News Nosh 5.6.20

by APN 05/06/20
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APN's daily news review from Israel - Wednesday May 6, 2020


You Must Be Kidding: 

In the Israeli Health Ministry's first ad campaign in Arabic for country's Arab population,  the illustrations looked as if they were directed at the citizens of Saudi Arabia, sparking an emotional uproar among the Arab community. The ads were removed immediately.*


Front Page:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

  • “Germany and Switzerland are secretly mediating between Israel and Hamas” - German paper, ‘Die Zeit’: “Contacts for a deal to return the captive and missing (Hebrew)
  • The education turmoil - Return to school makes it diff target="blank"icult for parents
  • The Maglan Unit affair: Finally a criminal investigation (over the military exercise that left a soldier paralyzed) (Hebrew)
  • This is how the Biological Institute discovered an antibody to corona (Hebrew)
  • High Court, Netanyahu and Gantz: Fateful moments

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

  • Attorney General: Coalition agreement must not be canceled
  • Drawing fire - Likely decision to restrict movement on Lag B’Omer holiday sparks dispute between ministers and [religious] public
  • Mediterranean corona - Israel’s morbidity from the virus are much higher than its neighbors
  • Honoring the daring fighter of the Independence War. IDF salutes Yaakov Cohen, 91, who is hospitalized

Israel Hayom



Top News Summary:
The two biggest parties are rushing to get passed what they need by Thursday midnight, Israel says Iran began withdrawing some forces from Syria and children were approved to return to preschools and kindergartens for half the week, sparking frustration among working parents and making top news in today’s Hebrew newspapers.

Also making headlines, Yedioth reported on a German newspaper report that Germany and Switzerland were mediating a prisoner/missing person exchange deal between Hamas and Israel. However, Haaretz+ reported that Hamas said there is no progress because Israel is evading its commitment to free Palestinian prisoners as part of the deal. And in a special interview with ‘Israel Hayom,’ US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, said the US is preparing to acknowledge by July 1st the Israeli move (that has yet to take place) to apply Israeli sovereignty in the Palestinian territories (Friedman referred t target="blank"o the West Bank by the term settlers use: ‘Judea and Samaria’).

For the first time since its entry into Syria, Iran is reducing its forces. In a meeting with Israeli military reporters, an unnamed security source at the IDF and Defense Ministry Kirya headquarters said that Iran began clearing out from bases in Syria. The source said that Israel will continue to intensify pressure on Iran until its full exit: "Syria is paying the price for Iranian presence in its territory.” Iran's economic woes, the coronavirus crisis, and and the targeted killing of former Revolutionary Guards commander Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a US strike last November have limited Tehran's ability to support Hezbollah and other militias in Syria, the source said. This report comes a day after another Israeli-attributed attack in Syria.

Elections 2020 / Netanyahu Indictment News:
Thursday night at midnight is the last day of this Knesset unless 61 MKs recommend to President Reuven Rivlin someone to form a government. If no letter is given to President by then, the Knesset will be dissolved and there will be a fourth election. Kahol-Lavan wants to sign and send that letter, but first it and the right-wing coalition members need to pass a law in the Knesset to allow for a prime minister rotation and to get the High Court to approve the amended coalition agreement and not disqualify Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu from forming a government. Attorney General Avichai Mendelblitt declared there are no grounds for the High Court to cancel the amended coalition agreement. The High Court will decide by Thursday midnight. If the two parties get what they want, Netanyahu has 14 days to form the government. Kahol-Lavan hopes the swearing-in of the government will take place next week. However, the new legislation is expected to spark another wave of petitions to the High Court by the opposition. Maariv writes that Kahol-Lavan fears that Netanyahu will use the two weeks to see which way the winds in the High Court are blowing and based on that decide whether to form the government or go to new elections. Some Likud sources said that Netanyahu is, indeed, in no rush. Yedioth reported that Kahol-Lavan fears that Netanyahu will use the mandate to form a minority government or lead Israel to elections. Kahol-Lavan people said they believe (hope) the swearing-in of the new government will take place next Thursday.

