APN's daily news review from Israel
Wednesday April 30, 2014
Quote of the day:
"We are making great efforts to convince the world that [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud] Abbas
is a peace rejectionist who embraces Hamas...This is a strong card and it would be wrong to lose
it."
--Israeli political officials explain why the Defense Minister was ordered to cancel a meeting to be held today to advance settlement construction.**
--Israeli political officials explain why the Defense Minister was ordered to cancel a meeting to be held today to advance settlement construction.**
Front Page News:
Haaretz
- Israeli intel: Assad is hiding some of the chemical weapons
- Kerry apologizes for use of word 'apartheid' in regards to Israel
- Bad luck secretary of state // Chemi Shalev
- Racist graffiti and vandalizing of property in mosque in Furdis and church at Sea of Galilee (both in Israel)
- Olmert: "I never received bribes, I believe in the High Court"
- In shadow of violence, Iraq votes for first time without Americans // Zvi Bar'el
- Livni initiates recognition of single-sex couples in inheritance proceedings
- Tension with Russia endangers project to put enormous cover that will seal Chernobyl
Yedioth Ahronoth
- The secret medal of honor - Sayetet Matkal commando unit received citation for series of secret operations in the last year (Hebrew)
- "A scream wants to release itself from my heart" - Ehud Olmert tells judge in last effort to rescue himself from prison sentence (Hebrew)
- Young parents, the state won't help you - Bank of Israel research finds that government aid to young working families is almost lowest in West
- Map of Independence - Which stars will perform where and who are the big profiters
- Light carrier - Meet the baby carrier consultants
Maariv
- not published today
Makor Rishon
- Abu Mazen: We will continue the talks if Israel completely freezes construction in Judea and Samaria
- 'Makor Rishon' employees demonstrated in front of offices of anti-trust authority demanding to approve the sale of the newspaper
- Olmert speaks: Former prime minister attacks his conviction in court and says he did not receive bribes
- American apology - US Secretary of State John Kerry apologizes for saying Israel could become an apartheid state
- Reconciliation on the way? Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan says the reconciliation with Israel is closer than ever
Israel Hayom
- "Half a million shekels is an enormous sum" - Olmert's lawyers requested lighter (sentence) and judge was furious
- In light of the facts: Olmert continued manipulations // Dan Margalit
- Kerry apologized: Israel is not an apartheid (state)
- Wall-to-wall condemnations: Price tag is terror - Thousands of people...demonstrated in (Arab Israeli village) Fureidis (photo: graffiti 'Mosques close instead of yeshivas' on mosque walls)
- Price of racism: Dismissed for life from NBA
- Erdgoan: Reconciliation with Israel - a matter of days or weeks
- In Gaza they claim: "The Israeli commando sunk the ship"
- Bank of Israel: Children are joy - but in Israel it is expensive to raise them
Peace Talk Highlights:
Besides former prime minister Ehud Olmert's assertion in court that he did no wrong, the other top story in Hebrew papers today was US Secretary of State John Kerry's 'apology' for saying Israel risked becoming an apartheid state. At the end of the nine-month peace talks period yesterday, Israel and Palestinian officials exchanged accusations over who was to blame for their failure. And Army Radio reports that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu put a halt to advancing settlement construction, while Finance Minister Yair Lapid stopped a budget transfer to the Housing Ministry because it included funding for two West Bank settlements. Meaanwhile, it appears the Israeli government will not fall over the failed peace talks.
Today's papers, with the exception of Haaretz+, which only wrote in its headline that Kerry 'apologized' for saying Israel could become an Apartheid state, all claimed he did. But as Haaretz+ noted, he didn't, but he clarified his use of the 'A-word', saying that he does not believe that Israel is an apartheid state and he should have not used that word. However, he did not retract what he said: that Israel risks turning into one.
