APN's daily news review from Israel
Wednesday December 21, 2016
You Must Be Kidding
#1:
“I understand what it is to lose a home. After the 1999 elections, without any warning, my family and I
were driven out of the [Prime Minister's Residence], just thrown on the street. We had to go to the Sheraton
Plaza. It's a terrible feeling."
--Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu tried to show empathy towards Amona residents (who anyway are getting 1 million shekels per family to move off other people's land), according to a Yedioth report.*
You Must Be Kidding #2:
“Halakha (Jewish law) clearly states that whenever it is possible to circumvent and not pass through a place where there is any kind of idolatry, this must be done. So one should not enter the student union if it's not necessary to do so.”
--Rabbi Elad Dokow of the Technion University issued a prohibition against Jewish students entering the university's student union due to the Christmas tree that has been put up in the building.**
--Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu tried to show empathy towards Amona residents (who anyway are getting 1 million shekels per family to move off other people's land), according to a Yedioth report.*
You Must Be Kidding #2:
“Halakha (Jewish law) clearly states that whenever it is possible to circumvent and not pass through a place where there is any kind of idolatry, this must be done. So one should not enter the student union if it's not necessary to do so.”
--Rabbi Elad Dokow of the Technion University issued a prohibition against Jewish students entering the university's student union due to the Christmas tree that has been put up in the building.**
Front Page:
Haaretz
- State admits that Amona eviction outline collapsed
- Police: The evidence against MK Ghattas is strong, we are waiting for removal of his immunity
- Berlin attacker still not caught; Israeli woman missing, her husband was injured
- Suspicion of two murders of women in the north
- IDF changing its policy: Won’t put soldiers on trial for random use of drugs during R&R
- IDF examining acquiring hundreds of rockets and ground-to-ground missiles
- Bennett: Teenagers are exposed to porn on the smartphone, it’s terrible
- Rabbi of Technion university: Don’t enter a building on campus that has a Christmas tree
- Investigate, don’t persecute // Haaretz Editorial
- I did my job: I photographed (said AP photographer who documented the assassination of the Russian ambassador)
- Affordable housing – The enormous sums for Amona settlers are not compensation but rather protection money // Zvi Bar’el
Yedioth Ahronoth
- Netanyahu to Amona residents: “I understand what it is to lose your house. After the ’99 elections they threw us out of the official residence. We were forced to move to the Sheraton Plaza Hotel”
- These are the phones that the MK smuggled to the terrorists in jail
- The attack in Berlin: Fear for the life of an Israeli woman
- Night time effort to prevent strikes in the local councils and municipalities
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- “We are looking for our mother in Berlin” – Israeli woman missing after attack in German capital, her husband was severely wounded
- Night time efforts by Finance Ministry officials and local government to prevent the latter’s strikes this morning
- The assassination of the Russian ambassador – the rebels in Syria fear Moscow’s harsh response; Netanyahu to the foreign press: “We want to bring the injured from Aleppo for treatment in Israel”
- Amona – the last postponement
- “The visits to the prisoners – humanitarian activity” – MK Basel Ghattas
Israel Hayom
- “Looking for Mom” (after Berlin attack)
- Night time negotiations to prevent strike in pre-schools and high schools
- Again: Explosion near businessman Meir Shamir
- Lieberman: “Shortening the mandatory military service for men – impossible”
- State asked High Court for 45 delay in eviction of Amona
- Will (convicted rapist and former president) Moshe Katsav be freed from prison? Prosecution to decide not to appeal shortening his sentence
News Summary:
*Fears for the life of a missing Israeli woman who was at the site of the Berlin Christmas market attack, MK Basel Ghattas admitted to smuggling phones to Palestinian security prisoners and the Knesset prohibited future prisoner visits by MKs, and negotiations held through the night to avoid a strike of pre-schools and high schools by local authorities in protest of budget cuts, which were a result of the enormous sums needed to pay for the transfer and compensation of Amona settlers. They said that 'Dimona should be equal to Amona.' Meanwhile, Israel asked the High Court for another extension for the evacuation of the Amona outpost, whose deadline is four days from now, because the new location also has Palestinian claims of private ownership, so it will be complicated - and possibly impossible to move the settlers there. And Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reportedly made an outrageous comparison in an effort to show sympathy to the Amona settlers, who in any case have been squatting and will be receiving millions in order to vacate the land making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Netanyahu also said “It's almost entertaining” to lash out at journalists on Facebook.
