APN's daily news review from Israel
Wednesday July 06, 2016
Quote of the day:
"I've never identified with Bibi more than in this napping incident during the ceremony."
"I must say that Bibi's falling asleep during the ceremony is one of the most human things I've seen him do since he's been in power."
--Israelis reacted on social media networks to video of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu snoozing in historic Entebbe memorial ceremony in Uganda.**
You Must Be Kidding:
Hotel Representative: I see you are coming to our hotel on Thursday.
Jewish Customer: Yes.
Hotel Representative: Now on Thursday, I don’t know if you know, but that's the end of Ramadan.
Jewish Customer: Okay.
Hotel Representative: And the population that will be at the hotel will be mostly from the sector [i.e. Arab – OH].
Jewish Customer: Ah...
Hotel Representative: Israeli citizens, but from the sector.
Jewish Customer: Okay.
Hotel Representative: Now we are giving you the option, if you want to change the date, you may do so...at no charge.
--Conversation between Fattal Hotel Chain representatives and the Jewish customers with reservations this weekend at the Magic Sunrise Hotel in Eilat.**
"I must say that Bibi's falling asleep during the ceremony is one of the most human things I've seen him do since he's been in power."
--Israelis reacted on social media networks to video of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu snoozing in historic Entebbe memorial ceremony in Uganda.**
You Must Be Kidding:
Hotel Representative: I see you are coming to our hotel on Thursday.
Jewish Customer: Yes.
Hotel Representative: Now on Thursday, I don’t know if you know, but that's the end of Ramadan.
Jewish Customer: Okay.
Hotel Representative: And the population that will be at the hotel will be mostly from the sector [i.e. Arab – OH].
Jewish Customer: Ah...
Hotel Representative: Israeli citizens, but from the sector.
Jewish Customer: Okay.
Hotel Representative: Now we are giving you the option, if you want to change the date, you may do so...at no charge.
--Conversation between Fattal Hotel Chain representatives and the Jewish customers with reservations this weekend at the Magic Sunrise Hotel in Eilat.**
Front Page:
Haaretz
- (“Sting of the century’ defendant) Mimran tells police: I gave Netanyahu $200,000
- Early release of prisoners won’t be conditioned on expressing regret; Katsav likely to be released
- Combat soldiers will get computerized training to prevent PTSD
- After five-year journey, probe reaches Jupiter
- ‘Bild’ publisher: We smuggled out the Auschwitz sketches through Netanyahu
- Bad for business // Haaretz Editorial
- The situation incites // Zvi Bar’el
Yedioth Ahronoth
- Reprimand from the FBI and a hug from Obama – dramatic day for Hillary Clinton
- The riot and the tears in the trial of the soldier (Elor Azariya)
- Our people on Jupiter – Space pride: 2 Israelis participated in Juno project
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- The shout of the father: “They are framing Elor (Azariya)”
- Hillary Clinton passed another obstacle in the race for the White House
- Panic on the plane (due to false alarm of bomb)
- Why are settlements the appropriate Zionist answer to the wave of terror // Nadav Haetzni
Israel Hayom
- “In Africa, Israel is considered a world power”
- “Extreme negligence,” without a suit – FBI recommends not putting Hillary Clinton on trial in the emails affair
- Father of Elor Azariya: “They are framing my son”
- This is how an attack (against two soldiers) was thwarted at a bus stop near Ariel (West Bank)
News Summary:
The father of the ‘Shooting Soldier from Hebron’ accuses IDF officers and the prosecution of framing his son, a young Palestinian woman is filmed on camera advancing with a knife at soldiers in the West Bank and being shot, Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton is let off the hook and while dismissing reports of a criminal probe, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu makes efforts at headlines from his Africa visit, but gets them mainly for falling asleep. These were the top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.
