’s troubles: State secrets in her private computer
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- The French ultimatum
- Hamas: “We continue to dig tunnels”
- 17-year-old stabbed in Jerusalem and lightly wounded
- After being cleaned of the Harpaz affair: Ashkenazi is also wanted by Likud members
- Shameful behavior (by Israelis) in Thailand (video)
- Disaster in Turkey – At least 39 migrants from Syria, Afghanistan and Mynamar drowned
Israel Hayom
- “I was stabbed – and now I want to join the army and I’ll give it everything”
- Security establishment: “We are investing great efforts against the tunnels in Gaza”; Israel rejected French initiative: “Tailwind for Palestinian rejectionism”
- North is white (with snow), the south is red (with poppies)
- Yachimovich vs. Herzog: “High chance that I will run for head of Labor party”
- Clinton gets in trouble: Top secret information found in her private email account
News Summary:
Israel rejected a French peace summit initiative, Hamas said it was digging tunnels in preparation for the next battle with Israel and a new immigrant to Israel was lightly wounded in a stabbing attack in East Jerusalem making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Yedioth led with more information on its scoop about US and British spying on Israel.
Although most papers said Israel rejected French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius’s proposal for an international peace summit for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, senior political sources told some of the papers that Israel did not reject the proposal, it simply did not react to it because it considered the proposal a threat. Fabius, who will be stepping down in two weeks, said that if the summit failed, France would recognize a Palestinian state. “Why should the Palestinians compromise on a single comma at the summit, if they know in advance that if there is no progress they will receive what they want?” the source asked. A Maariv source said the initiative was seen in Israel as a message from Fabius to his successor. Yedioth reported that the initiative was perceived as Fabius’ way of leaving a legacy.
One Israeli official suggested, “Perhaps France will push for peace process with ISIS next.” The Israeli opposition had mixed views about the initiative. Yesh Atid Chairman, Yair Lapid, viewed it like the right-wing government and said “Israel won’t negotiate under threats…We need to go on our conditions, at our own pace…” Meretz Chairwoman, Zehava Gal-On, said the rejection “shows that all of Netanyahu’s talk about being committed to a two-state solution is nothing more than lip-service and lies.” The Zionist Camp seemed didn’t reject the initiative, but said Israel should act otherwise. “Only an Israeli diplomatic solution will keep the power of its future in the hands of Israel and keep us out of the international pressure that is closing around our necks,” said MK Tzipi Livni. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the plan, but warned he would not resume negotiations for the sake of negotiations. Abbas also called on the African Union to support the Palestinian-Israeli talks. Hamas rejected the French initiative as 'unacceptable and unhelpful.'
In Gaza, at the burial of seven Hamas activists who died when a tunnel they were digging in the heavy rains collapsed on them, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said Hamas was digging more tunnels than in Vietnam in preparation for the next conflict with Israel. He also said Gazans “are prepared to go without bread and water, but will not live without respect.” Ynet reported that Israel intercepted hundreds of smuggling attempts to Gaza in 2015.
A 17-year-old new immigrant to Israel from the US was stabbed in the back and lightly wounded next to Damascus Gate in East Jerusalem Saturday. The suspects, a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old, both turned themselves in.
Israel rejected a French peace summit initiative, Hamas said it was digging tunnels in preparation for the next battle with Israel and a new immigrant to Israel was lightly wounded in a stabbing attack in East Jerusalem making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Yedioth led with more information on its scoop about US and British spying on Israel.
Although most papers said Israel rejected French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius’s proposal for an international peace summit for solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, senior political sources told some of the papers that Israel did not reject the proposal, it simply did not react to it because it considered the proposal a threat. Fabius, who will be stepping down in two weeks, said that if the summit failed, France would recognize a Palestinian state. “Why should the Palestinians compromise on a single comma at the summit, if they know in advance that if there is no progress they will receive what they want?” the source asked. A Maariv source said the initiative was seen in Israel as a message from Fabius to his successor. Yedioth reported that the initiative was perceived as Fabius’ way of leaving a legacy.