MK Basel Ghattas admitted smuggling the cellular phones, saying it was for humanitarian reasons. Haaretz+ published a report explaining that Israel generally does not allow Palestinian security prisoners to make any calls, with sometimes an exception in the event of a death or wedding of a close relative, or for medical consultations. The Knesset gave preliminary approval to a proposal that would prevent MKs from visiting security prisoners. [Most security prisoners are Palestinian, meaning that this proposal targets only Arab MKs. – OH]
Quick Hits:
- **Israeli University Rabbi Forbids Jews From Entering Student Union Due to Christmas Tree - After Rabbi Elad Dokow calls tree an 'affront to Jewish identity on campus,' Technion says in response that it 'allows students from all religions to express themselves with respect and tolerance.' (Haaretz+)
- Israel's Education Ministry retracts funding biased against Arab teaching students - Due to a surplus of teachers in Arab communities of the north, the ministry decided to fund colleges per Arab student at 56 percent of the rate it funds colleges per Jewish student. (Haaretz+)
- Israel's Education Ministry Summons Tel Aviv Principal for Inviting Anti-occupation Group - Tichonet High School’s Ram Cohen hosted a talk by Breaking the Silence, weeks after the ministry issued instructions meant to deter such events. (Haaretz+)
- Palestinian Villagers to Be Cut Off From Spring if Israeli Defense Ministry Proposal Adopted - The plan to relocate a checkpoint in Jerusalem would make a popular spring accessible to Israelis, but inaccessible to the West Bank villagers who have used it for years. (Haaretz+)
- Israel Confiscates Trailer Serving as Clinic for Palestinians in West Bank - The authorities assert the structure lacked a permit while locals fear two similar clinics will also be removed. (Haaretz+)
- Citing Les Miserables, Israeli judge orders release of cookie-stealing homeless man - Judge cites the novel's 'indictment of society's attitude toward the weak' and frees the man in his 20's, who was arrested after tasking shelter in a kindergarten classroom. (Haaretz)
- Holocaust Survivors in Israel Denied Extra Social Aid - Citing lack of staff, union head instructs social workers to disregard directive to assist additional Holocaust survivors. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli Religious Services Ministry's Budget Jumped 60% During the Year - The budgets for erecting religious buildings, the provision of religious services and the construction of cemeteries more than doubled. (Haaretz+)
- Average Israeli Household Earns $4,000 a Month (After Taxes), Spends $3,200 - Rehovot residents had the highest household income and manage to save over $1,500 a month. At the other end — Bat Yam. (Haaretz)
- Netanyahu: Israel Looking for Ways to Aid Wounded Syrian Civilians, Particularly From Aleppo - Israeli prime minister instructs Foreign Ministry to make plans for treating Syrian women, children and non-combatant men in Israeli hospitals. (Haaretz)
- Second baby in two days dies in fire in Bedouin village - The fire was probably caused by a faulty gas-operated spiral heater that overheated objects in the room. (Haaretz+)
- Jewish immigration to Israel falls 12 percent in 2016, stats show - Declining numbers from France, Ukraine cause sharp drop in aliyah figures. But more Jews from Russia, Brazil and Turkey are now making their homes in Israel. (Haaretz+)
- Defense Ministry eyes new ground-to-ground missiles - Military source says missiles, with a range of more than 200km, equipped with 500kg warheads, could costs as much as NIS 3 million; 'We will be able to respond in ways we have never responded before.' Lieberman voices opposition to slashing IDF mandatory service, hopes to 'turn wheel backward.' (Ynet)
- Israeli Army to Allow Off-duty Soldiers to Smoke Marijuana Up to Five Times - The more lenient policy, expected to take effect in early 2017, replaces current orders calling to court martial any soldier caught possessing any narcotics. (Haaretz+)
