APN's daily news review from Israel
Friday July 04, 2014
Quote of the day:
"It is time, Mr. Prime Minister, that you step off your high horse and stop being a mere observer,
because we've already seen how easily words turn into a finger on the trigger."
--Meretz party Chairwoman Zahava Gal-On last night at the demonstration in Tel-Aviv against racism, revenge and violence organized by Peace Now.**
--Meretz party Chairwoman Zahava Gal-On last night at the demonstration in Tel-Aviv against racism, revenge and violence organized by Peace Now.**
Front Page News:
Haaretz
- Israeli ultimatum to Hamas: Immediate quiet or the attack (on Gaza) expands
- Change in policy - IDF plans wave of house demolitions in West Bank
- Calm on condition // Amos Harel
- Triple warning in the cabinet // Yossi Verter
- Racism is spreading from the fringe // Chemi Shalev
- The unraveling stitches of reunified Jerusalem // Nir Hasson
- New target: Palestinian homes
- Frightening wind // Amir Oren
- I have no future in this state // Sayed Kashua
- Netanyahu softened demand for recognition of Jewish state - but refused any compromise over Jerusalem
- The Kurdish independence dream is closer than ever // Zvi Bar'el
- Another serious scandal in the police top brass
- Religious coercion or defense of small businesses? Debate over Sabbath returns to streets of Tel-Aviv
- Last stop on train of educational privatization: Tender for locating escorts for school principals
- Study in US: Immunizations for children do not cause side effects except in rare cases
Yedioth Ahronoth
- On Alert for escalation (Photo: Palestinian youth with faces covered by keffiyehs holding stone
- Sderot: Rocket in the bedroom (Photo)
- His determination - on Gil-Ad Shaer's father
- Her nobleness - on Rachel Frenkel, mother of Naftali
- The scandal that will cause an earthquake in the police
- Tel-Aviv is waiting for Sabbath
- The Friday test // Nahum Barnea
- The days of innocence are over // Sima Kadmon
- Goal: Deterrence // Alex Fishman
- The damage of the fringe // Yoaz Hendel on far right-wing activists
- That moment // Hanoch Daum
- Blunder of orphanhood // Igal Sarna
Maariv End of Week (Hebrew links)
- Preparing for (military) action (in Gaza)
- Tension in E. Jerusalem
- South under fire
- Gant's message
- New home for Bank of Israel
Israel Hayom
- "If the shooting continues - we will act with great power" - Tension climactic: shooting on south continues. Today: Funeral of Arab youth who was murdered
- Shuafat: Rioting and stone-throwing
- Government to approve three days absence from work a year for illness - without a doctor's confirmation
- Following article in Israel Hayom: Naomi Shemer to return to the 'Lexicon of Israeli Authors'
News Summary:
Rockets in the south, stones in E. Jerusalem. These were today's top stories along with the statements by Israeli leaders against incitement for revenge by Jewish Israelis against Arabs.
GAZA:
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu gave Hamas an ultimatum declaring if it did not reign in the rockets on Israel's south, Israel would expand its attacks on Gaza - and to prove the point, the IDF deployed forces around the Gaza Strip for a possible military operation in Gaza. Hamas countered with its own threat that if Israel expanded its attacks, the movement would expand its own use of rockets. Haaretz+'s Amos Harel writes that if the rocket fire from Gaza doesn't stop within a day or two, what’s next may be the assassination of Hamas leaders and missiles on Tel Aviv. UN human right chief condemned both the Gaza rockets and the Israeli air strikes. Hamas leaders also made moderate statements. In an interview with Sky News in Arabic, Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal said Hamas wants calm with Israel and that Hamas was not responsible for the kidnapping of the three Jewish teens. Former Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh said that the Palestinian people would not remain indifferent in light of continued Israeli belligerence and that the Palestinians were united on the issue of Palestinian suffering in the West Bank. Haaretz+'s Jack Khoury wrote that "Apparently Haniyeh, who is considered the organization’s supreme authority in the Gaza Strip, does not want to contradict Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas." An official in the Israeli security establishment told Ynet that the reason Hamas had begun firing rockets earlier this week - for the first time in years - was in retribution for the death of 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khdeir.
