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October 17 2017

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October 17 2017 Israel and the Middle East News Update Tuesday, October 17 Headlines: • Labor Head: I Won’t Evacuate Settlements Under Peace Deal • Gabbay’s own Colleagues Reject his Evacuation Remarks • Israel Moves Ahead on West Bank Settlements, but Guardedly • Bennett: Israel Should Continue Security Cooperation with the PA • Israel Scraps Plan for Database of American Jewish Students • Trump Says Iran Deal Could be Terminated Altogether • Netanyahu Congratulates Kurz, Silent on Partnership with Far Right Commentary: • Yediot Ahronot: “With Netanyahu, it’s All About Political Survival” − By Sima Kadmon, political columnist at Yediot Ahronot • Jerusalem Post: “Will a Jewish Head of UNESCO Change its Anti-Israel Bias?” − By Tovah Lazaroff, Deputy Managing Editor of The Jerusalem Post S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace 633 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 5th Floor, Washington, DC 20004 The Hon. Robert Wexler, President ● Aaron Zucker, Editor News Excerpts October 17, 2017 Times of Israel Labor Head: I Won’t Evacuate Settlements Under Peace Labor party head Avi Gabbay said he would not evacuate West Bank settlements as part of a peace deal with the Palestinians, in remarks that represent a dramatic break from the historical stance of the dovish party. “I won’t evacuate settlements in the framework of a peace deal,” said Gabbay, in a preview broadcast Monday of an interview with Channel 2 set to air in full Tuesday. “If you are making peace, why do you need to evacuate?” Elaborating on his comments, Gabbay said the notion any peace deal would by necessity require the evacuation of settlements is mistaken. “I think the dynamic and terminology that have become commonplace here, that ‘if you make peace — evacuate,’ is not in fact correct,” he said. See also, “Labor chairman rebuked over settlement support” (Ynet News) i24 News Gabbay’s own Colleagues Reject his Evacuation Remarks The response to the Labor leader, who is chair of the largest faction in the Zionist Union opposition bloc, was swift. "We will have to part with the Palestinians, we will have to evacuate the settlements with pain and sorrow," tweeted Zionist Union lawmaker, Nachman Shai. Labor MK Omer Bar-Lev tweeted: "When negotiations for a peace agreement are not on the horizon, it is not right to add preconditions. Stop building outside the [settlement] blocs stop and pass a law to compensate those who voluntarily evacuate." Not all members of the Labor Party were quick to condemn Gabbay's words. "The test of Avi Gabbay is not what he says in an interview with one television channel or another," said Yehiel Bar, "But rather a clear line of policy that will lead to elections and bold negotiations after the elections." See also, “Israeli opposition divided after Gabbay says no reason for settlement evacuation” (TOI) New York Times Israel Moves Ahead on WB Settlements, but Guardedly Israel is moving ahead with plans for a significant expansion of its settlements in the occupied West Bank, including apartments in the volatile city of Hebron and the first approval of a new settlement in 20 years. But while the latest plans call for the eventual construction of thousands of new homes on the West Bank, when Israeli officials meet this week to review them, only several hundred housing units appear likely to be granted final approval. Prime Minister Netanyahu is once again maneuvering on familiar ground, trying to balance the demands of his pro-settlement coalition partners with the opposition from the international community. In restricting the number of final approvals now, however, his government may also be taking into account some other Israeli priorities. Among them are the campaign against Iran and the joint interests he has been pushing with Arab countries like Saudi Arabia, with which Israel has no formal diplomatic relations. See also, “Israel approves building plans for 31 settler homes in West Bank's Hebron” (Reuters) 2 i24 News Bennett: Must Continue Security Cooperation with the PA Israeli Minister of Education Naftali Bennett backtracked Monday, on a statement he made last week, when he called for Israel to sever ties with the Palestinian Authority. In an exclusive interview with i24NEWS, Bennett said that, in the wake of efforts between Fatah and Hamas to sign a reconciliation deal, Israel should not break security ties with the Palestinian Authority. “We don’t have to sever security ties, no one’s talking about that,” Bennett told i24NEWS. “I would just point out at the same time the PA needs us much more than we need them, if you give a week without Israel the PA would implode because Hamas would take over as it did in the Gaza Strip, so no the PA is not doing Israel a favor but it is taking care of its own interests.” See also, “Palestinian