APN's daily news review from Israel

Sunday, August 13, 2017

You Must Be Kidding: 
“Breaking: Conan O’Brien sends Conan O’Brien to Israel to help Jared Kushner. Stay tuned. #ConanIsrael #ConanWithoutBorders https://t.co/7ystp6aMqR”
— A social media message written by comedian Conan O'Brien to announce his trip to Israel.**

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Front Page:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

News Summary:

US President Donald Trump and N. Korean leader Kim Jung-il exchanged threats while behind-the-scenes diplomacy took place, Trump, meanwhile, has decided to send a delegation headed by his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to the Middle East to reignite the peace process, while some 2,000-3,000 Israelis rallied near the Attorney General’s home (and a couple hundred Likud activists made a counter-protest) over his handling of the corruption probes against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who sources say has no intention of stepping down if he is indicted.

The US peace-making delegation is supposed to arrive in the region in late August and will travel Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Jordan and Egypt. The White House said that Trump thinks the restored calm in Jerusalem presents an opportunity to kick-start peace talks. But, Israel Hayom’s Daniel Siryoti reported that a Palestinian Authority official said that the Palestinians were being ’excluded' from peace efforts and that relations between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Kushner were "tense.”

Quick Hits:

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Features:
Who Murdered the Rising Palestinian Leader Who Stood Up for His East Jerusalem Slum?
Baha Nababta fought to improve life in the Shoafat refugee camp, not hesitating to work with Israeli authorities; hope for change in the squalid neighborhood died with him. (Nir Hasson, Haaretz+)
Vacation beyond the Green Line: Would you go to a settlement?
While the owners of B&Bs (in Israel) are struggling for their livelihood, the state is giving  6 million  shekels to open new units in Judea and Samaria, in the Gaza vicinity and in the Bedouin, Druze and Circassian communities in the north. (Ranen Netzer, Globes Hebrew/Maariv)
Palestinian 'taught to hate Israel' turns Zionist
Christian convert Sandra Solomon from Ramallah recalls jubilation in Arab society during the intifada 'even when children were killed'; says prevalence of hateful education and vilification of Israel convinces her 'Palestinians don't want peace.' (Elior Levy, Yedioth/Ynet)
Israeli troops 'were out to kill,' says family of Palestinian rock thrower shot dead by sniper
As soldiers entered the Hizma village, young people started to stone them. That's when a sniper shot Muhammad Kanaan in the head from 30 meters away. (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+)
The love triangle that changed the course of Zionism
As the centennial of the Balfour Declaration approaches, it's fitting to look at the love affair at the very top of the British government whose dramatic end helped pave the way for the issuing of the historic declaration about a national homeland for the Jewish people. (Nathan Brun, Haaretz+)
12 years after Gaza disengagement, families still living in ‘caravillas’
Dozens of families evacuated from Gush Katif in the summer of 2005 have yet to receive permanent housing instead of the prefabricated mobile homes that were built as a temporary solution. ‘We have encountered almost every possible bureaucratic barrier,’ one of the evacuees says, calling on the state to ‘conduct a serious self-examination.’ (Yehonatan Bnaya, Ynet)
Moral Minority As a Combat Soldier, Can I Ignore Army Protocols That I Feel Are Wrong? 
Ignoring the rules feels more right to me, but I know that if everyone did that the army would disintegrate.’ (Moral Minority, Haaretz+) '
 
