“There Is No Conditional Zionism”: PM Netanyahu’s Eloquent Statement

Yom Shleeshee

Tuesday

21 Adar 5783

March 14 2023

 

The News on the Israeli Street

The war in Judea and Samaria.

IDF, Border Police, and Shin Bet fighters captured 22 wanted Palestinian terrorists in Anta, Beit Khalil, Deir Tzamat, Nur a-Shams, Iqtaba, Raba, Oja, Al-Bira, Tarkomiya, Abu Dis, Al Aida, and Khirbat Abu Negi.

Shooting attack:

Palestinian terrorists fired on IDF troops operating in Shechem (Nablus).

Molotov, IED, and “rock” attacks:

Palestinian terrorists attacked Israelis between Homesh and Shevi Samaria near Deir Sharaf, near Susiya (farmer evacuated to Soroka Hospital in Beersheva, in the Hosan Bypass between the Al Khader and Beitar Junctions, between Yakir Al Haguda and Rabbah, Migdalim, on Road 60 north of Ofra, at Luban Al-Sharqiya, and at Tekoa among some three dozen locations.

Other terrorism:

A knife-wielding Palestinian terrorist from Ios was captured in Ha’Atsauma Square in Netanya.

Palestinian terrorists planted a roadside bomb near Megiddo and detonated it when a car passed by thinking it was an Israeli motorist; however, it was a Palestinian vehicle and the driver was critically wounded.

What happened in the Knesset yesterday . . .

1. Part two of the legal reforms passed its first reading (two more to go). The law specifies:

A. The High Court of Justice can only invalidate a law when all 15 Justices are present and 12 of them vote in favor of invalidation. (A law concerning the invalidation of a Basic Law has already passed its first reading).

B. A “superseding” clause allows the Knesset to “immunize” laws in advance from judicial review (or) to override a High Court decision by a majority of 61.

2.  A law that will reverse the 2005 unilateral disengagement from 4 communities in northern Samaria passed its first reading.

The Knesset Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee spent a good portion of the day hearing from Yuval Albashan and Giora Yaron who described the so-called Friedman Compromise. Without going to all of the details here, the most significant part of this Compromise (which neither side has agreed to) concerns the Judicial Selection Committee.

According to the Compromise, the number of member of the Selection Committee would be increased from 9 to 12. These 12 would consist of 4 from the Coalition, 4 from the Opposition, and 4 current Supreme Court Justices. Selections would take place on a rotating basis every two years. During each selection cycle, the Justice Minster would have one veto and the President of the Supreme Court would have 1 veto. A Justice could only be approved by a vote of 8 members of the Selection Committee.

In your humble servant’s opinion, this Compromise on Judicial Selection is no compromise at all. While it is true that 8 members would be Knesset members elected by the people, we would once again be in a position in which Justices on the Court would be able to have a de facto veto. Not only that, but why in the world should the elected government have the same number of members as the Opposition?

TODAY’S BLOG

“There Is No Conditional Zionism”:

PM Netanyahu’s Eloquent Statement

At the beginning of Sunday’s Cabinet meeting, PM Netanyahu made this short statement which speaks for the 2,300,00+ voters that elected the current government:

“It is impossible to be in favor of Israel’s economy – and encourage the withdrawal of funds from Israel.

You cannot be in favor of the rule of law – and encourage violations of the law.

It is impossible to be in favor of the security of the state – and encourage resistance that will collapse the security of the state.

You can’t say ‘I’m for the state’ – but ‘if you don’t accept my position I’m leaving the state’.

There is no conditional Zionism.

And here is the biggest absurdity – in any reformed democracy and you want to live, the elected government is the one responsible for the army, the police, and the other security agencies. That’s how it has to be and woe to us if it isn’t.

It is not only anchored in law, it is anchored in common sense. There is no one else to determine who will command these bodies, who will lead them, and how they will be led.

Someone else, besides the elected government, will command the fight against Iran? About the fight against terrorism inside the country? On maintaining law and order?

Only four months ago we went to the elections.

The government led by me received a clear mandate from the citizens of Israel. The fact that for two whole months our repeated calls for talks received no response from the opposition, proves that what interests the opposition is not the reform, but the creation of anarchy and the overthrow of the elected government.

The reform is just an excuse.

I hope I am wrong. I hope that there will be sincere, honest, patriotic people who care about the country, who are willing to talk.

But in any case, so that no one is mistaken – we received a mandate from the public, and we will fulfill our mandate.”

We have nothing to add. Well-said PM Netanyahu!