News Nosh: May 3, 2018

by APN 05/03/18
Share

APN's daily news review from Israel
Thursday May 3, 2018
 
Quote of the day:
"If, heaven forbid, a tragic incident took place during which policemen shot to death a Jewish driver in the course of the eviction of the [Jewish] Givat Amal neighborhood, for example, Nitzan would not have allowed himself to conclude the investigation with the bottom line leaving a big question mark about the possibility that this wasn't about a victim but about a murderer."
--Haaretz reporter Gidi Weitz writes that the fact that the State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan closed the Umm al-Hiran Case, in which a Border Policeman was run over and killed by a Bedouin man who was shot to death, when he was mistakenly perceived as a threat, according to the Shin Bet, and the State Prosecutor did not clear the Bedouin math teacher, Yakoub al-Qiyan, of the Police Chief's accusations of guilt, was only because the Bedouin was a 'fourth class citizen.'*

Front Page:
Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv (Hebrew links only)
Israel Hayom
  • “Holocaust denier cannot be a partner to peace”
  • Kites terror: “Our hearts burn”
  • Bus driver stabbed and in critical condition
  • Lag B’Omer without bonfires
  • (Interior Minister) Deri in a special interview: “Without the fence there would be a million infiltrators (from E. Africa) here”
  • Police commander Ritman resigns from the police: “I was stuck in a surreal situation”

News Summary:
Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid joined the chorus of people slamming Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for revealing that the Mossad stole files from Iran that purportedly detail a secret Iranian nuclear weapons program, and called for a probe, (meanwhile, Netanyahu has taken a more moderate tone on his Iran-related declarations), a chorus of world leaders slammed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for suggesting that Jews were murdered in the Holocaust because of money and not religion, and Gazan ‘kite terrorism’ set off a big fire at a kibbutz in southern Israel, while in Israel, Lag B’Omer bonfires set off less fires across the country than previous years due to precautions making top news in today’s Hebrew newspapers along with the mysterious stabbing of a Jewish Egged bus driver by two youth from Afula whom he does not know - yet some Israeli websites claimed the attackers were Arab. (Ynet later removed that detail from its report.)

Accusing Netanyahu of seriously harming national security, Yair Lapid called for a probe into why Netanyahu was given permission to reveal the Mossad operation in which agents smuggled documents from an Iranian archive to Israel. "Meir Dagan or Tamir Pardo would never have agreed to such an exposure,” he said. (Maariv) Like others, Lapid also said that Netanyahu’s big reveal that Iran was lying about its nuclear program was already well known, and quoted the head of the US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, Bob Corker, who said: ‘Sorry, this is the biggest secret in the world,' and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, ‘Obviously we knew.' Hadashot news reported that the decision to publicize the contents of the intelligence heist was made at a meeting held by Netanyahu, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Mossad head Yossi Cohen, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, and the head of the Military Intelligence Directorate, Tamir Hayman, Times of Israel wrote. Maariv’s Yasir Okbi wrote that “The Arab world continues to admire the Hollywood Operation.” An Israeli source told a a Kuwaiti newspaper: "The Iranian smugglers transferred the documents by truck to Azerbaijan, without knowing what they have.”

Meanwhile, with all the talk of war between Israel and Iran and all the criticism of him, Netanyahu began taking a more moderate tone. He asked ministers to refrain from commenting on the 'nuclear archive.’ On Tuesday Netanyahu said that Israel was not seeking war with Iran. And instead of saying that US President Donald Trump's is ‘about to nix' the Iran nuclear deal, Netanyahu said 'it's in (Trump’s) hands,’ possibly to avoid the perception that Israel is meddling in US affairs. But a poll showed that a majority of Americans support the Iran nuclear deal. Yedioth ran an interview with Ernest Moniz, the US architect of the agreement saying that they knew the Iranians were lying and that’s why “we locked them into supervision of which there has been nothing like it.” Former US secretary of state John Kerry, who also negotiated the deal, said that ‘everything Netanyahu laid out was exactly why we needed this agreement.'

Netanyahu, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, Yad Vashem, US envoys, and the European Union all condemned Abbas’ speech for anti-Semitic rhetoric. But top Palestinian Authority official, Saeb Erekat, insisted that Abbas never 'denied massacres that were perpetrated against Jews,’ Ynet’s Elior Levy reported. Erekat accused Israel of launching an international assault to avoid negotiations.
 
