APN's daily news review from Israel - Monday February 1, 2021

You Must Be Kidding: 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly promised to advance the creation of a new Jewish settlement with 9,000 homes if three small far-right-wing parties merge.*

Front Page:

Haaretz

• Government convened to approve extending the lockdown; Police did not prevent mass funeral (of ultra-Orthodox) in Jerusalem
• Without fear of enforcement // Amos Harel
• The hatred for the ultra-Orthodox will only serve the right-wing // Ravit Hecht
• January was the worst month but the most optimistic of all since the crisis began
• Former justice minister Avi Nissenkorn left Huldai’s party; Today the Labor party list will be chosen
• The grief of the ‘Israelis’ (also the name of Ron Huldai’s party) // Yossi Verter
• Contrary to Education Ministry’s claims, regional inspector had approved participation of director of B’Tselem in a conference at the Haifai Reali High School
• Yad Vashem on libel suit against Polish historians: Attack on Holocaust research
• Shot in the foot // Noa Landau writes that the left-wing is willing to perpetuate the right-wing rule in order to depose Netanyahu
• Simple solution // Raviv Drucker against closing Army Radio
• It depends on her // Akiva Eldar writes that Israeli democracy needs Tzipi Livni to return to politics

Yedioth Ahronoth

• A snapshot of the situation (Photo of thousands of ultra-Orthodox men attending rabbi’s funeral
• The ultra-Orthodox leopard // Yedidiya Stern on problem to rule of law when ultra-Orthodox don’t follow rules (Hebrew)
• Your punching bag // Arieh Ehrlich writes that if anti-Netanyahu demonstrators get to be outside in large numbers, so should ultra-Orthodox attending rabbis’ funerals
• The suckers // Sima Kadmon on how state discriminates against majority of Israelis and allows ultra-Orthodox to violate corona restrictions
• “We knew we wouldn’t be able to survive another lockdown” - About half the restaurants in the country closed down since the first lockdown or in danger of closing down
• The quitting movement // Nahum Barnea on former justice minister Avi Nissenkorn who announced he was leaving politics

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

• The funerals storm - Thousands of ultra-Orthodox violated corona restrictions and attended funerals of senior rabbis
• (Former Justice Minister) Nissenkorn: I’m taking a time out from politics
• “We need to lower the infection rate” - Government approved extending lockdown; 30% of dead died in January

Israel Hayom

• Last efforts to ensure a (Netanyahu-led) coalition
• Prime Minister hopes: Union between Religious Zionism party and Otzma Yehudit party
• Compromise at end of stormy debate: Lockdown extended till Friday
• Exclusive - Vaccines, but no statistics: The absurdity in postponing the opening of schools // Noam Dvir
• Love without borders - Two youth lived close to each other in Miami, separately immigrated to Israel in order to serve in the Border Police where they met. Soon they will be married
• Lacking protection: 55% rise of internet bullying against minors
• The funerals and the demonstrations harm solidarity // Akiva Bigman
• Against the wall of silence // Amnon Lord writes that commentators pervert reality when the truth hurts
• Increasing signs that Iran is behind the attack in New Delhi; Indian sources: “We will deal with those responsible”
• (Diplomatic) Agreement through Zoom: Israel and Kosovo will inaugurate full diplomatic relations

Top News Summary:
The Israeli government doubled the fines for those who violate the restrictions and extended the third lockdown till Friday, but police didn’t enforce the restrictions whenthousands of ultra-Orthodox men attended funerals for leading rabbis sparking ire in the country. Meanwhile, former justice minister Avi Nissenkorn shocked the political establishment when he announced he was retiring from politics and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is pushing the extremist right-wing parties to unite in order to reach the minimum threshold to enter Knesset - making the top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.

And in diplomacy: Netanyahu’s visit to Abu Dhabi to meet the UAE Crown Prince was shortened from three days to three hours and his trips to Dubai and Bahrain werecancelled, Israel and Kosovo establish full diplomatic ties today by Zoom (because Israel’s airport is closed down due to corona) and Israeli settlement university, Ariel University, will award an honorary doctorate to pro-settler former US ambassador to Israel David Friedman.

