Judicial reform’s backstory: Tensions between secular Jews — who are disproportionately represented in the country’s elite — and religious Jews in Israel have existed for decades

Posted on April 11, 2023 by ArchitectGuy

BREITBART
Passover Miracle: Israel’s Judicial Reform Standoff Could End in Grand Compromise on Civil Rights
Joel B. Pollak
April 11, 2023

The internal fight over judicial reform in Israel, which threatened to trigger a civil war a few weeks ago, could soon be resolved in a compromise that enshrines basic civil rights and limits the power of the Supreme Court. Reports, purportedly from sources close to ongoing negotiations between the government and the opposition, suggest that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may get what he wants — checks and balances for the all-powerful courts — in exchange for what the opposition says it wants, which is to see the rights of minorities, women, secularists, and LGBT people formally protected by law against infringement by religious parties. READ MORE

TIMES OF ISRAEL Judicial overhaul negotiation teams hold talks on anchoring fundamental rights in law Coalition and opposition teams say they hope to reach agreement on a comprehensive reform package, instead of the government’s previous piecemeal approach to constitutional revamp

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“This unspeakable atrocity has united Israel in horror. Once again, Israeli Jews have been murdered for nothing other than the fact that they are Jews living in their ancestral homeland”

Posted on April 10, 2023 by ArchitectGuy

MELAINE PHILLIPS BLOG
An Unspeakable Atrocity
April 10, 2023

The heart breaks. The pain currently being felt by Rabbi Leo Dee and his family is unimaginable. On Friday, as the rabbi drove towards Tiberias in northern Israel for a Passover break with his family, the car following him carrying his wife Lucy (Leah) and two of his daughters, Maia and Rina, was ambushed by Palestinian Arab gunmen and crashed into the barrier. The gunmen then approached the car and shot Lucy and her daughters at point blank range with 20 bullets from a Kalashnikov rifle. Maia and Rina were killed on the spot. Lucy was left fighting for her life. Yesterday, Rabbi Dee buried his daughters. “How will I explain to Lucy what has happened to our two precious gifts?” he wept. Today, Lucy died. READ MORE

JNS Family of terror victim Lucy Dee donates her organs to save five lives Dee, 48, succumbed to wounds sustained in a terror attack that also killed her daughters Maia, 20, and Rina, 15.

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When the Israeli police moved to evict the agitators, Israel found itself under attack from a number of countries, as well as many in the Western mainstream media, for “assaulting peaceful worshippers” and sending its troops to “storm” one of Islam’s holiest sites

Posted on April 7, 2023 by ArchitectGuy

GATESTONE
What Is Really Happening at Jerusalem’s Holy Sites?
Bassam Tawil
April 13, 2023

Since the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan on March 22, Israeli authorities have taken a series of measures to enable free access for Muslim worshippers to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, also known as the Temple Mount or Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary), in Jerusalem. The measures include providing free-of-charge shuttle services for the worshippers, as well as sealing off several main streets in Jerusalem to traffic so that the Muslims will be able to enter and exit the city without delay. As a result, tens of thousands of Muslims from Israel and the West Bank were able to attend prayers at the mosque, especially on Fridays, in the first two weeks of Ramadan. That is until a group of extremist Muslims decided to turn the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound into a scene of anarchy and lawlessness… READ MORE

ISRAEL HAYOM Officials fear Hamas to cast Jerusalem tension as victory ahead of crucial date Thousands of police officers to be stationed in and around Jerusalem as tensions are expected to rise ahead of the annual anti-Israel Quds Day, which has traditionally been used by Iran and its proxies to highlight anti-Israel propaganda.

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Nothing good will come of the Biden administration’s desire for renewed diplomatic engagement with Tehran

Posted on April 7, 2023 by ArchitectGuy

NATIONAL REVIEW
Courting a New Iran Deal — and Disaster
Ilan Berman
April 11, 2023

…The second outcome is an Israeli military strike on Iran’s nuclear program. Such a possibility has been on the table for years, but policy-makers in Jerusalem have tended to defer to Washington regarding how best to deal with the Iranian nuclear threat. In recent weeks, however, Iran’s nuclear advances — and its strategic partnership with Russia, which could soon provide it with advanced military technology — have added new urgency to Israel’s calculations. As a result, more and more Israeli policy-makers are becoming convinced that the Jewish state may need to go it alone to prevent Iranian nuclearization. Herzi Halevy, the new chief of staff of the Israeli Defense Forces, said as much several days ago when he told Army Radio that, while “it would be good to have the United States on our side” if Israel does go ahead and strike Iran, “it is not an obligation.” READ MORE

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RFK’s daughter, Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, 1995 – 2003: “A Palestinian terrorist killed my father because he supported Israel”

Posted on April 7, 2023 by ArchitectGuy

JEWISH POLICY CENTER
Robert Kennedy in Palestine, 1948
Lenny Ben-David
Spring 2023

In April 1948, one month before Israel declared independence, Robert Kennedy, then 22 and a recent Harvard graduate, traveled to Palestine to report on the conflict for the Boston Post. His four dispatches from the scene were published in June 1948…Sirhan Sirhan, RFK’s assassin, chose the first anniversary of the Six Day War to kill the Democratic candidate. At his trial and in his diary, the Arab Christian complained about Kennedy’s support for Israel in 1948 and again during the 1968 campaign. Specifically, Sirhan pointed to a May campaign speech in a Portland, Oregon synagogue where RFK urged the US government to provide Israel with advanced F-4 Phantom jets. READ MORE

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Lomborg estimates that if every nation “fulfills every promise” made in the Paris Climate Agreement of 2015, the reduction in temperature rise will be 0.17 degrees Celsius. That would make no difference whatsoever.

