Israel headlines

Israel headlines tell a story. They tell you the news. But sometimes, they reveal some underlying truths.  

Return to this blog every Tuesday and Friday after 8 am ET. You’ll see a sampling of headlines from Israel’s press.

 The headlines will be arranged by topic. Those topics will give you a sense of what Israelis have been talking about.

You’ll also see something else: a look at what these stories might mean.

Take a look now at these sample headlines from the news-cycle for October 27 –October 29, 2013. Note that repeated headlines reflect how different newspapers covered the same story.

Prisoners for peace

- Gov't committee approves release of 26 Palestinian prisoners

- Full list of prisoners: Killed 27 Israelis between '84 and '94

- Bill to Stop Prisoner Releases Rejected by Ministers

- Protest at Justice Minister's Home: Stop Terrorist Release

- Terror Victims Angry over Rejection of Halt to Release

-MK Regev: We Release Terrorists, Get Rocket Fire

- PM fails to comment on prisoners' release during government meet

-MK Regev: Prisoner release a sign of weakness

-'The Torah Standpoint is Clear - No Releasing Terrorists'

-Families of Israeli terror victims protest at prison

- Last-Minute Appeals Against Prisoner Release

- Supreme Court to Hear Terror Release Petition

 The unspoken story here is the pain caused by Israel’s releasing Arabs convicted of murdering Jews. Just a few months ago, to help US Secretary of State John Kerry get a new round of peace talks started, Israel was apparently imposed upon to release 104 killers as a way to motivate the Palestinian Authority to come to the ‘table’.  

Israel now agonizes over this second-of-four releases. It is truly painful to watch Israel release unrepentant Jew-killers in a hope for peace—while Mahmoud Abbas honours them as returning heroes.

These prisoners aren’t heroes. They’re murderers.

Arabs attack Jews

- Jews are Sitting Ducks on Hebrew U. Route

- Rock Attack in Gush Etzion

- Terror Attack Thwarted in Hevron

- 2 Mortars Explode in Eshkol Area Council, No Injuries

- Code red siren sounded near Israel's border with Gaza Strip

- Hebron: Palestinian arrested for attempting to stab soldiers

- Egypt closes Rafah Gaza crossing indefinitely

-PA Honors Egyptian Poet: "Our Enemy, Zion, is Satan.."

 The unspoken story here seems to be how Arabs react to the announcement of this impending prison release: they attack Jews. But buried in this particular cluster is an interesting headline: Israel isn’t the only country that finds it necessary to seal off an aggressive Gaza—Egypt also seals it off. The difference is, the international press doesn’t attack Egypt for ‘humanitarian oppression’ every time it acts to seal a Gazan tunnel or crossing.

This sub-story suggests a repugnant moral hypocrisy. If defending Gaza was the true goal of Hamas’ ‘humanitarian friends’, any tunnel closing would be attacked as ‘against international humanitarian law.’

Anti-Semitism

- Germany to Israel: Attend UN Human Rights Council - Or Else

- Ex-UK FM: ‘Unlimited’ Jewish funds control US policy, block Mideast peace

- Australia's Jewish community shocked at anti-Semitic attack

- Wisconsin man accused of hitting 2 Hebrew speakers
-Anti-Israel ads placed on Denver buses during JNF conference

 The unspoken story here is how aggressive anti-Semitism is around the world. These attacks do not diminish. While the attacks aren’t always Muslim-inspired, they are always ugly.

The more we see the Arab celebrate at Israel’s expense, the more we see world-wide anti-Semitism.

Arabs attack Arabs

- Baghdad: 41 Killed in 10 Explosions

- Wave of attacks kills at least 66 people in Iraq

- 18 wedding guests killed by roadside bomb in Afghanistan

- Saudi authorities arrest 14 women for driving

-Two bombings and an ambush of a police checkpoint in Iraq kill 11

One untold story here is about how hypocrisy characterizes the anti-Israel Movement. Those who attack Israel cry bitterly when Israel does anything the Movement feels is ‘anti-Arab’. But when Arabs slaughter each other—or violate the civil rights of their own citizens—the anti-Israel voice is silent.

These phony humanitarians don’t give a damn about Arabs.

Israel stands tall

- Chinese Magnate Donates $130 Million to Technion

- IKEA hiring 300 for Kiryat Ata branch

- Expert: US could emulate Israel health management

-Israel and Nigeria to sign agreement launching direct flights between two countries

- Ministers approve 3 days of paid leave for fathers after birth

- Ministerial c'ttee approves 8-day paternity leave

- Israel a Model of Success at Go4Europe Conference

The unspoken story here is that Israel has a growing, expanding economy. While academicians, Leftists and Islamic Jihadists are busy demonizing the world’s only Jewish state, this tiny country attracts major investment dollars, for good reason: Israeli scientists and innovators knows how to deliver results. Of course, the same thing might not be said about Israel’s newspapers: look at how they report how many paternity days a father might get.