APN's daily news review from Israel - Thursday June 11, 2020

You Must Be Kidding: 
“At 6 A.M., they knocked and told me to get out of the house. I said, ‘What? With all our things inside?’ They told me they’d remove everything. They didn’t show me an order or anything. They took me to the checkpoint for four hours; when I returned, there was no house.”
--Fayez, a farmer who owns land and a home, which was one of four buildings belonging to Al-Walaja village farmers that was destroyed without a permit in order to clear the area for an Israeli tourist nature site.**

Front Page:

Haaretz

• German Foreign Minister warned: Countries will sanction Israel because of annexation and could recognize Palestine
• Repealing the (land) confiscation law: the deception is revealed // Mordechai Kremnitzer
• Authorities in US delaying transfer of information to Israel about Netanyahu’s stocks
• A loophole in the law could turn into Netanyahu’s escape door // Chaim Levinson
• Deputy CEO of Health Ministry gave billionaire Teddy Sagi an exemption from isolation
• Economic factors won’t be used in assessing special education eligibility “in the short term”
• The dilemma of the local gazelles: Get run over or live as a hunting victim
• Who are the liberals? // Gideon Levy
• The only one who survived // Hagai Amit on how only security budget not touched despite corona crisis
• The protest over the killing of George Floyd revived an ancient tradition: Knocking down statues and monuments of tyrants and oppressors
• Noni Mozes had a 200 million shekel debt to Bank Hapoalim. Will Yitzhak Teshuva and Shlomo Eliyahu repay it?

Yedioth Ahronoth

• (Deputy CEO of Health Ministry) Grotto will arrange things - The exemption from quarantine that the billionaire got
• Report to top soccer teams: “Two famous players had sex with two 15-year-old girls”
• A moment of (moral) repair // Nadav Eyal on the protest in the US (Hebrew)
• The drug of life // Limor Livnat on the freeze on culture (Hebrew)
• The new lives of Bar and Tzipi Refaeli (Hebrew)

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

• “The annexation contravenes international law” - German Foreign Minister met with Netanyahu, Gantz and Ashkenazi and warned
• Justice Yoram Danziger ruled: “The procedure for replacing the CEO of Clal Insurance Co. was proper”
• Discipline at any price - Police fined hundreds of people who didn’t wear masks in public
• Suspicion: Two soccer players in National League had sex with minors

Israel Hayom

• Second wave alert: Increasing the enforcement - Another concerning rise in number of corona infections: 175 in one day
• Knocking down history - Columbus, the movie “Gone With the Wind,” and even a statue of Churchill: Death of George Floyd sparked world protest that is trying to erase the cultural assets of society
• “Sovereignty? In every place possible” - Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel is in favor of the Trump plan. On laying out the G5 infrastructure: “Agreement with the Chinese? We are committed to the US”
• Two soccer players had sex with minors
• Deputy CEO of Health Ministry will be summoned for clarification: Approved allowing billionaire Teddy Sagi enter Israel without quarantine
• From “Yehoshua Haparua” (Wild Joshua) to “Dira L’Haskara” (Apartment for Rent): Why are parents censoring children’s books?

Top News Summary:
Health Ministry deputy director approved an Israeli billionaire's request to enter Israel without quarantining and to head to a lavish rooftop party in Tel Aviv, Germany’s visiting Foreign Minister warned Israel of sanctions over annexation of parts of the West Bank and a 16-year-old girl claimed that two famous Israeli soccer players had sex with her and a friend - making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Also, many other interesting annexation-related stories in the Annexation section below.

And in Jaffa for the third consecutive day, Arab residents clashed with police over the court approval to build on an ancient Muslim cemetery. In Tuesday's demonstration, violence started when police tried to disperse the demonstrators, which included parents and children, using stun grenades and police officers mounted on horses, Haaretz reported.

