News Nosh 04.09.14

by APN 04/09/14
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APN's daily news review from Israel

Wednesday April 09, 2014
 

Quote of the day:

"The situation in Yitzhar can escalate to shooting soldiers."

--Maj.-Gen. (res.) Avi Mizrahi said the Israeli authorities were responsible for the settlers' attack on an IDF outpost.** 


Front Page News:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

  • Kerry accuses - In Israel they were shocked by the remarks of the US Secretary of State
  • "We gave our souls, we risked our lives, and Jews hurt us more than Arabs" - (IDF) reservists from the military post that was attacked by Yitzhar settlers speak
  • Princess of France - Carla Bruni talks to Yedioth
  • "Yelling, humiliations and cleanliness lineups" - Another employee suing the Prime Minister's Ofice for harsh treatment by Sarah Netanyahu at residence

Maariv

  • not published today

Israel Hayom

 

Peace Talk and Security Highlights:
Today's two top stories in the Hebrew papers were US Secretary of State John Kerry's remarks in Congress blaming Israel for the crisis in the talks (due to its settlement construction announcement and its refusal to release the last round of prisoners) and the reactions of IDF reservists and Israeli politicians to the details of the rampage by settlers on an IDF military post earlier this week. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has ordered a halt to high-level talks with Palestinians
 
Meretz Chairwoman and MK Zahava Gal-on said Israel ‘gave US the finger’ in peace talks, left-wing and that Kerry’s statements were "further proof that the extreme rightist… coalition has no interests in reaching an agreement, but rather is dragging out the negotiations and endangering Israel’s existential interests." She called Finance Minister Yair Lapid and Justice Minister and chief Israeli negotiator Tzipi Livni “the government’s fig leaf."

Meanwhile, right-wing ministers slammed politicians who criticized the government. Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said it was the "Palestinians who run away and try to blame us" and Israeli Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar (Likud) criticized the statements made by Environment Minister Amir Peretz (Hatnuah) Monday saying that "Instead of attacking the Palestinians for making unilateral moves and for impeding the peace process [Hatnuah MKs] chose to present the government and the prime minister with a list of demands. Peretz had said that  "As long as there is hope for the peace process we will remain in the government. Netanyahu has to decide whether he will capitulate to the extreme right or make some difficult but brave decision."
 
Netanyahu has ordered a halt to high-level contacts with Palestinians on non-security related issues, but exempted peace negotiator Livni from the ban.
 
Fearing Israeli economic sanctions, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will ask Arab League foreign ministers for $100 million a month safety netLondon-based Asharq Al-Awsat quoted Palestinian sources as saying that "the Palestinian leadership is open to the idea of extending negotiations, but not at any price." And Palestinian UN envoy Riyad Mansour called for a boycott and promised additional unilateral actions should Israel retaliate, but said the Palestinians are ready to continue talks. 
 
Meanwhile, a new poll found that nearly 87% of Israelis think framework deal will not be reached in coming months and 52% of Israelis think it is currently urgent to reach an agreement with the Palestinians, while 45% believe it is not.
  
Yesterday , during Israeli President Shimon Peres' visit to China, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged Israel to "...keep in mind the broader picture of peace, show strategic wisdom, make brave decisions as early as possible, and push, along with the international community and the Palestinians, for substantive progress on peace talks."
 
**Newspapers and politicians across the political spectrum were appalled not only to find out that Yitzhar settlers told IDF reservists to stand aside while they trashed the military outpost and equipment meant to defend them, but that they soldiers obeyed. The investigation into Monday's incident in Yitzhar settlement revealed that the soldiers stood idly by as the settlers wreaked havoc. The soldiers said they felt 'stabbed in the back.' Two former Central Command chiefs that talked to Ynet did not hesitate to blame the authorities. Maj.-Gen. (res.) Avi Mizrahi said he believed "the situation in Yitzhar can escalate to shooting soldiers." Israel Hayom quoted an officer, who said, "The soldiers stood there, stunned by the fact that they were being attacked by the very people they were sent to defend...We have crowd-control measures, but the soldiers were unprepared for an attack by Jews."
 
Politicians had different suggestions for how to deal with them. MK Elazar Stern (Hatnuah) suggested "dealing with Yitzhar the same way we deal with any community that sprouts acts of terror -- place checkpoints at its entrance, cordon it off from the rest of the area and conduct periodic raids on its homes." MK Omer Bar-Lev (Labor) said "A plan should be made to evict the residents."
 

