APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday December 13, 2016
Quote of the day:
“Money goes to Jewish education in Honolulu and to Amona (outpost). The method doesn’t
work.”
--MK Eli Alaluf, chairman of the Knesset Labor and Social Welfare Committee, blamed the government for the poverty of one-third of the population and said he won’t run again for elections.*
--MK Eli Alaluf, chairman of the Knesset Labor and Social Welfare Committee, blamed the government for the poverty of one-third of the population and said he won’t run again for elections.*
Front Page:
Haaretz
- State Prosecutor: In the army there is a pattern of contaminating evidence in areas where terrorists were shot
- Anti-Drug Authority changed its position regarding cannabis
- F-35s are necessary, but the celebration was embarrassing // Amos Harel
- Nature and Park Authority: We will consider adding protection to dangerous paths
- Achievement for Assad: Syrian Army conquered Aleppo
- Putin opposers: His people are planting pedophilic materials on our computers
- Schools will be required to return the unused payments to parents at end of year
- Another (parliamentary) aide was sent home from Knesset due to “short dress”
- The (Bezalel) poster (of Netanyahu hanging from noose) storm
- Establishment of the Israel Public Broadcasting Authority will be postponed; Cost to public: 160 million shekels
Yedioth Ahronoth
- Father and son, in one grave
- ‘Adir’ (‘Amazing’ - F-35) selfie
- Sexual harassment in the philharmonic
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- The ‘Adir’ sortie
- The poster and the storm: Wall-to-wall condemnations over the photo of Netanyahu with a noose
- Sad end (to father and son who died), new hope (for children who received son’s organs)
Israel Hayom
- ‘Adir’ (Amazing) power – After a 6-hour delay…the F-35 landed in Israel
- “Trump is determined to transfer the embassy to Jerusalem”
- “Omri and Ilai were heroes”
- Wall-to-wall condemnations over Bezalel exhibit: “Shameful incitement”
- Poisoned fruit of unprecedented incitement // Dror Eydar
- Solution in Amona? “The houses will be relocated – in exchange for voluntary eviction”
News Summary:
Two F-35s, the most technologically advanced fighter jets in the world, arrived in Israel yesterday - and US President-elect Donald Trump criticized the cost to develop them, a heroic father and his son were buried together, an arrangement may have been found that will placate and move Amona outpost settlers – but keep them on the mountain on Palestinian-owned land, a Trump advisor said that moving the US embassy to Jerusalem “is a big priority,” while posters of a noose next to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s head at Bezalel art school sparked outrage, making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Also in the news, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström, disliked in Israel for her criticism of the country, plans to arrive in Israel and the Palestinian Authority on Thursday, but was told top Israeli officials have no time for her.
Pro-settler Habayit Hayehudi chief, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, said he had reached a deal with Netanyahu about relocation Amona settlers to elsewhere on the West Bank mountain where they are squatting. The papers had little details about the new plan, only noting that it, too, was on land that was privately-owned by Palestinians, but that the owners' whereabouts were unknown. Yedioth quoted Peace Now’s response saying,” The government gives a prize to settlers and transfers theft of one parcel of land to theft of another.” Bennett's plan is subject to the Amona settlers’ agreement and an agreement by the High Court to postpone the eviction from the present location till the new site is prepared. Haaretz+ reported that the state fears the settlers will attack Palestinians and so in exchange for the new parcels of land the government seeks a written commitment to non-violent eviction. Yedioth noted that the State Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit has refused to state his view on the new offer, whether it is acceptable to him and where suddenly so many parcels of Absentee Property were found and what is the legal and planning basis for that. Yedioth also reported that Mendelblit closed a Knesset committee discussion on the ‘Outpost Bill’ to media coverage, where the legal advisor to the security establishment and the deputy to the advisor on international issues gave testimonies, despite there being no issue of state security or personal privacy. Yedioth believed that the two talked about the “danger that Israel faces in the International Criminal Court at The Hague and from international institutions, if the bill is passed.” Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers protested the Amona evacuation orders on a new Facebook page that urged soldiers to disobey orders over the Amona eviction.
*While the government hoped the new plan to relocate the Amona squatters would pan out, the Chairman of the Knesset Labor and Social Affairs Committee, MK Eli Alaluf (Kulanu), made a damning speech that mentioned the outpost. At the Latet organization’s annual conference on combating poverty Alaluf “surprised” the participants with his sharp and incisive speech about the government's incompetence in handling the social gaps and poverty, reported Maariv. The report revealed that about one-third of Israelis live in poverty. "The government is to blame for the poverty. We failed," said Alaluf. “There are many, many poor people in the country and it’s not their fault. The systems are guilty for many years, including the current government of which I am a coalition member. It, too, is guilty.” Maariv’s reporter Yuval Bango noted that such accusations were rare from a coalition member and particularly one heading a leading committee in the Knesset.
