News Nosh 9.1.20

by APN 09/01/20
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APN's daily news review from IsraelTuesday September 1, 2020

Irony of the Day:

Sheldon Adelson, the right-wing Jewish-American tycoon who is the largest donor to the election campaigns of US President Donald Trump and the Republican party, is reportedly buying the US government's beach side official residence for US ambassadors in Israel, which is for sale after the US ambassador left to Jerusalem following the transfer of the US embassy there at the behest of Trump with Adelson's support, if not at his behest.*

You Must Be Kidding: 
"We brought them a garbage bag, and one of the girls in the group said that she doesn’t need the bag. ‘The Hasbani Stream is mine, Be’er Sheva is mine and so is Hebron. The whole country is mine and you are the ones who have to clean it,’ she said."
--Tarek Hassuna, from the Arab-Israeli village of Misr, was one of many cleaning workers, who report constant daily bullying and expressions of racism by visitors to Lake Kinneret and streams in the Galilee.**

“The minds of 14-year-old children are full of hatred and racism. I don’t respond when they curse us and the police. They tell us we have no place in this country, that we’re their slaves...Two girls pushed a worker into a latrine yesterday, telling him to clean it.”
--Sharif Zoabi, an Israeli-Arab who has also worked for a decade as a cleaner at the country's northern nature parks.*


Breaking News:
Report: 11 people killed in alleged Israeli strike south of Damascus, Syria points finger at Israel
Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says 3 Syrian soldiers, 7 pro-Iranian militia fighters and a civilian woman had been killed as a result of the attacks southwest of Damascus and in the province of Daraa. (Ynet, Haaretz and Israel Hayom)


Front Page:Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

  • Expose - Netanyahu secretly visited the Emirates two years ago (Hebrew)
  • The peace flight - Israeli delegation flies on El-Al to Abu Dhabi
  • Hello 1st grade pod (Hebrew)

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom



Top News Summary:
Photos of an Israeli delegation standing proudly in front of an El-Al plane alongside Emirati officials in Abu Dhabi plastered the front pages of the Israeli papers in a visual celebration of the normalization of relations with another Arab country (while Noa Shpigel revealed in Haaretz+ how the young Israeli generation’s contempt and racism towards Arabs is reaching new heights),

Today, the day after Israel recorded its highest number of people who tested positive in one day (2,159 on Monday), Israeli schools open the school year under corona’s shadow, with 140,000 staying home due to high infection rates in their communities, a quarter of the 2.4 million children lacking internet at home for distance learning and two-thirds of schools without computers in classes (Maariv).

And at the same time, a corona-Netanyahu storm broke out as the top Finance Ministry official, Shaul Meridor, resigned accusing the government of violating norms and ignoring the professional staff. Finance Minister Yisrael Katz accused Meridor of trying to overthrow Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. (See Commentary/analysis for connection.)

The last big story in today’s Hebrew newspapers was the latest agreement reached between Hamas and Israel through Qatari mediation (and money) to deescalate the increasing violence between the two parties. Hamas called on the military wings of all the Palestinian organizations to halt rocket fire and incendiary balloons. In exchange, Hamas said “several projects, which will serve our people, will be announced soon and help alleviate their burden caused by the coronavirus pandemic gripping the Gaza Strip.” An Israeli official said the zone Israel permits for fishing around Gaza will be returned to 15 nautical miles. Sources in Hamas told Haaretz that that Israel gave approval for the construction by Qatar of a gas pipeline, the operation of a power station funded by Qatar, and the creation of a supply line of electricity to Gaza, alongside the creation of projects to boost employment in the Strip and delivery of coronavirus testing equipment.

