APN's daily news review from Israel
Thursday May 05, 2016
Quote of the day:
"If there's something that frightens me about Holocaust remembrance it's the recognition of the
revolting processes that occurred in Europe in general, and particularly in Germany, back then – 70, 80 and 90
years ago – and finding signs of them here among us today in 2016."
--IDF Deputy Chief of Staff General Yair Golan said in a speech at a Holocaust Remembrance ceremony last night - and sparked a storm.*
You Must Be Kidding:
A small Spanish town that changed it’s name from ‘Killer of the Jews’ to ‘Little Hill Fort of Jews’ has begun experiencing a rash of anti-Semitic vandalism.
--IDF Deputy Chief of Staff General Yair Golan said in a speech at a Holocaust Remembrance ceremony last night - and sparked a storm.*
You Must Be Kidding:
A small Spanish town that changed it’s name from ‘Killer of the Jews’ to ‘Little Hill Fort of Jews’ has begun experiencing a rash of anti-Semitic vandalism.
Front Page:
Haaretz
- Escalation in Gaza: Five incidents in one day, IDF attacked Hamas positions
- Hamas is trying to mark red lines // Amos Harel
- State Comptroller believes that Netanyahu and Yaalon hid information from cabinet members during Operation Protective Edge
- Deputy Chief of Staff: It’s frightening to recognize trends among us that happened in Germany
- (Today) Holocaust Remembrance Day
- Finance Ministry: Survivors who immigrated to Israel after 1953 won’t receive stipends
- “Look at how fates change”: This is how the After family was saved
- Many paths, one fate: What did the 4,000 transporters to the camps look like?
- Trump completed his hostile takeover // Chemi Shalev
- Relatives of the Druze man released from Syrian jail: “We repeatedly petitioned the state (of Israel to help), but nobody cared”
- El Al demanded that a passenger remove her bra and buy shoes in order to fly
- Enough of the maltreatment // Haaretz Editorial
Yedioth Ahronoth
- From generation to generation – This morning at 10:00am, siren in memory of the six million
- You are our victory – Special project: Holocaust survivors with their soldier grandchildren
- The piercing speech by the Deputy Chief of Staff: It’s frightening to recognize among us the processes like those before the Holocaust
- Day of fire on the Gaza border
- Trump Republic
- Another memory // Adi Altshuler
- Progress and horror // Ben-Dror Yemini
- After we get out of here // Ruth Bondi
- Identity number // Chen Kottas
- We all were there // Yehuda Nuriel
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- Holocaust Remembrance Day
- “It’s frightening to recognize among us the trends like those in Germany 70 or 80 years ago” – Storm following the statements by Deputy Chief of Staff Gen. Yair Golan
- 80 years since the Nurenberg Laws // Carmit Sapir-Weitz in Poland
- Me and the son of the Nazi officer // MK Merav Ben-Ari
- South is heating up – Hamas shot a mortar shell on IDF force for the first time since Operation Protective Edge (summer 2014)
Israel Hayom
- Special edition for Holocaust Remembrance Day
- Prime Minister: “Anti-Semitism did not die with Hitler in the bunker”
- Of all times on Eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day - Controversial speech by Deputy Chief of Staff
- Escalation in the south: IDF attacked in Gaza
- Remained alone, as the victor: Trump won Indiana, Cruz and Kaisich pulled out
News Summary:
In Holocaust Remembrance ceremony speeches in Israel last night, the IDF Deputy Chief of Staff compared trends in Israeli society with trends in Germany in 1930 and the Prime Minister compared controversial statements by high-ranking European officials and opinion-makers with Nazis before the concentration camps, while the Israeli President Reuven Rivlin simply apologized for Israel's maltreatment of Holocaust survivors in the country making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers along with the escalation between Gaza and Israel, after Hamas reportedly shot a mortar at Israeli forces for the first time since the end of Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014.
*In very different speeches, the IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan said he was frightened by ‘revolting’ trends in Israeli society that were similar to those in Germany prior to the war, causing a storm among right-wing politicians. Israeli Prime Minister equated the controversial statements about Israel and Israeli policy made by “British MPs, senior Swedish officials and French opinion makers” to the “Nazis who slandered Jews before destroying them.”
