Israel Is Not A Democracy, Nor Should It Be

כ' לחודש השנים עשר ב' תשע"ו

Israel's Democratic Collapse
Netanyahu must act immediately to pass legislation to curb the court’s authority and restore the powers of the public’s elected representatives. 

Caroline Glick via Truth Revolt, 3.28.2016 

Israeli democracy is in critical condition. 

Sunday, the High Court of Justice ruled that the government’s natural gas policy is unlawful. The policy, which was negotiated with foreign energy companies, was to be the basis for developing the massive offshore Leviathan gas field. It was supposed to anchor future gas prices, ensure gas revenues for the government and energy security for the country in the coming decades. On the basis of this policy outline, the government negotiated deals to supply natural gas to Egypt, Turkey and Jordan.

Given the enormous cost of developing offshore gas fields, the policy, which was determined in close consultations with legal experts and regulators, determined a base price for natural gas that would be frozen for 10 years. The point of the price freeze was to encourage investors to take the financial risk of exploring and developing Israeli fields. The price freeze guaranteed them a minimal profit on their investment. 

In a healthy democracy, the court would never have agreed to adjudicate the populist petition against the government’s gas policy submitted by a consortium of radical NGOs.
Under normal rules of standing that apply in every other mature democracy in the world, the petitioners would have had no right to submit their petition. 

In states not controlled by a legal junta, as the people’s elected representative it is the government’s sole prerogative to determine the state’s energy policy and to sign deals with foreign governments and investors. 

But in Israel, the court gives standing to whoever it wants. Given the radical pedigree of our justices – who have engineered a process where they appoint themselves – it was not surprising that the court permitted a group of unelected radicals to petition to destroy Israel’s energy sector, and to cause the loss of hundreds of billions of shekels in future revenue to Israeli society. (cont.)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
As usual, Carolick Glick makes some good points, and rightly calls the State of Israel on its hypocrisy. In the words of the Sun Lion, "Israel is a deMOCKracy."

However, I still do not understand how Jews can possibly believe that "Jewish" and "democratic" are 100% compatible. I do not know about Glick, but I certainly pray for the return of a proper "Jewish" government, one with a King, Sanhedrin, and Beth HaMiqdash (Temple), one which is certainly not a democracy, at least for the most part.

The Sanhedrin did not "vote" per se, and were certainly not "voting" according to their own wishes, but rather, came to a consensus regarding what they believed was the Will of the Holy One, Blessed Be He.

In a democracy, the people may be guided by what they believe to be for the best for their respective societies. Nevertheless, it is about the will of the people, not the determination of what is the Will of HaShem, in other words, the halakhah (Torah Law).

Sure, they also set minhaggim, taqanoth, and gezeroth, as they found to be necessary. However, not everyone was, qualified to sit on the Sanhedrin. As politically incorrect as it may be, women, non-Jews, and even most Jews were not eligible to sit on the Sanhedrin, nor would they be in the future.

Glick concludes with...

If he [PM Netanyahu] fails to act, he will go down in history as a full accomplice in the legal fraternity’s destruction of freedom in the Jewish state.

Freedom? The last time I checked, there are many cases in which Jews' freedom is restricted: What we can eat, what we can do on Shabboth, what we can say about other people, and even who is allowed to reside in the Jewish homeland.

No. A proper, Jewish government may have elements of democracy, such as in local community planning and organization, or authoring of messages, comments, concerns, petitions, and suggestions to the King or local Beth HaDin (court). But, it is by no means identical to the current manifestation of a democracy.

Unfortunately, the State finds those of us who pray for such ends to be a greater threat to its existence that Arab terrorists.

And you wonder why Jews are put into administrative detention for writing articles the State does not like and IDF soldiers are jailed for refusing orders which violate the Torah.

The European Union Still Doesn't Get It,...or Do They?

פורים תשע״ו

Video: Belgium Underfunded Security Prior to Attacks
March 23, 2016

Alastair MacDonald, Reuters Brussels bureau chief:
(1:40) It [Belgium] has a large concentration of former fighters in Syria, back in the country, as far as people can tell. So, you've got a large concentration of radicalized, Islamic State sympathizers.

