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. 

Politics: Sometimes You Have to Hold Your Nose...

I had a talk with a neighbor at the makolet* last night about it**. We both felt that in the world of politics/compromise/deals, Otzma is useless. Sometimes you have to hold your nose and vote either Likud or Yamina or whatever they're calling themselves this time round.

* local supermarket
**upcoming Israeli Elections

"Politics is the art of compromise." 

This is a popular version of what Otto von Bismarck had said:

"Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable - the art of the next best."

In Israel, more than in some other countries, the meaning of this slogan is 1,000% accurate.

The Israeli Political System does not include direct voting for the Prime Minister, executive branch of government. Actually we don't vote for individuals at all. We vote for a list of potential Knesset Members, and the head (#1) of the list succeeds in crafting/negotiating a ruling majority, minimally sixty-one 61 out of the one hundred and twenty 120 MKs becomes Prime Minister.

This isn't a simple process. I guess we should be grateful that for the first seventy 70 years of statehood, we never needed a "redo" election. Now we're about to try a third time, and the polls again predict a standoff, unless elected MKs break ranks and follow Bismark's suggestion. Neither side has to luxury of uncompromising principles.

We must choose to vote for a political party that has a serious platform for the security and betterment of the State of Israel. Politics isn't supposed to be a personality game. That's why those who decided on our political system decided against direct elections for Prime Minister.

Gd willing, in our next Knesset Elections, the voting citizens of the State of Israel will choose wisely, even if it necessitates going against uncompromising idealism.

Finally, Farewell to Tsipi Livni, Failed Politician

It's hard to know where to start when discussing Tsipi Livni, who formally announced her exit from active politics today.

I was lucky to catch the live broadcast and to hear and watch it. And to make it even better was the interview from a few months ago, which they showed right afterwards.

Simply put, it was a rather pathetic end to the career of a woman, who had worked her way up the political ladder and got within millimeters of the premiership of the State of Israel. Livni succeeded Ehud Olmert as head of the then ruling Kadima Party, which they had established after breaking away from the Likud. Both Livni and Olmert had come from Betar-Revisionist homes but moved Leftward politically. When Olmert was forced to resign due to corruption indictments, Livni took over the party.

Under Livni's leadership Kadima received more Knesset seats than Likud in the 2009 elections, but she failed in the task of forming a ruling coalition. Likud's Binyamin Bibi Netanyahu succeeded in forming a coalition and has been Prime Minister ever since. This bit of history is very important in understanding the Israeli political system. It's not enough to have good ideas and policies to be Prime Minister of the State of Israel. You must be an extraordinary politician and be able to negotiate and work with people. And this also explains why the polls keep talking about Left and Right blocs. No Israeli Political Party will get over 50% of the votes, over sixty 60 of the one hundred and twenty 120 Knesset seats. An Israeli Prime Minister must be skilled at juggling while walking a circus tightrope.

Tsipi Livni not only failed in her attempt to form a coalition, the breakup of her later political "marriage" to the Labor party showcased her lack of true political skills. Today Livni's claim that her policies are the right ones, but it's her lack of political power that is stopping her, just shows how little she understands. She has insufficient political power, because not enough people like her, and they don't agree with her policies. It certainly hasn't helped that she's with a different party each election.

It's rather ironic that the extreme Left Meretz party is the only one to have shown up to show support to Livni today. But the truth is that Tsipi Livni has burnt too many bridges in her political career to be missed by ordinary Israelis.

Tsipi Livni's still young. Will she join other failed politicians like Ehud Barak on the international lecture circuit? Will she write her memoirs? No doubt we'll be hearing from her. International Leftist "think tanks" love our rejected and failed "leaders." She won't starve; that's for sure.

The Normalization and Acceptance of The Datiim, Torah Observant

Not all that long ago, you didn't see Datiim, religious guys in kippot holding the microphone, being part of the news team on Israeli television. Datiim were allocated an hour or two a week, for the pre and post Shabbat programs. As far as I know, there were media men who kept traditional Jewish Homes, Kashrut and Shabbat, but their kippot stayed in their pocket when on camera.

After a long break, since IBA Israel Broadcasting Authority closed, we can now watch the  Kan Israeli television stations and the newscasts at home. I'm noticing kippot, and I can't help but to smile.

