News Nosh 03.02.16

by APN 03/02/16
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APN's daily news review from Israel
Wednesday March 2, 2016

BULLETIN:
APN briefing call today with expert, Amb. Dan Kurtzer, on the viability and the desirability of a two-state solution and the efforts underway to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Call time: 2:30 pm EST. More details here.
 
Quote of the day:
"The bill emits a McCarthyite stench. Its sponsors’ goals are clear and well known: to harass Arab Knesset members, who serve as a bridge between the Arab community and state agencies."
--Haaretz Editorial calls on MKs "who still see the right to vote and to be elected as a sacred and fundamental right...even when the words and actions of the minority’s elected representatives aren’t to the liking of the ruling majority" to vote against the 'Suspension Bill'.'*

You Must Be Kidding: 
Travel agents who were at a meeting with the Tourism Ministry’s director genera Amir Halevy understood that the ministry intends to cut grants allotted to Israeli travel agencies whose groups sleep over in Bethlehem. 

Breaking News:
Two Palestinian teens shot dead in reported attack in West Bank settlement, Israeli settler lightly injured
Speaking to Israeli media from a Jerusalem hospital, Roee Harel, a resident of Eli settlement, said he had just left his house on the way to military reserve duty, when two males attacked him on his doorstep with heavy wooden clubs and then they almost reached the children’s bedroom and he got a hold of himself and began to push them out the front door and lock it, after which he found a long knife. The doctor at the hospital said Harel had superficial knife wounds on his head and bruises to his torso. Windshields of cars in the Eli were broken and it was believed the attackers did that in an attempt to draw one of the families to come outside. Soldiers found the two attackers and killed them. Maariv showed a photo of a covered body in the middle of the highway outside the settlement. The two were identified as 17-year-old high school students from the nearby village of Qaryut. (Haaretz, Maariv, Maan)

Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
  • Army in shock – Brig. Gen. Ofek Buchris suspected of rape
  • Hila was killed in front of her children in accident on Hwy 6
  • All the results from the US primaries on Ynet
  • Start-up from Caesarea sold for $380 million
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only) Israel Hayom
  • Brig. Gen. Ofek Buchris suspencted of rape
  • In America, they voted from their gut
  • (Police held) confrontation between woman who complained of sexual harassment by Meni Naftali 
  • Killed in front of her children
  • Following the incident in Qalandiya: Failure in navigation – and disciplinary steps at the IDF’s Oketz Unit

News Summary:
An Israeli general was accused of rape, the IDF examined what went wrong with the soldiers and the rescue forces in Qalandiya and a mother is run over and killed in front of her three children making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Also in the news, the Speaker of the Knesset prepared to address the British Parliament despite calls for boycott, the President of the German parliament “harshly criticized” Israel and the Israeli Public Security Minister told settler leaders how his ministry is dealing with international boycotts and Palestinian incitement.
  
After two of IDF soldiers got lost in a Palestinian refugee camp and the IDF ended up making an enormous rescue operation, using a controversial method to try to extract them, killing a Palestinian young man, and almost sparking a Third Intifada, it has disciplined numerous officers from the Oketz Unit. An IDF investigation found that it was not the fault of the Waze navigational app that led the soldiers into the camp. The soldiers, an army driver and a squad commander, abandoned their military vehicle after it was attacked with stones and caught on fire from a firebomb. The IDF sent in troops and quickly found one of the soldiers hiding in a yard of a house. But contact was lost with the other soldier so the IDF employed the controversial Hannibal Procedure. The so-called Hannibal procedure entails using massive force, irrespective of casualties, to prevent a soldier from falling into enemy hands. The last time it was used was in Rafah, Gaza, during the 2014 war to try to retrieve a dead soldier, whose body was taken by Hamas fighters. Some 150 Palestinians were killed in a matter of hours. In Qalandiya, one Palestinian young man was killed, but the IDF insisted that he was armed. Eventually, the other soldier was found at a nearby settlement fence with his gun cocked. Initially it was reported that the two lost soldiers were armed. Then, Maariv’s Noam Amir wrote: “It is important to note that the soldiers are not defined as combat soldiers, so they were not caring weapons.” But later on, Amir reported that an IDF investigation lauded the two soldiers for opening fire on the rioters as they exited their vehicle. (Maariv) Following the investigation, both the head of the Oketz unit and the company commander will receive official reprimands, the deputy company commander will be given a suspended prison sentence and the platoon commander will be suspended from his position and imprisoned in a military prison for seven days. The IDF also examined whether it was the right move to extract the military vehicle, that was in any case destroyed, because it caused the wounding of Israeli forces. Residents of Qalandiya refugee camp buried 22-year-old Iyad Omar Sajadiyya, a journalism student in his last year at Al-Quds Open University. "My only son Iyad died a martyr in sacrifice for Palestine," Sajadiyya's father, Omar, told reporters. "He wasn't the first martyr, nor will he be the last."
 
