News Nosh 10.28.20

by APN 10/29/20
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APN's daily news review from Israel - Wednesday October 28, 2020

Quotes of the day:

"You made our country bigger."
--'Israel Hayom' quotes 12-year-old Rachel, who wrote in 1967 to then IDF chief of staff, Yitzhak Rabin, after the conquering of the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and the Golan Heights.*

"Schoolchildren returning from ceremonies in memory of Rabin say that by no means should a prime minister be assassinated - but in the same breath they point out that parts of the homeland must also not be returned.”
--Uzi Baram writes in Haaretz+ that Yitzhak Rabin's legacy of giving up land to make peace with the Palestinians is not in the consensus.**


Front Page:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

  • Government in crisis - Gantz: “If Netanyahu doesn’t pass the budget it is a crime to the state. Elections are preferable” (Hebrew)
  • Revolt of the mayors - More than 70 municipalities announced that from Sunday they will open schools five days a week, contrary to the corona cabinet decision (of 3 days) (Hebrew)
  • Let the (municipalities) run things // Limor Livnat
  • Israel study will save fetuses from great harm
  • “It’s safest in the desert” - B&B, khan and guest farm owners in the Negev and Arava deserts declared the establishment of the “Independent tourism federation,” and demand to be allowed to host visitors
  • The black night // Eitan Haber, Rabin’s bureau chief at the time of his assassination, writes about the night of the murder (Hebrew)

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

  • “Abandoning the future generation” - Fury among parents and teachers in response to government decision to partially open lower grades in education system
  • The next corona chief - Prof. Nachman Ash will replace Prof. Roni Gamzu
  • At the finish line (Photos of Biden and Trump)

Israel Hayom

  • The new ‘Corona chief’ (Nachman Shai) tells ‘Israel Hayom’: I already feel the weight of the responsibility”
  • The winter morbidity and prevention of another lockdown: The challenges that await the new corona chief
  • The municipalities will fund: “School - five days a week”
  • The children who wrote to Rabin - The Office of the IDF Chief of Staff was flooded with letters after the victory of the ’67 war
  • Storm over the video clip of (teen pop singer and soldier) Adi Beety: The soldier received 5 days probation
  • “Dad died because of the neglect in the corona ward at Wolfson Hospital” - new testimonies
  • MK Haim Katz will be charged with tax fraud



Top News Summary:
There’s a new corona chief in town and he’s going to have to deal with the lack of corona policy regarding schools because more than 70 municipalities plan to open more grades and for more days on Sunday than the corona cabinet allowed (also Yedioth Hebrew), that and the final stretch of the US presidential election, which the papers presented very differently, were the top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Also, very different looks at Rabin’s legacy and the latest in local politics and diplomacy.

*Remembering Yitzhak Rabin:
A day ahead of the (virtual) memorial ceremonies marking the anniversary of the assassination of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, the papers had very different messages to pass on. Haaretz+ (Hebrew) ran an Op-Ed by Uzi Baram, titled, “Is another (political) murder possible? Listen to (Likud MK David) Amsalem.” Baram writes that the real question is whether Israel’s “strangled” democracy will be murdered and he says that Rabin’s legacy has almost disappeared. Rabin’s views, about making peace with Israel’s neighbors, “are no longer in the consensus…Schoolchildren returning from ceremonies in memory of Rabin say that by no means should a prime minister be assassinated - but in the same breath they point out that parts of the homeland must also not be returned.” Yedioth reprinted an Op-Ed by Eitan Haber, Rabin’s right-hand man, in which Haber writes about the horrible night of the murder and having to tell the nation that Rabin died. (Haber died earlier this month.) But ‘Israel Hayom’ focused neither on the murder or Rabin’s legacy of making peace with Israel’s neighbors. Just the opposite: it celebrated Rabin’s conquering of the Palestinian territories in 1967 when Rabin was IDF chief of staff. On its front page was a “special project”: sharing some of the letters that flooded the Chief of Staff’s office. The one quoted on the front page was written by 12-year-old Rachel: “You made our country bigger,” she wrote. Yaffa Yisrael, a 2nd grader at Yad Yitzhak School, wrote: "We will not return the places we occupied." And she listed some of them. "The Syrian Plateau, the West Bank, the Old City, Hebron, Nablus and Bethlehem." 'Israel Hayom' reporter, Dan Yisraeli, wrote that "Penny Goldstein from Lod sailed in her imagination and wished in her letter 'See you in Cairo and Damascus, Gaza and Port Said...in a complete victory.' At the bottom of the letter she drew a tank surrounded by flowers."