(2:02) ...and you have a weapons traffic, here in Brussels that goes back decades, that is now underground, but has been difficult to stop.

Narrator:
(2:09) Belgian authorities have also been accused of neglecting the Muslim communities, failing to help them find jobs, something that could help them steer them away from radicalization.

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
Can you believe the statement of the narrator above?

I am at a loss for words, at the persistent blindness of liberal, Western Europe. The attitude toward Muslims infiltrating their continent, presented above, is truly unbelievable.

 by Lisa Benson

Could it be that the European Union [EU] knows very well what it is doing, by allowing these non-refugees to pour into Europe? Threats of terrorism keep the masses believing that they need their governments to protect them. Even though it is their governments, which continue to allow the immigration of threats to their citizens continue to flow.

Dzsihádfigyelő
Jihad Watch: The Real Face of Islam

The political cartoons, I have posted here, do a better job than text alone, in describing what is taking place in Europe.

But, the question remains: Is the EU really that naive, or this all being orchestrated, as part of of its program of maintaining control over the populace? 

Reform Jews are Not Really Interested in Mikvehs

ו' לחודש השנים עשר ב׳ תשע״ו

The English follows the Hebrew.

YNET: טובלים ושרץ בידםאם יעבור "חוק המקוואות", מדובר בעניין של זמן עד שיוקמו מקוואות פרטיים שיאפשרו לטובלת לבחור את הדרך בה ברצונה לממש מצווה דתית זו, ומקוואות 'רשמיים' שבהם הרבנות הראשית לישראל תסדיר את הטבילה, יתרוקנו

ד"ר שוקי פרידמן, 15.03.16

הממשלה החליטה להעביר השבוע את "חוק המקוואות" אותו יזמה סיעת יהדות התורה כתגובה להחלטת בג"ץ שהורה לפתוח את שירותי המקוואות הציבוריים לכלל הזרמים ביהדות.

זהו חוק רע. הוא רע כי תכליתו המוצהרת היא לעקוף את פסיקת בג"ץ ובכך הוא מכרסם תחת סמכותו ויוצר עוד עימות מיותר בין הכנסת לבין בית המשפט העליון בנושא הנפיץ של יחסי דת ומדינה.

אבל הוא רע בעיקר כי הוא נותן לרבנות הראשית לישראל שליטה מוחלטת בנעשה במקוואות, והיא כדרכה בשנים האחרונות, תממש אחריות זו על פי המדיניות ההלכתית המחמירה ביותר.

הטבילה במקוואות היא חלק משגרת חייהן של נשים שומרות מצוות רבות. הן מממשות מצווה דתית זאת באחד ממאות המקוואות הפזורים ברחבי הארץ. על עצם הטבילה במקווה יש קונצנזוס הלכתי, אבל ההכנות לטבילה ואופן הטבילה משתנים מאשה לאשה על פי המנהג והתפיסה ההלכתית המנחה אותה. מתן מונופול לרבנות הראשית לקבוע באופן פרטיקולרי את כללי הטבילה במקוואות היא טעות....

עשר אגורות (2¢):

כמה פעמים אני צריך להצהיר כבר ש״רפורמיות״ היא לא יהדות בכלל. אלא ״רפורמיות״ היא מין הכפירה כאיסלאם ונוצריות. (נראה לי שאני צריך להזכיר את זה הרבה.)

וכמה מה״רפורמים״ יהודים [על פי הלכה] היום בכל מקרה?

ה״רפורמים״ לא מעוניינים בשמירת הלכה לפי קולות, במקוה או במקומות אחרים. הם לא מעוניינים לשמור על הלכה בכלל, אלא מעוניינים לנהוג לפי רצונותם. דרישת הרצון של הקדוש ברוך הוא לא מופיעה ברשימת המטרות שלהם.

התגובה להצעת החוק כזה של ד״ר שוקי פרידמן פשוט מוסיפה לרשימת התוכחות שהמדינה יכולה להיות יהודית או דמוקרטית, אבל לא גם וגם. 

