APN's daily news review from Israel
Thursday October 11, 2018
Quote of the day:
"Needless to say that in light of the calls to 'kill every terrorist,' the happy trigger finger, and the sentiments against Arab members of Knesset in general and myself in particular, (Defense) Minister (Avigdor) Lieberman has exposed me to real danger with his words.”
—Arab MK Hanin Zoabi filed a complaint to the Knesset Ethics Committee against Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman for posting on Facebook that she is "a terrorist."
You Must Be Kidding:
"I don't blame Lucy Aharish for seducing the soul of a Jewish man in order to hurt our state and prevent more Jewish offspring from continuing the Jewish lineage."
--Likud MK Oren Hazan sparked outrage on Wednesday when he slammed Arab-Israeli journalist Lucy Aharish and Jewish-Israeli actor Tsahi Halevi for marrying.*
"Needless to say that in light of the calls to 'kill every terrorist,' the happy trigger finger, and the sentiments against Arab members of Knesset in general and myself in particular, (Defense) Minister (Avigdor) Lieberman has exposed me to real danger with his words.”
—Arab MK Hanin Zoabi filed a complaint to the Knesset Ethics Committee against Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman for posting on Facebook that she is "a terrorist."
You Must Be Kidding:
"I don't blame Lucy Aharish for seducing the soul of a Jewish man in order to hurt our state and prevent more Jewish offspring from continuing the Jewish lineage."
--Likud MK Oren Hazan sparked outrage on Wednesday when he slammed Arab-Israeli journalist Lucy Aharish and Jewish-Israeli actor Tsahi Halevi for marrying.*
Breaking News:
Israeli Army Reservist Wounded in West Bank Stabbing Attack
Bystander, 26-year old woman, wounded from Israeli soldiers and civilians firing at stabber. Assailant fled scene; manhunt underway. (Haaretz and Israel Hayom)
Front Page:
Haaretz
- Sharp rise in number of requests for gun permits since (Public Minister) Erdan lowered criteria
- The report against the first visitor denied entry to Israel due to BDS: She ignored Israel’s actions helping the Palestinians
- The reasons given for preventing entry of two members of a medical delegation to Gaza: They are Jewish
- Number of calls to a sexual assault crisis hotline rose 50% since the “Whyididntreport campaign began
- 4-year-old and 2-year-old died in fire in apartment in Beitar Illit: Criticism over arrival time of firefighters
- Rabbi who paid soldiers to refuse orders to evict settlements was acquitted of incitement
- Jerusalem Municipality plans parking towers near the Old City
- Gantz and his deeds // Gideon Levy
- Remove the obstacles (to allow merging of two TV networks) // Haaretz Editorial
- After 70 years, Holland permits publishing ’Mein Kampf’ and it became a bestseller
Yedioth Ahronoth
- Medal of courage to Ari Fuld - Expose - He fought the terrorist, paid with his life and will be awarded HOKARA
- “How did he take Mom from us?” - Night hunt for the man who murdered his wife in Netanyahu
- Lieberman: “I won’t allow closing the Sultan Yaakub (missing soldiers) file”
- They must not close it // Asaf Schneider
- I was with them // Rabbi Yuval Cherlow
- Tzachi and Lucy are groom and bride - After 4 years of secretly dating, the Muslim Arab TV anchorwoman married the [Jewish] actor
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- (Hamas:) “Transfer of the fuel is the first step in efforts for a (long-term) arrangement”
- “We put the corpses of the children in the ambulance with shaking hands” - ZAKA volunteer retells the difficult moments in the bedroom of Tzvi, 2, and Efrat, 4, who were killed in a fire in Beitar Illit and buried yesterday
- Only a 6% gap between (Tel-Aviv candidates for mayor) Huldai and Zamir
- “She seduced a Jew”: (Likud MK) Oren Hazan is against Lucy Aharish, the TV anchorwoman who married the actor from ‘Fauda,’ Tzachi Halevy
Israel Hayom
- Hot in Jerusalem: (Candidates for mayor) Berkowitz and Elkin on the way to a second round, according to poll
- Little Zvi and Efrat didn’t have a chance against the fire
- Victory for the families of the fallen: The new submarine won’t be named Dakar
- Rising tension in the Gaza environs: More fires; Attempts to renew the contacts [with Hamas]
- Disappearance of the Saudi journalist: In Turkey, they published the photos of the ‘assassins,’ Trump demands clarifications
News Summary:
Two celebrities, one Jewish, one Muslim, secretly marry and two small children were buried after dying in a fire in their home making the top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.
