Brickbats over Quneitra

Israel is sometimes accused of acting like a mafia. While the bromide is sometimes unjustified, there are times when it seems to fit like a glove. Like when it signals to enemy that it knows where they and their family live, as in the case of the man the army now says is the new Syrian Golan Hezbollah head.

Or times like when it tries to place its dons — ahem, leaders — above the law, or uses subterfuge to jam up an inconvenient rival. All three instances figure prominently in the Hebrew-language print media Wednesday morning.

“Meet Munir Ali Naim Shati, the commander of Hezbollah’s southern command in Syria and the man responsible for setting up the group’s military infrastructure in the Golan,” Israel Hayom reports in its lede, like some very dark Tinder profile.

Both Israel Hayom and Yedioth Ahronoth, being fed information from the Israeli military, make clear that Israel has enough personal details about Shati, also known as Hajj Hashem, to know whether to swipe — or bomb — right or left.

“Israel is very interested in Hajj Hashem both because of his history in special Hezbollah operations and his current role in Syria, and it seems that he is aware. Hashem makes sure to go around with civilian security, has apartments in both Lebanon and Damascus, and recognizes that Israeli intel tracks his movements well,” Yedioth reports. Israel Hayom also publishes the name of his wife, how many kids he has and when he spends time at the different apartments.

Both papers note that the publication of his name is a form of the IDF signalling to him that he is in its cross-hairs — the proverbial brick through a window.

“Changing him from anonymous to totally exposed, from a man in the shadows to a celebrity, will force Hajj Hashem to change his steps. Not out of love for despots, but out of hatred for his enemies,” Israel Hayom’s Yoav Limor writes. “It’s not just that now he is known; the fact that Israel published his name and picture, and knows where he lives, his wife’s name and who his children are, is no less troubling for someone like him.”

Haaretz doesn’t cover the outing of Hashem, but analyst Amos Harel notes that a message hidden inside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Knesset speech Monday, and mostly ignored, signaled Israel’s growing unease with Iran (and by extension Hezbollah) in southern Syria, dubbing it a greater threat than Iran’s nuclear program. This is a sea change from past speeches in which the order was reversed.

“Netanyahu’s coming speeches will show whether there has been a permanent change in priorities. His statements might also reflect a division of responsibilities as the prime minister understands it: Trump will take care of changing the nuclear agreement, or will at least increase its enforcement, while Israel will deal with the Iranian danger in Syria, especially the deployment of Hezbollah and more Shi’ite militias near the border in the Golan Heights,” he writes.

What Netanyahu’s Knesset speech was noted for was its focus on slamming the media and critics as “sourpusses” for focusing on the police investigations against him, which he is trying to ignore, or have legislated out of relevance.

Considering Yedioth’s reaction to the speech and the legislative effort, one might be forgiven for thinking 100 percent of Israelis not named Netanyahu are against the legislation, but a survey shows that the number is less than two-thirds.

The paper still plays up the findings, which shows that 63.1% of Israelis are against the law and only 31.7 percent for the legislation, though “Knesset members close to Netanyahu are still insisting on passing the law.”

The paper breaks down support for the law by party, with Likud voters split evenly, Shas and UTJ backers overwhelmingly backing the law, and Jewish Home, Israel Betyenu and Joint (Arab) List (!) people also showing more support than the minuscule numbers in most opposition parties.

“Will the clear public opposition force the law to be trashed? It’s not for sure,” the paper reports. “Even after [Finance Minister Moshe] Kahlon said he would give his [Kulanu] faction freedom to vote as they choose, [bill backers David] Bitan and [David] Amsallem said the law will be passed this Knesset session. Without a coalition majority and [public] support, there is the question of how they will do it.”

Haaretz’s lead story breaks open a clandestine legal campaign being waged by Jerusalem — via an American law firm — to take BDS supporters to court around the world. While the government will only openly admit to having the firm write legal opinions, a slew of documents and other evidence, apparently obtained with the help of government transparency advocate Eitay Mack, point to it initiating lawsuits as well, though it surmises Jerusalem wants to keep these hush hush to avoid looking like its meddling.

“There is the danger of a slippery slope in the secrecy shrouding Israeli anti-BDS activity in the world. It is deeply worrying that the military terminology used by senior officials in the Strategic Affairs Ministry is being used in the fight against civilians abroad who criticize the State of Israel,” Mack is quoted telling the paper. “Just like it’s difficult for Israel to sell the occupation, the regime in South Africa had trouble selling apartheid. Pretoria launched a secret operation of disinformation and persecution of anti-apartheid activists whose exposure led to the dismissal of the prime minister and the opening of a criminal investigation and civil proceedings in the US. We hope that the State of Israel does not exploit secrecy to cross criminal lines.”