Elections 2021: 
*With three days to go till the Israeli parties have to present their slate, politicians are hoping - and some are pushing - for mergers, while others are getting off the stage. The latest big surprise was the departure of Avi Nissenkorn, the man who many said protected Israeli democracy over the last year while he served as justice minister. Nissenkorn, who resigned from the Kahol-Lavan party and from his position as minister and joined Tel-Aviv mayor Ron Huldai’s ‘Israelis’ party, announced he was quitting Huldai's party, stepping aside from the overcrowded center-left bloc and exiting politics. ‘Israel Hayom’ revealed that Netanyahu promised to three small and far-far-right-wing parties that if they united, he would advance settlement moves to develop a new Jewish community in the West Bank in an area north of Jerusalem called Atarot. Even former US president Donald Trump's administration refused Netanyahu's request to build there, envisioning it would serve as a future Palestinian tourist spot. And the latest poll shows that if the Labor party linked with the Huldai’s ‘Israelis’ party, they would get seven seats together. While the poll predicts Likud as the clear election frontrunner, the anti-Netanyahu bloc still has a thin majority.

Corona-related Quickees:

• One third of Israel's coronavirus victims died in January - Health Ministry says a large portion of the seriously ill are people below the age of 50, including 6 children; infection rate in the general population stands at 9.7%, while in the ultra-Orthodox sector it's at whooping 20.1%. (Ynet)
• Gantz confirms Israel to provide 5,000 coronavirus vaccines to Palestinians - Defense minister's office says that some doses will be transferred to immunize front-line medical workers in the Palestinian Authority; PA has been trying to acquire vaccines through a WHO program known as COVAX. (Agencies, Ynet)
• High Court Strikes Down Public Security Minister's Order to Withhold Vaccines From Prisoners - Public Security Minister Amir Ohana’s letter was 'a rankling act of defiance, pointing to a total misconception in the way the respondent perceives his role and authority,' wrote Justice Mazuz in the court's ruling. (Haaretz+)
• Palestinian prisoner with COVID-19 is in a critical condition, says NGO - Khaled Ghithan, 59, a Palestinian political prisoner in Israeli detention who was recently diagnosed with COVID-19, was hospitalized for only a few hours a couple of days ago, but was sent back to prison despite suffering a low level of blood oxygen. (WAFA)
• Palestinian Detainees’ Commission: 200 Palestinian prisoners in Israel got infected with coronavirus in January - Number of positive corona cases among Palestinian prisoners in Israel has reached 340, five of them were admitted to hospitals. (WAFA and IMEMC)
• Israeli Military Holds Event for Senior Officers, Flouting COVID Restrictions - Some participants have said that many did not wear masks or observed social distancing rules, while the military is saying COVID restrictions were not violated. (Haaretz+)
• Suicidal Tendencies Among School Pupils Up 42% This School Year - Educational advisers reported receiving tens of thousands of new requests for treatment by students seeking support for loneliness, distress, anxiety and sexual abuse. (Haaretz+ and Israel Hayom)
• Lockdown sees 55% spike in online bullying - As the global pandemic forces Israeli students to resort to distance learning, social media becomes hotbed for online shaming, social boycotts, and sexual harassment. WhatsApp, Instagram emerge as dubious platforms during lockdown. (Israel Hayom)
• Big cities lead in virus immunity, while Haredi, Arab areas left behind - NSC report shows ultra-Orthodox municipalities lag behind in vaccination, with immunity stemming mostly from high number of recoveries from COVID-19; Haifa boasts highest number of immunized, with 31.65%. (Yedioth/Ynet)

Quick Hits:

• Israeli soldier shoots dead Palestinian man after attempted stabbing, army says - Israeli army says suspect rushed at soldier armed with a stick with three knives attached to it at the Gush Etzion junction south of Bethlehem in the West Bank, army says. The incident ended with no injuries to Israeli troops or civilians. (Yedioth/Ynet, IMEMC, Israel Hayom, Maariv, Haaretz+ Times of Israel)
• EU calls for immediate release of Palestinian child Amal Nakhleh- Amal, 17, was sentenced by an Israeli military court to six months of administrative detention (prison) without charges or trial. The European Union expressed its "long-standing concerns about the extensive use by Israel of administrative detention without formal charges...” (WAFA)
• Israel orders five Palestinian families to evacuate their homes for drills - The five Bedouin families in Masafer Yatta area in the south Hebron Hills were ordered to temporarily evacuate their homes to make way for military training exercises. “The frequent evacuations force residents to put their lives on hold. They evoke fear and uncertainty and involve a great deal of inconvenience,” said Israeli human rights organization, B’Tselem. (WAFA)
• Contrary to Education Ministry's Claim, Its Regional Inspector Had Approved B’Tselem Lecture at High School Event - According to text messages obtained by Haaretz, the inspector not only approved the Zoom conference held by Haifa’s Reali School earlier this month that included B'Tselem's director, but also complimented the school’s principals on the event’s content. (Haaretz+)
• IDF takes on 13 nations in international cyber defense drill - This is the first time that cyber defense teams from different branches of the IDF have worked together under the army's newly-established cyber defense directorate. (Israel Hayom)
• Israel Rejected U.S. Inspection of Haifa Port Over Fear of Chinese Surveillance- Washington is concerned that Chinese company's presence could provide an opening for technological surveillance of what goes on at the port, including collecting information about joint Israeli-American operations. (Haaretz+)
• Qatar pledges $360 million in aid to Hamas-ruled Gaza - Gulf country has been providing $20 million to Gaza each month since 2018 to help cover electricity, salaries of Hamas's civil servants and monthly $100 stipends to scores of impoverished families. (Agencies, Haaretz and Ynet)
• Hamas to hold primaries ahead of PA parliamentary election - The Gaza-based terrorist group is still undecided whether to vie for the PA presidency in a separate election slated for July 31, Palestinian newspaper Al-Quds reports. (Israel Hayom)
• Egypt to open Rafah border crossing for four days - For the first time in two months, the Egyptian authorities will temporarily reopen the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip for four days for travel in both directions, said Palestine's ambassador to Egypt Diab al-Louh. (WAFA)
• Terror victim's widower wants France to know how PA uses donations - "The PA uses this money both to pay terrorists after the fact, and to fund incitement and violence," says Binyamin Horgan, whose late wife, Esther, was beaten to death in a terrorist attack last month. (Israel Hayom)
• Israeli companies will set up fertilizer plants in Sudan and promote additional technologies - Progress in relations following Minister Eli Cohen's visit: Sudan will soon send a delegation of businessmen to deepen cooperation. Minister Cohen: "The beginning of a long relationship.” (Maariv)
• Israeli banks settle Jewish Australian family tax evasion case for $137 million after 16-year pursuit - Israeli Discount Bank (IDB) and its subsidiary Mercantile Discount Bank allegedly abetted tax evasion schemes by the Binetter’s, a wealthy Jewish Australian family. It is believed to be largest tax settlements by Israeli banks for a single family client, whom the banks helped to hide income from Australia tax office through the use of back-to-back loans. IDB settlement raises questions over how many other Australians used similar back-to-back loans through Israel and elsewhere. (Australian Financial Review, Maariv, p. 16 and Globes English)
• North American Jews, feeling uneasy, seek investment accounts in Israel - To meet the growing demand for Israeli backup bank accounts, Israeli investment firm Clarity Capital has launched Israeli Backup Investment Accounts (IBIA) for American and Canadian citizens, the company announced this week. (Israel Hayom)
• Fatah lauds Munich Olympics massacre as 'quality operation' - Video posted to the Facebook page of the Fatah Commission of Information and Culture praises Black September commander Ali Hassan Salameh’s "long arm" and "high intelligence." (Israel Hayom)
• 'No internet, neighbors have fled': Israelis in Myanmar after coup - Two Israelis living in Myanmar's largest city of Yangon tell Ynet of the feeling of unease after the military took over the country, cut off communication and deployed soldiers on the streets to quench any potential unrest. (Yedioth/Ynet)
• Top ISIS leader in Iraq reportedly killed in joint US-Iraqi operation- Death of Abu Yasir al-Issawi, deputy commander and ISIS chief in Iraq, "is another significant blow" to the Islamic State group’s resurgence efforts in Iraq, says coalition spokesman Wayne Marotto. (Israel Hayom)
• UN condemns Iran execution spree, worried about minorities - The United Nations human rights office on Friday condemned an alleged spree of 28 executions in Iran, including several prisoners from minority groups, and called on Tehran to halt the hanging of an ethnic Baluchi man. (Israel Hayom)

