A7News: Jewish Home to remain in Netanyahu government

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Monday, Nov. 19 '18, י"א בכסלו תשע"ט



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HEADLINES:
1. JEWISH HOME TO REMAIN IN NETANYAHU GOVERNMENT
2. LINDA SARSOUR RIPPED FOR ACCUSING US JEWS OF DUAL LOYALTY
3. 'JEWISH HOME MINISTERS DID THE RIGHT THING'
4. NETANYAHU: THE BATTLE'S NOT OVER YET
5. SUSPECTED MOB HIT IN CENTRAL ISRAEL
6. NETANYAHU: I WILL SERVE AS DEFENSE MINISTER
7. FEMALE SOLDIERS LEFT BEHIND, ARE HOUNDED BY PALESTINIAN ARABS
8. NY OFFICIAL HIT FOR SUGGESTING ORTHODOX JEWS AREN'T 'NORMAL'


1. JEWISH HOME TO REMAIN IN NETANYAHU GOVERNMENT
by David Rosenberg

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/254932

Jewish Home ministers Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked will remain in the coalition government, the two said Monday, despite the Prime Minister's refusal to appoint Bennett as Defense Minister.

The two Jewish Home leaders addressed reporters at a press briefing Monday morning, following Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's announcement Sunday night that he would serve as Defense Minister, following Avigdor Liberman's departure last week.

The Jewish Home had demanded that Netanyahu appoint Bennett as Defense Minister, threatening to bolt the government if Netanyahu refused.

On Monday, Bennett said the government had lost its direction, claiming that Israel was in the midst of a "security crisis".

"The State of Israel is in the midst of a security crisis," said Bennett at the press conference. "But our cruel enemies are nothing new. The situation hasn't changed since Netanyahu worked to take down his own government."

Bennett suggested that the crisis was rooted in a lack of leadership, not any new external threats, and played down comments by Prime Minister Netanyahu that Israel is currently in a sensitive security situation, and cannot afford early elections.

"There is no apocalypse on the horizon. There are challenges, enemies," said Bennett.

"Our soldiers are more afraid of prosecutors than of Yahya Sinwar, referring to the Hamas chief.

Echoing some of the criticisms levelled by former Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman during his resignation announcement last week, chiding the government over its failure to evacuate the illegal Bedouin town Khan al-Ahmar east of Jerusalem.

Khan al-Ahmar, Bennett said, remains standing "despite all the Supreme Court rulings, because of fear over what Europe will say."

Bennett also pointed to the over 100 homes of terrorists which the IDF prepared for demolition, but which remain standing, despite Israel's long-standing policy of demolishing homes of terrorists involved in violent attacks on Israelis.

"There are at this moment 102 terrorist homes which the IDF has measured and prepped for that are standing."

Despite their criticism, Bennett and Shaked said they would not be resigning from the government.

"What the Prime Minister has called 'responsibility' has been interpreted by our enemies as indecision, and there's a thin line between them. Israel's national security has been heading in a bad direction for the past decade, and that's dangerous. When Israel wants to win, we will go back to winning, we aren't fated [to lose]. We joined politics in order to offer an alternative, to replace indecision with decisiveness, weakness with strength," said Bennett

"I'd like to announce that at this moment we drop our political demands, and we will help the Prime Minister win [against Hamas]. I know that I will lose political points, but it doesn't matter. I'd rather lose to Netanyahu than have the State of Israel lose to [Hamas chief] Yahya Sinwar."

"Our role in the government is too important to take our hands off the wheel," said Shaked.

"It might cost us politically, but it is the responsible thing to do for the sake of the nation."



2. LINDA SARSOUR RIPPED FOR ACCUSING US JEWS OF DUAL LOYALTY
by JTA

Activist Linda Sarsour appeared to criticize American Jews of a dual loyalty to Israel in a Facebook post calling for support for Congresswoman-elect Ilhan Omar, following a backlash over her announcement that she supports boycotting Israel.

Sarsour wrote in the post on Thursday that Omar is "being attacked for saying that she supports BDS (Boycott Divestment Sanctions) and the right for people to engage in constitutionally protected freedoms. This is not only coming from the right-wing but some folks who masquerade as progressives but always choose their allegiance to Israel over their commitment to democracy and free speech."

