News Nosh 10.09.16

by APN 10/09/16
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APN's daily news review from Israel
Sunday October 9, 2016  
 
You Must Be Kidding: 
Israeli ambassador resorts to Facebook to find a translator after Shabbat to translate a public relations article in the French press related to the expected vote just at UNESCO regarding Jerusalem and the holy places.**

Breaking News:
An Israeli policeman and a civilian were killed when a Palestinian from E. Jerusalem, who was set to begin a sentence for assaulting a police officer, shot them in a drive-by shooting and wounded eight others in front of the Police Central Headquarters in Jerusalem. (Haaretz, Maan and Israel Hayom)

Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
  • The hot video – The Trump storm [Cartoon of Trump trying to forcibly kiss the Statue of Liberty]
  • Hollywood is against him: De Niro and Schwartznegger attacked Trump
  • Bennett: “Pardon for Elor Azariya”
  • Tax to enter rental agreements
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
  • Trump’s collapse
  • The king is naked // Ben Caspit
  • Superpower battle: Russia increasing its military presence in Syria
  • The enemy of my enemy // Gen. (res.) Eliezer Merom
  • Killer Matthew (hurricane)
  • Bennett: Pardon (the ‘Shooting Soldier from Hebron,' Elor) Azariya
  • The bank supervisor rejected request to prevent real estate investors from getting mortgages: “Our job is to preserve stability, and only afterward to support competition”
Israel Hayom
  • Trump apologized, the US is in a storm – On a videotape from 2005: The candidate insulted women; Declares: I won’t quit the race
  • Hurricane Trump: The vulgar words and the critics hypocrisy // Boaz Bismuth
  • Bloody Hurricane Matthew
  • “Most of the political factions are in favor of tax on the third apartment”
  • Likely: Guns and Roses band to return to Israel
  • Thousands at the Wailing Wall ahead of Yom Kippur; Tomorrow: main slichot
  • Despite the (people’s) rejection of reconciliation with the rebels: Nobel Prize for President of Colombia

News Summary:
Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump’s vulgar and offensive remarks about sexually assaulting women and Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett’s statement calling for a pardon for the soldier Elor Azariya, if he is convicted of manslaughter were top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu tried to quell US concerns about plans to build another settlement for relocating Amona settlers.
 
Opposition leader MK Isaac Herzog said Bennett was leading Israel to the 'brink of civil war' with his recent statements. Before Bennett called for pardoning Elor Azariya, who shot in the head and killed an already wounded and incapacitated Palestinian assailant, Bennett said that Wwe must give our lives” for the cause of annexing the West Bank to Israel. Bennett later clarified that he meant “make a great effort,” but the newspapers were not convinced. 
 
Things are not looking good for Israel’s settlement policy. In a phone call, Netanyahu tried to convince Kerry that the Israeli approval to build 98 housing units for the 40 families of Amona outpost [which is slated for demolition due to being built on privately-owned Palestinian land) at a location a distance from Shvut Rachel settlement was actually a new neighborhood of Shvut Rachel and not a new settlement and it would only be built if no other plan was found for them [as if they couldn't simply move to Israel and try to buy a house like everyone else? – OH]. The call came after unusually harsh US criticism for the plan. The European Union Friday also strongly condemned Israel’s settlement construction plans. And the UN Security Council is planning on holding a special meeting on Israeli settlements, which Israeli officials will be especially critical and could lead to an anti-settlement UNSC resolution. Even the New York Times accused Israel of deliberately avoiding peace and called on US President Barack Obama to push for a UN Security Council resolution on Israel in its Editorial. (Also Maariv.) What's more, Haaretz+ reported that a WikiLeaks revealed emails that show that Jerusalem is concerned that a Clinton presidency will be a focus on the peace process.
 
