Your Weekly Israel News Roundup, August 11, 2023
5 things you need to know
Minister of Finance Smotrich Refuses to Transfer Funds to Arab Communities: Betzalel Smotrich (Religious Zionism) announced this week that he will not release 200 million shekels (US$55 million) to Arab localities and to higher education programs for Palestinians in East Jerusalem. This, even though the funds allocated were approved by previous government decisions, as part of a five year upgrade plan for the Arab community. Minister Smotrich also claimed that the funds transferred in previous years ended up in the hands of organized crime organizations in Arab communities, and fueled extremism and terrorism among young Palestinians in East Jerusalem. Smotrich’s announcement was met with harsh criticism by ministry of finance and ministry of internal affairs officials, as well as by the heads of leading higher education institutions in Jerusalem who run special pre-academic programs for Palestinian students from East Jerusalem, allowing them access to quality higher education and employment prospects.
Senior security officials and heads of institutions of higher education rebuked Smotrich’s claims with regards to Palestinian students who pursue academic degrees in Israeli institutions. In a public letter, they emphasized that not only did studies in Israeli universities not encourage national extremism and terror, it in fact did the opposite and provided both Palestinian and Jewish students the opportunity to get to know each other and reduce friction, antagonism and stereotypes. A Palestinian lecturer at Hebrew University told an Ha’aretz correspondent that by withholding the funds to support the academic programs, Smotrich “gave the Hamas a huge gift”.
Following minister Smotrich’s announcement, and the public uproar that ensued, PM Netanyahu weighed in and said that the funds to Arab localities and East Jerusalem will be transferred only after “proper review and supervision”. According to senior analysts, this means that the funds will be released soon and that PM Netanyahu sought a way to get Smotrich to back down, without public embarassment.
PM Netanyahu’s Vacation Disrupted by Anti Judicial Overhaul Protestors: PM Netanyahu and his wife went on a vacation at the pastoral village Neve Ativ in the Golan Heights in the north of Israel, where they stayed at a local resort. The police blocked all entrances to the village, as hundreds of protestors made their way to the northern village. According to the media, the resort, which has 43 rooms, was empty except for the PM, his wife and their security detail.
The protestors set up a tent city outside the village and petitioned the supreme court, to allow them to enter the village and protest near the resort. Yet, before the court heard the petition, the police removed the blockage and allowed the protestors inside the village. The residents of the village also complained about the blockage, which prevented them from accessing their agricultural lands, yet, according to the media, some of them supported the protestors.
The resort became the focus of attention on Google, as anti and pro judicial overhaul activists went online and rated the hotel as “the oasis of the dictator”, or “house of democracy”. Anti judicial overhaul activists shared triumphant texts and images from the tent city.
Two Israeli-Jewish Settlers Who are Suspected of Murder, Are About to be Set Free Without Charges: Late Friday night, two Israeli settlers, who live in an outpost in the occupied West Bank, made their way to the neighboring Palestinian village, Burka, and allegedly murdered a Palestinian. The police were not present and the army was notified only two hours after a violent confrontation between the settlers and the Palestinians started. One of the Jewish settlers was seriously injured and the other was taken into custody. That was the opening for an intensive campaign claiming that the settlers were only using self defense since they were threatened by the Palestinians and that they are shepherds.
Police say that they are suspected of murder and requested that they be kept in custody.
Meanwhile a minister and two MKs (members of Knesset) went to visit the injured suspect in the hospital, despite the fact that he was under arrest. And later this week, the other suspect was released to house detention. Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir called them heroes, for the fact that they managed to protect themselves in the face of a threat from Palestinians, as he said.
It is important to say that in the current political climate and the fact that the extreme-right wing political fractions are holding senior roles in the government and in the coalition, plays an important role in the story. It is also important to note, that two Palestinians, residents of the village Burka, were also arrested, but their legal process is held in a military court and under military process, while the Jews are subject to due process in a civilian court.
It is also important to mention that the police don’t have access to forensics, as the body of the murdered Palestinian had a post mortem in a Palestinian hospital and Israeli police were not involved. Also the two settlers deny all accusations and there is no CCTV footage to prove any other version. On Thursday, all suspects, Jews and Palestinians alike, were released to house arrest. This murder case will probably never be solved. This case is a capsule of all wrongs in the current situation in the occupied territories.
A Palestinian Killed a Tel Aviv Municipal Patrolman in the Middle of Tel Aviv, Saturday Evening: A terrorist attack, carried out by a young Palestinian with a gun, generated fear in a crowded recreation area in the center of Tel Aviv. The Palestinian was shot dead by another member of the municipality patrol. Security forces are still investigating how this could have happened, who helped the Palestinian shooter, and if he had supporters in his village in the West Bank. The shooting happened late Saturday afternoon close to the time of the weekly anti judicial coup demonstration, with the participation of tens of thousands of people.
Meanwhile, Israeli military forces continue to operate in Palestinian towns and villages in the West Bank, looking for hostile Palestinian operators.
PM Netanyahu Continues to Make Headlines in Foreign Press: PM Netanyahu avoids giving interviews to the Israeli media. In the last months, since he was re-elected to office, he gave more than 22 interviews to foreign press, mainly American media, contrasted with only two interviews in Hebrew to what is considered the extreme right media outlet, Channel 14. Foreign journalist are less informed and have less knowledge of the details in the judicial overhaul, and PM Netanyahu can manipulate the facts to his benefit. In his last interview with Bloomberg, PM Netanyahu promised that when the Knesset is back in session after the Jewish holidays in October, he will pass another legislative act that will change the composition of the committee to nominate judges and then they will halt any other legislation in terms of the judicial overhaul. It is important to say that this specific bill will be the last stone on the tomb of the independence of the judicial system.
For Further reading:
Smotrich: Here, here, here, here
West Bank, Burka: Here, here, here