Numbers of the day:
14.1% and 8.1%
-- The percentage of ultra-Orthodox and national religious youths who claimed former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin was killed by an Arab.**
Battle for the minds - Without a long-term plan and with unexpected budget cuts, higher education is battling for its future
Teva Pharmaceuticals to fire 800 employees in Israel
Taking the benefits // Ora Koren against tax breaks
Document on future of IDF gives little weight to Iran and prepares for the age of robots
An estate without a manager - What awaits Shas after the death of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef and the battles over the inheritance
Police in the service of the mayor - Immediately after their retirement from the police, senior officers appointed as CEOs of mayors who are suspected of crimes
Senior archaeologists: Grave discovered at Herod excavations is not of Herod
Teva to fire hundreds of employees in Israel
Danger of the black hole // Sever Plocker
King and queen - Israeli youth chess champion of Europe meets world chess champion
A rare moment: Zeira and Zamir (photo of the two former Intel chiefs during Yom Kippur War shaking hands this week outside Tel-Aviv University conference)
Tomorrow at the square: Commemoration of Rabin
IDF Tweeted - and the price of oil shot up
Hanegbi: Israel can and needs to attack Iran (Hebrew
Netanyahu against Lapid: "He represents left-wing positions" (Hebrew)
Teva Pharmaceuticals to fire 700 employees in Israelֿ (Globes)
Maariv poll: Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem mayors to be elected for another term by large majority
The day after the Nobel: The brains who stayed in Israel haven't lost hope (Hebrew)
Violent attack in Safed/Tsfat: Female resident beaten by ultra-Orthodox woman and was hospitalized, after she got on a bus wearing 'immodest clothing'
His torah, his legacy - Death of Rabbi Ovadia - special issue
The demagogic threat - Prof. Noam Chomsky, world prophet of the left-wing, defends the haters of Israel and reels against the democracies of the West
Teva Pharmaceuticals "becoming more efficient": Firing thousands
Warrant preventing Shula Zaken from leaving the country
"We made unjustified reports against Netanyahu" - Alon Ben-Dor, Channel 10 commentator and anchor of 'Friday' program
Message to Iran - Israel Air Force held exercise for long-distance flights
Prime Minister to Europeans (on Iran): "Don't say we didn't warn you"
We will check whether the coffee house franchises established a cartel
Peace Talk Highlights
Maariv reports that Prime Minister Binaymin Netanyahu is furious with Finance Minister Yair Lapid's 'left-wing stance' and is expected to hold a summit with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, while the Palestinians fear that Netanyahu won't release the next round of prisoners. Ynet's Elior Levy reports on Israeli-Palestinian-Jordanian research that shows that Hamas will become more moderate and the standard of living in Israel will rise is a Palestinian state is established.
In closed circles, Netanyahu expressed his anger with Lapid for telling Bloomberg TV that Israel did not need the Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state, Maariv/NRG Hebrew's Arik Bender reported. Netanyahu also said that Justice Minister and chief Israeli negotiator Tzipi Livni thinks like Lapid, but is presenting Netanyahu's demands as a condition to a peace agrement only because Netanyahu required her to do so. Netanyahu said that the demand was in order to prevent the Palestinians from continuing their national struggle inside the borders of Israel after a peace agreement. "The left-wing wants a state-for-all-citizens, and if recognition of Israel as a Jewish state is not achieved, the battle will continue with all its might for Arab autonomy in the Galilee and the national struggle of the Bedouin in the Negev. That's what Lapid does not understand," said Netanyahu. Meanwhile, Lapid meet in Washington with US Vice-President Joe Biden and senior members of Congress, including Republican House Majority leader Eric Cantor and Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer and discussed Iran and the peace process.
According to Maariv's Palestinian affairs reporter Asaf Gabor, Abbas and Netanyahu are likely to meet in the coming days. A Palestinian source claimed that following US pressure, Abbas told Washington that he agrees to hold a summit without any pre-conditions, but would like some gestures made towards the Palestinians in order to prepare for the event. Meanwhile, a senior PLO official, Yasser Abed Rabo, told Gabor that "The situation of the talks "is not good" and that if there is no breakthrough soon there will be a "diplomatic disaster." The Palestinians also fear that Israel will try to get out of releasing the second group of prisoners. "We understand that Israel did not agree to release the prisoners early [assumably for the Muslim Eid holiday next week - OH], but we are worried that Netanyahu will pull a fast one. We won't be surprised if he decides not to release them on the agreed upon date. If that happens, we will stop the negotiations immediately."
A first of its kind Israeli-Palestinian-Jordanian study examines what would the situation here be like 'the day after a pace agreement' and finds an almost utopian picture. Hamas will become more moderate, the standard of living in Israel will rise and perhaps settlers will remain in Palestine. Brigadier-General (Res.) Udi Dekel, head of negotiations during the Annapolis period, participated in the project which was sponsored and funded by the EU and the German Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and managed by the Center for Strategic Dialogue management at the Netanya Academic College. Details about the conclusions here.
