Top News from Israel & Palestine: April 10, 2020

What We’re Reading

Israeli Politics

Netanyahu, Gantz to Resume Unity Talks After Disagreements,

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Kahol Lavan leader Benny Gantz are expected to resume negotiations Friday over the formation of a unity government, following a disagreement over the appointment of judges that left talks stranded in a standstill. On Wednesday, Gantz said unity government negotiations were halted because of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s demands to interfere with the work of the Judicial Appointments Committee, which is the body that appoints judges to Israeli courts.”

Benjamin Netanyahu’s successful stalling strategy – analysis,

“The other possibility is that Netanyahu purposely stalled until the Knesset’s final day of voting before the parliament adjourned for its Passover recess. Gantz’s mandate to form a government ends next Monday night, and even though Gantz is Knesset speaker, he is unlikely to convene the Knesset before then. It will be very easy for Netanyahu to continue to stall after that, even if – as expected – President Reuven Rivlin extends Gantz’s mandate by two more weeks. Once Gantz is at the end of his mandate, he will have no leverage left, and he will have to make more concessions to Netanyahu. Even if the crisis over the coronavirus ended sooner than expected and elections were technically possible, Gantz no longer has a bloc of parties to run with after Blue and White split in three. Netanyahu, by contrast, is at the peak of his popularity, according to Wednesday’s Jerusalem Post poll that found that if elections would be held now, his Likud would win 42 seats and his Right bloc 64.”

COVID-19 & Israel/Israelis

Israel’s death toll from virus rises to 93, while cases surpass 10,000,

“The novel coronavirus has been spreading quickly in nursing homes around the country, raising intense concern for the safety of elderly residents. The Health Ministry said Thursday it was conducting tests over Passover at assisted living facilities where there have been confirmed COVID-19 cases, adding that 3,000 tests were expected to be performed on each of the coming days. Almost all of those who have died from COVID-19 in Israel have been elderly and suffered from preexisting conditions, according to hospital officials.”

Netanyahu Violated Coronavirus Regulations by Meeting Son While Quarantined,

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu violated Health Ministry directives by attending a meal with his family when he was still supposed to be in quarantine, as Israel struggles to contain the coronavirus pandemic. Netanyahu and his son Avner, who doesn’t live in the Prime Minister’s Residence in Jerusalem, were seen holding the traditional meal in a video filmed prior to the Passover holiday that was aired on Channel 12 News on Wednesday evening.”

Nationwide lockdown eased, Bnei Brak restrictions relaxed amid cautious optimism,

“Under the rules remaining in effect Friday, Israelis may travel for work or other essential needs, such as shopping for food or medicine, but are generally barred from being more than 100 meters from their home. Gatherings of more than two people are forbidden. People are also supposed to wear face masks when out of the home, but enforcement on that measure is not set to go into effect until Sunday. In Bnei Brak, residents will only be allowed to leave the city limits for work, medical treatments, transferring children between separated parents, funerals of immediate relatives and ‘other necessary matters approved ahead of time,’ the Health Ministry said in a statement sent out early Friday.”

Israel Is Mobilizing Its Occupation Skills to Fight Coronavirus,

“The holy trinity – composed of the Mossad, responsible for supplying equipment “borrowed” from around the world, the Shin Bet security service, which has the largest database in Israel so it can locate the whereabouts of every single person, and the IDF, which imposes a military administration on the ground – is sovereign, at the moment, acting under the authority of the 1945 emergency defense regulations. This is but a temporary measure, which one hopes will not last for decades.”

COVID-19 & Occupation and Palestine/Palestinians

Palestinians report second coronavirus death in West Bank, 266 infected,

“PA government spokesman Ibrahim Milhem said that the 55-year-old man died in the Hugo Chavez hospital in Turmus Aya, north of Ramallah, adding that he suffered from preexisting conditions. Milhem also announced three more confirmed cases of the virus, two women in their 20s and a seven-year-old girl.”

PHOTOS: There is no going back to ‘normal’ after coronavirus,

“Since the start of the outbreak in Israel, while most citizens shelter in place, I, like other photographers, have been spending much of my time outside, either to take photos for my next article or to document this historic moment before we all go back to our daily routines. But with time, I recognized that there is no going back to a ‘routine,’ even after the pandemic is behind us.”

Construction workers sick with coronavirus found at West Bank site,

“Chinese construction workers at a building site in the West Bank city of Harish have been hospitalized at the Hillel Yafeh Medical Center and tested positive for coronavirus, according to Ynet. The five infected workers stayed in an apartment with about 10 Chinese workers in Harish. The apartment has been disinfected. The Shapir company claimed that only two workers were infected.”

Lockdown in West Bank, crowds in Gaza: Palestinians divided over coronavirus,

Political and physical divisions between Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza have induced two very different responses to the coronavirus pandemic, with a strict lockdown in the first and crowds milling about freely in the second. In the West Bank, which has 250 recorded cases of the COVID-19 lung disease, a lockdown on public life was swiftly imposed – Bethlehem was sealed off after the first outbreak in March and a state of emergency declared.”

Annexation/The "Deal of the Century" Watch

Annexation looking less likely to happen due to coronavirus crisis,

“The Trump administration expressed some confusion over Gantz’s insistence on a delay if he’s in effect agreeing to annexation anyway, and the July 10 date has no significance for them…It’s not just this artificial July 10 date that the potential government could see go by without action, due to a continued coronavirus crisis. The longer annexation is delayed, the closer we get to November, when the US election will take place. Trump could be more hesitant to have a risky move made in his name when he is up for reelection. And if the US ends up with a President Joe Biden, annexation will be off the table entirely. This puts Netanyahu and other annexation proponents in an impossible dilemma. Try to make a move too soon, and they may just not be able to do it because of the public health crisis. Wait too long, and they might not have US support anymore.”

Intel: Pompeo, Netanyahu talk coronavirus on Passover,

“Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chatted by phone on Wednesday, the first day of Passover. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said that the two leaders ‘discussed ongoing efforts to contain and mitigate COVID-19. They also discussed Iran’s destabilizing behavior and the unwavering US commitment to Israel’s security.’ Israel has not yet released a readout of the phone call.”

Jordan rejects any Israeli West Bank annexation steps,

“Jordan ‘rejects any Israeli step to annex occupied Palestinian lands,’ its Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told his French counterpart Jean Yves Le Drian, as Israeli coalition talks appear to keep the door open for such a move as early as this summer.”

Palestinian Politics

Hamas Arrests Gazans for Holding Zoom Video Chat With Israelis,

“The Gaza interior ministry identified the man as Rami Aman and said that some of his associates, whose details were not disclosed, had also been arrested. Aman describes himself as a freelance journalist and member of a group called The Gaza Youth Committee on his Facebook page. The meeting for which he was arrested was held on Monday on the Zoom video conference app. It appears to have been organised by Israeli peace activists, who could not be reached for comment. An invitation link to a Zoom conference entitled ‘Meet Gazan Activists’ was posted on a Facebook event page that has since expired. It read: ‘Finally, an opportunity to speak with Gazans who not only do not hate us but are working tirelessly to open channel of communication between Gazans and Israelis.'”