One Israeli official suggested, “Perhaps France will push for peace process with ISIS next.” The Israeli opposition had mixed views about the initiative. Yesh Atid Chairman, Yair Lapid, viewed it like the right-wing government and said “Israel won’t negotiate under threats…We need to go on our conditions, at our own pace…” Meretz Chairwoman, Zehava Gal-On, said the rejection “shows that all of Netanyahu’s talk about being committed to a two-state solution is nothing more than lip-service and lies.” The Zionist Camp seemed didn’t reject the initiative, but said Israel should act otherwise. “Only an Israeli diplomatic solution will keep the power of its future in the hands of Israel and keep us out of the international pressure that is closing around our necks,” said MK Tzipi Livni. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the plan, but warned he would not resume negotiations for the sake of negotiations. Abbas also called on the African Union to support the Palestinian-Israeli talks. Hamas rejected the French initiative as 'unacceptable and unhelpful.'
In Gaza, at the burial of seven Hamas activists who died when a tunnel they were digging in the heavy rains collapsed on them, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said Hamas was digging more tunnels than in Vietnam in preparation for the next conflict with Israel. He also said Gazans “are prepared to go without bread and water, but will not live without respect.” Ynet reported that Israel intercepted hundreds of smuggling attempts to Gaza in 2015.
A 17-year-old new immigrant to Israel from the US was stabbed in the back and lightly wounded next to Damascus Gate in East Jerusalem Saturday. The suspects, a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old, both turned themselves in.
Quick Hits:
- US, UK spied on Israel's drone and missile programs - During Operation Anarchist, American and British intelligence agencies broke the encryption on transmissions made by Israel's UAV fleet, monitored the Arrow project's Black Sparrow target missile, and were able to breach the security of Israeli military satellites and F16 jets. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Israeli minister interviewed for Saudi website - Israeli Minister Ze'ev Elkin talks with Saudi Arabian news website Elaph about the shared threat from Iran. When asked whether there would be negotiations between Israel and Arab countries, he replied: 'Those countries will decide if they want relations.' (Ynet)
- Israeli hospital report confirms Palestinian hunger-striker's critical condition - According to the HaEmek report, Mohammed al-Qiq has lost his ability to speak and is now communicating through signs. (Maan)
- Hunger striker says 'Palestinian journalists on the frontline' - The 33-year-old father of two from the occupied West Bank village of Dura launched the strike after being detained in November and held in Israeli prison without trial or charge. (Maan)
- Biden calls Netanyahu to discuss Israel-Turkey rapprochement - Senior Israeli officials say Biden, who met with Netanyahu in Davos last week, relayed messages from Israel to Ankara. (Haaretz)
- Communal aliyah model to be adopted nationwide - Two years after dozens of immigrant families settled in the West Bank as a group instead of arriving as individual families, immigration minister announces that this model will be used throughout Israel. (Ynet)
- Zionist Camp goes to settlements - Members of the faction will meet with new communities, including settlers and ultra-Orthodox as part of its new program to get more voters. (Yedioth, p. 19)
- Israeli forces open fire on Palestinian farmers, shepherds in Gaza - Witnesses told Ma'an that the group was forced to leave the area after the forces opened fire east of the city of Khan Younis. No injuries were reported. (Maan)
- International day of support for Israeli Arab rights marked in 35 cities - Meetings took place in 35 cities around the world, including in Europe and Latin America, in addition to conferences in Ramallah and Gaza City. (Haaretz+)
- Police fight court to ban left wing activists from the West Bank - After court rejects request to bar Nawi and Batuvia from West Bank, police file appeal, claiming ban is not political. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli forces seize Palestinian vehicles, equipment in Jordan Valley - Israeli forces late Friday confiscated trucks and equipment being used to build a new agricultural road in the Palestinian village of Khirbet al-Dir in the northern Jordan Valley. (Maan)
- Palestinian liaison facilitates release of 6 detained by Israel - The head of the military liaison, Osama Mansour, told Ma’an that three of those released had been detained by Israeli forces for possessing knives in their vehicle after they had slaughtered livestock. (Maan)
- Palestinians in Gaza Strip mourn deaths of 7 al-Qassam fighters - The seven were laid to rest following a funeral march, led by armed members of the Brigades, which set off from Gaza City’s al-Omari mosque following Friday prayers. (Maan)
