Israel and Middle East News Update Tuesday, February 16

Israel and Middle East News Update

Tuesday, February 16

Headlines: ● Netanyahu: Ben Gvir in Coalition, ‘Not Fit’ to Be a Minister ● Joint Arab List Head Received Money From PLO ● Yamina Leader Bennett Likens Palestinian Authority to ISIS ● Report: Israeli Strike Near Damascus Kills 6 Fighters ● Shin Bet Nabs Turkish-Hamas Funding Channel ● Palestinians Say Israel Blocks Shipment of Vaccines to Gaza ● Qatari FM Visits Iran in Bid to Mediate in Nuclear Spat ● UAE Swears in Its First-Ever Envoy to Israel

Commentary: ● Yedioth Ahronoth: “A Missed Opportunity’’ - By Michael Milshtein

● Yedioth Ahronoth: “New Thinking is Needed’’ - By Daniel Friedman

S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace 1725 I St NW Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006 The Hon. Robert Wexler, President Editor: Yousef Bashir News Excerpts February 16, 2021 Times of Israel Netanyahu: Ben Gvir in Coalition, ‘Not Fit’ to Be a Minister Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he wants Itamar Ben Gvir, the leader of the extreme-right Kahanist Otzma Yehudit party, to be a part of his coalition after the March 23 election, but says he “is not fit” to be a member of his cabinet. In an interview with Channel 12, Netanyahu said that Ben Gvir would not be given a position of influence, including being a minister or heading a Knesset committee. Netanyahu orchestrated a deal between Ben Gvir and Religious Zionism’s Bezalel Smotrich for a joint run that recent polls have shown will ensure the joint slate will pass the Knesset electoral threshold. Netanyahu hopes to thus avoid a loss of right-wing votes and bolster his chances of forming a government after the election. Dig Deeper ‘‘Poll Signals Slight Drop-in Support for Netanyahu’s Likud, Continued Deadlock’’ (Times of Israel)

Israel Hayom Joint Arab List Head Received Money From PLO Joint Arab List leader Ayman Odeh has allegedly received payments from a senior Palestinian official, Channel 20, Israeli cable television's right-wing heritage channel, reported. The incident in question reportedly took place when Odeh visited France, in 2018, to attend a conference organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Odeh took a meeting Ramzi Khuri, a senior Palestinian Authority official and the former bureau chief from late PLO chairman Yasser Arafat. He currently serves as the PA's senior treasurer. The report said that the two met at a luxury Parisian restaurant, alleging that during the meeting, Khuri gave Odeh a cash envelope believed to contain about $20,000. Khuri later told associates that the funds were a "campaign donation". Officials in Ramallah were unfazed by the report, telling the channel that it was "standard practice" for the PA to make donations to political parties and organizations.

I24 News Yamina Leader Bennett Likens Palestinian Authority to ISIS Right-wing Yamina party Chairman Naftali Bennett released a video in English in which he compared the Palestinian Authority (PA) to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group. In the video, recorded at the biblical site of Joshua’s Alter on Mount Ebal, Bennett addressed the damage done to the alter's outer wall by Palestinian municipal workers. "Imagine if ISIS would try to take apart the Statue of Liberty or the Eiffel Tower, what an uproar across the world we'd hear," Bennett said. He went on to say, "I am standing here on the hills of Samaria, on an ancient Jewish site, one of the most ancient Jewish sites ever discovered, 3,200 years old, on Joshua's altar on Mount Ebal." Dig Deeper ‘‘Trying to Oust Netanyahu, an Ex-Settler Head Says He Can Rebuild Bridge to Biden’’ (Times of Israel) 2 Ynet News Report: Israeli Strike Near Damascus Kills 6 Fighters Israel fired several missiles targeting areas near the Syrian capital, Syria's state news agency reported. An opposition war-monitoring group said the strikes killed 6 Iran-backed fighters. Syria's army said its air defenses "repelled Israeli aggression". The SANA news agency claimed that Syrian air defenses shot down most of the missiles, which it said were fired from the Golan Heights. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the strikes hit positions of the Syrian army's Fourth Division in the mountains near the highway that links Damascus with the Lebanese capital of Beirut. The Observatory said that of the 6 fighters killed, 4 were near the Damascus-Beirut highway and 2 in Kisweh. Weapons depots were also struck in both areas, it added. IDF’s chief of staff, Aviv Kochavi, said at the end of last year that his country's missile strikes had "slowed down Iran's entrenchment in Syria," hitting more than 500 targets in 2020. Dig Deeper ‘‘Rivalry Heats up Between IDF, Mossad Chiefs’’ (Al-Monitor)

