Israel General Discussion: Annus Horribilis

[CumbrianLefty]

Ben Gvir posted and then deleted a eulogy for judeo-nazi terrorist Kahana: "Murdered as a martyr", "I had the privilege to learn his writings", "in his yeshivah there was love for everyone"

Does he lionise Baruch Goldstein as well?

[America Needs R'hllor]

Ben Gvir posted and then deleted a eulogy for judeo-nazi terrorist Kahana: "Murdered as a martyr", "I had the privilege to learn his writings", "in his yeshivah there was love for everyone"

Does he lionise Baruch Goldstein as well?

Used to, claims he doesn't anymore. Up to smart people to decide if they believe him...

[Logical]

Seventy-five years since the UN partition plan for Mandate Palestine. If the Arabs had accepted the plan, there would have been a Palestinian state for the past 74 years. But no, they decided to go to war instead, gambling on an all-or-nothing bet. When you gamble for all-or-nothing, and then lose, you get nothing, which is what the Palestinians now have.

Do you ever get tired of posting the same thing every single thread?

[CumbrianLefty]

He could at least choose the rather more pithy "the Palestinians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity" (unfortunately, have forgotten who actually said that)

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Seventy-five years since the UN partition plan for Mandate Palestine. If the Arabs had accepted the plan, there would have been a Palestinian state for the past 74 years. But no, they decided to go to war instead, gambling on an all-or-nothing bet. When you gamble for all-or-nothing, and then lose, you get nothing, which is what the Palestinians now have.

Israel started the 1967 war though.

[Pericles]

Seventy-five years since the UN partition plan for Mandate Palestine. If the Arabs had accepted the plan, there would have been a Palestinian state for the past 74 years. But no, they decided to go to war instead, gambling on an all-or-nothing bet. When you gamble for all-or-nothing, and then lose, you get nothing, which is what the Palestinians now have.

Israel started the 1967 war though.

That is THE go-to example of pre-emptive self-defence.

[Hnv1]

Foreign posters:
This is a thread for the tidbits of everyday Israeli politics. Any profound thoughts on the strategic aspects of the conflict can go into one of a dozen other threads where our "panel of experts" weighs in. Please do not clog this thread with random takes about the conflict.

thank you.

[Hnv1]

Government formation in Israel is, as usual, slow.
The main obstacle is that Smotric wants one of the Treasury or Defence, when Bibi hates any independent minded people around him (no he does not care about Biden as some suggest).

It appears the incoming coalition will first elect a new speaker and then amend the basic law is some way that will allow Deri'i to be appointed minister despite him recent tax offenses conviction.


Galon announced she steps down as chair of Meretz. It seems everyone wants to see the party die, but perhaps Golan will flex to grab it. Considering the substantial debt the party's in I can't see any benefit in taking it

[America Needs R'hllor]

Government formation in Israel is, as usual, slow.
The main obstacle is that Smotric wants one of the Treasury or Defence, when Bibi hates any independent minded people around him (no he does not care about Biden as some suggest).

It appears the incoming coalition will first elect a new speaker and then amend the basic law is some way that will allow Deri'i to be appointed minister despite him recent tax offenses conviction.


Galon announced she steps down as chair of Meretz. It seems everyone wants to see the party die, but perhaps Golan will flex to grab it. Considering the substantial debt the party's in I can't see any benefit in taking it

Are people inside Meretz actually willing to let it go, along with their influence and jobs etc?

[Hnv1]

Government formation in Israel is, as usual, slow.
The main obstacle is that Smotric wants one of the Treasury or Defence, when Bibi hates any independent minded people around him (no he does not care about Biden as some suggest).

It appears the incoming coalition will first elect a new speaker and then amend the basic law is some way that will allow Deri'i to be appointed minister despite him recent tax offenses conviction.


Galon announced she steps down as chair of Meretz. It seems everyone wants to see the party die, but perhaps Golan will flex to grab it. Considering the substantial debt the party's in I can't see any benefit in taking it

Are people inside Meretz actually willing to let it go, along with their influence and jobs etc?

There's not much influence left outside of the Knesset. The jobs are nominal as the staff was already cut down years ago, and without public funding even those jobs can't be sustained.
Representatives in local councils will seek joining other green\left lists as the funding will stop, and representatives in places like the Histadrut or the Zionist Congress will create new factions towards the next elections there.

