News Nosh 6.25.17

by APN 06/25/17
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APN's daily news review from Israel
Sunday June 25, 2017
 
Quote of the day:
"'Breaking the Silence' organization calls on (Justice Minister Ayelet) Shaked not to limit her investigation to one activist, but to interrogate the hundreds who have broken their silence, in order that we can tell what we did in the Territories and about the daily violence perpetrated against the Palestinians."
--'Breaking the Silence' said in a statement after its spokesman was interrogated for giving testimony that he assaulted a Palestinian during his military service.*

Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
  • Look at us in the eyes - The faces behind the crisis: The cry of the (cancer patient) children at Hadassah Hospital
  • The protest of the pilots’ families – IAF fired the pre-school assistants and then re-hired them
  • Youth stabbed to death at an outdoors party in the nature
  • Investigation: The ease with which people steal dangerous drugs from Magen David Adom emergency medical service
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
  • Escalation in the north: Shells fells inside the Golan Heights; IDF attacked the Assad army
  • “Obama knew about the Russian intervention” – US President Donald Trump reacted to the reports
  • The coalition to release Ehud Olmert
  • Suspicion: Soldier seriously injured his friend mistakenly shooting a bullet during a dangerous game with the weapon
Israel Hayom
News Summary:
Israel gave a sharp response to errant fire from Syria in the Golan Heights, Israeli politicians from left and right called to release former prime minister Ehud Olmert from prison and questions over who called for the interrogation of the spokesman of Breaking the Silence and why, after he gave testimony that he hit a Palestinian during his military made top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.
 
Israeli Air Force jets killed two Syrian soldiers when it retaliated for 11 errant Syrian shells that fell on the Israeli-controlled side of the border. (VIDEO) The Syrian army said that Israel provided air cover to Islamist attack.
 
*Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked was reportedly the one who urged the attorney general to investigate the anti-occupation group's spokesman, Dean Issacharoff, after he admitted he had assaulted a Palestinian during his military service. Issacharoff's lawyer, Gaby Lasky, said that Issacharoff, a former combat officer, "decided to break his silence in order to expose the lack of morality in the occupation and because military rule over millions of people cannot be done without using force and violence and trampling human rights." 'Breaking the Silence' organization calls on Shaked not to limit her investigation to one activist, but to interrogate the hundreds who have broken their silence, in order that we can tell what we did in the Territories and about the daily violence perpetrated against the Palestinians. Shaked doesn't really care about the Palestinians, justice or morality, and her only desire is to harm 'Breaking the Silence' on the way to turning the Justice Ministry and the Attorney General into a tool for political oppression."
 
Meanwhile, conflicting reports about the latest developments in US President Donald Trump’s efforts to reignited the peace process. Palestinian sources said that Trump may drop the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks Palestinian official says US Pres. advisor Kushner said Trump will decide whether parties ready for peace process or whether initiative should be canceled based on Kushner's assessment. But later, a US official said that was 'nonsense.’
 
