Yom Shnee
Monday
20 Adar 5783
March 13 2023
Special Prayer Request
Or Ascher, the most critically wounded of the three Israelis shot by the terrorist on Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv, needs your prayers. His condition deteriorated overnight, and his family and friends are asking all of Israel to pray for him. Please do so.
The Hilarious Leftist Numbers Game
If you recall, police estimated that there were a total of 120,000 anti-government protesters in all of Israel on Saturday night–and that 90,000 of these were in Tel Aviv.
But after seeing the police estimate, protest organizers said that 250,000 had protested throughout Israel.
Yesterday a CNN article read:
“Half a million Israelis took to the streets in the tenth consecutive week of protests against plans by the government of Benjamin Netanyahu to overhaul the country’s judicial system, organizers claimed . . . Nearly half of the protesters – about 240,000 – gathered in Tel Aviv, the organizers said.”
500,000? 240,000 in Tel Aviv? What a joke. By next week, the claim will be one million.
The News on the Israeli Street
On the Gaza front . . .
The Qatari Ambassador is returning to Israel today to discuss the latest package of blackmail benefits the Qataris will give to Hamas in order to “keep the peace.”
A plea from the Schnerb family . . .
Such a bright and wonderful light was taken from us. Rena was gruesomely murdered on August 23, 2019.
If you can believe this, it has taken three and a half years to finally bring the murderers of Rena Shnerb to trial.
The first few weeks have been appalling to the family as the families of the terrorists have sat in the courtroom laughing and smiling and giving encouragement to the terrorists.
On top of this the Court has given wide latitude to the defense attorneys allowing ridiculous motions and interruptions designed to prolong the trial for years.
The Shnerb family feels alone and only requests that you spread the news about the travesty taking place in the Court.
On the high-tech front . . .
It is still unclear to what extent hi-tech firms in Israel were affected by the takeover of the Silicon Valley Bank by the F.D.I.C.–especially since most of their money in SVP accounts was uninsured.
What is known is that the SVP branch in Herzliya has closed down, and its 40 workers have had their employment terminated.
Also unknown is to what extent some orthodox Jewish groups are affected by the closure of Signature Bank in New York.
An interesting poll taken over the past few days indicates 77% of hi-tech employees in Israel will not participate in the anti-government protests in any way, and that 90% believe that their companies should not participate either.
Speaking of the impact of the protests . . .
One of Israel’s most renowned restaurants, Mesa in Tel Aviv, suddenly closed its doors yesterday.
According to one employee: “The demonstrations in Ayalon and Azrieli are right on our heads, the access roads to the restaurant are closed since they started blocking the roads twice a week.”
Another employee said this: “We are all shocked. Because of the protests, they closed all the roads and slowly we started to fade away. Until December, everything was great, but . . . because of the disruptions and because of the demonstrations – people simply couldn’t get to the place – they didn’t get to the bar and they didn’t get to the restaurant . . . No one saw it coming . . .”
TODAY’S BLOG
The Legal Reforms March On
The ballyhoo about the demonstrations ostensibly against the legal reforms (but really against the government) is garnering all of the media coverage here.
Yet, the government marches on with those reforms.
Today (or possibly tomorrow depending on the length of the debates):
*the Knesset will vote on the first reading of the law that will allow the Knesset to override a Court decision by a simple majority of 61.
*the Knesset will vote on the first reading of the clause that will limit what “ordinary laws” the Court can invalidate.
*the Knesset will vote on the first reading of a law that will prevent a prime minister from being impeached except under exceptional circumstances and not unless there is a super-majority of 90 votes for impeachment.
*at the same time as the above is happening, the Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee will continue to prepare the first part of the reforms (the judicial selection committee composition, and not allowing the High Court to invalidate “Basic Laws).
In an astonishing interview yesterday, former Attorney General and leftist Avichai Mandleblit said that it doesn’t make any difference what laws the Knesset votes for because the High Court of Justice will immediately invalidate them–a statement that Opposition head Yair Lapid seconded this morning.
These are the basic questions:
Can the High Court invalidate a law that the Knesset makes concerning the High Court?
What will happen when it does?
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.