News Nosh 12.2.20

by APN 12/02/20
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APN's daily news review from Israel - Wednesday December 2, 2020

Quote of the day:

"...the assassination was intended to provoke the Iranians to a response that would lead to a joint Israeli-American bombing. Luckily for us, the Iranians in this case are the responsible adult."
--Maariv commentator Ran Edelist writes that the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was not intended to delay the race for the bomb.*

Breaking News:
Bill to go to elections passes preliminary reading
By joining the opposition in passing a bill to dissolve the Knesset, Kahol-Lavan voiced its dissatisfaction with Netanyahu, accusing the prime minister of putting his own personal interests ahead of those of the country. (Ynet and Israel Hayom)


Front Page:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

  • On the verge of elections (Hebrew)
  • The illusion sellers // Sima Kadmon writes that Gantz left the door open to Netanyahu (Hebrew)
  • Just not again // Ben-Dror Yemini against another election, no matter how bad this government is (Hebrew)
  • 1,200 new corona cases a day, third lockdown on the way  - but Israel is again dragged to the polls (Hebrew)
  • Senior Holocaust researchers in Israel: Don’t appoint Effi Eitam as chairman of Yad Vashem
  • “We are at the beginning of the third (corona) wave”

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

  • The parting speech - Kahol-Lavan leader announced he will vote in favor of bill to dissolve Knesset
  • “Beginning of the third wave”
  • (Finance Minister) Katz: Worried about the collapse of the dollar

Israel Hayom

  • On the verge of divorce - Elections 2021? Gantz: “We will vote today to dissolve the Knesset”
  • And thank you to the base that brought us this far // Mati Tuchfeld
  • The real vote - behind the scenes // Gideon Allon
  • Netanyahu’s spring // Amnon Lord
  • Cyberattack on Shirbit: Significant potential for damage // Yoav Limor
  • The black forest - Carmel forest after fire in 2010 and now
  • “We are at the beginning of the third wave”
  • Women’s organizations against appointment of Aisman as State Prosecutor: “The complaints were not thoroughly probed”


Top News Summary:
Israel charges towards a fourth election in two years and a third lockdown in nine months and calls to freeze the appointment of attorney Amit Aisman as the next state prosecutor get louder over his numerous sexually improper remarks and Haaretz+ revealed that Aisman was the one who opposed initiating criminal proceedings against a senior police officer accused of sexually harassing a subordinate - making top news in today’s Hebrew newspapers.

In a speech where he accused his coalition partner, Binyamin Netanyahu, of leading Israel to a fourth election in two years because he would not pass the 2020 and 2021 state budgets, Kahol-Lavan leader and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz announced Monday his party would vote with the opposition to dissolve the Knesset. (Indeed, the preliminary reading of the bill to dissolve the Knesset passed today and will require three additional successful readings before new elections must be called.)

Earlier Tuesday, Opposition leader MK Yair Lapid called on Gantz to “complete what we started and get Netanyahu out of Balfour.” But, Lapid refrained from calling for a joint run with Kahol-Lavan, unless Lapid is at the top of the faction this time. "Everyone needs to come together under Yesh Atid (party),” he told Ynet Hebrew.

Israel is seeing the start of the third coronavirus wave, said a senior health official and the Deputy Minister of Health said Israel will impose night lockdown during the week of the Hanukkah. Haaretz+ reported that in Gaza the situation is worse, where the number of people infected daily is the same as in all of Israel. The small Strip has an infection rate of 30%. Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, 58, also got infected, but said he feels fine and is continuing to work.  

 

Quick Hits:

  • Israel’s Left-wing Meretz Party Rejects Push for Greater Arab Representation: 'It's Not Worth It' - Poll finds that only 0.7 percent of center-left voters were certain they would vote for a joint Jewish-Arab party. (Haaretz+)
  • Without Jobs or Education, Israel's Young Arabs Turn to Crime - The crime rate in Arab communities has jumped 50% in the past five years, while the homicide rate among Arabs is seven times the rate among Jews, data shows. (Haaretz+)
  • Israeli Army Vowed to Limit Arrests of Palestinian Minors, but Data Shows Otherwise - The army's pilot program, it seems, never took off, and hundreds are still being arrested with no warning, usually in the middle of the night. (Haaretz+)
  • Druze, Circassians protest against lack of promised budgets - Hundreds of Druze and Circassian Israelis blocked Route 6 on Tuesday in protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who, despite promising to do so in May, failed to approve a five-year plan to budget money for Druze and Circassian communities, according to Israeli media. (Ynet Hebrew and JPost)
  • Israel Refuses to Fund School Transport for Visually Impaired Arab Girl - Fidaa, a third-grade student, has been learning to read Braille in Hebrew only. The Education Ministry refuses to fund her ride to school on the grounds that there is one closer, but it only teaches in Arabic. (Haaretz+)
  • Police: A video of the scene of the shooting at a burglar in Arad strengthens the suspicions against the 70-year-old shooter - Police representative at a hearing to extend the detention of Aryeh Schiff said, “There is evidence that the investigators did not have until now, and can change the sections of the offenses attributed to (Aryeh Schiff).” Defense: "He has no criminal record." The judge extended Schiff’s detention by a day, saying that although it is possible to get the impression (from the security videos) that an attempt was made to steal Schiff's vehicle, it is also possible to get the impression that the shooting committed by the respondent may be interpreted as being done intentionally to injure the body. Schiff had said he aimed at the car wheels. (Maariv, Ynet Hebrew and Walla Hebrew)
  • Within two years: The number of mayors in the Arab sector who received threats doubled - The report of the Knesset Research Center shows that within two years, the number of non-Jewish threatened mayors jumped from 18 to 35, with the opposite trend among the mayors of Jewish localities. A similar increase was also recorded among other local government officials. In 2017, the list of threatened included 27 mayors from the Jewish sector compared to 18 mayors from the non-Jewish sector in Israel, and a year later the trend reversed, with 34 mayors from the non-Jewish sector listed, as compared to 23 mayors from the Jewish sector. "A resounding failure," said MK Abbas, chairman of the Committee for the Eradication of Crime in Arab Society. (Yedioth and Walla Hebrew)
  • Pandemic brings dark times to Jerusalem's Old City - Coronavirus outbreak is keeping visitors away from the Old City with less than a month to go until Christmas, the period when the ancient site is usually filled with tourists 24/7, bringing hardship to locals. (Agencies, Ynet)
  • ‘No chance’ for vote on Yad Vashem chair, says Blue and White - Effi Eitam, who served as an IDF brigadier general and as an MK and minister for the hard-right National Union party, made a series of controversial comments during his political career. (JPost)
  • Israel's UN envoy: Recognize Jews exiled by Arab states - Writing to United Nations chief Guterres, Gilad Erdan calls on international body to encourage study of expulsion of 850,000 Jews from Arab countries, says placing emphasis only on Palestinian refugees is 'infuriating.' (Ynet)
  • Report: Sudan Threatens to Nix Israel Normalization if U.S. Refuses Immunity Demand - Sudan won't move forward with Israel deal if U.S. Congress doesn't grant it immunity from future terrorism claims, officials tell New York Times. (Haaretz and Ynet)
    Bahrain delegation arrives in Israel for talks on boosting ties - 40-strong Bahraini delegation on 2-day visit set to meet both Netanyahu and Ashkenazi as well as sign memorandum of understanding that 'includes the establishment of a bilateral forum to promote mutual tourism.' (Ynet)
  • Iran's parliament advances bill to stop nuclear inspections - Iran's official IRNA news agency says 251 lawmakers in the 290-seat chamber voted in favor, which amounts to a show of defiance after the killing of a prominent Iranian nuclear scientist last month.  (Haaretz and Israel Hayom)
  • Saudi Arabia Rejects Iranian Accusation It Participated in Nuclear Scientist's Killing - Iran claims the plans to assassinate top scientist Fakhrizadeh were discussed in a recent covert meeting between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Benjamin Netanyahu. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • European Allies Pushed Back When Trump Sanctioned Iran's Banks - Germany's Bundesbank also kept a multi-billion-euro deposit facility open for Iranian banks, including two that faced fresh U.S. sanctions, giving Tehran a much-needed banking lifeline. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Hackers break into leading Israeli insurance firm, leak personal details - Insurance company Shirbit says the incident is an ‘attack on Israel’s economy,’ the latest in a series of cyber-attacks targeting Israeli firms. (Haaretz+, Ynet and Israel Hayom)
  • UAE hosts its first ever Orthodox Jewish wedding in Dubai - Colorful event takes place at the Park Hyatt Dubai Hotel under the Gulf state's lax virus guidelines, catching the attention of curious locals, some of whom came to watch the proceedings in traditional Arab attire. (Ynet and VIDEO)
  • Tourism Ministry Warns Israelis: Don’t Discuss Palestinians or Democracy While Visiting UAE - Ministry circulates document regarding 'diplomatic sensitivity,' urging Israelis to avoid sensitive topics including U.S. diplomatic ties, Qatar or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Haaretz+)
  • The future is now: New technology aims to turn IDF soldiers into lethal weapons - Elbit Systems subsidiary Elsec unveils the advanced technology used by the IDF, offering a unique glimpse into the technological frontline. (Israel Hayom)
  • Prosecution Closes Case Against Suspect in Car-ramming of anti-Netanyahu Protester - The driver, Pini Luzon, claims his car ran into the protester while trying to flee the area after other protesters broke his car window. (Haaretz+)


