News Nosh 10.31.17

by APN 10/31/17
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APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday October 31, 2017
You Must Be Kidding: 
Israel forced the chief photographer of the European Press Agency to undergo a strip search at a press conference. International photographers walked out in protest.

Breaking News:
Soldiers feared a ramming attack and shot and killed a Palestinian man. Woman in car with him also wounded. Incident took place in West Bank near the settlement of Halamish, the site of a recent terror attack. (Haaretz and Times of Israel)

Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
  • Targeted explosion
  • Time of test // Alex Fishman
  • Dilemma of the response // Yossi Yehoshua
  • The second employee of the Prime Minister’s Residence: They abuse me
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links)

Israel Hayom


News Summary:
Israel exploded a Hamas and Islamic Jihad tunnel that reached Israel, killing at least seven militants and injuring another 13 inside and raising fears that the calm in the south will now end, a former campaign manager of US President Donald Trump was charged with conspiracy against the US (and a Trump campaign advisor, who pled guilty to lying to the FBI, has surprising ties to Israeli settlers, Haaretz reported), and the coalition mended its rift after agreeing to postpone by a month the vote over the controversial ‘French Bill,’ making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.

Meanwhile, the US pressured Israel to let its Finance Minister, Moshe Kahlon, to meet his Palestinian counterpart in Ramallah and Israel indicted 20 Palestinians for a ‘massive agricultural heist,’ while Israeli settlers’ continued theft of Palestinian olive harvests continues almost completely unreported in the Hebrew press and without almost any Israeli law enforcement.
 
