News Nosh 4.27.20

by APN 04/27/20
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APN's daily news review from Israel - Tuesday April 27, 2020

Quote of the day:

"There will come a day when both Israeli-Arabs and ultra-Orthodox Jews will feel that they can play a full part in this connection. Whether they want it or not, Israel is a part of them."
--Top Yedioth political commentator, Nahum Barnea, writes about Memorial Day and Independence Day, which together express the partnership of the fate that invites us to live here, "for good and for bad."*

You Must Be Kidding: 
“Arieh is a robust man of action and I have no doubt he will continue to contribute much to all residents of Jerusalem in his role as deputy mayor
—Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon said regarding his plan to get city council’s approval to appoint right-wing settler activist Arieh King as his deputy. King is best known for settling Jews in East Jerusalem and evicting Palestinian families from the city's Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.**

Breaking News:
Report: 7 killed in Israeli attack in Syria that targeted Iran, Hezbollah


Front Page:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

  • Nadav on the path of Nadav - Paratrooper Captain Nadav Milo fell in 1997, now his nephew named after him leads soldiers in the Paratroopers (Hebrew)
  • On Eve of Memorial Day, siren at 20:00
  • Yes, it was worth it // Nahum Barnea (Hebrew)
  • Today - a special eulogies supplement

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

  • A barrier of pain - The nation unites with the fallen - this time from afar
  • IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi: I salut the IDF and hug the bereaved families

Israel Hayom



Top News Summary:
The pain of bereaved families unable to visit their fallen loved ones on Memorial Day with cemeteries under lockdown (yet IKEA furniture stores are open), stories of fallen alongside the photos from stores and hair salons that have ‘returned to life’ following the easing of coronavirus restrictions were the top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.

Elections 2020 / Netanyahu Indictment News:

  • Netanyahu 'confident' Trump's settlement annexation pledge will be fulfilled within months - 'Trump pledged to recognize Israel's sovereignty over Jewish communities' in the West Bank, Israeli leader tells a Christian crowd, after a unity government deal includes plans to promote annexation. (Haaretz+ and Israel Hayom)
  • ‘Netanyahu May Be Involved’: Israeli AG Says Justice Minister, Prosecutor Collude to Topple Him - Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit has privately charged that both Justice Minister Amir Ohana and Acting State Prosecutor Dan Eldad are trying to oust him, and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be involved as well, according to a senior Justice Ministry official who was present during these conversations. (Haaretz+ and Times of Israel)
  • Labor Party Convention Accepts Netanyahu-Gantz Unity Government Proposal - According to the agreement, lawmakers from Amir Peretz’s left-wing party would have to vote with the government on controversial issues, including West Bank annexation. (Haaretz+ and Times of Israel)


Corona Quickees:

  • Israel's coronavirus death toll up to 202, with 15,466 confirmed cases - The Health Ministry says among the latest fatalities is 65-year-old woman whose 71-year-old sister died from complications related to COVID-19 only two weeks ago; the two aren't believed to have infected each other. (Ynet)
  • Bedouin in remote Negev villages fend for themselves during COVID-19 pandemic - The Israeli government has agreed to freeze home demolitions, but has provided minimal aid to a population with limited access to health care and information. (Haaretz+)
  • Israel Evicts Palestinian Family Amid Coronavirus Crisis, Despite Assurances - Israeli authorities vowed earlier this month that inhabited illegal dwellings would not be demolished or confiscated until the coronavirus crisis ends, but seized a mobile home near Jericho in the West Bank on April 23, leaving a family of seven homeless.  (Haaretz+)
  • Israeli Hospitals Close Some Coronavirus Wards as Number of Cases Declines - Though closing the designated coronavirus wards isn’t an official Health Ministry policy, health officials understand that the longer normal hospital service is shut down, the greater the cumulative damage will be. (Haaretz+)
  • High Court halts Shin Bet tracking of coronavirus patients - Following petitions against the use of anti-terror measures as part of fight to contain the virus, judges rule that such measure must be discontinued, pending legislation that would allow its limited return. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Israel Secretly Sought to Expand Shin Bet Tracking of Coronavirus Patients Before Court Ruling - A meeting to expand the surveillance took place before the court ruled that the Shin Bet’s involvement in battling the coronavirus must be set down in legislation (Haaretz+)
  • Ikea Israel’s Owners Gave Millions to Health Minister's Sect. Now It Won Approval to Reopen - Health Minister Yaakov Litzman is a leading figure in Ger, which has received $1.1 million in donations in recent years from Ikea Israel's owners. (Haaretz+ and Times of Israel)
  • 'Ikea is packed and Israeli police are concerned about surfers?' - One surfer who was fined for violating coronavirus regulations said that he lives within the 500-meter limit allowed for sports activities. But now the government says it would to allow surfing. (Haaretz+)
  • Market vendors in Israel angry they're still shut while mega stores are open - 'Businesses are collapsing without income and owners are not entitled to any state help,' says one vendor. (Haaretz+)
  • Hundreds of Self-employed Israelis Protest Government Handling of Economic Crisis - 'The worst thing I’ve gone through is seeing my wife afraid, crying and trembling at night. The state is abandoning us.' (Haaretz+)
  • WATCH: Palestinian Researchers Develop Their Own Ventilator Amid Virus Shortage - The team of doctors and engineers from Al-Quds University plans to produce 100 of the computerized devices. (Agencies, Haaretz)
     

