Quote of the Day #1:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

News Summary:
Israel arrested two Palestinians for what the Shin Bet believed was a nationalistically-motivated murder of a settler at his business in an Arab-Israeli village, and in a strange twist, the Israeli army shelled a Hamas outpost in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for a rocket launched at Israel by a Palestinian ISIS-affiliated group from Gaza, which was angry at Hamas and wanted Israel to retaliate against Hamas - and in any case, the rocket fell inside the Strip, so there were no Israeli casualties, (Maan reported that Israeli forces also fired flares that caused a fire to break out in Rafah city)
and US President Donald Trump acknowledged, much to the Israeli right-wing government’s chagrin, that moving the US embassy to Jerusalem was bad for peace, when he announced that he won’t consider moving the embassy because he wants to 'give peace a shot' first. That said, Yedioth splashed across its front page the news that the Trump administration had agree to allow the Israeli government to announce settlement construction in the West Bank every three to four months, and that the White House no longer would make the distinction between isolated settlements and major settlement blocs nor will it condemn Israeli settlement construction any more, so Israel announced that Netanyahu approved the construction of 3,800 new settler homes - including 30 in Hebron, making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.
 

Quick Hits:

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Commentary/Analysis:
It is impossible to support Kurdish independence and to suppress the Palestinian cause (Dr. Revital Amiran, Maariv) Even if the time for a peace agreement is not ripe, empathy for the people around us who seek liberation does not allow Israel to deny the right of the Palestinian people to a state.
The danger of imploding (Maj. Gen. (ret.) Gershon Hacohen, Israel Hayom) The biggest threat to Israel is not a nuclear Iran but rather a plan that pushes establishing a Palestinian state at the expense of dividing Jerusalem and withdrawing to the 1967 borders. National interests require a review and change in our priorities.
'Transparent' Asserts That Israel Isn't Necessary for Jewish Identity (Shany Littman, Haaretz+) The latest season brings the Pfeffermans on a meaningful trip to the Holy Land, but unlike Conan O'Brien, the show's creators don't work for the country's public relations machine.
In its ruling regarding the demonstrations in Petah Tikva, the High Court of Justice spoke loudly and clearly (Attorney Yehiel Gutman, Maariv) The decision of the High Court, which ruled that there was no need for police approval in order to demonstrate in front of the Attorney General’s home, is a value-based and unequivocal statement, which means empowering the right to demonstrate.
Meretz, Israel's 'Zionist Left' Party, Is Finished (Ron Cahlili, Haaretz+) There’s no such thing as a Zionist left because the terms “left” and “Zionist” are contradictory, and will never make peace with one another. While the basic definition of the universal left is “equality for all, regardless of religion, race and gender,” the basic definition of Zionist is “a national home for the Jewish people.” And the practical application of this is that a Jew has an inherent advantage, not only because of his recent past in Europe, but because he’s a Jew, the simplest explanation…(Meretz) must leave the stage, alone, unaided, erect and with chin up, and allow the new left, which is more varied and aggressive, the left that will redefine Zionism and its goals, to try its luck… because Meretz has no moral right to exist as long as it simultaneously uses both descriptions.
We Have No Other Meretz (Dror Mizrahi, Haaretz+) This Zionist-left party is Israel's only party that carries two banners, diplomatic and social, without blinking and without stuttering…Ron Cahlili’s statements are so detached from reality that it seems they were written by someone who just landed from outer space, and has been away for many months, during which a dramatic social revolution took place in Israel – the increase in monthly government benefits for the disabled. This struggle was led courageously and with determination by the chairman of the Meretz Knesset faction, MK Ilan Gilon.
Mass murderer wasn’t Muslim? What a relief! (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) The people who jumped for joy upon learning the Las Vegas massacre wasn’t committed by a Muslim are stricken with blindness. Jihad can keep relying on the foolishness of the forces of progress, who’ll always be there to say there’s no problem. But the more we ignore these problems, the more we sink into denial, the bigger they become.
The visit of the Syrian defense minister to the Kuneitra region in the Golan is a signal to Israel (Yasir Ukbi, Maariv) Fahd al-Faij's arrival near the border, on the 44th anniversary of what Syria considered a victory in the Yom Kippur War, attests to the importance of the region for the president's regime.
Netanyahu’s Reckless Gamble (Haaretz Editorial+) Israel's PM, directly or through organizations and people who follow him, will push U.S. senators to increase the pressure on Tehran, and in doing so endanger the nuclear agreement.
Israel-Iran conflict in Syria reaching point of no return (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) As Tehran keeps ignoring the Israeli warnings against an Iranian expansion in the Middle East, the atmosphere created by the Trump administration against the nuclear agreement is only adding fuel to the fire. The effort to prevent a deterioration will resume immediately after the High Holy Days, but if the diplomatic move fails—Israel is likely headed toward a conflict with Iran.
Imagine if Jews Were Locked Away Behind Concrete Walls for 11 Days (Marilyn Garson, Haaretz+) Netanyahu seals the gates of the West Bank and Gaza, confining millions of Palestinians, to enjoy the Sukkot festival. If anywhere or anyone else demanded a Jew-free holiday, would we shrug that off?
An insane society (Nadav Shragai, Israel Hayom) More and more "lone wolf" Palestinian terrorists are mentally ill or in the midst of some personal crisis when they carry out their attacks. But Palestinian society, which glorifies the murder of Jews, is no less deranged than its most disturbed members.
While the extreme right is raising its head in Europe, here it is already in control (Uri Savir, Maariv) The success of the elections for an alternative to Germanism marks the continuation of the change in the Western political world, which threatens globalization and freedom of immigration. Why don’t our leaders condemn it out loud?
A reconciliation no one really wants (Smadar Perry, Yedioth/Ynet) With Abbas refusing to give up his demand to dismantle Hamas’ military wing, and Hamas suspecting the Egyptian middleman is only pushing for reconciliation to prevent more terrorist infiltrations to Sinai, none of the involved parties truly seem to have a real interest in uniting the Palestinian camp. And if such an agreement is actually reached, it might entail an unpleasant surprise for Israel.
The Good News From Gaza (Odeh Bisharat, Haaretz+) Yes, Palestinian unity is good for the Jews, because it is good for the Palestinians. If your neighbors are embroiled among themselves, it is not good for you either.