New Government - 4 Parties, 68 Members

by Isi Leibler

After six tortuous weeks of horse trading, spins and hypocrisy, Israel has its 33rd government. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Lapid, Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett and former foreign minister Avigdor Liberman to confirm the terms of new government.

The principal beneficiaries were Yesh Atid and Bayit Yehudi who set aside their major political differences and made a pact to negotiate jointly towards the formation of the government. They succeeded and thus foiled Binyamin Netanyahu’s efforts to play them against each other, ultimately obliging him to concede to their core demands.

The necessary legal documents were to be drawn up and signed on Thursday, leaving Netanyahu free to formally inform President Shimon Peres on Saturday night - the final day of the six weeks allocated to him - that he has mustered a Knesset majority. The coalition will comprise four parties: Likud-Beytenu (31 seats), Yesh Atid (19), Jewish Home (12) and Hatnua (6), for a total of 68 members in the 120-seat Knesset. Netanyahu’s Likud Beitenu holds seven portfolios including Defense which former chief of staff Moshe Yaalon takes over from Ehud Barak.

Netanyahu has four critical years in which basic decisions affecting the future of Israel may well be determined. If he convinces his coalition partners to set aside the past and cooperate to devise long term strategies, both in terms of the peace process as well as implementing the long overdue domestic social, economic and electoral reforms, he will establish a legacy that could enable him to be regarded as one of the greatest leaders of the nation. But to achieve this he must resolve to set aside the sleazy political infighting and concentrate exclusively on serving the national interest. If he fails to do so, the government’s life span will be extremely limited.

Food for Thought by Steven Shamrak

The most alarming predictions about Barack Hussein Obama’s presidency have been realised. He was and is still weak in bring to a halt North Korean nuclear program; he created instability in the Middle East by allowing the Islamist’s ‘Spring’ to flourish. Now he is letting Iran and its nuclear weapons program off the hook by applying political pressure on Israel. With a friend like this, who systematically holds Israel’s hands during the fight with mortal foes, who needs enemies!

Karzai Spits at the US

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel was greeted on his first visit to Afghanistan since taking office by suicide bombs, threats and Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s accusation that the US is colluding with the Taliban. Karzai said that those attacks, which together killed 19 people, aided US goals and accused US of holding peace talks with the radical Islamists and the bombs were in the “service of America.” (Hundreds of billions of US tax-dollars are wasted on building democracy in Afghanistan and forging a fake alliance. Just imagine the White House ‘outrage’ if Israeli Prime Minister would publicly announce that the US aiding and abetting, which is actually the truth, the enemies of Israel - the best ally the US ever had!)

‘Ugly Nothing’ did not Condemn Syrian Rebels!

The abduction of 21 Philippine members of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which has monitored a ceasefire zone between Syria and Israel since 1974, has heightened security fears. Canada, Japan and Croatia have withdrawn their forces in recent months leaving only the Philippines, Austria and India in UNDOF. The UN has halted peacekeeping patrols in the Golan Heights amid fears of kidnapping and that fallout from the Syrian war could cause more countries to withdraw from its force. (There is no the UN Security Council resolution of condemnation, no protests of ‘peace-loving’ idiots!)

End of Another Temporary Party of Traitors

Barak announced his retirement from politics before the last election, and the members of his Atzmaut (Independence) party, which he formed when he split from the Labor party, decided they will not be running either. (Good Riddance! Barak’s story is a clear example of the problems the political system of Israel has. When self-centered and psychological damaged people, who have no national pride or sense of national integrity, take over the country has only one way to go - into abyss!)

Additional $250 Million Given to Muslim Brotherhood

Secretary of State John “Swiftboat” Kerry gave praise to Muslim Brotherhood led Egypt for “their version of democracy” and released $250 million of American tax payer money into the Islamic regime’s hands. Giving aid to Egypt and Israel is making tensions grow stronger, fueling an arms race that could end in bloodshed. We’re aiding the future enemy.

Israel Cleared but Hamas is not Blamed for Death of a Baby

An errant Hamas rocket probably killed the baby son of a BBC journalist in Gaza during the brief war between Hamas and Israel last November, according to a UN report into the incident. (There are no condemnations of Hamas from the ‘righteous’ anti-Semitic press and so-called human right organizations, but the usual silence!)

Outposts Dismantled 'in Honor' of Obama

1. The IDF has received orders to dismantle the new communities of Ramat Migron and Oz Tzion by the beginning of next week - in preparation for the visit of US President Barack H. Obama. The communities are in the area of Ramallah, which Obama will be visiting on his visit to Israel. 2. Barack Obama invites Miss Israel Yityish Aynaw to official state dinner. (Obama’s visit is nothing but a photo opts and attempt to discourage Israel from destroying the Iranian nuclear program! And, he has no intention to free Pollard.)