Golan also spoke out against the recent cases of alleged extrajudicial killing of Palestinian assailants by Israeli security forces. “We believe very much in the justice of our path, but not everything we do is just. We trust the IDF's moral standards as an organization, but we do not ignore individual deviations."
Interestingly, Haaretz reported that anti-Semitic incidents dropped to the lowest level in a decade, according to a Tel-Aviv University study, while Israel Hayom stressed that, according to the study, the anti-Semitic attacks were more cruel and brutal in 2015.
Quick Hits:
- Shin Bet Head: Palestinian Security Forces Respond to Israeli Tips and Thwart Attacks - But while singing the praises of Israeli security coordination with the Palestinian Authority, Yoram Cohen tells the cabinet that Israeli operations are still responsible for thwarting the majority of attacks. Yet, Cohen says: "Abu Mazen (Abbas) gave a real order to thwart attacks." (Haaretz+ and Maariv, p. 12)
- Cabinet members and MK Avigdor Lieberman rap Netanyahu for returning body of Palestinian car-rammer - A month after Netanyahu ordered the defense minister not to return terrorists' bodies to their families, he gives the responsibility back to the defense and public security ministers. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
- Border Policeman faces disciplinary board – not criminal charges - after allegedly attacking Arab - Israeli Arab claims police used excessive force against him after insult exchange; lawyer protests decision not to file criminal charges: 'It cannot be that these crimes do not pass the criminal threshold.' (Ynet)
- Israeli court extends remand of Palestinian detained over Jerusalem stab attack - Israeli police accused Malik Hijazi, 19, of having knowledge of stabber’s plans and of assisting him in carrying out the attack, which moderately wounded a 60-year-old Israeli man. Hijazi said he was approached by a young man who asked for directions while he was walking in the Old City, but he did not know him or about attacks being planned. (Maan)
- Israeli Arab Gets One Year in Prison for Driving Terrorist to Scene of November Stabbings - Prosecutors say they agreed to a lighter punishment under a plea deal because Zuheir Huzayil had had no idea he was driving an assailant. (Haaretz+)
- Hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner has begun refusing water - Sami Janazreh, 43, from al-Fawwar refugee camp near Hebron, has been on a hunger strike for 63 days in protest of his administrative detention -- a widely-condemned Israeli policy that allows for jail without charge or trial for six-month intervals which can be renewed indefinitely. (Maan)
- Right-wing Israelis storm central West Bank town to visit controversial shrines - More than 2,000 right-wing Israelis, escorted by a large group of Israeli soldiers, stormed the Palestinian town of Kifl Haris at midnight, performing prayers at a shrine while dancing and shouting, disrupting the community throughout the night. They also affixed posters with religious slogans in Hebrew on walls. (Maan)
- Four (Jewish-Israeli) youths entered a Palestinian village accidentally and were rescued unharmed - The young people were hiking in the area of Bethlehem and accidentally reached the village of Luz inside the Palestinian Authority. Palestinian police saw them and,reported to the IDF that the hikers were walking adjacent to Areas A and B [under Palestinian Authority civilian control]. The hikers independently reached the settlement of Tekoa, where they were met up with the army and police. An Israeli security official: “They weren’t in any danger." (Maariv)
- El Al Takes Passenger's Belongings, Makes Her Buy New Shoes on Way to Israel - Russian woman boards the plane with nothing but a plastic bag containing her passport, credit cards and cash. (Haaretz+)
- Watchdog Believes Netanyahu, Ya’alon Kept Israeli Cabinet in the Dark in 2014 Gaza War, Sources Say - Most ministers in the security cabinet were sidelined and did not receive full information during Operation Protective Edge, according to officials who have seen a draft report by State Comptroller Joseph Shapira. (Haaretz+)
- Netanyahu Speaks With Merkel on Backdrop of Reported Israel-Germany Tension - Der Spiegel reported that the German chancellor said she 'understands why Abbas always wants to turn to the UN Security Council.' (Haaretz+, Israel Hayom and Maariv)
- PM reveals: Coalition talks with Zionist Union broke down - PM Benjamin Netanyahu briefs Likud ministers on recent talks with Zionist Union that did not bear fruit. Zionist Union MK Eitan Cabel: Likud did not make a serious offer. Despite failure of talks, Netanyahu still interested in expanding coalition. (Israel Hayom)
- Netanyahu: Kahlon Agrees to Two-year Budget - Agreement will save the coalition from an opportunity for lawmakers to exploit the government’s wafer-thin majority to win concessions. (Haaretz+)
