Ayman Odeh must be expelled from Knesset

A Knesset committee voted to expel the Islamic Knesset member Ayman Odeh over his support for Hamas and Hezbollah:

The Knesset Committee voted on Monday afternoon, with a majority of 14 MKs against 2 opponents, in favor of ousting MK Ayman Odeh.

All representatives of the coalition parties supported the proposal, along with representatives from Yisrael Beytenu, Yesh Atid, and the National Unity Party.

The dismissal procedure will be brought to the Knesset plenum within three weeks, where a majority of 90 MKs will be required to finalize it.

The initiator of the discussion, MK Avichai Boaron, stated: “Throughout all the deliberations, he neither apologized nor retracted his statements—in fact, he repeated them. He refuses to recognize Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations. One cannot separate his remarks from the broader context, and therefore I am confident the decision will pass with a large majority in the Knesset plenum.”

Committee Chairman Ofir Katz added: “In a proper country, Ayman Odeh would be rotting in jail and stripped of his citizenship. I sincerely hope Yesh Atid and the National Unity Party won’t backtrack or play a double game when this reaches the plenum. Ayman Odeh must be kicked out.”

An excellent point. Failure to do so will only be a slight to the victims of October 7, 2023. Do those 2 left-wing parties want to look bad in this specific affair?

Government approves memorial day for October 7, 2023

The Israeli government unanimously approved a rememberence day for October 7, 2023, when the Hamas committed their horrifying bloodbath and sexual violence last year:

The government unanimously approved a National Day of Remembrance to be held every year on the 24th of the Jewish month of Tishrei, to commemorate the October 7th massacre and the Sword of Iron War.

On the first anniversary, a ceremony will be held also on the secular date – October 7th, 2024.

The National Day of Remembrance will be marked annually with two state ceremonies: a ceremony at 11:00 a.m. in memory of those killed in the war, and a ceremony at 1:00 p.m. in memory of the civilians murdered in hostilities.

This year, in light of the fact that the 24th of Tishrei falls on Saturday, the ceremonies will take place on Sunday, the 25th of Tishrei, and so forth every year that the 24th of Tishrei falls on Shabbat (Saturday).

Those who voted in favor did the right thing. It's terrible, of course, that the horrifying incident had to happen, and now one more antisemitic tragedy's been scarred into history. But that's exactly why it's vital to remember these horrible incidents in order to try and prevent more from happening in the future.

Argentinian president visits Israel, will move embassy to Jerusalem

Argentinian president Javier Milei, an impressive supporting of Israel, has paid a visit with plenty of good things to tell:

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Wednesday at his office in Jerusalem with Argentine President Javier Milei, who has promised to move his country’s embassy to the capital and designate Hamas a terrorist group.

“I’m delighted to welcome you, President Milei, and your delegation, to Israel. You’re a great friend of the Jewish state. We are delighted with your decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move your diplomatic post there, and also, of course, an embassy,” began Netanyahu.

“We share the desire for prosperity, security and peace. We know that the greatest challenge to peace in our area, but also in yours, is Iran. And we appreciate the cooperation that we are doing with you in security and diplomacy.

“Your stalwart support for Israel in so many forms is deeply, deeply appreciated. Welcome to Jerusalem. Welcome, friend,” added the premier.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog hosted Milei at his official residence on Tuesday evening and presented him with a Hebrew Bible in appreciation of his firm support for the State of Israel and the Jewish people.

“The people of Israel have immense warmth and friendship with Argentina, and your visit here exemplifies the unique relationship that we have with Argentina, and the fact that we have so many Israelis whose family originated from Argentina,” said Herzog.

“You have shown your love and affection, both for the Jewish people and the nation-state of the Jewish people, the State of Israel, and we thank you wholeheartedly for this,” he added.

Said Milei: “I have been committed since day one to making sure that my first diplomatic visit as president would be to the State of Israel. Here I am, keeping my promise now.”

Milei also visited Yad Vashem, and certainly has proven an excellent example of a leader. And, he's also paid a visit to Nir Oz, the kibbutz that was hardest hit by the Hamas bloodbath on October 7, 2023:

President Javier Milei of Argentina expressed his solidarity with Israel against Hamas terror Thursday, as he toured the ruins of Kibbutz Nir Oz with President Isaac Herzog of Israel.

