A Whole Month Without Rockets

"They are a mirror image of Netanyahu's campaign."
--Maariv commentator Nadav Eyal writes that the U.S. President's remarks about the Israeli Prime Minister are the opposite of how the Israeli leader is portraying himself.

• For the first time since the disengagement (from Gaza in 2005): A whole month without rockets - Statistics published by the Shin Bet show that during December not even one rocket was shot at Israel. A senior source in the IDF command in the south: "Twenty years it has not been this quiet in the region." In 2012, Palestinians shot a record 1,893 rockets. (Maariv, p. 6)
• Two (Jewish Israeli) teens accused of assaulting Arab strike plea - Two youths implicated in August assault on Arab teen in Jerusalem strike plea bargain; State agrees to drop aggravated assault charges to secure incitement conviction. (Ynet)
• Legal expert to High Court: Israel could be tried in Hague if it evicts West Bank villagers - Petition relates to area in the South Hebron Hills that was declared a live-fire zone in the early 1980s, and which Defense Minister Barak decided in July 2012 requires the eviction of 8 of 12 Palestinian villages. (Haaretz+)
• Court orders state to suspend benefit packages for ultra-Orthodox - Supreme Court injunction requires state to explain why benefit packages are still being paid to 54,000 ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students when their military deferment is no longer allowed under the expired Tal Law. (Israel Hayom)
• Israelis worry over religious radicalization, poll shows - Both religious and secular Israelis oppose laws that would restrict secular lifestyle. Exclusion of women unpopular among general public. (Israel Hayom)
• Palestinians use street art to tell ideas - Outside of traditional museum exhibit halls, West Bank's walls serve as canvas for burgeoning arts culture. (Ynet)

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