Yom Shnee
Monday
7 Tammuz 5783
June 26 2023
The Photo of the Day
Orna Solomon of Eilat releasing a “tinshamet” on the beach. She found the dehydrated owl-like bird in the park, called the Nature and Parks Authority, and together with them, revived the bird and released it (photo Miron Segev and Gil Koplowitz).
The Quotes of Day
“Whoever wants to liberate the Al Aqsa Mosque will only be able to liberate it by coming here with weapons and force . . .”
Ismat Hamouri, inciting thousands of Palestinians to violence on the Temple Mount last week
Hamat was subsequently arrested by the Israel Police and accused of committing an act of terrorism in inciting to violence.
Incomprehensibly, the case against Hamat was dismissed this morning by Jerusalem Magistrate Court Judge Scafa Shapira who said “It cannot be established that the defendant’s words are a direct call to commit an act of terrorism.”
Such is the judiciary we have here in Israel.
The News on the Israeli Street
The war in Judea and Samaria.
The IDF acted captured wanted terrorists in Nur a Shams, Silwad, near Bethlehem, and in Hebron where Hamas operatives were arrested.
Shooting attack:
Palestinian terrorists fired from a passing car at an IDF location near Shechem.
Molotov, IED, “rock” attacks:
Palestinian terrorists attacked Israelis in the Singil area northeast of Ramallah, at Turmus’ayya, near Mt. Hevron, and at dozens of other locations.
“Protesters” gone berserk . . .
Yesterday we had several scenes from the theater of the absurd.
Scene 1: In the Knesset
In the first, Simcha Rothman, the Chair of the Knesset Constitution and Law Committee, told the committee that he was going to read a statement. As he read it, a member of the committee–a member of Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid Party–began screaming at Rothman that what he was reading was disgusting and had no place in the committee.
She screamed so much she was finally escorted out of the the committee room by sergeants at arms.
Then Rothman revealed that the document he was reading was actually written by Yair Lapid.
Scene 2: In a London hotel
As you may not know, Sara Netanyahu is in London to personally witness the testimony of Arnon Milchan, the star witness in Case 1000 against her husband. Milchan is delivering his testimony by video uplink because he is unable to travel to Israel.
In any case, a woman confronted “Sara” as she left the hotel yesterday screaming at her “Shame” repeatedly at the top of her lungs.
The only problem was that the woman she was screaming at was not Sara Netanyahu and in fact bears no resemblance to her whatsoever.
TODAY’S BLOG
So What Did Milchan Say?
Well, the prosecution finally got its star witness against PM Netanyahu on the witness stand yesterday. Arnon Milchan, billionaire Hollywood producer, gave his testimony in England because he is too frail to travel to Israel.
And trust your humble servant when he tells you that he is indeed frail.
However, he is fully capable of speech.
And speak he did.
First, upon entering the courtroom, he was asked by reporters “How do you feel about Sara Netanyahu being here in the same room with you?” To which he answered: “I’m happy she’s here; she has nothing to fear from me.”
Then as he entered the courtroom, he saw PM Netanyahu in Jerusalem on the video feed. “Hello Bibi” Milchan shouted. To which Bibi answered: “Hello Arnon.”
The high points of the questioning:
Milchan was asked about his relationship with Netanyahu. He responded that they were close friends–practically like brothers.
Milchan was asked about the gifts that he gave to the Netanyahus. He said “I don’t remember.”
Milchan was prompted about the gifts of cigars and champagne, and asked who initiated those gifts. Milchan said that he did. After he had gifted him at the beginning, Milchan said that he had told his personal assistant Hadas Klein to supply the Netanyahus with cigars and champagne whenever they wanted, or even if they didn’t ask for them. There was a code used (leafs for cigars, etc).
Milchan also said that Netanyahu recommended that he let Hadas Klein go because “she knew too much.” But he said that he never terminated her employment because she was such a good employee.
All in all, it was not the best of days for the prosecution. Milchan repeatedly said that he thought that nobody did anything wrong.
And so the trial goes. Milchan will be interrogated for several days more by the prosecution–to be followed by another 7 days by the defense.
At the end of Milchan’s first day, I’m sure that many Israelis like myself are wondering “Is this the reason that we have endured two years and spent hundreds of millions of shekels?”
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.