- For First Time, Israel Releases Details of How Its $126 Billion in Exports and Imports Are Transported - Analysis produced in an effort to shape government transportation policy, assess impact of trade on the environment and provide information in accordance with a UN trade statistics program. (Haaretz+)
- Third of Holocaust survivors in Israel live below the poverty line - Various reforms in recent years have led to a significant improvement in the life of Holocaust survivors, but 60,000 of them still can't afford food, medical care or heating; 'It is shameful what they give us,' says 85-years-old Shmuel Shteiner. (Ynet)
- Poll: 58% of Israelis happy with their financial status - Women and men have similar levels of satisfaction, finds new survey by Central Bureau of Statistics. Jewish Israelis and Israelis over 65 more likely to be satisfied with their financial situation than Arab Israelis and younger Israelis. (Israel Hayom)
- **Spanish village changed name to “Little Hill Fort of the Jews” - and suffers from anti-Semitism - Over two years ago, the small bucolic town of Castrillo Matajudíos (Fort of the Jew Killers) held a referendum to change its name and shed the dark legacy of the Spanish Inquisition. (Maariv/JPost)
- Ring Jews gave to Oskar Schindler's almost thrown to the trash - Louis’s Gross’ father, Jozef Gross, bequeathed an unassuming box to his son; Louis discovered that that he was in possession of the ring that was given to the industrialist Oskar Schindler as a gift of gratitude from Jews. (Ynet)
- Israel Police Question Former Senior IDF Officer, Police Chief Nominee Under Caution - Gal Hirsch suspected of bribery, money laundering connected to deals his security firm closed in Georgia. (Haaretz+)
- Martin Luther King III to honor Israeli community activists - The son of civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is to visit Israel to grant Unsung Hero Award to singer-songwriter Idan Raichel, former MK Pnina Tamano-Shata, journalist Anat Saragusti. It is the first time the award will go to non-Americans. (Israel Hayom)
- Gaza Surgeons Get Remote Help From Lebanon via Online Platform - From Beirut, Dr. Ghassan Abu Sitta attempts to help surgeons in the Strip to perform hand surgery with interactive platform. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Released Golan Druze Man's Family Doesn’t Know Why Syria Imprisoned Him - Syria released Berjas Aweidat, 47, of Majdal Shams on Monday after 13 years in jail. His brother has spoken to him by telephone. 'I asked him how he was, he says he's OK.' (Haaretz+)
- Egypt Fries Israel in London Felafel Cook-out - Israel's Uri Dinay of the Pilpel chain takes second place - and acknowledges that felafel was not invented in his home country. (Haaretz+)
- New High of 59,000 Syrian Refugees at Jordanian Border, Officials Say - Citing dire living conditions along the border, aid organizations urge the Hashemite Kingdom to speed up entry procedures. (Haaretz)
- German Jews divided over fears of 1 million Muslim newcomers - Over a million immigrants from Muslim countries with cultural tendency for anti-Semitism came to Germany and have cause and increase in anti-Semitic incidents; German Jewry split over how to respond. (Agencies, Ynet)
- Aleppo Cease-fire Extended in Deal With Russia, U.S. Officials Say - Officials report decrease in violence since reaching agreement but acknowledge that violations persist in some areas. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- U.K. High Court Hears Petition Against Local Council Boycott of Israeli Settlement Products - Jewish watchdog claims boycott is illegal, while Leicester city council says case is attempt to 'stifle criticism of Israel.' (Haaretz)
- Senior professors in the US sued that academic association that boycotted Israel - American Studies Association (ASA) decided a year ago to boycott Israel. Four scholars who are members of the organization decided to sue it: "Illegal harm to the goals of the association.” The Israeli academia welcomed the move. (Maariv and NonProfit Quarterly)
- Trump Says Obama 'Weakened Israel' and Jewish Communities in Europe - Trump's adviser Jason Greenblatt promised to 'create a different tone in Europe and around the world.' (Haaretz)
Features:
Why Israelis Are Refusing to Send Their Kids on School Trips to Auschwitz
Critics blame the emotional trauma inflicted on teenagers, the high cost imposed on parents, and the nationalist message at the expense of universal values. (Judy Maltz, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
'Never Again' Means Israel Must Defend Syrians From Assad's Slaughter (Shlomo Bolts, Haaretz+) When Adolf Hitler first sent Jews to die, Europeans and Americans agreed that it was not their problem. Israel may be about to make the same mistake about Assad's killings in Syria.
