May 14, 2024

This Independence Day, Israel Has Split Into Two Incompatible Jewish States

The confluence of the catastrophe of October 7 and Israel's 76th anniversary may blunt the political debate for a while, but it cannot hide the reality: There are now two states here – Israel and Judea – with contrasting visions of what the nation should be

There is an elephant in the Israeli room – and no, it's not occupation, though that is its main cause.
The elephant in the room is Israel gradually but inexorably being divided into the State of Israel – a high-tech, secular, outward-looking, imperfect but liberal state – and the Kingdom of Judea, a Jewish-supremacist, ultranationalist theocracy with messianic, antidemocratic tendencies that encourage isolation.

This is what happened between (roughly) 796 B.C.E. and the destruction of the First Temple by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.E., and again from 140 B.C.E. to 63 B.C.E. when the Hasmoneans ruled until the Roman conquest. The divisions were most acute during the First Jewish Revolt of 66 C.E., leading to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70, resulting in exile and statelessness until 1948.

It is no longer "Tel Aviv versus Jerusalem" but increasingly "Tel Aviv versus Masada." The modern day versus the extremist, messianic Sicarii cult in Masada in 73. In recent years, Israel has been ruled by a modern-day version of those Jewish Zealots.

Zionism, the national liberation movement of the Jewish people, designed as a political tool to redress a 2,000-year anomaly of statelessness, has in Judea and inside the current government morphed and mutated through the settler movement and extreme right-wing zealots into a Masada-like political culture, based on the concept of the redemption of the ancient kingdom in the ancestral land.

For years, there was a division between Israel and the occupied territories. Now, those occupied territories have taken over the government in Jerusalem under the tutelage and active encouragement of Judea's self-ordained king: Benjamin Netanyahu.

Source : Haaretz

Continued @ : https://archive.md/03Bzt

May 1, 2024

Far-right minister claims hostage deal throws war goals in 'trash' to save hostages

In response, Lapid says Orit Strock’s ‘extremist’ government has ‘no right to exist’; Movement for Quality Government calls on Netanyahu to fire her

By SAM SOKOL
Today, 12:18 pm

Settlements and National Projects Minister Orit Strock sparked fierce criticism on Wednesday when she rejected the “terrible” hostage deal currently being negotiated in Egypt and said that its approval would be tantamount to a betrayal of IDF soldiers and Israel’s war aims.

There are “soldiers who left everything behind and went out to fight for goals that the government defined, and we throw it in the trash to save 22 people or 33 or I don’t know how many,” the far-right minister told Army Radio. “Such a government has no right to exist.”

Condemning Strock, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid tweeted that “a government with 22 or 33 extremist coalition members has no right to exist,” while Minister Chili Tropper of National Unity, who sits with Strock in the cabinet, accused her of insensitivity toward the hostages.

(snip)

His announcement on Tuesday came shortly after National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said, following a private meeting with the prime minister, that Netanyahu had promised not to agree to a “reckless” hostage deal.

Responding to Ben Gvir and Smotrich, National Unity Minister Gadi Eisenkot, an observer in the war cabinet, slammed what he described as political blackmail.

Calling their actions “a serious phenomenon that harms Israel’s national security,” Eisenkot asserted that he “will only be a partner in a government that makes decisions based on the national interests of the State of Israel, and not on political considerations.”

Smotrich hit back at Eisenkot, calling for him to show “a little humility,” and adding that it was his “duty to act against a bad deal that will endanger the security of the citizens of Israel.”

While Eisenkot condemned Smotrich and Ben Gvir’s threats, National Unity leader Benny Gantz earlier this week used similar language, saying that if the government rejects a hostage deal backed by the security services, it will “have no right to continue to exist.”

Source : https://www.timesofisrael.com/far-right-minister-claims-hostage-deal-throws-war-goals-in-trash-to-save-hostages/

May 1, 2024

Smotrich Must Pay the Price for His Repeated Calls for Genocide of Palestinians

Apr 30, 2024
Haaretz Editorial

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a member of the security cabinet, ought to be fired immediately over his latest remarks. That's how any properly run country would act, and all the more so a country against which the International Court of Justice in The Hague has issued provisional measures requiring it to refrain from genocide, including one requiring it to deal properly with incitement to genocide.
On Monday, Smotrich urged Israel to destroy its enemies. "There are no half-jobs," he said. "Rafah, Deir al-Balah, Nuseirat – total destruction. 'Thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.' There is no place for them under heaven." Plain and simple – total destruction. There is no room for interpretation.

