The IDF's enemies on the Right

During Gadi Eisenkot's tenure as IDF chief of staff, more than 1,000 secret operations were carried out across the borders of Israel. He drew the political echelon to an offense-based policy in the North, mainly in Syria, and often really pushed the envelope. But all this is not sufficient in the eyes of the pundits on the extreme Right, Israel's alt-right.

 

In two or three months, they will focus their sights on the incoming chief of staff, Aviv Kochavi. He will be their next "coward," the "weakling," the leftist, the commander behind the military advocate general, Sharon Afek, "who frightens our soldiers more than Hamas' Yahya Sinwar." Kochavi's fate will be even worse than that of his predecessor's. He will be burdened with the fact that his wife works for the State Attorney's Office.

 

Gadi Eisenkot (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)

A new genre has developed on the lunatic Right, a narrative full of scorn and threats. They accuse the IDF chief of staff, the Military Advocate General and the IDF Spokesperson Ronen Manelis of "sacrificing our soldiers on the altar of leftism and false morality."

One can find an illustration of a military gravestone with the inscription: "Killed because his life was less important than the life of the enemy." Or a tweet: "During the Second World War, (Soviet leader Joseph) Stalin set up units that shot in the back soldiers who were afraid to charge and attack—in Israel, Eisenkot appointed the Military Advocate General to shoot at soldiers who shoot terrorists." Another example: "Sharon Afek, don't you dare extend your hand to harm our soldiers, you will be met with an ancient and awesome people, who will show zero tolerance to those who bode us evil."

Aviv Kochavi (Photo: IDF Spokesperson)

They insolently lament that the IDF has ceased to win. The IDF ceased winning once it transformed from the Israel Defense Forces to the Settlers Defense Force. Since it began arresting wanted suspects—more than 4,000 in the past year—and stopped training and being a powerful maneuverable force. On one occasion, the chief of staff revealed that 55 percent of the IDF's activity is in the territories, and 75 percent of that is related to the isolated settlements outside the separation barrier and the unauthorized outposts. I once asked one of the Central Command generals to describe his schedule. At the end of the description I told him: This sounds like the schedule of a transportation coordinator, not a military commander. Yes, he sighed, pointing to the government offices. Until the Six-Day War, few army companies secured the borders. There were only eight companies on the front lines with Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. All the others were training for the event of a war. Today, the number of units guarding the territories is at least a dozen times larger. Then, before the occupation, there was a sharp distinction made in favor of preparation versus preparedness. Yitzhak Rabin understood this well: "We will not be able to sustain the allocation of a company to accompany a few children to flute lessons," he said. The late Ariel Sharon, at the end of his life, understood this equally well and was determined to do more.

Ofer Winter (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

According to a study by the Adva Center, from the first intifada that erupted in late 1987 and until 2015, the army's budget for "increased activity in the territories" amounted to NIS 56 billion. We are not talking about the Shin Bet or the Ministry of Public Security, but rather a dedicated budget for the IDF for activities in the territories. A special military jargon was invented for this purpose: Batash, the war between wars, low-intensity warfare. The Ministry of Police, which became the Ministry of Public Security, was forced to look to east Jerusalem and the West Bank and turn its back on residents of the Green Line. A large portion of its budget goes to prevent terror attacks and less to criminal activity. Combating traffic accidents, protecting people and property, dealing with organized crime and public corruption—all of these fall to the wayside, behind the war on terror. Serving in the territories is a source of deep moral dilemma for those with a conscience. The stark blitz of the right-wing loudmouths adds to it. According to data from the IDF's Behavioral Sciences Department, there is a growing difficulty in keeping high-quality commanders in the IDF, and the reservoir from which Eisenkot or Kochavi, Nitzan Alon or Yair Golan, can be recruited is drying up. The internet trolls want to leave us with officers the likes of Ofer Winter, who is a good officer, but his rhetoric on the war against "the enemy who oppresses and disgraces god" will not save us, because our enemies, the army of Muhammad, have a thousand Winters of their own.

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Why the March of the Living matters

One of the questions I am often asked is why must we continue holding the March of Living in Poland? Why bring thousands of participants from around the world every year, accompanied by Holocaust survivors who are not getting any younger, and world leaders, to walk along the railroad track between Auschwitz and Birkenau? There are many, too many, who believe that it is time to let go of past traumas and move on to other matters. CNN’s poll on anti-Semitism proves them wrong.

 

The appalling poll reveals that one in five Europeans justifies anti-Semitism toward Jews, 25% of the respondents hold longstanding anti-Semitic narratives (“too much influence in business and finance spehres”) and one in 20 Europeans has not even heard of the Jewish Holocaust. The poll may have surprised the Israeli public, but we—who have been dealing with instilling the memory of the Holocaust and its lessons—are not at all surprised.

The March of the Living (Photo: EPA)

As the years go by, the challenge of passing along the memory becomes more complex. Teenagers and youngsters, whose attention span is quite low to begin with, find it difficult to relate to events that occurred nearly a century ago. They are unfamiliar with a world where such evil exists and it is hard for them to internalize what this means. Europe’s young generation today is unfamiliar with the Shoah and unaware of the Nazis’ systematic murder of six million Jews as well as millions of minorities and weakened populations, whose blood has soaked their lands for decades.

But we must not bury our heads in the sand and settle for condemnation, we must take actual steps to eradicate the phenomenon altogether. One of the most interesting and encouraging results of the poll reveals that 80% of Poles believe it is important to learn about the Holocaust to prevent such an event from ever happening again. That is exactly our goal, but in reality, we are still far from it.

Schools in Europe do not place an emphasis on the Jewish Holocaust and over 60% of the universities in Europe do not include Holocaust studies in their curricula. To eradicate the anti-Semitism presented by the poll results, Holocaust studies must be included in schools' and universities' curricula, visits must be made to the extermination camps and Holocaust survivors must be invited to tell their Holocaust stories and those of their families. Europe must wake up and realize the scope of the catastrophe the poll reflects.

Anti-Semitism stems from ignorance. The reason we march by the thousand every year is to teach, remind and awaken others: this is where the most atrocious of crimes, the most horrible horror, took place. It did not happen on another planet, perpetrated by aliens. Human beings like you and I committed these crimes.

There is always the risk of sliding down the slippery slope of hatred. A second Holocaust will only be prevented by the establishment of a coalition of European leaders to fight anti-Semitism, invest in education, teach history and emphasize the lessons of the past. That is why we will continue to march as long as we can. We must not give up on the young generation, Jews and non-Jews alike.

Dr. Shmuel Rosenman is the chairman of March of the Living.

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ICC judges' bias against Israel

A year ago, on December 1, 2017, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Fatou Bensouda, decided to close the "Marmara case." This is the same old story from 2010, in which Israeli forces commandeered a flotilla, led by the Mavi Marmara, on its way to Gaza. Nine activists were killed during the takeover.