The historic landing of an El-Al airline plane with official Israeli and US delegations in Abu Dhabi was the biggest story in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Upon landing, Israel’s national security adviser addressed his counterparts with an Arabic greeting for peace. The Israeli and US officials were set to hammer out the normalization agreement, which until now has been only an announcement. Upon arrival, senior White House aide Jared Kushner said the peace agreement between the Emirati and Israeli leaders was also desired by the two countries' peoples. Jared also said that the sale of advanced F-35 stealth fighter planes will be discussed and that selling them to the UAE would not harm Israel’s qualitative military superiority in the region. Kushner was also asked about the potential annexation of parts of the West Bank. Kushner said, “About the possibility of applying sovereignty independently and the Palestinians don't come [to the negotiating table[, I haven't taken that off the table and I recommend waiting patiently. Historic things that are changing the Middle East are happening here." Lastly, he urged Palestinians to return to the negotiating table and "stop living in the past.” Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said it was “very painful” to see the flight, which he said was a “clear violation of the Arab position on the Arab-Israeli conflict.”
"We had hoped to see an Emirati plane landing in a liberated Jerusalem,” he added. Yedioth Hebrew’s Yossi Yehoshua reported that Netanyahu made a secret visit to Abu Dhabi and met with the ruler, Crown Prince Muhammad bin Ziad two years ago. The meeting was also attended by Mossad chief Yossi Cohen, who prepared it ahead of time. Later, he secretly met with Emirati officials in Washington. The flight had tight security and it got special permission to fly through Saudi airspace. Ahead of the flight, three people were killed in two UAE restaurant explosions. One was hours before the landing of the Israeli flight at a restaurant near a road leading to the airport. Netanyahu said he invited a UAE delegation to visit Israel. And one report said that Israel and the UAE are setting up spy bases in Yemen.
 Quick Hits:

  • **Littering and Violent Racism (towards Arabs) Break Record as Israelis Flock to Sea of Galilee Shores - 'They tell us we have no place in this country, that we’re their slaves’: (Arab) Cleaners recount tales of discrimination and disrespect. (Haaretz+)
  • *Sheldon Adelson Said to Be Favored to Buy U.S. Ambassador’s Home in Israel - Prospective buyers told $70 million property was no longer on the market. (Haaretz+)
  • 20,000 call on Netanyahu to resign as Jerusalem protests enter tenth week - Parallel demonstrations held in Caesarea, 315 junctions throughout country, 18 cities around the world. Police forcefully evacuate protesters, arrest 16. (Haaretz+)
  • For right-wing LGBT Israelis, there are two closets to come out of - Right-wingers say it’s still difficult to talk with peers about their political views, even though Israel's LGBT community may not be as overwhelmingly progressive as was commonly assumed. (Haaretz+)
  • Israeli expats hold anti-Netanyahu protests in at least 18 cities around the world - Protesters hold rallies simultaneously with Saturday's thousands-strong demonstrations in Israel, calling for the prime minister to resign. (Haaretz+)
  • Soundtrack for a Revolution: ‘Bibi, Let My People Go,’ Begs Israeli Singer - In 'Binyamin (Go Down Moses),' the 'non-political' May Lavie creates a soundtrack for the Balfour protests, quoting the premier's 2015 speech before the U.S. Congress. (Haaretz+VIDEO)
  • Two Israelis arrested for allegedly threatening anti-Netanyahu protesters with plastic gun - Arrest was made after one of the suspects from West Bank settlement of Ariel was documented aiming what appeared to be a gun toward protesters from his vehicle. (Haaretz+)
  • Shooting death of 22-year-old (Arab-Israeli) man is 55th homicide this year in Israel's Arab community - Ashraf Abu Arar was killed late Saturday night in what locals said was a dispute between families, in third murder in Israeli Arab community within a week. (Haaretz+)
  • The murder of an (Arab-Israeli) teacher in Ramla: "She managed to decorate the school - and was shot to death" - Sharifa Abu Ma'amar’s high school students woke up to a particularly sad morning. The beloved teacher was shot to death by a stray bullet during a fight between clans, and she did not get to greet them today on the first day of school. "She worked so hard to receive us in a special way and we did not have time to thank her." (Maariv and Ynet Hebrew)
  • Teenage siblings implicated in Eilat gang rape put on fresh 3-day remand - Court ruling reverses prior decision to release suspects on house arrest; suspects' defense attorney says his clients were at the scene but did not harm the victim. Police identified and arrested 17 suspects, four of whom are expected to be charged with sexual assault – the 17-year-old brothers, and two 27-year-old men. The other 13 suspects, if indicted at all, are likely to be charged with failure to prevent a crime. (Ynet and Haaretz+)
  • Bereaved families of 3 teens file 'unprecedented' lawsuit against Hamas - The lawsuit for 520 million shekels ($155 million) against Hamas by families of the three teens kidnapped and murdered in 2014 seeks to end monthly payments to Hamas from the Palestinian Authority. (Israel Hayom)
  • PM: We will 'do everything' to keep Mitzpe Kramim settlement - On Thursday, High Court of Justice overturns Jerusalem District Court ruling that found in favor of Mitzpe Kramim residents, and gives government 36 months to find the settlers other housing. (Israel Hayom)
  • Nasrallah vows revenge: When Israel kills one of our fighters, we will kill one of yours - Hezbollah leader also says group will not engage in border clashes 'because that's what Israel wants.’ (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Nasrallah: Foreign 'cyber armies' targeting public opinion in Lebanon - "There are countries that use cyber armies maliciously, and try forcing public opinion on other countries. They pay tens of millions of dollars to the media to disseminate lies about Hezbollah," he claims. (Israel Hayom)
  • UN approves resolution reducing Lebanon peacekeeping force, boosts scrutiny amid U.S., Israeli criticism - Resolution lowers troop ceiling while demanding more efficiency and collaboration from Beirut in tackling Hezbollah presence. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Lebanon Names Mustapha Adib as New Prime Minister Under French Pressure - Macron to land in Beirut for his second visit in less than a month to push politicians to enact reforms to tackle corruption and waste before donors release financial support. (Agencies, Ynet)
  • ‘Face of Yahweh’ Claim Sets Off Archaeological Brouhaha - Israeli archaeologist says he found 3,000-year-old clay head depicting the biblical God of Israel. Colleagues respond the image doesn’t represent Yahweh, a deity and maybe not even a man. (Haaretz+)
  • Egyptian military kills 77 terrorists in northern Sinai - Egyptian Air Force reports 317 dens, hideouts and stores, as well as 10 vehicles loaded with weapons and ammunition destroyed; three officers and four soldiers were killed during the anti-terror operations. (Ynet)
  • Biden Campaign Platform for Arab Americans Reiterates Opposition to BDS Movement - Biden pledges to include Arab Americans 'across his administration,' combat anti-Arab bigotry in the U.S. and reverse Trump's limits barring entry to people from multiple Muslim countries. (JTA, Haaretz)
  • Republican Congressman Asks Trump to Pressure Ukraine to Allow Rosh Hashanah Pilgrims - Exactly why Rep. Jeff Duncan, whose congressional district includes few religious Jews likely to make the pilgrimage, is taking up the issue is unclear. (JTA, Haaretz)
  • 10-page summary of new Movement for Black Lives platform contains no mention of Israel, 4 years after divisive condemnation - On Friday morning, a Jewish statement in support of Black Lives Matter appeared in a full-page New York Times ad, signed by more than 600 national and local Jewish groups. (JTA, Haaretz)