In any normal country, five minutes after his remarks were reported, the prime minister would have convened a press conference, fired the minister in disgrace and publicly declared that this isn't his way, and that people with such a worldview have no place in the Israeli government. But in Netanyahu's Israel, in the midst of the Kahanist Spring, the leader of the far right is openly advocating genocide, but there's not one person in the government willing to stand up and say "enough – it's either the despicable Kahanists or us."

Let's recall that South Africa's application against Israel at the ICJ in January was based on a plethora of dangerous, inflammatory statements by a long list of public figures – from the president through the prime minister, other ministers and Knesset members to famous singers and media personalities – following Hamas' attack on October 7. The application cited these statements, and the fact that the legal system hasn't punished the inciters, as being indicative of an intent to commit genocide.
The weakness that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and State Prosecutor Amit Aisman have demonstrated in dealing with such inflammatory statements forms part of the basis of South Africa's application against Israel. A few days before the court heard South Africa's application, Baharav-Miara announced that she had started to take action against incendiary statements by senior officials. Smotrich's latest remarks require her immediate intervention.

In today's rotten Israel, not only does a man like Smotrich not feel threatened, he even dares to threaten to leave the government if Israel signs a deal that would free the hostages and thus postpone the planned operation in Rafah. That happened on Tuesday, while he was presenting his party's position on the deal. Smotrich also never misses an opportunity to continue inciting, this time against the United Arab List. "Today, everyone sees the ties between the UAL and Hamas," he said. "I was willing to pay a political price back then, and I'm willing to pay a heavy public price this time as well to prevent this existential danger," he said of the proposed deal.

In fact, we can only hope that Smotrich will "pay the price" of quitting the government, and the sooner, the better. Until that happens, the attorney general must do her job and take action against him.

The above article is Haaretz's lead editorial, as published in the Hebrew and English newspapers in Israel.

Source : Haaretz

Link ( no paywall ) : https://archive.md/s9sbz

April 24, 2024

From Gaza to Iran, the Netanyahu Government Is Endangering Israel's Survival

Israel is facing a historic defeat, the bitter fruit of years of disastrous policies. If the country now prioritizes vengeance over its own best interests, it will put itself and the entire region in grave danger

In the coming days Israel will have to make historic policy decisions, ones that could shape its fate and the fate of the entire region for generations to come. Unfortunately, Benjamin Netanyahu and his political partners have repeatedly proven that they are unfit to make such decisions. The policies they pursued for many years have brought Israel to the brink of destruction. So far, they have shown no regret for their past mistakes, and no inclination to change direction. If they continue to shape policy, they will lead us and the whole Middle East to perdition. Instead of rushing into a new war with Iran, we should first learn the lessons of Israel's failures over the past six months of war.

War is a military means for achieving political aims, and there is one key yardstick by which to measure success in war: Were the political aims achieved? Following the horrendous massacre of October 7, Israel needed to liberate the hostages and disarm Hamas, but these should not have been its only aims. In light of the existential threat posed to Israel by Iran and its agents of chaos, Israel also needed to deepen its alliance with Western democracies, strengthen cooperation with moderate Arab forces, and work to establish a stable regional order. However, the Netanyahu government ignored all these aims, and instead focused on revenge. It has failed to secure the release of all the hostages, and has not disarmed Hamas. Worse, it intentionally inflicted a humanitarian disaster on the 2.3 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and thereby undermined the moral and geopolitical basis for Israel's existence.

The humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and the worsening situation in the West Bank are inflaming regional chaos, weakening our alliances with Western democracies, and making it harder for countries like Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia to cooperate with us. Most Israelis have now focused their attention on Tehran, but even prior to the Iranian attack we preferred to turn a blind eye to what was happening in Gaza and the West Bank. Yet if we don't change our behavior toward the Palestinians, our hubris and vengefulness will inflict a historic calamity on us.

After six months of war, many of the hostages are still in captivity and Hamas is still on its feet, but the Gaza Strip is devastated, many thousands of its people have been killed, and most of its population are now famished refugees. Together with Gaza, Israel's international standing is also in ruins, and we are now hated and ostracized even by many of our former friends. If an all-out war breaks out with Iran and its proxies, to what extent can Israel count on the United States, the Western democracies and moderate Arab states to risk themselves for us, and provide us with vital military and diplomatic assistance? Even if such war is averted, how long can Israel survive as a pariah state? We don't have Russia's ample resources. Without commercial, scientific and cultural ties with the rest of the world, and without American arms and money, the most optimistic scenario for Israel is to become the North Korea of the Middle East.

