APN's daily news review from Israel
Thursday, November 30, 2017
You Must Be Kidding:
Plans for expansion of the city of Acre, which is 1/3 Muslim Arab, don't include a mosque.**
Plans for expansion of the city of Acre, which is 1/3 Muslim Arab, don't include a mosque.**
Breaking News:
A Jewish settler shot dead a Palestinian farmer in disputed circumstances in the northern West Bank
Settlers and IDF said Palestinians attacked the settlers with stones while the settlers hiked through Qusra village and Israeli media gave settler/IDF version. Associated Press and Israeli NGO Yesh DIn reported that Palestinian farmer Mahmoud Odeh, 47, was working on his land when settlers coming from Esh Kodesh outpost told him to leave. He refused and was shot in the chest, said Palestinian Authority settler watch official Ghassan Daghlas. (Associated Press, Ynet, Haaretz, Maariv)
Front Page:
Haaretz
- (Australian tycoon) Packer testified, and police will try to end the Netanyahu investigations within a month
- Ambassador in Amman will be replaced in attempt to end crisis with Jordan
- Hundreds of police and soldiers evacuated a structure in Nativ Ha’Avot outpost (in West Bank)
- Launching of the N. Korean missile could change the fragile balance of power between Kim and Trump // Anshel Pfeffer
- MKs from Kulanu party propose: Seven years prison for activists in organizations boycotting Israel
- Croatian war criminal committed suicide by swallowing poison in Hague courthouse
- Tell the goyim // B. Michael
- It will end with a bang // Emilie Mouatti
Yedioth Ahronoth
- The goal: To end the investigation before the Recommendations Law (is passed) - Police speed up the Netanyahu investigations
- Parker’s testimony - Police questioned him on Gifts Affair (Case 1000)
- Battle over every vote - Knesset legal advisor: Netanyahu and Katz cannot vote on the Recommendations Law
- Live broadcast suicide
- What is killing us - Full report of the most common reasons for death in Israel: 1 out of 4 from cancer, 1 out of 7 from heart diseases
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- Mortality from breast cancer: Among the highest in the West
- Sentenced himself to death
- World storm over Trump’s video clips
- After months of efforts: Packer testified
Israel Hayom
- On the way to a compromise: Ambassador in Jordan will be replaced - Progress with Amman
- Relatively low price to pay // Yoav Limor
- Case 1000: Packer also testified
- Committed suicide on live TV
- The national school education exams (‘Meitzav’): Rise in sciences, but also in the socio-economic gaps
- Sea of courage - In the name of the grandfather: Grandsons of naval commander who sank Egyptian warship in 1948 sailed in his memory yesterday
- Giro d’Italia race in Israel in danger of being canceled? The organizers advertised that it will only pass through “West Jerusalem”
- I covered the evacuation (of West Bank outpost) - and they also forcefully evicted me // Efrat Forsher
- The ordeal: The women who filed (sexual abuse) complaints in the Rabbi Sheinberg affair speak
News Summary:
Israeli police questioned Australian tycoon over gifts he allegedly gave to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and they began speeding up their investigation against Netanyahu to finish before the passing of the ‘Recommendations Law,’ which would prevent them from publishing their recommendations, Israel decided to appoint a new ambassador to Jordanin order to resolve the diplomatic crisis, which developed after an Israeli guard shot deadtwo Jordanians in June, and hundreds of Israeli forces pushed off dozens of settler youth who tried to prevent the court-ordered demolition of a settler structure built on privately-owned Palestinian land in an illegal West Bank outpost, making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.
The settler youth, of course, failed to stop the security forces from razing the outpost building, but in a one step forward two steps backward, Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit is considering allowing a partial rather than complete demolition of six nearby homes in the Netiv Ha’Avot outpost, because they are only partially on the privately-owned Palestinian land, as Peace Now data shows. Moreover, a special Interior Ministry committee recommended connecting several settlements in the northern West Bank in order to create a new settler city - the first settler city since Ariel's founding, 20 years ago. And, Israel is trying to legalize a sewage plant near a West Bank Settlement built on other privately-owned Palestinian land. Nevertheless, Netanyahu plans to tell the European Union next month that their focus on settlements is “ridiculous," The Jerusalem Post's Herb Keinon reported.