Features:
A Mentally Disabled Palestinian Was Shot at an Israeli Checkpoint. His Family Wasn't Notified for Days
When Anwar saw news footage of his brother lying wounded at a checkpoint, days after the incident, he was relieved. At least he was alive. (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+)
These Israelis, under fire from Hamas, think Netanyahu is a bigger risk
The weekly anti-Netanyahu protests in the bombarded Gaza border region are emerging as a key flashpoint in the battle between the ‘two Israels.’ (Judy Maltz, Haaretz+)
Denied permits, Palestinians raze own homes in Jerusalem
Many Palestinians lacking construction permits prefer to demolish their property themselves, fearing arrest if unable to pay city's demolition bill or fines; 44 houses have been demolished in East Jerusalem in 2020. (AFP, Ynet)
Inside the secret Israeli industry of fake Facebook profiles
An investigation reveals a network of fictitious Facebook accounts — all linked to one Israeli firm — and sheds light on how these avatars and their operators evade detection, pushing commercial and political content. Refaella Goichman, Haaretz+)
An Occupation Vacation
A B&B in Elon Moreh, a climbing wall in Kedumim, an escape room in Shiloh – as COVID-19 prevents air travel, Israeli holidaymakers are heading to West Bank settlements. (Meirav Moran, Haaretz+)
The Shining' on Jesus' Turf: I Stayed at a Deserted Hotel for Christian Pilgrims
An American cleric on a mission from God, two ultra-Orthodox travel agents and one famous musician. The pandemic is a time of bizarre experiences – such as being the only guest in a 200-room hotel at the Sea of Galilee. (Irmy Shik Blum, Haaretz+)
The settlers at this outpost hoped Israel would come through. Now they feel deceived
Mitzpeh Kramim's residents tell Haaretz they have no intention of leaving ahead of a three-year deadline to evacuate their outpost built on privately-owned Palestinian land. (Hagar Shezaf, Haaretz+)
The Black Jewish 'wall of moms' fighting Israeli police brutality
'The message we wanted to convey was: ‘We are here and you can’t do what you want to our children,' says Shula Mola, a founder of the Ethiopian Israeli mothers’ group. (Leah Hailu, Haaretz+)
The Polish women who saved Jews in WWII, only to be called 'Russian prostitutes' in Israel
Israel's Law of Return, now 70 years old, allowed thousands of non-Jewish Polish women to come over with their Jewish husbands. Some wished they had never come. (Ofer Aderet, Haaretz+)

Top Commentary/Analysis:
Israel-UAE Flight Was Indeed Historic. But These Critical Questions Remain (Yossi Melman, Haaretz+) How do you safeguard Israelis who want to visit sites located a stone’s throw from Iran? Can Israeli security personnel carry arms? And, of course, what about annexation?
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium.highlight-israel-uae-flight-was-indeed-historic-but-these-critical-questions-remain-1.9116859