Milei visited the burned-out homes and bloodstained bedrooms of Nir Oz, one of the hardest-hit communities attacked by Hamas on October 7, where a quarter of the residents were either murdered or kidnapped. Several of the victims were Argentinian.

Milei met survivors from the community, including Ophelia Roitman, 77, who was abducted and later released in a hostage deal. Roitman had been a teacher at a Jewish school in Argentina before immigrating to Israel.

He also paid a special visit to the home of the Bibas family, who are Argentinian-Israeli. They were kidnapped on October 7, including one-year-old Kfir Bibas, the youngest hostage, who recently is thought to have celebrated his first birthday, in captivity.

Irit Lahav, one of the survivors of the attack on the kibbutz, who accompanied Milei during his visit, told Breitbart News that he had cried at several stops along the way, deeply moved by what he had seen.

Later, after walking throughout the community for nearly two hours, Milei addressed journalists.

With explosions resounding in the background from ongoing battles in Gaza nearby, the Argentinian president shared his deep feelings of sorrow at seeing the devastation around him — as well as his commitment to supporting Israel, and the cause of freedom in general.

Milei said that the terror attack represented pure antisemitism similar to the Nazis, and that the free world had to stand against it.

Milei's done the right thing to visit the sites of the tragedy, and we must hope he can help improve the sad situation the world's now fallen into.

Huge demonstration favoring Israeli judicial reform ends concerns it'll be scuttled

A notable rabbi from Safed says the rally in support of judicial reforms for the Israeli court system gives more confidence it'll go through:

Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, the chief rabbi of Tzfat (Safed) and a leading figure in the Religious Zionist community, expressed confidence Thursday night that the mass demonstration held by supporters of the government's judicial overhaul plan succeeded in barring the possibility of the reform being scuttled.

Speaking with Israel National News at Thursday's rally, which organizers say drew some 600,000 demonstrators, Rabbi Eliyahu [said]:

"The people of Israel live; they left their homes - and their fears. The people of Israel came out en masse. Here, we strengthened the people of Israel and explain that the people have vital forces, and the clear mind and will to say 'I am not a second-class citizen'. After this evening, it seems to me that the fear that the judicial reform could be torpedoed is over."

Rabbi Eliyahu emphasized that he did not view Thursday night's protest as a demonstration against opponents of the judicial overhaul, but in support for the reforms he and other supporters believe will strengthen Israel as a democracy.

"They are our beloved and esteemed brothers, and they must understand - democracy is what the people choose. They see this protest and understand that the people have decided."

"The protests are mainly related to the Jewish identity. The judicial reform is a trigger. They are afraid that we are all a herd of Bibi-ists, and that is a disgrace. They think we are for dictatorship, and that is the greatest disgrace there can be. They don't know what Judaism is, and therefore they are afraid. Judaism is the best, the purest, the most just, and the most truthful," added Rabbi Eliyahu.

We definitely should hope this proves influential. The time's come to put an end to the bad influences of the supreme court for a change, and it has to be done, to help prevent any more serious damage from occuring through them.

Update: here's more on the subject.

Judicial reform process delayed

This was probably to be expected, sadly enough, all because some leftists in establishment took it upon themselves to do everything they could to bring the country to a standstill:

The head of one of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Coalition partners, Otzma Yehudit, said on Monday he had agreed to delay the government's overhaul of the judiciary in exchange for a promise it would be brought after the upcoming parliamentary recess.

"I agreed to remove the veto to reject the legislation in exchange for a commitment by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the legislation would be submitted to the Knesset for approval in the next session," National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said in a statement. The statement also said that Netanyahu vowed that Ben-Gvir would get to head a new National Guard unit that would complement that Israel Police, for which he has no official jurisdiction over.

The statement said the legislation would be pushed to the next session of Israeli parliament in order to "pass the reform through dialogue," the statement said. Parliament will go on recess next week for the Passover holiday.

[...] As opposition spread, the head of the Histadrut labor union called for a general strike if the proposals were not halted.

Take-offs from Ben Gurion airport were suspended, while Israel's main seaports, banks and hospitals, and medical services were set to strike. Branches of Mcdonald's were also closed.