US Presidential Elections:
A week until US elections and ‘Israel Hayom’ stressed that “everything is possible,” that “even the New York Times is suspicious of the polls and that Trump supporters are confident he’ll win.” Haaretz+ ran an Op-Ed by Joe Biden (See Commentary/Analysis below). Both Maariv and Yedioth expressed doubt in Trump’s statements about getting control over the virus. Maariv’s Haim Isrovich wrote that “Despite the numbers of those infected with corona and those hospitalized are on the rise again in many US states, Trump continues to push the message that everything is under control and that soon there will be vaccines to make the virus disappear.” Yedioth’s Tzipi Shmilovich noted that “while almost 9 million Americans are sick with corona, the White House announced yesterday that the mission of battling the epidemic has been “completed.” Both Yedioth and Haaretz agreed that the appointment of Amy Barrett as a Supreme Court Justice was a great achievement for Trump. But Haaretz’s Chemi Shalev thought that it would boomerang on Trump by encouraging Democrats to go out and vote. Meanwhile, Trump announced that 10 more countries are ‘waiting” to normalize relations with Israel after the elections and that eventually all the Middle East countries will do so and he’s involved with all of them. Also, the US agreed yesterday to fund Israeli research projects in the West Bank and the Golan, lifting a long-time ban against grants to Israel in the occupied territories. And a pro-Trump rally took place outside the US embassy in Jerusalem yesterday.
   
Surprises in Local Politics:
Alternate Prime Minister and Defense Minister Benny Gantz made an unusually sharp statement against his partner in the coalition government, telling Yedioth Hebrew that: "Netanyahu is endangering Israel's economic future. If he does not pass the budget, it will be a crime against the state and its citizens.” Yedioth reported that Gantz is furious at the prime minister's refusal to pass a state budget for 2021.
And, a former senior Labor party politician said that the creation of a Jewish-Arab political party is in the works: "We want to establish a Jewish-Arab party for elections,” Ophir Pines, who retired from political life in 2010, said in a 103 FM/Maariv radio interview about the possibility of compiling a mixed list. “There is an Arab minority here and I want to live with it in a civil alliance, also in a political partnership.” Pines said there are at least five groups involved in establishing it. “This comes from the fact that I live in this country and I look at the Arab minority, which unfortunately undergoes institutionalized discrimination for many years, their influence is very small and almost symbolic in politics. They are always in the opposition no matter what. So I thought in the framework of the Jewish-Arab discourse. That is why I say, there is a Jewish and democratic state here, a Jewish majority, it is the state of the Jewish people, nothing changes my positions. But there is an Arab minority here and I want to live with it in a civic alliance, in a political partnership as well. I do not want them to be just a sectoral (party) and have a (symbolic) Jew (on their list) or that we put a symbolic Arab on our list. It is time for a political partnership. There is agreement on a great many issues and disagreement on some of the issues."

Diplomacy:

  • Trump Supporters Rally Outside U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem - While Jews in the United States are expected to vote overwhelmingly for Democrat Joe Biden, Donald Trump is a popular figure in Israel, mainly among American immigrants and activists from Netanyahu’s Likud party. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
    Trump Says 'We Have 10' Countries Waiting to Join Israeli-Arab Deals After U.S. Election - A week before Election Day, Trump says that 'all' Middle Eastern states will eventually normalize ties with Israel, adding that he's 'involved in all the deals.' (Haaretz+)
  • The United Arab Emirates has signed an agreement to purchase wines from the Golan Heights wineries - The CEO of the leading marketing company in the Emirates said excitedly: "This is a historic launch." Indeed, until the agreement, the Emirates did not consume wines from Israel. The first agreement will apply to Dubai, and more will join later. (Maariv)
  • Israel says U.S. will now fund Israeli research projects in West Bank, Golan Updated agreements announced one week before the U.S. presidential elections represent the latest nod of legitimacy by the Trump administration to Israeli settlements. Past scientific accords with the U.S. government stipulated that Israeli research projects receiving U.S. grants could not be carried out in areas that came under Israeli administration [conquered by Israel - OH] in 1967. (Ynet and Israel Hayom)
  • Hadassah Medical Center in talks to set up hospital in Dubai - Emirate reportedly wants to bring more than 1,000 doctors and nurses to the facility. (Israel Hayom)
  • 'Tremendous potential for economic cooperation between Israel and the UAE' - Panelists celebrate new opportunities in wake of regional peace breakthrough at the International Kohelet policy Forum, Shilo Policy Forum and Israel Hayom Conference held last week. (Israel Hayom)
  • Sudanese nationals in Israel fear deportation after peace deal - 'Going back is not an option,' says Usumain Baraka, a refugee activist from Darfur who has been living in Israel since 2008; 'the situation there is the same as before. People are dying every day. The war and genocide continue.’ (Ynet)