For me, this is a new Israel.

And since we're in Elections mode, I'll explain the connection. Today's young datiim, aka the "national religious," see themselves as full participants in the State of Israel in a way that their grandparents and even parents couldn't have imagined.

Sociologically speaking, of course, in the early days of the State of Israel, the datiim, were usually educated in the State Religious, mamlachti dati schools. It was believed that without the NRP National Religious Party, today the name has been changed to Jewish Home Party, in the coalition their school systems' survival would be in danger. That's why the NRP had to be in every coalition, and the parents of the students and the system's graduates had to vote for it.

Post 1967 Six Days War, two things happened. One was that the NRP voters became more ideological; they were the most enthusiastic Israelis for settling all the the Land liberated in the war. Two was that the State Religious school system had become strongly part of the Ministry of Education establishment, and the NRP could no longer campaign that they were needed to preserve it. That's one of the reasons the NRP is having such an identity and leadership crisis.

Today's young datiim don't like to be restricted. More and more girls are doing army service, and not as teachers. Their brothers are also taking on more challenges in the IDF.

Israel is the only Jewish country in the world. Our people are an ancient people, whose historic peers no longer exist. At the same time, Israel is a new country and always changing, innovating, growing. Even after close to half a century here in Israel, I find it all very exciting.

Peace Plans/Deals Don't Bring Peace

I dread the news announcement of another so called Peace Plan/Deal by Trump or anyone else. The entire concept is a dangerous farce. There's no way one can "make peace" when one of the so-called partners promotes destruction, terrorism and death.


Peace evolves and must come from both sides. It can't be imposed, no matter how creative or logical the conditions may sound. It's just make-believe.

Early on in US President Trump's political career, he stated that he wouldn't interfere and create a "peace plan." It was up to the two sides to do it. Too bad he let the State Department and his advisors convince him to change that policy.

Pretending that the Arab terrorists are "Peace partners," sic is a lot more dangerous than thinking that a small spandex girdle can safely slim someone down.



Remember that Hamas Gaza and PLO's Mahmoud Abbas still praise and support Arab terrorists. Their schools teach killing Jews and Israelis as an ideal. There won't be peace until that not only stops, but terrorism is outlawed. It will take a long time for that to happen, decades for sure.

Instead of agreeing to cooperate with another dangerous and useless at best peace plan, the State of Israel should just unabashedly do everything to destroy Arab terrorism, while at the same time building our wonderful country in all of the Land we control. All the Land should be annexed completely. Jewish Rights to build and live in all locations should be promoted too. Arab terrorism against Jews shouldn't be rewarded. That is the only way to promote true peace. Our Arab enemies must accept us, and they will when they see that we're not moving.

Gd willing we will stop the Peace Farce and do what's best for the State of Israel and the Jewish People.

Israel was Established to Be The Jewish State

Honestly, I don't understand what the hullabaloo is all about concerning the Jewish Nation-State Law. The State of Israel was established for one reason only, to be a Jewish State, THE JEWISH STATE.

The State of Israel is the modern revival of ancient kingdoms, which are documented in the Bible. That is the very same Bible which not only is the basis for Judaism, but it is also recognized as accurate and holy for Christians. That is the very same Bible which which is used by western countries for swearing honesty, in court and important ceremonies.

The Jewish Religion and Prayers repeat over and over that Jerusalem is the holiest city and we pray to return to it in all its glory.

Jews from all over the diaspora have followed the same religion for two thousand years.

Jews have always made an effort to return to or visit the Land of Israel, the Holyland. This is all very well documented.

During the over two thousand years since the destruction of our Second Holy Temple, discrimination, banning of Judaism and killing of Jews took place all over the world. The Spanish Inquisition and the Nazi Holocaust are well-known examples of that. But actually it continues today in almost all Arab countries. They are judenrein, cleansed of Jews, even in those countries that once had vibrant Jewish communities.

Modern Zionism is just the political version of the religious return to the Land of Israel. The foundations of the State of Israel, political and economic began with that movement, which coincided with the rise of European nationalism in the nineteenth 19th century.

