News Nosh 4.8.21

by APN 04/08/21
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APN's daily news review from Israel - Thursday April 8, 2021

 

Quote of the day:
“You and your Kahanist friend represent a sick variant of Judaism, which only a politically perverted mind like that of Netanyahu could ignore or rely on. You continue to be racist and we will continue to share the maternity ward with you.”
—Arab MK Ahmed Tibi wrote in response to the Tweet by extremist MK Bezalel Smotrich, saying that “We will make sure that Arabs who don’t recognize that Israel belongs to the Jews won’t be here.”*


Front Page:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

  • We are the last of the partisans - Today at 10AM, the siren will be sounded and Israel will unite with the memory of the six million
  • Expose: This is how Israel turned a blind eye from the dozens of Nazis who were employed in the German Intel

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

  • Never forget - Holocaust Memorial Day
  • I remember mainly the hunger and the cold // Izi Cohen, Holocaust survivor
  • CEO of charity “Imcha” on his moving connection with Schindler
  • Pressure rising on Smotrich to agree to Ra’am party’s support; He meets today with Netanyahu

Israel Hayom

  • The fulfillment of a dream (photo of an elderly woman in a wheel chair surrounded by her son, he grandson in military uniform and her great-grandson - Holocaust Memorial Day - Special edition
  • Generals at dying together, privates at living together // Rabbi Israel Meir Lau
  • Lev Ziskovitch RIP did not know the word “surrender”; Eva Orban remembers how her mother saved them even after death
  • Prime Minister will meet with Bennett and Smotrich
  • Bennett, don’t get caught in the Sharon trap // Eithan Orkibi
  • The fear: Iran will try to attack targets in Israel - from its territory


Top News Summary:
Israel began marking Holocaust Remembrance Day last night and continues today with ceremonies, online meetings with survivors and sirens for silence, while the papers shared stories of individuals and Yedioth reported on how so many survivors here are still trying to survive - under the poverty line, without enough money for food and medicine. Far-right-wing members of Knesset got into verbal disputes with Arab and liberal Jewish MKs, while Israeli Prime Minster Binyamin Netanyahu faces great trouble in forming a coalition government - making top news in today’s Hebrew newspapers.

Also making news, the recordings revealed at Netanyahu’s corruption trial that did not bode well for Netanyahu, Netanyahu’s answer to the US negotiations with Iran over the nuclear deal, the US decision to renew financial aid to UNRWA, and Israel’s foot-dragging regarding what to tell The Hague prosecutor by the deadline tomorrow. And, today Syrian media reported that Israel injured four Syrian soldiers in strikes near Damascus late Wednesday night.

On two diplomatic fronts, Israel seemed to be losing its status vis-a-vis the US. The US State Department said Wednesday that the US was prepared to remove sanctions on Iran in order to get it back to following the nuclear accord. At the national Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony Wednesday, Netanyahu said that the Iran nuclear deal was worth as much as 'garlic's peel' and that Israel was not bound by it. If that point wasn’t made clearly enough, Israel’s Mossad chief is traveling to Washington next week to present what Israel says is evidence against Iran and convince the US not to go back to the deal. This will be the first high-level visit by an Israeli official to the US since President Joe Biden took office in January.
Meanwhile, the New York Times reported that a US official confirmed reports that Israel was the one that attacked the Iranian spy ship in the Red Sea and suggested that Israel did it to interfere with the nuclear talks. The official said that Israel informed the US about the attack in advance. An Iranian news agency confirmed that an Iranian ship was hit. 

The Biden Administration also announced it was restoring $150 million in aid to UNRWA, the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees, which Netanyahu wanted to be dismantled, thereby reversing another Trump administration move. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also expressed support of the two-state solution. UNRWA welcomed the announcement, as did the Palestinian Foreign Ministry and leaders of other Arab countries.

The International Criminal Court at The Hague was still waiting for Israel’s responseregarding The Hague’s decision to probe Israel for war crimes. The deadline was Friday. Israel Hayom reported that “recommendations submitted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Defense and Foreign ministries, and the military are still being debated but it remains unclear if Jerusalem will respond.” The Hague also said it would probe the Palestinian Authority for war crimes and both received a one-month period to apply for deferring the case, with the court noting that a party must prove that it is capable of investigating the matter on its own. [UPDATE: This evening, Israel responded to the ICC, saying the ICC has no jurisdiction over Israel and Israel will not cooperate with the investigation.

