News Nosh: May 31, 2018

APN's daily news review from Israel
Thursday May 31, 2018
 
Quote of today:
“How is the JNF, whose regulations prohibit the sale or lease of land to Arabs, any different from the rabbis of Safed who issue halakhic rulings that forbid renting apartments to Arab students?”
--MK Jamal Zahalka asked the Knesset plenum when proposing a bill to withdraw legal status from the Jewish National Fund (JNF), Keren Hayesod (United Israel Appeal), the Jewish Agency and the World Zionist Organization.*

You Must Be Kidding: 
A Palestinian teen suffering from a rare genetic disease was held in a prison cell for a month and a half on suspicion of throwing stones, despite his family's pleas to release him for medical reasons, and only unconditionally released when he lost consciousness and was put on a respirator.**

Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
  • Calm before being (the battle was) concluded
  • Chases kites: Raanan Shaked with the residents of the kibbutzim in the Gaza vicinity
  • Case will be closed against public figure and you wont know why - Knesset Constitution Committee approved MK Amsalem’s bill
  • Expose - Only a quarter of the tickets to the game with Messi were offered to the public
  • The pride wedding of the grandson of (Shas spiritual leader) Rabbi Ovadia
  • Drop in the number of smokers in Israel
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
Israel Hayom

News Summary:
In 22 hours, Palestinians shot some 100 rockets from Gaza with 60 landing in Israel, Israel bombed 65 targets in Gaza and then came the ceasefire - until the next round, said today’s Hebrew newspapers. And while Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said “Hamas suffered a heavy blow,” the Israeli newspapers were less sure, with the usual exception of ‘Israel Hayom, which quoted officials who said Hamas "begged" for a cease-fire. “This is not what success looks like,” read the title of an analysis by Yedioth military analyst, Yossi Yehoshua. “Israel says Hamas asked for the ceasefire. Even if that were true - it did so at the best exit point from its point of view: it permitted Islamic Jihad to open fire, it decided to close the round when it was comfortable for it, and without even suffering one killed or one injured,” wrote Yehoshua.

Israeli officials said a five-year truce with Hamas was possible and that they believe that Hamas is willing to make far-reaching concessions in exchange, including “restrictions on Hamas' military activity” such as smuggling, production of weapons and work on tunnels. Israel believes that Hamas was dragged into fighting by Islamic Jihad, fearing it would be cast as collaborating with Israel if it didn’t get involved. The night before the ceasefire went into effect, the Israeli security cabinet convened and rejected the idea of reconquering Gaza and bringing down Hamas rule. Israel Hayom reported that in response to the escalation of violence, Israel will build a new Jewish town next to Gaza named Hanun, not far from the Palestinian town of Beit Hanun.

The UN Security Council also held an emergency meeting last night in which US Ambassador Nikki Haley slammed the UN's 'different standard' toward Israel. But UN Middle East envoy Nikolay Mladenov warned that the latest escalation shows "how close to the brink of war we are every day." Many of the papers ran features stories on the effect of the fire-exchange on the Israeli children living around the Gaza Strip vicinity and how residents of the nearby Israeli communities feared that a fourth Gaza war was in the horizon.
 
