Israel and the Middle East News Update
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Israel and the Middle East News Update Friday, April 24 Headlines: • Likud, Kahol Lavan in Legislative Marathon to Change Basic Laws • Entire Prosecution Top Echelon Supports A-G Against State Attorney • ICRC Delivers Vital Medical Supplies to Gaza • Muslims Prepare for Restrained Ramadan Clouded by Coronavirus • Kindergartens, Elementary Schools Reportedly Set to Open on May 3 • EU Warns Incoming Israeli Gov't Against West Bank Annexation • Largest Group of Jewish Immigrants Since Start of Outbreak Expected • US to Reduce Intel with Mideast Countries who Criminalize Homosexuality Commentary: • Ha’aretz: “Netanyahu-Gantz Deal Might Mean Ordinary Israelis Must Save the Day” - By Ehud Barak, former Prime Minister of Israel • Ma’ariv: “A Government with Moral Turpitude” - By Orit Lavi-Nesiel, commentator at Ma’ariv S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace 633 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20004 www.centerpeace.org News Excerpts April 24, 2020 Ha’aretz Likud, Kahol Lavan in Legislative Marathon to Change Basic Laws Kahol Lavan and Likud are planning to begin the marathon process of amending Israel’s Basic Laws, the closest thing the state has to a constitution, according to the coalition agreement reached between the two parties on Monday. But the sides have not yet reached an agreement on the final wording of the new laws.The heads of the opposition parties in the Knesset announced in response that they are demanding that the advancement of the legislation be delayed. In a letter to the Knesset speaker and chairman of Kahol Lavan, Benny Gantz, the heads of the Meretz, Yesh Atid-Telem and Joint List parties said, “The advancement of the bills, before the High Court of Justice has ruled on the matter of agreement between the parties, could well create a situation in which the Knesset legislated a law whose basis is undermined in a decision of the High Court of Justice. Jerusalem Post Entire Prosecution Top Echelon Supports A-G Against State Attorney The entire prosecution top echelon, including around 20 division chiefs covering all sectors of the country, published a public letter on Friday supporting Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit in the public breakdown between him and Acting State Attorney Dan Eldad. Mandelblit on Thursday said that Eldad must be forced out on May 1 even though this would violate the coalition deal signed between Likud and Blue and White. In response, Eldad implied that Mandelblit wanted to get rid of him because he was probing the attorney-general. He did not elaborate on the probe other than to say it was based on information from an unnamed journalist. See also, “A-G rips apart coalition deal on keeping Ohana’s state attorney” (JPost) Ynet News ICRC Delivers Vital Medical Supplies to Gaza The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Thursday delivered vital medical equipment to Gaza including ventilators, and more equipment crucial for the treatment of severe symptoms of COVID-19.This donation is badly needed in Gaza's failing health system that contains only 110 ICU beds, most of which are already occupied by elderly patients. There are only 93 ventilators in the entire Strip which is home to two million residents. The Red Cross said it is also working to improve the infrastructure at the European Hospital in Gaza city where most coronavirus patients were being treated, building a contamination monitoring facility. Facial masks and protective goggles were also delivered to the Red Crescent teams who operate the ambulance services in the Gaza Strip. Times of Israel Muslims Prepare for Restrained Ramadan Clouded by Coronavirus Muslims in Israel and the Palestinian territories were preparing Thursday to begin the holy month of Ramadan without visits to mosques or festive communal meals as the Islamic world struggle to balance the demands of religion with public safety in the wake of the spread of the coronavirus. On Wednesday, Israel’s government approved emergency measures placing nighttime curfews on Muslim-majority towns and in Ramallah, Palestinian Authority officials said mosques would remain shuttered and called on people to avoid getting together for the holiday. 2 Jerusalem Post Kindergartens, Elementary Schools Reportedly Set to Open on May 3 The Education Ministry is reportedly set to reopen kindergartens and elementary schools during the first week of May as Israel prepares to gradually ease its pandemic restrictions. The government has faced mounting public frustration in recent days over the continued lockdown, although health officials remain steadfastly opposed to opening schools due to the risk of infections among children. Thus far, only special education programs have restarted operations, albeit in a limited capacity, while daycares and all other schooling have remained on the back burner. School administrative staff were ordered back to work on Thursday. A statement from the Education Ministry said