Islamofascists exploit BLM, despite Islam's own anti-black history

Israel National News wrote an op-ed about how Islamofascists have been among the leading movements to take advantage of Black Lives Matter to advance their own vile platforms, even though Islam has its own history of anti-black bigotry:

Following the killing in police custody of Minneapolis resident George Floyd, several radical Muslim American organizations have joined in nationwide protests to show solidarity with black civil-rights protests. However, Floyd’s death has sparked difficult conversations about black-Muslim relations, as well as the implicit racial biases found in some Arab and South Asian communities.

Rather than acknowledge anti-black bigotry, Chicago Islamists—many of them with a history of anti-black discrimination—have minimized and excused this abhorrent behavior while exploiting Floyd’s death to satisfy their own anti-Israel agenda.

After some activists unjustly blamed a Palestinian convenience-store owner for calling the police on Floyd when he presented a counterfeit $20 bill, non-black Muslims have been forced to address the pervasive anti-black discrimination that has persisted within their communities.

This behavior is undoubtedly a cultural import from the Middle East and North Africa, where the descendants of slaves continue to experience systemic racism. In Chicago, mosques are predominantly organized along ethnocentric lines, and a decades-old feud between non-black Muslim storeowners and their African-American customers has occasionally resulted in violence.

Despite these biases, Islamists who support pro-Palestinian causes have been using the Black Lives Matter movement to demonize Israel and promote Palestinian resistance.

And the worst part is that, since BLM's built on antisemitic conspiracy theories, much like the Women's March turned out to be, their own leaders apparently have no issues, because such ideologies seem to trump everything else. It's absolutely stupefying. Read the rest of the article for more.

US army soldier collaborated with both Islamofascists and neo-nazis

This story about a traitor in the army is absolutely horrifying:

An American soldier has been charged with terrorism for plotting an ambush against members of his own unit.

US Army Private Ethan Melzer allegedly sent sensitive intelligence on US troop deployments to a neo-Nazi organization called the Order of the Nine Angles, the US State Department announced yesterday. The information he provided included the location of the troops, their movement, and their security arrangement, and was allegedly meant to be passed on to Jihadist groups in conflict with US forces.

Melzer is charged with conspiring and attempting to murder US nationals, conspiring and attempting to murder military service members, providing and attempting to provide material support to terrorists, and conspiring to murder and maim in a foreign country.

The plot was thwarted in late May, 2020, and Melzer was arrested on June 10.

If there's anything this proves, it's the alliances between modern National Socialists and Islamic jihadists. A very alarming example of a traitor endangering his own fellow troops to two enemies working together.

Haim Saban helped the UAE publish an anti-sovereignty op-ed in an Israeli paper

Haim Saban is a billionaire who used to work in children's TV entertainment in the US, and over the years was a huge Democrat donor. Now, it turns out he aided an enemy of Israel in pushing propaganda, and isn't supporting sovereignty for the right reasons:

Israeli-American billionaire and Democratic megadonor Haim Saban was involved in the publication of an op-ed piece warning against Israel’s plan to apply sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria, Channel 13’s Barak Ravid reported Friday.

According to the report, Israeli sources claimed that Saban was consulted by the United Arab Emirates’ ambassador to the US, Yousef Al Otaiba, for an opinion piece published by the Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot Friday morning.

In the piece, Al Otaiba warns Israel against implementing the sovereignty plan, arguing it will “send shock waves” throughout the Middle East, destabilizing moderate Arab states and harming Israel’s warming relations with US allies in the region, including the UAE.

Saban, a long-time acquaintance of Al Otaiba, was reportedly asked to help the UAE find a platform for addressing Israelis. Al Otaiba consulted with Saban, the report claims, with Saban assisting Al Otaiba in having his op-ed piece published by Yediot Aharonot. UAE leaders had planned to publish the piece in a prominent American newspaper, like The New York Times or Washington Post, but were persuaded by Saban to use an Israeli outlet. [...]

In late January, Saban endorsed the Trump plan, telling the Jewish Insider that the plan “offers a blueprint to promote a continued push towards a two-state solution in which Israel remains a Jewish and democratic state living in peace, prosperity, and, most importantly, in security alongside its neighbors.”

If Saban's that cozy with the Islamists, and his reasoning for supporting sovereignty amounts only to that, then he's clearly just another disgrace and shame who's not living in the US to do Israel any good. Wow, I am so glad he's no longer working in the children's segment of showbiz these days. Why, that could surely be one of the most troubling aspects about him - he was likely propagandizing to and indoctrinating the younger crowd. He doesn't belong in showbiz at all.

