Yom Reva’ee
Wednesday
13 Elul 5783
August 30 2023
The Photo of the Day
A rather bizarre photo to say the least (photo: Oded Shikler).
Odek Shikler from Mitzpe Ramon and owner of “Ramon Desert Tourism” was taking a group of tourists to Mt. Gvanim in the Ramon crater yesterday.
As they reached the summit in their jeep, Shikler spotted this Eastern Wasp flying away with a cigarette butt. He took a picture of it with his Galaxy cellphone.
It should be noted that over the years, Shikler has become renowned for his remarkable photos of wildlife.
The News on the Israeli Street
The war in Judea and Samaria.
24 wanted Palestinian terrorists were arrested overnight in Silwad, Marach Rabah, Beit Sira, Siris, and Al-Aida.
Shooting attacks:
Palestinian terrorists in Yavbed fired on IDF soldiers for more than half an hour at the IDF position that secures the road between Dotan and Hermesh.
Palestinian terrorists fired on IDF soldiers near Tulkarm.
Palestinian terrorists fired at Israelis west of Jenin.
IED, “rock”, Molotov attacks:
Palestinian terrorists attacked Israelis on Road 465 near Ofarim, Beit Sira, Beit Omer, and all along the main highways of Judea and Samaria including the road from Jerusalem to Gush Etzion through the tunnel checkpoint, the Gush Etzion-Hevron Road, and Highway 60 that runs through the heart of Samaria.
The unbelievable scene in Tel Aviv area high schools . . .
Try to wrap your mind around this, dear reader.
The “Herzliya Gymnasium” (aka Herzliya Hebrew High School) is beginning the new school year tomorrow (as are all Israeli schools barring a teachers’ strike).
For the opening, a grand celebration has been planned with the following giving speeches and holding seminars:
*Saleh Diab, convicted and imprisoned for 8 month for numerous attacks in Jerusalem including aggravated assault for beating a Jewish worshiper with an iron rod on Shabbat
Diab in Jerusalem.
*Breaking the Silence, a small egregious group of disgruntled former Israeli soldiers that travel the world trashing Israel
*Youth Against Dictatorship, a group of teenagers who are actively in the streets burning tires and trying to overthrow the government
*Refusers, a group of high school students leading the movement to stop high school graduates from serving in the IDF
*Banki, the Israeli youth Communist alliance
Is it any wonder that Israel is in the mess that it is?
Go fill up before Friday! . . .
The Israel Finance Ministry let it be known that the price of gasoline will be going up by 10 agorot per liter on Friday.
This may not seem like a big jump, but to Israelis who burn endless amounts of gasoline sitting stuck in traffic jams everyday, it is a lot.
To give you an example: your humble servant owns a Kia Sportage that holds 16.4 gallons–which converts to just over 62 liters. The cost of a full tank is 425 shekels, which at this morning’s exchange rate equals $112. You can do the math to see how much more this will be on Friday.
Poking Netanyahu in the eye again . . .
PM Netanyahu still hasn’t gotten a dated invitation to the Biden White House after 8 months in office, but guess who has just been pathetically invited again?
Israel’s abominable anti-government Opposition leader Yair Lapid.
TODAY’S BLOG
Saudi Arabia Takes Center Stage
Five reports in the last 24 hours indicate that there may be more movement on the Saudi Arabia normalization front than your humble servant thought. At the same time, we need to remember that “normalization” in the context of Saudi Arabia most assuredly does not mean the same as did normalization with the U.A.E., Bahrain, and Morocco.
Here are the 5 events/reports that have suddenly come to the fore:
1. There is the remarkable story noted here yesterday of the Seychelles flight full of Israelis that was diverted to Jeddah yesterday because of mechanical problems. The fact that the Saudis let the plane land, welcomed the Israelis who disembarked, and took them to a nearby hotel was an event that could not possibly have happened at any prior time.
2. Saudi Arabia announced yesterday that as part of its drive toward normalization with Israel, it will renew funding of the PLO to the tune of billions of dollars. Your humble servant does not view Saudi funding of a terror organization as a positive development, but strengthening the PLO is an integral part of Biden Administration strategy–and we have already seen (unfortunately) the Netanyahu government doing the same.
3. There are various stories floating around in the mainstream Israeli media that the Israeli government–as we have reported previously here at OneIsrael–is considering giving the Saudis some sort of presence on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Such a move would be disastrous not to mention the cause of outright strife between Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
4. It was also reported today that Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, is actively seeking Israeli investment and business acumen in the development of his new “future” city of Neom in northern Saudi Arabia on the Straits of Tiran in the Red Sea. The price tag of that city is said to run to 500 billion dollars. Click here for a youtube about his mega project.
5. Also this morning comes the unsettling report that Saudi Arabia, via Jared Kushner’s Infinity Group, is about to make its first investment in Israel. Kushner’s group, using $2 billion dollars from the Saudi wealth fund operated by Prince Salman, is set to buy a major share in the Phoenix group of insurance companies here.
What are we to think about all of this?
It is becoming more apparent by the day that PM Netanyahu sees normalization with Saudi Arabia as the crowning achievement of his legacy—and is willing to jump through almost any hoop to get it.
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.