Jerusalem Post Shin Bet Nabs Turkish-Hamas Funding Channel The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and Defense Ministry said they have blocked the transfer of more than $100,000 worth of Turkish merchandise and money intended to fund Hamas. The operation was carried out by the Defense Ministry’s National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing, the Shin Bet and the Customs Authority. Defense Minister Benny Gantz signed seizure orders on $121,000 worth of merchandise and cash that were transferred via commercial companies by Hamas members in Turkey to Hamas terrorists in the West Bank. In December, Gantz signed an order to seize $4 million that Iran transferred to Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The money was intended to develop Hamas’s terrorist infrastructure in Gaza, including the production of weapons and paying salaries to terrorists, the Defense Ministry said at the time. The source of the funds is the Iranian regime, which continues to act against the State of Israel, the ministry added. Dig Deeper ‘‘Qatar Confirms Gas Pipeline Projects in Gaza Strip’’ (Israel Hayom)

Associated Press Palestinians Say Israel Blocks Shipment of Vaccines to Gaza The Palestinian Authority said that Israel was preventing it from sending coronavirus vaccines to the Gaza Strip that are intended for frontline medical workers in the territory controlled by the Islamic militant group Hamas. Palestinian Health Minister Mai Alkaila said in a statement that Israel bore “full responsibility” for blocking the shipment of 2,000 doses of Russia’s Sputnik V vaccine that were acquired by the PA, which governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. The PA has said it will share its vaccine supply with Gaza, where the Islamic militant group Hamas seized power from its forces in 2007. The territory, which is home to more than 2 million Palestinians, has yet to receive any vaccines. Authorities there have reported more than 53,000 cases and at least 537 deaths since the start of the pandemic. Israel and Egypt have imposed a blockade on Gaza since the Hamas takeover. Israeli lawmakers have said Israel should only allow in vaccines in return for progress on the release of two captive Israelis and the remains of two Israeli soldiers being held by Hamas.

3 I24 News Qatari FM Visits Iran in Bid to Mediate in Nuclear Spat Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani visited Iran in a bid to mediate in the spat over Tehran's nuclear ambitions. During his trip, he met with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif as well as President Hassan Rouhani, to whom he relayed a message from the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani Iranian media said the discussions were focused on the bilateral and regional matters. The visit comes as Iran is facing off with the US, which withdrew from the 2015 nuclear accord, reimposing its crippling sanctions on Tehran under former President Trump. Qatar, a major US ally in the Middle East, is also on friendly terms with Iran, to the point of it stoking tensions with the other Gulf States in a spat that was recently defused. Such diplomatic positioning allows it to try mediating in the US-Iran standoff, and Doha voiced its interest in doing so in late January. In the meantime, Iran warned the UN nuclear watchdog that unless the sanctions were removed, it would cancel its snap inspections on its sites. Dig Deeper ‘‘Netanyahu Acknowledges Differences with Biden, but Confident He'll Call’’ (Reuters)

Ynet News UAE Swears in Its First-Ever Envoy to Israel Five months after the two nations signed the historic Abraham Accords to normalize relations, the UAE swore in its first ambassador to Israel. Mohammad Mahmoud Al Khajah, who has served as the chief of staff of Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, pledged his allegiance at a ceremony before the ruler of Dubai and UAE Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. At the event attended by members of the Emirati cabinet, Al Maktoum called on the new ambassador to work honestly to strengthen friendship and cooperation with Israel, and to promote a culture of peace, coexistence and tolerance between the two countries, their peoples and the peoples of the region. Al Khajah's appointment comes after the Gulf kingdom's cabinet gave the green light last month for the establishment of the mission in Tel Aviv. A delegation from the Emirates was expected to arrive in Israel in the coming days to begin preparations for the opening of the embassy. Dig Deeper ‘‘Biden’s Pick for Ambassador to Israel Expected by Summer’’ (Jerusalem Post)

