Israeli Elections Musings #4, Preparing for Third Undecided Panel Discussion-Decisions Still Unknown

Israeli Elections are getting closer, but my decision about which political party to vote for seems further away than ever. Many friends feel the same way. 

I don't want anyone involved in the October 7, 2023 fiasco in power any more, and that's not only Binyamin Netanyahu and his loyal poodles. That includes all the powerful generals who've been leading the IDF, Military Intelligence and other national security honchos for the past decade or more. They're heavily involved in the failures. I'm also suspicious of those who had gone to the USA for "training," better described as brainwashing. They drank the Koolaid claiming that tiny Israel, surrounded by real enemies, only needs a "small, smart army." I guess that's why civilians got to the Nova site and the attacked southern communities faster that the IDF.

In addition, it won't help much to fill the Knesset with people who don't know the system... grrr, yup. That's part of why I'm so UNDECIDED. No party or MK at this point has my full trust aka vote. In Israel we vote for political parties, not for individuals. And no political party ends up with a majority of the one hundred and twenty 120 Knesset seats. Various parties must form coalitions to rule in theory, but Binyamin Netanyahu discovered a way out of that, and he did it a number of times in recent decades. We went through a series of elections that didn't result in a coalition, so Bibi Netanyahu was able to continue to rule as Prime Minister with a select minority of Knesset Members. 

It only ended when Naftali Bennett made history crafting a coalition, while leading a small party of only seven members. Bennett's coalition fell after Bibi "bribed" a couple of MKs with promises of safe places in the Likud list and undeserved cabinet positions in his next government. That's why he had the Likud bylaws amended to give him a large amount of "safe seats" to choose according to his will, rather than the Likud primaries. 

The Undecided Panel will be meeting soon. You can hear our last discussion here.

Israeli Elections Musings #2 The Undecideds Will be Meeting Again to Mull Over Our Choices

Whom to vote for?
That is the question

Many of you from all over the world may have listened to our first discussion, organized by Jonathan Feldstein, live or the recording. There were some very good reactions. The Israeli Electoral system is rather different from most. Ours is a much more representational type of government. There are many classic Jewish jokes like:

Two Jews having three opinions

In addition Israel is a very small country, barely the size of New Jersey. Electoral districts wouldn't work here, unless you want to see the most extreme and unfair example of gerrymandering... 

Until a couple of decades ago, if that long, the votes per 120 seat Knesset was simple math, meaning that you could have one person parties, since one needed less than one percent 1% of the votes to get into Knesset. The minimum has been changed, so that the smallest political party must get enough votes for three seats. Prime ministers aren't directly elected. He or she who heads the party that can negotiate a coalition of at least sixty-one 61 MKs Members of Knesset becomes Prime Minister. 

By the time we vote in the next elections, there will probably be about a dozen political parties or more. You'd think that we'd all have an easy time choosing with such a big choice... but many of my friends fellow Israelis of all political persuasions are in panic mode. We don't want to waste our votes. We can give you a long list of parties WE DON'T WANT TO VOTE FOR, but we don't even have a shortlist of those we're considering. I've labeled us "political orphans."

Our second discussion will be Wednesday June 17 at 8:00pm Israel time, 1:00pm Eastern (US) during which we will touch on how some of the recent current events may impact our vote, the polls, and more. If the first conversation is any indication, this week's conversation will be lively and important too. Please feel free to register to listen in live at:  https://us02web.zoom.us/.../reg.../WN_77hPoiyFRgWBbH3ozixC-w

Afterwards, I'd love to hear what you think, thanks.

Antidemocracy Rioters Disrupt Life in Jerusalem -- The Truth About Judicial Reform

Black day for Israeli democracy and liberty. 

Please get this right. I'm talking about the attempt by the elitist Israeli Left to overthrow the legally elected government. 

Democracy is a numbers game. It means that if you get the most votes, you've won. In Israel, to be more precise, if you can create a coalition of a majority of the 120 Members of Knesset, 61 or more that's a legal government. THAT'S DEMOCRACY! 

If you didn't get enough votes to create a coalition, if you don't have the MKs, you've lost. That's it. Very simple. Try harder next time. Marching and screaming in the streets won't give you the right to rule. If you insist on demonstrating, then you're acting like fascists or worse. I don't know why those demonstrators on Monday took black flags, but it really showed their true color. 