Arutz 7 News Brief: Israel Democracy Institute: Everyone should be afraid of Mikveh Law

03/13/16

Dr. Shuki Friedman, the director of the Israel Democracy Institute's Religion, Nation and State, has commented on the Ministerial Committee for Legislation's decision to send the "Mikveh Bill" to its preliminary reading.

"This is a law whose stated purpose is to circumvent the Supreme Court ruling allowing those who belong to non-Orthodox denominations to use mikvehs around the country. More than that, the law gives the Chief Rabbinate complete control over mikvehs. The Rabbinate, as it has regularly done for years, will use this authority according to the strictest interpretation of halacha," claims Dr. Friedman.

He adds that "The law should not only scare Reform Jews but any who use mikvehs: men, but mostly women, could find themselves dealing with different and strange halachic requirements that do not match with what they accept."

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
How many times do I have to say that Reformism is not Judaism. (Apparently quite a few) It is a type of kefirah (denial), just like Islam and Christianity. And how many of them are Jewish these days anyway?

The "Reformismists" are not interested in keeping hakakhah (Torah Law) according to leniencies, in the miqwah or elsewhere. They are not interested in keeping halakhah

Dr. Shuki Friedman's response this proposed "Mikveh Law" is just more proof that the State can either be Jewish or democratic, but not both.

Arabs are Saving Israel from Destruction!

ה' לחודש השנים עשר ב׳ תשע״ו

No. Not really. Here's what I mean...

Arutz 7 Report: Abbas rejected new peace plan
US Vice President Joe Biden reportedly offered division of Jerusalem, total 'settlement freeze' in exchange for very little; Abbas refused. 

Arutz Sheva Staff, 3/10/2016 

Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas reportedly rejected a new peace plan outlined by visiting US Vice President Joe Biden yesterday, according to Arab media reports. 

Abbas and Biden met in the PA leader's Muqata headquarters in Ramallah on Wednesday, following Biden's meeting with Israel Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

According to the Palestinian Al-Quds newspaper, the US Vice President used the opportunity to present Abbas with a fresh initiative, which would have included dividing Jerusalem and a total freeze on Israeli "settlement building" in Judea, Samaria and Jerusalem.

In return the PA would be expected to recognize Israel as the Jewish state, and give up its demand for a "right of return" for the descendants of Arabs who left the country during the Israeli War of Independence in 1948. 

Abbas, not for the first, promptly rejected the generous offer. 

The the meeting came after Biden leveled strong implicit criticism at the Palestinian Authority and its leadership for failing to condemn the ceaseless wave of deadly terrorist attacks against Israelis.

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
In 1998, Prime Minister Ehud Baraq offered the Arabs 93 percent of Yehudah, Shomron, and Azza (Judea, Samaria, and Gaza). Yassar Arafat ysh"w rejected it, because the offer did not include Jerusalem.

Joe Biden

Well, the same thing just happened, when Abbas rejected Crazy Uncle Joe Biden's offer to facilitate the handover of steal a significant portion of the Jewish Homeland, and give it to them. But this time around, the offer included the piece of Jerusalem Arafat demanded.

The offer bribe has become more attractive. So, the lesson we should learn here is that terrorism gets rewarded. Of course, the Americans are simply still trying to hammer an Arab square peg into a Western, round slot. They never seem to learn,...unless, of course, this is all for show, and the U. S. is actually playing an active part in the chopping up of Eretz Yisra'el (Land of Israel).

Most American Jews think this is nuts. But, I suggest that you stay tuned anyway.

But, I digress....

Fatah Emblem
Notice the map?

On the surface, it would appear that, once again, Arabs have saved us from ourselves and from our so-called "allies."

What I believe has actually been happening, is that HaShem as been using them as tools, to exercise His Will. It would not be the first time that He has used goyim in this way.

It seems that He has been allowing us to make our own mistakes, hopefully to learn from them, and to do teshuvah (repentance). But, apparently there is a limit to what He is wiling to tolerate. Of course, I am only theorizing here, as there is certainly a limit as to what we to know to be His Will at any given moment in time.

No one should be surprised that Abbas refused the latest land deal. Arafat was willing to settle temporarily for something instead of nothing, then fight for the rest another day. Abbas is not.