Quick Hits:
  • Bedouin was driving slowly when cops killed him as ‘car-rammer,’ but police closed the case - Even though the department was unanimous in reaching this conclusion, State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan decided to close the case. (Haaretz)
  • Gazan Teen Shot in Protests Dies of Wounds; Israel Shoots Palestinian for Trying to Damage Border Fence -Gaza's Health Ministry identified the dead teen as 19-year-old Shawki Abu Asar. Man who tried to damage fence had knife, box cutter. (Haaretz)
  • Two Leading U.S. Human Rights Activists Deported From Israel, One for Alleged BDS Tie - Katherine Franke and Vincent Warren say they were questioned by security, detained 14 hours and accused of lying before being flown back to New York Monday. (Haaretz+)
  • Japan's Abe tells Netanyahu: Israel must curb settlements, won't move embassy to Jerusalem - In meeting with Netanyahu, Abe invites PM to Japan, says Tokyo still supports Iran deal. Japanese leader also met with Abbas. (Haaretz and Ynet)
  • "I did not recommend that the prime minister and the defense minister decide for themselves on a war " - Contrary to claims by Netanyahu's associates, Major-General (Res.) Yaakov Amidror denies that he is behind the law passed this week in the Knesset regarding the powers of fateful decision. (Maariv)
  • Austrian chancellor, whose deputy's party has anti-Semitic roots, expected to visit Israel in June - Conservative Sebastian Kurz, who formed a coalition with far-right party, to make first trip to Israel since election. Israel has stated it will boycott far-right ministers. (Haaretz)
  • Guatemala raises flag ahead of embassy move to Jerusalem - Guatemalan flag flown next to new embassy offices in Jerusalem, just days before official dedication ceremony some 30 years after mission left capital. Inauguration, to be attended by Guatemalan president, covered extensively in Latin American country. (Israel Hayom)
  • Israel reportedly seeks to renegotiate refugee deal with UN - Report says Netanyahu wants a better deal from the UN refugee agency, after pulling out of previous deal due to political pressure. PMO: No progress on topic yet. (Haaretz)
  • Israel's arms exports spike, hitting record $9 billion - The number marks a 40% increase since 2016, when defense exports stood at $6.5 billion; most sales are to Asia and Pacific region. (Haaretz and Israel Hayom)
  • Israel eyes airbase to handle tourist boom, wartime overspill - Tourism has seen a 30% growth in tourism this quarter over 2017, itself a record year, and rockets fired at Tel Aviv in 2014 underscore need for alternative to main airport. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Eisenkot: IDF thwarted attempts to abduct soldiers during Gaza riots - IDF chief says Tuesday that troops face various types of terror activity carried out under the cover of the border protests, including attempts to harm or abduct soldiers, attacks on military posts and attempts to infiltrate Israel. (Ynet)
  • Palestinian charged with asking IDF to shoot him to get Hamas stipend - Hamas member Mustafa Banna allegedly asked soldiers during Gaza border clashes to shoot him so he could get $500 payment and stipend from the terror group; he entered Israel and was arrested. (Ynet)
  • The graph Netanyahu didn't want you to see: Iran surpasses Israel in scientific research rankings - 20 years ago Israel led research rankings in the Middle East, but other nations have since overtaken it. Yet in terms of quality rankings, Israel still holds the lead. (Haaretz+)
  • Sara Netanyahu's lawyers offer to repay misused funds if case is closed - Sara Netanyahu’s lawyers, in meeting with Israel’s attorney general, say prosecutors miscalculated the extent of the alleged fraud in connection to meals at the prime minister’s Jerusalem residence. (Haaretz and Ynet)
  • (Ultra-Orthodox) MK's grandson caught trying to smuggle drugs - Grandson of United Torah Judaism MK caught carrying 11 kg cocaine during random customs check at Ben Gurion Airport; he claims to know nothing about the smuggled illegal substance and describes himself as a fraud victim; MK refuses to comment. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Prison guard wounded after Hamas-linked inmate douses him with scalding water - Hamas security prisoner sentenced to 30 years in jail for attempted murder moderately wounds warder at the Eshel Prison during cell inspection; inmate transferred to solitary confinement, prison guard taken for treatment at Soroka Medical Center. (Ynet)
  • The dashboard camera incriminated him: He ran over and killed another man for 35 shekels - About a month ago, a 34-year-old man was killed in Kiryat Gat. According to suspicions, the argument between the two revolves around a bottle of vodka. Wednesday the man was indicted. (Maariv, p. 11 and Ynet Hebrew)
  • 6 killings, 0 solved: Kfar Kassem's wars reached Tel Aviv - The father, brother and uncle of Ali Amer, who was seriously wounded in the explosion on the Ayalon Highway, were killed in a series of assassinations in (Arab town of) Kafr Qasem this year - and he fled the city. The murderers are still walking freely, and in Kafr Qassem they accused: "When the crime reached Tel Aviv, the police suddenly became interested (in solving it)." (Maariv, p. 10 and Ynet Hebrew)
  • Pre-military Program Head, ‘Torn and Broken,’ Resigns Over Flood Tragedy - 'Since the tragedy I am torn and broken. I will never be able to find the words to express the sorrow I feel' the ex-head, who is under house arrest, says. (Haaretz and Ynet)
  • Israel in a spin as Giro d'Italia set to hit its roads on Friday - The Giro, along with the Tour de France and Spain's Vuelta comprise the world's three major cycling tournaments. This is the first time a cycling classic includes stages outside Europe. Israel Cycling Academy hopes race launches sport in the country. (Israel Hayom)
  • Morocco Severs Diplomatic Ties With Iran Over Hezbollah's Support For Local Rebels - Morocco's foreign minister accuses Iran and Hezbollah of training and arming the Western Sahara independence movement via the Iranian embassy in Algeria. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Security tight for Tunisian Jews at Africa's oldest synagogue - Mainly Muslim Tunisia is home to one of North Africa's largest Jewish communities. Jewish pilgrims flock to El-Ghriba synagogue at island resort of Djerba, south of Tunis. Pilgrim: Security situation is excellent, we feel safer in Tunisia than in Paris. (Israel Hayom)