Other Quick Hits:

  • Israel's Population Reaches 9.2 Million as It Prepares to Celebrate 72 Years - Majority of the country is Jewish, according to official figures, and 21 percent is Arab. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
  • **Right-wing Jerusalem settler activist to be appointed deputy mayor - Arieh King works to evict Palestinians in neighborhoods in the eastern part of the city. If his appointment goes through, left-wing Meretz might leave the coalition. (Haaretz+)
  • Moody’s Cuts Israel Outlook, Citing Widening Deficit, Polarized Politics - Outlook lowered to stable from positive, but agency retains A1 rating. (Haaretz+ and Times of Israel)
  • Facebook alleges Israeli spyware firm NSO ran attack servers on U.S. soil - In a clash of espionage giants, NSO argues California court has no jurisdiction to handle Facebook's suit against it. (Haaretz+)
  • In Israel and U.S., fallen lone soldier is mourned by his two families - The Pesin family of Be'er Sheva was devastated when Max Steinberg, a Golani fighter from Los Angeles, lost his life in 2014 Gaza conflict; this year his adoptive sister held graveside ceremony with his parents in LA joining remotely. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Israel condemns Egyptian TV show predicting its destruction - The dystopian series set in the future predicts 'the war to liberate Jerusalem,' and shows a holographic map of a divided U.S. (Agencies, Haaretz and Israel Hayom)
  • Saudi Show Featuring Gulf Jews Slammed for Promoting 'Normalized' Ties With Israel - The Ramadan period drama features the real-life story of a Jewish midwife who arrived in Bahrain from Iraq in the 1930s, uses Hebrew monologue. (Agencies, Times of Israel and Haaretz)
  • Saudi Arabia halts executions for those who committed crimes while still minors - Royal decree announces that offenders will instead face prison time up to ten years in a juvenile detention facility. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Saudi Arabia abolishes flogging amid ongoing reforms - Latest modernizing move by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman comes as state continues to crush any dissent against the regime. (Agencies, Times of Israel)
  • Israeli Archaeologists Find Hidden Pattern at ‘World’s Oldest Temple’ Göbekli Tepe - Neolithic hunter-gatherers who erected massive monoliths in central Turkey 11,500 years ago had command of geometry and a much more complex society than previously thought, archaeologists say. (Haaretz+)


Features:

How an Islamic Jihad Mastermind Ambushed His Israeli Nemesis, and How His Death Was Avenged
The dedicated terrorist ‘Muhand’ killed Colonel Dror Weinberg on the ‘worshipers’ route’ in Kiryat Arba but wouldn’t celebrate his triumph for long. (Yossi Melman, Haaretz+)

