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Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has much reason to be concerned: For the first time, a senior Trump administration official said the US may not move its embassy in order not to harm chances for a peace agreement, Israel’s new broadcasting corporation begins broadcasting news and general programming tonight, after the High Court issued a temporary injunction against the deal that Netanyahu – who feared negative news coverage - made to separate them, and ultra-Orthodox lawmakers opposed the legislation of Israel's controversial 'nation-state' bill, which Netanyahu demanded be sped-up, making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers – along with the disturbing incitement ‘burial ceremony’ that Maccabi Tel-Aviv soccer fans held for Hapoel Tel-Aviv, the latter which dropped leagues for the first time in 27 years.
 
In a televised interview, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson publicly admitted that the impact of moving the US embassy to Jerusalem is being weighed as part of the larger effort to reach an Israeli-Palestinian agreement, to which Netanyahu and the naysayers were quick to respond: Netanyahu said the embassy move would advance peace by ‘shattering Palestinian fantasy.’ Habayit Hayehudi leader, Minister Naftali Bennett, urged Netanyahu “to make it clear to the US that we expect the transfer of the embassy” and that Netanyahu must abandon the ‘Bar-Ilan speech’ in which he said he supported a Palestinian state. And Sheldon Adelson was reportedly furious at Trump, after donating tens of millions to his campaign.
  
Interestingly, Tillerson referred to ‘Palestine’ in his interview on Meet the Press, in which he spoke about the need to weigh the move of the embassy with the consequences on peace-making. He wasn’t alone: Trump’s social media director detailed on Facebook a list of locations and dignitaries Trump was scheduled to meet with on his trip later this month, including: "Palestine: President Abbas." The post was later edited to say "Palestinian Territories."
 

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Features:
Security cameras and a tennis game: new details about the assassination of a senior Hamas figure
News of the capture of the man who assassinated Mazen Fuqha continues to stir up the social networks, and gradually, the picture surrounding the murder that caused the organization a severe shake-up is becoming clearer. According to a source of the ‘Arab 21’ news website, Ashraf Abu Laila was recruited only a few months ago by Israeli intelligence. "One of the agents recruited for the purpose of monitoring Fukha and renting an office opposite the building where Fukha lived led to the arrest of the murderer," the source stressed. "The agent found out that he had received a call from Israel's intelligence officers, apparently by a UAV, in which he was asked to leave the area a few minutes before the assassination. However, the agent was able to identify anyone who operated across from the building in which Fukha lived, including the assassin himself, Abu Laila, who appeared to be leaving the apartment building during the assassination. This testimony was consistent with what the security cameras picked up." (Yasir Ukbi, Maariv) 
Something Is Rotten in the Israeli Pavilion of the Venice Biennale and It's Entirely Intentional
The heart of Gal Weinstein’s work is a topographical map of the Jezreel Valley, in moldy coffee grounds. In an interview, he links the biblical Joshua to the state’s relationship with time. (Shany Littman, Haaretz+)
A lone soldier's journey from Iran to top-secret IDF unit
Cpl. Y. left relatives behind in Iran; unlike other lone soldiers, he has not seen them since moving to Israel and probably never will again • "I knew it was a one-way trip. Close family members knew what my intention was and were very opposed," he says. (Israel Hayom)
 
