APN's daily news review from Israel
Thursday June 30, 2016
You Must Be
Kidding:
Instead of the Israeli settler, Dani Dayan, whom Brazil rejected as ambassador, Israel is appointing a man with no diplomatic experience or state advocacy
credentials, who has been found guilty of perjury and fraud and was forbidden from serving the
state until June 2015.*
Breaking News:
Palestinian kills girl in Hebron settlement, one other Israeli man wounded in incident
A 19-year-old Palestinian, Mohammed Tarayra from Bani Naim village, infiltrated Kiryat Arba settlement in Hebron this morning and stabbed and killed a 13-year-old girl, Hillel Yafa Ariel, in her bedroom. A 31-year-old member of the settlement emergency squad was shot and seriously injured, possibly by another member of the emergency squad, the girl’s father, who shot and killed the attacker. (Maariv, Times of Israel and Maan)
Front Page:
Haaretz
- US: Signs that ISIS is responsible for the attack in Istanbul
- It’s not a matter of security // Anshel Pfeffer
- In contradiction to the orders, Military Police did not decrease the searches in soldiers’ cellular phones
- (MK) Zouebi: The soldiers who took over the (Turkish) flotilla are murderers; Netanyahu calls for her dismissal
- The [kidnapped] Yemenite children affair: Experts who saw the censored materials say there is no solution to the mystery
- In the coalition and opposition, advancing a bill that will limit commerce on Shabbat and allow partial public transportation
- Escape tunnel that Jewish prisoners dug in the Ponar Forest was found
- A charity raised hundreds of thousands of shekels for a sick child, most of it was not transferred to him
Yedioth Ahronoth
- The emperor of China – Yedioth reporter escorted Israeli soccer player Eran Zahavi on his first day for a Chinese team
- Zouebi’s disgrace
- The inciter // Ben-Dror Yemini
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- The good life of Hamas prisoners
- Nine Israelis rescued from Ramallah after their car was damaged: “They didn’t harm us, we are fine”
- The warnings did not prevent the attack (in Istanbul)
- The director of the Israel Exports Institute will be appointed ambassador to Italy in order to empty his chair for a Netanyahu associate
Israel Hayom
- “Zouebi went overboard, it’s time to dismiss her from the Knesset”
- MK Zouebi mocks Israeli democracy // Haim Shine
- MK Zouebi is no traitor, she’s an enemy // Dan Margalit
- Reporter Avi Cohen reports from the inferno in Istanbul
News Summary:
Today’s top stories surrounded the 2008 Turkish flotilla: The Israeli cabinet approved the reconciliation agreement
with Turkey signed six years after relations fell out after Israeli soldiers raided a Gaza-bound flotilla and killed nine people on board, parents of four Israelis missing in Gaza slammed the ministers and called the agreement a capitulation to Hamas, while the Turkish organization, which the nine killed Turks were members of, criticized Turkish President Tayip Erdogan for reconciling ties with Israel, to which Erdogan answered: “Did you even ask me before you set sail?”
But the biggest story in most of the papers was that Arab MK Haneen Zoabi called the soldiers who killed the nine Turks ‘murderers,' sparking a storm and calls to have her dismissed from Knesset.
"I stood here six years ago, some of you remember the hatred and hostility toward me, and look where we got to," Zoabi said in her speech in the Knesset plenum. "(Israeli government gave) Apologies to the families of those who were called terrorists. The nine that were killed, it turns out that their families need to be compensated (by Israel). I demand an apology to all the political activists who were on the Marmara and an apology to MK Haneen Zoabi, for inciting against her for six years and hounding her. You all need to apologize, all of the members of Knesset here. Those who murdered need to apologize, you need to apologize.”
A shouting match ensued and it nearly came to blows. Those shouting at her included a Labor party member, Hilik Bar. Some parliamentarians called her 'filth' and 'scum' before she was forcibly removed from the podium, along with five others. Netanyahu vowed he would work to have her ousted from the Knesset. The Knesset Ethics Committee is expected to severely punish her.
