Media Summary
The I interviews young Israelis about their thoughts on Netanyahu’s proposed judicial reforms.
The Guardian reviews ‘The Holy Land and Us’, saying: “A documentary about Israel and Palestine that will make viewers on each side sympathise with the other? It’s an ambitious undertaking, but The Holy Land and Us: Our Untold Stories is a fine attempt at hitting that extremely narrow target. As the title implies, this is not a programme about the occupation since the six-day war in 1967, the facts of which can be confronted or ignored. Its lessons, however, might ease the process of understanding certain immovable viewpoints on that part of the world. This two-parter looks at the formation of Israel in 1948 when the aftermath of the Holocaust provided the impetus finally to grant the Jewish people the sanctuary of a homeland.”
The BBC reports that Israel’s education minister has apologised to Ethiopian Israeli schoolgirls whose teachers mocked them in a WhatsApp group on a school trip. The girls spotted the teachers messaging each other in a chat group they created called Black School Trip. One of the girls filmed the chat over a teacher’s shoulder, then shared it on social media, calling the teachers “a disgrace”. The teachers involved were suspended and the incident is being investigated.
The I interviews young Israelis about their thoughts on Netanyahu’s proposed judicial reforms. “ ‘People here in Israel come from all over the world,’ says Elay Banayan, 21. ‘These are people with different cultures, different ideologies and different ways of life and one of the things that protects the individual inside this big group called Israel is the supreme court.’ Mr Banayan was one of the estimated 240,000 people who gathered in Tel Aviv last Saturday to protest against the Israeli government’s proposal to weaken the powers of the supreme court – a move which many believe threatens Israel’s status as a democratic state.”
The Guardian publishes an editorial on the Saudi-Iran developments, quoting one analyst as calling it “perhaps the first major diplomatic example of a post-America Middle East.” “He was describing Iran and Saudi Arabia’s agreement last week to resume diplomatic relations – a surprise to most observers, and something of a coup for China, which brokered it. The volatile rivalry between the two nations has been one of the great geopolitical faultlines since the Iranian revolution of 1979. Security concerns, claims to regional leadership, ethno-sectarian rivalries and other factors have all played their part. The repercussions have been profound. The tensions contributed to Iran’s all-out support for the Syrian regime, fuelled the war in Yemen, where more than 150,000 have died, and accelerated the disintegration of the state in Lebanon. Ties were cut in 2016 when Iranian protesters stormed Saudi diplomatic missions over Riyadh’s execution of a revered Shia cleric.”
Reuters reports that Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary will visit the United Arab Emirates soon, Iran’s Etemad newspaper said on Wednesday. The visit by the Iranian official, Ali Shamkhani, comes at a time of growing rapprochement between Iran and Gulf countries. The United Arab Emirates sent an ambassador back to Iran in September, more than six years after the Gulf Arab state downgraded ties with the Islamic Republic.
All the Israeli media report on Defence Minister Gallant holding several situation assessment meetings in the last two days with senior security officials over an “unusual security incident.” The reports suggests that this relates to a terror attack that was committed using an explosive device on Monday near Megiddo junction. Shareef Hamaisi, a 21-year-old resident of the village Salem, sustained serious injuries. The car in which he was driving was a few dozen metres from the bomb when it was detonated. This terror attack has unusual characteristics, unknown in the Palestinian arena in the last few years. Channel 12 News speculated that the type of explosive charge used in the explosion could attest to Hezbollah’s involvement.
Yossi Yehoshua in Yediot Ahronot writes, “Israel intelligence officials have said at security cabinet meetings that all of the hostile players in our neighbourhood, Iran, Hezbollah, Hamas and the terror organisations in the West Bank have been closely watching the powerful crisis that has erupted in Israel, and have identified weakness. They have heard the outrage within the IDF’s reservist units, mainly in the Air Force, and have also heard the calls by reservists that they will refuse to serve. They perceive all this as an opportunity to challenge Israel. In his most recent speech last week, Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah described the developments in Israel as the ‘beginning of the end’ of the country. Two weeks before that he said, ‘Israel is worried about civil war. For the first time there are initiatives to emigrate.’ Nasrallah also said, ‘There is a real equation of deterrence in Lebanon, otherwise this situation wouldn’t be possible. Because of that equation, the Israeli side doesn’t dare to act against Lebanese soldiers and doesn’t turn its weapons on them because it knows very well that Hezbollah’s people are standing behind them in full readiness and are tracking their every step.’”
