APN's daily news review from Israel
Thursday August 25, 2016
Quote of the day:
"My peak is still ahead of me.”
--Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu tells ultra-Orthodox reporters.*
You Must Be Kidding:
“To bring the wider world, to understand who really owns this city – all this infrastructure is intended for that.”
--Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barekat explained why he was adding a stop for the planned cable car in the midst of an Arab neighborhood.**
"My peak is still ahead of me.”
--Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu tells ultra-Orthodox reporters.*
You Must Be Kidding:
“To bring the wider world, to understand who really owns this city – all this infrastructure is intended for that.”
--Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barekat explained why he was adding a stop for the planned cable car in the midst of an Arab neighborhood.**
Front Page:
Haaretz
- Turkey opened expansive campaign in Syrian territory
- The grounds for the move is ISIS, the real reason is the Kurds // Zvi Bar’el
- (Jerusalem Mayor) Barekat plans a cable car stop in [Palestinian neighborhood of] Silwan, “so they understand who is really the landlord of this city”
- 120 killed and dozens missing in earthquake in central Italy
- Restricting of judges’ discretion made punishments harsher - in opposition to Dorner Commission recommendations
- One killed and two seriously wounded in construction accidents, but the work at the sites continues contrary to the law; inspectors on holiday and incidents not reported
- Burqini prohibition: Police forced woman on beach in Niece to undress
Yedioth Ahronoth
- In the city that turned to dust (Italy)
- “We lack thousands of teachers” – Principals cry out a week before school starts
- What did the Chief of Staff discover when he went to have his son recruited?
- Victory of the body – The members of Israeli delegation to the Paralympics, a moment before they fly to Rio
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- Italian tragedy
- The Turkish invasion
- “I am in favor of moving to a presidential system of government״ – Netanyahu’s words
Israel Hayom
- The towns that were erased (in Italy)
- Turkey entered Syria
- The Turkish interest: prevent Kurdish independence // Boaz Bismuth
- Out of fear of an attack: High security alert declared in the south; checkpoints set up
- Bennett declared reform in English studies – and the teachers declare they lack manpower
- Former prime minister Olmert requested early release
News Summary:
International news dominated the Hebrew papers today as Turkish tanks entered northern Syria to drive out ISIS and stop Kurdish fighters from seizing territory and an earthquake wreaks devastation and death in Italy. Also in the news, the IDF exonerated soldiers and closed 14 probes of alleged crimes, some involving civilian deaths, including three of the deadliest incidents during the 2014 Gaza war.
*And during his round of talks with Israeli media, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told ultra-Orthodox reporters a number of interesting things, Maariv’s Ben Caspit reported, including:
"I wish they'd accept me in Tel Aviv as they accept me in New York and Washington. Obama was against me from the first moment.” “
“Soon I will succeed in dismantling the automatic majority against Israel at the United Nations."
"I do not understand why we need protocols in security cabinet meetings. In Canada there are no protocols. What are they good for? When there is protocol, everyone is talking to the protocol."
“Our coalition system of government is cumbersome. I am in favor of switching to a presidential system.”
"My peak is still ahead of me.”
International news dominated the Hebrew papers today as Turkish tanks entered northern Syria to drive out ISIS and stop Kurdish fighters from seizing territory and an earthquake wreaks devastation and death in Italy. Also in the news, the IDF exonerated soldiers and closed 14 probes of alleged crimes, some involving civilian deaths, including three of the deadliest incidents during the 2014 Gaza war.
*And during his round of talks with Israeli media, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told ultra-Orthodox reporters a number of interesting things, Maariv’s Ben Caspit reported, including:
"I wish they'd accept me in Tel Aviv as they accept me in New York and Washington. Obama was against me from the first moment.” “
“Soon I will succeed in dismantling the automatic majority against Israel at the United Nations."
"I do not understand why we need protocols in security cabinet meetings. In Canada there are no protocols. What are they good for? When there is protocol, everyone is talking to the protocol."
