A7News: 'Picking Prime Minister can't be left to the president'

Arutz Sheva Daily Israel Report
http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday



Wednesday, Oct. 24 '18, ט"ו בחשון תשע"ט



In the wake of some unfortunate news in Bet El Institutions, please assist today:
https://betelinstitutions.com/savealife/



HEADLINES:
1. 'PICKING PRIME MINISTER CAN'T BE LEFT TO THE PRESIDENT'
2. TERRORIST NABBED EN ROUTE TO JERUSALEM
3. HARRY POTTER MOVE OVER!
4. RABBANIT TRAVELED TO ARGENTINA, WAS SHOCKED BY WHAT SHE FOUND
5. 'I WANT ISRAEL TO BE THE HOME OF EVERY JEW'
6. IDF REVEALS ANOTHER HEZBOLLAH POSITION UNDER AGRI ORG AUSPICES
7. 'WE WILL NOT ACCEPT THE JORDANIAN DECLARATION'
8. REPORT: BODY PARTS OF SLAIN SAUDI JOURNALIST FOUND


1. 'PICKING PRIME MINISTER CAN'T BE LEFT TO THE PRESIDENT'
by Hezki Baruch

Knesset Member Amir Ohana (Likud) said Wednesday he understands the fear in the Prime Minister's coterie that President Reuven Rivlin will refuse to tap Netanyahu to form the next government with the possibility of an indictment hanging over the premier.

"I don't know if there's truth in reports that the Prime Minister wants to postpone elections out of fear the President will place the task of forming the government on someone else; that sounds unreal and absurd," says Ohana, but stresses "the procedure by which the President imposes formation of the government on those who, in his opinion, have the best chance, leaves too much room for discretion and may lead to absurd situations."

Ohana supports the proposal of coalition chairman Dudi Amsalem (Likud) to change the law so the task of forming the government will be assigned to the head of the largest party. "We mustn't leave room for ambiguity and uncertainty and to foist the State's fate on the President. The President performs an emblematic and not an executive role; it's not his job to decide fate."

Is it because of the murky relations between Netanyahu and Rivlin that the law should be changed?

"This week we interviewed the President and the Prime Minister together and I won't say there's any great love there, but I think relations between them are normal. If the President imposes someone other than the one heading the largest party, it's absurd and the public won't accept it."

How do you respond to the Supreme Court Chief Justice who said there are Knesset Members who incite against judges?

"It's a well-known tactic of the legal system and the legal advisors to preserve the unlimited, vast, and concentrated power that they've accumulated and paint those who try to balance and bring more democracy and the voice of the people and mark them as an enemy of the rule of law. We'll restore democracy and the balance between the authorities that don't exist today."

[video:2048696]


2. TERRORIST NABBED EN ROUTE TO JERUSALEM
by Arutz Sheva Staff

Israeli police arrested a suspected terrorist en route to Jerusalem Wednesday morning, amid suspicions he was planning an imminent attack in the capital.

Police apprehended the suspect on Highway 1, the main transportation artery linking Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

The suspect has been identified as a resident of eastern Jerusalem in his 20s.

Authorities say the suspect had in his possession a suspicious package at the time of his arrest. A police bomb squad has been called to assess whether the package poses any threats.

Police closed traffic on east-bound Highway 1 from Shoresh junction due to the arrest and concerns regarding the suspicious package.


3. HARRY POTTER MOVE OVER!
by Mordechai Sones

Popular author, filmmaker, and blogger, Tzvi Fishman, has come out with two new sequels to his novel, Tevye in the Promised Land. Already available at Amazon Books, the new novels will reach bookstores in Israel in another two weeks. Busy at work on the fourth volume of the series, Tzvi took time to speak to Arutz Sheva.

Before we talk about the new books in the "Tevye in the Promised Land" series, tell us what made you write the original novel?

I saw the movie Fiddler on the Roof when I was twenty. At the time, I was a completely assimilated American Jew. Because of my almost non-existent familiarity with Judaism, the movie blew me away. It was the first time I saw something Jewish on the Big Screen. Like everyone else, I fell in love with the character of Tevye. When I came on Aliyah, I felt bad that he was still stuck in the Diaspora, so I wrote the novel, Tevye in the Promised Land, which brings him and his daughters to the Eretz Yisrael, where they become pioneer builders of the Land.

If I remember correctly, it wasn't your first novel. Share with us a little about you writing background.

