APN's daily news review from Israel
Tuesday October 21, 2014
Quote of the day:
“Listen, Abu Mazen, you (Palestinians) aren’t a people and therefore there’s no genocide...To
annihilate you as a rabble is a mitzvah, and it will ultimately be carried out..."
-- Facebook post by Prof. Hillel Weiss, a professor emeritus as Bar-Ilan University and also a teacher at Orot Israel College of Education. The university responded: “A call to kill people is un-Jewish and immoral.” **
-- Facebook post by Prof. Hillel Weiss, a professor emeritus as Bar-Ilan University and also a teacher at Orot Israel College of Education. The university responded: “A call to kill people is un-Jewish and immoral.” **
Front Page News:
Haaretz
- Dozens of settlers entered in a night operation into homes in the heart of Silwan
- The prosecution in the Zadorov case: There is not answer to the question about the other shoe print
- Ministers to discuss Sunday change that will allow Knesset to overrule High Court that struck down laws
- Treasury general comptroller: Conclusions of Shashinsky Commission are too much in favor of Israel Chemicals
- High Court criticism on agreement with (suspect of bribery, Rabbi) Pinto: The rabbi held the state by the throat
- Incidence of cancer in Acco and Haifa: 15% above the average
- US paid millions to Nazi criminals so that they leave America
- Wounded person from Nepal: “We were forced to leave Tamar, so that we wouldn’t lose ourselves”
Yedioth Ahronoth
- The family was fired – ‘Magevot Arad’ factory: among those fired were a father, mother and their two children
- It hurts your heart // Yuval Karni
- Netanyahu decided: Primaries for head of Likud within a month
- Paratroopers at the top // Yossi Yeshoshua
- Chilling survivors’ battle in Nepal: The feeble were left behind
- Save us – Leader of Christians who fled from Iraq speaks about ISIS’ massacre and about the world’s hypocrisy
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- Fear of another wave of dismissals in the country – Central Bureau of Statistics published particularly grim forecast according to which this year will be recession
- Livni: We will advance the conversion law with those who don’t fear the ultra-Orthodox
- Stars in education: Pupils of Kochav Yair town at head of list of those entitled to matriculations certificate
- Cancer Society: “Percentage of incidence in Haifa is highest in country”
- “We couldn’t save Michal” – The Nepal disaster
Israel Hayom
- The terrible choice on the mountain – Chilling testimony: “I told Nadav – we must leave Tamar behind”
- The eligibility for a matriculation certificate: Kochav Yair leads
- Map of cancer: Haifa on top
- Despite the discount from the Shashinsky Commission: Israel Chemicals threatens to fire employees
- Saving Teheran the work: Obama wants agreement with Iran – and on the way bypasses Congress // Boaz Bismuth
- IDF discontinues security at some of (Israeli) communities around Gaza Strip
- (Former Likud minister) Kachlon, officially: Establishing a new party
News Summary:
Predictions of new elections and a recession, the Israeli Prime Minister’s decision not to support Justice Minister Tzipi Livni’s law to ease conversions and the testimony of an Israeli hiker about leaving his friends behind to die on a Nepali mountain were the focus of today’s newspapers. Also in the news was the Jewish settler takeover of several homes in the E. Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan in the middle of the night and the handcuffing and blindfolding of an 11-year-old Palestinian boy by Paratroopers in contravention of the law. The papers also reported that a bill will be discussed that would allow the Knesset to bypass the High Court and Maariv reported that Israel was pleasantly surprised by the UN human rights commission.
The number of Jewish settlers in Silwan doubled Sunday night when dozens of armed settlers moved into two buildings at 2AM. The settlers are said to be affiliated with Ateret Cohanim, a religious Zionist settler organization that buys properties in East Jerusalem. The takeover comes three weeks after settlers from the Ir David Foundation, also known as Elad, moved into six homes in Silwan, which is adjacent to the Old City. Haaretz has a video from a Silwan security camera showing the settlers sneaking in to the neighbourhood in the dead of night. Maariv writes that the Palestinian broker who sold the homes is a wanted man by the Palestinian Authority for four years for selling Arab homes to Jews, while pretending to be from an Emirati organization that supports Arabs in E. Jerusalem. Ynet reported that Arab residents in the neighborhood rioted. No one was hurt and no damage was caused.