**The wedding between Jewish star from the ‘Fauda’ series and the Muslim news anchorwoman was kept in secret till after it took place yesterday, as was their four-year-courtship because they feared being harassed. Based on the responses, they were right to hide it. After the announcement was made, they were condemned on social media by right-wing Jewish Israelis, including politicians. Likud MK Oren Hazan accused Lucy Aharish of “seducing the soul of a Jewish man in order to hurt our state and prevent more Jewish offspring from continuing the Jewish lineage.” Hazan’s post sparked outrage from center and left-wing politicians as well as other Israelis. Zionst Camp MK Shelly Yachimovich wrote: “Congratulations and happiness to the amazing couple, Lucy Aharish and Tzachi Halevi. And as for this Tweets, there is nothing new under the sun. The eaters of death, as may be remembered, believed that only those with pure blood are allowed to exist.” Another person responded to MK Hazan, referring to his work at casinos in Bulgaria with prostitutes : "Wait, Oren. Excuse me for just a moment. Whores in Bulgaria, that isn’t assimilation? Or am I confusing you with someone else? Ah, actually no, I'm not." (Maariv)
In other news, Hamas said that the fuel delivery that Israel allowed was part of efforts to achieve a truce with Israel, JPost and Maariv reported. Qatar paid for the fuel, which is being bought from Israeli companies and delivered to the Gaza Strip through the United Nations Office for Project Services. A senior official in the Gaza Strip expressed optimism about further moves in the framework of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, even if the Palestinian Authority opposed it. Hamas also said that the PA had "lost its legitimacy.”
And Russia told Netanyahu that the UN must approve a change in status of the Golan Heights. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said, “Israel in the Golan Heights is a fact the international community must acknowledge.”
Quick Hits:
- Israeli settlers injure dozens of Palestinian students in Nablus area - Some 18 heavily armed Israeli settlers from Yitzhar raided Urif village, broke into the high school and threw rocks at pupils. Israeli forces arrived and provided protection to settlers while escorting them out of area. Israeli forces fired bullets and tear-gas bombs at pupils. (Maan)
- Israeli settlers uproot dozens of olive trees in Bruqin village - "I farmed this land, which measures 2.5 dunams (0.6 acres), and planted 200 olive trees in 1987, however, the Israeli occupation aspires to annex them at our expense, as part of their plan to expand the settlement of Bruchin,” said Jamal Othman Salameh, the owner of the 40 uprooted olive trees in Bruqin. (Maan)
- Israeli settlers puncture, vandalize Palestinian vehicles in Nablus area - Israeli settlers broke into Qaryut village and punctured car tires, sprayed racist anti-Arab graffiti, including, “We will take our fate into our hands." Palestinian official Ghassan Daghlas said Israeli settlers have intensified raids into Palestinian villages in the area and increased assaults, particularly towards farmers harvesting their olive crops. (Maan)
- Applications for Gun Permits Nearly Triple After Israel Eases Criteria - Requests for gun permits have increase by 183 percent in the past year after the public security minister changed permit criteria. (Haaretz+)
- Israeli forces ban (Palestinian) Jerusalemites entry, as settlers storm Al-Aqsa - Dozens of Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, in the Old City of occupied East Jerusalem, on Wednesday. (Maan)
- Bars entry - Israel against church group: 'Ignoring Israeli actions in favor of Palestinians' - A Jerusalem court is set to hear the case on theologian Dr. Isabel Phiri who was the first non-citizen denied entry into the country in 2016 over alleged support of the boycott movement. (Haaretz+)
- Israel Bars Two Members of U.S. Medical Delegation From Entering Gaza Because They're Jewish - Israel at first refused to let the entire group enter due to members' Jewish origins and alleged BDS ties, but folded after a petition by legal center advocating freedom of movement. (Haaretz+)
- Jewish groups call on Israel to allow detained U.S. student into country - The Union for Reform Judaism and J Street published letters condemning Israel's decision to block Alqasem from entering the country, labeling it as a 'counterproductive' move. (Haaretz+)
