APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday January 13, 2014
Quote of the day:
“As an American, because we're paying for it, and as a Jew, because it's being done in my
name."
--Bruce Robbins explains why he co-authoed resolution to censure Israel in the Modern Language Association for 'denials of entry to the West Bank by U.S. academics.'**
--Bruce Robbins explains why he co-authoed resolution to censure Israel in the Modern Language Association for 'denials of entry to the West Bank by U.S. academics.'**
Front Page News:
Haaretz
- US document: Sharon expressed willingness for a compromise over Jerusalem
- Thousands came to pay respects to Sharon, who will be buried today at Shkamim farm
- Security study: Al-Qaeda sees Golan Heights as staging ground for attacks on Israel
- (African) Migrants strike ended; Some 1000 people were told to show up at facility in Negev
- Parents of foreign (Eritrean) baby that was stabbed (by Israeli): We are sorry we came
- Ministers approved: Six months prison to whoever calls someone else a Nazi
- Language corner of Army Radio: Abbas like a donkey, Arabs are like cannibals
Yedioth Ahronoth
- So you I remember - To the sound of the moving song by Naomi Shemer, the state memorial will take place today at the Knesset. Afterward, his coffin will go to Latrun to part from the military elite. In the afternoon, it will arrive at Shkamim Farm for the last time
- Presidential betrayal - French President's wife hospitalized after President caught on way to his lover
- Students' strike - High school students angry at teachers for cancelling trips because of budget problem: No school Wednesday
Maariv
- Ariel Sharon to be brought for burial today at Shkamim Farm; Fear of Qassam rocket shooting
- Agreement with Iran will go into effect next week. Obama: I will veto new legislation of sanctions
- Storm in Gush Etzion - Suspicion: The nanny at nursery school tied infants to pole so they would not bother her while she washed the floor
- Hamas' educational reforms - Instead of military exercises during summer holiday, some 13,000 high school students in Gaza get military expertise "against Zionist enemy" as part of their studies (Hebrew)
- State to pay millions of shekels in compensation to soldiers who participated in secret military experiment of anthrax vaccine
- City on hold - Parents and teachers oppose stopping studies in Tel-Aviv next month, on day of city marathon
Israel Hayom
- Parting with a salute
- IDF commemorates: City of military bases in Negev to be named after Sharon
- Gush Katif evacuees don't forgive: "We won't forget how he expelled us"
- Compromise: State to compensate soldiers of "anthrax experiment" with 21 million shekels
- Family of officer who froze to death in Chile: "This is a tragedy, her death has left an enormous void
- Because of a romance with the President? Francoise Hollande's wife was hospitalized
News Summary:
Ariel Sharon continued to conquer the pages of Hebrew newspapers today as his coffin laid in state ahead of his funeral today. On the subject of peace-making, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin said Israel should reject US Secretary of State John Kerry's proposal, the government cabinet shot down a bill that would make negotiations difficult and Haaretz's Barak Ravid wrote that Sharon had plans for diplomatic moves in the West Bank and Jerusalem. [Ravid also mistakenly writes that Sharon tried to coordinate the Gaza withdrawal with the Palestinian Authority. - OH]
Just last week Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Israel should accept the framework agreement with the Palestinians. But his deputy, Zeev Elkin, said yesterday that Kerry's deal must be rejected if it is detrimental to Israel and its people. Last month Elkin called the '67 borders 'Auschwitz borders.'
Likud ministers shot down a bill that would have required approval from the Knesset Speaker for negotiating with the Palestinians over Jerusalem and the right of return of Palestinian refugees. Likud MK Miri Regev, who proposed the bill, attacked the Likud Ministers saying, "They were afraid of Bibi (Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu)," Yedioth reported.
Meanwhile, the lead story on Haaretz+'s front page was a report by Barak Ravid claiming that that Sharon was planning diplomatic moves beyond Gaza. However, the document he links to [which was posted to Wikileaks a few years ago - OH] only says that "Sharon would propose coordination between the Israeli and Palestinian security services regarding disengagement and would be prepared to coordinate other disengagement issues as well." The document also says that Sharon said that "Israel will never negotiate over Jerusalem...but could consider handing over some Arab neighborhoods." Ravid also claims that the documents show that "Sharon made efforts to coordinate the Gaza withdrawal with the Palestinian Authority." But none of Ravid's quotes in the article support the claim that Sharon made such efforts. [And from my own reporting on the ground during those days, I know there was no such coordination. - OH] Interestingly, Sharon is quoted telling then senator Joseph Lieberman that "Israel does not expect Abu Mazen [Abbas] to be a Zionist..." [Yet, Netanyahu does want Abbas to be a Zionist and declare that Israel is a Jewish state. - OH]
Ariel Sharon continued to conquer the pages of Hebrew newspapers today as his coffin laid in state ahead of his funeral today. On the subject of peace-making, Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Zeev Elkin said Israel should reject US Secretary of State John Kerry's proposal, the government cabinet shot down a bill that would make negotiations difficult and Haaretz's Barak Ravid wrote that Sharon had plans for diplomatic moves in the West Bank and Jerusalem. [Ravid also mistakenly writes that Sharon tried to coordinate the Gaza withdrawal with the Palestinian Authority. - OH]
Just last week Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that Israel should accept the framework agreement with the Palestinians. But his deputy, Zeev Elkin, said yesterday that Kerry's deal must be rejected if it is detrimental to Israel and its people. Last month Elkin called the '67 borders 'Auschwitz borders.'
