27 Elul 5779
27 September 2019
Special Notice
There will be a general closure of all crossings into and out of Gaza, Judea, and Samaria beginning at midnight tonight and continuing until midnight next Wednesday. The purpose of the closure is to thwart Palestinian terrorists who might attack during the Rosh Hashana holiday that begins at sundown on Sunday.
Absurd Quote of the Day
“Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Palestine.”
Mahmoud Abbas, Chairman of the PLO, speaking at the United Nations yesterday.
As we all know, there has never been a country named Palestine. The land of Judea was renamed “Palestine” by Hadrian after the third Jewish-Roman war in 135 CE. Up until that point, Jerusalem had been the Jewish capital of Judea for more than 1,000 years.
No Arabs appeared in “Palestine” until the barbaric march of Islam across the Middle East in the years following Mohammed’s death in 632 CE. From that point until today, Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab country no matter what nonsense Mahmoud Abbas spews and United Nations’ delegates applaudingly consume.
“The eternal capital of Palestine” is just another attempted Palestinian usurpation of what Jerusalem actually is–the eternal capital of Israel.
The News on the Israeli Street
Palestinian terror in the last 24 hours . . .
In Jerusalem:
The knife used in the stabbing attack in Jerusalem yesterday.
A Border Policewoman was stabbed near the Chain Gate entrance to the Temple Mount yesterday. The terrorist was captured by other security personnel. The Policewoman is listed in “good” condition this morning.
In Judea and Samaria:
Palestinian terrorists attacked with Molotovs and “rocks” at multiple locations along the Gush Etzion-Hevron Road, at Beit Ummar, at the T-Junction near Efrat, near Al-Fawwar, and near Tapuach among other places.
On the Gaza border:
Today is Friday, and we all know that means fresh attempts by Palestinian terrorists to kill our soldiers on the border and infiltrate Israeli border communities and kill men, women, and children.
Yesterday we reported how the number of attacks emanating from Gaza have slightly diminished as construction materials for a new Gaza hospital are transported through the Erez Crossing.
This morning, the PLO in Ramallah has harshly condemned the building of this hospital saying that it is “an attempt to whitewash the image of the Israeli occupation who hands are stained with Palestinian blood.”
By the way, the name of the American NGO that is funding the hospital has been revealed. It is “Friendship.”
Who says that Israelis and Palestinians do not cooperate?
Speaking of hospitals, Assuta Hospital here in Ashdod was the scene this week of the first Israeli-Palestinian medical conference.
More than 70 senior Palestinian physicians along with Israeli doctors working in intensive pediatric care units came together to learn new techniques involving pediatric respiratory surgery taught by doctors from the Philadelphia Children’s Hospital.
New population numbers . . .
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As the year 5779 comes to an end on Sunday, Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics issued its annual Rosh Hashana report on the demographics of the country. The salient points:
*There are 9.1 million citizens of Israel–an increase of 2.1% over last year.
*6.7 million (74%) of these citizens are Jews.
*1.9 million (21%) of these citizens are Arabs.
*The remaining 5% of these citizens belong to other religious and ethnic groups.
Interesting voting statistics from Judea and Samaria . . .
The Yesha Council of Judea and Samaria published the results of voting in the election last week.
Of the 456,865 Israeli citizens in Judea and Samaria, 241,403 are registered to vote (most of the rest of the population is under the age of 18). While the national voting rate was 69.7%, the rate in Judea and Samaria was 76.8%.
Who did the residents vote for?
Yamina (Right Union): 24.4%
Likud: 22.4%
United Torah Judaism: 20.4%
Shas: 9.9%
Kahol Levan (Blue and White): 9.0%
Otzma (Jewish Power): 6.9%
Yisrael Beiteinu: 3.6%
Labor: 1.7%
Democratic Union: 0.6%
Other smaller parties: 1.1%
It may seem odd that around 30% of the votes went to the ultra-orthodox United Torah Judaism and Shas parties, but it should be remembered that two of the three largest Jewish cities in Judea and Samaria are ultra orthodox: Modi’in Illit and Beitar Illit.
On the other hand, it is not surprising at all that only 11.3% of the residents voted for parties on the Left: Kahol Levan, Labor, and Democratic Union.
TODAY’S BLOG
Coalition Discussions Wind Down As Rosh Hashana Approaches
Here were some of the developments yesterday:
*Despite the fact that unity talks between Likud and Kahol Levan broke down, they are continuing to talk. Or rather, they are continuing to talk about continuing to talk. Kahol Levan is steadfastly refusing to go along with Netanyahu as Prime Minister or with forming a government that includes the ultra-orthodox.
*At the same time, Kahol Levan is demanding that Rivlin give them a chance to form a government should Netanyahu fail. A statement from the Party yesterday said that “there is no reason to skip us.”
*Avigdor Lieberman continues to announce to anyone who will listen that he is “starting with a new slate” and will be happy to talk to Likud if they will reach out to him. However, unofficial contacts between Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu indicate that Lieberman has not budged from his insistence on not being in a government with the ultra-orthodox.
*As one might expect, Netanyahu seems increasingly occupied with his pre-indictment hearing that will begin on Wednesday next week. It is currently scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday; however, there is some talk now of it being extended by a few days yet to be chosen in October. Yesterday, Netanyahu made a video request to Attorney General Mandelblit that the hearings be televised. Mandelblit rejected this idea on the grounds that it would inhibit objectivity. Whether Netanyahu will show up at the hearings or just send his team of lawyers remains unknown.
*There still has been no explanation from the Israel Election Commission about how many votes equaled one mandate in the election last week. Shas leader Aryeh Deri complained yesterday that his party received more than 70,000 more votes than last time, but Shas only received 1 more mandate. United Torah Judaism also filed an inquiry with the commission to explain why 1 mandate was taken away from it and given to Likud.
Finally, we can expect very little of anything to take place officially until Tuesday night when Rosh Hashana ends. Whether you are Likud, Kahol Levan, or Yisrael Beiteinu, you will be more concerned with sitting down and eating with your family over the holiday instead of sitting down and engaging in hard negotiations.
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.