- Michael Oren: Israel should reexamine handling of detention of U.S. student - 'The policy that is being implemented now is clearly causing us political damage,' Oren says following a NYT publication on Israel's policy of banning BDS supporters from entering. (Haaretz+)
- Court accepts Hebrew University's request to join appeal of U.S. student held in Israel - The university made the rare request to join the appeal against the deportation of Lara Alqasem who has been held in Israel for over a week over her alleged BDS ties. (Haaretz+)
- Where Have All the Students Gone? Undergraduate Enrollments in Decline - Reports attribute the decline to a smaller amount of college-aged non-ultra-Orthodox Jews. (Haaretz+)
- Israel to Spend $118 Million to Bring in Foreign University Students - To compensate for falling enrollment rates in universities, the Council for Higher Education has drafted a plan to draw in foreign students, particularly from Asia. (Haaretz)
- University of Michigan sanctions professor who denied letter to student wishing to study in Israel - Cheney-Lippold, who supports BDS and therefore refused to give a student a recommendation letter to study in Israel, will not get a merit raise during the 2018-19 academic year and will not be permitted go on his scheduled sabbatical. (JTA, Haaretz)
- From Project Veritas to the Tea Party San Francisco Jewish Federation also funding far-right fringe groups, not just Canary Mission - A review of tax forms shows that funds from one of the biggest donors to San Francisco’s Jewish Community Federation reached as far as a group set up by far-right Dutch politician Geert Wilders. (Haaretz+ and +972mag)
- Israel puts popular Palestinian leader on trial for 'incitement' on Facebook - Raja Eghbarieh, a Palestinian citizen of Israel and leader of a movement that boycotts the Knesset elections, was charged last month with incitement for a number of posts he wrote on Facebook. The judge, for now, remains unconvinced. (+972mag)
- Israel seeks detention until end of trial for Arabs not Jews - At court hearing over Israel's request for detention until the end of proceedings for Raja Eghbaria, an Israeli prosecutor revealed that Israel has only ever sought detention until the end of court proceedings for Arab suspects in online incitement offenses, but never for Jewish suspects, according to Adalah, the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel. (Maan)
- *Lieberman to Ethics Committee: 'Zoabi is a terrorist’; (Zoabi called for punishing Lieberman) - After Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman calls to 'kick (MK Hanin) Zoabi out of the Knesset,' dubbing her a 'terrorist,' the Arab MK complained to the Ethics Committee; in his response to the complaint, Lieberman doubles down on his comments. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Bernie Sanders cites Israel’s nation-state law in slamming Trump for inspiring authoritarianism - 'There’s no question that other authoritarian leaders around the world have drawn inspiration from the fact that the president of the world’s oldest and most powerful democracy is shattering democratic norms,' said Sanders. (JTA, Haaretz)
- Erdan urges police chief to give terror victim courage award - Public security minister recommends awarding Ari Fuld, a former IDF paratrooper murdered while fighting a terrorist last month, with the highest medal—the Civilian Courage Award; 'Ari Fuld demonstrated supreme courage, while putting his own life on the line,' Erdan writes. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Eisenkot awards Medal of Appreciation to the Gaza Division - IDF chief presents the Gaza Division with a commendation for its contribution to the military and to Israel’s security during ongoing Gaza border riots; 'Gaza Division is a symbol of operational excellence at all levels,' Eisenkot says. (Ynet)
- Israeli forces injure dozens of protesting Palestinians in Gaza - Israeli forces opened fire at dozens of Palestinian youths taking part in protests near the security border fence in central Gaza, shooting and injuring five people. (Maan)
- Israeli bulldozers raze lands in northern Gaza - Four Israeli military bulldozers raided dozens of meters into lands along the security border fence, near the return camps, and razed and leveled lands as Israeli military drones flew overhead. (Maan)
