News Nosh 09.01.14

by APN 09/01/14
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APN's daily news review from Israel

Monday September 01, 2014
 

Quote of the day:

"How will Abbas explain to his people the disregard and aggression of the Netanyahu government towards him?"
--Peace Now director Yariv Oppenheimer slams the Israeli decision to appropriate almost 1000 acres of land in the West Bank.** 


Front Page News:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links)

Israel Hayom

 

News Summary:
Israeli school children started the school year today making the top story in the Hebrew newspapers, with some papers focusing on the budget cuts to education in the wake of Operation Protective Edge. Israel also declared it was turning 4,000 dunams of land in the West Bank into Israeli state land, sparking the ire of Israeli leftists and the Palestinians.

The first day of school combined with the effects of the war filled the front pages of today's newspapers. Teachers will be spending time to talk about the war and the education ministry will have to deal with a large budget cut. Haaretz focused on the 500 million shekels ($139.9 million) budget cut to the Education Ministry "to help finance the expenses incurred by Operation Protective Edge – the highest cut among all the government ministries." The ministers passed the budget cut yesterda. [See Op-Ed below by Yehuda Sharoni about how this was done and how it was another success for Hamas.] Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said it was necessary because "security is Israel's top priority." The Israeli opposition slammed the decision saying the defense budget has already been  increased.
 
**Israel appropriated 4000 dunams (988 acres) of West Bank land as retaliation against Palestinians for the murders of the three yeshiva teens in June. The land belongs to five villages in the southern half of the West Bank. The US said the move was 'counterproductive' to a two-state solution and urged Israel to reverse the decision. The Palestinian Authority said the move is indicative of 'Israel's desire to wipe out the Palestinian presence and impose a one-state solution.' The appropriated land belongs to five Palestinian villages in the Bethlehem area - Jaba, Surif, Wadi Fukin, Husan and Nahalin. The appropriation clears the way for construction of a new settlement named Gvaot, writes Haaretz's Chaim Levinson. Indeed, "The announcement paves the way to establishing the new city of Gva'ot," the head of the Gush Etzion Regional Council, David Perl, said. Peace Now director Yariv Oppenheimer said the move was "a knife in the back of (Palestinian President Mahmoud) Abbas and it sends a message to the Palestinian people that the government of Israel is negotiating with Hamas, while at the same time destroying any chance to reach a true accord with the moderate people." (See Oppenheimer's translated Op-Ed from today's Maariv in Commentary/Analysis below.) 
 
While Israel appropriated land, Finance Minister Yair Lapid spoke of Israel's need to reinforce the Palestinian Authority and disarm Hamas. At a press conference, he suggested holding a regional-international summit. Maariv reported that Netanyahu agreed to the summit, which would also be aimed at advancing the peace process.
 

Quick Hits:

