APN's daily news review from Israel

Sunday February 28, 2016
 

Quote of the day:

"If that young woman had been killed, it's probably that someone she knew -- a brother, a friend, a neighbor -- would have followed in her footsteps."
--Israel Hayom's military analyst describes how the security commanders are now trying to teach their forces not to kill Palestinian youth who try to kill them - in order to save more Israeli lives.*

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You Must Be Kidding: 
"Things like this happened only in the Middle Ages or in totalitarian states."

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Front Page:

Haaretz

• Ceasefire in Syria entered into force; Quiet preserved in most areas
• Sides have interest to keep the calm, at least in the meanwhile // Zvi Bar’el
• Despite high number of accidents, Economy Ministry will decrease supervision over construction sites
• Critically wounded in stabbing attack in Maaleh Adumim, terrorist escaped
• In Jisr Al-Zarqa, playing in between the balls
• Christie, who dropped out of the (Presidential) race, declared support for Trump // Chemi Shalev
• Woman suing El-Al after she was asked to get up for an ultra-Orthodox man
• The sham sellers // Gideon Levy
• Why does Roseanne Bar support Netanyahu // Allison Kaplan Sommer

Yedioth Ahronoth

• Hug on the way up – Just before ‘Super Tuesday,’ moderate New Jersey Governor gave Trump his support
• The first model – Story of Melania Trump, who could become the First Lady
• Victory of the moderates – Great achievement for Rouhani’s people in Iranian elections (Photo of Jewish Iranian woman voting in synagogue with menorah in background)
• Head of IDF Manpower division suspended senior person in Army Radio because of sexual comments

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

• Elections in Iran: The moderates are leading
• The people want a different Iran // Yossi Menasherofff
• Security establishment in Israel prepares for change in Iran: “It could be a great opportunity”
• The attack in Maaleh Adumim: Wide hunt for the terrorist who critically injured a security guard at the shopping mall
• Crisis with the banks in the Palestinian Authority reaches (Israel’s) National Security Council 
• The hope between the ruins (in Syria over the ceasefire)

Israel Hayom

• US ahead of fateful Tuesday
• The ax attack: Tzvika Cohen is fighting for his life
• Sweet dreams: The full guide for children’s sleep from the Health Ministry
• The fragile agreement stands the test: ceasefire in Syria enters into force
• Achievement for Rouhani: Reformists got strengthened in Iran elections 

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News Summary:
Moderates make gains in Iranian elections, Donald Trump wins again in US primaries and a ceasefire mostly holds in Syria making today’s top stories in the Hebrew newspapers. Also in the news, an Israeli security guard is in critical condition after an ax attack by a Palestinian in a West Bank settlement, an Israeli MK acknowledged Israel assassinated Samir Kuntar in Damascus, questions arose over the mysterious killing in Belgium of a fugitive Palestinian, whom Israel wanted extradited, and the Palestinian journalist who made the longest hunger strike in history in protest of being jailed without charges or trial, ended his strike in a deal with Israel. Meanwhile, the three Palestinians who were caught just over the fence with were looking for food and work – or jail.
 
Israel agreed to shorten the administrative detention (jail without charges) of Palestinian journalist Mohammed Al-Qiq, 33, who was on the cusp of death, and not to renew it. Israel also allowed his family to visit him, despite claiming earlier that they were a ‘security threat.’ Al-Qiq ended his 93-day hunger strike. He will be released May 21st.
 
Israeli residents living adjacent to the Gaza Strip barricaded themselves in their homes, when it was learned some Gazans had infiltrated into Israel. The three young Gazans were found to be unarmed and simply searching for work and food, the papers reported. The Hebrew news site Mivzak Live reported that in their initial interrogations the three said they wanted to go to Israeli prison: "We are tired of living in the harsh conditions in Gaza, we have no food, we have no electricity, we have nothing in Gaza so we decided to cross to Israel and live in Israeli prison conditions.”

