APN's daily news review from Israel
Monday October 27, 2014
Quote of the day:
"The crisis that erupted last week over the conversion bill demonstrated that the primary
glue holding the coalition parties together is the fear of elections..."
--Haaretz Knesset reporter Jonathan Lis comments on the cabinet and the opening of the Knesset's Winter Session today.**
--Haaretz Knesset reporter Jonathan Lis comments on the cabinet and the opening of the Knesset's Winter Session today.**
Front Page News:
Haaretz
- Ministerial committee approved: Knesset can pass laws that the High Court disqualified
- The new Infiltration law: Confinement at Holot holding facility will be limited in time
- The President at the Kufr Kassem (massacre) commemoration ceremony: "We will not push out residents from our land" [Main photo: Elderly Arab man wearing keffiyeh affectionately holds Rivlin's chin and shakes Rivlin's hand]
- Number of registered voters of Labor party dropped by 30% in three years
- America's good will is beginning to disappear // Chemi Shalev
- Between settlers and Palestinians, everyone is afraid from everyone on the bus to Ariel // Roy Chicky Arad
- For the first time in the history of the state, an Arab city will be built
- Cost of water expected to drop by 10% in beginning of 2015
- Pro-Western bloc has majority in Ukraine elections
- Apartheid is on the way // Haaretz Editorial
Yedioth Ahronoth
- The boy threw a stone? His parents will pay - Riots in Jerusalem: stricter punishment against the rioters
- Doesn't build in E. Jerusalem - The security situation and the world boycott led to change in Africa-Israeli Co. policy
- Netanyahu and Bennett's deal - PM to bring approval to build of thousands of housing units in settlement blocks and renovations at Cave of Patriarchs (in Hebron) to cabinet vote
- Knesset against High Court - Winter session to open today with Parliamentarian effort to bypass High Court. Ministerial committee approved bill that allows renewing legislation that High Court disqualified.
- Julia Roberts: I did not give in to pressure to make plastic surgery
- Sad birthday for daddy - Family of Dolev Keidar, 4-year-old child killed in Operation Protective Edge, went to his grave with candies in honor of his father's 38th birthday
- Beatings at Willi Food Co. - Workers at factory: (Owner) Zvi Williger punched a manager. Williger: It was only pushing
Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)
- The deal that's on they way: Construction of thousands of new apartments in settlements
- (Tourist) wounded in terror attack in Jerusalem died
- "Thirsty for the revival of the Jewish community" - On the eve of opening of Jewish Museum in Warsaw, Polish Ambassador to Israel tells about the treatment of the Jewish community in his land
- The man accused of driving over the runners was acquitted
Israel Hayom
- The wounded (tourist) from the car rampage attack died
- This week: Approval of a row of projects to expand infrastructure in Judea and Samaria
- Until mid-November: Yaalon will present the candidate to be the next chief of staff
- Report in Knesset: Prices jumped - mainly in strongly centralized industries
- The sandwiches that are against Israel, the financing - by Kerry's wife
- Against the background of the Infiltrators law: Ministerial committee approved law that bypasses High Court
- Judge criticized the investigation - the accused of driving over the runners was acquitted for reasonable doubt
News Summary:
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's plans to expand settlement infrastructure in the West Bank to save his coalition, continued clashes in E. Jerusalem as the terrorist and an Ecuadorian tourist are both buried, and the approval by a ministerial committee to allow the Knesset to bypass the High Court (which Justice Minister Tzipi Livni appealed, putting it on hold) were top stories in today's Hebrew newspapers as the Knesset opens its winter session and tackles legislation on conversion, a zero-VAT bill on new apartments, the peace process, and passing the bill to bypass the High Court, further challenging Netanyahu's fragile coalition.