You could say that my writing career started in high school. I attended a very prestigious New England boarding school called Philips Andover Academy. It was a very competitive, success-oriented institution. One of the few Jews at the school, I found myself totally out of place. I sought refuge in the photography darkroom and in writing short stories. Among a class of 200 graduates, 70 were accepted by Harvard and another 50 by Yale. I decided to spend my four years of college in the dark, watching movies at the New York University Film School. In addition to learning how to make movies, I started to write a novel. Dell Publishers bought the book, a family saga about a Jewish family that turns a Caribbean island into a booming tourist haven. Then I wrote a screenplay that became a successful movie with some of America's leading stars.

What's the name of the film?

Law and Disorder, which starred Carroll O'Conner of Archie Bunker fame. I moved to Hollywood and sold another three scripts before Hashem came into my life in a miraculous fashion and lifted me out of my fantasy world. He opened my eyes to understand that there was a dream far more meaningful than madly chasing after the American Dream of Fame and Success – the age-old Jewish Dream of Returning to Zion. You can read all the details in my bio on Amazon Books.

I moved back to New York City in the early stages of my t'shuva and taught screenwriter for a few years at the New York University School of the Arts. A song of "The Doors" became my mantra as I struggled to escape the web of my American identity: Break on through, break on through, break on through to the other side! For me it meant breaking on through to the Promised Land. "Break on Through" became the name of my radio show when Arutz Sheva - Israel National News first started to broadcast from the "Eretz HaTzvi" ship at sea.

Fishman in Hollywood
Tzvi Fishman
After finishing the manuscript for Tevye in the Promised Land, you published the novel in Israel. Why not with Dell Publishers in New York?

I tried. I sent the manuscript to my literary agent, and he sent it out to a list of publishers. They all had the same response – "Too Jewish." Imagine a book editor calling a James Clavell novel about Japan, "Too Japanese." What they meant was that the world is ready to love a Jew like Tevye when he is getting hit over the head by Cossacks, and when he shrugs in impotent resignation when his daughter intermarries. But in the liberal world of New York publishing, the time hasn't come for a Tevye who fights back. As a producer once said to me in Hollywood, "I'll never make a movie where the hero is a Jew."

In your two new novels, "Arise and Shine!" and "The Lion's Roar," Tevye becomes a leader of the underground rebellion against British forces in Palestine. Not every reader is going to like the change from beloved milkman to passionate freedom fighter.

In building a new life in the Promised Land, Tevye is forced to undergo a profound personal transformation, just like the Jewish Nation itself underwent a miraculous transformation from being an oppressed and lowly People in alien Gentile lands to becoming a powerful independent Nation in its own eternal Homeland.

In your preface to "Arise and Shine!" you call the blend of history and fiction, "Histortion" and "Fictory." Did you invent this literary mix?

Not at all. There a dozens of historical novels. Homer employed the technique. So did Shakespeare, and Tolstoy in "War and Peace." In modern times, several of the novels of Herman Wouk and Leon Uris are based on modern history. The movie, "Forrest Gump" is another example of the style.

Why did you decide to write a series of novels, and not end with Tevye's heroic exploits in the Hebrew Brigade at the end of the first novel? I understand you plan to write another two volumes, bringing the Zionist adventure up till the War of Independence.

Bezrat Hashem. I decided to write the sequels because Zionist history continues. In addition, hundreds of people asked me when I was going to publish a sequel. It took me twenty years to get around to resuming the saga, but I am glad that I did. Raising seven children in Israel, I discovered that the story of Modern Zionism and the establishment of the State of Israel had been taught for decades from a Leftist point-of-view. For instance, most people assume that Ben Gurion started the Haganah, when, in fact, its first commander was Ze'ev Jabotinsky. And many pivotal events of Zionist History, for example, the truths behind the Arlozorov Murder and the sinking of the Altalena were purposefully distorted and even falsified in order to fit the propaganda of the political Left in their Bolshevistic efforts to maintain control over the Yishuv (Jewish settlement in Israel).

In volume three of the series, "The Lion's Roar," it's pretty clear that Ben Gurion is cast in the role of the bad guy.

I'd call him an anti-hero. After all, the Almighty chose him to be a key player in the establishment of the State, even though his methods weren't always the most kosher. But, yes, in terms of drama and plot structure, in telling a suspenseful story, you need heroes and villains.

Your novels are certainly filled with exciting, larger-than-life characters. You succeeded in making the key personalities of Zionism come alive on the page.

