Israeli Elections Musings #10 & War Musings #82: Crucial Questions About Bibi's Government's Responsibility for October 7th Disaster

 

I hope that you've been listening to the discussions of the UNDECIDEDS, which I both blog and participate in. We've had five discussions 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 organized by Jonathan Feldstein of Genesis 123 Foundation.  Participating has been a very special experience for me. As different as we're considered politically, it's amazing and encouraging how much we all have in common politically when it comes to the upcoming Israeli Elections. If I'm not mistaken, there's something we all agree on, whether Right, Left, Center. We really don't want to see the same people who've been running the Israeli Government and IDF continue. We want Binyamin Netanyahu and his coalition to take responsibility. There must be an investigation. Arnie Draiman, one of the panelists put it very well. He shared with us these questions which he had sent to a friend going to a Likud meeting. I have his permission to share them with you.

* Why has Likud actively blocked an independent State Commission of Inquiry into October 7, and why did the government attempt to remove the requirement for a "full, thorough, and independent investigation" from its proposed alternative panel?

* How do you respond to the specific allegations made by Prime Minister Netanyahu's former military secretary regarding the falsification of October 7 transcripts to shield political leaders from blame?

* Why has Benjamin Netanyahu still refused to publicly accept personal responsibility for the intelligence and operational failures of October 7, while nearly every top military and security chief resigned on his watch?

* Why didn't a single cabinet minister or Likud lawmaker resign or force a leadership change inside the party immediately following the worst tragedy in Israel's modern history?

* Why is Likud actively attacking democratic "gatekeepers" and challenging the neutrality of the Central Elections Committee ahead of the vote?

* How can you claim to champion democratic choices when Netanyahu changed the party rules to bypass internal primaries and give himself direct control over reserved list spots?

* Given that the "conceptzia" (the strategic concept of containing Hamas through economic incentives) completely collapsed on October 7 under your 15-year watch, why should voters trust your long-term security vision?

* With Israel currently locked in multi-front conflicts, zero long-term diplomatic strategy for the day after in Gaza, and growing diplomatic friction, why do you characterize the opposition's call for reconstruction and regional alliances as an absolute "free fall"?

* How can Likud justify continuing to pass coalition funding and political exemptions for Haredi draft-dodgers while the regular IDF and reservists face unprecedented, exhausting deployment burdens across multiple fronts?

Personally, I consider the top echelons of the IDF and Defense Ministry the decade before and including 2023 as responsible as the government coalition. Arnie's excellent questions are to the Likud, because that was the event they had been written for. I also consider it necessary to investigate how Israel's trust and dependence on the the United States weakens us and requires trusting them, rather than trusting our soldiers and citizens on the ground who had observed and reported suspicious, dangerous actions by the enemy... deja vu 1973 when our security observers suspected pre war/attack actions by Egypt and Syria, but they were overrode by American assurances. The USA admitted that they had lied to Israel when Bruce Brill's memoir, Deceit of An Ally passed American censorship.

Food for thought... What do you think?

Israeli Elections Musings #9 The Undecideds' 5th and Final Pre-Elections Discussion

 

Last night night the Undecided Panel, a group of Anglo Israelis holding a variety of political opinions, had its fifth and final pre-elections discussion. Some of us have a feeling that we'll only decide at the last possible second when unenthusiastically choosing one of those pieces of paper indicating which political party is getting our vote. One thing we all agree on is that we will vote and pray, in one way or another, that our vote won't be wasted. 

Jonathan Feldstein, of the Genesis 123 Foundation, has done an amazing job organizing/producing these panel discussions. We are all from different backgrounds and political opinions, besides being native English speakers. And we're also different ages; I'm the old lady and have memories of events the others have only heard or learned about. But I find our discussions wonderful and tolerant. 

Instead of having you read what I think, I suggest that you listen to the discussion. If you have any questions, please ask in the comments. I'll get your specific question to the other participants if necessary. I'd really love to hear your opinions and reactions. Many of my friends also consider themselves undecideds... What about you?

Israeli Elections Musings #8 The Undecideds' 4th Discussion, Listen

Last night we, the Undecideds, had our fourth discussion weighing the options of which party to vote for as elections get sooner. Pre 2026 Israeli Elections, the important legal steps have been done. Each party has entered its list of candidates, and pairs of parties that have made their surplus votes agreements. 

Actually in our pretalk discussions, I had mentioned that I'd like to discuss these partnership choices, and the organizer, Jonathan Feldstein of the Genesis 123 Foundation, included the issue in the topics discussed. Considering that Israeli governments are coalitions, I feel that the surplus votes agreement may be a hint as to possible a coalition agreement. Davka I wonder if there's such a clue in the agreement made between Avigdor Lieberman and Naftali Bennett. Lieberman is a very veteran experienced MK plus government minister, though in recent years he as been in the opposition. Naftali Bennett is the one who broke Netanyahu's run as repeat caretaker/interim Prime Minister, a role given to the most recent Prime Minister when a coalition seems impossible to negotiate after elections. Bennett shocked all by negotiating a coalition making him Prime Minister, even though his party only had seven 7 out of a hundred and twenty 120 seats in the Knesset. 