- Due to IDF activity near the Gaza fence: Iron Dome was activated as a result of a mistaken identification - The air defense system was activated while at the same time a red alert sounded in the settlements in the regional councils Sha'ar Hanegev and Sdot Negev. The army made it clear that nothing was fired from the Gaza Strip. (Maariv)
- Which City Is the Model for Religious Freedom in Israel? Hint: It’s Not Tel Aviv - A ranking published by Be Free Israel, listed Modi'in as the Israeli city with the most religious freedom, allowing intercity buses and cultural institutions to run on Shabbat. (Haaretz+)
- Slain soldier's family boycotts terrorist's trial - Family of Ronen Lubarsky, an elite Duvdevan unit soldier who was killed during an operation near Ramallah, is boycotting the trial of assailant saying the state ignores their petition to enforce death penalty: 'we ask for a legitimate existing penalty in military law… it could prevent future terror attacks.' (Ynet)
- French consulate employee confesses to making $12,000 smuggling weapons to Palestinians in West Bank - Roman Frank, accused of smuggling dozens of automatic weapons from Gaza to West Bank, spent much of the money at Tel Aviv nightclubs. Police suspect he is still not telling the entire truth. (Haaretz+)
- WATCH: Controlled explosion of bomb affixed to balloon - Four fires break out in Shaar HaNegev Regional Council as a result of incendiary balloons flown from Gaza into Israel; security forces in the area report surge in explosive balloons as well. (Ynet)
- Israel to appeal ruling allowing lesbian couple abroad to register as parents - Israel registers heterosexual couples as parents without any residency condition. 'We are sad that our country is fighting and abandoning us by appealing a justified and progressive decision,' the women said. (Haaretz+)
- #WhyIDidntReport effect: Uptick in calls to sexual assault crisis centers in Israel - The Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel reported a rise of 50 percent in the number of calls to emergency hotlines for victims of sexual assault since Christine Blasey Ford testified against Brett Kavanaugh. (Haaretz+)
- Israel's finance minister: We won’t join a Netanyahu-led coalition if he’s indicted - Moshe Kahlon said his party won’t accept any conditions set by the prime minister about the investigation, reiterating that the prime minister cannot continue to serve if he stands trial. (Haaretz+)
- What Is an Israeli Cannabis Company Doing in Uganda? The Answer Is Hazy - The company, the biggest cannabis firm on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, has said it is setting up a medical marijuana farm there, but Ugandan officials say that’s illegal. (Haaretz)
- Universal Postal Union reminds affiliates to establish direct mail trade with Palestine - The UNI Global Union General Secretary, Christy Hoffman expressed UNI's concerns about the current situation of the postal services to Palestine, highlighting the recent report that the Israeli government had been blocking personal mail sent to people in Palestine, including medical supplies and even wheelchairs. (Maan)
- U.S. Intelligence Reportedly Knew of Saudi Plan to Capture Missing Journalist in Turkey - According to the report, it is unclear whether the Saudis wanted to capture to interrogate or to kill Jamal Khashoggi. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- 'Patron-in-chief’: Trump reportedly helps promote mega-donor Adelson's casino business in Japan - The casino mogul, a Netanyahu ally, has a quid-pro-quo relationship with Trump, nonprofit news group ProPublica reports. (Haaretz)
- Rare Israeli-Palestinian compromise raises hopes for UNESCO - Under mediation of the UN cultural agency, Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian delegations compromised on resolutions covering the protection of Jerusalem's Old City and Palestinian education; UNESCO hopes Israel would reconsider quitting the organization. (Agencies, Ynet)
- Poland Honors Polish Diplomat Who Saved 800 Jews During the Holocaust - Polish president unveils new gravestone for Konstanty Rokicki, who served as vice-consul in Switzerland and issued fake Latin American passports to Jews. His story remained unknown until now. (Haaretz)
Commentary/Analysis:
I Detest My Sister's West Bank Settlement. That's Why I'm Going to Live There (Arnon Grunberg, Haaretz+) I’ve embedded with troops in Iraq, in a nursing home and a psychiatric asylum: now, I’m going to embed myself in Dolev. This is why.