There is nothing actually new or revolutionary in the Jewish Nation-State Law. It just restates the obvious. Israel is the Jewish State and was established in the Biblical Land of Israel for that very purpose. I, like many others, left the Christian United States of America, because I wanted to live in the Jewish State, no other. If someone here in Israel doesn't want to live in the Jewish State, they can just look for a country that fits their national and religious identity. I with them luck in their new life.

Blog Round-Up, Lots to Read

Even though Havel Havelim no longer exists as a weekly round-up of international Jewish and Israeli blog posts, I still periodically post links to other blogs. I've changed the format somewhat and hope that readers and bloggers enjoy the posts.

Anyone on the internet can read, share and comment. Please feel free to do so. I also appreciate suggestions of new blogs, which aren't on the blogrolls of my two blogs. In order to encourage/tempt you to read different blogs, I just list the titles without identifying the blog.

Please read, comment and share thanks. Here we go:

The New World
Israel 70 Years: Past and Future
Best Wine Producer in Israel
Merlot" Great Shiloh Dairy Restaurant
Nine (9) things I wouldn't have to tell a Canadian neighbour
Wonderful Aliyah Story, "From Big Whine to Big Grapes"
New Starts and Fresh Beginnings
Miriam Peretz, Israel Prize, Yom Ha'atzmaut 5778, 2018
Chuck (Haim) Hornstein Pictures
Yaron's remember garden
Suddenly, Mahmoud Abbas' closest allies turn against him after he mouths off with more antisemitism
Obama Spokesman Blames (Who Else?) The Jooz!
New Discovery in Shiloh Hakeduma, Tel Shiloh
Everyone Knows
It's A Journey Not A Destination

Shabbat Shalom Everyone

Yehuda Meshi-Zahav's "Repentance"

Somehow I can never forget the old articles and news about the then young Yehuda Meshi-Zahav's violent anti-Zionist/State of Israel shenanigans. He was the "poster boy" for the most extreme of the chareidi anti-Zionist camp. As a youngster he proved himself a charismatic headline grabber.

Honestly, I'm not sure at all when things changed with him, but at some point his focus, point of view did change drastically.

Meshi-Zahav and friends began to concentrate on an important Mitzvah, Torah Commandment, to collect "body parts" of Jews who had been murdered or injured in Terror attacks and accidents. According to Jewish Law, parts of a human body must be ritually buried. The first aide responders care for the injured and don't have the time and manpower to properly "clear" the scene. That's where Meshi-Zahav and his crew first came in. They filled that crucial vacuum with ZAKA.

It's said that a mitzvah brings on more mitzvot, and maybe that is what happened with Yehuda Meshi-Zahav. By spearheading the great mitzvah of properly caring for the human body, he began to appreciate the Jewish State of Israel and the broad spectrum of the Jewish People and other Israeli citizens. Today Yehuda Meshi-Zahav is a proud, loyal and patriotic Israel, along with being a strictly Torah observant Jew, and he doesn't see a contradiction between the two. In my book, that makes him a BT Baal Teshuva, or Chozer b'teshuva. Judaism, unlike any other religion, is one of simultaneous nationalism in Gd given Land, plus religious ritual and belief in our One Gd. Being truly Jewish is very complex.

The latest ZAKA newsletter has a wonderful letter/message by Meshi-Zahav, which I recommend reading:

Open letter from Yehuda Meshi Zahav to his Uncle former leader of Neturei Karata, Rabbi Amaram Blau
To my dear uncle and leader of the Neturei Karta Rabbi Amram Blau z"l,

When I was young, I would join the demonstrations you led against Shabbat desecrations and any other issue. For me, you were the epitome of the general, a leader and a fearless, uncompromising fighter for the principles of Judaism. We grew up with your stories of heroism, like the time you put your head in the Edison Cinema ticket window in Jerusalem to prevent desecration of the Shabbat, and you were beaten with clubs until you lost consciousness.

From you, we heard again and again about the great danger inherent in the Zionist state, to the extent that you would ask to cross the border to the protection of the Kingdom of Jordan. We heard about the decrees of annihilation of the Zionist regime, whose sole purpose was to rid the Jewish people of its religion and faith. We heard your warnings that within a few years there would be no remnant or refugee surviving from the people of Israel. You taught me about the importance of separating ourselves from everything that is part of the Zionist regime, not to take any money from the state, and that anyone who participates in the elections is effectively indulging in idol worship. You said in public forums that the Zionists were to blame for all the troubles of the people of Israel, including the Shoah itself...
...Today, after 70 years of a Zionist state, I am pleased to inform you, my dear uncle, that your fears were groundless: we have a wonderful, amazing Jewish-Zionist state that serves as a model for the entire world. A state that is blossoming in almost every sphere - education, economy, health, immigrant absorption, and Judaism itself. About 7 million Jews - over fifty percent of the Jewish people - live in the State of Israel, and in Jerusalem alone we are approaching one million residents, which probably was not the case even during Temple times.