I think a majority wants to shut things down. Some advocate calling people to join Labour and influence from the inside there. Others seek to form some NGO that will work outside of Parliament. In general there's a broad consensus that by the next election Meretz will certainly not run alone even if it exists.

[NewYorkExpress]

Netanyahu won his defamation suit against Ehud Olmert.

An Israeli court ruled Monday that former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert defamed his successor, Benjamin Netanyahu, and ordered him to pay damages to the former leader and his family.

The high-profile defamation suit that kicked off earlier this year pitted the only Israeli prime minister ever to go to prison against the ousted longest-serving leader of the country.


Netanyahu sued Olmert for remarks he made in 2021, after a series of inconclusive parliamentary elections. At the time, Netanyahu refused calls to step down while on trial for corruption charges.

The Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court dismissed Olmert’s claim that he was “expressing an opinion in good faith” by saying Netanyahu exhibited “crazy behavior” and that his wife and son suffered from “mental illness.”

The court ruled that Olmert’s remarks on DemocraTV in April 2021 constituted defamation of character and ordered the former prime minister to pay damages totaling around $18,000 to Netanyahu and his family, as well as legal costs. Olmert can appeal the decision.

[Okay, maybe Mike Johnson is a competent parliamentarian.]

When Binyamin Netanyahu forms his new right-wing Israeli government, it seems likely that the extreme right leader Itamar Ben-Gvir will become internal security minister. This may have severe consequences for Israel's Arab minority, since Ben-Gvir has spoken in the past of deporting them. (He now denies this is his position). If you are wondering how this could come to pass, these photos are all the explanation you need. Every time the Palestinians do stuff like this, they drive the Israeli electorate to the right, strengthen support for politicians like Ben-Gvir, and make any kind of peace settlement, let alone a Palestinian state, less likely. This has been true (and obvious to most people) for the past 40 years, but the Palestinians and their false friends in the Western left never seem to learn this lesson.

Is this really necessary?

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

When Binyamin Netanyahu forms his new right-wing Israeli government, it seems likely that the extreme right leader Itamar Ben-Gvir will become internal security minister. This may have severe consequences for Israel's Arab minority, since Ben-Gvir has spoken in the past of deporting them. (He now denies this is his position). If you are wondering how this could come to pass, these photos are all the explanation you need. Every time the Palestinians do stuff like this, they drive the Israeli electorate to the right, strengthen support for politicians like Ben-Gvir, and make any kind of peace settlement, let alone a Palestinian state, less likely. This has been true (and obvious to most people) for the past 40 years, but the Palestinians and their false friends in the Western left never seem to learn this lesson.

By that logic, the Rabin assassination should have moved Israel far to the left, but no.

[CumbrianLefty]

Indeed, arguably few assasins have been more successful in their aims than Yigal Amir.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Indeed, arguably few assasins have been more successful in their aims than Yigal Amir.

Him and Tetsuya Yamagami.

[Darthpi – Anti-Florida Activist]

Yeah I ain't reading that s***

[No War, but the War on Christmas]

A Good-Will Government Was Possible in Israel

Whatever your opinions on Naftali Bennett, and I'm well aware he has said and done some pretty HP things in the past, I will give it to him for at least trying to bring together such disparate voices. It's more than I've seen any other "far-right" type people do in other Democracies.

Interesting Op-Ed and while I'm sure the coalition was imperfect in a myriad of ways... It's sad to see at least some progress being exchanged for the corruption, decay and ruthlessness of Netanyahu and far, far worse voices like Ben-Gvir.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Foreign posters:
This is a thread for the tidbits of everyday Israeli politics. Any profound thoughts on the strategic aspects of the conflict can go into one of a dozen other threads where our "panel of experts" weighs in. Please do not clog this thread with random takes about the conflict.

thank you.

Hey. Reminder!!! Stop conflictposting unless it's relevant current news about Israeli politics. Take your debatesTM elsewhere please.

Anyway, Likud and Noam signed a coalition agreement, MK Avi Maoz will be a Deputy Minister and head an "Agency for Jewish and National identity". So there will be an official government agency whose leader's single most important issue is harassing the LGBTQ community, women etc. I will say part of what he's being given is Nativ, the agency aimed at former Soviet Jews, which he has actual experience on from past activism against the iron curtain.

[Hnv1]

Foreign posters:
This is a thread for the tidbits of everyday Israeli politics. Any profound thoughts on the strategic aspects of the conflict can go into one of a dozen other threads where our "panel of experts" weighs in. Please do not clog this thread with random takes about the conflict.

thank you.

