News Nosh: 10.23.18

APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday October 23, 2018
 
Quote of the day:
“We are being asked to choose between statehood and loyalty, loyalty in the media, loyalty in culture, and now loyalty in the law."
--Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber said at a meeting of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee about a bill to appoint legal advisors.*

Front Page:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
  • Expose - The Jordanian absurdity - Senior member of gov’t: “While the Jordanians are demanding that we return areas that were transferred in the treaty, we are increasing the amounts of water we are transferring to them”; Diplomatic sources: Israel is also responsible for the crisis, the writing was on the wall
  • Exploding in our faces // Giora Eiland
  • UEFA capitulated: The (Israeli soccer) games (in West Bank settlements) will be broadcast
  • Dad’s pin - A year after Pinchas Zuaretz suddenly died, his son, Amit, finished officer’s course
  • The female fighters of Instagram - 8 girls living in the Gaza envelope area opened an Instagram page that documents their lives in the shadow of the [Palestinian border] demonstrations and the fires
  • Who is in favor of financing incitement // Ben-Dror Yemini on the Loyalty in Culture Law
  • How low can the right-wing go // Raanan Shaked on the storm over Rabin’s granddaughter’s speech
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
  • Trump: “I can be tough with Netanyahu” - The irregular remark by the US President ahead of the revealing of the ‘Deal of the Century’
  • For their benefit - Following abuse: Final approval of law that regulates supervision over infant day care centers
  • For their benefit - Knesset approved in first reading heavy fines on people who use prostitutes' services: “Like in Sweden”
  • The double that is getting the (Saudi) Crown Prince in trouble
Israel Hayom
  • “Iran is also establishing missile factories in Iraq” - Intel sources: Iran is expanding the effort to create a threat on the northern front
  • Hezbollah’s obvious cover - IDF reveals a 6th post of the terror organization a kilometer from the border - under guise of being “environmental activists”
  • Kalish is running in Haifa; Close race in Jerusalem
  • The photos that put the Saudi top officials in trouble
  • One mistake after another: the Crown Prince that disappointed // Mordechai Keidar
  • Today: The special committee of the Knesset will discuss the robbing of the property of Yemenite immigrants
  • The new battle: Yisrael Beiteinu party wants to submit the Death Sentence for Terrorists Law; In Habayit Hayehudi party they oppose
  • State Comptroller report: There is no updated plan for the water economy

News Summary:
Jordan says it won’t negotiate over the return of its lands, the Saudis were caught in photos trying to cover up the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashouggi and the State Comptroller found Israel responsible for exacerbating the water crisis making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Also in  Yedioth was the surprisingly forthright statement by Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber.

Barely making news was that Israel came to the conclusion that no one launched the rocket that hit the house in Beersheva last week: it was a malfunction. The Israeli Security Cabinet ministers told Ynet that the government decided against launching a military operation against the Gaza Strip following the rocket attack because Israeli intelligence determined, with a very high degree of certainty, that the rockets were fired due to a malfunction caused by a lightning storm.  And while the papers keep reporting that Israel keeps saying that there are contacts for reaching a long-term arrangement with Hamas, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman keeps saying that Israel can’t reach a long-term arrangement and that Israel must hit Hamas hard. He said it again yesterday and twice more this month.

What also barely made news vis-a-vis Gaza was that Gazans held their 13th naval march at Gaza’s northern border. At least ten Palestinians were injured by Israeli ammunition.

