APN's daily news review from Israel

Tuesday June 12, 2018
 

Quote of the day:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

News Summary:
The Trump-Kim summit in Singapore, which Hebrew newspapers had no information about since they were printed before the meeting took place, a stabbing attack by a Palestinian youth in Afula, who severely wounded an Israeli high school student, the indictment against a daycare center assistant, who caused an infant to suffocate to death and reportedly “abused babies routinely,” and the great success at the Tony Awards of “The Band’s Visit,” a musical based on an Israeli screenplay, were today’s top stories in the Hebrew newspapers. Also the military analysts had much to say about IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot’s decision not to promote controversial religious commander, Brig. Gen. Ofer Winter. (See Commentary/Analysis below - especially Yossi Melman and Amos Harel). Also, Yedioth noted in its headlines that “Prince William will divide Jerusalem - he will go to the Mt. of Olives ‘in the Palestinian Authority.’” According to the report: “The historic visit of Prince William in Israel is meant to be neutral. However, Kensington Palace announced that the prince will visit sites, such as the Mt. of Olives and the Old City, as part of his trip to the Palestinian Authority. A source in the British Foreign Ministry told Yedioth: ‘E. Jerusalem is not Israeli territory.’” During the four-day trip to the region, the first official visit by a member of the British royal family, the Duke of Cambridge will meet Netanyahu and Abbas. In E. Jerusalem, he will visit the Mt. of Olives and the Church of St. Mary Magdalene and pay respects at the tomb of his great-grandmother Princess Alice, which is located in the Garden of Gethsemane. All the visits in E. Jerusalem are listed as under the visit to the Palestinian Authority. (See also Israel Hayom)

Diplomacy and Security Quickees:

Quick Hits:

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Features:
‘I wanted no more of it’: Driven Out by Rising Extremism, More Israelis Are Leaving Orthodox Judaism
Religious Zionists leaving the fold say they are increasingly accepted by their families, as community’s push for stricter observance and hard-line views leads more young people to become secular. (Judy Maltz, Haaretz+)
What Israel's top economist thinks of Trump's trade wars
Prof. Elhanan Helpman won't say, but his research shows the president’s got it wrong. (Meirav Arlosoroff, Haaretz+)
Make high-tech, not war: Israel and Palestinians forge cutting-edge coexistence
Far from the rockets, fiery kites and snipers, cooperation between Palestinian techies and Israeli entrepreneurs – as seen in the Rawabi Tech Hub in the West Bank – is booming. Will ventures with the Arab world be next? (Eliran Rubin, Haaretz+)
Haaretz Photo Blog: This 25-year-old Woman May Be the Best Street Photographer in Israel
Photographer Alex Farfuri, 25, reveals the beauty of a country in turmoil. (Daniel Tchetchik and Alex Farfuri, Haaretz)
 
