APN's daily news review from Israel - Monday January 25, 2021

 

Quote of the day:

“Israel consciously imported corona and further exempted it from customs…In the name of diplomatic advancement…”
—Einav Schiff writes in Yedioth that the fear of a diplomatic crisis with the UAE overcame scientific truth and epidemiological considerations.*

Front Page:

Haaretz

• Election bribery // Sami Peretz
• Changes in virus are disrupting Netanyahu’s plan to return to normal // Amos Harel
• Clashes between ultra-Orthodox and police in a number of locations across the country; Police officer shot in the air in Bnei Brak
• Ministers approved stopping flights to and from Israel till Sunday
• Choice of Meirav Michael as chairman of Labor party could pave way to union with Huldai
• Four-year prison sentence to former Ashkelon mayor convicted of bribery
• The bullying in the school yard did not disappear, it moved to WhatsApp
• Tribes in Brazil call to investigate Bolsonaro for Amazon destruction
• Municipality is waiting // Raviv Drucker writes that Tel-Aviv Mayor Huldai should withdraw from running for Knesset
• Principled Meretz (party) // Rami Livni writes that only Meretz sticks to its principles and works for interests of people
• Multi-discipline master - Talent of Itzchak Belfer RIP was discovered when he was at the Janusz Korczak orphanage in Russia
• Designer Artzi Yifrah left Paris despite success and found renewed inspiration in Morocco
• Corrupt generals, criminals and terrorist found in Dubai a comfortable place to launder money. The authorities prefer to turn a blind eye

Yedioth Ahronoth

• More than a 1,000 dead in one month
• Shin Bet is not the solution to violence in Arab sector // Nahum Barnea
• This is not an economic plan. It’s economic propaganda // Sever Plocker
• Ben-Gurion Airport wasn’t negligence. Israel imported corona knowingly // Einav Schiff (Hebrew)
• Bnei Brak is burning, but the politicians are silent // Amichai Attali
• (ZAKA chairman) Yehuda Meshi-Zahav speaks about the month he lost his brother, mother and father to corona
• (New Labor party chairwoman) Meirav Michaeli speaks about winning the primaries for chairperson of the Labor party

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

• Street battles (between ultra-Orthodox and police over corona violations)
• Black January - Bad record: More than 1000 Israelis died of corona since start of year
• Grants (for self-employed and middle class) in question
• Spoiled elections (pun of the word 'economic') // Yehuda Sharoni
• Meirav Michaeli elected chairwoman of Labor party
• Billionaire Tzadik Bino suspected of involvement in hit and run

Israel Hayom

• Black January 1000 dead in less than a month
• The aid to businesses, the grants - and the storm
• The mutations panic: Which one is resistant to the vaccine? And the most contagious?
• Bnei Brak, war film
• Ben-Gurion Airport, silent film
• 76 years later: Secret bunker and tfilin revealed in Warsaw Ghetto
• Meirav Michaeli elected chairperson of the Labor party
• 4-year sentence to former Ashkelon mayor Itamar Shimoni
• 21 years after withdrawal from Lebanon: Israel to invest in monument in honor of South Lebanon Army soldiers

Top News Summary:
More than 1000 deaths from corona in less than a month violent clashes between police(who threw grenades and beat ultra-Orthodox) and ultra-Orthodox (who clashed with them and set fire to a bus in Bnei Brak) in cities across the country over the police enforcementof corona restriction violations, the closing of all traffic at Ben-Gurion Airport starting Tuesday and the unveiling by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Yaakov Katz of a controversial economic relief plan that will provide direct payments to citizens - but without getting the Finance Ministry’s approval (a move commentators considered an elections gimmick) - were the top stories in the Hebrew newspapers along with the election of outspokenand principled Labor MK Merav Michaelias chairwoman of the struggling Labor party.


Corona Quickees:

• Democratic Lawmakers Slam Israel for Not Vaccinating Palestinians in Occupied West Bank (Haaretz+)
• Israel's tally of ventilated COVID patients at all-time high. (Ynet)
• Over 1 Million Receive Second Vaccine Dose (Haaretz)
• Israel includes teens now in vaccination drive (Ynet)
• Health Ministry reports first case of California virus variant (Ynet)

