That’s the way the matzah crumbles

Peace talks? Coalition crisis? The situation in Ukraine? There are tough questions for Israel but the answers will have to wait until after Passover.

Israel’s unofficial spring break, the Passover holiday, will begin on Monday but already it looks like the government has packed its bags and put a sign on the Knesset door that says, “Gone Matzo’in.”

Israel Hayom talks tough about sanctions against the Palestinians on its front page but inside it admits in the headline, “It’s a time out until after Passover.” The paper recaps the main challenges facing the government: unilateral Palestinian moves and the recently increased bluster from Naftali Bennett about leaving the government. The bottom line, it says, is that most likely nothing will get decided for the next week.

The paper also reports that one of those decisions that will be put off is the “Pollard deal,” according to which Jonathan Pollard would be released in exchange for Israel releasing more prisoners, including Israeli-Arabs. It’s still on the table, but Economy Minister Bennett is not having it. In a statement issued on Friday, Bennett’s Jewish Home party said that if Israeli-Arab prisoners were released, the party would leave the coalition.

That declaration earns a strong response in Yedioth Ahronoth by the very man who called for elections last week, Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman. “Bennett can quit, he doesn’t need to threaten,” is the front-page quote and inside Liberman boasts that he isn’t afraid of new elections.

The interview is part of a longer one that will be published in Monday’s holiday edition. But the paper is in full preview mode and provides some other choice quotes, like one about John Kerry: “He is a true friend, anyone who doesn’t know him should Google him.” On former Likud minister and putative comeback kid Moshe Kahlon and the next elections, he says: “In the next elections Yisrael Beytenu will run alone. Without Likud. But I don’t see any reason not to cooperate with Moshe Kahlon, I welcome his return.”

While Liberman is waxing political, Netanyahu might be facing some more pressure from America. Haaretz’s front page reports that the Americans are angry at Israel for not standing with them over the Ukraine issue. According to the paper, the anger has been smoldering since Israel didn’t show up two weeks ago for a vote in the UN General Assembly condemning the Russia’s Crimean invasion. Even Israeli officials realize that the no-show was viewed around the world as irregular, but Israel blamed the absence on the Foreign Ministry strike (the diplomatic equivalent of “I’m washing my hair”).

Israel’s lack of willingness to get involved in the whole Ukraine situation is not the only thing the US is upset about. Yedioth reports that the Americans are none too happy with Israel’s sanctions against the Palestinian Authority. Israel is considering more sanctions against the PA, including stopping the development of a cellphone network in Gaza and freezing an agricultural program to develop 14,000 dunams (about 3,460 acres) of Palestinian farmland. US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said that if the reports are true, “We would regard such a development as unfortunate.”

But if you are worried that the peace negotiations may affect the Passover holiday, Israel Hayom’s Dan Margalit puts your mind at ease. “We’re all on vacation, so are the negotiations,” reads Margalit’s headline and he does a little bit of political pontificating on the various players and their next moves. While talks reached a major crisis, Margalit writes, “public opinion refuses to give its opinion on the political reality.” Instead Israelis are too busy worrying about the upcoming Seder meal or planning their vacations to be bothered by politics. “For the next week, Israel is released from the negotiations and its other problems, and is immersed in vacation.”

Old tactics, new applications

While the Palestinian negotiations may be on vacation, the recent flare-up between security forces and the extreme right is still on many minds. Haaretz reports that Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon supports administrative detention for right-wing extremists. As the paper explains, Ya’alon believes that the unusual step should only be employed when Shin Bet has information on a suspect but not enough for an actual arrest.

Israel Hayom reports that Border Police have taken over the Od Yosef Chai yeshiva and hoisted their flag outside the building. The yeshiva will be controlled by the Border Police for two months following the clashes between settlers and the security forces at Yitzhar. Despite the dramatic headlines, the actual takeover of the yeshiva was largely a non-issue as the staff and students were already on Passover vacation.

A little more dignity

Looking past the Passover holiday, Yedioth writes that Yair Lapid is planning to request government approval to add an extra billion shekels (about $288 million) to help Holocaust survivors. Yedioth bills it at “a program to enable Holocaust survivors to live with dignity” and it includes benefits to improve their health and wellbeing. With some of the 200,000 survivors in Israel struggling to make ends meet, the paper lauds the plan, writing, “Finally, the Israeli government can begin to compensate them for this injustice.” Included in the package is free medication for any government-approved medication, a yearly stipend for dental care, and a yearly stipend for survivors in poverty.