That the airport staff would allow this is severely disturbing. It just shows how the left has such astonishing influence here for the worst. One of the coalition MKs is furious over the situation:

MK Tally Gotliv (Likud) on Monday expressed outrage over the decision to pause the legislation of the judicial reform, but made clear she would not disband the coalition because of it.

"The decision to stop the legislation is shameful and disgraceful, it's shameful in several aspects," Gotliv told Israel National News. "Perhaps all my friends from the right should remember the words of the sages, 'Say little and do much' and not the other way around, and it is unthinkable that after we unilaterally surrendered last week [by agreeing to a softened version of the bill on the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee], and I said that the entire reform would be taken off the table, [that we agreed to postpone the legislation]. I also said that the demonstrations would not stop and I that it was a protection payment for violence and extortion through threats."

"After all, all that is on the agenda is changing the structure of the Judicial Selection Committee, which may affect the appointment of two judges in the next two years – 12 percent of the judges of the Supreme Court, and for that they are setting the Ayalon Highway on fire? So what do we say in response? That we surrender to domestic terrorism. We don't know how to govern," she added.

Gotliv is not convinced by the promise that this is only a short-term stoppage and claimed that it is a "one-sided surrender, a surrender to actual terror, to all this promiscuous anarchism. I prefer that they tell me that to my face and not shame the people of Israel."

She's right that it's not going to stop here. There will doubtless be more obnoxious demonstrations by the left, along with potential strikes to paralyze the country, and this cannot be allowed to go unopposed.

Update: David Harsanyi says the judicial system as it currently stands in Israel is exactly what the American left wants too. He also cites some of the country's unfortunate history:

But the nation’s judicial system is even worse. Israel’s political system was created by leftists who envisioned a one-party state. From its inception, the nation’s socialists suppressed — sometimes violently — political opposition. And in the 1950s, a ruling Labor Party preempted the opposition from infiltrating the courts by empowering judges to veto appointees to the bench. This created a self-perpetuating, generationally cocooned judiciary that functions without any set of cohesive legal principles or oversight.

That's the tragedy that's been around for much longer than one may think, and has damaged this country's modern inception, easily for years to come.

Netanyahu fires defense minister Galant

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Yoav Galant as his defense minister, because the latter decided to cause trouble for judicial reform, and even before that, he was underminining the army:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant following his opposition to the judicial reform, it was announced on Sunday evening.

Gallant made a dramatic declaration on Saturday evening calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to halt the judicial overhaul long enough to more deeply engage in negotiations with others to reach a compromise.

The prime minister told Gallant he lost his trust in the defense minister after he "went behind the government's back" on Saturday evening, while Netanyahu was visiting the United Kingdom. Netanyahu now has 48 hours to appoint a defense minister, as per Maariv.

It's for the best Galant goes out. It'll remain to be seen who the next defense minister will be. But Galant's decidedly no loss, and won't be missed in the role. If he tries to hurt the government further even outside the cabinet proper, that'll be wrong, so let's hope Galant will respect and come to terms with his dismissal.

Update: Ruthie Blum explains how Galant hurt military order by allowing air force reservists to take political stances at the expense of the country's security.

Those Jewish groups who push the US government to pressure Israel should be avoided

Irit Tratt's raised an issue that may be overlooked, of doubtlessly leftist Jewish movements who've pushed for the US government to pressure Israel for all the wrong reasons:

On Feb. 27, Israeli-American Elan Ganeles was fatally shot by Palestinian terrorists while driving by the town of Jericho on the way to a friend’s wedding. The horrific murder followed a tragic month in Israel during which 14 lives were lost to Palestinian terrorism.

After the attacks, American officials, including U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides phoned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or issued expressions of “deep condolences” to the victims’ families.

While expressions of sympathy are a reassuring indicator of a stable alliance, there has also been a torrent of American criticism on a host of issues ranging from Israel’s strategy on Ukraine to internal Israeli debates over judicial reform.

The Biden administration’s pivot away from Israel became clear last month when the U.S. backed a U.N. Security Council statement condemning Israel’s legalization of nine “settlements” in Judea and Samaria.

Little attention has been paid to the Jewish leaders who are abetting this change in U.S. policy. It remains expedient to blame politicians for this shift but, in fact, American Jewish institutions have fostered an atmosphere favorable to cooling U.S.-Israel relations for decades.

