APN's daily news review from Israel

Sunday January 27, 2017  
 

Quote of the day:

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Front Page:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

News Summary:
A man is suspected of stabbing to death his wife, his twin infant sons and a neighbor’s son, US President Donald Trump banned citizens from seven countries to enter the US and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu faced criticism for his Tweet in support of Trump’s Mexico wall and may face an indictment after more incriminating testimonies in a number of the corruption cases connected to him.
 
Netanyahu’s tweet that Trump's wall was a "great idea" because the wall that Israel (Ariel Sharon) built on the border with Egypt was a “big success” sparked a standoff with Mexico and even angered the Jewish-Mexican community. Former US ambassador to Israel, Daniel Shapiro, said he was 'sickened' by Trump's immigration policy and criticized Netanyahu for supporting it, adding that it showed “Trump is already squeezing Netanyahu hard.” Mexico said it was “dismayed and disappointed” with Netanyahu, after which Netanyahu quickly issued a clarification.

Netanyahu’s troubles did not stop there. Former defense minister Moshe Yaalon testified in ‘Case 3000,’ that Netanyahu was directly and actively involved in canceling a Defense Ministry bid for submarines and naval vessels so they could be purchased from a German company, which is represented in Israel by Netanyahu's personal attorney David Shimron. Channel 2 News reported that Yaalon’s testimony could tip the scales and turn the current probe into a matter for a criminal investigation. In the gifts affair, Case 1000, police suspect four more businesspeople systematically gifted the Netanyahu family and according to reports on Channel 10 and Channel 2, the interrogation of Yedioth Ahronoth publisher, Noni Mozes, in Case 2000, complicated things for Netanyahu. And Channel 2 News reported more details about the gift-giving system by which billionaire Arnon Milchan gave presents to the Netanyahu family. Netanyahu was questioned for the third time on Friday. According to Moody’s, Netanyahu will fall.
 

Quick Hits:

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Features:

What happened to claims of 'arson terror attacks'?
The right wing claimed the recent spate of fires that plagued Israel was the result of arson, while the left called these claims incitement. A report by the Fire & Rescue Authority released two months later indicates that even when fires were labeled as arson, the evidence was not always sufficiently established. On the other hand, the claim all suspects were released is not true either. (Roi Yanovsky, Ynet/Yedioth’s ’24 Hours’ supplement, cover)
Trump's New Senior Middle East Adviser: Hawkish on Iran, Friendly to Egypt
Col. (ret.) Derek Harvey was instrumental in this week's U.S. State Department statement that it’s reexamining former President Obama’s last-ditch $221m payment to Palestinian Authority. (Amir Tibon, Haaretz+)
Romanian politics in Hebrew
The new state secretary in Bucharest is 33-year-old Ilan Laufer, born in Rishon Lezion, a successful businessman who brought H&M to Romania. (Itamar Eichner, Yedioth/Ynet) 
Despicable terrorist? Bedouin village in Israel's south mourns a beloved teacher
No one in Umm al-Hiran believes Yakub Musa Abu al-Kiyan, a father of 13, intentionally ran over a police officer; residents remember his calls against violence: 'Let them demolish the house, only let no one be hurt.' (Gideon Levy and Alex Levac, Haaretz+) 
When the State of Israel asked the people to help purchase weapons
In 1955, the Israeli leadership launched a fundraising campaign as part of its arms race with its Arab neighbors. The economic situation and austerity period did not stop the public from donating in great numbers in a bid to reach 25 million Israeli pounds. Would a similar campaign work today? (Asaf Zagrizak, Yedioth/Ynet) 
Rabbis inciting against women, non-Jewish soldiers at IDF course
Cadets who have participated in recent years in courses training military rabbis reveal an extremely problematic atmosphere contradicting IDF values. The course’s lecturers, they say, consistently preach against the enlistment of women and non-Jews—Druze, Bedouins and immigrants from former Soviet countries, as well as against the army’s rules of engagement. (Yehuda Shohat, Kobi Nachshoni, Yedioth/Ynet)
 
