APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday March 7, 2017
Quote of the Day #1:
"We must remember that there is no physical shield available which can totally defend citizens against
a determined enemy. To all types of physical defense we must add an investment in the area of social strength
development, so that Israel’s citizens will know how to recover and return to full systemic functioning after
sustaining possible damage."
--Brig. Gen. (res.) Dr. Meir Elran argues that the 'tunnel threat' is neither 'existential' or 'strategic' and is one that Israel can live with.*
--Brig. Gen. (res.) Dr. Meir Elran argues that the 'tunnel threat' is neither 'existential' or 'strategic' and is one that Israel can live with.*
Quote of the Day #2:
“Through this law the Bennetyahu government will not prevent boycott but rather, deteriorate
Israel's international standing and lead Israel towards international isolation."
--Peace Now responds to Israel’s new entry ban that applies to any person who calls for economic, cultural or academic boycotts of either Israel or the settlements.*
--Peace Now responds to Israel’s new entry ban that applies to any person who calls for economic, cultural or academic boycotts of either Israel or the settlements.*
Front Page:
Haaretz
- Senior official in Trump administration: We expect Israel to act rationally on the diplomatic issue
- Crony-capitalism connections endangering the success story of South Korea
- Supporters of settlement boycott won’t be allowed to enter the country
- Netanyahu interrogated for fourth time; Police Commissioner Alsheikh: The investigation is in its last stages
- Study in cooperation with an engineer from Dimona (nuclear reactor): A Scud missile endangers the nuclear reactor if it lands within 35 meters of it
- Education Ministry was forced to freeze a tender to hire an intelligence officer
- Conservative Judaism in America opened its doors to non-Jews
- A waning opposition // Moshe Shahal
- Israel is on the map, now in baseball
- The post-truth era reached Yad Eliyahu – Dipak Chopra promised thousands of Israelis immortality // Rogel Alpher
- The gods of occupation // Michael Handelzalts
- 800 shekels for (historic photo by David Levinger of) the paratroopers at the Wailing Wall: Who does Israel’s history belong to?
Yedioth Ahronoth
- In the middle of the interrogation: A telephone call from Trump
- The Sea of Galilee is at its lowest in 100 years
- Expose: What did Herzog say in the interrogation room
- Youth spend 4.3 hours a day in front of their screens
- Richard Gere to Yedioth: “The occupation must end”
- Educational challenge: President Rivlin
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- Against all fronts – In his 4th interrogation, Netanyahu asked the investigators for a break so he could speak with the US President
- International Women’s Day: Israeli women live longer, are single longer, have more children and earn less
- “People are desperate and broken, anyone who can – escapes” – Preparations for stormy demonstration against (north African) infiltrators in the wake of violence
- Today at the Knesset: Emergency debate following the resignation of pediatric cancer specialists at Hadassah Hospital
Israel Hayom
- In the middle of the interrogation: Trump called the Prime Minister regarding Iran
- Lieberman: if we annex – we’ll get into trouble
- [Photo: President Rivlin sitting in his residence with the IDF General Staff]
- After the storm: Trump signed a new immigration order
- Trump made changes – and achieved what he wanted // Boaz Bismuth
- Crisis at Hadassah Hospital goes for discussion at Knesset health committee
- Celebrating in the streets: Guide to Purim festivals and parties
- Sensation: Israeli national baseball team won first victory in world championships
News Summary:
**The five-hour interrogation of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu over corruption allegations was interrupted by a half hour call by US President Donald Trump to talk about Iran, a Trump administration official warned Israel that “imposing Israeli sovereignty on the West Bank would mean crisis with the new administration,” warned Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman before he left Monday to meet Trump Administration officials in DC and he called on the coalition to unequivocally declare it does not plan to annex the area, and the Knesset approved a bill to bar boycotters – even just of settlements – from entering Israel making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Also, Yedioth/Ynet revealed that a draft of a UN report described Israeli activity in the West Bank as a unilateral move that annexed land and necessitated humanitarian aid for Palestinians and urged ending trade with Israeli settlement businesses.
