News Nosh 08.14.14

APN's daily news review from Israel
Thursday August 14, 2014

Quote of the day:
"We are being updated from Hamas. Its embarrassing."
--Senior intelligence official tells Ynet that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is keeping cabinet ministers in the dark about the Cairo talks.**


Front Page News:
Haaretz
Yedioth Ahronoth
  • Hamas fired - and then approved another truce
  • The bitter truth of the commander of the Gaza command
  • Weak policy // Alex Fishman
  • "Let us live like everyone else" - (Southern residents) to call for government to remove threat of missiles from the communities around Gaza at (demonstration at) Rabin Square
  • "Netanyahu strengthened Hamas" - Opposition chairman supported government during war, but now attacks for first time
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links) Israel Hayom
  • Another 5 days of ceasefire
  • Before midnight: 5 rockets shot at communities around Gaza, IDF attacked in Gaza Strip. "Netanyahu ordered IDF to respond to every violation of the quiet"
  • Frantic night // Dan Margalit
  • Enough, we're sick of Hamas // Zvika Fogel
  • Ashkenazi affair: Police likely to recommend submitting indictment against former chief of staff (Ashkenazi), Benayahu, Weiner, Mandelblitt, and Harpaz. Attorney General to decide

A fragile ceasefire is extended, new probes into Operation Protective Edge are announced and a UN probe is rejected, making top stories in the Hebrew papers today.

**Only 15 minutes before the three-day cease-fire was to expire, the Palestinian delegation agreed to extend it by another five days, as the sides sought a long-term truce. Rocket fire from Gaza violated the truce shortly before it ended and Israel responded with air strikes.
Israeli cabinet ministers complained that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was keeping them out of the loop. One minister said, "We're getting our updates from Hamas." That said, Netanyahu did find time to speak with US President Obama.
 
While it isn't clear that Operation Protective Edge is over yet, probes are already being established. The UN Human Rights Council tribunal probe to examine if Israel committed war crimes in Gaza has the ire of the Israeli government. Netanyahu said it legitimizes terrorism, Israel will not cooperate with it and told it to go to Syria. The Israeli army has set one up to head off the calls for war crimes probes. The IDF is investigating dozens of exceptional cases, mostly incidents in which Palestinian civilians were killed, that occurred during the hostilities in Gaza. And the State Comptroller announced he will probe the conduct of country’s political and military leaders in the operation and also look into accusations of international law violations during Operation Protective Edge.
Quick Hits: 
  • AP video journalist killed in explosion when Hamas tried to neutralize IDF ordnance - Freelance Palestinian translator, three Gazan police engineers also killed in explosion, while four people, including AP photographer, were badly injured. (Agencies, Ynet
  • Gaza border residents to hold demonstration rally in Tel Aviv - 'I pray every day for quiet and I want the entire state of Israel to come demonstrate with me,' 10-year-old Yasmin from Or HaNer says. (Ynet and Israel Hayom)
  • Senior military source: "Hamas shot at Ben-Gurion Airport throughout the whole operation" - The source in the Air Force also said, "Over the next two years there will be no technology available for intercepting mortars." During the war, 3,500 rockets and mortar shells were fired at Israel. (Maariv)
  • B’Tselem loses Supreme Court bid to broadcast names of children killed in Gaza - Justices rule that audio clip is of political nature and therefore the Broadcast Authority is authorized to reject it. (Haaretz+)
  • 17 Palestinian wounded taken to Turkey for medical treatment - Three of the wounded appear in serious condition while there are are light to moderate; Turkish Air Force transport plane to take them from Ben Gurion Airport. (Ynet)
  • Malware spiked in days before Israel-Hamas hostilities began - Findings of cybersecurity study show spread of malware might be able to predict upcoming world conflicts. (Haaretz+)
  • Israel strips Jerusalem-born Palestinian of residency after years in Canada - Tamam Zubaidi and her 13-year-old daughter penalized for staying with her husband, a graduate student. (Haaretz+)
  • President Rivlin welcomes 338 North American olim to Israel - Almost one-third of the group will soon enlist in IDF, and most hope to join combat units. Rivlin: "The people of Israel appreciate your dedication, courage and simple Zionism."  Immigration absorption minister: It is heartwarming to see you here. (Israel Hayom)
  • Ex-US Marine arrested upon arrival in Israel for dodging IDF draft - David Krauskopf says he came to support his brother who served in Gaza during Operation Protective Edge; service in US Army prevents him from serving in different military. (Ynet)
  • After month of bitter fighting, Gazans said questioning Hamas decisions - Washington Post talks to Gaza residents who condemn rocket fire from civilian areas, say Hamas should have accepted first ceasefire weeks ago. (Ynet)
  • Not only rockets, Iron Dome downed 10 mortars in first month of Gaza war - System can stop long-range shells, but not the usual short-range variety. (Haaretz+)
  • Women now serving in elite IDF artillery units - IDF Artillery Corps opens its elite Moran, Meitar and Skyrider units to women for the first time. Military adjusts physical aptitude tests and regulations to enable women to enter units. (Israel Hayom)
  • Justice Ministry may wrest authority to indict protesters from Israel Police - After criticism of police, state prosecutor would decide whether to indict. (Haaretz+)
  • US victims of Hamas terror attacks take Arab Bank to court - Trial due to begin in New York claiming that Arab Bank knew that accounts were used to give money to Palestinian families of suicide bombers. (Agencies, Ynet
  • Egyptian anchor slams Hamas 'terrorists', praises 'brave' Israel - The conflict in Gaza has led to a war of words between Egyptian TV news anchors and their counterpart at the Qatari-owned Al Jazeera. (Ynet
  • Yazidi child in Israel for heart surgery as family flees ISIS in Iraq - While Wisam recovers from heart surgery in Israel, his father’s concern turns to his Yazidi family in northern Iraq. (Ynet)