The amendments to the coalition agreement, made after criticism from the High Court, shortened the freeze to making top government appointments from six months to 100 days and allowed legislation that is not only corona-related. However, there was no word about changes to the judicial selection committee, which gives the right-wing bloc veto power. 'Israel Hayom' reported that Likud officials said that was a 'red-line,' as is invalidating Netanyahu from forming a government and rejecting the rotation deal. The 11-judges High Court panel was not expected to rule against Netanyahu forming a government. Chief Justice Esther Hayut said during the hearing that the claims of the petitioners are political and not judicial.

Meanwhile, in an interview with Maariv, Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman said, "I see myself as a prime ministerial candidate." And former IDF deputy chief of staff, Meretz MK Yair Golan, said he is considering forming a new left-wing party in the event of a fourth election. “We need to think, ‘I’m left and I’m not ashamed of it.’" He also said he didn't see any problem with parts of the Joint List being integrated into a broad left party." (Maariv/103FM)

Corona Quickees:

  • Israel's coronavirus deaths rise to 239 - At least 10,527 have recovered from the virus; southern Bedouin town of Hura leads the country in infection rate, with 20 new confirmed cases in the past three days; Israel to begin conducting serological tests. Israel reports no new deaths since Tuesday. (Ynet)
  • Israeli Arab Councils Strike in Protest of Inadequate Coronavirus Aid Package - Demonstrators also blocked a major highway, protesting continued discrimination since the approval of the controversial Nation-State Law. (Haaretz+)
  • Labs in Israel and Abroad Report Progress Towards Coronavirus Antibody Therapy - Isolated antibodies for the coronavirus may be able to neutralize the virus's ability to infect patients, be used as preventative treatment and provide a step towards a vaccine. (Haaretz+)
  • Israel Gears Up to Begin Large-scale Coronavirus Antibody Testing - The tests will target places that have had a spike in cases, as well as among people such as medical personal and police who have wide contact with members of the public. (Haaretz+, Israel Hayom and Ynet)
  • Israel extends coronavirus cell phone surveillance by 3 weeks - Knesset committee votes to allow Shin Bet security service to track phones of virus carriers until May 6, even though Netanyahu sought a 6-week extension while the government moves to enshrine the practice into law. (Ynet and Israel Hayom)
  • Preschools threaten to remain closed on Sunday - Despite the decision to allow kindergartens and preschools to open under certain guidelines, the lack of any clear plan for the youngest ages prompted private preschools to choose to remain closed. Classes are to be divided into groups, each with a maximum of 18 children. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
  • Study: Coronavirus Will Have Hard Time Surviving on Surfaces in Summer - However, they did not mention the feasibility of the virus being eliminated entirely in the summer, since this is affected by many other factors. (Haaretz+)
  • How Tourists Are Still Visiting Jerusalem’s Holy Sites During the Coronavirus Crisis - Who says you can’t see the Old City, visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or ‘taste’ food in Jerusalem’s market during a pandemic? These tour guides are refusing to sit idly by while COVID-19 keeps everyone at home. (Haaretz+)
  • Israeli actors in Hollywood ready to get back into action after corona cuts into production - Israel's representatives in Hollywood are using lockdown to spend quality time with their families and to work from home – but don't know how and when the TV and film industry will get rolling again. Noa Tishby, Alon Abutbul, Guy Nattiv and Alona Tal talk about life in Los Angeles in the shadow of coronavirus. (Israel Hayom)
  • Palestinians extend coronavirus state of emergency to June 5 - Palestinian Authority, where 345 COVID-19 cases and 2 deaths in the West Bank have been recorded, has already eased some measures, allowing some businesses to open in hope of reviving the paralyzed economy. (Ynet)
  • Report: Iranian airline spread corona throughout the Middle East - BBC reveals that Mahan Air, funded and operated by the Revolutionary Guards, continued to fly to and from corona hot spots, including China, despite the regime's announcement that air travel had stopped. The report said that Iran exerted its influence in these countries to pressure them to allow IRGC people to enter their borders. (Israel Hayom)
     