PALESTINIAN TEEN KILLING:
Violent clashes were expected to continue Friday - while the family - and everyone else - waited for the burned and tortured boy of Mohammed Abu Khdeir to be released and buried today. Clashes yesterday between youth and police were the most violent the capital had seen in years. Hamas called on Palestinians to join the 'Shuafat revolution,' saying in a statement that “our people in occupied Jerusalem started a huge revolution against the Israeli occupation and settlers.” A Palestinian coroner attended the autopsy of the Shuafat neighborhood teenager, but the family of the murdered teenager was not allowed to see the body before it was taken for autopsy, nor was the body released after the autopsy, Maan reported. Furthermore, Muhammad's father, Hussein, was detained and questioned for several hours by Israeli forces, Maan reported.
The police were "having difficulty" to determine whether Mohammed was killed out of 'nationalist motives,' i.e. by Jews wanting revenge for the murder of three Jewish teens, or from criminal motives, wrote Yedioth. However, Haaretz+'s Nir Hasson gave good insight into the murder: "Israeli right-wingers have spread various and sundry rumors about the circumstances of the murder, mainly having to do with “honor killings” or family feuds. Attempts were even made to forge official announcements to this effect, in order to lend them additional credence. Anyone familiar with such feuds knows that the attacking side generally targets an important figure from the other side, generally a young man. Killing a 16-year-old boy doesn’t fit that pattern. In addition, such murders are carried out in broad daylight, on the street, in order to make a statement. Abduction using a vehicle, driving across town and burning the body doesn’t fit the pattern. The police believe that after at least a day of interviewing eyewitnesses, the boy’s parents and other witnesses, if there were a criminal or family-related motive it would have emerged by now."
Yedioth's top commentator Nahum Barnea gave a detailed report of what is known to police about what happened to Mohammed. Of the three people that got out of the car and kidnapped Mohammed, he wrote: "Without entering into secret details from the investigation, it can be learned from testimonies gathered in the neighborhood that they looked Jewish and young." Barnea quoted the Commander of the Judea and Samaria Division, Brig. Gen. Tamir Yadai, telling his officrs: “I hope that this (killing) wasn’t us. I hope as a people, as a society. But if it was us, it is not a good incident. The third Intifada may have started today.” Barnea writes that the clashes in Mohammed's neighborhood of Shuafata were violent and that the heavy damage to the light rail station in the neighborhood was "not because the residents have a score to settle with the light rail, but simply because it was there, as a proud, shiny symbol of Israeli rule." But, he wrote, the "big question that troubled decision-makers in Israel was what would happen next, whether the violent protest would spill over to the Old City and the Temple Mount, to the West Bank cities, to the Arab sector in Israel, to the Arab states. It starts with one incident, becomes entangled, develops and spins out of control. This was what happened in the first Intifada...Today, Friday, the first Friday of Ramadan, is the test day. 'We are sitting on a powder keg,' a commander warned the officers. “One firecracker and it will all blow up.'”
**INCITEMENT:
Yedioth's Barnea noted that the incitement spreading over the social media networks by Jewish Israelis calling for revenge was not limited to youth and to soldiers. "Israeli spokespersons tend to complain often about incitement on the Palestinian side...the kidnapping of the (Jewish) youth created symmetry. Left-wing organizations found a plethora of horrifying statements by right-wing politicians and their aides. "Putin would have flattened village after village if a Russian youth were kidnapped," wrote Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon. "The people whose heroes are child murderers need to be treated accordingly," wrote Ayelet Shaked, head of the Habayit Hayehudi faction in response to a demonstration in Wadi Arab by Israeli Arabs supporting kidnappers. He also quoted the director of the world Bnei Akiva religious Zionist youth organization. And Housing Minister Uri Ariel, who wrote: "This is exactly the time to have a crazed attack! When they hurt our children, the landlord knows no boundaries. Dissolve the PA, annex Judea and Samaria, execution for every terrorist who sits in jail on on murder, deport the families of terrorists to Gaza." Barnea also reported that someone gave out the cellular phone numbers of ministers of the security cabinet, who were inundated with text messages calling to "Kill the Arabs," day and night.