French Anti-Semites Honours Israeli Minister Killer

The Paris suburb of Bezons honoured Majdi al-Rimawi, who was sentenced to life in prison in Israel for his role in the 2001 murder of tourism minister Rehavam Zeevi, last month. It was a unanimous decision taken by the Bezons local council to honour Rimawi. Al-Rimawi and three other Palestinians were convicted of Zeevi's assassination. The four are members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

PA to Obama: Stay off Temple Mount!

The Palestinian Authority has advised the White House in Washington to call off President Barack Obama’s tour of the Western Wall and al Aqsa mosque on Temple Mount during his visit. His visits to those shrines, said the PA, would be an affirmation of Israeli sovereignty. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad called on its supporters to prevent the US president setting foot on Temple Mount with a hail of rocks and eggs. (Israel must advise Obama not to visit Ramallah as it would be affirmation of occupation of Jewish land by Arabs!)

Important Collaboration

Israeli and American scientists at Ben Gurion University and the University of Michigan are collaborating on research to develop renewable energy technology. Each university has pledged half a million dollars to jumpstart the three-year program that is aimed at solving major challenges in the realm of advanced vehicle fuels, solar energy and thermoelectric materials, which convert heat to electricity.

UN observers Run to Safety of Israel

The flight of hundreds of UN Disengagement and Observers Force (UNDOF) soldiers - Indian, Austrian and Filipino - in trucks and APCs from the Syrian side of Golan into Israel was in full swing early Monday, March 11. Many more UN troops are expected to make their way during the day to refuge in IDF camps across the border.

Quote(s) of the Week:

“Without Israel, Cyprus and Saudi Arabia are toast, and they know it. Without Israel, oil would be $1,000 a barrel. Without Israel, the US would have to fund an extra $200 billion yearly defence budget to defend southern NATO countries from a Muslim caliphate’s northward tsunami.” - Mark Langfan, a New York based strategy expert - The US is not doing Israel any favours by granting it special status as a strategic ally! It is a self-serving US strategy, which prevents Israel from achieving its own national goals.

Obama Coming to Stop Attack on Iran!

President Barack Obama will visit Israel later this month, the 20th, even if Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu fails to put together a governing coalition beforehand. "We're going," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said at a briefing for reporters - Secretary of state John Kerry thought otherwise when he skipped a visit to Israel as not worthwhile until a government is in place.

President Obama’s calculations for making the trip are a lot more complicated than Kerry’s - none of them are good news for Israel!

Obama arrives less than a month after the last Six-Power (US, Russia, UK, France, China and Germany) nuclear discussions with Iran ended in Kazakhstan. After those talks, US and Western media trumpeted “an unusual sense of optimism”… follow-up to Kazakhstan in April, shortly after Obama’s talks in Jerusalem, would be devoted to “cementing that progress,” which translated into rewarding putative nuclear concessions by Iran with the easing of economic sanctions.

There is serious disenchantment in Jerusalem about dangerous concessions made to Iran:

1. President Obama has given in to the Fordo uranium enrichment plant continuing to operate instead of shutting down, as demanded by Israel - even though its function is to turn out 20 percent pure (near-weapons grade) uranium;

2. He has even consented to the Iranians continuing to manufacture uranium to that level;

3. Washington has dropped its insistence on Iran sending out of the country its stocks of 3.5-5 percent enriched uranium.
With these gains, the Iranian negotiators must have been laughing all the way home from their talks with the six big powers on 26-27 of February and crowing over what one Israeli official called "Tehran’s huge success and Israel’s total defeat.”

Conscious of how these concessions to the Islamic Republic are received in Jerusalem, it is no wonder that President Obama brushed off the invitation to address the Israeli Knesset, where lawmakers would likely put him on the spot. He has chosen instead to deliver a speech at Jerusalem’s Convention Center, so as to deliver his message straight to the Israeli public.

By going over the heads of Israel’s government and parliament to face a less informed audience, he believes he can get away with sweet-talking his surrender to a nuclear Iran.

When Air Force One lands in Israel March 20 and Israeli dignitaries push forward to greet the US president, a small group of anonymous Air Force pilots will be watching from a distance, waiting for the order to fly out and carry out their mission in a single night. (Obama and other international bigots have sold out Israel to Iran, and he is attempting to brain-wash Israelis to accept defeat and ignore the threat of nuclear armed Iran!)