Conservative pundit warns Israel’s current situation is ‘untenable,’ calls for judicial reform and compromise on policy.

Israel National News     Mar 28, 2023, 8:09 AM (GMT+3)

Ben Shapiro at CPAC Israel ConferenceCPAC Israel and TLV Intl. Salon

Conservative pundit and Daily Wire cofounder Ben Shapiro responded to Israel’s ongoing judicial overhaul crisis Monday, laying out the case for both reform and compromise in public policy.

In a series of tweets Monday night, the Orthodox Jewish commentator, who has frequently weighed in on Israeli politics, pushed back on the claim of anti-reform activists that the overhaul would gut Israeli democracy, but added that while judicial reform is necessary, the Right must compromise in terms of policy once reform has been achieved.

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T. Belman. This is devastating news for Netanyahu. He can not recover from it. The silver lining is that he has no choice but to plow ahead with judicial reform.

He was abandoned by 22% of his own party. That’s a big surprise. The question is can he prevent 4 Likud Knesset members from bolting the government.

Another big surprise was that 62% felt that Gallant’s dismissal was not justified.

National Unity Party wins 23 seats, Yesh Atid has 22. The Labor Party does not pass the electoral threshold.

Israel National News     Mar 28, 2023, 2:04 AM (GMT+3)

A day after the dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, a Channel 12 News poll published on Monday evening shows a surge for the chairman of the National Unity Party Benny Gantz, who wins 23 seats – at the expense of Likud and the Religious Zionist Party.

Likud wins 25 seats in this poll, Yesh Atid – 22, Religious Zionist Party – 12, Shas – 10, United Torah Judaism – 7, Yisrael Beynteu – 6, Hadash-Ta’al – 5, Meretz – 5, and Ra’am – 5. Overall, the pro-Netanyahu bloc wins 54 seats.

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Shortly before Netanyahu’s speech announcing the pause of the legislation, members of the government vow that the reform will be fully implemented.

By By Hezki Baruch, INN   Mar 28, 2023, 1:06 AM (GMT+3)

Members of Knesset and ministers from the coalition came on Monday evening to the huge right-wing demonstration that was held near the Knesset building, and called to continue the legislation of the judicial reform.

Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir spoke about his meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he discussed the postponement of the legislation, saying, “I really don’t like it, the Prime Minister promised me that in a month, if he fails to reach a compromise, he will go back to the legislation. There is an option of dissolving the government, but I don’t I want to give the left a gift. I’m saying simply, look how many people want reform now.”

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T. Belman. Tobin’s best commentary ever.

A false narrative about Netanyahu’s “judicial coup” may achieve its goal of toppling him. But more than that, the consequences for future governments and U.S.-Israel relations are ominous.

By Jonathan Tobin

(March 27, 2023 / JNS) After months of increasingly strident mass protests against his government’s plans to reform Israel’s out-of-control and highly partisan judicial system, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears to have given in to the pressure. He said he was going to be “delaying judicial reform to give real dialogue a chance.” But it’s highly doubtful that this will merely be a timeout that will help his supporters regroup and enable opponents to calm down and accept a compromise on the issue.
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T. Belman. And then what?

Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir reach agreement to freeze judicial reform bills for now to allow for negotiations on the legislation.

Israel National News     Mar 27, 2023, 6:09 PM (GMT+3)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir have reached an agreement that the judicial reform legislation will be frozen for the time being and brought up again during the Knesset’s summer session to allow for negotiations on the reforms, the Otzma Yehudit party announced Monday evening.

At the same time, the two agreed that as a step to keep the peace in Israeli cities, the establishment of s National Guard under the auspices of the National Security Ministry will be approved at the next cabinet meeting.

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T. Belman. This is as scary as it is true.

By David Israel, JEWISH PRESS   – March 27, 2023

Dr. Doron Matza, a former senior Shin Bet official who lectures at Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies, on Monday wrote in Makor Rishon that the demonstrations on Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv are just a smoke screen for the real coup on the part of the IDF, the police, the state attorney’s office, the universities, and many other components of Israel’s civil society. According to Matza, the consequences of the government’s lack of control as an executive authority over these institutions are long-term.

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Jordan: A whole country going on Silicon Valley Bank
Cash has dried up at several Jordanian banks, and customers’ money has evaporated. Jordan’s kinglet is on a desperate mission to cover this up.
The gambling addicted kinglet has robbed local banks by forcing them to lend his…

— Mudar Adnan Zahran ???????? ????? (@Mudar_Zahran) March 27, 2023

T. Belman. What could possible be gained by postponing for a couple of weeks?

‘Stopping the judicial reform would mean surrendering to violence, anarchy, and refusal within the army,’ warns Religious Zionist Party.

By Hezki Baruch, INN     Mar 27, 2023, 10:32 AM (GMT+3)

The Religious Zionist Party pushed back Monday morning on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to pause the judicial overhaul.

