News Nosh 9.9.19

APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday September 9, 2019

 
You Must Be Kidding #1: 
“I really asked my staff, and they all said that you looked pleasant and gentle and that you are surely a good dentist but everyone thought that this way, with the head covering, it wouldn’t work for us in the clinic … even if we would make you appointments and fill the schedule … people wouldn’t want … there would be a lot of problems with this … We’d have a lot of problems, which wouldn’t be justified, but we’d have problems with this. So you know, I’m left with the sympathy and the good intentions but I can’t fulfill them … I can’t fulfill it under these conditions.”
Director of dental clinic tells Arab dentist who wears a Muslim headscarf why she didn’t get the job. He was fined.*

You Must Be Kidding #2: 
"When it comes to the suspects who are in custody, who don't see their family, who are under psychological pressure that is suitable for use by the Shin Bet investigations - we are in trouble. This is how evidence is obtained? Is that the way?"
--Yedioth senior commentator Ben-Dror Yemini argues that the psychological methods used by the Shin Bet interrogators for obtaining testimony (ostensibly from Palestinians) are unsuitable for use not by the Shin Bet - in other words, that Jewish Israelis should not be interrogated the way that Palestinians are by the Shin Bet But he expresses no problem with those methods being used on Palestinians.**


Breaking News:
Iranian militias in Syria launch failed missile strike against Israel after 18 people were killed in an aerial attack by an unidentified aircraft on Iranian targets in Syria near the Iraq border. (Israel Hayom and Ynet)

Front Page:
Haaretz
  • Cameras Law will allow parties to film outside the polling stations and collect information
  • Diversion trick // Yossi Verter
  • Gun to the temple // Mordechai Kremnitzer
  • Five years in Gaza: Hundreds at rally for Ebra Mengistu
  • Trump announced the cancellation of the secret meeting with head of Taliban at Camp David due to attack
  • Female (Arab) doctor who was not accepted for job due to hijab (head covering) she wore to be compensated
  • Study: Drinking fluoride during pregnancy harmed the intelligence level of boys
  • Why film? // Raviv Drucker
  • Role model // Zvi Bar’el on instructions Egyptian journalists received
  • Donald Trump is not mentioned in the new book of Salman Rushdie, but his presence is felt. Interview
Yedioth Ahronoth
  • Gantz’s promise: There won’t be a rotation with Netanyahu - 8 days to elections, preparing for the campaign after the elections (Hebrew)
  • The government and the Bibipaper (‘Israel Hayom’) - there are no free presents // Nahum Barnea
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
Israel Hayom

Top News Summary:
Today’s big story was all about the Camera Law pushed by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s Likud party to place cameras in polling stations and which the government cabinet approved yesterday for fast-track legislation. Netanyahu told the cabinet that the law will permit monitors to use cellphone cameras to record outside the voting booths themselves. After the cabinet gave initial approval to the law, a Likud minister suspended the rules and arranged for it to go for a reading today, instead of after 45 days. Netanyahu has made voter fraud a key issue in his campaign and has suggested that the Arab voters will vote fraudulently and could ‘steal the election’ from him in this close race. Haaretz+ reported that the law would let Israeli parties retain footage of voters filmed for their own database and to record their conversations both inside and outside the polls. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin sharply criticized the government after the initial approval of the law and defended the top  legal officials, who have faced attacks from the right-wing for their opposition. “I support the members of the Central Elections Committee led by Supreme Court Deputy Chief Justice Hanan Melcer and Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit in the face of baseless and irresponsible political attacks they are experiencing,” Rivlin tweeted. “I reject with disgust the attempts to erode public trust in these bodies and institutions.” The Knesset legal advisor also joined the legal opposition to the law, stating that it "gives a significant advantage to one party over the other and creates fear that it will deter voters.” he declared it unconstitutional at this time. (Ynet Hebrew and Israel Hayom Hebrew) Nevertheless, the vote in the Knesset went forward today. Former Likud minister Dan Meridor attacked his party for seeking to hastily pass the camera bill a week before elections. “Today’s Likud is the exact opposite of what it always was: It was a stately party that maintained the rule of law, and today it is doing the opposite,” he told 103FM. He said the party was ‘losing its way and its integrity.’ (Also Maariv) Yamina party leader and former justice minister Ayelet Shaked dismissed the Camera bill as a Likud campaigning effort. However, Chairman of Yisrael Beiteinu, Avigdor Lieberman, switched sides Sunday and said his party will now support the Cameras bill. He also accused the Likud of being in “complete coordination with the Joint List.” (Maariv)