Quick Hits:

  • Israeli military vehicles 'enter Gaza,' warships fire at fishermen - Six military vehicles entered the southern Gaza Strip early Tuesday. No shooting was reported. Separately, Israeli warships opened fire at Palestinian fishermen off the Gaza coast, damaging one fishing boat. (Maan)
  • Israeli bulldozers destroy agricultural structures, fields in Hebron - Bulldozers escorted by Israeli troops entered private Palestinian fields, destroyed almond and grape vine fields and tore down four buildings used for agricultural purposes. (Maan)
  • High Court rejects Gazan runner's appeal to race in Bethlehem marathon - Nader al-Masri has been running for 14 years and has participated in international competitions abroad, including the 2008 Olympic Games. (Haaretz)
  • Israel freezes demolition orders against 3 Arab houses in Israel - Israeli police informed the families their houses would be demolished in days without a prior warning. However, the orders were not executed thanks to a Lod magistrate court decision to freeze the orders until further notice. (Maan) 
  • Artists to sing for peace process - Following recent crisis in negotiations between Israel and Palestinians, Dozens of Jewish and Arab singers and bands invited to participate in concert in support of continuing peace talks. (Yedioth/Ynet) 
  • Israeli forces detain mayor of West Bank village at checkpoint - Abd al-Athim al-Wadi, the mayor of the village of Qusra [where recently Israeli settlers were caught and beaten by villagers before making price-tag attack -OH] told Ma'an that Israeli forces stopped him at a checkpoint on the main road between Ramallah and Nablus and took him to the illegal settlement of Maale Adumim for interrogation. (Maan)
  • Palestinian Christians: Israeli police spoiling Easter celebrations in Jerusalem - Israel's High Court is weighing a petition to prevent security forces from approaching the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Easter Eve. (Haaretz)
  • Gaza families shut down PLO offices protesting unpaid allowances - A spokesman of the Martyrs’ Families in the Gaza Strip group told Ma’an that angry families closed a PLO-affiliated office in charge of allowances and donations for families of Palestinians killed or injured in the course of the conflict. (Maan)
  • New Gaza City mayor to start job Sunday - Nizar Hijazi, will be taking over from Rafiq Makki on Sunday. (Maan)
  • Palestinian envoy in Prague likely killed by booby-trapped book - Plastic explosive hidden in book caused blast in January that killed Palestinian envoy, in contradiction of initial claims. (Agencies, Ynet)

 

Commentary/Analysis:

Providing a look inside the negotiation room, Kerry reinforced the Palestinian version of events (Barak Ravid, Haaretz) Kerry’s remarks made clear what Jerusalem should have understood by now - there is no symmetry in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
A settlement turns on its creators (Haaretz Editorial) The defense minister must clamp down on settler terror against Palestinians with the same determination he displayed in dealing with the rioters who attacked security forces at Yitzhar.
A rebellious community (Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynet) IDF should put radical settlement Yitzhar on curfew, and settlement leaders should halt funds transfer until radical settlement changes its ways.
Settler violence: No longer a few bad apples (Amos Harel, Haaretz) Following clashes overnight between settlers and soldiers in Yitzhar, the settler leadership can no longer claim a few extremists are responsible.
A predictable collapse (Zalman Shoval, Israel Hayom) The Palestinians booby-trapped the peace talks from the start and never, not for a moment, abandoned their original plan to ultimately turn to the U.N.
We don't hear the solid majority that wants peace (Yael Paz-Melamed, Maariv's NRG Hebrew) In Israel , there is a majority that support the political solution of two states for two peoples, including territorial concessions. So why haven't we seen it now in the streets? We don't have a single body threatens, scares Netanyahu or insists on this way. And that's the tragedy, and this really is a tragedy. 
John Kerry - Israel's selfie (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz) When the Israeli left and right look at Kerry, they see a reflection of themselves.
The price of peace, literally (Hezi Sternlicht, Israel Hayom) A radical leftist organization is promising us $1,175 to "choose peace." The problem is every time we have "chosen" to give the Palestinians a chance, we have been smacked in the face.
Why America is irrelevant to Middle East peacemaking (Henry Siegman, Haaretz) With the U.S. having failed to use its leverage over Israel, the only way to convince Israelis to accept a two-state outcome is a Palestinian non-violent, anti-apartheid struggle.
 

 

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

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