Netanyahu is slated to make a public address Monday morning, during which he is expected to announce a pause in the legislation of the judicial reform plan.

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REGAVIM

One of the core areas of Regavim’s activity since the movement’s founding has been the Israeli judicial system: Over the course of 17 years, we have submitted hundreds of petitions and published dozens of reports that illustrate the imbalance in our judicial system.

Our materials and analysis continue to play an important role in illustrating and explaining the need for reform – to the general public and its representatives in the Knesset and government. We congratulate Minister of Justice Yariv Levin and Chairman of the Knesset’s Constitution Committee Simcha Rothman for promoting the reform, and support their strong stance in the face of the hate-filled campaign that is threatening to thrust Israel into anarchy. Dive deeper here >>>

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Head of Noam party decries decision to halt legal reform: ‘There’s no longer any point in going out to vote.’

By Hezki Baruch, INN     Mar 27, 2023, 2:04 PM (GMT+3)

MK Avi Maoz, head of the Noam party, has expressed his staunch opposition to any plan to halt the judicial reform program. In a Knesset speech on Monday morning, he described how backing down would hand victory to the elites and turn voting into an utterly futile exercise.

“What we are about to see here is the completion of the coup d’etat whose aim is to turn democratic rule in the State of Israel, based on government by elected officials, into a dictatorship of the elites, which in a cynical use of words designed to mislead and conceal calls what it is doing ‘fundamentally democratic,'”

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Thousands of party branch heads, activists sign letter to Likud MKs insisting reforms go ahead.

By Hezki Baruch, INN      27.3.23

 Over 70 heads of Likud party branches and organizations have published their call to the ministers and Knesset members of their party, demanding that the government’s judicial reform program not be halted and that everything necessary be done to ensure that the Knesset passes the legislation included within it. 350 members of the Likud party’s Central Committee also signed the letter, along with around 2,000 party activists.

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After stormy Coalition meeting, PM delays address, committee approves key reform law

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir shouts at Netanyahu during raucous meeting, pushing back against plan to freeze judicial overhaul

Netanyahu pushes to pause judicial reform for several weeks

Otzma Yehudit threatens to bolt government if judicial reform frozen, as PM calls second meeting of Coalition leaders.

Religious Zionist Party blasts Netanyahu’s plan to freeze judicial reform

‘Stopping the judicial reform would mean surrendering to violence, anarchy, and refusal within the army,’ warns Religious Zionist Party.

by Bassam Tawil, GATESTONE    •  March 27, 2023 at 5:00 am

• Inviting Hamas and PIJ officials to participate in such events shows that the real aim of the so-called pro-Palestinian groups is not to help the Palestinians, but to incite and spread hate and libels against the only democracy in the Middle East: Israel.
• [I]t sends a message to the Palestinians that the students and professors at the universities around the world support terrorism as a means to kill Jews and destroy Israel.
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Ben Gurion departures halted as Histadrut declares ‘historic’ strike over overhaul    TOI

When protesters throw around the word dictatorship    Dror Eydar

What the war against judicial reform is really about | Caroline Glick Show

Israel’s post-democracy moment    Melanie Phillips

INTO THE FRAY: Obviating elections    Martin Sherman

The Judicial Reform Debate. Ted Belman

Is the US leading a colour revolution against Israel  David Mark

Following overnight consultation: Netanyahu to deliver speech to the nation INN

Universities announce: Classes suspended indefinitely   INN

After five hours: Police evacuate protesters from Ayalon Highway   INN

Firing his defense minister, Netanyahu raises public anger at his rule to new heights  By Horovitz, TOI

Shaked tweeted: “Netanyahu stop! Even a justified reform does not justify the dismantling of Israeli society, security and the economy. Your first responsibility at the top – preventing the destruction of the house. Stop now!”

T. Belman. Sachs argues that the war didn’t start a year ago as the West suggests. It started shortly after the disintegration of the Warsaw Pact. He cites the promises made to curtail NATO, the growth of NATO, the attempted CIA coup in Belarus, the Maidan Coup, the build up of the Ukrainian army thereafter, the bombing of Donetsk and the sham of the Minsk Agreements.

In his suggested Peace Agreement, he doesn’t allow for Russia to keep the four provinces. The most he will give them is a long term lease of Crimea. I think he is wrong in this.

Agree with him or not, his toughness deserves to be admired. Op-ed.

By Jack Engelhard, INN

You have to wonder if Benjamin Netanyahu ever watched the revered classic movie, “High Noon.” If so, how many times? If not, why not? It suits him perfectly.

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History » Ask HON »

With its national identity linked to communism for nearly a century, and its weak foundations of democracy in the 21st century, many will inevitably wonder: Is Russia communist?

The answer is no, Russia can no longer be seen as a communist country. The communist Soviet Union ended on December 26, 1991. Communist ideologies have, however not totally come to an end in the new, capitalist Russia.

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