Elections 2021:
POLL: Likud grows stronger as Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope party falters - According to Channel 13 News, were elections held at this time, Likud would win 32 Knesset seats, Yesh Atid would win 18, New Hope drops to 14, and Yamina slips to 10 mandates. Current bloc scenarios place Center-Left bloc in a position to unseat Netanyahu with a 65-seat majority. (Haaretz+ and Israel Hayom)
Lawmaker Sami Abu Shehadeh Wins Leadership Primary in Israeli Arab Party Balad- Party members say Abu Shehadeh's election reflects changing attitudes within the party. The four leaders of the Joint List are expected to meet today for the first time in weeks. (Haaretz+)


Diplomacy and Security:
Trump Plan to Label pro-BDS Groups Antisemitic Is Off the Table - Sources say the plan never materialized due to concerns surrounding free speech and the State Department's inability to complete the list and get it approved before the new administration stepped in. (Haaretz+)
Israel Officially Opens Embassy in UAE - The temporary office in Abu Dhabi will be helmed by Eitan Na'eh, who previously served as Israel's ambassador to Turkey. (Ynet and Haaretz+ and Israel Hayom)
Israel approves agreement to upgrade ties with Morocco - Normalization deal pending ratification by Knesset; Jerusalem and Rabat also reach agreement to promote trade and economic collaboration in fields including regulation and innovation, set to be signed within two weeks. (Ynet and Israel Hayom)
First Contact Made Between Biden Administration and Israeli Government - The call follows several signals from U.S. officials that the Biden administration plans on consulting with Israel prior to any potential re-entry into the Iran nuclear deal. (Haaretz+)
Agreed on cooperation: Biden and Macron discussed Iranian nuclear deal - Presidents held a telephone conversation in which they emphasized importance of strengthening relations between the countries. They also agreed to cooperate on issue of Iran and agreed to provide assistance to weakened countries in fight against Corona. (Agencies, Maariv)
Iran said to lay out 7 preconditions to US for renewal of nuclear deal - Source in Rouhani’s office tells Kuwaiti paper that conditions for restarting negotiations include no participation by Gulf nations in the pact. (Times of Israel)
 

Quick Hits:

• Attorney General Closed Case Against Shin Bet Agents Accused of Torturing Palestinian Terror Suspect - According to documents obtained by Haaretz in 2019, Samer Arbid, had been deemed healthy by an Israel Prisons Service physician when he entered custody, after being arrested on suspect of murdering 17-year-old Rina Shnerb near a West Bank settlement. The next day, following his interrogation, Arbid arrived to the hospital in a wheel chair in critical condition, with a suspected heart attack, broken ribs and contusions. At a certain point, his body went into kidney failure and had to be put on a respirator. He regained consciousness two weeks later. (Maariv, Haaretz+ and Times of Israel)
• Palestinian worker dies after inhaling toxic gas fired by Israeli soldiers - Fo'ad Sebti Joudeh, 48, was among dozens of Palestinian workers who were on their way to their workplaces inside Israel, when Israeli occupation soldiers fired teargas canisters at them as they tried to cross a fence in the Israeli segregation barrier near the village. (WAFA and Ynet Hebrew)
• In a fresh attack, settlers chase herders outside pastures south of Hebron - A group of settlers from the illegal settlement outposts of Ma'on and Carmel, nearby, assaulted the herders while grazing their livestock in the area of Msafer Yatta, south of Hebron and forced them to leave. No injuries were reported. (WAFA)
• Israeli girl was slightly injured by stone-throwing in West Bank - A 15-year-old girl was lightly injured by stones being thrown at a vehicle, near the Palestinian village of Deir Abu Mash'al in Binyamin (West Bank). She was treated by MADA medics in the town of Halamish and did not need to be hospitalized. It is suspected the stones were thrown by Palestinians hiding in the bushes. The IDF has surrounded the village. (Ynet Hebrew)
• Tel Aviv University faculty condemn deal with settlement medical school - Deal will allow students from Ariel University (in West Bank) to do clinical work in TAU's affiliated hospitals. 'We're being forced to support the occupation.' (972mag)
• Arab-Israeli shot dead in Jaffa, cousin moderately wounded - Fatality named as Muhammad Abu Nijm,  Islamic Movement leader.  (WAFA and Times of Israel)
• More Than 140 Arrested After Violent Clashes Erupt in Israeli Arab Village - Some 250 police officers took part in the raid on Tur'an over suspected involvement in brawls, shootings, arson as violence two rival clans persists in the village. Police seize a submachine gun, Molotov cocktails and a grenade. (Haaretz+, Israel Hayom and Ynet)
• Defense Ministry to dedicate monument in honor of South Lebanon Army soldiers  - Finance, Defense ministries, PM's Office also working on an assistance package for some 400 former SLA fighters residing in Israel and facing a housing crisis. Defense Ministry official hails "first step on the path to correct a 21-year historic injustice." (Israel Hayom)
• Former Mossad spies take on Hollywood with new talent agency - SPYLEGENDS, established by former Mossad agent Avner Avraham, employs former members of intelligence and security forces from Israel and abroad. (Israel Hayom)
• CEC officially invites EU to observe Palestine Elections 2021 - EU Representative, Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorf, stressed the importance of ensuring an all-Palestinian participation in the electoral process in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem, as candidates and voters. (WAFA)
• Trump Admin Secretly Eased Sanctions on Israeli Mining Tycoon Dan Gertler - U.S. Treasury issued at lighting speed a temporary license suspending sanctions over shady deals in Congo to Dan Gertler, who is represented by Trump ally Alan Dershowitz and former FBI director Louis Freeh. (Haaretz+)
• Saudi-led Forces Thwart Air Attack on Riyadh - The coalition intercepted and destroyed an 'enemy air target', state-run Al Ekhbariyah channel and Saudi-owned Al Hadath said on their Twitter accounts. (Agencies, Haaretz)
• No, Twitter Did Not Suspend Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader - Twitter suspended @khamenei_site, but that wasn’t the authoritarian leader’s real account. (JTA, Haaretz)