Quick Hits:
- Ahead of expected Senate confirmation, Trump's pick for Israel envoy prepares for new role - As the panel is set to vote on his appointment on Thursday, David Friedman meets senior figures in the Trump administration; both Friedman's opponents and supporters expect his nomination to be approved. (Haaretz+)
- Trump's Israel Envoy Pick Gave Funds to Settle Jews in Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City - David Friedman, on whom a Senate committee votes Thursday, has donated money to Ateret Cohanim, which has raised close to $25 million over the past 20 years. (Haaretz+)
- Lawyer Suspected of Money Laundering Set to Defend Israel's Land-grabbing Law in Court - Justice Minister calls attorney Harel Arnon 'most suitable' person to defend outpost legalization law, even though the police have called for his indictment in another case. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli settlers attack Palestinian farmers, injure woman in northern West Bank - More than 20 Israeli settlers from illegal settlement outpost of Havat Gilad attacked Palestinian farmers working their lands in nearby village of Faraata - despite the fact that Palestinians coordinated access tin advance with Israeli officials. Mariam al-Salman, 55, suffered was injured after settlers threw rocks at her. (Maan)
- Video: Israeli forces simulate Palestinian home demolitions, clashes for military training - According to Channel 2, Israeli forces have been conducting trainings and maneuvers for the last week in order to prepare “to face Palestinian protesters while demolishing houses in Palestinian villages.” (Maan+VIDEO)
- For the first time since the reconciliation: senior Turkish journalists in Israel - The Foreign Ministry is hosting 11 senior journalists from major Turkish media outlets this week; They have already met with the Speaker of the Knesset, and are expected to receive further briefings, explore the Temple Mount, Yad Vashem, the Gaza envelope and Tel Aviv. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- New Israeli Law Allows Terror Suspects Abroad to Be Kept From Attending Citizenship Hearing - The new law passed in the Knesset on Monday permits blocking the entry into the country of a terror suspect who lives abroad but wants to attend a hearing about rescinding his Israeli citizenship. The law will allow such hearings to be held even if the suspects cannot or do not want to come to Israel to attend them. (Haaretz+)
- Palestinian prisoner held by PA dies after 2 days on hunger strike - Ghalib Abdullah Daraghma, a 48-year-old resident of the occupied West Bank city of Tubas, died in the Palestine medical complex in Ramallah on Sunday evening after his health deteriorated less than 48 hours after launching a hunger strike. (Maan)
- Israel transfers hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner between prisons Israeli transferred Jamal Abu al-Leil from his solitary confinement cell in Israel’s Ashkelon prison to one in Ramon prison, without giving reason. Abu al-Leil is hunger-striking to protest being imprisoned by Israel over a year without charge or trial under administrative detention. Another Palestinian prisoner, Raed Mteir, ended his hunger strike after 12 days upon reaching an agreement to be released in April 2017 without his administrative detention being renewed. (Maan)
- After being chained to hospital bed, Palestinian boy to be released to house arrest - Israeli authorities were expected to release 14-year-old Abdullah Haroun al-Anati from detention to house arrest on Monday, after the boy was shot in the chest with a rubber-coated steel bullet during a violent raid last Monday in occupied East Jerusalem’s Shufat refugee camp and then handcuffed to a hospital bed. (Maan+PHOTO)
- Palestinian journalists protest al-Quds newspaper's 'normalization' of Israeli occupation - Protests against al-Quds newspaper began after the paper published an interview with the extreme right-wing Israeli Minister of Defense Avigdor Liberman, covering a wide range of political topics, including the issue of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. (Maan)
- Israeli court sentences Palestinian citizen of Israel to year in prison over ‘incitement’ - Khalid Ibrahim Muasi, 20, published a Facebook post in 2016 expressing support for an attack conducted by a Palestinian against Israelis inside the illegal Hebron-area settlement of Kiryat Arba, and “calling for conducting more attacks (against Israel).” (Maan)
- Public Defender’s Office criticizes ‘disproportionate’ plan to raise building fines - Move that would adversely affect the Israeli-Arab community. (Haaretz+)
- Palestinian children gather at Jerusalem municipality to protest school closure - After Israeli authorities shut down their school more than two weeks ago over alleged “incitement” in its study materials, students of al-Nukhba raised posters with slogans written Arabic, English, and Hebrew, such as “We have a right to learn.” (Maan)
- Violent detention raid in East Jerusalem sparks clashes - A predawn Israeli police raid to detain five Palestinians in the occupied East Jerusalem neighborhood of Issawiya sparked clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian youth on Monday morning, according to local sources who said police violently assaulted the five Palestinians before apprehending them. (Maan)