They can scream all they want, but grow up! That won't give them more votes, more MKs. Rule by taking over the streets? That's dystopia, not utopia.

The antidemocracy anti-judicial reform protests on Monday stopped public transportation and inconvenienced, to put it mildly, tens of thousands or more ordinary Israelis like myself. I had been at the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens with the Ayelet Chapter of Amit Women and discovered that bus service to the center of Jerusalem or Ammunition Hill, where I needed to get a bus home to Shiloh, had been stopped. Yes, the buses were stopped because of those demonstrators.

Thank Gd, I found the physical strength to walk, and please remember that in a few months Gd willing I'll be 74, towards the lightrail on King George and Yaffo. I finally caught a bus on King George and took it less than two stops. Why less? That very junction where I needed to transfer from the bus to the lightrail had been taken over by the mobs, and the bus had been forced to stop, and the lightrail stopped, too.

Since the rioters had stopped public transportation, I was forced to keep walking and finally caught a bus at the Buchari Shuk.

It was clear that the demonstrators were having fun, but lots of ordinary Jerusalemites and visitors like myself were inconvenienced and angry. I saw people trying to explain to the rioters that they were interfering with our human rights, but... you can finish the sentence...

These antigovernment demonstrations/riots have been going on since Netanyahu's previous administration, then stopped when he was out of office and now resumed. Now they're harping on the Judicial Reform issue. They claim that the judges need "independence." That's absurd! 

Do you know what they mean by it? They mean that judges should use their "judgement," their personal ideology/philosophy to decide what's right and just. They don't decide according to law. They decide if a law suits their moral, political opinions. That's means that the courts are political, not legally based. Not only that! They get to choose their replacements. It's not the elected Knesset Members who choose judges, it's the judges themselves. That way, although the judges don't hold the opinions of the majority of the citizens, they can perpetuate their ideological power over the citizens and the elected government. 

Does that sound kosher to you?

Who made them god? 

Most of us ordinary Israelis are too busy getting through our busy days to take to the streets, like the elitist Leftists. Also, we did our patriotic duty, voted. There's a coalition that holds the ideology of the majority of Israelis. We definitely need Judicial Reform, so our courts will be based on law, not politics.

Why should the minority have the right utter chutzpah to overrule the majority?

Davka, very much like last week's Torah Portion, Yitro, someone who isn't Israeli explains our situation very well, Mark Levin. Please listen to what he has to say.

Israel's Political System and Judicial Reform-- What's Going On?

I almost titled this post "Israeli Judicial Reform for Dummies," but didn't want to antagonize people. Also the topic is no joke. This is serious stuff, and it's complicated.

Oy. Where should I start?

Let's start with the Israeli political system, which may be unique; though others may be similar in some ways. Let the adjectives used here be different or unique. I don't want any judgmental ones like better and worse. It doesn't pay to go there, since there is no country like the State of Israel in size, history, sociology, security needs etc. Being a democracy, Israel has developed into the country we know today, and in most ways it actually works well. 

Israel is a Parliamentary Democracy. Our parliament, called the Knesset, has one hundred and twenty 120 members. There are many political parties represented in the Knesset, and certainly even more that didn't get enough votes to be included. Now a party needs 4.5% of the votes, called the Electoral Threshold, to get any of their list in.

Each political party submits a list to election board by a certain date, and it's according to the order on the list that people become Members of Knesset. After the votes are counted, the failed parties subtracted and the numbers of MKs per party calculated, the President of the State of Israel then calls the leader #1 of the largest party and offers him/her to chance to form a coalition.

OK, I know that some of you are jumping in your seats trying to get my attention and ask why we have so many political parties. I'll start with a joke:

"two Jews five opinions"

OK, some say only three opinions, but Israeli society is too complex --remember that Israeli Arabs also vote and have a few political parties-- for two political parties to suffice. The political/social spectrum isn't a simple right/left. It also includes religious observance and many other factors. 

