APN's daily news review from Israel

Monday February 17, 2020

 

Quote of the day:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

Top News Summary:
Three Israelis on a cruise ship off the Japanese coast tested positive for coronavirus, leaders of Shas, Yamina and Yehadut Hatorah declared their loyalty to Likud and the Likud party presented a economic plan, which Maariv and Yedioth economic social-welfare plan that commentators say is spin that has no funding to make happen and could have been implemented over the last 10 years and the IDF said Hamas hacked phones of Israeli soldiers using fake social media accounts with photos of ‘seductive girls’ - making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.

Meanwhile, European states are planning an alternative to the US ‘deal of the century,’ Maariv reported, including recognizing a Palestinian state, Haaretz+ reported. In Ramallah, Nabil Abu Rudeina, the spokesman of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, hosted Israeli journalists where he blasted the Trump plan ‘as creating problems,’ not solving them, and called on Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to make a peace agreement based on the ’67 borders. “Come visit Ramallah instead of traveling around the world,” he said in a sting. (Also Maariv) Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said Trump's Mideast plan will be buried as "no more than a memo between Netanyahu and Trump” and said the Palestinians were “open to serious negotiations.”

Also, Netanyahu met with heads of communities bordering the Gaza Strip and said that although all options are on the table, a ceasefire deal would be “better than war” and a pre-election military campaign against Gaza would be 'difficult.’ (Also Maariv)

Elections 2020 / Netanyahu Indictment Quickees:

Quick Hits:

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Features:

Fact-checking Israeli Foreign Minister's List of Diplomatic Achievements
Is Yisrael Katz right in taking credit for the Yad Vashem international extravaganza, pacts with Gulf States and maintaining ties with China amid the threat of coronavirus?. (Noa Landau, Haaretz+)
The rescue team for shell-shocked
They charged terrorists but find it difficult to get back to work. They struggle to keep the their relationships together and they can’t get free from the angry tantrums. Now the group of shell-shocked established a team that goes out at any hour to help those returning with mental injuries from military service: "The state should take responsibility.” (Elisha Ben Kimon, Yedioth Hebrew)
Hebrew becomes hip in American schools as a boon for kids, communities
Along with its increasing popularity come some significant challenges, such as finding qualified educators to run classes and programs. (Faygie Holt, Israel Hayom)
*The journey of the Israeli blogger in Saudi Arabia
Alex Lipshin used the new permit to fly to Saudi Arabia and was one of the first in the country to go on a fascinating tour of the conservative Arab kingdom. ”It's more like America than the Middle East.” Despite the new order that allows flying to Saudi Arabia, for most Israelis vacationing in the Arab kingdom still sounds on the verge of insanity. But there are also those who jumped at the opportunity. Israeli-Russian blogger Alex Lipshin is one of the first, if not the first, Israeli to visit the country after the skies officially opened. "The Saudis are particularly friendly, both men and women," Lipshin says, but warns: "Because the country has been closed to foreigners for many years, they are not so used to tourists. I fear the average Israeli tourist will easily have problems here." Lipshin did enter Saudi Arabia on his Russian passport, but at the border crossing, Saudi policemen found that he did not have a departure stamp from Cyprus, from where he arrived on the flight. He showed them the Israeli passport and the Saudi policemen smiled and told him, "This time you will travel here as an Israeli, inshallah." In general, Lipshin said, the Saudis he met knew he was from Israel were interested and happy about the relations between the countries. "People said that their dream is to come to Israel as tourists," he said…Lipshin noted that Saudi Arabia is a very cheap country compared to Israel. "Fuel costs 2 shekels per liter, shawarma 10 shekels. The taxi fare is one shekel per kilometer, while a mid-level hotel costs an average of $30 a night." He adds about the strange rules: "You can't take pictures of mosques. Why? No explanation. Because of an innocent photo I shot in Riyadh, I almost ran into trouble. In addition, there are five prayers a day, so if you are in a restaurant during a prayer, you are asked to leave, even if you haven't finished the meal. The restaurant just closes for half an hour and then you can come back.” The curiosity of the Israeli blogger has complicated him in the past. Lipshin, who illegally visited the territories held in Azerbaijan, was sentenced to three years in prison by the Baku Serious Crimes Court. After seven months in prison in Azerbaijan, he received a pardon from the president and was released. "Saudi Arabia is the last country in the Middle East I visited," he said. "Everything else was done from 2002 to 2004, including Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Libya." (Itamar Eichner, Yedioth Hebrew)


