Thursday
Yom Chamishee
2 Tevet 5785
January 2 2025
SPECIAL MESSAGE
Three Chanukiyot in the window of our son’s home in Jerusalem last night:
On this 8th and final day of Chanukah, we hope that the lights of Chanukah will shine for you and your family during the coming year bringing health, happiness, and prosperity.
We sincerely hope that those lights will illuminate a way to destroy our enemies, end our wars, and bring our hostages home.
UPDATE 1:00 PM ISRAEL TIME
On the Ground in Gaza
*In the last hour (at 11:57 am), Palestinian terrorists in southern Gaza fired a missile at the Israeli border community of Holit.
*Israel has issued a deadline, three weeks from today (coinciding with incoming President Trump’s inauguration), for Hamas to reach a deal to release our hostages or an additional IDF Division will enter Gaza for operational maneuvers.
This coincides with a statement from Defense Minister Katz yesterday while he was in Netivot: “I want to send a clear message from here to the heads of the terrorists in Gaza: If Hamas does not soon allow the release of the Israeli hostages from Gaza and continues firing at Israeli communities, it will face blows of an intensity not seen in Gaza for a long time.”
*Hamas “Police” Commander in Gaza Mahmoud Salah and one of his senior deputies, Hussam Al-Shawa were killed in an IAF strike this morning.
On the Ground in Judea and Samaria
Last night, a Palestinian terrorist ran over a female IDF soldier at the entrance to Deir Qadis. She was seriously wounded; the terrorist was shot killed by other soldiers at the scene.
Disturbing IDF Data For 2024
The IDF published the following 2024 summary this morning:
363 regular and reserve soldiers have fallen in Gaza and southern Lebanon.
295 of these were killed in combat.
23 were killed in accidents (17 in civilian road accidents, 3 in military road accidents, 3 in “other” accidents).
21 soldiers committed suicide.
13 soldiers died from illnesses contracted in Gaza.
11 fell from terror attacks in Judea, Samaria, and Israel (such as run-over attacks, shooting attacks, stabbing attacks).
The Israel Supreme Court Grabs More Power
How can anyone actually believe that there should not be judicial reforms in this country?
This morning, Supreme Court Justice Joseph Elron issued this flabbergasting statement:
“From now on, every law enacted in the Knesset will be conditional – until the High Court decides on the petitions against it.”
Just unbelievable.
Anyone can bring a petition against a law to the “High Court”–and the person doesn’t even have to be an Israeli. And there is no limit to the number of petitions that can be brought. Nor is there a time limit for filing petitions.
In short, Elron’s statement indicates no law passed by the Knesset is permanent. The Supreme Court has totally usurped the power of the legislative branch in this country.
Just unbelievable. Sickeningly so.
Justice Minister Levin issued this response:
“In what country can judges who elect themselves disqualify, on the spur of the moment, a law that the Parliament passed in three readings? Only in Israel is democracy being replaced by the rule of a handful of judges, who refuse even to broadcast live their own flawed election procedures. Many people understand today that this must not continue. It is time to return authority to the sovereign – the people. I hope that all elements of the coalition will rise to the occasion and finally make it possible to make the necessary change in the method of selecting judges.
Levin is exactly correct.
And so it goes today in Israel . . . so far . . .
A student from Malawi, who had worked with an Israeli health volunteer in his country battling AIDS, came up to us as we walked down the street in the UC-Davis Picnic Day Parade and wanted to carry the Israeli flag.