“If you’re planning a visit to the Holy Land in the near future, don’t dare criticize the Israeli government or the settlements before you travel,” writes Matan Rosenstrauch.

Less than a day after Haaretz first reported that Israel has refused to grant a work visa for a Human Rights Watch investigator, the government has backtracked on the Foreign Ministry and Population and Immigration Authority’s decision.

“A place where breaking the silence is illegitimate – is not a democracy,” writes Yuli Novak.

“Isaac Herzog, the Israeli opposition leader and head of the Zionist Union party, issued a ‘Ten-Point Plan‘ for a restarted peace process,” writes Mitchell Plitnick. “Unfortunately, his plan would likely accomplish only one of those goals, the one already a fait accompli: maintaining the settlement blocs.”

President Donald Trump on Thursday expressed a preference for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but again said he would be happy with any framework acceptable to the two sides, elaborating on comments he made last week at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In newly revealed video from November, Trump’s choice for U.S. ambassador to Israel, boasts about his role in erasing two-state solution from Republican Party’s platform.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu omitted a reference to the two-state solution in a joint declaration Thursday with his Australian counterpart, Malcolm Turnbull.

Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he remains in favor of a pardon for Hebron shooter Elor Azariya, saying that the “problem” was not the sentence, but rather the “circumstances” that created the incident.

The Israeli right claims that the 2005 disengagement from Gaza failed dangerously. A new study from Molad – the Center for the Renewal of Israeli Democracy, shows that it actually improved Israel’s security and international standing.

On Feb. 15, Hamas submitted to the Central Election Commission its three conditions for participating in Palestinian local elections rescheduled for May 13.