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Quick Hits:

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Features: 

Israeli-Arab town haunted by history of violence looks for way out
Jisr al-Zarqa has always endured a bad reputation, but a spate of shootings in the past two months has forced locals to look for solutions. (Noa Shpigel, Haaretz+)
Under cover of night, graffiti transforms Jerusalem market into colorful canvas
When the stall owners at Mahane Yehuda shut up shop and roll down their metal shutters, Solomon Souza turns closed storefronts into art. (Ari Rabinovitch, Haaretz+ and Ynet)
A 12-year-old Palestinian inmate languishing in Israeli prison
The girl, who was carrying a knife, was arrested as she approached a West Bank settlement. Her sentence: four and a half months in prison and a monetary fine. Her parents have not been allowed to visit her. (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) 
When war comes a-knocking
Israelis living near the Gaza border have had enough with the constant - and seemingly inevitable - rounds of violence. They went out on the streets of Tel Aviv to find supporters for their demand from the government: Find a solution both military and diplomatic in nature. (Feige Stern, Eti Abramov, Ynet)
The Singular Talent of Israeli-Palestinian Singer Amal Murkus
Murkus demonstrates her artistry by making complex 
songs accessible and lifting simple songs to new heights on her latest album. (Ben Shalev, Haaretz+)
 
Commentary/Analysis:
Israel Tells Itself It Sanctifies Life to Dehumanize Palestinians (Rogel Alpher, Haaretz+) For only the dehumanization of Palestinian society enables Israel to justify its inhuman treatment of the people under its control.
*(Using smarts, not strength) (Yoav Limor, Israel Hayom) A young Palestinian woman’s fiancée left her and she tried to stab a soldier to funnel her personal frustration. The Border Police shot her in the hand and foot. If that young woman had been killed, it's probably that someone she knew -- a brother, a friend, a neighbor -- would have followed in her footsteps. Security forces are now trying to cut those links. If it's not necessary to kill -- don't kill; if it's possible to wait another second and aim at the foot and subdue the terrorist -- then wait, so long as it doesn't put anyone's life in danger. That is exactly what the chief of staff meant (in his ‘Scissors Speech). 
Netanyahu Is Actually a Great Manager... of Quashing the Two-state Solution (Aluf Benn, Haaretz+) Bibi hopes that with a crackdown on dissidents at home and boycotters abroad, he can return the Palestinians to their hazy status as ‘Arabs’ without rights. 
The right-wing government's building freeze (Yifat Erlich, Yedioth/Ynet) While headlines are busy discussing how much illegal construction is going on in the settlements, no one bothers to mention that the real bulk of violations occur on the Palestinian side. Not even the government.
In Israeli government's parallel universe, Jerusalem is united, there is no occupation (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) While cabinet colleagues Bennett and Hotovely wage campaigns to convince the world that all is well in the Holy Land, Prime Minister Netanyahu and his once-and-future rival Yair Lapid engage in an undignified game of one-upmanship. 
Hamas is to blame for Gaza's terrible state, not Israel (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) While Hamas is determined to perpetuate the suffering in the Strip, Israel must provide an alternative by offering Gazans hope. The Palestinians must know that they can get a seaport, an open border, and a chance for prosperity. The whole world should know this.
Jerusalem divorced family's home as inspiration for Israeli-Palestinian peace (Sidra DeKoven Ezrahi, Haaretz+) When our marriage ended, after 34 years, the expectation was that we would divide the property and go our separate ways. It didn’t quite happen that way.
Professors in revolt: The academy vs. the minister (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/Ynet) As Education Minister Naftali Bennett makes questionable appointments and changes, alarmed academics ask whether rebellion will help their cause or simply enable the religious-nationalist sector to strengthen its hold on education. 
White House deliberations over Obama's legacy leave Jerusalem worried (Barak Ravid, Haaretz+) Less than a year before the U.S. president leaves office, no one knows what he intends to do, if anything, on the Israeli-Palestinian issue.
