Personal disclosure: I don’t much look forward to Ramadan every year, but this year it has already well exceeded my incredibly low expectations. Rioting and pogroms (yes – that’s what it’s called when Jews are violently attacked in the street for being Jewish) continue nightly around the Old City of Jerusalem and other places where Jews and Arabs come into contact on a regular basis.
Speaking of low expectations, the Israeli police have been virtually useless in containing the violence when it should be very easy for them to do especially since the entire area is covered by cameras. The failure to deploy adequate competent forces and employ the necessary preventive actions is completely inexcusable.
At least no one can claim to be too surprised. Everyone is kind of doing what they do best/worst.
Ironically, or maybe not, the “Relgionist Zionist” party is the only political party that has come to protest the pogroms that have overwhelmingly targeted charedi individuals. The charedi parties are MIA.
In fairness to Degel HaTorah leader Moshe Gafni, he’s probably very busy trying to betray his voters to align with a left-wing party, and fighting the pogroms wouldn’t help much with that.
Coalition Negotiations
This week has been quite the tumultuous one for the forming of the next Israeli government coalition. It’s a bit complicated (as always), but let’s try to briefly review:
* Basically, Prime Minister Netanyahu has been trying to convince his allies, including Naftali Bennett and his Yamina Party, to form a government with support from the Ra’am Arab party. Since the Ra’am party doesn’t support the state as being Jewish, Betzalel Smotrich and his party are opposed to this strategy, which is not exactly shocking. What is shocking is that Bennett and the Likud party seem to be ok with it.
* Since Smotrich has refused to show enough honor to the desert mafia of Ra’am, and Yair Lapid has kissed its rings, the godfathers of Ra’am supported a vote in the Knesset to turn over control of a powerful committee to the anti-Netanyahu parties. These parties could now theoretically try to ban Netanyahu from continuing to serve as prime minister.
So what we have here is a game of “Mexican chicken” to see who blinks first. There cannot really be a viable left-wing/Arab/fake right government – the numbers just aren’t there. There can be a right-wing government, led by Netanyahu as prime minister and supported by Gidon Saar and/or any other two Knesset members either from his political party or another.
Or Prime Minister Netanyahu will have to step aside and allow someone else to lead the Likud party and then that person should easily be able to put together a right-wing coalition.
* Lapid and his poalim (manual laborers) should enjoy their recent Knesset victory. It could very well be their last for a while.
Coronavirus in Israel
Bad numbers continue their downward spiral. There are now less than 2,000 total cases in Israel and about 180 serious cases. Say what you will about the man, but Prime Minister Netanyahu successfully brought Israel out of the pandemic well before the leaders of most other nations.
Israel has now reached a deal with Moderna and Pfizer to buy another nine million vaccines for future use. I’m not sure why this is necessary, but the government has done pretty well so far on this, so probably we should give them the benefit of the doubt.
“Palestinian” Elections
“President” Mahmoud Abbas, who is currently in the 16th year of his four-year term as head of the “Palestinian” Authority organized crime syndicate, recently called for elections to be held. In fairness to Abbas, who has ever heard of an election to be the godfather?
However, things aren’t going so smoothly and the elections may need to be postponed. What’s the problem? Hamas will win. Same problem 16 years ago.
You would have thought that continuing to steal and keep all the money these last 16 years would have won the people’s affection. Shows what you Abbas and his cronies know about running a mafia. They should have kept their friends close and their enemies closer.
Handicap Access to the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hevron
The Israeli Supreme Court has decided that construction of an elevator for access for the handicapped and others to the Tomb of the Patriarchs can proceed. The Arabs are very opposed to the project and, with their left-wing, handicap-hating allies, have opposed every step toward allowing practical access to the historic site for those who find the many steps difficult, if not impossible.
It’s a real shame that this has taken so long, but this struggle and victory should be replicated throughout Israel. And for those who continue to oppose us, we should make them an offer they can’t refuse.