  • IAF Patriot missile downs UAV near Syria border - IDF spokesman says drone appeared to have belonged to the Syrian military and had flown accidentally into Israeli airspace. (Ynet)
  • Palestinian held for week over anti-army Facebook posts - AG approved interrogation of Zahda Suheib, 32, for writing that Golani commander should 'go to hell.' (Haaretz)
  • State: Banner calling on soldiers to 'pound' Gaza doesn't constitute incitement - Or Yehuda municipality hung banner at city entrance that read, “Israel Defense Forces soldiers, Or Yehuda’s residents are with you! Pound ‘their mothers’ and return safely to your own mother!” Deputy state prosecutor: Decision made despite 'superfluous, tasteless' nature of message. (Haaretz) 
  • Another soldier hurt in Gaza succumbs to his wounds - Sergeant Shahar Shalev becomes the 72nd Israeli casualty of Operation Protective Edge, after fighting for his life for five weeks and losing both of his legs. (Ynet)
  • 'ICC can't probe Israel on war crimes until Palestinians join court' - International Criminal Court Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensoud rejects allegations that the court avoided opening an investigation into alleged war crimes in Gaza due to political pressure. (Haaretz and Israel Hayom)
  • Egypt: We’ll open Rafah crossing only if PA troops guard it - Egypt requires that the Presidential Guard, one of the PA security forces subordinate to President Mahmoud Abbas, be in charge. Hamas has indicated willingness to consider the idea; Israel has no objection to this demand. (Haaretz) 
  • Hamas: "Fathi Hamad is not a collaborator of Israel" - Sources in Hamas on Saturday denied media reports that the man who served as the Hamas Interior Minister, Fathi Hamad, defected to Israel after it was revealed that he was an agent of Mossad. (Maariv)
  • Cairo negotiations expected to begin mid-week and continue a month - According to Palestinian sources, within one month from the date of the cease-fire various issues will be clarified including: airport, seaport and the return of the bodies of the late Lt. Hadar Goldin and Sgt. Shaul Oron. Unclear if Israeli team will participate in talks. Mahmoud Abbas will meet with Arab League foreign ministers in September. (Maariv) 
  • Knesset member seeks 'full civic partnership’ law for Arab minority - MK Ahmed Tibi is responding to a bill that aims to make Hebrew Israel’s only official language. (Haaretz) 
  • Tayibe schools on strike over murder of high school headmaster - The students of Tayibe remain at home on the first day of school after the parents and municipality declared a strike to protest murder last week of headmaster of Amal high school. Locals called on police to act against the rampant violence in their town. (Ynet) 
  • Despite reform, school guards to take guns home - Some 4,500 security guards will still be taking their weapons home this school year, since no other arrangement has been found. (Haaretz)
  • Maccabi Tel Aviv coach quit for safety reasons - Oscar Garcia to leave Israel because of 'current security situation' during his second stint as club manager. (Ynet)
  • Belgium feminist group douses airport floor with fake blood in anti-Israel protest - Effort at cargo airport Liege was meant to symbolize slaughter of Palestinians; facility plans to file charges. (Haaretz)
  • Turkish-Jewish writers publicly oppose Israel's policies in Gaza - The writers oppose Israel's policies in Gaza not because they are "of Jewish origin but because we are human." Open letter also objects to effort to hold Turkey's Jewish community responsible for conflict in the Strip. (Haaretz)
  • Jon Stewart: Criticizing Israel doesn’t make me anti-Israel - Daily Show talks about his directorial film debut 'Rosewater,' explains why it wasn't shot in Israel and answers accusations of being a 'self-hating Jew.' (Haaretz and Ynet)
  • Two French teens arrested for plotting suicide attack against Lyon synagogue - Girls, aged 15 and 17 never met, communicating only via social media. (JTA, Haaretz)
  • Syria Islamists say Filipino UN troops were freed, but Fijians still held - Nusra Front says it released 35 Filipino peacekeepers, contradicting reports that the men had escaped under cover of darkness; group says will free Fijians in return for humanitarian aid. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
  • 'Jewish Taliban' forced from Guatemala village after local opposition - The Lev Tahor community moved from Canada to a remote part of Guatemala a few months ago amid allegations of abuse. (JTA, Haaretz) 
  • Assad swears in government, urges reconstruction - Despite deterioration of civil war into regional chaos, Assad inaugurates new government, says security, reconstruction and corruption to top agenda – fails to address over 190,000 killed, ISIS offensive. (Agencies, Ynet)
  • Apple opens marketing office in Israel - The office will handle contacts with cellular service providers and its two Israeli retail distributors, iDigital and C-Data and expand the presence of the Apple brand here. Apple already has a substantial Israeli R&D presence following its acquisition of Anobit and PrimeSense. (Haaretz)


Features:

Being an Israeli in Gaza
Israeli bombs on one side, Hamas on the other. Iman's house has bomb damage, Rania returns to Israel only for the money, Hoda is waiting for the opportunity to leave and never return; some of the hundreds of Israeli women living in Gaza tell their stories. (Elior Levy, Yedioth's '24 Hours' supplement/Ynet)

Commentary/Analysis:

**Now of all times, a stab in the back (Peace Now Secretary General Yariv Oppenheimer, Maariv) Now of all times, when a political initiative is needed, when Hamas is trying to portray itself as the savior of the Palestinian people, when Abbas was forced to deal with harsh criticism for not battling enough against Israel - now of all times, Netanyahu decides to declare 4,000 acres in Gush Etzion as state land. How will Abbas explain to his people the disregard and aggression of the Netanyahu government towards him? While Abbas tried to moderate and calm the area, Netanyahu humiliates him in front of his people. According to international law, the decision to make land state land requires the sovereign to designate the land for the benefit of the general population in the area. It's no secret that when it comes to the Territories, the only ones to benefit from state land are settlers. The Palestinians have no chance of getting a single dunam. The Palestinians, by the way, were prepared for construction in the settlement blocs, but only after negotiating for three months in which a final-status agreement would be made, negotiations after which each party will be able to build in areas that will be defined as belonging to it. A declaration so significant about turning such a large swathe of land into (Israeli) state land is not remembered since the Eighties, and proves once again that despite the political interests of the State of Israel to rebuild the relationship with the world and to strengthen the moderates on the Palestinian side, the settler lobby is stronger and Netanyahu's will to satisfy its appetite grows. Because of (such) moves, Mahmoud Abbas' motivation to break off contact with Israel, to turn to join international organizations and to force Israel to freeze settlement construction and withdraw from the Territories will grow. The whole of Israeli society will pay the price for the arrogance and the construction.
There's no whitewashing the Gaza blockade (Haaretz Editorial) Easing restrictions on Gaza won't create conditions for normal life or offer any economic or diplomatic horizon.
The stagnant and the whiny (Sever Plocker, Yedioth/Ynet) Netanyahu and Ya'alon didn't want to lie, so they carefully formulated their speeches to accurately reflect the true outcome of the war: They didn't win. 
Helping Hamas' psychological warfare (Uri Heitner, Israel Hayom) Hamas sustained serious blows in the Gaza war, so why are so many in Israel determined to paint the 50 days of fighting as an Israeli defeat? 
Radical Islam on the border is a challenge (Eliezar Merom, Maariv) The firing into Israeli territory in recent days, some of which were stray shells and other was intentional, puts the army's response to the test daily. This is where the quality of the intelligence, the quality of decision-making and the poise of the commanders is tested. Regarding the Islamic State, the whole world was caught unprepared for this phenomenon. Despite it being a murderous terror organization, the Islamic State is beginning to impose rule of order. Running a state will expose its actions and its leaders - and this will be the address for diplomacy. The threat of the Islamic State puts the State of Israel at the front of global warfare. The right action, military and diplomatic - will also give Israel significant opportunities. It's important we know how to take advantage of them. 
UN withdrawal and Syria drone point to new order in Golan (Amos Harel, Haaretz) After four decades, UN supervision on the Syrian border is about to end and Assad’s military is being replaced by more hostile forces.
Hamas's victory photo (Yehuda Sharoni, Maariv) Hamas wrote off for itself another victory from Operation Protective Edge, when it succeeded in causing Israeli cabinet members to take money from civilian ministries for the benefit of the security budget. The decision to cut 1.9 billion shekels from the budgets of ministries was brought before the ministers, most of whom voted automatically in favor and without any relevant information presented to them. They were not given enough time to study the proposal. Even someone who gets the bill in a restaurant has more time to delve into the details of the payment. 
Imagine hearing: 'I'd be sad if my son married a Jew’ (Tali Heruti-Sover, Haaretz) No European politician could say such a thing, but Israeli politicians are not only allowed to say the equivalent, they're obliged to. 
A new language is needed to resolve the conflict (Lilach Segen, Maariv) Instead of fixating on old terms like "the Israeli-Palestinian conflict" and "the '67 border," it is better that we move towards a regional agreement and demilitarization and abandon the non-relevant terms. 
Mourning for Gazan children isn't left-wing (Mordechai Kremnitzer, Haaretz) How sad and embarrassing that in present-day Israel, one cannot broadcast the simple humanist message that a child in Gaza is first of all a child, even during a war. 
Reveal UNRWA's bluff (Dr. Einat Wilf, Israel Hayom) Israel must do what it should have done decades ago -- remove Time to end the Qatari war-mongering (Dr. Yair Hirschfeld, Haaretz) When Qatar stymied an earlier Gaza cease-fire it demonstrated once again its willingness to shed other peoples’ blood for its own prestige.
No such thing as a free war (Dan Margalit, Israel Hayom) The cost-benefit analysis of Protective Edge weighs heavily on the benefit side, no matter which way you look at it.
Romney, the best U.S. president for Israel? (Seth Lipsky, Haaretz) Imagine the benefits for both countries if America had a president who was on the same page politically and personality-wise as the prime minister of Israel.
Missing those who have lived through hell for seven weeks (Amira Hass, Haaretz) With the Gaza war over, my heart goes out to the children an hour’s drive away whom Israel does not let me watch grow up.
How the Islamic State buys power (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz) Group covers most of its yearly expenses with a month’s income; entices recruits with high salaries.
Middle Eastern chaos (Zalman Shoval, Israel Hayom) Allies on one front are just as likely to be enemies on another. 
Sleepwalking from ancient Rome to Netanyahu's Israel (Oudeh Basharat, Haaretz) But there’s a difference between Rome back in the day and the here and now, and this difference is arrogance.
Romney, the best U.S. president for Israel? (Seth Lipsky, Haaretz) Imagine the benefits for both countries if America had a president who was on the same page politically and personality-wise as the prime minister of Israel.

