News Nosh 11.27.14

by APN 11/27/14
Share

APN's daily news review from Israel

Thursday November 27, 2014
 

Quote of the day:

“What’s new here? We were never first–class citizens. At least now you have said it out loud. I prefer that they tell us directly and not pretend we live in a democratic country...[where] they are self righteous and say there are equal rights."
--Sana Jamalia, Israeli-Arab graphic designer who created the "State of Israel, second-class citizen" stamp, in the wake of the nation-state bill.**


Front Page News:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

  • Pope: Concerned about the situation in Jerusalem - Exclusive: Franciscus in interview with Yedioth
  • Floods - Amount of rain for a whole month fell in one day
  • Medal of Courage for hero of terror attack - Traffic police officer Zeidan Seif who was killed in synagogue expected to receive medal
  • Her parents against the men who ran her over - attend trial today in Paris
  • Expose: Report that is likely to put (tycoon) Nochi Dankner in trouble

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

 

News Summary:
A stormy Knesset debate between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Opposition Leader MK Isaac Herzog over the Jewish nation-state bill and stormy weather were the top stories in today's Hebrew papers. Also in the news, the European Union could not agree whether to make a joint stance about recognition of a Palestinian state, the US and Israel are trying to prevent a convening of the Fourth Geneva Convention over the conditions of occupied Palestinians and Israel has prepared a list of very harsh punishments for Palestinians as counter-terrorism measures. The papers have also been covering the US rioting over Ferguson, [but have failed to make an obvious connection - OH].
 
While the scheduled debate was supposed to be about the high cost of living, MKs used the opportunity to challenge the prime minister on the "Jewish nationhood" bill. Netanyahu said he was determined to pass the bill when it would be brought before a vote on Sunday. Visiting South Africa, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he supported MKs who oppose the bill, which he called an 'obstacle to peace,' and added that it was important that Israel consider what the proposed law may mean for the region.
 
EU members could not decide whether to make a unified approach to supporting a Palestinian state, but the new EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told lawmakers that the bloc needs to forge "a united and strong message" to influence events. Former French president Nicholas Sarkozy, however, urged members of his party to vote against a new resolution symbolically recognizing a Palestinian state, citing lack of peace process, deadly terror attacks.
  
Israel, the US, Canada, and Australia are attempting to prevent a summit that would examine the conditions of Palestinians living under Israeli occupation, i.e. in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, Haaretz reported. Last April, Abbas decided to sign, in the Palestinian state’s name, on 15 international conventions and ask to join them. One was the Fourth Geneva Convention, which deals with protecting the civilian population in fighting areas or occupied territories. A special session in scheduled for mid-December to address conditions in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.
 
Meanwhile, Yedioth and Haaretz have reported on Israel's highly controversial eight-point plan meant to cause Palestinians and Israeli Arabs not to try to kill any Israelis, not to mention even throw stones or wave a Palestinian flag. [This is really a regression since Israel has already accepted the Palestinian flag as a symbol of their partial autonomy - i.e. the Palestinian Authority. Not since the First Intifada have Israeli forces arrested Palestinians for waving Palestinian flags. The details of this plan are very harsh, if not illegal, and it's a matter of time till the analysts explain that to readers. - OH]

What is quite interesting is how the Israeli newspapers are fascinated with the clashes between US police and mainly Black Americans over the US police shooting of a young Black man in Ferguson - yet they make no connection to the very similar photos of clashes between Israeli security forces and Palestinians, particuarly in E. Jerusalem and to their similar causes - discrimination, lack of hope for their future, despair.  Haaretz columnist Peter Beinart, however, did make the connection. (See Commentary/Analysis below).
 

Quick Hits:

  • Hamas official: National unity gov't mandate expires Dec. 2 - The announcement comes six months after government first established with understanding national elections would take place soon after to replace the technocratic leadership that an agreement earlier this year put into place. (Maan) 
  • Israel to deport Palestinian widow of synagogue terrorist, revoke her residency permit - Erdan has asked Interior Ministry staff to examine how he could extend his authority and revoke the permanent residency status of Arabs living in East Jerusalem who support terrorism and incitement to violence. (Haaretz)
  • Police: Construction worker’s death was terror, not accident - Motive, but no leads. In September Netanel Roi Arami plunged to his death from 11th floor after his snappelling lines were cut. Police now say this was nationalistically-inspired. (Haaretz and Ynet)
  • "The extremists are causing trouble" - At the construction site where Netanel Arami worked, laborers were surprised (at the police announcement that he was murdered for nationalist motives): "Here, everyone gets along with everyone, like brothers...Jews, Russians, Chinese." "Even if someone pushed him, it sounds strange that it would have been out of nationalist motives. I have more Jewish friends than Arab ones," said one Arab laborer. (Yedioth, p. 4)
  • Israeli gov't initiative: Thousands of Gazans will work in construction in Israel - Following the lack of construction workers: Another 15,000 Palestinians laborers from Gaza and Judea and Samaria will receive permits to work in Israel. (Yedioth, p. 4)
  •  Israeli forces shoot J'lem Palestinian in head with rubber bullet and shoot at mourners - A young Palestinian was hospitalized late Tuesday after an Israeli soldier shot him in the head with a rubber-coated bullet in the al-Tur neighborhood of East Jerusalem. (Maan)
  • Police: Yeshiva students stabbed in Jerusalem's Old City were ambushed - Four Palestinians, aged 15 to 17, were arrested for possible involvement in the attack. (Haaretz)
  • Israelis assault Palestinian worker in Jerusalem - Five Israelis beat Islam Ubeid, 25, with "sharp objects" after he parked his truck in the Givat Shaul neighborhood and stepped out for a break. He said police arrived a half hour after he called them. (MaanPHOTO) 
  • Supreme Court's only Arab judge: Rampant discrimination against Arabs in Israel - Equality spoken of in Israel's Declaration of Independence 'not happening,' says Salim Jubran, adding that Arab leadership also to blame. (Haaretz) 
  • **Israeli Arabs stamp Facebook photos with ‘second–class citizen’ - Hundreds join Facebook campaign to protest Jewish nation–state bill which, they say, makes their inferior status ‘official.’ (Haaretz)
  • Arabs with Bachelor degrees - are less than half of their number in the population - Percentage of Arabs between the ages of 18-29 with a B.A. stood at only 10.3%, the lowest of the percentages of all Arabs in the population, which stands at 22.8%, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics. (Maariv, p. 19)
  • Livni moves to block bill that would oust (mainly Arab) MKs who back armed resistance - Move demanding that the government meet again on issue because of its ramifications likely to bury bill unless PM, who supports it, OKs new meeting. (Haaretz)
  • The principal who said he would have difficulty hiring a (settler) teacher from Judea and Samaria - will be required to provide explanations - Commission for Equal Rights at Work sent a letter to the Ram Cohen, the principal of Alterman School in Tel Aviv, after he said he would have a problem if a teacher who lives in the territories asked to work at his school work. (Maariv)
  • Tel Aviv library offers free access to all but Ariel University students - Tel Aviv University, which opposed Ariel University's accreditation in 2012, says schools have not signed bilateral agreement, and therefore, Ariel students can only use its libraries for a fee. (Israel Hayom)
  • Spy balloons soar above Jerusalem - Police use surveillance blimps to monitor protests, raising concerns about privacy in Israeli capital. (Agencies, Ynet)
  • Islamic Movement officials dismiss Israeli efforts to ban Al-Aqsa guards - Palestinian director of the Al-Aqsa Mosque said the Israeli move constitutes a flagrant violation of freedom of worship. (Haaretz)
  • AG mulls barring Knesset members from Temple Mount - Following Shin Bet's recommendation, attorney general could move to restrict MKs access to flashpoint Jerusalem holy site. (Yedioth/Ynet)
  • Im Tirtzu takes aim at the High Court - The right-wing organization opened the campaign in south Tel Aviv – which could be why so few turned up. (Haaretz) 
  • Physically disabled woman detained for 'assaulting Israeli officer' - Nadia al-Mughrabi, 54, was detained while attending a hearing at an Israeli magistrate court in Jerusalem for her daughter Amani. On Tuesday, Israeli forces escorted tax inspectors to the home of Ahmad Eid Abu al-Hawa. Relatives told Ma'an Israeli officers assaulted Nadia during the raid, and that when her daughter Amani tried to defend her, Israeli forces attacked her and took her into custody. (Maan)
