APN's daily news review from Israel

Tuesday July 19, 2016
 

Quote of the day #1:

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Front Page:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

News Summary:
**The papers noted that it took Israeli government ministers a week to slam Rabbi Yigal Levenstein, the head rabbi of a religious military academy, for his homophobic statements. Opposition leader Isaac Herzog said Israel was witnessing “an intifada of dark, internal hatred,” and that it was being carried out with the full support and cover of those in the government.” (Also NRG Hebrew) In the midst of this feud between Levenstein and the IDF, Levenstein’s religious pre-military academy has banned a top IDF commander from coming to speak with students. The deep division between the army and some religious Zionist leaders on the subject of homosexuals, treatment of enemy non-combatants and combatants and on women’s issues has become public. On Thursday, Jerusalem holds its Gay Pride Parade and the IDF has permitted soldiers to participate (and in other non-political demonstrations) as long as they are not in uniform and don’t identify as soldiers.
 
Meanwhile, Israel Police are probing whether foreign donations were transferred to Netanyahu’s wife and son. Netanyahu’s former fundraiser and chief of staff was summoned for another 10 hours of questioning and his house arrest was extended. Netanyahu said the whole affair was 'nothing but hot air.' Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit said details of the investigation will be released at the proper time, but that it is dangerous to release them too soon. Mendelblitt also spoke publicly about it for the first time at a Knesset committee, saying that he is in an uncomfortable situation. "I work with the Prime Minister while there is an investigation. It is not easy for me and it is not easy for him." (Maariv)
 

Quick Hits:

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Features:
Krav Maga, pointed shooting and first aid: The IDF is building an improved combat doctrine
The wave of terror that has hit the country has caused the army improve combat soldiers’ training in the areas of self-defense, pointed shooting and providing first aid in the field to people wounded from stabbings. (Noam Amir, Maariv)
Teacher’s In: Palestinian Kids Giving Jews Impromptu Arabic Lessons in Jerusalem Streets
Palestinian children often come to West Jerusalem to do odd jobs. Now, one group of kids has decided to ‘make peace with the Jews’ by teaching them Arabic on the street. (Eetta Prince-Gibson, Haaretz+)
50 years of Israeli occupation, told through the eyes of an author
Irish author Colm Toibin toured the West Bank last week to collect material for his contribution to an a 2017 anthology. (Karin Laub, AP, Haaretz) 
 
Commentary/Analysis:
Rabbi's Outburst Highlights 'Culture War' Embroiling Far-right Clergy and Army's Top Brass (Yair Ettinger, Haaretz+) Rabbi Yig'al Levinstein's volatile remarks show an escalating struggle for influence between settler rabbis and the IDF's more liberal generals. 
Security problems: The wars between the military rabbinate and the military education corps are a recipe for an explosion (Dr. Revital Amiran, Maariv) Like the Turkish army, the IDF also is in a tense relationship with the political leadership. Even there is no tradition of coups in Israel, the army’s national character is in danger of a dangerous erosion.
Rabbis Who Strive to Shape the Military's Image (Haaretz Editorial) It is not enough to condemn the statements of heads of pre-military academies and hesder yeshivas who are undercutting the military. Israel must limit their unofficial power by law. 
The Gilad Shalit Syndrome (Raviv Drucker, Haaretz+) It is not wise or fair to pressure PM Netanyahu to toughen his policy on Gaza in the name of securing the release of two IDF soldiers' missing bodies.
*Lessons from Turkey - Who is threatening democracy in Israel (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth) Two groups in Israel are challenging the democratic rules of the games, each one in its own way. The first is the government - the government that wants naturally more power. It is frustrated by the checks and balances that the system places before it. This phenomenon has gotten much worse during Netanyahu's fourth term. The other group challenging the democracy is radical religious Zionism. Against these two groups we must battle. Otherwise, we will become, sooner or later, a democracy - Turkish style.
How France Can Defend Itself Against Radical Islam and Right-wing Populism (Carlo Strenger, Haaretz+) If right-wing, racist and xenophobic populists come to power, this means that radical Islamist terrorism has achieved its goal and won. 
Europe's losing battle (Prof. Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) The attack in Nice could have been prevented if only Europe had come to terms with the reality that it is currently at war and must act accordingly.
The Dangerous Link Between Donald Trump and Miri Regev (Carlo Strenger, Haaretz+) In their wanton destruction of cultural standards they are turning public discourse into mudslinging and destroying the basis of liberal democracy. 
A Few Lessons About Mizrahi Poets Won't Solve Anything (Yitzhak Laor, Haaretz+) The proposal to teach Mizrahi culture in Israel's schools won't fix the bigger problem of how Jews of Middle Eastern origin have been pushed to the margins of Israeli society. 
After Failed Coup, Turkey Faces Foreign Policy Challenges (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) In recent days, Erdogan clashed with Egypt's Sissi, won the backing of Iran and outraged the European Union and the United States. Still, Turkey’s foreign policy will be determined by economics. 

 

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