continued @ :
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2024-04-18/ty-article-magazine/from-gaza-to-iran-the-netanyahu-government-is-endangering-israels-survival/0000018e-f25f-daad-a3de-fe7ff5790000

(no paywall )

April 1, 2024

'Can't go on like this': Tens of thousands start 4-day anti-gov't protest outside Knesset

Lapid tells crowds ‘there is only one thing that is important to Netanyahu — to stay in office,’ as demonstrators demand ‘elections now’; tent city erected outside parliament

By SAM SOKOL,
MAYA ZANGER-NADIS and TOI STAFF
31 March 2024

Thousands of demonstrators packed streets outside the Knesset in Jerusalem on Sunday evening in a mass protest demanding the government resign, marking the first day in what is slated to be a four-day event.

The organizers of the protest called for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government to step down, for Israel to hold early elections, and for the country’s leaders to agree to a hostage deal that will bring about the release of the 130 captives held in Gaza since Hamas’s devastating October 7 attack on the country.

The gathering outside the Knesset was spearheaded by a coalition of anti-government protest movements, including the Kaplan Force and Brothers in Arms, who plan to hold four days of protests and gatherings in Jerusalem this week.

The rally was the largest protest held since October 7, with the war putting a stop to months-long demonstrations against the government and its efforts at the time to overhaul the judiciary. Organizers claimed more than 100,000 people had taken part, while media outlets reported turnout in the tens of thousands.

Source : https://www.timesofisrael.com/tens-of-thousands-throng-knesset-at-start-of-4-day-protest-against-government/

February 21, 2024

US readying to issue 2nd round of settler sanctions in coming weeks

The Biden administration is readying to issue a second round of sanctions in the coming weeks against Israeli settlers who carried out acts of violence in the West Bank, a US official and a second source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel this week.

The sources said several more Israeli extremists will be targeted, joining the four who were sanctioned in the first round, which was announced in tandem with a February 1 executive order signed by US President Joe Biden that cleared the way for the unprecedented penalties on the grounds that settler violence threatens regional security along with American interests.

The planned second round of sanctions indicates that Washington intends to hold Jerusalem’s feet to the fire to address the phenomenon, which has continued in the weeks since the executive order was signed without a single arrest.

snip

A senior US official said the administration in the first round of sanctions seriously considered including far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has a long history of incendiary comments and was also convicted of several terror-related charges before he entered politics. The US official said far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was not considered for sanctions, though Washington did mull denying his request for a visa to enter the US last year.



Source : https://www.timesofisrael.com/us-readying-to-issue-2nd-round-of-settler-sanctions-in-coming-weeks-sources/

January 2, 2024

Israel's Top Court Deals Netanyahu and His Band of Thieves a Decisive Defeat

By a single vote, Sunday's Supreme Court ruling restored the adjective 'democratic' to the description of the State of Israel

by Yossi Verter
Jan 2, 2024 6:00 am IST

Sunday's Supreme Court ruling, which was decided by a single vote, restored the adjective "democratic" to the description of the State of Israel. It removed from above the heads of the Israeli service members who risk their lives in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank the threat of arrest and prosecution in Europe. It also put in their rightful place the leaders of the government coup, who dealt a mortal blow to the economy, security, international standing and social solidarity of the state on October 7.

Justice Minister Yariv Levin's reaction to the ruling shows that he has not surrendered. The dangerous extremist who is identified with the damage wreaked by the "reform" more than any other individual is not satisfied with the disaster he has already caused. He has vowed to try again. If he and his fellow members of the terrible coalition of 64 lawmakers are not ousted after the war, there is a chance that they will succeed next time: The Supreme Court currently has a conservative majority regarding relations among the branches of government.

If Dery and his partners in the Prime Minister's Office thought they would get the wheels of legislation rolling and the High Court of Justice would lie quietly and let them bully the Knesset and its committees while the court wait until the January 12 deadline, they don't understand the world they live in. This is a war for Israel's character, and the Supreme Court is the final fortress.

The right rampaged repulsively last night, as is its wont, about former Supreme Court President Esther Hayut, who led the majority opinion. But the right bears full responsibility for the result: Levin and Simcha Rothman and Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, who opposed any compromise in the language of the law. (Netanyahu apparently supported a compromise but capitulated to the others' threats.) If the law had been softened, the bottom line in the Supreme Court might have been different.

Source : Haaretz

https://archive.md/dZFHQ

December 26, 2023

Illegal West Bank outpost of Sde Yonatan evacuated and demolished, 10 activists detained

The illegal outpost of Sde Yonatan in the West Bank was evacuated and demolished by Border Police and Civil Administration forces, the second such demolition of an illegal outpost in the territory in less than 48 hours.

