Quote of the day:
"We've been through a rough campaign season. We've slammed others and got slammed ourselves. Enough now. We must rise above, put our swords aside and clean the dirt. Political strategy can no longer be the only the sole compass."
--At the inauguration of the 21st Knesset, President Reuven Rivlin calls on the politicians to unite society and not divide it.*

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Front Page:

Mendelblit’s Vital Warning (Haaretz Editorial) A person’s guilt or innocence isn’t determined in the polling booth.
The Knesset doesn't care about the will of the people (Ben-Dror Yemini, Yedioth/Ynet) Far-right and ultra-Orthodox MKs have been citing 'the will of the people' recently every time they try to legitimize their narrow agenda; but the public didn't vote against a draft law, nor for an immunity law for politicians set to face charges.
Divergent lessons of the Holocaust widen the gap between Israel and American Jews (Chemi Shalev, Haaretz+) In the age of Donald Trump, American Jews increasingly identify with persecuted minorities – while Israelis see them as a threat.
Islamic Jihad tries to dictate events in Gaza (Ron Ben Yishai, Ynet) The long-term cease-fire arrangement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, appeared near but now, several events, orchestrated by Iran, including Sunday's rocket launch towards Israel, casts new doubts.
The Palestinian Authority Is Collapsing, and Annexation Could Follow (David Rosenberg, Haaretz+) It lost its biggest source of revenue and with it, its last raison d’etre. The PA's demise will leave a vacuum annexationists would love to fill.
Poverty isn’t the cause of terrorism (Stephen M. Flatow, Israel Hayom) Myths die hard. In fact, many terrorists come from middle-class or upper-class backgrounds and are driven not by desperation but by radical Islam, Arab supremacy, and basic anti-Semitism.
Military insignia have replaced the yellow stars (IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi, Israel Hayom) We, the commanders and soldiers of the IDF – past, present, and future – comprise the defensive forces that the 6 million fallen prayed for.
Give Everyone a Break With the Holocaust (Martin Weyl, Haaretz+) There’s no doubt the Holocaust was one of the saddest and most terrible events in the Jewish people’s history, and it’s important to remember it in a meaningful way and transmit this memory to the younger generation. Still, by any standard, it’s hard to be certain today whether the multiplicity of events about the memory of the Holocaust contributes to the health of society or has a positive effect on our lives.
Much has changed from the first Knesset, but the main thing remains - challenges and hopes (MK Yuli (Yoel) Edelstein, Maariv) Since its establishment, the Knesset has been the only place where representatives of all the Jewish communities gather together and discover that our achievements have come only with mutual respect and the aspiration to live in multi-faceted unity.
Do You Like Withholding Palestinian Tax Money? Enjoy the War (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) The threat by Palestinian prisoners to launch a hunger strike at the beginning of last month struck fear into the hearts of the Israeli government. The fear that the strike would spark rioting in Gaza and the West Bank, obligating Israel to use force, left it with no choice but to back down and reach agreements with the strikers. Shortly before that, with Egyptian mediation, Israel had reached deals with Hamas on economic concessions that would allow a temporary lull in hostilities. In both these instances, Israel’s muscle flexing encountered the limitations of force; Israeli arrogance was taken down a peg for now. But the appetite can’t be satisfied, and national pride made it necessary to withhold from the tax money that belongs to the Palestinian Authority the sums that the PA pays families of prisoners and terrorists who were killed.
The Times knows it doesn’t need to fear Jewish violence (Ruthie Blum, Israel Hayom) No one at The New York Times is bracing for an armed onslaught over its recent anti-Semitic cartoons, in contrast to the violent rioting that came in response to the publication of cartoons about the Prophet Muhammad.
https://www.israelhayom.com/opinions/the-times-knows-it-doesnt-need-to-fear-jewish-violence/
The New York Times Fuels More anti-Semitism Than Trump and Republicans? That's Bullshit (David Schraub, Haaretz+) There's a reason Trump and U.S. conservatives are so obsessed with one anti-Semitic NYT cartoon: it's called deflection. Don't play along with their serial denial and hypocrisy.
The readers and editors of the Times understood the cartoon, only we didn’t (Prof. Arieh Eldad, Maariv) Ze'ev Engelmayer chose to write an article in Haaretz that explains that this is only "a cliche cartoon, stylish and certainly not anti-Semitic,” Just wipe the spit and say: It's only rain.
A Game of Thrones Lesson for the Age of Netanyahu and Putin (Rogel Alpher, Haaretz+) The show presents a cyclical theory of history: The periodic arrival of winter and the periodic coming of the Night King. Actual history is also cyclical and it is becoming more and more clear that winter is here, and it will only get worse. In the real world, like in the show, the doomsayers are called pessimists even though the reality proves time after time that they are really the clear-eyed ones.
After Victory, Putin Steps Into Syrian Minefield (Zvi Bar'el, Haaretz+) Caught between a stalling U.S. pullout, Israeli 'alliance' and Idlib militias, Russian president finds his monopoly over Assad's resurgence may require some flexibility.
The Rise and Fall of Israel's May Day (Elon Gilad, Haaretz+) Once May 1 was one of Israel's most popular holidays, often bringing Arabs and Jews together in solidarity. Why is it barely observed by anybody but a handful of teenagers any more?