4 Yedioth Ahronoth – February 16, 2021 A Missed Opportunity By Michael Milshtein ● The last two years have provided Jewish society with an unprecedented glimpse into the deep changes taking place in Arab society that are gradually altering it. The political conduct of the Joint List at this time—despite its many shortcomings—reflects an unprecedented yearning of the Arab public to integrate into the Israeli experience and to have influence on the decision-making. ● The current split in the Joint List highlights the diversity of voices and the multiple opinions in Arab society, and thus undermines the monolithic perception of the Jewish public and the view that there is an absolute correspondence between the Arab public and its political leadership. For a small moment, it had seemed that there was an understanding in the Jewish parties about the changes taking place in Arab society and that this that would be translated into opening the doors to the Arab citizens. The Likud started a stormy “political romance” with the United Arab List; many parties promised reserved slots for Arab representatives on their lists and among the Arab public itself, a conversation developed about the need to abandon the usual, almost automatic vote for the Joint List and to examine the idea of voting for Jewish parties that would offer partnership, influence and mainly, an answer to the fundamental problems from which they suffer, first and foremost, crime and violence. ● However, after the lists were submitted, it emerged that the majority of the Jewish politicians perhaps understand the change taking place in Arab society, but they find it difficult, or have no interest, in making the bold adjustments required. In the large parties in the right-wing and in the center, the Arab representatives are not in realistic slots, in the Labor Party, an Arab woman representative (who is very controversial) is in a spot that is in doubt; only Meretz included two Arab representatives in its first five spots (double their percentage in the population). This is a formula for harsh disappointment in Arab society. Locking the gates of the Jewish parties to Arab citizens comes on the heels of their deep frustration with the Joint List for its inability to change, to influence and to provide an answer to their fundamental problems, all while the suffering of the Arab public is increasing because of rampant crime and violence. All these negative things together are liable to the Arab public to choose separatism by choice. ● This collective frustration is liable to strengthen the voices that already exist in Arab society that want to encourage more alienation toward the establishment and toward Jewish society, by claiming that Arabs will never have any real influence on the decision- making in the country, because the Jews are indifferent to their problems and that the only way to resolve them is by focusing inwardly and helping themselves. In the foreseeable future, this separatism is liable to be reflected in a low voter turnout, based on the understanding that it doesn’t help the Arabs to take part in the parliamentary game. In the next stages, phenomena of organizing independently to handle problems are liable to develop, particularly the plague of crime and violence.

5 ● All of these are liable to be fertile ground for volatile tension and friction between the state’s institutions and Arab society. The majority of the Jewish parties turned their back at a time of rising tension in Arab society that was caused by the violence that is tearing it apart and its claim that the state is not addressing this. In the immediate short- term— even before the elections—determined steps must be taken against crime on the Arab street, which could restore a little of the Arab citizens’ faith in the government and somewhat calm the tension in Arab society. Taking a longer-term view, Jewish politics will have to conduct some self-reflection and examine making real changes in its attitude toward Arab society. This could form the basis for formulating a binding “contract” that would clearly formulate the state’s relationship toward its Arab citizens and give both societies a vision for a common life together.

6 Ma’ariv – February 16, 2021 The Era of Repression is Over By Maj. Gen. Amram Mitzna ● Nobody disputes the hypocrisy of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which authorized an investigation into the State of Israel[’s alleged actions] and which completely ignores the war crimes committed by other countries around the world. But along with our harsh words and condemnation, we must also ask ourselves: what next? How should the State of Israel deal with reality when it slaps us in the face time after time? Israel’s occupation [of the West Bank and consequent rule] over millions of Palestinians, the settlements in the territories and the separation between Jews and Arabs all create impossible situations and draw fierce criticism of Israel around the world. On the other hand, Israel’s ongoing ignoring of the need to separate from the Palestinians is liable to cost us a high price. ● As we know, the Palestinian issue has not been on the public agenda for a long time, either for the left wing or for the right-wing. The current election campaigns, like their predecessors, are focused on the battle to keep the current government in power versus the effort to replace it. At the same time, there is a coronavirus crisis, many homes in Israel are suffering financial distress, and Netanyahu’s trial is underway, making the Palestinian issue appear almost irrelevant. But even if the conflict is mistakenly perceived by the Israeli public and some of its elected officials as being marginal, in the eyes of the international community it is a burning issue—and even a volatile issue. After four years of the Trump administration, during which Israel was protected by the strongest world power, comes the sobering-up stage. Anyone with eyes in their head can foresee the day in which the ongoing occupation and the de facto annexation will come to be at the forefront once again. One after the other, we are seeing the signs that the era of repression is over. ● The statements issued by the Biden administration and threats from The Hague are just the first indications that the subject is once again back on the global agenda. Neither the threat of prosecution by The Hague nor international criticism—whether hypocritical or justified—should dictate to us what to do. The central issue that should cause the Israeli public lose sleep is under our noses: a situation is evolving that is liable to blow up in our faces. The settlers’ violence against Palestinians in the last few weeks has reached new heights. In addition, we are seeing lone-wolf terrorist attacks in the West Bank, and if we add the difficult economic situation in the PA into the mix, we can see that the next clash is right around the corner, and it will exact a price from us in security, diplomatic, economic and moral terms. Addressing this volatile issue only militarily has proven to be a failure. We must change our thinking and we must internalize that the conflict cannot be managed over time but must be resolved at the negotiating table with the intent of establishing two states. The plans for doing so already exist, they only need to be removed from the drawers and for us to work together with the US and with our new and old allies in the Arab states to reach an historic agreement.

7 ● Whether the party leaders talk about this before the elections or whether they do so afterwards, it would be best for us all to realize that only a real peace process will protect Israel from his enemies in the region, from the judges at The Hague and from itself.