Elections 2021:
*In politics, tension was high Wednesday. As was expected, the members of the far-far-right-wing 'Religious Zionism' were going to make provocations in the Knesset - mainly against the Arab members of Knesset. The biggest story was that the leader of ‘Religious Zionism,' MK Bezalel Smotrich threatened to expel Arab Israelis. In a biting exchange on Twitter with MK Ahmed Tibi, Smotrich declared, “We will make sure that Arabs like you won’t stay here” if they don’t recognize that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people. Haaretz+ noted that his comments came on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day. Tibi responded saying, “Oh Bezalel, you were and remain a boasting hilltop youth. The fact that you won’t be a minister without depending on the Arabs gives me joy. A lot of joy. But I am an Arab and you don't mean anything to me and I don’t want to convince you or that rabbi, who said that the land is vomiting the Arabs, of anything.” Smotrich responded: “With G-d’s help I will be a minister and there is no way that will happen through the support of terror-supporters and terrorist huggers like you and your friends in the Ra’am party. You continue to make childish provocations in the plenum and we will continue to build the Land of Israel. Tibi responded: “I have nothing to discuss with you. You and your Kahanist friend represent a sick variant of Judaism, which only a perverted political mind like that of Netanyahu could ignore or depend on. You continue to be racist and we will continue to share the maternity ward with you.” U.S. Jewish organizations slammed Smotrich’s ‘despicable' anti-Arab remarks.

Despicable as it may be, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu needs Smotrich and he needs Smotrich to agree to the support of the Islamist ‘Ra’am’ party led by MK Mansour Abbas because Netanyahu lacks 9 seats to form a coalition and even if he convinces the leader of the far-right-wing Yamina party, MK Naftali Bennett, to join him, that will only give him another seven. But Smotrich refuses and, anyway, Bennett has not said which way he’ll go: a coalition with Netanyahu or a rotation government with opposition leader Yair Lapid - or neither, which would lead to elections. Today Netanyahu meets Smotrich and tomorrow he meets Bennett

Meanwhile, MK Sami Abu Shehadeh, the chairman of the Balad faction (a part of the Joint List) asked to re-declare allegiance, to which another member of the ‘Religious Zionism’ party, Kahanist MK Itamar Ben Gvir, called for "banning members of the Joint List from entering the plenum," Maariv reported.

And the first dispute between a Labor MK, who is a Reform movement rabbi, and between nationalist religious MK from the far-far-right-wing ‘Religious Zionism’ party broke out over ‘who is a Jew.’ Avi Maoz told Reform Rabbi MK Gilad Kariv that there are no movements in Judaism, Maariv’s Arik Bender reported.

Joint List chairman, MK Sami Abu Shehadeh, asked the Knesset Secretary to allow him and Knesset members Ayman Odeh and Ofer Kasif to declare allegiance at the upcoming Knesset plenary session, Maariv reported. This came after the Knesset speaker Tuesday night decided to invalidate their declaration on Monday because they added to the official words a statement about ending the occupation.
 

Quick Hits:

  • Israel Closes Case Against Shin Bet Officers for Invasive Cavity Search of Palestinian Woman - Deputy Attorney General Nurit Litman adopted the prosecution's recommendation, stating that there was insufficient evidence of who gave the orders and what was the content of the order in an incident in which Shin Bet officers gave orders to two female soldiers to each search the vagina and anus of a Palestinian woman. However, Littman transferred the handling of the case to the head of the Shin Bet so that he could consider taking action against two of the soldiers and to examine lessons learned from the case. The prosecution is expected to close the cases against an additional three soldiers, who were suspected of being involved in the 2015 affair. (Yedioth Hebrew and Haaretz+)
  • The police are setting up an undercover unit - which will operate in the Arab sector only - The establishment of a fourth undercover unit,, unlike the other three, will be in Israel and will focus on eradicating crime in the Arab Israeli sector. The new unit will operate under the Border Police. Its fighters will operate under the guise of local residents in Arab localities in order to assimilate into the population, thwart assassination attempts and uncover the weapons used by the criminals. (Maariv and Channel 12 News)
  • Adalah: Establishment of a new Israeli police undercover unit exclusively for Arab communities is racist - “No democracy in the world would approve the establishment of a police unit directed at a specific ethnic group," said attorney Wesam Sharaf, adding that it runs contrary to police regulations requiring officers who are not wearing uniforms to identify themselves before employing any police powers.. (WAFA)
  • Palestinian elderly dies after being struck by settler driving south of Hebron - 73-year-old Shafiqa Abu Aqeel was hit by a settler who was driving his car at the western entrance of the town and was rushed to Soroka Hospital in southern Israel, where medics pronounced her dead shortly afterwards. (WAFA)
  • The expulsion order that upsets the hilltop boys - A young man from Yitzhar settlement was arrested on suspicion of cursing a police officer when he was drunk and discovered that there was a restraining order against him: "You were involved in violent activity against the security forces and against minorities [Arabs - OH].” After it was signed, the order was revoked ten days later. His lawyer: “We suspect that there are 'orders in the drawer’ that are signed at one time and taken out at another time." IDF: "The duration of the order is shortened after the circumstances were reconsidered.” (Yedioth Hebrew)
  • Thousands of Israeli settlers break into Islamic shrines [for Jewish prayers] in a West Bank village near Salfit - Locals said the Israeli army secured the area for the settlers’ break-in, setting up checkpoints at the entrances to Kufl Haris village and prevented local Palestinian residents from entering as the settlers flocked to the area and performed rituals. [NOTE: Biblical tradition places the tomb of Joshua, Caleb, and Nun according to Joshua 24:30 in Timnath-heres which is attributed to be the current location of Kifl Haris. Thousands of religious Jews make the pilgrimage escorted by the Israeli military to the tombs on the eve of the annual commemoration of Joshua's death, 26th of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar, April 8th, 2021. - OH]  [20 (WAFA and PHOTO)
  • Israeli settlers take over three buildings, plot of land in East Jerusalem’s Silwan neighborhood - Early Thursday morning, the settlers broke into the three buildings, which were uninhabited, and the plot of land where they set up two pre-fab rooms and a stairway. The owners claimed that they sold the buildings to other people few months ago and that they had no idea that they would be leaked to Aterat Cohanim settlement group that is active in taking over Palestinian-owned buildings and lands in occupied East Jerusalem. (WAFA)
  • Israel Issues Five Times More Demolition Orders for Palestinians Than Settlers - These orders, which cannot be appealed, require those living in areas under full Israeli control to show a building permit within 96 hours, after which Civil Administration can demolish the structure. (Haaretz+)
  • JNF to Vote on West Bank Land Purchases – Even at Isolated Settlements - A yes vote on the controversial proposal, which could lead to the expansion of settlements, will send the matter to the JNF's board on April 22. (Haaretz+)
  • Jerusalem Approves Construction of 540 Housing Units Beyond City’s 1967 Lines - The plan, which would expand the Har Homa neighborhood and just needs district-level approval, would help isolate a Palestinian neighborhood and possibly cause a headache for Joe Biden. Palestinian presidency condemns Israeli decision. (Haaretz+)