Israel’s ‘1984’ moment in the war against BDS (David Rosenberg, Haaretz+) The boycott movement has done no harm of any consequence to Israel, but it seems some people need a deadly enemy.
Israel's exilic existential anxiety (Aviad Kleinberg, Yedioth/Ynet) Israel's founding fathers hoped that when we have our own country, where we can defend ourselves by ourselves, the existential anxiety that had characterized us over 2,000 years of exile would disappear. But it hasn't. Our hysterical treatment of BDS supporters is not strategic in nature, it's psychological.
(Should) an education minister who uses the word "leftist" as a derogatory term serve in such a position? (Dr. Orit Miller, Maariv) Naftali Bennett, who heads the education pyramid in Israel, slandered an entire a whole population in the country with a (derogatory) term. Who is that "leftist" who threatens to wipe the country off the map? And when did the word become a curse?
The Left is in a lose-lose position (Amnon Lord, Israel Hayom) If the High Court of Justice repeals the nation-state law, not only will it spark a crisis of separation of powers, it will prompt an electoral uprising that will benefit the Right.
The audacity of unchecked power in Khan al-Ahmar (Hagai El-Ad, +972mag) An entire Palestinian village is facing destruction. What follows will dictate the fate of Palestinian communities all over the West Bank.
Israel's Public Enemy No. 1 (Zehava Galon, Haaretz+) Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan has apparently decided to bring the war against the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement to the same level of excellence for which the Israel Police is known.
The Israeli activists helping protect the Palestinian olive harvest (Orly Noy, +972mag) For the past decade and a half, dozens of left-wing Israeli activists have come together to accompany Palestinians to their groves during the olive harvest. Despite recurring settler violence, the situation has improved over the years.
Tall and charming like Lapid, and a war criminal: You Forgot Something Important About Benny Gantz (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Gantz was chief of staff during some of the Israeli army’s most horrific operations, the worst of which was Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip in 2014.
Dangerous precedent: The Nation-State law creates one law for Jews and another law for the rest (Attorney Uriel Lin, Maariv) It is impossible to ignore the ruling that a Jew is entitled to compensation for an act of terror that was either inspired or perpetrated by Hamas, but it is also not surprising that the decision was made by Judge Moshe Drori. The immediate question that arises is: and if the victim was not a Jew, would the honorable judge have completely denied him the right to compensation under the same circumstances? Because if the answer is that for non-Jews there is no reason to file suit, then that means that we essentially discriminate between Jews and non-Jews in such an elementary matter as that of the right to compensation for bodily harm.
The Nation-state Law Paves the Way for a New Nakba (Nibin Abu Rahmoun, Haaretz+) While the law has drawn much attention to the systematization of ethnic inequality, we cannot ignore another important aspect: the Israeli government’s plan to annex the territories designated as Area C.
The occupation wears Prada: Meet the new face of 'economic peace' (Meron Rapoport, +972mag) When Israeli shoe designer Gal Shukroon decided to start a project bringing together Palestinian and Jewish women to make shoes, the Israeli army couldn’t resist and used it for its own PR purposes.