Also in the news, President Ruvi Rivlin attended the annual memorial ceremony in Kufr Kassem for the massacre in which IDF soldiers shot dead 47 of the Israeli Arab village's men, women, elderly and children. Yedioth noted in its title, 'He remembers, but does not apologize' and explained that Rivlin made history by being the first president to attend the event, but he did not apologize in the name of the state as the residents had hoped. Haaretz wrote that Shimon Peres had apologized in a 2007 visit to the village, but actually he only said he regretted the incident. Rivlin referred to the 'criminal killings' - avoiding calling them murders. Rivlin also acknowledged the past and present wrongdoings to Palestinians in Israel, while calling for calm in the wake of growing unrest in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Yedioth wrote that he criticized the heads of the Arab sector, calling on them to condemn terror and saying that "as long as there is hope that the Jews will disappear from this land, there is no chance for a real joint co-existence." The soldiers who murdered the innocent people were sentenced to lengthy prison terms, but all received pardons. Kufr Kassem residents want state recognition of the massacre, an investigation and compensation. (Maan and Haaretz+)
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's plans to expand settlement infrastructure in the West Bank to save his coalition, continued clashes in E. Jerusalem as the terrorist and an Ecuadorian tourist are both buried, and the approval by a ministerial committee to allow the Knesset to bypass the High Court (which Justice Minister Tzipi Livni appealed, putting it on hold) were top stories in today's Hebrew newspapers as the Knesset opens its winter session and tackles legislation on conversion, a zero-VAT bill on new apartments, the peace process, and passing the bill to bypass the High Court, further challenging Netanyahu's fragile coalition.
Also in the news, President Ruvi Rivlin attended the annual memorial ceremony in Kufr Kassem for the massacre in which IDF soldiers shot dead 47 of the Israeli Arab village's men, women, elderly and children. Yedioth noted in its title, 'He remembers, but does not apologize' and explained that Rivlin made history by being the first president to attend the event, but he did not apologize in the name of the state as the residents had hoped. Haaretz wrote that Shimon Peres had apologized in a 2007 visit to the village, but actually he only said he regretted the incident. Rivlin referred to the 'criminal killings' - avoiding calling them murders. Rivlin also acknowledged the past and present wrongdoings to Palestinians in Israel, while calling for calm in the wake of growing unrest in occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Yedioth wrote that he criticized the heads of the Arab sector, calling on them to condemn terror and saying that "as long as there is hope that the Jews will disappear from this land, there is no chance for a real joint co-existence." The soldiers who murdered the innocent people were sentenced to lengthy prison terms, but all received pardons. Kufr Kassem residents want state recognition of the massacre, an investigation and compensation. (Maan and Haaretz+)
Quick Hits:
- Jordan warns settlements may 'imperil' treaty with Israel - Jewish construction, Israeli change to religious status of al-Aqsa mosque is 'incompatible with international law', says Jordan's ambassador to Israel. (Agencies, Ynet)
- Defense minister: Status quo on Temple Mount won't change - At event marking 20th anniversary of Israel-Jordan peace treaty, Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon says, "It is our duty to act wisely and prudently, to preserve the important peace agreement with Jordan and avoid unnecessary tensions at the holy sites." (Israel Hayom)
- Israel, Jordan set to finalize gas deal - Israeli gas deal would be largest collaboration between two countries since a 1994 peace treaty, has faced opposition from some senior lawmakers who say Israel should first deliver on peace. (Agencies, Ynet)
- Ecuadorian victim of Jerusalem terror attack dies of wounds - Palestinian family of terrorist accepts Israel Police's offer to hold funeral Sunday at 11 P.M. with 70 attendees. (Haaretz+)
- Clashes in East Jerusalem in wake of Palestinian terrorist's funeral - Abed a-Rahman a-Shaludi, who drove his car onto the Jerusalem light rail platform killing 2, buried late at night with only 20 people present; Palestinians riot during 'symbolic funeral' in Silwan. (Ynet and Maan)
- Abbas urges U.S.: Intervene before Jerusalem violence spirals out of control - Palestinian president sent urgent letter to Obama administration warning against Israeli attempts to change status quo at Temple Mount. (Haaretz+ and Ynet)
- Netanyahu: "Radical Islamic elements are trying to ignite the capital of Israel" - In the wake of the growing tensions in Jerusalem, the government convened its weekly meeting, and the Prime Minister referred to the security situation: "We will apply all the necessary strength so that they do not succeed." (Maariv)