Who would have believed that, 73 years after the Shoah, when the people of Israel were almost annihilated and there was hardly any trace of Torah and Hasidism, we would have a Jewish state of our own. A state in which the world of Torah would reach a level unparalleled in the history of the Jewish people. Since King Hezekiah, there has not been as much Torah study in the Land of Israel as it is today, and you will be surprised to hear that the “Zionist regime” is the greatest supporter of Torah education in the world, investing billions of shekels...
...My uncle, if you were able to open your eyes today, you would see that in the “Zionist state of destruction”, 73% light Chanukah candles, 78% fast on Yom Kippur, and over 200,000 people take part in Selichot prayers at the Western Wall. How hard you had to fight so that every road in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods would be closed on Shabbat. On the 70th anniversary of the Zionist state, there are seven cities led by Haredi representatives, where the roads are closed on Shabbat and holiday, as well as in other cities with large Haredi...
...Rest in peace, my dear uncle Rabbi Amram. There is no need to fight anymore. Although your generation may have feared the Zionist state, 70 years later it has been proven that the State of Israel, with God’s help, is the savior and protector of the people of Israel, and this is indeed the safest and best place to live as a Torah observant Jew...
For the complete article, click here.

Why Debate "Jewish State" Bill?

This is The State of Israel established in the Jewish Holy Land, the only Land which is holy according to the Jewish religion.

We are connected to this Land in all ways, history, theology, literature and genetics, too.

There have always been Jews living here, even under the worst imaginable conditions. 

We've outlived, survived our most bitter enemies, here and in the Diaspora.

Since our relatively recent return to the Land and the Establishment of the State of Israel, our military victories have been or miraculous Biblical proportions. Our agricultural, economic and technological successes are unsurpassed. And we have the highest birthrate in the developed world.

Not only Jews want to live here. There are citizens and permanent residents of other religions and nationalities. That should not negate the Jewish essence of the State of Israel. We don't have to bend over backwards to make them feel welcome. They are guests and not the raison d'être for the establishment of the State of Israel.

Gd commands us to empty the Land of others when we return and then establish a kingdom, a government that doesn't ape the non-Jewish world. We are still in that process and the Knesset must pass the Jewish State bill.

Israeli Memorial-Independence Days Connection, Suits to a "T"

Cross-posted on Israel Blogger

Over the decades I've been living here in Israel I've heard many immigrants complaining that they have trouble with, and don't see the point, in the Israeli custom of combining Memorial and Independence Days, into a two day extravaganza of mourning and celebrations. They find it difficult to quickly transition from the very depressing programs and events on Soldiers and Terror Victims Memorial Day to the great festivities on Israeli Independence Day.

I, on the other hand, consider this and the entire Jewish Holiday season from Passover to Shavuot, including restrictions while Counting the Omer, to be meaningful and very suited to Jewish Values. And in all honesty, I have no problems transitioning from mourning to celebration, even though I certainly knew people who had been killed.

Starting with the Passover Seder, reading the Haggada, since the mitzvah, commandment is to “tell,” the meaning of the word Haggada, we must make sure that our children understand what happened and from where we came. Placing Memorial Day just before Independence Day is exactly that. We should never let anyone think that our Independence came in a vacuum, or because of a vote in the United Nations or a “simple” miracle from Gd or without paying a high price of precious lives. And they shouldn’t think that we’ve finished paying, and suffering losses, because our enemies are still fighting us and attempting to delegitimatize us.

Our Independence Day celebrations honor those who were killed. By celebrating we are saying that they didn’t die in vain, and that our enemies will not defeat us, not militarily and not psychologically. We are strong and living the two thousand year old dream of the Jewish People to return to Our Land and be independent once again, Gd willing.

Yuck! Trump is Like All The Rest!

