Will There Be Harmony in Bibi's New Coalition?

Political Chaos, my 52frames photo from Chaos album, week 44, 2022

Binyamin Bibi Netanyahu, longtime head of the Likud party, had gathered a number of ambitious political parties to campaign as one block calling themselves the "Right" wing. 

The chareidi parties are his veteran coalition partners, though "Right" isn't how any honest political expert would label them. Actually, the Likud, which does call itself "Right" is more Center-Left when in power. 

But the bloc that Bibi orchestrated of truly Right and uncompromisingly patriotic religious parties of Smutrich and  Ben-Gvir was the key to his electoral plan. Bibi had hoped to be able to control them, but they're turning out to be more of a Frankenstein. 

Smutrich and Ben-Gvir know very well that many in the Israeli public, even those who didn't vote for them, support or sympathize with their views. It's very much like an Israeli version of Ronnie Reagan's "silent majority." They also know that if Bibi dumps them and makes a desperate deal with Ganz or Lapid, he'd lose the trust/votes of veteran Likud voters. Don't take the media too seriously, as in the rest of the world-- it's Leftist. A majority of Israelis are Right and religiously traditional or religious. That's why Bibi crafted his campaign in that direction and succeeded, though I'm not sure why he sabotaged Ayelet Shaked after approving her. 

It seems like these recent elections were the easy part for Netanyahu; coalition negotiations are a very public nightmare. Likud MKs should be used to getting the scraps of what's left after Bibi gives the goodies to those he needs on his team. I wonder if Bibi was surprised at the toughness of Smutrich and Ben-Gvir while haggling over ministries. He may have thought of them as inexperienced, but they certainly aren't. And their followers expect kavod, honor.

At this point, Bibi may almost have all the pieces put together with the exception of the Chareidim and his own people. No doubt the success of Smutrich & Ben-Gvir may embolden the chareidim to make more demands. Nobody wants to be a "sucker." 

So far Smutrich and Ben-Gvir haven't gotten in the way of chareidi parties, but considering the amount of rabbis and yeshiva students in their camp it's only a matter of time. 

Think about it--  If this is the courtship, what type of marriage will they have? Ironically the Bennet-Lapid government was touted as a coalition of very different parties looking to work together for the sake of the country, and it lasted over a year. It would have lasted longer except for Bibi's dirty tricks. 

What's next?

Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid Switch Hats

I AM JUST STATING FACTS

Unlike when Bibi Netanyahu had promised Benny Gantz to "switch hats" and hand over the office of Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett kept his promise to Yair Lapid and followed the coalition agreement they had made just over a year ago. Within a few hours Yair Lapid will be Prime Minister of the State of Israel, and Naftali Bennett will be at his side helping him get acquainted with his new position, again unlike Bibi's abominable behavior a year ago.

Outgoing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett

Last night Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spoke to the nation on television and internet, since live TV can be accessed there, too. He announced that he's taking a leave of absence from politics and does not plan to run in the next Knesset elections on November 1, after summer vacation and Jewish Holidays. I have no idea what his plans are, but I'm sure that his family will enjoy the relative quiet after this difficult year. Bennett is extremely wealthy, so he doesn't need to look for work.

Minister of the Interior Ayelet Shaked will head Yamina at this point. I'm not making any predictions nor quoting rumors. When there's real news, I'll probably blog my opinion. As I've written before, I considered the coalition to be  wonderful attempt for Israelis of all stripes to work together, and it reminds me of the Holy Ketoret.

My husband and I made aliyah in 1970 when the Labor Party and Histadrut held all power in the State of Israel. The country hadn't yet fully absorbed the broad implications of the 1967 Six Days War victory. The IDF took credit for the miracle, and then three years later on Yom Kippur the Arabs attacked, and it took a too long and too many Jewish lives to push them back. Even after that it took almost four years for Labor to lose power and the Likud to take over. Too many Israelis couldn't imagine any other party and leadership running the country... Sounds familiar; doesn't it? I see deja vu. Been there done that. Within a few years Likud as we now know it will be history or a shadow of its present self, just like Labor today...

Who's Going to Join Ayelet Shaked?

In a short well-choreographed press conference, Naftali Bennett handed over the reins of the New Right party to Ayelet Shaked. All the polls seem to show that she is much more popular than he is. And to confuse and confound the classic, and horrendously misleading and inaccurate political spectrum stereotypes, davka, this is the only political party competing in the upcoming elections led by a woman. For those who make a point to vote for women, the New Right has had the best percentage of women.

Ayelet Shaked and Naftali Bennett have invited other political parties to join them, in order not to waste votes.

At this point, I still don't know which party I'll support and vote for. I'm interested in your opinions.

