APN's daily news review from Israel

Sunday May 6, 2018
 

Number of the day:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

News Summary:
Today’s Hebrew newspapers celebrated the great international PR Israel received from hosting the Giro D’Italia bike race, which began Friday in Jerusalem  (and one anti-Netanyahu protester got arrested for trying to hang a protest sign at the race), Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will be meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin shortly before US President Donald Trump makes his decision on whether to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal - and the Israeli newspapers had numerous reports on the subject, and six Hamas engineers were killed in a ‘mysterious’ explosion making top news, making much bigger headlines than the fact that 70 people were injured from live fire in the sixth Friday of the Gazan ‘March of Return’ protests. And unlike the headlines from Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas 'anti-Semitic' speech, the papers buried the fact that Abbas apologized. Yedioth put it on the next to last page.

*Following the recent attacks in Syria and ahead of Trump’s decision on the Iran nuclear deal, Yedioth called the upcoming Putin-Netanyahu meeting in Moscow a ‘summit under high tension.’ Netanyahu will reportedly try to convince Putin to take into account Israeli interests and not supply Syria’s Bashar al-Assad with the S-300 advanced missile defense system. Meanwhile, European intel delegations have arrived tin Israel o examine the documents Israel purportedly took from Iran’s nuclear archives. A Russian official said his country would become one of Tehran's most important allies if US President Donald Trump goes against the position of the Western powers, who have proposed to improve a number of clauses in the Iran nuclear deal. Former secretary of state John Kerry Met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif in a bid to save the nuclear deal that he helped make reality when in office. And the former research chief at the IDF’s Military Intelligence, IDF Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Gilad said it would only help Iran if the US were to exit from the nuclear deal. He told Haaretz that an American commitment to the deal remained the least bad option. But Trump's lawyer and confidant Rudy Giuliani said Trump was "committed" to regime change in Iran, taking the Israeli line that it is "the only way to achieve peace in the Middle East." And The Observer reported that in May 2017, Trump hired an Israeli spy firm to get dirt on Obama's Iran deal negotiators. Another Iranian official said that Iran was determined to reject Trump’s demands for changes to the nuclear accord, calling it ‘bullying.’ An Israeli poll found that 44% of Jewish Israelis supported an Israeli strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, 31.1% oppose a strike and 24.7% have no opinion. (The poll has other interesting information, as well.)

Meanwhile, six Hamas men were killed in what ‘Israel Hayom’ labeled a ‘mysterious’ explosion in central Gaza.  Hamas blamed Israel. [NOTE: On July 7, 2014, seven Hamas militants died in a ‘mysterious’ tunnel explosion in Khan Younis, which some reported was caused by an Israeli airstrike. Hamas responded by firing 40 rockets towards Israel. The following day, Israel launched Operation Protective Edge, the third Gaza War. - OH]


Gaza Quick Hits:

Quick Hits:

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Features:
Gideon Levy - The heartbreaking reason this Palestinian joined the Gaza border protests
A young father of two is hospitalized with serious injuries after being shot by Israeli soldiers during a Gaza border rally. In 2014, the IDF destroyed his home, and he was left with nothing. (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+)
The Jewish-Romani connection: Are Gypsies descendants of tribe of Simeon?
Israeli scholar creates Jewish-Gypsy Forum after discovering biblical link between Jews and Romani people. Since publishing his research findings, he says, he has been contacted by thousands of members of the Romani community, and hundreds have been flocking to Israel for meetings with the forum members. (Yaniv Pohoryles, Yedioth/Ynet)
Forget Paul Newman, this Italian port tells the real story of the Exodus
While the docks are being redeveloped, locals tell the story of the partisans who helped the Holocaust survivors and whose descendants are battling to build a memorial. (Rosie Whitehouse (La Spezia, Italy for Haaretz+)
Making water from air: Why is Netanyahu doing PR for this Israeli startup
What lies behind Prime Minister Netanyahu’s apparent support for the Mirilashvili family’s Water-Gen company, and is there any connection between that and the favorable coverage he gets from Channel 20, which the family owns? ■ Investigation. (Gur Megiddo, Haaretz+)
Moshe Dayan in drag? An artist explores the true meaning of romantic love
Ruth Patir’s video project shows the former defense minister wearing the dresses designed by his first wife’s fashion house – and somehow provides a lesson for us all. (Maya Asheri, Haaretz+)

