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Front Page:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

News Summary:
An Israeli former prime minister left jail making front page and an Arab Israeli MK entered jail, as did a feminist Palestinian MP, and hundreds of workers are to be laid off with the imminent closure of two factories - making top stories in today’s Hebrew newspapers. Also in the news, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu vetoed a bill that would prevent the division of Jerusalem as part of a peace plan
and Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman warned Hezbollah after IDF brass confirmed a report about an Iranian weapons factory in Lebanon.
 
Former prime minister Ehud Olmert was released after serving 16.5 months of his 27-month sentence for fraud and bribery and went to a shopping mall “to get some air,” Yedioth reported. Hours before his release, he appealed to the President in a bid to remove all parole restrictions. Yedioth believed his request would be approved, allowing him to travel abroad.
 
Meanwhile, former Arab MK Basel Ghattas (Joint List) drove to his first day in prison in a bus filled with his family members and friends. He was sentenced to two years for smuggling cell phones to Palestinian security prisoners, who unlike other prisoners are not allowed to make phone calls. “I am entering prison with my head held high,” he said outside Ketsiot prison. Saturday night hundreds participated in a support and farewell event from Ghattas. Maariv reported that in an interview he gave last week to Haim Etgar on Channel 2's "People" program, Ghattas gave the details about what he did. “I met Assad, he passed envelopes to me, I knew what was inside, it was clear to us. There was one that was translucent and three that I did not put inside the belt of my pants. The metal detector beeped and the prison guard said, ‘It’s your belt, it’s okay.’ That was an ambush. Every other country in the world would have told the parliament member to protect (him) and to prevent the situation (of him being arrested)... I met (the security prisoner) Walid, we talked about politics, and I told him that I had the things on me. My feeling was that it succeeded, but then he left and did not return." Ghattas said in the TV interview that he felt no regret and that he acted out of humanitarian motives. "I tell you that in a historical perspective my actions will be considered proper and meaningful. I decided to be interviewed in order to bring a different point of view…There are Palestinian prisoners who are in prison and suffering and you have to recognize this, even though you see them as terrorists. I represent the public that elected me to the Knesset, but I also see fit to represent the residents of Gaza. The judge asked me to apologize and I refused.” Jewish-Israeli actress Anat Weitzman expressed her support for Ghattas saying he made "the ultimate sacrifice." (Hebrew)

A year after releasing her from jail, Israel re-arrested feminist Palestinian lawmaker Khalida Jarrar in a Sunday pre-dawn raid on her home in Ramallah, raising the number of Palestinian MPs in Israeli jails to 13. The Palestinian leadership was outraged over Jarrar’s arrest. Jarrar, who was initially incarcerated in 2015 for incitement and membership of the leftist faction, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, has become even more active in the group, the army said.

 

Quick Hits:

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Features:

An Orthodox, feminist, cancer survivor is one of Israel’s most intriguing right wing politicians
Habayit Hayehudi parliamentarian Shuli Moalem­–Refaeli makes no apologies for not asking 2.5 million Palestinians what they want. She's ready to annex the whole West Bank, but sees herself as a humanist, feminist and pragmatist. (Ravit Hecht, Haaretz+)
IN PHOTOS: Clad in Crusader-era Clothes, Israelis Reenact Battle of Hattin
Israelis reeact a battle fought on the same day in 1187, when Sultan Salaheddin's army crashed the Crusader forces on his way to Tiberias. (Haaretz)
 
Commentary/Analysis:
American Jews, Can You Spare Some Outrage for Israel's Arab Citizens? (Nasreen Hadad Haj-Yahya, Haaretz+) Now you know what it's like to feel marginalized and unequal in Israel. Arab citizens know that all too well. That's why we must join forces. 
Jewish Americans, don’t threaten us: If you stop donating, we'll manage without you (Kalman Liebeskind, Maariv) There are game rules here, dear brothers, and over the last week some of you threatened to break them. That's your right, of course, but just know that if you decide to end contact or stop donating, we will manage without you. Don’t threaten us and don’t blackmail us. What we don’t allow our citizens to do here, we will not allow those who remain in the Diaspora.
Let's Talk About (Anything But) the Occupation (Don Futterman, Haaretz+) Let’s enjoy our self-delusionary bubble. Let's not talk about the regime of control we Jews have created to keep Palestinians off-balance and in fear. 
How could Mr. America fail to predict crisis with US Jewry? (Sima Kadmon, Yedioth/Ynet) Netanyahu is so afraid of losing his partnership with the Haredim that he prefers fighting with millions of US Jews. This isn’t just an insult to Reform and Conservative Jews, it’s a strategic earthquake. More than half of the US Jewry has lost its motivation to work for Israel. 
Modi Visit: How Israel Went From 'Contaminated' by Colonialism to India's Strategic Ally (Khinvraj Jangid, Haaretz) From David Ben-Gurion onwards, Israeli leaders pursued a long, unrequited love affair with India. Why were they were rebuffed for so long? 
Pushing Gaza to suicide: The politics of humiliation (Ramzy Baroud, Maan) While Israel is invested in maintaining the Palestinian rift, so that it continues with its own illegal settlement policies in the West Bank and Jerusalem unhindered, Palestinians are blinded by pitiful personal interests and worthless "control" over occupied land.
In this political struggle, the likes of Muhammad, the taxi driver and father of four who works 10 hours, earns only $6, and has no teeth because he can't afford dentures, together with two million others -- seem to be of no significance. 
The 'Nuclear Narrative' of the Six-Day War (Avner Cohen, Haaretz+) Only an understanding of the Egyptian viewpoint can reveal to what extent fear of Israel’s nuclear option triggered the 1967 conflict. 
Breaking the silence deserves Israel Prize for manipulation (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) The organization’s director says soldiers’ testimonies of war crimes are not being investigated. But when the Military Advocate General wanted to investigate the few testimonies that do point to a suspected offense, Breaking the Silence demanded protection of sources. 
How Legit Are the Rumors About a Dahlan-Hamas Deal in Gaza? (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) It's not yet clear that Fatah's Mohammed Dahlan will receive special powers in the Hamas-controlled Strip, where the ailing economy and health system are a major challenge for anyone.  
Anyone who expects a renewal of the peace process is like an atheist waiting for the coming of the Messiah (Shlomo Shamir, Maariv) The clear conclusion that emerges from the "50 Years of Occupation" conference held at the UN building in New York is that the chances of a significant breakthrough for reaching an agreement are not slim, they just don’t exist. 
Israel's monumental battle in Jenin’s city square (Amira Hass, Haaretz+) With the army threatening to invade the city, again, Jenin’s mayor agreed to remove a memorial to a local Palestinian fighter.