Features:
Is Israel’s Most Famous Playwright Too Political for His Own Country?
According to Sobol, instead of delving into conflict, Israel’s leading public theaters are trying to be 'harmless,' which therefore makes them 'tasteless.’ (Mairav Zonszein, Haaretz)
The biggest surprise for Jews taking in Syrian refugees? What they have in common
With an estimated 22.5 million refugees worldwide, these Jewish families and organizations in the Diaspora are recognizing the imperative to be kind to the stranger, no matter what their religion. (Shachar Peled, Haaretz+)
The Most Jewish City in New Jersey Has a Muslim Mayor and a Ban on Sunday Shopping
How did this New York suburb, Teaneck, which decades ago suffered from racism and anti-Semitism, evolve into an example of coexistence? (Tzach Yoked, Haaretz+)
Orgies, Blackmail and anti-Semitism: Inside the Islamic Cult Whose Leader Is Embraced by Israeli Figures
He has a harem of scantily clad 'kittens,' claims the U.K. 'deep state' brought Hitler to power and is accused of sex slavery. What draws Israeli politicians and rabbis to Turkish cult leader Adnan Oktar? (Asaf Ronel, Haaretz+)
Explained: Iran's Proxy Wars: Can Trump Help Saudi Arabia Turn the Tide?
One of Donald Trump's main arguments for cancelling the Iran nuclear deal has been Iran's role in devastating conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon. (Haaretz)

