APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday February 28, 2017
Quote of the day:
"Democracies don't disappear overnight. They are slowly gnawed away."
-Law professor and head of the human rights division at the Ramat Gan Academic Center for Law and Business, Yossi Dahan, describes how two recent legislative proposals are the latest in the right-wing camp's attempt to create an 'empty democracy.'*
You Must Be Kidding:
"Indeed, the consistent headlines in the liberal (leftist) media in America and the West in general cover up the fact that the main anti-Semitic threat to U.S. Jews today is from elements mostly identified with the Left -- such as the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement -- whose purpose is to completely delegitimize the State of Israel and to cancel out the Jewish people's very existence."
--Former Israeli ambassador to the United States and former foreign policy advisor to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Zalman Shoval, writes that despite the reports in the media of desecration of Jewish cemeteries, hate graffiti and swastikas at a Jewish school, and dozens of bomb threats against Jewish community centers, the main anti-Semitic threat to US Jews today is BDS.**
-Law professor and head of the human rights division at the Ramat Gan Academic Center for Law and Business, Yossi Dahan, describes how two recent legislative proposals are the latest in the right-wing camp's attempt to create an 'empty democracy.'*
You Must Be Kidding:
"Indeed, the consistent headlines in the liberal (leftist) media in America and the West in general cover up the fact that the main anti-Semitic threat to U.S. Jews today is from elements mostly identified with the Left -- such as the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement -- whose purpose is to completely delegitimize the State of Israel and to cancel out the Jewish people's very existence."
--Former Israeli ambassador to the United States and former foreign policy advisor to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Zalman Shoval, writes that despite the reports in the media of desecration of Jewish cemeteries, hate graffiti and swastikas at a Jewish school, and dozens of bomb threats against Jewish community centers, the main anti-Semitic threat to US Jews today is BDS.**
Front Page:
Haaretz
- State Comptroller report on Operation Protective Edge to be published today
- Barely enough // Amos Harel
- (Netanyahu on) Settlement construction: No agreements with Trump, it’s not simple
- The submarines affair: State Prosecutor ordered investigation
- IDF attacked in Gaza in response to rocket shot into open area, Lieberman and Hamas exchanged threats
- Military judge rejected testimony of (Palestinian) minor who did not consult with lawyer and gave hope to hundreds of accused
- Sara Netanyahu: A psychologist of my weight is unable to drink three bottles of champagne a day
- Under orders of Petach Tikva Municipality, Electricity Company began disconnecting electricity supply to apartments of asulu seekers
- State to create 50 kilometer long passage for wild animals
- Systemic humiliation (of elderly in nursing homes)
- Insult to injury // Moshe Arens
Yedioth Ahronoth
- Getting a report card (for Operation Protective Edge)
- The tunnels failure: Comptroller probed whether decision to bomb from the air caused more damage than good
- Time to decide // Alex Fishman on the gov’t’s need to decide what Israel wants in the Gaza Strip
- What is left // Yoaz Hendel says Israel won and the Comptroller’s report does nothing has no significance years later
- State Prosecutor: Criminal investigation in the submarine affair
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- “In contradiction to the Comptroller’s report, I back the IDF” – Ahead of publication of report on Operation Protective Edge at 16:00 today, Prime Minister attacked its writer
- In the meantime in the south: Rocket launched from Gaza Strip, IDF attacked in response
- Take responsibility and calm down // Ben Caspit
- Selective memory // Arieh Eldad says 2014 Gaza war was failure
- The submarines affair turns into a criminal investigation
- Wave of hatred in US: Jewish centers evacuated due to threats
Israel Hayom
- The report and the storm – Netanyahu: “In contradiction to the State Comptroller report, I back the military establishment”
- No need for mudslinging // Haim Shine
- The possible target was achieved // Dan Margalit
- Most importantly, implement the lessons // Yair Turgeman
- Naval vessels and the submarine: from a probe – to an investigation
- One killed and seven wounded in shooting on home in Netanya
- Biometic database law passed final approval: Dispute over establishing the database is good – or harmful
News Summary:
Now it was Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s turn to reject the State Comptroller report that will be released today about the oversights and failures of Operation Protective Edge and declare his support for the military’s conduct, as another rocket launched from the Gaza Strip fell inside open fields in Israel and Israeli Air Force responded injuring four Palestinians, the State Prosecutor announced the opening of a criminal investigation into the 'submarine affair' (of which Netanyahu is not a suspect), and more bomb scares at Jewish community centers in the US were today’s top stories in the Hebrew newspapers.