Quick Hits:
Two F-35s, the most technologically advanced fighter jets in the world, arrived in Israel yesterday - and US President-elect Donald Trump criticized the cost to develop them, a heroic father and his son were buried together, an arrangement may have been found that will placate and move Amona outpost settlers – but keep them on the mountain on Palestinian-owned land, a Trump advisor said that moving the US embassy to Jerusalem “is a big priority,” while posters of a noose next to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s head at Bezalel art school sparked outrage, making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Also in the news, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström, disliked in Israel for her criticism of the country, plans to arrive in Israel and the Palestinian Authority on Thursday, but was told top Israeli officials have no time for her.
Pro-settler Habayit Hayehudi chief, Education Minister Naftali Bennett, said he had reached a deal with Netanyahu about relocation Amona settlers to elsewhere on the West Bank mountain where they are squatting. The papers had little details about the new plan, only noting that it, too, was on land that was privately-owned by Palestinians, but that the owners' whereabouts were unknown. Yedioth quoted Peace Now’s response saying,” The government gives a prize to settlers and transfers theft of one parcel of land to theft of another.” Bennett's plan is subject to the Amona settlers’ agreement and an agreement by the High Court to postpone the eviction from the present location till the new site is prepared. Haaretz+ reported that the state fears the settlers will attack Palestinians and so in exchange for the new parcels of land the government seeks a written commitment to non-violent eviction. Yedioth noted that the State Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit has refused to state his view on the new offer, whether it is acceptable to him and where suddenly so many parcels of Absentee Property were found and what is the legal and planning basis for that. Yedioth also reported that Mendelblit closed a Knesset committee discussion on the ‘Outpost Bill’ to media coverage, where the legal advisor to the security establishment and the deputy to the advisor on international issues gave testimonies, despite there being no issue of state security or personal privacy. Yedioth believed that the two talked about the “danger that Israel faces in the International Criminal Court at The Hague and from international institutions, if the bill is passed.” Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers protested the Amona evacuation orders on a new Facebook page that urged soldiers to disobey orders over the Amona eviction.
*While the government hoped the new plan to relocate the Amona squatters would pan out, the Chairman of the Knesset Labor and Social Affairs Committee, MK Eli Alaluf (Kulanu), made a damning speech that mentioned the outpost. At the Latet organization’s annual conference on combating poverty Alaluf “surprised” the participants with his sharp and incisive speech about the government's incompetence in handling the social gaps and poverty, reported Maariv. The report revealed that about one-third of Israelis live in poverty. "The government is to blame for the poverty. We failed," said Alaluf. “There are many, many poor people in the country and it’s not their fault. The systems are guilty for many years, including the current government of which I am a coalition member. It, too, is guilty.” Maariv’s reporter Yuval Bango noted that such accusations were rare from a coalition member and particularly one heading a leading committee in the Knesset.
Quick Hits:
- Israeli Soldiers Often Contaminate Evidence After Shooting Palestinian Assailants, Prosecutors Say - Law enforcement officials warn army, saying problem frequently undermines ability to defend soldiers against claims of wanton shootings; IDF: Everything is conducted lawfully. (Haaretz+)
- 'Too Short Dress' Gets Another Lawmaker's Aide Sent Back Home to Change - Moria Silfen was denied admittance into the Knesset until she went home changed into longer attire. The Knesset guard asked her not to cause similar 'mental anguish' again, she says. (Haaretz+)
- Lapid questions PM's Iran deal strategy: 'May be too late' - Yesh Atid Leader Yair Lapid says that while Netanyahu's aim to undo the US-led nuclear agreement with Iran is understandable, the deal may be too late to stop; 'It needs to be determined whether it is even possible to cancel the Iranian nuclear deal,' says Lapid; Netanyahu has stated the deal will not prevent Iran from gaining nuclear weapons capability. (Agencies, Ynet)
- Exclusive Yossi Beilin Quits New Israeli-backed U.S. Campus Outreach Program Due to Orthodox Ties - Former justice minister says he objects to Orthodox dominance in government-sponsored initiative, calling it 'problematic' and even 'anti-Zionist.' (Haaretz+)
- Israel Launches $2.6m Project to Document Lives of Mizrahi, Sephardi Jews - Project will interview Jews who immigrated to Israel from Arab lands or Iran, and descendants of Jews expelled from Spain. (Haaretz+)
- Israel Delays Launch of Public Broadcasting Corporation Until April 2017 at the Earliest - Announcement comes amid Netanyahu's battle to keep Kan off the air, if not shut it down altogether, in favor of leaving public broadcasting in the hands of the Israel Broadcasting Authority. (Haaretz)
- Rivlin welcomes new Turkish ambassador: 'A real moment in history' - After years of bad blood, Israel once again has a Turkish ambassador; Israeli President Reuven Rivlin greets the new Ambassador Mekin Mustafa Kemal Ökem, saying, 'Our friendship goes back in history, and I hope that the reconciliation and the appointment of new ambassadors will open a new and promising page in this relationship.' (Ynet)
