*Temple Mount metal detectors won’t help (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/Ynet) Anyone interested in smuggling weapons into the explosive site will do it when hundreds of thousands of worshippers are gathered outside the gates. The metal detector will simply create a jam, which will lead to a commotion, and the police will be forced to let the masses in. Those seeking to bring in weapons will get their chance with no effort whatsoever.
What It’s Like to Have a Jewish Terrorist in the Family (Asaf Calderon, Haaretz+) One of the perpetrators of war crimes against Palestinians that accompanied Israel’s creation was my relative, Mordechai Ben-Uziyahu, who participated in the Deir Yassin massacre. This is why I remember his humanity.
Let every Jewish mother know who’s in charge of our security (Ariela Ringel Hoffman, Yedioth/Ynet) Is it possible that the suspects in the submarine affair were all good, worthy and loyal commanders, who turned into the disgrace they’ve become a moment after removing their uniform?
Is everyone equal before the law? (Haaretz Editorial) If we are to judge the conduct of law enforcement in two criminal investigations that saw significant progress last week, the principle of equality before the law is being disdained.
If only his name were Friedman (Yoaz Hendel, Yedioth/Ynet) If the mentally-ill Israeli held in Gaza was a guy named Hendel or Shitrit, we would have already launched a public campaign for his release. But the common Israeli is unable to identify with an Ethiopian immigrant called Abera Mengistu, who doesn’t have friends from school or from the military unit.
Assaf Harel explains the latest trend in Israeli politics: Blaming the New Israel Fund (Assaf Harel, Haaretz) 'In Israel, we have a new and dangerous enemy. Yup. No, not Iran, Iran is no longer needed. Not Hezbollah this time... No, it's not Avi Gabay, not Breaking the Silence…’
The new Labor chairman is in the right direction to position himself as an effective oppositionist (Dr. Revital Amiran, Maariv) The most interesting battle that will take place here until the next elections will be between Lapid and Gabai, on the voices of the soft right. The ammunition of the chairman the Yesh Atid party (Lapid) is quite sparse.
Dragging out the status quo, dragging out investigations (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) Only the leadership is happy to drag the conflict on, until we have reached a labyrinth where the players walk blindfolded, sometimes hitting the walls and often running into each other.
It’s time to save our state (Rafik Halabi, Yedioth/Ynet) The three brainwashed Muslim fanatics from Umm al-Fahm, who carried out the Temple Mount attack, are not Israelis. An Israeli is someone like former MK Shachiv Shnaan, who taught his son that Israel is his state, the state he sacrificed his life for while defending the Temple Mount.
Israel, Muslim Temple Mount Authority Up a Tree Without a Ladder - and No American Safety Net (Nir Hasson, Haaretz+) The Trump administration doesn't seem capable of, or even interested in, delving into the nitty-gritty of the Temple Mount's status quo
Allah’s warriors from Umm al-Fahm (Moshe Arens, Haaretz+) Many will call these terrorists Palestinian freedom fighters. That sounds a lot better than Islamic extremists, and fits right in with the anti-Israel propaganda that denounces Israel as an occupying power.
Incitement leads to action (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) Sheikh Raed Salah is following in Mufti Haj Amin al-Husseini’s footsteps with the ‘Al-Aqsa is in danger’ libel, which asserts that the Jews are planning to replace the Temple Mount mosques with the Third Temple. Whoever thinks brainwashing doesn’t work is wrong, and Friday's terror attack is proof.
Palestinians Who Shoot in Revenge Are Still Tiny in Number (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) Why is a failed imitation of the armed conqueror seen as admirable? My feminist brain doesn't get it.
Why does the Israeli media ignore the Oslo Conference of the Right-wing? (Meir Uziel, Maariv) The organizer of the conference, which brought Libyan Jews together with Muslims, Christians and Yazidis, and which was held in Rhodes to mark the 50th anniversary of their expulsion, defined it as a historical cornerstone.
Despite Mosul Defeat, ISIS Is Still Alive and Kicking (Zvi Bar’el, Haaretz+) Islamic State may have lost control of Iraq’s second-largest city, but its fighters could still splinter into smaller terror cells and continue operating in the country, or take the battle to the West.
Temple Mount closure was the right thing to do (Ron Ben-Yishai, Ynet) Friday’s attack at the most religiously explosive place in the Middle East required Israel to act quickly. While closing the holy site for Muslim prayer was a risky move which could have sparked violent riots, it was necessary to prevent a major flare-up in the territories, in Israel and in the Muslim world in general.
A Racist Wedding at the Maccabiah Games (Rogel Alpher, Haaretz+) By broadcasting a wedding live from the Jewish sporting event's opening ceremony, Israel's main TV channel sent a clear message about preventing assimilation.
The Taylor Force Act: Pathway or roadblock to peace? (Charles Bybelezer, Ynet) Debate rages over US legislation to cut funding to the Palestinians if their leadership continues to financially support convicted terrorists.
Label Nationhood as Racism? Get Racist Nationhood Next Election (Gadi Taub, Haaretz+) If the liberal elites continue to condemn the right of self-determination and so see it as an expression of racism, only the racists will remain to defend it.