The Knesset reflects Israeli diversity, and that diversity isn't reflected at all in the High Court. The democratically elected MKs do not have a say in who sits as a justice on that court. The justices vote in their replacements, and they choose very carefully to find people who follow their ideology, which is far to the Left of the Israeli population. In recent years they have been making legal decisions that go against laws voted in by the elected MKs. That's not democracy. 

The justices don't base their decision on laws. They base their decisions on their political ideology, which is what they treasure and want to preserve. They call it "judicial independence." It's davka that "independence" which endangers Israeli democracy. 

Justice Minister Yariv Levin's plan will reduce the power of the High Court in a number of ways. I'm not getting into the details of the laws he proposes. You can click Judicial Reform for the details. I just wanted to show that reform is needed. 

Nobody has the right to play god, not even High Court justices. 

Big Question-- Which Party Should I Vote For?

 Simply put:

The politicians I want to see in the Knesset and even better in the next government aren't running on the same party list.

At this point, I don't know for which party I'll vote vote.

There are still two and a half months until the next Israeli Elections. That should give me time to decide Gd willing.

Am I the only one in such a quandary?

Guide To The Perplexed, Israeli Political System Simplified

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett 

After over half a century in Israel, I have a pretty good idea how the political system works. I don't think it's like many others. I'm going to try to simplify it here, aiming to say how it's run in positive rather than negative sentences/points. I will try to use easy to understand terminology.

• The Israeli Political System is a parliamentary democracy.
• The Israeli Political System has only proportional representation.
• Israeli citizens vote for political parties*.
• The 120 Knesset seats are proportionately divided among the political parties that received a legally set percentage of the votes and more.
• After votes are fully counted, the political parties negotiate a coalition government, because no single party has ever gotten a majority of the Knesset seats.
• The Prime Minister is chosen/voted in by the majority of Knesset Members who generally are in the political parties that have joined the coalition. 
• Coalition negotiations decide which participating political parties get which ministries, committee chairmanships and other important positions.
• When a government falls and new elections are called, the sitting government continues until after a new coalition is voted in.**

*Each political party has a numbered list of candidates who become MKs according to election results.

**That interim government cannot be voted out. Netanyahu had spent the last few years as interim Prime Minister, perfectly safe from losing his position as long as no new coalition run by another party could be formed.

Benny Gantz, Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett

I hope that this explanation is clear. If you have any questions, please write in the comments. 

This isn't the place/post to complain that YOU think it's a dumb system. The purpose of this post is just to explain the existing  Israeli Political System.

National Unity Government Like Biblical Ketoret, Or Do You Want More Elections?

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

Nobody's quite sure who really coined these words of wisdom, but I wish that sixty-one 61 plus Knesset Members would take the words to heart and and hammer out a workable coalition agreement for the good of the State of Israel, so we don't have to uselessly vote again.

None of us are perfect, nor are our politicians. Instead of demonstrating to oust Bibi, there should be demonstrations near all the MKs' homes urging them to put away their egos and platforms. We want a viable government coalition, warts and all. 

Ketoret, a specially blended incense, was used in Temple and prior to that Mishkan, Tabernacle for prayer. 

The ketoret consisted of a special blend of herbs and balms whose precise ingredients and manner of preparation were commanded by G‑d to Moses.

Some of the herbs and balms were sweet, others bitter, and all were needed to properly make the Ketoret. 

Right now Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, whose positions concerning many issues clash, but they both believe that the State of Israel needs a national unity government. One thing for sure, both have supporters/voters/MKs not all happy with the views of the "other." Think of the bitter herb that must be included in the Ketoret.

If the MKs whom Bennett and Lapid bring into this coalition from their political parties and others come with the right attitude, the State of Israel will have a good working government, like the Ketoret needed for prayer in Biblical times. Gd willing...

...because it's truly insanity to expect election results very different from what we've had the previous four times.

Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh, Hologram of Tabernacle worship

Will The March 2021 Elections Be Better Than The March 2020 Elections?

March 2020 Elections

Will The March 2021 Elections Be Better Than The March 2020 Elections?

That Is The Question...

After a year of COVID corona, the world seems a bit shaky. 

Today in Matan listening to a Bible class, taught by Dr. Yael Ziegler, about Noach and family hesitatingly leaving the ark, we could easily relate. Even though most adults are fully vaccinated against COVID corona, we haven't yet resumed our previous level of socializing. Most of us are still pretty solitary, unless zooming, whatsapping or writing or phoning. Our tables are still pretty empty of guests, and we haven't had a Shabbat meal at neighbors for over a year.