A rudimentary residential building and a goat pen were destroyed by the Civil Administration forces during the operation, reports say.

Settler activists state that the Border Police officers were violent when evacuating the residents of the outpost, punching and kicking the residents and throwing them to the ground. Three people were injured during the incident, the activists say.

A Magen David Adom ambulance was called to the area but was prevented from reaching the outpost, the activists allege. Paramedics from United Hatzalah also arrived at the scene to treat one person who was lightly injured during the incident and needed stitches on his hand.

Activists say that the area was declared a closed military zone before the evacuation began and phones belonging to the residents and activists at the site were confiscated.

Ten people were detained at the site during the enforcement operation, three of whom were taken to the local police station. The other seven were released after the demolition had been completed.

The outpost, close to the settlement of Michmash northeast of Jerusalem, was built on private Palestinian land, the Civil Administration says.

It has been built and demolished several times in the last two years and was most recently reestablished shortly after the beginning of the current war with Hamas.

The Border Police declined to comment on the incident.

Source : https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/illegal-west-bank-outpost-of-sde-yonatan-evacuated-and-demolished-10-activists-detained/

_________

Whatever President Biden is doing behind closed doors is working .
He is 100% correct that the only solution is a two state solution .
Ive been saying that since I joined here years ago .
You are supposed to be a Democratic forum .....have some faith in your elected leader he knows what he is
doing .
Bibi and Trump are one and the same ........neither of them give a damn about us or the Palestinians or the hostages
its all about ego and power and money .

December 13, 2023

Israeli leaders are ignoring our calls for a ceasefire. You shouldn't

We are being held hostage by politicians who have no plan and only know how to bomb. We need the world to step in — now.

It is now clear to any person with common sense that Israel will not stop its massive bombardment and ground invasion of the Gaza Strip without serious external pressure. I am not a radical. I am not a traitor. But you would have to be delusional to trust the same people who led us into this disaster to take the proper steps to lead us out of it. Our government has no answers and no limits.

I have attended the few small protests in Tel Aviv in recent weeks calling for a ceasefire. We leftist activists are a tiny minority in our society, and we are currently having to choose our words carefully. We are scared for our own safety amid the crackdown on dissent within Israel since Hamas’ October 7 massacres, which is forcing us to tone down the visibility of our rage. If we are completely silenced, who will be left to protest for an end to the war and the release of the hostages?

During the speeches by the hostages’ families, many have stated in no uncertain terms that their calls are being shunted aside to allow the Israeli army to continue its aggression in Gaza. If our government is not even listening to them, who will listen to us? The fear is numbing, like everything could blow up in our faces, and Itamar Ben Gvir’s police could lock us up with ease. We feel frustrated and powerless.

There is no ceasefire because the only way Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu knows how to survive politically is through blood and tanks, satiating a fascist base thirsty for ever more settlements and resources to achieve their messianic dreams. He is fueling division even in our grief, now even suggesting that the October 7 massacres were enabled by army reservists refusing to serve in opposition to the government’s judicial coup.

While polls currently indicate that a majority of the Israeli public wants Netanyahu gone as soon as the hostilities are over, we know this war criminal far too well to expect him to exit the stage quietly. He will surely find some way to pit us against each other again to try to remain in office.

continued @
https://www.972mag.com/ceasefire-israeli-leaders-gaza/

October 9, 2023

Heavy rocket fire on central, southern Israel; 300,000 reservists mobilized in 48 hours

Source: The Times of Israel

5 injured by barrages in Ashkelon, Ashdod; IDF sees fastest call-up of reservists in its history; IDF claims control of all border towns, but says terrorists may remain

By EMANUEL FABIAN and TOI STAFF
Today, 2:05 pm

Five people were wounded on Monday, two of them seriously, as heavy barrages of rockets were fired by terrorists in the Gaza Strip at towns in southern and central Israel, including one that exploded near Ben Gurion International Airport.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service said it treated four people wounded in Ashkelon by rocket impacts, including a 75-year-old man in serious condition, two men aged 55 and 30 in moderate condition, and one person who was lightly hurt.

Sirens were heard in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ra’anana and as far north as Baqa al-Gharbiyye.
It was the first time sirens were heard in many of the locations since Saturday.



Read more: https://www.timesofisrael.com/heavy-rocket-fire-on-central-southern-israel-300000-reservists-mobilized-in-48-hours/

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