LA's mayor accepts money from Qatar

The mayor of Los Angeles has accepted funding from an Islamic state that's sponsored terrorism (H/T: Front Page Magazine):

Thanks to a $5 million donation from Qatar to the Mayor’s Fund for Los Angeles — the largest-ever single donation to the fund — the Angeleno Card program is being expanded.

Garcetti thanked the government of Qatar for the “truly generous humanitarian gift to Angeleno families.” He said the gift had special meaning, as it coincided with the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.

If this is supposed to be their way of making repairs after the post-George Floyd riots, along with the Corona crisis, he's going about it the wrong way, and it could end up becoming very disastrous in the long run. But, that's California for you, a state that's long been sinking into one of the worst situations ever to be had.

An anti-Israeli terrorist dies

A terrorist who'd resided in Lebanon has deservedly died:

The former head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement died Saturday night after a long illness. He was 62.

Ramadan Shalah had been in a coma for more than three years after a series of strokes that followed heart surgery, the terrorist group said. It didn't say where he died, but he is believed to have been in Lebanon.

Shalah led the Iranian-backed group for over 20 years, after its founder, Fathi Shikaki, was eliminated in Malta in a hit widely attributed to Israel. In 2018, the group named Shalah's deputy, Ziad Nakhalah, as a new leader.

Shalah was on the US "most wanted list" of terrorist suspects with a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.

So he was even reduced to comatose in his last years. He deserved that too.

This year's Jerusalem Day had limited attendance, but is taking place

The Jewish Press has some photos of people who took part in the Jerusalem Day celebrations, though this year's were unfortunately limited because of the Coronavirus situation. But, they did take place, and that's something to admire and be happy about. It's an important event celebrating the time we liberated the city from the grasp of the Islamofascist entity embodied by Jordan, and reinstated cohesion in 1967.

New Israeli government now inaugurated

Finally, after at least a year of deadlock in the Knesset, there's a government in motion, even if it is a unity government:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented his new unity government to the Knesset on Sunday, ending more than a year of political deadlock as he prepares to go on trial in a week for alleged corruption.

The Knesset held a confidence vote to approve the newly appointed ministers and to appoint Netanyahu as the head of the new government. Netanyahu then took the oath of office for the fifth time as prime minister.

Netanyahu's power-sharing agreement with former election rival, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz, opens the way to proceed toward the application of Israeli sovereignty over Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria as part of the newly released Trump administration peace plan.

I sure hope it'll be possible, most importantly, to annex these areas back into the Israel they're truly part of, and Jordan, recalling that their "king" is threatening to trash all peace agreements over a petty issue, had better not act inappropriately. MK Uzi Dayan says sovereignty is near:

MK Uzi Dayan (Likud) spoke to Arutz Sheva from the Knesset inauguration ceremony and said that the incoming government has an opportunity to apply sovereignty over the Jordan Valley.

"It wasn't easy going all the way but we managed to form a government," said Dayan regarding the newly established unity government.

"It's very important to [make the most] of this period of time mainly because of the need to address the coronavirus crisis, but also because of the opportunities that lie ahead—applying Israeli sovereignty in particular." "We will begin from the Jordan Valley and [applying sovereignty] to Israeli settlements is something that I don't think we have ever had an opportunity to do," He added.

Let's hope so. It's a real shame that for now, Yamina's decided to bolt from the coalition, and basically bamboozle their voter base. They had a chance to prove power wasn't all that's important to them. They failed. Let's hope it becomes their downfall, if they continue with this farce.

And that's not all to worry about. There's also the ICC's threat to deal with, now that they want to get sanctions imposed upon Israel. One more reason why Yamina's stunt is reprehensible.

So it's time to see if the new Israeli government will prove effective in any way.

Rafi Peretz ideally breaks away from Yamina, to join Netanyahu government separately

Former IDF chaplain Rafi Peretz is breaking away from the pretentious Yamina party, headed as it is for now by the pretentious Naftali Bennett, and will join Netanyahu's newly formed government separately:

Outgoing Education Minister Rabbi Rafi Peretz will leave the Yamina party and be appointed Jerusalem affairs minister in the new government, according to multiple reports.

Peretz accepts the offer from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who lobbied him strongly on the matter yesterday.

With the way Bennett's been acting lately, which is truly alarming in his bizarre turn to anti-Netanyahu positions, I'd say Peretz made the right choice. Bennett is just such an embarrassment, and he's surely remaining in the political arena for that very reason. The Likud now says the Bennett era is over, and it decidedly should be. One of the political commentators interviewed on Israel's channel 20 a few days ago said it shouldn't be based on ministries and such powers that one joins a government, but rather, on beliefs and platforms. Bennett's certainly not taking that advice.