Interesting, too, were the reports about Iran allegedly expanding its operations. In a rare public speech, Mossad Chief Yossi Cohen warned of Iran's expansionist aspirations in the region and said that technology that helps to fight threats like Iranian nuclear and missile projects can sometimes uncover foreign intelligence operations. He added that US President Donald Trump's approach to foreign policy is 'very pleasant for us, as the State of Israel.' Israel Hayom reported that Iran is now manufacturing and upgrading missiles in Iraq, according to Israeli intelligence sources. Also the latest on the murdered Saudi journalist below.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said his country neither received an official request from Israeli government to renegotiate parts of peace treaty, which allowed Israel to lease Jordanian territories for the past 25 years, nor would it consider such a request if it were submitted. At most, it would negotiate how the land swould be returned to full Jordanian sovereignty within a year. However, Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman insisted the dispute could be resolved trhough dialogue, Israel Hayom reported, noting, however, that “in message to Israel, Jordanian soldiers raised a new flag on the disputed area." The revoking of the annexes of the peace treaty means a loss of land for Israeli farmers, who called it an economic 'death sentence.’ Yedioth led its paper with a story quoting ’senior ministers’ who complained that Jordan wants the land (with the water) back just when Israel was upping the amounts of water it was transferring to Jordan. [NOTE: However, the Hebrew papers did not stress how key the water issue is to the Jordanians in this story and what amounts Israel agreed upon to transfer to Jordan as part of the peace treaty. To this journalist’s knowledge, due to the drought in Israel, the amount being transferred is far below what was agreed upon.  - OH] Yedioth noted that “other Israeli officials said the responsibility for the crisis between the countries in part lies with the Israeli government.”

*Dina Zilber on the Law of Legal Advisers: "We are asked to choose between statehood and loyalty"
At a meeting of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, Deputy Attorney General Dina Zilber slammed the Justice Minister's proposal to appoint legal advisors in the government ministries through a search committee rather than through a tender, as is customary today: “We are being asked to choose between statehood and loyalty, loyalty in the media, loyalty in culture, and now loyalty in the law. This is a law that collapses into itself. The bill is a deterioration of the civil service from a non-political and neutral professional service to a position of trust that is expected to wink at the political echelon at every turn," she said reading from a text. "There is a genuine disagreement between two concepts: (On the one hand,) stateliness that established the State Education Law, a state civil service that passed from sectoral to state institutions, and neutral public servants, who are trained to serve all of them. Opposing this is loyalty in law and not loyalty to law, to its basic principles to which we are committed. The present legal advisors have served all the governments. They did not block governance, but gave fuel to the wheels of governance." (Calcalist)


The latest on Saudi Journalist Jamal Khashougii:
  • Khashoggi's murder at Saudi consulate 'monstrously planned,' Turkey's ruling party says - A suspicious car belonging to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul was found in the Sultangazi district of the city, broadcaster NTV and other local media said on Monday, adding that police would search the vehicle. (Haaretz)
  • Kushner says he told Saudi Crown Prince MBS to be 'fully transparent' in Khashoggi probe - The senior Trump aide, who has a close relationship with powerful Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, deflected questions in a CNN interview about whether he trusted the Saudis to investigate themselves. (Haaretz)
  • Saudi investment conference website hacked, then taken down - Siemens's chief executive said earlier on Monday he would not attend the three-day conference in Saudi Arabia after the country admitted that journalist Khashoggi had been killed in its consulate in Istanbul. (Haaretz)
     