Netanyahu tells Europe, 'Don't say I didn't warn you,' while Maariv writes that he has already accepted as a given the ease of sanctions on Iran. MK Tzachi Hanegbi says Israel should attack Iran and the Israeli Air Force holds a long-distance drill in a not-so-subtle message that this is a real possibility. Meanwhile, Iran cancels an annual anti-Zionism conference and Iranian dissidents say the country is moving a nuclear research site to hide it.
In the latest part of his media campaign against easing Iran sanctions, Netanyahu has given a series of interviews to the European media, urging the world not to 'let a radical regime have awesome power,' the Israeli papers reported. But Maariv/NRG Hebrew's Eli Bardenstein writes that Netanyahu realizes that the deal is practically done: the US and Europe are determined to make a deal with Iran, according to which they will compromise on some of the demands regarding Iran's nuclear program.
Meanwhile, Likud MK Tzachi Hanegbi, who is considered a close associate of Netanyahu, gave an interview to Maariv/NRG Hebrew in which he said that Israel can and should attack Iran because it is clear that the US and Europe have no interest in doing so. Hanegbi claims that Iran has limited ability to respond, because Israel can intercept its missiles and anyway the missiles are not very exact and even if they do hit Israeli citizens, the Iranian rulers will become war criminals and then "President Rouhani won't make it to New York, but rather will be arrested on the way and brought to trial at the Hague International Criminal Court."
Almost as if to make that point clear, the Israel Air Force held a long-range drill over Greek waters, which the papers believe was Israeli muscle flexing, showing it can reach remote destinations. Israel Hayom even wrote in its title ' A message to Iran.' Exercises included air-to-air refueling and dogfights against foreign combat planes.
In other news, Iran has cancelled its anti-Zionism conference, according to Iranian websites and the London Daily Telegraph. The annual conference was established by former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. And, a group of dissidents claim they have information that the Iranian nuclear arming research center is being moved to hide activity ahead of nuclear negotiation with Western powers.
Washington cuts Egypt aid despite intense Israeli lobbying - Suspension of military, economic support could harm Cairo's relations with Israel, a Jerusalem official said. (Haaretz)
West Bank mosque defaced in second 'price tag' attack in 12 hours - Three vehicles were set on fire and a Hebrew inscription was sprayed on the walls of a mosque in the West Bank village of Burqa. (Haaretz and Maan)
Jerusalem: Youth vandalism of holy sites on rise - Amid peace talks, holy sites, tombstones targeted by young vandals - both Jewish and Arab - in Jerusalem's Mount of Olives. (Ynet)
Witnesses: Jewish groups enter Aqsa compound - Jewish groups entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Thursday through the Moroccan Gate and performed religious rituals [which are not permitted, according to Israeli law. - OH] (Maan)
Settlement security coordinator blocks road to Palestinian villages, gets off with rebuke - Despite finding the man guilty of operating outside his authorized territory and committing a criminal offense, Israeli army hasn't removed him from position. (Haaretz)
IDF Tweet recalling Yom Kippur war, 40 years on, jolts oil traders - Oil traders razor-focused on signs of escalating violence in Mideast were jolted on Thursday by Tweet from Israeli military that seemed to suggest they bombed Syrian airports. (Agencies, Ynet)
Egypt seeks Israeli help in retrieving ancient artifacts - Egyptian minister calls on Israel to help stop Jerusalem auction of 126 objects, including clay vessels, vases and burial figures. (Haaretz)
Gaza: IDF tank shield accidentally sets off explosives - Windbreaker system misidentifies target, accidentally sets off explosives. No injuries, damage reported. IDF launches investigation. (Ynet)
Gaza protesters demand death penalty as anti-NGOs meet - Death penalty supporters protested in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday outside a conference calling for its abolition, days after Hamas hanged a convicted murderer. (Maan)
IDF's roughest, toughest female soldier - For three years, IDF's most strenuous course for training platoon commanders has included female warriors. Ynet speaks with Or Katzav, IDF's most combative female soldier, currently taking part in grueling training: 'I knew giving up was not an option.' (Ynet)
Israeli troops fired from air in 2010 Gaza flotilla raid, Turkish court told - Anti-war activist testimony counters Israeli assertions that soldiers had acted in self defense when they stormed Turkish-owned Mavi Marmara, part of a flotilla carrying aid to Palestinians. (Agencies, Haaretz)
**Third of Israeli youths don't know what happened on Nov. 4, 1995 - New study reveals growing number of Israeli teens youth don't know what happened on faithful night of November 4, 1995 when Yigal Amir shot and killed Yitzhak Rabin. Some 14% of haredi youths claim Rabin was killed by Arab. (Ynet)
Israeli court says parents can attend child interrogations - An Israeli judge ruled Wednesday that the parents of Palestinian minors detained by Israel can attend police interrogation sessions with their children. Israeli police interrogate Palestinian children repeatedly without the presence of their parents and often force minors to confess to crimes using illegal methods, said a Palestinian lawyer. [Note, there are still many more flaws to the prosecution of Palestinian children in Israeli military courts, as described here. -OH] (Maan)