Commentary/Analysis:
Israel's Fear of Empty-handed Palestinian Demonstrators (Yossi Klein, Haaretz+) Empty hands mock soldiers with their bullet-proof vests and helmets. Empty hands instill doubt. Empty hands make a mockery of ‘the few against the many.’
*If he weren't a Bedouin, State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan wouldn't dare (Gidi Weitz, Haaretz Hebrew+) The State Attorney's Office accepted the clear conclusions of the Police Investigation Department's investigation, according to which there was no terrorist attack in Umm al-Hiran, but after a conversation with Police Commissioner Alsheikh, Nitzan closed the case without removing the guilt from the [dead] driver, thus marking a new low in his term...However, if, heaven forbid, a tragic incident took place during which policemen shot a Jewish driver to death in the course of the evacuation of the [Jewish] Givat Amal neighborhood, for example, Nitzan would not have allowed himself to conclude the investigation with the bottom line leaving a big question mark about the possibility that this wasn't about a victim but about a murder. But the teacher Ya'qub Abu al-Qian was a fourth-class citizen in his life and in his death.
The security coordination clause will harm Israel, but it will also harm the Palestinian Authority (Yossi Melman, Maariv) Israel is concerned and fearful, but they know that eventually the security forces, led by the Shin Bet and the IDF, will develop alternative tools for their partial reliance on the Palestinian security apparatuses.
Netanyahu's impressive show might not be enough to convince Trump (Yoaz Hendel, Yedioth/Ynet) The prime minister is asking the US president to do the right thing on Iran. Trump, however, is eyeing the Nobel Peace Prize. Oddly enough, this eccentric person who became the American president is on his way to making the world a better place. But if he cancels the agreement with Iran, the Nobel might slip away.
Israel Lied (Gideon Levy, Haaretz) Shimon Peres made up the official disclaimer that ‘Israel won’t be the first country to introduce nuclear weapons into the Middle East,’ which was the fraud of the century.
Three perennial challenges we must overcome (Brigadier-General (res.) Shmuel Tzuker, Yedioth/Ynet) After celebrations of Israel's 70th birthday, our country faces significant challenges at home. Some are new, some are old, all are in urgent need of a leadership ready to bring solutions.
Mockery backfires on the media (Dr. Haim Shine, Israel Hayom) The same media and political figures who mock PM Benjamin Netanyahu's speech on Iran have been wrong about so many other things that their opinions on the Mossad's great coup are of little worth.
Despite Iran's Threats, Israeli Army Pushes Aggressive Line Against Tehran in Syria (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) IDF believes Iran won’t strike back before Trump’s deadline on nuclear deal, elections in Lebanon.
Mossad’s achievement a deterring strategic factor in Israel-Iran conflict (Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynet) While PM Netanyahu failed to provide a ‘smoking gun’ proving that Iran kept pursuing a nuclear bomb after signing the nuclear deal in 2015, he did prove that the agreement was based on a lie. When a country located more than 1,000 kilometers away is capable of stealing Iran’s most secret archive, Iran can’t feel safe.
Persuading Europe to pressure Iran (Dr. Eran Lerman, Israel Hayom) Israel's revelation of Iran's nuclear deception aims to show the world that the 2015 deal with Iran must indeed be renegotiated in the interests of global peace.
Israel's Double Front Against Iran: Military Strike in the Morning, Press Conference at Night (Amos Harel, Haaretz) As Netanyahu urges Trump to quit the nuclear deal, Israel acts freely in Syria's sky, assuming Iran would be afraid to react. But what happens if it miscalculates?
The disintegration of American Jewry (Isi Leibler, Israel Hayom) While many liberal American Jews, wishing to conform to an enlightened self-image, feel comfortable publicly condemning Israel, their own community is imploding.
Emperor Netanyahu (Dan Margalit, Haaretz+) Netanyahu prides himself on being an omnipotent ruler; he's already behaving like an emperor.
War Powers Are Too Important to Be Left to Just Two People (Wednesday Haaretz Editorial) The Knesset was wrong to give the prime minister the authority to go to war with only the defense minister's approval.
Classic Europe: Appeasement at all costs (Eldad Beck, Israel Hayom) Given the recent revelations, the Europeans now have no choice but to admit Iran has fooled them and help expose Tehran's true colors.
Arik Sharon as "Messiah": What can be learned from the story of Lag B'Omer (Avraham Tirosh, Maariv) Rabbi Akiva followed after Bar Kokhba to the bitter end. In our days it was Menahem Begin, who was dazzled by Sharon's military leadership and led to an ongoing war in Lebanon and hundreds of casualties.
Et Tu, Aharon Barak? (Haaretz Editorial) The former Israeli Supreme Court president compromised his own principles by agreeing to address a religious college audience segregated by sex.
Abu Mazen's speech (does not constitute a logical reason for the continued control over another people, but it) demands that we raise awareness of anti-Semitism in the world (MK Ksenia Svetlova, Maariv) The problematic positions of Abu Mazen and his colleagues in the Palestinian leadership do not constitute a logical reason for the continued control over another people. Why should someone hurt by Abu Mazen want to live with him in one [bi-national] country? After all, even if we do not separate from the Palestinians, they will not become Zionists and lovers of Jews...As is well known, Israel has previously signed peace agreements with two Arab states, Egypt and Jordan, despite Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism prevalent in intellectual circles, academia, the press and the trade unions.
Why India will back Iran in a nuclear showdown with Trump and Netanyahu (Shrenik Rao, Haaretz+) Modi hailed the Iran deal as a diplomatic triumph; he won’t back down from deepening ties with Tehran. But can his warm relations with the U.S. and Israel survive the deal blowing up?
 
Interviews:
Exiled Iranian activist: Europe must acknowledge Iran threat
Dr. Kazem Moussavi, an Iranian dissident living in Germany, says despite its bravado, the Iranian regime has been rattled by Israel's exposure of its nuclear archives • Moussavi: U.S. has to scrap 2015 deal, EU must use Israeli intelligence to change its policy on Iran. (Interviewed by Eldad Beck in Israel Hayom)
 


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

Recent Entries