At the trial of Elor Azariya, the Israeli soldier infamous for shooting in the head and killing an incapacitated Palestinian assailant, his father, Charlie, shouted at the military prosecutor and the controversial Israeli ambulance driver refused to answer questions out of fear of incriminating himself.“…they set him up for a murder case from the beginning,” said the father. “For what? Where's the prime minister?" Yedioth wrote that “The father was shooting in all directions.” The angry judge said: “This is incitement. Next time (this happens) we won’t allow people into the courtroom.”
The Hebrew papers reported that two soldiers thwarted a stabbing attack on them by a Palestinian woman. A look at the video shows seventeen-year-old Jamileh Daoud Hasan Jaber moving toward the two soldiers, who were providing security at a bus stop near the West Bank settlement of Ariel, as they pointed their guns at her and moved backward. At some point, one or both of them shot her in her midriff. Looking at the video, it appears there was enough time and space to aim at her legs, but the media made no comment about that. She was hospitalized in critical condition.
Meanwhile, B'Tselem wrote that an eyewitness report and the video casts doubt on the army's narrative in the killing Friday of a pregnant Palestinian woman, Sara Tarayra or Sara Hajuj inside a military checkpoint in Hebron. B’Tselem denounced what a number of groups have termed a “shoot to kill” policy by Israeli forces, which has led to the "extrajudicial execution" of a number of Palestinians despite circumstances in which they could have been apprehended without the use of lethal force. But this was not reported on in the main Hebrew press.
**Netanyahu dismissed reports of a probe against him for receiving illegal financing from businessmen and accused people of inventing it to ruin his historic visit. But then Haaretz got a copy of the transcript in which Arnaud Mimran, the alleged French fraudster behind Europe’s 'Sting of the Century,' said he gave Netanyahu $200,000 in 2009, contradicting Netanyahu’s claim that the only money he ever received from Mimran was a one-time donation of $40,000 in 2001. Meanwhile, Netanyahu told Africa that is has no better friend than Israel and encouraged Israeli businessmen to do business with African countries. He told a Christian audience in Kenya that unlike Muslim countries in the Middle East, Israel takes care of Christians. But possibly the most popular internet news item from Netanyahu in Africa was the video of him snoozing during the speech of the Ugandan leader during the
historic Entebbe memorial.
Quick Hits:
- Shin Bet: In Gaza, Hamas tunnels run under mosques, homes - Two Gazans, alleged smugglers, who had entry permits into Israel for business purposes, were detained and interrogated by Shin Bet and allegedly spilled the beans on rocket launch sites, underground infrastructure. (Haaretz+, Times of Israel and Ynet)
- Dozens of Academics Beseech Israeli Military to Release Conscientious Objector - Tair Kaminer has already spent 170 days in military person, even though she is willing to do national civilian service instead. (Haaretz+)
- Ben-Gurion University donors halt support after Breaking the Silence award revoked - Middle East Studies Association writes that President Prof. Rivka Carmi’s decision 'represents an unprecedented level of administrative interference in faculty governance.' (Haaretz+)
- Palestinians worry U.S. may modify French peace plan for Israel's sake - Just as it weakened criticism of Israel in a Quartet report issued last week, Washington may try to avert putting any diplomatic pressure that the Paris initiative would entail, a senior Palestinian official tells Haaretz. (Haaretz)
- Uzi Arad: Despite Ministers’ Demand, Cabinet Did Not Discuss Easing Gaza Blockade Before Flotilla Interception - Former national security advisor tells State Control Committee that he boycotted key meeting in protest at ‘substandard’ work procedures that delayed preparations for operation in Iran. (Haaretz+)
- Parents of dead Israeli soldier held by Hamas in letter to Israel Prisons Service: "Prevent Hamas prisoners from watching the Euro semi-finals " - Zahava and Herzl Shaul, parents of Oron, was killed in Operation Protective Edge in 2014, approached IPS Commander Ofra Klinger demanding an end to the myriad of perks of prisoners: "Your decision is completely contrary to the purpose of the committee established to put pressure on Hamas." (Maariv)