Commentary/Analysis:
Yes, Iran lied about its nuclear capabilities. But so did Israel (Avner Cohen, Haaretz+) Netanyahu’s arrogant theatricals exposed Israel's lack of current incriminating evidence on Iran – and Israel's hypocrisy about its own nuclear capabilities.
Netanyahu is leading us to a Masada-style national suicide (MK Dov Khenin, Haaretz+) The right politics can pull the world back from the brink of disaster and open a horizon toward a safer place.
Israeli monarchy: Netanyahu has taken another step in turning us from citizens to subjects (Ben Caspit, Maariv) The new law by which the prime minister and defense minister alone can decide to go to war is nothing less than a scandal.
What's behind Netanyahu's move to grant himself power to declare war? (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) Netanyahu finally scored an intelligence 'win' with the Iranian nuclear archive – and he used every trick in the book to make sure foreign news networks tuned in
Our hearts are burning (Avner Yona, Israel Hayom) For us in the Gaza periphery, it's always something – tunnels, bombs, snipers. Now the Palestinians are using kites to attack our fields, and by the time the fire truck arrives, the crops are lost.
Terror of Poetry (Haaretz Editorial) It's inconceivable for Dareen Tatour's poem's challenge to a policy of oppression and occupation to be considered incitement to terror.
The end of the peace process (Dr. Reuven Berko, Israel Hayom) Israel has no one to talk to on the Palestinian side. Only a solution that is forced upon the Palestinians will stabilize the region.
A.B. Yehoshua, Don't Give Up on the Two-state Solution in Our Name (Stav Shaffir, Haaretz+) Yehoshua’s plan for escaping the despair – establishing a binational federation – is the mirror image of the right thing to do.
Exonerate, Apologize and Compensate (Friday Haaretz Editorial) The state must investigate the conduct of senior officials, given the growing suspicion that they falsely accused a man, Yakoub Abu Al-Kiyan, who was shot to death by policemen.
'Court-override Bill' Does No Such Thing (Israel Harel, Haaretz+) Despite what detractors say, a proposed law is meant to rein in the judicial branch’s excessive eagerness to undermine the independence of the legislative branch.
Swaying the world in favor of good (Shlomo Cesana, Israel Hayom) The unveiling of secret Iranian materials this week was meant to convince the American public to support U.S. President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear agreement. Now that there is a strong U.S. leader, PM Netanyahu hopes Europe will help combat the ayatollahs.
Israel hopes Trump scrapping nuclear deal could ultimately lead to Iran regime change (Amos Harel, Haaretz) Israel is being cautious, enabling operations to remain below the threshold of war even though it knows it might be subjected to retaliation at some point.
Netanyahu provided Trump with another legitimacy to withdraw from the nuclear agreement (Alon Ben David, Maariv) The prime minister's presentation was intended for the American public, and it did the job there. Thanks to the presentation, Netanyahu managed to earn more points as someone who appears to be a full partner of the US president.
Don't Ridicule Netanyahu's 'Iran Lied' Speech (Yitzhak Laor, Haaretz+) Ridicule only obscures the fact that he's openly trying to help the Trump administration jump-start a mega war with Iran.
The Revolutionary Guards and the Israeli journalists have a common enemy, they call him Binyamin Netanyahu (Kalman Liebeskind, Maariv) It was difficult to distinguish, after the disclosure of the nuclear documents, between Zarif's reactions, and those of our media. It seems that there are those who are prepared for Israel to go up in Iranian flames if only they will be assured that Netanyahu will be burned first.
The sleeping Iranian beast (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom) This week's dramatic unveiling of damning confidential Iranian material put the Iranian leadership in an uncomfortable position in the eyes of the world and Iran's own citizens • But it was Israel's own commentators who rushed to undercut the impact.
'Democtator' Netanyahu and his lonely war on the Iran nuclear deal (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) His decision to battle Obama’s agreement and to enlist Trump to scuttle it was made without challenge or opposition.