Anyway, the new government coalition will be sworn in this evening:

Israel’s new government is set to be sworn in on Thursday evening, bringing nearly 18 months of political gridlock to an end.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally announced on Wednesday that he had succeeded in forming a government in letters to Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz in his capacity as the temporary Knesset speaker and to President Reuven Rivlin.

The new government, which, according to the coalition agreement, will see Gantz replace Netanyahu as prime minister after 18 months, is scheduled to be sworn in Thursday evening after lawmakers vote to approve it during a Knesset plenum session that will begin at 6 p.m.

The swearing-in of the new Knesset, Israel’s first fully functioning government in over 500 days since the end of December 2018, will conclude the longest political logjam in Israel’s history, in which Netanyahu’s Likud party and Blue and White went head-to-head in an unprecedented three consecutive elections.

All that remains to be seen now is how effective it'll be at delivering anything in terms of policy. Over the next year, we'll see about all that.

Update: here's one more report on Peretz's excellent step.

Update 2: in this report, Peretz explains why he decided to join the government without the rest of the party:

Peretz told his colleagues that he disagreed with their decision to not enter the coalition and that in a time of emergency, it is essential to take part in a unity government.

Exactly. There's a serious health crisis going on, to name but one example, and then, there's Iran's nuclear threats to consider as well. And Bennett's bunch chooses to minimize the seriousness of that? Oh, geez. Bennett certainly is asking for what's transpired now, and he should be relegated to sidelines indeed, for his insulting opposition to Netanyahu for all the wrong reasons.

Israel's supreme court approves Netanyahu forming government, and Knesset parties approve coalition

The Israeli supreme court made the right choice not to interfere with Benjamin Netanyahu's forming a new government:

The High Court of Justice unanimously rejected petitions about whether to allow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to form the next government despite his indictment in three corruption cases, allowing him to go ahead with a controversial rotational unity coalition deal signed with Blue and White chief Benny Gantz.

The Knesset is set to green-light the Likud and Blue and White parties’ coalition deal on Thursday, and the new government will be sworn in on May 13, ending 16-months of political deadlock.

The deal’s validity was challenged in eight separate petitions, with the main argument being members of Knesset indicted on corruption charges cannot serve as prime minister.

The hearing also covered whether certain aspects of the deal struck between the are constitutional.

Despite “grave charges pending” in the bribery case facing Netanyahu, and “significant challenges” within the terms of the deal itself, the maximum 11-judge panel ruled that there is no legal reason to block Netanyahu from the task of forming a government.

According to the terms of the deal, Netanyahu will serve as prime minister for a year and a half after which Blue and White head Benny Gantz will replace him.

The judges ruled Netanyahu could not be disqualified from forming a government outright since the law only stipulates disqualification applies to a convicted prime minister who has exhausted all his appeals.

The "charges", it should again be reminded, are some of the most trumped up nonsense ever concocted for the sake of delegitimizing Netanyahu, after all the hard work he did to have Jerusalem recognized as Israel's capital.

Anyway, now that that's been worked out, the Likud and Blue & White have issued a majority of votes for setting up a governing coalition:

Prescient Reuven Rivlin officially granted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a two-week mandate on Thursday night to form his fifth straight government, which would keep him in power until November 13, 2021.

"I hope Israel will soon have a government that will deal successfully with the complex challenges that stand before us," Rivlin said, noting the dual crises of the political stalemate and the impact of the coronavirus.

Representatives of Likud and Blue and White submitted 72 signatures of MKs recommending that Netanyahu form the government to Rivlin late afternoon on Thursday after all the bills required to form the government passed by a wide margin. The signatures came from Blue and White, Labor and Netanyahu's Right-Center bloc, except for the MKs of Yamina, who absented themselves, because it is still unknown whether it will enter the coalition.

Netanyahu and Yamina leader Naftali Bennett failed to make any progress in a conversation on Thursday. Sources close to Netanyahu said afterward that it was final that Yamina would remain in the opposition, because of the party's unrealistic demands at a time when there is a shortage of portfolios for Likud ministers.

As I've noted before, I'm finding it hard to feel sorry for Yamina's leaders if they lead to a situation where they'll be left in the opposition, or, if they really want to remain there, then they've proven what phonies they are anyway. Bennett and Shaked may have made some significant improvements in Israel's judicial system initially, but along the way, there were also some alarming mistakes they made that really caused harm to the country. And now, they could be paying for their errors.