On Sunday, the ministerial legislative committee will discuss a bill proposed by Habayit Hayehudi MK Ayelet Shaked that would allow the Knesset to bypass the High Court and re-enact a law that the court deemed wrong, Maariv reported. "There is no justification for preferring the judge's world values over values of the public and elected officials," said MK Shaked.
The Israeli delegation in Geneva was pleasantly surprised when it faced the UN human rights commission yesterday: The commission was not interested in Operation Protective Edge, wrote Maariv. Instead the UN experts questioned Israeli officials over alleged rights abuses. Israel was criticized for demolishing homes of the kidnappers and murderers of the three Jewish teens and for the interrogation of Palestinian detainees at Ofer military base. It was questioned about torture by the Shin Bet, limiting Palestinian access to water, Palestinians’ right to movement and the transfer of Palestinian goods. Israel defended itself by saying that the Gaza Strip and West Bank were not covered by international covenants, but Israel admitted 'more needs to be done,’ Reuters reported. Israel’s ambassador in Geneva said that regarding implementing the law in the Territories, he believed that would be solved when a peace agreement was signed. Israel also faced questions about integrating the Arab-Israeli population into the Israeli (sic – Jewish) population. It was also surprised by questions about the exclusion of women. Another subject was about the preservation of the remembrance of the Holocaust when the population of survivors is getting smaller.
Predictions of new elections and a recession, the Israeli Prime Minister’s decision not to support Justice Minister Tzipi Livni’s law to ease conversions and the testimony of an Israeli hiker about leaving his friends behind to die on a Nepali mountain were the focus of today’s newspapers. Also in the news was the Jewish settler takeover of several homes in the E. Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan in the middle of the night and the handcuffing and blindfolding of an 11-year-old Palestinian boy by Paratroopers in contravention of the law. The papers also reported that a bill will be discussed that would allow the Knesset to bypass the High Court and Maariv reported that Israel was pleasantly surprised by the UN human rights commission.
The number of Jewish settlers in Silwan doubled Sunday night when dozens of armed settlers moved into two buildings at 2AM. The settlers are said to be affiliated with Ateret Cohanim, a religious Zionist settler organization that buys properties in East Jerusalem. The takeover comes three weeks after settlers from the Ir David Foundation, also known as Elad, moved into six homes in Silwan, which is adjacent to the Old City. Haaretz has a video from a Silwan security camera showing the settlers sneaking in to the neighbourhood in the dead of night. Maariv writes that the Palestinian broker who sold the homes is a wanted man by the Palestinian Authority for four years for selling Arab homes to Jews, while pretending to be from an Emirati organization that supports Arabs in E. Jerusalem. Ynet reported that Arab residents in the neighborhood rioted. No one was hurt and no damage was caused.
On Sunday, the ministerial legislative committee will discuss a bill proposed by Habayit Hayehudi MK Ayelet Shaked that would allow the Knesset to bypass the High Court and re-enact a law that the court deemed wrong, Maariv reported. "There is no justification for preferring the judge's world values over values of the public and elected officials," said MK Shaked.
The Israeli delegation in Geneva was pleasantly surprised when it faced the UN human rights commission yesterday: The commission was not interested in Operation Protective Edge, wrote Maariv. Instead the UN experts questioned Israeli officials over alleged rights abuses. Israel was criticized for demolishing homes of the kidnappers and murderers of the three Jewish teens and for the interrogation of Palestinian detainees at Ofer military base. It was questioned about torture by the Shin Bet, limiting Palestinian access to water, Palestinians’ right to movement and the transfer of Palestinian goods. Israel defended itself by saying that the Gaza Strip and West Bank were not covered by international covenants, but Israel admitted 'more needs to be done,’ Reuters reported. Israel’s ambassador in Geneva said that regarding implementing the law in the Territories, he believed that would be solved when a peace agreement was signed. Israel also faced questions about integrating the Arab-Israeli population into the Israeli (sic – Jewish) population. It was also surprised by questions about the exclusion of women. Another subject was about the preservation of the remembrance of the Holocaust when the population of survivors is getting smaller.
