Has Israel Chosen the Zionist Path?
(Or, is Netanyahu still playing his game of political survival?)
- Knesset has overwhelmingly (94 votes to 10) approved a law to strip Arabs of their Israeli citizenship if convicted terrorists or those who give money to prisoners. Only Arab MKs voted against it. The law gives authorities the right to strip people of their citizenship or residency and deport them to either the West Bank or Gaza Strip.
- Israeli forces demolished the home of a Palestinian terrorist responsible for deadly shooting in the city of Hebron, after an Israeli court rejected appeals to spare the residence. (In the fatal shooting incident last October, Muhammed Kamel al-Jabari opened fire, killing an Israeli man and wounding several civilians before a security guard neutralised him.)
- Israel authorized nine communities in Judea and Samaria and the construction of 9,000 new housing units in the region.
- Revoking Distressful ‘Disengagement Act’ The bill to repeal the Disengagement Act of 2005, which decreed the expulsion of close to 10,000 Jews from the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria was passed by the Knesset in a preliminary reading on Wednesday by a majority of 62 to 36.
- New Team to Fight Palestinian Incitement PM Netanyahu appointed National Security Minister, Ben-Gvir, to head a team to combat the incitement among Palestinians, which led to recent terrorist murders.
The Foreign Ministers of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States issued a joint statement condemning the decision of Israel's political-security cabinet to authorize the construction of 9,000 new housing units in Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. (When Jew-haters are unhappy, it means that Israel must be doing something right!)
Other Antisemites have Joined Them
The Governments of Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Mexico expressed concern, “These unilateral measures constitute serious violations of International Law and of Resolutions of the Security Council of the United Nations, especially no. 2334 (2016), in addition to contributing to raising current tensions.” (The PA is “altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Palestinian Territory” all the time – NO Problem! "The viability of the two-State solution" has passed a long time ago - from the moment of its inception. That makes this resolution irrelevant. International anti-Semites are never “concerned” when Palestinian terrorists kill Jews!)
Reaffirming the Dead Two-state Solution
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “I reiterated our strong support for a negotiated two-state solution and underscored the urgent need for Israelis and Palestinians to take steps to restore calm," Blinken tweeted. Earlier, Blinken also spoke to Mahmoud Abbas, which he also described as “productive”. “I reaffirmed our commitment to a negotiated two-state solution and opposition to policies that endanger its viability. Israelis and Palestinians must take steps that restore calm including avoiding escalatory unilateral measures,” wrote the Secretary of State. The conversations come ahead of an expected vote at the UN Security Council on a resolution that will criticize Israel over its construction in Judea and Samaria. (Will the UN also condemn illegal construction that the Pa is building in Judea and Samaria, with the help of the international anti-Semites?)
Food for Thought. by Steven Shamrak
In the past, Netanyahu promised to annex parts of the West Bank. It was nothing but a cynical pre-election ploy, which he has no intention to keep! After so many years of his spineless leadership, the regularity of rocket attacks from Gaza and terror attacks in Judea and Samaria has become ‘normal’ facts of life in Israel. No other self-respecting country would tolerate this! The political cowardness of Netanyahu and his unwillingness to make tough decisions in order to reunite Jewish land - by relocating the enemy population from Judea, Samaria and Gaza prior to their annexation – has become intolerable. Israel/Jews must shake off ‘ghetto mentality’ and regain self-respect. Hopefully, with new political partners, Bibi will return to the Zionist ideals he had in the past.
US Must Mind its Own Business
- "It is unthinkable that the US interferes in the division of powers of the Israeli government. After decades in which the settlers of Judea and Samaria live under a military regime, the time has come to provide equal citizenship and proper services to the settlers as well. There are coalition agreements and all the party leaders will insist that they be fulfilled and so it will be," said a senior Israeli government official, after a spokesman for the US State Department said that "the Biden administration believes it is critical for Israel and the Palestinians to avoid unilateral steps that would exacerbate tensions and undermine efforts to advance negotiations on a two-state solution." (What negotiations - terrorist attacks? Both sides have rejected the ‘two-state solution’ – creation of a terrorist state on the Jewish land. Israel is a sovereign democratic state! There are many ‘problematic’ countries the Biden administration could focus on.)
- Responding to US Ambassador Tom Nides’ call for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “pump the brakes” on his attempt to dramatically overhaul the country’s judicial system, Israel’s Diaspora Minister on Sunday demanded that the American envoy respect Israeli democracy and not get involved in domestic political affairs. “I say to the American ambassador, put on the brakes yourself and mind your own business,” Likud’s Amichai Chikli declared. “You aren’t sovereign here, to get involved in the matter of judicial reform. Respect our democracy.”