Of biennial budgets and fear (Yoel Esteron, Yedioth/Ynet) Kahlon is a-f-r-a-i-d of elections; Netanyahu has grown accustomed to not pay for his misdeeds. So Kahlon has flipped and is now in favor of a biennial budget while Bibi remains unruffled by the persistent housing crunch. Calcalist publisher, Yoel Esteron speaks at the Calcalist Annual Real Estate and Infrastructures Conference.
Hamas Signals Israel to Lay Off Tunnels (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Hamas is wavering between the future threat of losing its tunnels and the immediate risk of taking action.
Why Did Netanyahu Screw Up the French Peace Initiative? (Asher Schechter, Haaretz+) If peace is your stated agenda, you don’t reject an outstretched hand. You can stall all you like afterward, but, publicly at least, you say yes.
A message to leftist pundits (Dr. Haim Shine, Israel Hayom) Stop hiding behind masks of feigned innocence. The citizens of Israel have already learned your methods and are aware of your goals.
Israel Must Return the Bodies of the Palestinians Killed at Qalandiyah (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Israel's refusal to return the bodies of killed assailants is another depressing stage in the methodical dehumanization of the Palestinians, aimed at continuing the control over them.
Between covert and overt anti-Semitism (Dr. Limor Samimian-Darash, Israel Hayom) "New" anti-Semitism has taken an elusive form, brewing under the "legitimate" guise of hatred for Israel's "policies."
Anti-Israeli Policy Isn't Always anti-Semitism (David Rosenberg, Haaretz+) Israel’s critics run the gamut from Jew-haters to people who have the country’s best interests in mind. Lumping all together as anti-Semites is a big mistake.
Most of them are against us: The BDS movement and the British Labour party are anti-Semitic (Shai Atias, Maariv) The connection between Holocaust Remembrance Day and the recent anti-Semitic incidents in Britain is the necessity to wake up and take off the gloves. We won’t succeed in defeating the BDS movement in any other way.
Two Terms for an Israeli Prime Minister, No More (Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz+) Israel would do the right thing if a provision was inserted in the law restricting the number of terms a prime minister may serve.
Because of you, we are here (Avi Dichter, Israel Hayom) The Nazis and their collaborators managed to cut the family tree's branches but not the trunk, which has since grown taller and wider.
What’s the Israeli Army Afraid Of? (Haaretz Editorial) The IDF must stop maltreating Kaminer and other conscientious objectors, and let them do civilian service instead.
Israel's Palestinian dilemmas (Prof. Efraim Inbar, Israel Hayom) Even if Israel's leaders are correct in preferring a conflict management approach for the moment, they are in an unenviable position.
Israel’s Peace Church Must Merge With the Muscular Center (Ari Shavit, Haaretz+) The left must recognize the brutal reality of the wider region, while the center must stop the cynicism and propose an exciting third way to end the occupation.
Trump and the Absurdity of America’s Israel Debate (Peter Beinart, Haaretz+) He pretends to care about Israel, and the American Jewish Establishment pretends that he’s a respectable candidate for president.
The night bucket (Noah Klieger, Yedioth/Ynet) Survivor Noah Kliger tells his tale of life inside a death camp, and gives an example of the daily struggles he had to face.