There was a woman signing all the speeches, so the deaf could follow.

Politically "Homeless" Post Israeli Elections 2019

I've seen this term on the pages of a few facebook friends who, like me, had supported Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked's "The New Right" party. The New Right missed getting into the Knesset by a ridiculously small number of votes.

In response to those who suggest that we should "just return to the NRP/Jewish Home party," that's totally absurd and further proof that I've been orphaned yet again.

Why do they presume that I had a home in the Jewish Home?

I'm not of Bnai Akiva/NRP/Jewish Home. My Torah Judaism is a result of my years in NCSY, my Zionism is from Betar and it was coming to age during the 1967 Six Days War which drew me to live in Liberated Shiloh.

My Israeli political identification was more Yisrael Eldad than Menachem Begin, especially once Begin gave Egypt the Sinai and destroyed all of the Jewish communities that had been built there. As a result of the Camp David Accords, I aligned with the Techiya Party, but after about a decade, that, too failed to make the cut and enter the Knesset. Since then I find myself searching for a political party which I can trust ideologically.

One very important thing that keeps me from feeling "at home" in The Jewish Home is that I am ideologically opposed to parties based on religious observance. Here in the State of Israel we must look out for all Jews and citizens, what's best for the entire country, not just the "crocheted kippah" crowd.

The second recommended option for political affiliation is the Likud, but that, too isn't a good match for me. The Likud is too Centrist for my ideology, and I firmly believe that it is important that there be a strong Right party to pull the Likud Right.

The New Right was a good match for my requirements, and I like and respect some of the top people. I think there were two reasons they missed votes. One was in their control, and the other wasn't, though there's a connection.

1. Moshe Feiglin's mishmash/supermarket party with a conflicting/contradicting choice of ideologies, plus his past as a Right wing politician/wannabe attracted some voters who had been debating between him and New Right. Some of them refused to read the "fine print" of his platform and Knesset list; they voted for Feiglin.
2. I wasn't impressed by the campaign run by the New Right. I had been hoping that Caroline Glick would have been given free hand to produce and publicize a lot of Latma style campaign videos,which would have been more attractive and less strident. I have no doubt that the additional voters they would have attracted would easily have put the New Right into the Knesset.

Now I'm politically homeless, or more accurately orphaned. While my favorite politicians and political wannabes lick their wounds, recover, heal and plan for the future, I'll wait patiently. Really, there isn't much else for me to do. I won't be quiet. I'll blog and comment when I have something to say. That's what I do.

Gd willing Binyamin Netanyahu and his crew will build a ruling coalition that will pleasantly surprise me. Let's see if he really annexes all the yishuvim, which was his last minute campaign promise.

Gd willing next Knesset Elections results will be more to my liking.

Not enough people voted as I did, for נ The New Right
Knesset Elections 2019 Israeli Elections

Yamin HeChadash, New Right MK List

The Yamin HeChadash, New Right has assembled an amazing group of people running in their list to be MKs, members of Knesset.

I've been following Israeli politics for half a century, and it's clear to me that we must vote נ in the upcoming elections.

The State of Israel Needs Experienced Fearless Leaders

One of the reasons I'm voting for HaYamin HeChadash, The New Right is because I want them to have enough seats in the Knesset so that the Likud will have to give Naftali Bennett the Defense Ministry. The worst thing for the State of Israel would be for Netanyahu to continue holding multiple ministries, including Defense, and even worse than that would be for him to invite the Four-Headed Monster Party aka Blue and White to join a massive Center coalition and crown one of their failed wimpy IDF heads with the Defense Ministry.

I hope you know enough Hebrew to get the message from this campaign video by The New Right. The message is that it was only due to Bennett's pressure on Benny Gantz, then IDF Chief of Staff, and Bogie Ya'alon, then Defense Minister, that the army put together an operative plan to destroy the terrorist tunnels in the south. The clip quotes actual security cabinet meetings to prove it.



An important theme of the New Right campaign is to give them your vote so that Ayelet Shaked can continue rehabilitating the Israeli Judicial System and Naftali Bennett can take charge of Security/Defense.

Vote נ

Kushner "Peace" sic Deal- Dumb and Dangerous

If Jared Kushner wants to play Peacemaker, he should keep himself busy with Lego and Tinker Toys. His self-proclaimed "Peace deal" or "deal of the century" will only fill more cemeteries.

We all know that you can't impose a "deal." This isn't post-World War Two, when the Allied Forces led by the United States defeated the Nazis and the Japanese and then imposed a "new order" on them.