On Tuesday separate demonstrations took place in Jerusalem, Haifa and Jaffa in the spirit of ‘Palestinian and Black Lives Matter' over the killing of Eyad Alhallaq, a 32-year-old autistic Palestinian man by a Border Policeman nine days earlier. That same day, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin opened the first meeting of an inter-ministerial committee, led by Welfare Minister Avigdor Kaplan, to improve how police deal with those with disabilities, following the killing of Alhallaq. Rivlin called Eyad’s death “a tragedy” and said that the policeman shouldn’t be blamed but should be given “tools and training.” (Also Maariv) But many people don’t see the killing of Eyad Alhallaq as a problem in police training for dealing with people with mental disabilities, but rather as a racism issue. Indeed, Eyad's caretaker shouted to the Border Policeman that Eyad was disabled, but he still shot him again, killing him. At the demonstration outside the Jerusalem Municipality, hundreds of Jewish Israeli protesters chanted : “A violent cop needs to be in jail” and “Shame, shame, shame” and held pictures of Eyad Alhallaq. Police violently manhandled the noisy but peaceful protesters. (See VIDEO of police treatment of protesters and interviews of Jewish Israeli protesters.) (Also Maariv) The police detained six of the protesters for blocking the light rail. (NOTE: In contrast, at a protest of the arts and events industry on Wednesday, no one was detained even though protesters used more than 60 heavy trucks belonging to lighting and sound companies to block the road to Jerusalem, causing heavy traffic jams, Maariv reported.
 
Annexation:
Germany’s Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said that annexing parts of the West Bank violates international law and that while Germany was not eager to sanction Israel if it went through with it, the European Union is under pressure to take action. Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi told Maas that Israel intends to annex it “through dialogue with our neighbors” [which is an empty declaration since the neighbors have made clear they oppose it - OH] Later in the day, Maas and the Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi declared in a joint statement that preventing annexation was a “matter of priority.”

The ‘Times of Israel’ revealed that Netanyahu plans to initially annex three settlement blocs, but not the Jordan Valley, so as to curb friction with Jordan. Officials said that it will be easy to apply sovereignty to the settlement cities of Ariel and Ma’ale Adumim, but mapping the Gush Etzion bloc is more complex. Jerusalem thinks delaying the annexation of the Beqaa Jordan Valley will make it easier for Jordan to accept. Today (Thursday) Settlement Affairs Minister Tzipi Hotovely said that there is still no consensus between Israel and the US and between Likud and Kahol-Lavan on the annexation. Hotovely said the annexation move will be discussed a formal cabinet debate due to begin on July 1st, where Netanyahu could face difficulties in implementing it.

Senior Palestinian Authority official Saeb Erekat said annexation will lead to “disaster” and he accused the US of blocking direct talks between the two sides and behaving as Israeli broker. Erekat compared Israel to an empire whose actions would lead to its own collapse. Speaking at a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Riad Malki said that the Israeli annexation plan "must be prevented,” but said the Palestinian Authority remains willing to negotiate with Israel. Malki urged the OIC to use its influence to prevent the annexation, which "would cause the vanishing of the two-state solution," Channel 12 News said. However, in a sharp message, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that "If the occupying power [Israel] crosses the red line, we [Muslim countries] must show that this will have consequences." (Also Maariv)

Interestingly, Yedioth Hebrew’s Settler Affairs reporter, Elisha Ben Kimon, revealed that Israel is now preparing to do the first census in the West Bank since 1967 - but only in the areas in the settlement blocs that are expected to be annexed and despite not yet knowing what will be annexed. Israeli Civil Administration officials in the West Bank are working to determine how the census will be conducted, as it is still far from clear which areas would be annexed under the Israeli government's plan. The plan is to send teams of 3-5 people in designated uniforms and accompanied by law enforcement officials to move between homes and assess the number of residents will become “designated" residents of Israel. The purpose of the census is to count the current population there and “freeze” it, so that Israel can identify and evict any Palestinians who entered the annexation areas just before they are transferred to Israeli sovereignty.

Also, AIPAC told US lawmakers it would not give them a hard time if they criticize Israel’s annexation plans, JTA’s Ron Kampeas reported.