Posted on April 7, 2023 by ArchitectGuy

WASHINGTON TIMES
Lessons of the energy crisis
Clifford D. May
April 5, 2023

…In addition to relying on Russia for a strategic resource, she explained, German energy policy for almost a decade has aggressively promoted solar and wind power while disinvesting from hydrocarbons… President Biden has adopted similar policies. His Inflation Reduction Act has had no impact on inflation. Instead, it provides enormous subsidies for “renewables.” The cost to taxpayers, according to a Goldman Sachs estimate, will be a stunning $1.2 trillion over 10 years — funds that will not, obviously, be available for strengthening national security at a time of intensifying threats and challenges. Mr. Biden’s energy policy disregards a basic fact: For industrialized economies to function when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing, there must be what Ms. Shaffer terms a “baseload or a stable source of energy.” Currently, only hydrocarbons or nuclear power can provide that.  READ MORE

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New Chicago mayor has promised to target businesses and the wealthy to pay for his social programming

Posted on April 7, 2023 by ArchitectGuy

WIREPOINTS
What has Chicago done?
Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner
April 5, 2023

…What Chicagoans voted for on April 4 was someone more extreme and exactly opposite of what the city needed. To reduce Chicago’s nation-high homicide rate, Chicago needed a new mayor willing to take on Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s unwillingness to prosecute dangerous criminals. A mayor willing to challenge Judge Tim Evans’ decarcerationist agenda. A mayor willing to jam shut the system’s revolving door for criminals. Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson won’t do any of that. Instead, look for him to embrace the policies of Foxx and Evans. In his own words, he’s for defunding the police and defends looting as “an outbreak of incredible frustration and anguish” tied to “a failed racist system.” Watch for police morale to fall further, for criminals to be emboldened and for crime to continue to spike in Chicago. READ MORE

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Hezbollah had earlier stated support for Palestinians amid unrest at Al-Aqsa Mosque, but is said to deny involvement in assault, which comes as Israelis celebrate Passover

Posted on April 6, 2023 by ArchitectGuy

TIMES OF ISRAEL
34 rockets fired from Lebanon at Israel in worst barrage in years; Hamas blamed
Emanuel Fabian
April 6, 2023

Thirty-four rockets were fired from southern Lebanon on Thursday afternoon, with 25 intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system over northern Israel, the military said. At least three people were injured and several buildings were damaged. In the evening several mortar shells impacted near the northern town of Metula, not causing any injuries or damage. Israel blamed Lebanon-based Hamas forces for the afternoon attacks, with Israeli official sources saying it would not have been carried out without Hezbollah’s consent. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is currently in Lebanon. READ MORE

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The Israeli Air Force on Thursday night also destroyed two tunnels coming out of Gaza,

Posted on April 6, 2023 by ArchitectGuy

JERUSALEM POST
IDF strikes multiple Hamas targets, tunnels in Gaza
April 7, 2023

Israeli fighter jets attacked Hamas targets in Gaza, including an underground weapons production site and three above-ground sites, early on Friday morning according to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.  During this activity, Israeli forces also attacked a Hamas tunnel, the IDF reported. Israeli Defense Forces conducted an attack on the Gaza Strip even earlier on Friday morning, at 4:30 a.m., in response to rocket fire from the region on Wednesday and Thursday. The IDF destroyed a heavy machine gun on Friday morning that was used to shoot at Israeli aircraft overhead as well as Israeli territory…The attack was carried out using a remotely-operated aircraft. READ MORE

TIMES OF ISRAEL IDF strikes Hamas ‘infrastructure targets’ in southern Lebanon Loud explosions heard in southern Lebanese town of Tyre; IDF says Israel will not let Palestinian terror group operate from Lebanon, holds country responsible for rocket attacks

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Washington has a vested interest in justice for the American victims of the blast and in spurring an overhaul of Lebanon’s broken political system

Posted on March 31, 2023 by ArchitectGuy

THE NATIONAL INTEREST
With Eyes on Israel, Biden Ignores Judicial Crisis in Neighboring Lebanon
Natalie Ecanow
April 1, 2023

If President Joe Biden is worried about the implications of judicial reform in the Jewish state, with its long traditions of civil debate and compromise, he should be much more concerned about Lebanon, where a U.S.-designated terrorist organization has already eviscerated the rule of law, Talking to reporters this week, Biden implored Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu to compromise on his proposals for overhauling the Israeli judiciary, lest he plunges his country into enduring chaos. Biden and his top advisers have exerted continual pressure on Netanyahu’s government regarding the judicial overhaul, even though it is a matter of Israeli domestic politics. Meanwhile, enduring chaos has already arrived in next-door Lebanon, where a Hezbollah-aligned government continually subverts the rule of law and the prerogatives of the judiciary. READ MORE

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