It's hard to believe that in less than two weeks, we'll be voting in Knesset Elections. Will we be required to remove our masks so the "officials" can match our faces to our Identity Cards?

And even more important:

Will sixty plus 60+ of the resulting one hundred and twenty 120 Members of Knesset be able to come to some viable coalition agreement?

We the citizens of the State of Israel want a viable government with strong leadership to steer our precious country to security, sovereignty and good health.

I will vote for a political party that has positions, a platform and plans, not for a party that just says "NOT BIBI."  To be honest, I do feel that it's time for Bibi Netanyahu to retire. He's a few months younger than I am and I have no idea where he gets his energy. But energy or not, it's not good for a country to have the same political leader for over a decade. 

I'd like to see Bibi retire with dignity and pass the baton on to the next generation. But I'm not voting for a political party which makes "replacing Bibi" the key issue to their campaign.

For the past decade plus, I've been a member of a small group of women studying the Bible. Right now we're studying Chronicles, which is about the Jewish Kings, the descendants of King David. Some are good, some are bad and some are very, very evil. It's not enough just to put on crown on someone's' head and call him "king." And just because someone wants to be prime minister and has financial backers to cover the expenses of a political party's campaign, doesn't mean he, or she, will do a good job as prime minister or even politician.

Politics is a very complex profession, and here in Israel, because a prime minister must control a coalition it's especially complicated. It can be described as playing a dozen difficult chess games simultaneously. Maybe two dozen would be more accurate. 

I think it's important to vote for a party headed by a potential prime minister, unless you want Bibi and Likud to continue. As I have already said, it's time for Bibi Netanyahu to retire.

That's why I'm giving my vote to Yemina ב. Of all the wannabes, I prefer Naftali Bennett. 

Bennett had a successful career before he went into politics. He has been working his way up, did a good job when Bibi have him responsibilities and has an excellent team working with him.

Elections Again? This isn't Some Sort of Joke; Is It?

I don't know why it has taken me so long to blog about the upcoming elections here in Israel. Usually I'm right on the ball, blogging about the politics even before the decision has been made. This time, eh...

Are we all burnt out between elections and COVID corona?

The twenty first century isn't all it was cracked up to be. It's becoming more of a dystopian horror movie, and we're in it whether we like it or not.

The score card is now under "construction" or something like that. MKs and wannabes are scurrying around trying to find the best chance to "live their dream" or extend their minute of fame.

There will be a deadline in another month or so, and by then deals will be made and dozens more polls will be publicized. Political parties may come and go, disappearing without even experiencing a single election on its own, sort of like a miscarriage. 

Veteran parties will join other historic relics in the political cemetery of has-beens. And Binyamin Bibi Netanyahu will attempt to keep on lengthening his record-breaking reign as Israel's longest standing/sitting/ruling Prime Minister.

While most Israelis are trying to stay alive and healthy and financially solvent, it seems that elections are the last thing we need again. But unfortunately, we haven't had a "proper" government for years, ever since Yvette (Avigdor) Lieberman broke up the coalition, if I remember correctly. 

Please BLAME IT ON YVETTE, NOT BIBI. Look, I don't vote Likud, but this whole mess is the fault of Yvette (Avigdor) Lieberman. And the main reason no party leader can put together a viable coalition is that Lieberman's Bayit Yehudi party doesn't join anyone. He's proving himself to be an anarchist, not a believer/follower in the democratic legal system of government.

Gd willing these elections will result in a better mix/choice of MKs who want the best for the State of Israel and not just an ego trip. A coalition must work together for the good of the country, Knesset Members not just the ministers.

True "Democracy" is Neither Right, Left or Center

"Democracy" or "democratic" is actually more a mathematical concept than political ideology. Any political party that describes, or labels itself as "democratic" is and oxymoron, just throwing around popular terms.

Definition of democracy

1a: government by the people especially : rule of the majority
b: a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections

Simply put. There is a vote, and the majority rules. Some countries have a "winner takes all" system like the United States. A candidate can lose by just a handful of votes or get a fraction of the winner's number, and he/she is totally out of the picture.