- Im Tirtzu admits mistake in campaign against 'left-wing' Israeli cultural figures - The right-wing group's director tells Haaretz, however, that the public has the right to know about cultural figures' left-wing affiliations. (Haaretz+ and Israel Hayom)
- 'Take my name off': Author slams new civics textbook - New civics textbook 'Being citizens in Israel' is expected to be sent for printing shortly, but the storm surrounding it is not dying down. One of the authors of the book has requested that her name be taken off the 'inappropriate' new version. (Ynet)
- Palestinian intel chief - and Abbas' potential successor - boasts of efforts to foil attacks against IsraelMajid Faraj, who claims to have prevented 200 attacks against Israelis, is the target of criticism on the Palestinian street, but not in the Deheisheh refugee camp where he grew up. (Haaretz+)
- IDF's armored vehicles to get added protection - The first of the IDF's Namer armored personal carriers to have a new active defense system installed was unveiled this week, with further testing underway – at the end of which every APC will benefit from the new system. (Ynet)
- Netanyahu associate at meeting with Iranian FM - French Jewish MP attended parliamentary meeting with Foreign Minister Zarif during the latter's latest visit to France. They discussed the Holocaust, Israel, Iran's infamous cartoon contest, and more. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Shin Bet steps up questioning of traders leaving Gaza
- Gazan business - people arriving at the Erez crossing with exit permits are being forced to wait hours and then face questioning. If Israel eventually lets them through, they can expect similar treatment from Hamas upon their return. (Haaretz+)
- Stone throwers jailed for 15 years for death of toddler - Five Palestinians convicted of involuntary manslaughter over death of 4-year-old Adele Biton, who died two years after being seriously injured in a terrorist attack in 2013. "They should have gotten a life sentence or a death sentence," says mother. (Israel Hayom)
- Yacimovich: I'm likely to run against Herzog for Labor leadership - Zionist Union MK says that it was her duty to criticize party leader's comments that 'now is not the time for a Palestinian state.’ (Haaretz+)
- Poll: Lapid gaining support, Netanyahu losing power - Decline in public's trust in the prime minister and the Likud continues as survey shows the ruling party dropping from 30 seats to 23, while Yesh Atid jumps to 20 seats. (Ynet)
- Parents threaten to withdraw kids from Jaffa's bilingual school - First-grade classes only started at the school in September, but parents are already threatening to remove their children after claims of broken promises and lack of Arabic. (Haaretz+)
- With help from UN, Israeli 'spy vulture' returned from Lebanon - Rare bird of prey returns to Israel after crossing into Lebanon, where its honing device led locals to believe it was a spy. (Haaretz+)
- Organ Donations and Transplants in Israel Climb 30% - A growing number of Israelis 'agreed to suffer pain and discomfort in order to save a life and rescue patients' in 2015, with some 860,000 registered potential donors. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- 'The Settlers' Gives Sundance a Window Into Extremist West Bank Movement - Newly premiered documentary focuses almost exclusively on the fringe of the settler movement, largely ignoring Palestinian violence deemed 'irrelevant' to the film's purpose. (Haaretz)
- Indiana House Unanimously Approves anti-BDS Bill - Bill banning the state from dealings with entities that have boycotted Israel now faces vote in State Senate, signature from pro-Israel governor. (JTA, Haaretz)
- Italian academics call for boycott of Israeli universities - Another boycott of Israel has emerged, this time from Italy: 168 academics and researchers are calling to suspend all agreements with the Technion and universities in Israel. Hamas welcomes call. (Ynet and Maan)
- World Medical Association rejects calls to expel Israeli physicians - 71 British physicians called to expel Israel from the world body over alleged medical torture of Palestinians. (JTA, Haaretz)
- U. of South Florida student body president, vice president veto Israel divestment resolution - Resolution calls for the divestment from companies complicit in human rights violations against the Palestinian people. (JTA, Haaretz)
- Paul Bronfman halts support to Canadian university over pro-Palestinian mural - The painting hanging in the student center depicts a man holding rocks in his hands as he looks at a bulldozer in the distance, with the words 'justice' and 'peace' appearing at the bottom. (JTA, Haaretz)
- Canada's answer to J Street aims to fight anti-Zionism from within the left - JSpace, now recognized as a non-profit, aims to provide an alternative for liberal Canadian Jews increasingly sandwiched between the pro-Israel right and the anti-Zionist left. (Haaretz+)
- Full transcript of President Obama's Holocaust memorial address at Israeli Embassy in D.C. (Haaretz)
