APN's daily news review from Israel
Thursday December 11, 2014
Quote of the day:
"This is not the first time that a Palestinian participating in a civilian demonstration pays for it,
wrongly, with his life. Perhaps because of the senior status of the latest casualty, those in charge will
finally be demanded to take steps to investigate the cases and prevent the next unnecessary
killing."
--Meretz MK Michal Rozin responds to the death of the Palestinian minister Ziyad Abu Ein following an altercation and scuffle with Israeli Border Police at a peaceful rally yesterday.**
--Meretz MK Michal Rozin responds to the death of the Palestinian minister Ziyad Abu Ein following an altercation and scuffle with Israeli Border Police at a peaceful rally yesterday.**
Front Page:
Haaretz
- Herzog and Livni declared joint list and agreed on rotation
- Strong in giving in // Yossi Verter
- Palestinian minister died after dispute at demonstration; IDF increasing forces in West Bank
- [Main photo: Israeli Border Policeman strangling now-deceased Minister Ziyad Abu Ein]
- All the preparations did not help in the face of a strategic sergeant // Amos Harel
- Death of the minister won't strengthen Fatah's status among the Palestinian population // Amira Hass
- Source in Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons claims: Israel also has an arsenal
- Every day there is a physical attack: More Arab Egged bus drivers are abandoning their jobs
Yedioth Ahronoth
- The union - Herzog and Livni: "We will be a Zionist center against the radical right-wing"
- Filing away the ego // Sima Kadmon
- Courageous move // Ben-Dror Yemini
- Palestinian minister died after dispute with IDF; Israel proposed joint autopsy
- Victory for Netanyahu at Likud Central Committee Convention
- 75 years ago today: Yedioth Ahronoth's first edition
- Newspaper with a heart // Noah Mozes
- Always with you // Eitan Haber
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- Herzog and Livni agreed: Joint ticket and rotation
- Last night: Sweeping victory for Netanyahu at Likud Central Committee - primaries to be advanced
- Netanyahu proposed: Finance Ministry to Deri and rotation with Lieberman
- Preparing for escalation - Palestinian Minister collapsed and died after dispute with soldiers
- 7-year-old girl kidnapped, sexually attacked and succeeded in escaping
Israel Hayom
- Herzog and Livni: Together, with a rotation agreement
- Everyone is a prime minister, sort of // Mati Tuchfeld
- Decisive victory for Netanyahu in Likud
- The traffic accident that stopped the country
- Following the death of a senior Fatah official: reinforcement of troops in Judea and Samaria
- News for bus passengers: Beginning in March you can get on the bus from the back door
- Ashdod: Taxi driver suspected he lured 7-year-old child, kidnapped her and sexually attacked her. How to keep children safe?
- They are always there for us? How to thank the (IDF) reservists?
News Summary:
Tzipi Livni got a great deal will run on a joint list with the Labor party, the Palestinian Minister on Settlements Ziyad Abu Ein died following an altercation with Israeli soldiers, and Israeli Prime Minister Binyain Netanyahu got a decisive victory at the Likud elections yesterday making top stories in today's Hebrew newspapers.
Labor Party chairman Isaac Herzog gave Tzipi Livni an amazing deal, which some commentators and Labor party members that was over the top, which would put Livni at the helm of the country two years after Herzog, if their joint party wins the most mandates in the upcoming elections, which at the moment, polls say it will. The pair told a press conference yesterday that they united to form a 'Zionist center' against the 'radical right.'
Meanwhile, Netanyahu got his proposal passed to hold early primaries in Likud, putting his opponents for the top seat in a bind.
**And in the West Bank, Palestinian Minister on Settlements and the Separation Wall died following an altercation with Israeli Border Police troops. Netanyahu's envoy called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and asked to keep things calm and proposed an Israeli coroner attend the autopsy in addition to saying Israel will probe the incident. Maan reported that Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said he 'regrets' the Palestinian official's death. [When Israel is likely responsible for death of innocent people it sometimes says it 'regrets the death.' The word regrets is not considered equivalent to an apology, which would be accepting responsibility for something done wrong. - OH] Hadash party MK Dov Khenin and Meretz MK Michal Rozin expressed outrage at Abu Ein's death, Maariv reported, as did MK Ahmed Tibi.