In his 1998 article “Netanyahu and American Jews,” Jonathan Broder described a White House state dinner that took place the previous year honoring Israel’s then-President Ezer Weizman. Among those invited were ten senior representatives from U.S. Jewish organizations.

The article stated that President Bill Clinton went around the room and asked each Jewish dignitary if they agreed with the conclusions of a poll conducted by the Israel Policy Forum (IPF) that showed 84% of American Jews surveyed “favored U.S. pressure on both Israel and the Palestinians to save the faltering Middle East peace process.”

To Clinton’s surprise, the Jewish organizational leaders expressed unanimous agreement with the IPF study and rejected any attempt to dispute its findings.

Moreover, not one Jewish attendee spoke favorably of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This left the task to Clinton, who suggested that Israel’s cabinet, rather than Netanyahu, was causing an impasse in the peace process.

While the organizations' attitude towards Israel is obviously bad, Clinton was still reprehensible in his own approach, considering he pushed through some very bad demands of his own, had a lenient view of Islam, and of course, let's not forget his record of sexual abuse allegations. Based on that, one must wonder if he really did find it surprising the Jewish organizations in question were hostile to Israel.

But that told, of course these organizations are a most repulsive lot, and no decent person should have anything to do with them. That's the vital lesson to consider in this whole affair, a tragedy that's been caused by people who've been taught to otherwise reject their heritage and history. Worst, they're sympathetic to Islamofascism, and that's one more reason why they should be avoided.

USA State Department funding anti-government movement in Israel

As reported by the Wash. Free Beacon (via Breitbart), it would seem the horrific anti-judicial reform demonstrations seen in the past few weeks are funded by State Department money:

The U.S. government has been funneling taxpayer money to the left-wing group bankrolling protests against Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Israeli funding documents reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon.

The documents indicate that, since 2020, Foggy Bottom has sent over $38,000 to the Movement for Quality Government (MQG), the Israeli nonprofit stoking nationwide anti-Netanyahu protests that have seen protesters clash with police and target Netanyahu’s family members. MQG is seeking to takedown Netanyahu’s government over his support for major reforms to the Israeli supreme court that would significantly limit its power. The organization petitioned Israel’s Supreme Court earlier this year to oust Netanyahu, claiming he is unfit for office due to ongoing investigations into allegations of political corruption and bribery.

The State Department, which confirmed the funding, calls the group a nonpartisan organization, but its work opposing Netanyahu raises questions about how the group was able to obtain U.S. funding. The United States typically avoids funding foreign partisan groups to avoid claims of political meddling. Even before MQG emerged as the leading force behind the current wave of anti-Netanyahu protests, it made a name for itself as a leading critic of the Israeli right, which has long seen Netanyahu as its leader. Given the Biden administration’s chilly diplomatic relationship with Netanyahu—which includes repeated criticism of Israeli settlement construction and the decision to launch an unprecedented FBI probe into Israel’s anti-terrorism operations—the U.S. funding to MQG has come under new scrutiny.

So the US department is using taxpayer funds for harming Israel's government system, and they certainly have caused quite a bit of chaos, including for the aforementioned Sara Netanyahu. This is a disgrace that should be raised in Congress.

Since we're on the subject of the judicial reform, some new polls show 3 quarters of the Israeli public supports them:

A large majority of Israelis support Justice Minister Yariv Levin's judicial reforms, the Direct Polls institute reported yesterday (Monday), presenting a different picture from the polls suggesting the controversy surrounding the reforms are causing the coalition to lose support.

According to the institute, the polls cited by the mainstream media in Israel do not include specific questions on the content of the judicial reform, and respondents are much more supportive of the reforms when asked about specific aspects.

About 60% of Israelis support the vast majority of the judicial reforms when asked questions about the content of the reforms, Direct Polls stated.

[...] In total, Direct Polls found that 78% of Israelis are in favor of reforming Israel's judicial system to at least some extent, while just 22% want to keep the judicial system as it currently is.

As a result, it's all the more offensive the "nonprofit" is engaging in such horrific behavior as they are, and Yair Lapid, lest we forget, is also a disgrace for opposing the reforms.