Commentary/Analysis:
*The Sad, Historical Irony of Netanyahu's Support for Trump's Wall (Asher Schechter, Haaretz+) Of all nations, it is the prime minister of Israel that bragged about turning away survivors of genocide on Holocaust Day. 
The evolution of denial - they don't let reality confuse them (Yehuda Nuriel, Yedioth) The 'alternative facts' of the Trump administration go hand in hand with the "There was nothing, because there is nothing" of the Netanyahu court. A liar star on reality show star meets the one who made a career from the imaginary 'burning tape' [when Netanyahu claimed during his campaign for leadership of the Likud, that people in Likud were trying to blackmail him. - OH]  More significantly, it's the same ruling spirit, based on the one hand on religious ideology that does not need facts and on the other side by post-modernism, according to which "anyway, there is no one truth." 
Three Questions Netanyahu Needs to Answer in Israel Hayom Affair (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) With his fiery statement in the Knesset last week, the prime minister sounded like he's started drafting his legal defense. 
Being a second-class citizen in Israel (Tami Arad, Yedioth/Ynet) Israel’s Arabs have never been a top priority for Israel’s governments throughout the generations, and the current government is making no actual effort to change that approach; the residents of Umm al-Hiran feel like second-class citizens, deprived compared to their Jewish compatriots. 
Trump's Refugee Ban Dishonors the Memory of the Jewish Holocaust Victims He Failed to Acknowledge (Matthew S. Nosanchuk, Haaretz+) As Obama's liaison to U.S. Jews, I know the importance of statements commemorating the Holocaust. Trump's omitance of Jewish Holocaust victims while inhumanely slamming the door on those fleeing persecution captures his historical ignorance. 
Netanyahu was informed in the past that gifts must be declared (Tova Tzimuki, Yedioth/Ynet) The prime minister’s argument that ‘receiving gifts from friends is permitted’ fails to address the volume of the presents allegedly received by the Netanyahu family and fails to mention the restrictions which were clarified to Netanyahu in 2000 by the attorney general. 
Netanyahu's Clear Message to AG: Indicting Me Would Be Capitulation to Media (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) As a suspect under investigation, the premier surely consulted with his attorneys about his Knesset address. Netanyahu's main target: Billionaire Arnon Milchan, who now seems to be his biggest legal problem. 
How can Israelis oppose US embassy move to Jerusalem? (Yoaz Hendel, Yedioth/Ynet) The fact that the Zionist Left feels uncomfortable with the American initiative to relocate the embassy to Israel’s capital is troubling, but so is everyone else’s indifference. 
Netanyahu’s anti-Jewish Support for Trump’s anti-Muslim Decree (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) Banning Syrian refugees and Muslim immigrants will help anti-American propaganda more than U.S. national security. 
A Stain on America's Conscience That Can Never Be Erased - and Should Never Be Forgotten (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz) With Trump's barring refugees and immigrants, a look back at the bigotry that caused the U.S. to turn away thousands of Jews that escaped Nazi death camps
Liberal Jewish movements are the solution, not the problem (Yizhar, Hess, Yedioth/Ynet) Orthodoxy, unintentionally, has managed to systematically alienate most of France’s Jews from their identity. If there were Conservative and Reform Jews there, things would look different. 
How the Surge in East Jerusalem Construction Plans Could Spell End of Two-state Solution (Nir Hasson, Haaretz+) Buoyed by Trump's ascent to power, here are the plans that could create irrevocable facts on the ground.
Really, Milchan, It Was All for Us? (Rogel Alpher, Haaretz+) Arnon Milchan can’t bear for you to get the impression that he’s just another miserable wheeler-dealer. He doesn’t crave lucre. He craves Zionism.
I Worked at a Syrian Refugee Camp. Here’s the Horrid Reality Trump’s Ban Condemns Them To (Jacob Plitman, Haaretz) Refugees brave incredible risks to save themselves, and in the worst cases their situation resembles imprisonment for nothing other than their ethnicity, national origin or citizenship. As Jews we must take this personally. 
Room to breathe and build (Nadav Shragai, Israel Hayom) Former U.S. President Barack Obama's strictures against Israeli construction over the Green Line stopped the growth of Maaleh Adumim, only a few miles from Jerusalem, cold. With a green light to resume building, will it finally be linked to the capital?