Quick Hits:
  • Funding blacklists of U.S. citizens, playing D.C. against Iran: Israeli gov't implicated by shelved Al Jazeera investigation - Haaretz obtained the Al Jazeera documentary on the Israel lobby, in which the Israeli Strategic Affairs Ministry director admits it serves as a liaison to Jewish right-wing organizations in the United States. (Haaretz)
  • Trump: "I can be tough with Bibi as I was tough with the Palestinians" - According to a report on Channel 10 News, the US President said in a meeting with French President Macron that he was willing to put pressure on the prime minister Netanyahu to accept the ‘Deal of the century’: "I gave him a lot.” (Maariv)
  • Palestinian shot dead after stabbing Israeli soldier in Hebron - The soldier was lightly wounded in the attack near the Cave of Patriarchs ■ Palestinian identified as Muamar Arif al-Atrash, a 42-year-old father of seven. (Haaretz)
  • Soldier who shot dead Palestinian: ’I did everything to defend my commanding officer'
     - 'It was either me or the terrorist,' recounts Cpl. M., a driver in the Hebron DCL who came under attack by a scissors-wielding Palestinian; 'This isn't Tel Aviv or Be'er Sheva, you have to be alert all the time,' the soldier explains. (Ynet)
  • Israeli soldiers filmed standing by in West Bank as settlers throw rocks at Palestinians - After incident, a larger group came out of the Yitzhar settlement and threw rocks at Palestinians building a fence at Burin, a village near Nablus, Palestinian reports say. (Haaretz+)
  • 'Captain George' will receive 800,000 shekels - Affair of the POW interrogator and the claims of the terrorist end in a compromise - More than 6 years after suing the Defense Ministry, the affair closes: The interrogator of Unit 504, Doron Zahavi, will receive the amount, which will be defined as 'wage differentials." Zehavi claimed that he was forced to leave the army after he was falsely accused (of rape) by terrorist Mustafa Dirani, who held the navigator Ron Arad. (Yedioth, p. 16)
  • Two Israeli Military Policemen Charged With Groping [molesting], Robbing Palestinian Women at Checkpoint - Altogether the two allegedly robbed Palestinian women of about 1,600 shekels. Military public defenders say they were confident the 'case will end differently' than charges would indicate. After stealing the money, the two would put the Palestinian women in a room where security cameras could not record their actions and order them to strip and say that the female soldier on duty could not be located. The two would also touch the women’s bodies to reach sexual satisfaction, the indictment said. (Haaretz+)
  • Cars Vandalized and Hate Graffiti Sprayed in West Bank Village, Palestinians Say - Incident comes a week after 28 cars were reportedly vandalized in another West Bank village, near Ramallah. One car was reportedly spray-painted with a Star of David and the message: "Greetings to Yitzhak Gabay," in reference to an Israeli man convicted of an arson attack in 2014 at the Yad B’Yad school in Jerusalem for Jewish and Arab students. (Haaretz+)
  • Israel arrests top PA officials suspected of abducting US citizen - Palestinian resident of Jerusalem who holds U.S. passport was reportedly abducted and is being held in West Bank for selling property to Jews • PA calls for release of two officials arrested by Israel • U.S. Embassy confirms citizen "detained" by the PA. (Israel Hayom)
  • Israeli court rules to release Palestinian Governor of Jerusalem - Court ruled to put Adnan Ghaith under house arrest for seven days and impose a fine of 20,000 shekels ($5,467) on him. Abbas recently appointed Ghaith as governor of occupied East Jerusalem. On Saturday, Ghaith was forcefully detained by Israeli forces in E. Jerusalem. The reason for Ghaith's detention remained unclear. (Maan)
  • Israeli forces detain Palestinian for alleged knife possession - Israeli forces detained a Palestinian for allegedly planning to carry out a stabbing attack at the Huwwara military checkpoint, south of the northern occupied West Bank district of Nablus, on Monday afternoon. (Maan)
  • Israel revokes work permits for family of Palestinian mother killed (by settlers) - Aisha Muhammad Talal al-Rabi, 47, a mother of eight children, from the Bidya village in the West Bank, was killed on October 12th after Israeli settlers hurled rocks at her vehicle as she was passing by near the Zaatara checkpoint in southern Nablus. (Maan)