As in the Yom Kippur War, we choose what we want to see (Amos Gilboa, Maariv) Just as we failed to understand Sadat in 1973, and we tried to impose our logic on the actions of Egypt, so we analyze the actions of the Palestinians and Iran today. Sadat declared that he was willing to sacrifice a million victims by crossing the Canal. We mocked him and said: lies. That does not make any sense at all.
Lost in Occupation: How Google Maps is erasing Palestine (Henriette Chacar, +972mag) A new report details the ways Google Maps’ mapping process in the occupied territories serves the interests of the Israeli government, while contradicting the company’s stated commitment to human rights.
Thank you, Nikki Haley, warrior for justice and truth (Ambassador Danny Danon, Israel Hayom) Thank you, Ambassador Nikki Haley. Thank you in the name of the State of Israel and the Jewish people for the joint march on the path to the advancement of democratic values, equality and peace.
This Is the Real Game Israel Is Playing With the BDS Movement. It’s Terrifying (David Schraub, Haaretz+) You thought Israel’s increasingly populist, repressive government and the far-left Israel boycotter extremists were opposite extremes? They’ve never agreed more: Neither want Lara Alqasem to study at Hebrew University.
Fighting BDS activists is justified (Dr. Eitan Orkibi, Israel Hayom) The arrogant contempt for the fight against the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, which undercuts our national interests, is a slap in the face of every Israeli.
Approve the Merger of TV Broadcasters Channel 10 and Reshet (Haaretz Editorial) Netanyahu has shown a dangerous desire to bend traditional media to his needs. Israel needs independent media outlets that are not beholden to politicians.
I Detest My Sister's West Bank Settlement. That's Why I'm Going to Live There (Arnon Grunberg, Haaretz+) I’ve embedded with troops in Iraq, in a nursing home and a psychiatric asylum: now, I’m going to embed myself in Dolev. This is why.
Israel’s ‘1984’ moment in the war against BDS (David Rosenberg, Haaretz+) The boycott movement has done no harm of any consequence to Israel, but it seems some people need a deadly enemy.
Israel's exilic existential anxiety (Aviad Kleinberg, Yedioth/Ynet) Israel's founding fathers hoped that when we have our own country, where we can defend ourselves by ourselves, the existential anxiety that had characterized us over 2,000 years of exile would disappear. But it hasn't. Our hysterical treatment of BDS supporters is not strategic in nature, it's psychological.
(Should) an education minister who uses the word "leftist" as a derogatory term serve in such a position? (Dr. Orit Miller, Maariv) Naftali Bennett, who heads the education pyramid in Israel, slandered an entire a whole population in the country with a (derogatory) term. Who is that "leftist" who threatens to wipe the country off the map? And when did the word become a curse?
The Left is in a lose-lose position (Amnon Lord, Israel Hayom) If the High Court of Justice repeals the nation-state law, not only will it spark a crisis of separation of powers, it will prompt an electoral uprising that will benefit the Right.
The audacity of unchecked power in Khan al-Ahmar (Hagai El-Ad, +972mag) An entire Palestinian village is facing destruction. What follows will dictate the fate of Palestinian communities all over the West Bank.
Israel's Public Enemy No. 1 (Zehava Galon, Haaretz+) Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan has apparently decided to bring the war against the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement to the same level of excellence for which the Israel Police is known.
The Israeli activists helping protect the Palestinian olive harvest (Orly Noy, +972mag) For the past decade and a half, dozens of left-wing Israeli activists have come together to accompany Palestinians to their groves during the olive harvest. Despite recurring settler violence, the situation has improved over the years.
Tall and charming like Lapid, and a war criminal: You Forgot Something Important About Benny Gantz (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Gantz was chief of staff during some of the Israeli army’s most horrific operations, the worst of which was Operation Protective Edge in the Gaza Strip in 2014.