Quick Hits:
  • Israel greenlights hundreds of new settlement homes in isolated West Bank outposts - The government will now have to wait for Defense Ministry's approval of the plans before it can allow developers to bid to develop the new housing. (Haaretz+)
  • **Despite serious disease, Palestinian teen jailed for over a month for stone throwing - Hassan Mazhar, who suffers from a rare disease, was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. After Mazhar lost consciousness, military prosecutors asked for his unconditional release. (Haaretz+)
  • Jerusalem Palestinians detained, fined for waking up Muslims for nightly Ramadan meal - The 'Musaharati' play music to awaken Muslims who need to eat ahead of a new day of fasting. Now they claim complaints from a few Jewish families prompted police to detain them and issue fines. (Haaretz+)
  • Police officer suspected of breaking (civil rights activist) Jafar Farah's leg was questioned again by the PID - The patrol's lawyers claimed that they were "empty complaints" and demanded to know on what basis the police decided to put him on compulsory leave when the investigation was not completed. (Maariv)
  • Red Cross sends surgeons to Gaza to treat wounded rioters - International Committee of Red Cross to send two surgical teams, physiotherapists, drugs, equipment to Gaza, set up surgical unit in main hospital to assist overburdened health care system in treatment of heavy casualties from violent border protests. (Israel Hayom)
  • High Court: Ruling used to expropriate Palestinian land not a precedent and not binding - The High Court of Justice clarified Wednesday that a ruling by now-retired Justice Salim Joubran, which seemingly paves a way to expropriate Palestinian land for the benefit of setters, contradicts previous rulings and has no binding legal validity. (Haaretz+)
  • Ex-Mossad Chief Says He Questioned Legality of Netanyahu's Order to Prepare Iran Strike - Tamir Pardo divulged info during TV interview, saying he consulted with previous Mossad chiefs, legal advisers about 'who is authorized to give the order to go to war.’ (Haaretz and Israel Hayom)
  • OECD: Israel must shrink social gaps, despite booming economy - A 2018 economic OECD report predicts sustained growth in Israel will reach more than 3.5 percent in coming year, calls on Israel to invest more in education, transportation, health and vocational training for Haredim, Arabs who are insufficiently involved in labor market. (Ynet)
  • *Zionist Union in Uproar After Israeli Arab Party Member Backs Bill to Debar JNF - MK Zouheir Bahloul (Zionist Union) and Esawai Freige (Meretz) were the only members of Zionist parties who backed a bill that would decertify JNF, the Jewish Agency, the WZO and Keren Hayesod. Zionist Union activists called on party Chairman Avi Gabbay to oust Bahloul from the party over his vote. MK Jamal Zahalka (Joint List), who submitted the bill, called the institutions “primary tool for discriminating against Arab citizens,” adding, “Sometimes, it isn’t clear whether [they] are an instrument of the state or the state is an instrument of theirs. In any event, they remained after the state was established, in order to facilitate discrimination against and the exclusion of Arab citizens in all matters relating to land and the founding and development of communities.” Earlier Wednesday, the Knesset voted down another bill submitted by Bahloul that would have added the word “equality” to all of Israel’s Basic Laws. (Haaretz+)
  • Israeli woman jailed for deserting army 7 years after discharged as unfit - The 27-year-old was arrested at the airport and faces 11 months in prison. She says the military deemed her unfit for service, but the IDF denies. (Haaretz+)
  • Rivlin comforts fallen Duvdevan soldier’s family - President Rivlin visits family of Staff Sgt. Ronen Lubarsky, killed when Palestinian dropped a marble slab on him near Ramallah; family tells president about son's patriotism; Rivlin to mother: 'Your strength radiates to whole nation.' (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Responding in kind, Israel bars Indonesians entering country - Decision taken after Southeast Asian country, which accounts for highest annual number of Muslim tourists to Israel, bans Israelis from entering country in protest against Gaza-Israel crisis. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Four guests nix participation in Tel Aviv's LGBT film festival, BDS website claims - The BDS website says one of the guests who cancelled is Brazilian transgender singer Linn da Quebrada, the star of the award-winning documentary film 'Tranny Fag.’ (Haaretz)
  • Economy minister hits back at BDS supporters - Israeli-Canadian woman interrupts remarks by Minister Eli Cohen at meeting with business people in Toronto, shouting 'We do not believe in murdering innocent people,' prompting him to respond in kind: 'Instead of building hospitals, instead of taking care of your people, you are shooting rockets!' (Ynet)
  • Construction Worker Falls to His Death in Israel for 17th Time This Year - The worker, Munir Salah, is a West Bank Palestinian. 2018 is seeing a 30 percent increase in construction deaths compared to the same time last year. (Haaretz+)
  • Not Safe for Chinese: Israel's Poor Record on Construction Sites' Irks Beijing  - Two Chinese workers were killed in construction accidents this year, prompting what some say are diplomatic tensions between the countries and tighter controls by Beijing. (Haaretz+)
  • Female students at Tel Aviv University oppose the employment of Haim Ramon: "sex offender" - Channel 10 reports that the former minister is supposed to give a course in the institution, but a number of female students demand to cancel it: "He was convicted of indecent acts and defaming the name of a young woman." Ramon: "I will sue them for slander.” (Maariv)
  • Israel bans smoking at public events with more than 50 people - Smoking will also be prohibited around hospitals or clinics. Move comes after state watchdog accused Health Ministry of neglecting public's health in favor of tobacco companies. (Haaretz+)
  • Gal Gadot unable to host Eurovision next year in Israel - Israeli Hollywood star Gal Gadot’s press agency says she is unable to accept offer to host next year's Eurovision Song Contest, citing scheduling conflicts and previous commitments. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • WATCH: First blue whale sighting documented in Eilat - The specimen, with a length of up to 20 meters, was spotted for a few hours in the Gulf of Eilat while hunting for food, only 300 meters from the beach, before continuing south to Egypt; researchers who reviewed documentation assume it was a blue whale, marking the species' first documented visit to the gulf. (Ynet)
  • Turkish Envoy to Washington Returning to U.S. Amid Jerusalem Row - Turkey has been one of the most vocal critics of Israel's response to the Gaza protests and of the U.S. Embassy move, also recalling its ambassador from Tel Aviv. (Haaretz)


Features:
Barred from Israel, this Iranian artist found a unique way of 'visiting' Jerusalem
Bridging geopolitical and physical divides, an interactive exhibition spanning a period of six weeks is showcasing the printed-out, life-size body parts of activist-artist Morehshin Allahyari. (Shachar Peled, Haaretz+)
Ramadan Nights Festival in Rahat: traditional food and hospitality, colorful market and rich culture
The Bedouin city is dressed up for the holiday and is opening its doors to an experiential and tourist event: "People come to visit and are amazed that the women are not chained,” said one local. Even pre-military preparatory students and religious Jews have already visited the city. (Ilana Stutland, Maariv)
 