When my children studied for their Bagrut high-school exams in Modern Israel History, I realized how shallow the curriculum was, and how often distorted, even after Rightest governments in Israel began to head the Education Ministry. The fact that many streets and parks in Israel are now named after Revisionist heroes only occurred after the Likud rose to power. For years, the heroes of the Irgun and Lehi were portrayed as thugs, rather than the great freedom fighters they were in the battle for Israeli independence. Even when new textbooks were written which portrayed figures like Jabotinsky, Avraham Stern, Abba Achimeir, and Uri Zvi Greenberg in a positive light, it was done in a superficial fashion, without highlighting the great passion of their personalities and the depth and breadth of their vision. I tried my best to capture their towering spirits and their love for the Jewish People and Eretz Yisrael. Also, in the case of Rabbi Kook, history books and textbooks mentioned him now and then, but they ignored the central role he played as the guiding light behind the entire revival and rebirth of the Hebrew Nation in Zion.

There's quite a lot of romance in the two sequels, "Arise and Shine!" and "The Lion's Roar." What's the reason?

Everyone enjoys a good love story. As a novelist, I have the obligation to spin an entertaining yarn. There was a lot of romance in "Tevye in the Promised Land" as well. Love is an important part of life. Also, through the ups and downs of romance, readers come to know characters in an intimate fashion. In his writings on "Shir HaShirim," Rabbi Kook says that dealing with the subject of love in literature is an important way to unlock the mysteries of man's psyche. Of course, he stresses, that it must be done in a kosher fashion without the drunkenness and unbridled passions which love can often stir.

How much of the romantic encounters in the novels dealing with Arvraham Stern and Ben Gurion are based on truth?

I did a great amount of historical research in order to paint a convincing background canvas. Both Stern and Ben Gurion were prolific letter writers, so there is plenty of material from which to draw. Of course, Stern didn't marry Tevye's granddaughter – that's where creative freedom enters the picture, in order to keep Tevye's family in the heart of the saga.

You have also incorporated the poems, songs, and ideological writings of the era as forces that tangibly influenced the rebirth of the Nation and even fueled the rebellion against the British.

The written word can be as powerful as tanks. Ze'ev Jabotinsky, Avraham Stern, Uri Zvi Greenberg, Abba Achimeir, and many other leaders of the revolt understood this. Their writings show the great depth of their characters. The members of the Stern Gang were very far from being gangsters, as the British Mandate Authorities, and the socialist political parties and newspapers tried to portray them. They were fierce idealists filled with a sacred, national vision, ready to sacrifice everything for Hebrew independence, even when they were hunted and betrayed by their brothers on the Left, who clung to a misguided course of appeasement and concession toward the British, until even they realized that settlement and economic development weren't enough to establish a Jewish State in Palestine, but that armed struggle was required as well.

Indeed, it was refreshing to read a book with an unabashed Rightest point-of-view. Aren't you afraid that the political Left in Israel will boycott the book?

Let them boycott the book. Though Rabbi Kook's writings drew fierce opposition from religious zealots of the old school of thought, he stressed that the truth must be told, even if there are people at the moment who are not able or willing to understand it.

When can we expect to see a movie, or a TV series based on the novels?

Either when the Mashiach comes, or when the Likud starts acting like the Right is in power. Still today, government funding to produce Israeli films remains in the hands of the Left, just as it was in the beginnings of the State when the Left was in power. I applied for a grant to turn "Tevye in the Promised Land" into a TV series, but the government-sponsored film funds rejected my proposal. Too Zionist. Too patriotic. Too national-religious. If I did a film about Tevye immigrating to America, I probably could win a film grant for that, especially if one grandchild had a same-gender partner and another married out of the faith. In the meantime, Baruch Hashem, we have the series of books. I'm very thankful for that.

Fishman novels
Tzvi Fishman



4. RABBANIT TRAVELED TO ARGENTINA, WAS SHOCKED BY WHAT SHE FOUND
by Sponsored Content

Rabbanit Kolodetsky, daughter of Rav Chaim Kanievsky and guide to the Jewish People in her own right, often travels the world to inspire women with words of Torah. On a recent trip to Argentina, however, she heard a story which shocked her.

Nurit Laniado was abandoned by her parents at just 12-years-old. Kicked out of her home and passed from foster family to foster family, she suffered unspeakably. Now she is engaged to be married to an Israeli young man, but has no family to help her prepare for her family. The girl cried out of desperation on the Rabbanit's shoulder, and Rabbanit Kolodetsky took it upon herself to do what she could to save this special young lady.