Hey. Reminder!!! Stop conflictposting unless it's relevant current news about Israeli politics. Take your debatesTM elsewhere please.

Anyway, Likud and Noam signed a coalition agreement, MK Avi Maoz will be a Deputy Minister and head an "Agency for Jewish and National identity". So there will be an official government agency whose leader's single most important issue is harassing the LGBTQ community, women etc. I will say part of what he's being given is Nativ, the agency aimed at former Soviet Jews, which he has actual experience on from past activism against the iron curtain.

This is actually not bad in the, I believe this is internet lingo, accelerationist way.

Bibi tended to curb the enthusiasm of his religious buddies to sustain his secular base in Likud. Letting the Haredi and Smotric\Noam run amok will create 6-10 mandates of really pissed centre-right voters by the next elections. Especially from former USSR immigrants

[America Needs R'hllor]

Coalition agreements signed so far (chronological order):

1. Likud-Otzma (6 seats): Ben Gvir Minister of National Security (Internal Security with increased authorities) and member of Israel's cabinet. Two more Ministries, Negev and Galilee Development for Itzhak Wasserlauf and Heritage (?) For Amichai Eliyahu, a rabbie with extreme homophobic record who called Merav Michaeli's surrogacy "a baby from Amazon". One Deputy Ministry (Economy). Two Committee chairmanships, Internal Security and the Committee for the Natural Gas Fund. 6 seats, 6 jobs for the Kahanists.
2. Likud-Noam (1 seat): Deputy Ministry in the PM's office for Avi Maoz, and leading the aforementioned new Agency for Jewish and National Identity.

Shas and UTJ are expected soon. UTJ apparently demanded a metro in Bnei Brak which would mean years of delay because of no construction in Shabbat, which at this point is just comical.

[Hnv1]

I'm not usually the alarmist type of guy but I have to say that I give very high probability (>0. to civil unrest breaking in Arab villages and cities within Israel in the coming year. I also give high probability (>0.3) to political violence between Jews erupting soon.

It all feels very shaky atm. If the police will respond violently to the coming protests against the conflict things can kick off like a Leeds away day in the West Midlands (example to make it clear to foreign posters)

[America Needs R'hllor]

A summary of our new government so far:
- Twice-convicted felon Deri is the Home Minister and also the Minister of Health. Israel does not have a full-time health minister
- The Ministries of Education, Transportation and Defense are torn to pieces and ministers will have no authority.
- Smotrich is the Minister of Finance and is also responsible for the Civil Administration in the West Bank and the coordination of the government's actions in the territories (security coordination with the Palestinians), that is, he controls the West Bank instead of the Minister of Defense.
- All issues of religious and ultra-Orthodox education were expropriated from the Ministry of Education and transferred to sectoral politicians, ditto for the issues of transportation for the ultra-Orthodox. Avi Maoz from Noam gets authority over secular education too.
- Current agreement fully funds haredi schools that do not teach math, English or Hebrew (and thus are useless) as much as normal schools, and forces regional authorities to fund them too (regional authorities already said it means their education systems will collapse).

Israel has no government. Only way to describe them is a cartel of gangs that took power and split the loot between them according to personal interests and greed.

[America Needs R'hllor]

Oh and yesterday, incoming Finance Minister Smotrich talked about his economic philosophy: "socialism and capitalism were tried, but no one tried this- if we apply the laws of the Torah, we'll have economic prosperity."

Good luck...

[Hnv1]

Oh and yesterday, incoming Finance Minister Smotrich talked about his economic philosophy: "socialism and capitalism were tried, but no one tried this- if we apply the laws of the Torah, we'll have economic prosperity."

Good luck...

Excellent, we can start with the numerous client I took pro bono over the years who accumulated debt they couldn't pay (primarily to public bodies that failed to inform them) and then had the courts kick them around for years.

The Torah mandates all monetary debts are wiped out every seven years.


ANR I thought we agreed on the Treasury instead of finance. It's bad enough that the Industry and Commerce ministry became the Economy ministry. Now we'll have 4-8 ministries with National\Social in their names...we must keep the translations as uniform as possible!

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Oh and yesterday, incoming Finance Minister Smotrich talked about his economic philosophy: "socialism and capitalism were tried, but no one tried this- if we apply the laws of the Torah, we'll have economic prosperity."

Good luck...

I think socialists can have better prosperity than an economy without interest payments.