Quote of the day:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

News Summary:
In what the Hebrew newspapers called an “unprecedented accusation,” the White House strongly denied as ‘false' Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's declaration yesterday that he was in talks with the US about annexing West Bank settlements, while two Israeli soldiers were lightly wounded by a Palestinian mob, then rescued by Palestinian police, (Israeli security establishment said that ‘security coordination with the Palestinians prevented a disaster in Jenin,’ but the Palestinian security services preferred not to take credit, for fear they would be perceived as traitors) and esteemed left-wing author,
David Grossman, received the Israel Prize for literature - something he considered not a small thing in this period. Also in the news, the police are expected to submit their recommendations on whether to indict Netanyahu for corruption as early as today and at latest on Thursday, after the High Court summarily rejected a petition by a right-wing activist to block police from publishing its conclusions. Meanwhile, Jewish tycoon and Netanyahu-supporter, Sheldon Adelson, declined to express public support for Netanyahu in regards to the corruption investigations.  (Also Maariv)

And President Reuven Rivlin made some interesting statements in an interview he gave to journalist Amit Segal yesterday:
A smiling Rivlin hints he believes Netanyahu should resign if indicted
"I only know I have heard a lot of things. I have an opinion of my own, and I will say it in three and a half years. I just want to say that I have heard a lot of people in other affairs, which happened I don’t remember when, and they said it much better and made an impact," Rivlin said, implicitly referring to Netanyahu's comments against former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert when the latter was indicted. (Ynet)
President Rivlin: Against Annexation of the West Bank to Israel
“In my opinion, the only solution is an iron wall. I believe wholeheartedly that the right wing is democratic before all else. It’s clear to everyone invested in the situation that if we annex the entire country, the Arabs living in the West Bank will need to receive full Israeli rights and citizenship.”
Rivlin: “I believe in the Greater Land. The price - Palestinian civil rights”
Said that the application of Israeli law in Judea and Samaria has serious consequences. (Maariv)
Rivlin: "I haven’t changed my opinions and I make sure to repeat it again and again," Rivlin added. "We are becoming people who only believe in their own faith and aren't even aware of the other side's fate. (Ynet)
“I was always on the right side. Not Right against Left, but right against wrong.”  (JPost)
Rivlin says Netanyahu is not his friend
“I’ve met with a few friends,” said Rivlin. “But did you meet with Netanyahu?” asked Amit Segal. “I told you, I met with friends, and he’s not a friend,” replied Rivlin. (JPost)
 

Quick Hits:

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Features:

Israeli artist’s struggles with 'Mein Kampf' provide dark inspiration
Gideon Rubin couldn’t believe it when his wife presented him with a copy of Hitler’s autobiography to help him on his latest work. It’s now the ‘black heart’ at the center of his new exhibition in London. (Daniella Peled, Haaretz+)
What was the chef of the Elysee Palace doing in Israel?
Chef Guillaume Gomez commands 28 chefs who manage everything from the daily meals of President Macron to major state occasions. Last week he came to Israel to share his secrets. (Noga Tarnopolsky, Haaretz)
 