- JNF Names Alex Hefetz Acting CEO - There was an uproar within the Jewish National Fund earlier this year after it emerged that its head had hired a private investigations firm to spy on employees. (Haaretz)
- 16-year-old (Arab-Israeli) girl discovered stabbed to death in northern Israel - The girl, wearing her school uniform, had been stabbed at least three times; earlier in the morning in a separate incident, a pedestrian discovered a dead 20-year-old woman who had suffered blows to the head; police investigating circumstances. (Ynet)
- Jordan: 4 Cops Killed During Raid After ISIS Claims Crusader Castle Attack - ISIS says four fighters undertook the shootout, which killed nine people on Sunday; security sources say perpetrators were Jordanian nationals. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Thousands of Israeli Scientists Plan Return From Abroad - but Unemployment Looms - For many scientists who began an academic career in Israel and then went abroad to continue their training, insecurity grows as their time abroad increases. (Haaretz+)
- Christmas-season Present: Chilean Soccer Club Deportivo Palestino Visits the West Bank - 'The main purpose of this visit is to reconnect the team to our origins in Palestine,' said team general manager Christian Elben Nazal. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Commentary/Analysis:
OMG, Prisoners Get Cellphones (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) The claim that cellphones in the hands of Palestinian inmates pose a widespread security risk is nonsense.
Is anyone really surprised? (Dr. Reuven Berko, Israel Hayom) The muddy waters in which Joint Arab List MK Basel Ghattas dives are clouded with incitement, subversion and adversity toward Israel.
Investigation, Not Persecution (Haaretz Editorial) The Dismissal (Suspension) Law is meant to achieve two goals: to goad Arab MKs politically, and to tag as a 'leftist' anyone who dares not to join that effort.
Way to Go, Amona Settlers (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) The huge amounts of money that will come raining down on the heads of 40 families from the illegal Amona outpost are protection money, not compensation for evacuation.
On settlements and defamation (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom)
The smear campaign seeks to cover the shame of those who once supported the settlement enterprise and now work to destroy it.
Adjectives Fail Me. Best to Let David Friedman Speak for Himself (Peter Beinart, Haaretz+) Invoking the murder of six million Jews in an effort to discredit women who accused Trump of sexual assault is nauseating.
Hanukkah for Dummies, from Judah Maccabee to the days of Donald Trump (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) Not only latkes: U.S. ambassador-designate David Friedman reflects the holiday spirit when he says J Street aren't Jewish.
Going back to militant democracy (Gideon Sa’ar, Yedioth/Ynet) No one should be surprised with the recent storm of events swirling around MK Basel Ghattas and the smuggled cell phones, but Israeli democracy is being abused due to a misguided Supreme Court decision leaving Israel vulnerable.
What if Trump's War on Christmas Ends Up Being a 'Dog Whistle' for White Supremacists? (Ilene Prusher, Haaretz+) Hearing the Gap salesgirl say 'Happy Holidays' instead of 'Merry Christmas' has become a symbol of everything that’s 'wrong' with America for some citizens, whose grievances are being stoked by the next president.
If it wanted to, Israel could have stopped the massacre in Syria (Ronen Bergman, Yedioth/Ynet) Israel is the strongest power in the region and could have easily saved the lives of tens of thousands of Syrians and spared the suffering of millions. There are many reasons why it didn’t intervene, but they are the exact arguments that stopped the Allies from intervening in favor of the European Jewry.
The Aleppo Effect: the terrorists are getting a tailwind to carry out attacks in Europe (Shlomo Shamir, Maariv) According to a veteran Western diplomat at the UN, the West and particularly the United States were exposed to the full wretchedness of the massacre perpetrated by Putin and Assad in Syria. Terrorist organizations feel comfortable to attack.