The same old Iran (Yoav Limor, Israel Hayom)Israel's release of secret Iranian documents proving its nefarious nuclear intentions has not convinced world powers to nix the 2015 deal. Still, with a U.S. exit looming, Iran's dire economic state can and should be leveraged  into revising the accord.
Might It Be That Netanyahu Is Right? (Nehemia Shtrasler, Haaretz+) A new accord is needed, one that will prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons forever. Our survival depends on it.
Netanyahu and Lieberman are playing with fire if they think of adopting the Trump plan (Nadav Haetzni, Maariv) The silence of the prime minister and the defense minister regarding the publication in Maariv of Trump’s peace plan (transferring control of some E. Jerusalem neighborhoods to the Palestinians - OH) raises questions: The government leadership must have made it clear publicly that there is no chance for such a disastrous plan.
From left and right, why is a league of haters descending on the ADL? (Debra Nussbaum Cohen, Haaretz+) Founded to fight anti-Semitism and racism, the Anti-Defamation League has absorbed criticism before. But the vicious tone of recent attacks - and their radically different political origins - are new.
Not every infiltration from Gaza is a failure: The IDF learns to evade Hamas's traps (Tal Lev-Ram, Maariv) In Gaza, the images of infiltration into Israeli territory will be broadcast many more times this month. We in Israel do not have to join this mayhem. This is a tactical event - no less and no more.
It is hard to remain indifferent: the lies of Abu Mazen's speech (Sefi Gabay, Maariv) It is difficult to remain indifferent to the Palestinian Authority Chairman’s denials and anti-Semitic remarks, whether intentionally or as a result of ignorance. Such as: The Jews of the Arab countries did not experience suffering and pogroms by the ruling authorities.
Dear Occupiers, Sorry if We Hurt Your Feelings (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Not one Israeli statesman today intends to apologize for the Nakba – not for the ethnic cleansing, nor for the exiling. But Abbas had no choice but to apologize for his Holocaust remark.
The ability to ignore Palestinian anti-Semitism was impaired, and not only because of Abu Mazen's speech (Meir Uziel, Maariv) I also very much want to believe that there is no connection between Palestinian thought of today and the murderous anti-Semitism of the Palestinian Mufti, but it is hard to accept the explanation that the PLO's Palestinians are renouncing their Nazi past.
Abbas' Holocaust Revisionism Shows His Moral Failure. But His Political Failures Are Much Worse (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) Once a weak, dogmatic Holocaust revisionist autocrat, always a weak, dogmatic Holocaust revisionist autocrat. Palestinians deserve a better leader – and Israel’s moral well-being and security depends on it too.
Scent of anti-Semitism in Abbas' Speech Doesn't Change His Support for Two States (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) The president's speech before the Palestinian National Council reflected his authoritarian style and habit not to listen to criticism.
Look who finally woke up (Amnon Lord, Israel Hayom) It seems the Middle East is finally being broadcast to Manhattan, and someone at The New York Times is, at long last, starting to pay attention.
The face of Israel: a culture of ‘you can depend on me,’ a lack of taking responsibility and (almost) national grief (Shay Lahav, Maariv) Social Involvement, Secular-Religious Battles and Coexistence: The tragedy (of the ten youth killed on a hike organized by a pre-military academy) in Nahal Tsafit and the subsequent reactions were the essence of contemporary Israeliness. For bad, but also for good.
Why the world ignores Israel’s bad behavior (David Rosenberg, Haaretz+) Human rights are increasingly being shrugged off, but the world is ignoring the Palestinian plight because it wants Israeli technology.
Is Hezbollah headed for victory? (Itzhak Levanon, Israel Hayom) A worrying trend ahead of the Lebanese elections seems to indicate that Hezbollah and its allies may win an unprecedented victory, setting off significant changes in Lebanon.
Lebanese Head to the Polls Today to Decide: Will the Country Be Iranian or Arab (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Sunday’s election will be the first in Lebanon since 2009, following years during which the main political parties failed to reach understandings regarding the election system.

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