Meanwhile, more reactions to the High Court repealing of Israel’s controversial ‘Regularization Law,’ (i.e. expropriation law) which had paved the way to give legal permits to some 4,000 settlement homes built on privately owned Palestinian land. The Likud plans to present a new bill to retroactively regulate (legalize) settlements. Likud MK Michal Shir, who will submit the new law, accused the High Court of timing its ruling to make a statement regarding Israel's annexation plans. "The repealing of the Regularization Law is a show of blatant interference in [government] policy by the judiciary. Given the timing – as the sovereignty plan is being discussed – this cannot be a coincidence.” She also said that the ruling will encourage court petition by “radical left-wing groups that want to see as many settlers as possible become homeless.” However, Opposition Chairman MK Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) expressed support for the High Court’s repealing of the Regularization law, saying, “In a state of law it is impossible for people to confiscate private property." (103FM/Maariv)  Lapid also said that while he supported Trump's plan as a basis for negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, the international community had other priorities in mind, the IDF had not made preparations for the move, no precise plans had been drawn up, and this was "just another spin."
 

Quick Hits:

• Israel Police spokesman denies: "Police officers responsible for killing George Floyd were not trained in Israel" - "The BDS movement is continuing to distort facts," said spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. “There is no procedure that allows an officer of the Israel Police to carry out an arrest by placing a knee on the neck of a suspect,” he continued. “It does not exist in any police text book.” (JPost/Maariv)
• Police Investigate Hospital Guards Who Killed Mentally Ill Israeli Arab - Mustafa Younis was leaving a psychiatric evaluation when he stabbed and lightly injured one of the guards. He was shot dead after being disarmed and incapacitated. (Haaretz+)
• Spain Blocks Sales of Handcuffs, Equipment to Israel Over Human Rights Concerns, Report Says - Spanish newspaper El Pais says Madrid has vetoed sale of data security equipment, handcuffs and electrical equipment for fear they may be used in military context. (Haaretz)
• **Jerusalem Illegally Razes Four Palestinian Buildings, Clearing Way for a New Park - The buildings belong to residents of Al-Walaja, a Palestinian village located near the Ein Haniya spring. Preparations to open an Israeli nature park at the spring included what the city termed “removing eyesores” – namely, the four buildings owned by Al-Walaja residents, as well as several huts that serve the village’s farmers. The demolitions took place even though Israeli authorities had promised to protect the local farmers while discussing the plan to build the park. All the buildings, including the huts, were razed without a demolition order and without their owners being given advance notice. (Haaretz+)
• Israel Prepares for First West Bank Census Since 1967 as Potential Annexation Nears - Civil Administration officials working to determine how census will be conducted, as it is still far from clear which areas would be annexed under the Israeli government's plan. Teams of 3-5 people in designated uniforms and accompanied by law enforcement officials will move between homes to estimate the number of "designated" Israeli residents. The goal is to prevent Palestinians from moving into the area just before annexation. (Ynet Hebrew and Haaretz+)
• (In massive show of force,) Israeli Police Raid Bedouin Village Following Suspected Theft From Army Base - 17 residents detained in Bir Hadaj on suspicion of stealing military equipment and growing marijuana after clash with soldiers in southern Israel, as public security minister vows 'more to come.’Police entered and searched homes, made arrests, issued traffic tickets, confiscated flocks, confiscated property and more, said the village mayor. "This was an unrestrained attack. Terrorize children and women "The raid was conducted after two residents of the village were detained over a confrontation last week with soldiers in an IDF firing zone. The soldiers suspected the residents of having stolen military equipment. Israel Hayom reported that regional police officers, Negev Riot Police, Yoav Unit fighters, fighters of the Police ‘MATPEH’ - Unit for Coordinating Law Enforcement Activities [which is also known as the ‘Fist of the Police’ and was involved in the infamous killing of Yakub Abu-Alkiyan during demolition of a Bedouin village in 2017 -OH], the Canine Unit of the southern region, Border Police, and with aid from the air. Civilians also joined the operation, including the Ministry of Agriculture's southern unit for Supervision over Flora and Fauna (PITZUACH Unit) and the Green Patrol (which operates mainly against Bedouin - OH). [NOTE: New Public Security Minister boasted about it on Twitter with a photo of a convoy of police SUVs. Yet, it appears all they found was some hashish for personal use, a hashish patch, a couple of IDF warm overalls and a pair of IDF night binoculars. The village of about 6000 people live in abject poverty and Israel prevents them from construction. - OH]  (Haaretz+, Israel Hayom Hebrew and Ynet Hebrew and police video showing police in a home without residents, with police SUVs, police drone and police helicopter.)