- Africa-Israel Co.: Not building in E. Jerusalem - It was supposed to be a celebratory announcement on expansion of the company's projects in Jerusalem. But then it became clear: The (Palestinian) Territories, including Jewish neighborhoods of E. Jerusalem, are off limits. Assessment: (Tycoon) Levayev's move comes from diplomatic pressure and fear of boycotts. (Yedioth, p. 1)
- Thousands attend funeral of slain US-Palestinian teen - The funeral in Silwad village near Ramallah had been delayed until Sunday as locals awaited the arrival of Orwa abd al-Hadi Hammad's father from the US and his mother from Jordan. of were closed in honor of the victim, Orwa, 14, was shot dead by Israeli forces on Friday. (Maan)
- Palestinian family says it has proof boy shot by IDF troops posed no threat - Bahaa Samir Badr, 12, shot in the head in the West Bank village of Beit Laqia on October 16 when troops opened fire on Palestinians saying they were throwing firebombs. (Haaretz+)
- Left-wing Israelis urge Spain to recognize Palestine - Online petition says recognition of Palestinian state will advance prospects for peace. (Haaretz)
- Settlers continue to level private Palestinian lands in Salfit area - Israeli bulldozers are leveling lands near Revava settlement illegally built on Deir Istiya village lands and near Barqan settlement built on land of Haris village. (Maan)
- Egypt postpones Israel-Hamas talks in wake of Sinai attack, Hamas official says - Hamas official Khalil Al-Haya says Palestinian negotiating team told not to come to Cairo this week due to security situation in Sinai and closure of Rafah crossing. (Haaretz)
- Defense Min. justifies ban on Palestinians in West Bank buses on ‘security grounds’ - Workers can no longer return home to West Bank on Jewish-run buses; purpose of ban is to reduce chances of terror attacks inside Israeli territory, Defense Ministry official says. (Haaretz+ and Israel Hayom)
- Arab Idol' winner wants to give back to Gaza - Winner of TV talent contest Mohammed Assaf plans to establish arts center in Gaza for musicians, writers, actors as act of support for hometown. 'My generation is frustrated,' Assaf said. (Agencies, Ynet)
- Ex-pat who called on Israelis to move to Berlin is returning to Israel - 'Israelis have all the energy and strength necessary to make Israel a better place for many more people,' says the man behind the Facebook page that caused a storm. (Haaretz+)
- Rafael (Military industry) Presents: "Iron Dome" - the marine version - The Authority for Armament Development says that the system, which is capable of operating from the sea and land, can handle multiple simultaneous missiles and its warhead is the world's most advanced: "It allows ships to engage in activities and to act effectively against threats with high performance." (Maariv)
- Netanyahu angrily rejects call for more army spending - Ministers attack defense establishment for seeking additional billions of shekels in 2014 and 2015. (Haaretz+)
- Palestinians protest Pope Francis meeting with Bar-Ilan U. president - Vatican shouldn't let Israeli university known for its pro-settlement positions 'take advantage' of the pope, says PLO member. (Haaretz+)
- Former sumo star, Konishiki discovers Jerusalem - Champion wrestler vists capital as part of city's first-ever Japan Culture Week. Festival includes sake tastings, music shows, tea ceremonies. (Ynet)
- Under Herzog, too, number of Labor Party members tumbles - The party had planned a membership drive over the summer but had to forgo it because of the Gaza war. (Haaretz+)
- Planning board to consider first new Arab city in Israel's history - Report on project describes it as ‘affirmative action.' (Haaretz+)
- Military defenders demand soldiers' cell phone searches be stopped - Lawyers defending soldiers under investigation or facing charges say lax military police procedures must be brought in line with those of the civilian police. (Haaretz+)
- Jewish Agency loses key Christian funder over PR demands - Eckstein’s International Fellowship for Christians and Jews decides to stop donating to the Jewish Agency and promote its own aliyah activities instead. (Haaretz+)
- Poland seeks to reclaim heritage as Jewish haven - For 1,000 years Poland was home to one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe. Warsaw's new Museum of the History of Polish Jews opens Tuesday. The project seeks to remember not just how Jews in Poland died, but how they lived. (Israel Hayom)
Features:
The Jerusalem synagogue that began its life as a pub
If you have to pick just one synagogue to visit in the century-old neighborhood of Nachlaot, go for the richly-decorated Hessed Ve-Rahamim Sephardi shul. (Haaretz)
Commentary/Analysis:
If you have to pick just one synagogue to visit in the century-old neighborhood of Nachlaot, go for the richly-decorated Hessed Ve-Rahamim Sephardi shul. (Haaretz)
Commentary/Analysis:
Israel's Arabs await equality, not apologies (Jack Khoury, Haaretz+) President Rivlin's soothing words during Kafr Qasem visit should be translated
into deeds aimed at closing gaps and improving life of beleaguered population.
Otherwise occupied / The genius of Israeli evil: It poses as concern (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) How to murder human beings without using an explosive or a knife, how to empty them from within, how to steal from workers of the land the thing they hold most dear.