  • Israeli police seek to regain authority to prosecute their assailants - But critics say police prosecutors already have too much power. (Haaretz) 
  • Israel may continue to withhold remains of synagogue terrorists - Police legal adviser says 'legal, albeit unconventional' move aimed at keeping dead assailants from being glorified. (Haaretz)
  • October sees 33% drop in tourist stays - Eilat, Dead Sea and Tel Aviv hit hard by tourism industry crisis which began during Gaza conflict. (Ynet)
  • Gaza ministry stops importing Israeli fruit - "We decided to stop importing fruits from the Israeli side to pressure Israel to resume allowing our vegetables to be exported," Tahsin Wal-Saqqa, general manager of marketing and crossings in the Agriculture Ministry. (Maan)
  • 2 children die in Gaza apartment fire - Police are investigating the cause of the fire. Due to frequent electricity cuts caused by the Israeli siege, many Palestinian families in Gaza use candles for light and warmth during the winter. (Maan)
  • EU: Time running out for Gaza reconstruction - As winter storm hits eastern Mediterranean, European representative calls for urgent diplomatic action to relieve suffering in Strip. (Agencies, Ynet)
  • Lack of progress in Gaza could spark new conflict, warns Islamic Jihad - Hamas leader tells PA prime minister if he can't make sure reconstruction of Gaza and opening of border crossings happen, he should resign. (Haaretz)
  • IDF chief: We must secure the periphery - Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz warns Hamas sees Gaza border communities as weak points, must be strengthened for future conflict. (Ynet) 
  • Stranded Palestinians return to Gaza as Egypt reopens Rafah crossing - The vital gateway was shut on Oct. 25 after Islamist militants killed 33 members of the Egyptian security forces in Sinai; frontier remains closed to traffic going the other way. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Kibbutz residents rally against Israel's planned water pipeline to Jordan - Government says channel, slated to pass through farmland of four Jordan Valley kibbutzim, will not harm land. (Haaretz)
  • Israel among 43 nations to be eligible for India's new e-visa - Israel included in first phase of Indian initiative to issue paperless visas to visitors, Business Standard reports. (Haaretz)
  • Amid growing violence, some in Arab world call for tolerance - Speaking out against extremism, Palestinian author says Islamic State distorts Islam; Al Quds professor says 'dictators plagued region for decades with corruption, lack of freedom of expression.' (Ynet) 
  • Moderate Muslims must take stand against extremists, says Jordanian prince - Prince Feisal al-Hussein, brother of Jordan's King Abdullah, also says Jordan is trying to defuse religious tensions at a major Jerusalem shrine that is sacred to Muslims and Jews. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • Lebanon detains pro-Hezbollah singer' - Hezbollah's nightingale' Ali Barakat glorified terrorism and threatened Israel in songs; Lebanese officials say songs encourage sectarian violence; father says arrest 'violates democracy.' (Ynet)
  • Orthodox leaders come out against top N.J. rabbi's anti-Arab rhetoric- Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, whose synagogue has 800 member families and is the largest in Teaneck, also has held prominent positions at the Rabbinical Council of America. (JTA, Haaretz)
  • Under Rohani, Iranian Jews find greater acceptance - Iran, a home for Jews for more than 3,000 years, has the Middle East's largest Jewish population outside of Israel, a perennial foe of the country. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • South Africa urges halt to Israeli settlements as Abbas visits - "We reiterate our call for the total cessation of all settlement activities," South African President Jacob Zuma said Wednesday as he welcomed President Mahmoud Abbas on a state visit. Zuma said the settlements policy was "undermining" the 2-state solution. (Agencies, Maan)
  • BDS movement claims victory as U.S. county drops Israeli security firm - County of Durham, North Carolina, had been working with G4S security firm on month-to-month basis since summer protests, according to local newspaper. (Haaretz)
  • US envoy to Israel prays at terrorized Jerusalem synagogue - "I saw a great need to come here on the last day of the shiva for those who were murdered. I wanted to be here today with the worshippers and with the members of United Hatzalah, who acted with immense dedication to save lives," says Daniel Shapiro. (Israel Hayom)
  • U.S. government working to renew oil agreement with Israel - The agreement was first signed in 1979 after the Iranian revolution sent shock waves of higher prices and fears about disruptions in the Middle East through oil markets. (Agencies, Haaretz)
  • ISIS: We will raise the Islamic State flag over Jerusalem - ISIS is threatening to reach Jerusalem and wave its flag over the city, "Even if the Jews oppose." (Maariv)