- The father of the Bedouin man held by Hamas: We never considered making the return of the boys as part of the agreement with Turkey - Hisham al-Sayyed has been held in Gaza since April 2015, when he crossed the fence for the third time. The previous time Gazans returned him. His father told Army Radio that he tried to contact people with status in Gaza, also to give his son medicine for his schizophrenia, but nothing came of it. The family does not participate in protests with other families whose sons, alive and dead, are held in Gaza “because nothing will come of it…I think we need to ask the Prime Minister to work harder on the issue.” (Maariv)
- Cyprus blocks Israel-Turkey gas pipeline until Ankara mends ties - After a rapprochement is reached with Ankara, Israel hopes to export gas to Turkey across Cypriot waters. But Cyprus, that doesn't have diplomatic ties with Turkey, gives a red light. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Jerusalem Construction Plans Raise Ire of Arabs, Rightists - and Judge - Netanyahu slammed for approving on-again-off-again housing plans for Jews and Arabs in diplomatically sensitive area, and for legal and bureaucratic foot-dragging. (Haaretz+)
- US, UN slam Israeli decision to advance settlement construction - State Department calls plans to build hundreds of housing units in the West Bank and East Jerusalem 'a systematic process of land seizures, settlement expansions and legalizations of outposts that is fundamentally undermining the prospects for a two-state solution.' (Agencies, Ynet)
- Peace Now: Settlement expansion strengthens extremism, endangers Israelis - Settlement watchdog Peace Now slammed the Israeli government’s approval of 800 housing units in the Maaleh Adumim illegal settlement bloc and in occupied East Jerusalem on Monday, saying the decision endangered “both the possibility for peace and two states and the security of Israeli citizens.” (Maan)
- **Separation during vacation? A hotel warned its guests about Eid al Fitr - Fattal Hotel chain called their clients and told them that their reservation this weekend at the Magic Sunrise Hotel in Eilat coincides with the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Fitr, and that many Arabs are expected to stay at the hotel, and offered them to change their reservation to another date. (Maariv)
- Israel's New 'Facebook Bill' Hopes to Force Social Media Giant to Delete Posts - According to new bill, court will be able to order the platform to remove content that deals with terror or poses real danger to the security of the state. (Haaretz+)
- Zionist Union MK seeks to get MKs to boycott Zoabi - MK Eitan Cabel is circulating an initiative to boycott MK Hanin Zoabi whenever she comes to the Knesset lectern to speak following the Arab List MK's speech calling IDF soldiers 'murderers.' (Ynet and Times of Israel)
- MK Zoabi: "Cabel is a smalltime politician; he thinks I am an easy target, but he's wrong" - MK Haneen Zoabi is furious following the intention to boycott her Knesset speeches. "The precedent of the treatment of me in the Knesset highlights the depth of the crisis of the political elites in Israel." (Maariv)
- Israel Sentences Female Israeli Arab to 22-month Jail Term for Supporting ISIS - Judge shows lenience toward remorseful mother of five from Shfaram, who was convicted of leaving country illegally and of contact with a foreign agent. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
- Former Israeli Deputy Police Chief Confesses to Sexual Harassment - Nissim Mor will serve community services after admitting to sending suggestive texts and even forcing himself on a policewoman who had asked for his personal assistance. (Haaretz+)
- IAF chief admits Google stunt 'was a mistake' - Incident where 100 soldiers were made to stand in formation to create Google logo ahead of CEO's visit to Hatzerim Air Base sparked harsh criticism. Air Force procedures on employing corps personnel in unusual activities to be revised, military says. (Israel Hayom)
- Forty Years Later, Idi Amin's Son and Legendary IDF Commander's Daughter Meet in Entebbe - At the memorial ceremony, Netanyahu dispelled suspicions by mentioning (almost) everyone involved in the operation, and not just his brother. (Haaretz+)
- Mainly exports: trade between Israel and Kenya jumped by 40% in a year - The volume of bilateral trade in 2015 increased by tens of percent over the previous year and reached approximately 106 million shekels, thanks to a significant increase in goods exports to Kenya and despite a slight decrease in imports from it. (Maariv)
- Witnesses: Likud lawmaker snorted crystal meth, ordered escorts as casino manager - Harsh evidence against Likud MK Oren Hazan coming to light in libel case against journalist. (Haaretz+)
- Germany to Increase Aid to Holocaust Survivors Through 2018 - Claims Conference negotiates major increase in aid, including the largest one-time bump in homecare funding the organization has ever secured. (JTA, Haaretz)
