Quote of the day:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

News Summary:
Today’s big story was the confirmation by Israel that it attacked Syria’s nuclear reactor in 2007 and the details of the operation, whose release for publication by Israel was a ‘future message for all of our enemies,’ said IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot and Israeli analysts. (See Commentary/Analysis below.) Also of interest, Maariv translated to Hebrew and printed the full Op-Ed by Ron Lauder that was published this week in the New York times, in which he describes himself as a right-winger but realizing that for Israel’s security and future it must commit to the two-state solution.

Here are some key articles in English about the 2007 operation against Syria’s nuclear reactor:
No longer a secret: How Israel destroyed Syria's nuclear reactor (Haaretz+, Ynet)
Syria strike revealed The intelligence failure: It took years for Israel to discover Syria's reactor (Haaretz+)
Former IDF chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi: After reactor bombing, I hoped Israel wouldn't wake up to sirens (Ynet)
Former prime minister Ehud Olmert: 2,500 people knew about Syrian reactor strike plan—and nothing was leaked (Ynet)
Former defense minister Ehud Barak's version: Syrian reactor strike plans were insufficient - denies accusations that he pushed for a delay (Ynet)
Two prime ministers' egos battle over the Syrian nuclear reactor strike (Haaretz+)
Pilot who participated in IAF's daring three-minute bombing: Blowing up nuclear reactor, maintaining a poker face (Ynet)
IDF official: 2007 reactor strike a unique intelligence achievement (Israel Hayom)
'The atmosphere was tense': Inside the first briefings about Syria’s secret North Korean nuclear reactor (Haaretz+)
Ten Years of Silence on Syria Strike. Why Now? (Haaretz+ and Israel Hayom)
Waltz with Bashar: Ynet correspondent Ron Ben-Yishai traveled to Syria shortly after the attack and recounts his visit (Ynet)
 

Quick Hits:

---

Features:

Palestinian youth divided over days of rage
While many Palestinian university students interviewed for this story were not in favor of clashing with the IDF, saying their leadership is using them as tools in a political game, others wore their time in Israeli prison as a badge of honor and one even asserted the only answer is to 'stab, shoot or kill Israelis.' (Ynet)
Israeli Arabs, Facing Roadblocks at Local Universities, Flock to West Bank Schools
Skirting Israel's stringent admissions standards, Arabs now outnumber residents of the territories at the first private Palestinian university in Jenin. (Yaser Wakid, Haaretz+)
French graphic novel depicts Theodor Herzl's life
Graphic memoir by French-Jewish and Russian-Jewish duo depicts State Visionary Herzl in his later years, but also during his rough and tumble days as a Viennese student; novel juxtaposes Herzl's story with that of a young Russian boy escaping pogroms in 1882 Russia. (Tamar Shabak, Yedioth/Ynet)
'Why him and not me?' The Orthodox women defying their rabbis and joining the Israeli army - The number of observant women in the military has skyrocketed nearly 170 percent in five years, with the biggest rise seen in combat roles. Four religious women reveal why they’re reporting for duty. (Judy Maltz, Haaretz+)

Commentary/Analysis:
**For Jerusalem police, a Palestinian who doesn't prevent a 34-second stabbing attack is a criminal (Nir Hasson, Haaretz+) To expect someone to intervene and risk being mistaken for the terrorist is a cruel demand, but the police still want bystanders indicted for the latest fatal attack.
"Go to sleep in Benayahu, we may wake up to a Tel Aviv with a completely different skyline" (Avi Benayahu, Maariv) "The Syrians built a nuclear reactor," the head of IDF  operations department told me more than a decade ago. "We're going to attack it. Prepare and don’t share this with anyone.” Avi Benayahu, then the IDF spokesman, reconstructs the tense days.
The real fallout from Israel's 2007 attack on the Syrian reactor (Aluf Benn, Haaretz+) The bombing of the nuclear reactor near the Euphrates River reshaped Israel’s defense policy – and led to the downfall of the Olmert government.
Really "outside the box" (Ronen Bergman, Yedioth) The publication today (of the operation) has a message. When Israel is abandoned alone to face its enemies, it acts determinedly and aggressively.. Like then in 2007, so it is today. The Russians and the Americans refused to intervene against Iran's empowerment in Syria. Israel will not accept this.
Palestinians' New Doomsday Weapon Has Israel Scared to Death (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) The first field trial is next week, the day of Passover. A new weapon against occupation, wielded by Palestinian refugees. And Israel, with its layers of defense against every manner of killing devised by man, is unprepared.
Bombing the Syrian reactor: The difference between it and the attack in Iraq and to who really deserves the credit (Amos Gilboa, Maariv) The comparison between the two attacks shows complete difference. The Mossad received a justified reputation of glory for attacking the reactor in Syria, but the role of Military Intelligence in the operation, to whom which the hat should be taken off, was not given prominence.
Ahed Tamimi's Only Protection Is an Open Trial (Haaretz Editorial) The court rejected the request to hold the Palestinian teen's trial in open court. In this case, secrecy serves those with something to hide.
*With 'Son of a Dog' Remark, Abbas Showed He's Finished With America. And Jerusalem Rejoiced (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) What better gift for Israel in honor of the 51st anniversary of the occupation than Mahmoud Abbas showing there's no longer a Palestinian partner.
Hypocrisy Alert: Trump administration blasts Mahmoud Abbas for using foul language (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) Ambassador Friedman should not be called a 'Son of a Dog' but he embodies U.S.-Israeli efforts to humiliate the Palestinians into submission.
A moral breakdown (Amnon Lord, Israel Hayom)Abbas and the murderers he cultivates do as they please; they are never made to pay a price for their actions. The g overnment must find a way to ensure they do.
Forget 'son of a dog' – Abbas' speech was disconcerting for an entirely different reason (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) The Palestinian president is trapped between a U.S. administration he doesn't trust and the failed reconciliation process with Hamas.
As IDF keeps destroying tunnels, Hamas rebuilds old ones (Yoav Zitun, Yedioth/Ynet) In response to Israel’s new anti-tunnel technologies, the Palestinian organization is now focusing its efforts on putting tunnels that were destroyed during Operation Protective Edge back into operation; According to military estimates, however, Hamas is still digging additional tunnels.
Settling in Jerusalem: A Zionist imperative (Prof. Efraim Inbar, Israel Hayom) As the capital grows increasingly ultra-Orthodox and Arab, a haredi-Arab coalition could threaten the consensus in favor of a united city. Drawing Zionist Jews to the city should be a priority.
Asylum seekers: denied asylum, stuck doing jobs Israelis avoid (Meital R. Fishman, Yedioth/Ynet) They came to Israel from African countries after a long and exhausting journey, filed a request for asylum and now they may find themselves deported. In the meantime, they have to support themselves with grunt work that often exposes them to exploitation.
Netanyahu's narrative will win out (Dr. Eitan Orkibi, Israel Hayom) The narrow narrative suggesting that Netanyahu is criminally obsessed with slanting the media is inconsistent with what many perceive: Netanyahu liberated the  media and made it pluralistic.