Israel is a peaceful, vibrant, miraculously successful modern country which is being literally terrorized by Arabs, some rather recent to the area, a contradiction to the popular legends and lies being propagated. These terrorists are being backed and encouraged by foreign agitators, agent provocateurs, to do whatever they can to terrorize and destabilize the State of Israel.

No "deal," regardless how "creative" and "detailed" it may be can rectify the present situation.

Rumor is that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Bibi Netanyahu has been informed of the details of this "deal" and just requested that Trump tell his son-in-law to wait until after the upcoming Israeli elections. If this is true, it's bad news x2, times two or doubly bad. It looks like it's time to go into post-Bibi rule.

Is there anyone in Likud who will be better for the security and sovereignty of the State of Israel? Bibi's successor also must be capable of negotiating a ruling coalition, or we'll find ourselves suffering through continuous successful elections.

To pull Netanyahu in the Right direction, we need a strong showing for the New Right, the Naftali Bennett, Ayelet Shaked and Caroline Glick party.

The State of Israel needs leaders, not followers. We need a government that has no problem telling Kushner and Trump what they should do with their "deal."

Leadership Bankruptcy in NRP aka Jewish Home Party

One of the most veteran of Israeli political parties, those that predate the Establishment of the State of Israel, is NRP (Mafdal) aka Jewish Home Party. It's traditionally Center Left, religious, but not too extreme, Zionist and always in the ruling coalition.

In the early days of the State of Israel, their aim was to establish and strengthen the Mamlachti Dati, State Religious School system and add Jewish Tradition wherever possible to Israeli life and law. In many ways they seemed closer to mainstream Labor Party, because both had kibbutzim and moshavim to protect and coddle.

As time went on, and especially after Israel's totally miraculous victory in the 1967 Six Days War, the NRP began to change. Its first generation raised in the State of Israel became the most enthusiastic in Israeli society for settling the Land liberated in the war and Israel's increased security and prosperity enabled more and deeper Torah learning.

Children and grandchildren of old NRP leadership and graduates of the Mamlachti Dati, State Religious Schools began looking to emulate the heavy Torah learning of the chareidim, even establishing full-time Kollel programs and chareidi-like elementary and high schools for boys, where the graduates wouldn't be qualified to pass Bagrut tests for a high school diploma, which is necessary for university and certification in most vocational studies.

At the same time, in the political sphere, they've established numerous other political parties, more religious and Right ideology then the venerable NRP aka Jewish Home Party.

That's why  unlike Likud, descended from prestate Revisionist Herut, the veteran Labor Party and the chareidi parties, there's no internal competition or primaries for the leadership role in the NRP aka Jewish Home Party. There's a leadership bankruptcy; its graduates have moved on and away.

Every few years a new "leader" is recruited from various other occupations or parties. The NRP backroom mafia controls the party and all the property that has been in the "family" for probably close to a hundred years.

The words behind NRP are "national religious party." Honestly I, like Naftali Bennett and many others, some who vote Likud, are ideologically against a party that labels itself as dati, religious.

I believe that we all, no matter how many and how carefully we keep Gd's commandments, must work together to govern and steer the State of Israel. I look for a political party with vision and commitment to the Torah, Land of Israel and the entire Jewish People.

Gd willing, I'll be voting for the New Right, although I honestly don't like the name Bennett and Shaked chose. And it's reassuring to me that Caroline Glick has chosen to run for Knesset in the New Right. Gd willing, we'll see her in the Knesset soon.

Looks Like The End of The NRP National Religious Party מפדל

Way back when, even before the Establishment of the State of Israel, people chose their political party according to the Zionist Youth Movement they were active in. Betar voted Herut, Bnei Akiva voted NRP National Religious Party מפדל etc. A relatively high percentage of Israeli youth were in a youth movement, whether it promoted Leftist kibbutzim, religious moderation or שתי גדות לירדן Shtay Gadot Layarden, Two (Both) Banks of the Jordan.

In the days before internet, television and even a phone in every home, Israeli kids kept busy with their youth movement friends. One's youth movement ideology was one's politics, sick fund, school, address, bank and pretty much everything. Things have changed in Israel, and the political polls show it.

The last surviving and relatively strong ideological youth movement is Bnei Akiva, which has always been connected to the NRP aka Jewish Home Party. In recent decades, the strong ideologues graduating from Bnei Akiva haven't supported the NRP, finding it too weak and compromising on ideology and idealism. Those controlling the coffers and properties of the NRP found themselves in the embarrassing and risky position of having to recruit ambitious politicians from the outside. That's how Naftali Bennett and the more secular Ayelet Shaked ended up running it.

Bennett and Shaked did their staj, internship as party heads and then must have done a secret poll that showed that the NRP voters would vote for them without the label NRP, so they left it and have established the New Right, a name which I consider absolutely awful.

