"(Hamas wants to be) “a state like any other state (and) to be a people like any other people.”
--Former Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen said that it is not a confrontation with Israel that Hamas seeks, but a country.

---

You Must Be Kidding: 
Science Minister Ofir Akunis barred students of the Bezalel Academy of Arts from exhibiting their works at an international science conference this month because some of the academy's Arab students mounted an artistic expression of protest against the killing of Palestinian protesters by Israeli forces on the Gaza border.

"The amount of people hit did us an immense wrong. It was a difficult story to tell."
—Senior IDF Spokesperson's Unit officer Lt.-Col. Jonathan Conricus admitted Israel's failings in it's PR campaign over the Gaza border protests.*

---

You Must Be Kidding: 
"The amount of people hit did us an immense wrong. It was a difficult story to tell."
—Senior IDF Spokesperson's Unit officer Lt.-Col. Jonathan Conricus said that the number of people Israeli soldiers injured and killed did Israel a 'wrong.'*

"The day before yesterday there were 60 Gazans who stormed the fence knowing that they were committing suicide. It appears that we want the next time to be 600."
--Senior Maariv political commentator, Ben Caspit, slams the government for not solving the problems of desperate and destitute Gazans.*

---

You Must Be Kidding: 
The person who invited the Evangelical pastor, who said all Jews will go to hell, to speak at the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem, was the religious Jewish US Ambassador David Friedman, who hosted the ceremony**

"We pretended that we are a normal country. We got carried away with the delight of our leaders, that everything is fine. Hey, we defeated Iran in Syria, we were hosted like kings in Russia, we received recognition like we never had before from the US and even we conquered Europe with our Netta."
--In an insightful commentary, senior Yedioth commentator, Sima Kadmon, looks at the 'split screen' in which Israel celebrated the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem and the winning of the Eurovision contest, while its soldiers killed 60 Palestinian protesters at the Gaza border demonstration.*

"The (Israeli) political echelon's fear of reaching a decision that will give some sort of a horizon to the population in Gaza makes Israel a partner in what is happening. It is impossible to let Gaza die and to come with complaints that it is doing so on our doorstep."
--Top Yedioth political commentator, Nahum Barnea, today.*

---

You Must Be Kidding: 
Infamous Beitar Jerusalem soccer club, known for its racist fan club and for never hiring an Arab player, added 'Trump' to its official name.**

30.
Only 30 out of the total 86 foreign ambassadors serving in Israel have accepted the Foreign Ministry’s invitation to the reception marking the U.S. embassy’s move to Jerusalem.

"Whoever deludes himself now into thinking that starving the Iranian people will cause the Ayatollahs to give up the bomb did not learn a thing from the lesson of N. Korea."
—Former MK Haim Ramon writes that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s gamble might boomerang.*

---

You Must Be Kidding: 
“The President isn’t a man, he isn’t a human.”
--Associates of Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev said after President Reuven Rivlin refused to let her sing the national anthem on the field ahead of the Israeli soccer final cup game.*

"There is a triple gamble here: Netanyahu is counting on the Khameini's caution, Trump's reliability and Putin's generosity, three traits that have not been found among them to date. We need to pray that it will succeed, for him and for us."
--Senior Yedioth political analyst, Nahum Barnea, examines the possible outcomes of US President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.*

"Israel cannot rely on the apathy of Arab states such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan, or emulate the policy embraced by Egypt, to justify its conduct in Gaza. The problem is on Israel’s border and the unrest will continue as long as there is no significant improvement."
--Haaretz Editorial today calls on Israel to manage the crisis in Gaza together with Hamas.*

---

You Must Be Kidding: 
More than one-third of the mobile homes the World Zionist Organization rents out are in the West Bank and many are in areas not legally authorized for buildings, according to information obtained by Peace Now.**

"Although there have always been objections to the work of the Justice Ministry, lately our work of safeguarding the public welfare and advancing human rights is perceived among growing audiences—including the Knesset and the government—as illegitimate."
—Deputy Attorney General Avi Licht said the day that the Ministerial Committee for Legislation approved the override power legislation, which would allow the Knesset to pass laws already struck down by the High Court of Justice with a simple majority of 61 MKs.*

---

Quote of the Day #2:
“I am accepting the prize in support of people who resist the system. I didn’t see what would be served by turning it down. As a political statement, it is stronger if I take the prize and give it away.”
-- Scientist and feminist thinker, Prof. Evelyn Fox Keller, one of nine people who received the prestigious Dan David Prize at Tel Aviv University Sunday night, announced she will give the money to Israeli human rights organizations.**