Today’s top stories surrounded the 2008 Turkish flotilla: The Israeli cabinet approved the reconciliation agreement
with Turkey signed six years after relations fell out after Israeli soldiers raided a Gaza-bound flotilla and killed nine people on board, parents of four Israelis missing in Gaza slammed the ministers and called the agreement a capitulation to Hamas, while the Turkish organization, which the nine killed Turks were members of, criticized Turkish President Tayip Erdogan for reconciling ties with Israel, to which Erdogan answered: “Did you even ask me before you set sail?”
But the biggest story in most of the papers was that Arab MK Haneen Zoabi called the soldiers who killed the nine Turks ‘murderers,' sparking a storm and calls to have her dismissed from Knesset.
"I stood here six years ago, some of you remember the hatred and hostility toward me, and look where we got to," Zoabi said in her speech in the Knesset plenum. "(Israeli government gave) Apologies to the families of those who were called terrorists. The nine that were killed, it turns out that their families need to be compensated (by Israel). I demand an apology to all the political activists who were on the Marmara and an apology to MK Haneen Zoabi, for inciting against her for six years and hounding her. You all need to apologize, all of the members of Knesset here. Those who murdered need to apologize, you need to apologize.”
A shouting match ensued and it nearly came to blows. Those shouting at her included a Labor party member, Hilik Bar. Some parliamentarians called her 'filth' and 'scum' before she was forcibly removed from the podium, along with five others. Netanyahu vowed he would work to have her ousted from the Knesset. The Knesset Ethics Committee is expected to severely punish her.
Quick Hits:
- Israeli activists evacuated from Ramallah after car is set on fire - Peace group, “Two States, One Homeland,” downplays incident, says 9 were guests for iftar meal and ‘at no point felt threatened’; army to investigate incident. (Times of Israel and Maariv)
- Watching the Euro soccer championships from the jail cell: the prison conditions of Hamas in Israel were upgraded - The Israel Prison Services decided to improve the conditions of prisoners, despite the government's decision to make it difficult for them following the abduction and murder of three youth. Among the benefits: increasing by 200 shekels what is allowed to be bought from the canteen. (Maariv)
- *New proposed ambassador to Brazil also controversial - After Dani Dayan was rejected by the Brazilian government as Israel's representative, PM seeks approval of new candidate who has been previously barred from public service and has no diplomatic background. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- False alarms of rockets from Gaza were sounded in Gaza vicinity communities - Alarms were activated in Nirim and Ein Hashlosha communities. An investigation by the IDF indicated they were false alarms, after no hits were identified and no damage was caused. (Maariv)
- Israeli Arab party raps Knesset for praising pre-state militia - The legislature is celebrating the Irgun, which has been criticized for attacking civilians. (Haaretz+)
- Birthday cake for a 'martry' - Palestinian media have published photographs of a 20th-birthday cake prepared for the terrorist who stabbed a policeman in Jerusalem in October; his family posed alongside the cake that features a photograph of the attack. (Ynet)
- Regavim: "The Palestinians have paved new roads in areas controlled by Israel" - Oved Arad, a field manager of Regavim: "The Palestinian Authority is doing whatever it wishes, thanks to funding from foreign countries." Civil Administration: "We came to the area and made sure that the road works are spilling into (Israeli-controlled) Area C." (Maariv)
- Christian-funded group brings 83 French Jewish immigrants to Israel - The International Fellowship of Christians has brought more than 4,000 people from 12 countries to Israel since starting its own aliyah program in 2014. (Haaretz)
- Young Jewish 'change makers' attend ROI Summit in Jerusalem - About 150 young Jews ranging from a Google executive to the founder of Moscow's first Jewish film festival gathered for the annual conference. (JTA, Haaretz)
- Israeli Arab indicted for trying to join ISIS in Syria - Ibrahim Hassan Agbariyeh allegedly tried to join the group by passing through Istanbul and another Turkish city, Gaziantep. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