Do Jews Really Want to Destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque?

ערב שבת קודש פר׳ פקודי
ראש החודש השנים עשר ב׳ תשע״ו

YNET: Netanyahu mentions Mufti al-Husseini in speech
The Prime Minister spoke at an event marking the 100th birthday of late PM Yitzhak Shamir. He compared today's Palestinian terrorism to that of the 1920s, saying, "The Mufti claimed the Jews were going to destroy al-Aqsa."

Itamar Eichner: 02.29.16

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu mentioned the Mufti Amin al-Husseini Sunday night at a speech in Jerusalem, comparing Arab incitement of the 1920s to the incitement of the current terror wave.

During his speech at the Menachem Begin Heritage Center marking what would have been late former Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir's 100th birthday, Netanyahu said that the "terrorism in the '20s, when my grandfather came to Israel, was also fed by the claim of Mufti Hajj Amin al-Husseini that the Jews were going to destroy the al-Aqsa mosque and build the third temple in its stead. Sound familiar to you?"

Last October, Netanyahu instigated controversy when he said, in a speech at the World Zionist Congress, that the Mufti inspired the Nazi final solution during a meeting with Adolf Hitler. According to that speech, Hitler intended on expelling the Jews from Europe rather than exterminating them, but his mind was changed, at least in part, by al-Husseini. After his words were widely condemned, the PM recanted.

This time, Netanyahu said, "the incitement is ongoing, and terror waves come and go, and the attempts to explain it with the despair and frustration of Palestinians are incorrect. That statement absolves them of responsibility for their actions, for their terror that has been accompanying us for almost 100 years, before the establishment of the state and before there were territories and settlements, when there was a diplomatic process and when there wasn’t. (cont.)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
The Prime Minister was wrong to recant his statement about the Mufti's incitement and role in the Holocaust.

Grand Mufti Al-Husseini with Hitler ysh"w
May their names and memories be blotted out!

He was also way off when he said that "their [Arab] terror that has been accompanying us for almost 100 years." Just read the Tana"kh (The Bible) and Jewish accounts of history following it, and you will see that ever since the birth of the Arabs' forefather Yishma'el, who is described as פרא אדם, a "wild man" (Gen. ), the People of Israel have suffered at their hands.

The Prime Minister was right about how "...the incitement is ongoing, and terror waves come and go...."

It is all part of the same cycle...

(Click on the image to enlarge it.)

...which is why it is so frustrating that the Prime Minister, just like all of his predecessors, refuses to do all that is necessary to achieve a permanent end to Arab terror from within Israel,...ALL of Israel.

Now regarding the Jews' desire to destroy the mosques, aren't religious Jews supposed to believe that the Beth HaMiqdash (the Temple) will be re-built? Don't we pray three times a day for the coming of the Mashi'ah, who will rebuild the Beth HaMiqdash, if we fail to do so before his arrival?

Well, the answer to this question can be found in a humorous story I once heard...

Rabbi Meir Kahane hy"d (left) was asked this very question regarding the mosques on Har HaBayith, and the rebuilding of the Beth HaMiqdash. Rabbi Kahane's response to this was not to bother to destroy the mosques, and just build the Beth HaMiqdash in between them. Why? Because if the mosques were destroyed (somehow), then the State would just end up building the Arabs bigger and better ones.

And there you have it, the perfect summary of both the State of Israel, and the state of Israel, more worried about how the non-Jewish, "international community" sees us, than how we see ourselves, let alone how The Almighty, sees us.

We are afraid, afraid of the State, afraid of the goyim. Even though we are only supposed to fear The Almighty,...The Holy One, Blessed Be He.

Israel Continues on the Path to Divide Jerusalem

כ"ט לחודש השנים עשר תשע"ו

My friend the Kalashnikover Rebbe had this to say about U. S. Vice-President Joe Biden's visit to Israel...

Posted by Kalashnikover Rebbe on Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
The Kalashnikover Rebbe's questions are rhetorical, of course. They must be, because the answers are so obvious, at least to anyone in Israel, who has been paying attention. Nevertheless, I will address his questions point by point.