No hope for Israeli-Palestinian peace (Sever Plocker, Yedioth/Ynet) Experienced American diplomat says hostility between Israelis and Palestinians has reached new levels and gaps are deeper than ever.
Welcome aboard Israel's apartheid bus (Haaretz Editorial) Defense Minister Ya’alon is kowtowing to the settlers at the expense of the image of the State of Israel internationally and its remaining shreds of morality.
Europe against Bennetation (Uri Savir, Maariv) Israel would prefer to belong to the West instead of the Middle East. But Europeans do not want us anymore because "we have lost their moral message." Conclusions from a visit to Paris.
Knesset bids to override those pesky human rights (Aeyal Gross, Haaretz+) The possibility of 'overriding' human rights - which Israeli lawmakers are now striving for - displays a very shallow understanding of what democracy means.
More Jews everywhere (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom) If Jews can't live wherever they desire in sovereign Jerusalem, we have lost the right to claim any of the land of Israel.
Look for the guiding hand (Amos Gilboa, Maariv) The mini-Intifada in Jerusalem, which made headlines following the murder of a three-month-old baby, is really not something accidental. This is a coherent ideology expounded by Abbas, which was successfully marketed to the world as a legitimate act.
This is Jerusalem: How to hold onto hope in the face of a terror attack (Ilene Prusher, Haaretz+) The same night a 3-month old baby was killed in a suspected terror attack in Jerusalem, David Broza helps launch “East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem,” a documentary about how to overcome conflict.
The ASA's glaring hypocrisy (Asaf Romirowsky, Yedioth/Ynet) American Studies Association seeks 'deeper engagement' across the Middle East but has effectively removed Israel from the region and from Middle Eastern history.
**Stormy weather ahead as Knesset winter session commences (Jonathan Lis, Haaretz+) Netanyahu's coalition will be tested as its factions pursue their own legislative agendas.
In the new world, migration is not a dirty word (Ran Adelist, Maariv) The whole issue of comparing prices on both sides of Ben Gurion Airport is an attempt to circumvent the real anguish. It's not just about what is happening here and now, but also what will happen tomorrow.
Israeli leftists must condemn the honoring of a traitor-spy (Israel Harel, Haaretz+) Jewish leftists owe the denunciation of Azmi Bishara to the Palestinians in Israel, who interpret the left's silence as quiet support for their actions.
The hidden fruits of Israel-Jordan peace (Smadar Perry, Yedioth/Ynet) Israeli-Jordanian normalization is taking place under the table in the form of professional consultations and excellent security cooperation over the past 20 years.
Twenty years to the historic agreement with Jordan: Why is it still difficult to call it peace? (Jacky Hougi, Maariv) Actually the agreement, which was supposed to be a model for a new Middle East, was revealed as a deal between politicians that did not filter to the peoples. Jacky Hougy returns to the great promise, to the grandiose ideas that were archived on the way and to the main reason why Amman is not willing to hear the word Israel.
Through thick and thin (Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) 20 years on, the Israel-Jordan peace treaty is a resounding success.
The Israeli left is allowed to be patriotic (Labor MK Hilik Bar, Haaretz+) Whoever says the Swedish or British parliaments can advance or impose an agreement without Israel are wrong, misleading, and wasting very precious time.
Israel's Arabs must come out against ISIS (Bushra Halaila, Ynet) By ignoring dangerous phenomenon of young people joining jihadist group, local Arab leaders are abusing their public position.
If a head falls in the Israeli Arab forest, will someone make a sound? (Oudeh Basharat, Haaretz+) Sick secularism and fanaticism meet over the claim that Jerusalem is destined to be the capital of the Islamic caliphate. May God save us from his self-appointed representatives.
Detached from reality (Dr. Haim Shine, Israel Hayom) Facts do not influence the outlook of the Israeli Left.
Israel’s one-state president – and lone voice against anti-Arab racism (Alona Ferber, Haaretz+) Contradictory? President Rivlin, a right-winger who opposes Palestinian statehood, is also Israel’s only major outspoken political campaigner for Jewish-Arab tolerance.
Quarantine imposed on Ya'alon reflects U.S. frustration with Israel (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) At a critical juncture, Jerusalem has squandered the benefits of trust between leaders on rash rhetoric, superfluous spats and provocative settlement projects.
Otherwise occupied / The genius of Israeli evil: It poses as concern (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) How to murder human beings without using an explosive or a knife, how to empty them from within, how to steal from workers of the land the thing they hold most dear.