• U.S. stonewalls Israel on info about Netanyahu's stock portfolio in potential new probe - Israel requested materials meant to help the attorney general decide whether to open an additional corruption investigation into the prime minister. (Haaretz+)
• Settlements minister confirms she’ll be Israel’s new ambassador to the UK - Likud’s Tzipi Hotovely, opponent of two-state solution and advocate of unilateral West Bank annexation, to replace Netanyahu’s ex-spokesperson Mark Regev in London this summer. Hotovely, who served as deputy foreign minister between 2015 and 2020, is a staunch supporter of Israel’s settlement movement and a vehement opponent of the two-state solution. She has also advocated for a unilateral Israeli annexation of the West Bank, something the British government has repeatedly rejected as a blatant violation of international law. (Maariv and Times of Israel)
• Faster than machines, jobless Palestinian graduates bring in Gaza's crops - With unemployment in the enclave reaching 50%, students and college graduates whose careers were stalled team up to pick crops claiming they are better and faster than machinery. (Agencies, Ynet)
• Slain Israeli Woman’s Brothers Arrested, Police Allege Honor Killing - Police believe two brothers of Nisreen Jabara, a 36-year-old mother of five from the Arab town of Taibeh, shot her dead in March because of a romantic relationship she was in. Suspects’ lawyers suggest investigators simply latched onto easiest explanation. (Haaretz+)
• Man Gets Life in Prison for Murdering 19-year-old Cousin in Southern Israel - Two other relatives sentenced Thursday to 10 years for 2017 kidnapping and murder of Hanan al-Bahiri, 19, from the Bedouin town of Lakiya. Judges said 'was sacrificed to an ancient, cruel and inhumane tradition, only because she had the courage to defy patriarchy’ after she and her husband divorced. Her murderers burned her in a metal barrel. (Haaretz+ and Maariv)
• Court Strikes Down Haaretz Request to Make Cabinet Publish Coronavirus Meeting Minutes - Haaretz and its fellow petitioners argue that keeping cabinet meetings confidential prevents appropriate public debate about them. Justices Uzi Vogelman, Menachem Mazuz and Alex Stein ruled that the petitioners – Haaretz, lawyers Shachar Ben Meir and Yitzhak Aviram, the Movement for Freedom of Information and media outlets including Globes, Calcalist and the Kan public broadcaster – (must) file a Freedom of Information Act request. (Haaretz+)
• Israel's coronavirus death toll reaches 300 - Health officials confirm another person has died in the past 24 hours, with the number of patients in serious condition rising to 29 as of Thursday morning; since the start of the outbreak in Israel, 18,461 tested positive for COVID-19, with 15,214 having already recovered. (Ynet)
• As Israel's ultra-Orthodox Jews Go Online, Coronavirus Could Offer Opportunity to Boost Employment - The ultra-Orthodox community, nearly half of which lives in poverty, has been among those most hurt by the economic shutdown. (Haaretz+)
• How an American Woman With the Coronavirus Was Allowed to Board an Aliyah Flight to Israel This Week - The woman, in her eighties, was waiting for the results of a test before flying, but only heard she had tested positive upon landing in Israel on Tuesday. (Haaretz+)
• Islamic Jihad puts on show of force in West Bank - Fearing public criticism, a weakened Palestinian Authority refrains from shutting down public demonstrations by the terror group, allowing the Iranian-backed organization to put on memorials honoring its former leader. (Ynet)
• Top Saudi cleric honored for fighting anti-Semitism - Sheikh Dr. Mohammed al-Issa, encourages communities to work together against hatred and violence, and condemns Holocaust denial during an event organized by Combat Anti-Semitism Movement. (Yedioth/Ynet)
• IDF thwarts Iranian cyberattack on military's supply chain (several months ago) - Soldiers from the Cyber Defense Unit, which operates under the C4i Directorate, identified the attack and for several days carried out a covert operation intended to expose the attackers and foil their plan. (Israel Hayom)
• US general: Soleimani killing has had 'significant effect' in deterrence against Iran - Iran has been "having to recalculate what we'll do and not do" in that the regime has "seen we have the capability and the will to respond," said Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, head of the US Central Command, told the Middle East Institute during a virtual event on Wednesday. (Israel Hayom)
• UN chief calls for a more mobile, reconnaissance-oriented UNIFIL - Secretary General Guterres urges prioritizing monitoring capabilities, maneuverability over high-density deployment for its Lebanese border peacekeeping mission. (Agencies, Ynet)