Dangerous precedent: The Nation-State law creates one law for Jews and another law for the rest (Attorney Uriel Lin, Maariv) It is impossible to ignore the ruling that a Jew is entitled to compensation for an act of terror that was either inspired or perpetrated by Hamas, but it is also not surprising that the decision was made by Judge Moshe Drori. The immediate question that arises is: and if the victim was not a Jew, would the honorable judge have completely denied him the right to compensation under the same circumstances? Because if the answer is that for non-Jews there is no reason to file suit, then that means that we essentially discriminate between Jews and non-Jews in such an elementary matter as that of the right to compensation for bodily harm.
The Nation-state Law Paves the Way for a New Nakba (Nibin Abu Rahmoun, Haaretz+) While the law has drawn much attention to the systematization of ethnic inequality, we cannot ignore another important aspect: the Israeli government’s plan to annex the territories designated as Area C.
The occupation wears Prada: Meet the new face of 'economic peace' (Meron Rapoport, +972mag) When Israeli shoe designer Gal Shukroon decided to start a project bringing together Palestinian and Jewish women to make shoes, the Israeli army couldn’t resist and used it for its own PR purposes.
As in the Yom Kippur War, we choose what we want to see (Amos Gilboa, Maariv) Just as we failed to understand Sadat in 1973, and we tried to impose our logic on the actions of Egypt, so we analyze the actions of the Palestinians and Iran today. Sadat declared that he was willing to sacrifice a million victims by crossing the Canal. We mocked him and said: lies. That does not make any sense at all.
Lost in Occupation: How Google Maps is erasing Palestine (Henriette Chacar, +972mag) A new report details the ways Google Maps’ mapping process in the occupied territories serves the interests of the Israeli government, while contradicting the company’s stated commitment to human rights.
Thank you, Nikki Haley, warrior for justice and truth (Ambassador Danny Danon, Israel Hayom) Thank you, Ambassador Nikki Haley. Thank you in the name of the State of Israel and the Jewish people for the joint march on the path to the advancement of democratic values, equality and peace.
This Is the Real Game Israel Is Playing With the BDS Movement. It’s Terrifying (David Schraub, Haaretz+) You thought Israel’s increasingly populist, repressive government and the far-left Israel boycotter extremists were opposite extremes? They’ve never agreed more: Neither want Lara Alqasem to study at Hebrew University.
Fighting BDS activists is justified (Dr. Eitan Orkibi, Israel Hayom) The arrogant contempt for the fight against the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, which undercuts our national interests, is a slap in the face of every Israeli.
Approve the Merger of TV Broadcasters Channel 10 and Reshet (Haaretz Editorial) Netanyahu has shown a dangerous desire to bend traditional media to his needs. Israel needs independent media outlets that are not beholden to politicians.
Interviews:
Things that the Saudi journalist who was murdered revealed to me
Yedioth's Smadar Perry met with the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi over the years and held deep conversations with him. Now, when the murder of Khashoggi has the world in a storm - the ‘Yedioth’ journalist returns to the long hours she spent in his company. She sketches the fascinating and contradictory persona and tells what he thinks about Israel and Binyamin Netanyahu, and what he said when she asked him why their meetings are important to him.
View on Israelis:
"First of all, you have a lot of self confidence and you think you know everything. Almost everything. You are a small country that seemingly is always trying to become friends with your neighbors, but not really. You say this to justify your behavior. I know that you have contacts in the Gulf state, Morocco, Tunisia and of course, Jordan and Egypt. The Israeli Mossad reaches under cover every place it chooses."
Would like to visit Israel?
He laughed a bitter laugh. "Everyone would like to, out of curiosity, the question is if it's possible. I can allow myself to visit Palestinians in the West Bank and in Gaza. I don't want to visit Israel, because I know that there is no way to hold a secret visit. And if it were discovered, like I imagine it would be, what would we have profited? I won't be able to explain, in any way, what I was looking for there."
Peace Process:
"I don't believe that anyone really wants to advance a real peace process in the Middle East. It doesn't answer the interests of anyone. Not the Israelis, not the Palestinians, not the Egyptians, not the Jordanians, and also not us."