There were conflicting reports about how he died. The US, EU and UN all called for an independent inquiry into his death. The army initially said it doubted any soldier touched him, but photos and video show a Border police grabbing his neck. What is clear is that the rally held on International Human Rights Day at a Palestinian village in protest of a nearby violent settlement outpost was peaceful. In a video, one sees Palestinians holding olive branches and waving Palestinian flags. The plan was to plant saplings on privately owned Palestinian land that local farmers feared to go near because of the settlers. There's more video here.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas responded saying, "We cannot sit idle and silent." He added that Israel will say as excuse that the soldier who strangled him 'suffered from mental illness'. He declared three official days of mourning, as did Laila Ghannam, the governor of Ramallah and el-Bireh, who said that "targeting a minister in cold blood is declaring war, by Israel, on the whole world that respects human rights." The Bethlehem municipality decided to turn off the lights on the Christmas tree at Manger Square for three days in mourning.
Meanwhile, the IDF prepared for clashes across the West Bank. Indeed, clashes were reported near the Qalandiya checkpoint and in the West Bank refugee camp Jilazun, where Israeli forces shot Raouf Hussein Snubar, 14, in the head, seriously wounding him. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) called for ending the Oslo Accords and taking the Palestinian cause back to the UN. Al-Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of the Fatah movement, in Gaza called upon their operatives in the West Bank to respond to the "assassination crime" and also demanded an end to security coordination with Israel, and called upon Palestinians to expand the intifada and resistance everywhere.
Tzipi Livni got a great deal will run on a joint list with the Labor party, the Palestinian Minister on Settlements Ziyad Abu Ein died following an altercation with Israeli soldiers, and Israeli Prime Minister Binyain Netanyahu got a decisive victory at the Likud elections yesterday making top stories in today's Hebrew newspapers.
Labor Party chairman Isaac Herzog gave Tzipi Livni an amazing deal, which some commentators and Labor party members that was over the top, which would put Livni at the helm of the country two years after Herzog, if their joint party wins the most mandates in the upcoming elections, which at the moment, polls say it will. The pair told a press conference yesterday that they united to form a 'Zionist center' against the 'radical right.'
Meanwhile, Netanyahu got his proposal passed to hold early primaries in Likud, putting his opponents for the top seat in a bind.
**And in the West Bank, Palestinian Minister on Settlements and the Separation Wall died following an altercation with Israeli Border Police troops. Netanyahu's envoy called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and asked to keep things calm and proposed an Israeli coroner attend the autopsy in addition to saying Israel will probe the incident. Maan reported that Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon said he 'regrets' the Palestinian official's death. [When Israel is likely responsible for death of innocent people it sometimes says it 'regrets the death.' The word regrets is not considered equivalent to an apology, which would be accepting responsibility for something done wrong. - OH] Hadash party MK Dov Khenin and Meretz MK Michal Rozin expressed outrage at Abu Ein's death, Maariv reported, as did MK Ahmed Tibi.
There were conflicting reports about how he died. The US, EU and UN all called for an independent inquiry into his death. The army initially said it doubted any soldier touched him, but photos and video show a Border police grabbing his neck. What is clear is that the rally held on International Human Rights Day at a Palestinian village in protest of a nearby violent settlement outpost was peaceful. In a video, one sees Palestinians holding olive branches and waving Palestinian flags. The plan was to plant saplings on privately owned Palestinian land that local farmers feared to go near because of the settlers. There's more video here.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas responded saying, "We cannot sit idle and silent." He added that Israel will say as excuse that the soldier who strangled him 'suffered from mental illness'. He declared three official days of mourning, as did Laila Ghannam, the governor of Ramallah and el-Bireh, who said that "targeting a minister in cold blood is declaring war, by Israel, on the whole world that respects human rights." The Bethlehem municipality decided to turn off the lights on the Christmas tree at Manger Square for three days in mourning.
Meanwhile, the IDF prepared for clashes across the West Bank. Indeed, clashes were reported near the Qalandiya checkpoint and in the West Bank refugee camp Jilazun, where Israeli forces shot Raouf Hussein Snubar, 14, in the head, seriously wounding him. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) called for ending the Oslo Accords and taking the Palestinian cause back to the UN. Al-Aqsa Brigades, the armed wing of the Fatah movement, in Gaza called upon their operatives in the West Bank to respond to the "assassination crime" and also demanded an end to security coordination with Israel, and called upon Palestinians to expand the intifada and resistance everywhere.
