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Israel and the Middle East News Update

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Israel and the Middle East News Update Israel and the Middle East News Update Friday, May 15 Headlines: ● Netanyahu Postpones Government Swearing-In Until Sunday ● Peretz Joins New Gov’t as Minister of Jerusalem Affairs ● Bibi, Gantz Will ‘Take a While’ to Decide on Annexation ● Senate Legislation Seeks to Lessen Dependence on China ● EU Condemns Hate Speech in Palestinian Textbooks ● Palestinians Vow to Foil Annexation and Trump Plan ● Clashes Erupt in Wadi Ara Over Sheba Stabber's Death ● Netanyahu Orders Opening of Schools in 'Safe' Areas Commentary: ● Israel Hayom: “Politicians Can Scent Weakness from Afar” − By Matti Tuchfeld ● Ma’ariv: “Tar and Feather” − By Ben Caspit S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace 633 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20004 The Hon. Robert Wexler, President News Excerpts May 15, 2020 Ynet News Likud Rebellion Delays Knesset Swearing-In Prime Minister Netanyahu delayed the swearing-in of the new government, just hours before it was due to take place, until Sunday. The prime minister has not yet finalized a new position for seven of his close supporters most of whom were ministers in his recent cabinet. A significant portion of the posts have not yet been filled, leaving responsibility for budgets worth tens of billions of shekels to last-minute horse trading. "It's stuck with some of the ministries. Netanyahu has yet to reach a deal with Yoav Galant, Ze'ev Elkin, Nir Barkat, Gila Gamliel, Tzipi Hotoveli, David Amsalem and Avi Dichter," Likud officials said. The former Shin Bet chief told his associates: "Such disrespect is not shown only to me, but spits in the face of 130,000 Likud officials who elected me to the top 10 of the Likud." Blue & White leader Benny Gantz agreed to the delay in order to give Netanyahu more time to allocate cabinet posts to those Likud members, a joint statement said. Jerusalem Post Peretz Joins New Gov't as Minister of Jerusalem Affairs Netanyahu and Bayit Yehudi leader Rafi Peretz signed a coalition agreement overnight Friday. Peretz will serve as minister of Jerusalem affairs and heritage, the post that was sought by two Likud ministers. Peretz will be responsible for religious Zionist education. He will also join the Likud faction in the Knesset. The move to join Netanyahu came after Peretz abandoned the Yamina alliance of right-wing religious parties and decided to join the new government instead of heading to the opposition. Peretz told his colleagues that he disagreed with their decision not to enter the coalition and that in a time of emergency, it is essential to take part in a unity government. With Peretz, Netanyahu's coalition will have 73 MKs. See also ‘‘Bennett, Left out of Government, Accuses Netanyahu of ‘Surrendering to the Left’’ (Times of Israel) Jerusalem Post Bibi, Gantz Will ‘Take a While’ to Decide on Annexation The new government needs time to decide how and whether to move forward with settlement annexation, senior State Department officials said overnight Wednesday in a briefing in Germany, following Pompeo’s six-hour visit to Israel. The senior officials in the briefing made clear that the US is open to whatever decision the government makes, whether to annex or not. The officials expressed hope that the Palestinians would come to the table with Israel but pointed out the Palestinians refuse to speak to the US or Israel about the peace plan. The Iranian threat and increasing Israeli strikes on Iranian proxies were the major focus of Pompeo’s trip to Israel. See also ‘‘U.S. Accuses Iran of Defying UN Nuclear Deal Resolution’’ (Ynet News) 2 Jewish Telegraph Agency Senate Legislation Seeks to Lessen Dependence on China The Senate has introduced legislation to enhance partnerships between American and Israeli companies on COVID-19 projects, thus lessening U.S. dependence on China for life-saving medications and treatments. The bipartisan legislation was introduced as Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, on a whirlwind visit to Israel, criticized China while praising Israel. The U.S. has pressed Israel to reconsider allowing Chinese investment in national projects, including work on the Haifa Port, where the U.S. Sixth Fleet is anchored, and building the Sorek 2 water desalination plant on the Mediterranean coast in central Israel. Following Pompeo’s visit to Israel, a senior State Department official told reporters that China is “not a reliable partner,” and that while Pompeo doesn’t have a problem with countries having relationships or trading with China, the pandemic is different. He indicated that there are security issues in dealing with Chinese companies, which he said are not independent. The official added: “I think it’s important for us as allies, strategic partners to be able to discuss the type of threats and the types of ways to mitigate those kind of threats.” Times of Israel EU Condemns Hate Speech in Palestinian Textbooks