Tag Archives: Prime Minister Netanyahu

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 …

President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital is a perfect response to President Obama’s benighted decision to change American policy by engineering the United Nations Security Council resolution declaring Judaism’s holiest places in Jerusalem to be occupied territory and a “flagrant violation under international law.” It was President …

We begin with more information regarding the lead story in my last posting, about Deputy Minister Tzipi Hotovely, who was uninvited at Hillel House in Princeton. It was Rabbi Eitan Webb, director of the Princeton Chabad House, who had stepped in. He greeted the overflow audience with these words: “We …

President Trump continues to surprise his critics when it comes to the Middle East. He behaves in a more measured way, carrying out most of his administration’s activities behind the scenes and by maintaining different levels of pressure upon parties on all sides. And it should be noted – not …

Lies and hatred and murder. Murder motivated by the hatred that was stoked by the inciteful lies. My friends, I ask that you share this posting as broadly as possible. ~~~~~~~~~~ Friday night, Shabbat, Yosef and Tova Salomon were planning to celebrate the birth of a new grandchild. With them …

As I understand latest reports, on Friday, a compromise was reached by all parties to delay the controversial actions taken recently by Prime Minister Netanyahu with regard to 1) “freezing” of a Kotel plan, and 2) a change in current conversion rules which would have required all conversions in Israel …

LOVE IS IN THE AIR (with apologies to John Paul Young) Love is in the air everywhere I look around Love is in the air every sight and every sound And I don’t know if I’m being foolish Don’t know if I’m being wise……. So things are getting a little …