Limor Son Har-Melech files complaint against Border Patrol officers who illegally restrained and sexually assaulted her

Otzma Yehudit MK Har-Melech has ideally filed a police complaint against 4 Border Patrol officers who acted like utter perverts against her in Samaria:

MK Limor Son Har-Melech (Otzma Yehudit) filed a complaint with the Department of Internal Police Investigations against four Border Police officers who formed a tight human chain around her to keep her from moving towards the site where the demolition of a Jewish-owned orchard in Samaria was taking place yesterday (Wednesday).

According to the complaint, MK Son Har-Melech accuses the officers of violating her parliamentary immunity as a member of the Knesset and of assaulting her.

She stated that she is also filing a complaint against the two officers who were in command of the demolition.

Yesterday, the MK accused one of the officers of sexually assaulting her when she attempted to get out of the human chain.

One of the most offensive things about the act was that the commanding officer involved acted like she was stupid. Which seems to be an open example of how male sexists think. None of these men belong in the positions they're working in. More to the point, they should not be on the police/army payroll in any way, shape or form, and they most definitely should be in prison.

What makes this incident additionally offensive is that it comes after a horrifying incident in Gedera, where a mother was raped by a Muslim, and Har-Melech proposed a law to deal with rape as a form of terrorism:

A bill to double the sentence for nationalistically-motivated rape will be submitted on Monday by Otzma Yehudit MK Limor Son Har-Melech following the brutal rape of a Gedera woman in front of her children on Thursday.

Son Har-Melech explained on Sunday that other politically motivated crimes in the penal code double the punishment. Victims are entitled to additional compensation for nationalistic crimes.

"The shocking case of rape that took place in Gedera joins the series of horrific cases of rape committed in recent years by Arab terrorists with a clear nationalistic motive, using rape as another tool in the war on Israel," said Son Har-Melech. "This is terrorism in all respects and should be treated as such."

So what those Border Patrol officers did added insult to injury, and suggests they sympathise with tyrants. As a result, they should be imprisoned, and ostracized by wider society. If they apologize, they'd do well not to ask for forgiveness simultaneously, because it doesn't help.

Samaria vineyard uprooted illegally, by an apparently leftist defense minister

A pure embarrassment occurred the other day, as defense minister Yoav Galant overrode finance minister Bezalel Smotrich's objections to uprooting a Samaria vineyard:

Following the uprooting of the vineyard established by the Ben Eliyahu family in the Shiloh Valley, MK Ohad Tal (Religious Zionism party) states that this is a continuation of the left's policy, and it will not contribute to the stability of the coalition.

"Just yesterday we sat down in Givat Harel with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and he said that this destruction should be stopped. There is no moral or legal justification for carrying it out," says Tal. He adds that, unfortunately, it seems that the only reason for the destruction is a power struggle between Defense Minister Galant and Finance Minister Smotrich.

"It pains me to say this, but it seems that the Defense Minister is trying to show that he is in control on the ground. This is very sad. We cannot continue to promote the left-wing policies of the previous government. This should not exist in a government that promised the public a different policy," says Tal.

Regarding the videos showing the security force's violence against MK Limor Son Har-Malech (Otzma Yehudit), Tal says, "when I saw the photos, I cringed. That's illegal. After all, she has parliamentary immunity. She is allowed to go anywhere. But I also cringed because it was inappropriate and I don't want to use the word harassment. This is inappropriate and illegal and must not happen in the State of Israel."

On that note, what happened to Har-Malech was very offensive too:

MK Limor Son Har-Melech (Otzma Yehudit) accused one of the Border Police officers who blocked her from reaching the scene during the uprooting of a Jewish-owned orchard in Samaria Wednesday morning of sexually assaulting her.

"The police commander at the scene ordered three other policemen to form a human chain around me. When, after several minutes, I sought to leave the ring, he told me every time: "We are protecting and guarding you,"" MK Son Har-Melech told Israel National News - Arutz Sheva.

She said that when she attempted to get out of the circle of police officers, “one of them did something that is completely forbidden,” implying that the officer may have sexually assaulted her.

"When I manage to get out of the chain, the same policeman who gave the order to create the chain followed me. He realized that he had done something which is very serious and told me: 'You hit my policeman." At this point it became clear that he was trying to cover up what he had just done." she said.