On Netanyahu and clandestine meetings:
"I see your Prime Minister (Binyamin Netanyahu) and I am telling you I don't like him. But I take him seriously. He is very smart, very educated and speaks excellent English. Unlike the Arab world, which can hide talks and meetings, I know that that is not easy where you live, and even the leader himself, who wants to brag about his meetings with the Arab world. Also if the other side does not agree to publish (the details), so Netanyahu and his people will find a way to get the information out and publish it. It doesn't have to be via the Israeli media. You know and we know that it is possible to plant an item even in the tiniest newspaper, even in the Arab world. And the moment that everyone identifies that the news item is especially interesting, they pull it out from there and there are headlines all over the world. I myself know how we exploded from anger when Israel did such things in Gulf newspapers."
(Smadar Perry, ’24 Hours’ supplement, Yedioth, cover, Wednesday)
‘This is how you change the status quo’: Rethinking the Palestinian boycott of Jerusalem elections
Aziz Abu Sarah withdrew his historic bid for Jerusalem mayor after Israeli and Palestinian pressures, but he hopes his short campaign ‘provokes’ new ideas on how to build stronger, younger Palestinian political activism in the city. (Interviewed by Amjad Iraqi in +972mag)
Things that the Saudi journalist who was murdered revealed to me
Yedioth's Smadar Perry met with the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi over the years and held deep conversations with him. Now, when the murder of Khashoggi has the world in a storm - the ‘Yedioth’ journalist returns to the long hours she spent in his company. She sketches the fascinating and contradictory persona and tells what he thinks about Israel and Binyamin Netanyahu, and what he said when she asked him why their meetings are important to him.
View on Israelis:
"First of all, you have a lot of self confidence and you think you know everything. Almost everything. You are a small country that seemingly is always trying to become friends with your neighbors, but not really. You say this to justify your behavior. I know that you have contacts in the Gulf state, Morocco, Tunisia and of course, Jordan and Egypt. The Israeli Mossad reaches under cover every place it chooses."
Would like to visit Israel?
He laughed a bitter laugh. "Everyone would like to, out of curiosity, the question is if it's possible. I can allow myself to visit Palestinians in the West Bank and in Gaza. I don't want to visit Israel, because I know that there is no way to hold a secret visit. And if it were discovered, like I imagine it would be, what would we have profited? I won't be able to explain, in any way, what I was looking for there."
Peace Process:
"I don't believe that anyone really wants to advance a real peace process in the Middle East. It doesn't answer the interests of anyone. Not the Israelis, not the Palestinians, not the Egyptians, not the Jordanians, and also not us."
On Netanyahu and clandestine meetings:
"I see your Prime Minister (Binyamin Netanyahu) and I am telling you I don't like him. But I take him seriously. He is very smart, very educated and speaks excellent English. Unlike the Arab world, which can hide talks and meetings, I know that that is not easy where you live, and even the leader himself, who wants to brag about his meetings with the Arab world. Also if the other side does not agree to publish (the details), so Netanyahu and his people will find a way to get the information out and publish it. It doesn't have to be via the Israeli media. You know and we know that it is possible to plant an item even in the tiniest newspaper, even in the Arab world. And the moment that everyone identifies that the news item is especially interesting, they pull it out from there and there are headlines all over the world. I myself know how we exploded from anger when Israel did such things in Gulf newspapers."
(Smadar Perry, ’24 Hours’ supplement, Yedioth, cover, Wednesday)
‘This is how you change the status quo’: Rethinking the Palestinian boycott of Jerusalem elections
Aziz Abu Sarah withdrew his historic bid for Jerusalem mayor after Israeli and Palestinian pressures, but he hopes his short campaign ‘provokes’ new ideas on how to build stronger, younger Palestinian political activism in the city. (Interviewed by Amjad Iraqi in +972mag)
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.