News Nosh 03.03.16

by APN 03/03/16
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APN's daily news review from Israel
Thursday March 3, 2016
 
You Must Be Kidding: 
"You're just proving that you are the ones here who are the terrorists."
--Oryan Ben-Uliel, wife of Amrama, the main suspect in the murder of three members of the Dawabshe family, responded as she walked past the supporters for the murdered Dawabshe family, who chanted "murderers" at her. They responded shouting "God is great." 

Breaking News:
Israeli Policeman Stabbed in West Bank Village Near Jericho
14-year-old Palestinian girl caught by police man after she stabbed and lightly wounded him along a key West Bank road. Haaretz noted she was stopped "with no shots fired." (Haaretz and Ynet)

Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
  • Dad’s heroism – Two armed terrorists broke into the house of Roey Harel in Eli settlement, he pushed them out before they could attack his family
  • The Duma arson affair: Documents in the hands of the investigators appear to contradict the indictment; Include testimonies that Amiram Ben-Uliel did not work alone
  • Continues to get in trouble: Second woman files complaint to Military Police against Brig. Gen. Buchris
  • “It’s a relief, finally I am recognized as an artist” – Yigal Bashan received AKUM prize for life achievement
  • Crash in the north: Bus with 30 passengers overturned
Israel Hayom
  • The Buchris shake-up: Another woman filed a complaint
  • Tonight is Trump and Clinton’s big night
  • Terrible accident in the north
  • Roey’s heroism – Resident of Eli pushed away two terrorists from his doorstep
  • Orly Castel-Bloom won the 2015 Sapir Prize for her book, “Egyptian Romance”

News Summary:
An Israeli father was named a hero for pushing two teen Palestinian attackers out his door and an Israeli general was accused of sexual harassment by a second woman making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.

Also high in the news, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu sought from the Attorney General the already-rejected authorization to deport families of Palestinian attackers to Gaza.

At the British Parliament, Speaker of the Knesset Yuli Edelstein, who lives in Neve Daniel settlement in the West Bank, was met with protests in the form of writing projected on the outside wall of the British Parliament, calling him a “racist leader” and to “arrest illegal occupier Edelstein.” Edelstein addressed the Parliament under heavy security saying that BDS was the Palestinians’ greatest enemy. At the UN Human Rights Council, Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki called on countries not to let Israeli settlers enter.

And a stormy opening to the closed trial of the two suspects in the murder of the Dawabshe family of Duma. The court security had to separate between the settler supporters of the defendants and the Palestinian supporters of the murdered. Hussein Dawabshe, the grandfather of Ahmed, the sole survivor, angrily left the courtroom. "The defendant laughed at us thoughout the hearing," he said. "This is a joke; this is not a court. He murdered my son and they let him laugh at me." Hussein revealed that he had finally told Ahmed, 5, that his parents were killed. "Ahmed did not want me to come here. He was afraid that they would kill me like they killed his family," he said. (Also Maariv) Maariv’s settler reporter, Karni Eldad, reported that Shin Bet documents contradict the indictment, which states that there was only one murderer. Documents include an interview with a Palestinian from Duma who saw two people standing over the flame-engulfed bodies of the two Dawabshe parents. "I saw two people dressed wearing all black clothes and a black head covering with openings for the eyes, nose and mouth." Another document states that an IDF tracker identified two sets of footprints of suspects, not one.” 
                                                     
Meanwhile, despite being a top story, Hebrew papers did not get responses from right-wing MKs over the suspension from parliament of an Egyptian MP, who supports relations with Israel. MP Tawfik Okasha was suspended Wednesday for five years for hosting the Israeli ambassador to Egypt at his home. Israeli right-wing MKs seek to pass a bill directed against Arab MKs that would allow with 90 votes the indefinite suspension of MKs whose political views the majority opposes.
 