Quick Hits:
- 5-year-old Palestinian girl hit by settler car succumbs to wounds - Einas Khalil died after she and young Nilin Asfour were walking on the main road near Sinjil village and were hit by a car driven by an Israeli settler. Residents of Sinjil accused the settler of deliberately hitting the girls. Israeli police opened an investigation. (Maan)
- Documented: Soldiers handcuffed and blindfolded boy - against the law - It is illegal to handcuff and blindfold a child under the age of criminal responsibility. B'Tselem distributed video from Hebron in which it also appears that one of paratroopers is holding the boy, while the other hits him on the head. Settlers seen shouting 'Death to Arabs' and 'Mohammed is a pig.' Fifteen minutes later, soldiers released the boy after his father arrived and convinced them he was mentally retarded. (Haaretz+, Yedioth, p. 27 and Maariv and VIDEO)
- Hamas says it has resumed digging tunnels in Gaza - Gaza newspaper reporter visits tunnel under repair; head of digging team says repairs began during one of summer conflict's humanitarian ceasefires. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
- IDF discontinues protection of some Gaza-vicinity communities - Angry residents say army is making decisions based on budgetary considerations. IDF to maintain presence in communities located up to 300 meters from the fence. IDF: Forces in the area provide a wide umbrella of security through overt and covert means. (Israel Hayom)
- Official: Palestinian Authority forces regularly conduct politically motivated arrests - Khalil Assaf, a member of the subcommittee on civil liberties formed after the West Bank-Gaza unity government was sworn in in June, told Ma'an that regardless of the committee's formation, none of its recommendations have been implemented. (Maan)
- Another diplomatic problem for Israel: Qatar eyeing UN chief position - The Emir of Qatar pushing nomination of former Qatari prime minister for UN secretary general. If Hamas' biggest benefactor has its way, it could use the important position to further turn the world against Israel. (Ynet)
- Lieberman's plan to bolster Israel on world stage in 2015 - Increased cooperation with US, diplomatic agreement for Israeli-Palestinian conflict, fighting anti-Semitism, increasing cooperation with Europe: these are the goals Foreign Minister Lieberman outlined for the coming year. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Rightist Im Tirtzu group received 200,000 shekels from settler NGO - Money came from foundation run by Amana, the construction arm of the Yesha Council of settlements and the body responsible for most of the building of the illegal West Bank outposts. (Haaretz)
- **University blasts professor who called for annihilation of Palestinians - Prof. Hillel Weiss is professor emeritus as Bar-Ilan University, which labeled his Facebook comments ‘contemptible’ and ‘immoral.’ (Haaretz+)
- Jihadists hack Israeli trauma site: 'We will erase Zionist pigs' - "We will erase Israel and the Zionist pigs from the face of the Earth," hackers write on Israeli Trauma Association website. Hacking comes during registration for the association's Oct. 30 annual conference. (Israel Hayom)
- New song lambastes Israeli Arabs in the IDF as 'traitors' - Singer Mira Azar asks Bedouin, Druze and Christian Arabs, “Tell me, are you satisfied with yourself?...How can you raise your weapon at your brother?”' (Haaretz and VIDEO)
- Boy from Galilee issued first Aramean birth certificate in Israel - Yaakov Halul had no ID because his parents refused to have him listed as Arab. Yaakov's father, Shadi, one of the leaders of the campaign to recognize the Arameans as a separate ethnicity, is jubilant, says "We knew the Jewish people would understand." (Israel Hayom)
- (Christian-Jewish organization) aims to bring olim to Israel - In major shift in its policy, International Fellowship of Christians and Jews announces new mission to assist aliyah to Israel from former Soviet Union and other countries in crisis. (Yedioth/Ynet)