Quick Hits:
  • Israeli, Turkish Ministers to Meet for First Time Since 2010 Flotilla Crisis - The meeting between the two countries' energy ministers in Istanbul was confirmed in recent days. Meanwhile, Israel and Turkey make progress toward appointing new ambassadors. (Haaretz+) 
  • Turkey reportedly selects new ambassador to Israel - According to reports in the Turkish media, the new ambassador to Israel will be President Erdoğan's close advisor, Kemal Okem. (Yedioth/Ynet) 
  • U.K. suspends aid to Palestinians over concern it reaches terrorists - British government freezes transfer of 25 million pounds to the PA following complaints that money ends up with assailants who carried out attacks against Israel. Coducting probe. (Haaretz+) 
  • The government is expected to decide on the melting of the Settlement Division Activity - Two years after government funding of the division of the World Zionist Organization was stopped at the recommendation of the Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber due to its political bias, the funding was now expected to resume by the World Zionist Organization. (Maariv) 
  • With help from Israeli justice minister, road cleared for settler group to expand East Jerusalem enclave - Elad, which settles Jews in Silwan, asked Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked's help in reversing the state's decision on a planned tourist center, and she delivered. (Haaretz+) 
  • Israeli farms illegally cultivating hundreds of acres of Palestinian land across border - Moshavim around Latrun working some 370 acres of West Bank land that was handed to them by government authority in the 1980s; Palestinians torn on whether to fight in Israeli High Court of Justice. (Haaretz+) 
  • Israel deports detainees from women's Gaza flotilla - The 13 women, including a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, were detained on Wednesday after their boat was prevented from reaching the Gaza Strip. (Haaretz) 
  • Navigational error: Two (IDF) soldiers entered a Palestinian village and were rescued - An IDF force was rescued unharmed Thursday evening after accidentally entering the area of the village of Dura, south of Mount Hebron. They reported their whereabouts and were removed the place. The IDF is investigating the circumstances of the case. (Maariv)
  • **Israeli ambassador resorts to Facebook to find a translator - With Shabbat quickly approaching, Ambassador Carmel Shama-Hacohen says the request yielded several translations and he should not be faulted for thinking 'out of the box.' (Haaretz+) 
  • Palmach protest continues: Poet Haim Goury threatened - "I will begin a hunger strike" - Veterans of the Palmach pre-state para military organization are battling a decision to commemorate Rehavam Ze'evi at Palmach’s Harel Brigade Memorial site at Shaar Hagai. "Although Gandhi was a soldier in the organization, he fought in other parts of the country." (Maariv and Yedioth, p. 16)
  • Dozens of Israeli Mizrahi girls refused by Ashkenazi schools stuck at home - School principals skip Knesset Education Committee meeting, argue that state cannot compel them to accept students of Middle Eastern descent. (Haaretz+) 
  • Minister of Public Security and Joint List head face off over visiting convicted terrorist - A public back-and-forth took place on Friday, as Minister of Public Security, Strategic Affairs and Minister of Information Gilad Erdan called Joint List Head Ayman Odeh 'a supporter of terrorism' for visiting Marwan Barghouti, who was convicted as masterminding attacks that caused hundreds of Israeli casualties; In response, Odeh says that it was Erdan's office that approved the meeting, describing Erdan's comments as 'incitement-filled.' (Ynet, Israel Hayom and Maariv)
  • Ex-IDF officer says Peres inflated role in Entebbe rescue - Amiram Levin, who attended cabinet meeting ahead of famed 1976 raid, calls late statesman ‘a crook’ who played no real part in operation. (Times of Israel)
  • Retired general falsely claims Peres never met Yoni Netanyahu - Amiram Levin comes under fire for saying that the late Shimon Peres fabricated claim that as defense minister in 1976, he met with commander Yoni Netanyahu, who was killed leading the Entebbe rescue mission. But book on raid proves the pair did meet. (Israel Hayom)
  • Israeli police raid Arab news agency over alleged Islamists ties - Shin Bet shutters local agencies they say support the Islamic Movement in Israel, the northern branch of which was outlawed in 2015. (Haaretz) 
  • Watch: Fighting on Uman-bound flight, shenanigans at Kiev airport - Passengers fight on a flight from Israel to the town where Rabbi Nachman of Breslov is buried; while passengers claim alcohol is to blame, crew members express concern that this incident might repeat itself. (Ynet+VIDEO) 