In Israel there is "proportional representation." This is actually the most democratic system of all. We have a parliament, The Knesset, of one hundred and twenty 120 members. The candidates run on party lists, which are generally ideological. It is no longer possible for a "one person party" to get in by receiving .833% of the vote. Now the minimum percentage has been raised so there won't be any tiny parties. But still there is a recognized Opposition, In the Israeli system, the losers also have a right to be heard and not only during election campaigns.

Tomorrow here in Israel there will be elections yet again. The past two elections didn't result in enough Knesset Members willing to work together in a coalition. It can be considered an electoral "still birth."

Gd willing, we'll nave a good healthy live coalition to govern the State of Israel after round three.

Geula Cohen, Genuine Israeli Hero

Yesterday morning I woke up to the sad news that Geula Cohen, Jewish patriot, fighter for Israeli Independence and Jewish Rights in all of the Land of Israel had passed away. Age-wise few of her peers and brothers in arms are still alive, but she had no peer in terms of her accomplishments.

Geula Cohen was an old soldier who didn't fade away.

After Israel's victorious War for Independence, Geula became a journalist, Knesset Member, party leader of Techiya, but never a politician who mastered or treasured the art of compromise.  Geula Cohen was an idealist to the end. Ideals and principles were foremost for her.

We knew Geula personally. She had been a guest in our home and family occasions, and we also attended her joyous events. My husband worked for her for many years. She'd travel to Shiloh by bus before she had a car. As a Knesset Member, Geula Cohen took advantage of the perk that offered all MKs free public transportation.

For me, personally, the death of Geula Cohen is the death of an old aunt. Geula was a role model for women trying to make it in a man's world. She didn't play the Feminist card. Geula was a mother, grandmother and proud Jew.

I'll never forget hearing her at a pre-election "Parlour Meeting" in Bayit Vegan, Jerusalem, promoting the Techiya Party. Someone asked if Techiya was a religious party.

"Religious party?" Geula repeated. "No, Techiya is a Jewish party."

Geula didn't like the labeling according to Jewish observance. Judaism for her was much larger than one's kitchen or Shabbat. She saw being Jewish as being part of a great People with its own Land and History.

At one point Geula and her son Tzachi Hanegbi both served in the Knesset, though representing different political parties. Geula was a Techiya MK, while Tzachi was with Likud. For the following election campaign Tzachi featured in a very unique Likud ad saying, as my memory serves me:

"People keep coming up to me saying they want to vote Techiya, because they love my mother. I also love my mother, but vote Likud."

I don't have the film of that, but I've included Geula's reaction to Prime Minster Menachem Begin's Camp David treaty with Egypt.

ברוך דיין האמת

Baruch Dayan Ha'emet

Blessed Be The True Judge

Quiet on The Coalition Building Front, Good or Bad?

Israel has been in the Election and Government coalition building mode for close to a year already. We've had two national Knesset Elections, and still Bibi's steering a "temporary," lame duck government.

After the first 2019 Elections, Binyamin Bibi Netanyahu, the sitting prime minister and #1 in Likud, was entrusted with forming a ruling coalition, because he appeared to be the only party leader with a chance. He failed. And Benny Gantz, head of the Blue & White Party didn't do what the wily and experienced Bibi would have tried. Gantz didn't work behind the scenes to craft a coalition and surprise the country with it at the Knesset vote to disband and call a second 2019 Knesset Elections.

2019 Knesset Elections Redo also ended with a tie. There are basically four blocs of Knesset Members:

• Right 
• Left 
• Hareidi (ultra-religious)
• Arab

Likud leads the Right, though it prefers calling itself Center, and Blue & White leads the Left, though it prefers calling itself Center. Please don't get too confused, because they define Center differently. "Center" is one of those code words that politicians think make them popular with citizens of all stripes, like parve food in a kosher kitchen which can be served with both meat or dairy.

Center doesn't work with me. I don't vote for anyone whose ideology is "get me elected." I must know what the person plans to do for the country, their vision, red lines etc.

