Three Against One, News is Bad Here in Israel

Photo credit: AP/Bullit Marquez

I was going to write an "I'm proud to be an Israeli" post and focus on the fact that Israel will/is again the best country of all of those aiding in the terrible aftermath of the typhoon in the Philippines.

Representatives of the Israeli military landed in the Philippines to evaluate the situation on the ground and determine how Israel can best assist in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan...The Israeli team plans to set up a field hospital to treat wounded survivors of the typhoon.

Then I saw some more disturbing things in the news.

Again, I must say that "I told you so" about the faux power the NRP aka Jewish Home party has in the government.  The Government Press Office even sent out a press release reporting that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel to hold his horses and stop talking about building homes for Jews in Judea-Samaria.

Adam, just north of Jerusalem, photo Batya Medad

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, this evening (Tuesday, 12 November 2013), directed Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel to reconsider all of the steps for evaluating planning potential that he distributed without any advance coordination. The Prime Minister told Minister Ariel: "This step does not contribute to settlement. On the contrary, there is damage here for settlement. This is a meaningless step – legally and in practice – and an action that creates an unnecessary confrontation with the international community at a time when we are making an effort to persuade elements in the international community to reach a better deal with Iran. At this time, the attention of the international community must not be diverted from the main effort – preventing Iran from receiving an agreement that will allow it to continue its military nuclear program. As a member of the Government, action must be coordinated and have the benefit of forethought."Minister Ariel told Prime Minister Netanyahu that he accedes to his request to reconsider all publications that were issued today regarding the evaluation of planning potential and said that in any case the issue was the potential for planning and not any sort of official stage.

That goes against the NRP's election campaign promises.  I keep repeating election after election, over and over that government ministers do not have any real power, because Bibi (like previous PM's) Is makes policy with a small select group and holds his minister with a tight grip on the noose.

All the recent news reinforces the fact that the United States is not a reliable ally.

America's Iran Policy

Kerry’s Failures: ‘Iran Deal’ in Geneva, Senate Sanctions Block? Kerry is trying to defang the "biting sanctions" on Iran that the administration crowed about incessantly during the presidential campaign
Read more at: http://www.jewishpress.com/news/kerrys-failures-iran-deal-in-geneva-senate-sanctions-block/2013/11/13/

The United States doesn't have a clue about world peace and international dangers.

If we're talking about the USA as ally, considering the recent spying on allies scandals, it's even a bigger scandal that Jonathan Pollard is still languishing in an American jail for giving Israel information that the US had promised to give.  Even though freeing Pollard has become mainstream policy in Israel, as voiced by many at the GA Conference this week, the United States has no plans on making any changes.

“Twenty-nine years is far too much,” Sharansky said of Pollard, who began serving the 29th year of his life sentence Tuesday. “He must be released!”
Sharansky called passionately for an end to the “gross injustice” to Pollard and pointed out that the Jewish people have accomplished so much when they unite for a cause and that that same unity must now be harnessed to ensure Pollard’s immediate release.
Barkat called on GA delegates and world Jewry to speak with one united voice on the Pollard issue...
When Shapiro was asked about presidential clemency for Pollard at the GA Monday, he said: “Unusual circumstances are required for President Obama to get involved in the matter,” and that “there is no reason to expect that the [Pollard] matter will be handled differently.”

None of the research that shows how unprecedented and disproportionate Pollard's sentence is in the history of American "justice" has made a dent in United States policy  visàvis Pollard.

Sorry to start the day like this, but there's never any guarantee that news will be good.