Quick Hits:
  • Settlers Are Caught on Camera Attacking Palestinians, but Still Avoid Criminal Charges - Nine violent incidents have been caught on video in recent months in which settlers have thrown stones and attacked Palestinians, activists and even Israeli soldiers. So why has no one been indicted? (Haaretz+) 
  • Israel's High Court Asked to Veto New Settlement for Evacuees From Illegal Outpost - Opponents of the new settlement claim it will create an enclave of Palestinian owned land that will be unreachable to its owners. (Haaretz+) 
  • Report: Netanyahu to partially freeze plans for settler homes until end of 2017 - Angry politicians threatened to pressure Netanyahu to rescind the decision, which would prevent workers from breaking ground on new housing projects. (JPost and Maan)
  • German MPs set ultimatum that could torpedo Israel drone deal - Members of the Social Democratic Party tell German defense minister they won’t approve deal with Israel Aerospace Industries if Heron-2 drone is delivered with arm-equipping capabilities. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Israel Has Warned Iran It Won’t Tolerate Arms Factories in Lebanon - Using European messengers, Israel has stepped up diplomatic efforts to curb Hezbollah’s military activities in Lebanon. (Haaretz+)
  • Israeli politics is becoming fascistic, Israeli opposition leader warns - Isaac Herzog says more and more people in Israeli society, from artists to journalists to judges, face threats from the government. (Haaretz)
  • Lecturer at the Hebrew University: "Jewish-Nation State law is similar to what happened in Nazi Germany" - Dr. Ofer Kassif, an external lecturer in the Political Science Department, was recorded making a comparison between Israel and the Nazis, saying: "This is a more serious act than denying the Holocaust." (Maariv) 
  • Former Shin Bet chief: "An agreement with the Palestinian Authority is an Israeli interest" - Yoram Cohen claimed at the Herzliya Conference that "reaching a permanent agreement will improve relations with the Arabs." He also noted that "Abu Mazen effectively rejected Obama's outline." (Maariv)
  • Hezbollah's Nasrallah: War With Israel Could Draw Hundreds of Thousands of Fighters From Across Arab World - Hezbollah's leader says Iranian-backed Shi'ite militias currently fighting in support of Assad in Syria could take part in a conflict with Israel. (Haaretz)
  • UN denies Israeli claims of Hezbollah violations on Lebanese border - Israel accuses Hezbollah of setting up observation outposts along the border on land purportedly used by an environmental advocacy group. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Defense Minister Liberman: "I made promises in the past that I could not fulfill regarding the elimination of Hamas" - The Maariv) minister admitted at the Herzliya Conference that his promises in the past to destroy the terrorist organization were not viable. In addition, he attacked Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas saying that "(Abbas) wants a confrontation between us and Hamas." (Maariv)
  • Abbas said enraged by Kushner meet, refuses to halt pay even to worst terrorists - Ramallah reportedly accuses US delegation of being mouthpiece for Israel, rebuffs watered-down demand to stop paying 600 prisoners serving life terms. (Maan and Times of Israel)
  • PA spokesman: stipends for families of security prisoners 'a social responsibility' - After claiming that payments to families of security prisoners is the 'social responsibility' of the Palestinian people, PA spokesman Nabil Shaath draws fire from bereaved Israeli families of terror victims, who accused him of justifying and promoting terrorism. (Ynet) 
  • In Tense Meeting, Jared Kushner Reportedly Protested Abbas' Refusal to Condemn Jerusalem Terror Attack - London-based Al-Hayat cites Palestinian official as saying Trump's envoy Jared Kushner also complained that Abbas refused to meet U.S. envoy Friedman due to his support for settlements. (Haaretz)
  • Minutes of last general staff meeting before 1967 war: 'Egypt worried Israel close to nuclear bomb' - Israeli army intelligence believed Soviets told Egyptians Israel was planning to harm them, leading Egypt to seek confrontation with Israel. (Haaretz+) 
  • Israel set to release body of slain Palestinian, continues to withhold 3 killed last week - Israeli authorities are set to return the body of a Palestinian who was killed by Israeli forces near Qalandiya checkpoint on Tuesday in the central occupied West Bank district of Ramallah, while the Israeli state has continued to hold the bodies of three other Palestinians who were killed following a deadly attack in occupied East Jerusalem last week. (Maan) 
  • Injured Palestinian teen in Gaza denied exit permit for medical treatment - Khalid Ghamri was shot with live ammunition on May 23 during clashes that erupted east of al-Bureij refugee camp in the “buffer zone” of the central Gaza Strip. He has since turned 17 years old.  (Maan)
  • B'Tselem: Israel's killing of Palestinian fisherman last month in Gaza 'unjustifiable' - According to field research conducted by B’Tselem, Muhammad and his relatives were fishing within Israel’s designated zone, in contradiction to the Israeli army’s version of events, as a spokesperson told Ma’an in May that Israeli forces opened live ammunition on the boat after it “deviated from the designated fishing zone” and continued to advance further into sea. (Maan) 
  • Members of the (far right-wing) ‘For you Jerusalem” organization changed name of Damascus Gate-area street to 'honor Israeli soldiers' - Dozens of people arrived at the ceremony Thursday to light candles in memory of two Border Police fighters who were murdered at the Damascus Gate, and the organization's members have attached to the street sign a sticker with the proposed name – “Heroines Street,” which they asked to change this week. Chairman of Organization: “It’s appropriate that the place where the female combat soldiers were murdered will be memorialized by the Jerusalem Municipality.” (Mynet Hebrew and Maan)