Israeli Opposition leader Isaac Herzog suggested that US Jews may flee to Israel for safety and said Israel must prepare for that. Speaking at the annual J Street conference, US Senator Bernie Sanders also spoke about the rising anti-Semitism in the US and also said that Israel’s occupation runs against both U.S. and Israeli values. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the world to protect the two-state solution and told the and asked the U.N. Human Rights Council to intervene. Abbas also said that the Palestinians were ready to work in a "positive spirit" with US President Donald Trump. Abbas also denounced Israel's settlement activity across Judea and Samaria and the recently passed Regulation (expropriation) Law, which "legitimizes the theft of occupied Palestinian lands," he said. Meanwhile, at heated closed Likud meeting, Netanyahu described the Trump presidency as an 'historic opportunity,' but said Israel should know its limits and that Israel was at odds with Trump over settlements, Haaretz+ reported.
Quick Hits:
- In First, Israeli Military Court Throws Out Palestinian Boy’s Interrogation - Judge disqualifies youth’s statements – in which he denied culpability – because police denied him access to attorney. The judge, Col. Yair Tirosh, permitted publication of his ruling, despite objection by the military prosecutors, Capt. Daniel Goldhammer and Lt. Na’aman Khatib. Tirosh conditioned publication on not identifying the accused. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli Jew who stabbed another Jew he mistook for an Arab sentenced to 11 years - Shlomo Haim Pinto told the court he had a spiritual calling to stab an Arab. (Haaretz and Ynet)
- Palestinian woman shot, wounded at West Bank checkpoint after reportedly refusing to stop - Guards at the Qalandiyah checkpoint say the woman attempted to proceed through in an area reserved for motor vehicles while carrying an object that aroused their suspicions. No weapon found on her person. (Haaretz+, Maan and Ynet)
- Israel Preventing Palestinian Mother From Visiting Critically Injured Son in Tel Aviv - Son was detained at a police station and jumped from the second floor in early February, but his mother has not received an entry permit to see him. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli forces raid home of slain Palestinian teen, verbally harass and threaten family - Israeli forces raided the home of slain Palestinian Muhannad Shafiq al-Halabi in the village of Surda and threatened the family would “continue to be targeted” if any family members “participate in any activities against the Israeli occupation.” Al-Halabi, 19, was shot and killed by Israeli forces on Oct. 3, 2015 in Jerusalem’s Old City after he stabbed to death two Israelis. (Maan)
- Israeli forces injure 9-year-old Palestinian girl, teen boy with rubber bullets during raid - Dozens of Israeli police officers stormed Shuafat refugee camp and started to ransack stores, prompting local young men and teenagers to clash with them. Israeli forces, he said, “showered the camp” in tear gas and fired rubber-coated steel bullets "haphazardly,” resulting in the injury of a teenage schoolboy shot in the chest and a 9-year-old girl shot in the foot. (Maan)
- Israeli forces raid grocery near Bethlehem, confiscate hard drives of surveillance cameras - Israeli forces on Monday evening raided a grocery shop in the town of Beit Sahour east of Bethlehem city in the southern occupied West Bank and confiscated the hard drives of surveillance cameras belonging to the store. (Maan)
- Palestinian Parents Appeal Court to Quash Plea Bargain With Cop Who Killed Their Son - High Court to examine proposed plea bargain under which border policeman Ben Dery will get light punishment. (Haaretz+)
- Bill denying disability payments to terrorists passes first reading - Bill stops payments to terrorists whose disabilities were caused by terror activity. 'Israeli citizens don’t have to contribute to the welfare of a terrorist or his survivors,' says bill's sponsor, Yesh Atid MK Jacob Perry. (Haaretz+)
- Israel Says It Doesn't Have Drone Use Procedures, Adds That Revealing Them Is Security Risk - In response to a petition demanding exposure of procedures on drone use in West Bank and Gaza, state says that outing the procedures, which don't exist, would harm state security. (Haaretz+)
- Settlers' Hopes to Circumvent Demolition of Illegal Homes Quashed by High Court - The homeowners, whose houses are slated to be razed by March 5, had hoped that the new land legalization law might allow the state to expropriate the property and allow them back in, but the state said there was no legal basis for that. (Haaretz+)