- UNRWA: 80% of Gazans depend on humanitarian assistance - Vulnerable Palestinian refugees, defined by the agency as those making less that $1.47 a day and without access to meals during Ramadan, were provided coupons that allowed them to access their meals from 20 community-based organizations operating throughout the small enclave. (Maan)
- Some 70% of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Live in Poverty, Data Shows - Syrian refugees in the Middle East are falling into debt after exhausting savings, with shortages of essential aid worsening their plight, UN agencies and local governments say. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Jeremy Corbyn regrets referring to Hamas and Hezbollah as ‘friends’ - Embattled U.K. Labour leader acknowledges his party's anti-Semitic past, apologizes for his support of terrorist groups and condemns former Mayor Ken Livingstone's comment that Hitler supported Zionism. (JTA, Haaretz)
- Labour reinstates British MP suspended for Israel comment - UK's Labour party reinstates Naz Shah as MP following suspension over social media post calling for Israel to be relocated to the U.S. Party spokesman gives no reason for the move: 'We're simply confirming she has been reinstated.' (Israel Hayom)
- Saudi Twins' Killing of Mother in Name of ISIS Sparks Religious Debate - As Islam teaches that devotion to elders is a pathway to heaven, some scholars are asking if the teachings of a controversial 13th century Islamic scholar inspired the murder. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Saudi king vows to fight religious extremists after bombings - One of three bombings in kingdom hit near Prophet's Mosque and tomb in Medina. Saudi crown prince seeks to assure rattled citizens. Imam of the Prophet's Mosque warns young people about being lured by the "malignant" ideology of Islamic State. (Israel Hayom)
- Bombing at Prophet Mohammad's Mosque in Medina Is Attack on Islam, UN Chief Says - Militant attacks on the holy Saudi Arabian city, home to the second-holiest site in Islam, are unprecedented. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Features:
What It Was Like to Be a Teenage Moroccan Immigrant in Israel in the '70s
Daniel Ben Simon's autobiography is best when he's not writing about 'the Moroccans,' but focuses on himself – the immigrant boy in a strange new land. (Yair Assulin, Haaretz+)
'Waiting is the worst part': Families of slain Palestinians withheld by Israel continue their fight
Family members of the seven slain Palestinians and their supporters crowded into an Israeli High Court courtroom, eagerly awaiting a decision on whether the bodies of their loved ones, held by Israel since they were killed by Israeli forces after carrying out or allegedly carrying out attacks on Israelis, would be released to them, after months of appeals to the courts. Justices delayed decision till consulting with a government advisor. (Jaclynn Ashly, Maan)
The ‘Lions of the Jordan’ combat unit fights terror and produces more female commanders than male ones
The battalion defending the eastern border of the State of Israel for almost the whole length, celebrates a year since it was established. Among its first successes were the thwarting of two stabbing attacks. (Noam Amir, Maariv)
Commentary/Analysis:
Daniel Ben Simon's autobiography is best when he's not writing about 'the Moroccans,' but focuses on himself – the immigrant boy in a strange new land. (Yair Assulin, Haaretz+)
'Waiting is the worst part': Families of slain Palestinians withheld by Israel continue their fight
Family members of the seven slain Palestinians and their supporters crowded into an Israeli High Court courtroom, eagerly awaiting a decision on whether the bodies of their loved ones, held by Israel since they were killed by Israeli forces after carrying out or allegedly carrying out attacks on Israelis, would be released to them, after months of appeals to the courts. Justices delayed decision till consulting with a government advisor. (Jaclynn Ashly, Maan)
The ‘Lions of the Jordan’ combat unit fights terror and produces more female commanders than male ones
The battalion defending the eastern border of the State of Israel for almost the whole length, celebrates a year since it was established. Among its first successes were the thwarting of two stabbing attacks. (Noam Amir, Maariv)
Commentary/Analysis:
*Facebook Doesn’t Incite Palestinians, Reality Does (Zvi Bar’el, Haaretz+) Facebook is not an accessory to terror because it allows Palestinians to
vent their anger as an occupied community and even express support for what the attacks represent.