It just remains to be seen how this forming coalition will function, and I'm hoping that ultimately, things will turn out well enough.

Former Israeli delegates condone BDS

Israel National News reported that the Irish Times had the gall to publish an op-ed written by former Israeli Knesset members who've decided to condone BDS at the expense of their country:

The Irish Times website today published a column that includes former Knesset Members and senior foreign ministry officials calling to promote legislation against trade and economic activity with Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley.

Signatories include the former Israeli ambassador to Portugal and former Israeli consul Colette Avital, former Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg, former Meretz Chair Zahava Galon and more.

Yesha Council Chairman David Elhayani said in response to the letter, "Former Israeli Knesset members, and all sorts of 'formers' have decided that because their public lives are over and the public has decided not to support them, they need to return to being relevant.

"They seem to be making their return to public life at the expense of business owners from Judea, Samaria, and the Jordan Valley. While sitting at home receiving a pension from the State of Israel, after many years of making a living at our expense and sitting and writing letters to Ireland, thousands of farmers, industrialists, high-tech workers, and residents of Judea and Samaria work day and night to earn a living," he stated.

"Calling for a boycott of business in the region at this time when we're fighting against the coronavirus and hundreds of thousands of Israelis are not working is a spit in the face of the State of Israel. Especially when it comes from those who used to be senior public servants. We demand the Foreign Ministry condemn and denounce these people who intentionally harm the State of Israel."

And that they'd do it in a far-left European paper speaks volumes about them. Pure disgust.

Deal formed for Israeli unity government

After a few weeks of negotiations, it looks like there'll finally be a national unity government formed to deal with the emergencies at hand, and we have to hope it'll be for the better:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his centrist election rival Benny Gantz signed an agreement on Monday to form an emergency coalition government that would end a year of political deadlock.

Netanyahu's right-wing Likud and Gantz's Blue and White party issued a joint statement saying they had clinched a unity deal, which follows elections in April and September 2019 and on March 2 in which neither won a governing majority in parliament.

The two had agreed Netanyahu would remain prime minister for 18 months period until Gantz takes over in late 2021.

Until then, Gantz, a former Israel Defense Forces chief, will serve as defense minister and several of his political allies, including two members of Israel's Labour Party, will receive ministerial portfolios as well. He will also be considered "alternate prime minister". Once Gantz becomes prime minister, Netanyahu would get the title "alternate prime minister."

Isn't that "deputy"? Whatever, I hope this'll ultimately serve Israel's needs in a positive sense, and that Judea/Samaria/Gaza will be annexed for real. This article says the coalition deal provides that possibility:

The unity government agreement finalized on Monday evening by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz allows Israel to promote the annexation of parts of Judea and Samaria as early as July, sources privy to the details of the deal told Israel Hayom.

According to Article 29 of the 14-page agreement, Netanyahu, who under the rotation deal with Gantz will remain the PM for the next 18 months, "will be able to present the agreement reached with the US on the application of sovereignty [in Judea and Samaria and the Jordan Valley] for the approval of the government and the Knesset starting July 1, 2020."

The Trump administration presented its Middle East peace plan in late January. Gantz was previously hesitant to support any annexation move, but under the unity deal, his party has pledged to vote with the coalition on the issue.

Well let's hope he does. He's also going to have much to prove at a time when the Corona crisis struck the globe as hard as it did. I know many on the left are already angry at Gantz - and Labor - for going with this coalition. Time is going to confirm whether this'll have any real, promising effect.

The BBC is airing Islamic prayer calls, and unlikely to cease

Front Page Magazine reports that Britain's worst government-owned institution is broadcasting the Islamic call for prayer, all because the Coronavirus crisis has led to a closure of mosques (which could just as easily not be the case in enclaves), and they're unlikely to stop even after the crisis is over:

Global Village Space reported Wednesday that “in a first, BBC begins the broadcast of Muslim prayers on its network as mosques shut down across Britain, part of the extensive measures against coronavirus.” In today’s Britain, it is extraordinarily unlikely that the BBC will stop broadcasting the adhan, the Islamic call to prayer, once the coronavirus pandemic is over. A cultural line has been crossed. And the implications of this, beyond the expected hosannas from the usual proponents of globalism and multiculturalism, are ominous.

According to Global Village Space, “different imams lead the 5:50 am broadcasts every week on Friday from 14 local radio stations of BBC. The imam recites verses from the Holy Quran and quotes of Holy Prophet before delivering the sermon and leading the listeners in prayers. The program is titled, ‘Islamic Reflections’. The arrangements have been made to facilitate the Muslim community to the run-up to the month of Ramadan till the end of April.”

