Archive for month: March, 2023

News Update

Talks regarding judicial reform began last night between the coalition and the opposition in the President’s Residence. This comes after Prime Minister Netanyahu said on Monday night that he was pausing the reform process. According to the latest survey, just 41% of Israelis believe there is a realistic chance the talks will yield a compromise agreed upon by both sides. Fifty-two percent believe there is no chance whatsoever for a compromise.

Speaking to reporters yesterday, US President Biden said he hopes Prime Minister Netanyahu “walks away” from the judicial reform initiative. In response Netanyahu tweeted, “Israel is a sovereign country which makes its decisions by the will of its people and not based on pressures from abroad, including from the best of friends. My administration is committed to strengthening democracy by restoring the proper balance between the three branches of government, which we are striving to achieve via a broad consensus.” And then, “I have known President Biden for over 40 years, and I appreciate his longstanding commitment to Israel. The alliance between Israel and the United States is unbreakable and always overcomes the occasional disagreements between us.”

Florida Governor DeSantis will visit Israel at the end of April, for Israel Independence Day. For more, click here.

Israel’s Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich today signed an order canceling the tax on sugary drinks introduced by his predecessor Avigdor Liberman. Smotrich tweeted, “Ahead of Pesach and as part of the fight against the cost of living we have cut the tax on sweetened drinks. We are talking about a significant reduction in the public’s shopping basket.” It turns out that the Arab population is, by far, the largest consumer of sugary drinks and, therefore, stands the most to gain from the tax cancellation. The second largest sugary drink consumers is Israel’s Haredi community.

News Update

IDF forces killed Abu Khadija, the terrorist who founded the Tulkarem Brigade, in a raid in Tulkarem Thursday morning. Abu Khadija was recently involved in numerous shooting attacks against Israeli settlements and security forces. The terrorist tried to shoot at the troops who tried to arrest him.

The Prime Minister said, in a televised address last night, that the judicial reform process would continue moving forward. He said, “Opponents are not traitors and proponents are not Fascists,” he said. “Those who support our reform, have for decades felt that the Supreme Court did not represent them or their views, and those who oppose it, fear that it would end democracy. A democratic government must address both sides of the issue. It must display the will of the majority of voters and also protect individual rights. In order to prevent a rift in our population, the concerns of each side must be heard.”

The Attorney General warned PM Netanyahu: “The legal situation is clear: you must refrain from any involvement in initiatives to change the judiciary, including the makeup of the committee for the appointment of judges, as such activity is a conflict of interest. Your statement last night and any action you take in violation of this matter is illegal and tainted by a conflict of interest [since he is currently on trial for corruption charges].”

Yesterday, the Knesset ratified a law that restricts the conditions under which an Israeli prime minister can be removed. For more, click here.

United Torah Judaism MK Moshe Gafni withdraw legislation he proposed that would outlaw missionary work in Israel. The proposed legislation drew anger from the evangelical movement in the US, which staunchly supports Israel and settlement expansion. Prime Minister Netanyahu tweeted, “We will not advance any law against the Christian community.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu and his wife are in London today. The PM will meet with British PM Rishi Sunak and then with Home Secretary Suella Braverman. The main topic of discussion will most likely be the Iranian threat. The leaders will also discuss a free trade agreement, the war in Ukraine and the Palestinian issue. The Netanyahus will stay in London on Saturday and head back home Saturday night.

News Update

David Stern, a 41 year old former US marine, martial arts expert and firearms instructor currently living in the settlement of Itamar, was shot and seriously wounded while driving with his wife through the village of Huwara yesterday. The attack took place near where 2 Israeli brothers were murdered by a terrorist a few weeks ago. Stern managed to fire back and hit the terrorist. IDF forces later captured the terrorist, who was hiding in a nearby house with serious wounds. The terrorist fired at Stern’s car using a homemade submachine gun.