Maariv carries a message from a senior Hamas official that, “The coming days will be full of events”. The deputy head of Hamas’s military wing, Marwan Issa, warned on the Hamas television channel that “the political plan in the West Bank is over, ” adding that “any change in the status quo will lead to an earthquake”. In the lead up to the month of Ramadan, Issa sent a threat to Israel and said that “any change in the status quo at Al-Aqsa Mosque will cause an earthquake in the region. We are giving room for resistance in the West Bank and Jerusalem, because they are the active arenas and are influential at the current stage on a strategic level.”
Haaretz reports that senior figures who formerly led Israel’s nuclear programme are the latest group to send a warning to the prime minister over their concerns over the proposed judicial reforms. According to the paper, “Almost 100 former managers and supervisors at Israel’s Dimona nuclear reactor, the smaller nuclear center at Soreq and the head office of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission have come out against the government’s efforts to greatly diminish the powers of the Supreme Court.” The paper adds, “The list of signatories is long and impressive, regardless of the fact that almost all of them were barred from revealing their full names and had to suffice with their initials. Obviously, hostile – or even friendly – powers and organisations would love to meet these officials from Israel’s most clandestine undertaking and sweet-talk them. After all, some knowledge is never obsolete, even decades after retirement.” However, the report suggests two sets of initials on the list could “easily be deciphered,” two recent heads of the Dimona plant, “Maj. Gen. (ret.) Udi Adam, who went on to serve as director general of the Defence Ministry, and preceded Dr. Udi Netzer. Both are defence heavyweights and privy to practically all of Israel’s secrets.”
Israel Hayom includes commentary by Ariel Kahana who writes, “The time has come to sit down and to restore to the public and country the sanity they deserve. Yes, the reform went too far. Yes, opposition to it was only the trigger. Yes, the judicial branch needs to be reined in. Yes, control by the executive branch over the other two branches isn’t balance. The majority in Israel agrees with all of the above, as do a majority of the politicians on both sides of the divide. Our leaders are also fully familiar with the possible formulas for compromise. What is now needed is the wherewithal to decide to embrace them. The Israeli public is fed up with the internal strife. If there is one thing that is in even broader national consensus, it is the desire to end the fighting between the two camps. The silent, moderate, mature and responsible majority recognizes that this fight no longer serves any purpose. It is only the extremists on both sides that wish to fan the flames further.”
Channel 12 News reported last night that Prime Minister Netanyahu is still waiting for a formal invitation to meet US President Biden. Two months after he formed his government, Prime Minister Netanyahu had expected to receive an official invitation, as has happened in the past. According to this report Netanyahu has told his ministers until he receives an invitation none of them should be meeting with US officials.
Israel Hayom includes an interview with Andrea Stegher, the incoming president of the International Gas Union. He estimates that Israel will be able to supply up to 10% of Europe’s gas consumption within several years. He was asked his assessment of Israel’s ability to export to Europe’s gas market. According to Stegher, “Israel is in a good position to solve the problems we are facing. During my visit here, I saw good moves that are already being taken. We need to disconnect from 100 billion cubic meters of Russian gas. I believe that we should be striving for 5-10% in the coming few years. For this to happen, we must develop the existing gas resources, but also promote additional investments. And, of course, there is a significant change in Europe – from immediate supply requirements to long-term needs.” He was also asked if a gas pipeline from Israel to Europe, is realistic. Stegher answered, “This will be the first of its kind in terms of infrastructure. Technically it can be done, but there are other elements that are needed in order to make it have economic sense. From Israel’s point of view, the development of resources and infrastructure is the most important.”