  • High Court refuses to rule on Palestinian prisoners’ right to phone calls with their families when COVID-19 prevents visits - Following a High Court petition lead by Israeli civil rights organization HaMoked, the Israel Prison Service will grant them a one-time phone call during the month of the Ramadan holiday. The organizations asserted: Incarcerated Palestinians must have right to daily access to family phone calls, like Israeli criminals have. (WAFA and HaMoked on Twitter)
  • Palestinian administrative detainee in Israel suspends 47-day long hunger strike after reaching a deal with Israel for his release - On Wednesday, Palestinian administrative detainee in Israel, Imad Batran, 47, from Hebron, suspended his open-ended hunger strike, which lasted for 47 days, after an agreement to set a ceiling for his administrative detention (prison without trial). (WAFA)
  • Israeli repression units raid sections of Palestinian detainees in Rimon - Israeli repression units raided Thursday sections 3 and 7 in Israel's Ramon prison and brutally assaulted and clashed with Palestinian political detainees incarcerated there, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society. (WAFA)
  • The High Court confirmed: The professor of mathematics will not receive the Israel Prize this year - The justices ruled in the petition to the High Court by the Israel Prize committee against Education Minister Yoav Galant, who the committee said was attempting to intervene and prevent math Prof. Oded Goldreich from receiving the prestigious award due to his alleged support for the BDS movement. Justices Yitzhak Amit, Noam Sohlberg and Yael Wilner stated that Galant should be allowed to go back and reconsider the disqualification of Prof. Goldreich and make a decision on the matter within a month from today. If it is later determined that he is worthy, the prize will be awarded to him next year. In 2019, Goldreich allegedly called on the European Union to boycott Ariel University. (Ynet Hebrew)
  • Hamas Orders Lockdown in Gaza as COVID Infections Reach All-Time High - Security agencies say that they will enforce all regulations in Gaza, including prohibitions on gatherings and weddings, as well as any other mass events. (Haaretz+)
  • High Court Denies Petition Calling for Release of Israeli Secret Service Documents on Mizrahi Protests - The documents, which could reveal the Shin Bet's methods in Israeli immigrant camps in the 1950s, could potentially "harm national security," the court said in its ruling.  (Haaretz+)
  • Why did Ramat Gan residents decide to cancel Independence Day fireworks? - The Ramat Gan cancels this year's fireworks display after 88.8% residents said in a survey they were against it. (Israel Hayom)
  • Exclusive: Enforcement against agricultural crime will be returned to the Border Police - The Commissioner of Police has determined that the responsibility for enforcement against criminal offenses in agricultural areas will be returned to the Border Police, after several years in which it was the responsibility of the regional police stations. [NOTE: Agricultural crime refers mainly to crimes by Bedouin. The Border Police have a reputation of being more violent than regular police.  - OH] (Maariv)
  • Jewish and Arab cities in joint ecological co-existence venture - A Jewish-Arab green roof project between Kfar Saba and Kufr Qassem is promoting coexistence and cooperation in handling the climate crisis, by growing agricultural produce on urban rooftops. (Israel Hayom)
  • United Arab Emirates in a moving message for Holocaust Remembrance Day: "Humanity needs coexistence" - On the occasion of Holocaust Remembrance Day, in a statement written by the UAE Embassy in Israel on its Twitter account, it expressed solidarity with "all the victims of the Holocaust, who died due to extremism, hatred and discrimination." (Maariv)
  • Israel, Russia agree to cooperate on internal security matters - Israeli minister says memorandum of understanding covers financial crime, terror and weapons trafficking, among other fields. (Maariv and Times of Israel)
  • WATCH: Ocasio-Cortez Meets With Top NYC Jewish Group: Talks Israel-Palestinian Conflict - Ocasio-Cortez said she objected to the detention of minors. She has praised Rep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., for legislation that would withhold funding from Israel over its detention of Palestinian children. (Haaretz)
  • Biden Speaks to Jordanian King, Affirms Strong U.S. Support - King Abdullah says sedition has been quashed after a rift with his half-brother and former crown prince Hamza, and that the country is now stable and secure. (Agencies, Haaretz)


