APN's daily news review from Israel
Thursday June 8, 2017
You Must Be
Kidding:
"We made it our goal to bring Samaria (northern part of West Bank) into the heart of Israeli consensus. Part of that is bringing Israeli cinema to Samaria...I believe we can make the Samaria Israel's cultural capital."
-- Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, who is working to bring Israeli film productions to the West Bank, said after Israeli children's star, ‘Yuval HaMebulbal,’ created a temporary movie set near the Palestinian village of Deir Istiya in order to film his new movie. Palestinians thought it was a new settlement.**
"We made it our goal to bring Samaria (northern part of West Bank) into the heart of Israeli consensus. Part of that is bringing Israeli cinema to Samaria...I believe we can make the Samaria Israel's cultural capital."
-- Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, who is working to bring Israeli film productions to the West Bank, said after Israeli children's star, ‘Yuval HaMebulbal,’ created a temporary movie set near the Palestinian village of Deir Istiya in order to film his new movie. Palestinians thought it was a new settlement.**
Front Page:
Haaretz
- State to give temporary residency to 200 Darfur asylum seekers
- Documents Haaretz received reveal details of the contacts over Obama’s peace plan
- 12 killed in attack on Parliament in Iran and on Khomeini shrine
- Elections in Britain will be decided today far from the big cities, in the hands of 10% of the population // Anshel Pfeffer
- The youth and the shy are confusing the British pollsters // Anshel Pfeffer
- Civil Service Commission probing intervention of government secretary in advancing his wife as a judge
- Water drilling in Golan expanding and could harm the springs
- Israeli researchers: Whole wheat bread is not healthier than white bread
- Attempt to silence // Haaretz Editorial
- They are rapists // Emilie Mouatti
Yedioth Ahronoth
- Within the siege – Correspondent Orly Azoulay reports from Qatar
- Attack in the heart of Iran
- “Family of baby calls me Ula Mama” – Moving meeting with the family members from Hebron and the responses she gets from what she did: Ula Ostrovsky-Zak nursed a Palestinian baby whose mother was seriously injured – and conquered hearts
- The pedophile teacher
- These are the areas where it is most cost worthy to rent an apartment
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- Comey: “Trump asked me if it were possible to end the investigation”
-
British go to the polls today
ISIS in the heart of Teheran - “Not naïve touching”: Detention of teacher at elementary school, who was suspected that he touched the bodies of schoolgirls, was extended
- The battle over Britain (at the polls)
- Terror blew up in Iran’s face // Yaakov Amidror
- Book Week
- I, Salaam Khourani, am the commander of a company in the Lavi Battalion
- The judge in the case of the teacher suspected of pedophilia: “When you touch intimate body parts, it doesn’t matter if it above or under the clothes”
- Study: Whole wheat bread is not necessarily healthier than white bread
News Summary:
ISIS claimed its first attack in Iran killing 12, British go to polls today to decide between two candidates no one is thrilled about and Israel’s Education Ministry faced hard questions for hiring a pedophile. Meanwhile, during her visit to Israel, the US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley visited the Wailing Wall and called the place where she works a place of ‘bullies’ and that she won't let them bully Israel anymore. And, Haaretz+ ran an exclusive about former US president Barack Obama’s detailed peace plan of 2014, after obtaining the drafts – and reporter Amir Tibon explains how it all fell apart.
Iran accused Saudi Arabia of being behind the terror attack that killed 12 in the Iranian Parliament and at the Khomenei Shrine, while the US unsympathetically said that “states that sponsor terror risk falling victim to it.” Israel Hayom took the same line in its front page headline analysis, blaming Iran for the terror that hit it.
ISIS claimed its first attack in Iran killing 12, British go to polls today to decide between two candidates no one is thrilled about and Israel’s Education Ministry faced hard questions for hiring a pedophile. Meanwhile, during her visit to Israel, the US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley visited the Wailing Wall and called the place where she works a place of ‘bullies’ and that she won't let them bully Israel anymore. And, Haaretz+ ran an exclusive about former US president Barack Obama’s detailed peace plan of 2014, after obtaining the drafts – and reporter Amir Tibon explains how it all fell apart.