Kolodetsky penned an emotional letter to the public, and released a video where she speaks of how impressed she was by young Nurit: "A tzadeket with a true fear of Heaven … She was passed from family to family and still managed to maintain her yirat shamayim."

"They are getting married without a shekel to their name," she says in her address to the Jewish People. "Whatever you give, you will get back 1000 times."

They are strong, striking words from a truly respected member of klal yisrael. Rav Chaim himself has also gotten involved, calling the kallah a "true orphan," and saying that it is a "great mitzvah" to help her. Nurit's kallah fund paints a heartbreaking story:

"I am not asking for I am not asking for anything that a girl with parents wouldn't get … the things you might think are basic but that I dream of affording: like a fridge, an oven, food for shabbat and the chagim."

It is an understandable request, from a girl who truly has nothing. Nurit may have been abandoned by her parents, but she has been adopted by the gedolim. Though she cries herself to sleep each night, strangers around the world have the opportunity to join the Kanievsky family in making her dreams come true.
CLICK HERE TO DONATE

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL CAMPAIGN


5. 'I WANT ISRAEL TO BE THE HOME OF EVERY JEW'
by Arutz Sheva Staff

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman addressed the closing session of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) General Assembly Wednesday in Tel Aviv.

Under the headline 'We Need to Talk', this year's JFNA General Assembly highlighted tensions between the State of Israel and American Jewish leaders.

Speaking Wednesday afternoon, Prime Minister Netanyahu discussed US-Israel ties, describing with satisfaction the strengthening of the relationship between the two countries he has observed since first entering politics in the 1980s.

"There's no question it's gotten a lot stronger," said Netanyahu, citing polling over the years, showing an increase in overall support for the Jewish state among the American public.

"When you look at the numbers, it's quite startling," regarding Americans' perceptions of the Jewish state.

The Israeli premier touted President Donald Trump's decision to relocate the US embassy to Jerusalem, calling the move a high-point in US-Israel relations.

"He did something unbelievable. This is something that we've dreamed about since the founding of Israel, and he did it."

"I would say that the state of the American-Israeli relationship - the alliance, has never been stronger."

But, Netanyahu added, Israel must work to expand outreach among demographic groups where support for the Jewish state is weakest, listing off "African Americans, Hispanics, young people".

"Things are never as good as you think – but they're also never as bad as you fear," the Prime Minister continued, playing down perceptions of a left-wing backlash against Israel and Zionism in the US.

Turning to relations between Israel and the American Jewish community, Netanyahu said he was working to promote the vision of Israel as a 'home for all Jews'.

"I want Israel to be the home of every Jew. I don't care if they're Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, or completely secular."

Netanyahu responded to claims from some in the American Jewish community that his government's stance on "core issues" of religion and state were challenges to Israeli democracy.

The Prime Minister explained that his government's policies on issues like conversion to Judaism, recognition of the Reform Movement, the Sabbath in the public sphere, and non-Orthodox prayer at the Western Wall were part of a long-standing tradition in Israel politics of dealing with religion-and-state issues piecemeal.

These policies are part of "slowly evolving arrangements," said Netanyahu, adding that the primary driver for change was "the evolution of the Israeli electorate," alluding to demographic changes and the growth of the haredi population in Israel.


6. IDF REVEALS ANOTHER HEZBOLLAH POSITION UNDER AGRI ORG AUSPICES
by Mordechai Sones

The IDF has revealed another Hezbollah position under the auspices of the "Green Without Borders" agricultural front organization.

"Hezbollah violates Resolution 1701 on a regular basis, operating in the area south of the Litani River, using civilian camouflage and reinforcing military capabilities in the rural areas of the Shi'ite villages in violation of UN resolution," the IDF said.

Hezbollah uses Green Without Boundaries as a front for operations in the contact zone and establishes observation posts for gathering information about IDF troop movements.

In the past year, the IDF has been closely monitoring Hezbollah observation posts located along the contact zone under Green Without Borders Association auspices.

Hezbollah forward observation posts revealed by IDF
IDF Spokesman
In 2017 five positions were exposed, and an additional one has now been exposed aimed at deepening the terror organization's intelligence and strategic picture.

"This is a violation of UN Resolution 1701 at the end of the Second Lebanon War," says the IDF.