Sarsour, a leader of the Women's March who has come under fire for not disassociating herself or the movement from Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who has made anti-Semitic and bigoted statements for decades, most recently comparing Jews to termites, also called for people to post messages of support to Omar on social media. "You don't have to support BDS and have every right not to but we cannot stand by idly while a brave Black Muslim American woman is targeted for saying she will uphold the constitution of the United States of America as a member of the US Congress," Sarsour wrote.

In the comments section on the post in response to the criticism, Sarsour singled out the Anti-Defamation League. In an online petition in support of Omar, Sarsour wrote that she was alarmed by "organizations like the ADL using their platforms to attack a trailblazing Black Muslim woman in order to undermine advocacy for Palestinian human rights."

The post raised the ire of the American Jewish Committee which responded in a tweet that: "Accusing Jews of dual loyalty is one of the oldest and most pernicious antisemitic tropes. No surprise to see it coming from @LSarsour. How long will progressive leaders continue to look the other way in the face of this hate?

Ilhan's campaign on Wednesday told the Muslim Girl website that she "believes in and supports the BDS movement." It added that she "does, however, have reservations on the effectiveness of the movement in accomplishing a lasting solution."

The statement appears to contradict her comments during a candidates' forum at a Minneapolis-area synagogue in which Omar affirmed her support for Israel's right to exist under a two-state solution and said she did not support BDS. She said that BDS "stops the dialogue" and is "counteractive" to achieving a two-state outcome.

Omar's tweets about Israel have earned her notoriety in the pro-Israel community. In 2012, she said that Israel had "hypnotized the world" to ignore its "evil doings." Defending that tweet earlier this year, she said on the same platform that calling attention to the "Israeli apartheid regime" was not anti-Semitic.

Palestinian-American Congresswoman-elect from the Detroit area, Rashida Tlaib, also backs BDS. She posted on Twitter in support of Omar. "My parents were both born in Palestine (Falastine). My sity still lives there. So when my sister @IlhanMN is being attacked for supporting the #BDS movement (protected freedom of speech!) we can't stay silent. Nothing is more American than the fight for justice at home & abroad," she wrote in her post.


3. 'JEWISH HOME MINISTERS DID THE RIGHT THING'
by David Rosenberg

The announcement Monday morning by Jewish Home ministers Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked that the 8-member faction will remain in the Netanyahu government won praise from Likud lawmakers, while opposition MKs ridiculed the decision.

In the midst of the worst coalition crisis to face the Netanyahu government since its formation in 2015, the Jewish Home party declared Monday morning that despite Prime Minister Netanyahu's refusal of their demands that he appoint Bennett as Defense Minister, the faction would not attempt to topple the coalition.

Netanyahu's government is in a precarious position, following the departure of former Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman and his Yisrael Beytenu faction. After Liberman's resignation, the Likud-led government's majority shrank from 66 seats to just 61 – the bare minimum necessary to maintain a functioning majority in the 120-member Knesset.

While Prime Minister Netanyahu must still convince other coalition partners, including the Kulanu and Shas factions, to remain, Jewish Home chairman Bennett's decision to remain in the government provides a much needed boost to the coalition.

Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) lauded the Jewish Home leaders' decision to remain, writing in a tweet Monday that Bennett and Shaked "did the right thing".

"Bennett and Shaked did the right thing; instead of forcing us into [early] elections at Liberman's whim, the national interest was preserved. Now is the time for everyone to go back to work."

Likud MK and chairman of the Knesset's Land of Israel Lobby Yoav Kish also praised the Jewish Home for its decision to remain in the coalition.

"In the end, they made the right choice," Kish told reporters at a journalism conference in Eilat Monday.

"I tweeted an hour ago that it still wasn't too late to show real leadership. Now things are going back to normal."

MK Liberman, on the other hand, ripped the announcement, tweeting: "Now everyone understands why we lost our deterrence," mocking the Jewish Home's decision to walk back its ultimatum regarding the Defense Ministry.

Zionist Union MK and former Labor chairwoman Shelly Yachimovich said the Jewish Home had breathed life into what she called a 'dying' 'far-right government'.

"The decision of Bennett and Shaked to extend the life of the dying Netanyahu government is saddening, and it empowers the rule of the far-right, which represents just a small part of the country as a whole. Shaked's term as [Justice Minister] is a violent assault on the justice system and rule of law."