- Jordan widens crackdown on ISIS amid signs of home-grown extremism - In light of an ISIS car bomb which killed seven Jordanian soldiers, Jordanian authorities have instituted a major crackdown on suspected Islamic extremists in the country; As part of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition, Jordanian stability is of paramount importance. (Agencies, Ynet)
- Putin, Erdogan Agree to Close 'Crisis Chapter' in Ties, Plan Meeting - Presidents aim to resume trade relations, to drop restrictions on Russian tourists in Turkey and to resume bilateral cooperation in the fight against terrorism. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Features:
Ramadan Festivals Become Flashpoint of Secular, Religious Strife Among Israeli Arabs
The events organized by social activists and the Tira municipality triggered a clash with conservative groups, culminating with threats and thugs’ attempts to sabotage the activities by breaking the stands. (Jack Khoury, Haaretz)
Operation Entebbe as told by the commandos: Storming the terminal
40 years after one the most famous commando operations in history, Sayeret Matkal's soldiers recount the events that culminated in the release of 106 hostages from an airport terminal in Uganda: Entering the terminal alone, fighting in the dark corridors and Yoni Netanyahu's injury. Part 3 of 5. (Ronen Bergman and Lior Ben-Ami, Yedioth/Ynet)
At Least 250 ISIS Fighters Killed by U.S.-led Airstrikes
If the figures are confirmed, the strikes would be among the most deadly in memory against the jihadist group. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Jewish-Arab Slam Poet a Hit in Person and on YouTube
'Regrettably, if you write in Arabic you only reach an Arab audience,' says Lucy Ayoub. Shahar Atwan, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
OECD Report on Israelis' Lack of Skills Point to a National Problem That Must Be Addressed (Haaretz Editorial) Neglecting weak communities is a ticking bomb, which threatens not only the quality of human capital and Israel’s economic progress, but society’s stability and democracy.
What Hamas won - The agreement with Turkey (Efraim Halevy, Yedioth) The Israel-Turkey agreement is indeed a move with far-reaching strategic significance. The siege on Gaza was not removed, but a very wide gate was opened to bring in goods and equipment of many types and construction materials for a power station and a hospital. The agreement contradicts the policy, according to which, the next conflict with Gaza is unavoidable and must be the “last.” It is unthinkable that Israel would make a war of annihilation against Hamas in opposition to the desire of Moscow and Ankara.
A New Israeli Law Turns Its Arab Citizens Into Enemy Aliens (Nadeem Shehadeh, Haaretz+) In practice, the Knesset approved a deeply problematic law that apparently derogates too much from basic rights, such as the right to due process, and to freedom of expression.
The fantasy of replacing Netanyahu (Amnon Abramovich. Yedioth/Ynet) The PM and his party could be defeated if the political system were to be redefined by a new center-right party and a new, comfortably left-wing Labor.
Israel Is a Racist Country. Take It From Me, an Ethiopian Israeli (Revital Iyov, Haaretz+) Formal equal rights aren't enough. Equality must be seen on the ground, but on social media we still get 'Go back to Ethiopia.'
An impossible demand (Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror, Israel Hayom) Turkey has less sway with Hamas than believed, and there was never any reason to think it could convince the group to return soldiers' remains.
Deal With Turkey Can Only Do Israel Good, but Don't Tell the Israelis (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Even if the agreement with Turkey included a generous financial grant to the naval commandos of Shayetet 13, the majority of Israelis would be against it.
So much for isolation (Elliott Abrams, Israel Hayom) The claim that Israel is becoming increasingly isolated in the world took another blow this month when the Israeli U.N. ambassador was elected to head one of the U.N.'s permanent committees.
What if Orlando Wasn’t an Arbitrary Anti-gay Attack After All? (Brian Schaefer, Haaretz+) If Omar Mateen was indeed a closeted gay man, the massacre’s initial symbolism as an Islamist homophobic attack has been uncomfortably overtaken by a revenge narrative. Tel Aviv’s LGBT community has been there before.
Thanks in no small part to Russia, Hezbollah is now a full-fledged army (Avi Issacharoff, Times of Israel) For now its focus is on the Syrian civil war, where it is sustaining heavy losses, but the Lebanese Shiite terror group has become a far more formidable player in the 10 years since the Second Lebanon War.