Top Commentary/Analysis:
Defeated, Humiliated, Pleading (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) “Peace is made only with defeated enemies.” That was the message of giant billboards that were hung around Tel Aviv last week. The ads showed images of two leaders of the Palestinian people, Ismail Haniyeh and Mahmoud Abbas, kneeling and blindfolded. One had his hands raised in a gesture of surrender, while the other waved a white flag. In the background was a scene of complete destruction, with fighter jets – presumably Israeli – flying above it. This is shocking. It’s enough to keep people awake at night – both those on the losing side and normal people on the winning one. But it’s the practical expression of the slogan that has been popular here for generations: The Arabs only understand the language of force.
Israel Isn't Telling Its Soldiers That Shooting Children Is a Crime. It Has To (Haaretz Editorial) Malek Issa came home from school on Saturday. First he called his mother and asked her to come get him, but she said it was nice out and he could walk home with his younger sisters. Issa, 9, grew up in Isawiyah, the East Jerusalem neighborhood the police have targeted for abuse. His father, Wahel, told Haaretz’s Nir Hasson Sunday, “I turn my home into a prison for my kids because of all the problems in the village.” That’s how he tries to protect them from harm. When his son returned from school, police were in the neighborhood, apparently to arrest a resident. A crowd gathered around the officers, who began shooting. Residents say no one was throwing stones at the time. Malek suffered serious injuries to his head and face when he was hit by a sponge-tipped steel bullet. The police said, “During an operation by the police in Isawiyah, riot-control measures were employed during which a minor, aged 9, was wounded. The circumstances are being examined.” The examination of circumstances by the police is familiar to everyone: Nothing will come of it. A police officer shoots a boy, and the matter doesn’t even reach the stage of a real investigation. That’s how it is when the victim is a Palestinian, even if he’s a young child.
The Arab sector's identity crisis (Irit Linur, Israel Hayom) The way Joint Arab List MKs have been conducting themselves as of late is reminiscent of an adolescent temper tantrum. If they really want to achieve something for their constituents, they have to realize it's time to grow up.
Ex-Jerusalem Mayor Almost Became Finance Minister. But Then Netanyahu Got Cold Feet (Sami Peretz, Haaretz+) Barkat was so close, but then the PM settled on nominating him in the future, maybe.
Jews Fighting Jerusalem Arab Project Will Soon Find They're on the Losing Side (Nir Hasson, Haaretz+) The combination of blatant, covert racism and local politicians who promoted the fight for a third national election have led the plan to its premature doom.
Are the Palestinians ready for a state? (Jason Shvili, Israel Hayom) Granting the Palestinians independence would basically be like creating another Islamic Republic of Iran that would endanger the security, not just of Israel, but of other neighboring countries in the region.
Yes, Israel wants peace — after it gets rid of the Palestinians (Orly Noy, Israel Hayom) A billboard posted across Tel Aviv showing Palestinian leaders blindfolded and on their knees reveals what many Israelis think.
Hamas is in charge in Gaza border towns, not Israel (Matan Tzuri, Yedioth/Ynet) Living in near the Strip means not knowing whether you can have a family birthday party or a stroll through the blossoms - because there is no telling if the area will be burning today, tomorrow or the day after; a terror group rules our lives, not the people in Jerusalem whose gaze elsewhere.
AIPAC's fall: I worked at the pro-Israel lobby. Now I have to call it out (Ken Toltz, Haaretz+) AIPAC used to be a nuanced, sophisticated, bipartisan pro-Israel operation. But its ugly Trump-style ads attacking the Democratic Party are strategically suicidal. How did AIPAC get sucked into the worst partisan politics - and can it recover?
Abbas Spoke With Courage at the United Nations (Ronit Marzan, Haaretz+) “We are not against the Jews. We are Muslims. A Muslim who says ‘I’m against a Jew or against the Torah’ is a heretic.” The person who said these words is not a Muslim cleric, it’s Mahmoud Abbas, chairman of the Palestinian Authority. It’s part of a speech he delivered in front of the members of the United Nations Security Council last week. It’s a courageous, far-reaching statement, which has never been heard from a Palestinian leader, not even from Yasser Arafat, who signed the Oslo Accords. It was a spontaneous utterance, which apparently was not included in the written speech, and it’s not certain that the authors of the speech were happy to hear it. Such a statement is likely to arouse harsh criticism against Abbas from the opposition Palestinian factions, headed by Hamas, who consider “the deal of the century” an opportunity to unite the ranks and drag the PA into breaking all ties with Israel. But Abbas is not disturbed by what the opposition thinks of him. It’s much more important to him to convince the members of the Security Council and the Middle East Quartet (United States, European Union, United Nations and Russia) that the PA – and not Hamas, some of whose leaders are still hostage to their hatred of the Jews – is the only address for bringing about a diplomatic arrangement.
The Iranian Regime in Panic Days Before Parliamentary Election (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) The establishment campaign has targeted the public most hurt and frustrated by restrictions on freedom and U.S. economic sanctions: young voters.