Despite opposition from Brits, Knesset Speaker MK Yuli Edelstein will address the British Parliament today and the House of Lords. He said he would clarify to his audience that "Israel wants to live in peace with its neighbors, but peace will not be achieved through boycotts." He also said: "I'm proud to represent the State of Israel and the Knesset, also as a resident of Judea and Samaria (West Bank).” MK Hilik Bar, Deputy Speaker of the Knesset and Chairman of the Israel-Britain Friendship Association, was among the delegation that traveled with Edelstein. "We came here with the Speaker for a series of meetings with British government officials to strengthen the ties between the two countries, to explain the challenges that Israel and the complex daily…” (Maariv)

Head of the German parliament Norbert Lammert ‘harshly criticized’ Israel's government on Tuesday at the Conference of European Rabbis in Berlin saying that it needs to distinguish between legitimate criticism of Israel and anti-Semitism. (Maariv) 
 
Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan met with the leaders of the Israeli settler councils in the West Bank and told his idea about how to deal with boycotts of settlements and he complained about Facebook. "We will especially focus on exposing the advantages in the manufacturing and industrial activity that is taking place here (in Israeli settlements) that provides work and strengthens co-existence between Israelis and Palestinians. We will bring influential people from around the world to see with their own eyes what is happening here and they won’t buy all the lies and distortions of the enemies of Israel who are trying to destroy the State of Israel with tricks such as differentiating between Judea and Samaria (and inside the Green Line).” Erdan said his ministry works actively in Jerusalem using curfews and arrests against Palestinians, but that the battle today was not against organizations but rather against the wider public. "We need to do more in the face of the incitement, against the media channels and social networks that publish incitement. Unfortunately, Facebook does not actively assist in the issue, and there is no representative in Israel who is authorized to close Facebook pages that incite. Our ministry operations will also focus on this.” (Maariv)
 