No hope for Israeli-Palestinian peace (Sever Plocker, Yedioth/Ynet) Experienced American diplomat says hostility between Israelis and Palestinians has reached new levels and gaps are deeper than ever.
Welcome aboard Israel's apartheid bus (Haaretz Editorial) Defense Minister Ya’alon is kowtowing to the settlers at the expense of the image of the State of Israel internationally and its remaining shreds of morality.
Europe against Bennetation (Uri Savir, Maariv) Israel would prefer to belong to the West instead of the Middle East. But Europeans do not want us anymore because "we have lost their moral message." Conclusions from a visit to Paris.
Knesset bids to override those pesky human rights (Aeyal Gross, Haaretz+) The possibility of 'overriding' human rights - which Israeli lawmakers are now striving for - displays a very shallow understanding of what democracy means.
More Jews everywhere (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom) If Jews can't live wherever they desire in sovereign Jerusalem, we have lost the right to claim any of the land of Israel.
Look for the guiding hand (Amos Gilboa, Maariv) The mini-Intifada in Jerusalem, which made headlines following the murder of a three-month-old baby, is really not something accidental. This is a coherent ideology expounded by Abbas, which was successfully marketed to the world as a legitimate act.
This is Jerusalem: How to hold onto hope in the face of a terror attack (Ilene Prusher, Haaretz+) The same night a 3-month old baby was killed in a suspected terror attack in Jerusalem, David Broza helps launch “East Jerusalem/West Jerusalem,” a documentary about how to overcome conflict.
The ASA's glaring hypocrisy (Asaf Romirowsky, Yedioth/Ynet) American Studies Association seeks 'deeper engagement' across the Middle East but has effectively removed Israel from the region and from Middle Eastern history.
**Stormy weather ahead as Knesset winter session commences (Jonathan Lis, Haaretz+) Netanyahu's coalition will be tested as its factions pursue their own legislative agendas.
In the new world, migration is not a dirty word (Ran Adelist, Maariv) The whole issue of comparing prices on both sides of Ben Gurion Airport is an attempt to circumvent the real anguish. It's not just about what is happening here and now, but also what will happen tomorrow.
Israeli leftists must condemn the honoring of a traitor-spy (Israel Harel, Haaretz+) Jewish leftists owe the denunciation of Azmi Bishara to the Palestinians in Israel, who interpret the left's silence as quiet support for their actions.
The hidden fruits of Israel-Jordan peace (Smadar Perry, Yedioth/Ynet) Israeli-Jordanian normalization is taking place under the table in the form of professional consultations and excellent security cooperation over the past 20 years.
Twenty years to the historic agreement with Jordan: Why is it still difficult to call it peace? (Jacky Hougi, Maariv) Actually the agreement, which was supposed to be a model for a new Middle East, was revealed as a deal between politicians that did not filter to the peoples. Jacky Hougy returns to the great promise, to the grandiose ideas that were archived on the way and to the main reason why Amman is not willing to hear the word Israel.
Through thick and thin (Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) 20 years on, the Israel-Jordan peace treaty is a resounding success.
The Israeli left is allowed to be patriotic (Labor MK Hilik Bar, Haaretz+) Whoever says the Swedish or British parliaments can advance or impose an agreement without Israel are wrong, misleading, and wasting very precious time.
Israel's Arabs must come out against ISIS (Bushra Halaila, Ynet) By ignoring dangerous phenomenon of young people joining jihadist group, local Arab leaders are abusing their public position.
If a head falls in the Israeli Arab forest, will someone make a sound? (Oudeh Basharat, Haaretz+) Sick secularism and fanaticism meet over the claim that Jerusalem is destined to be the capital of the Islamic caliphate. May God save us from his self-appointed representatives.
Detached from reality (Dr. Haim Shine, Israel Hayom) Facts do not influence the outlook of the Israeli Left.
Israel’s one-state president – and lone voice against anti-Arab racism (Alona Ferber, Haaretz+) Contradictory? President Rivlin, a right-winger who opposes Palestinian statehood, is also Israel’s only major outspoken political campaigner for Jewish-Arab tolerance.
Quarantine imposed on Ya'alon reflects U.S. frustration with Israel (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) At a critical juncture, Jerusalem has squandered the benefits of trust between leaders on rash rhetoric, superfluous spats and provocative settlement projects.
Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.