Iran accused Saudi Arabia of being behind the terror attack that killed 12 in the Iranian Parliament and at the Khomenei Shrine, while the US unsympathetically said that “states that sponsor terror risk falling victim to it.” Israel Hayom took the same line in its front page headline analysis, blaming Iran for the terror that hit it.
Quick Hits:
- Knesset and Congress mark unification of Jerusalem in joint events - Both the Knesset and Congress celebrate 50 years to the unification of the city of Jerusalem, which took place during 1967's Six-Day War. (Ynet+VIDEOS)
- IDF chief: Hezbollah remains top priority - Eisenkot says the military is not underestimating the Lebanese terror organization, which may have suffered great losses in Syria but has also gained combat experience. (Ynet and Israel Hayom)
- Calls in Israel to Investigate Anti-occupation Group's Spokesman Over Alleged Crimes Against Palestinians - Breaking the Silence's Dean Issacharoff said publicly he beat Palestinian stone-thrower in army; justice minister says if it’s true, he must be punished. (Haaretz+)
- For First Time in Decade, Israel to Grant Darfurian Asylum Seekers Temporary Status - Attorney notes that 2,300 Darfurians still waiting, calls decision to give status to 200 'cosmetic, arbitrary.'(Haaretz+ and Ynet)
- **Palestinians confuse movie set for new outpost - Palestinian activist Nazmi Salman reports new outpost was erected near Deir Istiya, only to learn the 'outpost' is a set for a new children's movie. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Angered at 'De Facto' Freeze in Settlement Construction, Netanyahu Meets Israeli Settler Leaders - Netanyahu made no promises to push forward with any significant amount of new construction in meeting with West Bank council leaders, but urged political sensitivity. (Haaretz+)
- Rabbi arrested after threatening IDF Manpower Directorate head - Head of religious girls' high school sends Maj. Gen. Moti Almoz threatening text, advising him to 'Remember what befell Pharaoh.' (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Judge's promotion draws scrutiny in Israel amid claims husband leveraged status as Netanyahu aide - Channel 2 News reported that Tzachi Braverman asked members of Judicial Appointments Committee to promote his wife. Civil Service Commission to investigate. (Haaretz+)
- After the riots in Kfar Kassem: Sulha (reconciliation ceremony) between the police commissioner and the mayor - The President of Israel brought together Police Chief Roni Alsheich and Mayor Adel Badir, after the night demonstration that became violent, at the height of which a demonstrator was shot dead by a security guard at the police station. (Maariv)
- Israeli Judge Proposes Lighter Charges in Case of Asylum Seeker Mistakenly Killed During Terror Attack - Haftom Zarhum, an Eritrean asylum seeker, was shot and beaten during a terror attack in Be'er Sheva. (Haaretz and VIDEO)
- Bereaved parents still awaiting Protective Edge report - Parents of soldiers killed during the 2014 Gaza conflict are still awaiting a report on conclusions from the operation that is supposed to address military shortcomings; Netanyahu promised in April a copy would be made available within two weeks. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Number of women brought to Israel for prostitution on the rise - and the police are struggling to deal with it - Dozens of women enter Israel legally on tourist visas after being contacted on internet by pimps promising big money. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli court finds ultra-Orthodox municipality in contempt over misogynistic signs - Jerusalem district court rules Beit Shemesh disregarded earlier order to remove street signs telling women to dress modestly and to stay off streets with synagogues, yeshivas. (Haaretz+)
- Hamas Figure Who Survived Three Israeli Assassination Attempts Killed in Gaza Blast - Ibrahim Hassin Abu Anji was reportedly killed during work at a Hamas facility in Rafah. (Haaretz+)
- EU Commits $92 Million to UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees - The agency provides education to 500,000 Palestinian refugee children and health care to 3.5 million Palestinians. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Bones Found in Israel Rewrite Theory of Neanderthal Extinction - Neanderthals were thought to have been going extinct already when Homo sapiens arrived in the Levant, and to huddle in caves: Not so, discovery indicates. (Haaretz)