  • Bereaved Israeli parents call to officially recognize First Lebanon War - The First Lebanon War—which began on 6 June 1982 and ended on September that year—is still referred to by the State of Israel as Operation Peace for the Galilee, while the 18 years following it until Israel officially withdrew from Lebanon are not officially recognized by the state as a war; bereaved parents now call out to do justice by the soldiers who fell in the battle during that time by recognizing them as casualties of war. (Ynet)
  • Soldier seriously wounded from involuntary gunfire - Police arrive at a Tel Aviv apartment Saturday to determine circumstances of incident; initial investigation indicates bullet was accidentally fired by a fellow soldier. (Ynet) 
  • Coalition disagrees on Jewish Conversion Bill - The ultra-Orthodox parties' bill is to be considered on Sunday; Yisrael Beytenu demands that the special committee on religious affairs be convened, claiming, 'the law grants the Chief Rabbinate a monopoly and constitutes a change in the status quo.' Shas claims the opposite. (Yedioth/Ynet) 
  • Reform movement demands Western Wall plaza be trisected - In response to the Chief Rabbinate's stance against the deal that would allow mixed-gender prayer at one section of the Western Wall, Reform movement threatens to petition the High Court to declare a third section where men and women pray together. (Israel Hayom)
  • Why Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman’s older children didn’t come with them to Israel - During book launch in West Bank for book of essays marking 50 years of occupation, U.S. Jewish literary couple talk about that uncomfortable subject. (Haaretz+) 
  • U.S. Lawmakers Call on Trump to Appoint White House Jewish Liaisons - Bipartisan group of representatives describe an 'urgent need' for Jewish community outreach. (JTA, Haaretz) 
  • Report: US, Russia, Jordan agree on safe zone in Syria's Daraa - According to report in Saudi-owned Asharq Al-Awsat, Hezbollah and Iranian-backed forces will not be allowed into safe zone, which will stretch 30 kilometers from the Jordan border; humanitarian aid will be allowed in and refugees who fled to Jordan will return. (Ynet) 
  • Saudi security forces foil terror attack on Mecca's Grand Mosque - Bomber planning an attack on Grand Mosque blew himself up, Saudi Interior Ministry says. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Syria's Assad Makes Rare Appearance Outside of Damascus for Prayers - The visit appeared to be the furthest the president has traveled inside Syria since fighting started in 2011, a sign of growing confidence after army gains aided by Russian airstrikes. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Boycotting neighbors give Qatar list of demands: Cut Iran ties, shut Al-Jazeera - In a 13-point list – presented to the Qataris by Kuwait, which is helping mediate the crisis – the countries also demand an end to Turkey’s military presence in Qatar. (Agencies, Haaretz and Israel Hayom) 
  • UAE: Arab states don't seek 'regime change' in Qatar - A top official claims that the Arab countries isolating Qatar are nevertheless willing to cut ties if their demands are not met; 'behavioral change' is the desired goal, he says. (Agencies, Ynet)
  • Turkey's Erdogan Backs Qatar, Says Calls to Shut Base 'Disrespectful' - Erdogan says Turkey offered to set up a military base in Saudi Arabia but Riyadh had not responded. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • Report: Trump considering Camp David-style summit to resolve Gulf crisis  - White House official told Fox News that the Trump administration was looking for a 'Camp David moment' in an effort to end Arab boycott of Qatar; 'The president now wants to bring all the key players to Washington. It's not just about Qatari elements funding the Brotherhood but disavowing support for extremism in general.' (Ynet)
  • Trump’s face, Israeli flags spread on casket in Iran rally  -Iran celebrates its annual Al-Quds Day by saber rattling with missile exhibition, as millions pour onto the streets throughout the country to burn Israeli and American flags, chant 'death to Israel' and resist what their country’s leader describes as an ‘oppressive and arrogant political system.’ (Agencies, Ynet) 
  • 'Marry the Victim' Clause Shielding Rapists to Be Abolished in Jordan - Jordan likely to join Egypt and Morocco in repealing a provision that lets rapists off the hook if they marry their victims, but it remains on the books in Tunisia, Lebanon, Syria, Libya, Kuwait, Iraq, Bahrain, Algeria and even the Palestinian territories. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • In absurd twist, Iranian envoy may be voted UNESCO chief - Iranian envoy Ahmad Jalali is currently sole candidate to chair UNESCO's Executive Board • Israel, U.S. prompt more states to vie for position to avert Iranian election • "Completely absurd," says Israel's envoy to UNESCO Carmel Shama Hacohen. (Israel Hayom)
  • In Victory for BDS, U.K. High Court Lets Councils Opt Out of Investing in Israel - Legal battle against BDS in the U.K. is like 'trying to shoot back against a juggernaut with a pea shooter,' says chair of U.K. Lawyers for Israel. (Haaretz+) 
  • New Delhi lane gets Haifa suffix ahead of Indian PM's visit to Israel - New Delhi Municipal Council renames Teen Murti Marg, one of the Indian capital's most famous lanes, as Teen Murti Haifa Marg, in honor of Israel's third-largest city • Move comes ahead of Indian PM Narendra Modi's historic visit to Israel in July. (Israel Hayom)