- Iran, Israel could ratify treaty banning nuclear tests, UN official says - Iran and Israel ratifying the agreement would 'certainly' lead to Egypt's ratification and pave the way for a nuclear test-free zone in the Middle East, the head of the treaty organization says. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Ayatollah Khamenei denies Holocaust in new video - Iran's supreme leader posts video on International Holocaust Remembrance Day in which he claims it is 'not clear' if Holocaust occurred, vilifies Israel, accuses the West of supporting it and censoring discusison of the Holocaust. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Syria Peace Talks Get Off to Shaky Start - UN, Syrian government representatives meet, marking beginning of peace negotiations; main opposition group agrees only to meet UN officials. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Iraq's Mosul Dam Could Collapse, Causing 'Catastrophic' Destruction, Says U.S. General - U.S. commander in Iraq warns of looming disaster if weak dam fails: 'In the U.S., we would have drained the lake behind it.' (Agencies, Haaretz)
- WATCH: Stunning Views From the Top of an Egyptian Pyramid - While illegally climbing a pyramid in Egypt a tourist has captured and released the spectacular and rarely seen footage. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Features:
Is deadly gunfire the only way to stop a Palestinian girl with a knife?
The youngest of the knife-wielders to date, 13, was a fourth-grade dropout who milked sheep. Last Saturday she walked, with a dagger, toward a settlement and tried to stab a guard, who shot her to death. (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+)
On guard
Female combat police escorting criminal and security prisoners is no longer a rare scene in the Prison Authority's Nachshon Unit. In an interview, three of them talk about dealing with violence between the prison walls, the sexual comments thrown at them and the advantages of being women working with a criminal population. (Tal Ariel Amir, Maariv Magazine supplement, cover)
Life in a Bubble in the West Bank Settlements
It's cheaper to live beyond the Green Line, when it comes to rent at least, though the incessant fighting is bad for business. (Hagai Amit, Haaretz+)
Out of their fences
Following the recent attacks, in which terrorists infiltrate into settlements, the discussion over the dilemma of security in communities (settlements) raised the question: Is a fence a solution, and if so, why are so many opposing it? (Eyal Levy, Maariv Magazine Thursday supplement)
'Syrians think the worst of Israel. Until they receive Israeli medical care'
Departures/Arrivals: The professional pursuits of these three Israelis have taken them around the world. But they’ll be back. (Liat Elkayam, Haaretz+)
Snapshot: A West Bank settlement through the eyes of wild dogs
Education Ministry technocrats can ban a book because it depicts an affair between a Palestinian man and a Jewish woman, but they can't prohibit display of art that depicts stray dogs. (Tal Niv, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
The youngest of the knife-wielders to date, 13, was a fourth-grade dropout who milked sheep. Last Saturday she walked, with a dagger, toward a settlement and tried to stab a guard, who shot her to death. (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+)
On guard
Female combat police escorting criminal and security prisoners is no longer a rare scene in the Prison Authority's Nachshon Unit. In an interview, three of them talk about dealing with violence between the prison walls, the sexual comments thrown at them and the advantages of being women working with a criminal population. (Tal Ariel Amir, Maariv Magazine supplement, cover)
Life in a Bubble in the West Bank Settlements
It's cheaper to live beyond the Green Line, when it comes to rent at least, though the incessant fighting is bad for business. (Hagai Amit, Haaretz+)
Out of their fences
Following the recent attacks, in which terrorists infiltrate into settlements, the discussion over the dilemma of security in communities (settlements) raised the question: Is a fence a solution, and if so, why are so many opposing it? (Eyal Levy, Maariv Magazine Thursday supplement)
'Syrians think the worst of Israel. Until they receive Israeli medical care'
Departures/Arrivals: The professional pursuits of these three Israelis have taken them around the world. But they’ll be back. (Liat Elkayam, Haaretz+)
Snapshot: A West Bank settlement through the eyes of wild dogs
Education Ministry technocrats can ban a book because it depicts an affair between a Palestinian man and a Jewish woman, but they can't prohibit display of art that depicts stray dogs. (Tal Niv, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
What's driving Israel's radical settler youth to rebel? (Tomer Persico, Haaretz+) The hilltop youth are taking the values they've been taught – settling across
the West Bank, strict religious observance, an imperious attitude toward the Palestinians – to the extreme. In
doing so, they are taking a page from European romanticism.