Haaretz+'s Israeli-Arab satirist Sayed Kashua wrote a pained piece that he was leaving Jerusalem - and maybe the country. It was not satire.
But at an anti-racism rally in Tel-Aviv organized by Peace Now and other left-wing organizations, thousands of protesters blasted the calls for revenge against Arabs. The speakers accused the cabinet ministers of creating an atmosphere of incitement and called on Netanyahu to speak out forcefully against violence. Peace Now director general Yariv Oppenheimer reminded listeners of Netanyahu’s statement after the murder of the youths, in which Netanyahu quoted from a poem by Bialik: “Vengeance for the blood of a small child, the devil has not yet created.” Oppenheimer said one cannot complain that the public is calling for revenge when Netanyahu himself uses such words. Opposition MKs also urged Netanyahu not to enter Gaza and called. Among the signs at the demonstration were: "A diplomatic agreement - a death blow to terror," and "Yes to Talks, No to Escalation." Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On said the calls for revenge that are gaining traction in the social media "are bolstered by a tail wind from the government's ministers and right-wing MKs."
Rockets in the south, stones in E. Jerusalem. These were today's top stories along with the statements by Israeli leaders against incitement for revenge by Jewish Israelis against Arabs.
GAZA:
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu gave Hamas an ultimatum declaring if it did not reign in the rockets on Israel's south, Israel would expand its attacks on Gaza - and to prove the point, the IDF deployed forces around the Gaza Strip for a possible military operation in Gaza. Hamas countered with its own threat that if Israel expanded its attacks, the movement would expand its own use of rockets. Haaretz+'s Amos Harel writes that if the rocket fire from Gaza doesn't stop within a day or two, what’s next may be the assassination of Hamas leaders and missiles on Tel Aviv. UN human right chief condemned both the Gaza rockets and the Israeli air strikes. Hamas leaders also made moderate statements. In an interview with Sky News in Arabic, Hamas politburo chief Khaled Meshaal said Hamas wants calm with Israel and that Hamas was not responsible for the kidnapping of the three Jewish teens. Former Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniyeh said that the Palestinian people would not remain indifferent in light of continued Israeli belligerence and that the Palestinians were united on the issue of Palestinian suffering in the West Bank. Haaretz+'s Jack Khoury wrote that "Apparently Haniyeh, who is considered the organization’s supreme authority in the Gaza Strip, does not want to contradict Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas." An official in the Israeli security establishment told Ynet that the reason Hamas had begun firing rockets earlier this week - for the first time in years - was in retribution for the death of 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khdeir.
PALESTINIAN TEEN KILLING:
Violent clashes were expected to continue Friday - while the family - and everyone else - waited for the burned and tortured boy of Mohammed Abu Khdeir to be released and buried today. Clashes yesterday between youth and police were the most violent the capital had seen in years. Hamas called on Palestinians to join the 'Shuafat revolution,' saying in a statement that “our people in occupied Jerusalem started a huge revolution against the Israeli occupation and settlers.” A Palestinian coroner attended the autopsy of the Shuafat neighborhood teenager, but the family of the murdered teenager was not allowed to see the body before it was taken for autopsy, nor was the body released after the autopsy, Maan reported. Furthermore, Muhammad's father, Hussein, was detained and questioned for several hours by Israeli forces, Maan reported.