The nine-months of the US-led round of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians ended yesterday with officials from both sides blaming the other. At the UN, Israel's UN Ambassador Ron Prosor and Palestinian UN observer Riyad Mansour both expressed a commitment to peace, but Prosor said the 'Palestinians make commitments almost as quickly as they break them' and Mansour said, 'Israel has maintained its rejectionist stance.' UN envoy Robert Serry told the UN Security Council that it's up to both parties to live up to their commitment to the peace process. Israeli Economy Minister Naftali Bennett joined the chorus, saying that the "Oslo era is over" and, once again, offered his plan to annex 70% of the West Bank.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said there would be no peace with Israel without defining the borders of a future Palestinian state. "Since the creation of Israel, nobody knows what the borders are. We are determined to know our borders and theirs, without that there will be no peace," he said. The Palestinians say they are ready to resume talks on condition Israel freezes settlements and free the fourth batch of prisoners. Meanwhile, they are continuing the efforts to become a signatory to the Geneva Conventions and other UN agencies, in order to put the Palestinian Authority on the map in a world ruled by international law, rather than one subject to Israel’s dictates, said chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. Erekat asserted that Israel actively sabotaged the talks, using every opportunity to consolidate its "apartheid regime," saying: "To build settlements in occupied land, kill Palestinians and demolish hundreds of Palestinian homes is certainly not the behavior of a government that wants to end occupation but of a government that wants to turn occupation into annexation." Israel demolished over 500 Palestinian structures during the nine months of peace talks, 312 of them homes, announced a PLO statement released yesterday. Citing UN figures, the statement said that, as a result, 878 persons were forcibly displaced, Maan reported.
**Israel's Army Radio reported that Israeli political officials said that Netanyahu put further settlement construction plans on hold. Yaalon was ordered to cancel a Civil Administration meeting to take place today on advancing settlement construction, but Israeli political officials said that the timing was not right to go ahead with settlement construction plans at the moment. "We are making great efforts to convince the world that [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud] Abbas is a peace rejectionist who embraces Hamas...This is a strong card and it would be wrong to lose it. A construction announcement at this time could turn world opinion against us in a second," said the officials. The report was quoted in Israel Hayom.
And at the Knesset yesterday, just before the Knesset Housing committee vote on increasing the Housing ministry's budget by NIS 40 million, the Ministry of Finance pulled the budget request because Ariel and Maaleh Adumim settlements were included in the list of 39 communities that will receive funding. Yedioth wrote that it was a punishment to Habayit Hayehudi (which runs the Housing Ministry and the Housing Committee), for trying to torpedo Yesh Atid party's surrogacy bill. Meanwhile, Lapid said his party would not leave the government coalition if Justice Minister and Hatnuah party chairwoman Tzipi Livni did over the failure of the peace talks, Yedioth reported, meaning that the government would not collapse with Hatnuah's departure. Consequently, Livni's associates said that Hatnuah would remain in the government because if it can't cause the government to collapse, it would be better to stay to prevent extremist decisions from being made.
Besides former prime minister Ehud Olmert's assertion in court that he did no wrong, the other top story in Hebrew papers today was US Secretary of State John Kerry's 'apology' for saying Israel risked becoming an apartheid state. At the end of the nine-month peace talks period yesterday, Israel and Palestinian officials exchanged accusations over who was to blame for their failure. And Army Radio reports that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu put a halt to advancing settlement construction, while Finance Minister Yair Lapid stopped a budget transfer to the Housing Ministry because it included funding for two West Bank settlements. Meaanwhile, it appears the Israeli government will not fall over the failed peace talks.
Today's papers, with the exception of Haaretz+, which only wrote in its headline that Kerry 'apologized' for saying Israel could become an Apartheid state, all claimed he did. But as Haaretz+ noted, he didn't, but he clarified his use of the 'A-word', saying that he does not believe that Israel is an apartheid state and he should have not used that word. However, he did not retract what he said: that Israel risks turning into one.
The nine-months of the US-led round of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians ended yesterday with officials from both sides blaming the other. At the UN, Israel's UN Ambassador Ron Prosor and Palestinian UN observer Riyad Mansour both expressed a commitment to peace, but Prosor said the 'Palestinians make commitments almost as quickly as they break them' and Mansour said, 'Israel has maintained its rejectionist stance.' UN envoy Robert Serry told the UN Security Council that it's up to both parties to live up to their commitment to the peace process. Israeli Economy Minister Naftali Bennett joined the chorus, saying that the "Oslo era is over" and, once again, offered his plan to annex 70% of the West Bank.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said there would be no peace with Israel without defining the borders of a future Palestinian state. "Since the creation of Israel, nobody knows what the borders are. We are determined to know our borders and theirs, without that there will be no peace," he said. The Palestinians say they are ready to resume talks on condition Israel freezes settlements and free the fourth batch of prisoners. Meanwhile, they are continuing the efforts to become a signatory to the Geneva Conventions and other UN agencies, in order to put the Palestinian Authority on the map in a world ruled by international law, rather than one subject to Israel’s dictates, said chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. Erekat asserted that Israel actively sabotaged the talks, using every opportunity to consolidate its "apartheid regime," saying: "To build settlements in occupied land, kill Palestinians and demolish hundreds of Palestinian homes is certainly not the behavior of a government that wants to end occupation but of a government that wants to turn occupation into annexation." Israel demolished over 500 Palestinian structures during the nine months of peace talks, 312 of them homes, announced a PLO statement released yesterday. Citing UN figures, the statement said that, as a result, 878 persons were forcibly displaced, Maan reported.