When will it be ENOUGH?
- A Palestinian plowed a car into a crowded bus stop in Ramot, Jerusalem, on Friday, killing an eight-year-old boy, Asher Menachem Paley, his six-year-old brother, Yaakov Yisrael, and a man in his 20s, Alter Shlomo Lederman.
- After Abdel-Latif al-Kanou, the spokesman for the Hamas movement, praised the ramming in Jerusalem and said that "the struggle (terrorism) is the most effective way to deal with the Zionist occupation" a rocket was fired from Gaza. The last time a rocket was fired on February 1, 2023, prompting a retaliatory strike on a Hamas weapons manufacturing site and a missile facility. (Unlike Israeli politicians, enemies of Israel mean what they say. Read again “Food for Thoughts”.)
Dealing with Iran and the PA is Responsibility of Israel
President Joe Biden completely ignored the Middle East - including the failing Iran nuclear deal, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict - in his remarks to Congress in the State of the Union address. In the past, it was almost routine to hear the president talk about prospects for a nuclear deal with Iran, and about efforts to pursue an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal.
Israel Provides Humanitarian Help even to Enemies
One day after the earthquake, an Israeli aid delegation landed in Turkey. The delegation is being led by the Commander of the National Rescue Unit in the Home Front Command, Col (res.) Golan Vach, and includes 150 active-duty and reservist personnel.
Deceitful Christian Missionaries
A family of Christian missionaries who have been previously exposed for pretending to be religious Jews and infiltrating ultra-Orthodox communities in the hopes of converting them to Christianity is currently living in Jerusalem and attempting to fraudulently obtain Israeli citizenship. (Enemies of Jews have many faces. Why are they still in Israel and not deported)
Quote of the Week:
"It cannot be that lawbreakers incite against the State of Israel, it cannot be that in our State of Israel there will be words of praise for terrorists, a celebration of martyrs like was done (before). Freedom of speech yes, signs yes, but freedom of speech is not freedom of incitement. Freedom of speech is not a magic word that opens every door, so my demand from the police on this issue as well, is to treat demonstrations in an equal manner." - Itamar Ben-Gvir, National Security Minister - anti-Zionists and Leftist supporters of the enemies of Israel are usually more violent and aggressive against police and IDF.
by Lauren Marcus
Potential reforms to Israel’s judicial system include limitations on the Supreme Court’s powers.
Left-wing leaders have called for bloodshed and violent rebellion against the government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They protested outside a right-wing minister’s home and lobbied diaspora and pro-Israel groups to speak out against the reforms.
It is clear that Israeli liberals are fighting tooth-and-nail to ensure the Supreme Court’s essentially unchecked power remains in place.
The unprecedented push to stop the judicial reform has been framed as a fight against dictatorship and necessary for maintaining Israel’s status as a democracy. But the truth is there’s much more at play here that the left won’t admit.
Seventy-four percent of Israeli Jewish voters under the age of 35 identify as politically right-wing (Zionists). Israeli left-wing parties are unlikely to see a sweeping electoral victory in the next few decades.
Because the Supreme Court leans left, Israeli liberals depend on the court for action that’s in line with their core values. The Israeli left needs the court to advance measures that cannot be achieved legislatively due to their long-term failures in gaining a Knesset majority. (In fact, by protecting the Supreme Court's ability to overrule decisions made by the Knesset the Israeli Left wants to keep undemocratic legal system alive.)
Shameful Political anti-Zionism
Large Border Police and Civil Administration forces forcibly evacuated and destroyed an orchard in the Shilo area in Samaria.
Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote an urgent letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demanding that he freeze the eviction, which he blamed on the “delay in implementing the coalition agreement” between the Likud and his Religious Zionism party. According to the agreement, Smotrich would receive authority over the Defense Ministry’s Civil Administration that is in charge of civilian matters in Judea and Samaria.
Netanyahu ordered a halt to the activity after the area had already been evacuated and the work of uprooting well over a thousand trees was almost complete. The prime minister knew about the operation ahead of time and had no objections to it, giving the order only to prevent a coalition crisis.
Security forces resumed the destruction of a Jewish-owned orchard in Samaria, despite the orders of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt the demolition after security forces clashed with protestors at the site.
Earlier, Defense Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionism) had ordered the demolishing cancelled, but Defense Minister Gallant (Likud) ignored his request.
“This is a shameful, anti-Zionist and anti-ethical destruction that is being carried out following a High Court ruling based on a ‘disruptive use order’ – a draconian order that is applied only against Jews,” MK Limor Son Har-Melech of the Otzma Yehudit party said. “The injustice screams sevenfold when the families of Khan Al Ahmar have not yet been evicted … for years despite a High Court’s ruling.”