The Settlements as Plastic Bags (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) A revolution just occurred in Israel when stores started charging for plastic bags. If the thought of paying 10 agorot can turn the country into a bunch of environmentalists, what might happen if the settlements hit them in the pocket, too? 
A peace process like any other (Richard Baehr, Israel Hayom) Trump has all but anointed his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to handle Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Odds are that they will walk ‎away in defeat, but they won't blame Israel.
Future of Fight Against ISIS Unclear Due to Trump's Undefined Policies (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) While the Islamic State group continues to suffer defeats in Iraq and Syria, its counterpart in Sinai is becoming increasingly active – much to Hamas’ annoyance.
The death of Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, one of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s founders (Jason M. Brodsky, Yedioth/Ynet) The passing of one of Islamic Republic's Founding fathers, whose record is admittedly far from unblemished, represents a blow to the fortunes of reformists and moderates.
The wisdom of hindsight (Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror, Israel Hayom) The only advantage the state comptroller has over the subjects of his audits is the perspective gained by hindsight. This, however, may still prevent him from walking a real mile in decision-makers' shoes. Sometimes, breaking protocol is necessary. 
ADL Chief: History Will Frown on Trump’s Heartless Attack on Refugees (Jonathan A. Greenblatt, Haaretz) We must stand up to remind the Trump Administration and the world – once we were strangers, too. And we must do better.
Re-isolate Iran now (David M. Weinberg, Israel Hayom) PM Netanyahu's consultation with U.S. President Trump should include plans for joint action to combat Iran's hegemonic ambitions.
The Dangers of Annexing the West Bank (Shaul Arieli, Haaretz+) 'United Israel' would mean perpetual civil war, apartheid and socioeconomic implosion. Annexation would sully the people – Jews and Arabs alike.
Call it what you will (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom) The Obama administration's hostility toward Israel made clear the danger of a two-state solution. The Palestinians do not want to live alongside us, they want to steal the entire land of Israel • It is time to revive Menachem Begin's autonomy framework.
The truth about Churchill and the Jews (Michael J. Cohen, Haaretz+) The British leader’s 'special friendship' with the Jewish people is nothing more than a myth, created by Churchill himself and his official biographer, Martin Gilbert. 
The real test of reality (Mati Tuchfeld, Israel Hayom) As Netanyahu intimated this week what's important is not what he said to Yedioth publisher Arnon Mozes, but what happened: He opposed the Israel Hayom bill and Yedioth continued targeting him. Meanwhile, the comptroller's report is nothing to fret over. 
Trump shows moderation on Jerusalem embassy flap - but this isn’t over (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Even a hollow gesture toward moving American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem could light fire under Palestinians, Muslims in region. 
Israel’s enthusiastic embrace of President Trump - and why it might be dangerous (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) We're used to leaders who attack the media, feel like victims, lie through their teeth and pay no price for corruption. 
When in war (Maj. Gen. (res.) Gershon Hacohen, Israel Hayom) Modern approach to many issues demands that we control the events around us, but war is chaotic by nature and does not yield to a predetermined process • The prudence in which the 2014 Gaza campaign was waged deserves the public's full confidence. 
Why I, as a Proud Israeli, Want the World to Boycott Us (Ilana Hammerman, Haaretz+) With much difficulty, I am asking my fellow citizens to lead the call for an international boycott, because otherwise our country will be lost forever. 
Not even Jared and Ivanka will save pro-Trump Jews from utter disappointment (Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, Haaretz+) Right-wing Jews, in America and Israel, were blithely confident Trump would be an Israel-loving president, devoted to Jewish welfare and Israel's well-being. They're already being proven wrong. 
Israel's police minister: a one-man horror show (Iris Leal, Haaretz+) If we don’t exile Gilad Erdan from public life we will allow the continuation of our destruction as a fair and just society.
 
 

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