Features:

For UN Mideast envoy, ‘peace’ meant placating apartheid
By playing to Israel's interests and ignoring power asymmetries, Nickolay Mladenov helped to normalize the oppressive regime ruling over Palestinians. (Inès Abdel Razek, 972mag)

Commentary/Analysis:

Why Biden Must Not Boycott Hamas (Muhammad Shehada, Haaretz+) Hamas wins significant representation in the May elections, the international community, including Israel and the Biden administration, must prioritize the welfare of Palestinians – by engaging with them.
Biden will not wait for Israel to make moves on Iran (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) The new U.S. administration is nothing like its predecessor and Netanyahu's insistence on sidelining the defense establishment could leave Jerusalem with little to no say in the upcoming nuclear negotiations with the Islamic Republic.
Don't overlook looming Iran crisis (Paul Miller, Israel Hayom) Biden's promise of swift action to curb the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout likely means that foreign policy will take a back seat in the early stages of his administration. That could prove dangerous.
When police kill a settler, settlers rain terror on Palestinians (Orly Noy, 972mag) Since an Israeli teen was killed in a police chase in the West Bank last month, settlers have been taking out their fury by attacking and evicting Palestinians.
Responsibility for the Riots Lies With Netanyahu (Haaretz Editorial) Hundreds of Haredim in Jerusalem and Ashdod clashed Sunday with police who arrived because of prayers and studies being conducted in violation of the lockdown guidelines. Four policemen were injured and four suspects were arrested. In Bnei Brak two policeman were assaulted Thursday night. Dozens of residents surrounded them and beat them, and when the policemen tried to flee, they threw rocks at them, opened the doors of their patrol car, smashed its windows and punctured its tires…The right is hallucinating about imposing sovereignty in the territories and Netanyahu blabbers endlessly about governance, but his government can’t even assert its sovereignty within the state’s borders. This is especially worrisome given that the Haredim now make up between 30 percent to 40 percent of those ill with the coronavirus…The Haredi parties are central partners in the government, but the rabbis are effectively above the law and the state isn’t enforcing the regulations…
In Bnei Brak, police did the media's bidding (Avishay Ben Haim, Israel Hayom) After weeks of being implored to "stick it to the Haredim," the police finally gave in to the media's not-so-subtle demands and brought Israel the closest we have ever
*The diplomatic mutation (Einav Schiff, Yedioth Hebrew)
The failure at Ben Gurion Airport (to prevent coronavirus from being imported) is not just negligence. Israel consciously imported corona and further exempted it from customs. In the name of diplomatic advancement, blessed as it may be, there may be real damage to public health…Most of the last month of the awful 2020 was ‘Dubai time.’ Tens of thousands of Israelis jumped at the double chance - to escape the corona and meet a new destination - and flocked to the seductive glittering princess. The definition of the UAE as a "green" country ensured the experience closest to the previous world: boarding a plane, getting off a plane, and returning as you come. Entire industries in Israel (restaurants, culture, etc.) were destroyed while Instagram was flooded with images that made your eyes pop. There, under the auspices of the "Abraham Agreements", the "Alternative State of Israel" was founded, as written here a little over a month ago. And the alternate state was almost entirely free from restrictions and certainly not properly supervised. And even then it was clear how it would end and why. The accumulated data leaves no room for doubt: much of the current wave of corona is like another version of the Swiss chocolate shopping at the duty free: something that is brought in from abroad and distributed to all your friends. Professionals warned in real time that this is a bomb that has already stopped ticking and is doing the only thing for which it was built. But the fear of a diplomatic crisis overcame scientific truth and epidemiological considerations.
How an Ongoing State of Emergency Will Benefit Netanyahu (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) There are enough fanatics in Israel looking for an excuse to impose eternal limitations because of the pandemic panic, something Netanyahu could use to his advantage.
