Excuse to Undermine Elected Government
by Ethan Bronner
Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Israel after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sacked his defence minister Yoav Gallant, a senior member of Mr Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party. The law will give politicians a dominant role in selecting judges, including high-court justices, a change from the current system where sitting justices and members of the legal profession hold sway. (As most democratic countries do.)
The bill’s proponents say that in nearly every democracy, winners of elections get to select judges, and they are bringing Israel in line with that practice.
Its opponents – Israel’s political Left – say it will concentrate too much power in the hands of the ruling party, damaging democracy. (They lost the last five elections. Now they are using demonstrations to force another useless election, which they think they can win.)
Long-time allies, including the US, UK, Germany and France, have argued that a fully independent and strong judiciary is vital to a functioning democracy. (Are these fake friends of Jewish people going to introduce Israel’s judicial system, when not elected leftist judges promote their ‘comrades’?)
Judicial Reform (was) Ready for Final Knesset Votes
Constitution, Law and Justice Committee chairman MK Simcha Rothman, after months of work, passed the final revision of the first component of the judicial reform proposals in committee. The law is now ready to go to the Knesset for its second and third votes. The judicial reforms are a series of laws designed to re-establish the balance between the court and government branches that was uprooted by former Supreme Court president Aharon Barak. This proposed law changes the structure of the committee that selects Supreme Court judges and ends the non-democratic situation where supreme court judges on the committee determine who is allowed onto the court, essentially self-selecting their ideological replacements. (Unfortunately, Bibi has betrayed his agreement with his coalitional partners again, and announced that the judicial reform legislation will not be advanced during this Knesset session.)
Islamic Jihad and Gallant Agree
Both Hezbollah-affiliated analyst and (former) Israel’s Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, say that should reservists continue refusing to serve, Israel will be unprepared for a multi-front military conflict. Reservists refusing to attend training and perform their duties due to their opposition to the judicial reform legislation are endangering the efficacy of the Israeli army.
Food for Thought. by Steven Shamrak
Jews around the world have been saying “anti-Zionism is Antisemitism” for quite a while. Nothing has changed! Quite the opposite, Antisemitism is on the rise worldwide. Jew-haters, mainly the Europeans and Americans, do not care! Our enemies still think that Jews are weak, even though they having their own country. Only Israel can change the dynamic of the international anti-Semites’ attitude toward the Jewish state, and Jews in general. Israel must decisively and unapologetically defeat the enemies, reclaim our ancestral land and reunifying Eretz-Israel! Anti-Semites will never love Jews, but, at least, they will start respecting us. I remember this feeling of respect toward Jews from Ukrainian anti-Semites after 1967 and 1973 wars. Unfortunately, it did not last long, because Israel was still behaving as a ‘ghetto-Jew’, fearing what would others think, and did not take advantage of its victories. Herzl thought that Israel would make the other countries treat Jews as equals, but instead, Israel has become the ‘Jew’ among nations.
The PA does not Want to Reduce Violence
Israel offered PA full security authority over a single city as pilot. The plan, backed by Jordan, would reportedly see ‘Palestinian’ security forces given sole responsibility for conducting arrests of suspected terror operatives, and maintaining law and order in either the city of Tulkarem or Qalqilya, thereby avoiding violent, and often deadly clashes between locals and Israeli troops. The PA refused, fearing delegitimization for cooperating with Israel.
Strike Iranian Nuclear Program off Now
Israel told the Biden administration and several European countries that Iran would be entering dangerous territory that could trigger an Israeli military strike if it enriches uranium above the 60% level. Iran has already amassed 87.5 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium, according to an International Atomic Energy Agency report from late February. Some amounts of uranium are enriched at 84% purity! (The time for action is now!)
Ramadan – Increase Policing of Mixed Jewish-Arab Cities
National Security Minister orders police commissioner to increase police manpower in mixed Jewish-Arab cities to prepare for Ramadan. The minister’s instructions mainly concern the city of Lod, but also the other cities that saw extensive anti-Jewish violence. (No such measures are required during Chanukah or Passover!)
‘Useful Idiots’ Politicising Judicial Reforms
Opposition leader Yair Lapid accused the government of destroying Israel’s alliance with the US in its efforts to pass its judicial reforms. Lapid claimed that relations between Israel and the US are at a historic low and rejected claims that the American government interferes in Israeli politics. (Why are judicial reforms in Israel the business of the US or any other country? The US has never been a true friend of Israel, aside perhaps than during the Trump administration, and has always kept Israel from achieving its national goal!)
UAE is Playing ‘Palestinian Card’
A senior United Arab Emirates government official, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and raised concern over the treatment of Palestinians. “The direction of this government goes completely against the Abraham Accords,” Mubarak was quoted as having told Netanyahu. Mubarak warned Netanyahu that instability would have a detrimental impact on Emirati financial investments in Israel. (I wonder, what concessions UAE wants to extract from Israel by playing this game. Until now they did not care about the fake Palestinians.)