Quicksand: Rejecting the option of a two-state solution as part of a government policy undermines Israel (Prof. Cielo Rosenberg, Maariv) The Israeli government is running by the power of inertia, without setting clear goals for itself on the political level. This is not new, but it’s dangerous.
**Israel Is in a Civil War, Not a War of Brothers (Uri Misgav, Haaretz+) The history of Jewish sovereignty is being repeated before our eyes. Two states have grown back, the State of Israel and the State of Judea.
Secular Zionists: The settlements are your fault, too (Gershom Gorenberg, Haaretz+) It might be comforting for secular Zionists to pin all the blame on religious, messianic theocrats for the failure to divide the land into two states, a view recently voiced by Haaretz publisher Amos Schocken. But that's evading responsibility, both for the past and the present.
The government is me: Greece is the cradle of democracy, Israel marks the end of it (Ben Caspit, Maariv) The routine event of the signing of treaties shows the farce of Israeli democracy. Thus is how the security establishment missed the Tel-Aviv terorrist, Nashat Melhem. All of our public evils are embodied in ‘Im Tirtzu’ (organization) and in the top official in the state prosecutor's office, who dared to preach morality.
Lunch With Sweden's Foreign Minister, the Woman Israel Loves to Hate (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Margot Wallström bears the brunt of Israeli diplomatic bullying, but one day she'll make Israel eat its words.
Lowbrow right-wing group has friends in high places (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) A message to Israeli politicians: if you will allow it, Im Tirtzu will run roughshod over the country.
What happens in Paris, doesn’t always stay in Paris (Sima Kadmon, Yedioth/Ynet) The Labor party was all up in arms this week over chairman Herzog's comment that the two- state solution is not relevant at the moment; the outrage was so monumental that it even led Shelly Yachimovich to utter the words 'Livni is right.'
Get me BDS on the line: It's time to protest against Israel’s political and military leadership (Ron Kaufman, Maariv) This is how Miri Regev (how did she got promoted to brigadier general?), Naftali Bennett (who focuses on killing the messenger) and ‘Im Tirtzu’ organization (which proved that the Jewish people is based on enlightened values, such as being an informer) made me consider joining the boycott movement.
France's Fabius Seeks Out a Legacy in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (Barak Ravid, Haaretz+) It appears that the foreign minister raised the idea of an international conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict knowing that it would fail, thus paving the way for French recognition of a Palestinian state.
Obama's Jewish heart (Orly Azoulay, Yedioth/Ynet) Even those who see Obama as hostile to Israel have to admit he went all the way in his expressions of affection during a ceremony marking the International Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC.
Israel and Hamas are in an underground race against time in Gaza (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Frequent accidents suggest the militant group is in a rush to build its attack tunnels, while Israel is stepping up efforts to thwart the threat; But a new war in Gaza isn't yet inevitable.
Restrain the street thugs (Dan Margalit, Israel Hayom)
The radicals on the Right (and on the Left) no longer have sound judgment and are letting their hostility trump civility.
The Hostile Protest That Shut Down Debate at the LGBTQ Conference Helped No One in Israel or Palestine (Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Haaretz+) I oppose Israel’s military occupation of Palestine. But the anti-Israel protest I witnessed in Chicago was about shutting down debate, and about attacking us as Jews.
Shutting down a Pinkwashing event is a smart, legitimate protest against Israel's occupation (Liza Behrendt, Haaretz+) We shouldn’t expect Palestinians and their allies to stop protesting for justice or temper their message because of the emotional toll on Jews.
Plunging into the peace gap (David M. Weinberg, Israel Hayom) The Palestinians are nowhere near ready to settle amicably with Israel while Israelis are eager to cut a fair deal.
