Israel and the Middle East News Update

Tuesday, April 12

Headlines:  Police Looking to Grill Opposition Head Herzog in Graft Case  Palestinian Leader Tightens Grip with New Decree  From Israeli Jail, ‘Nonviolent’ Bid to ‘Free Palestine’ Takes Shape  First Arab-Muslim to Be Promoted Commander in Israeli Police  Israel Signals No Issue with Egypt’s Return of Islands to Saudi Arabia  Five Jewish Youths Arrested for a Series of Hate Crimes on Palestinians  IDF Said to Be Eyeing Purchase of ‘Suicide Drones’  Netanyahu: Israel Launched Dozens of Airstrikes on Hezbollah in Syria

Commentary:  Yedioth Ahronoth: “What Sharon Understood”  By Sever Plocker, Chief Economic Editor, Yedioth Ahronoth  Al-Monitor: “Interview with Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah”  By Daoud Kuttab, Media Activist and Palestine Pulse Columnist, Al-Monitor

S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace 633 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20004 www.centerpeace.org ● Yoni Komorov, Editor ● David Abreu, Associate Editor

News Excerpts April 12, 2016

Times of Israel Police Looking to Grill Opposition Head Herzog in Graft Case Suspicions connecting Zionist Union leader Isaac Herzog to election financing irregularities have moved forward, with police seeking to question the lawmaker under caution. Sources close to Herzog said the opposition leader, currently on an official visit to Germany, would cooperate fully with the probe. At the end of last month, Herzog was named as a second senior Israeli Knesset member suspected of graft, a day after Interior Minister Aryeh Deri — who spent several years in prison for embezzlement — revealed he was again at the center of a major corruption investigation. See also, “Attorney General Mulls Opening Investigation into Herzog Campaign Finances” (Ynet News)

Ynet News Palestinian Leader Tightens Grip with New Decree Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas quietly established a constitutional court that analysts say concentrates more power in his hands and may allow him to sideline Hamas in the event of a succession struggle. The nine-member body, which will have supremacy over all lower courts, was created by presidential decree on April 3 and will be inaugurated once its ninth member is sworn in on Monday. Critics say the body is packed with jurists from Fatah and risks deepening Palestinian political divisions. The spokesman for Fatah said, "The prime task of the constitutional court is to monitor laws. By the law, it is a completely independent body and we have full confidence in it." See also, “In Bid to Buttress Rule, Abbas Forms First Constitutional Court” (Times of Israel)

Times of Israel From Israeli Jail, Nonviolent Bid to ‘Free Palestine’ Takes Shape A group close to leading Fatah activist Marwan Barghouti, jailed in Israel for murder, have reached an understanding with the Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaderships to jointly campaign against the Israeli occupation until it is brought to an end. The plan includes unprecedented steps of what is dubbed “nonviolent resistance” which the sources predict could prove immensely problematic for Israel. The goal is to force Israel out of all areas beyond the pre-1967 lines via a nonviolent intifada coordinated by a unified Palestinian leadership under Barghouti, who has been jailed by Israel since 2002.

Yedioth Ahronoth First Arab-Muslim to Be Promoted Commander in Israeli Police After having commanded police stations throughout northern Israel, served as deputy commander of the Coastal Precinct and the Traffic Department, and served in his latest post as deputy commander of the Coastal District, Lt. Cmdr. Jamal Hakrush will conquer another summit tomorrow. Hakrush will be promoted to the rank of commander and will become the first Arab-Muslim in police history to attain this high rank. He is expected to head a special administration that will specialize in providing police services and combating crime within Arab towns. His appointment is the product, among other things, of an initiative by Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan, who has made the provision of police services within the Arab sector one of the main objectives. 2

Jerusalem Post Israel Signals No Issue w/ Egypt Returning Land to Saudi Arabia Israel signaled on Tuesday it did not oppose the return of two Red Sea islands in a strategic strait to Saudi Arabia by Egypt, with one senior lawmaker seeing a chance to get closer to Riyadh, with which Israel has no formal peace agreement. The islands of Tiran and Sanafir, located at the southern entrance to the Gulf of Aqaba, will be formally demarcated as being in Saudi waters under a treaty announced on Saturday by Cairo, which has had de facto control over them since 1950. In 1967, Egypt blocked the strait of Tiran, a move that prompted Israel to launch the Middle East war. In its later peace deal with Israel, Cairo promised to respect freedom of shipping in Aqaba and Eilat, a commitment that Saudi Arabia says it will uphold when it takes over the islands. See also, “Red Sea Islands Deal Boosts Chances for Deals Between Israel, Palestinians, and Arab States” (Ha'aretz)