 

Following the incident, a number of investigation committees were established, most prominently that of the UN Security Council, led by former Prime Minister of New Zealand Jeffrey Palmer. The Palmer Committee determined that Israel used excessive force, but that the blockade itself was legal. Following that conclusion, Bensouda decided to close the case in 2014.

In 2015, a committee of three ICC justices demanded the case be reopened. Bensouda appealed the decision. After her appeal was rejected, she again investigated and again decided to close the case.

IDF forces board the Mavi Marmara (Photo: IDF Spokesperson)

But last week, a panel of judges ordered the prosecutor to open an investigation, in order to file a claim against Israel. The authority to file a claim, it should be noted, is that of the prosecutor alone. Thus, for years the prosecutor has ruled that there are no grounds for an investigation, and various panels of judges insist on having one anyway.

That Gaza flotilla was an initiative by IHH, a Turkish-Islamic organization. Even before the flotilla set sail, European intelligence sources noted that IHH was linked to the global Jihad movement, including al-Qaeda. The European Union's delegate to the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, Jean-Louis Burgier, affirmed that IHH is connected to the global terrorist network.

Fatou Bensouda

  

When members of the organization were aboard the Mavi Marmara on their way to Gaza, they chanted the song of annihilation, "Khaybar Khaybar, ya Yahud, Jaish Muhammad, sa Yahud" ("Khaybar, Khaybar, O Jews, Mohammed’s army will return" is a thinly disguised call to murder Jews, referring to a battle in Khaybar when Mohammed slaughtered scores of Jews). One of the flotilla's prominent members was Sheikh Raed Salah, leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, who energized the participants with hate speech. Like other members of the global Jihad, IHH members made it clear, even before the incident, that they were destined to be martyrs. Of the 500 participants in the flotilla, 40 were members of the IHH and of the nine killed, eight were IHH members. A few months after they returned to Turkey, members of IHH traveled to Tehran to meet their ally, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, then president of Iran. Saleh Ozer, the organization's leader, declared: "We are here today with the yearning and determination to build a Middle East without Israel and America." Similar statements were made by IHH leaders later on.

IHH members attack IDF soldiers (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

All this information, and probably additional information, was available to Bensouda. One cannot "accuse" her of being overly sympathetic to Israel, but she understood that this was a planned provocation by a terrorist organization that forged an alliance with "progressive forces"—the red-green alliance of jihadists and the radical left, whose only common denominator is anti-Semitism.

Considering these facts, an investigation should have been launched against Turkey, which sponsored the flotilla and the IHH, and encouraged and equipped them. In the struggle between Jihad and its supporters and a free country, the West was supposed to side with the latter.

But presumptions go through a dangerous change when it comes to Israel. It is fighting an organization that is recognized as a terrorist organization, whose members declare in advance their desire to become martyrs, an anti-Semitic ideology dominated the deck, but wonder of wonders—the ICC court's judges repeatedly demand an indictment against Israel.

During the last round of discussions at the UN General Assembly, various committees submitted nine condemnations of Israel—and not even one proposal against any other country in the world. This is a shameful extension of the obsessive bias against Israel. These organizations have an automatic majority against Israel, but what about the judges?! In the United States, a bipartisan majority in Congress passed the "Hague Invasion Act," which states that if there is an attempt to arrest an American soldier or an American citizen for prosecution, the United States will invade The Hague in order to release the detainee, which sounds like a strange law. But reality, it turns out, is even stranger.

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Trump's magic word: Israel

It seems that US President Donald Trump has learned a new magic word: "Israel." He uses it whenever he has difficulty explaining an unpopular move Washington makes in the Middle East. Therefore, when journalists badgered him Tuesday with questions about Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, despite the Kashoggi affair, he avoided the question and addressed Israel instead. "Israel will be in great trouble without Saudi Arabia," Trump said. It was a strange statement, to say the least.

 

Furthermore, in an interview he gave to the Washington Post this week, Trump explained his decision to maintain the presence of American troops in Syria by attributing it to concern for Israel's security.

US President Trump with Saudi King Salman (Photo: AP)

In both instances, Israel is indeed part of the American set of considerations, but not the sole or even the primary consideration. Trump and his family are connected to bin Salman, and the United States rakes in huge sums of money when Saudi Arabia purchases American weapons. The rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Israel is only the cherry on top, not the main course.

Still, Trump finds it convenient to ward off criticism, especially from within the Republican Party, of his forgiving attitude to the Saudi journalist's killing by using Israel as an excuse. Trump is indeed dealing with the hypocrisy of most Western media outlets, which pretend as if Khashoggi is the first dissident to be assassinated in the Middle East. There is no doubt that the main beneficiary from the fall of bin Salman would be Iran — but Israel should stay out of this saga, certainly in public.

 

Israel has enough of an image problem in the United States and Europe, and there is no reason to further burden our narrow shoulders with the matter of killing journalists and torturing them in the service of the Saudi royal family. As for the American military presence in Syria, which Israel does indeed have a primary interest in preserving, the American interest is broader.

Trump and Netanyahu (Photo: Gov. Press Office)

Officially, the US presence in Syria is intended to destroy the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). In spite of Trump's triumphant statements, the battered terror organization has not yet been wiped out, as its recent attacks on American forces demonstrate. Meanwhile, Washington has formulated an ambitious anti-Iran policy that includes withdrawing from the nuclear agreement and renewing sanctions. A withdrawal from Syria would be a lucrative and illogical gift to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Iranians, and also a waiver of a significant strategic asset. US midterm elections resulted in a win for Democrats, who now rule the House of Representatives, and that does not bode well for Trump in the 2020 presidential elections.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Israel has become so identified with the current US administration that it is hard to tell where it begins or ends. It has its advantages, but a post-Trump era is on the horizon—and when that happens, we may find ourselves paying the price for Netanyahu's total identification with Washington.

 

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Trump’s statements on Israel will boomerang

The common practice of US President Donald Trump to "bend" facts and adapt them to the media narrative he wants is nothing new, and should primarily be of concern to the citizens of his country. But recently, the US president has adopted a posture of “fake news” which should concern us as well.

A prominent example was last week in Trump's conversation with journalists about Thanksgiving, in which he tried to explain why the United States should not punish Saudi Arabia and Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman (MBS) for the murder of Jamal Kashoggi. Despite the fact that the CIA determined that it was very likely that MBS was responsible for the horrific murder of the journalist, a critic of the regime. Trump claimed that the conclusions of his country's intelligence agency were not absolute, and then he also drew the Israel card from up his sleeve.

President Trump (Photo: AP)

"Without Saudi Arabia, Israel will be in great trouble," Trump said, hinting that he, the president of the United States, might have considered cooling relations with MBS and Saudi Arabia over the murder at the Saudi embassy in Turkey, but his commitment to Israel’s security had his hands tied. This is because Israel's security is a higher priority than the traditional American commitment to respect international law, human morality and human rights. Ostensibly, the Israeli government and its citizens are entitled to be satisfied and feel more secure after the protective statements by President Trump. However, a closer examination of the facts and the significance of the declaration should give us the opposite feeling. First, because Saudi Arabia does not significantly contribute to the national security of the State of Israel apart from one issue: Iran is the common enemy of Israel, Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states, while the United States is the patron of Saudi Arabia and the moderate Sunni Arab states, just as it is Israel's patron. Therefore, Saudi pressure on the United States to weaken Iran and stop its attempts to attain nuclear weapons, long-range missiles and regional hegemony indirectly serves Israel as well.

Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman (Photo: AP)

Saudi Arabia is also trying to advance Trump’s peace proposal for a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and thus, in the opinion of many Israelis, they serve our strategic interests. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not so sure of this and the proof is that he is constantly trying to delay the presentation of the proposal, which would require painful concessions from him that his right-wing base will not like. In any event, Mahmoud Abbas has already rejected the Saudi prince’s attempt to convince him to agree to the Trump plan. MBS and the Saudis also failed in their attempt to impose a more west-friendly regime in Lebanon and weaken Hezbollah; the war in Yemen against the Houthis is also no success story: Iran's allies continue to threaten Red Sea shipping and block the Straits of Bab al-Mandab. In short, Saudi Arabia's alliance with the United States and the Saudi dependency on Uncle Sam only indirectly serve the security interests of the State of Israel. Taking note of these facts, which demonstrate just how little Saudi Arabia's contribution and value to the security of the State of Israel is, there are those in the Israeli and global media who raise the possibility that if Israel decides in the future to attack and destroy Iranian nuclear facilities and ballistic missiles, Saudi Arabia will allow the Air Force jets to pass through its air space making it easier to perform the task. But if such a scenario materializes, it does not have to fill our hearts with gratitude towards the Saudis. On the contrary, the Saudis and the other Sunni states, trembling under the shadow of the Iranian threat, are the ones who should thank Israel for thwarting the great strategic, mutual, threat posed by Iran. Which means that there is no basis for Trump's claim that without Saudi Arabia, that is, without the close relationship between the US and Saudi Arabia, "Israel will be in great trouble." Recent experience has made it possible to say with certainty that without Israel and its intelligence and operational capabilities, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states and the United States would be in great trouble in the face of Iran's domination ambitions for the Middle East and the global energy market. This is not all, but one can only say according to international media reports that the high quality intelligence Israel provides to its allies provides an important contribution to their ability to defend themselves against the Sunni global jihad (al-Qaeda and ISIS), which primarily threatens Arab regimes and rulers. Thus Trump, at best, exaggerated the importance of Saudi Arabia's contribution to Israel's security, if he is even properly familiar with the facts and in the worst case, he is simply lying.

Iraqi oil (Photo: Reuters)

Trump has a good reason to distort the reality. He needs the Israel excuse to shake off the harassment regarding the US response to Saudi Arabia in the Khashoggi case so that he can proceed with the weapons deal with Saudi Arabia, expected to bring in more than $100 billion to the American defense industry and the American treasury as well as create thousands of jobs. Trump needs the Israel excuse so that Saudi Arabia continues to flood the world oil market with cheap oil, so that the US sanctions on exporting oil from Iran will not cause a general price increase. Such a price increase, due to the reduction of Iranian oil supplies, would harm the economies of many US allies, which Trump does not want. He needs the support of countries that stand to be harmed by the sanctions on Iran. But Trump apparently considers the Israel excuse a winning card, so on Tuesday he used it again. In an interview with the Washington Post, he was quoted as saying: "Will we leave forces in the Middle East? One reason is Israel." He added that Middle Eastern oil is now a much less important reason than in the past for a US military presence in the Middle East. This is because "the United States now produces more oil than ever." Simply put, the United States produces almost all the oil it needs. It also exports oil and gas, and therefore no longer needs the favors of the Arab oil producers. This claim is correct at the core, but not entirely. The United States still needs the good will of the Arab oil producers because they are a major factor in the global oil market and in setting prices. They will remain in this position in the future as well because of the huge oil and gas reserves in their territory. Therefore, the United States still needs to maintain good relations with the Arab oil producers so that they will not drastically reduce oil prices. If they do so, the United States will lose billions. In a situation of low oil prices, it will not be financially worth it for American oil companies to produce oil in the United States, much of it extracted in relatively expensive processes called fracking. The Saudis have already pulled off such a scenario a few years ago, and Trump must still remember the billions that the oil industry lost under Obama. It is therefore very important for Trump to maintain military forces in Iraq, an important Middle East oil producer, so that its oil does not fall into the hands of Iran. The Iraqi Shi’ites took over their country after the Americans overthrew Saddam Hussein and established democracy. The current government in Baghdad is Shiite with a slight inclination towards Iran. If the Americans were to leave, Iraq would become a Shiite protectorate and an important pillar of the Shi'ite crescent and the continental corridor set up by the Iranians, from Tehran to the Mediterranean coast through Baghdad, Damascus and Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. But the most important thing for the Americans is the impact on the decisions Baghdad makes regarding oil. They will be critical not only for world oil prices, but also for the sanctions against Iran. This is just one example of another American interest that has almost nothing to do with Israel, which Trump is trying to hide, behind the argument of preserving Israel's national security. Trump leaves US special forces in Syria not only because it is good for Israel and because Netanyahu has pleaded with him, but mainly because Pentagon officers and National Security Council experts have explained to him that the battle in Syria against ISIS has not ended, and that a presence in Syria is important. This is so that the United States will have military, diplomatic and economic leverage with which to threaten Putin and the Russian presence in Syria, and so that the Iranians in Syria are prevented from destabilizing the pro-Western regime in Jordan and other pro-Western regimes in the region, including Israel. The American presence in Syria also prevents Iran from establishing a continental Shiite corridor, and for this Trump responded to an explicit Saudi request. In short, Trump is taking advantage of us, and it would not be so worrisome if only the use of the false claim regarding Israel's security would not came back to bite us. Even those who are not pessimistic by nature should reasonably expect the possibility of American soldiers being harmed or, heaven forbid, killed in Syria or Iraq, or by a Yemeni missile in Saudi Arabia. In this case, and in view of Trump's repeated claim that the American military presence is necessary mainly because of Israel, it is clear that many in the United States will blame Israel for the deaths of American soldiers sacrificed for Israel's security. In the United States, such claims are not forgotten, and even Trump, who invented the false "Israel argument," is likely to turn on us if he gets into trouble in our region.

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CNN poll findings on anti-Semitism in Europe are no surprise

The findings of the CNN survey on anti-Semitism in Europe will surprise few of us in the UK.

 

We have for several generations led a happy and fulfilled Jewish life in the UK, so it comes as no surprise to us that many more people in our country hold positive attitudes towards Jews than negative ones.

Sadly, though, we are also not shocked that a substantially larger number in this country and across the continent think there is truth in classic anti-Semitic tropes: that the Jews are too rich; that we have too much power and that we control the media. All these stereotypes have surfaced in the past couple of years as part of the anti-Semitism crisis in the British Labour Party.