Commentary/Analysis:
China Is Fed Up With Israel's Negligence at Construction Sites (Haaretz Editorial) Given the wave of racism swamping Israel, it's hard to imagine public pressure ending the careless disregard; as long as it’s not Jews, who cares that dozens of workers are killed every year?
33,500 dead on roads across the country since its establishment, where is the security cabinet in the battle against the road casualties? (Ron Kaufman, Maariv) On any given day, at least one person was killed in a car accident in Israel. If this amount of casualties was for security reasons - we would already be in an all-out war, but no one here is upset.
Israel Uses Diaspora Jews as Human Shields (Yossi Klein, Haaretz+) Israel is happy to exploit the world’s Jews, but doesn’t care that its actions put them at risk.
The escalation in Gaza proved: the ministers are chatting without knowing about what, and that's dangerous (Yanir Kozin, Maariv) If it were not disturbing, it would be funny: Cabinet members are moving from TV studio to TV studio, when in fact Netanyahu does not even taken them into consideration and they have to guess what decisions were made earlier. See you in the auditor's report.
What Part of Bombing a Kindergarten Is OK? (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) Collective punishment is immoral. Period. Whether it's rockets or the siege, whether the targets Israelis or Gazans.
Gaza: the day after - Time for a different strategy (Giora Eiland, Yedioth) is it impossible to bridge the conflict of interests between us and Hamas? In my opinion, absolutely not. Israel needs to only decide if it wants to be right or smart. The second option is much better, and certainly more than the idea of re-conquering Gaza in order to bring down the (Hamas) rule.
With eye on bigger threats, Israel quickly agrees to Hamas' request for cease-fire (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) After the most violent day of fighting in years, the indirect agreement is holding – because, among others, Israel made sure not to let things spin out of control.
Emergency routine of the communities near the Gaza Strip: Which child will be the next patient of the welfare authorities? (Dr. Eyal Brandeis, Maariv) As in every round, this round also exacts a price - children and teenagers who are victims of anxiety and adults, for whom the worry can be seen on their faces as they take their children to kindergartens and schools. The constant tension returns to being part of the routine.
Gaza Cease-fire: Egypt's the Big Winner, and It Will Come at a Price for Israel (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Instead of deterrence, Israel and Hamas struck a balance of agreements. But Israel's dependence on Egypt will require it to contribute to Gaza's economy.
The full story behind the understandings for a truce in Gaza (Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynet) Israel turned down Palestinian organizations’ demand to issue official statement on ceasefire Tuesday evening, insisting that ‘calm will be met with calm.’ Hamas and Islamic Jihad kept firing rockets, but after IDF strikes in Gaza left no casualties, they informed Egypt they were prepared to halt fire. Rockets fired after 1 am were launched by small ‘rebel’ organizations.
A Gaza Cease-fire, but Only Under These Conditions (Dan Margalit, Haaretz+) Every cease-fire agreement is conditioned on both sides accepting the fence as a demilitarized zone and must include a clear Hamas commitment not to use the calm to topple the Palestinian Authority.
All sides in Gaza escalation prepared for a very limited conflict (Elior Levy, Ynet) Islamic Jihad wanted to avenge the death of its operatives and satisfy its bosses in Tehran, Hamas wanted to restore its dignity after Israel attacked its assets and claim part of the fame, but neither the Palestinian organizations nor Israel are interested in a wide-scale operation in Gaza.
Still hoping to leverage Gaza protests, Hamas lacks enthusiasm for war with Israel (Jack Khoury, Haaretz+) The organization that rules Gaza still believes demonstrations near the border fence can lead to an easing of the humanitarian crisis without it being forced to disarm.
Between declarations and reality: Do not wave a stick if you do not intend to use it (Tal Lev-Ram, Maariv) The problem with the gap between statements and the situation on the ground is not only a crack in public trust. More than anything else, threats that remain empty damage deterrence. In the next round too, it will not be Israel that dictates the rules.
Roseanne Barr Is Convenient Scapegoat for Right-wing Racism and anti-Semitism (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) Pro-Israel advocates embraced the disgraced Hollywood star despite – or possibly because of – her history of deranged outbursts.
How the Saudi-led Blockade of Qatar Actually Made the Tiny Emirate Stronger (Alexander Griffing, Haaretz+) Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman led a blockade of Qatar in order to bend the tiny emirate to his will, but a year later Qatar is more defiant than ever.
In Syria, Putin and Netanyahu Were on the Same Side All Along (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) Putin is ready to ditch Iran to keep Israel happy and save Assad’s victory.
In the EU's Fantasy of 'Shared Values' With Israel, the Palestinians Don't Exist (Nabil Sha'ath, Haaretz+) The PLO asks the EU: Do you stand by your representative's praise for Israel's record on 'human rights' and 'the rule of law'? By his partying with Israeli extremists? Who actually speaks for your policy on Israel and Palestine?
 
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.