Why does political success close people's eyes to the truth?
re: Donald Trump

I had been hopefully optimistic when in earlier statements by US President Wannabe, Donald Trump, he had admitted that the situation here in the Middle East between Israel and the enemy Arabs is a lot more complicated than most like to admit, and there's no easy solution. But it seems that with the addition to his staff of the more conventional advisors and speechwriters, that he, too, has delusions that a "solution" can be brokered/invented/imposed.

Trump: I'd love to broker an Israel-PA peace deal
Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump on Sunday said he would love to broker a peace settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, The Jewish Insider reported.
Trump’s comments came during a campaign rally in Terre Haute, Indiana, where primaries will be held on Tuesday. Trump said that seeing Israel and the Palestinians sign on a peace deal would be a “beauty” in spite of the situation on the ground.
“I am going to try and make that deal just because – man, would that be a beauty – if you like deals. I like deals. I do deals. That would be great,” he said.

Yes, the closer they all get to power, the dumber they get. Why does political success close people's eyes to the truth?

All I can think of is that there's a visual similarity between the words:

eye   ego

If you don't read carefully, if you don't look at the actual letters, you can easily confuse them. This happens with certain types of "learning difficulties"/dyslexia-as umbrella term.

All I can say that the physical/graphic similarities between the two words are not coincidental at all. When the ego gets too large it replaces the eye, and that is how these "big" powerful people end up with the dumbest opinions and plans. Yes, it seems like Trump is no different from the rest of them. A plague on them all...

Still if I was to vote in American Presidential Elections I'd vote Republican, the least of the evils.

Concerning the State of Israel, our help and salvation come from Gd Almighty and our observing the Gd given Mitzvot. It doesn't really matter who rules other countries. Here in Israel we need a Government that recognizes that we are not like other countries, nor other nations, nor other religions. When we act correctly, then other countries will respect us, Gd willing.

From the Holocaust to the Holyland, Survivors' Strength and Determination

This has been quite a week for me, and it isn't over yet. One of my cousins came here with his wife for their first ever trip to Israel. Their daughter, davka, spent this summer on a work program based in Tel Aviv, yes, while it was under attack.

We have been living in Israel since 1970, and although Brooklyn, NY is no longer the center of our clan's life, my branch is still the only one in Israel, and visits to here are few and far between.  But actually we weren't he first.  The very first member of the clan to come was my Uncle, the father of this cousin. Uncle Izzy was one of the American heroes of the "war" against the British by manning ships full of Holocaust survivors as Chief Pharmacist Mate.

Together we did some touring, going from Yad Veshem to the Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum.

Yad Veshem, It's forbidden to take pictures inside.

Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum

The highlight of the visit was certainly meeting with my uncle's superior officer, Yosef Almog, who told us about what is was like to work with my uncle and the ships they ran together, how they were prepared for the hundreds and thousands of passengers.

The Pal-Yam, the "naval" branch of the pre-state elite forces, the Palmach, had the logistically and technologically impossible task of purchasing reject ships from various countries and then converting them into "passenger liners," which were more like concentration camp sleeping sheds. Almog's description of the triple-leveled "sleeping lofts" was reminiscent of those the Nazis constructed to house the captive Jews, lihavdil, differentiate, please.

These are a concentration camp's sleeping arrangement. It also shows how skinny people got as a result of malnutrition. Picture credit

In today's world it's hard to imagine living and surviving in such difficult conditions. But the truth was that the survivors enthusiastically competed for space on these outdated and possibly unsafe ships. Almog told us about the icebreakers that had been bought from America. They were refurbished in Europe. Sleeping lofts for over a thousand were constructed in the hold, and additional sleeping space was made in what had been the hangar for planes. That way the "Jewish State" managed to fit 2,664 Holocaust survivors, plus the crew, food, supplies and extra fuel.

The Hagana ship The Jewish State palyam.org

The story behind the other ships was very similar.

We were davka in Haifa the day before the Israeli Government officially withdrew from Gaza to "end" one of the most frustrating wars Israel has had. Personally I find it difficult to accept that today's Israeli leaders lack the confidence and determination that once existed. There never would have been a State of Israel if David Ben-Gurion, Menachem Begin and their followers had been like the Israel of today. I pray that we regain our confidence. Yes, we did better when we had no allies and no foreign advisers.