Top Commentary/Analysis:
How Gantz Fell Victim to Netanyahu's Most Sophisticated Political Sting Operation Ever (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) The Knesset will dissolve, the budget won’t pass, and the country will sink into an economic abyss, because Netanyahu never meant to give Gantz his rotation.
The political warfare must end (Itamar Fleishman, Israel Hayom) In this battle of the trenches only survival matters, and in the no man's land between these opposing political armies, trapped Israelis are used as human shields to be wounded, scrapped and sacrificed for a juicy headline.
This Time, Netanyahu (Accidentally) Did the Right Thing (Uzi Baram, Haaretz+) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu specializes in “strategic political terror attacks.” He excels in dismantling rival parties and systematically undermining military figures who are trying to reinvent themselves as potential leaders. (That’s why all the politicians who continue to woo these retired officers are perceived as obsolete.) The “magician”’s latest trick is separating MK Mansour Abbas and the United Arab List party that he heads from the Joint List electoral alliance to which it belongs. Netanyahu’s goal is one more vote in the Knesset toward escaping prosecution. But Netanyahu made a strategic error. The move could hurt him, because it has paved the way for a situation in which any Arab elected official could become part of the government coalition or of any other political constellation.
Bad alternative: Despite government failures, going to the polls is a harrowing alternative (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth Hebrew) This is not a bad coalition, formed by a bad government. This is a very bad coalition with a very bad government. And yet - in this context there is one worse thing - dismantling the government and going to the polls. Because one must think not just one step ahead but two and three. What exactly will happen after the election, for the fourth time in two years, that has not happened to date? What Israeli patent will emerge in the coming months that will turn the picture around?
Reparations for Jews but Not Palestinians (B. Michael, Haaretz+) What suckers the Germans are. Had they passed an Absentees’ Property Law in time, they would have saved themselves a superfluous expenditure of billions of euros in reparations payments. So simple, so effective. To all the people it exploited, Germany could have said: “We’re sorry, but you weren’t here on the designated day. The day of the resurrection of the new Germany. That’s why our law determines that you are an 'absentee,' and everything you once had is now ours. So don’t bother us with brazen demands, okay?” But the stupid Yekkes (Germans) didn’t think of that trick, and for that they paid dearly. The young State of Israel was far more clever. Even before it was two years old, it had already passed an amazing Absentees’ Property Law that releases it from any preoccupation with the petty demands of nudnik Palestinians who insist on claiming their looted property.
A warning to Biden? (Rachel Avraham, Israel Hayom) Closer Saudi-Israeli cooperation against the ayatollah regime at this time is considered pivotal.
Toughest Job in Israel? The Challenges Facing Biden's Future Ambassador (Allison Kaplan Sommer, Haaretz+) Joe Biden's new envoy to Israel will have to make it clear that David Friedman's days are over, without totally reversing some of the outgoing administration's steps.
*Soon Biden will join the assassination defenders, and the Iranian threat bubble will burst (Ran Edelist, Maariv) When the EU, Russia and Abu Dhabi condemn the assassination of the Iranian nuclear scientist, it is not because of a moral attack, but out of self-interest. Netanyahu's current method is toxic and nasty…The assassination of the father of the Iranian nuclear program, the nuclear scientist Muhsen Fakhrizadeh, which the ayatollahs attributed to Israel, is a dangerous provocation, if indeed carried out by Trump and Netanyahu. Possible reasons for the alleged provocation: Trump is crashing, Bibi is facing a trial that will crush him, and these two are pursuing a policy may the disaster follow us. Netanyahu's current technique is toxic and nasty: to make threats of war to distract from the shameful and damaging failure to deal with the epidemic and its implications for the economy. In other words, be afraid of Iran and the bomb, and I will save you. Commentators have suggested that the assassination was probably intended to delay the race for the bomb, which is nonsense. In my opinion, the assassination was intended to provoke the Iranians to a response that would lead to a joint Israeli-American bombing. Luckily for us, the Iranians in this