Authority official in Gaza to advance unity deal” (Gulf Times) Ha’aretz Israel Scraps Plan For Database Of US Jewish Students Hillel International, the largest Jewish student organization in the world, threatened to end its partnership with the Israeli government if it didn’t immediately drop its plan to create a database of all Jewish students in the United States. This ultimatum forced the Diaspora Affairs Ministry to suspend the project late Sunday night, just hours after the database was first revealed by Haaretz. For the past year, Hillel International has been a key partner in a $66-million, Israeli government- sponsored initiative to strengthen the religious identity of Jewish students on U.S. college and university campuses. See also, “Hillel International Threatened to Cut Ties With Israeli Government Over Database of U.S. Jewish Students” (Forward) Ynet News Trump Says Iran Deal Could be Terminated Altogether US President Donald Trump renewed on Monday his criticism of the 2015 nuclear accord in a press conference before a cabinet meeting, and raised the possibility he might try to end it completely. “We’ll see what phase two is. Phase two might be positive, and it might be very negative. It might be a total termination. That’s a very real possibility. Some would say that’s a great possibility,” the US president said in Washington, referring to his Friday speech as phase one. He then repeated his contention that the JCPOA was “a horrible deal for the United States.” See also, “EU urges US Congress to preserve Iran nuclear deal Trump threatened” (Guardian) Times of Israel PM congratulates Kurz, Silent on Partnership with Far Right Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday called to congratulate Sebastian Kurz on his victory in Austria’s elections, according to a statement from his office that made no mention of the success of the far-right Freedom Party. In the call, Netanyahu said, “Austria has done much in recent years to preserve the memory of the Holocaust and in its fight against anti-Semitism.” He also raised the issue of “Iranian aggression,” according to the statement. Netanyahu also invited Kurz to visit Israel. He was last in the Jewish state in May 2016 as foreign minister. See also, “A NEW EUROPEAN FOE: ISRAEL CHALLENGED BY SUCCESS OF FAR-RIGHT AUSTRIAN PARTY” (Jerusalem Post) 3 Yediot Ahronot – October 16, 2017 With Netanyahu, it’s All About Political Survival The prime minister’s attack on the police chief and initiatives to shut down IPBC and advance the law granting a sitting premier immunity from investigations are all aimed at serving Netanyahu’s needs in some way. Instead of resting on the laurels of a successful diplomatic weekend, he is busy lashing out at the police and the media and settling personal scores. By Sima Kadmon, political columnist at Yediot Ahronot • The events of the past few days strengthen the widespread notion that the more we approach the prime minister’s investigations, Benjamin Netanyahu will start loosening the brakes of the semitrailer he is driving on a mine-filled road. Several weeks ago, I wrote in this column that if we want to know if Netanyahu is headed to elections or will maintain his government, we should look at the way the “French law” is being handled. The bill, which grants a sitting prime minister immunity from prosecution, will be voted on at the start of the Knesset’s winter session. • And here it is, the bill aimed at stopping the prime minister’s investigations. If the law is adopted, it will only be applied from the next term, but is there anything that can stop Netanyahu from calling early elections, even before an indictment is filed, establishing a new government and stopping the investigations against him? Does that sound groundless? Impossible? We’re talking about Netanyahu, ladies and gentlemen. When it comes to him, nothing is groundless. • How is Netanyahu’s attack on Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh, for allowing the alleged leaks from police investigations, connected to the new initiatives that were raised Sunday to shut down the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation (IPBC)and to advance the law preventing investigations against a sitting prime minister? There’s absolutely no connection. • But when it comes to Netanyahu, there’s always a connection, even if it appears completely groundless at first. And it’s always aimed at serving the prime minister’s needs in some way: Diverting the public’s attention to a different direction, which is more convenient than the current issue on the agenda; creating some kind of media spin, for the family’s survival purposes; inserting a knife, a pitchfork or any other sharp object into the heart of the “conspiracy” Netanyahu sees in his imagination, in which the police, the State Attorney’s Office, the attorney general, the media have all teamed up to oust him.
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