News Nosh 11.30.20

by APN 11/30/20
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APN's daily news review from Israel - Monday November 30, 2020

Number of the day:

 68.
--The number of Palestinian bodies Israel amassed as bargaining chips.**


Front Page:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

  • “Israel’s ability to strike in the heart of enemy territory - is unprecedented” - The elimination of the “father of the bomb”
  • Iran: “These are the assassins” - Iranian Intel published photos of four men it claims were involved in the assassination (Hebrew)
  • A fighter, from age 1.5 - Shilo Naamat was injured by a rocket from Gaza in 2002, now he is going to the army: “As a child, I dreamt of being a soldier to close accounts with the one who launched at me. Today I prefer peace”
  • Sometimes you need to act // Nahum Barnea writes that Gantz must break-up the coalition government with Netanyahu
  • Health Minister Edelstein: “We don’t have a rabbit in the hat in order to decrease the rate of infection” (Hebrew)

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

  • Netanyahu: Cancel the indictment against me
  • Attempt to stitch an alternative government // Haim Shine
  • Attorney General: Stop the commission of inquiry into the submarines
  • The Gulf peace delegation - Kushner and Berkovich will meet with (Saudi Arabian crown prince) Bin Salman
  • The girl of gold - Artistic gymanst Linor Ashram got gold medal at European Championship
  • Health Minister Edelstein demands from the Treasury: Increase the subsidized medicines budget to 650 million shekels
  • Shai Dromi: The shooting of the thief in Arad is similar to my case, deterrence is collapsing”


Top News Summary:
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s attorneys asked the court to dismiss charges against their client, which they accused the police and State Attorney’s Office of ‘inventing, Netanyahu's coalition partner, Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz, mulled whether to call for another elections, which his party members want because Likud won’t pass the state budget, and the Israeli security establishment warned of danger to Israelis traveling to Bahrain and the Emirates after the assassination of the chief Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh that was attributed to Israel, making top news in today’s Hebrew newspapers.

Yedioth and Maariv reported that not only did Israel’s Foreign Ministry warn Israeli embassies abroad to "stay alert,” following the assassination of Fahrizadeh attributed to Israel, but that Israeli tourists, especially those traveling to the Persian Gulf, need to beware of the Persian wrath. Yedioth published the faces of the four people who Iranian intelligence said were suspects in Fakhrizadeh’s assassination. Iran is searching for them. Meanwhile, an unnamed senior Israeli official told the New York Times that “the world should thank us” for killing Fakhrizadeh and that Israel will keep acting against Iran's nuclear program “as needed.” The UAE and Jordan both condemned the killing of Fakhrizadeh and called for self-restraint. However, a hardline conservative Iranian newspaper called on its government to strike Haifa, saying the attack must be greater than Iran’s ballistic missile strike against American troops in Iraq following the killing of commander of Iran’s Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, by the US in January. Today and Sunday, Iran held a funeral procession for Fakhrizadeh that passed through numerous cities before being buried today. Meanwhile on Sunday, Israeli Army chief Aviv Kochavi said that the IDF will keep fighting Iran in Syria. According to a report, an Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander was assassinated in Syria on Sunday.

Maariv also reported that Saudi Arabia still has not given the green light to Israeli airlines to fly over its territory on the way to Dubai. This week the Israir flight to Dubai were to begin. Thousands of Israelis bought tickets and if the permission is not given, the flights will be cancelled.

 

Quick Hits:

  • In Aqaba, King Abdullah and Abbas express hope Biden will revive 2-state solution - Jordanian king, PA president accuse Israel of attempting "to impose new realities" by annexing and accelerating settlement building in "occupied Palestinian territory." Diplomats say the monarch, a staunch US ally who was among the first Arab leaders to congratulate US President-elect Biden, saw Trump's backing of Netanyahu as sidelining the kingdom's once pivotal role in Arab-Israeli peacemaking. (Agencies, Israel Hayom)
  • **Since 2016, Israel Amassed 68 Palestinian Bodies as Bargaining Chips - The exception was the body of Noor Shuqeir, who was shot dead on suspicion of carrying out a car-ramming attack. The body was ultimately returned to his family, indicating Israeli realizes there was no foul play. (Haaretz+)
  • High-ranking Cop Indicted for Attacking anti-Netanyahu Protester, Photographer - Chief Superintendent Nisso Guetta may face imprisonment, after he was caught on camera in the August 22 incident; video shows him beating Avichai Michael Green and then attacking person filming the incident. Israeli police grapples with mounting scrutiny over increased violence at anti-gov't protests. (Haaretz+, Maariv and Ynet)
  • Israeli municipality demolishes stairway leading to al-Aqsa Mosque - An Israeli bulldozer demolished stairway leading to the Lions’ Gate under pretext it was used to transfer equipment to al-Yusifiya Islamic cemetery. Israeli municipality surveyors also began to survey cemetery's land and fixed signs there. The reason for demolishing the stairway or what happened in the area remains unknown. (WAFA)
  • Israel Approves Transferring $750 Million in PA Tax Funds to Palestinians - Israel will continue to deduct 600 million shekels from the sum, the amount transferred by the PA to 'terrorists who were detained in Israel as well as to their families and to released prisoners,' according to Israeli law. (Haaretz+ and Israel Hayom)
  • Gantz Agrees to Pause Commission of Inquiry Into Submarine Affair After Request by Attorney General - Commission was to probe corruption allegations regarding purchase of German submarines – a case that plays a central role in Israel's anti-Netanyahu protests. (Haaretz+)
  • At sixth session, High Court says state has until July to update on failure to evacuate Khan Al-Ahmar - The High Court of Justice ruling is the latest twist in a protracted legal battle with regard to the West Bank herding village of Khan Al-Ahmar that dates back at least eleven years. (JPost and Maariv)
  • Mayor of Arab Israeli Town Cancels Lecture Given by pro-LGBTQ Lawmaker - Despite claims that cancellation of talk and municipality center came after pressure from religious leaders, Qalanswa Mayor Abad Al-Bast Salama cancelled event where pro-LGBTQ rights Arab lawmaker Aida Touma-Sliman was meant to speak in honor of International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women, saying his decision was based on COVID-related health concerns. (Haaretz+)
  • Limited Measure? Israel Determined to Extend COVID-19 Digital Surveillance of Israelis - From the government to the police, it seems that Israel has fallen in love with the idea of surveillance on its citizens. Here are the problems they don't want to discuss. (Haaretz+)
  • Gaza gets vital medical aid as hospitals struggle with rising infections - World Health Organization delivered 15 ventilators to Gaza hospitals, funded by Kuwait, a week after local and international public health officials said hospitals in the Palestinian enclave could soon be overwhelmed by influx of COVID-19 patients. (Ynet)
  • Israel to sell surplus F-16s to Canadian company for $100 million - Defense Ministry is in negotiations to sell 29 used planes to simulate enemy forces in a deal set to be the largest sale of Israeli Air Force surplus yet. (Calcalist English)
  • Australian Jewish Community Joins Outcry Against Pick to Lead Yad Vashem - Effi Eitam, who spewed anti-Arab rhetoric, 'cannot lead an institution that is dedicated to warning of its dangers without discrediting that institution’s core message,' Executive Council of Australian Jewry statement says. (Haaretz+)
  • New Chat Service Could Save Arab Women Locked Up With Abusive Men Due to COVID-19 - Calls for help from Arab Israeli women suffering domestic violence surged during both lockdowns. A new service makes it possible to get help discreetly. (Haaretz+)
  • Dubai's first Hebrew-language institute to open in January
  • Head of Dubai's Jewish community heralds Abraham Accords that "have finally allowed for the building of a close relationship between the Jewish community in the UAE and the State of Israel." (Israel Hayom)


Features:

Salman Schocken: Forefather of Haaretz Newspaper and a Modernist in Love With Tradition
A documentary about Schocken wisely focuses on the aesthetic he cultivated as owner of department stores in Weimar Germany and bibliophile who published Agnon, Kafka, Buber and others. (Yitzhak Laor, Haaretz+)