Yedioth Ahronoth Five Jewish Youths Arrested for a Series of Hate Crimes Five Jewish young people have been arrested on suspicion of committing a series of hate crimes in the past months against Palestinians. Three of the detainees are brothers, two are minors aged 16 and 17 and one is a soldier. Most of the details of the affair are still barred from publication. The nationalist crime squad of the Samaria and Judea District Police is responsible for the investigation. The first arrests in the affair were made a week ago, when three of the suspects were arrested: The first suspect, Shneur Dana, 28, was arrested on suspicion of setting a Palestinian resident’s car on fire, conspiring to commit a crime and [belonging to] an unlawful association. The second suspect, Pinhas Shandorfi, 20, is suspected of security offenses against Palestinians. The third detainee is a minor. Yesterday the three’s remand was extended by a week. See also, “Two More Jews Arrested, Including Soldier, in Shin Bet Crackdown” (Arutz Sheva)

Algemeiner IDF Said to Be Eyeing Purchase of ‘Suicide Drones’ The IDF is interested in purchasing “suicide drones,” an Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) official said on Sunday. IAI has developed a suicide drone called Rotem (“Juniper”) capable of carrying grenades or cameras, and can be remotely manned by infantry soldiers at the tactical level. “This is a tool that will change the face of battle at the battalion commander level,” the IAI official said. The weight of the Rotem is light enough that soldiers can carry up to two on their backs in special carrying cases. The Rotem carries two fragmentation grenades that explode when the drone hits its target.

Reuters Bibi: Israel Launched Dozens of Airstrikes on Hezbollah in Syria Israel has launched dozens of strikes in Syria, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday, acknowledging for the first time such attacks against suspected arms transfers to Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas. Though formally neutral on Syria's civil war, Israel has frequently pledged to prevent shipments of advanced weaponry to the Iranian-backed group, while stopping short of confirming reports of specific air operations. Visiting Israeli troops in the occupied Golan Heights near the frontier with Syria, Netanyahu said: "We act when we need to act, including here across the border, with dozens of strikes meant to prevent Hezbollah from obtaining game-changing weaponry." See also, “Netanyahu: Israel Has Carried Out Dozens of Strikes Against Hezbollah in Syria” (BICOM) 3

Yedioth Ahronoth – April 12, 2016 What Sharon Understood By Sever Plocker  “Keeping people under occupation—you don’t have to like the word, but that is what is happening: 3.5 million Palestinians under occupation is also bad for Israel. It is something that cannot last indefinitely. Staying forever in Nablus, in Jenin, in Bethlehem, in Ramallah—I think that is wrong.”  The above quote was not said by MK Zoher Bahalul. It was said at a Likud faction meeting by the person who was then the party chairman and the prime minister, Ariel Sharon. This was on May 27, 2003, two days after the government that he headed approved the principles of the “road map,” the document written at the inspiration of the Republican Bush administration that outlined the way to resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to “end the occupation that began in 1967.”  The wounds of the [second] Intifada were still bleeding, terror attacks had not completely stopped, but Sharon already saw, beyond the horizon, the national Zionist necessity to withdraw from the occupied territories. Or as he put it, “territory under occupation.” Sharon made it clear that various semantic exercises would be to no avail.  Millions of Palestinians live under our occupation, in Nablus, in Ramallah, in Jenin, in Bethlehem, in Hebron, and we, the Israeli government headed by the Likud, want to “end the occupation” that is bad for Israel. His comments sparked fierce responses in the Likud, but none of them dared to challenge Sharon’s leadership, who swept the people in a huge election victory.  Thirteen years elapsed. The Likud became more extreme. Think what would happen if one of the Likud ministers were to say the same things today. Twenty four hours would probably not go by until he were dismissed from the government and from the party. The Labor Party has also become more extreme, and its vocal renunciation of MK Zoher Bahalul’s statements prove this. The question, after all, is not whether a Palestinian who draws a knife against an IDF soldier in the “territories under occupation” should be called a “terrorist” or a “rebel against the occupation army.” He is both.  The real question is whether the Labor Party, to be more precise, the entire Zionist Union, is willing today to fight for a change in the Israeli public discourse and a return to Yitzhak Rabin’s and Ariel Sharon’s perception of the occupation. Both spoke without hesitation of the need to end the occupation because they feared for Israel’s future and for the future of an army operating in territories under occupation.  And there is no need to look to the past. A majority, if not all of the IDF General Staff officers believe that these are territories under occupation and that the IDF is increasingly filling the role of an occupying army. This is a task that the IDF does not want to fulfill, and in order to reduce it, is putting pressure on the government to reach arrangements with the Palestinian Authority that will enable it to remove soldiers from urban Palestinian centers. At least that.

