28 Shevat 5778
13 February 2018
Thought-Provoking Quote of the Day
“Israel should maintain its Jewish majority even at the cost of democratic rights. Judaism and democracy are two corresponding values, but today an advantage has been given constitutionally to democratic values. There is a need to balance this situation so that Jewish values also have constitutional weight.”
Ayelet Shaked, Israel Minister of Justice
Ludicrous Quote of the Day
“In the next war with Israel, we will have an axis of Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran. The country of Lebanon will not be brought into the war.”
A senior Hezbollah spokesman yesterday.
What a joke. In the next war between Hezbollah and Israel, Lebanon will be obliterated.
The News on the Israel Street
Palestinian terror in the last 24 hours . . .
There were a number of horrific “rock” and Molotov attacks throughout Judea and Samaria yesterday.
One occurred near the Hotse Shomron checkpoint where a 26-year-old student at Ariel University was driving home to Hod Hasharon when Palestinian terrorists hit his car’s windshield with a large “rock”:
Can you imagine driving your car, covered with blood, after being hit by a “rock” like this?
The resulting explosion of glass inside the car cut and bloodied his face badly, but he was able to continue driving until he reached Kfar Saba’s Meir Hospital.
In another terrifying terror attack, a young mother was driving with her two infants near Tekoa when she was attacked by Palestinian terrorists who shattered the glass on all sides of her car:
The back of the car that was struck near Tekoa. If you look carefully through the car, you can also see the shattered front windshield.
She and her children were treated by MADA for trauma.
Similar “rock” and Molotov attacks took place yesterday at the Halhul Junction, between Mitzpe Elon and Elon Moreh, Yakir Junction, the Avraham Hasno Junction, the Pharmacy Checkpoint near the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hevron, Bani Na’im, Kiryat Arba, Curve 160 outside of Hevron, Deir Nizam, Dura, on the road between Adam and Hizma, Marda, the Yitzhar Junction, Al Mu’ayyir, Psagot, the Postal Junction, the Atarot Junction, Raba, Kabbab, the Beit Hanoun Junction, Huwara, and all along Road 443–among other places.
WAZE almost leads to disaster . . .
All drivers who use WAZE to navigate in Israel are aware that there is an option to “deselect all roads controlled by the Palestinian Authority (aka PLO).”
Well, at least most drivers. Yesterday two IDF soldiers did not deselect those roads, took a wrong turn, and ended up in downtown Jenin.
And were quickly set upon by a mob of Palestinians who attacked their vehicle, shattered the windows, and attempted to pull the soldiers (one male and one female) out into the street. In the process, the mob grabbed the gun of one of the soldiers.
You can see a video of the incident here. As you watch it, listen for the screams of the female soldier in the background.
Finally, the mob was torn away from the vehicle by a Palestinian security officer on the scene. The soldiers were lightly wounded and evacuated to the Haemek Medical Center.
More hilarious “humanitarian news” from Gaza . . .
The Palestinians and UNRWA announced yesterday that Shifa Hospital in Gaza will cease operations and all medical services immediately.
We are supposed to believe that because Shifa is the largest hospital in Gaza, its closure spells disaster for the “poor, suffering Palestinians.”
What buncombe. Shifa is temporarily suspending operations because the janitors cleaning the hospital have gone on strike–now that it has been months since they have been paid (all money is diverted to the military wing of Hamas and into the pockets of corrupt Hamas leaders).
Whatever the reason, we in southern Israel could not care less. We remember all too clearly how in the last war with Hamas, Shifa hospital was used as a launching pad for missiles against southern Israel (click here for the Finnish report)–and how the entire Hamas leadership was bunkered beneath the hospital.
Follow-up to yesterday’s blog about the Netanyahu “scandals” . . .
The Israel High Court, no friend of Benjamin Netanyahu, wasted no time yesterday in ruling against all motions to suppress the police recommendations concerning the alleged scandals 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000.
It is now expected that the Israel Police will turn over its findings and recommendations to the Attorney General by Thursday.
You can be sure, dear reader, that every detail of the police report will be leaked to the media by tomorrow at the latest.
TODAY’S BLOG:
Netanyahu, Trump, and the Sovereignty Question:
Who Said What?
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As regular readers of israelstreet know, there have been at least two occasions in recent weeks (one at Davos, and one in Jerusalem with the German FM) at which PM Netanyahu threw ice water on the idea of a “two state solution.”
In both cases, your humble servant noted that it was inconceivable that Netanyahu would have made such statements without first running them by the Trump Administration. After all, Netanyahu will not even go to the restroom without first getting permission from President Trump.
Yesterday and today have seen mixed reports about whether Netanyahu and the Trump administration have ever discussed Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.
The prime minister’s office is suggesting that such talks did take place with Trump representatives. However, Trump officials are saying that Netanyahu has never discussed a specific plan for annexing Judea and Samaria with them.
Is there a middle ground here? Perhaps. Your humble servant surmises that Netanyahu has discussed sovereignty “conceptually” with the usual vagueness that he usually attaches to any decision of import–and that these conceptual talks were held with Greenblatt, Kushner, and Friedman. I think it is fair to infer that no such talks have taken place with Trump.
This was brought into stark relief two days ago, in an interview Trump gave to the Israel Hayom newspaper in which he said:
“Right now, I would say the Palestinians are not looking to make peace. They are not looking to make peace. And I am not necessarily sure that Israel is looking to make peace. So we are just going to have to see what happens . . . The settlements are something that very much complicates and always have complicated making peace, so I think Israel has to be very careful with the settlements.”
This is one of the first times that Trump has even mildly criticized Israel’s pursuit of peace.
And it is certainly no endorsement of sovereignty over Judea and Samaria.
In fact, this morning, the White House has apparently told Netanyahu to issue a statement that he and Trump have never discussed sovereignty.
You can expect that statement to be issued forthwith.
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.