Israel and the Middle East News Update

Wednesday, July 15

Headlines: ● Jerusalem Rocked by Clashes Between Police, Protesters ● PM ‘Furious’ with Gantz for Blocking New Virus Restrictions ● Barring a Miracle, Heading to a Second Lockdown ● PM to Admit US in No Mood for Annexation, Won’t Go Ahead ● European Ministers Seek Ways to Block Sovereignty ● EU Builds for Palestinians in Area C ● A War with Israel Would Not End Well for Hezbollah

Commentary: ● Yedioth Ahronoth: “Lockdown Now” - By Sever Plocker

● Ma’ariv: “You Need to Work to Earn Respect” - By Lilac Sigan

S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace 1725 I St NW Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006 The Hon. Robert Wexler, President News Excerpts July 15, 2020 Jerusalem Post Jerusalem Rocked by Clashes Between Police, Protesters Thousands of demonstrators gathered in front of the Prime Minister's Official Residence on Balfour street in Jerusalem to protest against corruption and Prime Minister Netanyahu's continued governance. After several hours of protest, police forces have cleared out several rioters and opened up the roads in the area. During these riots, 50 suspects have been arrested for alleged property damage, disruption of public order and attacking police and media personnel, according to police's spokesperson. Black Flag protesters have argued in past protests that the coalition does nothing to help improve the lives of citizens during the coronavirus crisis, but rather is only concerned with benefits and passing legislation that allows the government to remain in power. The movement released a statement calling on Netanyahu to show responsibility towards Israel's citizens and resign. See also ‘‘Support for Netanyahu Dropping, Bennett Soaring in New Poll’’ (Jerusalem Post)

Times of Israel PM ‘Furious’ with Gantz for Blocking New Virus Restrictions Prime Minister Netanyahu was reportedly “furious” with Blue and White leader for blocking new restrictions meant to halt the virus surge during a meeting of top officials. Gantz and Blue and White were “undermining the necessary steps to slow down the virus and save lives,” an unnamed senior official quoted Netanyahu as saying, according to multiple Hebrew media reports. Netanyahu and several top ministers met with medical experts and Health Ministry officials earlier to discuss further limiting gatherings from 20 down to 10 people, as well as additional steps. The official called on Gantz to “stop playing political games with corona that endanger the lives of Israeli citizens.” Blue and White responded by accusing Netanyahu of playing politics. See also ‘‘Number of Coronavirus Cases Continues to Rise’’ (Arutz Sheva)

Ynet News Barring a Miracle, Israel Heading to a Second Lockdown Health Minister said that barring a miracle, Israel would be heading back into full lockdown. The minister said in an interview with Ynet that Israel will soon see 2,000 new cases daily as well as a rise in the number of seriously ill patients and those in need of ventilators, which will require tough decisions. The daily infection rate on Monday reached 1,718 new cases of COVID-19. The minister said he hoped the measures taken to mitigate the spread including limiting congregations in events and restaurants and imposing closures on hard-hit areas, would result in lower infections, "if that happens, we would be able to postpone a decision. We will have to wait three or four days to see, but that would be a miracle."

2 Times of Israel PM to Admit US in No Mood for Annexation, Won’t Go Ahead Speaker has acknowledged in private conversations that no attention is currently being given in Washington to Israeli plans to annex up to 30 percent of the West Bank, according to a Tuesday Army Radio report. As a result, Levin reportedly said, the controversial move will likely have to be placed on the back burner as Prime Minister Netanyahu will not move forward without coordinating with the Trump administration. The US administration’s attention is elsewhere, the report claimed Levin had said, and “it is not listening” when it comes to annexation. Levin is one of only a handful of Israeli officials who have been deeply involved in talks with American officials regarding the Trump plan’s implementation and ramifications. See also ‘‘Netanyahu's Annexation Plan Turning into Fiasco’’ (Al-Monitor)

Arutz Sheva European Ministers Seek Ways to Block Sovereignty Foreign ministers from eleven European countries demanded the EU quickly provide them with a list of possible actions to "deter" Israel from claiming its sovereignty in parts of Judea and Samaria. In a letter to EU foreign policy head Josep Borrell that was leaked to the Guardian, the politicians asked for the potential “legal consequences” for Israel and its effect on agreements with the EU. The letter was signed by foreign ministers from Belgium, Ireland, Italy, France, Malta, Portugal, Sweden, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Finland. “The possible annexation by Israel of parts of the occupied Palestinian territory remains a matter of grave concern for the EU and its Member States,” said the letter. It added that a list of options would “contribute to our efforts to deter annexation”, suggesting Israel may be dissuaded from acting if confronted with potential concrete steps. See also ‘‘European Ministers Seek Options to Stop West Bank Annexation’’ (The Guardian)