Commentary/Analysis:
So Now Yair Lapid Is the Israeli Left's Pet Candidate? (Tchia Dov, Haaretz+) This will be just like the previous election campaigns, when “we” supported Benny Gantz. We ignored the lack of an agenda and his Teflon characteristics; we closed our eyes and ears (and mouths) to his festive declaration about the number of Palestinian deaths he was responsible for – 1,364 killed, he said proudly – and we tried to dismiss it as a slip of the tongue. We were captivated by his blue eyes, believed in the wonders of Photoshop and filled the opinion pages with enthusiastically supportive essays. We explained his lack of a political position as a sophisticated and clever election ploy. We looked at him from below; we, the leftists, wanted a strong leader. We drooled over his picture on the huge billboards and ignored his flaccidity, his lack of conscience, his racism, his bloodlust that was expressed in his first major address – which was perhaps his most honest speech, perhaps his only honest one. We erased what he said from our minds, preferring to negate it. We leftists, who read the opinion pages of “the newspaper for thinking people,” admired and supported him. We repeatedly read, here in “our” paper, how Gantz was a gift to our country.
Netanyahu can't afford a splintered right-wing bloc (Mati Tuchfeld, Israel Hayom) The prime minister knows that if he wants to stick around at the PM's office for a few more years, he has to ensure Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionist party makes it into the Knesset. In recent days, the premier has done everything in his power to ensure that happens.
Why did Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi hide? (Dr. Baruch Leshem, Yedioth/Ynet) Precisely the rare public appearance in which he referred to Iran and the defense budget emphasized that the media was absent. It does not help public confidence in the military, but he may be afraid to upset someone…
Iran envoy Rob Malley is not 'anti-Israel' or an Iran apologist. It’s that simple (Alon Pinkas, Haaretz+) Throwing baseless accusations at Biden’s envoy Rob Malley when he faces such a monumental challenge concerning Tehran’s nuclear program is futile and wrong.
Israel's primary goal: Expose Iran's true colors (Yoav Limor, Israel Hayom) At this crucial juncture, as the US appears poised to re-enter nuclear talks with the regime in Tehran, Israel has a vested interest in proving that Iran is connected to Friday's bombing in New Delhi.
Dubai syndrome' hampers Israel's efforts to fight coronavirus (Sever Plocker,Yedioth/Ynet) The battle against COVID-19 is being undermined constantly by so-called opinion leaders, who first told us about the wonders of the magical, virus-hit Dubai and now claim the public cannot take anymore lockdowns.
The Arab Spring in Western minds (Prof. Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) The sooner the West stops trying to promote a vision of democracy no one in the Middle East is interested.
Trump's Downfall May Prove: Hatred Is Unsustainable (Ofri Ilany, Haaretz+) History shows that politics based on incitement flares up fast – but it is also likely to fade away fast.
The Palestinian refugee hoax (Mitchell Bard, Israel Hayom) The refugee issue is easily solvable if we return to the original definition that applied only to people who lived in Palestine in 1948-1949, not their descendants.
One law for protests and prayers (Akiva Bigman, Israel Hayom) Both the anti-government protesters on Balfour St. and the Haredim are convinced with every fiber of their being that their gatherings are justified, however foolish they might be in terms of COVID.
NATO 2030 and Israel (George Tzogopoulos, Israel Hayom) As the alliance tries to find ways to remain relevant and better respond to security challenges, its relationship with Jerusalem is growing closer than ever.

 

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