APN's daily news review from Israel

Thursday February 11, 2016
 

Debate of the day:

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Front Page:

Haaretz

• Yaalon demands to include return of soldiers’ bodies from Gaza for reconciliation with Turkey
• The parents died, the aunt caring for the children for 14 years is in danger of being deported
• The crisis in Aleppo: Obama administration withdraws from the Middle East // Amos Harel
• (Former manager of PM’s residence) Meni Naftali won his law suit against the Netanyahu Residence; Court ruled his employment was injurious
• Court rejected Olmert’s plea bargain and added another month to sentence
• Sanders’ and Trump’s crushing victory promises a long and bitter election campaign // Chemi Shalev
• In the wake of the leak: Study on pollution in Haifa will pass supervision of government ministries – without a public representative
• Army Radio cutting budget of Razi Barkai’s program to the benefit of a right-wing reporter’s program
• Extreme heat wave next week: up to 30 degrees Celsius in coastal area
• Outrageous summons (against foreign media) // Haaretz Editorial
• Taking care of the neighbors (in Gaza) // Ari Shavit
• Tel-Aviv Museum of Art CEO responds to critics: We don’t have censorship

• Battle against BDS - Alone, against the boycotters – Daniel Barenboim had to fire hundreds of Palestinians and move his company, Sodastream, out of the West Bank following international pressure and lack of support from the government
• Another month in jail for Olmert
• The judge: “Helpless employees, exaggerated demands and angry outbursts” – Court approved claims of former manager of PM’s residence
• Until one person stood up // Nahum Barnea

• Abu Mazen: “We won’t recognize a Jewish state. Why? Because” – special to Maariv 
• (Former manager of PM’s residence) Meni Naftali: I have a lot more material (against Sara Netanyahu)
• In the name of the oppressed employees, Meni Naftali won // Ben Caspit
• The bus driver of the autistic people was discovered to be a pedophile – who gave him a driver’s license
• Elections in the US 2016: They want change // Shmuel Rosner; American muck // Ron Miburg

• Court ruled: One additional month in prison for Olmert
• Netanyahu vs. Herzog: “Good morning, Buji” – Bitter debate in Knesset
• Storm at Army Radio: Razi Barkai threatens to resign
• Court: Meni Naftali will receive 170,000 shekels
• 19 years since the disaster of the helicopters: Bereaved families furious – No minister came
• The achievement of the outsiders: Trump and Sanders won in New Hampshire
• This is winter? Next week a long and exceptional heat wave

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News Summary:
Two court cases were the top stories in Thursday’s Hebrew newspapers, but the real action was in the Knesset Wednesday. A court ruled former prime minister Ehud Olmert would get another month in prison, which he will begin Monday, and a judge called Sara "an employer who abused her employees, as if they were [her] property” and awarded the Netanyahu residence former chief caretaker 170,000 shekels in damages. But in Knesset committees and the plenum there were charged debates, name-calling, and MKs removed from the meetings.
 
*In the Knesset Law and Justice Committee, the bill to suspend Arab MKs sparked anger. Strangely, as some MKs pointed out, there was no written draft presented and the Chairman, Nissan Slomiansky (Habayit Hayehudi) announced that the amendment would be submitted by the committee, rather than by an individual MK, thereby obviating the need for a preliminary vote and putting the bill on a fast track process. MK Dov Khenin (Joint Arab List) told Slomianky, "You are turning the committee into the government's rubber stamp." Slomiansky said he wanted to hold a principled discussion. “What principle do you want us to discuss?” asked a Zionist Union MK Miki Rosenthal. “This law includes two words: 'Arabs, Out.’” As the arguments ensued MKs were kicked out and then returned.
MK Miki Zohar (Likud) to MK Rosin: “You are whiners.”
MK Michal Rozin (Meretz): “We are wild beasts. Right?”
MK Hazan: "The left-wing has turned this discussion into Swan Lake."
MK Rozin to MK Hazan: "We are the enemies of Israel, in your view."
MK Hazan to MK Rozin: "I’m not ashamed to say that in my view you are the enemy of Israel."
MK Haim Yellin (Yesh Atid) to MK Hazan: "Those who you say support terrorism have children in Meglan (IDF anti-terror unit).” (Haaretz+ and Maariv) The bill, initiated by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, did not originally have Habayit Hayehudi support, because the latter demanded that the words 'incitement to racism' be replaced with 'incitement to terror,' as grounds for suspension of an MK “thereby making it applicable, in practice, only to Arab MKs.” But Habayit Hayehudi backtracked and gave its support to the bill.