Features:
Someone to fight with: Israel’s extremists happily duke it out online
Gaza may be a taboo topic in America but a new site proves that Israelis love a good fight. (Haaretz+) 
Fighting female front
On the one hand, the female reserve soldier who showed up a month ago to serve on the Gaza border was also 56 years old. On the other hand, the issue over the appearance of female singers before soldiers has once again entered the public debate. And in the background, business owners whose husbands were called up for duty are struggling with making a living and running the house alone. (Maariv Magazine supplement, cover)
War diaries: The cease-fire that wasn't
'We were so hopeful that this war was over.' From the personal diaries of Rabbi Avi Weiss. (Haaretz+)

Commentary/Analysis:
No options on the table for Israel, Hamas (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Israel, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority all stand to lose from failed negotiations. But the sides are stuck between no agreement and no fighting. 
Psychological war of attrition: Israel and Hamas play games of cowards (Yossi Melman, Maariv) Psychological warfare reminiscent of the "Chicken Game," each waiting for the other driver to turn the driving wheel at the last minute. The IDF is preparing (at the border) and threatening, Hamas shoots and it remains to be seen who will blink first.
Cooperating with UN's Gaza probe would be a wasted effort (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) Without a clear anti-Israel stance, William Schabas would not have been selected to chair the UN commission investigating Israel's crimes.
It's time for an Israeli Initiative for a political settlement (Lt. Col. (res.) Omer Tsanany, Maariv) The results of the military campaign illustrate the shortcomings of the approach of "conflict management" and increase the need for a broad and multilevel arrangement with Egypt, Mahmoud Abbas and moderate states in the region. An alternative in this spirit will promote meaningful political process for a permanent agreement to establish a demilitarized Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Israel’s brother al-Sissi (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Both Benjamin Netanyahu and Egypt’s president are judicious, wise and hate Hamas. Wait, maybe they’re not so similar. In Israel, everyone stands with the leader. 
Until further notice: In our neighborhood, five days are like forever (Ben Caspit, Maariv) Netanyahu wants quiet. He is tired of this adventure. He exhausted what it had to give long ago. In our area, five days are like forever. The bottom line? We went back to the formula of quiet will be answered with quiet.
Alamuddin and Clooney in the port in Gaza (Tal Niv, Haaretz+) The UN commission of inquiry does not bode well for Israel, which should know that a demonstration of mercy, compassion and concession is not a weakness.
Fact-burying commission (Dr. Aviad Hacohen, Israel Hayom) The U.N. panel's conclusions will be predictably tailored to the members' presupposition that Israel, not Hamas, poses a threat to world peace. 
When it comes to Hamas, we must let go of illusions (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) Israeli leaders' ceasefire declarations indicate that they see Hamas as a rational element. But Hamas' logic is similar to that ISIS: Havoc, destruction and an industry of death.
Liberals, look at the new Middle East (Ari Shavit, Haaretz+) Liberals can no longer ignore the awful plague of Middle Eastern brutality and the fact that millions of Arabs live with no rights and no future. 
The ultimate truce (Dan Margalit, Israel Hayom) The era of temporary cease-fires is over; Israel will have to make that clear. 
Gevalt, anti-Semitism! (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) Since its establishment, more Jews were hurt in wars and terror attacks in Israel than anywhere else. The war in Gaza endangered world Jews as well, as no other war has before it.
The reality of Israel's victories (Eitan Haber, Yedioth/Ynet) While Israelis have turned deterrence into a national flag, Hamas persists and Hezbollah may well be stockpiling tens of thousands of missiles and biding their time.
Gaza’s international airport - a short-lived source of hope (Esther Zandberg, Haaretz+) Peace-seeking Israeli architects’ response to the destruction would be bombarding the Palestinians with business cards.
Happy cat gets to guard the cream (Dr. Einat Wilf, Israel Hayom) The U.N. Human Rights Council has given established Israel hater Professor William Schabas the stage he has been waiting for all this time.
So much for Lapid's new politics (Haaretz Editorial) To pass the zero-VAT law as quickly as possible and prevent embarrassment, the finance minister is willing to give in to political extortion and pay a "settlements tax."
Moderate coalition? Let's not celebrate yet (Dr. Limor Samimian-Darash, Israel Hayom) Let's get excited about the moderate coalition only after it achieves the goal of destroying Hamas and demilitarizing Gaza.

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