Other Quick Hits:

  • Syrian Army Says Israeli Jets Hit Research Center, Military Outposts in Aleppo Province - Alleged overnight strike said to target research center that Western intelligence and opposition sources suspect is used to develop chemical weapons. Another strike on Iranian-backed militias in eastern Syria reported. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Satellite Images Show Aftermath of Alleged Israeli Strike on Syria - Explosions on Friday completely destroyed a structure and parking lot, which Syrian reports say were used as a Hezbollah weapons warehouse. (Haaretz+)
  • Five indicted in E. Jerusalem after police come under shooting, firebomb barrage - Five residents of Shuafat refugee camp were indicted Monday on charges of shooting, firebombing, assault.  The indictment says that three of the defendants are suspected of serious assault, shooting, and a stabbing incident that occurred between two families about a month ago. The following day, undercover Border Police came to arrest them, and upon arrival at the house where the central suspect was staying, live fire, objects, rocks, and firebombs were launched at them from the roof of the house, lightly injuring one Border Police soldier. (INN, News1 and Maariv and VIDEO)
  • Attack of a soldier and a city employee: 8 young (ultra-Orthodox) people arrested on suspicion of order violations in Jerusalem - The young men, aged 20 to 30, are suspected of being involved in assaulting a soldier and a municipal worker, burning the state flag, and pouring oil on the road, with the aim of inhibiting mobility and preventing their arrest. All eight, suspected of civil disorder were brought to interrogation in the police units in Jerusalem. (Maariv)
  • They threw Molotov cocktails and ran: This is how undercover Border Police arrested three defendants (in E. Jerusalem) - Border Police released a video of an operation two weeks ago, in which fighters arrested three (Palestinian) 16-year-old teenagers who threw firebomb bottles at a home where Jewish families (settlers) are living in Ras al-Amud. (Maariv and VIDEO)
  • Israeli Minister Threatens to Shut Down God TV Channel Preaching ‘Gospel of Jesus’ - Communications Minister David Amsalem threatened Tuesday to take a new Hebrew-language evangelical channel off the air if it turned out to be proselytizing. But a God TV representative says that ‘certainly if we were doing something sneaky, we would not have announced it to the world.’ (Haaretz+)
  • Microsoft to Buy Israeli Cybersecurity Startup CyberX - The U.S. software giant is expected to pay $165 million for the internet of things cybersecurity platform company. (Haaretz+)
  • UN Palestinian refugee agency operating on 'month-to-month' basis due to US aid cuts - United Nations Relief and Works Agency is trying to plug the $800 million shortfall in part by appealing to European and Gulf countries for emergency donations. (Agencies, Israel Hayom)
  • Facebook says it dismantles disinformation network tied to Iran's state media - Covert network made up of some 500 fake social media accounts posed as independent media sites; cybersecurity experts suspect Russian disinformation tactics. (Agencies, Ynet and Israel Hayom)
  • Banned Since Revolution, Drive-in Movies Return to Iran in Coronavirus Era - Drive-ins were once condemned for allowing too much privacy for couples, but now a parking lot is hosting the only film screening in Iran. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Lebanon Summons German Ambassador Following Hezbollah Terror Ban - Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah denounces police raids on mosque groups in Germany suspected of close ties to the heavily armed Hezbollah. (Agencies, Haaretz and Ynet)
  • The pro-Erdogan Purge Changing the Face of Turkey's Judicial System - Thousands of judges and prosecutors have been sacked, by the government’s own count, replacing them with inexperienced newcomers, ill-equipped to handle the dramatic spike in workload from coup-related prosecutions. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • In a New Front, Yemen's South in Turmoil After Separatists' Self-rule Bid - 'It’s becoming a conflict by proxy between the UAE and Saudis,' former member of UN Security Council panel says. (Agencies, Haaretz)