A protest against anti-Semitism in London (Photo: AFP)

Too many times, we have been attacked on social media by people who argue that the anti-Semitism in the Labour Party has somehow been engineered by a rich and powerful Jewish community in order to discredit Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn—an anti-Semitic slur if ever there was one.

Although the number of people who are openly anti-Semitic is low, and the Jewish community here fares better than some others—particularly our Roma and Muslim counterparts—the figures for anti-Semitic attacks, both physical and online, have risen alarmingly over the past few years.

British Jews are probably more anxious about anti-Semitism now than at any point in my lifetime. Whether it be from the extreme left, the far-right, or Islamist fringe, anti-Semitism impinges on our lives in many ways—a quick look at the Board of Deputies' Twitter feed will confirm that prejudice against us is alive, well and living on social media.

My community remains vigilant against this ancient hatred. But we will call out anti-Semitism when we see it and call for demonstrations if required, as we did earlier this year. We are loud and we are proud about our heritage and we will not let the racists win.

Marie van der Zyl is President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the representative organisation of the UK Jewish Community.

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The anti-Semitic propaganda worked on Airbnb

CNN's anti-Semitism survey was published following Airbnb's decision to remove Jewish settlement listings in the West Bank. The immediate response was anti-Semitism. Left-wing organizations around the globe, especially the radical left, rejoiced over Airbnb's decision, which they see as a personal victory.

 

It is true that the impact on Israel's economy is negligible, but this is a symbolic victory: when a famous singer cancels a concert in Israel, the impact on the Israeli economy is negligible, but the propaganda victory is certainly significant.

The BDS movement is an anti-Semitic movement for all intents and purposes, not because it promotes boycotts or sanctions against Israel. It is anti-Semitic because its leaders reject Israel's very right to exist, as well as the Jewish people's right to self-determination

Airbnb (Photo: Shutterstock)

The BDS movement is anti-Semitic because it uses the anti-Semitic methods of the past—the demonization of Israel. The BDS movement is anti-Semitic, even if they have Jewish members, since history shows us that anti-Jewish organizations always used Jewish members to advance their agendas.

Many of the positions highlighted by CNN's anti-Semitism survey are the result of worldwide anti-Israel propaganda, which presents IDF soldiers as criminals.

  

However, it should be noted that not every boycott on settlement-made products is anti-Semitic, just as opposing the Jewish settlement enterprise doesn't make one an anti-Semite.

I, too, oppose the expansion of Jewish settlements, at least outside the major settlement blocs in the West Bank. As far as I know, I am not anti-Semitic. On the contrary, I am a clear and active supporter of Israel's right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state.

BDS march in Paris (Photo: AP)

  

So the question remains. Is Airbnb's move anti-Semitic? To answer this question, we must turn to the definition of anti-Semitism, which has been adopted by many countries and organizations around the world, including the US State Department, the British Labour Party (after a heated debate, and despite the opposition of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn), and by a European Parliament committee.

An action is defined as anti-Semitic when Israel receives a different treatment than other countries.

In this case, Airbnb did not remove Tibet from its services, despite the fact it is an occupied territory. Nor did it remove listings from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, despite the fact it is an occupied territory unrecognized by the United Nations; or the Republic of Abkhazia, which was forcibly removed from Georgia by Russia; or Crimea, which is also occupied by Russia; or Nagorno-Karabakh, which is occupied by Armenia.

Of all the territories under dispute, only one area was removed by Airbnb thanks to the work of "human rights organizations" such as the Human Rights Watch and Jewish Voice for Peace. These organizations have turned the word "human rights" into a poisonous, false and manipulative propaganda tool, mainly directed towards one state—the Jewish State.

So, when we return to CNN's anti-Semitic survey, whose findings were published Tuesday, it can be assumed that a large part of the positions it highlights are the result of anti-Israeli propaganda.

West Bank settlements (Photo: Reuters)

 

There are close to zero public campaigns against other countries that control—whether justly or not—territories under dispute. Nevertheless, when it comes to our little country, worldwide propaganda against Israel is spreading fast.

It is worth noting that most campaigns that deal with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict do not promote peace and reconciliation. These are campaigns that portray IDF soldiers as criminals, and usually negate Israel's right to exist.

Therefore, even if the CEOs of Airbnb are not anti-Semites, they made an anti-Semitic decision.

The CNN poll proves that the campaign is alive and well. And those who celebrate Airbnb's decision, both in Israel and abroad, are not useful idiots. They are the beating heart of the anti-Semitic campaign.

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Netanyahu’s challenges as defense minister and right-wing leader

It is too bad that Russia's President Vladimir Putin has recently given up on his heart-to-heart talks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who can teach the Russian leader a few things about how to rule.

"I'm only the president, how do you manage to be the prime minister, the foreign affairs minister, the defense minister, the health minister, and the immigrant absorption minister?" Putin would have asked Netanyahu.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

Netanyahu would have thanked Putin for the compliment. "My enemies say Israel is going through a Putinization process. That's nonsense. Russia is going through a Bibization process. Go and learn," the prime minister would have added.

Netanyahu approved Wednesday the appointment of Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir as IDF deputy chief of staff. Netanyahu's speech during the General Staff meeting photographed well, with Gaza as the top priority on the agenda, rather than a possible war on the northern front—which only several days ago was described by the prime minister so vivdly—you would think it has already begun.

I accompanied Zamir during the first months of the Gaza border riots. We've spoken quite a bit. He is a professional, prudent, experienced, and stately IDF officer. Netanyahu harmed him by pushing for his appointment before his time.

Zamir's competitor, Maj. Gen. Nitzan Alon, is no less professional, experienced, and stately. Alon is a brilliant man. Unfortunately for him, he served as the GOC Central Command.

PM Netanyahu, (L) and Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir (Photo: GPO)

After working to enforce the law in the West Bank, Alon became the settlers' enemy. It is hard to say whether the false propaganda spread by the most radical of settlers tipped the scales against him, or whether Zamir's virtues influenced the final decision.

Prime ministers have insisted to hold the defense portfolio even before Netanyahu. They mainly did it to prevent others from assuming the very important post of defense minister to be used as a counterbalance.

The classic example for this is Shimon Peres during Yitzhak Rabin's first government. Rabin learned his lesson, and appointed himself as the defense minister during his second government.

But this is not Netanyahu's problem at the moment. The defense minister's first task is to stabilize the situation on the Gaza border, and the decisions required to achieve this goal will not be to the liking of the right wing.

Netanyahu needs someone to separate between him and the decision-making. After keeping the defense portfolio to himself, during election time, there are two options left: either the required decision will not be taken, or the blame will be placed on the outgoing and incoming chief of staff's shoulders.

Outgoing Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot has already been labeled as the nation's enemy. Sooner or later it will happen to incoming chief of staff Aviv Kochavi as well.

Outgoing Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot (Photo: Yair Sagi)

The good news is that both Eisenkot and Kochavi do not owe their appointment to anyone. Netanyahu's selection process was swift and nonbinding. They were appointed on their own merits. I hope Zamir will think that as well.