We still have over a month to go before that fateful day when we must vote/decide. Gd willing we'll be meeting again on zoom. I enjoy the discussions, as we don't agree on general policies and party choice. I hope you listen to our discussion on the youtube and let me know what you think. I'd really like to know your opinions. 

 If you want to listen to our earlier discussions, here they are 1, 2 and 3. Just click the number.

Israeli Elections Musings #5, The Undecideds Talk Again-- I'm More Undecided

 

Last night we Undecideds had another, our third, discussion. Most of us are still undecided, some more and some less. I'm probably the most undecided and depressed about the choices before us. Also, compared to the rest of the panel, I think I'm the most disappointed in my voting options.

No political party is offering, publicizing a platform that I'd consider the minimum of what I think is necessary for the long-term survival of the State of Israel. To make matters worse, the options in the Likud Primaries are even worse.

 

You're probably wondering what I'm looking for. Simply put:

VICTORY, TOTAL ABSOLUTE VICTORY  

Victory requires that the enemy surrenders, and the victorious country takes over and makes changes. Victory isn't just a battle and enemy withdrawal. Fighting for Victory requires "boots on the ground," which disqualifies Trump's American assistance. I'm thankful for what he has done, but it doesn't qualify the USA to take credit and make policy decisions.

War is hard, dirty, painful if you want to win, or you've been attacked. There's no clean way about it. It's not a game that can be won by high-tech remote control. And even more important to remember, deals don't bring peace. If you don't fight to win, you'll suffer even worse in defeat.

We've been suffering form what can either be called  serial wars or a never-ending war that takes breaks. But whatever you want to call it, the State of Israel is in serious danger. Soldiers and civilians are getting killed. As I've said for decades, I'm a CPA's daughter and care about the bottom line and not interested in pretty words, promises or clever "tricks."

One thing that disturbed me in our discussion is that nobody else said anything to show that they also considered Victory a priority. I'm still having trouble wrapping my mind around that. Is it age or ideology? Or were they being cautious about identifying with my overall "extremism?"

Gd willing, despite my fears, we'll have new strong, brave leadership, which will help achieve a true victory... I'm praying. Elections in Israel are very complicated because of the need for a coalition. 

Please listen to our discussion, and tell me in the comments what you think and why. And of course, share this around. 

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 #3 These Are The Choices & We're Still Undecided

 

For this discussion, Jonathan Feldstein asked each of us to give the ideology* of the various political parties in Israel of those which are mostly in the Knesset at present, plus a couple of realistic hopefuls. A reason for this is that many listeners to our panel don't live in Israel and have minimal knowledge, at best, about the multitude of political parties here. To be honest, many Israelis are only familiar with their favorites and at best their most hated. 

In Israel one can't be 100% sure of which parties will be competing until close to the deadline for applying. 

Here's our discussion, and yes, I call it a discussion, not a debate.  

As in the first of our discussion (here's the link,) lots of interesting points are brought up. We aren't a "bunch of friends." I doubt that one person in the group actually knows everyone else personally, and that includes Jonathan Feldstein. That makes our conversations even more interesting.

There's a transcription on the screen, so you can follow by reading, not just listening.

I'd love to hear your opinion and feelings and questions about our discussion. Thanks for taking the time.

*I must admit that I didn't quite follow his instructions, because I see the political parties as products of their leaders and history. In addition many do not have actual policies that match their names and/or stated political ideologies. I've been following Israeli politics since making aliyah in 1970. For instance despite the fact that the Likud markets themselves as Israeli Right, their actual policies aren't, and I'll never forget Bibi Netanyahu's speech at the 2008 International Jewish Blogger's Convention. I blogged about it calling the post "Impressive." He pledged to rule as a Centrist, and that's a good description of what he has been doing since returning to office of Prime Minister. For me facts on the ground, the bottom line are more important than how one markets oneself.   

Elections Musings #1 With Israeli Elections Approaching-- Whom to Vote For? Undecided Panel

 

Here in Israel we're getting into the "pre-election season" yet again, and as many of you may remember, there's no political party or leader which automatically gets my vote and support. You can call me a "political orphan." 

I've been disappointed and deserted by numerous Israeli politicians and parties. Jonathan Feldstein of the Genesis Foundation has invited me to join a panel of Israelis to discuss our mutual quandary. His plan if for us to talk together via Zoom every month or so as Israeli Elections grow closer, as will the deadline of our decision. Those of us on the panel are from various political opinions, Right, Left and Center, but we're all rather rudderless in the storm of war and insecurity.

I'm inviting you to listen to our discussion, and please don't be shy about voicing your opinions in both comments section, this blog and the YouTube video. Of course you can share the post and YouTube with others. We're interested in everyone's reactions.