- Supreme Court president scolds state for foot-dragging over illegal outposts - Hearing petition from Palestinians on Adei Ad outpost, Miriam Naor questions why unlawful structures have still not been removed. (Haaretz+)
- Hebron shooter Azaria to appeal manslaughter conviction this week - Israeli soldier is due to start 18-month sentence next Sunday for killing of Palestinian assailant, but jail time may be deferred until after appeal is heard. (Haaretz+)
- The Knesset approves Biometric Database Law - The second and third readings of the controversial law promoted by Interior Minister Aryeh Deri pass in the Knesset, which entails that every citizen issued an ID card or passport will be obligated to join the database and provide a picture; adding a fingerprint will be optional. (Ynet)
- Robbers suspected of breaking into former IDF major general's home arrested - Police arrests members of an organized gang of robbers suspected of stealing the military laptop of Maj. Gen. Hagai Topolanski, leading him to resign. (Ynet)
- Crime and lawlessness rampant in Jisr az-Zarqa - Village residents tell tales of widespread arson, random acts of violence and indiscriminate shooting in neighborhoods where children and other bystanders sometimes get hit with stray bullets. (Ynet)
- Sara Netanyahu argues she's too petite to consume three bottles of champagne a day - The prime minister's wife is due to submit a motion Tuesday to appeal a 2016 court ruling that, among other things, raised serious criticism about her drinking habits. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
- A Hezbollah sign near kibbutz: ‘Israel is weak’ - A farmer from Kibbutz Malkiya in the Upper Galilee noticed a provocative sign posted on Lebanese territory, about 800 meters from the kibbutz. (Ynet)
- New statistics show discrepancies in Israeli society - According to a report on quality of life published by the Central Bureau of Statistics, 89% of Israelis said they were satisfied with their lives, despite the gap between Jews and others; social gaps remain prominent. (Ynet)
- Knesset to begin dismissal proceedings against (Arab MK Basel) Ghattas - Dismissal proceedings headed by MK Yoav Kisch are set to commence on March 8 after 71 Knesset members from both the coalition and opposition sign petition asking House Committee to convene. (Yedioth/Ynet and Israel Hayom)
- Fatah movement says Facebook shut down the movement's official page - The official Facebook page of the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) ruling party Fatah was shut down by Facebook Inc. on Monday, after the group posted a photo of late Palestinian President and Fatah leader Yasser Arafat alongside current deputy chairman of the movement Mahmoud al-Aloul. (Maan)
- New Israeli policy allows summary rejection of Georgians seeking asylum - Yisrael Beiteinu MKs slam expedited Interior Ministry procedure for repatriating the foreigners, aimed to fight so-called asylum tourism. (Haaretz+)
- UNRWA suspends employee over Israeli accusations of Hamas involvement - The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) suspended the head of its employee union on Sunday after Israeli authorities accused him of having been elected to a political position in the besieged Gaza Strip. (Maan)
- US mulls leaving UN Human Rights Council over Israel bias - Secretary of State Rex Tillerson skeptical of UNHRC's role, Politico reports • As well as anti-Israel bias, inclusion of human rights offenders as members is among reasons for considering withdrawal • However, U.S. to participate in UNHRC meeting Monday. (Agencies, Israel Hayom)
- Egypt refuses entry to Palestinian leader Jibril Rajoub at Cairo airport - Jibril Rajoub was slated to participate in an Arab League conference in Cairo but was turned away by authorities. (Haaretz+)
Features:
Who Keeps Giving Billionaire Arnon Milchan a Lavish Gift Every Year?
Each year, a mysterious hand removes an amendment that would make the billionaire and other tycoons report income to the Israeli Tax Authority. If the Israel Police investigates and finds that Netanyahu (or people working on his behalf) operated to remove the clause canceling the reporting exemption from the Arrangements Bill, perhaps that will add another smoking gun that will connect the gifts Milchan allegedly sent Netanyahu to what Netanyahu was supposed to give Milchan in return. (Eytan Avriel, Haaretz)
Commentary/Analysis:
When and How the Ashkenazi-Mizrahi Rift Was Born (Uri Avnery, Haaretz+) We learned from the Elor Azaria case that only after we get rid of the occupation will we be able to devote our intellectual and social resources to healing the great schism in the nation.