**Israel's Army Radio reported that Israeli political officials said that Netanyahu put further settlement construction plans on hold. Yaalon was ordered to cancel a Civil Administration meeting to take place today on advancing settlement construction, but Israeli political officials said that the timing was not right to go ahead with settlement construction plans at the moment. "We are making great efforts to convince the world that [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud] Abbas is a peace rejectionist who embraces Hamas...This is a strong card and it would be wrong to lose it. A construction announcement at this time could turn world opinion against us in a second," said the officials. The report was quoted in Israel Hayom.
And at the Knesset yesterday, just before the Knesset Housing committee vote on increasing the Housing ministry's budget by NIS 40 million, the Ministry of Finance pulled the budget request because Ariel and Maaleh Adumim settlements were included in the list of 39 communities that will receive funding. Yedioth wrote that it was a punishment to Habayit Hayehudi (which runs the Housing Ministry and the Housing Committee), for trying to torpedo Yesh Atid party's surrogacy bill. Meanwhile, Lapid said his party would not leave the government coalition if Justice Minister and Hatnuah party chairwoman Tzipi Livni did over the failure of the peace talks, Yedioth reported, meaning that the government would not collapse with Hatnuah's departure. Consequently, Livni's associates said that Hatnuah would remain in the government because if it can't cause the government to collapse, it would be better to stay to prevent extremist decisions from being made.
Quick Hits:
- Jerusalem lawyer charged with passing messages to Hamas commits suicide - Amjad Safadi, an East Jerusalem attorney who was due to appear in court, was found hanged in his home. Al-Safadi, 39, was beaten and electro-shocked during his 45-day detention, before being released to house arrest five days ago, said PPS. (Haaretz and Maan)
- Mosque targeted in hate crime, second in two weeks -'Close mosques, not yeshivas' sprayed on mosque in northern Israeli Arab town of Fureidis and tires of at least 20 vehicles slashed. (Haaretz+, Israel Hayom and Ynet+PHOTOS)
- Mass protest against 'price tag' in northern Arab town - Residents of (Arab town) of Fureidis and (Jewish town) of Zikhron Ya'akov demonstrate together against 'price tag' attack on Fureidis' mosque and vehicles. (Ynet and Israel Hayom+VIDEO)
- Shomron (West Bank) rabbis to head of Yitzhar yeshiva: Condemn violence against IDF - Main Samaria leaders yesterday demanded that President of "Od Yosef Chai" Yeshiva, Rabbi Yitzhak Ginsburg, condemn attacks against security forces. Ginsburg said that he has expressed opposition in the past. But, he refrained from making clear condemnation against someone who harms the security forces. (Israel Hayom, p. 9)
- In Hadera: "Free Palestine" graffiti sprayed on soldiers' memorial - Graffiti found day after Holocaust Memorial Day on walls of municipal library, which is part of the 'Yad L'Banim' soldiers' memorial complex. (Israel Hayom, p. 13)
- Israeli bulldozers demolish mosque, 3 houses near Nablus - Over 20 Israeli military vehicles entered Khirbet al-Tawil early Tuesday morning as bulldozers demolished a mosque and three houses. The structures were demolished on pretext that they were built without permits, which Israel rarely grants to Palestinians. (Maan)
- Blast strikes (Palestinian) protest boat docked in Gaza, activists say Israel to blame - 'Gaza's Ark,' set to sail to Europe to protest Israel's blockade of Gaza, was hit by a blast early Tuesday; IDF: We don't respond to such reports. (Haaretz and Maan and Ynet)
- Teens treated in Jordan for Israeli police dog-inflicted wounds detained - Israeli forces late Monday detained two Palestinian teens returning from Jordan, where they were being treated for wounds from being mauled by Israeli police dogs months before. (Maan+PHOTOS)
- Pride of the unit - Sayeret Matkal commandos received a medal of honor from President Shimon Peres for a series of complex, dangerous and confidential operations made over the last year. Family of Capt. Nachman Tal, who was killed by friendly fire near Gaza, received a medal of honor in his name. (Yedioth, p. 1/Ynet Hebrew)