 

Interviews: 

Double Pass: (Prominent Israeli Arabs) Zuheir Bahlul and Jimmy Turk are not going anywhere
Hatred on the street. Internet comments that incite. The silence of the ministers. The disappointment in their friends in the media. Racism on the soccer fields. The terrible fear of expressing an opinion. Legendary (sports broadcaster and) journalist and the former soccer player are sick of the attempt to turn them into a fifth column. (Interviewed by Eyal Levi in Maariv)
 
Zuheir Bahlul: "We are not disconnected narrative from the Jewish narrative, we know it. I live next to you. The problem is that you don't recognize our narrative. Each time you put us in front of a firing squad and bring us to the guillotine and automatically accuse us, as if we started the war. In the past we called it a lack of tolerance and patience in order to be more reconciled (with you), but now it's beyond that. I think it's not only just racism, but rather the symptoms of anti-Semitism between cousins. Apartheid with the approval of the Foreign Ministry of the State of Israel. "
 
Interviewer writes: I never heard Zuheir Bahlul speak like that. He usually comes across as moderate and sympathetic, trying not to light unnecessary fires, but recently he published an opinion column in Haaretz, where ripped off the mask of niceness and laid out a grim picture of the situation.
 
Zuheir Bahlul: "I'm in despair," he says sadly. "It reminds me of the beginning of the persecution of the Jews in the '30s of the last century. It started with boycotts and continued to the most horrific Holocaust in modern history. If I arrive at the conclusion that I am tired of being an Arab in the country and I write an Op-Ed, so you can imagine what the situation is, because I am an Israeli no less than you. As you know, every war we picked up the pieces and optimism led us to better places. That's what we wanted. But when I now hear the phrase 'Arabs and gas chambers' and a Jewish person is saying it, I have no answer. You preserved yourselves for two thousand years in the Diaspora through unity and yearning to establish a state. Those are the things that made the Jewish people, so why don't they now see the deplorable treatment of the Arab minority?...They should stand up and say, 'We don't accept this.'"
 
Interviewer: I asked if they felt they were being abandoned, and Turk immediately answered.
 
Jimmy Turk: "There are members of the Knesset who, after any statement by Hanin Zoabi, straight away generalize that Israeli Arabs are like that. I expect the prime Minister, who grabbed Danny Danon by the ear and told him, 'Leave', to protect us too. We are citizens. It's not enough that there is a divide, now they want to expand it. These MKs understand that if they don't make these statements, they will be nobodies. So, you (Netanyahu), as the person responsible, not in public, so as not to embarrass, you (need to) shut them up."

 

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

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