All policemen who were involved should be fired immediately from their jobs and imprisoned for sexual violence. The one who was mainly responsible should be ostracized and made to pay serious compensation in addition to serving a prison sentence. This is certainly a serious issue, and will have to be addressed by Netanyahu himself. That somebody should have his vineyard business destroyed, and a woman her dignity, is absolutely obscene.

Update: more on the subject here, and also here.

Update 2: it says over here now that the commissioner in charge, Major-General Amir Cohen, suspended 4 officers, but refuses to apologize to Har-Melech for the repellent treatment she received. In that case, he must voluntarily resign too.

37th Israeli government, and Netanyahu's 6th term as premier, is sworn in

Israel's 37th government has been sworn in at the Knesset, and this also marks the beginning of Benjamin Netanyahu's 6th term as prime minister:

Israel's 37th Government was sworn in on Thursday, with Benjamin Netanyahu beginning his sixth term as prime minister.

The swearing-in ceremony began at 11:00 a.m., during which Netanyahu presented his agenda to the Knesset plenum. These include stopping the Iran nuclear program, developing state infrastructure and restoring internal security and governance.

During his address, which was interrupted by members of the opposition, Netanyahu said "Losing elections isn't the end of democracy – it's the essence of democracy. In a democracy, we don't climb the fences of the Capitol, and we don't climb the fences of the Knesset."

Unfortunately, this is something the current leftist opposition in the Knesset no longer seems willing to respect, and likely never did. I guess that's why the sad part is how Yair Lapid, upon leaving office, refused to shake Netanyahu's hand:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the first to take the oath of office. Most of the heads of the opposition parties were present out of respect for the ceremony, but opposition leader Yair Lapid left the plenary hall even before Netanyahu was sworn-in without shaking his hand as is customary.

What really makes this sad is that it hints at where things are headed with the left, which is bad for democratic relations. It could take years to mend the damage Lapid's causing with his ostracizing approach. But, this does demonstrate why it's good he's now out of office. He was causing all the harm he's going to cause, even in the opposition.

So let's hope Netanyahu can handle all the trouble the left's already causing. What if they intent to do everything they can to sabotage his efforts to make peace with Saudi Arabia, for example? Regrettably, that's something they're more than willing to do, if reality says anything about their conduct.

Israel's LGBT activists have no issues with Islam's hostility to their ideology

As explained by Ruthie Blum, following a whole questionable controversy where the left assailed Avi Maoz for wanting to put a stop to LGBT propaganda being pushed in Israeli schools. First, here's what Orit Strook said on Twitter to clarify:

"You can calm down over the much ado about nothing," she tweeted on Sunday. "No one intends to discriminate against LGBT people because of their identity or identification – not in medical care or any other service. LGBTs are human beings who deserve respect and love just like everyone else … It's not at all about the identity of the patient, but about the essence of the treatment."

The idea, she added, is that "a religiously observant doctor will not be forced to provide a medical treatment contrary to halacha [Jewish law], regardless of the identity of the patient. Because in the State of Israel, which was established after 2,000 years of exile, thanks to Jews who gave their lives (who were literally slaughtered, hanged, burned at the stake and tortured to death) for observing the Torah, a believing Jew should not be forced to violate [its laws]."

She went on, "I'm sure a huge majority of the nation agrees with this simple truth and identifies with it, certainly on Hanukkah, the holiday that began with a rebellion against anti-religious coercion."

In conclusion, she suggested wryly that "those who still find it difficult [to accept] do a simple visualization exercise: apply this principle to your [coalition] partners from the Shura Council [the Islamist Ra'am Party]. You'll find that, suddenly, religious and faith principles become somehow easier to swallow."

Her dig at the double standard brings us to the second element of the distortion-hypocrisy couplet that characterizes Lapid's shaky, disparate bloc: the "do as I say, not as I do" practice at which Lahav Hertzanu has demonstrated exemplary skill.

Indeed, the gay parliamentarian denouncing the RZP for "homophobia" is more than tolerant of Ra'am, which labels LGBTQs as "perverts" with an "unnatural lifestyle."

When asked in July 2021 about Ra'am MK Walid Taha's statements to this effect, he replied, "Walid Taha is a member of Knesset who represents a sector. He's legitimate. He's a member of [our] coalition."

Pressed further on Taha's stance, he answered, "I understand it; I can't accept it."