case are the responsible adult. And not that one should feel sorry for the ayatollah regime which is a terrible regime in itself. The prevailing assumption is that they will not be dragged into an immediate response until Biden returns the nuclear deal signed in 2015 by Obama and Rouhani with the consent of Supreme Leader Khamenei. Once that happens, one of the concepts of the Iranian threat will collapse. It was alleged that Fakhrizadeh was a ticking time bomb. According to a "security source in the West" quoted in the media, "the assassination of Fakhrizadeh is the culmination of Israel's strategic plan to sabotage the Iranian nuclear program, and it is an irreplaceable lack of knowledge." Really? Iran's nuclear infrastructure includes hundreds of scientists and the scientific and practical ability to get a bomb with and without the elimination of one or a dozen "senior" figures killed in recent years. In 2011, the father of the Iranian long-range missile program, Tehrani Mukadem, was eliminated. In 2016, the program was launched, the missiles were launched as planned, and it turned out that they reach every point in the State of Israel, which has put the entire defense system in a spin to this day. The real story is that the antics of the hired gunmen attributed to the Mossad do not stand in the way of strategic interests. Not those of Iran and not of the whole world involved in the Middle East. When the EU, Russia and Abu Dhabi condemn the assassination, it is not because of a moral and humane attack, but because of their own political interest. In about a month, Biden will join them, and the global interest will prevail over Israeli tactics. The result will be an explosion of the inflated bubble of the (so-called) Iranian threat, and until then, Netanyahu and Trump must be prevented from setting the region on fire. It turns out that Saudi Arabia, our beloved mistress, does not want chaos either. And even the Bahrainis, who most of the foreign population there are Iranians, think it’s a bad idea. In short, as usual, according to what is attributed to us, this time too we fired at our own feet. And if you think demonstrations are an important and useful thing, go out to demonstrations against the intention to drag us into war. And if you think the submarine deal is security corruption, what about today's security corruption that could degenerate us into bloodshed and destruction of biblical proportions?
Israel Buys Social Peace by Aiming Coronavirus Aid at the Middle Class (Sami Peretz, Haaretz+) Living standards during the pandemic have dropped, but policies have eased the pain for the great middle.
Netanyahu, Palestinians in West Bank and Gaza Need Vaccines, Too (Sari Bashi, Haaretz+) The news that pharmaceutical companies have apparently succeeded in developing an effective vaccine against the coronavirus is encouraging, especially in light of the Israeli government’s success in signing deals to supply of millions of doses of the vaccine. But senior health officials erred in their calculations: They counted only the number of vaccine doses needed to immunize nine million Israeli citizens, and failed to include the number of doses needed to vaccinate five million Palestinians, residents of the West Bank and Gaza, living under Israeli control and responsibility…At a time when the Palestinian authorities are unable to purchase the vaccines on their own, the state of Israel must do so – as part of its obligation to ensure equal rights to everyone living under its control, Israelis and Palestinians alike…
A foreign entity's dream hack (Yoav Limor, Israel Hayom) The fact that a major Israeli insurance company was hacked is more dangerous than it seems. A foreign entity could get its hands on this highly sensitive information and that is a very real cause for concern.
In the #MeToo Era, the Nomination for Israel's State Prosecutor Is Troubling (Ido Baum, Haaretz+) Potential appointment reflects major backsliding recently on the part of Israeli society in its attitude towards women.
Amal Asad, Druze Play Important Role in Israel's Regime of Separation (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) (Druze-Israeli) Brig. Gen. (res.) Amal Asad bemoans the destruction of democracy and the principle of equality between Jews and non-Jews in Israel (Haaretz, December 1). But he ignores the separate-and-dispossess regime that exists in the West Bank, which plays a decisive role in inculcating the perception of Jewish superiority that manifests itself in the Basic Law on Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People. Druze military personnel play an important role in this regime of separation.

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

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