Ever since Bennett and Shaked announced their new political party, polls are showing that the NRP won't pass the minimum votes to get into the Knesset. Read the latest from Jeremy's Knesset Insider.

Israeli society has changed enormously in the half century we're in the country. It's very rare for a country and society to change so quickly.

Israel Elections 2019, 5779 Latest Polls

Two interesting polls are out on Jeremy's Knesset Insider, both hot off the press, meaning that they include both the New Right of Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked and Labor running on its own, sans Tzipi Livni.

The shocker for many is that Bennett and Shaked are correct in their guess that they had brought most votes to the veteran NRP (National Religious Party,) now called Jewish Home. The polls show that without them, Jewish Home may not even get into the Knesset. The NRP is doing worse than Livni, which even has me shocked.  And I'm pretty sure that the polls were done before Caroline Glick publicly joined the New Right. She should bring votes from Likud and NRP.

I'm just going to copy/paste from Jeremy's Knesset Insider and let you take a good look. What do you think? Of, course, we still have a while to go before the actual elections, but so far it looks interesting. Honestly, I love this stuff.

PS Please remember that these are just polls; they aren't election results.

Kan Channel Poll: Likud 28, Israel Resilience 14, Yesh Atid 13, Joint List 12, HaYamin HeHadash 9

TNS conducted a poll of 543 people for the Kan Channel that was broadcast on Jan 2 2018.

Current Knesset seats in [brackets]

28 [30] Likud
14 [-–] Israel Resilience (Gantz)
13 [11] Yesh Atid
12 [13] The Joint (Arab) List
09 [03] Hayamin Hehadash (Bennett & Shaked)
07 [18] Labor
07 [10] Kulanu
07 [06] Yahadut Hatorah/UTJ
06 [07] Shas
06 [05] Meretz
06 [01] Gesher (Orly Levy)
05 [05] Yisrael Beitenu
00 [06] Livni Party (close to the threshold)
00 [05] Bayit Yehudi (far from the threshold)
00 [–-] Telem (Yaalon), Zehut (Feiglin), Yachad (Eli Yishai), Eretz Chadasha (Eldad Yaniv), Green Leaf, Ofek Chadash (as other) under 3.25% threshold

62 [66] Current Right-Religious Coalition+Y.B.
58 [54] Current Center-Left-Arab Opposition+Gantz-Y.B.

Additional Questions:

Who is more suited for Prime Minister?

40% Netanyahu, 30% Gantz, 30% Don’t know

Who is more suited for Prime Minister?

40% Netanyahu, 36% Don’t know, 24% Lapid

******

Channel 13 Poll: Likud 31, Israel Resilience 12, Joint List 12, Yesh Atid 10, Labor 8

Midgam conducted a poll for Channel 13 that was broadcast on Jan 2 2018.

Current Knesset seats in [brackets]

31 [30] Likud
12 [13] The Joint (Arab) List
12 [-–] Israel Resilience (Gantz)
10 [11] Yesh Atid
08 [18] Labor
07 [06] Yahadut Hatorah/UTJ
06 [03] Hayamin Hehadash (Bennett & Shaked)
05 [10] Kulanu
05 [07] Shas
05 [06] Livni Party
05 [05] Meretz
05 [05] Yisrael Beitenu
05 [01] Gesher (Orly Levy)
04 [05] Bayit Yehudi
00 [–] (1.8% of vote) Yachad (Eli Yishai)
00 [–-] (1.3% of vote) Telem (Yaalon)
00 [–] (1% of vote) Eretz Chadasha (Eldad Yaniv)
00 [–] (0.4% of vote) Zehut (Feiglin)
00 [–] Green Leaf and Ofek Chadash (as other) under 3.25% threshold

63 [66] Current Right-Religious Coalition+Y.B.
57 [54] Current Center-Left-Arab Opposition+Gantz-Y.B.

Scenario Poll: Gantz + Livni

Current Knesset seats in [brackets]

31 [30] Likud
15 [06] Israel Resilience (Gantz) + Livni
12 [13] The Joint (Arab) List
11 [11] Yesh Atid
08 [18] Labor
07 [06] Yahadut Hatorah/UTJ
06 [03] Hayamin Hehadash (Bennett & Shaked)
05 [10] Kulanu
05 [07] Shas
05 [05] Meretz
05 [05] Yisrael Beitenu
05 [01] Gesher (Orly Levy)
04 [05] Bayit Yehudi
00 [–] (1.8% of vote) Yachad (Eli Yishai)
00 [–-] (1.3% of vote) Telem (Yaalon)
00 [–] (1% of vote) Eretz Chadasha (Eldad Yaniv)
00 [–] (0.4% of vote) Zehut (Feiglin)
00 [–] Green Leaf and Ofek Chadash (as other) under 3.25% threshold

63 [66] Current Right-Religious Coalition+Y.B.
56 [54] Current Center-Left-Arab Opposition+Gantz-Y.B.

