Israel and Middle East News Update Monday, December 7 Headlines: ● Gantz Says 'Hanukkah Miracle' Needed to Avoid Elections ● Knesset May Require Referendum for Settlement Withdrawal ● Abraham Accords Are 'Opportunity' for Palestinians ● Saudi Arabia Says Resolution of Gulf Dispute Within Reach ● Palestinian Teen Killed by Israeli Forces in Protest ● Gaza Health Officials Say 1 in 3 Tests Positive for COVID ● Macron Faces Egyptian Human Rights Quandary ● EU Mulls Making Good on Sanctions Threat Against Turkey Commentary: ● Yedioth Ahronoth: “No Common Ground’’ - By Yuval Karni ● Yedioth Ahronoth: “The Next President” - By Nahum Barnea S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace 1725 I St NW Suite 300, Washington, DC 20006 The Hon. Robert Wexler, President News Excerpts December 7, 2020 I24 News Gantz Says 'Hanukkah Miracle' Needed to Avoid Elections Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that it would take "a Hanukkah miracle" to avoid elections, referring to the Jewish holiday. In an effort to avoid a new vote, Gantz met with Finance Minister Israel Katz for a final effort to resolve the conflict between his Blue & White and the Likud, headed by Prime Minister Netanyahu. The two are due to discuss the state budget for 2020, which must legally be passed by 12/23, and the budget for 2021, which Gantz wants to pass by 12/31. A Knesset committee will meet today to debate the dissolution bill. The text is not expected to be adopted until next week. The finance ministry released a report estimating the deficit for 2020 to be $42b, according to Ma’ariv. If a vote were held today, polls show the Likud party winning the most seats in the Knesset, followed by Yamina with Yesh Atid coming in third. See also ‘‘Elections Could Cost Pandemic-Hit Israel up to $92m’’ (Ynet News) Jerusalem Post Knesset May Require Referendum for Settlement Withdrawal The Knesset may hold an initial vote this week to require a national referendum prior to any evacuation of West Bank settlements. The bill was filed with the Knesset in August. If approved, it would still need to pass three readings before becoming law. The proposed legislation would extend the 2014 Knesset basic law that requires a public referendum or approval of 80 parliamentarians for any Israeli withdrawal from territory in Jerusalem or the Golan Heights. President-elect Joe Biden does not support the annexation of West Bank settlements. The international community and the Palestinians consistently call on Israel to evacuate the settlements and withdraw to the pre-1967 lines. Saudi Prince Turki Al Faisal Al Saud called on Israel to withdraw from all the West Bank settlements as a precondition for negotiations with the Palestinians. See also ‘‘Plan for 9,000 Jewish Homes in Jerusalem’s Atarot Ready for Discussion’’ (Jerusalem Post) Ynet News ABraham Accords Are 'Opportunity' for Palestinians The landmark Abraham Accords that Israel has struck with two Gulf states are an opportunity for the Palestinians and do not come at their "expense", Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi said. at a regional security conference in Manama, Ashkenazi said that the diplomatic shift could help resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, after talks between the two sides were frozen in 2014. "The Abraham accords do not come at the expense of the Palestinians. Quite the opposite, they are an opportunity that should not be missed," he said in a virtual address. The US, which brokered the Abraham Accords, has been intensively negotiating for more Arab nations to come in board, notably Saudi Arabia, the biggest Gulf power. See also ‘‘Qatar Rules Out Normalizing Ties with Israel 'for Now'’ (Israel Hayom) 2 Reuters Saudi AraBia Says Resolution of Gulf Dispute Within Reach Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said a resolution to a bitter dispute with Qatar seemed “within reach” after Kuwait announced progress towards ending a row that Washington says hampers a united Gulf front against Iran. The US and Kuwait have worked to end the dispute, during which Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt have imposed a diplomatic, trade and travel embargo on Qatar since mid-2017. A source in Washington familiar with the discussions said a tentative deal had been reached by the parties and that it could be signed in a few weeks. Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Nawaf al-Sabah welcomed the developments, state-run news agency KUNA said. It quoted him as saying “this agreement has shown that all concerned parties are keen on retaining the pan-Gulf and the pan-Arab solidarity, unity, and stability.” All countries involved are US allies. Qatar hosts the region’s largest US military base, Bahrain is home to the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, and Saudi Arabia and the UAE host US troops. Reuters Palestinian Teen Killed By Israeli Forces in Protest Israeli soldiers fatally shot a 15-year-old Palestinian during stone-throwing clashes in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian officials said, although the Israeli military said its forces had not used live fire. The teenager was hit by a live bullet in his abdomen and was taken for treatment at a hospital in the Palestinian city of Ramallah where he later died, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. An Israeli military spokeswoman said soldiers had used what she described as “riot dispersal means,” including the firing of rubber bullets, to confront dozens of Palestinians who were hurling stones at them and trying to roll rocks and burning tires at Israeli vehicles. The Palestinian teenager was involved in a weekly protest against Israeli settlements near Ramallah. The UN’s Middle East envoy, Nickolay Mladenov, said he was appalled by the killing. “Israel must swiftly and independently investigate this shocking and unacceptable incident,” he tweeted. See also ‘‘Military Police Launch Probe After Palestinian Teen Said Shot Dead by Soldier’’ (Times of Israel) I24 News Gaza Health Officials Say 1 in 3 Tests Positive for COVID The number of coronavirus cases in the Gaza Strip continues to rise, which hit an all-time record, the Hamas-run Health Ministry announced. About one in three drug tests came back positive in the past 24 hours, the ministry said, sparking fears that the Gaza Strip may be spiraling toward a catastrophic health crisis. The Strip currently has 10,493 active patients, the vast majority of whom have been diagnosed in the past three weeks. In addition, 726 new cases were recorded Sunday morning. Hamas authorities have ordered a nighttime curfew to curb the spread of the virus in the coastal enclave. In addition, the number of screening tests is steadily declining despite a sharp increase in infections. Only 2,000 tests have been carried out in Gaza in the past 24 hours. About 36% came back positive. Last week, Gaza health officials warned that the "situation that has grown out of control," specifying that 88% of beds reserved for patients with COVID-19 were occupied. See also ‘‘Gaza Caught Between Full Lockdown or Collapse of Health Sector Amid COVID-19 Surge’’ (Al-Monitor) 3 Jerusalem Post Macron Faces Egyptian Human Rights Quandary Egyptian President al-Sisi began a visit to France to underscore close ties, but with a renewed crackdown on political dissent at home, the trip has overshadowed French efforts to nurture their security and business relationship. With both countries concerned by the political vacuum in Libya, instability across the region and the threat from jihadist groups in Egypt, they have cultivated closer economic and military ties during Sisi's rise to power. Rights organizations have accused President Macron of turning a blind eye to what they say are increasing violations of freedoms by Sisi's government ahead of the new US administration, which has vowed to take a tougher stance over human rights abuses. French officials dismiss this and say Paris is following a policy of not openly criticizing countries over human rights so as to be more effective in private on a case-by-case basis. Macron's government in November criticized Egypt for the arrest of members of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR) after they briefed senior diplomats in Cairo and was met with a firm rebuke. The partnership came under strain in November after anger in Egypt over Macron's defense of caricatures depicting the Prophet Mohammad, considered blasphemous by Muslims. Israel Hayom EU Mulls Making Good on Sanctions Threat Against Turkey EU foreign ministers will evaluate grounds for sanctions against Turkey over a Mediterranean gas dispute before the they decide whether to make good on their threat to impose punitive measures. Turkey's move in late November to return a seismic exploration vessel to port has calmed tension, but EU officials and diplomats said broader issues - over Libya, Syria, Russia and authoritarianism in Turkey - have hardened EU positions. The EU says Turkish drill and survey ships have continued to work in waters contested by Greece and Cyprus, which Greece says makes formal talks with Turkey over maritime claims impossible. Germany, current holder of the EU's six-month presidency, holds the key to whether sanctions go ahead. It had hoped to mediate between Athens and Ankara but was angered when Turkey resumed exploration for gas off Cyprus in October after a pause. "Putting the (Oruc Reis) exploration ship back to sea straight after the (October) summit was not taken kindly by member states that put a lot of effort in with Turkey and Greece. There are limits even to German patience," said an EU diplomat familiar with the preparations for the summit. France and the European Parliament say it is time to punish Turkey, a NATO ally and candidate to join the EU that is seen in Brussels as fueling the gas dispute for domestic politics.