Quick Hits:
- Hebron school forced to close as Israeli forces fire tear gas - Al-Ibrahimiyya school was forced to shut down for the day after several children suffered excessive tear gas inhalation early Wednesday after Israeli troops fired tear gas near their school in the city of Hebron. (Maan+PHOTOS of ill child)
- Locals: Palestinians thwart possible settler attack near Ramallah - Residents of al-Mughayyir village noticed dozens of settlers gathered at one of the entrances to the village in a suspicious manner late Tuesday and chased them, forcing them to run away. Israeli forces then arrived to protect the settlers. (Maan)
- 10,000 dunams 'slated for confiscation' in Jordan Valley - Israeli authorities on Wednesday declared a vast area of private Palestinian land in the northern Jordan Valley a closed military zone in preparation to confiscate the land. (Maan)
- Israelis tour Aqsa compound under armed guard - Right-wing Israeli Jewish groups toured the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound early Wednesday escorted by police. Palestinian worshipers responded by chanting "Allahu akbar," or "God is the greatest." (Maan)
- Gaza war led to surge in human rights violations in Israel, rights group finds - Anti-war protests were dispersed illegally; Negev Bedouin had no protection from rockets, according to 2014 report Association for Civil Rights in Israel. (Haaretz)
- Israel resumes building museum on Muslim cemetery - Israeli authorities have resumed excavations in Mamilla graveyard in West Jerusalem as part of the "Museum of Tolerance" project, a local committee said. The head of the Islamic cemeteries preservation committee, Mustafa Abu Zahra said that the construction was a grave assault on Muslim heritage and history. (Maan)
- Israel moots security cooperation with Lebanese military - Despite being technically at war, IDF says considering working together with Lebanon's armed forces to fight against Sunni Islamist militants. (Agencies, Ynet)
- High Court rejects MK Haneen Zoabi's petition to overturn suspension - High Court raps Haneen Zoabi for remarks on the kidnapped-teens case; MK also said the Palestinians should 'impose a siege on Israel instead of negotiating with it.' (Haaretz+)
- Israeli soldier charged with stealing, trying to sell explosives - The paratrooper was indicted for attempting to sell the arms, through an intermediary, to Adam Everett Livvix, the American suspected of planning attacks on Muslim sites. (Haaretz)
- American arrested in Israel denies plotting attack on Muslim holy sites - Adam Everett Livvix may have 'psychological issues' that need to be assessed, his lawyer says. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Watchdog: Syria’s chemical arsenal almost gone, but Israel and Egypt retain stockpiles - Israel, Egypt among six countries not to have ratified Chemical Weapons Convention. (Haaretz+)
- Fearing Iran, Gulf Arab states close ranks with joint navy, police - 'It will be an Interpol-like force but inside Gulf countries,' Qatari foreign minister says, announcing joint force for Gulf states weeks after West, Qatar reach compromise over terror funding claims. (Agencies, Ynet)
- Arab Bank to face damages trial in U.S. over Hamas attacks - Jury selection slated for first terrorism financing civil case to reach trial in the U.S., a damages trial involving claims by 17 of the 310 Americans who were either victims or related to victims of Hamas attacks. (Agencies, Haaretz)
- Cyprus, Israel, Greece push EU gas pipeline link - Proposed East-Med Corridor would have capacity of 8-12 billion cubic meters and would link Israel, Cyprus, Greece and Italy. Cypriot, Greek officials say the pipeline would buttress European Union's energy security. (Agencies, Israel Hayom)
- Israel owes Iran $100m compensation for oil pipeline losses, rule Swiss arbitrators - Preliminary ruling relates to Tehran’s losses from a joint oil-pipeline venture after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. (Haaretz+)
Commentary/Analysis:
Israel's two-faced government (Haaretz Editorial) It is hard to grasp why the United States continues to placate
Netanyahu, the prime minister who has done everything he could to sabotage relations with it.