"For all the criticism of Netanyahu over his decision to name himself Defense Minister for political propaganda purposes and his own political survival, we can nonetheless breathe a sigh of relief over the fact that the Defense Ministry portfolio was not given to Bennett, and that [Bennett] was not permitted to pursue his war fantasies, which would have forced us to pay a heavy price with our children's blood."


4. NETANYAHU: THE BATTLE'S NOT OVER YET
by David Rosenberg

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu took part Monday in a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee – his first such meeting since he took over as Defense Minister Sunday evening.

Netanyahu replaced former Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) after Liberman resigned from the government last week.

Liberman quit the coalition in protest of Israel's acceptance of an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire agreement with the Hamas terror organization last Tuesday, after Hamas launched some 500 rockets into Israeli territory

During the committee meeting Monday, Netanyahu said that the military campaign against Hamas was not over, despite the ceasefire.

"Yesterday I took the position of Defense Minister. I met with IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eizenkot and his designated successor [Maj.-Gen.] Aviv Kochavi. We are ready for all challenges."

"As I said last night, we are in a campaign that has not yet ended."

While Netanyahu did not elaborate on the ongoing campaign, he said Israel's security situation was such that it would be reckless to bring down the government and force new elections.

"At this sensitive security time, it would be irresponsible to topple the government. Whether our partners decide to topple the government or not, we will continue to take action to ensure the security of our state and of our people. We will do so sensibly, responsibly and with determination."

"I rely on the IDF. I rely on the security forces. I rely on the citizens of Israel. Together we can face any challenge – and we will ensure the security of Israel."


5. SUSPECTED MOB HIT IN CENTRAL ISRAEL
by Arutz Sheva Staff

The forty-two year old male with gunshot wounds found in his vehicle was pronounced dead on Monday morning on HaHistadrut Street in Holon.

A Magen David Adom (MDA) team attempted resuscitation, but were forced to declare his death.

MDA Paramedic Naami Zvi said of the situation, "When we got to the location we saw a vehicle on the sidewalk. Inside lay a male of about forty years of age with gunshot wounds. Upon closer inspection, we saw that there was no sign of life and were forced to declare his death. In addition, we treated nearby children for shock."

"In the city of Holon, police responded to a shooting incident. A man was shot while in his vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene," a police foreign press spokesperson said.

A preliminary police investigation into the incident suggested that the incident was criminal in nature, and not related to terrorism.

In the initial examination, two motorcyclists were seen carrying handguns approaching the Mazda the victim was driving. The two approached the car window, shot the victim at close range, and immediately fled the scene.

A large police force was deployed to the area and checkpoints were set up at the entrances to Holon in an attempt to capture the shooters


6. NETANYAHU: I WILL SERVE AS DEFENSE MINISTER
by David Rosenberg

📹 To watch the video: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/254906

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced plans Sunday night to retain the Defense Ministry portfolio following the departure of outgoing Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu), despite an ultimatum by the Jewish Home party.

Deputy Defense Minister Eli Ben-Dahan (Jewish Home) will remain in his position, following a spat earlier on Sunday over the future of Ben-Dahan's reappointment.

Earlier, the Jewish Home faction announced that it would not vote with the coalition until MK Eli Ben-Dahan was re-appointed.

Ben-Dahan's term as Deputy Defense Minister automatically ended when former Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman submitted his resignation.

In a special address Sunday evening, Netanyahu said he will serve as Defense Minister for the first time in his career.

"I will now be taking the position of Defense Minister for the first time ever."

During his address, Netanyahu defended the decision to accept a ceasefire with Hamas last week, following the worst outbreak of fighting with Hamas since 2014. The Prime Minister said that the decision was made based on classified material he was unable to reveal, but said he had a clear plan of action going forward.

"I know that this comes at a time when there is a great deal of criticism against Israel's defense policies. I want to tell you, citizens of Israel, I understand what you feel. Much of the criticism comes from the fact that the reasons [for our decisions] are based on material - seen by the IDF chief of staff, IDF generals, the Shin Bet chief the Mossad director, and myself - that simply cannot be revealed at this point."

"I have a clear plan. I know what to do, and when to do it. And I'll do it.