The BBC is no doubt thrilled to do this, as it demonstrates how “inclusive” the mega- network is, and how welcoming British society is. Chris Burns, the head of BBC Local Radio, was dead chuffed, saying: “Local radio is all about connecting communities, and we hope these weekly reflections will go some way to helping Muslims feel a sense of community while they are isolating.”

Wrong. What they're doing is legitimizing a religion built on totalitarianism, but of course, you couldn't possibly expect the Beeb's awful reps to admit it. This certainly is dangerous on the concern it could lead to more violence and corruption if the worst themes are recited on the network. As for Judeo-Christian prayers, I guess they, by contrast, don't have any serious emphasis anywhere on the Beeb during this time, right? No shock there. Such a corrupt network needs to be abandoned by all sensible viewers, and advertisers should withdraw, if that's what it takes to protest this. Better still, the Beeb should be sold to private businesses.

European Union could collapse over Coronavirus crisis

The Italian premier's warning of the downfall of the EU due to the Corona crisis:

Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte floated the idea of all of Europe doing “things on their own” due to the European Union’s poor response to Italy’s tragic experience with the Chinese coronavirus.

“We do not expect Germany and Holland to pay our debts, but the fiscal policy rules must be loosened, otherwise we will have to write off Europe, and everyone will do things on their own,” said Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte in a recent interview with the German newspaper, Bild on Eurobonds, according to a report by La Repubblica.

If the EU does collapse, it'll be for the best. This is, after all, the same EU that's been lenient on Islamic terrorism, which includes the recent border infiltrator crises, and their response to the Coronavirus crisis has been just as horrendous. So it would be for the best if the EU broke up after all that's happened over the past years. They're one of the worst, most incompetent political bodies around.

Fortunate news: Gantz agrees to join unity government will Netanyahu, while Lapid and Yaalon split up from Blue & White

Here's some relieving news after what initially happened 2 weeks ago: it looks like Benny Gantz has agreed to form a unity government of sorts with Benjamin Netanyahu, and not only that, it appears Yair Lapid and Moshe Yaalon are breaking up their joint list called Blue & White, not willing to join the same government as Gantz now is:

Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz is set to partner Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a unity government, serving initially as foreign minister but then taking over from Netanyahu as prime minister in September 2021, according to a reported deal taking shape amid immense political drama in Israel on Thursday afternoon.

Gantz’s decision to join forces with Netanyahu immediately led to the collapse of Blue and White, with the party’s No. 2 Yair Lapid rejecting the move and apparently heading into opposition with others from his Yesh Atid component of Blue and White. “Gantz chose Netanyahu over Lapid,” Channel 12 reported succinctly.

Yesh Atid and Moshe Ya’alon’s Telem faction both filed a formal request to break away from Blue and White late on Thursday afternoon, leaving only Gantz’s Israel Resilience Party to join forces with Netanyahu’s Likud. Lapid had reportedly told Gantz he preferred that Israel go to fourth elections rather than see Blue and White partner Netanyahu in power.

The coalition is reportedly likely to constitute 78-79 MKs — Likud, Gantz’s Israel Resilience, Labor, Yamina, Shas and United Torah Judaism — according to Channel 12. That would leave Lapid’s Yesh Atid, Ya’alon’s Telem, Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu, Meretz and the mainly Arab Joint List in opposition. However, various other fluctuations are deemed possible, with Yoaz Hendel and Zvi Hauser from Telem, for instance, said to be weighing joining the coalition.

The unity deal was taking shape as the Knesset met to vote for a new speaker, following Likud speaker Yuli Edelstein’s resignation on Wednesday.

If this is so, it's good news. In fact, it indicates the now disrespectful Avigdor Liberman will be left out in the opposition, as he deserves for all the trouble he caused. Considering the crisis the whole globe is now facing with the Coronavirus outbreak, that's why it's crucial there be a government formed now to officially deal with it, and hopefully get the country back on track as soon as possible.

So hopefully, next week there'll be a coalition formed, and then we can concern ourselves with all the most vital issues for the rest of the year.

Arab sector in Israel isn't heeding Coronavirus procedues properly

If there's any other segment around Israel besides the Satmar-like clans who aren't following directives properly during the Coronavirus crisis, it's the Arabic sector:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu charged Israel’s Arab sector of not adhering to the health ministry’s guidelines for combating COVID-19, including a major lack of social distancing in Arab population centers, and urged health professionals in those communities to call on the public to observe the rules for the sake of everyone.

