• Police adopted use of dangerous sponge-bullets and number of wounded skyrocketed
• Four rockets shot at south; two children killed in IDF attack in Gaza
• Trump cancelled Chicago rally because of dangerous clashes
• The tests of support of (Culture Minister) Regev: Bonuses for appearing in settlements
• Katsav on the way to being released? Channel 10: Rivlin and Shaked support pardon for former president, if he is rejected by the prison release committee
• Ministers to discuss giving maternity grant to women who gave birth at home 
• (Jewish settlement in Silwan is) Gasoline for violence // Haaretz Editorial
• The next right-wing leader // Gideon Levy
• The treasures of Shfaram and Sakhnin 
• Israel: The date empire
• Director Hanan Snir doesn’t run from the (David) Grossman’s message

• Six months of Intifada - 34 victims murdered with knives, by shots, by being run over…leaders have no answer to single question: When will this wave of terror end?
• Color red on Shabbat eve – IDF attacked Hamas posts after it shot rockets on Negev; 2 Palestinian children killed; Hamas: We will retaliate
• War without end // Eitan Haber
• Chief Rabbi: It’s a mitzvah (good deed) to kill terrorists
• The candidate of hate (Photo of Trump)
• State Prosecutor: Don’t release Katsav

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

• Hamas: “We will retaliate for the killing of the children”
• Female front against a pardon for Katsav
• Representative of the Tax Authority tried to get information out of you? Check if you aren’t talk to a phony

Israel Hayom

• In the crosshairs: Incitement (media) stations
• Attention Arab MKs: Arab League declared Hezbollah –  a “terror organization”
• 4 rockets shot south, IDF attacked in Gaza
• New weapon of Trump: violence
• Female MKs furious: Don’t shorten sentence of (rapist) Katsav
• Guiness Book of World Records: Holocaust survivor Yisrael Krystal was declared the oldest man in the world – 112.5 years old
• Drama in ‘Big Brother’ reality show: Shai Chai, the likely winning candidate, left the house  

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News Summary:
The latest violence - two Palestinian attacks injured two Israeli soldiers and a civilian in the West Bank and Jerusalem’s Old City over the weekend, four rockets from Gaza landed in Israel and the IDF attacked Hamas in Gaza killing two Palestinian children, for which Hamas warned it will retaliate, making the top stories along in today’s Hebrew newspapers along with the report – and the outrage – that former president and convicted rapist, Moshe Katsav, will be getting a presidential pardon.
 
Also in the news, in an attempt to stop Palestinian violence, Israel shut down Palestinian media outlets and convinced France to drop one from its satellite, (but it kept broadcasting,) and the Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan requested a legal amendment to allow guards to detain people. This follows a police crackdown on Palestinians working illegally in Israel.
 
In diplomacy, the Arab League chose Thursday a new Secretary General, Ahmed Aboul-Gheit, a former Egyptian foreign minister who has cordial relations with MK Tzipi Livni (for which the Arabic media ridiculed him) and who dislikes Islamic militant organizations, such as Hamas and Hezbollah. On Friday, the Arab League declared Hezbollah a terror organization. And on Saturday, three Hamas leaders traveled to Cairo to attempt to reconcile with Egypt, while Israel says that Hamas is working with Daesh.
 
And, on the eve of a visit by France's special peace envoy, Pierre Vimont, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with French President Francois Hollande on Saturday about France's initiative for an international peace conference in Paris next summer. Israel Hayom reported that Israel will make clear it opposes the conference.
 
Moreover, Netanyahu urged world powers to take punitive action against Iran for its missile tests. The UN said Iran must 'act with moderation.' Iran said the tests do not violate terms of nuclear deal with world powers.