Jerusalem Post EU Builds for Palestinians in Area C The European Union, Denmark and the Palestinian Authority (PA) signed an agreement to build 16 infrastructure projects for the Palestinians in Area C. The EU reaffirmed its opposition to Israel extending its sovereignty in that area. Area C is the part of the West Bank under Israeli control, according to the Oslo Accords. Any construction, including structures built for Palestinians, must be approved by the IDF, which governs it. The EU has funded many illegal Palestinian projects in Area C, built without the IDF’s approval, in recent years. The new, €5.8 million EU-Denmark-PA agreement calls for completing 16 “social infrastructure projects,” including schools, roads, multipurpose buildings, reservoirs and others, in 15 localities in Area C to benefit more than 24,000 Palestinians. See also ‘‘Palestinians Said Arrested After Backing Annexation in Israeli TV Report’’ (Times of Israel)

3 Jerusalem Post A War with Israel Would Not End Well for Hezbollah CENTCOM head Gen. Kenneth McKenzie said it would be a great mistake for Hezbollah to try to carry out operations against Israel. “I can’t see that having a good ending,” he said at a briefing during a major trip to the Middle East this week. McKenzie has visited Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar and Kuwait. The US general also acknowledged continuing tensions in Syria and with Iran across the region. Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah gave a threatening speech last week, where he encouraged a confrontation with the US. America is also in hot water in Lebanon after airlifting a Lebanese American out of the country on a military helicopter in March. It is in this context that McKenzie sought to both acknowledge that Hezbollah “remains a problem” and to recognize its role in Lebanon. He was tight-lipped on precisely what the US meant when he said, “we recognize that it’s there.” But he went on to warn Hezbollah against attacking Israel. “We’d be – I’d be blind to say we don’t see it [Hezbollah] there. See also ‘‘Iran’s Ghaani Says 'Zionist Regime' Has Difficult Days Ahead’’ (Jerusalem Post)

4 Yedioth Ahronoth – July 15, 2020 Lockdown Now By Sever Plocker ● Prime Minister Netanyahu called ministers and advisers to an urgent meeting about the coronavirus crisis. The meeting ended without achieving any results. The strict recommendations of the Health Ministry, the National Security Council and epidemiologists were put on ice. Faced with a daily new case count approaching 2,000 and nearly 30 new serious cases per day, the Netanyahu-Gantz government preferred to put off making the necessary decisions until the last moment and beyond, no matter the cost of procrastination. And this had a cost in terms of public health and the economy. The delay has left Israel’s citizens with two alternatives: either a catastrophic blow from the coronavirus, or a full lockdown right now, for at least a week. Immediately, because every hour counts. ● The reason why a lockdown is required isn’t because the Israeli public has disobeyed the directives. The percentage of Israelis who wear masks is similar to the rate in the advanced Asian countries and exceeds the rate in most European countries. It wasn’t the masks that halted the pandemic in those countries—mask-wearing was not required by law in most of them—but a total ban on gatherings. A blanket ban with no exceptions. Gatherings were and still are the leading source of the pandemic globally. The failure by the cabinet and the Knesset to limit them to a dozen participants at most is therefore the healthcare and economic fiasco, an ongoing debacle: in early May, the government caved to the demands of public discourse and the Finance Ministry’s demands, and it haphazardly lifted the restrictions on the economy, social events, schools, entertainment and assemblies in general. Two weeks later the morbidity rate took a turn for the worse and has been growing from day to day. ● A second stage of the fiasco was recorded at that point: the government ignored the spike in morbidity, and it capitulated again to myriad spokespersons, protestors and commentators who confidently said that the sharp increase in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases was merely a marginal incident of morbidity, a slight deviation from the positive trend. It’s just the manipulative Netanyahu, said those who discounted the coronavirus, he’s cynically exploiting the data to sow fear and distract us from his personal misdeeds. ● As prime minister, Netanyahu bears a great deal of blame. Not for inflating the danger of the second wave of the pandemic, but because he is well aware of the dangers—and nevertheless has chosen not to insist on employing the right means to prevent it. He once again has surrendered to populism and has abandoned [his duties as] leader for fleeting popularity. So did Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz and the rest of the cabinet. By so doing, they have at least indirectly encouraged reckless behavior and undermined the chances for hundreds of thousands of Israelis who have lost their livelihood to go back to work. The decision by the Knesset’s Coronavirus Committee to allow gyms to reopen was another link in the chain of irresponsibility bordering on insanity. 5 ● A ban on gathering at weddings, parties, pools, houses of worship and other places would have probably stopped the pandemic, had it been imposed efficiently and enforced at the right time. That didn’t happen, and now Israel has reached the point of no return: we need a lockdown immediately.