The police were "having difficulty" to determine whether Mohammed was killed out of 'nationalist motives,' i.e. by Jews wanting revenge for the murder of three Jewish teens, or from criminal motives, wrote Yedioth. However, Haaretz+'s Nir Hasson gave good insight into the murder: "Israeli right-wingers have spread various and sundry rumors about the circumstances of the murder, mainly having to do with “honor killings” or family feuds. Attempts were even made to forge official announcements to this effect, in order to lend them additional credence. Anyone familiar with such feuds knows that the attacking side generally targets an important figure from the other side, generally a young man. Killing a 16-year-old boy doesn’t fit that pattern. In addition, such murders are carried out in broad daylight, on the street, in order to make a statement. Abduction using a vehicle, driving across town and burning the body doesn’t fit the pattern. The police believe that after at least a day of interviewing eyewitnesses, the boy’s parents and other witnesses, if there were a criminal or family-related motive it would have emerged by now."
Yedioth's top commentator Nahum Barnea gave a detailed report of what is known to police about what happened to Mohammed. Of the three people that got out of the car and kidnapped Mohammed, he wrote: "Without entering into secret details from the investigation, it can be learned from testimonies gathered in the neighborhood that they looked Jewish and young." Barnea quoted the Commander of the Judea and Samaria Division, Brig. Gen. Tamir Yadai, telling his officrs: “I hope that this (killing) wasn’t us. I hope as a people, as a society. But if it was us, it is not a good incident. The third Intifada may have started today.” Barnea writes that the clashes in Mohammed's neighborhood of Shuafata were violent and that the heavy damage to the light rail station in the neighborhood was "not because the residents have a score to settle with the light rail, but simply because it was there, as a proud, shiny symbol of Israeli rule." But, he wrote, the "big question that troubled decision-makers in Israel was what would happen next, whether the violent protest would spill over to the Old City and the Temple Mount, to the West Bank cities, to the Arab sector in Israel, to the Arab states. It starts with one incident, becomes entangled, develops and spins out of control. This was what happened in the first Intifada...Today, Friday, the first Friday of Ramadan, is the test day. 'We are sitting on a powder keg,' a commander warned the officers. “One firecracker and it will all blow up.'”
**INCITEMENT:
Yedioth's Barnea noted that the incitement spreading over the social media networks by Jewish Israelis calling for revenge was not limited to youth and to soldiers. "Israeli spokespersons tend to complain often about incitement on the Palestinian side...the kidnapping of the (Jewish) youth created symmetry. Left-wing organizations found a plethora of horrifying statements by right-wing politicians and their aides. "Putin would have flattened village after village if a Russian youth were kidnapped," wrote Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon. "The people whose heroes are child murderers need to be treated accordingly," wrote Ayelet Shaked, head of the Habayit Hayehudi faction in response to a demonstration in Wadi Arab by Israeli Arabs supporting kidnappers. He also quoted the director of the world Bnei Akiva religious Zionist youth organization. And Housing Minister Uri Ariel, who wrote: "This is exactly the time to have a crazed attack! When they hurt our children, the landlord knows no boundaries. Dissolve the PA, annex Judea and Samaria, execution for every terrorist who sits in jail on on murder, deport the families of terrorists to Gaza." Barnea also reported that someone gave out the cellular phone numbers of ministers of the security cabinet, who were inundated with text messages calling to "Kill the Arabs," day and night.
Haaretz+'s Israeli-Arab satirist Sayed Kashua wrote a pained piece that he was leaving Jerusalem - and maybe the country. It was not satire.
But at an anti-racism rally in Tel-Aviv organized by Peace Now and other left-wing organizations, thousands of protesters blasted the calls for revenge against Arabs. The speakers accused the cabinet ministers of creating an atmosphere of incitement and called on Netanyahu to speak out forcefully against violence. Peace Now director general Yariv Oppenheimer reminded listeners of Netanyahu’s statement after the murder of the youths, in which Netanyahu quoted from a poem by Bialik: “Vengeance for the blood of a small child, the devil has not yet created.” Oppenheimer said one cannot complain that the public is calling for revenge when Netanyahu himself uses such words. Opposition MKs also urged Netanyahu not to enter Gaza and called. Among the signs at the demonstration were: "A diplomatic agreement - a death blow to terror," and "Yes to Talks, No to Escalation." Meretz leader Zehava Gal-On said the calls for revenge that are gaining traction in the social media "are bolstered by a tail wind from the government's ministers and right-wing MKs."