Bibi, About the Word "Vital"

Here's Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's official statement, emphasis mine:

"I view the resumption of the diplomatic process at this time as a vital strategic interest of the State of Israel. It is important in and of itself in order to try and bring about the conclusion of the conflict between us and the Palestinians, and it is important in light of the strategic challenges that are before us, mainly from Iran and Syria.
With the resumption of the diplomatic process, we are faced with two main goals: Preventing the creation of a bi-national state between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River that would endanger the future of the Jewish state and preventing the establishment of an additional Iranian-sponsored terrorist state on Israel's borders, which would endanger us no less.
I would like to thank US Secretary of State John Kerry for putting in the great efforts that have led to the resumption of the process. I expect that the talks will be conducted in a serious and responsible manner.
As Prime Minister of Israel, I am committed, first and foremost, to the security of the citizens of Israel and I will strongly uphold the security demands of the State of Israel, as well as its vital interests."

Now for the meaning of "vital" from the free dictionary

vi·tal  (vtl)

adj.

1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of life: See Synonyms at living.

2. Necessary to the continuation of life; life-sustaining: a vital organ; vital nutrients.

3. Full of life; animated: "The population of the teeming, vital slum . . . declined" (Rick Hampson).

4. Imparting life or animation; invigorating: the sun's vital rays.

5. Necessary to continued existence or effectiveness; essential: "Irrigation was vital to early civilization" (William H. McNeill). "A vital component of any democracy is a free labor movement" (Bayard Rustin).

6. Concerned with or recording data pertinent to lives: vital records.

7. Biology Used or done on a living cell or tissue: vital dyes; vital staining.

8. Destructive to life; fatal: a vital injury.

The State of Israel's military victories and continued existence has defied all logic.  We get our life from G-d, not from the United States, United Nations, Arab tolerance, peace treaties etc.  The lesson of Jewish History and the fast of Tisha B'Av is that if we defy G-d and worship others, G-d can all our enemies to destroy us, G-d forbid.

In the official statement by the United States Government* about the upcoming umpteenth round of "peace talks" it uses the phrases "...courageous leadership shown by President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu..."...tough choices... "  The worst one is "...longstanding conflict..."

The actual situation is a lot more sinister, malignant. The Arabs want to destroy us.  This policy to give it a rather pc benign term predates the establishment of the State of Israel.  Supported by the British who had been mandated by the United Nations to help establish a Jewish state, Jews in the Land of Israel had been terrorized, attacked, murdered for decades before 1948.  And nothing has changed.  Now in the "guise" of "peace talks," various international busybodies keep pushing for Israel to "compromise" with the Arab terrorists.  How can we compromise with people who want us dead and destroyed?

*full statement:

SECRETARY KERRY: Good evening, everybody, thank you very much for your patience. I apologize for the delay. I’m just going to make a statement, and I’m not going to take any questions at this point in time.
On behalf of President Obama, I am pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement that establishes a basis for resuming direct final status negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis. This is a significant and welcome step forward.
The agreement is still in the process of being formalized, so we are absolutely not going to talk about any of the elements now. Any speculation or reports you may read in the media or elsewhere or here in the press are conjecture. They are not based on fact because the people who know the facts are not talking about them. The parties have agreed that I will be the only one making further comments about this.
If everything goes as expected, Saeb Erekat and Tzipi Livni, Minister Livni, and Isaac Molho will be joining me in Washington to begin initial talks within the next week or so, and a further announcement will be made by all of us at that time.
I want to thank particularly His Majesty King Abdullah and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and the Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, who has been really enormously helpful throughout this process. I want to thank all of them for their extraordinary hospitality to our team that has been camped here for several days, and they have helped with all of the logistics and been superb hosts and collaborators in this effort.
I also want to thank the Arab League and the committee, the joint committee – the committee with respect to the peace initiative follow-on -- who traveled here during the week and who made an important difference with their statement of support.
And then there are many, many others who have contributed, many other leaders around the world, all of whom have visited here and pushed and advocated and encouraged the notion that these talks could take place. There are too many to list, but they know who they are and we are very, very grateful. It will take their ongoing effort in order to be able to have any chance of making these talks the kind of success they ought to be.
I think all of us know that candid, private conversations are the very best way to preserve the time and the space for progress and understanding when you face difficult, complicated issues such as Middle East peace. The best way to give these negotiations a chance is to keep them private. Everyone knows that this is not easy. If it were, it would’ve happened a long time ago. And no one believes that the longstanding differences between the parties can be resolved overnight or just wiped away.
We know that the challenges require some very tough choices in the days ahead. Today, however, I am hopeful. I’m hopeful because of the courageous leadership shown by President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu. Both of them have chosen to make difficult choices here, and both of them were instrumental in pushing in this direction. We wouldn’t be standing here tonight if they hadn’t made the choices.
I’m most hopeful because of the positive steps that Israelis themselves and Palestinians are taking on the ground and the promise that those steps represent about the possibilities of the future. The path to resolution of this longstanding conflict in this critical corner of the world, that path is not about fate. It’s about choices, choices that people can make. And this is not up to chance. It’s up to the Israeli people and the Palestinian people and no one else.
So knowing that the road ahead will be difficult and the challenges that the parties face are daunting, we will call on everybody to act in the best of faith and push forward. The representatives of two proud people today have decided that the difficult road ahead is worth traveling and that the daunting challenges that we face are worth tackling. So they have courageously recognized that in order for Israelis and Palestinians to live together side by side in peace and security, they must begin by sitting at the table together in direct talks.
I thank those leaders. I thank all those who have worked so hard, my team especially, who have been part of this. And I look forward to seeing my friends from this region in Washington next week or very soon thereafter. Thank you very much.

Preparing for Yom Ha'Atzmaut, Israeli Independence Day

I've been seeing Israel flags and other Independence Day "accessories" on display and sale for the past few weeks.  Now, of course, the country is really into blue and white. 

For me personally, the most important thing is for us Jews to be a free, independent confident People and function freely and with full sovereignty in Our Land.   So to spend Rosh Chodesh Iyyar, the beginning of the Jewish Month of Iyyar at Shiloh HaKeduma, Tel Shiloh with other women, wandering around the ruins, praying, studying and feasting is just the right thing to do.

Shiloh is an ancient city, the first religious and spiritual capital of the Jewish Nation thousands of years ago, well documented in the Bible.  One of the most interesting things is that Shiloh is not recorded as a city conquered by Joshua after the exodus form Egypt.  From the Biblical text, the city welcomed Joshua without a fight.  The Book of Joshua is a narrative of military victories and defeats as the generation born in the wilderness, led by Joshua and Calev take over the Land G-d promised the Jewish People from the time of Abraham.

It was a period of great learning, failures and successes.  An entire people had to not only relocate but also learn to govern, defend itself  and take full responsibility for all needs.

It was very much like the Israeli War for Independence and the early years of the state.  Sixty-five years later, it's hard to imagine how survivors of the Nazi death camps could have gone straight to battle against the warring Arabs.  How did they have the physical, mental and spiritual strength to take up arms to join with the Zionist pioneers and defend the fledgling, newly declared State of Israel?

Maybe we're actually still in that stage, or more like the time of Judges, which had followed, Judges Chapter 21. 

כה  בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם, אֵין מֶלֶךְ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל:  אִישׁ הַיָּשָׁר בְּעֵינָיו, יַעֲשֶׂה.  {ש}

25 In those days there was no king in Israel; every man did that which was right in his own eyes. {P}

Yes, I admit that the State of Israel isn't perfect.  But that is no reason for a Jew to refuse to live here.  It's our job to make Israel a better and more Jewish country.  It's ours; we have no other.

Standing Ovation for the Displacement/Destruction/Replacement of Israel

I came home from work just as Abbas was speaking in the United Nations General Assembly.  He got more cheers for his speech than anyone ever.  When he finished, the vast majority of the delegates rose and cheered more for him, a resounding standing ovation.  And then they voted to upgrade the Palistinians' status to a nonmember observer state.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is greeted by a standing ovation before speaking to the U.N. General Assembly about a vote on a resolution to upgrade the status of the Palestinian Authority to a nonmember observer state on Thursday, November 29, 2012, at U.N. headquarters in New York City. CNN

Simply put:

This is bad for the security and existence of the State of Israel.

All common sense and historic precedence prove it.