Commentary/Analysis:
The 'alt-right' plot against McMaster, spurred by its Jewish fellow travelers (Dov S. Zakheim, Haaretz+) If ever there was a ménage à trois made in hell, it is the one between Steve Bannon, Mort Klein and (Jerusalem Post commentator) Caroline Glick.
Netanyahu and the Amalekites: When the prime minister stormed to save his skin (Ben Caspit, Maariv) Even though the left-wing no longer exists and the media is irrelevant, the prime minister has pushed with all his might, spawning division, incitement and lies - the main thing is to save his skin.
Netanyahu’s cynical tactic: I’m Likud, Likud is me (Sima Kadmon, Yedioth/Ynet) A person in Netanyahu’s situation should have bowed his head and kept silent. He definitely shouldn’t have organized an Erdoğan-style rally for himself. He should have waited quietly for the attorney general’s decision. Instead, Netanyahu chose war.
Like a mafia movie: Ministers swore allegiance to boss Netanyahu while his wife called out 'traitors' (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) Critics who said Netanyahu should go because of his Temple Mount flip-flop and limited settlement construction have embraced him once again after recognizing their true enemy: The left.
How did the nationalist camp arrive at a situation in which it is forbidden to ask questions about Netanyahu? (Kalman Liebeskind, Maariv) True, there is journalistic persecution against Netanyahu, but the alternative can not come in the form of…applause. Because if to be right-wing means to support him automatically, then I do not want to be that kind of right-wing.
Don't be fooled by its Israeli Jewish gentrification - Jaffa largely remains an occupied military zone (Nissan Shor, Haaretz+) Israeli Jews seeking 'authenticity' drove up home prices in disadvantaged Arab neighborhoods of the city, and now it's blowing up in their faces.
In a parallel universe: the prime minister takes responsibility, handsover his chair - and apologizes (Dror Refael, Maariv) "I have decided to take a break from my job as prime minister, and after I have proved my innocence, I will return."
Rebellion against the mind controllers (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom) The show of support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week was a rebellion against one small, radical group's constant efforts to suffocate the public's independent thought. The Israeli people must be given the freedom to disagree.
Netanyahu's Distorted Notions of 'Us' and 'Them' (Carolina Landsmann, Haaretz+) It's 'us' vs. 'them,' claims the prime minister. But we all have to pay for his actions, and the left-wing media is not what it seems.
The return to the Zion Square balcony (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/Ynet)  Neither the Left nor the media concern Netanyahu. He’s directing his arrows at Attorney General Mandelblit, Police Commissioner Alsheikh and the investigators. You won’t dare touch me, he’s telling them, because the people love me.
Stay strong and consistent (Isi Leibler, Israel Hayom) Netanyahu ‎remains the only credible leader with the ability to make progress on the international level. ‎Hopefully, he has overcome what were temporary lapses of self-control.
Israel must adopt a cautious and calculated foreign policy, and not a contrarian one (MK Nachman Shai, Maariv) The crisis in the White House will manifest itself in the international positions of the United States. This requires Israel to re-examine the global picture. This is the time for quiet, classical diplomacy, not public diplomacy.
The Wall of Insanity (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Israel has opted for another wall, this time around Gaza. Israel will pay for it.
Rules of engagement (Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror, Israel Hayom) Hebron shooter Elor Azaria's case did not hinge on moral values, but on his violation of military orders, which must be obeyed • Reality has debunked the rumored "Azaria effect," as soldiers' motivation to engage terrorists has not been compromised.
Netanyahu's strategic achievements (David M. Weinberg, Israel Hayom) Wise and important actors around the world appreciate that the Israeli prime minister is one of the world's great statesmen. Even many in liberal circles acknowledge his acumen in advancing a broad vision.
The People Choose Corruption (Rogel Alpher, Haaretz+) This is a government in which politicians and senior officials give out benefits in exchange for cash. Looking at things soberly, there is no escaping the conclusion that this is the character of Israel’s ruling class.
Take to the Streets, but Let the Attorney General Do His Job (Iris Leal, Haaretz+)  There is room to protest over what is already known, but we should recognize and respect the enormous task facing Avichai Mendelblit.
New Israel Fund a ‘neutral body’? Don’t make me laugh (Shlomo Puterkovsky, Yedioth/Ynet) While the NIF does support women’s and environmental groups, it also supports organizations like Breaking the Silence and B’Tselem, which specialize in tarnishing the State of Israel’s reputation in the world through lies and manipulations.
Netanyahu Should Follow His Own Advice (Israel Harel, Haaretz+) When Olmert was suspected of crimes, Netanyahu told him to step down. But precedent suggests that prime ministers suspected of crimes hang on to the horns of power.
Saeb Erekat as a parable: No one, friend or enemy, stands above the rules of medical ethics (Prof. Arieh Eldad, Maariv) A lot of background noise was heard following the request to include the senior Fatah official on the waiting list for a lung transplant in Israel, but it was unnecessary. Discrimination to help and discrimination to harm are both wrongful…Demand for organs in the State of Israel always exceeds supply, and the country's residents are first.
Netanyahu Above the Law (Friday Haaretz Editorial) The branding of minority views and the media as representing the enemies of the people is a phenomenon well known from history.
 

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