Quick Hits:
  • Israel Holding Palestinian Circus Performer in Detention Without Trial for Three Months - Shin Bet says Mohammed Abu Saha is part of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and therefore poses a security risk, but friends insist he dedicates his life to working with children, mostly with special needs. (Haaretz+ and +972mag)
  • Two Israeli Soldiers Wounded in Stabbing at West Bank Settlement - Two Israeli soldiers were lightly wounded in a stabbing by two Palestinians at a guard post at Har Bracha settlement. The Palestinian assailants fled the scene. (Haaretz)
  • 14-year-old Palestinian sentenced to 1.5 years in prison for rock throwing - An Israeli central court sentenced Jihad al-Jaabari, 14 to 18 months in prison and he needs to pay a 5,000 shekel ($1,286) compensation fee to an Israeli settler for throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at an illegal Israeli settlement outpost. (Maan) 
  • 46 Palestinian prisoners at Etzion military jail to start open hunger strike - The prisoners are protesting the quality and quantity of food served to them, in addition to filthy living conditions, inadequate medical treatment and lack of regular access to showers. A lawyer said some prisoners had not bathed in 15 days. (Maan)
  • Jewish Man Charged for anti-Arab Facebook Page - 'Dear Jews, from now in Upper Nazareth every Arab who enters gets beaten. I call on you to break everything, their car, their iPhone, their teeth,' one post read. (Haaretz+) 
  • Israel police cuts training on how to relate to Arab society - The police has ended its partnership with the Abraham Fund, which has been working for a dialogue between Arab community and the force for 12 years. (Haaretz+) 
  • Israeli program to send women ex-convicts to college on verge of cancellation - The program educates female ex-cons to do more than just cleaning or working at a cash register, but funding is badly needed. (Haaretz+)
  • Bill on tap to forbid Israel's muezzins from using public address systems - 'Freedom of religion does not have to be a factor undermining quality of life,' the legislation's backers say. (Haaretz+) 
  • Stop-and-frisk rules allow police to search anyone without cause - Amendment to Public Safety Law passed as part of Israel's war on terror allows police to search individuals and their belongings for concealed weapons even without "concrete suspicion." Police have full discretion on directives' implementation. (Israel Hayom) 
  • Israel denies Belgian lawmakers entry into Gaza - The delegation of six MPs, representing several Belgian political parties, suggested that Israel might be attempting "to hide something," and said they had informed the Belgian government of "the unacceptable situation." (Maan) 
  • School among 'dozens' of structures demolished by Israel north of Nablus - Israeli forces on Wednesday morning demolished "dozens" of structures in the hamlet of Khirbet Tana northeast of Nablus, including houses, barns, and the hamlet's sole school, a caravan donated by the EU. (Maan) 
  • Israeli High Court orders 420 acres of land to be returned to Palestinian owners - Court ruled that Israeli authorities are obliged to return 1700 dunams (420 acres), back to private Palestinian landowners. According to Israeli legal rights' group Yesh Din, during the 1970s it was common practice to issue military seizure orders for the purpose of establishing illegal Israeli settlements. (Maan) 
  • Report: Turkey demands weapons from Israel as part of normalization of relations - According to reports in the Arab world, the Turkish defense minister has appointed a representative who came to Israel and turned to the Ministry of Defense on the issue. Israel demanded clarification whether the weapons would be used to attack the Kurds. (Maariv) 
  • Hundreds attend funeral of slain Palestinian American teen - Mahmoud Muhammad Shaalan, 17, was killed on Feb. 26 after he allegedly attempted to stab an Israeli soldier stationed at a military checkpoint near the illegal settlement of Beit El. His body was returned the following day, but his funeral was delayed for return of father from US. (Maan) 
  • Why did it take Israel a week to condemn North Korea's nuclear test? - Bureaucratic foot-dragging, foolishness and absence of a full-time foreign minister lead to a spat with Japan, South Korea and the United States. (Haaretz+) 
  • Jewish and Palestinian Jerusalemites Join Together to Fight Landfill - Residents of neighboring French Hill, Isawiyah and the Shoafat refugee camp rally against change in law to allow proposed municipal construction materials dump. (Haaretz+) 
  • Israel's ‘Jewish Heritage’ Channel 20 Faces Sanctions Over Sexual Allusions to Female MKs - MK Stav Shaffir claims Channel 20 host, (right-wing journalist and comedian Erel Segal), crossed the line when he said she derived sexual pleasure from riding her bicycle: “...the days when politics was an exclusive club of bullying, cynical men who fight against any change for the better are over.” (Haaretz+, Ynet and Times of Israel) 