Quick Hits:
  • Four Jewish Teens Charged With Politically Motivated Assault of Two Arab Youths - Indictment filed in a juvenile court accuses the 17-year-olds of beating up two Arab youth, leaving one of them unconscious on a Netanya beach two weeks ago. The accused shouted 'terrorist' and beat one of the complainants in all parts of his body, kicked him in the head, stomped on him, choked him and called out to others to join him in beating up the youth. (Haaretz+, Maariv and Ynet)
  • Haredi mob attacks water meter reader, 4 Jewish teens attack Arabs - Herzl Rokach, 68, was attacked on Monday in Netanya by about 200 residents. “For a half hour, they hit me. I was unable to defend myself and they eventually picked me up and hurled me over a two-meter tall fence. I landed on my back and felt excruciating pain. Then they resumed hitting me." (Ynet)
  • Education Ministry touts anti-Arab, pro-theocracy book for Israeli schools - Book on ministry's recommended reading list says Jews 'have no desire' to have Arab gentiles in their midst. (Haaretz+) 
  • Right-wing activist Yehuda Glick returns to Temple Mount after ban lifted - A ban on Glick's entry to the flashpoint Jerusalem holy site was lifted last week along with his acquittal on assault charges. (Haaretz+, Maan and Ynet)
  • Israeli authorities release prominent ICHR lawyer - An Israeli court released on bail a director for the Independent Commission for Human Rights, who was detained last week during a peaceful protest marking the 22nd anniversary of the Ibrahimi mosque (Cave of the Patriarchs) massacre. (Maan)
  • Israeli forces demolish Palestinian home in E. Jerusalem, shoot 3 - Yousif Abed Simrin began construction on the home in Silwan in September, but has since died. Israeli forces fired rubber-coated steel bullets at locals attempting to reach the area during the demolition, injuring residents Muhammad Simrin, Ahmad Awad, Izz al-Din Simrin, and Khalid Shweiki. (Maan) 
  • Israel still holding 9 Palestinians' bodies, say rights groups - In a joint statement, the Palestinian Addameer and Israeli Adalah condemned the Israeli authorities for "the continued withholding of the bodies of nine deceased Palestinians, the longest of which has been held by Israel for over four months." (Maan) 
  • Israeli troops open fire at Palestinian farmers near Rafah - The farmers were forces to leave the area, with no injuries reported. (Maan) 
  • Israeli Apartheid Week launches in Palestine - The head of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign in Gaza, Haidar Eid said that the events were particularly significant this year due to the record number of cities across the world participating. (Maan) 
  • Lapid initiates in Geneva a demonstration against the UN Human Rights Council - Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid organizing demo with hundreds of Israel supporters later this month in the wake of a series of anti-Israeli decisions expected to be passed on that day. (Maariv, p. 9)
  • EU approves $274 million in assistance to Palestinians - The package includes €170.5 million ($185 million) to be channeled directly to the PA -- particularly to its health and education services -- while the remaining €82 million is to go towards the UN agency for Palestinian refugees. (Maan) 
  • Birzeit University announces completion of $2 million science department renovations - Birzeit University announced the completion of a two-year long renovation project funded by the United Arab Emirates Red Crescent Society on Tuesday. (Maan) 
  • Thousands of Palestinian teachers demonstrate across West Bank - Palestinian teachers organised sit-in protests across the occupied West Bank on Tuesday as a teachers strike calling on the Palestinian Authority to guarantee their rights entered its 16th consecutive day. (Maan) 
  • Hebrew University peace event cancelled amid threats to Abbas aide - Senior PA official Dr. Mahmoud al-Habbash was to hold joint public discussion with Yesh Atid MK Ofer Shelah, but Palestinian security forces refused to let him attend after threats were made to his life. “I am not surprised because we also received threats and they seemed to be from the Israeli side. But we live in a peaceful state and we believe that security forces can control an event when they say they can,” said Truman Institute Director Prof. Menachem Blondheim. (Ynet) 
  • Israel may punish travel agencies whose clients stay in Bethlehem - Travel agents say Tourism Ministry official said they could lose marketing budgets, but ministry denies statements attributed to him. (Haaretz+) 
  • SodaStream slams Israel for not renewing permits for Palestinian workers - Fizzy drinks maker raises prospect of moving work back to the West Bank after Israel refuses to extend work permits for 74 workers. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Palestinian family taken into custody; toddler held for hours outside - Police raided the family home to arrest the boy’s 16-year-old brother on suspicion of stone throwing and other offenses. (Haaretz+) 
  • U.S. Reform rabbis warn of growing alienation from Israel - For decades, American Jewry has served as a bedrock of support for Israel. But there are signs of that support eroding, particularly among younger and more liberal Jews. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Family of Ethiopian-Israeli believed to be missing in Gaza turns to international community for help - Avera Mengistu wandered into Gaza in 2014 and has not been seen since. Israel's Defense Ministry believes he was held by Hamas. (Haaretz) 
  • Fighters For Life volunteer in honor of fallen lone soldier - 25 IDF veterans head to northern Ethiopia to teach English and music and work on the refurbishment of orphanages in memory of Golani soldier Nissim Sean Carmeli, who was killed during Operation Protective Edge. (Ynet)  
  • Israeli warplanes nearly collide with Ryanair jet in Jerusalem skies - The IDF, Transportation Ministry and Civilian Aviation Authority are investigating how two warplanes came too close to a passenger jet during an air force training session. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)  
  • IAF receives initial delivery of David's Sling components - After completion of final series of tests, the Air Force receives missile-defense system's interception, command and control, and radar systems; after testing their performance, the system could become operational. (Ynet) 
  • After canceling visit, Rivlin calls Australian premier to smooth things over - Israeli president canceled his visit to Australia last week in order to meet with Putin in Moscow, leaving Canberra fuming. (Haaretz+) 
  • New Egyptian game: Hit the 'Israeli' MP with a shoe - After a fellow MP hurled a shoe at him, well-known Egyptian website posts virtual game to hit MP Tawfiq Okasha with a shoe in response to his meeting with Israeli ambassador Haim Koren. (Ynet) 
  • Egypt nixes proposal to play exhibition match against Israeli national team - Game proposed by Israel Football Association earlier this week after a shoe was thrown at an Egyptian parliamentarian who invited the Israeli ambassador to dinner. (Haaretz) 
  • Hillary Clinton confidante reported Netanyahu’s ‘disparagement’ - E-mail reveals that Sid Blumenthal notified Clinton of a report of “relentless disparagement” by Israeli prime minister. Also discovered: supposedly non-partisan Jewish leader fundraises for GOP and Netanyahu apparently disparaged Clinton behind her back at AIPAC conference. (Ynet and Haaretz+) 
  • Hope and heartbreak: Israeli medics aid grateful and grieving refugees in Greece - Jews and Arabs, under the auspices of the IsraAID NGO, are providing life-saving treatment and psychological support to refugees who survive the treacherous maritime journey to Lesbos from Syria and other strife-ridden Middle Eastern countries. (Haaretz+) 
  • Attacks Continue, Syrian Opposition Says Truce Facing 'Complete Nullification' - Government forces and their allies are accused of threatening the fragile ceasefire, aid groups still hope to reach over a hundred thousand people in desperate need. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Israeli defense minister: Syrian government used chemical arms during truce - Syrians using chlorine on civilians 'these very days,' says Moshe Ya'alon. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Italian Student Killed in Egypt Was Interrogated for Days, Forensics Expert Says - The most conclusive sign yet that Regeni was murdered by the Egyptian security services, human rights groups say methods used are signature tactics of the government. (Agencies, Haaretz) 