“Our coalition system of government is cumbersome. I am in favor of switching to a presidential system.”
"My peak is still ahead of me.”
Quick Hits:
- Israeli soldier wounded in West Bank stabbing; Palestinian assailant shot dead - Soldier wounded near settlement of Yitzhar while pursuing Palestinian stone-thrower, Sari Abu Ghrab. (Haaretz and Israel Hayom)
- **Jerusalem Mayor: Cable Car Stop in Palestinian Neighborhood Will Clarify 'Who Really Owns This City' - 'Our ties to Jerusalem can never be unraveled,' Nir Barkat says in video about his plan to provide easy access to tourists sites by cable car, noting that the cable car will serve not just economic and tourism needs, but also ideological goals. (Haaretz+)
- Bill Requiring Israeli Flag at Events With State Officials Suffers Setback - Coalition whip David Bitan withdraws support of the bill he cosponsors with other Likud, Yisrael Beiteinu lawmakers. (Haaretz)
- Eisenkot orders induction center renovation - After noticing the dire state of the IDF induction center while accompanying his son who was drafting into the navy, IDF Chief of Staff ordered repairs; 'archaic structure built decades ago and not suitable to our needs today.' (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Pregnant Woman’s Murder Sparks Demonstration to Protest Violence Against (Arab) Women in Northern Israeli Arab Town - Amana Yassin’s ex-husband is the primary suspect in her murder in Tamra. (Haaretz+)
- Former PM Olmert, Jailed for Bribery, Requests Early Release - The hearing to commute one-third of the ex-premier's sentence will be heard on December 25. (Haaretz)
- Hezbollah rocket attack victims lose N.Y. appeal against Lebanese bank - By a 3-0 vote, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said it lacked jurisdiction over the Lebanese bank. Lebanese Canadian Bank (LCB) has been sued by dozens of American, Canadian and Israeli citizens injured by Hezbollah rocket attacks in 2006, or who had family members killed in those attacks. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Arik Ascherman leaves Rabbis for Human Rights to launch new non-profit with similar agenda - ‘Organizational differences’ cited as reason for his departure from organization after 21 years. (Haaretz+)
- Palestinian detainee reaches deal with Israel, ends 70-day hunger strike - Israel has promised not to extend Bilal Kayed's administrative detention beyond the six month term he was given in June, Haaretz learns. (Haaretz+)
- PA security forces kill suspect in jail, causing uproar in Palestinian society - A firefight between Palestinian Authority security officials and a group of militants led to the death of two PA police officers; PA Security forces arrested the man allegedly behind the incident, took him to jail, and beat him to death; the incident caused widespread outrage, and people have taken to the streets in protest. (Ynet)
- WATCH Last Male Nubian Vulture in Israel Saved by Safari Surgeons - Beak makeover at Ramat Gan Safari Park saves giant bird starving to death after it suffered a blow to the mouth. (Haaretz)
- Terror victim's final project becoming a reality - Murdered in a stabbing attack in Beit Horon seven months ago, Shlomit Krigman was an industrial design student whose final project is being moved ahead by her family as a way to memorialize her. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Animal rescue operation complete as ‘world’s worst zoo’ closes in Khan Younis, Gaza - In coordination with the Israeli and Palestinian governments - both Hamas and Fatah, international animal welfare charity Four Paws takes some of Gaza’s worst-kept animals from a private zoo to better homes. (Rich Tenorio, Times of Israel and Agencies, Haaretz)
- Brussels Airlines caves into BDS, set to stop serving Israeli halva - After a Palestinian Solidarity Movement activist noticed Israeli made Ahva brand halva being served on a flight from Israel to Brussels, the activist notified his organization which pressured the airline into boycotting the product. (Ynet)
- Cypriot family pay it forward to Israelis - Israeli tourist whose baby fell ill found themselves at the home of a local Cypriot family in a remote area; as soon as it became clear they were from Israel they received prompt assistance for the baby, fruits and drinks: it turns out an Israeli doctor saved Cypriot family's son’s sight after operating pro bono. (Ynet)
- Israel detects no sign of coral reef damage from Aqaba oil spill - With the leak plugged and the substance that oozed out apparently headed downstream toward Saudi Arabia, underwater life in the Gulf of Eilat seems to have been spared any damage from the Jordanian spill. (Haaretz+)