- ISIS attacked near northeastern Israeli border - In a report by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 'unidentified' aircraft attacked ISIS forces near the Syrian-Jordanian-Israeli border; opposition forces attribute strike to international coalition against ISIS, but some say Israel may be behind it. (Ynet)
- 'Wonder Woman' Premiere Axed in Tunisia Over 'Champion Zionist' Gal Gadot - 'Wonder Woman,' the smash hit starring Israeli actress Gal Gadot, was banned in Lebanon but is expected to be screened is several other Arab countries. (Haaretz)
- Israel brings over 70 new olim from Ethiopia - The Falash Mura members were brought to Israel from Ethiopia due to a government decision, with some saying they have not seen their family in 25 years; Israel promised to bring over 9,000 Falash Mura members. (Ynet)
- Hezbollah says footage shows Iranian drone tracking US drone over Syria - The Al-Manar TV releases a video showing an American Predator drone flying over Syria, with an Iranian aircraft following it undetected; 'we can hit it at any moment, but we feel sorry for it.’ (Agencies, Ynet)
- Qatar Crisis: Muslim Brotherhood Rejects Saudi Terror Accusations - The movement calls on Saudi Arabia to cease its support for Egyptian President al-Sissi. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- German Foreign Minister Sees Danger in 'Trumpification' of Qatar-Gulf States Conflict - 'Such a Trumpification of relations with one another is particularly dangerous in a region that is already rife with crises,' says German foreign minister. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Germany to Redeploy Troops, Aircraft From Turkish Base to Jordan - Merkel says the relocation would mean that Germany no longer has to argue with Turkey over lawmaker's visits to troops. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Turkey Offers Support to Qatar Amid Arab World Rift - Erdogan says Ankara will do everything in its power to help end the regional crisis. Turkey offers troop deployment and food and water supplies to Doha. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Features:
‘It was like nursing my own son’
When the relatives of a Palestinian baby whose mother was seriously injured in a road accident sought nurse Ula Ostrowski-Zak’s help in finding someone to breastfeed him, she didn’t think twice and offered to do it herself. Later on, she used Facebook to enlist dozens of other Jewish women who volunteered to hug the nine-month-old boy and care for his family. ‘It was very natural and felt like the right thing to do,’ she says. (Yael Friedson and Elior Levy, Yedioth/Ynet)
The nuclear batteries and the secret listening devices
His name was Zalman Shapiro, a member of a family of Holocaust survivors living in America; only now, a year after his death, did his great secret see the light of day: nuclear batteries he invented were used to operate secret listening equipment the IDF planted in enemy territory. (Ronen Bergman, Yedioth/Ynet)
A Surreal Visit to an Arab Israeli Town Straddling a Contested Border for the Last 50 Years
Half a century after the Six-Day War, the Green Line dividing Barta'a is as pronounced as ever. (Judy Maltz, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
Why American Jews' forceful West Bank protests are legitimate and necessary (Nathan Hersh, Haaretz+) The activists breaking the U.S. Jewish community's timidity and silence on the occupation are showing how Diaspora Jews should intervene in Israeli politics from the left, not just the right.
Regardless of the time that has passed: If there is a way to end the conflict, we have to follow it (Shmuel Rosner, Maariv) There is no point in measuring the amount of time that has elapsed when proposals for a solution are being examined. The only thing that needs to be measured is what we face today: opportunities, obstacles, probabilities, interests, risks and prospects.
WATCH: Assaf Harel on what 50 years of occupation have done to Israelis (Assaf Harel, Haaretz+) 'Nothing. Everything's just fine.’
Good Arab, Dead Arab (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) In Israel, police killing a demonstrator is a marginal story, only because the victim is an Arab.
The 'problem for Likud' (MK Benny Begin, Israel Hayom)
Likud's problem with the phrase "equal rights for all citizens" generated much unnecessary divisiveness and controversy.
The Long Arm of the Law as a Mechanism of Darkness (Haaretz Editorial) Breaking the Silence should be praised for their willingness to pay a price for their principled stance against the occupation - not persecuted.
