APN's daily news review from Israel
Friday April 25, 2014
Quote of the day:
"The prime minister and members of cabinet are reacting with panic derived of weakness."
-- Labor MK Omer Bar-Lev slammed the decision to impose more sanctions on the Palestinians.**
-- Labor MK Omer Bar-Lev slammed the decision to impose more sanctions on the Palestinians.**
Front Page News:
Haaretz
- Israel suspended negotiations with the Palestinians - Cabinet approved sanctions against Palestinian Authority in response to the reconciliation move; Israel to US: Disappointed with your response
- Kerry's surprise // Chemi Shalev
- Headaches on the way // Amira Hass
- Save us, reconciliation // Zvi Bar'el
- Tax Authority threatens to revoke benefits from Doctors Without Borders NGO
- State Prosecution expected to request 3-6 years imprisonment for Olmert
- Hezbollah changes the rules: The border with Israel is also open to attacks
- Education Ministry program for Holocaust studies: From pre-school till the end of high school
- In exceptional and rare move, rabbinical court left a woman 'agunah' (married) to her husband, who went into a coma
Yedioth Ahronoth
- The reconciliation and the punishment: Negotiations suspended
- Again: Another toddler drowned at tzimmer in Had-Ness
- Global honor for Israeli from Kiryat Gat - Prof. Anat Adamati on Time magazine's list of 100 most influential in world
Maariv
- not published today
Israel Hayom
- Cabinet: Negotiations suspended; Punishment steps against Palestinian Authority
- Abu Mazen suspended the talks // Dan Margalit
- Responsible and necessary decision // Haim Shine
- State Prosecution likely to demand 5 years imprisonment for Olmert
- For second time this week: Toddler drowned to death in pool at Chad Ness tzimmer
- New program: Holocaust studies also for pre-school
- With the proper mediation, one can discuss anything // Ariel Shmeidberg
- At that age it will cause enormous emotional damage // Dr. Suzi Kagan
Peace Talk Highlights:
Today's top story in the Hebrew papers was the Israeli cabinet decision to suspend talks with the Palestinian Authority over the Fatah-Hamas unity deal. Israel approved more sanctions and a PR campaign to blacken Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' name, portraying him as not wanting peace and including linking him to Osama bin Laden (NRG Hebrew). Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority leaders are holding their own campaign in defense of the unity pact with Hamas. Abbas spent three hours defending the move in a meeting with U.S. special envoy to the Mideast Martin Indyk. Abbas told Indyk that the deal does not change his commitment to peace talks.
Several Israeli cabinet members proposed ending the peace talks completely, but chief Israeli negotiator, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, as well as security officials insisted on only a suspension pending clarifications about the prospective Palestinian government.
**The Palestinians slammed the suspension of talks and the imposing of sanctions, as did a Labor party member. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat accused Netanyahu and his government of using the Palestinian division "as an excuse not to make peace. Now they want to use the Palestinian reconciliation as an excuse for the same purpose. This is very stupid," he said. Erekat also accused Israel of 'piracy' for its decision not to transfer $100 of Palestinian Authority tax monies to the PA. Labor MK Omer Bar-Lev slammed the decision to impose more sanctions on the Palestinians, dubbing the decision an act of cowardice. "The prime minister and members of cabinet are reacting with panic derived of weakness. The ministers Tzipi Livni and Yair Lapid broke new records of cowardice today," he said.
One Israeli official told Ynet that Israel was completely caught off-guard by the reconciliation announcement because intelligence agents had not briefed the political echelon. "It was quite simply a foul-up – we didn’t know what was going on." Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told MSNBC that the Fatah-Hamas pact moves peace backwards. "I think the pact with Hamas kills peace," he said, vowing that as long as he's in office, Israel would never negotiate with a terror organization.