*Note: Scenario poll total is 119 seats, not 120.

Additional Questions:

Who is more suited for Prime Minister?

37% Don’t know, 35% Netanyahu, 28% Gantz

Who is more suited for Prime Minister?

55% Don’t know, 38% Netanyahu, 17% Lapid

The Knesset can be seen in the background. Remember that Israeli Elections are for Knesset seats, not for Prime Minister.

More on Bennett-Shaked, Israel Not Governed by Laws of Nature and Math

It's less than twenty-four 24 hours since  Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked shook things up by announcing that they're breaking from the NRP-Jewish Home Party and establishing the New Right. No surprise that many people claim that they are making a mistake.

The popular  reason that most everyone is giving is one of Mathematics. By breaking away and forming a new party, they are diluting the chances of the so-called Right wing Likud to continue in power. Of course, according to logic, the Laws of Nature and Numbers they seem correct. But as I titled this post:

Israel Not Governed by Laws of Nature and Math

If the State of Israel, the Jewish People and the Land of Israel were like any other in the world:

1. We certainly would be been defeated/destroyed in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, 
2. if we hadn't been invaded and destroyed in the 1967 Six Days War.
3. Most probably, there never would have been a State of Israel, since on paper we had so little going for us when we declared Independence on May, 14, 1948.
4. A "normal" people would have been so beaten, both physically in terms of numbers and emotionally, that any remaining Jews would have taken the express train to complete and utter assimilation after the Holocaust. 
5. Or most probably, like our ancient contemporaries/enemies, we'd be no more than a footnote in history. 

Israeli politics is more than plain numbers. There must be balance in the ideological spectrum, and our political spectrum has been over-heavy on the Left for a long time. There are quite a number of Far Left parties, both Arab and Jewish, but there hasn't been a strong unabashed Right Pro-Jewish Rights in the Land of Israel for much too long. That's why political positions that had once been only heard from the Far Left are now heard in the Center and what I'll call the "Lite Right."

Although the media loves to call Likud an ideologically Right party, the truth is that it's Center-Right. As is the NRP establishment which  controls certain aspects of the Jewish Home Party. It kept reigning in Bennett and Shaked to the Center, which is what the NRP is all about. For the NRP, it has always been a claim to fame that they could mould themselves to suit any coalition, Right, Left or Center.

Think of the ideological aspect of the political scene here as a Tug of War. The Far Left has been tugging and there is no equivalent balance/weight from the Right. Some of you may be saying:

"What about Avigdor Lieberman?"

To be perfectly honest, he has his own unique views, which change periodically according to what he thinks will give him more electoral support. Or to follow my "Tug of War" analogy, his rope isn't attached to the one everyone else is tugging. He's just faking it.

I don't pretend to be a fortune teller, and I don't have any recent direct contact with Naftali Bennett or Ayelet Shaked. So, I certainly can't guarantee that the New Right will be what they are saying it will be. One thing I do know is that Prime Minister Netanyahu firmly believes that to be Prime Minister, he must keep to what he considers the political center. I heard him say so in person. Gd willing, Bennett and Shaked don't hold that opinion.

Naftali Bennett visiting us when he was head of YESHA Council

2019, 5779 Israeli Elections, Party Time, Bennett-Shaked Shake Things Up

Tonight, Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked announced that they were breaking away from the NRP (National Religious Party) aka Jewish Home Party and establishing a new political party that would be to the Right of the political spectrum and open to all shades of religiosity. Bennett and Shaked are calling their party the "New Right."

In all honesty, I'm not surprised. I'm more surprised that they managed to stay in the rather staid NRP for five years. When Bennett told the old leadership, the ones who handle the money and property of the venerable old party, that the secular and female Ayelet Shaked was an indispensable part of his leadership package, I have no doubt that they were more shaken up than the British Royal Family when Harry made his relationship with Meghan Markle public.

Just under forty years ago, the Techiya Party was established by legendary Geula Cohen and Yuval Neeman. It was a straight-talking Right party, which I supported and mourn its demise. In the 1992 elections, it didn't receive enough votes to pass the minimum threshold and ceased to exist.

My guess is that the New Right is a 21st century version of Techiya, and from what Bennett and Shaked said at the press conference tonight, they would be happy adopting something I heard Geula Cohen say at a Parlour Meeting in Bayit Vegan, Jerusalem.