The Palestinians have been left on their own (Prof. Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) Peace between Israel and the UAE could have benefited the Palestinians enormously, but they prefer to cling to frustration, anger, and dreams that will never come true.
The New Normalization: What's Behind Israelis' 'Indifferent Support' for Historic UAE Deal (Noa Landau, Haaretz+) Despite Netanyahu's efforts, ties with the UAE, kicking off with a direct Tel Aviv-Abu Dhabi commercial flight on Monday, have not been met with the enthusiasm you'd expect from Israelis.
Resist Gantz's Narrow Thinking on Israel's Deal With the UAE (Yehezkel Dror, Haaretz+) We have to understand that we cannot have truly peaceful relations with a country while blocking its efforts to procure advanced weapons. Tightening relations with the UAE requires us to avoid opposing their obtaining F-35 warplanes.
A peace deal without compromises (Amnon Lord, Israel Hayom) The IDF will manage its war in Gaza as if there were no Emirates, and make peace with the Emirates as if there was no ongoing war in Gaza.
Egypt could lose its seniority if more countries begin normalization with Israel (Yitzhak Levanon, Maariv) If more Arab countries join the process of normalization with Israel, Egypt may lose even more of its influence over Jerusalem. But the two countries have an interest in continuing to cooperate.
What Israel's Foreign Minister Means When He Says 'Normalization' (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi is a senior statesman in the making and a great retired hope. But the centrist camp, in desperate need of a leader, may restore him yet to the great-hope role. His statements are rare, he doesn’t say anything about anything, either because he has nothing to say or because he’s afraid to say what he does have to say – the first possibility is more likely – and therefore every little utterance of his deserves attention. Last week Ashkenazi told the German foreign minister that Israel has moved “from annexation to normalization.” In response, Europe glowed with pleasure and announced that it hoped to renew the Association Council, an ongoing high-level dialogue between the European Union and Israel. For good measure, Ashkenazi added a few more baseless clichés that he has uttered with ease for years now: “We left the door open to our neighbors and now it’s up to their decision and their choice.” When an Israeli statesman uses the term normalization, they mean maintaining the status quo, which is the normal situation to most Israelis. n example? Palestinian children are doomed to live a short distance from the sea, and spend their childhood, and sometimes their entire lives, without ever seeing the beach. Another example: Protests are allowed near the prime minister’s residence on Balfour Street, but banned in the Palestinian village of Bil’in. It’s completely normal to imprison two million people for many years – what could be more normal than that? – and expect them to sit quietly. If they take steps against this insane situation, normalcy must immediately be restored…
When a Palestinian life is worth 3 months menial labor (Amit Gilutz, Yedioth/Ynet) Ahmad Manasrah had stopped to help a woman whose husband had been shot by an IDF soldier when he himself was killed by the same shooter; the soldier copped a plea deal and he is not the only one, for how else can Israel maintain the occupation?
No substitute for peace with the Palestinians (Yossi Beilin, Israel Hayom) As welcome as normalization with the pragmatic Arab world is, Israel must not allow the current situation to harden into an irreversible one-state reality.
The agreement between Israel and the Emirates will not bring Trump more votes in the election (Shlomo Shamir, Maariv) The average American has no interest in developments in regional policy. The normalization agreement will not succeed in changing the disdain towards Trump, just as the transfer of the embassy to Jerusalem did not succeed.
Israel-UAE peace: A dream come true (Maryam Al-Zaabi, Israel Hayom) As an Emirati, what I truly hope for is for us and Israel to have real and warm relations.
Israel-UAE normalization is a test for Egypt and Jordan (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Sissi fears that Mohammed bin Zayed will now be the 'whisperer to the Israelis,' while Jordan is worried about the standing of the Arab peace initiative.
A great moment for Arab Israelis, too (Jalal Bana, Israel Hayom) Arab citizens of Israel must not fall into the trap of populism and miss out on the enormous potential offered by peace between Israel and the Emirates.
I want Israel and Sudan to make peace. But not like this (Mutasim Ali, Haaretz+) With meetings midwifed by the UAE, Mossad and Mike Pompeo, Israel is pushing for normalization with Khartoum, ground zero of the Arab boycott. But its strategy prioritizes contact with Darfur genocide perpetrators, not Sudan’s civilian government.
We are proud to be Emirati Jews (Ross Kriel, Israel Hayom) The image of the El Al plan with "shalom" written in Hebrew and Arabic and "peace" in English was shared in our WhatsApp groups with excitement.
Netanyahu used to say democracy is the only path to Mideast peace. What happened? (Ofri Ilany, Haaretz+) In his first term, Netanyahu was a neocon hawk who dreamed of foisting democracy on the Middle East. The alliance he’s forged with monarchist regimes shows the scale of the transformation he’s undergone
What Israel’s Right-wing Politicians Are Prepared to Do for the Sake of Apartheid (Michael Sfard, Haaretz+) Large swathes of Israeli society have been dealing for years with the painful insight that the person running our country is corrupt. His willingness, according to the charges against him, to harness his public powers and authority in the service of his personal interests rather than the public good, is unarguably grave and dangerous. But we need to recognize that this is a specific instance of a common thing that’s been with us since the beginning of time. Government corruption didn’t begin with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and won’t end when he’s gone.