- Christian Evangelicals' push for mass aliyah prompts Jewish concern - The group’s plan has set off a furious controversy on multiple levels. (Haaretz)
- Netanyahu laying groundwork for early elections' - There is an atmosphere of elections,' senior officials say, claiming Netanyahu is working to lay the groundwork for a general election as early as May; according to officials, Netanyahu will first call primaries in the Likud and then move to form new collation with Bennett, Haredi factions. (Ynet)
- Gazan engineer wins National Energy Globe Award for technique fighting water contamination - Civil engineer Tamer Alslaibi chose his project, which was in cooperation with the Universiti Sains Malaysia and the Islamic University of Gaza, because of the serious health problems caused by consumption of contaminated water. (Maan)
- Settlers damage Palestinian wells in Jordan Valley - Dozens of Israeli settlers damaged wells belonging to Palestinians in the Khirbet Samra area of the Jordan Valley last week. (Maan)
- Percentage of those who receive matriculation certificate: Large gaps between wealthier secular communities and the Arab and ultra-Orthodox communities - Kochav Yair, Beit Jann and Shoham lead the list of communities. Modi'in Illit, Bnei Brak and Beitar Illit are at the bottom. Only 44% of students from Jerusalem get one, compared to over 70% in Tel Aviv and Haifa. (Haaretz+ and Maariv)
- Soldier's father outraged that Israel treated Haniyeh's daughter - Ofer Mendelowitz, whose son Oz died fighting in Gaza, tells Sourasky Medical Center Director Prof. Gabriel Barbash, "I want to see Haniyeh stand up and thank the doctors for saving his daughter's life." About 60-70 Gazans treated in Israel each day. (Israel Hayom)
- An Israeli, an Arab and a Pakistani walk into a bar - American Jewish comedy club owner Jamie Masada is on the road to find the world's funniest person, certain that comedy breaks down walls. (Agencies, Ynet)
- UN: Iran not cooperating with nuclear probe - UN nuclear chief suggests progress slow in Iran investigation, claiming Iran has not made good on nuclear transparency measures it committed to. (Agencies, Ynet)
- US military airdrops weapons to Kurdish fighters near Kobani - Turkey opposes U.S. arms transfers to Syrian Kurdish groups fighting in Syria. "The [Syrian Kurdish group] PYD is for us, equal to the PKK. It is a terror organization," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tells reporters. (Agencies, Israel Hayom)
Features:
Palestinian women sew their way to independence
In addition to preserving Palestinian culture, traditional embroidery seen as way out of poverty. (Ynet)
Commentary/Analysis:
In addition to preserving Palestinian culture, traditional embroidery seen as way out of poverty. (Ynet)
Commentary/Analysis:
Israelis excel at camouflaging the expulsion of Palestinians (Amira
Hass, Haaretz+) Here is an inventory of the methods of expulsion in their various
concealments.
The loss of Palestinian children is a shame (Ran Adelist, Maariv) Some one thousand Palestian children and teenagers were killed over the last few years by Israeli security forces. The way to stop it is through a political settlement, which will remove the Israeli forces from the Palestinian Authority. But instead, time passes meanwhile. Isn’t it a shame for the children?
Killing the chances (Haaretz Editorial) Judaizing East Jerusalem could eventually torpedo a future peace deal with the Palestinians.
Between chemistry and strategy (Prof. Abraham Ben-Zvi, Israel Hayom) Relations between Israel and the U.S. are anchored in shared ideologies, values and interests -- not in their leaders' interpersonal relationships.
The destruction of ISIS won’t bring a solution (Amos Gilboa, Maariv) The "Islamic state" is a symptom of the collapsed political system collapsed in the Fertile Crescent, and its eradication will not bring the solution. But there is no better alternative to combating Islamic extremism.