Features:
"I am fighting for all the IDF soldiers now"
Yesterday, in the middle of another grueling rehab session he was going through, with the goal of standing back on his feet - Ilay Hayut’s phone rang. On the line was Central Command General, Nadav Padan, who informed him that after a long battle, which Yedioth Ahronoth followed and exposed, the Chief Military Advocate yesterday decided to launch a criminal investigation into the training accident, because of which, the young man subsequently became paralyzed. That was after he jumped from a (moving) jeep as part of a "courage test" in the unit.” We fought for the truth to come to light," says Hayut, during the intense rehabilitation he is going through, "and so that such a case will not happen in the future.”  For a year and nine months, since he was injured in the unnecessary training accident during service in the Maglan Unit, Hayut, 22, did not given up. From six in the morning to ten at night, he often trains with determination, and succeeds in surprising his physicians, who adjusted to the pace of his progress. All in an attempt to regain the ability to walk, lost to him by the foolish decision of his commanders that his company pass a "courage test" crew, which included a dangerous leap from the Hummer Jeep into a thorny bush. "It was like jumping into a pool without water," he told Yedioth Ahronoth. "Within seconds, I realized - I'm paralyzed.” At the same time as he struggles in rehab, Hayut continues to fight for the opening of an investigation in his case, with the aim of preventing unnecessary injuries to other soldiers. "We fought for an IDF investigation so that the truth would be revealed, not just for me, but so that such a case would not happen in the future," says Hayut. "I am now fighting for all soldiers in the IDF and for their parents. Such an incident should not be repeated: Not the jump, not the treatment of me that followed and not the cover-up afterward. "I don’t want another fighter to be forced to jump like I did and then they try to dump the responsibility on him, as happened to me, as if it were my initiative." The life of Hayut, an outstanding athlete in his past, changed on August 1, 2018, just before returning to Maglan Base for a field training weekend. "The fighters were asked to jump from the Hummer jeep into a pile of thorns they collected," he told Yedioth Ahronoth. His evacuation for treatment was also filled with negligence. "With all the postponements and delays, from the time of the jump to the time I arrived at the hospital, it was two hours and ten minutes," he added. Yedioth Ahronoth also exposed the attempts of soldiers and commanders to influence Hayut to change his version of events and to say the jump from the moving vehicle as his own initiative. The investigation announcement is also a major blow to the IDF chain of command, which did not question the command investigation and did not ask questions, and a blow to the man who headed it then, Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot. Like General Ofek, Eisenkot did not get deeply involved in the subject and accepted the commander's version. The Chief Military Advocate will now investigate allegations of obstruction of justice after the accident: Hayut’s jump was filmed by one of the fighters, but when Hayut asked him for the video, he said, the company commander claimed the video was destroyed. Then, as he lay at Tel Hashomer Hospital, Hayut said that his friends and commanders were trying to get him to give another version, that they told him not to jump and he did so out of his own initiative. The investigation will also probe the changes to the injury report, which states that Hayut was moderately wounded and not seriously, in order to prevent a criminal investigation. Military Police hopes that the soldiers who have since been finished their army service and are no longer under the fear of the authority of the unit will honestly testify about the course of events. Hayut said that senior commanders called him yesterday, those who did not dare to do so until now, and encouraged him. This is after having left him in real time to fight his own war. Now, he declares, he will be able to concentrate on the great challenge he still has: "My important mission is to part from the wheelchair." Since the injury, as he said, he did not rest for a moment, purchased special equipment for training and even flew to the rehabilitation institute in Italy. As someone who follows him closely, I can say he will succeed that, too. (Yossi Yehoshua, Yedioth Hebrew)