Features:

The British Hangman Who Executed Belsen's Most Sadistic Nazi Women
Albert Pierrepoint, whose task included executing the 'Beast of Belsen' and the 'blonde who beat inmates to death,' wrote in his memoir the Holocaust that the death penalty did not deter a single person and only served as a means of revenge. The death penalty solves nothing.” Parts of his memoir are now available in Hebrew. (Ofer Aderet, Haaretz+)

Commentary/Analysis:
The Latest Reported Israeli Attack on an Iranian Ship Seems Like a Deliberate Escalation (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Unlike previous attacks attributed to Israel, which targeted oil and weapons shipments, the target this time was directly tied to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.
The time has come for the Israeli government to decide how it intends to deal with the Hague (Ran Adelist, Maariv) TOn Tuesday, the Israeli government was scheduled to decide whether to respond to the International Court of Justice in The Hague over its decision to open an investigation into war crimes attributed to the State of Israel. The ICC’s decision was made in early March, and the answer is expected by Friday. But the prime minister is only interested in the court in Jerusalem, and in any case the two courts are contaminated, according to his spokesmen, one with anti-Semitism and the other with a putsch plot. rump boycotted the International Criminal Court in The Hague and imposed personal sanctions on its members…Biden has lifted the sanctions, and Israel is required to decide: cover it up legally or flee again. I suppose a government whose art is procrastination will ask for an extension. In this regard, it is difficult to underestimate the importance of the High Court's decision of August 2020 - when it ordered the cessation of all construction and land preparation in the area marked in the settlement of Mitzpe Karmim, including the prevention of construction and the evacuation of existing buildings built illegally in plots - when the issue of settlements will at some point reach international actors who will be involved in the (diplomatic) arrangement between us and the Palestinians. Especially when in terms of international law the very act of settlement is a war crime, and we have a government that is running away from bad news and does not dare to appear before the court in The Hague. The Palestinians appealed to the High Court, which, as stated, overturned the district court’s decision and ordered the land to be vacated within three years, i.e. in 2023. The settlers' claim against the High Court at the time was that "they live on another planet and are cut off from the people." From that point going forward, we will wait for a situation in which private land will be part of the management of future relations with the Palestinians. When that happens, and with the not so wild assumption that the leaders of the moderate Arab states will side with the Palestinian side, we will see ourselves confronting Biden, the court in The Hague and the Israeli left.
Between The Hague and the Netanyahu trial (Former justice and attorney general Elyakim Rubinstein, Yedioth Hebrew) A. Looking ahead. The current government has also included a reconciliation cabinet in the coalition agreement. It was not established. Israeli society is more divided than ever. There are real reasons for this and false reasons, Fake, as it is now commonly called. The real reasons include gaps between the ultra-Orthodox, religious and secular, which are based on a debate about the nature of the state and lifestyle. In my opinion, they can be mediated with tolerance and common sense. But there are components of division where there are few gaps, including corona, security, economy, welfare, foreign relations and even the justice system with all the debate surrounding it. These differences between most parties are nil, and still a lot of hatred within us. Here is a real challenge for the government that will be formed - and it is imperative that it be established and not dragged into a fifth election that has no place other than the "Jewish Wars.” The days of remembrance for the Holocaust, the IDF fallen and the victims of terrorism remind us of our responsibility to the State of Israel, a sacred deposit of providence and history, in deed and not just in speech. B. On the tribunal at The Hague.The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague decided to open an investigation against Israel, a decision that, in the best legal analysis, was given without authority, and supporting us was a well-reasoned minority opinion in the court. The United States, which opposes the decision, has also decided to lift sanctions against the prosecutor. Please remember that those who rightly shout against the Hague, but at the same time criticize the Israeli legal system on the one hand, and on the other hand rely on it in in everything related to dealing with the court in The Hague, must remember that the High Court’s strength and status are an armored vest and a strategic asset for Israel. C. On the integration of the Arab public. Here it comes - the integration of the Arab public in the systems of government, a welcome move that must be hoped that even though that it was not intended, it will be done. The Jewish public has a red line. The existence of Israel as a nation state of the Jewish people, a Jewish and democratic state; And the Arab public has a red line, equality. In my view that is in both in its rights and in its obligations to the state. About two years ago, I joined Professors Shachar Lifshitz, Susie Navot, Amichai Cohen and Asa Kasher and Dr. Riki Tessler and Brigadier General (Res.) Amal Assad in a proposal to amend the “Basic Law: Israel, the Nation State of the Jewish People.” We emphasized our belief in Israel being the nation state of the Jewish people, but we proposed - without harming the core of the Basic Law in any way - to give expression to the democratic nature of the state, and above all the value of equality." The matter is not necessarily legal, it is a public issue. This is because it gives a sense of sharing to the Arab citizen, and we are dealing with 20 percent of the country's citizens. This period is very ready for that. D. On Jordan. We are naturally interested in what is happening in Jordan, a country with which we have a peace agreement (I had the privilege of leading our delegation to the agreement) and the longest border. We must, of course, refrain from interfering in domestic affairs. But due to the peace relations and the need to nurture them, it is worth giving a hand to our neighbor on humanitarian issues. These include the corona crisis and the water crisis. The clear strategic consideration, which merges with the actual humanitarian consideration, points in the direction of providing special treatment in times of crisis, in terms of "it enjoys and it does not lack." And it is worthwhile - essential - also to act respectfully.