  • Israel uncovers Hezbollah post near Lebanon border, in violation of UN resolution - The post was erected under the guise of an activity by an environmental non-governmental organization, Israel says. 'Hezbollah is building military infrastructure along the border with its men moving there armed.’ (Haaretz+, Israel Hayom and Ynet)
  • Ultra-Orthodox demonstrators attack IDF officer - Dozens of ultra-Orthodox demonstrators attack IDF Caracal Battalion's officer in Jerusalem; the officer, who was lightly wounded, does not need medical care; officer say he fired into the air to keep attackers away, but police say no shots had been fired. (Ynet)
  • Terror victim's widow urges IDF to demolish killer's home - Miriam Fuld, whose husband Ari was murdered by a terrorist last month, criticizes Israeli military for failing to follow through on decision to raze attacker's home • I don't want revenge, I want to save lives, she says. IDF: Matter is being finalized. (Israel Hayom)
  • Family of a girl who died years after she was injured in an attack calls to reopen the terrorists' trial - The relatives of Hodaya Asulin, who was injured in a terror attack near Binyanei Ha'uma in Jerusalem and passed away after a long period of fighting for her life, demand that the four terrorists who were convicted be brought to justice again. The petition was filed by Honenu, a right-wing legal organization. (Maariv)
  • State prosecutors admit losing original video of anti-Arab ‘hate wedding’ - Fumble is revealed at court hearing during trial of Jewish revelers who waved guns, [celebrated the murder] of Palestinian family [murdered] by extremists’ firebomb attack. (Times of Israel)
  • ‘Hate wedding’: The State Prosecutor's Office will have to transfer to the defense the cases of Arabs that acted in a similar manner - The (Jewish defendants) lawyers argued that discrimination was being made against their clients and that similar incidents involving Arabs or extreme left-wing activists had been closed. Attorney Itamar Ben-Gvir: "They will have to reveal what has been hidden for years.” (Maariv and Israel Hayom Hebrew)
  • Ministerial Committee to discuss refugees bill that seeks to sidestep HCJ - Justice Minister Shaked and MK Shuli Mualem presented a bill regarding the expulsion of African asylum seekers, which includes a safe passage provision that would allow the legislators to formulate an outline that could not be dismissed by HCJ. (Yedioth/Ynet and Israel Hayom)
  • Defense minister accidentally reveals sensitive information - Speaking at event hosted by Jerusalem Institute for Strategic Studies, Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman details IDF deployment in exact numbers, which are classified • As minister outranks military censor, it is unclear if he violated guidelines. (Israel Hayom)
  • In address to GA, Israeli president proposes establishing ‘Reverse Birthright’ - 'We must increase Israeli exposure to your schools, camps and communities,' Rivlin tells Jewish Federations' GA. (Haaretz+)
  • UEFA reverses decision on broadcasting games to settlements - KAN Israel Broadcasting Authority said it is 'happy to bring an open and free broadcast to all citizens of Israel.' (JPost and Yedioth, p. 1)
  • Ashrawi applauds German's stance against illegal Israeli settlements - Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee Member, Hanan Ashrawi, expressed her appreciation to the German government for its stance against the illegal settlement enterprise and on occupied Jerusalem and its positive voting record at the United Nations, as well as its increased financial contribution to UNRWA. (Maan)
  • Germany freezes arms exports to Saudi Arabia - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said, on Sunday, that she backs a freeze on arms exports to Saudi Arabia following the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (Maan)
  • Mismanagement Brought Israel’s Water Economy to Edge of Crisis, State Watchdog Report Says - Comptroller slams Water Authority and Energy Ministry management of Israel's water as ‘walking on the edge.' Damage estimated at 1.1 billion shekels. Water Authority says report addresses problems it has already found, most of which have long been addressed. (Haaretz+)
  • ‘Running For Mayor of Gaza’ Israel and BDS Take Center Stage in Heated Florida Governor's Debate - Republican candidate Ron DeSantis and Democratic nominee Andrew Gillum both chase the state's Jewish vote, which could prove crucial in tight race. (Haaretz+)