Mere weeks later, he abandoned even that pretense of disapproval. Upon Taha's appointment to the chairmanship of the Knesset Internal Affairs and Environment Committee, the Yesh Atid "progressive" was positively effusive about and toward his Ra'am colleague, lauding him as a "sensitive, caring, committed elected official," and saying, "I'm very happy for your election and very much looking forward to working with you."

A few months after that, Taha attacked Labor MK Ibtisam Marana – also a coalition partner – for her efforts to establish a shelter for Israel's LGBTQ Arab citizens. His method of putting her down was to question whether she was really an Arab, after all.

He proceeded to point out to her that Ra'am follows Islamic law, "which considers same-sex relations to be [among] the most serious crimes in the eyes of Allah, because it is a violation of man's nature and a blatant defiance of Allah himself."

The Koran, he added, "recounts the case of Lot and the heavy punishment that Allah inflicted on the sinners, through their complete destruction with fire and brimstone. [And] the consensus among Muslim scholars [of Sharia] is that the punishment for those who have homosexual relations is execution."

Nary a peep from Lahav Hertzanu, Lapid or the rest of their liberal fellow travelers now carrying on about Strock. If they think that their behavior and bigotry of low expectations do the rainbow flag – or democracy – proud, they've got another thing coming.

So Yesh Atid's openly homosexual MK apparently has no genuine opposition to what Ra'am goes by. Which proves he's only following his lifestyle for the sake of harming the values of a civil society. This should be pointed out repeatedly to all the public who're being constantly told only Maoz and Strook are a problem.

Now, when it comes to healthcare exams, of course LGBT practitioners should be able to see doctors to check if they're suffering from illnesses, and also go to the dentist. But if it's businesses like bakers, they shouldn't be forced to do services for homosexual ideology any more than this Christian baker who was persecuted for years. If LGBT practitioners want services for their ideology, they must prove they can establish their own. If there's one part of being a doctor that religious or otherwise shouldn't have to adhere to, it's the horrific gender reassignment surgeries that're ruining children's lives, along with adults, in the USA and elsewhere now. That's something that should practically be barred from practice, because it risks hurting many people with the awful elements involved. Maybe that's what Strook was referring to? In which case, she'd be making an important case in defense of women and girls. That's something to think about.

New Israeli government formed

At nighttime, Benjamin Netanyahu announced his new coalition to president Isaac Herzog:

Israel has a right-wing government: Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu phoned President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday evening and proclaimed, “I have succeeded in forming a government”.

The phone call took place 18 minutes before the extension granted to Netanyahu from Herzog was set to expire at midnight.

Netanyahu told Herzog, "Dear President, thanks to the enormous public support we received in the last elections, I am informing you that I have been able to establish a government that will act in the interest of all the citizens of Israel."

And since we're on the subject, it was shameful how the New York Times predictably assailed Netanhahu and disrespected the electorate, even if it wasn't shocking. The Jerusalem Post editorial said in response that Israel's democracy is vibrant:

It is now bon ton to forecast the demise of Israel’s democracy.

Everyone is doing it: from august forums such as the New York Times editorial board, to blogs run by North American ex-pats now living in Israel, to Facebook groups set up by disgruntled Israelis encouraging emigration.

For instance, the web headline to a Times editorial on Saturday warning of the dangers of presumptive Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government read: “The Ideal of Democracy in a Jewish State Is in Jeopardy.” And the headline adequately reflected the spirit of the editorial.

The editorial said that Netanyahu’s government “is a significant threat to the future of Israel – its direction, its security and even the idea of a Jewish homeland.”

The credibility of the editorial was cast in doubt further down in the piece when the renowned paper inexplicably left out Palestinian terrorism as a reason why “hopes for a Palestinian state have dimmed,” writing instead that the reasons are “the combined pressure of Israeli resistance and Palestinian corruption, ineptitude and internal divisions.”

On this, why doesn't anybody call for a boycott of the NYT, and save a lot of money by not subscribing or buying them? They've been such an insufferable paper for decades on end, and are one of the worst of the USA's most dishonest media sources. What's the use? They insult the Israeli electorate along with the USA public, and it's time to stop buying them in any way.