Joe Biden

Can someone 'splain me what Joe Biden was doing meeting Shimon Peres, at the Peres Center for Peace on an OFFICIAL Diplomatic visit?

1. Because Peres is the true overload of Israel, and Biden knows it.

Shimon Peres

Peres is not a member of the Israeli government, and the Peres Center is a supposedly non political NGO that is not in line with the ideology or positions of the Israeli government. What business does a US official have there?

2. None, but see the answer to Question #1.

How is such chutzpa tolerated? 

3. Because the Israeli public has been successfully brainwashed, and is the quintessential example of learned helplessness.

How long will people like Shimon Peres continue to UNDERMINE the elected government of Israel to promote their nefarious agendas?

4. Probably until 120, but hopefully not for that long. (מי שמבין יבין)

Why does the Israeli government tolerate this?

5. See answers to Questions #1 and #3. We vote for them.

The Oslo Death accords were the result of ILLEGAL treasonous meetings with the PLO behind the back of the Israeli Government. Now they just go and do it out in the open???

6. Yes. Because we're numbed out, and we let them.

Meanwhile, talk about dividing Jerusalem as a "solution" to Arab terrorism steadily increases, the three terrorist attacks upon Vice-President Biden's arrival even being used to support this cockamamie idea.

Arieh King

Jerusalem City Councilman Arie King has been warning us of the Israeli Government's plans for years. But, this has only fallen on deaf ears.

It is the same collective denial we saw in 2005/תשס"ה when residents of Azza (Gaza/Gush Qatif) refused to believe that the government would ever expel almost 10,000 Jews from their homes.

And look what happened there.

Abe Foxman vs. Donald Trump: It's A No Brainer

כ"ח לחודש השנים עשר תשע"ו

Times Of Israel: Ex-ADL chief: Trump’s ‘raise your hand’ gambit was deliberate, Nazi-style ‘fascist gesture’
Abe Foxman calls episode ‘about as offensive, obnoxious and disgusting as anything I thought I would ever witness in the United States of America’; says Republican candidate knew exactly what he was doing

Eric Cortellessa, March 7, 2016

WASHINGTON — Former Anti-Defamation League director Abe Foxman excoriated Donald Trump for urging his supporters at a weekend rally to raise their right hands and promise to support him, a gambit Foxman said evoked echoes of Hitler salutes from Nazi rallies in the 1930s and ’40s.

“Let’s do a pledge. Who likes me in this room?” the Republican presidential candidate asked a large crowd Saturday in Orlando, Florida. “Raise your right hand: ‘I do solemnly swear that I — no matter how I feel, no matter what the conditions, if there’s hurricanes or whatever — will vote, on or before the 12th for Donald J. Trump for president.'” (Trump misstated the date of the Florida primary, which will be held on March 15.)

As the audience enthusiastically complied with his request, the candidate told them: “Don’t forget you all raised your hands. You swore. Bad things happen if you don’t live up to what you just did.”

For Foxman, who was born in Poland in 1940 and was saved from the Nazis by his Catholic nanny, watching Trump whip up his supporters in this fashion was extremely disturbing.

“As a Jew who survived the Holocaust, to see an audience of thousands of people raising their hands in what looks like the ‘Heil Hitler’ salute is about as offensive, obnoxious and disgusting as anything I thought I would ever witness in the United States of America,” he told The Times of Israel.

“We’ve seen this sort of thing at rallies of neo-Nazis. We’ve seen it at rallies of white supremacists. But to see it at a rally for a legitimate candidate for the presidency of the United States is outrageous.” (cont.)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):

Abe Foxman

Abe Foxman must be delusional. The gesture pictured above does not appear to be any different than that of the hand raising done everyday in court, when a witness is being sworn to provide truthful testimony, thus Donald Trump's chose of words, "I do solemnly swear..."

In another photo, some of those attending the rally did have their hands stretched out a little in front of them, but so what?


And now, invoking the Holocaust, to push a personal, political agenda?

Whatever you think of Donald Trump, Foxman is the one who is wrong here.

My eyes hurt from rolling them so much every time Foxman rears his ugly head. Why can't he just go away already?! He is the one who is offensive, and he most certainly does not represent me.