Israel on dangerous path to one-state solution (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) New draft legislation demands a referendum or support from two-thirds of MKs in order to remove any settlements or outposts in a deal with Palestinians; but who gave settlement movement's wildest wing the right to set government policy?
Israel’s message to troops placing explosives at village: Don’t worry, it’s combat  (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) The goal of the Palestinian demonstrators at Kafr Qaddum is modest: Open the road to Nablus and stop treating us as inferior. The principle behind it is just as basic: Treat us as human beings.
Netanyahu’s Extreme, Anarchist Side (Ravit Hecht, Haaretz+) One side is the “responsible adult,” the one who appointed a professional like Gamzu and, even before that, was quick to recognize the threat posed by the pandemic and to treat it with the requisite seriousness, not to say excessive anxiety (“Perhaps the greatest crisis humanity has faced since the Middle Ages”). Netanyahu’s other side is the (coalition whip MK) Miki Zohar side, which has been getting more extreme in recent years. Just consider the successive coalition whips in the premier’s past few governments.
Revenge Against the Netanyahu Regime Should Be the Israeli Left's Immediate Goal (Rogel Alpher, Haaretz+) Achieving any other political goal isn’t possible right now in any case. The Israeli public is right-wing. Netanyahu’s replacement will be right-wing. He will be replaced by a right-wing nationalist with strong religious sentiments, like Naftali Bennett or Gideon Sa’ar.
A Knife in the Back of Secularism (Ran Fruman, Haaretz+) The cancellation of “Gav Ha’umah” (political satire TV program) is an act of oppression and an assault on the very right to be secular in Israel, and the timing is no coincidence. Though it was not committed in darkness and no lives were threatened, its implications are just as grave. Yes, presumably the main reason for the program’s cancellation was Benjamin Netanyahu’s desire to make the scathing criticism of him dished out by Lior Schlein and Co. go away. It’s uncompromisingly secular messages gave us a place where we could feel that in the midst of the country’s dominant and preachy religious discourse, there was still a place of sanity where secular and even atheist ideas had a place, even a place of honor...
Anti-Netanyahu Protests Miss the Point if They Exclude Arabs (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) There’s a saying in Arabic: The revolution is planned by the smart ones, carried out by the brave, and its fruits are plucked by the opportunists. That’s why the present need is to extricate the protest from the jaws of the “hitchhikers.” Without a massive recruitment of Arabs to the protest, it will slowly turn into a testing ground for the spoilers from the right of the political map. Yes, the Arabs are required to be courageous partners to “straighten out” the protest in the right direction. Arabs have the sensitivity to prevent the protest from trickling into dark and dangerous alleyways – not because they are Arabs, but because they are the most deprived group in the country...
Germany's lessons for BDS (Ben Cohen, Israel Hayom) The discussion of Israel in Germany has historically been filtered through the experience of the Holocaust, which perhaps makes Germans more sensitive to the rising anti-Semitism around them.
Bankruptcy: No one will ever be shocked here for anything ever (Ben Caspit, Maariv) The resignation letter of the head of the Finance Ministry budget department, Shaul Meridor, should be the first document to be tabled by the State Commission of Inquiry into the failure to address the Corona crisis.
Between the resignation of (head of Finance Ministry budget department) Meridor and the difficulties that (corona manager) Gamzu faces there is a direct line: Blaming the professionals (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) A direct line appears to connect the difficulties Gamzu keeps encountering and the resignation letter of Finance Ministry budget division chief Shaul Meridor. Both the previous interim government headed by Netanyahu and the current unity government established on the pretext of the need to fight the virus (who remembers that anymore?) have failed miserably in combating the pandemic. And their failure in handling the virus’ ruinous economic effects appears even worse. But politicians have a simple solution: Pin the blame on the professionals, make fiery speeches against the rule of the bureaucrats, make it impossible for them to do their jobs properly – and ultimately, as in Meridor’s case, lead them to resign...
(Head of the Finance Ministry budget department) Meridor's resignation is like a resigning chief of staff in the midst of war (Yehuda Sharoni, Maariv) After many months of repeated attempts, Netanyahu succeeded in his mission and forced Finance Ministry budget commissioner Shaul Meridor to lay down the keys and resign.
Netanyahu May Be Just as Corrupt and Disruptive, but He’s No Match for Trump in Terms of Crazy (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) The U.S. president’s campaign speeches before unmasked and un-distanced audiences are seen by the world as a symptom of America’s deepening irrationality.
 Interviews:
Lithuanian FM: The Palestinians must condemn terrorism
Linas Linkevičius tells Israel Hayom that he hopes the Palestinians will realize that dialogue between Israel and the Arab world is a "good thing." But Israel, he says, must understand that annexation is not acceptable under international law. (Interviewed by Eldad Beck in Israel Hayom)

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

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