1 Tammuz 5780
23 June 2020
The News on the Israeli Street
The daily Corona update . . .
8 am Tuesday:
There are 21,082 confirmed cases of Corona in Israel–304 more than yesterday at this time.
15,768 have recovered have recovered–74 more since yesterday.
44 are in “serious condition”–4 more than yesterday.
29 are on ventilators–1 more than yesterday.
307 Israelis have died–1 more than yesterday.
What can we say about these numbers except that around 300 more confirmed cases are being added everyday, and the number of those in serious condition seems to be slowly but steadily increasing. Fortunately, the number of Israelis who have died remains almost stable.
Could the contrast be any clearer? . . .
Wednesday could be a fateful day for sovereignty/annexation. Word has it that President Trump will decide to what degree to support the Israeli push suggested by his Peace Vision.
In the meantime, we have on the one hand a letter which will apparently be signed by more than 200 Democrat members of Congress that criticizes any “unilateral action” that “would jeopardize long-standing efforts to achieve a viable two-state solution.”
On the other hand, we have a letter addressed to PM Netanyahu signed by Republican congress members which reads in part:
“We write to reaffirm the unshakeable alliance between the United States and Israel, to emphasize that Israel has the right to make sovereign decisions independent of outside pressure, and to express our support for you as you make such decisions in your capacity as Israel’s democratically-elected prime minister. We are aware of and deeply concerned by threats expressed by some to retaliate against Israel as it makes decisions to ensure defensible borders.”
Isn’t this the difference between the two Parties in a nutshell?
The Democrat Party remains obsessed with a two-state solution and is insistent on telling Israel what it should and should not do.
The Republican Party views questions of sovereignty and security as decisions that the democratically elected government of Israel should make—“independent of outside pressure.”
TODAY’S BLOG:
Yes To Sovereignty, No To Palestine!
Nadia Matar and Yehudit Katsover.
What a powerhouse team! For decades they have fought the good fight for sovereignty. For decades your humble servant and his wife have walked with their organization, the Women in Green, on Tisha B’Av to emphasize Israel’s sovereignty over Jerusalem.
Yesterday, we were with Nadia and Yehudit again, this time beside the Wohl Rose Garden between the Knesset and the Israel Supreme Court in Jerusalem–at a location across the street from the office of PM Netanyahu.
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Their message yesterday was crystal clear:
The large banner that hung along the wall beside the Rose Garden–the first sign we saw when we pulled up to the demonstration.
Yes To Sovereignty Over The Land Of Israel
No To Palestine
As we got out of the car and crossed the street, this was the scene:
In the background, all of the young people holding banners and signs. Note that most people there, including your humble servant’s wife, were properly masked.
The fact that so many young enthusiastic people were there was heartwarming; Nadia and Yehudit always make sure to integrate them into demonstrations and marches.
Flyers, pamphlets, and placards all focused on the point that the Trump Vision is dangerous because it isolates 19 Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria and creates a “Palestine” in the Jewish homeland:
The map highlights some of the communities in Samaria that would become “enclaves” in “Palestine.”
The Women in Green were also giving out sovereignty bracelets and hats:
Here sits your humble servant: note the hat and the bumper sticker.
Two heavy hitters spoke. At 5:00 pm, it was Bezalel Smotrich, one of the most outspoken opponents of the sovereignty plan as it currently (and apparently) exists:
Smotrich gave a powerful message of fighting for our Jewish rights. Note the person on the left margin of the photo: Yehudit Katsover.
After Smotrich finished, I picked up a sign and went over to the street:
There were lots of honks of support from passing cars and buses.
At 6:00 pm came the equivalent of an Israeli rock star: Ayelet Shaked–whose Yamina Party your humble servant voted for in the last three elections:
What an amazing person! A powerful advocate of sovereignty, Ayelet was probably the best Justice Minister Israel ever had. She was welcomed to the microphone by the crowd changing “Ayelet! Ayelet! Ayelet!”
A photo of Ayelet and some of us after her talk:
That’s your humble servant, maskless, standing behind Ayelet’s left shoulder. What a gracious person she is.
Someone else I also ran into after the speeches:
Obviously, this was a cardboard cutout of Bibi. I hope he was listening across the street.
One final photo of Nadia and myself (observing social distancing):
It was a pleasure to speak to Nadia briefly and thank her for her wonderful work!
Once again, I cannot praise Nadia, Yehudit, and the Women in Green enough. They not only talk the talk but also walk the walk.
I encourage you to click on this link to donate to the Women in Green.
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.