Geula was asked:

"Is Techiya a religious party?"

Geula replied:

"Techiya isn't a religious party; it's a Jewish party."

I have never liked religion as a criteria for politics and government. We have to work together.

What do you think?

Migron, Still Counting

Migron is/was a quiet community in a great location, just off Highway 60, north of Sha'ar Binyamin and the turnoff to Psagot, Kochav Yaakov and Tel Tzion, across from the southern end of the Alon Road. It's not far from Jerusalem, and many young families were living there in temporary homes. But instead of building permanent homes, a nuisance case was brought by Peace Now, the anti-Jewish settlement group claiming to represent "true Arab owners*," and the Israeli Lefit courts ordered Migron to be destroyed and moved.

In compensation, the government promised that the residents would get a new totally approved location, and while waiting they would be set up in state of the art caravillot (temporary prefabricated homes) nearby. This "temporary" setup has been going on for quite a few years already. The community set up a large electric sign, which you can see below. It shows the amount of days Migron has been waiting for a new location and permanent homes.

Yesterday when I passed by the number had reached 2,142 days exiled and waiting. That is why so many of us do not consider the present Israeli Government coalition to be Right, pro-Jewish rights/settlement. The truth is that we have no one to vote for. The most reliably pro-Jewish rights/settlement party is Jewish Home, but the coalition agreement/conditions really ties the hands of the more dedicated Knesset Members. Bibi sure knows how to write a very tight contract, and nothing can be done effectively by a party out of the coalition.

The real problem is that the Israeli High Court makes policy according to the judges' ideology and doesn't decide according to law. Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, Jewish Home, is trying hard to change this, but it isn't easy and will take a long time.

*The so-called owners had been offered land by Jordan on the condition that within a certain period of time they developed it. But prior to the 1967 Six Days War, when Jordan was illegally occupying land west of the Jordan River until the Israeli border, they did nothing to make the areas habitable. Nobody was interested in living or investing here. The "gifts of land" were considered worthless. All of the modern infrastructure, electricity, water, sewer, telephone etc have been built by Israel, post Six Days War.

Thank Gd, Amona Compromise Approved!

Amona, Flash90

Honestly, it will still hurt the good people of Amona, but they did the right thing by approving the latest offer, and Bibi, too, did the right thing by agreeing.

Government approves Amona deal
The government unanimously approved on Sunday a compromise deal hammered out between Jewish Home leader and Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that would relocate more than half of the Samarian town of Amona to nearby plots......According to the outline of the deal, 24 of the town’s 42 families will be relocated to undeveloped plots on the same hill where Amona is currently located. The government will take control of the unclaimed land under the Absentee Property Law, making the plots state land. (Arutz 7)

There are times when one must find a way to get on without harming the greater good.

Nobody really wanted another terribly violent confrontation, like the one which had happened ten years ago on Amona. The iconic pictures of teenagers confronting stormtroopers, riot police on horses, haunt all of us, on both sides till this day.

http://cdn.timesofisrael.com/

As I began trying to plan this article, the image of Menachem Begin, traumatized after Ben-Gurion's ordered attack on the Altalena kept going through my mind. Begin could have very easily, and justifiably, declared war on the Palmach and Haganah, but he refused to fight them in a civil war which the entire Jewish People would lose.

Now, we must take advantage of the new law and the fact that Ayelet Shaked is Minister of Justice to build us a new Israeli Justice that will be truly Just for the Jewish People and the State of Israel.

Israeli Supreme Court, When "Independent" is UNJUST

Israeli Supreme Court

So what is the big hullabaloo between Israeli Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked and Supreme Court President Miriam Naor all about?

One of the big issues in Israel is that the Supreme Court is very much "friend brings friend." It's a Leftist bastion that easily preserves its ideological purity. Breaking that monopoly is an aim of Shaked and her party, Jewish Home aka NRP. It's also important to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and many others in Israel's Right and Center, which is why she got that portfolio.

On one of the Israeli newscasts about the issue, I heard someone who wants to preserve the status quo shouting that it exists to preserve the "court's independence." Now, if you don't know what they mean by "independence," you may think they have a point.

The dangerous thing that the pro-status quo people mean by that is that they do not make their decisions based on the laws passed in the Knesset.  And remember that the Knesset is made up by representatives of political parties voted in by the citizens of the State of Israel. The justices in the Israeli Supreme Court consider their "consciences," their ideologies to be the sources of their decisions. They do not make their judgments by interpreting the Laws, but by bending them into their concept of their Leftist Utopian vision.

If Ayelet Shaked gets her way, then the Knesset will appoint justices more representative of Israel's population and not the Leftist elite of today which considers itself the overseer of Israeli Law and values, even going against laws which they don't like.