 The Zionist role of a political entity that defines itself as the “Zionist Union” is to again tell the people of Israel, without embellishment, that the territories are occupied, with everything that signifies, including the role of the IDF in them. If the Zionist Union ignores this task and devotes itself—as the Labor Party devotes itself, in its blindness and in its stupidity—to populist subjects such as the natural gas and the salaries of high officials, it will cease to exist. With or without MK Bahalul. Sever Plocker is an Israeli journalist and Chief Economic Editor for Yedioth Ahronoth.

Al-Monitor – April 11, 2016 Interview with Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah By Daoud Kuttab  Al-Monitor: Palestine will be submitting a UN Security Council resolution on settlements. What is your position in light of the US asking Palestine to delay the UN track?  Hamdallah: We are in the process of consultations now, but we will submit a resolution to the United Nations Security Council this month. The US objections are not new. They always want us to wait. They have ready excuses and justifications. There are the primaries, then the general elections, then the midterms. They are always wanting us to wait for this or that reason. We have been under occupation for 49 years, and it is 68 years since the Nakba. The international community including the US keeps saying that the settlements are illegal and illegitimate. If now is not the time to put an end to illegal settlements, when is the right time?  Al-Monitor: Does the UN Security Council approach complement or contradict the French initiative for an international conference?  Hamdallah: Neither. There is no specific French initiative. The French are still in the early stage of discussions and consultations, and we are actively working with them. They would like to set up international working groups. We are not opposed to this approach and will do what we can to make this and any other serious international effort work.  Al-Monitor: It seems that the Palestinian cause has taken a back seat these days. Does this give you a chance to work on building the institutions of government?  Hamdallah: The Palestinian cause is the heart of the Middle East struggle, and finding a solution to the Palestinian cause is an integral part of any comprehensive solution for the region. As for the work toward a Palestinian state, we are still under the occupation. Yet, according to the latest report of the IMF, we are totally ready for sovereignty and full statehood. Even though we are under occupation, we are ranked better than 80 countries in the world in terms of having proper working institutions of government. The only thing missing for us is the need to end the Israeli occupation, and the very second we will be a full- fledged, totally functioning sovereign state.  Al-Monitor: Funds for Palestine have dropped off. What have you done to make up for that, and what are the priorities of your government?  Hamdallah: Despite some very difficult years, the latest report by the IMF stated that we have “managed economic policies well, reducing the overall deficit for the third consecutive year.” The report, issued in February by the IMF’s Christoph Duenwald, estimated that our fiscal deficit has “declined by close to one percentage point of GDP, reflecting strong revenue performance and successful efforts to contain spending.” He even described our 2016 budget as “prudent” and praised our “revenue mobilization and spending controls.” The deficit in this year’s budget is $1.2 billion. We have received $685 million from donors, and we are still short $515 million. We are unable to use 64% of our lands, which Israeli has declared areas C. [It] doesn’t allow us to access our own lands and resources.

