Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

News Summary:
The nurses’ strike ended, a woman became the first female to command an Israeli Air Force air squadron, the High Court ruled that the Israeli government has three monthsto implement ultra-Orthodox conscription or go to early elections making the top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers.

In Gaza, Hamas said that there was a misunderstanding, which led to Israel shelling a Hamas military site Tuesday and killing two young Hamas fighters. Hamas said the Israelis thought the Hamas fighters were shooting at them, but they weren’t, they were shooting as part of a military exercise showcasing the fighting capabilities of Hamas’ naval commando unit, Ynet, Maan and Haaretz+ reported. People in Gaza called for retaliation against Israel. The incident came just as Hamas was concluding talks on the long-term ceasefire agreement with Israel. Haaretz+ reported that the negotiations would continue in Gaza despite the escalation.
 

Quick Hits:

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Features:
How a report on Israel's 'right-wing bot network' taught me a lesson on the bot world
This story was originally titled- 'An Israeli investigator revealed a right-wing bot network, and it may be the tip of the iceberg.' But in the meantime an alternative explanation emerged, suggesting that the network may be international. What's the answer? (Oded Yaron, Haaretz+)
Israel is using an online blacklist against pro-Palestinian activists. But nobody knows who compiled it
Israeli border officials are using a shadowy online dossier as an intelligence source on thousands of students and academics. (Haaretz)
 
Commentary/Analysis:
Israel's nation-state law has redefined the self-hating Jew (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) The law has given fresh ammunition to Orthodox officials who question the Jewishness – and thus, by extension, the citizenship and other rights – of nearly one of every six Israeli Jews, a million in all.
Change now: It is necessary to say “that’s enough“ and demand that the Nation-State Law be amended immediately (Galia Wolloch, Maariv) I call on the prime minister - show leadership, and now. Stop the daily deterioration and harm to another sector of Israeli society. It is also permissible to say "I was wrong" and to correct - not only is this not shameful, it is also magnanimity.
The Shin Bet State Is Here (Haaretz Editorial) This is not an isolated instance or a mistake, rather it is a ramping up of the political persecution of opponents of the occupation within Israel.
With the elections soon, the government can not allow the exchange of prisoners (Ran Edelist, Maariv) The families of the fallen soldiers are interfering with Netanyahu's arrival at a temporary arrangement, threatening his mandates, so is it any wonder that he is losing his temper?…The IDF believes that an arrangement with Hamas on the ground will prevent war, and that it precedes negotiations over fallen soldiers, POWs and prisoners, which can be solved during a period of calm. Netanyahu, with stupidity and unbelievable negligence, conducted negotiations with Hamas through the Americans, the Qataris, the UN and others, without taking into account the effect of the Habayit Hayehudi party ahead of the elections.The result: The Goldin family defeated the IDF. The family, in the silent tailwind spirit of Habayit Hayehudi, does not demand that the government carry out the exchange as demanded by Hamas, just as it happened in the story of Gilad Shalit. On the face of it, it is not clear why the government makes noises as if it is going towards an arrangement now. After all, Hamas presented the same demands following Operation Protective Edge. The truth is that the government intended then, as it does today, to conduct a war of attrition because it cannot decide on a war of victory. And now, when the government has presented itself with the issue of the prisoner exchange, go ahead and allow this entanglement when elections are at the door. (Habayit Hayehudi Chairman Naftali) Bennett threatens to devour stray Knesset seats, but in practice Hamas will determine the nature of the elections in Israel if it leads us to a war in which we win, that is, we will lose. Elections. That is why Netanyahu and Co. in the cabinet want a temporary arrangement, that is, quiet that will enable them to form the right-wing camp around a quiet winter and a blossoming spring in the Gaza vicinity. The families of the fallen soldiers are interfering with Netanyahu's arrival at a temporary arrangement, threatening his mandates, so is it any wonder that he is losing his temper? The concluding summary of the cabinet meeting, by the way, was "The IDF is ready for any scenario." That’s not true. Not only is the IDF not ready for any scenario, it is worried to death (the deaths of soldiers and civilians because of intra-coalition politics) about the developments on the battlefield in the Gaza Strip. After investing billions in identifying tunnels and building a wall, including pier to stop terrorist from the sea, it turns out that operating a sniper with the right tool and camouflage capability is the real threat. This is not a very complicated task, and it poses a real threat to anyone who walks around the fence. Not to mention the threat of the drones, and in the background the greatest threat of all: the world's recognition of Hamas. The Americans are talking to Hamas, the UN is talking, and God forbid, Abu Mazen will also talk, but not Israel. We will always have a jihad that threatens our existence, and of course the Iranians.
Not disengaged - The Gaza favella (Aviad Kleinberg, Yedioth) Until a (long-term ceasefire) arrangement is reached, Gaza is part of the State of Israel. And since the State of Israel does not allow anyone else to do so, it is Israel's obligation to allow the residents a reasonable life, like the lives of all human beings.
Nation-State vs. Startup Nation: Who will prevail? (David Rosenberg, Haaretz+) The vacuous new law won’t do anything to alter the fact that Israeli Arabs are entering mainstream society.
Netanyahu must adopt the policy proposed by the Goldin family (Kalman Liebeskind, Maariv) The only logical possibility is a determined struggle for the return of Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul’s bodies with new rules of the game. Holding IDF soldiers, whether alive or dead, has no benefit. Only a price.
Results are in: The nation-state law is self-defeating and anti-Zionist (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) This is where Netanyahu would have us live: Not in the state of the Jews, but in the state of their delusions.
From revolution to revolution (Nadav Eyal, Yedioth/Ynet) As the noose tightens around Iran's economy and unrest spreads in its cities, Iranian hardliners may have the most to gain; Humiliating summit with Trump unlikely, unless Putin steps in.
Intro to Racist Legislation (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) All the new nation-state law does is provide a stamp of approval to the customary practice of removing Arabs from places of Jewish habitation and the creation of 'Arab-rein' spaces.
Those who block roads are not demonstrators, but rather robbers and extortionists (Avishai Greenzweig, Maariv) Slowly and without realizing it, Israel became the state of all its demonstrators and road blockers. Every day another group decides to block a road. The time has come to bring the lawbreakers to justice.
IfNotNow Hijacked Our Birthright Trip (Sara Lodgen and Ben Fields, Haaretz+) Our trip was shattered by premeditated walk-out in which we, unwillingly, became part of the media spectacle that their activists had sought from the start. This is our side of the story.
Legislating equality with Basic Laws (Gideon Allon, Israel Hayom) Those who lament that the new nation-state law lacks guarantees for minority rights are the very people and parties that voted for Israel's other Basic Laws, which lack any mention of equality
We Jews Must Resist Assimilating Into the Whiteness Pushed by Trump and Netanyahu (Michael Rothbaum, Haaretz+) Just because white Jews are ethnically white doesn’t mean we, as individuals or as a state, should be ethically white. Adopting Trump and Netanyahu's ethnic superiority and nationalism means sacrificing core Jewish values.
When Palestinian blood isn't equal (Dr. Edy Cohen, Israel Hayom) When Palestinians are slaughtered in Syria, the Arab world responds with deafening silence. When Israel or the Jews can't be blamed for killing Arabs, it's not interesting or useful.
Iran's economy isn't ready for sanctions' impact, but Tehran won't fold over nuclear issue (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) U.S. sanctions won't necessarily change Iran's stance, and protests over staggering inflation still aren't threatening the regime. Nonetheless, there's a chance for a new negotiation.