Ya'alon Demoralizing the IDF

As Minister of Defense, Moshe Bogie Ya'alon should be perceived as supporting Israel's IDF soldiers in a most difficult situation/war against our enemies, including the terrorists. Instead he has seriously and consistently veered Left in a very complicated war of words, ideas, bullets, knives etc.

Maybe he once was very much on the political Right and strong on defense etc. But since taking office as Minister of Defense, he has veered so far Left he makes Prime Minister Binyamin Bibi Netanyahu look good.

In the War of Arab Terror Against Jews, we are all on the frontline. At least those of us who aren't guarded 24/7 and aren't driven in protected cars, like Bogie. We know that terror is a "political mugging," like the Biblical Amalek who preyed on the weak, and not some random acts of ordinary criminals who may be susceptible to de/reprograming and rehabilitation.

I am very disappointed in the reaction of Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and her defense of Bogie. He has been interfering in the case against the soldier who shot the terrorist. His Left-sounding knee-jerk condemnation of the soldier is dangerously anti-Justice and anti-democratic.

Their bandwagon reactions are dangerous for Israelis all over, because they sympathise with the terrorists, rather than the Jewish victims and the IDF soldiers who are doing their best to protect us.

Will New Likud Government Fulfill the Right Promise or Be Another Leftist-Center Disaster?

So deja vu...

Only the Likud can so consistently disappoint its voters and not disappear from the Israeli political scene. From the time in 1977 when Menachem Begin shocked the polls and media by jumping out of the opposition into the Prime Minister's seat and then instead of offering the strong Right patriotic pro-Land of Israel for Jews policies he had been elected to do, there has never been a Likud Government that didn't disappoint its voters.

Only the Likud has destroyed Jewish communities and towns and schools and given our precious Land to our Arab enemies. Davka, it was the Leftist Labor Party that has done any better for us in many ways.

Likud leaders talk the talk, but the truth is that when it comes to policy, they are the most destructive in the History of the State of Israel.

• Who gave the Sinai to Egypt and destroyed Yamit, Ofira and the agricultural communities there?
• Who declared Disengagement making Gush Katif and part of Northern Samaria judenrein and ruled by Hamas?

Labor supported these terrible policies, but they were the initiatives of Likud!!

Evacuation and destruction of Sinai, Sadot,  1982

Neve Dekalim Synagogue after Disengagement

Now with the hardliner secular Ayelet Shaked, of Jewish Home (formerly National Religious Party,) as incoming Justice Minister people all over are expecting her to legalize controversial housing, neighborhoods and communities and approve all sorts of building permits that have been frozen for years. That's what we're hoping for and praying for. We'd like Jewish Israeli SOVEREIGNTY on all of the Land of Israel! That's the only way we'll have security.

Honestly, I'm jaded and cynical. I've been disappointed too many times. I really don't doubt that Shaken will attempt to correct all the wrong she can, but I have this nagging feeling that Netanyahu will do his usual hand-tying of his coalition partners. Bibi runs a tight ship, especially when it comes to disciplining those on the Right.

Prime Minister Binyamin Bibi Netanyahu has not yet presented us with his complete cabinet. He is trying to get a new law passed to allow him even more ministers than ever before to try to satisfy the demands of his sixty-one 61 MKs. Rumors still abound that he is hoping to expand his minimal coalition with the addition of some more Leftist MKs or parties.

Considering how little I trust Moshe Kahlon and Aryeh Deri to show coalition loyalty, things should be very rocky for Bibi this time around.

Re: My Mention in Ha'aretz, Mistakes by Writer Allison Kaplan Sommer

As my husband blogged and others have told me, my Caroline Glick post was mentioned and quoted in Ha'aretz, ROUTINE EMERGENCIES, by Allison Kaplan Sommer. I don't pay for their "premium" which gives unlimited access to their site. I couldn't get the article on my computer, so people sent it to me by copying, which of course can be done. I'm only going to quote the relevant sections about me and what I think Sommer got totally wrong.

It is such outspokenness that causes some of Glick’s fans on the right to voice distress - not pleasure - at the prospect of her signing up with the Likud. Batya Medad, writing in the blog “Shiloh Musings” warned that if Glick joins Netanyahu, that her one-state solution “hard-hitting opinions” will be “muzzled window-dressing” in the Likud, and she will merely act as “window-dressing” for Netanyahu.
“It’s because I agree with and respect Caroline Glick that I want her to stay on the outside where she won’t be muzzled and disciplined. We need an “untied” Caroline Glick!!”
Medad and company needn’t panic just yet. Glick’s Likud spot is far from a done deal, and she hasn’t even confirmed that an offer was made. It’s not clear precisely how politically advantageous for Netanyahu choosing her would be. Glick is far from a household name to non-English speaking Israelis, and her public repudiation of the two-state solution puts her in the politically problematic right end of the Likud spectrum. It’s not a political position she can fudge or conceal. Her latest book, after all, is titled The Israeli Solution: A One State Plan for Peace in the Middle East.