Commentary/Analysis:
Unlike Ramallah in 2000, the Palestinian security forces prevented a lynching in Jenin (Yossi Melman, Maariv) Despite the absence of a political horizon, the conduct of the Palestinian security forces proves once again how much cooperation with Israel is essential to maintaining peace and preventing deterioration.
Israel Looks at Gaza Like a Fatal Car Accident in Slow-motion (Assaf Orion, Haaretz) The risks of changing Israel's Gaza policies should be weighed against the risk of a total sanitation, water or environmental disaster.
After years of work, most of the nation supports annexation - and the prime minister knows it ((settler) Karni Eldad, Maariv) Until a few years ago, the idea of imposing sovereignty in Judea and Samaria was considered delusional, and it echoed only in the minds of a few individuals. These people believed so strongly in the idea that the fact that only they thought so did not deter them. After years of work, and the harnessing of another MK and another minister, deep convincing and sowing the seeds of the idea in their hearts, today the statistics have been reversed, and most of the people support annexation, and the prime minister knows this…Netanyahu's statement on the subject, which speaks about it openly and confidently, almost casually, is no less than a miracle.
Netanyahu tried to signal to his base - and got a cold shower from Trump (Yanir Kozin, Maariv) The first confrontation between the administrations has proved to the prime minister in Washington that they are not prepared to tolerate any thing, and the conspiracy fans already say that the entire process was staged and coordinated.
**Netanyahu knows that the siege is getting tighter, but this time it was one lie too much (Ben Caspit, Maariv) It is not clear what passed through the mind of the Prime Minister when he said his statements about the annexation of the settlements - which led to an exceptional denial by the White House. Did he hope that the Americans would wipe the spit from their faces and move on?…Binyamin Netanyahu's ability to maneuver his rivals/partners to death has long been legendary. He exhausted the former president, Barack Obama, over eight long years and made life miserable for him. Also also made Bill Clinton crazy in his first term, until the President could no longer hear his name. Netanyahu uses this ability to promise everyone at the same time contradictory promises, to spread white lies in every direction, to go without and feel without, or vice versa, in order to advance his political goals. What are his political goals? Well, it's basically one political goal: to stay in power…Netanyahu will have to try something else. And while he's licking his wounds, the High Court of Justice rejected outright the petition of attorney Yossi Fuchs (Netanyahu: "I don’t know, I’m not familiar with, I haven’t heard, the petition is not my opinion or with my knowledge") against the publication of the police recommendations. In the coming days, the liar's certificate issued by the White House yesterday to the prime minister of Israel will be his last concern.
We are in a political position to establish facts in Judea and Samaria, but Netanyahu is dragging his feet (Prof. Arieh Eldad, Maariv) For many years, Israel has been waiting for a comfortable political climate in the United States, like what is now happening, to establish facts in the heart of our country. But it is precisely at this political moment that Netanyahu is dragging his feet.
Netanyahu and Trump, 'illegals' and 'infiltrators' don't threaten us. Ethno-nationalists like you do (David Rothkopf, Haaretz+) From Moscow, Ankara and Warsaw to D.C. and New Delhi, nationalist leaders are pitting their base against their neighbors. For Israel, in particular, choosing to scapegoat minorities is beyond ironic.
Stop the hypocrisy: There’s foreign funding in the Right too (Mickey Gitzin, Yedioth/Ynet) Despite receiving massive funding from the United States, the Right keeps complaining about a ‘foreign influence’ in the Left, personally attacking left-wing activists and advancing legislation limiting the activity of civil society organizations.
Israel’s Left Can’t Win When the Shooting With Iran Starts (Nehemia Shtrasler, Haaretz+) The left is so afraid of being accused of treason that it doesn’t even try to argue that there’s a link between the never-ending conflict with the Palestinians and Iran’s and Hezbollah’s desire to destroy us.
As Syria and Iran threaten Israel, America signals its ally is on its own (Daniel B. Shapiro, Haaretz) Rex Tillerson’s Middle East tour includes Amman, Ankara, Cairo, Kuwait City, and Beirut, but not Jerusalem. That made little sense before the Iranian incursion yesterday: It would be malpractice now. He needs to come to Israel.
Iran's opening shot (Prof. Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) In the past, Iran used its emissaries in the region to attack Israel. But the Iranians have now decided to act on their own and test Israel and its red lines.
After Years of Covert Proxy Wars, Iran Shifts to Direct Contact With Israel(Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz) Israel and Iran have essentially been at war since the early 1980s through proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas, but at no point has there been a direct military confrontation between the two.
With Russia's help, Arab states speeding up nuclear arms race (Itamar Eichner, Yedioth/Ynet) Using Russian knowledge and technology, more and more countries in the Middle East and North Africa are building nuclear power plants, and not just for civilian purposes; according to Dr. Shaul Shay of IDC Herzliya, this is also the Sunni Arab world's way of dealing with the Iranian nuclear program.
Investing in religious pluralism in Israel (Yizhar Hess, Yedioth/Ynet) Imagine what would've happened had the Conservative Movement, which donated billions of dollars to Israel over the years, decided to instead invest its money in promoting an alternative to the existing religious establishment in Israel.
Movie Theater of the Absurd: Regev's Boycott of 'Foxtrot' Snubs Israeli Culture(Haaretz Editorial) Culture Minister Miri Regev is often at war with cultural institutions, but boycotting the Israeli Film Festival in Paris over 'Foxtrot' is simply absurd.