If Israel Is the Start-Up Nation, Then Why . . .

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18 August 2020

Quotes of the Day

Jared Kushner held a briefing with Israeli reporters yesterday afternoon. Here are some snippets from his remarks [with my comment interpolated after each]:

“Israel has made a very generous proposal for the establishment of a Palestinian state, including an exchange of territories. The understanding that this is the situation has enabled the breakthrough that led to the current agreement.”

[As Ayelet Shaked queried yesterday, where is the final map which contains the “very general proposal”? Why can’t Israelis see the map?]

“It hardly matters what plan you propose, the Palestinian leadership responds the same. They are so predictable and illogical. It is impossible to help those who do not want to help themselves. There is frustration in the region with the behavior of the Palestinian leadership.”

[What Kushner says about the Palestinian leadership is certainly true. But it is long past time to merely attribute rejectionism to the leadership; the infantile “Palestinian people”, dependent as they are on international handouts and embracing as they are of a mythic Palestine, are just as responsible if not more so.]

“There is an existing situation [in Area C of Judea and Samaria] that cannot be ignored. Israelis live there, Israel controls these territories and this situation is not going to change . .  . Netanyahu has explicitly promised us that he will not promote the annexation and we believe him.”

[This is what infuriates the Israeli “right”: Netanyahu knew all along that sovereignty was not going to happen, but he happily deceived the communities in Judea and Samaria and the rest of the country into thinking that it was. And now, he is attempting to deceive us all again by saying that sovereignty is still high on his list of priorities.]

The News on the Israeli Street

Palestinian terror in the last 24 hours . . .

In Jerusalem:

The scene near the Lions Gate in the Old City last night.

A Palestinian terrorist stabbed a 19-year-old Border Policeman near the Lions Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem last night. The policeman was treated on site and then taken to a hospital where he is now listed in “fair and stable” condition. Fortunately the terrorist was shot and killed before he could stab anyone else. You can watch a video of the attack and aftermath by clicking here (be forewarned of the violence).

In Gaza:

It was another day of more than 20 fires.

The most horrific example was an explosive balloon carrying an RPG shell that detonated in the courtyard of a Sderot kindergarten and incinerated the warehouse beside the school:

Can you imagine what would have happened if the RPG shell had directly hit the kindergarten classroom full of children? Note the playground in the background.

Here are some more photos from the fires yesterday:

An airplane dropping fire retardant at Nahal Gerar.

A large fire approaching Sderot:

Imagine watching this large fire burning toward your town.

Again, what did Israel do in response to the fires? 

Basically nothing except bomb an empty building and another sand dune.

By the way, Hamas issued a list of extortion demands last night of what it will take to stop the explosive balloon attacks:

*Double the Qatari money being doled out in Gaza by increasing the number of families receiving the money to 200,000.

*Increase the number of Hamasniks who can enter Israel on work permits to 100,000.

*Increase the fishing space to 20 km.

*Allow unlimited imports and exports from Gaza.

*Keep the Kerem Shalom Crossing from Israel into Gaza open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

*Improve the Gaza electricity grid.

*Build infrastructure projects for water.

And on and on.

Unbelievable.

The daily Corona (Covid-19) update as of 8 am this morning:

There are 94,751 confirmed cases—an increase of 2,071 since this time yesterday 

70,291 of these confirmed cases have recovered—an increase of 1,781

399 are in critical condition–an increase of 17
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111 of the most critically ill are on ventilators—a decrease of 1

692 have died–an increase of 7

There are 24,460 active cases.

As we near 700 deaths, PM Netanyahu tweeted this morning that if there is no drop in the numbers of confirmed cases and critically ill, then Israel will be forced to close down again. Already, Corona czar Gamzo says that there should be a lockdown for the high holy days in September.

After Netanyahu’s tweet, wags on Twitter responded:

*”Now they will check less and there will be no closure.”

*”Just stop checking altogether. The seriously ill will come to hospitals anyway.”

*”Just a fear tactic. Three weeks ago, they said there would be 2000 critically ill patients. Where are they?”

*He says the numbers must drop, yet the government removes more and more restrictions.”

By the way, all of these comments are correct.

More on the UAE deal . . .

*The U.S. has agreed to sell an undisclosed number of F-35s and drones to the Emirates.

*President Rivlin has invited Mohammed Bin Zayed to visit Jerusalem.

*The Mufti of Jerusalem has issued an order that no one from the UAE will be permitted to pray in the Al-Aqsa Mosque. (This raises the interesting question of if Zayed comes and wants to worship, who will determine if he goes to Al-Aqsa or not: Israel which has sovereignty over the Temple Mount, or the Islamic Wakf that controls Al-Aqsa.)

The Israeli economy continues to plummet . . .

Israel is in the midst of a major recession.

Our gross domestic product (GDP) fell by 28.7% in the last three months–the biggest decrease in 40 years.

Israeli consumption dropped 43.4% in the same period. The unemployment rate is at 21%, and 19.7% of all businesses in the country have closed, either permanently or temporarily. Requests for food aid from the government have increased by 116%. Approximately 10% of all hi-tech workers have lost their jobs.

Anyway you slice it, the short-term outlook is bad and getting worse.

TODAY’S BLOG:

If Israel Is the Start-Up Nation, Then Why . . .

Many of us are wondering these days about what has gone wrong with Israel.

Supposedly, we are on the cutting edge of almost every scientific endeavor, and yet we cannot find the answers to the simplest questions. More than this, when we do find the answers, we are unable to implement them.

Let’s pose a few questions today,

First about Corona alone:

If we are the startup nation, why have all attempts to produce a coherent plan to fight Corona failed?

If we are the startup nation, why is there no consistent Corona testing in the country?

If we are the startup nation, why can’t we set up a Corona station at Ben Gurion Airport?

If we are the startup nation, why can’t we get Corona test results in less than 15 minutes like so many other places in the world (including the UAE)?

If we are the startup nation, why isn’t the 1 second NewSight Corona test developed here already being used all over the country?

And about the Palestinian terrorists in Gaza:

If we are the startup nation, why can’t we find a simple solution to explosive balloons (why don’t we listen to one Israeli scientist who said yesterday that all we have to do is cut off the supply of helium to Gaza)?

If we are the startup nation, why can’t we find a proactive solution to qassam rockets being fired at our residents in the South once and for all?

And about daily life here:

If we are the startup nation, why can’t we find ways to stop the carnage on the highways where ever more traffic accidents are killing ever more people?

If we are the startup nation, why can’t we find practical ways to lower the outrageously high cost of living here?

We could go on but you get the idea. It’s high time for Israelis to flash some of that brilliance we are famous for and get Israel up and running again.