In diplomacy, or lack thereof, the papers reported that ‘reports surfaced’ that US President Donald Trump plans to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital in the coming days. Meanwhile, the Trump administration dismissed an Israeli report from Wednesday suggesting that Trump was on the verge of announcing the relocation of the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Israeli police questioned Australian tycoon over gifts he allegedly gave to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and they began speeding up their investigation against Netanyahu to finish before the passing of the ‘Recommendations Law,’ which would prevent them from publishing their recommendations, Israel decided to appoint a new ambassador to Jordanin order to resolve the diplomatic crisis, which developed after an Israeli guard shot deadtwo Jordanians in June, and hundreds of Israeli forces pushed off dozens of settler youth who tried to prevent the court-ordered demolition of a settler structure built on privately-owned Palestinian land in an illegal West Bank outpost, making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.
The settler youth, of course, failed to stop the security forces from razing the outpost building, but in a one step forward two steps backward, Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit is considering allowing a partial rather than complete demolition of six nearby homes in the Netiv Ha’Avot outpost, because they are only partially on the privately-owned Palestinian land, as Peace Now data shows. Moreover, a special Interior Ministry committee recommended connecting several settlements in the northern West Bank in order to create a new settler city - the first settler city since Ariel's founding, 20 years ago. And, Israel is trying to legalize a sewage plant near a West Bank Settlement built on other privately-owned Palestinian land. Nevertheless, Netanyahu plans to tell the European Union next month that their focus on settlements is “ridiculous," The Jerusalem Post's Herb Keinon reported.
In diplomacy, or lack thereof, the papers reported that ‘reports surfaced’ that US President Donald Trump plans to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital in the coming days. Meanwhile, the Trump administration dismissed an Israeli report from Wednesday suggesting that Trump was on the verge of announcing the relocation of the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
Quick Hits:
- Israeli Lawmakers Push Prison Time for Pro-boycott Activists - New bill, sponsored by lawmakers from the governing coalition, attempts to hold those who encourage economic and academic boycotts against Israel or its products accountable for their actions. The bill also says that if a boycott activist caused intentional harm, he could be liable for a prison term of up to 10 years or, in certain cases, even life. (Haaretz+)
- Ten U.S. Democratic senators urge Netanyahu: Do not demolish Palestinian village of Sussia - Senators, including Bernie Sanders and Dianne Feinstein, relay distress over Israeli threats to demolish Palestinian villages and settlement extension plans in the West Bank. (Haaretz)
- **No mosque in plans for expansion of Israeli city of Acre, which is one-third Arab - The new plan has been fast-tracked, thus circumventing the usual planning procedures. (Haaretz)
- Israeli Police Suspected of Lying About Assault of Leading Arab Lawmaker - Nine policemen, including a superintendent, questioned as criminal suspects after video showing attack on Knesset member Ayman Odeh surfaces. (Haaretz+)
- Seminar canceled by Bennett goes ahead as planned - A (workers' rights) seminar by Association for Civil Rights in Israel, which was canceled by Education Min. Naftali Bennett on Tuesday over its alleged actions in support of terrorists, takes place as planned. During seminar, bereaved parent tells ACRI, 'the aid you provide terrorists who have murdered our loved ones is a spit in the face of the families.' (Ynet)
- Israel Raids Three Palestinian Villages Where Hundreds Are Slated to Be Expelled From Their Homes - Soldiers collected residents' identity cards and held two for questioning for two hours. Army says it conducted checks after receiving intelligence information. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli Government Begins Legalizing Thousands of Negev Bedouin Homes - But residents are reluctant to cooperate with plan, fearing they will lose their claim to ownership of the land. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli ministers outraged by cycling race's 'west Jerusalem' wording - Israeli ministers slam Giro d'Italia's decision to exclude east Jerusalem from race, calling it a capitulation to Palestinian pressure and threatening to pull out ."There is no 'east' and 'west' in Jerusalem. There is only one, united Jerusalem," they say. (Israel Hayom)
- Arab MK slams UN celebration of Israel's independence - Ahmad Tibi uses platform at the UN to pan Israel for celebrating the 1947 Partition Plan that led to its independence, criticizes Israeli discriminatory policies toward Palestinians. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Video on Partition Plan UN vote to be screened in Times Square - World Zionist Organization produces 'I love Israel' video to be screened in NYC's Times Square on enormous screen, showing moments from 1947 UN vote on Israeli independence, first PM Ben-Gurion and current Israeli figures such as PM Netanyahu, Bar Refaeli, David Blatt; Horah dancers to perform immediately after screening. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Palestinian Perpetrators Behind Tel Aviv Shooting Rampage Get Life Sentences - The three terrorists murdered four Israelis and wounded scores more at the bustling Sarona market in June last year. (Haaretz)