This is not what a failure look like. The regulation [legalization of outposts] is a success (Elisha Ben Kimon, Yedioth Hebrew) The "young settlement" struggle failed. So, the settlers concluded three months of a campaign, including a month in a protest tent, several hunger strikes, three demonstrations, two fainting spells, and tens of thousands of shekels. Among other things, the summary statement of the struggle headquarters wrote that: "25,000 settlers sent by the Israeli governments to settle on state land remained neglected in the field and without security. Netanyahu and Gantz chose to keep us third-class citizens." But did the struggle really fail? We will try to understand what we had here. The experiment of legalizing the outposts began in September 2019. The experimenter was the settlement  Mevo’ot Yericho - an agricultural settlement [outpost - OH]without legalization, north of the city of Jericho, which has existed for 17 years in an area that is considered a consensus. Against the background of the election campaign at the time, several prominent activists in the settlement, together with the settlement mover and shaker, Zeev Hever, known as "Zambish", pressured Netanyahu to legalize the settlement. After legal formulations, some of which were written by the settlers themselves, the government legalized it within three days. The experiment was successful, even beyond expectation, and the significance is immense. A symbol of settling, budgets, infrastructure, and in fact a normal life like everywhere else. The success made the settlers wonder why not dozens of other localities that are in a similar situation - settlements or outposts, where in order to operate a washing machine you have to coordinate with the neighbor because otherwise the electricity will give out [because not hooked up to grid - OH]. At this point they began to formulate the "Young Settlement" venture. These are about 70 settlement sites throughout Judea and Samaria [West Bank]. The name is important: not outposts - a concept that evokes the connotation of outlaws, but settlement - an active action that connects with pioneering…It started with tours of localities and getting to know the people behind the arrangement. Meetings were held with government representatives in which the outline of a series of 46 localities was formulated out of about 70 that are in a "convenient" legal situation for settlement, ie - that are not on private Palestinian land, that no legal proceedings are being conducted against them, and more. After all this, the tone was sharpened: a protest tent was set up, demonstrations were held and pressure was exerted. Next month will mark 15 years since the harsh evacuation events in Amona (the so-called "Amona A"). So, for the purpose of evacuating nine houses, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert brought in the cavalry and large forces that used a hard, almost unprecedented hand against the settlers. The images that came out of there were harsh and burned into the people’s consciousness. Amona became a symbol. No one imagines such pictures today. 11 years later, in the evacuation known as "Amona B", an entire settlement was evacuated, and the pictures that emerged from there were completely different. The evacuees moved to a new settlement that was established and arranged for them. find the differences. Fifteen years ago, the people of the "young settlement" feared evacuation, the Civil Administration, petitions and delegitimization of the Israeli public. Today the same people are going to Jerusalem and with their heads held high they are waving a flag and demanding what they deserve - security services, water, electricity, humane living conditions. "Young settlement" has become a household name, one that rolls over the tongues of Knesset members and ministers. When they come to vote for or against they will remember the tent, the people, the struggle. Their fate was pretty much decided. So did the struggle fail?
The Left's mediocrity paradox (Erez Tadmor, Israel Hayom) One has to wonder why, despite a star-studded list of generals and other senior public and media personalities, the Left is unable to produce one leader whom the public can trust.
The growing internal hatred within us will lead to abysses; We need unity (Yossi Achimeir, Maariv) Will the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which will be held Wednesday for the 76th time since the Auschwitz camp was liberated, be used for the national soul-searching that is so much needed at the moment?
The true nature of tolerance (Asaf Romirowsky, Israel Hayom) American Jews have once again been forced to choose between their Jewish identity and a "pluralism" that generates intolerance.
Arab States Ending Qatar Blockade Is Really About Biden (Zvi Bar’el, Haaretz+) Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey intend to present the U.S. leader with a new diplomatic map of the Middle East and create a protective wall against any pro-Iranian slide.

 

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