Likud ministers shot down a bill that would have required approval from the Knesset Speaker for negotiating with the Palestinians over Jerusalem and the right of return of Palestinian refugees. Likud MK Miri Regev, who proposed the bill, attacked the Likud Ministers saying, "They were afraid of Bibi (Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu)," Yedioth reported.
Meanwhile, the lead story on Haaretz+'s front page was a report by Barak Ravid claiming that that Sharon was planning diplomatic moves beyond Gaza. However, the document he links to [which was posted to Wikileaks a few years ago - OH] only says that "Sharon would propose coordination between the Israeli and Palestinian security services regarding disengagement and would be prepared to coordinate other disengagement issues as well." The document also says that Sharon said that "Israel will never negotiate over Jerusalem...but could consider handing over some Arab neighborhoods." Ravid also claims that the documents show that "Sharon made efforts to coordinate the Gaza withdrawal with the Palestinian Authority." But none of Ravid's quotes in the article support the claim that Sharon made such efforts. [And from my own reporting on the ground during those days, I know there was no such coordination. - OH] Interestingly, Sharon is quoted telling then senator Joseph Lieberman that "Israel does not expect Abu Mazen [Abbas] to be a Zionist..." [Yet, Netanyahu does want Abbas to be a Zionist and declare that Israel is a Jewish state. - OH]
Quick Hits:
- Report: Rightist NGO Elad defied court over City of David - Nature and Parks Authority did not live up to promises to High Court to oversee right-wing group's operations of public site. The report notes that in 2012, 10 schools cancelled trips to the City of David “for political reasons that go against Elad’s activity.” (Haaretz+)
- Israeli police detain Palestinian woman near al-Aqsa Mosque - Hiba al-Taweel, a student who takes courses on Islamic teaching in the compound, was detained as she tried to enter the al-Aqsa Mosque compound. (Maan)
- Palestinian protesters, police injured during clashes over West Bank roadblocks - Protesters angered by UN strike, which has shut down schools, health facilities and garbage collection in refugee camps near Ramallah. (Haaretz)
- Sharon's death sparks joy in Sabra, Shatila refugee camps - Many residents of Sabra and Shatila said Sharon should have been prosecuted, echoing the statements of many compatriots in the Palestinian territories and rights watchdogs. (Agencies, Maan)
- Security forces brace for rocket fire during Sharon's funeral - Police will deploy 3 layers of security protecting casket. Ceremony to begin at 9:30 am; entourage to make way to Anemone Hill in mid-afternoon. Representatives from around the world expected to attend. (Ynet)
- Right-wing MK thanks God for removing 'great destroyer' Sharon from office - In a post on her Facebook page, the right-wing Knesset member Orit Struck praises God for taking Sharon out of public life before he could 'wreak disaster' on Jewish residents of the West Bank, but says she did not pray for his death. (Haaretz)
- Arab states celebrate Sharon's death - Newspapers, websites in Middle East call former leader 'criminal,' 'perpetrator of Sabra and Shatila Massacre.' (Ynet)
- Al-Qaida sees Golan Heights as staging ground for attacks on Israel, study says - Al-Qaida's leader, Ayman al-Zawahri, is trying to create an 'Islamic Spring’ and envisages a post-Assad Syria as a Jihadist stronghold, write Israeli researchers. (Haaretz+)
- Government approved 750 properties will be developed in the Golan - News for farmers in the north: The government approved a proposal to invest 375 million shekels over five years to prepare agricultural land for use in the Golan Heights. (NRG Hebrew)
- **Amid bitter debate, MLA academics condemn Israel's entry policies - Modern Language Association approves contentious resolution censuring Israel for 'denials of entry to the West Bank by U.S. academics.' (Haaretz)
- Ministers approve: Calling someone Nazi would be illegal - Bill stipulating that use of Nazi symbols, nicknames would draw fine, imprisonment passes ministerial committee, to be brought to Knesset approval. (Ynet)
- Israel to compensate soldiers who took part in anthrax vaccine experiments - Settlement between Defense Ministry and soldiers closes lawsuit, as state admits there were side effects, agrees to pay 92 plaintiffs total of $6 million. (Haaretz+)
- Nuclear deal with Iran to come into force January 20 - Kerry says talks with Iran toward a final agreement will be difficult, but represent the "best chance" for achieving long-term peace. (Agencies, Haaretz)
Commentary/Analysis:
Netanyahu vs. the negotiations (Haaretz Editorial) Netanyahu should understand that even if he succeeds in evading a peace
agreement with the Palestinians, Israel will have pay a heavy price.