Elections 2020/Netanyahu Indictment Commentary/Analysis:
The moment to decide: For the first time, there is an expiration date pinned to the Prime Minister's office (Michah Harish, Maariv) Netanyahu is facing a crossroads: joining a unity government that will lead to the end of his term soon and will prevent another round of elections, or forming a government that the Labor Party will feel comfortable joining. Labor party chairman Amir Peretz has made a bold and courageous decision to join a government that is not a right-wing government. This is how pledged he would not act and this is what he did. This government is an equal unity government with a rotation for the role of prime minister. (Peretz) will lead a socialist policy in the government that will rebuild the welfare state in the spirit of the Labor movement, and it will be the voice from within the government that is protective of Israeli citizens.
Coalition deal reflects distrust between rival blocks (David M. Weinberg, Israel Hayom) The new coalition handcuffs its rival blocks into near paralysis. Muzzling and manacling MKs by super-rigorous coalition discipline could be good for our political system and a balm for our national soul. Indeed, Israel needs fetters on its political passions, which have gone wildly out of whack.
Lies can’t walk, they have Amir Peretz and Itzik Shmuli (Mickey Rosenthal, Maariv) There is no justification for helping the defendant in bribery, breaking promises, bending norms and finally eliminating the Labor Party. Precisely at this time: You must not ally yourself with anyone who systematically undermines the law authorities.
Netanyahu, Israel's Independence Day and the Death of Expectation (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) A nation which has gone from hoping for the best and preparing for the worst, to Netanyahu’s all-purpose credo: This is the best you can hope for – expect nothing.
You chose to stand on the sidelines, to condemn and to spoil things: A public letter to Yair Lapid (Dr. Zeev Porat, Maariv) To the best of your rhetorical ability, you listed in your speech the flaws of the forthcoming government: an inflated government, surrender to the ultra-Orthodox, Netanyahu's continued rule and more. Everything is true, but you did not specify who was responsible for it. You are!
The most suitable person: Lieberman can serve as prime minister after Netanyahu (Meni Pe’er, Maariv) The Chairman of YIsrael Beiteinu rejected any possible temptation and refused to deviate from the promises he made to his constituents. He has qualities that could make him the future leader of the state. Will this happen and how? It's hard to predict. Three times you have tried (to form a government without Likud) and failed. What options are left now? 1. A fourth round of elections? That’s madness even without corona. 2. A government that relies on terrorist supporters? [Writer is referring to the Joint List faction - OH] You promised it wouldn’t, just as you promised not to make an alliance with Bibi. When you promise everything, you can’t do anything. And of the two options, Bibi is still better than Tibi [reference to MK Ahmed Tibi of the Joint List, a very respectable person in this journalist’s view. - OH]. 3. Standing as a solid bloc and establishing a unity government. This is the only sane option, where you could have fulfilled at least part of your intentions.

