“Show me where in West Jerusalem or in Tel Aviv a man would put cameras on his drug den? He knows they won’t do anything to him. If anyone touches him he would come with his weapon and shoot. The police know, everyone knows and no one does anything. Nobody dares touch him.”
—Khaled Zeir, a resident of Silwan neighborhood in E. Jerusalem, was one of many Palestinian Jerusalemites that Haaretz’s Nir Hasson interviewed who described how Israeli police were not only not stopping the plague of drug dealers filling the E. Jerusalem streets, but preventing residents from organizing to stop them.*

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Front Page:

Don't Mess With the Army, Bennett (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) The army and the defense establishment are very angry with Defense Minister Naftali Bennett. The man makes too many pronouncements, boasts about killing Iranians, announces a change in rules of the game toward Hamas and plans to expand construction in Hebron. He’s insufferable and even dangerous. So dangerous that top military and other security officials devoted an entire meeting to “the minister’s public statements,” a report this week in Haaretz said. They believe that his statements not only harm Israel’s security, but, perish the thought, are “an attempt to belittle the importance of the security work of past senior officials such as the previous chief of staff, Gadi Eisenkot.”
The difference between 'loving Israel enough' and 'dual loyalty' (Moshe Hill, Israel Hayom) US President Donald Trump is trying to embrace American Jews by encouraging appreciation for a common ally of America and the Jewish people.
Why was the Jewish establishment silent and unresponsive to Trump's problematic remarks? (Shlomo Shamir, Maariv) (Speaking at the annual conference of the Israel-American Council,) If the President had said the phrase "Some Jews in the US do not love Israel enough" at an event of any another Jewish organization, his insulting words would certainly have provoked a wave of outrage from senior Jewish leaders. President Trump voiced the insult to American Jews as the guest of honor at an organization owned by Sheldon Adelson. Trump said what he said at Sheldon Adelson's side and in his shadow. That is why it did not upset, did not annoy and did not outrage the community if at all. Trump appeared and addressed the organization conference not because his friends and activists love Israel enough, but because the organization's patron and co-founder, Sheldon Adelson, is a major contributor to the Trump election campaign and has donated $100 million to fund Republican candidate campaigns in the 2016 elections and the half-term elections. The disregard of Jewish organizations and leading Jewish personas toward the remarks that smelled of intentional anti-Semitism that was limited to American Jewry has revealed Sheldon Adelson’s status, more specifically, his non-status in the community. He is a rejected brand, wrong in the eyes of the vast majority of American Jewry. He is cut off from the Jewish leadership, even those who identify as right-wing and he is ostracized by the liberal majority in the community. But it is mutual. Sheldon Adelson is known as someone who despises and mocks the Jewish leadership and anyone who identifies with it. He even enjoys the declared alienation towards him by senior Jews and is even proud of the contempt and dismissal of him by intellectuals and academics in the (Jewish) community…It is impossible and unfair to overlook the success of the Jewish-American community organization within a few years in which it has turned into an active institution that pursues activities among expat Israelis, including their second generation, with the aim of keeping and preserving one of the slogans of the organization: ”Israel in our heart, Israeli in our spirit." The organization's leaders and businessmen have demonstrated that they know well and skillfully how to use the funds that Sheldon Adelson invests in financing the organization's existence and operations. But those who are active in Adelson's shadow have given up in advance on the recognition, the presence, and the influence of the Jews of the United States.
There is no civil war on the horizon (Dan Schueftan, Israel Hayom) The strength of a society is measured by its ability to overcome problems, and Israel excels at that. Other western democracies, which do not face the challenges Israel does, are sinking.
Between a rock and a hard place: Israel must choose between regional interests and its relations with the EU (Dr. Emanuel Navon, Maariv) French President Emmanuel Macron recently announced his intention to begin a dialogue with Russia, saying only talks could convince Moscow to reduce its cooperation with China and to reduce his aspirations in Eastern European. France's policy change is an opportunity for Israel. If Paris can adopt a policy of realpolitik towards Russia - Israel should not be expected to be more Catholic than the Pope.
How the Malka Leifer Case Finally Forced Australian Jews to Speak Out Against Israel (Dina Kraft, Haaretz+) Much of the Australian-Jewish community is angered, frustrated by perceived Israeli foot-dragging over alleged child abuser’s extradition to face 74 charges related to sex crimes, including rape.
Another Shameful Israeli Act in Malka Leifer Case Furthers Australian Distrust (Noa Landau, Haaretz+) The latest in the legal circus that is accused rapist's extradition affair, hearing delayed because psychiatrists 'hadn't noticed' it was set.
Israel’s Shameful Role in Myanmar’s Genocidal Campaign Against the Rohingya (Charles Dunst, Haaretz+) Peace icon turned pariah Aung San Suu Kyi is in The Hague defending Myanmar from genocide charges. Israel gave Myanmar’s military regime the tools and diplomatic space to carry out those atrocities.
Time to Cancel the State-religious School System (Or Kashti, Haaretz+) Last week, when Israel’s poor results in the PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) exam was reported, the education ministry announced that a committee would be named - yet another one – that would “leave no stone unturned” to try to figure out how Arab students ended up at the bottom of the rankings. The issues to be reviewed, they promised, would include the curricula and efficacy of allocating resources – areas in which the ministry has generally ignored the desires of Arab citizens, or their needs, for many years. And yet the debate on the incomprehensible gaps between Jewish and Arab students would not be complete without a closer look at how the country’s Jewish religious students enjoy budgetary and pedagogical favoritism, making the picture of inequality even more dire.
Opponents of a defense alliance with the United States do not understand the new reality (Zalman Shoval, Maariv) Israel faces a formidable threat from Iran, a mini superpower with a regional hegemonic ambition and with a considerable technological and scientific capability, infused with a fanatical religious ideology whose desire is to destroy Israel. Israel is no less than Iran in any of its capabilities in these and other areas, and even surpasses it. However, Israel has an Achilles heel: the home front. Israel’s land is minimal and the population and economic concentration in the central areas create a potential state of super vulnerability to Iranian missiles or their emissaries. Although Israel has advanced and sophisticated missile defense measures, there are financial limitations, despite US aid, in terms of quantity and possibilities to deploy them. Iran also has capabilities that the Arab states don’t have: action via its emissaries: Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and Shiite militias based in Syria and Iraq.
Soleimani's multi-national army is destabilizing the Mideast (Yaakov Lappin, Israel Hayom) The commander of Iran’s Quds Force is more than a military leader, say Israeli observers. Active from the Lebanese coast to Yemen, his activities have stirred up powerful “antibodies” in the region.
Why we should fear a nuclearized Saudi Arabia (Yoel Guzansky, Israel Hayom) A dangerous loop has been established between Iran and its Middle Eastern neighbors – Arab countries that feel threatened will step up nuclear activity, which in turn will make it more difficult to rein in the Islamic Republic.
Why Israel Can and Must Help as Jordan's Economy Implodes (David Rosenberg, Haaretz+) The kingdom’s economy risks going the route of Lebanese chaos. Its neighbor can help by creating business and jobs before it’s too late.
Just what is Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh up to? (Shahar Klaiman, Israel Hayom) For the first time in a year and a half, Egypt has allowed the head of the terrorist organization to leave the Gaza Strip. Haniyeh is in Turkey, and slated to visit Qatar, Russia, Malaysia – but not Iran.