Yom Shleeshee
Tuesday
10 Tevet 5783
January 3 2023
Please Note
As you can see from the above date, it is the 10th of Tevet, a day of fasting on the Jewish calendar remembering the beginning of the siege in 588 BCE of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon–which ultimately resulted two years later in the destruction of the First Temple and the carrying away of Judeans into captivity.
For those who undertake the fast, Tsom Kal!
The Hilarious Quote of the Day
“We left them the 4th strongest economy in the OECD with low inflation and unemployment among the lowest in Israeli history, a budget surplus, and a 21% increase in exports, so who is responsible for rise in prices? The Netanyahu government.”
Yair Lapid commenting yesterday on the soaring cost of living in Israel.
Can you believe this? Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has now been operating for exactly 4 days and is already being blamed by Lapid for how the cost of living rose dramatically during the last 18 months when Lapid’s coalition was in charge.
The News on the Israeli Street
The war in Judea and Samaria.
Shooting attacks:
Palestinian terrorists opened fire on IDF troops in the Palestinian settlement of Deheisha near Bethlehem. One terrorist was killed and another was critically wounded in the ensuing firefight. No Israelis were wounded.
The dead terrorist left a note saying that he dreamed of becoming a martyr. Kudos to our troops for helping him realize his dream.
IED, Molotov, and “rock” attacks:
Palestinian terrorists attacked a bus in Hawara near Einbus Square.
Palestinian terrorists attacked Israeli motorists on the Gush Etzion-Hevron Road south of Karmi Tzur, on Road 443 west of Beit Horon, on Road 60 near Luban a-Sharqiya northeast of Ramallah, near Tekoa, at the Al-Abud curve, and at dozens of other locations.
The new Director General of the Ministry of Defense . . .
. . . is none other than Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir. This is the same officer that previous Minister of Defense Gantz passed over in his choice for a new IDF Chief of Staff.
And the same officer that PM Netanyahu said he would have chosen as IDF Chief of Staff.
TODAY’S BLOG
The Grand Farce On The Temple Mount During The Last 24 Hours
It all began yesterday when our new Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben Gvir, announced that he would soon go up to the Har HaBeit (Temple Mount) as he has done so many times before.
What followed was a flood of threats and condemnations.
Hamas declared that Ben Gvir’s arrival on the Mount would be a declaration of war.
Former PM Lapid declared that Ben Gvir’s arrival on the Mount would cost Israeli lives.
Egypt, Jordan, and the UAE all wailed that Ben Gvir’s arrival would alter the status quo on the Mount.
And on and on.
In the midst of all of this, Ben Gvir had a meeting with PM Netanyahu last night on the subject.
The Israeli media was quick to gush out this morning with fake headline after fake headline:
Channel 11: “Breaking News: after the conversation with Netanyahu, Ben Gvir will most likely not go up to the Temple Mount in the coming days.”
Channel 13: ” What Netanyahu said, why Ben Gabir “surrendered”: the messages behind the scenes. What was said in the conversation between the Prime Minister and the Minister of National Security, and why Ben Gabir agreed – fear of escalation.”
And on and on.
And more fakery from outgoing Minister of Justice Gideon Saar who wrote this morning “Is it possible that the prime minister of the extreme right is preventing a minister in his government from going up to the Temple Mount due to threats from Hamas?”
So what happened this morning?
Ben Gvir went to the Temple Mount after being given the green light by PM Netanyahu and the head of the Israeli Police.
Minister of National Security on the Temple Mount this morning. Ben Gvir commented: “The Temple Mount is the most important place for the people of Israel. We maintain freedom of movement for Muslims and Christians, but Jews will also go to the mountain, and we must deal with those who make threats against us with an iron fist.”
The sky has not fallen.
War has not been declared by Hamas. Egypt, Jordan, and the UAE are stonily quiet.
The grand farce is over almost immediately after it began.
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.