 Moreover, part of the deficit is from unfulfilled pledges of support. Saudi Arabia and Algiers are the only Arab countries totally fulfilling their pledges. The European Union also has been steadfast in carrying out its pledges.  Al-Monitor: What about the US support?  Hamdallah: As prime minister, I am bitterly disappointed when it comes to the US. In 2010, the US annual support reached $1.45 billion. In 2015, the US pledged to provide us with $290 million and has only delivered $130 [million]. Only $35 [million] is in general support. The US pays directly toward our energy bills and East Jerusalem hospitals. [The other] $160 million of pledged funds have been frozen by Congress. In contrast, the US is reportedly pledging $34 billion in military aid to Israel over several years, and the Israeli prime minister apparently is not happy. [Benjamin] Netanyahu is said to want $40 billion.  Al-Monitor: Gaza continues to dominate the Palestinian government’s attention. How has your government been able to deal with what people call the Hamas shadow government?  Hamdallah: We are totally committed to supporting our people in Gaza, paying salaries, covering the cost of electricity, as well as [having] direct involvement in the rebuilding of Gaza. We spend every month around 420 million Israeli shekels and are only able to collect 15- 20 million shekels in taxes and fees.  Al-Monitor: How is the rebuilding process going in Gaza?  Hamdallah: We have only received 28% of the $4.9 billion pledged by the world community in October 14, 2014, to Gaza. Yet we have succeeded in clearing up 95% of the destroyed homes. We have removed and recycled 2 million tons of materials from destroyed homes and buildings. We have also restored 95% of the power grids that the Israelis destroyed.  Al-Monitor: Keeping the West Bank and Gaza strategically divided appears to be a high, strategic Israeli priority. What can you do to counter that?  Hamdallah: Gaza is an integral part of Palestine, and nothing that the Israelis do will take away this important part of our homeland or succeed in dividing us.  Al-Monitor: After Israel said it will allow Gazans to leave for Jordan through the West Bank, on the condition that they not return for one year, Jordan began denying entry to all Gazans, including those Gazans who changed their residency to the West Bank. Is your government taking up their case with your Jordanian counterparts?  Hamdallah: I am not aware of this Israeli decision, but we are in constant touch with our Jordanian partners, and we have excellent cooperation at all levels. Civil Affairs Minister Hussein al-Sheikh is following up on these issues.  Al-Monitor: The teachers strike left a bad feeling among many, especially those early days when Palestinian security prevented demonstrators from reaching Ramallah and your offices. What have been the lessons learned from the teachers strike and the government's response to it?  Hamdallah: I am an educator, and we are totally committed to giving our students the best education. 7

 In all of the world, strikes are carried out in a legal manner, which starts with declaring a labor dispute, and then 51% of the general assembly must agree on a strike, which didn’t happen. Nevertheless, thousands went on strike, and at least 3,000 blocked traffic outside the Prime Ministry headquarters. The issue is resolved now. It is true that some mistakes were committed earlier, but this was resolved, and our teachers are back now, and we didn’t deduct anyone's salary.  Al-Monitor: Relations with the Arab world, especially Jordan, don’t appear to be going well. What is the problem with Jordan and some of the other countries?  Hamdallah: His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan and President [Mahmoud] Abbas have excellent relations. We have constant contacts with Jordan. As to the rest of the Arab world, there is a top-level Arab meeting soon, and Arab states have agreed to monthly support of $100 million to the state of Palestine. We hope it will be carried out this time.  Al-Monitor: Is Jordan still upset about forcing them to table a resolution that ultimately failed to get the nine votes in the Security Council?  Hamdallah: We have long gotten past this issue. Last week, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh was here, and we supported the decision of His Majesty to install cameras on Al-Aqsa Mosque. We are also coordinating all our upcoming moves with Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and others.  Al-Monitor: Human rights and press rights have deteriorated under your administration. International and local human rights organizations have accused security forces of making unlawful arrests and there being general retractions of human rights and personal freedoms.  Hamdallah: I totally support the rights of our people, and I am a big supporter of the rights of journalists. The situation of freedoms in Palestine is much better than in nearby countries. We are also witnessing on a daily basis the Israeli violations of Palestinian human rights.  Al-Monitor: How serious is your government in pursuing the new social security system. Has the criticism of the new law dampened your drive?  Hamdallah: This law was approved and signed by the president and was published in the official gazette. We are open to any comments by our people, and we will make the appropriate adjustments as needed. Yet, we will not retract this important law, which will protect our people, be they workers or employers, in the long term. Daoud Kuttab is a Palestinian journalist, a media activist and a columnist for Palestine Pulse. He is a former Ferris Professor of journalism at Princeton University and is currently the director-general of Community Media Network, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing independent media in the Arab region.