מי גרם את פיגוע האיבה הזה?/Who is Really to Blame for the Latest Terror Attack?

כ״ג לחודש השנים עשר תשע״ו

English follows the Hebrew.

YNET: יצא למילואים ונתקל במחבלים בפתח ביתו: "לא רציתי שיחזור מקרה משפחת פוגל"
רועי הראל עמד לצאת מביתו בהתנחלות עלי בדרך למילואים וכשפתח את הדלת ראה שני מחבלים מחוץ לביתו עם אלות: "הצלחתי להדוף אותם ולנעול את הבית כשאשתי וחמשת ילדיי בפנים". המחבלים נמלטו לאחר שפצעו את הראל קל וחוסלו זמן קצר לאחר מכן

אלישע בן קימון, יעל פרידסון ואליאור לויעדכון אחרון: 02.03.16

חשד לפיגוע דקירה: שני מחבלים חדרו הלילה (יום ד') להתנחלות עלי בשומרון. הם המתינו מחוץ לבית של תושב המקום, רועי הראל, עם אלות, וכשפתח את הדלת תקפו אותו ונמלטו. מאוחר יותר הם חוסלו וסמוך לזירה נמצאו גם סכין ואקדח מאולתר. המחבלים הם שני נערים בני 17 מהכפר קריות שליד שכם. מדובר בצמד המחבלים ה-12 שיוצא לפיגוע מאז תחילת ההסלמה...

עשר אגורות (2¢):
בטח שאני מתפלל לרפואה שלימה של רועי הראל.

אבל, אני באמת צריך להגיד לכם שהישוב עלי הביא את זה על עצמו?

כן, נראה לי שאני כן צריך. ואז...

הישוב עלי הביא את זה על עצמו.

בשנת 2008, שנה של שפיכות דמים ע״י הערבים דומה לשנה הנוכחית, האתר ״עברית עבודה״ דיווח עובדים ערבים נכנסים לעלי. זאת לא היתה הפעם הראשונה, ולא הפעם האחרונה.

ממש מבהיל אותי שיהודים, ודוקא יהודים שמגוררים ביהודה ושומרון, מתעקשים להאמין ש"הערבים שלנו הם שונים מהערבים ההם." הם גם מסרבים להאמין שהערבים "שלהם" מוכנים לעשות סיור פשוט ולשרטט מפת הישוב למסור טרוריסט שמאיימים אותם. היית מאמין שרק כמה הישובים ביהודה ושומרון מקפיד על מניעת כניסה לערבים?

כמה יהודים נוספים להפצע ולההרג עד שהם יקבלו את העובדה שעבודה ערבית גורמת טרור ערבי?

בוא נקווה ונתפלל שלא יקח הרבה זמן.

YNET: Reserve soldier attacked outside home
Roi Harel stepped outside his home in the West Bank settlement of Eli on his way to reserve duty, when he saw two terrorists outside his home, carrying clubs. They managed to lightly wound Harel, who fought back and then locked himself and his family inside their home. The attackers were found and killed a short while later by IDF soldiers.

Elisha Ben Kimon, 03.02.16

Two terrorists infiltrated the settlement of Eli in the West Bank early Wednesday morning, and attacked a local resident at his doorstep with clubs. They ran away but were killed by security forces soon after. (cont.)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
Certainly, I pray that Roi Harel will have a complete and speedy recovering from his attack.

But, do I really have to tell you that the town of Eli brought this upon itself?

Yes, I suppose I do.

The town of Eli brought this upon itself.

In 2008, a particular bloody year, the Avodah Ivrit (Jewish Labor) website reported on Arab workers entering Eli. This was not the first sighting, nor by far the last.

It astounds me just how stuck Jews are in this "our Arabs are different," even Jews living in Yehudah and Shomron (Judea and Samaria). They also refuse to believe that "their" Arabs would ever do even simple reconnaissance and draw a map, for a terrorist. Would you believe that only a handful of towns in Yehudah and Shomron are strict about refusing entrance to Arabs?

How many more Jews have to be wounded and killed for them to get it through their thick skulls that Arab labor equals Arab terror?

Hopefully, not too many more.