Quote of the day:
“After the passage of the nation-state law I couldn’t restrain myself and keep quiet any longer. There isn’t a single word about equality in the law. The right to equality is one of the most important basic rights in every country in the democratic world, and that should have been the case in our country too – but to my regret that didn’t happen.” 
--Former deputy president of Israel's High Court, Salim Joubran, himself an Arab citizen, called the new nation-state law racist and warned it will strengthen existing discrimination against Arab society.*

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Front Page:

Haaretz

Yedioth Ahronoth

Maariv This Week (Hebrew links only)

Israel Hayom

News Summary:
Today’s top story was the expanding protest over the Jewish Nation-State Law and in particular, how the IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot is now forced to deal with the fallout after two Druze officers declared on Facebook that they were leaving their career service. Eisenkot told Druze soldiers to leave politics out of the army and the IDF suspended one of the Druze officers. But as most Israeli commentators noted (see Commentary/Analysis below), that simply isn’t possible. Maariv’s military analyst, Tal Lev-Ram, reported that the army estimates that despite the protest, a wave of resignations by Druze officers is not expected, but that if the current crisis continues, the potential future damage increases.

Maariv reported that 200 people demonstrated against the law in Haifa last night and Yedioth reported that former heads of the security establishment will participate in a rally against the law this Saturday night. They include former chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi, former Mossad chief Tamir Pardo and former Shin Bet heads Yuval Diskin and Ami Ayalon. Maariv reported that a majority of Israelis support adding a clause about equality in the law, according to a poll by Tel-Aviv University and the Israel Democracy Institute. Still 52% of Jewish Israelis believe the law needed to be legislated and 47% thought it shouldn't have been.

Nation-State Law Quickees:

Quick Hits:

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Features:

Israel is under massive Chinese, Russian cyber espionage attack
A look at one of the most secretive units of the Israeli intelligence community— the Shin Bet’s counter-espionage division, which was responsible for the arrest of former minister Gonen Segev—one of many cases of Tehran's infiltration attempts. However, it turns out that the Iranians are actually the least of Israel's problems. (Ronen Bergman, Yedioth/Ynet)
 
Commentary/Analysis:
Israeli Arab Poet’s Arrest Proves Israel Has Separate Laws for Arabs and Jews(Mordechai Kremnitzer, Haaretz+) The prison sentence of Dareen Tatour exemplifies that what rabbis in Israel may do, an Arab poet may not. Her sentence could very well turn her from an unknown writer to a national hero.
I Used to Love the Jewish Religion. Now I Fear It (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) The storms of controversy stirred by the discriminatory surrogacy law are a stark reminder of the advances made by the religious-nationalist alliance.
A right to self-determination, not racism (Dror Eydar, Israel Hayom) Those who oppose the nation-state law, which in no way harms Israel's minorities, have yet to present any concrete argument against it. Invective and tears, however, are plentiful.
Druze Nation-state Crisis: Israeli Army Chief Forced to Put Out Fire Netanyahu Started (Amos Harel, Haaretz+) Whether the IDF takes disciplinary steps against the Druze officers who are resigning, it must be attentive to the community, and safeguard against any crisis that develops among its soldiers.
Just like in the case of Elor Azaria, the chief of staff was forced to calm down the Druze revolt with his own hands (Yossi Melman, Maariv) Since the establishment of the State, the security and political establishments speak in high talk about a "blood pact" and the “brotherhood of fighters.” But it is not certain that Eisenkot's attempt to clean up the area after the frenzy of cynical and irresponsible politicians will stop the storm. Perhaps the Chief of Staff's effort is similar to that of the child from the Dutch story, who put his finger in the bursting dam.
The most anti-Israeli law (Nahum Barnea, Yedioth/Ynet) The Nationality Law only serves to erode the Israeliness that should be being promoted in Israeli society. It is morally, historically and practically bankrupt and it shows complete disregard for our Druze brothers who carry Israeli ID cards and who serve loyally when called upon to defend the nation. There is nothing Israeli about the law.
Dear Bibi: Israel's in Far Worse Danger Than You Ever Thought (Bradley Burston, Haaretz+) Somewhere inside, you know the nation-state law is the single most devastating mistake you've ever made. It's all coming out now. What you're made of. What this country is made of. You are what you hide.
What’s the fuss about: The Nation-State law is not supposed to discuss equality at all (Dr. Chaim Frankel, Maariv) The sacred value that everyone is talking about has received legal anchoring from the Declaration of Independence, but it does not appear in any law in Israel's law, even in "human dignity and liberty." The Druze citizens will always receive full equality.
Nation-state Law’s Present Absentees (Oren Yiftachel, Haaretz+) The law’s absolute silence about the land’s Palestinian residents – not only Arab citizens of the state, but also millions of Palestinians subject to Israeli rule who don’t have citizenship – is deafening.
Find an answer and do it quick: It is painful to see the harm the Druze feel from the Nation-State law (Meir Uziel, Maariv) There is no doubt that the attitude of the Jews in Israel to the Druze is of genuine love and unity. The Nation-State law did not intend to harm this relationship, but there is nothing to be done against the feelings of those officers…What are we going to do now so that the Druze, the Circassians, the Muslims serving in the IDF and the Arabs who live in symbiosis with us in hospitals, pharmacies and dozens of other sectors of life, which together build the strong Israeli body, won’t feel hurt? We need to find an answer to this quickly.
Arens, you're wrong about the law (Martin Sherman, Israel Hayom) Even some right-wing figures have joined the baseless objection to the nation-state law. It would be better for them to devote their energies to repairing the schism that opponents of the law have caused.
In Israeli Court, the Poet Was Neutralized, So to Speak (Haaretz Editorial) In her despair, poet Dareen Tatour revealed a painful truth: If you’re a Palestinian, you have no reason to expect justice from the Israeli judicial system, even if you’re an Israeli citizen.
The message Saudi Arabia sent to Trump is a death blow to the peace plan (Shlomo Shamir, Maariv) This is no longer just Abu Mazen's obstinate refusal and not about the disconnected Palestinian leadership. The one who undermines and actually eliminates the hope of realizing Trump's dream of the "ultimate deal" is Saudi Arabia - a major Arab state - which Trump is proud and boasts of its friendship.
Equality: Already enshrined in law (Prof. Abraham Diskin, Israel Hayom) The principle of equality has been enshrined in the country's basic laws since its inception. The demand to add an equality clause to the nation-state law is intentional, unadulterated hypocrisy.
Iran Rejects Trump's Extended Hand, but Leaves Room for Future Talks (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Instead of Iran knocking on Washington's doors to talk about the nuclear deal and sanctions, it seems the U.S. is the one courting Tehran.
After Roy Moore takedown, Sacha Baron Cohen's Col. Erran Morad is officially the funniest Israeli ever (Adrian Hennigan, Haaretz+) He may be an 'anti-terror expert,' but the 'Who is America?' character's greatest gift is disarming Trump supporters and GOP politicians.