Quick Hits:

• Palestinian Casualties Rise as Israel Police Up Usage of Foam-tipped Bullets - Increase in the number of anti-riot bullets fired matches growing violence in Jerusalem and elsewhere. Israel has investigated 15 complaints into injuries, many of them children, but no policemen have been indicted. (Haaretz+)
• The Chief rabbi urges Israelis to kill terrorists bearing knives - Chief Sephardi Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef said at his weekly sermon that is a mitzvah to kill terrorists holding knives.  Don't heed any IDF chief of staff who says otherwise, he warns. IDF chief of staff stated last month that 'he doesn't want a soldier to empty a magazine on a girl with scissors.' (Israel Hayom and Ynet)
• Rightist group boosting efforts to evict Arabs, settle Jews in East Jerusalem - Ateret Cohanim now has 12 suits in the court system to evict over 300 East Jerusalem residents from their homes. (Haaretz+) 
• Twitter battle erupts between Israeli Prime Minister's Office and Fatah - Ofir Gendelman, the Arabic-language spokesman of the Prime Minister’s Office, tweeted a drawing from Fatah's account glorifying the Jaffa terrorist. Fatah fought back by tweeting back: "When you and your failing government end your occupation of the Palestinian state, the violence will end and peace will come. (Ynet)
• Rabbis for Human Rights website hacked - then suspended - ClubVPS, the company hosting the site, suspended the left-wing Israeli NGO's account on the grounds that it 'violated (Haaretz+) 
• EU gives grants to Palestinians to spread democratic awareness - Palestinian civil society institutions to get EU funding in an effort to enhance political participation among the Palestinian public, with the goal of strengthening democracy in the West Bank. (Ynet) 
• Israel proposes bonus for theaters, orchestras that perform in West Bank - New criteria governing state support for cultural activities are first to include explicitly political clause incentivizing performances in settlements. (Haaretz+) 
• US Palestinians sue Israeli companies, banks for $34 billion - Palestinian organizations have filed a $34 billion lawsuit in the US against a host of prominent businessmen, companies and banks in Israel for allegedly aiding the IDF and settlements. (Ynet) 
• For electronic bus stop signs, Arab speakers must wait till August - Mixed Jewish and Arab cities are sometimes slow to receive Arabic signage. (Haaretz+) 
• Barak: We must divorce ourselves from the Palestinians - Former PM Ehud Barak participated in the Global Baku Forum (GBF) in Azerbaijan this week, alongside other former world leaders. He warned of the dangers in postponing necessary action regarding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Yedioth/Ynet and Israel Hayom) 
• Former Likud Minister Gideon Sa'ar Says Gov't Has Failed to Deal With Terrorism - His former Likud party responds that he has no security experience and is 'babbling' from his Tel Aviv living room. (Haaretz+) 
• Generous compensation for nuclear reactor workers with cancer, "They dedicated their best years to the state" - The government is expected to approve the conclusions of the Rivlin Commission, and provide every employee from the facility at Dimona suffering from cancer 75,000 shekels, "even if the connection to exposure was significantly lower than required by law." (Maariv)
• State appeals damages awarded to Netanyahus’ former caretaker over maltreatment - Attorneys argue that Meni Naftali should not have been granted compensation due to legal errors in the civil lawsuit verdict. (Haaretz+)
• Peres Center, UNESCO join forces - UNESCO and the Peres Center for Peace are partnering up to champion peace and interfaith dialogue worldwide. (Ynet)
• BDS target Ahava to relocate from West Bank into Israel - Boycott protests at its London store were so disruptive that Ahava closed the retail location in 2011. (Haaretz+) 