It doesn't matter how you slice it, what conditions, promises, whatever.  It's not going to work. It's going to be bad for the Jews all over the world, not just here in the HolyLand.

Prime Minister of Israel, Benyamin Netanyahu opened Pandora's Box a few years ago when he tried to be "diplomatic," Centrist and gave his support for the so-called "Two State Solution."  And now he's still trying to convince the country, the rest of the world and maybe even himself that there's a way to make it work safely for Israel.



I'm not buying.

There's no way that a Palestinian State can be good for the State of Israel.  The entire concept of a "Palestinian People" was invented by those who did not want a Jewish State here.  International terrorism is related to the Arab terrorism we suffer from here in Israel.  By strengthening the so-called Palestinians the entire world will be in danger.

Personally I don't expect any help or assistance from any other country.  History proves that.  No country went against Nazi Germany to help the European Jews who were being murdered.  The only attacks against the Nazis were to protect the sovereignty of other European countries.

During all of the wars Israel has endured since 1948, we have always had to fight alone.  And no doubt, this will continue.  I don't expect things to change.  Our greatest victories were when it was just the Jewish People and G-d fighting the Arab enemies.

I'll be very grateful when in a few short hours, the sun will begin to set and our Shabbat, Sabbath will begin.  It's a time when phones and television and computers are all off.  We will be with our only ally, HaKodesh Baruch Hu, Blessed G-d Almighty.

Directing The Rain Prayers

It's another horrid, repulsive dangerous day today.  There's barely a cloud in the sky.  It's too warm to wear winter clothes.  Yes, we're suffering bad, awfully bad weather.

No, it isn't a nice day when the sun shines day after day after day after day before Chanukah.  The only beautiful thing about this picture is the building of Jewish homes in the Land of Israel.

The Israeli Rabbinate has declared that we say special prayers for rain and that today be a fast day and more special prayers.  The standard Jewish rain prayers ask G-d for mercy, but as Sharon Katz's young neighbor alludes to ignores why we're being punished by G-d for not observing the Mitzvot, G-d given commandments.  Yes, please don't forget that drought is a This World punishment.

Our problem isn't with G-d, it's with our government leaders, which makes the Prayer for the Welfare of the State of Israel just perfect:

Our Father in Heaven, Rock and Redeemer of Israel, bless the State of Israel, the first manifestation of the approach of our redemption. Shield it with Your lovingkindness, envelop it in Your peace, and bestow Your light and truth upon its leaders, ministers, and advisors, and grace them with Your good counsel. Strengthen the hands of those who defend our holy land, grant them deliverance, and adorn them in a mantle of victory. Ordain peace in the land and grant its inhabitants eternal happiness. Lead them, swiftly and upright, to Your city Zion and to Jerusalem, the abode of Your Name, as is written in the Torah of Your servant Moses: “Even if your outcasts are at the ends of the world, from there the Lord your God will gather you, from there He will fetch you. And the Lord your God will bring you to the land that your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will make you more prosperous and more numerous than your fathers.” Draw our hearts together to revere and venerate Your name and to observe all the precepts of Your Torah, and send us quickly the Messiah son of David, agent of Your vindication, to redeem those who await Your deliverance.

Manifest yourself in the splendor of Your boldness before the eyes of all inhabitants of Your world, and may everyone endowed with a soul affirm that the Lord, God of Israel, is king and his dominion is absolute. Amen forevermore.

I'll repeat what I consider the most imporant part:

"...bestow Your light and truth upon its leaders, ministers, and advisors, and grace them with Your good counsel. Strengthen the hands of those who defend our holy land, grant them deliverance, and adorn them in a mantle of victory."

We, the State of Israel,  are being ruled by "confused" people, politicians blinded by foreign lights and twisted perverse moralities and value systems.

Those who refuse to say that prayer because they don't approve of the State of Israel are totally in the wrong.  The prayer doesn't praise the state.  It is a prayer that begs G-d to control the state's leaders and focus them in the right direction, towards HaShem and Mitzvot. The State of Israel can and should be the tool to our גאולה Geula Redemption, finally and speedily in Our Days!

Stopping Jewish Building Stops the Rain

There's No Water, Bibi, You're Guilty

עצירת בניה יהודית עוצרת גשמים

אין מים, ביבי, אתה אשם