Commentary/Analysis:
Why Speak of the Israeli Occupation Abroad? So That This Disgrace Will End (Hagai El-Ad, Haaretz+) A disgrace is when during protests over the past months, Israeli snipers killed three 11-year-old children in the Gaza Strip. It is a disgrace that a Palestinian cannot know whether they can go abroad, or receive medical care, or work their land
Government's indecision on Gaza (Yonatan Yavin, Yedioth/Ynet) Netanyahu and Lieberman have been threatening to strike Hamas with ‘the hardest blow’ imaginable for the past few weeks. However, ‘the hardest blow’ would be dropping an atomic bomb, and between that and what we have seen from IDF so far, there is still a wide range of military options which have not been exercised.
Jordan's King Nixes Peace Treaty Annexes as Payback Against Trump, Netanyahu (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Jordan's anger over exclusion from the goings-on of Jerusalem and Temple Mount, as well as Jared Kushner's snub when discussing a Palestinian-Jordanian confederation with Abbas, has finally boiled over.
A move that spells weakness (Prof. Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) Wary of the public's wrath, King Abdullah of Jordan is working against his country's interests. Still, his decision should not affect the strategic cooperation that Amman and Jerusalem so highly value.
Jordan’s Warning Message (Haaretz Editorial) King Abdullah sought to show Israel that its policies in the territories and the Gaza Strip would no longer continue without a Jordanian response.
The end to democracy? Not at all - WHo is in favor of financing incitement? (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth) Culture Minister Miri Regev’s Loyalty (in Culture) bill was never supposed to come to this world. Democratic states don’t need laws like that. But the left-wing can only blame itself for the situation that was created. It stretched the rope; hooted the unwritten rules, and they don’t need to be written, in the book of laws. And the result is accordingly... An Israeli artist, one should remember, put on the state a play based on the writings of a terrorist sitting in jail. The criticism was only on the public funding. The great shame is that the left-wing stood behind to support that madness. It stands by again these days with a petition by intellectuals. The herd mentality is going wild. If anyone tries to make a criticism, they immediately scream at him the usual claims: Fascism, McCarthyism, end of Democracy.
Stop poisoning the memory (Yaakov Ahimeir, Israel Hayom) After all the mundane, ugly political bickering surrounding Rabin's remembrance on Sunday, we must ask: Why can't we transcend ourselves on this hallowed day? Can't we do better?
Netanyahu’s Current Politics Reopen 23-year-old Wound of Rabin’s Assassination (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) The prime minister’s assaults on democracy and dissent suddenly seem like a return to his bad old days.
Rabin family abandons stateliness (Amnon Lord, Israel Hayom) At the memorial day for assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, his grandchildren sadly appeared to revert to the obsessions of the past.
The right-wing against the Rabin family - How long can you go (Raanan Shaked, Yedioth) THe control over memory and its ceremonies will dictate the historic narrative, that the right-wing wants to rewirte so that it would include the incitement, the lessons, the politics. The Rabin family is doing what any person in its place would do - revolting.
PM's capitulation (on Khan al-Ahmar) undermines sovereignty (Mati Tuchfeld, Israel Hayom) It is hard to assess the impact Prime Minister Netanyahu's decision to suspend the demolition of Khan al-Ahmar will have on Israel's international standing but the long-term damage will likely prove hard to deal with.
After the midterms, could a threatened, volatile Trump flip on Israel? (Shalom Lipner, Haaretz+) Ostensibly, Netanyahu's a key beneficiary of this White House's unorthodox foreign policy approach. But for the sake of tentative gains, he's mortgaged Israel's reputation and security to the GOP and to Trump, America's most unpredictable president.
Relax. Trump Won't Put All the Jews in Camps. Only the Democrats (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) After all, if you can get people to gradually forget about the thousands of children whom you've stripped of their parents, caged, and now packed off to a camp in a desert area outside El Paso, you can get away with anything.
Israel is ignoring US Jews (Rabbi Mikie Goldstein, Israel Hayom) Conservative and Reform Jews are very Zionist and pro-Israel but Israel has been undermining this support and alienating the younger generations. Fostering these ties should be an Israeli priority.
Israel-China ties are a very good thing (Gilad Cohen, Haaretz+) Israel is looking eastward, but the East is looking at Israel too. It sees a country that’s worth investing in, where one can purchase varied products characterized by outstanding technology.
Traveling the world as a Palestinian on an Israeli passport
(Anwar Mhajne, +972mag) When I traveled to Morocco last year, I was escorted from the airport by security — for my protection, because of my Israeli passport — and greeted with ‘Shabbat Shalom.’ When I told the airport official ‘thank you, but I am not Jewish,’ he responded, ‘it does not matter.’
How India's Modi chose Moscow's S-400 missiles, defied Trump and spurned Israel (Shrenik Rao, Haaretz+) Despite Trump's threat of sanctions, India's Prime Minister Modi has signed a massive arms deal with Russia, signaling that, despite close defense ties with Washington, Delhi won't be bullied. And Putin is laughing all the way to the bank.

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