- Israeli forces open fire at Palestinian fishermen in Gaza -Israeli naval forces opened fire at Palestinian fishing boats off the coast of Beit Lahiya in the northern Gaza Strip on Monday morning, local sources said, with no injuries reported. (Maan)
- Scud missile landing within 115 ft of Dimona would endanger it - Study finds that such a hit could cause damage to nuclear reactor’s operating, cooling systems. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli Ministry’s Search for 'Schools Spy' Frozen After Concerns About Role - Justice Ministry labels position 'problematic,' after Education Ministry sought to hire intelligence officer to oversee educational regulations. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli lawyer goes after Hamas strongman in international court - Attorney Michael Calev Myers asks International Criminal Court to investigate Ismail Haniyeh, saying his actions during the 2014 Gaza conflict amount to war crimes • Hamas systematically used the civilian population in Gaza as a shield, Myers says. (Israel Hayom)
- Stun grenade thrown into home of Jatt Street Naming Commission head - The attack took place Sunday, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Interior Minister Aryeh Deri requested that street signs named after Yasser Arafat be taken down; police have launched an investigation. (Ynet)
- Female combat soldiers undergo special fitness training to serve in Armored Corps - Only 15 female soldiers will be selected out of the combat rookies to commence training for the co-ed infantry battalions. These women will eventually be incorporated in the armored units for several positions, including positions of operational activity. (Ynet)
- ״Netanyahu's bodyguard״: Those behind the campaign against the Attorney General were revealed - After signs were hung across the Tel-Aviv region calling on Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit to suspend himself in dealing with the investigations into the Prime Minister, it was revealed that the organization "Zazim- a working community" is behind him. Zazim CEO, Raluka Gana’a: "Prime Minister Netanyahu is trying to present the criticism over the conduct and performance of Mandelblit as a leftist media conspiracy, although the views are shared by hundreds of thousands of concerned citizens. Netanyahu cannot rule out our signs, because, unlike Netanyahu's campaigns, they are financed 100% by the small contributions of Israeli activists." (Maariv)
- Netanyahu Extends Term of Ex-wife as Nuclear-safety Panel Head - Dr. Miriam Haran to serve for three more years as chair of committee overseeing safety at Israel's two reactors. (Haaretz+)
- The Israeli woman: more educated, more professionally satisfied, but still earning less - A report by the Central Bureau of Statistics clarifies the state of women in Israel, especially compared to men; They earn less, live longer, get in less accidents and are more educated. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Netanyahu: Iran Behind 80 Percent of Israel's Security Problems - Prime minister stresses continued threats from Iran at memorial marking 25 years since attack on Israeli embassy in Argentina. (Haaretz+)
- Trump signs new travel ban on predominantly Muslim countries - excluding Iraq - Under new executive order, citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen are banned from receiving visas to travel to the U.S. for 90 days. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Trump's Narrower Travel Ban Doesn't Mollify Progressive Jewish Groups - 'The language of the ban is slightly changed, but the results for refugees are the same,' says head of HIAS. (Haaretz+)
- Bipartisan support behind campaign urging Trump not to cut anti-Semitism envoy - 'We view U.S. leadership on combating anti-Semitism and promoting human rights as pivotal components of American diplomacy and foreign policy,' says a draft of the letter, obtained by Haaretz. (Haaretz+)
- U.S.-backed Forces Claim Strategic Move Toward Liberating De Facto ISIS Capital in Syria - The militias have disconnected Raqqa from its stronghold of Deir al-Zor province, a major blow to the group. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Features:
Political graffiti wars in a Tel Aviv neighborhood
Meet Zipa Kempinski, a journalist whose documentation of Florentin's street language yielded 50,000 pictures and plenty of good stories. (Dalia Karpel, Haaretz+)
The non-Jewish students who fight BDS
As Apartheid Week rages in campuses around the world, there are students on UK campuses with no ties to Israel or Judaism who choose to fight for Israel. They talk about the accusations hurled at them ('You're Nazis'), the difficulty posed by pro-Palestinian groups disrupting pro-Israel events, and why they're defending Israel. (Yaniv Halily, Yedioth/Ynet)
“Hatred grows by years": Jews in New York are considering immigrating to Israel in the shadow of a wave of anti-Semitism
Hundreds of Jews were at an ‘aliya’ (immigration) fair in order to fulfill their dream and reach Israel. Haim Etgar was there and heard what causes them to give up on a promising economic future, and why they believe Trump is not connected to the hate crimes. (Haim Etgar, Maariv)
Britain’s Jewish and Muslim Women Look for Common Ground - So Israel Is Off the Agenda (Daniella Peled, Haaretz+) 200 attend inaugural conference of Nisa-Nashim group to discuss hate crime, social change and interreligious marriage, but the Israel-Palestine issue is parked.