MONDAY UPDATE: Lieberman changed his mind again and said he oppose the camera bill and the Camera bill did not pass the first reading today in the Knesset - signifying a great failure for the Likud party. (Also Maariv)

Elections 2019 Quickees:
  • Gantz presents: terms to block Netanyahu - Kahol-Lavan Chairman Benny Gantz intends to demand that the Likud support a bill that would prevent a prime minister from serving under an indictment. This means that Gantz pledges not to rotate with Netanyahu in a unity government, if the latter is a defendant. Kahol-Lavan party officials make it clear Gantz does not oppose a rotation with another Likud candidate if someone other than Netanyahu headed the Likud, and they noted that Netanyahu promoted a similar bill when he was opposition chairman. As part of the move, Kahol-Lavan will require that every coalition agreement will require signing the partners on this clause, along with a clause that enshrines the ban on ministerial tenure under indictment. (Yedioth Hebrew)
  • Fraud Probe Reveals Additional Lapses in Israel's April Election - Police probe reveals polling monitor committee directors with criminal records and failure to brief committee members on basic procedures. (Haaretz)
  • Netanyahu's trick for the benefit of the polluting industries and the tycoons - Maariv learned that the strict control of the polluting industry is seen by PM's staff as a "problem" that needs to be solved, and they have, in effect, accepted an enacted the demands of the industrialists. (Maariv)
  • Adelsons Told Police Sara Netanyahu Is 'Crazy' and 'Decides Everything' - New details from the billionaire couple's testimony in the prime minister's corruption case, reported by Channel 13, include shock and dismay over his wife's behavior. (Haaretz+ and Maariv)
  • WATCH Netanyahu Said He Met Boris Yeltsin in London, His Office Dubbed Over the Gaffe - Yeltsin, who died in 2007, was the first president of the Russian Federation, between 1991 and 1999. (Haaretz and Ynet)
     