administrative employees would be returning to schools subject to Health Ministry guidelines. AP EU Warns Incoming Israeli Gov't Against West Bank Annexation The European Union on Thursday issued a warning against the incoming Israeli government's intention to annex parts of the West Bank, saying that such a move "would constitute a serious violation of international law." The EU's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said the 27-member bloc does not recognize Israeli sovereignty over the territory and that it will "continue to closely monitor the situation and its broader implications, and will act accordingly." Earlier this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main rival Benny Gantz signed a coalition agreement that includes a clause to advance plans to annex parts of the West Bank, including Israeli settlements, starting on July 1. Netanyahu's pro-settler base is eager to move forward with annexation while the friendly administration of President Donald Trump is in office. See also, “U.K., EU States Warn Netanyahu-Gantz Government Against West Bank Annexation” (Ha’aretz) Ha’aretz Largest Group of Jewish Immigrants Since Start of Outbreak Expected Thirty-six immigrants from Belarus are scheduled to land in Israel on Sunday on a regular commercial flight, despite the strict regulations Israel has introduced to curb the spread of the coronavirus. This flight will be the largest organized group of immigrants to arrive since the outbreak of the disease. The flights were paid for and organized by the International Fellowship for Christians and Jews, a private charity active in promoting aliyah, Jewish immigration to Israel. It operates mainly in former Soviet bloc countries. The Jewish Agency, which has been assisting with logistics, confirmed that all the passengers had been approved for aliyah. Under new rules aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus, only Israeli nationals and individuals pre-approved for immigration are allowed entry into the country as of now. Jerusalem Post US to Reduce Intel w. Mideast Countries who Criminalize Homosexuality The acting Director of National Intelligence for the US government, Richard Grenell, may curb intelligence-sharing with Middle East countries that continue to criminalize same-sex relations.According to a Wednesday New York Times report, Grenell said, “We can’t just simply make the moral argument and expect others to respond in kind because telling others that it’s the right thing to do doesn’t always work,” adding that “to fight for decriminalization is to fight for basic human rights.” Grenell added that “we have the president’s total support. This is an American value, and this is United States policy.”The Times reported that Grenell said. 3 Ha’aretz – April 24, 2020 Netanyahu-Gantz Deal Might Mean Ordinary Israelis Must Save the Day By Ehud Barak, former Prime Minister of Israel • Nothing of the like has been seen before – not in Israel or in any other advanced democracy. This political agreement, fundamentally corrupt and rotten, emasculates the Knesset under cover of the coronavirus, undermines the foundations of our system of government and subordinates the Supreme Court to the government. • The obvious reason for its existence is neither the coronavirus nor the crisis, but immunity for the criminal defendant, Benjamin Netanyahu, in any situation and at any price. Here’s a partial list of its components, all of which are in the defendant’s service. • If the defendant is barred from serving, Israel will hold another general election. Effectively, this eliminates the so-called Dery-Pinchasi precedent stating that a minister charged with bribery or a similar crime must be fired. • For six months, the Knesset will not legislate and no appointments will be made, including of a new state prosecutor and police commissioner. The Judicial Appointments Committee will include a representative of the defendant instead of a representative of the opposition. • Finally, there’s the so-called Norwegian Law that lets ministers resign from the Knesset and be replaced by someone else in their party’s election slate, but not necessarily the next in line. (And for now let’s ignore the new government’s two “prime ministerial” residences and the 50 ministers and deputy ministers at a time of a million unemployed and businesses are collapsing.) This agreement reflects a moral, political and psychological collapse by Kahol Lavan leaders Gantz and Gabi Ashkenazi. It’s a gross betrayal of their voters’ trust, and the concrete result is miserable. • When they already had the backing of the High Court of Justice, and when all that was left to do was to pass a law stating that in the future someone charged with crimes involving moral turpitude may not form a government, everything collapsed – in a way that I find inexplicable. One obvious possibility is that this outcome stems partly from considerations hidden from our eyes. But another part revolves around rescuing the defendant, both from his current trial and the investigations to come.