Israel slammed the 'weak' US response to the deal. Ministers at the five-hour security cabinet meeting reportedly were in full agreement that the American response was "insufficient, weak, merely for show and didn't include enough exclamation marks." US Secretary of State John Kerry told Abbas on Thursday of his "disappointment" with the timing of the deal. However, Kerry did not express opposition to the deal itself. In the daily State Department press briefing, Spokesperson Jen Psaki said the US wasn't categorically opposed to the existence of a Palestinian unity government, but was focused on the policy that such a government must implement. There were more US expressions of support to continue the Mideast peace process than expressions of opposition to the deal.
The European Union supported the deal. "The European Union believes that the reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas is an important step toward a two-state solution,' Michael Mann, spokesperson of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, told Haaretz+. "But the top priority remains the continuation of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians." Maan reported that Qatar and Turkey, Jimmy Carter and Kofi Annan all welcomed the unity deal
In Gaza, Israel prevented four Gazan PLO committee members from leaving Gaza Thursday to take part in reconciliation committee meetings starting next Saturday in Ramallah.
Ynet ran a fascinating interview with Hamas' deputy foreign minister in Gaza. Attila Somfalvi, who normally covers the Israeli politics, interviewed senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad, who said that Hamas wants a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders and that, "If (Israel) is willing to accept this, the entire situation will change." [Hamas leaders have said this in the past, but have largely been ignored by Israel. - OH] On the issue of the Israeli demand that Hamas recognize Israel, Hamad said: "Recognition will be between two states. You don't need organizations to recognize Israel. It's enough that the Palestinian Liberation Organization – the representative of the Palestinian people – recognizes the State of Israel. Besides, (Israel) has yet to recognize the rights and borders of a Palestinian state." Violence against Israel would also be discussed in the unity talks, he said.
And in the Knesset, MK Nissan Slomiansky of the pro-settler Habayit Hayehudi party has proposed a bill that would make contact with PLO members a criminal offense, NRG Hebrew reported.
Today's top story in the Hebrew papers was the Israeli cabinet decision to suspend talks with the Palestinian Authority over the Fatah-Hamas unity deal. Israel approved more sanctions and a PR campaign to blacken Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' name, portraying him as not wanting peace and including linking him to Osama bin Laden (NRG Hebrew). Meanwhile, the Palestinian Authority leaders are holding their own campaign in defense of the unity pact with Hamas. Abbas spent three hours defending the move in a meeting with U.S. special envoy to the Mideast Martin Indyk. Abbas told Indyk that the deal does not change his commitment to peace talks.
Several Israeli cabinet members proposed ending the peace talks completely, but chief Israeli negotiator, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, as well as security officials insisted on only a suspension pending clarifications about the prospective Palestinian government.
**The Palestinians slammed the suspension of talks and the imposing of sanctions, as did a Labor party member. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat accused Netanyahu and his government of using the Palestinian division "as an excuse not to make peace. Now they want to use the Palestinian reconciliation as an excuse for the same purpose. This is very stupid," he said. Erekat also accused Israel of 'piracy' for its decision not to transfer $100 of Palestinian Authority tax monies to the PA. Labor MK Omer Bar-Lev slammed the decision to impose more sanctions on the Palestinians, dubbing the decision an act of cowardice. "The prime minister and members of cabinet are reacting with panic derived of weakness. The ministers Tzipi Livni and Yair Lapid broke new records of cowardice today," he said.
One Israeli official told Ynet that Israel was completely caught off-guard by the reconciliation announcement because intelligence agents had not briefed the political echelon. "It was quite simply a foul-up – we didn’t know what was going on." Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told MSNBC that the Fatah-Hamas pact moves peace backwards. "I think the pact with Hamas kills peace," he said, vowing that as long as he's in office, Israel would never negotiate with a terror organization.
Israel slammed the 'weak' US response to the deal. Ministers at the five-hour security cabinet meeting reportedly were in full agreement that the American response was "insufficient, weak, merely for show and didn't include enough exclamation marks." US Secretary of State John Kerry told Abbas on Thursday of his "disappointment" with the timing of the deal. However, Kerry did not express opposition to the deal itself. In the daily State Department press briefing, Spokesperson Jen Psaki said the US wasn't categorically opposed to the existence of a Palestinian unity government, but was focused on the policy that such a government must implement. There were more US expressions of support to continue the Mideast peace process than expressions of opposition to the deal.