Holocaust Remembrance Day This Year: A Brotherhood of the Inured (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) The heart goes out to the survivors, who are moved by the attention they get one day a year. The heart is sickened by the commercialization; because Holocaust Remembrance Day is one of the most effective shapers of the Israeli national-chauvinistic ethos. Between interviews and films and the siren, speeches filled with pathos and insincerity will be heard, disseminating demagogic poison. Once again they will use our murdered families in order to glorify the Israeli army and its heroism against Gaza and against the village of Bilin, in defense of the Esh Kodesh outpost and the settlement of Sussia. Once again they will draw a line as straight as a snake between the German and Ukrainian murderers and the Palestinians, who in 1948 tried to defend their homeland from those who came to dispossess them…
Holocaust commemoration has a place in Arab society (Yoseph Haddad, Israel Hayom) Arab Israelis need to learn and teach this subject, not only because it is the history of our Jewish neighbors, but first and foremost because we are human beings.
Arabs in Israel Are Not Allowed to Be Happy. Or Sad (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Arabs in Israel are not allowed to be happy. They’re also not allowed to mourn. On Thursday of this week, for example, Holocaust Remembrance Day, they are not allowed to be happy. Next week, on Independence Day, they’re not allowed to mourn. Arabs in Israel are only allowed to be happy when Jews are happy and sad when the Jews are sad. Any deviation is considered treason. Just look at how Ibtisam Mara’ana, the newly elected Arab Knesset member from the Labor Party, tripped herself up.
Israel is sending the U.S. a clear message on Iran (Ron Ben Yishai, Ynet) With Washington apparently embracing Tehran at any cost, Jerusalem is taking matters in the region into its own hands, signaling to the White House that it will not be ignored and to the Islamic Regime that it is the master of the seas and will not shy away from a fight.
When It Comes to Vaccinations, My Husband Thinks It’s Better to Be in Gaza Than the West Bank (Umm Forat, Haaretz+) Forat is enjoying the sugary breakfast cereal, chocolate milk and processed and sweetened foods she's been getting at school, but Osama's news is even sweeter ■ Post #30.
Cease Fire, Gallant: Give Israel Prize to Radical Mathematician (Haaretz Editorial) Education Minister Yoav Gallant has kept up his pathetic efforts to look for action in his ministry. Recently he refused twice to confirm an Israel Prize in mathematics and computer sciences to Professor Oded Goldreich of the Weizmann Institute, claiming that he’s a BDS supporter. From the standpoint of Gallant, who’s more deserving of the title of minister of war rather than education, Goldreich should be denied the Israel Prize for signing an appeal to the German parliament calling for cancelling recognition of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement as an antisemitic movement.
Anti-Semitism in Europe is a sign that Israel is still the place for the Jews (Dr. Orit Miller-Katab, Maariv) The Law of Return stipulated that every Jew, his descendants or his spouse could immigrate to Israel and live the life of the people and the tradition. According to the law, if a person was Jewish enough to reach the crematoria, he was also Jewish enough to immigrate to Israel.
We Know the Road to Treblinka (Zehava Galon, Haaretz+) The Noam faction entered the Knesset surreptitiously this week, under the wings of Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party, a party promoted with all the might of Benjamin Netanyahu. Smotrich was the person who organized a “Parade of Beasts” to counter a Gay Pride Parade, shortly after he was arrested on suspicion of planning an attack aimed at the disengagement from the Gaza Strip. In recent years he has been demanding that a “Joshua choice” be presented to Palestinians. The choices are flight, living under oppression or being annihilated. His party’s platform, which was removed from its website, says that the party will demand that women and rape victims who file a complaint be required to sign a document in which they acknowledge the significance of making false charges. As for his colleague Itamar Ben-Gvir, we already know him. In recent years he has been demanding that a “Joshua choice” be presented to Palestinians. The choices are flight, living under oppression or being annihilated. His party’s platform, which was removed from its website, says that the party will demand that women and rape victims who file a complaint be required to sign a document in which they acknowledge the significance of making false charges. As for his colleague Itamar Ben-Gvir, we already know him…
How Gideon Sa’ar Became a Darling of Haaretz (Nave Dromi, Haaretz+) During the past few months Gideon Sa’ar has turned into the darling of Haaretz. Several of its major columnists identified with the left have expressed support for him. Thus, for example, Rogel Alpher announced that he would hold his nose and vote for him, and after the election he thanked Sa’ar for taking 2.5 Knesset seats from Likud. Ravit Hecht called him a “brave man,” Yossi Verter consistently treated him favorably, Itay Rom called on him to “choose correctly,” and Shani Littman even expressed fear for his welfare, lest he be blamed for the inability of the right to form a government (a justified allegation). All these caresses are deceiving. Does anyone doubt the fact that each of these writers opposes Sa’ar’s right-wing views? Hecht even reported Sa’ar’s political record honestly – the infiltration law, voiding the law that would have allowed Tel Aviv supermarkets to open on Shabbat, and more – saying these things made him ideologically intolerable. So the prevailing wisdom is that the support for Sa’ar stems from his opposition to Benjamin Netanyahu…
Americans Are Buying Up Tel Aviv Homes, Destroying the City in the Process (Ofri Ilany, Haaretz+) It's the filth and the rats that allow me to live in Tel Aviv. When they disappear, I'll disappear too.

 

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

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