"Resolution 1701 states the presence of any armed group is prohibited except for the Lebanese Army south of the Litani River. The Hezbollah terrorist organization regularly violates this Resolution, advances on the fence while armed, attacks Israeli territory, and establishes military infrastructure near the border, all under the guise of a fictitious environmental association. In addition, it bases its military capabilities in Shiite villages in southern Lebanon.

"Hezbollah acts as one who thinks the IDF is unaware of its activities, prevents UN forces in the area from inspecting these positions, claiming it is a private area and thus preventing any scrutiny of the violation of Resolution 1701.

"The IDF regularly monitors Hezbollah activities as it has shown recently, and is aware of this activity and of other activities," the IDF Spokesman concluded.

Green Without Borders operatives
IDF Spokesman
Green Without Borders operatives
IDF Spokesman
Green Without Borders outpost exposed
IDF Spokesman
[youtube:2048608]

Green Without Borders front organization exposed
IDF Spokesman
Green Without Borders observation post
IDF Spokesman



7. 'WE WILL NOT ACCEPT THE JORDANIAN DECLARATION'
by Shimon Cohen

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely responded to Jordanian King Abdullah's refusal to continue leasing the agricultural regions of the Arava and Naharayim to Israel as set out in the appendix to the peace agreement.

In an interview with Arutz Sheva, Hotovely explained the motive behind the move: "We know the background to the decision, Ninety Jordanian MPs demanded this and wanted to insist on their rights under the peace agreement with us."

"This is evidence of Abdullah's weakness vis-a-vis the internal Jordanian pressure. He is in deep domestic distress, but we will have to preserve the Israeli interest. There is a peace agreement that includes a lot of cooperation in a space that meets the Arab world's struggle against the Iranian enemy, We must also remember the considerable economic problems that Jordan needs to have addressed, including the water issue, and in general the Jordanian interest is greater than the Israeli one without spoiling the relationship."

Despite all this, the deputy minister was cautious when asked if it means that Israel will not be satisfied with discussions and talks with the Jordanians, but will even threaten or place Jordanian interests at the table. Hotovely noted that "at this moment, there is a total blackout on our ability to talk about it publicly. Prime Minister Netanyahu consulted the Jordanian ambassador and relevant officials at the Foreign Ministry. I am up to date but can not share with the public the direction where things will go, but we can say that we will not accept the Jordanian declaration as it is. We will strive to change when our favorite is to restore the situation as it has been throughout the years. There will be consultations within Israel as well as with the Jordanians."

As for the possibility of Israeli compensation that may allow the king to soften his position, Hotovely said: "I do not think that the discourse is now a discourse of compensation. It is in both sides' interest to preserve the peace agreement and there is a price for the Jordanian side's decision not to act in the spirit of the agreement and to do something that is unacceptable. It is worth waiting for the next two weeks in which the discussions will take place. "

Has the Israeli government failed failed? It was known that this day would come and there was a need to prepare for it. Hotovely does not accept the very question: "We have not waited for the last minute, the subject is known to the prime minister, and the discussions are taking place within the Foreign Ministry. I am saying that the issue is sensitive now, and we do not want to lose our options. We are leaving the matter to the Foreign Ministry, the National Security Council, and the Prime Minister's office."


8. REPORT: BODY PARTS OF SLAIN SAUDI JOURNALIST FOUND
by Gary Willig

The body parts of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi have been found, British media reported.

Khashoggi has been missing since October 2, when he was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. The Turkish government has accused Saudi Arabia of murdering the dissident journalist and chopping his body into pieces.

Sky News reported that Khashoggi's remains were found "cut up" with the face "disfigured."

According to one source, the remains were found in a garden at the home of the Saudi consul general.

Dogu Perincek, a leader of the Turkish Rodina party in the opposition, told Haberler that Khashoggi's remains were found in a well at the Saudi consulate.

Saudi Arabia has come under heavy criticism for the killing of Khashaggi. The Gulf State admitted for the first time on Friday that Khashoggi was killed after entering its consulate in Istanbul.

A report on Saudi Arabia's state-owned television channel said that Khashoggi was murdered at the consulate earlier this month after a brawl broke out. According to the report, the meeting "did not go as required and developed in a negative way, leading to a fight and a quarrel."

US President Donald Trump made clear on Saturday that he is "not satisfied" with Saudi Arabia's account of Khashoggi's death, adding that sanctions were a possibility.




------------------------------------------------
Subscribe to this Daily Israel Report:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Subscribe/