Burning Persia: ISIS' hate for Iran (Roi Kais, Ynet) ISIS, which is losing territory, places greater emphasis on quality attacks and less on conquests—and there is no more bitter enemy of the Sunni organization than Shiite Iran.
Why American Jewish Activists Must Help, Not Headline, Anti-occupation Efforts (Mikhael Manekin, Haaretz+) Diaspora Jews, parachuting in to ‘end the occupation’, don’t suffer the consequences of their own actions. Israelis and Palestinians will.
Why is Nasrallah threatening Israel again? (Prof. Alex Mintz, Yedioth/Ynet) Following the Trump administration’s declarations that the military option against Iran is back on the table, the Islamic Republic’s ally is indicating that Hezbollah has the ability to inflict extensive damage on the Israeli home front if the US or Israel decide to attack Iran.
A vicious cycle (Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Borovsky, Israel Hayom) The Kafr Qasim tragedy is the latest manifestation of the delicate policing situation in the country's Arab sector, and must be dealt actively with through dialogue and understanding.
Ehud Barak Didn't Flee (Uri Misgav, Haaretz+) While it is easy to criticize the former prime minister, we should never forget his decision to withdraw Israeli troops from Lebanon.
The Night shift: This is how Moshe Dayan send Yitzhak Rabin to sleep and changed the war on the Golan (Amos Gilboa, Maariv) Despite Dayan's opposition to the attack on the Syrian Golan Heights, the night between June 8 and 9, 1967 caused him to change his position. Back to those fateful hours.
Trump, Fox News and Their Ally ISIS: The Triumph of the 12-year-old Male Mind (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) All three have shared values. We saw it best in the aftermath of the London attacks – how each benefits from hatred of Muslims and sowing fear of terrorism. How each caters to the 12-year-old male within.
Israel must now be proactive (Isi Leibler, Israel Hayom)
If Abbas doesn't do what he should for peace, Israel, together with the U.S. and possibly the Saudis, should bypass the Palestinian leadership and work directly with the people.
Hooliganism in a shtreimel (Sari Makover-Belikov, Yedioth/Ynet) Exempting the entire Haredi public from military service is a situation we have been forced to accept, but the attacks on Haredim who do want to serve are intolerable, while the police's hands are tied. Is there any wonder these thugs are now inciting the murder of female soldiers?
Retooling the Zionist Dream (Dan Ben-David, Haaretz+) Today’s challenge is to look ahead and adjust the Zionist Dream to the 21st century. Part 2 of a three-part series.
When the relatives of a Palestinian baby whose mother was seriously injured in a road accident sought nurse Ula Ostrowski-Zak’s help in finding someone to breastfeed him, she didn’t think twice and offered to do it herself. Later on, she used Facebook to enlist dozens of other Jewish women who volunteered to hug the nine-month-old boy and care for his family. ‘It was very natural and felt like the right thing to do,’ she says. (Yael Friedson and Elior Levy, Yedioth/Ynet)
The nuclear batteries and the secret listening devices
His name was Zalman Shapiro, a member of a family of Holocaust survivors living in America; only now, a year after his death, did his great secret see the light of day: nuclear batteries he invented were used to operate secret listening equipment the IDF planted in enemy territory. (Ronen Bergman, Yedioth/Ynet)
A Surreal Visit to an Arab Israeli Town Straddling a Contested Border for the Last 50 Years
Half a century after the Six-Day War, the Green Line dividing Barta'a is as pronounced as ever. (Judy Maltz, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
Why American Jews' forceful West Bank protests are legitimate and necessary (Nathan Hersh, Haaretz+) The activists breaking the U.S. Jewish community's timidity and silence on the occupation are showing how Diaspora Jews should intervene in Israeli politics from the left, not just the right.
Regardless of the time that has passed: If there is a way to end the conflict, we have to follow it (Shmuel Rosner, Maariv) There is no point in measuring the amount of time that has elapsed when proposals for a solution are being examined. The only thing that needs to be measured is what we face today: opportunities, obstacles, probabilities, interests, risks and prospects.