  • Israel to grant decorations of valor to civiians who died saving others - Public Security Ministry and police decide to to recognize Israelis who sacrificed their lives for others; authorized committee to discuss individual cases in March. (Yedioth/Ynet) 
  • Bank Discount CEO: "Political considerations prevent us from ending activity with Palestinian banks " - Lilach Asher-Topilsky spoke for the first time about activity with Palestinian banks: "This is a national-political issue that needs to be resolved by providing indemnity to banks." (Maariv) 
  • Israeli couple bringing home biblical sheep from Canada - Couple raises breed of sheep believed to have been kept by patriarch Jacob but now extinct in Israel. Diplomacy cuts through red tape prohibiting import of sheep from Canada. Lewinsky's: It should be the national animal of the Jewish people. (Israel Hayom)
  • Foreign Ministry accuses unconfirmed envoy of breaking protocol - Foreign Ministry officials criticize Fiamma Nirenstein for making public appearances in Italy before being confirmed as ambassador; Nirenstein, a dual-national, promoted a new book she authored at an event yesterday in Rome. (Ynet) 
  • Israeli soldiers' GPS blunder proves Waze, Google don't really care about your privacy - The traffic app promises to protect user data, but revealed details about the route of the soldiers who got lost in Qalandiyah refugee camp. (Haaretz+) 
  • Snitches, sex, and blackmail: Hamas execution remains a mystery - Military wing member was executed last month after it was supposedly discovered that he had led Israel to Mohammed Deif’s location, but investigations suggest Hamas was afraid Israel would blackmail him over his alleged sexual orientation. (Ynet) 
  • Gay Iranian poet seeking asylum in Israel gets visa extended - Payam Feili formally requested asylum in February, citing persecution and mistreatment in Iran. (Haaretz) 
  • Gazan suffers burns after setting self on fire - The 22-year-old set himself on fire in Khan Younis Tuesday night, but was saved by passersby. It was reported last year that there were signs the Gaza Strip was seeing an increase in suicides and suicide attempts, as residents found themselves overcome by the unique pressures of life there. (Maan) 
  • Egypt's Parliament Votes to Remove Lawmaker Who Met With Israel's Ambassador - More than two thirds of parliament vote to remove MP Tawfik Okasha on grounds that his conduct breached the confidence granted to him. (Haaretz+ and Maariv) 
  • Jordan Military Raid Kills Seven, Thwarts ISIS Plot to Attack Civilian, Military Targets - Security forces launch major operation against ISIS militants in mainly Palestinian refugee camp. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Gulf States Officially Designate Hezbollah as Terrorist Organization - Saudi Arabia leads U.A.E., Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman in formally labeling Hezbollah a terrorist group. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Hezbollah's Nasrallah Says Saudi Arabia Pushing Lebanon Into New Political Conflict - Relations between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia have plunged into crisis since Riyadh halted $3 billion in aid to the Lebanese army after Beirut failed to condemn attacks on Saudi missions in Iran. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Bin Laden Called on the U.S. to Fight Climate Change, Not Islam - In an undated letter released by the American government, the deceased Al-Qaida chief blamed corporate influence for the environmental crisis unfolding around the world. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Water Authority: February again ended with a severe drought in the north of the country - Amount of rainfall so far 50% lower than the multi-annual average, said spokesman. Authority said the pumping of water from the Kinneret has been reduced: "Even experienced professionals are surprised." (Maariv and Ynet)
  • NASA: Drought in Middle East Is the Worst in 900 Years - The Levant region could already be feeling the effects of human-induced climate change, the agency reports. (Haaretz) 
  • Assad Forces Launch New Battle With Rebels in Northwest Despite Cease-fire - Attack concentrated on capturing Kabani hill in Latakia and was allegedly supported by Russian airstrikes. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Cruz pledges to 'unapologetically stand with Israel' - Republican Donald Drumpf and Democrat Hillary Clinton take big steps toward securing their parties' presidential nominations on Tuesday with a series of state-by-state victories, but their rivals vow to keep on fighting. (Israel Hayom)  
  • US to seek new term on UN-backed human rights body - In address to U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken accuses the organization of "persistent bias" against Israel • Blinken expresses concern about human rights records of Russia, Egypt, Cuba and China. (Agencies, Israel Hayom) 