Eisenkot will conclude his tenure on December 31st. His term as chief of staff was supposed to be extended by a year, but he renounced it willingly, which is another reason to think highly of him.

As opposed to outgoing Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh—who waged a desperate campaign to extend his tenure, as well as against his successor—Eisenkot asked to shorten his term rather than to prolong it.

I think it is safe to say that Eisenkot prevented three bloody military campaigns during his time as chief of staff—the first one being on the northern front, the second in the West Bank and the third in Gaza. He did it through an extensive and bold special forces' activity across the border and far-reaching reforms in the IDF. It is a shame that citations are not given for war prevention.

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Violence against women is the norm that needs to change

Over the past month we’ve been loudly calling on the government to urgently allocate funds for a national plan to fight violence against women, emphasizing the acutely vital importance of preventing the next murder.  

In the same breath, and on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, it is important to note that the horrific killings of women by men are radical expressions of all the violent situations that are repeatedly reflected on a daily basis throughout years and generations.

Women who were murdered during past year

Violent behavior stems from benighted, primitive, distorted and dangerous perception, according to which, men can and are entitled to control women as if they were a tradable object whose value can be appraised, and, in extreme cases, disposed of "if needed." The need is determined in accordance with the men's considerations, emotions, thoughts, and fears—as if women are a ticking-time bomb that should be neutralized.

But, what should really be neutralized is the toxic perception that women are of lesser status and have fewer rights than men, which could only be achieved by educating men more and more about equality—which has already started to yield positive results.

Nevertheless, we are still witnessing expressions of horrific violence towards women both in the Western world, and in the third-world, especially in countries where radical Islam is prevalent, the current era is the most enabling one for women throughout history.

Whether we are talking about women in India—who launched a convention-breaking wave of protests, forcing the government to impose capital punishment on rapists—or the French law that will come into effect on January 1, 2019, according to which employers who pay women less than  men would be fined. Also, our sisters in countries governed by patriarchal communities are slowly raising their heads in order to save themselves from their father, brother, and husband who decide everything for them.

It is true we still face a long journey ahead to reach the point when a woman is no longer the "weak one,"—as Simone de Beauvoir said—a background for the man to define himself and his superiority.

It is also true that men will continue being physically stronger and more muscular than women, since this is how humans evolved since being hunters and gatherers. But it seems the younger generations understand more and more that those muscles, which were supposed to help the men hunt and protect the tribe, are not meant to be used against women. In the 21st century's reality, a woman is as much of a hunter as a man—whether it is in the jungle called Tinder, or while performing their duties as heads of states, scientists, senior executives, or just women who provide for their families.

Therefore, the understanding the masculine hegemony diminishes in our reality and that with time we will succeed in diminishing it in our small evolutional brains as well—since it is known that norms change decades after the change occurs—is encouraging.

The more the need for behavioral and cognitive changes is instilled in the young generation, the more we can be certain norms will change. Killing of women will become less and less frequent, which will prompt the economic, mental, sexual, physical and psychological violence to decrease as well.

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Israel bolsters Hamas at PA's expense

The ramming attack in Gush Etzion on Monday does not necessarily indicate a new wave of terror attacks or a change in terrorist activity patterns in the West Bank. But it serves as another painful reminder of the clumsy and arrogant manner with which Israel conducts itself vis-à-vis the Palestinian Authority.

 

Israel is building up Hamas, not just in Gaza but also in the West Bank. To be precise: Israel is elevating Yahya Sinwar as the dominant Palestinian leader. And when Sinwar rises, courtesy of Israel, Mahmoud Abbas will lose the last remnants of his support in the West Bank, paving the way for increased terrorism in the West Bank; Tuesday's attack was only an example.

 

The past two weeks serve as a clear example of this policy of strengthening Hamas and weakening the PA—a policy emanating from the Prime Minister's Office while the defense establishment, for its own reasons, goes along.

 

Yahya Sinwar (Photo: AP)

  

On November 13, after Hamas launched hundreds of rockets into Israel and the Cabinet accepted the IDF's recommendation for a ceasefire, defense establishment spokespeople embarked on a PR campaign telling the Israeli public that Hamas was dealt a severe blow, was begging for a cease-fire and could barely overcome the shock upon discovering that Israeli forces operated right under their noses in the Gaza Strip. Perhaps all that is true, but they forgot to mention how Israel turned the vilified Hamas leader into a national hero. Sinwar owes a debt of gratitude to Netanyahu for those wonderful two days of military confrontation with Israel that rapidly caused a dramatic turnabout in his status. Prior to the discovery of the IDF Special Forces operation in Gaza, Sinwar was at a low-point. He was accused of "selling out" Gaza for a fistful of dollars (in the Qatari ambassador's suitcase), and everyone—the Palestinian Authority, the Arab media, the residents of Gaza—ridiculed him and presented him as one who had given up on the Palestinian national struggle. At the same time, the US administration announced a $5 million reward for information regarding the number 2 man in Hamas, Saleh al-Arouri, who resides in Beirut. At the time, Hamas was also willing to make far-reaching compromises with the Palestinian Authority just to survive another day.

Saleh al-Aruri, L

And then, Israel did Hamas a great favor, to which they responded in a bland and predictable manner. The resignation of Avigdor Lieberman from his post as defense minister provided Hamas with the psychological victory it sought, and the day the shooting stopped, Sinwar became the ultimate Palestinian leader. This initiated a very dangerous process, which could lead to an explosion not only in Gaza but primarily in the West Bank. Hamas leaders became overconfident. Al-Arouri, a "wanted man" by the US, arrived in Cairo(where no one thought of turning him over to the Americans) for reconciliation talks with the Palestinian Authority last week, and it turns out that all previous agreements reached between Hamas and the PA over the last year had been erased. Al-Arouri put an end to talks about bringing in PA officials from Ramallah to govern Gaza. Hamas is talking about forming a national unity government now, elections now, joining the PLO now. Moreover, the Hamas delegation headed by al-Arouri is presenting the Egyptians with a list of demands to Israel, demands which Israel will never accept. It seems that al-Arouri is so shocked and embarrassed by the blow Hamas suffered in the last round of fighting—according to Israeli intelligence experts—that he allows himself to make bizarre demands. He demanded, for example, to expand the Gaza fishing zone from 9 nautical miles to 20 miles. The Operation Protective Edge agreements spoke of up to 12 miles. But after the last round, Hamas feels that it has leverage. It also demanded the removal of most of the restrictions on imports and exports of goods from Gaza, as well as another electric power line from Israel—funded by Qatar—fully knowing that Israel cannot do so, since any infrastructure project needs to be approved by the Palestinian Authority. A situation in which Israeli military and political activity strengthens Hamas and weakens the PA makes no sense and forces Israel to formulate a new military and political strategy. When the PA is weakened, the Palestinian security apparatus is weakened, the population in the West Bank becomes more confrontational with the PA, as Israel makes it increasingly clear that violence pays off. From this, the road is short to the inevitable conclusion: a military escalation.