- In Egypt, IMF Deal Brings Austerity Few Can Afford - Squeezed by economic and political turmoil since the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak, Egyptians are fearful of the latest round of cuts. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Yazidi Women, Raped and Tortured by ISIS, Recover in Germany - The pioneering program in Germany, which has attracted international attention, tries to address a basic problem: Long after the women are rescued, the trauma remains. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Features:
"Militant ideology that came to divide": the building that angers the residents of Jaffa
How did a building meant for preservation in a mixed Arab-Jewish city become a boarding school for yeshiva students and what are the real plans of the yeshiva’s rabbi, Eliyahu Mali, for the mixed population in the future? In 2008 Mali uprooted his family from Bet-El settlement and moved to the mixed Jaffa neighborhood, and set up the “Shirat Moshe” Yeshiva. Residents opposed, but a reconciliation meeting was arranged after which the sides said they had come to an understanding. Mali won’t give interviews to the media but in 2010 he gave an interview to the right-wing ultra-Orthodox “Meir Channel,” which laid out his teachings regarding the Arab population of the city. "We are in contact with Yad L'Achim", and told about his war against the reality of mixed Jewish-Arab couples in Jaffa. He complained that “Jaffa has become empty of Judaism. But from the point of view of the residents of the street, Jews and Arabs, it’s enough to make a fierce opposition to his presence and that of his disciples on their street. "It is important to understand, this is not a matter of political bias," says Eitan Shmueli, a resident of the street. "I have no problem with my neighbor supporting the Kach Party [outlawed as terror organization – OH]. But these (students) came to change the character of the neighborhood, the good neighborly relations we have between Jews and Arabs here, they came to Judaize it.” Before arriving in Jaffa, Rabbi Mali taught for years at Yeshiva Ateret Cohanim in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem, alongside figures such as Rabbi Shlomo Aviner. His brother, Yehuda Mali, is one of the leaders of the [far] right-wing Elad organization, one of the central organizations whose purpose is to create a Jewish foothold in East Jerusalem. "These are settlers who decided out of ideology to transfer their settlement policy from the occupied territories into the Green Line, and especially to the mixed [Jewish-Arab] cities," says Amir Badran, a member of the board of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality. "Through their racist ideology they are people who segregate themselves. They do not want to be part of the local population. So in East Jerusalem are provoking the local population in East Jerusalem, buying houses in a very questionable manner and living in them. These are people who come to defy the population. They try to do it in a marketing manner, very softly, very pleasantly. But it's not only that they don’t want the Arab population, they also do not want the secular Jewish population. This is the worst kind.” In the middle of the night on April 7th, an ambulance stopped in front of another home on the street that had been sold and walled off for four years, ostensibly for preservation. Numerous people connected to the yeshiva quietly the building and turned it into a public space. The residents of the street are now trying to find out why the municipality allowed the rezoning of the building from private to public, giving them the ability to takeover the building. The municipality said it was looking into the complaints. Meanwhile, said neighbor Yousef Asfour, wearing a shirt with a logo of Amnesty Israel, "They do not see me as partner, rather as something that is one level below them. So legally I can not tell them to leave.' But the law is perforated like Swiss cheese." (Oz Rosenberg, Maariv)
At Polish Book Festival, a Tale of Love and Israel
At Sopot, aficionados describe why they eat up translations from the Hebrew, especially writers like Etgar Keret, who don’t push the Holocaust, the Palestinian conflict or kibbutzim. (Avner Shapira, Haaretz+)
The Personal Confusion Behind the Zionist Dream
A new staging of Yehoshua Sobol's iconic play, 'The Night of the Twentieth,' highlights sex and settlement. (Michael Handelzalts, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
The Burkini Ban Is a Gift to ISIS. Images Like These Prove It (Allison Kaplan Sommer, Haaretz+) The enforcement of this law is not just insensitive and immoral, it feeds the hate that drives some into the open arms of ISIS recruiters.