Quick Hits:
  • Due to the escalation: Egyptian delegation arrived in the Gaza Strip - After a lengthy disconnect that included a hasty summons to Cairo of Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders, and Hamas and Jihad threats of escalating the situation following the (IDF) shooting deaths of two Palestinian protesters during the March of Return last Friday, the intel delegation from Egypt arrived to meet with different Palestinian factions in Gaza in order to "strengthen the ceasefire." In the IDF they fear that the high internal tension between Hamas and Islamic Jihad and the success of (IJ's) launching of the explosive drone will lead to increase of attacks against Israeli targets. (Maariv p. 10 and MaarivOnline and Haaretz Hebrew)
  • Yair Golan: “We need to talk to Hamas, Likud wants to perpetuate the situation" - The member of the Democratic Camp accused the ruling party of not having a policy on the Gaza Strip and claimed: "The Israeli interest consists of two clauses: security calm and the return of the prisoners home.” (Maariv)
  • **Israeli Court Fines Dental Clinic That Rejected Applicant for Wearing a Hijab - The clinic director was recorded explaining on the phone that the headscarf would have caused problems with Jewish patients. (Haaretz+)
  • Gaza Projectile Falls Short, Lands in Strip, Israeli Army Says - Incident Sunday evening comes day after Israel conducted air strikes in Gaza after drone entered Israeli airspace and dropped explosives on a military vehicle. (Haaretz)
  • 17,500 Bedouin pupils will begin the year after strike by local council in Negev ended - A week after the school year began, the Department of Education announced that it had reached budget understandings with the Al-Kasum Municipal Council of villages unrecognized by the State of Israel. At the moment, it will receive provide only a partial budget and will discuss the long-term plan over the coming month. (Maariv)
  • Bedouin soldier in IDF charged with possession of illegal weapon that had been transferred to the Palestinian Authority in the Oslo Accords - A 19-year-old young man will be indicted in the IDF for illegal possession of an M-16 gun. The gun was discovered when police blocked his car because he seemed suspicious. Watch the [disturbing - OH] video. (Maariv + disturbing video)
  • “Unprecedented”: All employees of Israel's Foreign Ministry told to stop their work after Treasury freezes budget - Israeli diplomats abroad have been ordered to put any plans for new spending on hold due to a major budget deficit. (Haaretz+, Maariv and Israel Hayom)
  • Islamic Jihad operative indicted for helping dig terror tunnels - Samir Abu Sanima, 20, is accused of security crimes that include membership in a terrorist organization, planning to commit murder, supplying the means to commit a crime, and armed breach of Israeli territory. (Israel Hayom)
  • The terrorist, member of cell that murdered the Hankin couple, died in jail - Bassem al-Siyah, who was part of the Hamas squad that committed the horrific murder in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) about five years ago, died in prison after suffering from a terminal illness, IPS said. (Maariv)
  • After calling PLO terrorists 'guerrillas,' AP deletes tweet - Responding to online outrage spanning several days, The Associated Press deletes tweet that belittled the horrific acts of Palestinian terrorists during 1972 Olympic Games, when eleven Israeli athletes were murdered. (Israel Hayom)
  • August at Ben Gurion Airport: Israelis returned to Turkey - Antalya and Istanbul were the most popular destinations last month. 2.8 million passengers passed through Ben Gurion Airport in August. (Yedioth Hebrew)
  • Report on PA education illuminates anti-Jewish indoctrination - Jewish “cowardice,” “slyness,” “deceit,” and “greed” are repeated ideas used to define Jews as enemies of Islam and a corrupt nation, with stories of Jews falsifying money and calling aspirations regarding their ancient homeland “greedy ambitions.” (Israel Hayom)
  • Israeli students attacked by Arab tourists in Poland - Barak, brother of one of the victims claims the attack was an act of terror adding the Arab group asked if the students were Israelis and when they said they were, began attacking them savagely. (Yedioth/Ynet, Maariv and Israel Hayom)
  • Polish foreign ministry condemns attack on Israeli students - Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs "condemns acts of aggression carried out by or against foreigners in Poland. The matter of the beating of [Israeli] citizens by foreigners on Polish territory is being clarified by the police...," ministry says Sunday after Israeli students were assaulted at a Warsaw nightclub early Saturday. (Israel Hayom)
  • Gazan's Death Abroad Shines Light on Middle-class Exodus - Fed up with the heavy-handed rule of Hamas, Tamer al-Sultan braved a treacherous journey in hopes of starting a new life in the West — only to die along the way. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Linda Sarsour campaigns for Sanders: Proud to help elect first Jewish president - Political activist Linda Sarsour energized a Brooklyn rally for Sanders and endorsed his 'foreign policy that sees Palestinians as human beings deserving of human rights and self-determination,’ (Haaretz)
  • Report: A former senior Hizbullah official was found in his home shot in the head  - Ali Khatum was found dead in his home in the Burj al-Brajna area of southern Beirut. Saudi Al-Hadat Channel reported that Khatoum was shot from a gun with a silencer. (Maariv and Israel Hayom)
  • UN Inspectors Find Uranium Traces at Iran 'Atomic Warehouse,' Diplomats Say - IAEA investigating origin of particles found at site that Benjamin Netanyahu urged it to inspect after alleging it had housed radioactive material. (Agencies, Haaretz and Ynet)
  • Iran's Nuclear Chief: EU Has Failed to Fulfill 2015 Deal Commitments - France, Germany and Britain have tried to launch a barter trade mechanism with Iran protecting it from U.S. sanctions but have struggled to get it off the ground. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Tehran Says Iranian Tanker Unloaded Cargo, May Release British Tanker Soon - The tanker Adrian Darya 1, which went dark off Syria last week, has been photographed by satellite off the Syrian port of Tartus. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Iranian Tanker Reaches Destination, Oil Sold - U.S. Threatens All Buyers - The United States will continue to impose sanctions on whoever purchases Iran's oil or conducts business with Iran's Revolutionary Guards. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • To set up 'safe zone,' US wades into muddled Syria politics - Turkey is hoping that some of the 3.6 million Syrian refugees it is hosting will return to north-eastern Syria. Washington and Kurdish-led forces say a "security mechanism" is taking shape. While officials say no civilians would be displaced by the new security arrangements, residents are bracing for a new round of instability. (Agencies, Israel Hayom)
  • Syria Says Joint U.S.-Turkish Patrols Violate Country's Sovereignty - Armed Turkish military vehicles crossed into Syria on Sunday and headed southwest with their U.S. counterparts to begin planned joint patrols to establish a 'safe zone.’ (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Saudi Arabia, One of the World's Biggest Arms Importers, Launches Its Own Defense Industry - Saudi Arabia will now license companies to manufacture firearms, ammunition, military explosives, military equipment, individual military equipment, and military electronics. (Agencies, Haaretz)