The events organized by social activists and the Tira municipality triggered a clash with conservative groups, culminating with threats and thugs’ attempts to sabotage the activities by breaking the stands. (Jack Khoury, Haaretz)
Operation Entebbe as told by the commandos: Storming the terminal
40 years after one the most famous commando operations in history, Sayeret Matkal's soldiers recount the events that culminated in the release of 106 hostages from an airport terminal in Uganda: Entering the terminal alone, fighting in the dark corridors and Yoni Netanyahu's injury. Part 3 of 5. (Ronen Bergman and Lior Ben-Ami, Yedioth/Ynet)
At Least 250 ISIS Fighters Killed by U.S.-led Airstrikes
If the figures are confirmed, the strikes would be among the most deadly in memory against the jihadist group. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Jewish-Arab Slam Poet a Hit in Person and on YouTube
'Regrettably, if you write in Arabic you only reach an Arab audience,' says Lucy Ayoub. Shahar Atwan, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
OECD Report on Israelis' Lack of Skills Point to a National Problem That Must Be Addressed (Haaretz Editorial) Neglecting weak communities is a ticking bomb, which threatens not only the quality of human capital and Israel’s economic progress, but society’s stability and democracy.
What Hamas won - The agreement with Turkey (Efraim Halevy, Yedioth) The Israel-Turkey agreement is indeed a move with far-reaching strategic significance. The siege on Gaza was not removed, but a very wide gate was opened to bring in goods and equipment of many types and construction materials for a power station and a hospital. The agreement contradicts the policy, according to which, the next conflict with Gaza is unavoidable and must be the “last.” It is unthinkable that Israel would make a war of annihilation against Hamas in opposition to the desire of Moscow and Ankara.
A New Israeli Law Turns Its Arab Citizens Into Enemy Aliens (Nadeem Shehadeh, Haaretz+) In practice, the Knesset approved a deeply problematic law that apparently derogates too much from basic rights, such as the right to due process, and to freedom of expression.
The fantasy of replacing Netanyahu (Amnon Abramovich. Yedioth/Ynet) The PM and his party could be defeated if the political system were to be redefined by a new center-right party and a new, comfortably left-wing Labor.
Israel Is a Racist Country. Take It From Me, an Ethiopian Israeli (Revital Iyov, Haaretz+) Formal equal rights aren't enough. Equality must be seen on the ground, but on social media we still get 'Go back to Ethiopia.'
An impossible demand (Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror, Israel Hayom) Turkey has less sway with Hamas than believed, and there was never any reason to think it could convince the group to return soldiers' remains.
Deal With Turkey Can Only Do Israel Good, but Don't Tell the Israelis (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Even if the agreement with Turkey included a generous financial grant to the naval commandos of Shayetet 13, the majority of Israelis would be against it.
So much for isolation (Elliott Abrams, Israel Hayom) The claim that Israel is becoming increasingly isolated in the world took another blow this month when the Israeli U.N. ambassador was elected to head one of the U.N.'s permanent committees.
What if Orlando Wasn’t an Arbitrary Anti-gay Attack After All? (Brian Schaefer, Haaretz+) If Omar Mateen was indeed a closeted gay man, the massacre’s initial symbolism as an Islamist homophobic attack has been uncomfortably overtaken by a revenge narrative. Tel Aviv’s LGBT community has been there before.
Thanks in no small part to Russia, Hezbollah is now a full-fledged army (Avi Issacharoff, Times of Israel) For now its focus is on the Syrian civil war, where it is sustaining heavy losses, but the Lebanese Shiite terror group has become a far more formidable player in the 10 years since the Second Lebanon War.
Interviews:
Reporting for reserve duty—in their second trimester
Two six-month-pregnant reservists spoke with Ynet from their army base during their reserve service; while many look for excuses to get out of reserves, 'I'm even proud to walk around here pregnant.' (Interviewed by Alexandra Lukash, Ynet)
Reporting for reserve duty—in their second trimester
Two six-month-pregnant reservists spoke with Ynet from their army base during their reserve service; while many look for excuses to get out of reserves, 'I'm even proud to walk around here pregnant.' (Interviewed by Alexandra Lukash, Ynet)
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.