Other Commentary/Analysis:
Israel’s government only relates to Diaspora Jews who marvel at the Jewish state’s utter perfection (Anat Hoffman, Haaretz+) This Independence Day, Israel’s honoring a sycophantic pro-government cheerleader who pushes obedience for wives — and for Diaspora Jews
*Yes, it was worth it (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/Ynet) Memorial Day, which opens this evening, and Independence Day, which springs from it, is one, inseparable unit. Both give a solemn, sacred expression to the partnership of the fate that invites us to live here, for good and for bad. Not only mourning, not just joy: partnership. There will come a day when both Israeli-Arabs and ultra-Orthodox Jews will feel that they can play a full part in this connection. Whether they want it or not, Israel is part of them. At eight o'clock, when the sirens go off announcing Memorial Day, people will stand still. Each person imagines the his fallen - family members, cohorts, brothers-in-arms. In regards to each of the fallen, the memory in the country is very intimate. Every year we hear the siren on the dark Mount Herzl, at the ceremony of the Jerusalem Scouts Modiin branch, which is held at one of the monuments. The same ceremony every year, the same torches and wreaths from pine branches, the same secular communion, and only the scouts change. This year the ceremony will be held in a different format, but the partnership of fate as a value, as a commitment, will continue to accompany it: the Corona season has only strengthened its need. Everything is so right on this day. That's why I find it hard to understand why they insist on spoiling it. Someone brought to my attention a tweet that saw light on Twitter. Tzur Ehrlich is a poet and writes rhyming verse. He wrote rhyming verse on Holocaust Day and Memorial Day. The Prime Minister was amazed by it and on Friday he shared it with his followers. And this is what he shared: "Two adjacent Memorial days each year. / For the sake of the general calculation - / How much does it cost us with a state / And how much does it cost us without." I read this once; Then I read it again. I had no claims against the author: the best rhyme is falsehood. Compared to other nonsense flooding social media networks, this rhyme is a masterpiece. But I wondered what was Netanyahu thinking. Is that what he thinks of the Holocaust? Is that what he thinks of the fallen of the Israeli wars? Is everything mom and pop shop bookkeeping? Six million vs. twenty-three thousand, eight hundred and sixteen. Well done to us: We made a great deal, and paid pennies for it. It was worth it. [Actually,] yes, it was worth it. But not because few have fallen in Israeli wars, but despite the fact that many have fallen, too many; It was worth it because our forefathers established a democratic, proud, enterprising, vitality-filled society here; It was worth noting that the total that stands here exceeds its components, and even exceeds what our political leaders currently offer. Unfortunately, this was not a slip of the tongue here. Netanyahu is addicted to mathematics of the Holocaust. On the eve of Holocaust, he made a speech at Yad Vashem. He said, repeatedly, that the Holocaust cannot be compared to corona, and immediately compared: "Unlike the Holocaust, this time we identified the danger in time," he said. The sentence made me jump from my chair in front of the TV. I pressed reversed on the movie. Did he really say that? Yes, he said that. Good for us, we did a great deal: six million dead vs. front of two hundred (corona deaths), and on the way we have a fifth government. It was worth it. Not only is corona a Holocaust, the Iranians are a Holocaust as well as the Palestinians and their president, Abu Mazen, whose security forces prevent night-time attacks against Israelis. Also the left, the center, everyone to its left who has not yet agreed to serve under him. Everyone is Hitler, and I, Binyamin, son of Tzila and Ben-Tzion Netanyahu, beat Hitler. Fact. The really intriguing question is not what he says but why, whether it's because he believes it or because he is utterly disdainful of our intelligence, his voters. I'm not sure which answer is more reassuring. In normal days, it was possible to live with this scorn. Netanyahu is not the first politician to sin in these matters, nor the last. But on Memorial Day? The decision to prevent people from going to military cemeteries on Memorial Day was justified. It could have been said in a different wording, in a different tone, as a reasoned request rather than a command, but it is difficult to argue with the very decision. OK, we gave up the cemeteries. But we're asking for something in return: Don't make deals on the backs of the fallen. One day a year give us peace and quiet.
Israel Can’t Prevent the World From Noticing Its Fiscal Failure, Amplified by Coronavirus Crisis (Meirav Arlosoroff, Haaretz+) Netanyahu’s managerial mediocrity has hamstrung Israel’s ability to deal with the coronavirus, leading credit rating agency Moody’s to lower the country’s outlook to Stable from Positive.
With Israel's cemeteries closed, let's hold Memorial Day at IKEA (Meir Shalev, Yedioth/Ynet) Allowing furniture giant to reopen is slap in faces of families and friends forbidden from visiting graves of loved ones on day dedicated to their memories; does it have anything to do with political connections?
A multi-cultural approach to quarantine ( Dr. Salman Zarka, Israel Hayom) When it comes to ultra-Orthodox and Arab communities, policymakers must account for their respective beliefs, ways of life, and social baggage. And no, it isn't simply a matter of translating to Yiddish or Arabic.
Policy of releasing terrorists  is a Turkish bazaar - there’s no criticism or and supervision (Yossi Tzur, Maariv) The State of Israel needs to recalculate its path and educate organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah, which use the kidnapping tactics. The message to convey is that a heavy price will be paid for aggression. (Note: Israel also uses kidnapping tactics, for negotiations and also to gain intel. - OH]
Israeli Government Is Invading Our Privacy Under the Guise of Battling Coronavirus (Haaretz Editorial) From the start, “national security” has been a vague term subject to interpretation; the battle against the coronavirus is also a civilian one. It was only a matter of time before the National Security Council started wondering how the state would be able to halt the spread of the virus if there were growing social unrest due to the public’s worsening economic, psychological and health condition. It turns out that all the people who raised an outcry upon discovering that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had received permission to monitor Israelis by means usually reserved for the war on terror were right. All the people who warned about the slippery slope Israel could find itself sliding down were right too.
What would the world be like with no Israel? (Jonathan S. Tobin, Israel Hayom) As Israel celebrates its 72nd birthday this week, it's relevant to point out that a lot of people have spent the entire period of its history wishing that the outcome of the 1948-49 War of Independence had turned out differently.
Democracy is not really in danger, the vision of Zionism and the advancement of the Jewish people is (Meir Uziel, Maariv) We face one of the greatest opportunities: the application of Israeli law to Jewish communities in the territories of Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley (West Bank - OH). The US supports, so do Arab states. Who is delaying this? Israelis…The High Court Chief Justice Esther Hayut gave an impressive speech on Holocaust Day two years ago about the hatred of Jews in the world, a hatred that is also expressed in hatred for Israel. But this year she said: “As a jurist I say that, we, the jurists, have another duty. Because from the Holocaust, we have unfortunately learned that it is relatively easy to harness the law for the service of evil, and to start through it and under its protection an organized monstrous genocidal enterprise.” Woe to us. She and others think of themselves as warriors against the Nazis, but here in Israel, good morning, my dear lady, and for her convenience, they also peg her salary at the height of Everest, which increases, as is well known, every year. No jealousy here. I wish bounty and comfort, but you can not invent a Nazi evil everyday, when there is no such evil. Such comparisons give the Nazis' credit. These are statements heard too often, with twitching nostrils due to the extent of the pathos of these Nazi warriors. If what we see around us is what the Nazis did, or signs that would lead to what the Nazis did if it is not stopped in time, then the Nazis are like everyone else. What do we want from them? In general, all kinds of comparisons to the Holocaust are forbidden. Yes, even like Bibi's comparison on the day of the Holocaust about the early identification of the corona with early identification of the Holocaust.
The fallen's legacy: A nation that lives without fear (Meir Indor, Israel Hayom) Anyone who chose to live in this land and paid the ultimate sacrifice because of the hatred of those who want to destroy us, died in order to preserve our country and make it stronger.

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

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