Features:
The manager will expropriate lands, the Palestinians will appeal to the High Court
Will the Tunnel Road Project be stopped? Palestinians will appeal to the High Court after the Civil Administration has issued land expropriation orders in favor of upgrading and widening the road leading from Jerusalem to communities [i.e. settlements - OH] in Gush Etzion (West Bank). The confiscation orders were issued for 11 dunams belonging to the Palestinians, residents of nearby villages including al-Khader and Beit Jala. The orders will take effect within 60 days when the opposition to confiscation can be filed, and immediately after this date the works can be implemented. "These are our lands and they are simply stealing them," the landowners raged. According to the Palestinians, the expropriation is meant to (facilitate the) annexation of the settlement areas in Gush Etzion to Jerusalem. "These areas have our water, our livelihood. We will fight this decision as much as we can." The landowners will be offered financial compensation, but nonetheless the Palestinians intend to file objections because they claim it is a large agricultural area used for their livelihoods and living. The appeal to the High Court will significantly delay the project. (Elisha Ben-Kimon, Yedioth Hebrew)
Ancient Tablets May Reveal What Destroyed Minoan Civilization
The Minoans and their capital Knossos weren’t incinerated by volcanic blast from Thera or flattened by quake as thought, but tellingly: their writing system changed. (Philippe Bohstrom, Haaretz+)
From Syria to Iraq: Fighting to try ISIS terrorists like Nazi war criminals
Hundreds of Europeans who joined ISIS are currently being detained in Iraqi and Syrian prisons, their homelands seemingly reluctant to bring them back. However, there is no shortage of ideas on where and how to bring them to justice
Wilson Fache and Stéphane Kenech, Haaretz+)

Commentary/Analysis:
Violence and lies of police operation in East Jerusalem (Eyal Hareuveni, Yedioth/Ynet) It is the officers from the Border Police and Special Patrol Unit who instigate the violence in Issawiyah, going there in the evening and at night, looking for opportunities to practice the repertoire of occupation and oppression warfare
Greenblatt's resignation has proven that the chances that the Deal of the Century will be accepted are zero (Shlomo Shamir, Maariv) The resignation of the envoy of the White House to the Middle East was interpreted by UN ambassadors in New York as confirmation of common assessment among them regarding the chances of the US program being successful.
New Dershowitz memoir a must-read for Israel advocates (James Sinkinson, Israel Hayom) From the aliyah of Soviet Jewry to the new anti-Semitism, Alan Dershowitz’s “Defending Israel: The Story of My Relationship with My Most Challenging Client” is almost a history of Zionism.
Presenting the new series: "Our Good Boys" (Dror Raphael, Maariv)  The series "Our Boys" was produced by Keshet productions for HBO and is based on the summer events of 2014. It opens with the murder of the three Jewish youth (in the first episode), but chooses to focus on the murder of Muhammad Abu Khdeir by Jews (in the rest of the episodes). With the broadcast of the series on Israeli cable and satellite networks, the right-wingers criticized it and its creators, calling it a “Hasabara terror attack" (Yair Netanyahu), a "strategic attack" (Galit Distell), "a psychological sham” (Noam Fathi) and more. The prime minister called the series "anti-Semitic" and recommended boycotting Keshet. In the face of the protest over the film series “Our Boys" and in order that we may return to being one people - there is no escape from balancing the series with an alternative truth. [Writer then describes in satire the murder of Abu Khdeir as if the boy drank gasoline voluntarily on his own and caught on fire when trying to smoke a cigarette and as if the two Jewish guys were in the forest, and didn’t set him on fire as really happened, but just happened upon a fire and decided to call the firefighters. - OH]