Commentary/Analysis:
Israel's Travel Ban: How Banning Settlement Boycotters Is Driving Me Into the Arms of BDS (Mira Sucharov, Haaretz+) Israel's entry ban on settlement boycotters has left me, and many other anti-occupation Diaspora Jews with deep ties to the Jewish state, bewildered, frustrated and unmoored.
Zionism’s anti-Zionist protector (Yaron London, Yedioth/Ynet) When the president of the Zionist state and a Palestinian MK share a similar view on annexation and a binational state, there must be something wrong with their vision. One way to test the waters, though, would be a small-scale pilot attempt at incorporating Palestinians into Israel.
Palestinian President Abbas Is Not Israel's Partner - or Cairo's (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) The rivalry between Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and ex-Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan is reverberating in Lebanon’s largest refugee camp and also further afield, in Egypt-Hamas ties.
When Trump’s Bedlam Ends in Tears, He’ll Blame Obama or the FBI or Whatever (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) Against the unhinged backdrop of the president’s conspiracy theories, the return of his odious immigration ban can seem completely sane.
*Tunnels are not a strategic threat (Brig. Gen. (res.) Dr. Meir Elran, Yedioth/Ynet) Focusing on the issue of offensive tunnels harms the State of Israel’s vital interests and diverts the leaders and public’s attention from the real and more serious strategic threats.
Ten Ways Donald Trump Has Already Made America - and the World - Great Again (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) He's invigorated the left, revitalized journalism and sparked a great wave of local patriotism all across the world.
The last chord: Acquittal of Mubarak brings to an end the Arab Spring of Egypt (MK Ksenia Svetlova, Maariv) The former Egyptian president will forever be remembered as someone who did not manage the critical mission of bringing stability to the region.
With Russia Meddling in U.S. Affairs, Putin's in Over His Head (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) Blowback from the investigation into Russian interference in U.S. election is starting to damage the Kremlin's interests.
Welcome to Hotel Banksy (Dr. Reuven Berko, Israel Hayom) Millionaire graffiti artist Banksy opens a Bethlehem hotel and art installation that paints Israel as the evil occupier. He is calling for courage, but he isn't brave enough to shed his anonymity.
Is the Trump-inspired Surge in anti-Semitic Incidents 'Fake News'? (Allison Kaplan Sommer, Haaretz+) Some are asking whether the unusual surge in anti-Semitic attacks in Trump’s America is quantifiable, or if, in fact, panic is being sown by political opponents.
The Trump administration and Iran (Zalman Shoval, Israel Hayom) How can the apparent conflict between the Trump administration's desire to improve relations with Russia and its intentions to work against Moscow's ally, Iran, be solved?
Israel Is Safe From Trump's Tech Visa Freeze - for Now (David Rosenberg, Haaretz+) In Donald Trump's 'America First,' there will be no sentiment for friends, and there's no telling where this will end - even if Israelis hardly use H-1B visas.