Commentary/Analysis:
What Israel's State Prosecutor Ignored at Umm al-Hiran (Haaretz Editorial) In Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Israel, Arabs are presumed to be terrorists unless proven otherwise.
The claims of the religious-nationalist right-wing toagainst Chief of Staff Eizenkot regarding Major General Winter are ludicrous (Yossi Melman, Maariv) The constant preoccupation with the issue of not promoting the former Givati Brigade commander to division commander is a clear example of a distorted reality that dominates the media and discourse in Israel. Other generals were also not promoted…With all of his virtues, Winter's name was also bound up with a number of problematic issues during the course of Operation Protective Edge. On the eve of the operation, he wrote to his soldiers on the commander's page something that suited more a religious imam in the Iranian army than to an officer in the Israel Defense Forces. In it he declared war against “an enemy who villifies and blasphemes the G-d of Israel's wars.” During the war, he was in contact and reported on battle moves, without having permission to do so, with his friend from the draft army service, Naftali Bennett. Bennett used the information in the cabinet discussions, in which he harshly criticized the conduct of the campaign. At the end of the operation, Winter commanded the chase after the Hamas operatives who kidnapped Lieutenant Hadar Goldin in Rafah. This operation ended with the death of dozens of Palestinians and got the name, "Black Friday." It should be noted that, even though four years have passed since that incident, the IDF has not yet published the results of the investigation. It may be assumed that Winter, who was also passed up for the role of the military secretary to the prime minister because of Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot's opposition, will leave the army (unless Netanyahu appoints him). But his preoccupation only shows how the religious-nationalist right, which has a very impressive presence in the IDF, strives for political and ideological influence over the army. The luck is that it found a stubborn and determined opponent who wants to preserve the IDF's authority.
Israel's army chief under fire from right wing for not promoting like-minded general (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) The IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot picked other candidates because he thought they were more suitable than Maj. Gen. Ofer Winter – not because Winter wears a kippa, as critics claim...Winter’s fans had two complaints: that he is being methodically discriminated against as part of Eisenkot’s alienating attitude toward religious officers, and that Eisenkot, like many of his predecessors, fears original-thinking, brave officers, so he promotes mediocre, obedient commanders. The first claim seems absurd. The gap between the increased presence of kippa-wearing officers at the lower and intermediate levels and the kippa-free General Staff can be explained primarily by time.
The stream of religious youths to the combat units started around the time Winter was drafted, in the 1990s. It will take a few more years for this historic trend to bear fruit at the rank of general. The second claim requires discussion. Gen. (Res.) Gershon Hacohen warned a few years ago about the growing shortage in the army of “bandit” commanders, those make it hard for their superiors during routine times but can be depended upon to lead the fighters full tilt in time of war. The trouble is that this claim expunges with one swipe the record of other combat commanders who were recently promoted. You can’t write off the rest of his colleagues as a gang of bureaucrats, just to aggrandize the officer who was seemingly discriminated against...If a senior position isn’t found soon for Winter that matches his talents, he is expected to leave the army...One can surmise that politicians will welcome him with open arms. 
It's not because of the kippah (Yossi Yehoshua, Yedioth) Let's start from the end: Chief of Staff Eisenkot decided not to promote Ofer Winter not because of the kippah on his head. He simply does not hold him in esteem...Two incidents in Operation Protective Edge put Brig. Gen. Winter in the headlines: One, the (religion-fused) letter he distributed to his combat soldiers before going to battle. And two, the background information he gave to security cabinet members and his friend Naftali Bennet regarding Gaza, during the operation...Yesterday, it became clear in the simplest terms that the Chief of Staff does not like Winter or hold him in esteem. Maybe it's because of the political involvement, maybe other reasons, but this is the reality. Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain how an officer with such an impressive record was not promoted...Winter doesn't flatter his commanders and doesn't work according to the book, like Eizenkot likes. But his creative thinking is vital to the army and with all due respect to the other candidates, there is no officer of his rank that has been through all the most difficult combat situations. The IDF does not have enough "galloping horses" like WInter, who even if he erred, is preferable over a brigade commander who sits in front of a plasma (TV). And another thing: Eizenkot may not be against religious, but it is impossible to ignore the fact that in his term there isn't a single kippah-wearing general, and also in the division commander ranks there will only be one, Brig. Gen. David Zini. What will he do now? LIkely he will take off his uniform. He can join politics. And then, whoever didn't want him as a division commander will get him as chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
