News Nosh 12.8.20

by APN 12/08/20
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APN's daily news review from Israel - Tuesday December 8, 2020

Quote of the day:

“There is an educational lesson in this story – if a high school in Haifa is unable to bear an hour of dialogue on human rights, the students and parents would be better off to reflect on how Palestinians spent 53 years without human rights.”
--B’Tselem director, Hagai El-Ad, said after the renowned Re'ali High School in Haifa cancelled his lecture about human rights to be held today marking International Human Rights Day.*


Front Page:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

  • On the streets, businesses are shattered
  • From tomorrow evening, night curfew
  • History: The Beitar Jerusalem soccer team fans who refused to accept an Arab player will have to deal from now on with an Arab owner. Sheikh Hamed Bin Khalifa from Dubai acquired 50% stake in the team
  • Battle over the High Court - Sudden (early) retirement of Justice Mazuz gives right-wing tailwind to try to change the composition of the court

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

  • Hanukkah curfew
  • Corona committee meeting broken up: “Health Ministry abandoning the citizens”
  • Fell to his death - a week and a half after his bar-mitzvah
  • Pulling off the gloves - Even before the dissolving of the Knesset, parties began to campaign for elections
  • Peace in black and yellow: Emirati Sheikh Hamed Khalifa al-Nahiyan acquired 50% stake in Beitar Jerusalem soccer team [whose fan club is anti-Arab]

Israel Hayom

  • The vaccine is on the way, night curfew is already here - First delivery of Pfizer vaccine will arrive this week
  • Double tragedy within hours: Two 13-year-olds were killed: Yeshiva student fell from height in Beit Shemesh; Suspicion that youth played with a weapon in Juliyus
  • Mabruk (congratulations in Arabic) to Beitar: “The Emiratis will invest 300 million shekels in a decade”
  • Hanging up his cloak: Four years before his tenure ends, High Court Justice Mazuz retires
  • Tomorrow: Exciting launching of project “Genesis 2”


Top News Summary:
Israel imposes a night curfew from Hanukkah through News Year’s, as Israel records its highest daily rise in corona cases since October and Pfizer's vaccine set to arrive in Israel on Thursday, (while in Gaza, they received eight-days worth of tests from the World Health Organization after running out), liberal High Court Justice Menachem Mazuz suddenly announced he was retiring, setting off right-wing hopes to make the court’s composition right-wing and an Emirati sheikh bought a 50% stake in the Beitar Jerusalem soccer club, much to the chagrin of its fan club, who are infamous for their hatred of Arabs - making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.

UAE:
Fans of the Beitar Jerusalem soccer team fan club, ‘La Familia,’ have not allowed owners to acquire Arab players and two Muslim players who were acquired from abroad left mid-season after being continuously harassed and requiring personal security. Now the team will be half-owned by Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi ruling family, who has pledged to invest 300 million ($90 million) in the club over the next decade.

In other UAE-Israel news, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer, said that Israel is “very comfortable” with the Trump Administration's massive arms sale of F-35 planes and other weapons to the United Arab Emirates, as part of the deal with Israel, despite growing skepticism in Congress. The pro-Israel pro-two-state solution organization, J Street, backs the bipartisan senate effort to block the massive arms sale to the UAE. The UAE normalization deal is already bearing financial fruit for Israel. In the latest and a first, 200 Israeli companies are taking part in a major tech expo in Dubai. And the chairman of DP, the Dubai state-owned port operator, said at a UAE-Israel conference that Israel could be the link between Middle East and European ports. DP has already signed agreements with Israel's DoverTower. In Israel, the debate has begun over who will serve as the first Israeli ambassador to the UAE, Maariv reported. Likud sources claim that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu prefers to appoint a candidate on his behalf in a position of trust, with the leading candidate being MK Avi Dichter. On the other hand, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi demands a professional appointment.
 

Quick Hits:

  • Four Palestinians wounded by live fire during Israeli raid; two in serious condition - Six Israeli officers were lightly wounded during operation to arrest car thieves at Qalandiya refugee camp, Border Police says ■ Another Palestinian was shot by Israeli force at a nearby check point. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
  • Police cleared in alleged shooting of maimed 9-year-old boy - Justice Ministry says Border Police forces were attacked by a group of stone-throwers when Malik Eissa, 9, was struck by what appeared to be a sponge-tipped munition and lost vision in his left eye. Medical experts could not determine whether the boy had been struck by a bullet or a stone, ministry says. (Agencies, Israel Hayom)
  • WATCH: Israeli Settlers Threaten and Attack Palestinian Landowners in Jerusalem - On Monday morning, a group of Israeli colonial settlers invaded privately-owned Palestinian land in the Silwan neighborhood and threatened the Palestinian landowners, pointing a gun in their faces, The settlers arrived on the land with construction equipment, including a bulldozer, with the intent of razing the land to establish an illegal Israeli colony there. (WAFA and VIDEO and IMEMC and VIDEO)
  • New roads pave way for massive growth of Israeli settlements - In the coming years, Israelis will be able to commute into Jerusalem and Tel Aviv from settlements deep inside Judea and Samaria via highways, tunnels and overpasses that cut a wide berth around Palestinian towns. (Haaretz Hebrew and Agencies, Israel Hayom)
  • Senior Palestinian Official Ashrawi Reportedly Resigns Over Renewed Coordination With Israel - The sources close to prominent PLO Executive Committee member told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that 'she was angry' with the decision to resume ties with Israel. (Haaretz+)
  • UNESCO adopts two resolutions on Palestine without debate; foreign minister welcomes step - The two resolutions were on Occupied Palestine and implementation of resolutions concerning educational and cultural institutions in the occupied Arab territories. (WAFA)
  • Israel's Nation-state Law Shouldn't Harm non-Jews' Rights, Lawmakers Told After Court Ruling - Justice Ministry tells Knesset panel the contentious piece of legislation wasn't meant to affect individual rights, following recent court decision that cited the law to reject Arab children’s petition – which the High Court will now hear. (Haaretz+)
  • *Israeli School Cancels Meeting With Human Rights Group After Right-wing Criticism - The prestigious Haifa school says it postponed meeting with B’Tselem’s director in order to hold a preliminary discussion on democracy and freedom of expression. Earlier Monday,  the Young Likud movement in Haifa posted messages on social media condemning the planned meeting. (Haaretz+)
  • Former General Yair Golan Formally Joins Meretz, but Doesn't Seek to Unseat Party Leader - Golan left Ehud Barak’s Israel Democratic Party, saying, 'Meretz is the only party that has never lied to or betrayed its voters'. (Haaretz+)
  • Gantz's Party to Control Early Election Bill Amid Negotiations With Netanyahu - In attempt to gain upper hand in negotiations, bill to dissolve Knesset will be heard by the House Committee, which is headed by a Kahol Lavan lawmaker. (Haaretz+)
  • Israel Removed Thousands of Social Media Posts It Deemed Foreign Interference in 2019 Election - Meanwhile, government watchdog is probing security vulnerabilities in the Central Elections Committee's computer system as Israelis may be heading to the polls for the fourth time in two years. (Haaretz+)
  • Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Protest Jerusalem Light Rail Route, 25 Arrested - Posters urged community to join rally against 'destruction of its neighborhoods' as light rail route slated to pass through several ultra-Orthodox enclaves. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
  • Eighty Percent of State-funded Hanukkah Events Have Male-only Casts - Local authorities organize the events, but the Jewish Culture Department of the Ministry for Higher Education funds and advertises them. Channel 20 will air eight performances for children, all of which will feature only men. (Haaretz+)
  • In first, IAF chief names female officer as bureau chief - Maj. N., who serves as deputy commander of the 119th Air Force Squadron, will be the first female officer to serve in the highly sensitive. (Israel Hayom)
  • Ben-Gurion letter outlining his vision for Israel discovered after 69 years - Rare 1951 missive penned by Israel's first prime minister letter to Swedish journalist was revealed by recipient's granddaughter, in which he says 'humanity needs at this time peace, cooperation and friendship between peoples.’ (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Georgia Senate Debates Turn Ugly as (Republican Senator) Loeffler Accuses (Democratic challenger) Warnock of Being 'anti-Israel' - Democratic candidate Jon Ossoff debates empty podium after Sen. Perdue is a no-show, ahead of too-close-to-call runoff elections on January 5. (Haaretz+)
  • Rights Group Says 'No Grounds' for Egyptian Court Extending Activist’s Detention - Italian university student, Patrick George Zaki, told lawyers he was electrocuted, beaten and blindfolded during interrogations about his activism. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • France Won't Limit Egypt Arms Sales Despite Human Rights Concerns, Macron Says Alongside Sissi - 'It is more effective to have a policy of demanding dialogue than a boycott,' says Macron, citing Egypt's role in counter-terrorism and regional stability. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Senior Quds Force general dies of coronavirus - Brig. Gen. Abdolrasool Ostovar, formerly deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guards' Ground Forces, contracted coronavirus while on an "advisory mission" in Iraq, Iranian authorities say. (Israel Hayom)
  • Iran denies rumors on supreme leader's health, says he remains 'vigorous' - The statement about Khamenei's health comes in response to reports by several news organizations, which referred to a tweet by a journalist in Arabic who said Khamenei had transferred duties to his son because of his health. (Agencies, Israel Hayom)
  • European powers rebuke Iran after enrichment announcement - 'If Iran is serious about preserving a space for diplomacy, it must not implement these steps,' three European powers said in a joint statement. (Agencies, Haaretz and Israel Hayom)


Features:

The Cartel Project Leading Mexican Journalist Targeted by Israeli NSO's Spyware, Global Investigation Reveals
Despite repeated scandals, the global cyber-surveillance industry continues to supply Mexico with more and more invasive technologies. Multiple journalists have been targeted by these tools, including by NSO's Pegasus. (Cécile Schilis-Gallego, Forbidden Stories, Haaretz+)
Hundreds of anti-Netanyahu Protesters Were Attacked. These Are Some of Their Stories
Guy Lev was left with bruised ribs, Inal Jabarin was told that 'This time you’ll get a bullet like a terrorist,' and Inbar Tal was threatened with a knife. Demonstrating against Netanyahu is becoming more and more dangerous. (Bar Peleg, Noa Shpigel and Nir Hasson, Haaretz+)

Top Commentary/Analysis:
Buying Jerusalem Soccer Club, Emiratis Have Just Invested in Israel's Ruling Class (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) Known for its exuberantly anti-Arab fanbase, Beitar Jerusalem remains scarred by its past as Israel's underdog. But trust an Emirati billionaire to know where to place his bet: Beitar now represents the Israeli elite.
Are Jews trying to undermine fight against Jew-hatred?(Jonathan S. Tobin, Israel Hayom) Palestinian critics of the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism are unimportant. It's their Jewish fellow travelers who are legitimizing anti-Zionist prejudice that is the real problem. Groups like Americans for Peace Now and the New Israel Fund are now weighing in against adoption of the definition. That has made it clear that the line between groups that were heretofore deeply critical of Israel but still avowedly Zionist and those that are open about their opposition to Israel's existence and, as in the case of Jewish Voice for Peace, guilty of themselves spreading anti-Semitism has become completely blurred.
To defeat Corona, a new leadership is needed, one that will be completely different from the Netanyahu era (Yitzhak Ben-Ner, Maariv) If the majority wants to eradicate corona, stabilize the economy and unite the people, it must establish a new leadership.it seems that in (former chief of staff Gadi) Eisenkot’s personality, integrity and history he embodies what is required.
Gantz should stop Netanyahu at all costs (Baruch Leshem, Yedioth/Ynet) PM's worst enemy is time, as his trial is set to resume in February with witness testimonies, limiting his ability to pervert Israel's judiciary and escape a jail sentence; Blue & White can scupper this by staying in government.
Hunger strikes shouldn’t be the only time to protect Palestinian prisoners (Sahar Francis, 972mag) Not a day goes by without Israel detaining Palestinians or abusing prisoners' rights, yet its allies still choose to turn a blind eye.
Can Israel Now Give Up Its Nuclear Capabilities? (Akiva Eldar, Haaretz+) Between the lines of Thomas Friedman’s column last week in The New York Times, based on an interview with President-elect Joe Biden, lies the possibility that expanding the circle of peace in the region actually threatens Israel’s policy of nuclear exclusivity and opacity. Biden’s incoming team, Friedman wrote, is aiming for renewed negotiations with Iran that will include not just the original signatories to the deal with Tehran – the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France, Germany and the European Union – but also Iran’s Arab neighbors, especially Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. This approach could put to the test Israel’s traditional stance regarding the denuclearization of the Middle East, a position that has the support of the outgoing American administration.
Elite Israeli School Teaches Silencing (Haaretz Editorial) When Mendi Rabinovitz, the principal of the Hebrew Reali High School in Haifa, cancelled a talk today by the director of B’Tselem to mark International Human Rights Day, he taught his pupils an instructive lesson on human rights: The struggle for Palestinian human rights in the occupied territories has many enemies in Israel. They are powerful, they practice political harassment and silencing, and they triumph solely because people capitulate to their threats.
Let's not celebrate the romance with Ra'am prematurely (Prof. Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) The Right is reveling in this new friendship as it provides a type of bypass route to the Arab electorate, but is elegantly ignoring, despite everything it has preached in the past, the ramifications of joining forces with an Islamic movement displaying signs of moderation.
Why Biden Could Never Beat Bibi (Aron Heller, Haaretz+) Israeli politics are moving in the opposite direction to America: the demographics play to the right. A Biden-style victory could simply never happen here.
Israel is not a junta of generals who will dictate to heads of state how to behave (Zalman Shoval, Israel Hayom) Even without the transparent and trending politicization of the Submarine Investigation Commission, this committee should not have been set up. The question is who in a democratic regime is authorized to make decisions on security issues with strategic and geopolitical implications.
 

Interviews:
In the face of the polls, former minister Yair Tzaban is still working to save Meretz
In an interview on the occasion of the screening of a documentary telling about his work, Tzaban talks about the situation in the country: "We are in a dark place. We have never been in a situation where the ruling party functions as a puppet theater." (Interviewe4d by Yaakov Bar-On in Maariv Magazine supplement, cover) 

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

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