Israel Update
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Israel and the Middle East News Update Wednesday, February 22 Headlines: Poll: 56% of Israelis Think Azaria’s Sentence Too Harsh Egypt, Jordan: Solution Other Than Two States Dangerous for Middle East Netanyahu Praises Trump for 'Strong Stand' on Anti-Semitism Attorney General to Arab-MKs: I'm Against Muezzin Bill Police Chief Urges Patience Over Umm al-Hiram Investigation IDF Allegedly Attack Hezbollah Targets in Syria Overnight Islamic State Affiliate in Sinai Claims Rocket Fire on Israel Iran’s Supreme Leader Calls for Palestinian Intifada Against Cancerous Israel Commentary: Ma’ariv: “Eisenkot is Blocking the Ill Winds” By Yossi Melman, Israeli Journalist Specializing in Security, Intelligence Affairs Al-Monitor: “3 Alternatives to Two-state or One-state Solution for Peace” By Ben Caspit, Israel 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 February 22, 2017 Ma’ariv Poll: 56% of Israelis Think Azaria’s Sentence Too Harsh More than half the Israelis believe that the sentence that was handed down to Sgt. Elor Azaria by the military court yesterday was excessively harsh, and more than two-thirds of the public support granting a pardon to the soldier who was convicted of manslaughter, according to a poll that was commissioned by Ma’ariv from Panels Politics, which is run by Menachem Lazar. Question: Elor Azaria was sentenced to a year and a half in prison. What is your opinion about that? Too severe: 56%; Appropriate: 29%; Too light: 11%; No opinion: 4%. See also, “Israel's Military Chief to Lawmakers: Don't Pressure Army on Pardoning Hebron Shooter” (Ha'aretz) See also, “Israeli Ministers Call for Elor Azaria to Be Pardoned” (Jerusalem Post) Ha’aretz Egypt, Jordan: Solution Besides 2 States Dangerous for Region Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi and Jordan's King Abdullah said in a Cairo meeting on Tuesday that a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict not based on a two-state solution will have dangerous consequences for the region. In a joint statement, the two leaders said that establishing a Palestinian state was a national and a pan-Arab interest and that any effort to restart the Israeli- Palestinian peace process must be based on the two-state solution, which they said was the only solution to the conflict. See also, “Egypt, Jordan: Two State Non-Negotiable” (Times of Israel) Times of Israel Netanyahu Praises Trump for 'Strong Stand' on Anti-Semitism Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised US President Donald Trump for condemning a recent spate of anti-Semitic incidents in the US, saying that “it is very important that President Trump took a strong stand against anti-Semitism.” Trump’s condemnation of denunciation of anti-Semitism as “horrible,” “painful” and a “sad reminder” of evil on Tuesday came after the US president faced mounting criticism from US Jewish groups for failing to explicitly denounce anti-Semitism. The US president’s comments came a day after bomb threats were issued against Jewish community centers across the United States for the fourth time in just over a month, and after gravestones were toppled at a Jewish cemetery in St. Louis. See also, “Trump: Anti-Semitism Is Horrible and It’s Going to Stop After Wave of Bomb Threats” (The Independent) Jerusalem Post Attorney General to Arab-MKs: I'm Against Muezzin Bill Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit opposes the “muezzin bill,” a proposal to ban religious institutions from using outdoor loudspeakers at night, he told a group of lawmakers from the Joint List on Sunday, saying he is against moving the bill forward in the Knesset. Last week, the Ministerial Committee for Legislation voted in favor of a new version of the “muezzin bill” that was submitted by MK Moti Yogev (Bayit Yehudi) and MK David Bitan (Likud). 2 Ynet News Police Chief Urges Patience Over Umm al-Hiram Investigation Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh addressed reports Wednesday which indicate that the incident in Umm al-Hiran last month—in which a Bedouin man who police say tried to run over soldiers with his car was shot dead—will not be classified as a terror attack. "I can't be responsible for any unofficial publications. I do know with certainty, from the head of the Police Investigations Unit, that conclusions have yet to be reached," he told Ynet. He also said that rather than immediately resorting to the word "terrorist," some suspected terrorists should be described as "civilian." See also, “Bedouin Driver Shot by Israeli Police Was Not Carrying Out Attack, Probe Set to Show” (Ha'aretz) Jerusalem Post IDF Allegedly Attack Hezbollah Targets in Syria Overnight Israeli jets allegedly struck targets near the Syrian capital overnight on Wednesday, reportedly