The claim that Winter was not because of the skullcap on his head is evil (Tal Lev Ram, Maariv) The chief of staff's decision not to promote Major General Ofer Winter, the head of the Central Command's headquarters, to become a  division commander is not related to the fact that he is religious, and what is certain is that public conduct around him in recent years has not benefited him. There are numerous high-ranking generals in key positions who are religious: Brig. Gen. David Zinni, the commander of the 340th division, and Brig. Gen. Eliezer Toledano, who will shortly take up his post as commander of the Gaza Division, and whose place in the General Staff in the coming years is almost certain, are certainly no less religious than Ofer Winter. There are also Commander of the Commando Unit Col. Avi Balut, Givati Brigade Commander Col. Dado Bar Kalifa, Golani Brigade Commander Colonel Shai Klapper and the incoming Commander of Shayetet 13, naval commando.
How to measure success in Singapore? (Daniel B. Shapiro, Yedioth/Ynet) Diplomacy should be based on facts, well-prepared, conducted seriously, and realistic about what it can achieve. In the end, the results are what matter. We will see if President Trump’s nuclear diplomacy can pass that test.
With all the noise, the beastliness and the conduct - Trump still wants peace (Lilach Sigan, Maariv) It would be nice to discover that the (Israeli) right-wing leaders are not only admiring the media gimmicks and the shameless spin of the US president, but also the fact that in the end there is a plan with a good goal.
To: Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin. From: DC Station. Re: Trump Annual Report Card (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) This is Donald Trump’s end-of-year report card, as per your request. Needless to say, it is excellent. Trump has proven himself to be a sterling asset for the Russian Federation, exceeding all expectations. Trump gets an A in breaking up the Western alliance, undermining America’s moral leadership and encouraging Vladimir Putin-style authoritarianism throughout the world. He gets an A- in trashing immigration, dismantling the welfare state, sowing division among U.S. citizens and thoroughly corrupting one of two America’s major parties.
What Israel would like to achieve from Trump-Kim meeting (Ron Ben-Yishai|, Ynet) In the Singapore summit, the US president will try to succeed where his predecessors failed and reach an agreement to rid the Korean peninsula of nuclear weapons; the North Korean leader, who was suffocated by Chinese sanctions, stands to gain in any event after achieving international recognition. Israel’s main interest, meanwhile, is in halting the proliferation of knowledge on non-conventional weapons.
Sending a message to Tehran (Prof. Abraham Ben-Zvi, Israel Hayom) Despite the lack of preparation and the American side's failure to lay down a strong message, we can hope that the Singapore summit will bear fruit on the North Korean nuclear crisis and cause Iran to wake up.
The 'Unspoken Condition' of Trump and Kim's Historical Summit (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) From Churchill to Nixon, leaders rarely talk about human rights within each other’s countries – and Trump and Kim will be no exception.
Despite the commentators' comments: Trump met with Kim according to his own terms (Meir Uziel, Maariv) The man, who every holder of a bachelor's degree or higher in international relations in the Western world slighted him, is continuing on his own course. And the world? It looks with the wonder at the amazing scene playing out in Singapore.
Thank You Messi, for Doing the Right Thing at the Right Time (Uri Misgav, Haaretz) The truth is that Israel has brought this blow upon itself.
The feeble fight against BDS (Daniel Zimet, Israel Hayom) Israel's advocacy network must operate in a manner similar to that of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement: without borders and without limits. Our survival depends on it.
The Palestine paradox: Why do leftists love a Palestinian cause that rejects their values? (Yigal Walt, Haaretz+) Islamist language now permeates a once proudly secular Palestinian national identity, and Palestinian governance is decidedly illiberal. So why don't their Western leftist allies speak out?
Proof of Israel's intelligence reach (Yoav Limor, Israel Hayom) The discovery of the Hamas "naval tunnel" is a testament to Israel's success in handling the threat from Gaza in the wake of the 2014 war. This is an opportune moment to extract concessions.
How Saudi Arabia's Sports Minister Is Roiling Egypt (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Egyptians are livid at the country's star TV host for transferring to a Saudi network. After all, you don't give away national assets – neither islands nor sportscasters.
Stop the absurdity (MK Avi Dichter, Israel Hayom) Under the 2018 budget, authorized by the government in Ramallah just two months ago, the Palestinian Authority will pay terrorists convicted by Israeli courts and their families $340 million.

Interviews:
In Israel, Austrian chancellor vows to fight 'all forms of anti-Semitism'
PM Netanyahu calls Sebastian Kurz "a true friend of Israel and the Jewish people." Austrian leader tells Israel Hayom Austria will combat anti-Semitism, foster greater understanding of Israel's unique security needs when Austria assumes EU presidency. (Interviewed by Ariel Kahana in Israel Hayom)

Prepared for APN by Orly Halpern, independent freelance journalist based in Jerusalem.