- Netanyahu urges restraint amid calls for revenge for murder of teens - Prime minister condemns murder of Palestinian teen, vows to bring perpetrators to justice: 'Murder, riots, incitement, vigilantism – they have no place in our democracy.' (Ynet)
- Arab youth: I was beaten and stabbed by Jewish attackers - Attack on Kafr Qasem resident (in Israel) came shortly after bodies of missing teens discovered; victim says attackers called him 'stinking Arab.' (Ynet+PHOTO)
- IDF soldiers jailed over Facebook calls for revenge against Arabs - Soldiers from Netzah Yehuda Battalion were violating military discipline; other soldiers posted photos which read "the battalion demands revenge." (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
- President Peres: "incitement causes hatred"; Rivlin: "Let us not seek revenge ' - President called for restraint and an end to acts of incitement and violence against Arabs. His successor: "Nationalism and racism are a danger to the state." (Maariv and Ynet)
- President-elect Rivlin slams those inciting to violence against Arabs - Public figures visit bereaved parents of Gil-Ad Shaer in Talmon; President-elect refers during meeting to violence against Arabs: ‘It is not enough to be disgusted, you must say enough.’ (Ynet)
- Livni on the incitement on the social networks: "We will take a hard line" - At a conference in Eilat Minister of Justice referred to what is happening on the social media networks after finding (of the Jewish teens') bodies and the murder of the boy from Sho'efat, and she said that she has instructed the Attorney General, State Attorney, Public Security Minister and the Police - to act immediately to monitor and examine indicting people. (Maariv)
- Education Ministry urges restrain after youths call for revenge against Arabs - The Education Ministry has urged Israel's youths to "show restraint, responsibility, tolerance and faith in State authorities." The comments came amid a growing online media campaign to exact a revenge on Palestinians and Arabs in wake of the death of the three Israeli teens who were presumed kidnapped until they were found dead. (Ynet)
- Former ambassador to US slams calls for revenge of Israeli teens’ death - "One of the sources of Israel’s moral strength has been our refusal to resemble our enemies in their obsession with revenge and blood. I categorically condemn all acts of violence and racism which dishonor the memory of our three precious boys,” Michael Oren wrote on his Facebook page. (Ynet)
- Israeli universities to reprimand Arab students over 'pro-kidnapping' posts - Technion and Ariel University to hold disciplinary hearings after fellow students complain about social media statuses. (Haaretz+)
Quick Hits:
- Iran's message to Israel and the world: we have a chance to make history - Representatives of the Islamic Republic and the six world powers officially opened decisive talks. Iranian Foreign Minister Jawad Zarif uploaded a video in English to YouTube that was also translated into Hebrew, apparently in an unprecedented attempt to reach Israeli viewers as a counterweight to the hardline position of Netanyahu against the upcoming agreement: "It was possible to resolve this issue nine years ago." (Maariv+VIDEO)
- The ball is in the hands of the Iranians - Members of the Iranian and the Israeli national high school handball teams became friends in Turkey. At first they felt suspicious of each other, but after they got to know each other, they saw that they are similar. "Let the youth speak, they will make peace." (Yedioth, p. 12)
- IMF: Fund Palestinian unity government - Fund praises Palestinian Authority for 'doing a commendable job' at managing economy, says Israel must ease restrictions on Palestinians if economy is to grow. (Agencies, Ynet)
- IDF planning to demolish homes of dozens of Palestinian militants in West Bank - Israel has reinstated house demolitions in the West Bank after a decade-long hiatus as part of its latest efforts against Hamas. (Haaretz+)
- 12 more EU countries warn against trade with Israeli settlements - Portugal, Austria, Malta, Ireland, Finland, Denmark, Luxembourg, Slovenia, Greece, Slovakia, Belgium and Croatia issued statements saying settlements are illegal under international law, statements say, and dealing with them carries legal and financial risks. (Haaretz+)