- Report: Before UN Stint, Danny Danon Hired Likud Cronies in Return for Political Support - The current Israeli ambassador to the UN supposedly arranged cushy jobs for Likud members and their relatives. Danon: Report is an attempt at slander. (Haaretz)
- Opposition demands investigation into UN ambassador - Meretz MKs urge attorney general to order police investigation into claims Danny Danon used public funds to pay over 100 Likud party members to do his political bidding. "This is pure political corruption," the MKs write • Danon denies allegations. (Israel Hayom)
- Palestinian rivals delay full Gaza handover by 10 days - Fatah and Hamas explain abrupt delay as necessary to 'complete the arrangements to successfully conclude reconciliation steps to which the Palestinian people aspire.' (Israel Hayom)
- Israeli Labor Party Leader Slams Netanyahu for 'Abandoning' American Jews During First U.S. Visit - While meeting with prominent American Jewish leaders in New York, Avi Gabbay expresses concern over 'deep crisis' between Israel and American Jewry. (Haaretz+)
- U.S. Jewish Leaders Blast Trump for Retweeting anti-Muslim Propaganda - ADL's Jonathan Greenblatt calls Trump's retweeting of a series of anti-Muslim videos 'no longer alarming,' but rather a 'four-alarm fire.’ (Haaretz+)
- Israeli Hotel Room Shortages Force Tour Groups to Cancel Trips - The number of tourists coming to visit is limited not by the security situation but by hotel room availability, says head of tour operators association. (Haaretz)
- Former SNL’ Cast Member Michaela Watkins Tours Israel as Part of 'Birthright for Moms' - Watkins arrived in Israel with 30 top female Jewish bloggers as part of the Media Magnets mission of the Jewish Women’s Renaissance Project. (JTA, Haaretz)
- Israel launches pilot shuttle program from Gaza to US Consulate in Jerusalem- About 100 Palestinians who need to visit US Consulate allowed to cross into Israel Wednesday; Israel is expected to run similar shuttles in the future, though no schedule has been set. (Agencies, Ynet and Israel Hayom)
- EU lawmakers call to halt money transfers to BDS groups - In unprecedented initiative, 60 bipartisan lawmakers urge EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini to block the transfer of EU funds to groups that promote the spread of anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist sentiment under the guise of freedom of expression. (Israel Hayom)
- German broadcasters shun Roger Waters over BDS activity - Five state television and radio affiliates of the national ARD network cancel plans to air former Pink Floyd frontman's 2018 shows over his support of anti-Israel boycotts. ARD official: Taking a stand is an important signal to the Jewish community. (Israel Hayom)
- At anti-Semitism Panel, Linda Sarsour Asks, 'I Am the Biggest Problem of the Jewish Community?' - The prominent feminist activist and controversial anti-Zionist speaks out against anti-Semitism and the importance of 'organizing at the intersections of oppression.’ (Haaretz+)
- US think tank awards prize to 3 Israeli former UN envoys - Washington [Right-wing - OH] Institute for Near East Policy gives prizes to public officials and diplomats whose work promotes peace and security in the Middle East. Dr. Dore Gold, Ron Prosor and Danny Gillerman accept their prizes at a ceremony in New York on Tuesday. (Israel Hayom)
- Israel, Egypt Pushed U.S. to Bomb Iran Before Nuclear Deal, John Kerry Says - Speaking at a Washington forum, the former secretary of state said that Prime Minister Netanyahu was 'genuinely agitating toward action' against Iran. (Agencies, Haaretz and Israel Hayom)
- Report: Netanyahu asked Mubarak to settle Palestinians in Sinai - Deposed Egyptian president Mubarak confirms report from several years prior that PM Netanyahu asked him to resettle Palestinians in Sinai Peninsula; 'I told him I wouldn't even hear of it,' says Mubarak, though the BBC states he did agree to the resettlement offer. (Ynet and Maariv)
- Egyptian leader orders military to secure Sinai in 3 months - President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi responds to last week's terrorist attack on a mosque that killed 305 people by giving the Egyptian army the green light to "use all brute force necessary" to defeat the terrorist forces operating in the peninsula. (Israel Hayom)
- Abu Dhabi museum exhibit marks new openness to Judaism - Jewish artifacts, including a 15th-century Hebrew Bible, on display at Louvre Abu Dhabi, which is making history and showing new openness to Judaism and Western culture in exhibition on monotheism. Visitor: People here aren't used to Jewish presence. (Israel Hayom)
Features:
The Arab Communities Living Under Fire in Northern Israel
Routine gun battles and illegal weapons caches in Wadi Ara have brought residents to breaking point. (Noa Shpigel, Haaretz+)
"The children of Israel are not aware of our story" - Those born in Arab countries are returning to the (stories of the) persecution of their families
The story of the riots and pogroms, the great amount of property left behind, and the story of entire communities that were pushed aside when they arrived in Israel. (Carmit Sapir Weitz, Maariv Magazine supplement, cover)
Israel Is Shooting Itself in the Foot by Declaring Its Ties to Saudi Arabia, Expert Warns
A war on corruption, collaboration with Israel and an enthusiastic crown prince: A look at the dramatic changes underway in Saudi Arabia. (Ayelett Shani, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
Israel fences in Arab towns, then complains of illegal construction (Meirav Arlosoroff, Haaretz+) The Jewish nation-state bill, which includes a clause allowing for Jewish-only communities, worsens Arab 'ghettoization' and Arab lack of trust in the Israeli government, rather than working to solve the housing crisis.