- New Turkish ambassador to Israel hopes reconciliation will also benefit Palestinian lives - Kemal Okem, the first ambassador to Israel in five years, presents his credentials President Reuven Rivlin. (Haaretz)
- Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Quietly Visited Israel Ahead of Major Hiring Drive - U.S. company expected to boost local payroll to 800 and consolidate operations in Haifa campus now under construction. (Haaretz)
- Coin from Jews' revolt against Romans found in Jerusalem - Coin minted 1,967 years ago is one of a "Free Zion" series marking Jewish revolt against the Romans • Culture Minister Miri Regev: Ancient Jerusalem street used by Jewish pilgrims on route to the Temple Mount will be opened during Hanukkah. (Israel Hayom)
- 'Grave consequences' for Diaspora relations if Kotel bill passes, Sharansky warns - Bill stipulates jail time for mixed prayer services at the Western Wall, including where the government approved a plan to build an egalitarian prayer space. (Haaretz+)
- UK prime minister delivers staunchly pro-Israel speech - Speaking at a Conservative Friends of Israel lunch, Theresa May lauds Israel's 'thriving democracy,' pledges to support Israel, oppose boycotts, expunge anti-Semitism from British society: 'No British taxpayers’ money will be used to make payments to terrorists or their families.' (Yedioth/Ynet)
- In Obama's Last Hanukkah in Office, a Special Role for Peres Family Heirloom - The U.S. president set to honor late Israeli president by using menorah owned by his family for generations, with Peres' son Chemi and granddaughter Mika Almog in attendance. (Haaretz+)
- Ohio lawmakers latest to pass anti-BDS bill in '1-2 punch' - Bill awaits governor's signature to become law • Ohio will become 14th U.S. state to pass legislation against anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions movement • Local leaders laud "major step forward," reaffirm Ohio's "strong alliance with Israel." (Israel Hayom)
- Testimonies From Aleppo: 'Waiting for Death,' Syrians Voice Final Pleas to 'Save Our Children' - Amid reports of regime massacre, residents issue calls for help, saying those who remain face execution or arrest once government forces reach them. (Haaretz)
Commentary/Analysis:
Shoafat: A Mark of Shame on All Israelis (Moshe Arens, Haaretz+) The Palestinian refugee camp inside the city of Jerusalem is a blight on Israel which must be corrected immediately.
Israel losing public opinion support in US (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) The American public’s growing support for anti-Israel sanctions over the ongoing expansion of settlements is setting off alarm bells, but the Israeli government couldn’t care less.
Knesset Guards Shouldn't Focus on Serving as the Modesty Police (Haaretz Editorial) Attempts to make women disappear from public spaces, or cover up when they enter them, must stop.
Breaking the Silence has no place in education system (Yoaz Hendel, Yedioth/Ynet) Can we educate our children both on Zionism and on anti-Zionism? Can we encourage army enlistment and, at the same time, introduce them to an organization which presents the IDF as the source of all evil? The answer is no.
Declaring War on Israel's Secular Public (Irit Rosenblum, Haaretz+) The current struggle by religious Zionist rabbis against the integration of women in combat units is another sign of a radical process underway that aims to bring religion into every walk of life.
Can Netanyahu annul Iran nuclear deal with Trump? (Itamar Eichner and Benjamin Tobias, Yedioth/Ynet) Despite the PM's intention to work with Donald Trump to abrogate the Iranian nuclear deal, the chances of success are slim for a number or reasons—not least because the international community may not follow suit.
Israeli Professors, Dare to Teach (Yael Hashiloni-Dolev, Haaretz+) Education Minister Bennett's initiative to set rules for what professors can say in class is another reflection of the logic that says anyone who doesn’t align himself with the government is marked 'traitor.'
Amona residents, don’t resist evacuation (Rabbi Yoel Bin-Nun, Yedioth/Ynet) All acts of resisting Israel's government, the state’s institutions and the security forces in the past 42 years have completely and utterly failed and have brought no blessing to the Jewish people and to the Land of Israel. We have failed so many times, that it doesn’t take a genius to understand that this is not what God wants.
Trump’s Foreign Policy Heralds a Change for the Better for Israel (Amiel Ungar, Haaretz+) Even before he has entered the White House, Trump’s diplomatic contacts and his nominees signal the end of the Obama era of appeasing Iran - and that the Palestinian conflict is nearer resolution.
Truths for Trump (David M. Weinberg, Israel Hayom) The president-elect could aid the strategic environment and improve the moral tone of American policy by telling the truth about the Middle East.
How Al Jazeera Further Damaged the Fast-deteriorating Egypt-Qatar Relationship (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) It suddenly seems that relations between Qatar and Saudi Arabia have gotten a new lease on life and are blooming, in contrast to its failing relations with Cairo.
The World According to Erdogan's Fans (Tamara Baraaz, Haaretz+) Despite his mass purge of supposed rivals, supporters say the Turkish leader – whose AKP party just launched a reform that would leave him in office until 2029 – has done much for human rights and economic development.
Rabbi Boteach’s Bannon Selfie: The Bizarro Morality of Allying With 'Israel-friendly' Bigots (Elad Nehorai, Haaretz) Shmuley Boteach, like too much of the Jewish world, thinks scoring rhetorical support for Israel justifies almost any moral compromise. But in fact, he’s the donkey being led onwards with the promise of a carrot he’ll never reach.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.