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Home , Avi Dichter, Benny Gantz, Gila Gamliel, Rafi Peretz, Yoav Galant

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 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 ● 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: ● 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 News Rebellion Delays 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 , Ze'ev Elkin, , , Tzipi Hotoveli, David Amsalem and ," Likud officials said. The former 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 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 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 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 , 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 and US President ’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 .

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 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 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 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. ● And perhaps the division of the portfolios is only a symptom of a far larger problem, which is the reason the government is being formed in the present format. There was hardly a single Likud minister who didn’t wonder in recent weeks where Netanyahu is running to. Why is the most seasoned politician in the world rushing to sign an equal coalition agreement with Benny Gantz—after he had already divested himself of all his assets and his party—when the two sides were far from equal, to totally forego reforming the judicial establishment and the media, to put the left wing’s representative in power in another 18 months, and all that while the polls were continually indicating that the right wing would win a sweeping victory [if a fourth election had been called]? There is a great deal of speculation, but far fewer straight answers. ● Netanyahu was the winning horse that the right wing was betting on. The people who formed the right-wing bloc knew to protect that asset time and again, even when he recently won to a lesser extent. Yet the moment the prime minister, who is probably one of the most successful in Israeli history, set an expiration date for himself, he effectively lost his most valuable asset. As long as he was the only player on the field, everything revolved around him. But when the halo starts to dim, you suddenly find out that there are others on the field. Ministers and MKs from the Likud start thinking about the day after; the day they will have to stand on their own two feet on their own and contend for their spots regardless of whether they supported Netanyahu or irritated him. And then things start to break down, sooner than anticipated. Politicians can scent weakness, and when they feel personally slighted, their egos kick into action and ruin relationships that had been normal just minutes prior. By forming the current cabinet, Netanyahu has made for himself several bitter enemies from within and has primarily harmed himself. ● Bennett said in a press conference with senior Yamina officials yesterday that as of today, they would pose an “alternative to the government” from the opposition. It was slightly pretentious for the leader of a party with six seats, which yesterday dropped to five, to challenge the leader of a party with 36 seats for leadership [of the country], but the intent was clear. In the Likud’s latest statements, the party spokesmen emphasized 5 that “the Bennett era is over.” In practice, the only thing that’s clear is that swearing in the new government on Sunday will herald the end of the Netanyahu era. And it was none other than he himself who made that decision.

6 Ma’ariv– May 15, 2020 Tar and Feathers By Ben Caspit ● And these are the names: Gideon Saar, Avi Dichter, Tzahi Hanegbi, Gilad Erdan. These are the most experienced and skilled people among the Likud MKs. They are on the outside. They didn’t grovel enough, did not sufficiently turn themselves into dishrags, did not sufficiently demean themselves, did not agree to obey all the whims cast in their direction. Yesterday, Dichter attempted to scrounge himself a job on Channel 12’s main news edition. It was a heartbreaking sight. The man who announced a year ago that a prime minister with an indictment against him could not continue to serve, and then did a Nadia Comaneci-style back flip and became the chief advocate for someone charged with criminal offenses, tried to get his own back but only intensified the general embarrassment. Think about what has happened here in the last few years. Nobody expects any longer that someone will appoint the most suitable or skilled people to their jobs. That’s passé. Only those who agreed to lash out at the rule of law, to persecute its representatives, to humiliate the gatekeepers and to turn their backbone into a silver platter on which to serve a fifth term to the Netanyahu family, will receive a position. ● Israel’s 25th government could be described as “indescribable.” It’s hard to find in the Hebrew vocabulary the words or the expressions that reflect that depth of the nausea that this government elicits, even in those with iron cast stomachs. Someone did their homework and managed to slot dozens of people into the positions that were worst suited to their skills. The entrance requirements on the Likud side are supreme groveling skills, high self- debasement ability and infinite sycophancy skills to the royal family. The situation is better on the other side, in Blue and White, but not by much. The very fact that it joined the government was a blatant violation of a clear promise and the smashing of the basic scale of values that this party presumed to represent. ● The undisputed symbol of this government, and of the entire era, is the person who holds the world record for shamelessness and self-promotion, Orly Levy-Abekasis. As of now, call her, the minister for community strengthening and advancement.” In other words, to strengthen and advance herself. To her credit, she has accumulated a great deal of experience in this field and she has been busy strengthening herself and inflating her ego (at our expense) for many years. Breathing down her neck is Rabbi Rafi Peretz, who will be appointed to something like “the minister for Jerusalem and for national projects.” Here’s a recommendation to the reconciliation cabinet: the first project I would assign to Rabbi Peretz is to carry out a comparative historic review of himself and the minister for community strengthening and advancement in order to try to figure out which of them betrayed more voters, which of them trampled more principles and which of them stuck more knives into the backs of more people who believed in them. Afterwards, this should be made part of the Education Ministry’s curriculum. Rafi Peretz, a brigadier general in reserves, an esteemed pilot and a fairly good teacher, was once the symbol of stateliness.

7 ● He headed the pre-military academy in Atzmona in and led his students, carrying a Torah scroll and with tears in their eyes, out of the settlement when the troops arrived to carry out disengagement. Peretz is a good man. Now see what remains of him after a year and a half with Netanyahu. He was dismantled and reassembled, but this time, without a backbone. He was systematically smashed, ground to dust, shoved into a washing machine from hell and is now going through a spin cycle of vicious speed. ● Netanyahu is unable to tolerate anyone who is not himself. Look at Yamina, which was once or something. How it debased itself to Netanyahu time after time, how it pranced and capered like a desperate puppy waiting for a crumb of attention at the feet of its master. Its situation is no better than that of Rafi Peretz. Think about the symbiosis that there used to be between the late Labor Party and , may it live a long and miserable life. How important it was for the mainstream ruling party to have a small, ideological party by its side. Yes, those were the days. Another word that can describe our new government is a “hybrid government.” Both because its components were scrounged from whatever was available, pasted together with spit and anointed with tar and feathers and also because at least one of its heads is liable to end up in jail. Another story that illustrates how low we have come is that of Gilad Erdan. No, he was not a perfect public security minister, perhaps far from it. He did not defend the police from the prime minister, he boasted of appointing a police commissioner and he made many other mistakes. But when we look at Erdan, we are not struck with the same existential shame of the kind that strikes us when we look at some of his colleagues. He is talented, diligent, he learns and is experienced. He is a politician who gives the profession a good name. In other words, he can’t continue to serve in the Israeli government. He, of all people, must be exiled. ● Why? Just because. Actually, not just because. He lost his charm when the Missus decided that he was the one who had enabled the prime minister to be investigated, or at least, for not immediately firing the police commissioner, the director of the investigations department and the head of Lahav 433 for daring to imagine that it was possible to treat Binyamin Netanyahu like an ordinary mortal. Furthermore, it’s important to remember that there was a very urgent need to compensate and upgrade the light onto the nations, , for her many accolades of the Missus. It seems that the Public Security Ministry, or the Family Security Ministry, was tailored to her figure by an expert tailor. But even while we’re still trying to get a handle on this, it turns out that the need to compensate, to upgrade and to promote the iconic figure of Justice Minister is even more pressing. Since he can’t continue with the job of dismantling the justice system, why not let him take the bulldozer to the police? Indeed, a brilliant idea. It’s too bad that Kaya [the Netanyahu family dog] is no longer with us. She would have made an excellent police commissioner. The watchdog of democracy.

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