"When I took over as Finance Minister [in 2003], I had a plan of what to do and when to do it. I took over at a very difficult time for the Israeli economy, but we made a lot of progress, for which I paid a big political price."

Netanyahu urged coalition partners to remain in the government and prevent snap elections, recalling the toppling of the Likud-led Shamir government in 1992, which resulted in the formation of a Labor government following that year's election.

"I will do everything possible to prevent unnecessary early elections. I spoke with coalition leaders and told them this is the time to show responsibility. Don't take down this government. I reminded them of what happened in 1992 [to the Shamir government] when the Likud government was toppled, and we ended up with the Oslo [Agreement]."

Last week, Defense Minister Liberman announced his resignation from the government, citing among other things, the cabinet's decision to accept an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire with the Hamas terror organization.

Some 500 rockets and mortar shells were launched from the Hamas-ruled coastal enclave towards Israel during two days of attacks, following an incident in the southern Gaza Strip between an elite IDF special forces unit and a cell of Hamas terrorists. One person was killed and nearly 60 more injured in the rocket attacks.

One IDF officer was killed in the incident, and a second officer wounded. Seven Hamas terrorists, including a senior officer in Hamas' military wing, were also killed in the battle.

Both Education Minister Naftali Bennett (Jewish Home) and Defense Minister Liberman protested the decision to accept the ceasefire.

Following Liberman's resignation, the Jewish Home faction demanded Bennett be appointed to serve as Liberman's successor at the Defense Ministry, warning the party would bolt the coalition if their demand was rejected.


7. FEMALE SOLDIERS LEFT BEHIND, ARE HOUNDED BY PALESTINIAN ARABS
by Arutz Sheva Staff

A group of five female IDF soldiers were left behind in the field overnight recently, after battalion commanders forgot them following an operation in the Jordan Valley near the border with Jordan.

According to a report Sunday by Kan, the five female soldiers were accidently left behind in a grove in the Jordan Valley one night for roughly three hours, with no radios, cellular phones, or other communication devices.

After being forgotten in the grove, the group of soldiers made their way to a nearby road – only to be chased by a gang of Palestinian Authority residents driving in two vehicles.

The five soldiers were chased by the gang for some 20 minutes. During the chase, the soldiers reportedly attempted to hide behind several trees, and called out to the gang to stop chasing them, to no effect. At one point, the Arabs managed to steal three of the soldiers' helmets.

The two vehicles drove off only when one of the soldiers drew her weapon and pointed it at her pursuers, causing them to flee, with the helmets still in their possession. According to the report, up until that point, the soldiers had been unable to remove barrel blockers from their weapons and prepare them for use.

Eventually, the five soldiers reached a gas station, and from their called their commander and arranged to be brought back to base.

According to an IDF spokesperson, the incident, which occurred at the beginning of last week, is under investigation. In the meantime, both the soldiers and their commanding officers have been reprimanded.

"As a result [of the incident], the soldiers and their commanders have been reprimanded. The mission briefing was not given to the soldiers properly, and during the incident the soldiers did not behave in the manner expected of combat soldiers."


8. NY OFFICIAL HIT FOR SUGGESTING ORTHODOX JEWS AREN'T 'NORMAL'
by JTA

A councilman in upstate New York walked back a text that juxtaposed Orthodox Jews with "normal" ones.

Peter Bradley, a Republican member of the Clarkstown Town Council in Rockland County, apologized on Nov. 12 and again the following day at a council meeting for the statements he made on Nov. 2, less than a week after the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting in which 11 worshippers were killed.

On Facebook, Bradley criticized New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for visiting with Orthodox Hasidic Jewish community leaders.

"Normal Jews and non-Jews alike were grieving at the JCC while they were meeting 'the guy with the checkbook,'" wrote Bradley, who has been accused of using negative rhetoric about Jewish residents.

Before Tuesday's Town Council meeting, demonstrators gathered outside Town Hall to protest his remark, the Rockland/Westchester Journal News reported.

"I do admit, the dialogue, the structure, the tone, has to be transitioned," Bradley said during the meeting. He also said he has planned meetings with activists "just to get a grip on the complicated things … in Rockland."

During a Nov. 8 interview on Channel 12 News, Bradley said that when he spoke of "normal" Jews, he meant "mainstream" or Reform Jews outside Ramapo, which also has a growing Orthodox community.




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