• Ahava moving factory out of West Bank following BDS pressure - Cosmetics company, which is in the process of being bought by the Chinese company Puson, is moving its factory out of the West Bank in order to mitigate the threat posed to it by the anti-Israel boycott. (Ynet)
• Security firm G4S pulling out of Israel, denies BDS influence - The company, which provides security equipment and has contracts with Israel's prison system and employs 8,000 people in Israel, said pullout was motivated by 'commercial reasons.' (Haaretz and Israel Hayom)
• Ben-Gurion Airport exhibit showcases Israeli breakthroughs - Project initiated by Science Ministry highlights scientific contributions by Israelis that have changed the world, after survey suggests many Israelis are unfamiliar with the subject. (Ynet) 
• Poll: Most Israeli Arabs disagree with lawmakers who condemned Hezbollah's terrorist listing - Television survey finds 56 percent disagreed with the Joint List party's rejection of Arab Gulf states' condemnation of the Lebanese group. (Haaretz)
• TechNation: Microsoft to Open R&D Center in Nazareth - Intel confirms purchase of Israel’s Replay Technologies; Verint laying off up to 100 Israeli employees; iAngels raises $14 million to expand platform overseas. (Haaretz+)
• Israeli 10th-grader stumbles upon new geometric theorem - Tamar Barbi found she was solving geometry homework problems using a theorem that didn't exist • Teacher Sean Gabriel-Morris helped her research the theorem • MIT mathematician praises discovery • Barbi prefers a future in theater rather than math. (Israel Hayom)
• Yazidi Lawyer Visiting Israel Warns: Every Passing Day Reduces Chances of Rescue - Khalil al-Dakhi recounts how he rescued hundreds from the clutches of ISIS while travelling to Israel as part of a small delegation, which included Kurdish Jews. (Haaretz+) 
• Jordanian helicopter airlifts injured Israeli tour guide off mountain - The tour guide fell and injured his head while leading a group of Israeli hikers in Jordan's Wadi Rum, north of Aqaba. (Haaretz and Ynet)
• U.S. terror victim Taylor Force remembered at Ben-Gurion Airport ceremony - Force, who was killed in a stabbing at Jaffa Port, 'genuinely loved everyone regardless of race, religion or creed,' says former West Point classmate. (Haaretz) 
• 112-year-old Israeli Holocaust survivor named 'oldest man on Earth' by Guinness World Records - Israel Kristal was born on September 15, 1903 and survived two months at Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1944. (Haaretz+ and Israel Hayom) 
• Egyptian broadcaster grilled over el-Sisi remarks - Egyptian broadcaster Azza al-Hanawi is in hot water after comparing president to Adolf Hitler; council to discuss her comments being formed, with some urging her to seek psychological help. (Ynet) 
• ISIS Using Birth Control to Maintain Supply of Sex Slaves\ - New York Times quotes Yazidi women as saying Islamist group using contraceptives to keep sex slaves 'available.' (Agencies, Haaretz) 
• Iraq: Three-year-old Killed, 600 Wounded in Two ISIS Chemical Attacks - Hundreds said to have fled area of Taza where chemical-laden rockets were fired by Islamic State militants. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
• Syrian Regime to Join Peace Talks, but Rules Out Elections - Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem says Syrian opposition must drop 'delusion' of forcing elections on Syria, calling it a 'red-line' for the regime. (Agencies, Haaretz) 
• Uruguay: Muslim convert who killed Jewish man acted alone - Carlos Peralta, who fatally stabbed David Fremd, head of the Jewish community in Paysandu, on Tuesday had "no links with other people inside or outside the country, nor with any group," Uruguay's Interior Minister Eduardo Bonomi says. (Israel Hayom)

