"One day in the future, when we are rescued from these terrible days, they will ask: So how was the holiday of freedom of 2016? What will we say?"
--Yedioth commentator Igal Sarna takes a look at the last year ahead of Passover, the holiday of Jewish freedom from slavery.**

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After Years of Failures Against Jewish Terrorism, Shin Bet Believe They Have Rounded Up All Main Actors (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Latest exposure of cell suspected of attacking Palestinians caps series of successes for Israeli law enforcement, but it's yet to be seen if upcoming release of terror-ring mastermind won't bring new spate of attacks. 
The lessons from Duma: Fight terrorism on both sides, protect the rights of suspects (Attorney Sharon Avraham-Weiss, Maariv) The state needs to deeply investigate the terror incidents with the goal of reaching the truth. But at the same time, it must be careful to maintain humane treatment of detainees, Jews and Palestinians alike. 
The Israeli Military Justice System: Theater of the Absurd (Gideon Levy, Haaretz+) This is a legal system whose law book is racist; it’s not hard to imagine what would happen if a Palestinian shot a wounded Jew in the head. 
The Saudi's aren't yet Zionists (Eitan Goldstein and Roi Kais, Ynet) While there appears to be some communication between Israel and the Saudi regime on matters of security, this doesn't necessarily mean a new relationship is forming between the former foes. It is more likely another example of Saudi Arabia's pragmatic policies in light of the Arab Spring.
Make Israel Great Again: Dovish Israeli Politicians Take Page Out of Trump Playbook (Allison Kaplan Sommer, Haaretz+) Nowadays it seems everyone in the Israeli center-left wants to become a tough-talking, BDS-confronting, Haaretz-hating, leftist-basher. 
Don't mess with Putin (Giora Eiland, Yedioth/Ynet) If there's reason to believe Israel will pay a price as part of an agreement between the world powers on Syria, we should raise these concerns in Washington and Moscow. But public, provocative declarations about the Golan Heights are counterproductive.
Haaretz Does Not Need to Apologize (Uzi Baram, Haaretz+) Despite the charges against Haaretz, it can proudly wear the mantle of patriotism, because love of one’s country is the love of human beings, the search for solutions and a refusal to reconcile with the existing order. 
**Freedom - Who is the dumb and who is the evil (Igal Sarna, Yedioth) One day in the future, when we are rescued from these terrible days, they will ask: So how was the holiday of freedom of 2016? What will we say? Will we continue to say that, "We were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt, and the L-rd, our G-d, took us out from there with a strong hand and with an outstretched arm...and if He, blessed be He, had not taken our fathers out of Egypt, then we, our children and our children's children would have remained enslaved to Pharaoh in Egypt" [from the Passover Haggadah], or would we say with a heavy heart that its possible we remained slaves? Will we tell, for example, about the poet from the Galilee who was imprisoned at dawn in the home of her parents and sat long months in jail for writing a poem against the occupation; about the 12-year-old girl who was suspected of having a knife and sat in an adult prison; about the rallies held to mark the heroism of the soldier who shot in the head a terrorist who was dying on the ground; about the asylum seekers who were fenced into camps in detention in the south; about the Holocaust survivors whose survival stipend was taken from them by institutions whose directors received enormous salaries; about the organizations of incitement and those setting fire to the area, who celebrated, while human rights organizations were persecuted?... 
Obama Should Choose Lesser Evil and Veto 9/11 Saudi Bill (Peter Beinart, Haaretz) As satisfying as it would be for American terror victims to drag billionaire Arab princes into court, it's actually a very bad idea.  
No, Peter Beinart: Anti-Zionism Is Indeed a Form of anti-Semitism (Andrés Spokoiny, Haaretz+) Zionism is one of the most inspiring and justice-oriented movements in human history, and we faithful Zionists need to defend its good name. 
Who's advising Netanyahu? (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) The prime minister has a pattern of preferring discreet security advisors who are often underqualified; the NSC still lacks a permanent head.
We’re All Simone Zimmerman: Will Social Media Bury a Generation of Would-be Leaders? (Brian Schaefer, Haaretz+) The lesson of Zimmerman's suspension from the Sanders campaign may have less to do with her Israel views than with the lasting consequences of how we use social media.
Israel's Labor Party Must Get Rid of Herzog (Haaretz Editorial) Veering rightward won’t help the Labor Party either in the polls or on Election Day – the public will always prefer to buy racist goods from the source, rather than from a wretched, pale imitation. 
Israel and Golan Heights are inseparable (Dr. Gabi Avital, Israel Hayom) The big question the U.S. fails to ask is: What is Assad prepared to give Israel in exchange for the Golan Heights?
Disgraced Israeli Politician Is Testimony to Army's Old Boys' Network (Zeev Sternhell, Haaretz+) Rehavam 'Gandhi' Ze’evi is a symbol of all that is distorted and contemptible in the IDF. 
Time for new strategies (Dr. Ephraim Herrera, Israel Hayom) The Israeli defense establishment has to devise new ways to topple Hamas' regime in Gaza without being dragged into war.
Through the Flames of the Jerusalem Bus, a Glimpse at Israel's Future (Ari Shavit, Haaretz+) The next election will be a choice between the right wing and security – between the Greater Land of Israel of blood, fire and smoke and a strong, sovereign Israeli state. 
Biden's untimely assault on Israel (Elliott Abrams, Israel Hayom) On the very same day a bus was bombed in Jerusalem, the U.S. vice president launched a verbal attack on the Israeli government. 
The Day the UN Downgraded Judaism’s Holiest Site to a Stable (Ariel David, Haaretz+) In new resolution, UNESCO ignores Jewish links to Temple Mount and backs Islamic tradition that Western Wall was 'hitching post' for Mohammed’s steed.