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Netanyahu teaches his detractors a lesson in diplomacy

One can be cynical about Chad President Idriss Déby's visit to Israel. It's very easy to dismiss the diplomatic significance and to mock Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's remarks about the historic significance of the visit and the renewal of diplomatic relations that are likely to follow. However, those who choose to take this approach miss the bigger picture—Israel's return to being a leading state in the region.

 

When Netanyahu decided almost a decade ago, upon his return to the Prime Minister's Office, to go for an African strategy, there were many who thought it was a pipe dream. The golden age of Israel and Africa, whose peak was in the 1960s, seemed a distant dream at the time, and it appeared that without significant progress in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, this strategy was doomed to failure.

Netanyahu and President of Chad Idriss Déby (Photo: AFP)

But it turns out Netanyahu was right and his critics were wrong. A strategy of formulating close ties between the State of Israel and African countries can succeed, despite the difficulties that stand in the way, and such difficulties do indeed exist. Israel of 2018 has a great deal to share with these countries, certainly more than it had 50 years ago. Therefore, a strategy that pivots toward Africa is likely to succeed, even in countries where Islam is prominent, such as Chad.

This does not mean that tomorrow morning all African countries will join the bloc of countries that support Israel in any and every international forum. Diplomatic processes take time, and voting habits of years do not change in one day even after the exchange of ambassadors. Nevertheless, we should not underestimate Chad's importance and the possibility that good relations with it can help Israel.

Chad-Israel diplomatic steps (Photo: Amos Ben Gershom)

The visit by the president of Chad, which took place at the same time as an equally important visit by the Czech president, is further proof of the prime minister's impressive diplomatic abilities. Netanyahu is a statesman at a level not usually found here, and despite his known shortcomings, he really plays in another league in this respect. The talent with which Netanyahu navigates the Israeli ship through complex and complicated international situations must also impress those who do not necessarily support his political positions. Israel's position is improving in every aspect that can be measured numerically. However, precisely because of these diplomatic skills it is hard not to feel that there is a vacuum in leadership. In fact, both the on the Right and the Left there is no high-ranking statesman who can take the helm with the same talent as Netanyahu. So on the one hand, it's really good that we have Netanyahu, and on the other hand, the lack of a leadership alternative is certainly not a positive thing for the State of Israel.

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Battered women in Israel are just not interesting enough

If this joke wasn't our lives, it would be really funny. To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited a battered women's shelter. Shocked by the stories he heard, the prime minister immediately declared that he seeks to establish a ministerial committee to urgently address the matter.

But only four days ago Netanyahu himself voted against a bill proposal to establish a parliamentary committee of inquiry into violence against women, not to mention that six months ago his government adopted the conclusions of another ministerial committee that reviewed the issue.

"Never mind, we'll establish another committee," Netanyahu said after he was reminded he had voted against the establishment of a parliamentary committee of inquiry.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and wife Sara at a women's shelter (Photo: Kobi Gidon/GPO)

  

But this joke is our lives, and the lives of over 20 women who were murdered in 2018 and of the 200,000 battered women in Israel.

And this is a tangible example of one of the major problems of our lives: politics has become a soccer match. Why did the prime minister vote against the establishment of the inquiry committee? Because it was proposed by the opposition. He did not bother to check whether it was a good and useful bill proposal. That's irrelevant. The bill was submitted by the rival group, which is enough to automatically reject it. This is also how positions are determined—by the identity of the opponents and proponents, rather than by practical considerations.

Much like in the scene from the cult Israeli movie "Sallah Shabati," in which a sign with the name of a donor who gave money to plant a forest is replaced with another name to please the new delegation of donors—this is how governmental committees are established in Israel.

The previous committee worked for three years and submitted serious and comprehensive recommendations that were adopted by Netanyahu's government. However, funds were not allocated, and so the committee's recommendations were not implemented. Establishing another committee, which will reach the same conclusions and make the same recommendations under a different title, is unnecessary.

Women who were murdered during past year

One of the Knesset's most important roles is to supervise the government's work, ensuring that decisions that have been made receive the appropriate funding and that they get implemented. But the coalition government, strong and holding the majority, completely controls the agenda. And so, when the vote is automatic, disrespectful and inattentive, when not enough Knesset members are involved in parliamentary supervision and when there is no legal or public sanctions for failure to implement decisions, we have a problem.

This disrespect shows how low our lives are prioritized on the government's agenda. Violence against women is not a controversial political issue, which is exactly why the incompetence in handling this phenomenon is doubly outrageous. The issue is not neglected due to disagreement, indecisiveness or trouble understanding the steps that should be taken. It is neglected due to a genuine lack of interest. We are not interesting enough for the laws that affect our lives to be considered seriously and for the decisions to be implemented. We are just not interesting enough.

Tehila Friedman is a fellow at the Shaharit Foundation and is a researcher at the Hartman Institute.

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Israel's ties with the Arab world are nothing to get excited over

One of the most basic qualities in the Israeli DNA is the yearning—at times moving and at times slightly pathetic—for recognition, legitimization, and acceptance in the Muslim and Arab world. For a photo op with a Muslim or Arab leader, left- and right-wing Israeli leaders are ready to pay a heavy price, and sometimes it is really not worth it.

Israel is a small isolated island in a hostile and violent environment. Therefore, it would be wise for the Jewish State to build bridges where it can, form alliances, and do everything in its power to normalize its ties with the Arab world.

Chadian President Idriss Deby (L) and PM Netanyahu

Over the past few years, progress had been noted on that front, thanks to the combination of several circumstances: the dissolvement of some of the countries in the Middle East, some countries' desire to join forces with the "neighborhood's bully" to create a counterweight to Iran, the Palestinians failing in promoting their agenda, forming an opposition to the Obama administration at the time, and now using Israel to get an "in" with the White House.

But we have to stay realistic about our new friends. Chadian President Idriss Deby's visit to Israel is "historic" since this is the first time he arrives to the Jewish State. Apart from that, there is not a lot to be impressed by. Full diplomatic relations will not be established for now, and economic relations already exist.

Israel will continue selling weapons to Deby—another African ruler with a pretty dubious record of human rights violations—only now he has so kindly agreed to arrive in Jerusalem, visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum, and take a picture with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Chadian President Idriss Deby (L) and PM Netanyahu

It is safe to assume that the African leader has come to the conclusion that the photo op with the premier would benefit him—he needs international economic aid and any other support he can get from Washington—no less than it would benefit Netanyahu, who wants to display political momentum before the general elections next year.

Even the Palestinian reacted in rather a feeble manner. The normalization of Israel's relations with far more important Arab countries is what's bothering the Palestinians, but they are quite helpless to stop that as well.

The more significant diplomatic ties are with countries such as Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and of course Saudi Arabia. Here, too, Israel appears to be seeking to make these relations public, while it's not at all certain the Arab nations want that.

The Iron Dome system that Israel gave Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, who is embroiled with the killing of  journalist Jamal Khashoggi, helped him a lot, but it caused significant damage to Israel's image, especially in the liberal media.

Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman (L), and US President Donald Trump (Photo: EPA, AFP)

What do we get from having the name "Israel" come up in relation to a regime that kills opposition journalists? What in it for us when US President Donald Trump uses Israel's secret ties with Saudi Arabia to legitimize his own tolerant attitude towards Bin Salman's actions, tolerance which stems from completely different considerations? It's unclear.

Let's hope that Mohammad Bin Salman remembers what Israel did for him better than Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, for whom Netanyahu also did a lot in Washington, and who after several years of toeing the line with regards to Hamas has gone back to embracing the terror organization, much like former president Hosni Mubarak.

Israel is a strong country, which has a lot to contribute to the world and the countries in the region in the fields of technology, medicine, agriculture, and of course advanced weapons and intelligence systems. The last thing it needs from these countries—most of whom have dubious regimes—is legitimization.

In fact, it is difficult to see how photo-ops of an Israeli leader with a controversial ruler could benefit the Jewish State, apart from the political benefits on election night. Because the Israelis, as already mentioned, are yet to overcome their childish desire for an Arab or Muslim embrace.

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Israel Police powerless in the face of organized crime

The crime organizations in Israel managed to accomplish a lot over the past month, and it would have been very encouraging if the Israel Police, which by the looks of it has completely lost its deterrence—yes, there is deterrence when it come to internal terror as well—was preparing a new plan to combat this phenomenon.

 

It’s not a trivial matter when criminals spray with bullets two different prisons in the space of five days in the State of Israel—the country that claims ensuring the safety of its citizens is its number one priority.

The first incident occurred last Wednesday when unknown perpetrators opened fire from a moving vehicle at the Hadarim Detention Center in the Sharon region, before fleeing the scene. The fact that no one was hurt in that incident only teaches us that when you shoot from a moving vehicle going at full speed, it’s hard to hit.

Ayalon prison watchtower shooting (Photo: IPS Spokesperson)

 

Two days later, fire was opened at the Ayalon Prison watchtower with an automatic weapon. The police explained that those responsible for the shooting tried to send a message after the conditions of imprisonment of one of the prominent criminals there were worsened. It was only a message, as if that is supposed to reassure us.

A message to Hadarim, a message to Ayalon, and a message to the officers at the Rimonim Prison after unknown suspects (how come they are always unknown, do the police have no intelligence units?) planted and detonated an explosive device under their vehicle.

And it doesn’t end here. A week ago, two armed bikers approached a passenger car in Holon and shot the driver at point-blank range. The fact that it was early in the morning, in close proximity to a school, didn’t really bother the shooters. It also didn’t bother those who detonated explosive devices in the Hatikva neighborhood in Tel Aviv, on the Ayalon Highway and on Highway 2. The idea that those are two of the busiest routes in the country, where there’s a real possibility of harming innocent bystanders, is lost on them.

Explosive devise detonated on Highway 2

 

That's exactly what happened in Jaffa about two months ago, when a 5-year-old boy was accidentally shot and seriously wounded after a group of criminals opened fire at a house he was standing near. The criminals are so carefree, they seem indifferent to the possibility that the police might track them down.

And all this before we even mention the latest statistics, which indicate that since the beginning of the year, some 13,000 women have experienced severe physical violence, and 22 of them were murdered—despite the fact that half of them filed police complaints. To summarize, currently we have a police commissioner who promised to combat the rising organized crime and to ensure the safety of the ordinary citizens and is now ending his tenure amid the whistling of bullets and the thunderous explosions, as thousands of women pay a price. And the general public, startled by the incompetence, is wondering if and when this violence will affect them.

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The challenges the new IDF chief and his deputy will have to face

Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, who was approved Sunday as the IDF's next chief of staff, was the natural candidate for the job. He has operational, tactical and administrative experience, and he had a hand in shaping military strategy and policy. He is thorough, creative and has the "temperament of an IDF chief." Just like there's a judicial temperament, the IDF chief also needs the ability to motivate people, and earn their confidence and trust, even in difficult situations in which decisions are made fast. In addition, Maj. Gen. Kochavi knows how to communicate with the political leadership openly and without pandering, and speak to civilians at eye level.

Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi

 So from the moment the candidacy of Maj. Gen. Yair Golan was removed due to inappropriate political reasons, then-defense minister Avigdor Lieberman or Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had no choice but to pick Kochavi, who is more suitable in almost every aspect to fill the role of IDF chief than the other two candidates—Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir and Maj. Gen. Nitzan Alon. Zamir was chosen to be the deputy IDF chief, and it is likely Alon will succeed him. This in itself means they are head and shoulders above other commands and worthy in every aspect, but they are not yet ready to enter the IDF chief's office, unlike Kochavi.

  

Kochavi will enter the IDF chief's office on January 15, 2019, two weeks after the planned retirement of Eisenkot, after the two officers asked to have a few more weeks of training.

Former defense minister Avigdor Lieberman (L) and PM Netanyahu (Photo: EPA)

Eisenkot is leaving Kochavi a military ready for war on two fronts—and perhaps even more—at the same time. A military that sticks to its values and is well equipped to face the challenges ahead. One can say the IDF is at one of its best positions over the past 20 years. But Kochavi won't be able to settle for just that. Primarily, because the Middle Eastern front is constantly changing. The new IDF chief will have to formulate a new policy including strategy and tactic methods to thwart Iranian military entrenchment in Syria and prevent the transfer of advanced weapons to Hezbollah, as well as stop the Lebanese terror group's efforts to make its arsenal of rockets and missile into precision-guided projectiles. Things have changed since the Assad army accidentally shot down a Russian intelligence plane—something it blamed on Israel, whose fighter jets were attacking in the area, prompting the Syrian anti-aircraft fire—and Kochavi will have to reshape the IDF's "war between wars" campaign, bringing a different attitude to resolving the problems and dilemmas that now emerge on the northern front.   Kochavi will also have to aid the Security Cabinet and the prime minister to shape a strategy for the southern border, which will help establish calm on the Gaza border and further deepen the effective—both militarily and diplomatically—cooperation with Egypt. On this front Kochavi has rich experience as the former commander of the Gaza Division, where he secured many achievements but also one massive failure—the capture of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. It was in this role as the Gaza Division head that Kochavi received the most criticism, but he has paid the price and learned the lessons, and it is safe to assume he is now prepared to propose new ways to handle this abscess.

Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir (L), and Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi

It's also safe to assume Kochavi will continue his predecessor Eisenkot's efforts to upgrade the Ground Forces' capabilities. He will also have to formulate a multi-annual plan to replace the one led by Eisenkot, the Gideon Plan. As Eisenkot's deputy, Kochavi has already started working on establishing the IDF's Cyber Corps and on adding a significant number of surface-to-surface missiles to the IDF's arsenal, as former defense minister Lieberman demanded with the support of the current General Staff. The latter seeks to allow the IDF to carry out attacks from the ground or the sea that it had only done from the air so far. Kochavi will also have to lead the army through an election campaign, which at the very latest is expected in November 2019. He will have to carefully maneuver to ensure the IDF is not dragged into the political battle.