Israel's right must not be allowed to define patriotism (Yechiam Weitz, Haaretz+) Israel’s left has got to forge its own symbols and concepts of patriotism. Otherwise it’s going to be as much use as a chocolate sundial in the Negev.
False links in the Middle East (Eytan Gilboa, Yedioth/Ynet) Netanyahu's Hamas-ISIS equation and Kerry's link between ISIS and Israeli-Palestinian conflict are both unfounded and only serve as a way to avoid dealing with the real challenges.
Are you with us or against us? (Dr. Haim Shine, Israel Hayom) Israel's Arab citizens need to decide where their loyalties lie. Even the worst tensions cannot serve as an excuse for anti-Israel activity.
The U.K. party that’s no friend of Israel (Moshe Arens, Haaretz+) Britain’s Labour Party has had a depressingly consistent anti-Zionist policy since the foundation of the Jewish state.
Gantz is honoring paratroopers (Yossi Yehoshua, Yedioth/Ynet) In his last major round of appointments as chief of staff, Gantz promotes commanders who excelled in Operation Protective Edge, but where have the religious brigade leaders gone? It may be coincidental, but while at the moment there are three religious brigade commanders – Eliezer Toledano of the Paratroopers, Ofer Winter in Givati and Mordechai Kahane in the squad commanders' school – in the next round we will see no brigade commanders with a skullcap on his head.
Palestinian Authority, Hamas speak as one (Dr. Reuven Berko, Israel Hayom) We need not worry about the future of the Palestinian factions' unity, as both Fatah and Hamas are determined to fan the flames of violence in Jerusalem.
The loss of Palestinian children is a shame (Ran Adelist, Maariv) Some one thousand Palestian children and teenagers were killed over the last few years by Israeli security forces. The way to stop it is through a political settlement, which will remove the Israeli forces from the Palestinian Authority. But instead, time passes meanwhile. Isn’t it a shame for the children?
Killing the chances (Haaretz Editorial) Judaizing East Jerusalem could eventually torpedo a future peace deal with the Palestinians.
Between chemistry and strategy (Prof. Abraham Ben-Zvi, Israel Hayom) Relations between Israel and the U.S. are anchored in shared ideologies, values and interests -- not in their leaders' interpersonal relationships.
The destruction of ISIS won’t bring a solution (Amos Gilboa, Maariv) The "Islamic state" is a symptom of the collapsed political system collapsed in the Fertile Crescent, and its eradication will not bring the solution. But there is no better alternative to combating Islamic extremism.
Israel's right must not be allowed to define patriotism (Yechiam Weitz, Haaretz+) Israel’s left has got to forge its own symbols and concepts of patriotism. Otherwise it’s going to be as much use as a chocolate sundial in the Negev.
False links in the Middle East (Eytan Gilboa, Yedioth/Ynet) Netanyahu's Hamas-ISIS equation and Kerry's link between ISIS and Israeli-Palestinian conflict are both unfounded and only serve as a way to avoid dealing with the real challenges.
Are you with us or against us? (Dr. Haim Shine, Israel Hayom) Israel's Arab citizens need to decide where their loyalties lie. Even the worst tensions cannot serve as an excuse for anti-Israel activity.
The U.K. party that’s no friend of Israel (Moshe Arens, Haaretz+) Britain’s Labour Party has had a depressingly consistent anti-Zionist policy since the foundation of the Jewish state.
Gantz is honoring paratroopers (Yossi Yehoshua, Yedioth/Ynet) In his last major round of appointments as chief of staff, Gantz promotes commanders who excelled in Operation Protective Edge, but where have the religious brigade leaders gone? It may be coincidental, but while at the moment there are three religious brigade commanders – Eliezer Toledano of the Paratroopers, Ofer Winter in Givati and Mordechai Kahane in the squad commanders' school – in the next round we will see no brigade commanders with a skullcap on his head.
Palestinian Authority, Hamas speak as one (Dr. Reuven Berko, Israel Hayom) We need not worry about the future of the Palestinian factions' unity, as both Fatah and Hamas are determined to fan the flames of violence in Jerusalem.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.