Features:
'My Father Is anti-Zionist, but I Went Against the Flow: I Served in the IDF'
An ultra-Orthodox Israeli insists the Torah doesn't make things hard for him; a British 'three-day Jew' talks about the one trait he wants to learn from Israelis. (Liat Elkayam, Haaretz+) 
Guardians of the gates
Border Police troops deployed in the Old City are at the forefront of counterterrorism efforts in Jerusalem • Keeping the capital's bustling routine uninterrupted is the primary mission, but the real battle is against complacency, local commander says. (Adi Rubinstein, Israel Hayom) 
An Israeli Jew in a white Christian world: Race car driver Alon Day shifts to NASCAR
Alon Day is the first Israeli to compete in NASCAR. Most of his training was on simulators. 'I'm going to make history for myself and for my country, Israel,' he says. (JTA, Haaretz)
 
Commentary/Analysis:
Israel's Gold Star Family (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) The Goldins want their dead son's body returned by Hamas at any price, and they want to extract that price from the Gaza Strip’s 2 million cursed inhabitants. 
History will prevail: the security men are defeated in every battle except for one front (Ran Adelist, Maariv) Many military reservists are now conducting a campaign for the sake of their country under the slogan "Returning to Sanity" and hope that "Israeli government policy" will be thrown into the dustbin of history at some point… At the end of May, Yuval Dvir, a colonel and a soldier for peace, left us. Years ago Dvir realized that the country, for which he served most of his life on the battlefield, lost its compass and conscience. This is a problematic personal matter: you dedicate your life and in fact endanger your own life as well as the lives of others, and suddenly, in the course of your life, you discover that the country and the values you have grown up in have changed radically. You do not have to make an effort to understand how problematic it is to a lot of people. Every man deals with this subject according to his codes. 
Questioning of Breaking the Silence Spokesman Meant to Silence Israeli Army Whistleblowers (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Mistreatment of Palestinians is an inseparable part of Israel’s military presence in the territories; efforts to undermine this claim are bound to fail. 
Domestic violence must be treated like terrorism (Yaron London, Yedioth/Ynet) Violence against women is not a defect that can sit around and wait patiently to be repaired; it’s a real war. And like in any other war, all available resources must be recruited to strike the enemy.
Assaf Harel Asks Israelis What They Would Do if They Were Palestinians (Assaf Harel, Haaretz+VIDEO) Stop a moment before criticizing Palestinians, and think what you would do if faced with the realities that Palestinians regularly face in their lives.
Israel Launches Preemptive Strike in Psychological War With Hezbollah (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Israel reveals Hezbollah has developed a vast military network at border villages in an open violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. 
Settlers Are Caught on Camera Attacking Palestinians, but Still Avoid Criminal Charges (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Nine violent incidents have been caught on video in recent months in which settlers have thrown stones and attacked Palestinians, activists and even Israeli soldiers. So why has no one been indicted?  
Israeli Architects Need to Stop Burying Their Heads in the Sand (Esther Zandberg, Haaretz+) Graduates of an Israeli university in the West Bank say they were never spoken to about politics during their studies – it shows 
And the Jerusalem construction freeze goes on (Yifat Erlich, Yedioth/Ynet) Netanyahu insists that there are no building restrictions in the capital, but half a year after Trump’s inauguration, construction plans in Jerusalem are still stuck in the district planning committee.
Investigate 2014 Gaza War's 'Black Friday' (Haaretz Editorial) The fact that no criminal investigations have been opened is execrable, in light of the fact that it is these events that have raised the greatest number of questions about the proportionality of force employed by the army. 
