29 Adar 5780
26 March 2020
The News on the Israeli Street
The daily Corona update . . .
*Eight people have now died in Israel: the most recent were three elderly patients who had substantial pre-existing problems. The number of infected continues to rise as more people are tested: there are now 2666 confirmed cases.
*Unfortunately, this number will rise sharply in the coming hours and days as eruptions of the virus are now occurring in the ultra orthodox neighborhoods of Beit Shemesh, Modi’in Illit, and Jerusalem.
*El Al has now grounded all flights until a re-evaluation on April 3.
*All passengers arriving to Ben Gurion Airport from the U.S., U.K,, France, and Spain will now be automatically tested at the airport for Corona, then taken to a “corona hotel” in the Tel Aviv area where they will stay for at least 2 days. If they test positive, they will remain in the “hotel”; if they test negative, they may be allowed to go to a private residence.
TODAY’S BLOG:
A Political Bombshell In Israel!
Simply shocking!
In a completely unexpected turn of events:
1. Benny Gantz, head of the Blue and White Party (Kahol Lavan) has aligned himself with PM Netanyahu and been elected Speaker of the Knesset.
2. In being elected, he received the votes of the Likud-led block of 58, but not the support of Yair Lapid and Moshe Ya’alon of his own Blue and White Party. Apparently but not definitely, Gantz has agreed not to support anti-Netanyahu proposals.
3. As a result, the Blue and White Party has split. Lapid’s Yesh Atid Party and Ya’alon’s Telem Party will continue to call themselves “Blue and White” and will be the leading party in the opposition with 18 seats. Gantz’s Resilience Party which has 15 seats will no longer be part of Blue and White.
4. A national emergency unity government seems on the verge of creation with PM Netanyahu remaining prime minister until September of 2021 at which time Gantz will take over for a year and a half. As soon as that government is formed, it appears that Gantz will return the position of Speaker of the Knesset to Edelstein, and will become Foreign Minister of Israel.
It appears that all of the above was engineered by PM Netanyahu who has worked his magic again and pulled another rabbit out of the hat.
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Who are the winners and losers from the above incredible sequence of events?
Winners:
1. Benjamin Netanyahu. Not only will he remain prime minister, but also he has apparently avoided new anti-Bibi laws in the Knesset. More than this, he has revealed himself to a political master again.
2. Benny Gantz. Oddly enough, Gantz emerges from the chaos smelling like a rose. He suddenly looks flexible and statesmanlike putting the needs of the country before those of his own.
3. The ultra-orthodox. A day ago it looked like they would not be a part of a government coalition. Now they are in.
4. “The Right”. From no hope of applying sovereignty and possible annexation over the Jewish communities in Area C, a glimmer of hope has returned.
Losers:
1. Yair Lapid and Moshe Ya’alon. They are suddenly on the outside whining like the losers they are. Ya’alon just appeared at a press conference crying about what a sad day it is for Israel.
2. Avigdor Liberman. Talk about a total bust, Liberman failed to be part of a coalition, failed to kick out the ultra-orthodox, and generally ended up getting nothing of what he and constituents wanted. His one year of playing the part as the critical power broker is over.
3. The Joint Arab List. One minute these four parties were running the show as the critical supporters of Blue and White. Now they are not even the largest opposition party. One minute they were talking about all the changes they would wreak in Israel’s Jewish and Zionist character. Now they are mainly talking to themselves.
4. Esther Hayut and the Israel Supreme Court. From taking control of the Knesset yesterday to losing control of the political situation today, one can only imagine what the so-called “Justices” must be thinking.
5. The Israeli left. From their euphoria yesterday at apparently ousting Yuli Edelstein, they are now in depression. A parade of lefties has appeared on Israeli TV all saying “how could this have happened?”
6. The Israeli media. Ditto what your humble servant just said about the Israeli left.
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.