a weapons shipment to Hezbollah. Syrian media reported witnesses hearing "loud explosion sounds" in the early morning hours. According to Lebanese media, the targets that were hit around 3.00 a.m. were affiliated with the Assad regime and were the regime army's 3rd Division in the al-Katif suburbs of the capital. The report also claimed that the IDF struck from within Lebanon, circling the Beqaa Valley and Baalbek, so as not to be blocked by the Russian defense systems operating in the area. See also, “Nasrallah Warns ‘No Red Lines’ in Next War with Israel” (Times of Israel) Times of Israel Islamic State Affiliate in Sinai Claims Rocket Fire on Israel The Islamic State affiliate in the Sinai Peninsula took responsibility on Tuesday night for firing two rockets into Israel a day earlier. The terror group posted photos on Twitter showing jihadists preparing the projectiles for launch. The two rockets, which struck an open field in southern Israel and did not cause any damage or injuries, were fired shortly after the group accused Israel of killing five of its operatives in an airstrike Saturday. In a statement on social media, the group said it had fired two Katyusha rockets at “southern Palestine,” according to the Walla news site. BICOM Khamenei Calls for Palestinian Intifada Against Cancerous Israel Iran’s Supreme Leader yesterday urged the Palestinians to pursue a violent uprising against Israel, which he termed a “cancerous tumour”. Speaking at a conference in support of the Palestinians, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said: “This cancerous tumour [Israel], since its start, has grown incrementally and its treatment must be incremental too.” He added that “by Allah’s permission, we will see that this intifada will begin a very important chapter in the history of fighting and that it will inflict another defeat on that usurping regime”. Khamenei went on to explain that “multiple intifadas and continuous resistance have succeeded in achieving very important incremental goals… It continues to advance towards its other objectives, ultimately the complete liberation of Palestine”. 3 Ma’ariv – February 22, 2017 Eisenkot is Blocking the Ill Winds By Yossi Melman The most important thing in the unending saga of Elor Azaria is that after nearly a year, the sentence has been handed down at long last. Perhaps—and this is just a hope—this affair is already behind us. Although, given the statements made by the soldier’s attorneys, this may be a false hope, and the affair will yet be continued in the form of an appeal. This began as a severe incident, albeit a small and local incident, which became for us—a bleeding and divided nation—a cosmic event. This occurred with the aid of cynical right wing politicians—Avigdor Lieberman, Oren Hazan, Miri Regev, Naftali Bennett and others—who were and are only interested in garnering more supporters in the political hunting grounds and continuing to cling to their hold on power. This also happened because of a family whose ideology is rooted in the extreme and racist right wing of Meir Kahane and Beitar Jerusalem’s La Familia fan club. The family became a tool of the politicians and fell in love with the role of the victim, which also afforded it unprecedented attention. The incident was amplified also, and perhaps primarily, because of ratings-hungry media outlets that asked us to hold our breath for the sentencing. A former officer told me that he had faced a similar, though not identical, situation forty years ago, when he was charged with murdering an injured terrorist in enemy territory. “My parents didn’t whine, and didn’t even sit in the courtroom. My friends from the company were not given a chance to praise me.” After he was acquitted in court, due to the testimony of a high- ranking officer who attested to the fact that he had followed the combat doctrine, he relates that “I was acquitted without victory celebrations and applause in the courtroom and without politicians speaking.” This is how people used to behave. But Israel is no longer the country it once was. Values and behavioral norms that are so clear cut—are being eroded. What should be evident to anyone with common sense, is becoming less clear to an increasing number of people. Elor Azaria deserved to be punished. It was true that he was unlucky and the execution he carried out in cold blood—or more to the point, hot-bloodedly—was documented on camera. Otherwise, it is doubtful whether he would have been prosecuted. We can presume that in the reality of the occupation, in which IDF soldiers are used as police officers, and are assisted by their collaborators (there are some who might call them their masters) the settlers, there have been similar cases in the past, which received no attention from the IDF and the authorities.