Simply put, the Likud can work with the Hareidi, while Blue & White campaigned to delegitimize chareidim from Israeli society and government. Blue & White promised a chareidi-free government. Their stated reason is the lack of patriotism of the chareidi public and their relatively low IDF army service. They'd like the support of the Arabs instead, but truth be told, Arabs are even less patriotic and less apt to serve in the army. Hmmm... does that make sense?

The best way for one of the big parties to make a coalition is to get deserters from the other side. Or are we going to have elections yet again?

Israeli Elections 2019, 5779 - Not Panicking - Don't Fear Change

In the dark of the night...
The Art of Israeli Politics

At this point, Bibi, Gantz, MKs and innumerous political wheeler dealers are busy with their combo chess poker game, a marathon of hints, talks, teases, flirts, promises, deals, maybes, posturing, threats, posing, faking increasing the national market for medication to reduce blood pressure.

I've decided to take it easy. Last week I voted, and that's as far as my influence goes. Some of you may have found my blog posts or facebook posts helpful in choosing which political party to go for, at least that's what I heard, but now it's not up to us.

Who's going to be sworn in as Prime Minister? 

Honestly, I don't know. I certainly don't want Benny Gantz or any of his Blue & White party. But on the other hand I think it's healthy for a country to have periodic changes in ruling leadership.

Since the great "shockeroo" of 1977 when Likud's Menachem Begin became Prime Minister, the Likud has led the State of Israel most of the time. Some of those governments were good, and some were bad, very bad. During the times when Likud was out of power, Labor and Kadima governments were passable to dangerously awful.

It's not good for a political party to consider itself invincible and above reproach. Ditto for political leaders. Sometimes losing is good, a serious reality shock.

May Gd have mercy on His People

"Gevalt" For Sure- Lieberman Holds Israel by The Neck

Recent history here in Israel is showing Avigdor Yvette Lieberman to be a dangerous anarchist. His political machinations has brought down the government, and since then no working coalition has been formed.

For some inexplicable reason, many Israelis vote for him which has been perpetuating the political chaos. The results of yesterday's elections aren't any better than that of the previous ones. It's very dangerous for the large Arab party to be in the coalition, and Gantz's Blue and White have painted themselves in a corner by refusing to work with Likud leader Binyamin Netanyahu.

All those who voted ל for Lieberman are as guilty or even more so for strengthening and legitimizing him. Lieberman has a chokehold on Israeli democracy, on every citizen, Jew or Arab, Torah observant or totally secular. I have an easier time accepting people's vote for Leftist parties than for those who voted Lieberman.

We are in the midst of the Jewish Month of Ellul, the time for more intense Teshuva, Repentance. I pray that those who have been elected to serve us, citizens of the State of Israel, in the Knesset will find it in themselves to work together, reject hatred and dangerous vows. May they form a strong coalition for the betterment, security and sovereignty of the State of Israel.

Guide to the Politically Perplexed: Israeli Elections 2019, 5779, Redo, More Info Clarification

Bli eyin haraa, not to tempt the "evil eye," tomorrow I plan on voting in the Israeli Elections 2019, 5779, Redo.

Unlike previous elections, so far, even though the voting stations will be open in about 24 hours, I've noticed relatively few signs and potential trash. There could be a simple reason, money or lack of it. The political parties and wannabes just can't find the money they had a half a year ago for the first Israeli Elections 2019, 5779. Generally loans are taken out, or the government provides political parties with a certain amount, which will be covered if the party wins enough seats. If they don't win the required amount, then the money must be returned... somehow.

Yesterday I posted about the Israeli political system, which is rather misunderstood. Likud and Blue & White are, davka, taking advantage of people's ignorance. To simplify and repeat:

In Israel we don't vote directly for a Prime Minister. We vote for lists of potential Knesset Members. The party leader who can negotiate a ruling coalition of at least 61 Members of Knesset becomes Prime Minister of the State of Israel.

People, especially those raised abroad, ask if having districts would make it easier to form stable governments. My answer is a firm "NO."

There are two very simple reasons for this:

1. GERRYMANDERING. Gerrymandering is the "art" of drawing election districts to achieve goals in favor of, or the detriment of specific political parties. 
2. In a country like Israel, especially with gerrymandered districts and the fact that we have many established political parties, there can still be a variety of political parties and not a simple two party system.