WATCH: Assaf Harel on what 50 years of occupation have done to Israelis (Assaf Harel, Haaretz+) 'Nothing. Everything's just fine.’
Good Arab, Dead Arab (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) In Israel, police killing a demonstrator is a marginal story, only because the victim is an Arab.
The 'problem for Likud' (MK Benny Begin, Israel Hayom)
Likud's problem with the phrase "equal rights for all citizens" generated much unnecessary divisiveness and controversy.
The Long Arm of the Law as a Mechanism of Darkness (Haaretz Editorial) Breaking the Silence should be praised for their willingness to pay a price for their principled stance against the occupation - not persecuted.
Burning Persia: ISIS' hate for Iran (Roi Kais, Ynet) ISIS, which is losing territory, places greater emphasis on quality attacks and less on conquests—and there is no more bitter enemy of the Sunni organization than Shiite Iran.
Why American Jewish Activists Must Help, Not Headline, Anti-occupation Efforts (Mikhael Manekin, Haaretz+) Diaspora Jews, parachuting in to ‘end the occupation’, don’t suffer the consequences of their own actions. Israelis and Palestinians will.
Why is Nasrallah threatening Israel again? (Prof. Alex Mintz, Yedioth/Ynet) Following the Trump administration’s declarations that the military option against Iran is back on the table, the Islamic Republic’s ally is indicating that Hezbollah has the ability to inflict extensive damage on the Israeli home front if the US or Israel decide to attack Iran.
A vicious cycle (Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Borovsky, Israel Hayom) The Kafr Qasim tragedy is the latest manifestation of the delicate policing situation in the country's Arab sector, and must be dealt actively with through dialogue and understanding.
Ehud Barak Didn't Flee (Uri Misgav, Haaretz+) While it is easy to criticize the former prime minister, we should never forget his decision to withdraw Israeli troops from Lebanon.
The Night shift: This is how Moshe Dayan send Yitzhak Rabin to sleep and changed the war on the Golan (Amos Gilboa, Maariv) Despite Dayan's opposition to the attack on the Syrian Golan Heights, the night between June 8 and 9, 1967 caused him to change his position. Back to those fateful hours.
Trump, Fox News and Their Ally ISIS: The Triumph of the 12-year-old Male Mind (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) All three have shared values. We saw it best in the aftermath of the London attacks – how each benefits from hatred of Muslims and sowing fear of terrorism. How each caters to the 12-year-old male within.
Israel must now be proactive (Isi Leibler, Israel Hayom)
If Abbas doesn't do what he should for peace, Israel, together with the U.S. and possibly the Saudis, should bypass the Palestinian leadership and work directly with the people.
Hooliganism in a shtreimel (Sari Makover-Belikov, Yedioth/Ynet) Exempting the entire Haredi public from military service is a situation we have been forced to accept, but the attacks on Haredim who do want to serve are intolerable, while the police's hands are tied. Is there any wonder these thugs are now inciting the murder of female soldiers?
Retooling the Zionist Dream (Dan Ben-David, Haaretz+) Today’s challenge is to look ahead and adjust the Zionist Dream to the 21st century. Part 2 of a three-part series.
Interviews:
Dina Dayan is the most intriguing candidate in the (Israeli) Labor primaries
She's ultra-Orthodox, feminist and left-wing and she doesn't intend to apologize for it. This ultra-Orthodox social activist will not let anyone get away with something in the primaries, even if she has no chance of winning. "Shas does not provide a solution for the periphery" and "The knitted skullcaps have hijacked the country,” she says. (Interviewed by Revital Amiran in Maariv’s daily Magazine supplement)
Dina Dayan is the most intriguing candidate in the (Israeli) Labor primaries
She's ultra-Orthodox, feminist and left-wing and she doesn't intend to apologize for it. This ultra-Orthodox social activist will not let anyone get away with something in the primaries, even if she has no chance of winning. "Shas does not provide a solution for the periphery" and "The knitted skullcaps have hijacked the country,” she says. (Interviewed by Revital Amiran in Maariv’s daily Magazine supplement)
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.