- Israeli forces demolish Palestinian domicile in East Jerusalem - Witnesses say Israeli officers forcibly evacuated members of Maslamani family and beat them, including elderly people and women, before demolishing the tin sheet structure that housed them. (Maan)
- Israeli police 'detain Palestinian ministry employee' at Aqsa Mosque - Police assaulted and detained Raed Zughayyar, who works for a construction committee of the ministry after a heated argument broke out between Israeli police and Palestinian worshipers and students near an entrance to the mosque. (Maan)
- Israel was supposed to transfer bodies of 3 terrorists last night - Senior officials in Ramallah and the Hamas movement in the West Bank confirmed that Israel was supposed to transfer to the Palestinians the bodies, including of the suicide bomber at the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem. (Israel Hayom, p. 7)
- Jerusalem municipality: Arabs to blame for own lack of representation - The municipality was responding to appeal by a new group, Tzahor, told district court that Arab and women Jerusalemites are under-represented in city institutions, such as municipal corporations and cultural and sports bodies. (Haaretz+)
- Erdogan: Reconciliation with Israel could happen within days or weeks - Turkish prime minister tells Charlie Rose that Ankara and Jerusalem have agreed on compensation for Marmara victims' families, humanitarian aid to the Palestinians. (Ynet)
- Israeli intelligence: Assad concealing chemical capability - Syrian regime may be misleading the West and holding enough WMD to threaten rebels, but risk of attacking Israel remains low. (Haaretz+)
- U.S. intensifies sanctions on Iran, drastically increasing blacklist - Web of shell companies owned by suspected Chinese arms dealer targeted, breaking a three-month lull in new enforcement measures. (Haaretz)
- UN rights chief slams Egypt over mass death sentences - Brotherhood leader says death sentences will bring down government; Germany summons Egyptian ambassador. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Jewish mayor of Kharkiv shot, flown to Israel for treatment - Hennady Kernes, who staunchly opposed the pro-West Ukrainian government but had softened his stance, is said to be in serious but stable condition. U.S. and EU levy new sanctions on Russian companies. Russia: Ukraine building concentration camps. (Israel Hayom)
Features:
Portrait of a Palestinian family divided by Israel's separation barrier
The Khatibs are being kept apart by Israeli restrictions on Palestinian movement in East Jerusalem, including the towering separation barrier. (Agencies, Haaretz)
From the Far East to the Middle East
Tokyo-raised Sol Kikuchi, 20, the son of an American Jewish father and a Japanese mother, comes to Israel to serve as a lone soldier in the IDF. "I knew it was exactly what I want to do," he says. (Israel Hayom)
Commentary/Analysis:
The Khatibs are being kept apart by Israeli restrictions on Palestinian movement in East Jerusalem, including the towering separation barrier. (Agencies, Haaretz)
From the Far East to the Middle East
Tokyo-raised Sol Kikuchi, 20, the son of an American Jewish father and a Japanese mother, comes to Israel to serve as a lone soldier in the IDF. "I knew it was exactly what I want to do," he says. (Israel Hayom)
Commentary/Analysis:
Israel's whitewashed territories (Haaretz Editorial) Appropriating land and declaring it 'state land' is a historic
injustice that is a fundamental aspect of the occupation.
John Kerry's humiliation elates his enemies and delights opponents of the peace process (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) The Secretary of State forgot that 19th century off-the-record rules don’t apply in the 21st century, creating an 'apartheid storm' at a particularly peevish time for Barack Obama
You can’t love Israel by whitewashing the Palestinians (Roz Rothstein and Roberta Seid, Haaretz+) Bradley Burston attacks StandWithUs’ work as peddling lies - but the real misinformation is being peddled by those who profess their love for Israel but refuse to address Palestinian leaders’ anti-peace behavior.