Protective Edge report: Harsh criticism, but no threat to government (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/Ynet) Prime Minister Netanyahu is the main official rebuked in the state comptroller’s report on the 2014 Gaza war, yet the report is expected to contain no dismissal recommendations. Nevertheless, it will serve as a framework for a discussion of two important issues: The chronic failures of managing Israel’s wars, and the benefit and damage of such reports to the state's security.
When 'Temporary' Lasts 15 Years (Haaretz Editorial) Israel has to recognize that the pool of potential spouses for its own Palestinian citizens includes the population of the occupied territories.
The NGOs law, part 2 (Yossi Dahan, Yedioth) Democracies don't disappear overnight. They are slowly gnawed away. The ruling power gradually removes more and more peel and what remains is what is called in literature, 'empty democracy' - one that lacks the significant components such as respect for human rights and minority rights, equality before the law, free press, professional ruling authorities that are not run by foreign interests, an independent judicial system, and a pluralistic civil society in which organizations are not persecuted by the ruling government...The new legislation proposed by Shuli Mualem-Refaeli (Habayit Hayehudi) is another expression of the process of decay. The bill is the natureal continuation of the legislative processes whose goal is to persecute and silence the organizations that operate in Israeli civil society for the benefit of human rights, social justice - and against the occupation. The first bill required NGOs that receive receive funding from foreign governments to declare so in their publications. Not coincidentally, a check by the authority for registering NGOs found that 25 out of 27 of such NGOS identify with the left-wing and the law does not apply to a single right-wing NGO. The new bill by Muaelem-Refaeli declares that such NGOs will not receive the exemption of paying the fee for accessing government ministries for information based on the Freedom of Information Act....IN the same spirit of putting a mark of Caine on the forehead of citizens and harming their rights, MK Oded Forer proposed a bill two months ago that requires that such NGOs reveal in every document they submit to the court the fact that some of their funding comes from foreign states...The jubilation sounded by the right-wing camp over the election of Donald Trump as US President expressed joy over the election of an ideological ally who is partner to the perception of an empty democracy. Also the victory calls over the appointments of four new justices to the High Court express joy over the weakening of the institution and the hope that it won't bother the prime minister, his ministers and MKs, such as Shuli Mualem-Refaeli and Oded Forer, to achieve their vision in the future.
No solution will suffice (Dr. Reuven Berko, Israel Hayom) The Arab MKs and their constituents do not want to "free" themselves of this Israeli "hell," as the defense minister has offered. They would rather live here and slander the country.
Welcome to Israel (As Long as You Love Us) (Matan Rosenstrauch, Haaretz+) If you’re planning a visit to the Holy Land in the near future, don’t dare criticize the Israeli government or the settlements before you travel.
The twisted world of the UNHRC (Ariel Bolstein, Israel Hayom) The U.S. administration's announcement that it may withdraw from the U.N. Human Rights Council is the right step. The council is dominated by some of the world's worst violators of human rights, and the American presence gives it unjustified legitimacy.
World leaders are making an unprecedented battle against the media (Haim Isrovitch, Maariv) War of the Worlds: Many leaders, also of democracies, are declaring war on the media - and are taking harsh measures. How did the watchdogs of democracy become enemy number one of the politicians, and who will win?
Infringing on our privacy (Dr. Sharona Aharoni-Goldenberg, Israel Hayom) A biometric database could lead to blacklists of people on both sides of the political map, which could indirectly impinge on our right to unionize and protest.
You Are Wrong, Attorney General (Talia Sasson, Haaretz+) The fear that Avichai Mendelblit will seek to protect the prime minster who appointed him does not add to the public’s faith in his decisions.
**The 'new' US anti-Semitism (Zalman Shoval, Israel Hayom) Despite the reports in the media, the biggest threat to U.S. Jews comes from the Left, in the form of groups who claim they aren't anti-Semitic, "just" anti-Israel and anti-Zionist.