Annexation Commentary/Analysis:
Right-wingers, Remember 'Thou Shalt Not Steal'? (Haaretz Editorial) The Law for the Regulation of Settlement in Judea and Samaria, which was overturned on Tuesday by the High Court of Justice, was unofficially dubbed the “Theft Law.” It is hard to think of a more accurate name for the law, whose entire objective was to legally “regulate” the theft of Palestinian land. The High Court said nothing that the legislators didn’t know. Every layman understands that this is a discriminatory law, which approved the theft of Palestinian land by Israeli Jews…The MKs who promoted the law had no need for the explanations of Supreme Court Justice Esther Hayut to understand that they were legislating a law that “violates the right to property and the right to equality and dignity of the Palestinians,” and creates “discrimination between Israeli and Palestinian residents of the region.” These are not side effects of the law, they are its declared objectives…The law deliberately steals, harms and discriminates. The legislators did not act out of ignorance, but out of greed for real estate…
The sovereignty games must end (Dr. Limor Samimian-Darash, Israel Hayom) The plan to apply sovereignty to large parts of Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley is being targeted left and right – by the Left and the Right.
High Court nixing of settlement law keeps Israel out of ICC (Gilead Sher, Yedioth/Ynet) Legislation to retroactively recognize settler homes built on private lands could have led to petitions at The Hague, but a strong judiciary is an Iron Dome against claims that the Jewish state cannot abide by its own regulations.
It isn’t clear how the government expects public confidence when it makes things easier for the Palestinians (Yossi Kuperwasser, Maariv) …If Israel's supreme interest is the survival of the Palestinian Authority, what is the chance that it will fulfill its intention to apply sovereignty? And what is the logic of such a move when, in the course of protest against Israel's intention to apply sovereignty in the Beqaa Jordan Valley, the Palestinians announced they are disregarding the government's gestures, because they (the Palestinians) refuse to accept the (tax) funds transferred to them (without receiving all the funds - including what Israel subtracted due to transferring to families of Palestinians who are in jail or killed for attacking Israelis). It’s not clear how the government excepts public trust when it ignores the law, hurts the feelings of the victims of terrorism and makes it easier for the Palestinians to prepare hearts for future terror.
Sovereignty isn't as scary as some would have us believe (Yitzhak Ilan, Israel Hayom) We are strong enough to handle Palestinian violence, they will lose more than they gain. As for Jordan, the king understands he has much to lose by undermining relations with Israel.
As if the High Court thinks it’s dealing with a settlement in Mars (Attorney Aaron Gerber, Ynet Hebrew) By repealing the Regularization Law, the judges knew they were entering a debate on the most controversial political issue in Israel. The court is managing a political agenda and seeking to take part in ethical decisions that have nothing to do with the rule of law. The constitutional crisis does not stem from the fact that the court assumed the power to review primary Knesset legislation and the need to protect the rights of the Palestinians, but rather from the way it does so and the criticism it exercises. The court was well aware that it was entering into a debate on the most controversial political issue in the State of Israel, but its ruling was written as if it were a settlement on the Mars, which Israeli space forces invaded and effectively control under belligerent occupation. [NOTE: The international law of belligerent occupation governs the relationship between the occupying power, on the one hand, and the wholly or partially occupied State and its inhabitants, including refugees and stateless persons, on the other. - OH]
Future Casualties of Netanyahu’s Annexation Still Live Among Us (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) The prime minister is peddling a rose-tinted version of the move’s potentially disastrous unintended consequences.
The High Court's intervention in the Regularization law is understandable, but problematic (Adv. Sheeran Golbari, Maariv) The consequences of repealing the Regularization Law are transversal and directly affect questions of sovereignty. This also has key military and diplomatic implications, so it would be appropriate in this case for the High Court not to intervene.…The main purpose of repealing the law is to prevent the continued harm to Palestinian landowners and to protect the State of Israel from law suits at the International Criminal Court at The Hague. These are important goals in and of themselves, but they seriously harm the residents of the settlements. The decision is in line with Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit's position, who thinks the law should be repealed. After the ruling, the practical implication is that about two thousand houses in the settlements face immediate danger of eviction. I agree with the difficulty of taking people's private property. However, it is impossible to ignore the fact that it was the state that encouraged and subsidized the construction of the houses there. It is important to note that if the Knesset adds the (High Court) Overriding Clause to the Basic Law on Human Dignity and Liberty, the decision could be reversed.
If annexation cannot be prevented, at least stop the plunder (Prof. Daniel Friedman, Yedioth Hebrew) If a miracle does not happen and the catastrophic plan is actually implemented, we hope that the MKs who remain moral will ensure that Arab ownership of real estate will not be harmed.
How Europe could rethink its economic ties with Israel (Robert Swift and Ben Fisher, 972mag) Israel has ignored EU criticisms of West Bank annexation while enjoying funds for science and technology. It will not halt its plans if relations are unchanged.
Palestinian Leadership Struggling to Rally Public Against Israeli Annexation (Jack Khoury, Haaretz+) PA was barely able to rouse 200 people to attend a demonstration in Ramallah against Israel's plans to annex territories of the West Bank.
The "all or nothing" approach will lead to no sovereignty (Former Yesha settler council leader, Pinchas Wallerstein, Yedioth Hebrew) The desire to believe that the law can be applied to all of Judea and Samaria (West Bank) while ignoring the world - is an irresponsible delusion that can bring us to the point an abyss.