Lieberman eyes Netanyahu's seat, keeping all options on the table (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) At the moment, Lieberman's ultimate goal – to merge his Yisrael Beiteinu party with Likud in order to pave his way to the premiership - is encountering serious obstacles. But there are three ways he could achieve it.
Country in a coma (Aner Shalev, Haaretz+) Ariel Sharon believed in activism, Ehud Olmert believed in fantasy and Benjamin Netanyahu believes in stagnation.
Ariel Sharon's unlikely successor: Yair Lapid (Aluf Benn, Haaretz+) On the face of it, it’s hard to imagine two people more different in their behavior and life stories than the former prime minister and the head of Yesh Atid. But both represent the image of the sabra, each in his own generation.
The 'Clash of Civilizations’ that never was (Leon Hadar, Haaretz+) A famous 1992 claim that the clash between Western civilization and Islam would be the new global battleground has ultimately proved wide of the mark.
Lieberman eyes Netanyahu's seat, keeping all options on the table (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) At the moment, Lieberman's ultimate goal – to merge his Yisrael Beiteinu party with Likud in order to pave his way to the premiership - is encountering serious obstacles. But there are three ways he could achieve it.
Country in a coma (Aner Shalev, Haaretz+) Ariel Sharon believed in activism, Ehud Olmert believed in fantasy and Benjamin Netanyahu believes in stagnation.
Ariel Sharon's unlikely successor: Yair Lapid (Aluf Benn, Haaretz+) On the face of it, it’s hard to imagine two people more different in their behavior and life stories than the former prime minister and the head of Yesh Atid. But both represent the image of the sabra, each in his own generation.
The 'Clash of Civilizations’ that never was (Leon Hadar, Haaretz+) A famous 1992 claim that the clash between Western civilization and Islam would be the new global battleground has ultimately proved wide of the mark.
On Ariel Sharon:
The man who executed the vision (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/Ynet) Ariel Sharon was everything the State's forefathers dreamed of seeing in the generation of the sons, the born Israelis: Handsome, strong, a farmer working his land, a soldier for life.
A man of two extremes (Dan Margalit, Israel Hayom) He was the founding father, a mentor of sorts, to an unchecked settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria. But he was also its uprooter-in-chief, who, after reneging on all his promises, dismantled the communities in Gush Katif.
How will Sharon be remembered? (Sima Kadmon, Yedioth/Ynet) A glorified commander or the man who got Israel entangled in unnecessary wars? A man of war almost his entire life or a man who strove for peace in his final years? Ariel Sharon was a multi-faceted, complex man, who people loved and hated with the same intensity.
He made us proud (Boaz Bismuth, Israel Hayom) There really was this man, with the look and air of a commander of a Roman legion but with the heart and strength of a Jew.
Arik's legacy: Being a human being (Erez Halfon, Ynet) While everyone talks about statesman and commander, former advisor remembers the private Sharon.
Warrior, commander, leader (Maj. Gen. (res.) Yoav Galant, Israel Hayom) Ariel Sharon was defined by his boldness, determination and perseverance, characteristics that helped him emerge victorious in the darkest of times.
Tough act to follow (MK Tzachi Hanegbi, Israel Hayom) Though often on opposite sides of the political spectrum, I served in the Sharon government for nearly five straight years.
The man who executed the vision (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/Ynet) Ariel Sharon was everything the State's forefathers dreamed of seeing in the generation of the sons, the born Israelis: Handsome, strong, a farmer working his land, a soldier for life.
A man of two extremes (Dan Margalit, Israel Hayom) He was the founding father, a mentor of sorts, to an unchecked settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria. But he was also its uprooter-in-chief, who, after reneging on all his promises, dismantled the communities in Gush Katif.
How will Sharon be remembered? (Sima Kadmon, Yedioth/Ynet) A glorified commander or the man who got Israel entangled in unnecessary wars? A man of war almost his entire life or a man who strove for peace in his final years? Ariel Sharon was a multi-faceted, complex man, who people loved and hated with the same intensity.
He made us proud (Boaz Bismuth, Israel Hayom) There really was this man, with the look and air of a commander of a Roman legion but with the heart and strength of a Jew.
Arik's legacy: Being a human being (Erez Halfon, Ynet) While everyone talks about statesman and commander, former advisor remembers the private Sharon.
Warrior, commander, leader (Maj. Gen. (res.) Yoav Galant, Israel Hayom) Ariel Sharon was defined by his boldness, determination and perseverance, characteristics that helped him emerge victorious in the darkest of times.
Tough act to follow (MK Tzachi Hanegbi, Israel Hayom) Though often on opposite sides of the political spectrum, I served in the Sharon government for nearly five straight years.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.