How to lie about Israel, Part Two: The Hard Left (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) On the heels of last week's "How to lie to college students about Israel," four new lies, beginning with Genocide and ending with a question: If Jews aren't indigenous to the Holy Land, can they ever be indigenous anywhere?
What 'destruction' of Israel? (former advisor to Palestinian negotiating team, John V. Whitbeck, Maan) Netanyahu's assertion that Abbas has formed an alliance with an organization that "calls for the destruction of Israel" requires rational analysis. There can be no doubt that virtually all Palestinians -- and probably still a significant number of Native Americans -- wish that foreign colonists had never arrived in their homelands. However...
Recognize Palestine now ( Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) The Obama administration can no longer be blamed for its failures. Soon, the world will wonder whether Israel is really a worthy member of the international community.
On the Holocaust, take Abbas at his word - for now (Thane Rosenbaum, Haaretz+) The truth matters: Why the Palestinian president’s belated pushback against the Holocaust denial rampant in the Arab and Muslim world should be welcomed by Israel, and how it can reciprocate.
Promoting propaganda (Ruthie Blum, Israel Hayom)
Kerry's use of the word "apartheid" reveals the depth of his hostility to Israel.
Expanding the circle of the elites (Shimon Schocken, Haaretz+) The IDC provides a superior education, but is widening the circle of the country's powerbrokers by offering scholarships to hard-working students from diverse backgrounds.
How to traumatize a nation of children (Carolina Landsmann, Haaretz+) The Ministry of Education's plan to introduce Holocaust studies to all classrooms is not intended to protect children, but to shape their identity as early as possible.
Common objectives (Isi Leibler, Israel Hayom) There is no ideological conflict between the PA and Hamas on Israel's future -- both want to eliminate it.
Bibi’s story (Sefi Rachlevsky, Haaretz+) The greatness of Netanyahu’s story is that between Holocaust and independence, he dismantles Israel’s independence and causes it to disappear.
John Kerry's humiliation elates his enemies and delights opponents of the peace process (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) The Secretary of State forgot that 19th century off-the-record rules don’t apply in the 21st century, creating an 'apartheid storm' at a particularly peevish time for Barack Obama
You can’t love Israel by whitewashing the Palestinians (Roz Rothstein and Roberta Seid, Haaretz+) Bradley Burston attacks StandWithUs’ work as peddling lies - but the real misinformation is being peddled by those who profess their love for Israel but refuse to address Palestinian leaders’ anti-peace behavior.
How to lie about Israel, Part Two: The Hard Left (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) On the heels of last week's "How to lie to college students about Israel," four new lies, beginning with Genocide and ending with a question: If Jews aren't indigenous to the Holy Land, can they ever be indigenous anywhere?
What 'destruction' of Israel? (former advisor to Palestinian negotiating team, John V. Whitbeck, Maan) Netanyahu's assertion that Abbas has formed an alliance with an organization that "calls for the destruction of Israel" requires rational analysis. There can be no doubt that virtually all Palestinians -- and probably still a significant number of Native Americans -- wish that foreign colonists had never arrived in their homelands. However...
Recognize Palestine now ( Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) The Obama administration can no longer be blamed for its failures. Soon, the world will wonder whether Israel is really a worthy member of the international community.
On the Holocaust, take Abbas at his word - for now (Thane Rosenbaum, Haaretz+) The truth matters: Why the Palestinian president’s belated pushback against the Holocaust denial rampant in the Arab and Muslim world should be welcomed by Israel, and how it can reciprocate.
Promoting propaganda (Ruthie Blum, Israel Hayom)
Kerry's use of the word "apartheid" reveals the depth of his hostility to Israel.
Expanding the circle of the elites (Shimon Schocken, Haaretz+) The IDC provides a superior education, but is widening the circle of the country's powerbrokers by offering scholarships to hard-working students from diverse backgrounds.
How to traumatize a nation of children (Carolina Landsmann, Haaretz+) The Ministry of Education's plan to introduce Holocaust studies to all classrooms is not intended to protect children, but to shape their identity as early as possible.
Common objectives (Isi Leibler, Israel Hayom) There is no ideological conflict between the PA and Hamas on Israel's future -- both want to eliminate it.
Bibi’s story (Sefi Rachlevsky, Haaretz+) The greatness of Netanyahu’s story is that between Holocaust and independence, he dismantles Israel’s independence and causes it to disappear.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.