Quote of the Day #1:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

News Summary:
Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and other politicians bashed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas for his speech, while Palestinian politicians supported Abbas’ calls and moved to end all obligations of agreements signed with Israel, meanwhile, Israeli ministers approved a handsome raise for themselves and for Netanyahu, much to the chagrin of many, and Netanyahu signed nine cooperation agreements with India and is working on getting a direct flight to fly to India over Saudi Arabia, making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Barely mentioned in the print papers was that an Israeli soldier shot Ahmad Salim, 24, in the head killing him when he and others threw stones at soldiers who had entered their village of Jayyous. The IDF said it was checking Palestinian health officials' reports of the death Salim’s death.

Maariv’s Ben Caspit wrote that politicians “competed who kicks (Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas) more after his ‘May your house come to ruin’ speech. Netanyahu said from India that Abbas “tore off his mask”and in doing so “did Israel a service” (Netanyahu also said he supports economic relief for Gaza). Israeli President Reuven Rivlin said Abbas returned to past rhetoric for which he was accused of anti-Semitism, and Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Abbas 'lost his senses.’ But Maariv’s Caspit reported that looking at the field, Israel’s security establishment sees that the security coordination continues. The security establishment assessment is that Abbas was only releasing his frustration, but that he did not break the rules of the game.

That said, differing reports said that the PLO Central Council Committee either decided to freeze the security coordination with Israel or it called on the PLO to do so. It also decided on economic disengagement and the postponement of any American mediation, until the decision on Jerusalem was canceled: "We must move from an autonomous government to state rule.” (Maariv) The Council also called on the PLO to suspend recognition of Israel.And it announced that the obligations the Palestinians undertook as part of the 1993 Oslo accords "no longer exist.” (Also Haaretz)
 

Quick Hits:

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Commentary/Analysis:
Abbas Alarming Cry of Despair (Haaretz Editorial) The Israeli government must see the Palestinian Authority president's words as a final warning before the PA's disintegration.
The security establishment is not stirred: Abu Mazen continues to oppose terrorism(Ben Caspit, Maariv) The politicians are competing over who hits the President (Mahmoud Abbas) more, but the defense establishment measures what is happening on the ground. It is estimated that despite the "last-circle effect," the PA chairman is only releasing frustration, but has not broken the rules of the game.
Abbas Exits With One Final, Outrageous Performance. Now, America Must Contain the Damage (Daniel B. Shapiro, Haaretz) After a shameful speech full of bizarre canards about Israel's illegitimacy, the U.S. now knows Abbas can't, and won't, reach a Mideast peace deal. But we must also understand the same is true about Israel's current government.
The moderate Palestinian leader’s lies (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) Mahmoud Abbas’ scathing speech was mostly a gift to the Israeli rightists who wants one big state; the Palestinian president is making it clear that he’s not a partner, that he refuses to recognize the Jews’ right to self-determination and that he is trapped in hallucinations, illusions and lies.
Abbas' Belligerent Speech Doesn't Restore Confidence in the Palestinian Leadership (Amira Hass, Haaretz) Despite the PA president's declarations, some in the West Bank believe that they will remain on paper only and not much will really change. The personal rivalries that won't go away will also apparently continue to be detrimental to the Palestinian struggle.
The speech of the dissolution: Abu Mazen began his process of descending from the stage of history (Eli Avidar, Maariv) The chairman of the Palestinian Authority has always excelled at the tactical level, but now it is clear that all the successes in this field did not advance the Palestinians one meter on the way to an independent state.
Trump's Catch-22 With Iran and the Palestinians Could Blow Up at Israel (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Like his threats to cut Palestinian funding, the U.S. presidents new demands for the Iran nuclear agreement suffer from inconsistencies that cannot be resolved.
Israel’s calculated tunnel demolitions (Alex Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) The IDF is likely capable of uncovering and demolishing a number of cross-border tunnels simultaneously; so far, however, it has chosen to destroy each tunnel separately, giving the other side an opportunity to digest what happened rather than pushing it towards desperate measures.
**Gaza's Prison Warden and the Strip's Ever-rising Collapse Threshold (Amira Hass, Haaretz) The isolation of the Gaza Strip and its residents, as a political project rather than a security project, began long before the Qassam rockets did.
One people, two resurrections (Donniel Hartman, Ynet) The Zionist narrative of Holocaust and resurrection has never been able to appreciate and recognize Jewish resurrection beyond the national home’s borders; when Zionism looks at the Diaspora, it still sees it as the European Jewry in the early 20th century, which is still exposed to an inevitable and imminent holocaust, either as the result of anti-Semitism or as the result of assimilation.
What Israel Should Learn From the Cases of Adolf Eichmann, Yigal Amir and Kozo Okamoto (Yechiam Weitz, Haaretz) Looking back on instances Israel considered employing the death penalty (and did once with Eichmann) makes the current debate on it appear grotesque.
From a prison in Cyprus to a hand away from the top of the Mossad: Lapid's security man - a profile (Yossi Melman, Maariv) After seven years of service in the Sayeret Matkal commando unit, Ram Ben-Barak arrived at the Mossad, where he advanced from position to position. Despite his friendly appearance and sense of humor he is an imperturbable professional.
For the Sake of Our Future, Plant Trees Instead of Digging Graves (Salman Masalha, Haaretz) The entrance to Jerusalem is lined with graves. It seems that the dead have taken over the mountain, and they are creating a necro-demographic and necro-topographical problem.
How the Israeli military's courts abandon female soldiers (Roni Rosenberg, Haaretz) It appears that the IDF sentences soldiers more harshly for stealing property than it does for take nude pictures of their fellow female soldiers and invading their privacy.
The government must begin a marathon to close the gaps needed to protect the Home Front (MK Amir Peretz, Maariv) In 2014 [3rd Gaza War - OH], the Home Front suffered from about 5,000 rockets and mortars. Cities such as Ashkelon, Ashdod, Be'er Sheva and Sderot might have looked like London after the blitz, but the concept that combines passive protection and active defense and investment in emergency preparedness paid off.