The message behind the Tunisia assassination (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) Whoever killed Mohammad al-Zawahri likely wanted Hamas itself to expose the man’s activity in the organization and to blame the Mossad for the assassination in order to create deterrence.
Would Mossad's Chief Dare Rebuff Netanyahu? (Raviv Drucker, Haaretz+) Yossi Cohen has many connections to the premier and his close associates. It’s hard not to suspect that these ties have influenced him.
Putin is learning that power has it limits (Ronen Bergman, Yedioth/Ynet) As the Russian president keeps intervening in the Middle East, the painful price tag attached to this involvement continues to grow.
Turkey: Don't Expect a Diplomatic Meltdown Over Russian Envoy's Murder (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Normally, yes, but these are not normal times: The Syrian crisis means Russia and Turkey will avoid a rift over the assassination of Ambassador Andrey Karlov in Ankara.
An end to all the illusions in Europe: When the Crescent and the Cross crash at the ‘Christmas War’ (Gideon Kotz, Maariv) During this holiday, Europe stopped believing in illusions, even when terrorism came to Germany. Union talk about security coordination between the two countries, but in practice it does not really successful
The smear campaign seeks to cover the shame of those who once supported the settlement enterprise and now work to destroy it.
Adjectives Fail Me. Best to Let David Friedman Speak for Himself (Peter Beinart, Haaretz+) Invoking the murder of six million Jews in an effort to discredit women who accused Trump of sexual assault is nauseating.
Hanukkah for Dummies, from Judah Maccabee to the days of Donald Trump (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) Not only latkes: U.S. ambassador-designate David Friedman reflects the holiday spirit when he says J Street aren't Jewish.
Going back to militant democracy (Gideon Sa’ar, Yedioth/Ynet) No one should be surprised with the recent storm of events swirling around MK Basel Ghattas and the smuggled cell phones, but Israeli democracy is being abused due to a misguided Supreme Court decision leaving Israel vulnerable.
What if Trump's War on Christmas Ends Up Being a 'Dog Whistle' for White Supremacists? (Ilene Prusher, Haaretz+) Hearing the Gap salesgirl say 'Happy Holidays' instead of 'Merry Christmas' has become a symbol of everything that’s 'wrong' with America for some citizens, whose grievances are being stoked by the next president.
If it wanted to, Israel could have stopped the massacre in Syria (Ronen Bergman, Yedioth/Ynet) Israel is the strongest power in the region and could have easily saved the lives of tens of thousands of Syrians and spared the suffering of millions. There are many reasons why it didn’t intervene, but they are the exact arguments that stopped the Allies from intervening in favor of the European Jewry.
The Aleppo Effect: the terrorists are getting a tailwind to carry out attacks in Europe (Shlomo Shamir, Maariv) According to a veteran Western diplomat at the UN, the West and particularly the United States were exposed to the full wretchedness of the massacre perpetrated by Putin and Assad in Syria. Terrorist organizations feel comfortable to attack.
The message behind the Tunisia assassination (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) Whoever killed Mohammad al-Zawahri likely wanted Hamas itself to expose the man’s activity in the organization and to blame the Mossad for the assassination in order to create deterrence.
Would Mossad's Chief Dare Rebuff Netanyahu? (Raviv Drucker, Haaretz+) Yossi Cohen has many connections to the premier and his close associates. It’s hard not to suspect that these ties have influenced him.
Putin is learning that power has it limits (Ronen Bergman, Yedioth/Ynet) As the Russian president keeps intervening in the Middle East, the painful price tag attached to this involvement continues to grow.
Turkey: Don't Expect a Diplomatic Meltdown Over Russian Envoy's Murder (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Normally, yes, but these are not normal times: The Syrian crisis means Russia and Turkey will avoid a rift over the assassination of Ambassador Andrey Karlov in Ankara.
An end to all the illusions in Europe: When the Crescent and the Cross crash at the ‘Christmas War’ (Gideon Kotz, Maariv) During this holiday, Europe stopped believing in illusions, even when terrorism came to Germany. Union talk about security coordination between the two countries, but in practice it does not really successful
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.