The European Union supported the deal. "The European Union believes that the reconciliation agreement between Fatah and Hamas is an important step toward a two-state solution,' Michael Mann, spokesperson of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton, told Haaretz+. "But the top priority remains the continuation of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians." Maan reported that Qatar and Turkey, Jimmy Carter and Kofi Annan all welcomed the unity deal
In Gaza, Israel prevented four Gazan PLO committee members from leaving Gaza Thursday to take part in reconciliation committee meetings starting next Saturday in Ramallah.
Ynet ran a fascinating interview with Hamas' deputy foreign minister in Gaza. Attila Somfalvi, who normally covers the Israeli politics, interviewed senior Hamas official Ghazi Hamad, who said that Hamas wants a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders and that, "If (Israel) is willing to accept this, the entire situation will change." [Hamas leaders have said this in the past, but have largely been ignored by Israel. - OH] On the issue of the Israeli demand that Hamas recognize Israel, Hamad said: "Recognition will be between two states. You don't need organizations to recognize Israel. It's enough that the Palestinian Liberation Organization – the representative of the Palestinian people – recognizes the State of Israel. Besides, (Israel) has yet to recognize the rights and borders of a Palestinian state." Violence against Israel would also be discussed in the unity talks, he said.
And in the Knesset, MK Nissan Slomiansky of the pro-settler Habayit Hayehudi party has proposed a bill that would make contact with PLO members a criminal offense, NRG Hebrew reported.
Quick Hits:
- Watch: Israel border police detain 6-year-old in Hebron - Video footage has emerged of Israeli border police officers allegedly detaining 6-year-old Rami Rajabi in Hebron after he threw "pebbles" on Wednesday. (Maan+VIDEO)
- Israeli tanks enter Gaza border area, navy fires at fishermen - Six Israeli military tanks entered southern Gaza Strip Thursday and leveled agricultural fields before leaving. Meanwhile, Israel's navy opened fire at fishermen off the coast of northern Gaza. (Maan)
- Israeli-Arab MK fined for assaulting man during 2006 demonstration - Hadash party head Mohammed Barakeh also ordered to compensate the activist he assaulted at a 2006 demonstration against the Second Lebanon War. (Haaretz+)
- Mass hunger strike launched by Palestinian administrative detainees - Hunger strike is taking place in 3 Israeli prisons after Israeli authorities reneged on a promise made following an earlier mass hunger strike to limit the use of administrative detention to exceptional cases. As of March, 183 Palestinians were still held under administrative detention. (Maan)
- IDF drills for explosion of violence in West Bank - Fearing rise in violence if peace talks fail, Central Command practices riot control tactics, response to terror attacks. (Ynet)
- Arms trader indicted for selling weapons stolen from IDF - Investigation reveals that NCO who stole weapons was previously dismissed from prison service, but still accepted into military service. (Ynet)
- The Israeli army's big, green donation machine - The army has tried to streamline the tens of millions of dollars organizations and individuals donate every year, but the system is still messy and some units get more goodies than others. (Haaretz+)
- 'Exiled' (Arab) IDF soldier finds new home on kibbutz - After being attacked in home village for volunteering in IDF, Sergeant Adham Saab finds comfort and safety on kibbutz. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Fatah bloc wins student elections at Hebron University - The Yasser Arafat bloc won 21 seats with 1,908 student votes, while the Hamas-affiliated bloc won 19 seats with 1773 votes and the leftist bloc won one seat with 105 votes. (Maan)
- NRG Hebrew website, Maariv and Makor Rishon newspapers - in danger of closing - If the Antitrust Commissioner does not approve the transaction, journalistic activity stops and the employees will be laid off within a week - said the Custodian of the court, Chen Berdichev. (NRG Hebrew)
- Marshall Islands sues Israel, US for nuclear arsenal
- Tiny Pacific nation takes nine nuclear-armed nations to the ICC for modernizing arsenals instead of negotiating disarmament. (Agencies, Ynet)
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.