Elections 2019 Commentary/Analysis:
Nine Days to Elections: Netanyahu Deploys Trump’s 'Election Fraud' Canard, to Devastating Effect (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) The prime minister’s stink bomb has upended the election campaign, but it could ultimately demolish Israeli democracy itself.
Thoughts about the coming elections and questions about Israel's security (Shimon Shiffer, Yedioth/Ynet) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared he will not allow the elections to be stolen. My suggestion is to add the following to the bill: The parties competing in the elections declare that they will accept the results whatever they may be…And anyone who receives the mandate from the President to form a coalition must return it if he fails after 28 days...Netanyahu and anyone hoping to replace him should be concerned that while Iranian forces are present in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon the United States may restrict Israeli Air Force's ability to operate freely in the region.
His wife and son to his right and his left: Netanyahu is galloping toward the abyss in full gas (Ben Caspit, Maariv) If Netanyahu does not reach 61 seats, he will argue that the elections were faked and won’t recognize the results. He has no fear. Not from the law, not from history, not from the results of his actions.
Palestinian Citizens of Israel, Please Go Out and Vote the Joint List (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) Voting in the election does not mean recognition of a state that was forced on you, but just the opposite. The importance and value of the Joint List at the present political-historical junction are far greater than the sum of its flaws and weaknesses. This is a plea to my Palestinian friends, natives of the country, Israeli citizens against their will, who are planning once again not to vote in the coming election: Please vote, and vote for the Joint List. It’s the only party whose very existence, despite its internal contradictions, conflicts and weaknesses, is standing up against the delusions of the final expulsion, that are being cooked up in this disturbed and dangerous  Israeli-Jewish society.
Smile for the camera, Ayman Odeh! (Yoseph Haddad, Israel Hayom) Despite the spin by Arab lawmakers, the Arab sector will benefit more than anyone else from cameras at polling stations. If there is widespread fraud, it's time to end it. If not, we will be proven innocent.
Vote, Get Photographed and Oust Bibi (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) People well-versed in anti-democratic processes point out that the natural continuation of delegitimizing the other – in our case, the Arabs – is the delegitimization of any sign of democracy in this country. Therefore, what’s happening today is no longer unbridled incitement against Arabs, which our conditional democrats could ignore and let slide. We’re already halfway down the slippery slope that began with the Arabs and is continuing to sink the entire Israeli political system. There are people on “our side” – the Jewish and Arab democrats – who treat everything as if it doesn’t affect them. But if what’s at stake is “the destruction of Basra,” the first neighborhood to be destroyed will be our own, the neighborhood of the Jewish and Arab democrats. In light of this danger, it’s vital to join hands with our former rivals in order to save the future.
**Follow proper procedure (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth Hebrew) For several years now, the public fight against corruption bears Binyamin Netanyahu's image. The public battle did not require legal evidence. Because the corruption attributed to Netanyahu is not just a criminal matter, reserved for legal hearing. It is also public corruption, which justifies the protest. On the legal level, the testimonies presented in recent weeks by state witnesses raise great discomfort. They reinforce the feeling that rules of law and justice have gone awry and the purity of the law has been trampled over and over again. Last Friday, journalist Eli Senor revealed in Yedioth Ahronoth the ways in which the same evidence is obtained. "Our methods of operation besides the suspect's rights, are very very similar to the Shin Bet's," Nir Chafetz was told by Lahav 433 Fraud Unit investigators. "Your children will not want to be with you...your family unit is in danger." The testimonies published by Channel 12 News regarding Shaul Elovtich [suspect in Case 4000 - OH] are equally serious. Elovitch, it turns out, was recorded when he met with his son in a room designated for meetings with lawyers. The investigators insisted on making him a state witness. He insisted on the truth. When it comes to the suspects who are in custody, who don't see their family, who are under psychological pressure that is suitable for use by the Shin Bet investigations - we are in trouble. This is how evidence is obtained? Is that the way? Do the revealed methods add to the credibility or do they raise the old concern about trying to get a conviction at all costs? Exercises, deceptions, trickery are required to obtain evidence. The point is that the rule of law also includes the basic principle of due process. And the ways of inquiry revealed pose questions about the appropriateness of that process. In US law, the rule that rules out the "poisoned tree" rule: evidence obtained in violation of the law or defendant's rights is disqualified by the court, even if there is no dispute that this is established evidence. What is the point of giving testimony while deceiving and undergoing psychological stress? Attorney Avi Amiram, a criminal justice expert, estimates that the greater the pressure to obtain testimony - the smaller its weight will be, and it will not be able to establish a conviction, without additional supporting evidence. The matter is not just Netanyahu. The issue is  those suspects who do not have the capacity and status of Netanyahu. The basic principle of the due process is already grounded in the Bible: "Justice shall pursue." What is meant is that justice must be achieved in a fair way. And most importantly - we are speaking of law enforcement authorities. We want justice. But evidence obtained by fraud or pressure leads to distortion and deception rather than justice. What was revealed over the weekend does not make Netanyahu righteous. But one thing must also be clear to those of us who are convinced that Netanyahu is corrupt and needs to go: Not all means are fit for the goal.
Will the election results be good for the hand of Israel supporters worldwide or for its critics? (Meir Uziel, Maariv) It is good that alongside the attacks of left-wing groups and Palestinian artists against Israel, there is also a growing trend of global sympathy for Israel.
'In This No-issue Election, Don't Believe a Word Anyone Says.' (Haaretz Editor Aluf Benn, Haaretz free podcast) Before Israelis head to the polls - again - Haaretz's editor says that Netanyhau is the only issue and that the status quo is here to stay.
An election diversion par excellence (Yossi Beilin, Israel Hayom) Why do we get the feeling that the prime minister's true motive behind the camera saga isn't exactly upholding electoral integrity, rather a different agenda altogether?
Netanyahu Sees All Means as Kosher to Stay in Power (Mordechai Kremnitzer, Haaretz+) What gives democracy its special flavor is that people in power generally show restraint in using their power, but this time the Knesset is being asked not merely to abandon restraint, but to exceed its authority.
 