Commentary/Analysis:
Weak-kneed on Mount Scopus (Haaretz Editorial) At the Hebrew University, in the spirit of the times, it is enough to send a letter of protest or post on Facebook to make events discussing the occupation disappear. 
Palestinians Shift Strategy, Playing National Security Card With Trump (Jack Khoury, Haaretz+) Officials are pushing the indispensability of Palestinian Authority and suggesting that if the two-state solution disappears, consequences for the region would be grave.
Why a ‘nationality law’ is unnecessary (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) There is a broad agreement among Zionist parties about Israel’s definition as a Jewish state; when controversial clauses are added, strife becomes inevitable. 
Why Israel's nation-state bill is not worse than useless, it’s harmful (Moshe Arens, Haaretz+) It's a step in the wrong direction for every community involved. 
The nationality law will not only harm the Arab citizens (Dr. Revital Amiran, Maariv) The bill makes two changes to the Declaration of Independence: it makes the Arabic language a special language, rather than an official one, and it allows for separate settlement for each community that chooses to live separately. These are two innovations that stand in stark contrast to the Declaration of the Independence, according to which the State of Israel will maintain complete social and political equality for all its citizens, regardless of religion, race or gender. If the nationality law is accepted, the harm to the honor of the Arabic language will be a spit in the faces of 20% of the general population of the State of Israel and 50% of its Jewish residents, for whom Arabic is their mother tongue. In addition, the strong groups of Israeli society will be encouraged to establish separate settlements while turning their back on its weakened groups. 
Needed in Israel: An Arab-Jewish Front to Combat Annexation (Daniel Blatman, Haaretz+) Without cooperation between Meretz, a virtually all-Jewish party, and Joint List, which is virtually all Arab, a solution to end the occupation and block annexation will be impossible to promote effectively. 
Just an Israeli Force That Burst Into Seven Homes (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) This column is being written in protest against the high threshold that routine Israeli violence must reach for something to be written about it 
Ron Dermer is simply in the wrong place (Shlomo Shamir, Maariv) It is easier and more convenient for the Israeli ambassador in Washington to destroy the trust between former President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu than to build and cement trust between President Trump and Netanyahu. 
Waking from the Trumpian dream of Israel’s right wing (Carolina Landsmann, Haaretz+) Yet another lesson that teaches: Be careful what you wish for. 
Trump will not hesitate to blame Netanyahu (Shlomo Shamir, Maariv) In light of the euphoria that seems to be prevailing in our country ahead of the US president's visit, we must warn: it will probably produce friendly statements but zero results in promoting a political solution to the conflict. Moreover, Trump does not like failures. If he finds out in the coming months, just as his predecessors in the White House did, that instead of getting peace he gets frustrated, he will not hesitate for a second to blame Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He will probably do it in his well-known brutal style. 
Will Trump and Netanyahu Continue to Misread Iran? (Trita Parsi, Haaretz+) Iran will top the Trump-Netanyahu agenda in Israel. But it was Netanyahu's arrogance and ineptitude that midwifed the unlikely U.S.-Iran nuclear compromise.
Iranian expansion in Middle East is coming to an end (Prof. Nimrod Hurvitz, Prof. Dror Ze’evi, Ynet) Tehran’s hopes of becoming a regional power has raised a lot of concern in Israel in recent years. But despite its huge investment and alleged achievements in the region, the Islamic Republic has failed in creating a new Middle Eastern order which would serve its interests and has been losing fighters and influence.
Trump Visits the Pope: Cooling the 'Holy War' Between the Vatican and the White House (Ariel David, Haaretz) The Pope has called Trump's policies 'not Christian'; Trump called the Pope 'disgraceful'. But will Trump’s new rhetoric on Muslims and the Middle East bring reconciliation with Francis, but tension with Netanyahu?
Israel as a regional, maritime superpower? (Rear Adm. (Ret.) Oded Gour Lavie, Yedioth/Ynet) From its ancient roots in overland commerce, to the modern day opportunity to become a hub for global maritime trade, the time, circumstances and naval tech are ripe for Israel to implement its own grand maritime strategy. 
Let FIFA Bring Peace (Assaf Gavron, Haaretz+) The powerful and impartial world soccer association might be just the right body to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Too bad its president balked. 

WJC president must not promote Abbas (Isi Leibler, Israel Hayom) Ron Lauder has breached a cardinal rule: Diaspora Jewish leaders must not lobby foreign governments to intervene in Israeli security policies.
Barghouti Betrayed the People Who Trusted Him (Iris Leal, Haaretz+) The last thing the glorious history of political hunger striking needs is this video clip of the Palestinian leader sneaking a candy bar in jail