Features:

Ballet teacher in Ramallah hopes to create change
When Ramallah dancer Shireen Ziyadeh started teaching ballet, she encountered conservative opposition, who prefer traditional folk dance. Some were wary of a woman starting her own business. (Agencies, Ynet) 
In Hebron, Palestinian women face down daily settler home invasions
PT 2 in series about Palestinian women affected by the Jewish settlements of Hebron's Old City. For local Palestinians attacks from settlers and Israeli soldiers -- who are widely seen as complicit in the violence -- do not only come on the street. Because of the Old City's dense urban fabric, settlers and soldiers often conduct home raids by hopping across roofs and entering through the traditional courtyards at the center of area homes. (Maan)
Abbas' book reveals: The 'Nazi-Zionist plot' of the Holocaust
In 1982 doctorate, Palestinian president not only doubts existence of gas chambers, number of Jews perished, he also accuses Zionist movement of secretly colluding with the Nazis and supporting the genocide of the Jews of Europe. (Ronen Bergman, Yedioth/Ynet)

Commentary/Analysis:

The demagogic anti-terrorism bill is riddled with injustice (Haaretz Editorial) Instead of dealing with the profound problems generated by terror, it wishes to give people a false sense of security by weakening democracy and abusing Israel’s Arab citizens. 
This other Gaza (Atef Abu Saif, Yedioth/Ynet) The Gaza that you never hear about on the news is creative and loves life as much as it can; its young residents dream of playing soccer in Europe and winning a Nobel Prize.
What the conflicts in Ferguson and Israel have in common (Peter Beinart, Haaretz) It’s infuriating when people spit on something you consider sacred but worthwhile understanding what drives them to do so.
The 'nation-state' bill: Jews should know exactly where it leads (Daniel Blatman, Haaretz) One need not be a historian to see the resemblance between the controversial bill and nationality laws of in 1930s Europe.
Nationality law supporters see Arabs as a problem (Aviad Kleinberg, Yedioth/Ynet) The State of Israel conveys the message that there are those who are equal and those who are less equal. Now it wants to turn it into a law.
And now apartheid is being sneaked into Israel's very foundations (Gideon Levy, Haaretz) The Jewish nation-state bill is legal preparation for the right wing’s one-state solution, the annexation of the territories and the establishment of the Jewish apartheid state.
The Left's cultural commissars (Dr. Haim Shine, Israel Hayom) Israel is the only democracy in the world where the majority has to fight to express itself.
The new anti-Zionists are
 trying to destroy Israel (Ari Shavit, Haaretz) As the new Muslim fanatics aim to do to Islam, so the new Jewish chauvinists aim to drag Jewish nationalism back to the darkness of previous centuries.
Yes to freedom of expression, no to freedom of incitement (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) Even if it is allegedly permitted to curse Arabs or call for Israel's destruction, it must not be done with state's support or at its expense.
Deadly whitewash: Israel’s culture of impunity in Palestinian deaths (Anat Saragusti, Haaretz) Without the stubborn insistence of Palestinians and human rights groups, Nadim Nawara and Mohammed Salameh’s killing by an Israeli soldier would have been just another routine, uninvestigated statistic. 
Respect the office (Gideon Allon, Israel Hayom) At times, shameful verbal exchanges between MKs seem a heartbeat away from turning into physical altercations.
What's the one thing Netanyahu and Abbas have in common? (Matthew Kalman, Haaretz) You know you’re in trouble when the only guy in the room making sense is the totalitarian leader who came to power in a military coup.
The monolithic media (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom) Israel's newspapers, websites and TV networks have come out in unison against efforts to define Israel as a Jewish nation-state.
The only God Israel's army should invoke (Elie Jesner , Haaretz) Soldiers should be able to speak of a personal God who gives them strength, but avoid referring to God in a way that turns the fighting into a war of religion.
 

Interviews: 

Man, nature and law
We are in the eye of the storm and the eye of the storm itself is a very quiet place. We know how to do our work, we fexamine the truth quietly. Adv. Uri Carmel, head of the department investigating police, exposes himself for the first time. At a lecture given to high school students in the framework of the Justice Ministry program to teach school students tolerance by sending a lawyer to speak, Carmel presented his world view and spoke about the values according to which police must act, about humanism and love. Especially love.  (Batel Efrati, Yedioth's Jerusalem Friday Mosaf  supplement, pp. 12-14.)
"It doesn't matter how you see everything connected to a certain conflict, betweeen my friends, between Jews and Arabs, between secular people and religious people. Under every conflict, your beliefs and your path, on the other side there is someone who, if you think about it to the end you'll understand that he wants in his way the same things you want."
"If you see a person next to you, you automatically assume he wants what you want. There is no difference between people. But when you are in your head, telling yourself some story that is connected to preconceptions, to disputes between peoples - you get to the point that you simply don't understand and don't see that human being."
 
Stamp collector
He's frustrated that we are not succeeding in achieveing peace and fears for the next generation that will turn him into dust. Author A. B. Yehoshua releases a new book, 'Nitzevet'(She stands), and stands behind it, in front of it and beside it. (Interviewed by Yaakov Bar-On in Maariv Magazine supplement 25 Nov.)
"I'm so angry and disappointed that we are not succeeding in achieving peace. I did try to avoid politics in the new book, but it pains me that we are not able to finish this occupation, to give a piece of land that those poor people want, and to make peace with them. It's 

 

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

Recent Entries