Israel, Stop Sending Women to the Battlefield - They're Much Weaker Than Men (Irit Linur, Haaretz+) Assigning women to combat roles undermines morale and the fighting spirit. And the IDF? Sticking to its guns.
A new Ottoman Empire? (Nadav Shragai, Israel Hayom) The Turkish government and Turkish charity groups have been pouring money into east Jerusalem in an attempt to gain influence. As a result, Turkey is enjoying unprecedented popularity, and Turkish moon and star flags are flying throughout the city. 
Settlers pout, and Netanyahu promises to build them new homes (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) Why the most spoiled and entitled Israelis found themselves feeling jealous of their Palestinian neighbors this week. 
Terrorism is winning in Europe (Nadav Eyal, Yedioth/Ynet) Victory on Western-based violent Islamism will only be achieved when Muslim communities reject any manifestation of religious-political fanaticism in a firm and uncompromising manner. 
Netanyahu’s Way (Israel Harel, Haaretz+) Likud's ideological wing must join Habayit Hayehudi to thwart Israeli PM’s indirect strategy for establishing a Palestinian state on settlement ruins. 
How to Be a Woke Jew: Bring Politics Into Your Synagogue (Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, Haaretz+) Rabbi David Wolpe wants politics to be out of bounds for the American synagogue. But what is Jewish commitment if it leads us to indifference and fear and not study and activism? 
Boycott the Maccabiah Games (Rogel Alpher, Haaretz+) The Maccabiah Games is a racist event that makes the 1936 Berlin Olympics seem liberal. 
Why I Donated to Igal Sarna (Uri Misgav, Haaretz+) Sarna's case will become a symbol, a milestone, precisely because it is one in which complete solidarity is more important than the righteousness of the specific incident
A diplomatic vacuum (Amnon Lord, Israel Hayom) Experts on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict aren't holding out hope for a U.S.-brokered peace deal, and some expect U.S.-Israeli relations to sour. The lack of U.S. "seriousness" means it might be time for solutions that don't rest on the two-state idea.
Israel’s Slow Creep Into the Syrian Civil War (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Involvement in the coordination of cease-fire zones along with military dialogue with Russia, make Israel a partner in strategic decision-making on Syria,
Barak's 'slippery slope' (Ruthie Blum, Israel Hayom) Once the former prime minister used the "A" word, it did not ‎matter what else he said. An interviewer had ‎gotten him to use the rhetoric ‎of anti-Semites. 
Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right (Friday Haaretz Editorial) Detention without charges is supposed to be reserved only for “ticking bomb” situations.
Why the Jewish Right Is Foolish to Celebrate the Empty Palestinian History 'Book' (Joshua Shanes, Haaretz) The 132 blank pages intending to undermine Palestinian claims to nationhood aren't just snark or bad history. They provide the fodder for an unending, bloody conflict. 
A Turkish Fantasyland and an Israeli Nightmare (David Rosenberg, Haaretz+) Turkey’s mix of make-believe statistics and political repression is going to end badly. Israelis shouldn’t be so confident it couldn’t happen to us.
 
Interviews:
'The Only Chance for Europe’s Relationship With Islam Lies With the Refugees'
Dr. Samuel Schidem, an Israeli Druze who gives workshops in Berlin to refugees from Muslim countries, tells Haaretz how refugees can become a balancing factor against radicalization of young Muslims. (Interviewed by Shany Littman in Haaretz) 

'Like Israel, I never gave up'
Robert Kraft, the Jewish owner of the New England Patriots, arrived in Israel last week to promote the sport he loves in the country he loves • He compares his team to Israel at every opportunity, as both have been known to overcome adversity. (Interviewed by Erez Linn in Israel Hayom)
 
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.

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