6 Ma’ariv – July 15, 2020 You Need to Work to Earn Respect By Lilac Sigan ● MK Miki Zohar had a golden opportunity the other day to demonstrate the meaning of his profound worldview that he shared with the masses in a short clip from an interview that has since gone viral on social media. In the interview, Zohar recounted the words a wise man once shared with him about the three kafs of life—money, power and respect [kesef, koah and kavod respectively]. The wise man told him that people usually aren’t able to attain all three in life, and that is why Zohar has been working hard to achieve power and hopes that that will ultimately earn him the Kaf of respect/honor. End quote. Not three days later, MK Yifat Shasha-Biton—a remnant of the political arrangement that paved the way for Kulanu’s merger into the Likud and whose existence had been forgotten by most of us long ago—provided him with an opportunity to prove the inherent weakness in his worldview. Shasha-Biton used the power she possessed as the chairwoman of the Knesset’s Coronavirus Committee to thwart the cabinet resolution to shut down the gyms and the swimming pools. Zohar utilized the power he possesses as coalition chairman to threaten to have her fired as the committee chairwoman. ● The Likud immediately began to issue statements justifying the decision to fire Shasha- Biton, citing “public health,” wink-wink, as the reason. They asserted that the coronavirus is transmitted via perspiration, the equipment in the gyms are a source of infection and keeping them open would pose a public health risk. In the end, though, not only was Shasha-Biton not fired, the Likud’s special penchant for ignorance was laid bare for all to see. The gyms and swimming pools aren’t completely free of the coronavirus, obviously, but according to data that were published yesterday, they are low on the list of infectious hotspots. Now that all of the large public events have been prohibited, next on the list of sources of mass infection are public transportation in first place, grocery stores in second place, and cafes and restaurants in third place. ● What did the public gain? Is the public better protected from the coronavirus thanks to Zohar’s wise use of his power? And what did the coalition chairman gain? I’m not sure what the answer is, but it doesn’t seem to be respect/honor. The sad thing is that Likud officials are still trying to force reality to fit into their own preconceptions instead of learning from their mistakes and beginning to act like leaders. The more talented members of the party with proven track records, such as Gideon Saar, and Gilad Erdan were not given jobs to perform in government. Instead of them, people who are bent on the pursuit of power and respect/honor, such as Katz, Zohar, Regev and Amsalem were given ministerial posts. Politics is still more important to them than public health, and the semblance of things is more important to them than the substance is. Health Minister Yuli Edelstein asked Roni Numa to serve as the project manager who would be charged with combating the coronavirus, but Numa first wanted to find out what that job would entail. After a few conversations he held to get a sense of the thinking and the division of power, he opted to decline.

7 ● While Zohar and his cohorts are busy with their pursuit of respect and power, which they have no idea how to use to defeat the coronavirus, chaos has continued to reign. Instead of acting to have unemployed Israelis hired to work in the food delivery industry, which would reduce the need for people to physically go to grocery stores and restaurants, they attacked Shasha-Biton. Instead of deciding how much space per capita is needed in every public site in order to reduce infection and, by using that yardstick, calculating how many people are permitted in any given facility, they have busied themselves with caustic and belligerent fights, have not used data to inform their decisions, and have continued to try to blame “the left” for everything. ● The war on the coronavirus has needed a serious manager for several months already. Not someone who is busy with the pursuit of money, power and respect, but someone with knowledge and experience, and preferably someone who knows how to get a job done. It’s astonishing to see Zohar fail to understand just how shameless it is to say that his only goal in life is to pursue superficial urges to satisfy his own ego. With that worldview, he might be respected in dark alleys and in marketplace puddles, but he isn’t exactly going to go down in history as a source of inspiration for the human aspiration to excellence. Things can be acquired through the use of power, but there is no honor in that. Respect/honor, ultimately, is not a goal in its own right but, rather, is a byproduct of real achievements, of professionalism and of getting results.

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