And, three different headlines for the same day:

  • Haaretz -  Gantz: 'Positive Voices' in Lebanon Speaking of Peace With Israel - Amid talks to settle a maritime border dispute between the two countries, Gantz says Lebanese must know that Hezbollah 'is a problem for them as well.’
  • 'Israel Hayom' - 'Lebanon will pay the price if Hezbollah attacks Israel' -Defense Minister Benny Gantz, visiting large-scale military drill in the north, also signals optimism about eventual peace between Israel and Lebanon, saying, "I also hear positive voices in Lebanon."
  • Ynet - Gantz: Hezbollah is Lebanon's problem, not Israel's - The defense minister says Lebanon 'will ultimately pay the price for any aggression' coming out of the country, during his tour of the northern border, where the IDF is holding its biggest army drill of the year.

Meanwhile, Israel and Lebanon will resume the U.S.-mediated talks over the disputed maritime border.


Corona Quickees:

  • Israeli Schools Handle Coronavirus Reopening Alone as Lack of Policy, Funding Bites - As Education Ministry plans don't extend far enough, local municipalities and schools work to plug the gap left by staffing and guideline limitations. (Haaretz+)
  • 'Lockdowns Work': Israel Taps Ex-chief Military Doctor as New Coronavirus Czar - Nachman Ash, who described right to protest as a 'basic civil liberty in any democracy,' is expected to be less pugnacious with senior political figures. Gamzu to return to Tel Aviv’s Ichilov hospital in November as planned. (Haaretz+ and Times of Israel)
  • Germany supports the Palestinian health system with 50 ventilators to help it for the Corona response - Fifteen ventilators will be shipped to Gaza, where they will be mainly used in the Covid-19 wards of the dedicated Corona treatment center at Gaza European Hospital. (WAFA)
  • 'Only 11 Such Cases Around the World': Israeli Hospitals See Long-term COVID-19 Effects - Israeli experts say such effects of 'Long-Covid' or 'Post-Covid' – their diversity and wide range of severity – are surprisingly different than effects of other viruses in the coronavirus family. (Haaretz+)
  • Health Ministry wants teachers tested for COVID before schools reopen - Knesset Education Committee axes idea to hold open-air classes. Health Minister Yuli Edelstein: First and second grades will only be in school part-time. (Israel Hayom)
  • Israel's millionaires largely untouched by COVID pandemic, report finds - Credit Suisse study reveals that the number of millionaires in Israel dropped by only 154 in 2020, despite the unprecedented economic challenges. (Israel Hayom)
  • Married for 64 years, dead within days of virus - Adnan and Hakmat Masri from northern Israel were hospitalized in the same room and lost the battle against the virus just 2 days of each other; they are survived by 6 children, 28 grandchildren and 46 great-grandchildren. (Ynet)
  • As Coronavirus Cools Defense Spending, Israeli Firm Elbit Underperforms Nasdaq - A drop in demand for commercial aviation goods and services has affected Elbit, which in recent years was outperforming the Nasdaq. (Haaretz+)
  • Daily coronavirus report in Palestine: Eight dead, 450 new cases, and 612 recoveries - Seven of the eight who died were in the West Bank - the youngest was 45 years old and the oldest 77 years - and the eighth in East Jerusalem. No deaths were recorded in the Gaza Strip. (WAFA)

Quick Hits:

  • Israel Strips East Jerusalem Cancer Patient of Insurance, Claiming He Lives in the West Bank - Farouk Jubran was informed that his suspiciously low water and electricity bills indicate that he had moved to the West Bank and therefore is not entitled to state-funded health insurance. (Haaretz+)
  • Israeli Bulldozers Destroy one Palestinian-owned Home, Six Shops in Jerusalem - Israeli military bulldozers, escorted by a sizeable police force invaded the refugee camp and proceeded to demolish a home and six stores owned by Abu Ashraf Hamoud and the Israeli police assaulted the family of Abu Ashraf as their home was being destroyed. (IMEMC)
  • Palestinian Farmer Accuses West Bank Settlers of Cutting Down 100 Olive Trees - The orchard owner said he filed a complaint, but the district police say they didn't receive a report and are not investigating. (Haaretz)
  • Israeli bulldozers demolish nursery in the south of the West Bank - Al-Samou deputy mayor, Haroun Abu Karsh, said that Israeli forces escorted a bulldozer to the entrance of the town, where they demolished a 60 sq. meter nursery, purportedly for being close to the nearby bypass road heavily used by Israeli settlers. (WAFA)
  • 'It Doesn't Matter': Likud Lawmaker Defends Citing Fake Post Vilifying anti-Netanyahu Protesters - Osnat Mark retracted her comments before a Knesset panel, but argued the fact that the Facebook post was fake 'doesn’t change anything.' (Haaretz+)
  • Israel's Attorney General to Indict Former Minister Haim Katz for Tax Offenses - Likud lawmaker Katz is suspected of failing to properly report $651,000 in income from seven properties he owns. (Haaretz+ and Maariv)
  • Telecom minister accuses Israel of violating Palestinian sovereignty - Minister of Telecommunications and Information Technology Ishac Sidr today accused Israel of violating Palestinian sovereignty and control over its territory after a decision was made to grant the Israeli telecommunications company, Bezeq, a license to operate in the occupied West Bank. (WAFA)
  • Israel to Prosecute Pipeline Company Officials Over Disastrous 2014 Oil Spill - The Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline Company is suspected of environmental violations, including aggravated water pollution and the illegal disposal of hazardous waste. (Haaretz+)
  • Minister thwarts censure of chief rabbi for bashing women, Reform Jews - Shas lawmaker refuses to take steps that would see Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef removed from rabbinical court for accusing Reform Jews of perverting Torah, declaring he would block women from being recognized as religious scholars. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Jerusalem Turning Over Most Municipal Properties to ultra-Orthodox Groups - Phenomenon persists even in secular, mixed neighborhoods, survey shows. (Haaretz+)
  • Israeli High Court Hears Petition Against Gantz’s Alternate Prime Minister Role - Petitioners argue that the new role of alternate prime minister, held by Benny Gantz, has in fact allowed two separate, competing administrations. (Haaretz+ and Maariv)
  • France Warns Citizens to Be Cautious as Anger Seethes in Muslim World Over Cartoons - France has been on high alert following the beheading of a teacher and areas around the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower in central Paris were evacuated briefly on Tuesday in security alerts. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III condemns insults to Islam and violence in France - Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III, Chairman of the Council of Heads of Churches of the Holy Land, today denounced the sequence of events in France, which started with insults to Islam and the Prophet Muhammad and was followed by a murder crime of a teacher as a retaliation for the insults, which triggered a series of crimes that targeted innocent Muslim civilians. (WAFA)
  • Saudi Arabia, Iran condemn France over cartoons of Prophet Mohammed - Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, holds back from supporting a boycott, Iran summons French diplomat as official and public protests across the Muslim world continue. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Erdogan sues Dutch anti-Islam lawmaker for calling him a "terrorist" - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is suing Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders after the anti-Islam politician posted a series of tweets against the Turkish leader, including one that described him as a "terrorist." (Israel Hayom)
  • Israel blasts Erdogan's 'disgusting' comparison of Muslims in France to Jews in WWII - "Israel rejects the disgusting comparison made between the struggle against Islamist extremism in France, and Nazi policy and racism against Jews in Europe before World War II," Foreign Ministry says in response to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (Israel Hayom)
  • Greece, Israel eye closer cooperation amid Turkey tension - Greek FM pledges to increase cooperation with Israel in an effort to counter Turkey, which is at odds with Greece over energy boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean; 'Our region is not going back to the 19th century,' he says. (Agencies, Ynet)
  • Turkey-backed Syria Fighters Retaliate for Deadly Airstrike - The escalation also comes as relations between Russia and Turkey, who negotiated the cease-fire, show signs of strain over Ankara's increased military involvement in the region. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • UN Watchdog Confirms Iran Starts Building at Underground Nuclear Facility - Following July explosion at the Natanz nuclear site, Tehran said it would build a new, more secure, structure in the mountains around the area. (Agencies, Haaretz)