There are just a handful of the tasks on Kochavi's desk as he enters the IDF chief's office, and there's no doubt he will experience some difficult times, even though there is no big war on the horizon right now.

Even though Lieberman and Netanyahu both agreed on Kochavi as their preferred candidate to inherit outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, the announcement was delayed because Netanyahu insisted on including the selection of Maj. Gen. Zamir, his erstwhile military secretary, as the next deputy IDF chief. Lieberman insisted not to include Zamir in the announcement about Kochavi, fearing his appointment to be seen as a political appointment done by the prime minister—as the deputy IDF chief is selected by the defense minister (which he still was at the time) and the incoming IDF chief, and them alone.

Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir (Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

Still, Zamir's appointment was met with criticism. Some claim it was Netanyahu's personal and political interests that landed Zamir the no.2 job in the IDF.

No one questions Zamir's professional and leadership skills or his integrity. But critics have pointed to the fact Zamir only had one major general position—the GOC Southern Command—and had no experience in managing a department in the General Staff before being sent straight into the deputy IDF chief's office.

While Lieberman was able to postpone the announcement on Zamir's selection, his resignation allowed Netanyahu, who took on the defense portfolio, to announce his choice. But haste makes waste, and it is not wise to have both the IDF chief and his deputy to assume office at the same time. It's better for the IDF chief to first enter office, and only after a short period of adjustment and experience as the commander of the army alongside the veteran deputy who could support him, should Zamir enter office as well.

The political lobby led by Netanyahu is tainting Zamir's appointment as a political one, implying he does not deserve to serve as the deputy chief of staff. .Zamir did an impeccable job as the military secretary to Netanyahu, and as far as I know of, without being involved even once in the Prime Minister's Office's political scandals.

It's not easy to maintain a clean performance as a professional officer, when one is a close associate of and advisor to the most influential political figure in Israel. Zamir succeeded in that. In addition, his performance as the GOC Southern Command gained many praises, and rightfully so.

Zamir was the one who began the through treatment of the cross-Gaza border terror tunnels, which bore fruit even then, prepared the IDF for its major next activity in the strip, and managed to prevent Gaza from blowing up in our faces despite the severe humanitarian crisis there.

Those abilities are required especially in an organization headed by people who make crucial decision and fast. But, it appears it does not really bother Netanyahu. He trusts Zamir, and everything is probably less important to him. I do not know who would Kochavi choose to serve as his deputy, had he the liberty to decide himself, even though I know for a fact he appreciates Zamir.

PM Netanyahu (Photo: AFP)

I assume Kochavi would have preferred for Zamir to serve another major-general position as division head in the General Staff before becoming his deputy, who should be capable of managing and leading the entire military infrastructure and to fill in for the chief of staff when he is unable to fulfill his duties in times of routine, emergency or war. In any case, in my opinion, Kochavi did wisely when he chose not to confront with the prime minister on this matter, which is hardly a matter of life and death.

There is no doubt that Maj. Gen. Alon could have also been an excellent deputy chief of staff, but the combination between Kochavi the paratrooper and Zamir the tanker creates a balanced duo in the IDF's top military brass—which is a good thing. Kochavi will know to identify strategic twists and demonstrate operational creative thinking during Israel's war between wars and asymmetrical confrontations, while Zamir will make sure the army has the abilities and infrastructures, enabling it to face any kind of confrontation. On this matter, Kochavi is leaving Zamir a great legacy.    

If a war does not break out, Zamir's most important task upon assuming the deputy chief of staff position would be to head the team leading the next multi-annual plan to replace the Gideon Plan. An equally important task would be bolstering the IDF's capabilities, developing its fighting methods, and improving the ground forces' abilities to survive in the battle field.

The incoming deputy chief of staff will have to urgently attend to the IDF's deficiencies in preparedness for war, and the impairment discovered by the committee appointed by Eisenkot to examine the army's readiness for war. And those are only a few of the not so simple tasks Zamir would have to cope with as the deputy of the next chief of staff.

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Hamas and Israel move to psychological warfare

Hamas released new information last week about the botched IDF Special Forces mission in Gaza—which was discovered by the Palestinians and led to a fire exchange that ended in the death of Lt. Col. M. —prompting the IDF censor to release an unusual statement urging the Israeli media not to disseminate any details about the November 11 incident.

Even though most of Hamas's actions in this incident are already known to the Israeli public, the Israeli media is limited in reporting it, let alone analyze what had happened.

But it appears Hamas is well prepared for psychological warfare. In the recent rounds of fighting with Israel, Hamas has shown an impressive use of the media: by documenting almost every terror cell infiltration to Israel as well as filming— in high-quality and from several different angles—the Cornet missile that was fired at an Israeli bus.

Alleged photos of IDF fighters that took part in botched mission

 The Israeli conclusions from the recent rounds of fighting recognize the importance of psychological warfare. And the IDF is not the only one to blame. The political leadership and its problematic—and at times contradictory—messages to Hamas carry a significant weight. In some cases, Israel's own psychological warfare backfired and unintentionally affected Israeli citizens rather than its intended target, the Gazans. The IDF invests a fairly negligent sum of some NIS 20 million a year in psychological warfare. The new IDF chief already has a recommendation waiting on his desk to double the sum next year.

  

Some compared the failure of this operation to the assassination of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, which was attributed to the Mossad, leading to the fast and erroneous conclusion that such operations can no longer be done in the age of technology and mass communications. But fear not: James Bond-style operations won't be limited to movies. They've happened since Mabhouh's assassination (just with the necessary precautions) at larger scales and without being exposed.

Alleged photos of IDF fighters that took part in botched mission

The issue is how to improve and better hide the soldiers' presence on social media, and how much that is really feasible. In this day and age, it's hard to believe the unusual message from the IDF censor could stop the deluge of information. It could reduce the damage, but little more than that. Incidentally, the IDF censor knew more information was bound to leak out and prepared their statement days in advance.

  

Now the IDF censor is under attack, as if its statement only fueled the public's curiosity. On the other hand, if the IDF censor hadn't released such a message, it would've been criticized as well. As of this weekend, the IDF believes Israelis have shown great responsibility and complied in not spreading the photos.

Conversely, the details being released are not necessarily from Gaza and not necessarily true. Hamas is still trying to gather a lot of information coming from civilians on social media in an effort to connect the dots and get a clearer picture of what happened.

Alleged photos of vehicles used in botched mission

Over the weekend, Hamas was looking for a truck it believes was used by the IDF force or its collaborators in the operation. The terror group's military wing believes the truck is still in the strip and that finding it could help shed new light on the Israeli mission.

Hamas believes the Israeli force was sent to plant listening devices on internal communication networks used by the military wings of the Palestinian factions in the strip. The terror organization also believes this operation was one of a series of incursions done over a long period of time, and not a one-off mission.

Meanwhile, it appears Israel has been able to hide quite a lot of the details.

Elior Levy and Daniel Salami contributed to this article.

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