Other Top Commentary/Analysis:
The Jewish Monopoly on Tragedy (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) “It’s a tragedy. This is a person with disabilities, autism, who was suspected − as we now know, wrongly − of being a terrorist in a very sensitive place. We all share in the grief of the family. This encompasses the entire Israeli public and the entire Israeli government too.” The speaker is the prime minister and the tragedy in question is the killing of Eyad Hallaq, who ran from Border Police officers in fear and posed no danger to them. What a jaw-dropping statement…Why was Hallaq’s family the one to receive the maximum bit of compassion and sorrow that Netanyahu could squeeze from himself? The answer lies in the three cumulative principles that Netanyahu has defined as criteria that justify an expression of condolences: It’s not enough for a Palestinian to be wrongly suspected of intending to commit a terror attack. He must also be autistic and disabled. These are very strict conditions that only a few Palestinians meet. Mohammed Habali, who was shot in the back and killed in December 2018 in the Tul Karm refugee camp, did not meet the required conditions. He was wrongly suspected of participating in disturbances and was mentally impaired, but apparently did not also prove that he was autistic, and therefore did not qualify for an expression of regret or an apology. According to these criteria, the Abu al-Kiyan family, whose son Yakub was killed by a policeman in January 2017 during the evacuation of the Bedouin settlement of Umm al-Hiran, is also ineligible for condolences. An internal police investigation and review by the Shin Bet security agency did clear him of any suspicion of intent to carry out an attack, but unfortunately he was neither disabled nor autistic. A particularly interesting case is that of Abdel Fattah al-Sharif, the terrorist from Hebron who lay on the ground wounded when he was shot and killed by soldier Elor Azaria. For a moment it seemed like that tough criteria had cracked and the consensus was about to implode. In March 2016, Netanyahu explained that “what happened in Hebron does not represent the IDF’s values. The IDF expects its soldiers to conduct themselves in a coolheaded manner and in accordance with the rules of engagement.” But this was a false alarm. In January 2017, he clarified that “the IDF is a moral army that does not execute anyone. This is a hard and painful day for all of us – first and foremost for Elor and his family… I support the granting of a pardon to Elor Azaria.” The “hard day” was the day the military court convicted Azaria..
You imported from the United States morally distorted goods (Ran Bar-Yoshpat, Ynet Hebrew) The comparison made by protesters between (the killings by police of) Eyad Alhallaq and George Floyd was a nasty exploitation of the killing a black man to advance a political agenda on the other side of the globe…The idea of eradicating the Zionist enterprise is not imported from the United States, but the tactics and rhetoric are. Like the Marxist ideas that are spreading on the fringes of America, the violent protests and the other defective goods of this kind - it’s better to leave there.
Radical groups co-opt Black Lives Matter movement to target Israel (Sean Savage, Israel Hayom) Efforts to link police brutality in the United States with the Israel Defense Forces maintaining security against Palestinian attacks have flooded the Internet and been used as propaganda by the BDS movement.
Gantz's Inexperience Gives Netanyahu an Opening to Call a New Election (Chaim Levinson, Haaretz+) Likud ministers are talking about another election as a plain fact. The only question, they say, is whether it will be held in the winter or spring.
