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1. Download Historic Document: Judea and Samaria Not 'Occupied'
by Gil Ronen
"After having considered the terms of reference set out in the Commission's mandate, and in light of what we have heard, as well as the considerable body of material presented to us by a wide range of bodies, our conclusions and recommendations are as follows:
"Our basic conclusion is that from the point of view of international law, the classical laws of 'occupation' as set out in the relevant international conventions cannot be considered applicable to the unique and sui generis historic and legal circumstances of Israel's presence in Judea and Samaria, over the course of decades.
"Therefore, according to international law, Israelis have the legal right to settle in Judea and Samaria and the establishment of settlements cannot, in and of itself, be considered to be illegal."
So begin the conclusions of the report of the Commission to Examine the Status of Building in Judea and Samaria, a legal panel headed by Supreme Court Justice (ret.) Edmund Levy.
The committee goes on to say that, "With regard to settlements established in Judea and Samaria on state lands or on land purchased by Israelis with the assistance of official authorities such as the World Zionist Organization Settlements Division and the Ministry of Housing, and which have been defined as 'unauthorized' or 'illegal'" – administrative blockages imposed on the planning and zoning authorities "must be removed immediately."
Pending completion of procedures granting valid building permits, the state "is advised to avoid carrying out demolition orders, since it brought about the present situation by itself."
An English translation of the historic document has been made available to the public for download in .pdf format by the government, at this url.
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
"After having considered the terms of reference set out in the Commission's mandate, and in light of what we have heard, as well as the considerable body of material presented to us by a wide range of bodies, our conclusions and recommendations are as follows:
"Our basic conclusion is that from the point of view of international law, the classical laws of 'occupation' as set out in the relevant international conventions cannot be considered applicable to the unique and sui generis historic and legal circumstances of Israel's presence in Judea and Samaria, over the course of decades.
"Therefore, according to international law, Israelis have the legal right to settle in Judea and Samaria and the establishment of settlements cannot, in and of itself, be considered to be illegal."
So begin the conclusions of the report of the Commission to Examine the Status of Building in Judea and Samaria, a legal panel headed by Supreme Court Justice (ret.) Edmund Levy.
The committee goes on to say that, "With regard to settlements established in Judea and Samaria on state lands or on land purchased by Israelis with the assistance of official authorities such as the World Zionist Organization Settlements Division and the Ministry of Housing, and which have been defined as 'unauthorized' or 'illegal'" – administrative blockages imposed on the planning and zoning authorities "must be removed immediately."
Pending completion of procedures granting valid building permits, the state "is advised to avoid carrying out demolition orders, since it brought about the present situation by itself."
An English translation of the historic document has been made available to the public for download in .pdf format by the government, at this url.
Tags: Edmund Levy ,Outposts ,construction approval
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Hotovely to Submit Bill Adopting 'No Occupation' Report -
Left in Frenzy over 'No Occupation' Report
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MK Levin Welcomes the 'No Occupation' Report
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Likud Activists Encourage Ministers to Support Outpost Law
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Pressure on Netanyahu as Vote on Outposts Nears
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Arab Outposts Seek to Take Over State Land in Judea and Samaria
Comment on this story
2. Iran Producing Deadly Anti-Tank ‘Kornet’ Missile
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Iran is copy-catting the deadly Russian Kornet anti-tank missile that Hizbullah used against Israeli soldiers in the Second Lebanon War and which Hamas used to kill a student on a school bus last year.
Quoting defense sources in London and Moscow, the Gulf News website quoted a Russian defense advisor as saying that Iran may have obtained the design for the Kornet missile from Hizbullah. An analyst from Jane’s Defense suggested that Hamas and/ or Syria may have been the source for handing over the design to Iran, which does not have a license from Russia to produce the missile.
IDF intelligence failed to obtain advanced information that Hizbullah possessed the Kornet missile, and Israeli tanks were unprepared for missile attacks that killed dozens of soldiers and wounded hundreds more in the 34-day-old war.
The Kornet has a range of 5.5 kilometers, or 3.5 miles. Hizbullah has said the Kornet missiles destroyed two advanced Israeli Merkava-4 tanks during the war in 2006. The missiles were smuggled into Lebanon from Syria.
Over two years ago, Israel discovered that Hamas also has possession of the missile. In December 2010, former IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi announced, "On December 6, a Kornet anti-tank missile fired for the first time in Gaza hit an IDF tank and penetrated its outer shell. Luckily, the missile did not explode inside the tank. We are talking about a massive missile, one of the most dangerous in the battlefield, which has already been used against the IDF in the Lebanon War."
