Tag Archives: Prime Minister Netanyahu

Our first battle is against the coronavirus, which is being fought not just in Israel, but around the world.  It preoccupies everyone, so that political news here is not necessarily even front page any more. I write from my Jerusalem apartment: I am well, thank Heaven, but following the rules …

Oh, and these are tough times. But Purim begins Monday night (and a day later in Jerusalem, where Shushan Purim is celebrated).  And so, today children went to school in their Purim costumes, and I happened to be running an errand when they were coming out of school. All those happy …

Perhaps we truly are on the verge of significant positive changes.  But then again, we may be facing only frustration and stagnation.  It’s difficult to call on several counts. I am speaking, first, about the election which is now – yikes! – less than two weeks away. It’s difficult to …

It is such an enormously tangled time. I want to begin by sharing something that is a source of enormous pride.  It bolsters us as we face that tangled state of affairs. Last week I wrote about a terror attack – the car ramming of IDF recruits not yet sworn …

I begin with a report on the Likud primary that took place last Thursday: As expected, Binyamin Netanyahu defeated his challenger Gideon Sa’ar.  And he did so in a landslide, with 72.5% of the vote. Out of 106 Likud polling stations across the country, Netanyahu won 99 and Sa’ar seven. …

Former Justice Minister, ‘Tommy’ Lapid: “…the legal system in Israel is being undermined by an over-zealous State Prosecutor’s Office, that is losing esteem and credibility with each additional trial…”    This week was a tumultuous one for Israel’s legal establishment—and rightly so. Perversion of the democratic process. For almost a …

The election is upon us now – only two days away – and the situation is not substantially different from what it was when I last wrote.  Neither camp has a clear majority in the polls. Likud and Blue & White are reasonably neck-in-neck.  Maddeningly, each poll is somewhat different, …

For some time now, Israel has been at the edge of war. Or, to put it another way, Israel has been and continues to be engaged in an ongoing, low level, multi-faceted shadow war that has potential to erupt into something major.   The post that follows is filled with …

We are seeing a rerun of the April 2019 Israeli elections but with one big difference, this time round we will have a government formed. The question is, what government? In the main, the issue in April was whether the people wanted to elect the statesman Prime Minister Netanyahu, or …

Today I begin with a piece – “No, it’s not about ‘race’” – by Vic Rosenthal, writing as Abu Yehuda, because I think this marvellously forthright post should be seen by all and shared broadly (all emphasis added): “Americans need to take a vacation from using the word ‘racist,’ at …

This will be my last posting before Pesach begins on Friday night. This year, the Pesach themes of redemption and evil resonate for me with special power.  The Almighty redeemed us when he took us from Egypt but that redemption was not complete:  it is an on-going process. In the …

If we care about what’s going on around us, in the end there is no choice but to open our eyes and look hard. The situation is difficult. I did my good news posting and was very glad for it. ~~~~~~~~~~ By the end of last week, I was giving …

For weeks I was reticent about the intricacies of Israeli politics as the first stage of the campaign began to heat up.  It was all too complex – with new parties forming, and would-be members of the Knesset switching allegiance from one group to another or simply resigning. It was …

Sunday was International Holocaust Remembrance Day.   Israel marks the Holocaust on a separate day – Yom Hashoah, after Pesach in the spring.  Yet, I cannot let this day pass in silence. The Holocaust was an expression of evil of overwhelming proportions. After Hitler was defeated and the nature of the …

There are so many good things to talk about with regard to Israel.  Unfortunately, I don’t always get to them, because there is often a preponderance of “not so good” things going on that need to be addressed. Sometimes, however, we must focus on matters that are upbeat or constructive, …

I want to begin with a request for assistance for the Legal Grounds Campaign, which I co-chair.  We are running a campaign to have Israeli citizens living here in Israel sign on as members (no cost). We hope to secure a large membership base: this will increase our effectiveness as …

The silly season is upon us and the even sillier season seems to be approaching fast. Israel is going to elections on the 9thof April. On the one hand when it comes to actual policies, it is the Seinfeld election – yet again – an election about nothing – well …

There is a profusion of events to report on, none of which is likely to be greeted as good news. So we’ll take it as it comes…. ~~~~~~~~~~ We can begin with news about the Israeli election, which has been set for April 9. The Knesset voted to dissolve itself …

It is Hol Hamoed Sukkot – the intermediate days of the week-long holiday. The skies are blue here in Israel, and inside the sukkah there is an extraordinary sense of peace. How lovely it would be to shut out the world during this time, but, almost inevitably, the world impinges …

Tonight we light the first candle of Chanukah, a holiday that in its essence is about the survival of Judaism at a time when Hellenization threatened tradition. Let the lights shine bright upon us, and may we hold fast to all we are meant to be. ~~~~~~~~~~ My postings will …