Yom Chamishee
Thursday
18 Tishrei 5783
October 13 2022
Idiotic Quote of the Day
“We will closely monitor where the money will go, and make sure that it is invested in infrastructure for the benefit of the citizens of Lebanon.”
Merav Michaeli, Israel Minister of Transportation and head of the left-wing Labor Party. Michaeli voted in favor of the Israel-U.S.-Lebanon Agreement yesterday.
Michaeli’s statement which echoes what PM Yair Lapid and “Defense” Minister Gantz said yesterday is absolutely flabbergasting.
Nowhere in the “Agreement” is there any mention of Israel monitoring “where the money will go” and the thought that Lebanon would give Israel such monitoring ability is beyond ludicrous. Lebanon does not even recognize Israel which is why Israel is actually making the Agreement with the U.S.
Actually, the monitoring gas royalty payments is supposed to be done by the U.S., but we all know how ludicrous that is. There is no way that the Lebanese or Hezbollah are going to permit the U.S. to monitor where the money goes.
And once again, we see in Michaeli’s statement the pie-in-the-sky notion that the “Agreement” is wonderful for Israel because the “poor Lebanese” are going to benefit.
The News on the Israeli Street
and Today’s Blog
The War in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem Rages On
Unsurprisingly, the mainstream Israeli media as well as the international media are giving little attention to the ongoing war—a war that starkly shows the failure of the Israeli government.
Shooting incidents:
Palestinian terrorists opened fire on Jewish worshipers attempting to visit Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem (Nablus) as well as the IDF troops trying to protect them.
Palestinian terrorists opened fire at IDF soldiers at the Salem checkpoint near Jenin.
Palestinian terrorists opened fire on Israeli motorists at the Ziff Junction.
Palestinian terrorists opened fire on IDF soldiers at the Tel Ares outpost.
Palestinian terrorists in a car opened fire at a bus on Road 60 south of the Rahlim Junction.
Palestinian terrorists opened fire on Israelis at Pondok.
Palestinian terrorists opened fire on bus 81 on Road 55.
In Jerusalem:
Palestinian terrorists using Molotovs burned down a house near Shuafat and attempted burn other in the Beit Orot neighborhood.
Palestinian terrorists badly wounded a 17-year-old Israeli on Bab al-Huta Street. He was evacuated to Sha’are Zedek Hospital with severe facial wounds.
Palestinian terrorists using IEDs and Molotovs clashed with police and other security personnel in Tzur Bahar, Issawiya (2 police wounded), Jabal al-Mukbar, Silwan, Ras Al Amud, Shuafat, Beit Hanina, and A-Tor–in other words, in every neighborhood in eastern Jerusalem.
Palestinian terrorists attacked Ma’ale Zeitim and burned an Israeli transport vehicle.
Palestinian terrorists tried to murder a family (with 3 babies) in a car. Miraculous no one was wounded, but the car was destroyed.
Palestinian terrorists attacked at the Ben Zion Interchange below the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood; one baby was hit with “rocks” and was taken to a hospital.
Elsewhere in Judea and Samaria:
Palestinian terrorists fired shoulder-launched missiles at a bus on Road 55 near Tahsin Square.
Palestinian terrorists using IEDs, “rocks”, and Molotovs attacked buses on the Gush Etzion-Hevron Road near Beit Omer, and between Itamar and Beit Furik.
Palestinian terrorists throwing Molotovs set fires in Neve Tzuf, Kfar Etzion, and on the Nabi Elias Bypass.
Palestinian terrorists assaulted Israeli motorists at Psagot (and Israeli woman wounded)—and at two dozen other locations.
Two Palestinian terrorists were badly wounded in Shechem when an IED fortunately exploded prematurely. One terrorist, who lost his arm and leg is the son of a colonel in PLO counter-intelligence.
The Status Of The Abominable Maritime “Agreement”
Talk about undemocratic.
PM Lapid announced yesterday that the “Agreement” between the U.S. and Israel (aka the Lebanese-Israel) Maritime Agreement” would not be put to a vote in the Knesset because the opposition to the “Agreement” has been “promiscuous” in denouncing it.
Translation: The Agreement would be rejected in the Knesset.
Instead, there were two votes yesterday—first in the Lapid Security Cabinet which voted with Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked abstaining to approve the “Agreement”; and second, in the entire Lapid Cabinet which again voted to approve the “Agreement” with Shaked voting against and Yoaz Hendel abstaining.
Shortly thereafter, the Agreement was sent to the Knesset–not for the legislators to vote on it, but just to put in “on the table” for their perusal for two weeks. After this time, it will return to the Cabinet for a final vote.
In a press conference last night, Lapid blathered what has to be one of the most disingenuous statements in Israeli political history: “I would have preferred not to have to decide on the agreement so close to an election but the schedule was dictated by the political situation in Lebanon.”
Lapid obviously thinks the Agreement will help him politically in the election on November 1, but there are already signs it will not. Two days ago, a poll showed that 40% of Israelis approved the Agreement; a poll this morning shows that number is down to 30%.
Addendum: No map accompanies the “Agreement”–merely the geographical coordinates. Apparently, none of Lapid’s cabinet realized until yesterday that Israel has given away 860 km2 of maritime territory to Lebanon–but they voted for the “Agreement” anyway.
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.