Features: 
For Palestinian-American teen's family, home is where the body is buried
A 16-year-old Palestinian from the US, who went to school in his ancestral village in the West Bank and was planning to go back to the U.S. to study medicine, was shot five times by Israeli soldiers at a checkpoint. They claimed he was wielding a knife. (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+)
'This isn't a lone wolf intifada, it's a Hamas intifada'
New study by terrorism expert Dr. Shaul Bartal of the Begin Sadat Center of Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University, claims that Israel is not dealing with individual attackers, but rather a coordinated effort led by Hamas, which is an expert in covering its tracks. The defense establishment, however, is still convinced this is an intifada of 'lone wolves.' (Ariela Ringel Hoffman, Ynet) 
Secrets behind Israel's historic withdrawal from Lebanon
In May 2000, Israeli PM Barak made a brave decision that surprised the world to pull the IDF out of southern Lebanon after 18 years. Behind the scenes was a fierce battle of ambitions and intrigue between Barak, the former IDF chief, and the IDF commanders at the time, who were strongly against the unilateral withdrawal. A new book by Brig.-Gen. (res.) Amos Gilboa, based on secret internal research he did at the time for the intelligence community, reveals the decision-making process behind one of the most dramatic decision made by the Israeli government in recent decades. (Ronen Bergman, Yedioth/Ynet)
Philosophy, fear and French fries: Lectures are a growing hit at Israeli pubs
Israeli hunger for knowledge is driving a burgeoning business for lecturers and their agents, as bars, cultural centers and individuals book a good talk. (Anat Georgi, Haaretz+)
 
