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News Summary:
More of Israeli Prime Minister BInyamin Netanyahu’s confidants were named in corruption cases that don’t - yet - include him. The name of Netanyahu’s special diplomatic envoy, attorney Isaac Molcho, was revealed as the other Netanyahu confidant who was questioned and interrogated over suspected breach of trust in the submarines scandal, known as ‘Case 3000,’ and the Israel Securities Authority recommended indicting Shaul Elovitch, head of Bezeq telecom company, and Shlomo Filber, director of the Communications Ministry, both close to Netanyahu, in the Bezeq antitrust affair, also known as ’Case 4000,’ making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.

With the blaring exception of Israel Hayom, which for some unexplained reason did not release the name of attorney Isaac Molcho in its article, the Hebrew papers discussed in depth the connection of Molcho to Netanyahu. Molcho was detained along with attorney David Shimron earlier this week in what is considered the biggest episode of corruption in the history of Israel. Molcho is suspected of promoting the purchase of submarines worth some $1.5 billion from Germany shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp during his diplomatic missions. Shimron was representing ThyssenKrupp in Israel and is reportedly suspected of pushing the purchase of the submarines over the objections of Israel’s security establishment. The two are partners in a law firm and Molcho is married to Shimron’s sister. Shimron is Netanyahu’s cousin - second cousin according to Yedioth - and his personal lawyer. Molcho is Netanyahu’s special envoy in diplomatic affairs and insisted that he had no handin the submarine deal, that he only worked for the good of the country and that he and Shimron kept their affairs completely separate. Molcho worked on a volunteer basis without pay, but did receive an expense account and an office at the Prime Minister’s Office. On Monday, the two were confronted separately with Miki Ganor, the state witness who mediated the deal with ThyssenKrupp and was represented by Shimron. More info about Molcho’s diplomatic involvement from Yedioth/Ynet and Haaretz+.
 

Quick Hits:

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Features:
100 Years Later, Russia and Israel Reach Deal to Digitize One of World's Great Collections of Hebrew Manuscripts
The Günzburg collection contains over 14,000 items, including thousands of rare Hebrew books, as well as manuscripts in Hebrew and many other languages. (Ofer Aderet, Haaretz+ and Israel Hayom)
Car Tech Giants Are Coming to Israel in Their Race for Technologies of Tomorrow
Argus Cyber Security, a young startup, acquired by Continental, is one of dozens of Israeli tech firms developing solutions for the vehicle market of the future. (Eliran Rubin, Haaretz)
Apple's Weakness for Israeli Singers and What It Says About Selling Digital Music
But before declaring her a national treasure, listen to the words. Erez is furious about something, someone or some entity, that took her best years and then gave her the finger. It’s not entirely clear, but when she sings “Can you dance while you shoot,” she means Israel. (Ben Shalev, Haaretz)

Commentary/Analysis:
Under Interrogation: Netanyahu's Right-hand Man and Left-hand Man (Yossi Verter, Haaretz+) No one is closer to the prime minister than his confidants Isaac Molho and David Shimron, who are both suspects in one of the most grave corruption cases in Israel’s history.
Each nation has its own ‘Nakba’ (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) The claims of injustice suffered by Palestine’s Arab residents because of the Balfour Declaration should be looked into on the background of the reality and norms in the first half of the 20th century. Hundreds of millions of people gained national liberation and independence, and tens of millions experienced some kind of ‘Nakba,’ including Jews in Arab countries.
Netanyahu’s Associates Are Being Investigated Left and Right, and He Knows Nothing? (Ido Baum, Haaretz+) Anyone who takes a step back and looks at the case into wrongdoing among the heads of Israel's biggest telecom and the ministry tasked with overseeing them would surely ask: Where’s Netanyahu?
Not sour - rotten (Yuval Diskin, Yedioth/YnetHebrew) The moral and ethical rot that leads us is penetrating the Knesset and the government systems and undermines our future and the foundations of our existence. A law against the investigation of an incumbent prime minister is a red light for all of us. The bill is corrupt legislation that justifies the public taking to the streets if it does not stop.
How Israel Can Avoid War With Iran and Hezbollah - for Now (Chuck Freilich, Haaretz+) Israeli leaders should push for more military restraint, and to moderate their jingoistic rhetoric, to avoid further escalation. The situation on Israel's northern border isn't 'intolerable'- yet.
The illusion of the Palestinian state - Enough of lying to ourselves (Yoaz Hendel, Yedioth) In London, Netanyahu revealed the truth: There won't be Palestinian independence, an Israeli version, because that's too dangerous. What is left is expanded autonomy, a state-minus, a type of being. In other words, Sovereignty of a different type, as long as the security limitations and state separation are preserved.
Adelson Has Hijacked the Israeli-American Community for His Hard-right Agenda (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz) New political pressure group will outflank AIPAC and fragment the Jewish establishment.
An Ambitious Heir and a Bitter Family Feud Are Shaking Up Saudi Arabia (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) The arrest of some of the kingdom’s richest officials, ostensibly for corruption, is a pretext for clearing the crown prince’s ruthless path to power.
Mendelblit, learn: it is possible to conduct a complex investigation in a reasonable amount of time (Ben Caspit, Maariv) Only five months had elapsed from when the investigation by the Israel Securities Authority made public its investigation (into Bezeq, Israel's dominant telecommunications company, in a sprawling antitrust case)
until it was finalized and sent to the State Prosecutor's Office. Compare this to the prime minister's investigations, which at the present speed might be over in the current decade.
Cluster Bombs and Yachts 5 Things You Should Know About Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince (Alexander Griffing, Haaretz+) The world's youngest defense minister, Mohammed bin Salman, has become the poster boy for Saudi Arabia’s proxy wars in the Middle East.
The submarine affair: There is a large gap between those under investigation and those who are tried (Adv. Yechiel Guttman, Maariv) I know Mr. Molcho personally and he is a decent and honest person - I do not think there is a fear that he crossed the criminal threshold.
Is Saudi Arabia's New Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman Good News for Israel and U.S.? (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz) Saudi crown prince Bin Salman agrees with U.S. on Russia, Assad, Iran and ISIS and according to some reports, he's also met with top Israeli officials.
Don't return bodies for nothing (Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaakov Amidror, Israel Hayom) Israel's new tunnel detection and destruction technologies are changing the equation on the southern front, but the enemy might abandon its own casualties for the sake of leaving Israeli families in a state of uncertainty.
Israeli Arabs, Too, Benefited From the Balfour Declaration (Moshe Arens, Haaretz+) Let’s hope that in Israel’s next election, more Arabs will be on the slates of mainstream parties, like Zouheir Bahloul of the Zionist Union and Esawi Freij of Meretz.
The Chained Jailers of Gaza (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) Israelis refuse to comprehend that Gaza is a huge prison, and that we are the wardens.
The ball is in Hezbollah's court (Yoav Limor, Israel Hayom) In the wake of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri's resignation after a possible Hezbollah assassination plot, it is now up to Hezbollah to make the next move.
Women Will Be Silent No More (Haaretz Editorial) Women no longer have to accept behavior that causes them distress, and the behavior of men who exploit positions of power will no longer be protected.
The Mysterious Death of Alberto Nisman Revisited: What We Know and Who's Who(Noga Tarnopolsky, Haaretz+) Argentina’s border police concluded that the 2015 death of the prosecutor investigating Iran’s role in the 1994 Buenos Aires Jewish community center bombing was a homicide. A guide to the personalities involved.