Interviews:
Shaked: Otzma Yehudit should drop out of election
Yamina leader tells i24NEWS and Israel Hayom Editor-in-Chief Boaz Bismuth that polls are no indication of what will happen on Sept. 17. In addition, Shaked says Israel has a "big opportunity" to annex Area C while US President Donald Trump is still in office. (Interviewed by  i24NEWS/Israel Hayom)

"Israel is a fragile thing": The man who saw everything breaks his silence and fears for the future of the country
His uncle helped, among other things, to recruit a Soviet diplomat, he commanded the "Tempo" post, and served as Yigal Alon's assistant. And as a reporter, he was the first to arrive at the scene of Bashir Jumail's assassination. (Interviewed by Yossi Melman in Maariv)

Are you a patriot?
"Define me as you like. They say patriotism is the refuge of the villain, so maybe I should say I love Israel. Maybe I'm a dinosaur. But I'm afraid of Israel's fate. Israel is fragile. The US can afford a president who is a failure, and it had them: Hoover, Carter, Obama and now Trump. Israel cannot afford this luxury. If the prime minister deals with himself and not the state of affairs, then there is a serious problem. "
Who will you vote for in the next election?
"I don't know yet. Maybe for Avigdor Lieberman because of his stand on religion and state and his security approach. I've always been security-minded. In the Middle East there is a rule - if someone slaps you, you have to kick back. I don't know who was right in the historic debate between David Ben-Gurion and Moshe Sharett. Maybe Sharett. But even though the Palestinian problem is not solved, the fact is that the Arab world has opened up to us because of interests and not morality and justice. I have a feeling that the Palestinians do not want a state. For a hundred years, they are struggling and failing to establish even a body like the Jewish Agency.”


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