Hamas used the same missile to attack a school bus approximately a mile from Gaza last year, killing a student. Dozens of other children had stepped off the bus only a few minutes before the attack near Kibbutz Saad, in the western Negev.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
Iran is copy-catting the deadly Russian Kornet anti-tank missile that Hizbullah used against Israeli soldiers in the Second Lebanon War and which Hamas used to kill a student on a school bus last year.
Quoting defense sources in London and Moscow, the Gulf News website quoted a Russian defense advisor as saying that Iran may have obtained the design for the Kornet missile from Hizbullah. An analyst from Jane’s Defense suggested that Hamas and/ or Syria may have been the source for handing over the design to Iran, which does not have a license from Russia to produce the missile.
IDF intelligence failed to obtain advanced information that Hizbullah possessed the Kornet missile, and Israeli tanks were unprepared for missile attacks that killed dozens of soldiers and wounded hundreds more in the 34-day-old war.
The Kornet has a range of 5.5 kilometers, or 3.5 miles. Hizbullah has said the Kornet missiles destroyed two advanced Israeli Merkava-4 tanks during the war in 2006. The missiles were smuggled into Lebanon from Syria.
Over two years ago, Israel discovered that Hamas also has possession of the missile. In December 2010, former IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi announced, "On December 6, a Kornet anti-tank missile fired for the first time in Gaza hit an IDF tank and penetrated its outer shell. Luckily, the missile did not explode inside the tank. We are talking about a massive missile, one of the most dangerous in the battlefield, which has already been used against the IDF in the Lebanon War."
Hamas used the same missile to attack a school bus approximately a mile from Gaza last year, killing a student. Dozens of other children had stepped off the bus only a few minutes before the attack near Kibbutz Saad, in the western Negev.
Tags: Kornet Missile ,Iran ,Hizbullah ,Syria ,Hamas
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Russia Suspends New Arms Shipments to Syria
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Hizbullah Arrests Three for Allegedly Spying for Israel, US
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Haifa's Rambam Hospital Prepared to Treat Syrian Casualties
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Annan Arrives in Tehran After Damascus Talks
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Annan Sees 'Progress' as Syrian Blood Flows
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Hamas Destroys Arab Homes on ‘Gov’t Land;’ UN Silent
Comment on this story
3. Germany Agrees to $300 Million More in Restitution
by Rachel Hirshfeld
Germany has agreed to provide restitution payments to an additional 80,000 Jews, following negotiations on Monday between Claims Conference representatives and German officials in Washington.
The agreement is likely to result in additional payments of approximately $300 million, most of which will go to Nazi victims in the former Soviet Union who have never received payments or compensation from previous German restitution agreements.
Most of the money will be distributed from the Claims Conference’s Hardship Fund, which grants one-off payments $3,150 to Jews who fled the horrors of the Nazi regime.
Until now, those payments were not available to Jews in Ukraine, Russia and other non-European Union countries in Eastern Europe. Applications for the fund will be available starting Nov. 1.
Claims conference officials described the agreement as an historic breakthrough.
Germany also agreed to level the monthly pensions it sends to survivors living around the world, correcting a long time disparity in the distribution of funds in which survivors living in western countries received more than those living in eastern countries. All survivors will now receive the equivalent of approximately $370 per month.
The eligibility requirements for restitution have also been relaxed. Until now, only those who went into hiding for at least 12 months were eligible for restitution. Now, however, Germany has agreed to compensate those who were forced into hiding for six months.
Comment on this story
by Rachel Hirshfeld
Germany has agreed to provide restitution payments to an additional 80,000 Jews, following negotiations on Monday between Claims Conference representatives and German officials in Washington.
The agreement is likely to result in additional payments of approximately $300 million, most of which will go to Nazi victims in the former Soviet Union who have never received payments or compensation from previous German restitution agreements.
Most of the money will be distributed from the Claims Conference’s Hardship Fund, which grants one-off payments $3,150 to Jews who fled the horrors of the Nazi regime.
Until now, those payments were not available to Jews in Ukraine, Russia and other non-European Union countries in Eastern Europe. Applications for the fund will be available starting Nov. 1.
Claims conference officials described the agreement as an historic breakthrough.