“This corona is no longer a disease. It is an epidemic that hits everybody. It does not discriminate between Arabs, Circassians, Bedouin and Christians,” the prime minister said in a meeting with senior Arab doctors at his office in Jerusalem.

“There is a problem in the general public, and there is a problem especially in the small villages,” Netanyahu noted. “We are going to fix this immediately.”

The virus does “not discriminate between religions and sectors; therefore, all of the country’s citizens must be fully responsible and show strict discipline. We can take all the steps that we have and it will not help if the general public does not respond accordingly,” he added.

Netanyahu stressed that if one sector of the public is not following the restrictions, it would “lead to the infection of dear and beloved family members and the public at large.”

“There is mutual responsibility here,” the prime minister said.

“I ask for the cooperation of the entire Arabic-speaking sector, of Israel’s Arab citizens. I ask you, for yourselves and for our common future, please strictly follow the instructions,” he said.

Moshe Lion, the mayor of Jerusalem, which is home to some 350,000 Arabs, announced that the capital may soon enter a lockdown unless residents took the guidelines to stay indoors seriously.

In the city of Jaffa adjacent to Tel Aviv, where around 30% of the population is Arab, it seemed to be business as usual on Wednesday, with many cafes, knaffeh places and stores still open to the public.

So who knows how much of that area could be infected and at risk of the same? Just like the Haredis, they're proving colossally irresponsible, if you know where to look. This is exactly why, if proper action isn't taken to make them cut this out, the crisis could go on for longer.

Update: and speaking of ultra-Orthodox clans like Satmar, this Times of Israel article points to how those living in NYC are also posing a horrible problem. All of them literally believing the Torah and prayer alone will protect them. Those who don't live insular lifestyles know better.

Very sad: it appears Gantz managed to get majority to form government because of Liberman

It looks like not only Liberman, but also the 2-3 alleged dissenters within Blue & White have thrown all sincerity under the bus, and now, Gantz got a majority of backers, with president Reuven Rivlin capping the insult by handing the mandate to Gantz to form a government:

President Reuven Rivlin will give the task of forming the government to Blue and White chairman MK Benny Gantz tomorrow, the Presidente announced Sunday night.

The announcement follow's Rivlin's meetings with the heads of the Knesset political parties Sunday.

Gantz received the recommendation of 61 MKs, a bare majority, while incumbent Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu received the recommendation of 58 MKs.

Gantz's Blue and White party received 33 Knesset seats in this month's elections, three less than the 36 the Likud received.

The Blue and White chairman received the backing of the Joint Arab List, Labor-Meretz, and Yisrael Beytenu. The Joint Arab List is not expected to agree to join any coalition, but it may support a minority coalition from the outside.

If the aforementioned MKs like Yoaz Hendel decided to abandon any previous hardline stance, they only deserve to be shunned for this betrayal, as does Liberman himself. Now, at a time when the country is facing a serious health crisis, they just had to do this.

Of course, Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked also have to shoulder blame for what they led to last year, by causing a split on the right that led to this whole deadlock and now potential ouster. It's very sad this had to happen, and now, Liberman was able to commit the betrayal he doubtless always had in mind.

Update: here's also a post by Caroline Glick:

To be clear, this means that 3 former IDF chiefs of staff and two maj. generals on their list support forming a govt with people who support terrorism and reject Israel's right to exist. They have entered a moral abyss and everyone who supports this obscenity is with them.

— Caroline Glick (@CarolineGlick) March 15, 2020

Exactly. Now, everyone who's a realist is going to have to work very hard to prevent this awful combination from succeeding in doing any awful. Which should include forming a delegation to Washington to talk with Trump and the GOP in Congress.

Gantz and Liberman are trying to steal the election

Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the offensive case of Benny Gantz and Avigdor Liberman now trying to get him disqualified after they failed to find significant success in this week's election:

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu sharply attacked Blue and White chairman MK Benny Gantz and Yisrael Beyteinul chairman Avigdor Liberman on Thursday for their support of a law that would prevent the president from imposing the job of forming a government on Netanyahu. "The Likud and the Right won the knockout. Gantz who failed in the polls now together with Lieberman is trying to steal the decision of masses of citizens in Israel who gave the Likud led by me a crushing victory. Erdogan has a lot to learn from them," Netanyahu said.

"Even in Iran this doesn't occur. There candidates are rejected before the elections, not after the elections. And after all, the masses of civilians knew full well what the charges were against me and yet they gave me the mandate, a strengthened and renewed mandate," Netanyahu said

The prime minister cited statements by Liberman and Gantz from the past. "Liberman declared "I will not support a law that would prevent an MK from being charged with forming a government. We are against personal laws. ' Gantz declared 24 hours before the election, "We will not sit down with the joint list and will not lean on them from outside."