Sea solution: construction of a port in Gaza could provide a variety of solutions for Israel (Alon Ben-David, Maariv) An opportunity to put relations on new tracks: Gaza seaport would provide employment and be an economic engine, and it would give Hamas motivation to keep quiet. This is all assuming, of course, that the Israeli leadership wants to settle the crisis. 
As violence continues, tensions between IDF and politicians will grow (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) As the current wave of violence enters its sixth month, there are more signs of disputes between top security officials and the government.
An evolution of violence (Nadav Shragai, Israel Hayom) The good news: The number of thwarted Palestinian terrorist attacks is increasing. The bad news: What began as a string of stoning, stabbing and ramming attacks is steadily escalating into attacks involving firearms. But the outlook is not optimistic. 
Netanyahu enjoys seeing the IDF chief being raked over the coals (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) Under Eisenkot, the military assumed the role of the sane, moderate policy voice at a time when the frenetic right-wing government is wreaking devastation; the IDF chief has become a media darling, and Netanyahu is having none of it. 
They have forgotten, O Jerusalem (Emily Amrousi, Israel Hayom) Even during periods of terrorism, Jerusalem breeds cooperation between Jews and Arabs. This city cannot be divided any more than fingers can be separated from the palm. Moving toward 1967 borders will not lessen the terrorism -- it will only increase it.
It’s Putin Who Will Make or Break the Syrian Cease-fire (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Every party has an interest in observing the truce, but whether it leads to a longer-term dialog depends above all on Russia.
Offer on freeze: Will the historical initiative of the Netanyahu government (for Arab Israelis) go down the drain? (Udi Segal, Maariv) After the approval of the budget of billions of for the Arab sector, MKs Zeev Elkin and Yariv Levin stuck a stick in the wheels and delayed the groundbreaking program. 
In Limbo Between Jerusalem and Texas (Sayed Kashua, Haaretz+) If I really want to understand what my children are experiencing in the States, I have to free myself of the concrete memories of life back home. 
The great generator of the Palestinian emigration to Israel is the government (Yossi Melman, Maariv) Ever since the state was established, more than 200,000 Palestinians have moved within the Green Line. A new study states that setting up in Israel the agents (spies) and collaborators that it operated in the West Bank and Gaza is the reason. 
Et tu, Rivlin? Don't bar Israeli Arab lawmaker from event at President's Residence (Friday Haaretz Editorial) In barring a suspended Arab Knesset member from an event at the President's Residence, President Reuven Rivlin joined all those who are undermining and trying to destroy Israeli democracy. 
No, the occupation isn't 'for the Palestinians' own good' (Edo Konrad, Haaretz+) Gadi Taub's op-ed exemplifies the peace camp's paternalistic attitude towards the Palestinians; they need Israeli control because they're 'incapable' of managing their own affairs. 
As an Israeli Who Loves America, I Am Worried by Trump (Ari Shavit, Haaretz+) White Christian America is becoming a minority. In the two election campaigns won by Barack Obama, American politics celebrated the change. Now comes the reaction. 
Who Will Educate Israel's Education Minister? (Haaretz Editorial) Naftali Bennett's attitude to anyone who tries to voice a clear, professional opinion shows, once again, that he has difficulty understanding that the Education Ministry is not his private domain. 
Israel's New Line of Propaganda Puts Orwell to Shame (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Israel is resorting to lies and deceit about the occupation and its treatment of the Palestinians to fill the void left by the death of the peace process. 
Four reasons for American Jews to curb their doom and gloom on Israel (Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, Haaretz+) Sparks of optimism are rare to come by these days in the conversation between American Jews and Israel, and in the U.S. debate about Israel. But here are some causes for (controlled) celebration. 
Stop calling the Israeli government fascist (Ravit Hecht, Haaretz+) A change of elites – more than the bullying of Arabs or the delegitimization of the left – is the driving force of Benjamin Netanyahu’s governments.
 

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