  • Israel Police sent 15 officers to Uman to help with unruly Israelis - Each year, at the request of Ukrainian forces, Israel sends a task force to help in enforcing order amongst the tens of thousands of Israelis who make a pilgrimage to the burial site of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. The Israeli police joined local police to handle dozens of incidents that included drug use, violence and even impersonating an Israel Police officer. (Ynet+VIDEO) 
  • Large dip in number of French immigrants to Israel - Despite fears of terrorism and anti-Semitism in the country, a 42% drop in French Jewish people making aliyah has occurred this year; one major factor seems to be worries regarding the potential olim's financial prospects in Israel. (Ynet) 
  • Group of 64 Ethiopian Falashmura due to arrive in Israel on Sunday - The government has committed to bringing 1,300 of the 9,000 Falashmura in Ethiopia to Israel within a year. (Haaretz+) 
  • Israeli wines gain international recognition - Editors from the US magazine Wine Spectator visited Israel to take a taste of wines produced in the holy land, and were surprised by what they found - a thriving wine industry producing high quality wine; 23 Israeli wines were rated exceptional, including two which use the same variety of grapes used in biblical wine presses. (Ynet) 
  • FIFA head vows to
 fix crisis over Israeli settler teams - Palestinians are demanding soccer teams suspended, since FIFA statutes prohibit member states from establishing teams in an occupied area; 'We try to put politics aside and talk football,' says Gianni Infantino. (Haaretz+) 
  • Israeli forces injure two with live fire in Gaza clashes - Also, Defense for Children International - Palestine (DCIP) released a report Tuesday revealing that the 15-year-old boy, Abd al-Rahman al-Dabbagh, did not pose a threat to soldiers when they shot him on Sept. 9 during clashes near the border fence that had been raging for hours. (Maan) 
  • Palestinian president leaves hospital after health scare - After suffering chest pains, Mahmoud Abbas was briefly hospitalized but was given a clean bill of health. The scare raises concerns about the aging leader's lack of a successor. (Agencies, Ynet) 
  • Far-right Swedish lawmaker slammed for decrying 'Jewish control of media' - Naming a media group with Jewish roots, Anna Hagwall says 'no family or ethnic group should be allowed to control more than 5 percent of the media.' (JTA, Haaretz) 
  • Canadian University Suspends Professor for Promoting anti-Semitic Conspiracy Theories - Anthony Hall co-hosts a YouTube show promoting theories that Jews and Zionists are behind 'false flag' terror events, beginning with the 9/11 attacks in 2001. (JTA, Haaretz) 
  • HBO show to tell story of 2014 kidnapping and murder of Israeli teens - The American cable TV company and Israeli company Keshet are producing a series that will tell the tale of Eyal Yifrach, Gil-Ad Shaer and Naftali Frenkel's kidnapping and killing in summer 2014 through the eyes of a Shin Bet investigator. (Yedioth/Ynet) 
  • U.S. Formally Accuses Russia of Using Cyberattacks to Subvert Elections - The Department of Homeland Security and the NSA say they are 'confident' that Russia directed cyberattacks against Democratic Party; Kremlin dismisses accusations as 'nonsense.' (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Russia Vetoes UN Resolution Demanding Immediate Halt to Aleppo Bombing - France warns the continued bombing of the Syrian city is killing civilians and destroying hospitals and schools — 'and has nothing to do with combating terrorism.' (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Tracking Data Shows Russia Building Up Forces in Syria - Moscow doubled supply runs by air and sea compared to the period preceding the collapsed truce, data analysis shows, in biggest military deployment to Syria since March. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Russian Attacks on Aleppo Beg for War Crimes Probe, John Kerry Says - 'Russia and the [Syrian] regime owe the world more than an explanation about why they keep hitting hospitals and children and women,' U.S. Secretary of State says. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Over 140 Killed, 500 Wounded in Airstrike on Funeral in Yemen, UN Says - White House says it may consider cutting support to Saudi-led military campaign, which denies any role in the bombing. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Iran Nuclear Deal Still Fragile, UN Atomic Chief Says - 'Small technical mistakes, small failures in implementation can become big political issues that could have a large negative influence on the agreement,' says IAEA head. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • UN body tells Saudi Arabia to end child executions - A UN human rights group calls on Saudi Arabia to implement the rights of children in the kingdom and calls on the monarchy to end amputations and executions of children; Saudi Human Rights Commission Chairman: Sharia law considered above all other laws, including Convention on the Rights of the Child. (Agencies, Haaretz)