Features:

‘Iranian’ Meddling in U.S. Election Shows New Skills. But Is It Really Iran?
An alleged email from the far-right Proud Boys to Florida Democrats was actually an Iranian operation, U.S. officials say. Cyberexperts in Israel say it’s likely a further sign of Tehran upping its game. (Omer Benjakob, Haaretz+)
Dubai, strictly kosher
The United Arab Emirates is already preparing to receive tens of thousands of Israeli tourists: Establishing a Jewish center aboard the luxury ship Queen Elizabeth 2 moored in Dubai. From the huge kitchen, kosher meals will leave for the hotels in the city, and there will be kosher luxury restaurants, a supermarket with products from Israel, a deli, banquet halls, an investor relations center, conference rooms and guest rooms. (Ynet Hebrew)
'Trump Encourages It': Pittsburgh Jews Still Fear Far-right Violence, Two Years After Massacre
A visit to the Squirrel Hill neighborhood finds many Jewish voters promising to have the last word against a president they regard as America’s inciter in chief since the tragedy at the Tree of Life Synagogue. (Danielle Ziri, Haaretz+)

Top Commentary/Analysis:
Israeli High Court's Ruling on Palestinian Hunger Striker Is No Surprise (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) For the second time in a month the justices evaded taking any principled stand regarding the shameful type of detention in which Maher Akhras, 49, has been detained without indictment, trial, evidence or the right to defend himself, for which heh has been on hunger strike for three months in protest.  The High Court proposed a half-and-half solution, the suspension of administrative detention while in hospital…The Shin Bet says that the 49-year-old Akhras is dangerous. If so, why not submit a detailed indictment against him? Akhras was arrested and tried twice before for offenses related to membership in the Islamic Jihad. He served sentences of 11 and 26 months. So why opt for administrative detention this time? Sometimes the Shin Bet doesn’t want to expose collaborators who have provided information (true or distorted). Sometimes, apparently, the Shin Bet is embarrassed by the weak evidence or flimsy suspicions, preferring to blur these as much as possible…The Shin Bet is digging in. Its built-in imperiousness does not allow it to give up in the face of the only weapon available to a detainee without trial: self-starvation. The judges could have extricated all of us from this horrific scene of a man dying in front of cameras, and ordered his release and transfer to a West Bank hospital. But it was naïve a priori to expect that this time the court would show some courage.
What's Behind Israeli-Arab Peace Agreements, and What Do They Mean for the Palestinians? (Shaul Mishal, Haaretz+) There is reason to be concerned when a deep lack of trust hangs over the relations between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz and the rest of Israel’s security establishment. We also need to be concerned when a dark cloud hangs over the credibility of the prime minister in connection with Germany’s sale of submarines to Israel and of advanced American weaponry and F-35 airplanes to Arab countries. It is almost certain that this is the tip of the iceberg, concealing what was agreed upon between the Gulf states and the Trump administration over a solution to the Palestinian issue…At the core of that plan was the establishment of overall peace between Israel and the Arab states and the Islamic world in general in return for an Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders. Although Israel never responded to the plan, it’s still alive and kicking in Arab consciousness and was even repeatedly mentioned in statements by the rulers of the Gulf states. One cannot exclude the possibility that quiet understandings have been reached between the United States and the Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, that down the road would lead to the gradual resurfacing of the principles of the Arab Peace Initiative as a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. That would place Israel on the horns of a dilemma…
Without the government intending to, the normalization agreements are playing into the hands of the left-wing (Ran Adelist, Maariv) In the midst of the turmoil of corona, the "peace", the elections and what happened to Barco, it became clear that there was an important positive addition to the normalization of relations with Arab countries. Alongside Jordan and Egypt, which play a significant role in the decision-making process in regards to Israeli-Palestinian relations, we now also have the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan, including Saudi Arabia, where the pro-Palestinian religious wing is the most extreme. Fortunately, the account of Netanyahu & Co.'s coalition is only meant to survive the day with the help of the peace trick, and tomorrow can go to hell. Even when the "peace" of the day is in the hands of the left, which is looking for any way to reach a political settlement at the expense of the settlements. n practice, the countries that normalized relations with Israel - the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan -  are the ones that eliminated the annexation plan.Jared Kushner was the executor of the plan and proof of the international effort to move forward on an issue that is mistakenly