"The difference between a freedom fighter and a terrorist depends on your perspective."
--Veteran peace activist and journalist, Uri Avnery, died today at age 94.

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You Must Be Kidding: 
“Don’t come. I’m asking you – don’t show up. We’ve been doing great without you. We don’t need you here. If you come, I’m going to get up and leave...There’s no chance I’d ever interview them. I wouldn’t give them the honor. I’d go."
--Eyal Berkovic, a legendary Israeli soccer player and present-day TV host, declared on his show that Arab members of Knesset are spies and terrorists.**

Supreme Court’s Resentencing a Small Step in Right Direction (Mordechai Kremnitzer, Haaretz+) Doubling of border policeman’s sentence for killing Palestinian protester was eminently reasonable.
The Supreme Court harshened the punishment of the soldier who shot a Palestinian boy, and proved its integrity (Yossi Melman, Maariv) Contrary to the image that the Israeli right is trying to give it, the Supreme Court has honest people, whether they are labeled left or right, whether they wear skullcaps and are settlers.
Israel Needs a New Jewish-Arab Party (Iris Leal, Haaretz+) When Hadash joined Joint List, many voters were left 'politically homeless.' And Meretz, which has just one Arab MK and whose head is willing to join a coalition with Lieberman, isn't the answer.
Things could turn around on him: The prime minister is playing with fire, and it’s not against Hamas (Dr. Revital Amiran, Maariv) The New Israel Fund is a Zionist organization that helps and enriches public discourse. It is legitimate to criticize it, but when it comes from the senior figures in the country, a dangerous line was crossed.
What do the three players stand to gain from the Gaza ceasefire deal? (Giora Eiland, Yedioth/Ynet) A wide-scale ceasefire arrangement between Israel and Hamas is the best option of all the alternatives Israel has to consider; All three players involved in the potential deal have something to gain in this scenario; For Israel—quiet on the border, Egypt will get the isolation of ISIS in the Sinai, while Hamas will get a form of legitimacy and a promise of economic aid.
Hamas Is Desperate for a Deal With Israel. Here’s Proof (Muhammad Shehada, Haaretz+) A Hebrew message Hamas sent Israelis wasn’t exactly a threat. It was a plea for a cease-fire before Gaza descends into chaos.
On the 25th anniversary of the Oslo Accords (Prof. Eyal Zisser, Israel Hayom) As a result of the "interim" Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority and the Hamas regime in Gaza have become faits accomplis and bones in Israel's throat that it can neither throw up nor swallow.
Seven strengths that could make Netanyahu in the next elections – and seven weaknesses that could break him (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) He's been around for so long, Israelis can no longer imagine life without him.
13 years since the disengagement (withdrawal of Israeli civilians and soldiers) from the Gaza Strip): Nothing will erase the stain that is stuck to everyone who was involved. (Chaim Misgav, Maariv) I was close to the events. I represented some of the protesters against the evacuation, and I witnessed what seemed to me to be a criminalization of the judicial system. (Then foreign minister) Tzipi Livni did not lift a finger. (Then chief justice) Aharon Barak clucked in his tongue.
This year's mayoral race in Jerusalem is all about the religious Zionists (Nir Hasson, Haaretz+) In past elections, the ultra-Orthodox held sway; this time, secular and religious — but not Haredi — voters are getting behind candidates from the knitted-kippa crowd
Recognize Israeli sovereignty on the Golan (Sarah N. Stern, Israel Hayom) As long as the Golan is considered occupied territory, the illusion that it might someday be captured is perpetuated. The simplest way to put an end to this illusion and to Iran's voracious appetite is for the U.S. to recognize Israeli sovereignty there.
Naftali Bennett's Gaza Warmongering (Haaretz Editorial) Bennett's bluster is no substitute for the worthy efforts the government is making to achieve calm, and Netanyahu ought to say so.
This is how Hamas managed to confuse us, while its sole purpose was to return to Israel (Meir Uziel, Maariv) The great achievement of the regime in Gaza is the distress the Israeli citizen feels in light of the humanitarian situation there. The Palestinians have succeeded in reversing the situation, and accordingly, we are losing our natural sense of self-defense.
Gone too soon (Yossi Beilin, Israel Hayom) In my first meeting with Kofi Annan, who would later become U.N. secretary general, he told me he loved and admired Israel ever since it provided agricultural assistance to his homeland of Ghana.