The European Parliament on Thursday passed a resolution condemning the Palestinian Authority for continuing to include hate speech and violent material in school textbooks. The resolution said the European Parliament, the legislative branch of the European Union, “is concerned that problematic material in Palestinian school textbooks has still not been removed and is concerned about the continued failure to act effectively against hate speech and violence in school textbooks.” This parliamentary report, which was drafted in March, scrutinizes EU spending for the financial year 2018 and was drafted by Monika Hohlmeier, a German European People’s Party lawmaker and member of the legislature’s budgetary control committee. The report could have implications for how the EU allocates its budget going forward. In a separate clause, which didn’t single out the Palestinians, the resolution stressed the need to “guarantee that no Union funds are used to finance textbooks and educational material which incite religious radicalization, intolerance, ethnic violence and martyrdom among children.” Jerusalem Post Palestinians Vow to Foil Annexation and Trump Plan Palestinians on Thursday marked the 72nd anniversary of “Nakba Day” (“Day of Catastrophe”) by vowing to thwart Israel’s plan to apply sovereignty to parts of the West Bank and US President Donald Trump’s plan for Mideast peace, also known as the Deal of the Century. “Nakba Day” is commemorated by Palestinians on May 15, the day after the Gregorian calendar date for Israel’s independence. Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the state of emergency announced in the West Bank, Palestinians marked this year’s “Nakba Day” with statements and speeches. PA President Mahmoud Abbas said in a televised speech on Wednesday night that “those who created our catastrophe wanted Palestine to be land without people or territories and were betting that the name of Palestine would be erased from the records of history.” 3 Jerusalem Post Clashes Erupt in Wadi Ara Over Sheba Stabber's Death The Wadi Ara interchange was blocked Thursday evening after clashes erupted between locals and law enforcement during a protest over the death of Mustafa Younis ahead of his funeral at 6 p.m. Israel time, N12's Fourat Nassar reported. Younis, a 27-year-old man from Kafr Ara, was shot and killed Wednesday at Ramat Gan's Sheba Medical Center after stabbing a security guard during an altercation. The incident was initially reported as a suspected terror incident, but police later confirmed the incident was criminal. Coming under Israeli rule in 1949, Wadi Ara (lit. "Ara Valley") and the Triangle comprise an ethnically Palestinian area on the Green Line, Israel's border with Jordan at the time. Like other Arab-Israeli towns and villages, the area was ruled by the IDF. In October 2000, riots broke out in the valley after a video showing a Palestinian child named Muhammad a-Dura being shot by the IDF in Gaza was published. Some 13 protesters died in the clashes in Israel's North, also known as the October Events, leading to the Ramallah lynching and sparking the Second Intifada. I24 News Netanyahu Orders Opening of Schools in 'Safe' Areas In another step aimed to carefully steer Israel out of the coronavirus lockdown and back to normalcy, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the full reopening of schools starting next week in areas with a low infection rates. Health Ministry announced only five new cases were confirmed in the last 24 hours, in keeping with the downward trend of the virus. According to the latest case count, 16,567 Israelis have so far tested positive for the virus, with a death toll of 264. As of Thursday, there were 3,939 active cases, including 62 patients who condition was defined as life-threatening. 12,364 patients have recovered. Earlier this week, Israel's coronavirus czar Moshe Bar Siman Tov, Health Ministry Director General, resigned from his post, stating his was satisfied with the way the Jewish state handled the response to the global pandemic. 4 Israel Hayom– May 15, 2020 Politicians Can Scent Weakness from Afar By Matti Tuchfeld ● Netanyahu did not realize the magnitude of the Likud’s objections to the crumbs he had left to share with his party members. It started with Dudi Amsalem. The current communications minister demanded the Jerusalem affairs portfolio, which he had been promised and which has since been given to Rabbi Rafi Peretz in exchange for his leaving Yamina and joining the coalition. It continued with Gila Gamliel, who vehemently rejected a portfolio that had been formed from a sliver of the Education Ministry and put together in a big package for her. And it peaked when Tzahi Hanegbi and Avi Dichter announced that they would boycott the swearing-in because they had not been appointed ministers. Even though Yamina is out and Gilad Erdan is being shipped out to New York, which freed up another two or three portfolios for Netanyahu, he didn’t have enough to satisfy the Likud’s appetite.
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