Elections 2020/Netanyahu Indictment Commentary/Analysis:
High Court Response: First Let Democracy Die, Then Discuss Doing Something About It (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) It’s clear from the pointed questions of the High Court justices that the heavy stench emanating from the proposed formation of a government by a criminal defendant and the moral corruption which underlies the coalition agreement have come to a grinding halt in the face of legal arguments and trick questions, namely: Is there anything here that contravenes the law? Is there anything here that harms the essence of democracy? The answer given by Supreme Court President Esther Hayut was crystal clear: “The anticipated outcome of this agreement, even at this point, as things stand, does not reach the level of a democracy committing suicide, which makes our intervention unwarranted.”
Judicial activism could harm democracy (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) High Court believes the decision to remove an indicted elected official cannot be left in the hands of Knesset which may not factor in public norms and perceptions to its considerations.
Netanyahu Is Above the Law (Haaretz Editorial) As part of the privileges reserved for a criminal defendant who serves as prime minister at the same time, Benjamin Netanyahu took advantage of the coronavirus press conference he held on Monday to send a threat to the High Court of Justice over the coalition agreement between Likud and Kahol Lavan. “The agreement between us and Kahol Lavan was built carefully, with very great caution, with very great responsibility and undermining it could increase the chances that we will be dragged into a fourth election. I hope the High Court of Justice does not do that,” Netanyahu said. This is how, without batting an eyelash, he made the justices of the Supreme Court aware of the real limits of their authority.

Other Commentary/Analysis:

The Jordan Valley: Whitewashing Land Theft (Akiva Eldar, Haaretz+) The Israeli government has raised the theft of property ‘abandoned’ by Palestinians to an art form.
*Israel Finally Releases a Coronavirus Ad in Arabic. Too Bad It Depicts Palestinians as Saudis (Maisam Jaljuli, Haaretz+) Maybe the virus doesn’t differentiate between people, but the policy for fighting it certainly does.
It began with an attempt to blame the Arabs for the coronavirus outbreak even though, in fact, Arab communities had only a few cases of people who were ill with COVID-19. What made it clear that concern for our wellbeing during the pandemic was not sincere was the small number of tests conducted in Arab communities, a lack of information in Arabic and the non-allocation of resources to Arab local governments to fight the virus – even though they are in financial distress that has worsened with the crisis. The hope for change was dashed when the first ad campaign was launched. The illustrations looked as if they were directed at the citizens of Saudi Arabia. The use of humiliating stereotypical representations sparked an emotional uproar among the Arab community, and the ads were taken removed immediately.
Israel Will Pay a Bill for Its Coronavirus Success (Sami Peretz, Haaretz+) The imports that have drawn the most attention during the coronavirus crisis have been swabs, masks and ventilators. But two other imports have made fewer headlines; one is the hundreds of dead who wished to be buried in Israel and whose bodies arrived in private planes. The second is lots of money – $10 billion, to be precise. This money isn’t a gift, it’s a loan that Israel took in the financial markets in the United States and Far East to fund the huge costs of the crisis. Within a month, the accountant general at the Finance Ministry, Rony Hizkiyahu, who manages the government debt, sold bonds to investors abroad in two issues of $5 billion each.
Stop boasting, Iran has not left Syria (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) Iran is reducing its activity in Syria to avoid severe Israeli attacks on its bases and on the Syrian areal defenses but will wait for the U.S. elections before it decides its strategy going forward.
Iran won't turn tail so quickly (Yoav Limor, Israel Hayom) The battle that began 41 years ago when Aytollah Khomeini rose to power won't end in a moment just because someone in Israel decides that it will, no matter how big the Iranian's disadvantage is.
Iran has not halted plans of entrenchment in Syria (Ron Ben Yishai, Ynet) The target of an alleged Israeli attack near Aleppo on Monday was an industrial complex where long-range precise missiles are produced, some intended for Hezbollah and its future war with Israel.
Not only Hezbollah and Iran: the attack attributed to the IDF is aimed at a clear Syrian target (Tal Lev Ram, Maariv) The combination of Hezbollah's difficult situation, the eradication of Suleimani and the Iranian hardship allows Israel to be focused on what is going on in the north and exploit operational opportunities, at least it seems.
Signs of Hezbollah's weakness (Prof. Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) With Hezbollah at a disadvantage, the last thing Israel should do now is let up its pressure on the Shiite terrorist organization.
Fake history: How Anti-Israeli People in the American Left Spread Lies (Zalman Shoval, Maariv) The agenda of some US government officials claims that the Jewish struggle for independence is a colonial plot for the profits on the backs of Arabs. The facts about the Zionist building do not prevent the lie.
 

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

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