It may help to return to the one-time "experiment" of two ballots, one for Prime Minister and the other for the Knesset. This sort of system exists in Israel in municipalities. People vote separately for the mayor and city council members.

Sometimes the mayor and his party's council members do well, so he has an easy time making a working coalition. Other times, like Moshe Lion, Mayor of Jerusalem, the winning mayor doesn't have council members from his party, and he/she must make a coalition with those who had wanted him/her to lose. A skilled politician can pull it off.

Politics is the art of compromise. People/politicians have to work together for the good of the people/country/city/state.

Whether prime minister, president, governor, mayor etc one must be fair also to those with different opinions, not just to supporters.

I'm voting Yemina, and davka one of the reasons is because the various factions now running together for the Knesset have shown that despite their "bad history," they are willing to work together. Even though many times I've said that I wouldn't vote for NRP-Jewish Home, this time I am, since they're working with politicians I support. Nobody's perfect, especially in politics. We have to vote and then pray that the winners will do the right thing for the good of the country.

Israeli Elections 2019, 5779, Redo, Caution & Clarification

Israeli politics is a team sport, like football. If you can't or won't work with others, you won't succeed. 

1. In Israel we don't vote for the Prime Minister.
2. In Israel we vote for lists of potential Members of Knesset.
3. In Israel political parties and Knesset Members must join together, compromise, work together to form coalitions. 
4. Israel is governed by COALITION GOVERNMENTS headed by a Prime Minister.

Obviously this isn't easy. Being the Prime Minister of the State of Israel isn't a simple matter of just making decisions and giving orders. Actually the army isn't good training for national politics. 

It's not enough for an Israeli political party to get the most votes to make them the ruling party. When Zippy Livni headed Kedima, it got more votes than Binyamin Bibi Netanyahu's Likud, but she couldn't gather/negotiate a ruling coalition. Bibi could and formed the government as its Prime Minister. 

And a few months ago in the first Israeli Elections 2019, 5779, Likud scraped by with the most votes, but not enough MKs were willing to join a coalition with them. 

If the polls are right, Israeli Elections 2019, 5779, #2 will have the same basic results as #1. This can go on forever, because the political parties on the Left, Center-Left, including Avigdor Lieberman's,  have centered their platform on "Anyone but Bibi" as a coalition condition. Considering that polls consistently show Netanyahu as most popular for the position, we have a problem.

Who is more suited to serve as Prime Minister?
42% Netanyahu, 28% Gantz, 15% Don’t know, 4% Shaked, 3% Lieberman, 3% Peretz, 3% Barak, 2% Lapid

see Jeremy's Knesset Insider

To be truly successful in Israeli politics, one must be willing to work together and compromise. Gd willing, enough of those elected to the Knesset will put their egos aside and do what's best for the State of Israel.

Bibi-Feiglin Deal, Good for...?

Let's make it clear. I was never a Moshe Feiglin fan. How many of his diehard fans will really follow him back to Likud?

If you haven't heard. Prime Minister Binyamin Bibi Netanyahu has offered Moshe Feiglin a cabinet post if he'd agree to close down his political party and not run in the upcoming elections. Since Feiglin hadn't a chance to get into the Knesset, and his funds/donors have been drying out, he took the deal.

Feiglin missed out on getting into Knesset in the elections a few months ago, and polls have been showing that he'd do worse this time. By running again, he would have wasted one or two Knesset seats. The Zehut voters will probably go to a variety of political parties, to the Likud and further Right.

On the whole, this has been a rather pathetic "election season." That's no surprise, since Israel has been in "school vacation" mode since the end of June. Sunday, September 1 schools will reopen, Gd willing, and then, since it will also be Rosh Chodesh Elul, we'll enter "before the chaggim/Holidays" mode. Elections are scheduled for before Rosh Hashanah, a time when people are shopping, cooking or planning more vacations.

"None of the above" seems to be a very popular voting choice this time around. The winning parties, don't forget that Israeli Governments are coalitions," will be the ones that manage to convince their supporters that Election Day is for voting, not vacationing. You don't have to be a top notch pundit to predict that voter turnout will be awfully low. The Redo Knesset 2019 Israeli Elections have turned more Israelis into apathetic cynics.