All of a sudden, Abbas wants democracy (Ronni Shaked, Yedioth/Ynet) Mahmoud Abbas is insisting on holding democratic municipal elections in October, despite the devastation this move is set to cause if forecasts prove accurate and Hamas wins decisively; if and when Hamas wins, Abbas may not only lose control of the West Bank, but also the Palestinians' allies around the Western and Arab worlds.
Only sobering UP: French, Egyptian and Russian summits will not help here (Ephraim Ganor, Maariv) On the 87th anniversary of the Arab riots, it is sad to discover that the hatred remains. Lieberman’s carrots and sticks won’t change anything. Only a mutual desire to open a new page.
Cracking the Enigma That Is Benjamin Netanyahu (Ofra Rodner, Haaretz+) His tragic complexity as a dramatic hero fires the imagination, adding mythic motifs and depth to the character.
Stop With the Nonsense That Palestinians Are a Minority in Israel (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) You can’t argue that the Palestinians aren’t an integral part of greater Israel; occupied and dispossessed, but integral.
Between a burkini and the storm over the (lack of care for) elderly: Israel and the world are facing a problem of self-determination (Shmuel Rosner, Maariv) At the basis for the ban against bathing in a burkini in France lies an important question that every country deals with, and Israel in particular: what is our culture, and how far we go in order to preserve it?
Confession of a Democratic Zionist (Ari Shavit, Haaretz+) On June 11, 2009, I published a piece here in which I suggested a formula: A demilitarized Palestinian state alongside the Jewish State of Israel. Three days later it was the thrust of Netanyahu’s Bar-Ilan speech.
The so-called crisis over military aid (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom) Yedioth's columnist said Netanyahu's stance on the Iran deal cost us dearly. Why hasn't he said the same on the Oslo Accords?
Those Undermining the Jewish State (Shaul Arieli, Haaretz+) Proponents of religious-messianic nationalism, key partners in the Israeli government, are making a dangerous mistake by trying to base Israel’s claim to all of Mandatory Palestine on a divine promise made in the Bible.
How did a building meant for preservation in a mixed Arab-Jewish city become a boarding school for yeshiva students and what are the real plans of the yeshiva’s rabbi, Eliyahu Mali, for the mixed population in the future? In 2008 Mali uprooted his family from Bet-El settlement and moved to the mixed Jaffa neighborhood, and set up the “Shirat Moshe” Yeshiva. Residents opposed, but a reconciliation meeting was arranged after which the sides said they had come to an understanding. Mali won’t give interviews to the media but in 2010 he gave an interview to the right-wing ultra-Orthodox “Meir Channel,” which laid out his teachings regarding the Arab population of the city. "We are in contact with Yad L'Achim", and told about his war against the reality of mixed Jewish-Arab couples in Jaffa. He complained that “Jaffa has become empty of Judaism. But from the point of view of the residents of the street, Jews and Arabs, it’s enough to make a fierce opposition to his presence and that of his disciples on their street. "It is important to understand, this is not a matter of political bias," says Eitan Shmueli, a resident of the street. "I have no problem with my neighbor supporting the Kach Party [outlawed as terror organization – OH]. But these (students) came to change the character of the neighborhood, the good neighborly relations we have between Jews and Arabs here, they came to Judaize it.” Before arriving in Jaffa, Rabbi Mali taught for years at Yeshiva Ateret Cohanim in the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem, alongside figures such as Rabbi Shlomo Aviner. His brother, Yehuda Mali, is one of the leaders of the [far] right-wing Elad organization, one of the central organizations whose purpose is to create a Jewish foothold in East Jerusalem. "These are settlers who decided out of ideology to transfer their settlement policy from the occupied territories into the Green Line, and especially to the mixed [Jewish-Arab] cities," says Amir Badran, a member of the board of the Tel Aviv-Jaffa municipality. "Through their racist ideology