Features:
Who will be Abbas's successor?
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas underwent heart surgery on Thursday, raising fears over the fact that there is no clear successor to head the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority; among the potential hopefuls are people who have been charged with terrorism against Israelis and people who have embezzled tax revenue from the Palestinian people. (Eitan Goldstein, Agencies) 
A night with Golani, a few hundred meters from Hezbollah
Mount Dov, termed "Hezbollah's playground," is full of IDF soldiers at night who are ready to ambush potential attackers from Lebanon. The 13th Battalion's commander warns that the Third Lebanon War is likely to start from there. (Yoav Zitun, Yedioth/Ynet)
 
Commentary/Analysis:
It’s not the flotilla, it’s Gaza (Ariella Ringel Hoffman, Yedioth/Ynet) The women’s boat to Gaza is another unpleasant and inconvenient reminder that we cannot keep talking about tunnels and rockets as if that’s the entire deal while starving a population and preventing a way out of the Strip. 
Israel’s Naftali Bennett Is Calling for a Jihad (Haaretz Editorial) The dispute over the illegal outpost Amona shows how the hard-liner plans to lead the right wing against the government.
Gaza’s radicals want Israel to topple Hamas (Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynet) The Salafi organization that fired a rocket at Sderot on Wednesday is trying to get Israel to bring down Hamas’s rule so that it can take its place. In response, the IDF is targeting Hamas’s offensive infrastructure to increase its motivation to act against the rebel organization.
The game with Hamas has changed (Yoav Zitun, Ynet) Hamas high value targets were hit following the rocket attack on the southern Israeli town of Sderot on Wednesday; hit with heavy, precision munitions, these attacks represent a change in IDF policy—immediately hit Hamas hard and fast after any rocket attack.  
Israelis, Don’t Tell Us Palestinians to Mourn Shimon Peres (Carol Daniel Kasbari, Haaretz+) Palestinians in Israel and the West Bank refuse to be bullied into grieving for a figure Israeli Jews call a 'man of peace'. Did they eulogize our national heroes? 
Arab MKs breaking the rules of the game (Aviad Kleinberg, Yedioth/YNet) Participating in Shimon Peres’s funeral is not a show of support for the private person, but for his official position; it is no different from Knesset members pledging allegiance to the State of Israel and its laws. 
Israeli Jews' Debt to Peres (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) When suitable, we granted the Palestinians freedom of movement. When it empowered them too much, we revoked it. At most of these junctures, Peres was there. 
Russian Missile Deployment in Syria Facilitates Hezbollah's Smuggling of Advanced Weapons (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) The bolstering of Moscow's bases and air defense systems in Syria complicates the situation for the U.S. - and Israel as well. 
The Mossad needs a tailor (Itamar Eichner, Yedioth/Ynet) The Israeli Mossad has put out a request for an experienced master tailor to come work for the secretive spy agency; this is not the first time the Mossad has required people with technical skills, as they have put out calls for carpenters and auto body mechanics in the past.
With No State in Sight, Palestinians Adapt to Limited Self-rule (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) Gaza is busy with the first death penalty imposed on a woman. Over in the West Bank, the people increasingly believe the PA is a permanent institution despite all the predictions otherwise. 
Another night of gunfire in Umm al-Fahm (Hassan Shaalan, Ynet) When will residents of Israel's Arab towns be able to stop worrying about extreme violence in their neighborhoods? Friday saw another evening in which ceaseless gunshots could be heard. 
Colombia’s Omen for Israel: When the People Don’t Give Peace a Chance (Dahlia Scheindlin, Haaretz+) A fraction of a percentage point in a referendum struck down the historic government-FARC peace deal. Israel’s pro-peace deal left must learn the lessons of a cautionary tale from Colombia. 
We will win, together (Anne Hidalgo and Ron Huldai, Yedioth/Ynet) Tel Aviv and Paris mayors write in joint Op-ed that those who thought being mayor only means taking care of education, culture, and infrastructure are now being awakened to reality; Extremism and bigotry are forcing mayors of the world to work together to make their cities democratic fortresses. 
In Israel, the Little Prince Is Mizrahi, but Not Winnie-the-Pooh (Ariana Melamed, Haaretz+) What determines a book's 'Mizrahi'-ness? Distorted, racist identity politics which have nothing to do with literature, logic or intellectual integrity. 
Why I'm Terrified of Yom Kippur (Sayed Kashua, Haaretz+) My association with the Jewish Day of Atonement is distress, destruction and death; so why do I yearn to be back in Jerusalem right now? 
Leaving Famed Liberalism Behind, Jews Around the World Drift to the Right (Ofri Ilany, Haaretz+) As Jews have increasingly peopled the upper classes of Western society in recent decades, their movement toward political conservatism has been growing. 
Israel’s New Hasbara Video Channels SNL, but Offends Like South Park (Allison Kaplan Sommer, Haaretz+) The video’s liberties with history are shockingly revisionist, insulting and even racist, portraying non-Jews as primitive barbarians perpetrating serial home invasions on their hapless Jewish victims.
 
Interviews:
"The festival over Peres makes me laugh": Uri Avnery talks about his relationship with the ninth president
The former MK and journalist donated all his books to the National Library, and explained why he did not go to Peres’ funeral: "We were not the greatest friends. There is no connection between the man that was eulogized and who he really was.” (Interviewed by Liora Goldenberg-Stern, Maariv)

LGS: If you passed him by would you say hello?
UA: “We said hello. We often saw each other at all kinds of places, parties or political events. We were not enemies waving fists at each other. But we belong to two completely opposite political groups. He was a lifelong hawk, sometimes a hawk disguised as a pigeon. And I was the opposite."
What do you say about the festival that accompanied the death?
"It makes me laugh."
Why?
"There is no connection between the man who was eulogized and the man he was. Two totally different people."
You want to be specify why?
"He was a cynical guy who lived in disguise, and I am not."
If you were to report on Peres’ funeral in ‘This World’ [Avnery’s former weekly newspaper – OH] how would you cover it?
"I wrote a very long article on the Internet, you can see it there."
Will such leading people also come to your funeral? (Will there be) a festival like this one was?
"No, absolutely not. Most of my life I was completely hated. Some will come. There will be no funeral, because they will cremate me, and my ashes will be thrown wherever they will be thrown.”
 
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.

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