Try asking yourself why, if at all, you also think the Recommendations Law is a bad idea (Shmuel Rosner, Maariv) The relationship to the many issues that are currently stirring the public can be divided into three parts: personality, timing and content. So what really stands behind our support or opposition to each?
David Friedman Is Unfit to Be U.S. Ambassador to Israel. Fire Him (Debra Shushan, Haaretz+) Friedman's recent comments show the 'moderate' positions he adopted during his nomination were entirely fake. How can the U.S. ambassador to Israel smear opponents, act as a representative of Israel's settlers and misrepresent U.S. policy?
Know thine enemy (Moshe Feiglin, Israel Hayom) In the 24 years since the signing of the Oslo Accords, the military leadership in Israel has undergone a revolution of consciousness that has blinded it to reality.
The massacre in Serbia and the expulsion of the Rohingya: Israel continues to sell weapons in disgrace (Ran Adelist, Maariv) Ratko Mladic, who was known in the world as the butcher of Srebrenica, told us at his trial about the arms deals with Israel and revealed another part of the policy in which we arm the countries that the world condemns.
The new peace partners and the next war (Smadar Perry, Yedioth/Ynet) A new kind of peace is taking shape before our eyes between Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. No longer cold, indifferent and hostile, peace is hiding in the highest places of the government echelons. Together, the new peace partners are learning to assess the dimensions of the next conflict, which will likely be the worst we’ve ever experienced.
Why the US wants to shut down PLO office (Ramzy Baroud, Maan) With international law, once more, taking center stage in a conflict which the US has long designated as if its personal business, Abbas was empowered enough to reach out to the ICC, thus raising the ire of Israel and its allies in the White House.
Birthright is resilient: We'll weather this current criticism too (Michael Steinhardt and Charles R. Bronfman, Haaretz+) The program we co-founded in 1998 has delivered on its promises despite the second intifada, an Israeli government cut of 90% in one year, and active opposition to the Birthright concept on some campuses
Jihadist terror needs no excuse (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) The arguments, explanations and even justifications of terror attacks provided by different commentators and experts distort the truth. And as the ‘circles of progress’ become jihad’s allies, Muslims keep paying the price.
Thank God Israel Already Withdrew From Sinai (Samuel Heilman, Haaretz+) ISIS’ barbaric attack on a Sufi mosque is a striking reminder of why those who opposed Israel leaving Sinai were wrong – and why withdrawing from the West Bank is just as feasible and necessary
You have to be completely evil in order to ignore Netanyahu's achievements, or try to find failures where they are not (Amos Gilboa, Maariv) Despite the prime minister's achievements and the incitement campaign against him, one must be blind so as not to see that during his leadership the problem is not concluded with cigars and champagne.
Celebrating partition (Martin Kramer, Israel Hayom) The very humble marking of the 70th anniversary of the U.N. partition resolution is a missed opportunity. It isn't just a reminder of Israel's legitimacy; it's a reminder of Arab responsibility for rejecting the plan.
As though it were only yesterday (Eitan Haber, Yedioth/Ynet) Seventy years have passed since the historic UN vote on the Partition Plan. The State of Israel still exists, and there is no other country like it in the entire world. We are an unusual economic success story, an inconceivable success story in military and security policy, a place where every Jew would like to live if it were possible.