Bill to Outlaw Christian Missionaries
United Torah Judaism lawmaker, Moshe Gafni, a senior member of the ruling coalition, tabled a bill outlawing the approach of Jews by missionaries. Gafni’s proposal is an addition to a law that already exists that forbids giving money or gifts in exchange for religious conversions. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was quick to announce there would be no such legislation. Evangelicals are outraged claiming the proposed bill is an affront to Christians who are supportive of Israel. (Why are Evangelicals outraged? They spend millions each year targeting Jews. Are they trying to convert Muslims in Saudi Arabia, Iran or Afghanistan? Israel must regain self-respect and demand respect from its so-called friends!)
EU Antisemites Unhappy about the Truth
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, denounced Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who said during a speech in Paris that “there is no such thing as a Palestinian people”. I call on the Israeli government to disavow those comments and to start working together with all parties to defuse tensions,” Borrell told reporters. (Traditional Jew-haters in Europe do not care about terror attacks against Jews, committed by fake Palestinians in Israel, that continuously aggravate “tensions”.)
Free trade deal between Israel and UAE goes into effect with signing of new customs agreement. Upon the taking effect of the free trade agreement, customs duties will be lowered or cancelled on approximately 96% of goods. In 2022, bilateral trade reached over $2.5 billion (not including software and services); the UAE has thus become Israel’s 16th largest trading partner.
The Knesset made history when it repealed the 2005 Disengagement law in northern Samaria, in 31-18 final vote, a move that its supports hope paves the way to rebuilding the four settlements in Samaria that were destroyed there and is the first step in the return of Jews to the Gaza Strip. “Homesh and the settlements in northern Samaria are settlements established by the historic Beitar movement more than 40 years ago. Their destruction was a disgrace,” said Yigal Brand, CEO of the global leadership of the Beitar movement.
Quote of the Week:
“This truth should be heard here in the Elysee Palace. This truth should also be heard by the Jewish people in the State of Israel who are a little confused, this truth should be heard in the White House in Washington. The whole world needs to hear this truth. There are Arabs who are in the Middle East, who arrived in the Land of Israel at the same time as the Jewish Aliyah, in the early days of Zionism. After 2,000 years of exile, the people of Israel are returning home, and there are Arabs around who do not like it. So, what do they do? They invent a fictitious people and claim fictitious rights in the Land of Israel just to fight the Zionist movement” – Bezalel Smotrich, Israeli Finance Minister – Enemies of Jews are furious after he said this truth in Paris.
There are no Arab “Palestinian” People
by Rabbi Prof. Dov Fischer
Of course, Minister Bezalel Smotrich is correct. There are no Arab “Palestinian” people and never was an Arab “Palestine.” It all is a fraud. It’s just a fact. The dizzying repetition of that Big Lie for so many decades caused people who should know better to speak of a “Two-State Solution.” But that very notion is illogical, absurd, nonsensical.
People say it without thinking about it: “The Two-State Solution.” What are they talking about? Does America really benefit by giving Hamas and Fatah terrorists new countries of their own based on falsified history?
And look at the map of the region. Gaza is on one side, and Judea-Samaria (the “West Bank) – completely separate. Those two regions are not one entity. Even now, Gaza is ruled by Hamas terrorists, and the “Palestine Authority” is run by Abu Mazen (aka Mahmoud Abbas) and Fatah terrorists. They hate and regularly kill each other. So, it is not about a “Two State Solution”, but a “Three Country Quagmire.” (Four countries if one counts Jordan.)
How exactly are 500,000 Jews going to be uprooted from their homes in Judea and Samaria, plus another 325,000 Jews from Jerusalem’s eastern neighbourhoods? (Does international “Population Transfer” law permit transfer of Jews only?)
Until 1964, Arabs never undertook to establish their own “Palestine” in either Judea-Samaria (the “West Bank”) or in Gaza – even though they controlled both regions for two decades from 1948-1967. (Jordan illegally occupied Judea-Samaria and Egypt illegally held Gaza.) When the “Palestine Liberation Organization” was fabricated by Ahmed Shukairy in 1964, the “Palestine” they wanted to “liberate” was the entire country of Israel.
It has been the dream of Nazis from Adolf Hitler to the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem and their ilk: an Israel free of Jews once again. After two thousand years of driving Jews out of European countries and yelling “Go to Israel!” Now they would declare Judea and Samaria as the one place on earth barred to Jewish residence.
In foreseeable time, the Israeli Government finally will extend sovereignty over Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, just as it did in uniting Jerusalem and in annexing the Golan Heights. No one is going to uproot and displace nearly a million Jews from their homes in cities throughout Judea and Samaria. Minister Smotrich has done a great public service by leveraging his enhanced public platform to state a simple fact.
Read previous Editorials here.