Commentary/Analysis:
Israel helpless as young knife-wielding Palestinians run wild on its streets (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) The government won't call it this, but there's no denying that Israel is facing a third intifada. What makes it different is that it's being carried out by individuals who aren't taking their lead from religious or political figures. And preventive measures run the risk of making matters worse.
The end purpose: What is the strategic objective of the current wave of terror? (Udi Segal, Maariv) It’s not easy to deal with those who soul wishes to die. It’s hard to threaten someone who is despairing with desperation. It’s hard to scare someone who wants to die with death. It’s hard to shock someone the suffering from suffering. 
Israel Is Helping Settlers Evict East Jerusalem Palestinians, and Taxpayers Are Footing the Bill (Haaretz Editorial) Settler group's efforts to evict 51 Palestinian families living in the heart of the Silwan neighborhood are a manifestation of Israeli policy. The project is bound to fail.
The Palestinian project (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/YNet) We need to reject unrealistically simple solutions and boost employment, investment, living standards, and more to at least mitigate the hatred and perhaps reach the point where we can say goodbye.
 
Incite, divide, conquer: How Trump and Netanyahu took power (Vered Kellner, Haaretz+) After years of being fed hate and incitement, the Republican and Likud party bases rewarded cheerleaders Trump and Netanyahu over the bloodied remains of their parties' former values. 
Donald Trump and Binyamin Netanyahu are not telling the truth and the public really does not care (Ran Edelist, Maariv) They and their ilk embody in their personalities and in their public conduct the underlying desire of most of us: not to give a hoot about anyone.
Netanyahu and Erdogan Are Distorting the Essence of Democracy (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Both leaders are giving their countries a bad name. However, Erdogan is not deceiving anyone, while Netanyahu is confident that no one notices the fakery he ladles out. 
The real reason the right-wing government does not act as expected (Prof. Cielo Rosenberg, Maariv) Supporters of right-wing camp demand radical solutions to the wave of terror such as mass expulsion and annexation of all (Palestinian) territories to Israel. They need to ask themselves why the patriotic Israeli government is not acting accordingly.
Israel's Father of the Year (And Netanyahu's Potential Successor) Sure Ignores Palestinian Kids (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) The racism of Likudnik Gideon Sa'ar, who is taking a time-out from politics, is just as bad as the others', only quieter.
In Memory of Taylor Force (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) Lord, look down. Those who pretend to lead us cannot keep our children safe. 
Own goal: The correct solution to the deterioration at the Temple Mount (‘Ir Amim researcher’ Aviv Tatarski, Maariv) What might prevent the next escalation around the sensitive issue of the Temple Mount is not just the cameras being installed, but a re-examination of the collective restrictions on the entry of worshipers. There is widespread disregard for an issue, which is one of the key factors that is increasing the tension on the Temple Mount: the collective restrictions for worshippers to enter to pray. The usual explanation attributes the violence to the “provocations of (Jewish) Temple Mount activists” on the one hand and “Palestinian incitement" on the other. But this happens throughout the year. If so, have there been violent outbursts for the past two years during the High Holidays? Why didn’t such violence break out during the High Holidays of 2013, despite the fact that also then the struggle between the Temple Mount movements and their Muslim opponents was angry and tense? Since June 2014, police began imposing collective restrictions on the entry of Muslim worshipers in the Haram Sharif (Temple Mount) compound in an unprecedented scale. From the police point of view, the restrictions were necessary for security reasons, but the actual results were that the renewal of preventing the entry of (all) Muslims on Erev Rosh Hashanah [to allow exclusive entrance to Jews – OH] last September 13 brought a violent outburst, which spread quickly from the blocked gates of the Temple Mount in the Old City to the alleyways and across East Jerusalem. That evening there was the first Israeli fatality of the current round of violence after youths throwing stones at an Israeli’s vehicle. The violence intensified and then on the eve of Sukkot holiday the first stabbing attack occurred on Hagai Street in the Old City where two Israelis were killed. And then things deteriorated… Nothing in what was written above is meant to justify the Palestinian violence of the past few months. But it is crucial to discuss the matter and demand from the police to find alternative means. Unfortunately, while the cameras placed on Temple Mount will probably film the events taking place there, it is what is happening at the blocked gates of the Temple Mount and which ignites the fuel that escapes people’s attention and does not receive the appropriate and necessary deliberation, that is necessary if we want to prevent the next escalation, especially ahead of the approaching Passover. 
Why Pew Center's Findings Tell Us Nothing About Where the Jews Are Headed (Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz+) You can read anything you like into the results of the exhaustive poll — anything except the future. 
Even hope won't help (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) While a peace initiative won't help at the moment, one is needed nonetheless. And while Israel's treatment of Palestinian's may not be perfect, those searching for an apartheid situation should look toward Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon. 
Obama’s Tortuous Ties With Benjamin Netanyahu, Inside Out (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) Jeffrey Goldberg’s 'Obama Doctrine' shines new light on the complexities that created the most dysfunctional relationship on earth. 
West Bank settlement blocs blocking progress toward Israeli stability (Shaul Arieli, Haaretz+) Israel has convinced the public that the blocs in the West Bank cannot be evacuated. In the name of peace, they must be.
Obama's parting gift (Sarah N. Stern, Israel Hayom) Obama's poisoned parting gift to Israel before he leaves office: An internationally enshrined Palestinian state.
Studying With the 'Enemy': An Egyptian in Tel Aviv (Haisam Hassanein, Haaretz+) Anti-normalization pressures are so strong in Egypt that a lawmaker was voted out of parliament for having dinner with the Israeli ambassador. So what happens 
The security establishment’s wrong battle (Ben Caspit, Maariv) Israel is still stuck in the old world, where Abbas and Palestinian television are those that affect the reality, not social network.
Israeli schools' map to right-wing ignorance (Dror Etkes, Haaretz+) The map of the country that seventh-graders use omits the Green Line and all Israeli Arab communities except Nazareth and Umm al-Fahm. 
Taylor Force Reminds Us There's No Such Thing as 'Israel Beyond the Conflict' (Allison Kaplan Sommer, Haaretz) Force wasn’t the first American visitor to lose his life in Israel, not even the first in this latest wave of terrifying violent attacks. But the others have been, for the most part, involved in some aspect of a much more familiar narrative, meeting their fate in the West Bank or Jerusalem. A horrific stabbing isn't supposed to happen to an American tourist visiting here to appreciate the Start-Up Nation and the beach. Until it does. 
Obama gratuitously harms alliances (Elliott Abrams, Israel Hayom) Obama's deprecation of ‎presidential credibility is alarming for Americans, bad for allies. 
Things have only gotten worse since Pew concluded their troubling survey of Israel (Friday Haaretz Editorial) Pew's questioning of 5,000 Israelis ended in May 2015. Since then, the yawning chasms in society have widened.