Routine gun battles and illegal weapons caches in Wadi Ara have brought residents to breaking point. (Noa Shpigel, Haaretz+)
"The children of Israel are not aware of our story" - Those born in Arab countries are returning to the (stories of the) persecution of their families
The story of the riots and pogroms, the great amount of property left behind, and the story of entire communities that were pushed aside when they arrived in Israel. (Carmit Sapir Weitz, Maariv Magazine supplement, cover)
Israel Is Shooting Itself in the Foot by Declaring Its Ties to Saudi Arabia, Expert Warns
A war on corruption, collaboration with Israel and an enthusiastic crown prince: A look at the dramatic changes underway in Saudi Arabia. (Ayelett Shani, Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
Israel fences in Arab towns, then complains of illegal construction (Meirav Arlosoroff, Haaretz+) The Jewish nation-state bill, which includes a clause allowing for Jewish-only communities, worsens Arab 'ghettoization' and Arab lack of trust in the Israeli government, rather than working to solve the housing crisis.
Try asking yourself why, if at all, you also think the Recommendations Law is a bad idea (Shmuel Rosner, Maariv) The relationship to the many issues that are currently stirring the public can be divided into three parts: personality, timing and content. So what really stands behind our support or opposition to each?
David Friedman Is Unfit to Be U.S. Ambassador to Israel. Fire Him (Debra Shushan, Haaretz+) Friedman's recent comments show the 'moderate' positions he adopted during his nomination were entirely fake. How can the U.S. ambassador to Israel smear opponents, act as a representative of Israel's settlers and misrepresent U.S. policy?
Know thine enemy (Moshe Feiglin, Israel Hayom) In the 24 years since the signing of the Oslo Accords, the military leadership in Israel has undergone a revolution of consciousness that has blinded it to reality.
The massacre in Serbia and the expulsion of the Rohingya: Israel continues to sell weapons in disgrace (Ran Adelist, Maariv) Ratko Mladic, who was known in the world as the butcher of Srebrenica, told us at his trial about the arms deals with Israel and revealed another part of the policy in which we arm the countries that the world condemns.
The new peace partners and the next war (Smadar Perry, Yedioth/Ynet) A new kind of peace is taking shape before our eyes between Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. No longer cold, indifferent and hostile, peace is hiding in the highest places of the government echelons. Together, the new peace partners are learning to assess the dimensions of the next conflict, which will likely be the worst we’ve ever experienced.
Why the US wants to shut down PLO office (Ramzy Baroud, Maan) With international law, once more, taking center stage in a conflict which the US has long designated as if its personal business, Abbas was empowered enough to reach out to the ICC, thus raising the ire of Israel and its allies in the White House.
Birthright is resilient: We'll weather this current criticism too (Michael Steinhardt and Charles R. Bronfman, Haaretz+) The program we co-founded in 1998 has delivered on its promises despite the second intifada, an Israeli government cut of 90% in one year, and active opposition to the Birthright concept on some campuses
Jihadist terror needs no excuse (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) The arguments, explanations and even justifications of terror attacks provided by different commentators and experts distort the truth. And as the ‘circles of progress’ become jihad’s allies, Muslims keep paying the price.
Thank God Israel Already Withdrew From Sinai (Samuel Heilman, Haaretz+) ISIS’ barbaric attack on a Sufi mosque is a striking reminder of why those who opposed Israel leaving Sinai were wrong – and why withdrawing from the West Bank is just as feasible and necessary
You have to be completely evil in order to ignore Netanyahu's achievements, or try to find failures where they are not (Amos Gilboa, Maariv) Despite the prime minister's achievements and the incitement campaign against him, one must be blind so as not to see that during his leadership the problem is not concluded with cigars and champagne.
Celebrating partition (Martin Kramer, Israel Hayom) The very humble marking of the 70th anniversary of the U.N. partition resolution is a missed opportunity. It isn't just a reminder of Israel's legitimacy; it's a reminder of Arab responsibility for rejecting the plan.
As though it were only yesterday (Eitan Haber, Yedioth/Ynet) Seventy years have passed since the historic UN vote on the Partition Plan. The State of Israel still exists, and there is no other country like it in the entire world. We are an unusual economic success story, an inconceivable success story in military and security policy, a place where every Jew would like to live if it were possible.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.