“The hesitant Hamas announcement that the Jerusalem bus bomber is ‘one of theirs’ allows the group to continue pushing for attacks without directing them, putting Israel in a spot over how to respond,” writes Avi Issacharoff.

In spite of recent talks with Palestinian officials, Israeli armed forces will continue to intervene in parts of the occupied West Bank under full Palestinian Authority (PA) control, high-ranking Israeli officials said on Wednesday.

Israeli military authorities closed down about 35 Palestinian quarries in the West Bank in late March 2016 and confiscated millions of dollars’ worth of equipment. The crackdown, which has paralyzed the quarries, puts the livelihoods of up to 3,500 workers at risk and highlights the discriminatory nature of Israeli rules for Palestinian quarries, which have been unable to obtain new licenses for more than 20 years.

“In the rightist discourse, which has become predominant in Israel for some decades already, Labor has a solid reputation as Arab lovers. Despite their persistent attempts to pander to the Jewish mainstream, they have not shed that image,” writes Orly Noy.

Months of a strained relationship between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Education Minister Naftali Bennett erupted at Wednesday’s security cabinet meeting, with the premier reportedly threatening to fire Bennett over the Bayit Yehudi leader’s objection to the meeting’s agenda.