Not improving matters is that fraud-in-chief Joe Biden's pseudo=administration wants to hold Netanyahu accountable for any directions they oppose:

Netanyahu’s successful welding together of Zionist and orthodox parties into a solid Right-Wing coalition was completed two days after Washington wired a warning, via Politico among other media outlets, that it would hold the Israeli leader personally answerable for any decisions or actions his new government might take that the US doesn’t like.

President Joe Biden and his secretary of state, Anthony Blinken, have not hidden their alarm over the political platforms of the most significant coalition partners – the Jewish Strength Party of Itamar Ben-Gvir, who will come in as Minister of National Security, and the Religious Zionist Party of Bezalel Smotrich, slated to receive ministerial authority over Judea and Samaria.

The two men’s combined goals are to strengthen Israel’s character as the Jewish state by taking steps, among others, to increase security against terrorism, as well as criminal violence, open the Temple Mount to Jewish worship and increase and consolidate the presence of Jewish residents in the towns and cities of Israel’s biblical heartland – Samaria and Judea.

All these aims fly in the face of America’s political intent which, along with that of the rest of the world, is to see the Jews removed from the “West Bank” and the Israel-hating Arab populace enabled to establish in their place a new state called Palestine: the “Two State Solution”.

Not just removed from Judea/Samaria/Gaza, but also from Israel entire. To remove Jews from the main biblical areas is just the beginning of the anti-Israelists' twisted goals. And it's shameful as it's repulsive. This is exactly why the Likud was elected.

NETANYAHU'S KNESSET PM SPEECH

Key excepts from Benyamin Netanhayu's inaugural Knesset speech:

The State of Israel was established during its most difficult hour, an hour during which the words of the Declaration of Independence echoed in our ears: “The Land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped. Here they first attained statehood, created cultural values of national and universal significance and gave to the world the eternal Book of Books. After being forcibly exiled from their land, the people kept faith with it throughout their Dispersion and never ceased to pray and hope for their return to its land and for the restoration in it of their political freedom.”

I am pleased that the Labor Party, a movement with deep roots and of great contributions to the history of Zionism and settlement, eventually made the responsible decision for the good of the country to join hands with the Likud Movement and our other partners.

I wish to express appreciation to the members of this house who understood the enormous responsibility we are facing, and took the decision, not without hesitation, to extend a hand and provide support for the unity government.

The security crisis we are facing originates from the rise and spread of radical Islam in our region and in other parts of the world. The greatest threat to humanity, and to the State of Israel, stems from the possibility that a radical regime will be armed with nuclear weapons or that nuclear weapons will find a home in a radical regime. I wish to distinguish fundamentalist Islam from the overall Muslim and Arab world, which is also threatened by the extremists.

My Government will act vis-à-vis the Palestinian Authority to achieve peace on three parallel tracks: economic, security and political. We strive to assist with the accelerated development of the Palestinian economy and in developing its economic ties with Israel. We will support a Palestinian security mechanism that will fight terror, and we will conduct ongoing peace negotiations with the PA, with the aim of reaching a final status arrangement.

We are on the eve of the Passover holiday and the Seder. At our national table, there is an empty chair: that of Gilad Shalit. I will do everything in my power to quickly return him healthy to the bosom of his family, and will act to return all our missing soldiers. (Read full speech here)

Commentary from The Weekly Standard here.

18TH ISRAELI KNESSET

(IsraelNN.com) Thirty-one new MKs and 89 veterans, accompanied by their invited guests, heard the addresses of President Shimon Peres and Acting Speaker Michael Eitan open the first session of the 18th Knesset, as they pledged to uphold the laws of the State.

The session opened on Tuesday afternoon with King David's Psalm 121, Shir LaMaalot, sung by the Moran-Beit Yitzchak children’s choir and composed by popular Jewish music singer Yosef Kardoner. The choir, comprising many children of immigrants from Ethiopia, later also sang “Song of the Journey to the Land of Israel.”

President Shimon Peres gave the opening address, expressing his hopes that the incoming government would be able to solve problems such as the Arab-Israeli conflict, poverty, bureaucracy, and more. He also noted his request, and that of “most of the MKs with whom I met,” that Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu form a national unity government.

The session ended with the singing of the national anthem, HaTikvah: “Our hope is not yet lost, the hope of two thousand years, to be a free people in our land, the land of Zion and Jerusalem.” (Read entire article)

*If the video does not load, click here.