they are people who segregate themselves. They do not want to be part of the local population. So in East Jerusalem are provoking the local population in East Jerusalem, buying houses in a very questionable manner and living in them. These are people who come to defy the population. They try to do it in a marketing manner, very softly, very pleasantly. But it's not only that they don’t want the Arab population, they also do not want the secular Jewish population. This is the worst kind.” In the middle of the night on April 7th, an ambulance stopped in front of another home on the street that had been sold and walled off for four years, ostensibly for preservation. Numerous people connected to the yeshiva quietly the building and turned it into a public space. The residents of the street are now trying to find out why the municipality allowed the rezoning of the building from private to public, giving them the ability to takeover the building. The municipality said it was looking into the complaints. Meanwhile, said neighbor Yousef Asfour, wearing a shirt with a logo of Amnesty Israel, "They do not see me as partner, rather as something that is one level below them. So legally I can not tell them to leave.' But the law is perforated like Swiss cheese." (Oz Rosenberg, Maariv)
At Polish Book Festival, a Tale of Love and Israel
At Sopot, aficionados describe why they eat up translations from the Hebrew, especially writers like Etgar Keret, who don’t push the Holocaust, the Palestinian conflict or kibbutzim. (Avner Shapira, Haaretz+)
The Personal Confusion Behind the Zionist Dream
A new staging of Yehoshua Sobol's iconic play, 'The Night of the Twentieth,' highlights sex and settlement. (Michael Handelzalts, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
The Burkini Ban Is a Gift to ISIS. Images Like These Prove It (Allison Kaplan Sommer, Haaretz+) The enforcement of this law is not just insensitive and immoral, it feeds the hate that drives some into the open arms of ISIS recruiters.
All of a sudden, Abbas wants democracy (Ronni Shaked, Yedioth/Ynet) Mahmoud Abbas is insisting on holding democratic municipal elections in October, despite the devastation this move is set to cause if forecasts prove accurate and Hamas wins decisively; if and when Hamas wins, Abbas may not only lose control of the West Bank, but also the Palestinians' allies around the Western and Arab worlds.
Only sobering UP: French, Egyptian and Russian summits will not help here (Ephraim Ganor, Maariv) On the 87th anniversary of the Arab riots, it is sad to discover that the hatred remains. Lieberman’s carrots and sticks won’t change anything. Only a mutual desire to open a new page.
Cracking the Enigma That Is Benjamin Netanyahu (Ofra Rodner, Haaretz+) His tragic complexity as a dramatic hero fires the imagination, adding mythic motifs and depth to the character.
Stop With the Nonsense That Palestinians Are a Minority in Israel (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) You can’t argue that the Palestinians aren’t an integral part of greater Israel; occupied and dispossessed, but integral.
Between a burkini and the storm over the (lack of care for) elderly: Israel and the world are facing a problem of self-determination (Shmuel Rosner, Maariv) At the basis for the ban against bathing in a burkini in France lies an important question that every country deals with, and Israel in particular: what is our culture, and how far we go in order to preserve it?
Confession of a Democratic Zionist (Ari Shavit, Haaretz+) On June 11, 2009, I published a piece here in which I suggested a formula: A demilitarized Palestinian state alongside the Jewish State of Israel. Three days later it was the thrust of Netanyahu’s Bar-Ilan speech.
The so-called crisis over military aid (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom) Yedioth's columnist said Netanyahu's stance on the Iran deal cost us dearly. Why hasn't he said the same on the Oslo Accords?
Those Undermining the Jewish State (Shaul Arieli, Haaretz+) Proponents of religious-messianic nationalism, key partners in the Israeli government, are making a dangerous mistake by trying to base Israel’s claim to all of Mandatory Palestine on a divine promise made in the Bible.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.