ISRAEL (IINO)
Should Jewish conservatives stay Republican? IRIT TRATT
“You shall appoint magistrates and officials for your tribes, in all the settlements that Hashem your God is giving you, and they shall govern the people with due justice.” DEUTERONOMY 16:18 (THE ISRAEL BIBLE)
JUNE 14, 2023 – In New York, this week’s deadline for submitting changes to individual voter ballots is renewing pressure on Jewish Republicans to switch their party affiliation.
New York is one of 12 “closed primary” states in which primary voting is limited to those registered with a specific political party.
New York’s reputation as a bastion of deep blue liberalism leaves many conservatives struggling to explain the logic behind backing candidates whose chances of winning, particularly in left-leaning enclaves, are slim at best.
Jewish Democrats regard the state’s reflexive ideological leanings as an opening to consolidate power by encouraging conservatives to adjust their political preference. They claim that the certainty of a Democratic victory renders voting for Republicans pointless. Thus, it is prudent to vote strategically in order to stave off progressive challenges to more moderate Democrats.
While well-intentioned, attempts to subordinate the New York GOP are, at best, a stopgap. It only temporarily fends off the threat from Democrats whose sympathies are increasingly with the Palestinians and against Israel.
Moreover, rewarding Democrats’ lack of action on stemming antisemitism within party ranks with more Jewish votes is a misguided strategy. It will only undermine Republican lawmakers who are often the first to oppose anti-Israel policies.
Israel’s government to advance part of judicial reform
The premier accused opposition leaders of not taking talks on a compromise seriously.
June 18, 2023 – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that parts of his coalition’s judicial reform initiative will move ahead this week.
“We will meet this week and begin practical steps in the legal reform,” Netanyahu told Cabinet members gathered at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem for their regular weekly meeting.
Jews and the Land of Israel: Part XV: The Attempt to Convince the Arabs of Palestine that Jewish Settlement Would Greatly Benefit Their Lives By Alex Grobman PhD.
29 Sivan 5783 – June 18, 2023 – *Editor’s Note: This is the fifteenth installment in the most recent series of articles from Jewish Press Online contributor, Alex Grobman, PhD
Attempts to assure the Arabs they had more to gain materially by embracing the efforts of Jews to immigrate and settle the land of Israel was an ongoing process. Zionist historian Yosef Gorny notes that in 1907, Yitzhak Epstein, an intellectual and teacher, declared that the Arabs “must, for its own good let the Jews into the country, for it is powerless to improve its situation and to extricate itself from its poverty and ignorance by its own efforts; only our people can provide for their needs.” It was to be a win-win situation. The Jews would reclaim their homeland and the Arabs would be able to improve their lives. This would hasten “the renaissance of two ancient and gifted Semitic people with great potentialities, who complement each other.” [1]
Mass protests against judicial reform enter 21st week
The passing of the new budget could grant some stability to Israel’s government. However, it also appeared to fuel the protesters’ views that Netanyahu appeals to his religious allies rather than address the wider economic woes of the broader society.
05-27-2023 22:21 – Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered on Saturday for the relentless weekly protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu government’s plans to overhaul the legal system in the country.
The mass protests entered their 21st week. This week’s rallies come days after Netanyahu’s coalition of ultra-Orthodox and ultranationalist parties passed a new two-year budget.
The main rally took place in Tel Aviv, drawing thousands of flag-waving protesters.
The passing of the new budget could grant some stability to Israel’s government. However, it also appeared to fuel the protesters’ views that Netanyahu appeals to his religious allies rather than address the wider economic woes of the broader society. Organizers of grassroots protests bill them as a movement to save democracy. They say the government’s plans to weaken the Supreme Court would destroy the country’s system of checks and balances and compromise Israeli democracy.
[Ed.: Rubbish. The mouse that roared.]
06-16-2023 09:10 – Ehud Barak, as has been revealed this week, is the de facto leader of the protests against judicial reform. His main motivation has nothing to do with the Supreme Court and everything to do with his own personal ego war against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. [Emphasis added]
1. Some years ago, Ehud Barak invited me to his home. He wanted to get to know me. We sat for about three hours talking about history and Talmud, philosophy and poetry, policy, and the army. Barak is highly impressive, with a broad perspective, the likes of which I have encountered in very few people.I told him that, in some ways, he had become the Shabtai Zvi of his camp. Barak was the Messiah who was designated as Yitzhak Rabin’s successor. He was destined to redeem his followers from Benjamin Netanyahu and resurrect the spirit of Oslo. And yet, it was Barak who coined the phrase that buried the hope of peace when he returned from Camp David and told the nation the truth: “There is no partner for peace” on the Palestinian side, despite the unprecedented concessions he offered them. It was an admission of the failure of the concept of “land for peace.” As far as many of his followers were concerned, this was an act of heresy that went against what for many years had been the raison d’être of his political camp. Barak’s confession was tantamount to the conversion to Islam of Shabtai Zvi who turned out to be a false Messiah. You too, I told him, have been marked as a false Messiah. He smiled faintly and agreed with me.
[Ed.:
Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger’s rebranded unconventional website
Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger’s rebranded unconventional website
Why is this website different from all other websites?
(Please share with me your critical feedback)
This website features my weekly articles and brief videos, which underscore “What’s in it for the US?!” rather than “what’s in it for Israel?”
This website – as well as my lectures, interviews and briefing of US and Israeli movers & shakers – does not preach to the choir.
This website challenges Western conventional wisdom on critical aspects of US-Israel relations, Jewish-Arab demography, Iran, the Palestinian issue and Middle East affairs, in general.
This website highlights:
*Israel’s contribution to the US taxpayer exceeds US foreign aid to Israel.
*Israel: from a misperceived burden to a force and dollar multiplier for the US.
*The 400-year-old roots of the unique US-Israel nexus.
*The debunked myth of the Arab demographic time bomb, while exposing Israel’s Jewish demographic momentum.
*The gap between Middle East reality and Western conventional wisdom.
*The inherent flaws of the US diplomatic option toward Iran’s Ayatollahs.
*Is the Palestinian issue the crux of the Arab-Israel conflict, a core cause of Middle East turbulence and a crown-jewel of Arab policy making?
*The proposed Palestinian state – advancing or undermining US interests?
The content of this website is based on my 50-year-experience in the areas of Middle East affairs, US-Israel relations and US policy in the Middle East in my capacity as a researcher, diplomat (Ambassador), writer, lecturer, media commentator and consultant to US and Israeli legislators.
Hopefully, this website adds value for your own endeavors.
Looking forward to receiving your critical feedback.
U.S. Fighter Jets Head to Middle East; Israel SLAMS Russia Over Iran Alliance [12:00] The Watchman with Erick Stakelbeck
On today’s Watchman Newscast, host Erick Stakelbeck beaks down growing tensions between the U.S. and Russia in the Middle East. As the U.S. sends a squadron of F-22 fighter jets to the region to deter Russia, could things spiral out of control? Plus, Israeli leaders are expressing growing alarm over Russia’s military alliance with Iran. Is this a prelude to a coming prophetic showdown?