In Indiana, Trump Completes Hostile Takeover of the GOP (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) After the N.Y. billionaire’s Indiana victory, many Americans pinched themselves and said: It’s the end of the world as we know it.
Critics blame the emotional trauma inflicted on teenagers, the high cost imposed on parents, and the nationalist message at the expense of universal values. (Judy Maltz, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
'Never Again' Means Israel Must Defend Syrians From Assad's Slaughter (Shlomo Bolts, Haaretz+) When Adolf Hitler first sent Jews to die, Europeans and Americans agreed that it was not their problem. Israel may be about to make the same mistake about Assad's killings in Syria.
Of biennial budgets and fear (Yoel Esteron, Yedioth/Ynet) Kahlon is a-f-r-a-i-d of elections; Netanyahu has grown accustomed to not pay for his misdeeds. So Kahlon has flipped and is now in favor of a biennial budget while Bibi remains unruffled by the persistent housing crunch. Calcalist publisher, Yoel Esteron speaks at the Calcalist Annual Real Estate and Infrastructures Conference.
Hamas Signals Israel to Lay Off Tunnels (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Hamas is wavering between the future threat of losing its tunnels and the immediate risk of taking action.
Why Did Netanyahu Screw Up the French Peace Initiative? (Asher Schechter, Haaretz+) If peace is your stated agenda, you don’t reject an outstretched hand. You can stall all you like afterward, but, publicly at least, you say yes.
A message to leftist pundits (Dr. Haim Shine, Israel Hayom) Stop hiding behind masks of feigned innocence. The citizens of Israel have already learned your methods and are aware of your goals.
Israel Must Return the Bodies of the Palestinians Killed at Qalandiyah (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Israel's refusal to return the bodies of killed assailants is another depressing stage in the methodical dehumanization of the Palestinians, aimed at continuing the control over them.
Between covert and overt anti-Semitism (Dr. Limor Samimian-Darash, Israel Hayom) "New" anti-Semitism has taken an elusive form, brewing under the "legitimate" guise of hatred for Israel's "policies."
Anti-Israeli Policy Isn't Always anti-Semitism (David Rosenberg, Haaretz+) Israel’s critics run the gamut from Jew-haters to people who have the country’s best interests in mind. Lumping all together as anti-Semites is a big mistake.
Most of them are against us: The BDS movement and the British Labour party are anti-Semitic (Shai Atias, Maariv) The connection between Holocaust Remembrance Day and the recent anti-Semitic incidents in Britain is the necessity to wake up and take off the gloves. We won’t succeed in defeating the BDS movement in any other way.
Two Terms for an Israeli Prime Minister, No More (Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz+) Israel would do the right thing if a provision was inserted in the law restricting the number of terms a prime minister may serve.
Because of you, we are here (Avi Dichter, Israel Hayom) The Nazis and their collaborators managed to cut the family tree's branches but not the trunk, which has since grown taller and wider.
What’s the Israeli Army Afraid Of? (Haaretz Editorial) The IDF must stop maltreating Kaminer and other conscientious objectors, and let them do civilian service instead.
Israel's Palestinian dilemmas (Prof. Efraim Inbar, Israel Hayom) Even if Israel's leaders are correct in preferring a conflict management approach for the moment, they are in an unenviable position.
Israel’s Peace Church Must Merge With the Muscular Center (Ari Shavit, Haaretz+) The left must recognize the brutal reality of the wider region, while the center must stop the cynicism and propose an exciting third way to end the occupation.
Trump and the Absurdity of America’s Israel Debate (Peter Beinart, Haaretz+) He pretends to care about Israel, and the American Jewish Establishment pretends that he’s a respectable candidate for president.
The night bucket (Noah Klieger, Yedioth/Ynet) Survivor Noah Kliger tells his tale of life inside a death camp, and gives an example of the daily struggles he had to face.
In Indiana, Trump Completes Hostile Takeover of the GOP (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) After the N.Y. billionaire’s Indiana victory, many Americans pinched themselves and said: It’s the end of the world as we know it.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.