Netanyahu asked: "Who are you working for? We, the millions of citizens of Israel are not going to allow you to steal the election.''

So once again, those concerned are going to have to start making themselves heard, in order to deal with this new, serious problem. For now, the Likud's ideally called for an investigation into Liberman's past shady dealings:

The Likud party on Thursday called for a probe of Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman after he announced earlier in the day that he would support legislation that could prevent Likud’s Benjamin Netanyahu from becoming prime minister. Liberman is also intending to endorse Blue and White leader Benny Gantz for the prime ministership, according to Hebrew media reports Thursday that he neither confirmed nor denied.

Likud officials formally asked Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit to open a corruption investigation into Liberman for his alleged role in the “Yisrael Beytenu affair.”

The affair, dubbed by police “Case 242,” involved a sprawling three-year corruption investigation of several Yisrael Beytenu officials. It was one of the most far-reaching public corruption cases in Israel’s history, and revealed allegations of a widespread kickback scheme involving national and local politicians, as well as non-governmental organizations and private firms. [...]

In a statement, Likud demanded that Mandelblit “examine and if necessary investigate” an alleged meeting between Liberman’s two sons and a real estate developer, Moshe Yeshayahu, some time before the defense ministry, led by Liberman, rezoned land owned by the developer from a firing zone to an area where construction was permitted.

Likud claimed the former defense minister has been implicated in the case by testimonies now being heard at the ongoing trial involving former lawmakers from the party.

I think this is definitely something authorities should look into, and Liberman has a lot to answer for after all the trouble he's been causing.

Update: here's an article by former MK Dov Lipman about how Blue & White failed in their campaign.

Israeli right-wing did better than expected in the 2020 election

It looks like the Likud did better than expected, while Benny Gantz's Blue & White party, on the other hand, is losing appeal for the left. The results are in for the Israeli election:

With polls closing across Israel, exit polls published by Channel 12 News show that the Likud party has won 37 Knesset seats while the Blue and White party has won 33 seats.

The Joint Arab List won 14 seats, Shas nine seats, United Torah Judaism seven seats, Yamina seven, Labor-Gesher-Meretz seven, and Yisrael Beyteinu six seats.

According to the exit poll, the right-wing bloc received 60 seats, one shy of the 61 majority necessary to form a coalition.

A Channel 13 News exit poll also showed the right-wing bloc winning 60 seats. The poll also found that the Likud won 37 seats, while Blue and White won 32 seats.

According to the Channel 13 poll, the Joint Arab List won 14 seats, Shas nine, Yisrael Beyteinu eight, United Torah Judaism eight, Yamina six, and Labor-Gesher-Meretz six seats.

The additional good news along with the Likud's results is that in all exit polls released so far, the right-wing coalition got 60 seats, and hopefully could win at least one more. The real bad news is surely that the Joint Arab List got another seat or two, possibly taking from Blue & White. If we're to take a view of a "veteran" party though, what's most interesting is the disaster Labor wound up with coming from their formation of a joint list with the anti-religious, anti-Zionist Meretz party, along with Orly Levy's Gesher party. Evidently, nobody found their combination appealing, and they wound up losing at least 4-5 seats. That's quite a comedown for the Labor party alone. But Gantz's party clearly didn't fare better this time, and it's apparent he's lost whatever "appeal" he had with leftists.

We'll see what happens within a week, when full results are in. For now, Netanyahu's Likud did very well in their campaigning, drawing the best results in elections since the 1999 election 21 years ago.

One of Gantz's own strategists says he's unreliable

In a most interesting development, a campaign strategist for Benny Gantz slammed him in a recording aired on Israel's Channel 12 as a liability to the country, the transcript provided on Israel National News:

Bachar: She (Haredi social activist and Blue and White MK Omer Yankelevich) says he is stupid, [completely incompetent] and 'must not become prime minister'.

Acquaintance: They're [dangerous], and as I've already told you, very dangerous.

Bachar: They will make the wrong decision. When people in the world try to attack Iran, they will prevent them from doing so.

Acquaintance: And how do you know they'll prevent it?

Bachar: He has no courage to attack Iran.

Acquaintance: Like, because that's the type of person he is?

Bachar: Because he's that type.

Acquaintance: And what can happen then, my love?

Bachar: You see?

Acquaintance: Danger to the people of Israel.