Features:
“After almost a generation, the state is exactly in the same place”
20 years after the terror attack at Dizengoff Center, the parents of Hadas Dror and Bat-Hen Shahak, two friends who went out together on Purim for fun in Tel-Aviv and didn’t return, they wonder how nothing has changed since then. (Tal Ariel-Amir, Maariv magazine supplement, cover)
How an assimilated Jewish couple found a 'promised land' in Britain
Dutch historian Ian Buruma retraces his British-Jewish grandparents’ correspondence spanning two world wars, and hones his own self-definition. (Lisa Katz, Haaretz+) 
Now it’s their turn: The "Golden Age" movement is kicking out all the definitions of the periphery of Israel
Disappointed by the results of the social protest, not connecting to MK Stav Shafir, refusing to talk in terms of left vs. right, and demanding a revolution. Reporter Eyal Levy went to the conference for the launch of the new Mizrachi social movement, "Golden Age.” So why did it end with shouting? (Eyal Levy, Maariv Magazine supplement, p. 8)
Fraternité and Enmity: How France Reinforces Jewish-Muslim Tensions
Ethan B. Katz’s thought-provoking new book examines relations between Jews and Muslims over the past century in France and its North African colonies. (Lisa M. Leff, Haaretz+) 
 
Commentary/Analysis:
And Now Israel Takes Toddlers Into Custody, Too (Haaretz Editorial) In the face of the incessant violence, the Israel Police must take extra care to uphold the rights of Palestinian residents and observe the boundaries of the law. 
The Age of Cynicism Is Even Worse in Israel Than in America (Iris Leal, Haaretz+) Somehow the lower middle class is Donald Drumpf’s power base, while Netanyahu lifts social safety nets. But at least the Americans still have a chance. 
It is time to rebuild ties between Mizrahim and the Arab world (Almog Behar, +972mag) Five years after Mizrahi Israelis offered their solidarity to the young men and women of the Arab Spring, it is time to say it loud and clear: real peace will come once we recognize the deep cultural and religious ties between Jews and Muslims of the region.
Israel’s New National Square (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) At Etzion junction in the West Bank, Israel’s true appearance is reflected – a garrison state, violent and fearful, one that insists on living by the sword.
Political boomerang: The activities against the Arab MKs is causing damage (Lilach Segen, Maariv) The right-wing need to understand that the provocations of the Arab MKs will not be defeated by an iron hand and far-reaching legislation. It might help in domestic politics, but it causes us damage to our image. 
The tyranny of the Jewish majority (Umar al-Ghubari, +972mag) The Jewish tribe has managed to stabilize its rule over the land, all while turning anyone who opposes it into a subversive or an anti-Semite. This precisely how a dictatorship functions. 
An Abomination in Jerusalem (Ari Shavit, Haaretz+) I look at my government and my capital and feel deep disgrace. Who are these hoodlums who have taken over the government offices and begun smashing and shattering everything precious and sublime that was created here? 
More pairs of terrorists carry out attacks than before (Elior Levy, Ynet) Israel is no longer facing a "lone wolf" intifada - now these wolves hunt in packs as pairs and sometimes trios band together to commit terror attacks. 
Netanyahu Is Helpless in the Face of Palestinian Solidarity (Israel Harel, Haaretz+) Billions allotted to the community won’t reduce its solidarity with the knife intifada and resistance to a Jewish state’s existence.
Bedouin town slated for destruction is true test for Israelis (Michal Rotem, +972mag) The Negev comprises two thirds of Israel’s territory, but only 10 percent of citizens lives there. It is thus no coincidence that the Jewish settlement of Hiran is being planned directly atop the ruins of the Bedouin village Umm al-Hiran. This is  a test for all Israelis, and I really hope we do not fail.
Iran's regional ruses (Dr. Reuven Berko, Israel Hayom) The Palestinians have never stopped to ask why Shiite Iran wants to help Sunni Palestinians.
SodaStream Meets Kafka in Its Battle With BDS (David Rosenberg, Haaretz+) The BDS activists will have breakfast on their tables tomorrow. The 500 Palestinian workers SodaStream is forced to fire won't.
A regrettable cancellation (Isi Leibler, Israel Hayom) President Reuven Rivlin's last-minute cancellation of his state visit casts a blemish on Israel's relationship with Australia.
Drumpf-like Politicians Won't Make You 'Great Again,' America (Asher Schechter, Haaretz+) Americans may be shocked by the debasement of their political system, but it's making Israeli expats feel strangely at home. 
Donald Trump probably won't be President of the United States. Here's why (Peter Beinart, Haaretz+) Racially embittered white voters aren’t numerous enough to make him President. 
The right to boycott is non-negotiable (Amjad Iraqi, +972mag) Regardless of one’s views of BDS, it is ridiculous that one should have to tell self-proclaimed ‘democracies’ that the right to boycott is a basic civil right, not a punishable crime. 
On Sanders' Super Tuesday, the Lights All Went Out in Massachusetts (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) Probably because of the state’s Jews, for whom the Jewish Vermont Senator may be a tad too radical. 

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

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