Quick Hits:
  • Palestinian prisoner given 30 minutes to visit his teenage son battling cancer - Rajab Tahhan, who is serving a life sentence in Israeli prison, was allowed only 30 minutes on to see his son, Majd, 19, in his Israeli hospital bed where he is receiving treatment for leukemia. “The father and the son cried during the entire visit,” Wafa news agency reported. (Maan)
  • Israel's New 'Soros Bill' Would Stymie Funds From 'Hostile' Organizations to Left-wing Groups - Associates of Netanyahu couldn’t say whether the prime minister would support the proposed law in the Knesset, and its exact wording has yet to be disclosed. (Haaretz+)
  • Lieberman Warns: Nation-state Bill Will Make Israel a State of Jewish Religious Law - Bill does not define Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, and seeks to legislate Israel's demand that the Palestinians recognize Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people. (Haaretz+)
  • Following uproar, Yitzhak Rabin memorial organizers tweak ads to include the word 'murder' - Left-wing circles have criticized the organizers of the rally for ignoring the murder of Rabin and the incitement that led to it, as well as the absence of messages associated with the peace camp. (Haaretz+)
  • Labor’s Arab MK draws leader’s opprobrium for saying Israeli Arabs aren’t free - Labor chief Avi Gabbay says party no place for 'extremists' after Zouheir Bahloul decides to skip Balfour Declaration event at Knesset. (Times of Israel)
  • Bar-Ilan lecturer removes student who refused to take off hijab - Lecturer at Bar-Ilan University's Middle Eastern Studies dept. asks student to remove hijab, expeling her from class when she refuses; students complain to university, which censures lecturer's conduct; lecturer apologizes to student in email, will apologize in front of student body. (Ynet)
  • *Foreign journalists stage walk out at event with Australian PM, Netanyahu - After the chief photographer of the European Press Agency, an Arab-Israeli with Israeli credentials, is forced to undergo a strip search, photographers walked out in protest of 'humiliating' practices. (Haaretz, Maariv and Times of Israel)
  • Accessory to murder of Israeli in terror attack appeals for lighter sentence - Terrorist Izz a-Din Awad, who assisted his father Ziad in murdering Baruch Mizrahi in 2014, appeals conviction, 21-year sentence, claiming he cooperated with Shin Bet in finding murder weapon, providing information leading to father's conviction; calling for harsher sentence, victim's widow says, 'No more soft touch with terrorists, both in prison and the court system.' (Ynet)
  • Two new Israeli Supreme Court justices sworn in - Yosef Elron and Yael Willner join the bench at a ceremony at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem. (Haaretz+)
  • 20 Palestinians indicted for massive agricultural heist - Following the largest agricultural theft in recent years, 20 Palestinians charged with trespassing, malicious damage of property and theft; they caused damage estimated NIS 300,000. (Ynet)
  • UNRWA finds tunnel underneath Gaza school - The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) discovered two weeks ago a Hamas attack tunnel underneath one of its schools in Gaza and immediately informed Israel. (Ynet)
  • Ron Arad's colleagues join efforts to release Abera Mengistu - Former colleagues of fallen pilot Ron Arad, led by former Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin, join efforts for the release of Abera Mengistu—who's been held captive by Hamas for more than three years. (Ynet)
  • Two bills to boost Israel's Jewish nature will harm women's rights, activists warn - Ten women's rights groups say that the so-called Jewish nation-state bill and Jewish law bill would bolster religious law, a move that could be harmful for women. (Haaretz+)
  • UNHRC to discuss Israeli women's exclusion - UN Human Rights Council to discuss exclusion of women in Israeli society, including public transportation, 'decency' in advertising billboards and exclusion of women from Western Wall; Ministry of Justice delegation headed by director-general will counter claims, present Israeli strides already made in anti-human trafficking legislation and criminalizing clients of prostitution. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • After Haaretz report, Netanyahu withdraws plan to boycott major Jewish federation event - Officials say Netanyahu will be interviewed via satellite during GA event, scheduled to be held in two weeks in Los Angeles. (Haaretz)
  • Israeli who allegedly attacked police officers acquitted because cops coordinated stories - The prosecution argued that the police officers’ version should be accepted because they had no vested interests, and because the accused had chosen to retain his right to remain silent. Judge Paul Starc ruled that the incident was ‘sparked’ by the police who used disproportionate force against the husband and then coordinated their stories. (Haaretz+ and YnetHebrew)
  • Israel urges top court to halt sale of Declaration of Independence drafts - The state is framing the case as an important test of principles. The main question is whether private individuals can be the owners of the state’s inalienable assets. (Haaretz+)
  • Anger after East Jerusalem schoolgirls tour Arafat's grave - Advocacy group says a reality in which schoolgirls with Israeli ID cards visit the grave of archterrorist Yasser Arafat "crosses a red line." MKs say indoctrination of east Jerusalem schoolchildren with anti-Israel material must come to an end. (Israel Hayom)
  • Minimum wage to rise to NIS 5,300 in December - Knesset Labor and Welfare Committee approves bill proposing to raise minimum monthly wage from NIS 5,000 to NIS 5,300 starting in December's wages; increase marks NIS 1,000 increase in last two and a half years. (Ynet)
  • Wisconsin governor bars contracts with firms that boycott Israel - Wisconsin exports over $80 million annually to Israel and imports over $200 million from Israel. (JTA, Haaretz)
  • WhatsApp founder shares 'Hatikvah' to support judo champ - Jan Koum posts link to Israeli national anthem in solidarity with Tal Flicker, gold medalist in judo at Abu Dhabi Grand Slam, who sang "Hatikvah" on the podium after UAE organizers barred any display of Israeli symbols or anthem at tournament. (Israel Hayom)
  • Israeli Lobbyists Working for Congo in D.C. Hire GOP Insiders, Including Bob Dole and Trump Campaign Liasons - C. Mer Industries, which trades on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, will be getting $5.6 million from the Congolese government for the effort. (Haaretz)
  • Iran says its president turned down a meeting with Trump - Hassan Rouhani rebuffed a request from the U.S. president to meet on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York in September, says Iranian report. Iran denies that French president tried to mediate meeting. White House declines to comment. (Israel Hayom)
  • Iran is complying with nuclear deal, nuclear watchdog says - Iranian officials opted to not attend the United Nations conference on atomic energy in UAE on Monday. (Agencies, Haaretz)

