Yom Rishon
Sunday
22 Tevet 5783
January 15 2023
The News on the Israeli Street
Tragedy at Bekaot . . .
Details are sketchy but a grenade apparently accidentally exploded in a tent at the IDF base a few hours ago killing one soldier and wounding three more.
The war in Judea and Samaria . . .
A Palestinian terrorist was killed at Ofra while charging toward soldiers with a knife in his hand.
Two Palestinian terrorists were killed in their car near Jaba south of Jenin when they opened fire with an M16 at members of the Kafir Brigade and IDF Sheldag commandos.
IED, Molotov, and “rock” attacks:
Palestinian terrorists attacked Israelis between Einbus Square and Hawara, on the Guish Etzion-Hevron Road near Al Aruv, between Beit Omer and Karmi Tzur, near Tekoa, at Luban a-Sharqiya, in the vicinity of Peduel, just outside of Hizma, and at many other locations.
TODAY’S BLOG
A Who’s Who Of Losers At Last Night’s Tel Aviv Demonstration
A photo of Habima Square last night. Note all the umbrellas because of the rain (photo Amir Goldstein.
So . . . how many protesters showed up at the “huge” demonstration last night–a demonstration that was ostensibly against the judicial reforms proposed by Justice Minister Levin, but was in reality just a continuation of the anti-Netanyahu demonstrations we have seen so often in the past.
How many? Not that it makes any real difference, but no one seems to know. The police estimated 80,000, the organizers unsurprisingly “more than 100,000”. The Jerusalem Post cannot make up its mind this morning with a headline that blares “Over 80,00” with content below that reads “an estimated 80,000.” The funniest line comes from a Haaretz newspaper reporter who estimated “about 100,000” after writing last year that the maximum number of people that Habima Square can hold is “no more than 17,000.”
Whatever the number, they carried the usual signs such as “Crime Minister”, “Only a coup will free you from prison” (you being Netanyahu), and ones that showed an illustration of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Interior Minister Aryeh Deri handcuffed side by side.
So . . . who showed up to demonstrate? The usual crowd of leftists–those who voted for the parties that lost in the November election. There were those who are in the “Black Flag” movement; those in the “Crime Minister” group, those in the Islamist Ra’am Party and those who support the PLO, those who are in the “Movement for Quality in Government”, and on and on.
Some of the PLO flags being waved last night. Following the order of Minister of National Security Ben Gvir, the police confiscated the flags and detained the “wavers.”
And . . . the usual list of failed politicians including Ehud Barak, Tzipi Livni, Benny Gantz, Merav Michaeli, and more.
What were some of their comments?
Eliad Sharga, the chairman of the Movement for the Quality of Government: “The sons of darkness who painstakingly destroyed the walls of the fortress – they succeeded in their mission, the entire fortress is in a state of progressive collapse, threatening to annihilate under its ruins, those who live in it, the judges of the State of Israel.”
Tzipi Livni: “No debate, no legitimate criticism, what we have seen is a political takeover. And no, elections do not give the power to destroy democracy itself.”
Most egregious was undoubtedly Ehud Barak who reportedly said: “Don’t be a victim and let them stroke your head before raping you” (especially egregious given Barak’s association with Jeffrey Epstein).
Your humble servant’s opinion about this demonstration (which will now be repeated on a weekly basis) was best summarized by these comments from new government minister Miki Zohar: “The demonstrations are an acceptable democratic expression just like democratic elections. Tonight there were tens of thousands of people in the demonstration, in the elections that were here two and a half months ago millions came. We promised the public change, we promised governance, we promised reforms and we will carry out these promises.”
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.