called the "Palestinian issue,” and it is in fact the Israeli issue and more precisely the issue of settlements. In this respect, it is difficult to underestimate the importance of the High Court's decision in August 2020 in light of the understanding that someday the issue of settlements will reach international bodies that will be involved in an arrangement between us and the Palestinians. The High Court justices then ordered the cessation of all construction and land preparation activities in the area marked in the Mitzpe Kramim settlement, including the prevention of the construction of illegal structures on the site and the evacuation of existing structures in plots that were the focus of the hearing. The sequence of events up to the High Court is a matter of about ten years of tedious, continuous winks and mostly laden with technical details that elude a gray to dark ocean of proceedings like legal ones that are the core of the settlement enterprise. On the visible side of the story, houses were erected in Mitzpe Kramim on private Palestinian land with the encouragement of the government. The settlers appealed to the district court, which upheld their petition because the petitioners had built their house "in good faith" (for Pete’s sake) and "believed in the government" (as if the government was allowed to break the law). The Palestinians appealed to Israel’s High Court, which disqualified the district court decision and ordered the land to be vacated within three years, i.e. in 2023. The judges rejected the state's claim of good faith and ruled that it had allotted the land, which was registered as private, while closing its eyes. There are 45 families living in Mitzpe Ka\ramim - 16 in permanent homes and another 29 in caravans. The ruling does not apply to 12 of the buildings, but the residents make it clear that the evacuation of the houses in question means the end of the outpost. The settlers' claim is against the High Court, as published in Haaretz: "They live on another planet and are cut off from the people. When we ask how to correct injustice in injustice, we are told that the Palestinian is the native, but where are we in the picture? Are we robbers? We don’t deserve justice?”  This is called “You murder and you inherit," [biblical saying - OH]  and from now on we will wait for a situation in which private land will be part of the management of future relations with the Palestinians. I know some lawyers who would be happy to help settlers other than [settler lawyer Itamar] Ben-Gvir and the right-wing government. Maybe Ambassador David Friedman and Special Envoy Jason Greenblatt? They look like real estate sharks to me. Assuming that the leaders of the states that normalized relations will side with the Palestinian side, let’s see those (settler representatives) face Ben-Zayed, Ben-Salman and Ben-Tarek.
With Sudan Normalization, What Would Happen to Darfuri Refugees in Israel? (Vered Lee, Haaretz+) More vulnerable than ever to the malice of those wishing to deport them, asylum seekers in Israel are anxiously following the raids and ethnic cleansing still taking place in Darfur.
Why the uproar about selling F-35s to the UAE? (Caroline B. Glick, Israel Hayom) The same generals insisting today that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is selling Israel's strategic interests down the river in exchange for a piece of paper from Abu Dhabi, supported Arafat's moves to build multiple terror militias.
We are still allowed to object to the Rabin legacy (Itamar Fleishman, Israel Hayom) A person does not have to swear allegiance to Yitzhak Rabin's sometimes flawed path and actions in order to loathe his murder and the incitement that preceded it.
The Israeli right’s new vision of Jewish political supremacy (Raef Zreik, 972mag) The settlement project's success has led to an intertwined Jewish and Palestinian population, reviving the problem Israel tried to solve through expulsion in 1948. Now, the right's priority is segregation.
Israel Needs a Different State Comptroller (Haaretz Editorial) The special report on Israel’s handling of the coronavirus crisis met the low standard that was expected from State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman [Netanyahu’s choice for the position - OH]. That, in light of his promise, on assuming office, to tread lightly in dealing with decision-makers, making do with “constructive criticism” only…A report on a crisis about which Benjamin Netanyahu himself said “Some people view it as the greatest challenge humanity has faced since World War II” did not mention the performance of the prime minister or relevant members of his cabinet.
Closing in on the goal (Boaz Bismuth, Israel Hayom) After three rallies in Pennsylvania, President Donald Trump went on to events in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nebraska, and also managed to swear in his third confirmed Supreme Court justice nominee.
Israel must kick its Donald Trump addiction (Barukh Binah, Yedioth/Ynet) Just as he did with the U.S., the president whom Israel believed was its ultimate friend has left it more isolated than before; Nov. 3 could prove to be start of long and much-needed rehab process for the country's international standing.