Top Commentary/Analysis:
Iran Assassination Doesn't Change the Balance: Israel Still Needs the U.S. and Biden (Amos Harel, Israel Hayom) The killing of nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh changed the game just as Biden is set to enter the White House, but Jerusalem has to assume that Washington is taking plenty of notes.
Israel and Iran's atomic two-step (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) While Tehran probably does not want to start Mideast war before Biden takes office, the tendency of some Israeli officials to brag about even covert operations may force swift Iranian reaction to killing of top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.
Arab world willing to embrace the new Middle East (Prof. Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) Arab states' readiness to publicly side with Israel against Tehran reflects a solid alliance rooted in realistic interests, chief among them the need to counter the Iranian threat.
Assassinations and Sanctions Aren’t Working: Why America and Israel Need a New Iran Strategy (Steven Simon, Haaretz+) There's a better way for Biden and Israel to contain Iran's regional meddling and its nuclear aspirations – with the added benefit of clipping the wings of an increasingly authoritarian, aggressive Turkey.
Iran will have its revenge (Tamar Eilam Gindin, Israel Hayom) In an apparent effort to avoid dragging the entire region into war, the ayatollahs in Tehran have adopted a strategy of so-called "strategic patience" in response to the assassination of nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.
Visiting Dubai Is Like Standing on the Sidelines of a Gang Rape (Amalia Rosenblum, Haaretz+) Dubai is one of the toughest, most well-known centers of modern slavery and human trafficking. Beneath the glittering facade of a paradise in the desert lurks a cruel and lethal system of recruitment, transportation, transfer, kidnaping and defrauding of human beings – mostly women – by means of the threat of force, or the actual use of force, as well as other types of coercion. The purpose of the system is exploitation for the purpose of prostitution, other types of sexual exploitation, forced labor or employment in conditions of slavery.
How will Netanyahu the historian explain Bibi the politician? (Baruch Leshem, Yedioth/Ynet) The PM will one day sit down and write the memoirs of his long tenure as Israel's leader, but how will he excuse a possible fourth election in less than two years and his near-criminal reluctance to keep promises he made to Blue & White
A chance to right a historical wrong (Gilad Erdan, Israel Hayom) The Abraham Accords are a ray of light for the thousands of Jews currently living in Arab states. The rapprochement between Israel and the region's nations should encourage Arab leaders to allow the Jewish communities in their midst to proudly celebrate their heritage.
If another  right-wing government is formed, Israeli society will fall apart (Yair Golan, Maariv) Those who want a free, liberal, pluralistic Israel must support democracy, and strongly oppose anti-democratic tendencies. There is nothing more important than the unification of the ranks and the victory in the upcoming elections .
Full Transparency for the Submarine Inquiry (Haaretz Editorial) The commission’s first meeting, scheduled for Monday, has been postponed at Mendelblit’s request until the scope of its activity has been defined. The commission is expected to submit a final report in about four months. But that didn’t stop Netanyahu from quickly declaring that the panel’s purpose is “to reach a foregone conclusion.”
The painful price Gazans must pay for a Cambridge education (Tala Shurrab, 972mag) Being Palestinian from Gaza demands heartache, resilience, and luck to take on the obstacles of getting an education away from an occupied home.
As the left-wing camp becomes louder, its political power resets and disappears (Yossi Achimeir, Maariv)  The campaign that leftists are currently waging against the appointment of Effi Eitam as chairman of Yad Vashem is another example of the unrestrained attack on this camp. The extremists of the left-wing are strengthening the right-wing bloc….The work of the right-wing is faithfully done by the left-wing. Every demonstration, for all its "colorful" types and "creative" posters, all the expressions of racism, fascism, Nazism and Hitlerism among us, which are no longer solely the domain of the far left - strengthen the angry right-wing bloc, which is disgusted at those who have lost direction and conscience, and make politics out of the Holocaust. The greatest aides of the right are the two former prime ministers and the two great rivals - Ehud and Ehud. Ehud Olmert had long since abandoned his path and the teachings of his father, and was willing to hand over almost 100% of the liberated parts of his homeland [ie. the occupied Palestinian territories - OH]. In my opinion, every public appearance of his and every article in in his name amplifies the power of the right. It was not surprising, therefore, that he came out with controversial statements against Jonathan Pollard [Olmert said Pollard was no hero, he got money for his spying and he harms Israel by moving here - OH], until he needed to soften them. Ehud Barak, who once served under Netanyahu in one of his previous governments, did a great service to the right-wing when he publicly backed the wild demonstrator, a member of Kibbutz Gat, Sadi Ben Sheetrit, and stated: "Netanyahu is following in the footsteps of all the leaders of the fascist movements of recent generations." He later commented in detail on the remarks of the same Sadi… "He only said, 'Netanyahu, pay attention. You are taking exactly the steps that Hitler did in the beginning.’”…One should see the left-wing campaign against the appointment of Brig. Gen. (res.) Effi Eitam as chairman of the Yad Vashem Institution as a typical part of the left-wing claims - which the more it shouts, the more its political power resets. Disclosure: I am a member of the Yad Vashem board. In dismay and pity, I accepted the offer to join this forum, and to sit next to some dear Holocaust survivors…It was Chief of Staff Ehud Barak who in 1994 promoted Eitam to the rank of Brigadier General, from which he reached a senior position in the IDF, despite protests that arose even then. Now Eitam finds himself again in a difficult public test, as he is about to step into Avner Shalev's big shoes, and prove that indeed his appointment as chairman of the Yad Vashem board justifies itself, and the turmoil of his appointment will subside. From the long security mission for the future of the country - to the public mission for the memory of the past, let the great in the nation's disasters not be forgotten. We wish him good luck.
The Iron Ceiling (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) For a few years, since 2015, to be exact, I’ve had this feeling that we, the Arabs of Israel, were a charmed branch of the Palestinian people. The Arab world is mired in wars, the Palestinians are already two separate entities, and even the Jewish world is pretty rife with divisions and political parties that get smashed to smithereens. And amazingly enough, this branch was the only one that seemed to be uniting its ranks. But like everything, good or bad, it’s coming to an end. Now we’re in the twilight of the Golden Age; the Arabs have decided to return to their ancient custom and split. Let us just say to our Jewish friends who cast their hope upon us to fix what was broken on their side: You’ve missed the boat. Three times the Arabs threw you a rope, and in your great genius, instead of grasping it, you cut it. You casually rejected it, you acted spoiled and insulted, and instead waited for a purebred, blue-and-white rope. And so, all of us missed the opportunity to change the national agenda.
Honoring Kurt Rothschild at 100 (David M. Weinberg, Israel Hayom) The president of the World Mizrachi movement is one of the most indefatigable and loyal soldiers the Jewish People has been blessed with over the past century. How many philanthropists are there in the Jewish world whose worldview and involvements are so broad, and who are still active at age 100?
 

Interviews:
‘Refusing to serve in the army is my small act of making change’
Hillel Rabin spent 56 days in military prison for refusing to serve in the IDF. Now she opens up about her time behind bars, conversations with her fellow inmates, and talking to young Israelis about the occupation. (Interviewed by Oren Ziv in 972mag)

 

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

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