Meet Zipa Kempinski, a journalist whose documentation of Florentin's street language yielded 50,000 pictures and plenty of good stories. (Dalia Karpel, Haaretz+)
The non-Jewish students who fight BDS
As Apartheid Week rages in campuses around the world, there are students on UK campuses with no ties to Israel or Judaism who choose to fight for Israel. They talk about the accusations hurled at them ('You're Nazis'), the difficulty posed by pro-Palestinian groups disrupting pro-Israel events, and why they're defending Israel. (Yaniv Halily, Yedioth/Ynet)
“Hatred grows by years": Jews in New York are considering immigrating to Israel in the shadow of a wave of anti-Semitism
Hundreds of Jews were at an ‘aliya’ (immigration) fair in order to fulfill their dream and reach Israel. Haim Etgar was there and heard what causes them to give up on a promising economic future, and why they believe Trump is not connected to the hate crimes. (Haim Etgar, Maariv)
Britain’s Jewish and Muslim Women Look for Common Ground - So Israel Is Off the Agenda (Daniella Peled, Haaretz+) 200 attend inaugural conference of Nisa-Nashim group to discuss hate crime, social change and interreligious marriage, but the Israel-Palestine issue is parked.
Commentary/Analysis:
Israel's Travel Ban: How Banning Settlement Boycotters Is Driving Me Into the Arms of BDS (Mira Sucharov, Haaretz+) Israel's entry ban on settlement boycotters has left me, and many other anti-occupation Diaspora Jews with deep ties to the Jewish state, bewildered, frustrated and unmoored.
Zionism’s anti-Zionist protector (Yaron London, Yedioth/Ynet) When the president of the Zionist state and a Palestinian MK share a similar view on annexation and a binational state, there must be something wrong with their vision. One way to test the waters, though, would be a small-scale pilot attempt at incorporating Palestinians into Israel.
Palestinian President Abbas Is Not Israel's Partner - or Cairo's (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) The rivalry between Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas and ex-Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan is reverberating in Lebanon’s largest refugee camp and also further afield, in Egypt-Hamas ties.
When Trump’s Bedlam Ends in Tears, He’ll Blame Obama or the FBI or Whatever (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) Against the unhinged backdrop of the president’s conspiracy theories, the return of his odious immigration ban can seem completely sane.
*Tunnels are not a strategic threat (Brig. Gen. (res.) Dr. Meir Elran, Yedioth/Ynet) Focusing on the issue of offensive tunnels harms the State of Israel’s vital interests and diverts the leaders and public’s attention from the real and more serious strategic threats.
Ten Ways Donald Trump Has Already Made America - and the World - Great Again (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) He's invigorated the left, revitalized journalism and sparked a great wave of local patriotism all across the world.
The last chord: Acquittal of Mubarak brings to an end the Arab Spring of Egypt (MK Ksenia Svetlova, Maariv) The former Egyptian president will forever be remembered as someone who did not manage the critical mission of bringing stability to the region.
With Russia Meddling in U.S. Affairs, Putin's in Over His Head (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) Blowback from the investigation into Russian interference in U.S. election is starting to damage the Kremlin's interests.
Welcome to Hotel Banksy (Dr. Reuven Berko, Israel Hayom) Millionaire graffiti artist Banksy opens a Bethlehem hotel and art installation that paints Israel as the evil occupier. He is calling for courage, but he isn't brave enough to shed his anonymity.
Is the Trump-inspired Surge in anti-Semitic Incidents 'Fake News'? (Allison Kaplan Sommer, Haaretz+) Some are asking whether the unusual surge in anti-Semitic attacks in Trump’s America is quantifiable, or if, in fact, panic is being sown by political opponents.
The Trump administration and Iran (Zalman Shoval, Israel Hayom) How can the apparent conflict between the Trump administration's desire to improve relations with Russia and its intentions to work against Moscow's ally, Iran, be solved?
Israel Is Safe From Trump's Tech Visa Freeze - for Now (David Rosenberg, Haaretz+) In Donald Trump's 'America First,' there will be no sentiment for friends, and there's no telling where this will end - even if Israelis hardly use H-1B visas.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.