The Left’s Vision of a ‘Jewish-Arab Partnership’ (Nave Dromi, Haaretz+) In the final analysis, beneath the desire for Jewish-Arab partnership hides the desire to reestablish Israel as a state of all its citizens. In other words, as a country that will be unable to function as a national home for the Jewish people, because the Jewish component will not be awarded a central status in it. When you scatter the fog of shouts, tweets, arguments and struggles, that’s the basic difference between the right wing and the type of left wing that filled the square with Palestinian flags. The right wing simply says that it isn’t offering partnership with equal rights on the national level, but rather a shared life based on honesty and the understanding that Israel will forever be a Jewish, Zionist and democratic state, in that order.
The absence of a constitution deepens the gaps and disrupts public confidence in the rule of law (Orit Lavi-Nashiel, Maariv) A constitution does not cure all and is not a barrier against such lesions as racism, inequality, violence, and harm to privacy. But in a divided and multifaceted society like Israel, there must be agreed upon game rules.
Israel Gets a Government, and the Air Force Is Going Shopping (Yossi Melman, Haaretz+) The multi-annual plan for Israel’s armed forces bogged down in the political turmoil and then the coronavirus arrived. The order of the day is new priorities, but the ground forces could be left behind, exactly as usual.
Quarantine Diary: Life in a Gaza isolation center (Tala Shurrab, 972mag) In the second installment of personal stories on the pandemic's impact, a student shares her experience from a quarantine facility in Gaza.
Are Not Meant to Preach to Choir - Response to storm in NYT (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton, a Republican, wrote an op-ed piece with fascist characteristics, and The New York Times published it. Editorial page editor James Bennet was forced to resign because of the essay, which apparently wasn’t properly reviewed before publication. The Daily Beast reported that the Times had solicited the piece from Cotton. Cotton called to send the military into American cities to put down the demonstrations and rioting by force and restore order. The piece caused an uproar in the United States, which reached Israel as well. Most liberals believed that the op-ed should not have been published; most conservatives believed that the dismissal of the editor was proof the right was being silenced. Far be it for us to offer advice to The New York Times, but it’s good that the op-ed appeared, unfortunate that the editor was forced out, and whoever thinks the piece shouldn’t have been published is no liberal and has no confidence in his convictions.
Can Pro-Israel Democrats hold off an AOC clone? (Jonathan S. Tobin, Israel Hayom) The Left's effort to take down New York Rep. Eliot Engel will be a test case for the ability of the party establishment to keep a pro-Israel veteran in a majority minority district.
No Statues of Trump, Ever. May His Name Be Blotted Out (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) But let the record show that a man named George Perry Floyd Jr. changed the world. Even in Israel we've seen it– with the police killing of Eyad Hallaq – because, in death, George Floyd forced us to look.
 

Interviews:
'Netanyahu prefers weak politicians. We're not weak'
'Netanyahu prefers weak politicians. We're not weak' Former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, now an opposition member free of the binds of the coalition, does not mince words in criticizing the PM over his treatment of the national-religious Yamina faction. "We have a lot of political scores to settle. We're just getting started," she says. (Interviewed by  Yehuda Shlezinger in Israel Hayom)

'It feels like my votes were stolen,' Meretz leader says
Nitzan Horowitz admits that he feels betrayed by Labor leader Amir Perez's and Gesher head Orly Levy-Abekasis' decision to join the Likud-Blue and White unity government. (Interviewed by  Gideon Allon in Israel Hayom)
 

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