Israel News for 9-22-2023
News Update
Prime Minister Netanyahu will address the UN General Assembly today. On Wednesday Netanyahu met with US President Biden at a hotel in NY, while hundreds of demonstrators protested outside against Netanyahu’s judicial reform initiative. Biden stressed his efforts to achieve normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel. Netanyahu stressed that Israel’s “Israel’s commitment to democracy”. Palestinian Authority President Abbas address the UN General Assembly on Thursday and said that there can be no peace deals made if Palestinian rights are ignored.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman said, in an interview on Fox, that an agreement with Israel was close, but it must include Israeli action to ease the lives of Palestinians. He called the deal the most major event since the end of the Cold War.
Yesterday, Israeli tanks fired at 2 Syrian military positions located in the demilitarized zone of the Golan Heights yesterday. The positions were in clear violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement. According to the IDF, the Syrian military began storing weapons in them on Wednesday. The structures were believed to be empty of soldiers when they were shelled. Earlier on Thursday, two motorcyclists were reportedly killed in an Israeli drone strike in the town of Beit Jinn west of Damascus. Israel did not comment on the drone strike.
Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, begins Sunday at sunset and lasts until nightfall on Monday. It is the only time that the Torah mandates that we “afflict” ourselves. We accomplish that by refraining from eating, drinking, wearing leather shoes (they didn’t have Crocs back then), bathing for pleasure or engaging in marital relations. We spend our day asking God for forgiveness, but not nearly enough time asking the same from our fellow man. Perhaps this year we should make an effort to focus more on how we treat each other and create an environment in which we can live together in unity and peace? As the saying goes, “united we stand, divided we fall.”
May we all be granted forgiveness and be inscribed and sealed in the Book of Life.
Wishing you all an easy fast and a Gmar Chatima Tova.