***In a Knesset plenum debate on the subject of the two-state solution initiated by the Opposition, Netanyahu and Opposition leader Zionist Camp MK Isaac Herzog traded barbs. Netanyahu mocked Herzog for saying last week that the two-state solution was impossible. “Good morning, Bougie [Herzog's nickname]. I'm happy you woke up. Welcome to the Middle East,” said Netanyahu. Herzog retorted: “You are whimps. Annex the territories. Let's see what happens then.” (Also: Maariv and Haaretz+) And then Likud MK Anat Berko sparked laughter and outrage when she said that the Palestinian nation must be invented because the Palestinians don’t have the letter ‘P’ in Arabic. “What? Did everyone hear this? Are you an idiot?” responded Meretz MK Tamar Zandberg incredulously.”
   
The Palestinian news agency, Maan, reported about the vilification in the Knesset Education committee of left-wing former Israeli diplomat, Alon Liel, who supported and advised Breaking the Silence human rights organization.
  
VIOLENCE UPDATE:
Meanwhile, a Palestinian autopsy showed that a live bullet to the chest, shot by an Israeli soldier Wednesday, is what killed 16-year-old Omer Madi Jubarah at Al-Arrub refugee camp, near Hebron. The IDF said it shot at the lower body of youth throwing stones at cars on Route 60. Palestinians say a soldier shot him during clashes when troops raided the camp, which lies on Route 60. The IDF said it was ‘conducting routine security activity” when it "spotted a number of boys throwing stones at Israeli vehicles at route 60 near al-Arrub refugee camp.”

And in the northern West Bank, an Israeli settler from Karnei Shomron settlement was arrested for throwing an ax through the windshield of a Palestinian vehicle near the city of Qalqiliya, Israeli police said.
 

Quick Hits:
Ya'alon demands return of soldiers' bodies from Gaza as part of any Israel-Turkey reconciliation deal

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Features:

With Belgian Funding and Without Building Permits: The First Playground in Sur Baher
The small playground, which has two slides, a carousel and two swings reflects something about the situation in the Palestinian neighborhoods of East Jerusalem. (Nir Hasson, Haaretz+) 
Dream comes true for lone soldier from Peru
Staff Sgt. Fernando Rengifo, 23, was born in Peru to a Jewish father and a Christian mother. Just as he is about to finish his army service as a lone soldier, Rengifo gets a surprise: a ticket to visit his mother for the first time in nearly a decade. (Israel Hayom)
Border Dispatch: Stranded in Turkey, Some Syrians Dream of Returning to Aleppo 
Although regime troops and Shi'ite militias are tightening the siege on Aleppo, there are still some 300,000 people who want to stay. Some don’t intend to leave, just some cannot. (Anshel Pfeffer in Turkey, Haaretz+) 

Commentary/Analysis:

Weakened Netanyahu Lashes Out at the Whole World and Its Dog, Inventing Enemies (Meirav Arlosoroff, Haaretz+) Absolutely nobody threatens Netanyahu’s rule today, yet the prime minister has difficulty making hard decisions. 
De-humanization – the fence and the animal (Yonatan Yavin, Yedioth) After Netanyahu’s statement Wednesday that “We will encircle the state with security fences” because “In the area where we live, we need to protect ourselves from wild beasts,” Yavin writes that “Netanyahu can’t claim he meant “only terrorists.” Because in his eyes, “there’s no partner,” and therefore, the Arabs are terrorists or “wild beasts,” obviously the kind that goes in droves by bus [reference to Netanyahu’s race-baiting statement on Election Day that ‘the Arabs are going in droves to the polls.’ – OH] Does he really believe this or is he just saying that because he gets a strange enjoyment from irresponsible jibberish? His sources of inspiration are obviously the “drugged cockroaches in the bottle of (former minister) Rafael Eitan, and of course, the “two-legged animal” that Begin called Arafat back in the day (the same arch-terrorist whose hand Netanyahu joyously shook on a number of occasions). Also the Ashkenazim called the Mizrachim ‘Vilda chaya’ (wild beast), and people were compared to animals in other opportunities throughout history, but that’s because of the Mufti. And what about the cage? The animal that besieged itself in a fence and surrounded itself with bars is now lying around in the small living area has left. In one corner food and water in another its poop leaves a stench. Wait, a noise outside! Don’t move, don’t breathe, it’s clearly a wild beast! Oy, its’ the end. Yes, again! No, just a branch that broke, a leaf that was trampled on. We can go back to lying around. In peace and security.”
Call Apartheid in Israel by Its Name (Oren Yiftachel, Haaretz+) Citizenship here is reminiscent of South Africa's in the past: Jews are 'white' citizens, Arabs in Israel have 'colored' (in other words, partial) citizenship; and Palestinians in the territories have 'black' citizenship, without political rights.
Political initiatives and online outreach: We can stop incitement for terror (Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynet) This intifada has already reached a point in which military and intelligence initiatives can no longer provide an adequate solution. Israel needs to increase monitoring of social media and arrest main agitators, but also promote a political initiative that includes unilateral moves that could lower the tensions.
If Assad Surrounds Aleppo, Obama’s Mideast Policy Is Over (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Washington looks at Moscow's backing of Damascus with worry, while the American public is preoccupied with the presidential primaries and the Oscars.
Israel Must End Its Inquisition of Foreign Media (Haaretz Editorial) There are no grounds to expect that more desirably worded news reports would improve Israel’s standing in the world.
Lost their way: In the Zionist Camp, they are playing into the hands of the Prime Minister (Lilach Sigan, Maariv) The root of the mistake of members of the Zionist Camp is that they derive all their actions from Netanyahu. But rather than talk about him, they should offer a good and clear alternative. 
Sweden Has Long Since Crossed Lines Regarding the Palestinians (Gideon Ben Ami, Haaretz+) Social-democratic Sweden has turned the establishment of a Palestinian state into a flagship project of its foreign policy, and it will not rest until its vision takes flesh and bears its stamp.
Jabotinsky was right: there is no point in looking for new solutions to the conflict (Dr. Haim Misgav, Haaretz+) Despite attempts to sell us a new prescription, there is no way to "separate" from the Palestinians. The only solution to the situation is to be strong and to strike back until they give up their hope to remove us from here. 
Israel’s Threatening Conduct Toward the Foreign Press Degrades Its Democratic Credentials (Daniella Peled, Haaretz+) Criticizing 'hostile' and 'partial' international media coverage long ago became a replacement for actual policy. But Israel's accusations of malign intent are now losing all sense of proportion. 
Israel Must Rebuild Gaza, Big-time (Ari Shavit, Haaretz+) For both moral and political reasons, we cannot be indifferent to the fate of our Palestinian neighbors in the Strip. 
Shameful Arab leadership (Nael Zoabi, Israel Hayom) Arab MKs do not care to deal with the day-to-day issues facing their constituents. 
On Foreign Policy, Bernie Is Blowing It (Peter Beinart, Haaretz+) The leftist Vermont Senator is forfeiting his chance to influence the foreign policy agenda and to make Hillary Clinton less hawkish.
Where the Wild Beasts Are Netanyahu Trades Israel's Democracy for a Shtetl With German Submarines (Asher Schechter, Haaretz+) Tossing Arab MKs out of Knesset was a new low in Netanyahu's assault on democracy, but de facto, Israel is already an ex-'Jewish democratic' state.
Bernie broke the glass ceiling for Jews - but he doesn’t want to own it (Lea Rappaport Geller, Haaretz+) While Hillary Clinton and her supporters wrap themselves in the flag of gender politics, for Bernie Sanders there just is no Jewish flag.
Syrian Rebels Hold U.S. and Russia in Near-equal Disdain After Kerry's 'Betrayal' (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) The Syrian opposition has already agreed to negotiate with the regime, but they couldn't participate in talks while their homes were being bombed.

Kahane’s widow: Today's Jewish extremists have failed to live up to Kahane's way
Libby Kahane, widow of the late far-right Rabbi Meir Kahane, talks about her grandson, Jewish extremist Meir Ettinger, and why the Israeli government has no right to cede any land. (Interviewed by Ben Sales in Haaretz+)
 
 

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