An impetus for violence (Alon Ben-David, Maariv) The amount of fuel fumes in the air is so great that any spark threatens to ignite a larger conflagration. We are entering a period in which each event, even a cardiac incident, may light the area on fire.
A critical moment for Israeli-Palestinian security coordination (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Whether or not calm will prevail following a PA minister's death depends largely on whether Israelis and Palestinians continue to coordinate their security efforts in the West Bank.
Israel and Mideast armament: Gods may do what cattle may not (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) We are a country without limits, not even the sky. Could one imagine a Syrian bombing of an arms shipment being unloaded at Haifa Port? It would be immediate grounds for war, of course.
Netanyahu's feigned concern for Pollard (Shimon Shiffer, Yedioth/Ynet) If the prime minister is so worried about the Israeli spy's fate, why didn't he bring about his release six months ago when he had the chance?
Keep your enemies close (Dan Margalit, Israel Hayom) Allowing Arab MKs who the public perceives as enemies to continue sitting in parliament entails democratic benefits that outweigh the risks.
Solidarity against neo-liberalism (Aeyal Gross, Haaretz+) The film 'Pride' shows that there can be such a thing as a society, or community, that thinks of its own struggle against oppression as part of a broader resistance to oppression.
Era of King Bibi is over (Attila Somfalvi, Ynet) Latest election polls show Israelis are willing to bid farewell to Benjamin Netanyahu and give someone else, like Isaac Herzog, a chance.
Non-intervention with a wink (Prof. Abraham Ben-Zvi, Israel Hayom) The carrot of benefits being waved by the Obama administration alongside the whip of warnings and threats is meant to function as a type of "guide for the Israeli voter."
Voting on Israel's existence (Ari Shavit, Haaretz+) These fateful elections must be about freeing Israel from the anti-Zionist fanatics.
The anti-Netanyahu campaign (Mati Tuchfeld, Israel Hayom) Apparently, anything goes in Obama's pursuit to oust Netanyahu from power.
Avigdor Lieberman and the new far-right Israeli center (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) As Herzog and Livni unite to woo the center-left, the fate of the elections - and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process - will be decided on the center-right.
An impetus for violence (Alon Ben-David, Maariv) The amount of fuel fumes in the air is so great that any spark threatens to ignite a larger conflagration. We are entering a period in which each event, even a cardiac incident, may light the area on fire.
A critical moment for Israeli-Palestinian security coordination (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Whether or not calm will prevail following a PA minister's death depends largely on whether Israelis and Palestinians continue to coordinate their security efforts in the West Bank.
Israel and Mideast armament: Gods may do what cattle may not (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) We are a country without limits, not even the sky. Could one imagine a Syrian bombing of an arms shipment being unloaded at Haifa Port? It would be immediate grounds for war, of course.
Netanyahu's feigned concern for Pollard (Shimon Shiffer, Yedioth/Ynet) If the prime minister is so worried about the Israeli spy's fate, why didn't he bring about his release six months ago when he had the chance?
Keep your enemies close (Dan Margalit, Israel Hayom) Allowing Arab MKs who the public perceives as enemies to continue sitting in parliament entails democratic benefits that outweigh the risks.
Solidarity against neo-liberalism (Aeyal Gross, Haaretz+) The film 'Pride' shows that there can be such a thing as a society, or community, that thinks of its own struggle against oppression as part of a broader resistance to oppression.
Era of King Bibi is over (Attila Somfalvi, Ynet) Latest election polls show Israelis are willing to bid farewell to Benjamin Netanyahu and give someone else, like Isaac Herzog, a chance.
Non-intervention with a wink (Prof. Abraham Ben-Zvi, Israel Hayom) The carrot of benefits being waved by the Obama administration alongside the whip of warnings and threats is meant to function as a type of "guide for the Israeli voter."
Voting on Israel's existence (Ari Shavit, Haaretz+) These fateful elections must be about freeing Israel from the anti-Zionist fanatics.
The anti-Netanyahu campaign (Mati Tuchfeld, Israel Hayom) Apparently, anything goes in Obama's pursuit to oust Netanyahu from power.
Avigdor Lieberman and the new far-right Israeli center (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) As Herzog and Livni unite to woo the center-left, the fate of the elections - and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process - will be decided on the center-right.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.