Features:
Haaretz Special Report: What the Jewish Federations Do With Your Money (By Uri Blau)
Research by Haaretz into Jewish charity in North America has found a powerful but opaque machine that turns over billions, but can be vague as to how the money is used, for instance on salaries, and supporting the settlements in Israel.
The Jewish Federations of the Caribbean
Like many charities, the federations invest offshore.
Jewish Federations Donated Millions to Israeli Settlements Over Four Years
Federations supported settlers in Hebron and Silwan: 'Jews are Jews wherever they live.’
All in the Mishpucha: Family at the Federations
Whole families can make their living at a single charitable organization.
Million-dollar Salaries and Personal Loans: Perks of Working at Jewish Federations
A fifth of donations to Jewish federations is spent on salaries, which in some cases are beyond the norm at similar organizations, Haaretz finds.
Inside Transactions at the Jewish Federations
Sometimes a cousin really can offer the best deal, but it can be hard for donors to be sure the charity shopped around first
Duplicated Effort in the World of Jewish Charity: What Is It Good For?
Federations and foundations often share not only personnel and space but goals. Why have multiple institutions serving the same purposes? (Akela Lacy, Haaretz)

Commentary/Analysis:
Yitzhak Rabin's murder was, indeed, political (Haaretz Editorial) After 22 years, it’s time for the peace camp to grow up and understand that ignoring reality never pays and that cowardice doesn’t attract crowds - not to a rally and not to a voting booth.
Why Israel should talk to Iran (Eitan Haber, Yedioth/Ynet) We have a brutal, intelligent enemy looking for any way to take revenge against us for support we gave to the Shah. There’s potential for an Armageddon, and it’s quite possible the Islamic Republic will have the upper hand. Israel’s political echelon must make every effort, therefore, to find routes for reconciliation and peace talks with the Iranians.
Israeli Strike on Cross-border Gaza Tunnel May Have Been Too Successful (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Israel has enough tactical awareness to act in Gaza, but lacks overall strategy.
The sides are not interested in a military confrontation, but continue to prepare for it (Yossi Melman, Maariv) A reasonable assumption is that the IDF knew about the tunnel even when it was dug in the Gaza Strip, but waited until it reached Israel in order to blow it up so as not to be accused of violating Hamas' sovereignty.
Gaza Tunnel Strike: Hamas Puts Palestinian Unity Before Revenge – for Now (Jack Khoury, Haaretz+) Despite the strong reaction of top Islamic Jihad figures to the attack, Hamas calls the shots in the Gaza Strip – and a new war with Israel isn't its current priority.
Perhaps it is time to let women lead the peace negotiations (Uri Savir, Maariv) The connection between peace and gender equality has long been proven. After we the men failed, perhaps it is time to give women a chance to advance matters between us and the Palestinians.
Britain's Broken Its Promises to the Palestinians From Balfour Onwards. Now It Must Make Amends (Donald Macintyre, Haaretz+) Now, as Balfour's centenary is marked, is the time for Britain to take responsibility, belatedly, for abandoning Mandate Palestine’s non-Jewish inhabitants.
On the way up (Galia Wallach, Israel Hayom) The news that more women than ever are candidates to serve as IAF pilots is welcome, but the battle for gender equality is far from over, both in the military and in society at large.
Mueller’s Shock-and-awe Indictments Meant to Terrify Both Trump and Witnesses (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) But it was the separate confessions of a former campaign adviser that should really ruin U.S. president’s Halloween.
How India's Muslim Backlash, Led by Jinnah, Thwarted the Balfour Declaration (Victor Kattan, Haaretz) The Balfour Declaration was intended as Britain's answer to the 'Jewish Question', an attempt to divert Jewish immigration away from its own shores. But Britain ruled over more Muslims than any other European power - and their protests threatened the Empire.

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

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