Elections 2020/Netanyahu Indictment Commentary/Analysis:
"Life itself": The six reforms Netanyahu recalls promoting after a decade in office (Yehuda Sharoni, Maariv) If even one of the moves presented by the PM in his economic plan is implemented, it is even more desirable to wish Baraket indeed the Treasury portfolio, if and when the Likud forms a government.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Editor in Chief (Raviv Drucker, Haaretz+) Benjamin Netanyahu: “I met with Eli Azur,” owner of The Jerusalem Post and Maariv. “I told him the following, and listen well: ‘How you’ve distorted things, how slanted you are. Why do you keep these people? Either change them or bring in new ones.’” When questioned by the police in Case 4000, Netanyahu tried to explain, with upside-down logic, that the type of conversations he had with Shaul Elovitch, owner of Bezeq and the Walla news website, were no different than his talks with many other media figures: “Azur told me, ‘Bring me people.’ The same talk I had with Elovitch I had with [Yaron] Dekel a few days ago,” he continued, referring to the then- head of Army Radio. This was an aggressive, multifarious effort to gain control of the media. Netanyahu labored to persuade billionaires to buy those wretched Israeli media outlets. Larry Ellison, Arnon Milchan, James Packer, Sheldon Adelson were sent, on Netanyahu’s orders, to meet with Elovitch, Arnon Mozes (Yedioth Ahronoth) and Ehud Angel (Reshet TV). He hooked them up with lawyers – David Shimron, Isaac Molho, the late Yaakov Neeman. That way, his cronies might also earn a shekel or two from this effort. At the same time, he tried to set up an Israeli version of Fox News. He set up and met with a team, did research and sent them to Ellison….For a long time, we thought the only thing that came of Netanyahu’s grand plans was Israel Hayom. In his police interrogations, Netanyahu almost boasts of his failures. In fact, he didn’t fail totally. He may have planted quite a few of “his” people. (State witness Nir) Hefetz claimed that Yaakov Bardugo, a propagandist at Army Radio, owes his promotion to a similar chain of events. Maybe this is what Dekel meant when he said in closed meetings that “This appointment saved the station.” There are many “journalists” today who aren’t just Netanyahu supporters, but who to a large extent owe him their promotions, or even their jobs. Anyone who (like me) mocked the prime minister’s obsession with the media now has to admit that it has become a critical tool for his survival in office.
"Not entitled to victim sympathy": Prime Minister’s allegations of persecution are baseless conspiracy (Prof. Nimrod Aloni, Maariv) Netanyahu, wealthy, well-connected, has been in office for a decade, enjoys the support of a popular newspaper and appears on television whenever he wants. Common sense indicates that his accusations against his opponents are baseless.
Election Tie Would Be as Good as a Victory for Netanyahu (Uzi Baram, Haaretz+) Benjamin Netanyahu didn’t invent the fierce passion to rule; there were others before him. But he changed one element: He eliminated the rules of the game. Never before has Israel had a prime minister who turned the attorney general, a confidant whom he chose for the position, into a target for attacks by failed politicians. Never before was there a prime minister who assailed the country’s Arab minority and its elected representatives as if they were a gang of traitors. He has called the legal system “leftist,” and the media too, although most of it is in thrall to him..Breaking this stalemate will be much harder than analysts predict. Netanyahu prefers this tie to a weak victory; the tie is his triumph, and the failure of his opponents.
Idle promises (Sever Plocker, Yedioth Hebrew) Netanyahu again recycles unfulfilled economic promises. Ahead of the 2008 elections, Benjamin Netanyahu authored a book - an economic proclamation - entitled "The Israeli Leopard, Free Market Revolution," in which he wrote: "With proper policy, Israel will be able to join the world's top 10 countries in per capita income within 10-15 years." Since then, Netanyahu has been prime minister and could have fulfilled his vision. The vision was not fulfilled. Israel's position by GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power remained almost as it was in 2008, close to 40 in rating. Although Israel was not affected by the financial crisis, our rate of economic growth, in terms of real per capita income, was not very rapid and did not advance us to the top of the rich countries….Netanyahu and Barkat have consistently refrained from addressing the burdensome budget deficit and necessarily raising taxes to fund the investments needed in health, transport, education and the media. Without them, the hope of improving productivity will not be increased, and therefore the gaps between us and the top of the developed countries will not be closed. Netanyahu, he recalls, stole his cited book: Already in 2008, he feared he would not keep his promises. The credibility of his promises has not increased since then, it has only deteriorated.
Seeking logic: Why do the Prime Minister's opponents refuse to acknowledge his successes? (Meir Uziel, Maariv) What hurts decent people to admit Netanyahu's achievements? The game that is called elections is not the one who wins the argument and receives internal satisfaction, but whether the ballots will bring prosperity to the state.
Gantz Just Went on a TV Blitz, but We Learned Only a Single New Thing – About Bibi (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) Whether Gantz wins or loses, it will be on Netanyahu’s terms.
We want change: The Prime Minister’s actions have led Israel to unprecedented governmental decay (Ben Caspit, Maariv) The severe indictments and actions that indicate a loss of inhibition - the Bibists need to understand that the desire to replace the Prime Minister at all costs is legitimate for those who aspire for a change in leadership.
Whether Gantz Wins or Loses, It Will Be on Netanyahu’s Terms (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) In a blitz of five separate interviews, Gantz said absolutely nothing new but proved one thing – Netanyahu still decides what a winning politician looks like.
 

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