Isn't that something. One of Gantz's very own employees considers him bad for the country. Gantz didn't take kindly to this news, and now he's fired the guy:

Blue and White Chairman MK Benny Gantz has fired an adviser after a recording published on Channel 12 revealed the adviser as warning against a Gantz victory in the elections, since Gantz is "a danger to Israel."

Blue and White said: "[Yisrael] Bachar fell into a planned ambush which included personal exploitation, use of inappropriate means, and fraud - which will be dealt with via the judicial system. The political sources' manipulative involvement will also be revealed soon."

In the meantime, Gantz has decided to immediately end Bachar's involvement in his campaign.

They're all trying to spin it as something else, but it's clear this is embarrassing for Gantz, and doesn't reflect well on him going forward.

Hebron's Tomb of Patriarchs must be included in Trump's Deal of the Century

The Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron's wisely been brought up in mapping out the Deal of the Century:

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to apply Israeli sovereignty to the Tomb of the Patriarchs and to the Jewish community of Hebron, during a visit to the nearby West Bank Kiryat Arba settlement on Sunday.

“We will apply Israeli sovereignty over Kiryat Arba and the Jewish community in Hebron, including the Tomb of the patriarchs and the roads that lead to it,” Netanyahu said.

“Only we [the Likud] can do this,” the prime minister said as he stood in a white tent set up to celebrate the inauguration of a new neighborhood in Kiryat Arba called Nofei Cramim with 210 homes.

All West Bank settlements are slated to become part of sovereign Israel under US President Donald Trump’s peace plan, but according to the map, the status of Jewish Hebron and the Tomb is unclear.

Netanyahu’s statement about sovereignty over the Tomb of the Patriarchs and Jewish Hebron is the clearest statement he has made to date on the matter. [...]

Prior to Netanyahu’s speech Bennett also spoke of the importance of sovereignty over the Tomb of the Patriarchs noting, that a Jewish state without that biblical site, is like Washington without the Lincoln Memorial.

It'll be interesting to see if this is brought to a Knesset vote soon, because it's about time it was.

Netanyahu, in interview with Mark Levin, points out Gantz's leftism

Mark Levin interviewed Benjamin Netanyahu for FOX News, and made some vital points about the "advisors" Benny Gantz is employing for his laughable Blue & White party with Yair Lapid, who've gone out of their way to follow the offensive example many leftists in the USA have employed in their attitude towards Donald Trump:

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke with Fox News' Mark Levin about the "deal of the century" and how it might be implemented following the March election.

In the interview, Netanyahu explained that the rival center-left "Blue and White" party, led by MK Benny Gantz, is "a leftist party in disguise."

"Remember, the majority of Israelis are basically right and center-right. So in order to get center-right voters, they pretend to be a center-right party and that they will take up the terrific Trump plan that has been put forward by [US] President [Donald] Trump that's very good for Israel, that has Israel applying Israeli law, adding to Israel's sovereign territory important places like the Jordan Valley."

"This is completely anathema to Blue and White, and their leaders said the opposite just a few months ago. But when the Trump plan came out, they said, 'Oh, we're for the Trump plan.'

"There's only one problem with that. A, they're not. B, they've said horrible things about President Trump just before the Trump plan was announced. Like comparing him to Hitler. And three, they're dependent on the support in the Knesset, in our parliament, to form a government, on the Joint Arab List that says to them: 'If you actually accept the Trump plan, you won't be Prime Minister.' So they're not going to adopt the Trump plan."

Netanyahu explained that Gantz's advisers, who have compared Trump to Hitler, "are the guys who give him the lines" and that Netanyahu has "asked him to fire them. But he wouldn't."

The video sample can be found on the news page. If Gantz still employs those 2-3 aides and advisors, he's only continuing an utter disgrace and shame that causes embarrassment in the Israeli-relations with the USA.

Kirk Douglas passes away at 103 years old

Veteran actor Kirk Douglas, famous for roles like Spartacus in the movies, died at 103 years old:

Issur Danielovitch Demsky, who changed his name to Kirk Douglas and gave movie fans immortal performances in films such as Spartacus and Champion, died Wednesday in Los Angeles at age 103, from natural causes, surrounded by family.

[...] Douglas was born in Amsterdam, New York, to Bryna and Herschel Danielovitch, who immigrated from Chavusy in the Mogilev Region, in today’s Belarus. The family spoke Yiddish at home. Douglas grew up as Izzy Demsky and changed his name legally to Kirk Douglas before enlisting in the US Navy during World War 2.

A shame he's gone, but he did make some valuable contributions to cinema, for which he should always be remembered. And he certainly lived a long time.