Each year, a mysterious hand removes an amendment that would make the billionaire and other tycoons report income to the Israeli Tax Authority. If the Israel Police investigates and finds that Netanyahu (or people working on his behalf) operated to remove the clause canceling the reporting exemption from the Arrangements Bill, perhaps that will add another smoking gun that will connect the gifts Milchan allegedly sent Netanyahu to what Netanyahu was supposed to give Milchan in return. (Eytan Avriel, Haaretz)
Commentary/Analysis:
When and How the Ashkenazi-Mizrahi Rift Was Born (Uri Avnery, Haaretz+) We learned from the Elor Azaria case that only after we get rid of the occupation will we be able to devote our intellectual and social resources to healing the great schism in the nation.
Protective Edge report: Harsh criticism, but no threat to government (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/Ynet) Prime Minister Netanyahu is the main official rebuked in the state comptroller’s report on the 2014 Gaza war, yet the report is expected to contain no dismissal recommendations. Nevertheless, it will serve as a framework for a discussion of two important issues: The chronic failures of managing Israel’s wars, and the benefit and damage of such reports to the state's security.
When 'Temporary' Lasts 15 Years (Haaretz Editorial) Israel has to recognize that the pool of potential spouses for its own Palestinian citizens includes the population of the occupied territories.
The NGOs law, part 2 (Yossi Dahan, Yedioth) Democracies don't disappear overnight. They are slowly gnawed away. The ruling power gradually removes more and more peel and what remains is what is called in literature, 'empty democracy' - one that lacks the significant components such as respect for human rights and minority rights, equality before the law, free press, professional ruling authorities that are not run by foreign interests, an independent judicial system, and a pluralistic civil society in which organizations are not persecuted by the ruling government...The new legislation proposed by Shuli Mualem-Refaeli (Habayit Hayehudi) is another expression of the process of decay. The bill is the natureal continuation of the legislative processes whose goal is to persecute and silence the organizations that operate in Israeli civil society for the benefit of human rights, social justice - and against the occupation. The first bill required NGOs that receive receive funding from foreign governments to declare so in their publications. Not coincidentally, a check by the authority for registering NGOs found that 25 out of 27 of such NGOS identify with the left-wing and the law does not apply to a single right-wing NGO. The new bill by Muaelem-Refaeli declares that such NGOs will not receive the exemption of paying the fee for accessing government ministries for information based on the Freedom of Information Act....IN the same spirit of putting a mark of Caine on the forehead of citizens and harming their rights, MK Oded Forer proposed a bill two months ago that requires that such NGOs reveal in every document they submit to the court the fact that some of their funding comes from foreign states...The jubilation sounded by the right-wing camp over the election of Donald Trump as US President expressed joy over the election of an ideological ally who is partner to the perception of an empty democracy. Also the victory calls over the appointments of four new justices to the High Court express joy over the weakening of the institution and the hope that it won't bother the prime minister, his ministers and MKs, such as Shuli Mualem-Refaeli and Oded Forer, to achieve their vision in the future.
No solution will suffice (Dr. Reuven Berko, Israel Hayom) The Arab MKs and their constituents do not want to "free" themselves of this Israeli "hell," as the defense minister has offered. They would rather live here and slander the country.
Welcome to Israel (As Long as You Love Us) (Matan Rosenstrauch, Haaretz+) If you’re planning a visit to the Holy Land in the near future, don’t dare criticize the Israeli government or the settlements before you travel.
The twisted world of the UNHRC (Ariel Bolstein, Israel Hayom) The U.S. administration's announcement that it may withdraw from the U.N. Human Rights Council is the right step. The council is dominated by some of the world's worst violators of human rights, and the American presence gives it unjustified legitimacy.
World leaders are making an unprecedented battle against the media (Haim Isrovitch, Maariv) War of the Worlds: Many leaders, also of democracies, are declaring war on the media - and are taking harsh measures. How did the watchdogs of democracy become enemy number one of the politicians, and who will win?
Infringing on our privacy (Dr. Sharona Aharoni-Goldenberg, Israel Hayom) A biometric database could lead to blacklists of people on both sides of the political map, which could indirectly impinge on our right to unionize and protest.
You Are Wrong, Attorney General (Talia Sasson, Haaretz+) The fear that Avichai Mendelblit will seek to protect the prime minster who appointed him does not add to the public’s faith in his decisions.
**The 'new' US anti-Semitism (Zalman Shoval, Israel Hayom) Despite the reports in the media, the biggest threat to U.S. Jews comes from the Left, in the form of groups who claim they aren't anti-Semitic, "just" anti-Israel and anti-Zionist.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.