Win or lose, Trump has already blown smashed conventions (Ariel Kahana, Israel Hayom) "He isn't presidential," critics of the president say. But his being "un-presidential" has allowed Donald Trump to do things that none of his predecessors could or would.
Op-Ed by Joe Biden: Two Years After the Tree of Life Shooting, the World Feels Dark. We Must Be the Light (JTA, Joe Biden, Haaretz) Two years ago, a gunman entered the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh with hate in his heart and bigotry in his soul. Beset by a false sense of grievance and an imagined threat, he murdered 11 peaceful souls at prayer, taking age-old antisemitism to its most vile conclusion. We were reminded in that moment, as we have been too many times before, that we still have work to do to give meaning to the haunting phrase: never again. I’ve never forgotten the harrowing lesson of those words, which I first learned from my father as a young boy in the years that followed the horrors of the Holocaust. I’ve done my best to pass that lesson along to my children and grandchildren, taking them to visit Dachau so they could see firsthand what can happen if we stand silent in the face of evil and prejudice. Those experiences were about more than bringing to light the darkest chapters of the past. Because the end of that story isn’t one solely of loss and devastation; it’s also about the survivors, their perseverance, determination and faith. It’s about the wisdom we can glean from generation to generation of Jewish history…
Erdogan’s Attack on Macron Exposes Minefield Between Europe and Turkey (Zvi Bar'el, Israel Hayom) The Turkish president came out against his French counterpart's remarks on Islam, but a culture war is raging beneath the surface between Paris, Ankara and Brussels.
Turkey Doesn't Have the Economic Bite to Back Up Erdogan's Bark (David Rosenberg, Haaretz+) It’s one thing for Erdogan to make threats and dispatch troops, it’s another to pay for it and provide them with advanced weaponry. Turkey doesn’t have the latter.
Sometimes you need to shock and and awe: the Lebanese leadership is unwilling to back down (Yitzhak Levanon, Israel Hayom) The youth demonstrations in Lebanon in October 2019 raised hope that the cedar state was at the dawn of a new era. But a year later, it can be said that the revolution failed. Moreover, it does not appear on the horizon how it will be able to be resurrected. There are three reasons for the failure of the revolution: one is the stubbornness of the political leadership to hold on to the rays of power at all costs. The second is an economic situation that is on the verge of abyss. The third is the frustration and fatigue of the protesters. The ruling political leadership today is unwilling to relinquish its control in favor of basic reforms in the governmental structure, even at the cost of harming the public. The distribution of ministries in the government is still done according to the ethnic key. It is still impossible to form a government because the Shiites are demanding influence in the formation of the government, as well as are the Christians. Meanwhile the people are becoming poorer, more vulnerable and more helpless…
While Coronavirus Cabinet Rules Israel, What Are the Other Ministers Doing? (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) The organization called the “coronavirus cabinet” is terrorizing the inhabitants of Israel. If it weren’t real, it could serve as the title of a book by Umberto Eco or Dan Brown. Its name is reminiscent of frightening institutions such as the “Politburo,” “the “Kremlin,” the “Elders of Zion,” the “Revolutionary Council,” the “Deep State,” and other mysterious and violent arms of government. The very mention of their name causes everyone to tremble…The coronavirus is the excuse for the existence of this cabinet. But what are the other 20 ministers doing, those with offices, luxury cars and huge budgets? For example, the Ministry for Regional Cooperation. In which region exactly is it cooperating? The Red­­-Dead Canal (the plan to quarry a canal from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea) is so frozen it could serve as a skating rink on sand, relations with Jordan are paralyzed, and the peace with the Emirates was brought about by U.S. President Donald Trump, as was the peace with Bahrain and Sudan…
How to Prevent the Next Israeli Museum From Having to Sell Off Its Collection (Yehudit Kol-Inbar, Haaretz+) Over the years those funds have gradually been drying up. The museum, like almost all the museums in Israel, is finding it hard to survive. There are museums in which the collection is neglected. It’s easy and unprofessional to blame the museums, and especially the Museum for Islamic Art. The accusing finger should be pointed at the Culture Ministry and the local authorities. They could have increased the budgets, directed the schools to study part of the time in the museums, thus enabling more “capsules” of small groups on the one hand, and independent revenues for the museum on the other.
The Joint List's growing rift with the Arab street (Jalal Bana, Israel Hayom) Many in Arab Israeli society, specifically the vast majority of its Muslims, are growing frustrated that the Joint Arab List's positions and activities in the Knesset increasingly reflect leftist, secular-liberal policies that shun their basic values.

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

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