Birth of a Geopolitical Bloc: The Israel-Greece-Cyprus Axis (Arye Mekel, Haaretz+) The proximate cause may be natural gas, but the ultimate cause of the new alignment is Turkey.
Israel's Construction Workers' Lives Matter, Too (Haaretz Editorial) Five workers have died on Israeli construction sites already this year. Would people care more if they were Jewish, rather than Arabs or migrant workers?
A just struggle shoots itself in the foot (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom) The ad about "foreign agents" put out by the Zionist group Im Tirzu is bad. Period. Anyone who wants to build an alternative elite to the old guard should behave with respect, restraint, and confidence.
Why Israel's Quiet Relations With Moderate Sunni Arab States Are Coming Into the Open (Amiel Ungar, Haaretz+) The Israeli-Sunni entente has elicited bored and even sour responses from Western liberals, because Iran is the flavor of the year, and they don’t want to hear from anyone raining on that parade – or the assumptions behind it.
Herzog's new plan: A brave attempt to redefine Israel's peace camp (Ari Shavit, Haaretz+) Isaac Herzog's new peace paradigm could make or break the Labor Party, and even Israel.
Isaac Herzog's plan for separation sounds horribly familiar (Salman Masalha, Haaretz+) The leader of the opposition should remember that there is no Jerusalem without Palestinians, just as there is no Jerusalem without Jews.
The Israeli heart understands the political reality more than the head (Carolina Landsmann, Haaretz+) The situation will continue this way until truly, not just in words, it will be impossible to continue this way.
Palestinians send conflict tumbling into a moral and political abyss (Israel Harel, Haaretz+) The murderous opposition to a Jewish state has put an end to any progress toward a Palestinian state.
Regional spying games (Eliezar Cheney Merom, Maariv) Israeli isn't really agitated by the exposing of the spying on its drones because in our region everyone is spying on everyone. IDF takes into account the tracking abilities of its friends and others before it goes out to action.
Why Republican Candidates Responded to Immigration Questions With Answers About ISIS (Peter Beinart, Haaretz) It's one thing to depict immigrants as people who depress wages and crowd schools. It's another to depict them as potential killers.
Israel and Jordan Have Cause for Concern as Assad's Troops Make Gains in Syria (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Amman and Jerusalem are worried about a mass flight of rebels, including from extremist groups like the Nusra Front, and Russian planes gradually moving south toward the border.
Quicksand: Rejecting the option of a two-state solution as part of a government policy undermines Israel (Prof. Cielo Rosenberg, Maariv) The Israeli government is running by the power of inertia, without setting clear goals for itself on the political level. This is not new, but it’s dangerous.
**Israel Is in a Civil War, Not a War of Brothers (Uri Misgav, Haaretz+) The history of Jewish sovereignty is being repeated before our eyes. Two states have grown back, the State of Israel and the State of Judea.
Secular Zionists: The settlements are your fault, too (Gershom Gorenberg, Haaretz+) It might be comforting for secular Zionists to pin all the blame on religious, messianic theocrats for the failure to divide the land into two states, a view recently voiced by Haaretz publisher Amos Schocken. But that's evading responsibility, both for the past and the present.
The government is me: Greece is the cradle of democracy, Israel marks the end of it (Ben Caspit, Maariv) The routine event of the signing of treaties shows the farce of Israeli democracy. Thus is how the security establishment missed the Tel-Aviv terorrist, Nashat Melhem. All of our public evils are embodied in ‘Im Tirtzu’ (organization) and in the top official in the state prosecutor's office, who dared to preach morality.
Lunch With Sweden's Foreign Minister, the Woman Israel Loves to Hate (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Margot Wallström bears the brunt of Israeli diplomatic bullying, but one day she'll make Israel eat its words.
Lowbrow right-wing group has friends in high places (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) A message to Israeli politicians: if you will allow it, Im Tirtzu will run roughshod over the country.
What happens in Paris, doesn’t always stay in Paris (Sima Kadmon, Yedioth/Ynet) The Labor party was all up in arms this week over chairman Herzog's comment that the two- state solution is not relevant at the moment; the outrage was so monumental that it even led Shelly Yachimovich to utter the words 'Livni is right.'