Commentary/Analysis:
Eyeless in Qalandiyah (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) Two soldiers losing their way in the West Bank with the help of Waze makes a perfect parable for a nation that has also has lost its way. 
Open Letter to Egyptian President Al-Sisis: Enough of the Egyptian boycott on Israeli society (Journalist Jacky Hugi, Maariv) Jackie Hugi, whose book was translated to Arabic and published in Egypt – and sparked a storm, turns to the Egyptian President and tries to explain why the continued boycott of Israeli civil society is absurd. 
It all starts here: Israel-Egypt relations depend on relations between Israel and the Palestinians (Dr. Yossi Amitai, Maariv) A change in Israel's policy of peace and an active attempt to bring peace will bring about the desired openness in relations between the two nations. This article is a response to journalist Jackie Hugi’s letter to the Egyptian President. (The writer is a lecturer at Ben-Gurion University and former director of the Israeli Academic Center in Cairo. 
The Palestinian War of Independence (Yitzhak Laor, Haaretz+) After having periodically repulsed it, we are once again in the midst of the Palestinian War of Independence. 
"United Jerusalem" is wishful thinking that has become a fake mantra (Yitzhak Ben-Ner, Maariv) At a time when the right-wing is marching in place, we must return East Jerusalem to the Palestinian Authority, we must try to restrain Minister Uri Ariel and we must carefully review the options offered by MK Omer Bar-Lev. Bar-Lev suggests to arrange a process of separation from the Palestinians, by prohibiting construction outside the settlement blocs, by expansion of Area C, by civilian management of the Palestinian Authority - as well as by the reconstruction of Gaza. In his opinion, no political agreement will succeed without solving the problem of Gaza. Hello, Herzog, Lapid, Zehava (Gal-On), Ayman (Odeh) and Kahlon: What do you offer, when your future plans are contingent on Bibi and/or don’t hold water? Perhaps we can begin to agree on Bar-Lev’s program and move forward from there?  
Trying to Drive a Wedge Between 'Good' and 'Bad' Arabs (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) The law to oust Arabs is designed precisely to avert the day in which Jewish Israeli society realizes that its dispossession-settlement legacy is dangerous to Arabs and Jews alike. 
Iran's internal strife (Dr. Ephraim Kam, Israel Hayom) The radical camp, backed by Khamenei, will wage a bitter fight against the reformists to preserve its political and economic power.
Are Israel and Egypt getting closer? (Roi Kais and Itamar Eichner, Ynet) Is the coolness which characterized the relationship between Israel and Egypt over the past several decades warming? And what exactly is behind this change of pace in cooperation? 
The Goal: A Knesset Without Arabs (Haaretz Editorial) A democratic system of government doesn’t collapse overnight. It is eroded from within by a series of steps that destroy its fundamental principles.
Getting Ready to Occupy the West Bank All Over Again (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Minister Zeev Elkin’s warning that the Palestinian Authority will collapse is useless; it’s not like the government would ever dream of negotiating with the PA. 
Netanyahu goes on the offensive (Shlomo Cesana, Israel Hayom) While his detractors complain about global isolation, the prime minister's calendar is jam-packed with meetings with foreign leaders.
Israeli soldiers lucky to escape Qalandiyah clashes alive (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) The incident Monday in which two Israeli soldiers got lost in a violent Palestinian refugee camp could have ended in their kidnapping – or murder.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.

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