- BDS bursts SodaStream's U.K. bubble - Within days, major department store chain takes beverage machines, produced mainly in West Bank, off its shelves, and company's store in Brighton closes down. (Haaretz+)
- Israel boycott could harm Palestinian cause, says Noam Chomsky - U.S. academic and political activist claims that the South Africa apartheid-Israel analogy is misleading. (Haaretz)
- Ministry: 640 Palestinians detained during arrest campaign (since kidnapping of three Jewish teens) - The figures include 59 prisoners released in the 2011 exchange deal for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, and 11 members of the Palestinian parliament. Over 170 of those detained have been sentenced to administrative detention. At least six Palestinians have been killed during the arrest raids. (Maan)
- Israelis deny Palestinian minister entry to northern Jordan Valley - Israeli forces on Thursday denied Palestinian minister of agriculture Shawqi al-Ayasa entry to the northern Jordan Valley where he was scheduled to meet with farmers to listen to their problems especially water shortage. (Maan)
- PM: Israeli media is "unrepresentative" - Netanyahu says the media is dominated by the left, far left and extreme right. (Globes)
- Israeli authorities to confiscate 16 dunams near Nablus - Israel's civil administration informed residents that 16 dunams of land near Deir Sharif will be confiscated for military purposes. (Maan)
- Israeli forces confiscate contents of Hebron factory - Israeli forces confiscated the contents of a dairy factory in Hebron late Wednesday, under the pretext that it was built without a license. "We filed an appeal at Israeli courts against the decision and the case is still pending a court decision, but the occupation observes no law," said the Islamic chairity which owns the property. (Maan)
- IDF's Twitter account hacked: 'Rockets hit Dimona nuclear facility' - Syrian Electronic Army hacked into IDF Spokesperson's English-language Twitter account, tweeting: 'Long live Palestine.' (Haaretz)
- Rand Paul cites murder of three Israeli boys in push to cut off aid to PA - Republican U.S. senator, seeking to shore up pro-Israel cred for likely presidential race, derides calls for Israel to show restraint. (Haaretz+)
- Indyk: Peace talks failed due to 'deep loathing' between Abbas, Netanyahu - Speaking at the Aspen Ideas Festival, recently resigned U.S. envoy blames both leaders, saying they preferred the status quo to making tough compromises. (Haaretz+ and Israel Hayom)
- Knesset Channel poll: Likud weakened, Labor party strengthened - If elections were to be held now, Habayit Hayehudi and Meretz would double their power. Yesh Atid down to 13 and Shas loses four seats. Hatnua (Livni) cut in half and Kadima is out. Survey was conducted after the funeral of the three kidnapped (Jewish) youth. (Maariv)
- Israeli trade with Turkey on track to reach record - Business is booming despite the political spat over the 2010 flotilla to Gaza. (Haaretz+)
- Niece's voice may bring Spielberg to Israel - Jewish American director planning to visit Holy Land this summer in order to root for his sister's daughter on reality singing competition 'The Voice Israel.' (Ynet)
- Kurdish diplomat cool to Israel's independence advocacy - Kurds not coordinating with Israel, says top diplomat, after Netanyahu urged the U.S. to accept Kurdish Independence. (Haaretz)
- EU court cuts sanctions against Iranian university with nuke ties - As powers and Iran work to reach July-deadline for nuclear deal, EU court cancels sanctions implemented against Iranian university for alleged involvement with country's nuclear program. (Agencies, Ynet)
- Five killed in Cairo clashes marking anniversary of Morsi ouster - Thursday marks a year since al-Sissi, then army chief, ousted the Muslim Brotherhood's Morsi. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Modern family in the U.S. ambassador's residence - After putting her own high-profile career on hold, Julie Fisher, who is married to U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, feels completely immersed in life in the Jewish state. A special July 4th interview. (Haaretz+)
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.