Get me BDS on the line: It's time to protest against Israel’s political and military leadership (Ron Kaufman, Maariv) This is how Miri Regev (how did she got promoted to brigadier general?), Naftali Bennett (who focuses on killing the messenger) and ‘Im Tirtzu’ organization (which proved that the Jewish people is based on enlightened values, such as being an informer) made me consider joining the boycott movement.
France's Fabius Seeks Out a Legacy in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (Barak Ravid, Haaretz+) It appears that the foreign minister raised the idea of an international conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict knowing that it would fail, thus paving the way for French recognition of a Palestinian state.
Obama's Jewish heart (Orly Azoulay, Yedioth/Ynet) Even those who see Obama as hostile to Israel have to admit he went all the way in his expressions of affection during a ceremony marking the International Holocaust Remembrance Day at the Israeli embassy in Washington, DC.
Israel and Hamas are in an underground race against time in Gaza (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Frequent accidents suggest the militant group is in a rush to build its attack tunnels, while Israel is stepping up efforts to thwart the threat; But a new war in Gaza isn't yet inevitable.
Restrain the street thugs (Dan Margalit, Israel Hayom)
The radicals on the Right (and on the Left) no longer have sound judgment and are letting their hostility trump civility.
The Hostile Protest That Shut Down Debate at the LGBTQ Conference Helped No One in Israel or Palestine (Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Haaretz+) I oppose Israel’s military occupation of Palestine. But the anti-Israel protest I witnessed in Chicago was about shutting down debate, and about attacking us as Jews.
Shutting down a Pinkwashing event is a smart, legitimate protest against Israel's occupation (Liza Behrendt, Haaretz+) We shouldn’t expect Palestinians and their allies to stop protesting for justice or temper their message because of the emotional toll on Jews.
Plunging into the peace gap (David M. Weinberg, Israel Hayom) The Palestinians are nowhere near ready to settle amicably with Israel while Israelis are eager to cut a fair deal.
Birth of a Geopolitical Bloc: The Israel-Greece-Cyprus Axis (Arye Mekel, Haaretz+) The proximate cause may be natural gas, but the ultimate cause of the new alignment is Turkey.
Israel's Construction Workers' Lives Matter, Too (Haaretz Editorial) Five workers have died on Israeli construction sites already this year. Would people care more if they were Jewish, rather than Arabs or migrant workers?
A just struggle shoots itself in the foot (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom) The ad about "foreign agents" put out by the Zionist group Im Tirzu is bad. Period. Anyone who wants to build an alternative elite to the old guard should behave with respect, restraint, and confidence.
Why Israel's Quiet Relations With Moderate Sunni Arab States Are Coming Into the Open (Amiel Ungar, Haaretz+) The Israeli-Sunni entente has elicited bored and even sour responses from Western liberals, because Iran is the flavor of the year, and they don’t want to hear from anyone raining on that parade – or the assumptions behind it.
Herzog's new plan: A brave attempt to redefine Israel's peace camp (Ari Shavit, Haaretz+) Isaac Herzog's new peace paradigm could make or break the Labor Party, and even Israel.
Isaac Herzog's plan for separation sounds horribly familiar (Salman Masalha, Haaretz+) The leader of the opposition should remember that there is no Jerusalem without Palestinians, just as there is no Jerusalem without Jews.
The Israeli heart understands the political reality more than the head (Carolina Landsmann, Haaretz+) The situation will continue this way until truly, not just in words, it will be impossible to continue this way.
Palestinians send conflict tumbling into a moral and political abyss (Israel Harel, Haaretz+) The murderous opposition to a Jewish state has put an end to any progress toward a Palestinian state.
Regional spying games (Eliezar Cheney Merom, Maariv) Israeli isn't really agitated by the exposing of the spying on its drones because in our region everyone is spying on everyone. IDF takes into account the tracking abilities of its friends and others before it goes out to action.
Why Republican Candidates Responded to Immigration Questions With Answers About ISIS (Peter Beinart, Haaretz) It's one thing to depict immigrants as people who depress wages and crowd schools. It's another to depict them as potential killers.
Israel and Jordan Have Cause for Concern as Assad's Troops Make Gains in Syria (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Amman and Jerusalem are worried about a mass flight of rebels, including from extremist groups like the Nusra Front, and Russian planes gradually moving south toward the border.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.