Facebook 'only' helps incitement spread (Lital Shemesh, Israel Hayom) We must understand that the social networks have become the main media outlets of our time.
Conclusions stashed away (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) New procedures for prisoner exchange negotiations have already been recommended by a national commission—five years ago. And yet, Israel seems like it may soon be dragged into another publicly contentious prisoner exchange with Hamas.
The Other Palestinian Fatalities (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) Palestinians fear that frustration, geographic divisions and social schisms are leading to an internal collapse expressed in violent clan feuds.
Political deal will not hamper the Turkish-Palestinian bond (Ramzy Baroud, Maan) Hyped emotions and political opportunism aside, the Israel-Turkey normalization deal, signed on June 27, is unfavorable for Palestinians -- and for Gazans in particular.
Israel: The Best Horrible Place in the World to Live (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) Every day, there are people who move the needle here just a bit in the direction of good, the direction of better. Even if they are vilified for it, or marginalized for it, or endangered because of it.
The new type of terrorist: The loner from the middle class (Smadar Perry, Yedioth/Ynet) Hallel Ariel's murderer's behavior was exactly what experts warned of: From a happy and active teen, he became a threatening loner. 'Everyone has the right to die, and I demand that right to myself,' he wrote on Facebook. But no one saw this, and no one handled it.
Remembering Elie Wiesel Means Recognizing Palestinian Suffering Even if He Never Could (Simone Zimmerman and Jacob Plitman, Haaretz+) We wish we could explain to Wiesel and others who choose to look away that we listened deeply to their stories.
A renewed love affair (Boaz Bismuth, Israel Hayom) The prime minister's unusual visit to Entebbe and the arrival of seven African leaders to welcome him prove that we have friends in Africa -- a lot of them.
Facebook 'only' helps incitement spread (Lital Shemesh, Israel Hayom) We must understand that the social networks have become the main media outlets of our time.
Conclusions stashed away (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) New procedures for prisoner exchange negotiations have already been recommended by a national commission—five years ago. And yet, Israel seems like it may soon be dragged into another publicly contentious prisoner exchange with Hamas.
The Other Palestinian Fatalities (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) Palestinians fear that frustration, geographic divisions and social schisms are leading to an internal collapse expressed in violent clan feuds.
Political deal will not hamper the Turkish-Palestinian bond (Ramzy Baroud, Maan) Hyped emotions and political opportunism aside, the Israel-Turkey normalization deal, signed on June 27, is unfavorable for Palestinians -- and for Gazans in particular.
Israel: The Best Horrible Place in the World to Live (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) Every day, there are people who move the needle here just a bit in the direction of good, the direction of better. Even if they are vilified for it, or marginalized for it, or endangered because of it.
The new type of terrorist: The loner from the middle class (Smadar Perry, Yedioth/Ynet) Hallel Ariel's murderer's behavior was exactly what experts warned of: From a happy and active teen, he became a threatening loner. 'Everyone has the right to die, and I demand that right to myself,' he wrote on Facebook. But no one saw this, and no one handled it.
Remembering Elie Wiesel Means Recognizing Palestinian Suffering Even if He Never Could (Simone Zimmerman and Jacob Plitman, Haaretz+) We wish we could explain to Wiesel and others who choose to look away that we listened deeply to their stories.
A renewed love affair (Boaz Bismuth, Israel Hayom) The prime minister's unusual visit to Entebbe and the arrival of seven African leaders to welcome him prove that we have friends in Africa -- a lot of them.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.