Israel, the United States, Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority issued a joint statement Sunday evening in which they said that Israel has pledged not to discuss the construction of new housing units in the settlements for four months and not to approve outposts for six months. Meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh, Israel and the Palestinian Authority reaffirmed their commitment to promoting security, stability, and peace. They also emphasized the importance of creating a diplomatic prospect for peace and addressing pressing issues through direct dialogue. Both sides have pledged to stop unilateral actions, although the construction in the settlements and the approval of outposts were the only specific mentions. They also agreed to establish a mechanism to prevent and control violence, incitement, and inflammatory statements and actions.

The Israel Police said they were stepping up the security measures ahead of Ramadan, that starts later this week. In previous years there has been rioting and violence on the Temple Mount during Ramadan.

US President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu yesterday and urged him to reach a compromise on the judicial reform initiative. This is an unusual intervention by a US President in Israel’s internal affairs. According to a White House statement, Biden “underscored his belief that democratic values have always been, and must remain, a hallmark of the U.S.-Israel relationship, that democratic societies are strengthened by genuine checks and balances, and that fundamental changes should be pursued with the broadest possible base of popular support.” Biden and Netanyahu also spoke about the Iran threat and the fear of escalating tensions with the Palestinians during Ramadan.

According to the statement from the Prime Minister’s office, Netanyahu informed Biden about the terrorist shooting attack in Huwara, in which a U.S.-Israeli citizen was wounded, and assured him that Israel will “continue to take action against terrorists and architects of terror.” He also reassured Biden that Israel will remain a strong and vibrant democracy committed to his government’s legal reform and thanked the U.S. leader for his unwavering commitment to Israel’s security.

In a show of apparent compromise, Prime Minister Netanyahu said that the government would hold off on moving forward with the judicial reform until April 30, when the Knesset reconvenes after the Passover break. The original plan was to push through the legislation before the Knesset goes on break on April 2. The government also announced a slight modification of the legislation on Supreme Court judge selection, which appears to give the government less control than the original proposal. Now we wait and see what the opposition says.

News Update

The IDF, Shin Bet and Border Police arrested 15 terror suspects in overnight raids throughout the West Bank.

Bank of Israel Governor Amir Yaron told CNN that, “Right now, the changes in the judicial reform could weaken some of this independence [of the judicial system]. Moreover, the process itself is hasty and does not have a wide agreement in the public.” Yaron said one of the reasons an orderly and broadly agreed-upon process was important was to stop companies from directing investments away from the Israeli market, something that several major firms have already announced they will do. He also said that he believes that the government will not interfere with decisions and moves made by the Bank of Israel.

Protestors against the judicial reform are planning to block the road to the airport later today to disrupt the departure of the Prime Minister, who is flying to Germany for a 2 day state visit.

Israel’s State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman said in a new report published Tuesday that an estimated 93% of at-risk buildings in northeastern Israel will collapse in the event of a powerful earthquake. The findings indicate that 93% of buildings earmarked for reinforcement in Beit She’an, Tiberias, Safed, Kiryat Shmona, and Hazor HaGalilit, which are communities anticipated to be severely impacted during an earthquake, have not been addressed yet. Also, 38 out of 54, or 70%, of schools that were previously found to not meet standards were also not strengthened yet. According to the report, it would take decades to safeguard all the buildings currently at risk from earthquakes if the current pace is maintained. Costs for reinforcement of at-risk buildings and other protective measures were estimated at around NIS 2.34 billion ($650 million).

Devora Paley, the mother of 2 young boys who were murdered in a Jerusalem terror attack last month, gave birth to a baby boy today. He is the family’s tenth child. Avraham Paley, 42, Devora’s husband, was seriously injured in the attack, and was recently released from Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center, after spending two weeks in a coma.

Israel’s national baseball team was eliminated from the World Baseball Classic after losing to Puerto Rico 10-0, without getting a single hit or getting a runner on base. The Israeli team kicked off the tournament with a surprise win over Nicaragua. It then lost to Dominican Republic. For more, click here.