 Gd willing we will have a good viable, strong government when this round of voting is over.

Israeli Elections 2019 Redo, I'm Bored & You?

I just can't get excited about the "redo" upcoming Knesset Elections.

For a "political junkie" like myself, this is an awful confession. I haven't a clue as to which party I should vote for. I don't want to "waste" my vote again, but I don't like the choices.

I'm not happy with a lot of what Bibi Netanyahu has done, but the competition is a gazillion times worse.

I can't stand those who control Mafdal, National Religious Party NRP-Jewish Home or whatever they're called now.

The thought of giving my vote to a party that has Moshe Feiglin turns my stomach.

Am I the only Israeli who feels like this? Please, tell me. Try to make me feel better.

It's Friday morning. Shabbat's tonight, and the pool should be open soon. Plus we have a busy family day today Gd willing.

It's summer, and even though I'm on a "full time vacation" now, it's the season to feel like "holiday mode."

Gd willing, it'll all work out...

Shabbat Shalom uMevorach

May You have a Blessed Shabbat

No idea what this is, just like no idea which party I'll vote for in the "redo" elections.

Knesset Elections 2019 Redo, Left Split by Ehud Barak

I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Ehud Barak is throwing his hat into the ring yet again. It's a generation since he had served the country, horrendously poorly, and many Israelis don't remember. Of course I remember. As you know, I haven't supported the Likud since before it, led by then Prime Minister Menachem Begin, gave the Sinai to Egypt and had Jewish communities destroyed and uprooted Israeli citizens.

I'm glad that the television newswriters/casters kept identifying Ehud Barak as seventy-eight 78, even though he has quite a few months until his February birthday. That makes Bibi Netanyahu look young. He'll only be turning 70 in October. Bibi's younger than US President Trump and the two Democratic frontrunners, Biden and Sanders.

In terms of basic policy, "anyone but Bibi," there isn't much difference between Barak's nameless party and the Gantz-Lapid-Bogi etc ad nauseum Blue & White. The biggest difference is that with the exception of  Lapid, none of the Blue & White leaders have much political experience, while Barak had been Prime Minister, though a failed one, from 1999 to 2001.

Are you among those who can't remember Barak's very short term as Prime Minister of the State of Israel?

To be as concise as possible... Barak's funders, yes, he had backers (and no doubt has some rich ones now, too,) paid for an American "campaign expert." This expert insisted that he needed a catchy, attractive slogan. Their polling info was that many Israelis didn't like the fact that the IDF had been fighting in Lebanon, because soldiers had been killed, etc. So Barak promised that if he was elected Prime Minister, Israel would leave Lebanon.

When the Americans left, OK pulled out of Vietnam, there was dangerous bedlam. But remember that Vietnam is thousands and thousands of miles away from the United States, so there was no direct danger to the United States of America. Israel and Lebanon share a border, and it isn't the Pacific Ocean. After Barak was elected Prime Minister, Israel had to flee Lebanon and ended up leaving valuable security information and equipment. His opponents called him "Barach," which sounds similar to Barak, but it means "fled." Israel's security plummeted, but that wasn't Barak's only problem. His coalition was shaky, because he had to include the Shas Party, which is Chareidi-Sephardi.  They were at loggerheads with Barak's Leftist followers. The Israeli political system requires a working coalition of a minimum of sixty-one 61 Knesset Members. A Prime Minister must be able to control his MKs. Barak couldn't.



Since Barak, Blue & White and Israel's Labor Party are after the same voters, you can guess. I'm curious about what's next....

Every Time I'm About to Bite The Bullet and Support Likud, Bibi....

Every Time I'm About to Bite The Bullet and Support Likud, Bibi says something that turns my stomach:

NETANYAHU: ISRAEL ‘OPEN’ TO US PEACE PLAN

With the next Knesset Elections looming, I don't see any alternative. There isn't a political party I like at all. I feel totally burnt by New Right and can't stand the clowns in the NRP, whatever they now call themselves.

I'm politically orphaned and homeless.

For someone like me who has always taken my politics seriously and personally, I'm in a position that I really don't like. In addition, I have too good a memory about politics, so there isn't a politician I can trust. No doubt I'll be holding my nose and grimacing in the polling booth. Does anyone feel the same?