First of all, to refer to Glick as "far from a household name to non-English speaking Israelis" is totally false. She is bilingual and has an extremely large Hebrew-speaking fan base. Latma was/is in Hebrew besides a couple of their songs. I think the anglo writer Allison Kaplan Sommer is just projecting her own language restrictions/limitations here. There's plenty of Hebrew on Glick's facebook page, and she has been in Israel for a long time.

I'm a cynic and I have a nasty suspicion that Bibi wants Glick in the party Likud Party Knesset list for one reason and one reason only, to get votes. As much as he couldn't stand Moshe Feiglin, he can't deny that Feiglin brought in votes, but it was clear to all that those votes won't return. Feiglin supporters didn't even show up to vote in the Likud Primaries. Many are joining Bennett's Jewish Home, or Otzma Yehudit or are just plain disenchanted with politics.

Caroline Glick will attract votes and I'm sure that the "election events planners" would love a debate between her and Ayelet Shaked who agree on just about everything except which party to support.

I May End Up Voting for Jewish Home, Because It's Nothing Like The Old NRP

For many years decades I've said that I wouldn't vote for the NRP for two basic reasons:

1. I don't think a political party should revolve around the issue of religion.
2. Traditionally there was something very "apolitical" about the NRP. It found ways to join almost all the coalitions whether Left or Right to protect its institutions. 

There was also something so terribly homogeneous about it. 

Today I watched and listened to one of the top Bayit Yehudi, Jewish Home leaders, Ayelet Shaked, and she said something rather revolutionary for that party. She said that it wouldn't be the end of the world if they were to find themselves in the opposition. I was overjoyed. If you check my posts from two years ago before the previous elections, you'd see that one of my complaints about Naftali Bennett was that he had announced, before even beginning negotiations with Netanyahu that they'd be in the government. 

I use my vote to support an ideology, not for anything else. I want the MKs I've voted for to be able to tell the truth and speak out on every issue. As you probably know, I don't see MKs as having too much power, and coalition MKs have even less. 

One thing I really like about Bennett's Jewish Home is that it is getting further and further from the old NRP. And I think that Bibi's Likud is getting further and further from Menachem Begin's Herut, Gahal and Likud. One of the latest surprises is that Betar Jerusalem's former soccer star Eli Ohana may be joining up with Bennett and Shaked.

See, I've been saying for quite some time, usually as facebook comments, that the Jewish Home is becoming what the Likud should or could have been!!

Israeli MFA uses MK Ayelet Shaked Image to Promote "Gaza Occupation" Counterpoint

I don't know who drew and designed this hasbara, Israeli formation campaign cartoon, but the Israeli spokesperson is a dead-ringer for NRP aka Jewish Home Knesset Member Ayelet Shaked.

The voice, unfortunately, sounds very mid-20th century Bell's operator or old-fashioned schoolteacher.  Though the style they have her dressed in is rather flaky, with a cropped top showing a bare midriff. I guess that's the image of Israel the Foreign Ministry wants to promote.

In all honesty, I don't like this cartoon, especially not the way the message it is being promoted. I also don't like the use of the  term "legal Palestinians government"

Here is is, what do you think?

"You may have heard claims that Israel's occupation of the Gaza Strip is the reason for hostilities in the region. Is this fact or fiction? Well, guess what: Israel DOES NOT occupy Gaza. It left Gaza in 2005, pulling out all its soldiers and leaving all its settlements. So who DOES occupy Gaza? Hamas. In 2007, this terrorist organization attacked the legitimate Palestinian Authority government and violently seized control of Gaza. It has ruled since then by force and without elections. Hamas turned the Gaza Strip into a terrorist base and uses its population as human shields."

I think that we are getting into points that can backfire on us. By just concentrating on the Gaza occupation issue, it's admitting that we are the "occupation power" over Judea, Samaria, the Jordan Valley and the Golan.

And the big truth is that the world isn't interested in the facts and truth. Those countries and people and NGOs against us won't budge from their beliefs no matter how much history, facts or how attractive and youthful the speaker is. This Ayelet Shaked lookalike would be more influential recommending or promoting an amusement park, not explaining facts and history to a staid, suited, bespectacled guy like in the cartoon.

If you want to read something more serious about the so-called "occupation," recommend Evelyn Gordon's latest.