Germany also agreed to level the monthly pensions it sends to survivors living around the world, correcting a long time disparity in the distribution of funds in which survivors living in western countries received more than those living in eastern countries. All survivors will now receive the equivalent of approximately $370 per month.
The eligibility requirements for restitution have also been relaxed. Until now, only those who went into hiding for at least 12 months were eligible for restitution. Now, however, Germany has agreed to compensate those who were forced into hiding for six months.
Tags: Holocaust ,restitution ,Nazi
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Letter Suggests Hitler Saved Jewish War Comrade
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'I Wish I Could Have Blown Up Knesset'
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Swastika Flag Waved During Televised Euro Match Prompts Arrests
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Yad Vashem Softens Criticism of Pope Pius XII
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Clinton Urges Latvia to Resolve Jewish Property Restitution
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Austrian Reparations Fund for Holocaust Survivors Shuts Down
Comment on this story
4. Likud MK: Let's Start with Sovereignty over Communities
by Gil Ronen
MK Miri Regev (Likud) thinks Israel should place Jewish communities on Judea and Samaria (Yehuda and Shomron) under its sovereignty as a preliminary step before placing all of the territory – also called Yesha, in a Hebrew acronym – under its sovereignty.
MK Regev said this in a recorded speech that is to be delivered at the Second Conference for Placing Judea and Samaria under Israeli Sovereignty, to be held Thursday in Hevron.
Regev, a former IDF Spokesperson, established a Knesset lobby for implementation of Israeli sovereignty on the Jewish communities two months ago. She explained in her speech that this should not be seen as an alternative to the "real aspiration" of placing all of Yesha under Jewish sovereignty, but rather as an initial step.
"I established the lobby as a beginning. I have not given up on sovereignty in all of Judea and Samaria," she said. "The move is meant to help the prime minister begin with a step, and then do what the Likud constitution mandates" – i.e., applying Israeli law to Judea and Samaria.
The Ministerial Committee on Legislation rejected Regev's bill, but she says she will bring it up again every six months. She is unfazed by those who say the issue will embroil Israel in trouble on the international front, and says that "just as the sky did not fall" when Israeli law was applied to the Golan Heights or to eastern Jerusalem, it will not fall when Yesha is placed under Israeli sovereignty.
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
MK Miri Regev (Likud) thinks Israel should place Jewish communities on Judea and Samaria (Yehuda and Shomron) under its sovereignty as a preliminary step before placing all of the territory – also called Yesha, in a Hebrew acronym – under its sovereignty.
MK Regev said this in a recorded speech that is to be delivered at the Second Conference for Placing Judea and Samaria under Israeli Sovereignty, to be held Thursday in Hevron.
Regev, a former IDF Spokesperson, established a Knesset lobby for implementation of Israeli sovereignty on the Jewish communities two months ago. She explained in her speech that this should not be seen as an alternative to the "real aspiration" of placing all of Yesha under Jewish sovereignty, but rather as an initial step.
"I established the lobby as a beginning. I have not given up on sovereignty in all of Judea and Samaria," she said. "The move is meant to help the prime minister begin with a step, and then do what the Likud constitution mandates" – i.e., applying Israeli law to Judea and Samaria.
The Ministerial Committee on Legislation rejected Regev's bill, but she says she will bring it up again every six months. She is unfazed by those who say the issue will embroil Israel in trouble on the international front, and says that "just as the sky did not fall" when Israeli law was applied to the Golan Heights or to eastern Jerusalem, it will not fall when Yesha is placed under Israeli sovereignty.
Tags: Sovereignty ,Yesha ,Miri Regev
More on this topic
Comment on this story
5. Greek Earthquake Sends Shivers throughout Israel
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
An earthquake on the Greek island of Rhodes Monday afternoon sent unusually wide tremblors in Israel from Tiberias in the north to south of Be’er Sheva in the Negev.
The Geophysics Institute in Israel said the earthquake in Greece registered 5.7 on the Richter scale and was felt in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, where buildings shook.
Last May, a 5.3-magnitude earthquake in the Mediterranean Sea was felt in Israel.
Government officials have increasingly warned that many buildings in Israel are not built according to standards that would withstand a large earthquake.
The most damaging earthquakes in Israel in the past 200 years were in 1837, when the northern city of Tzfat was virtually destroyed, and in 1927, when Tiberias suffered from huge landslides.
The intensity of the Tzfat earthquake has been estimated as being between 6.25 to 6.8.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
An earthquake on the Greek island of Rhodes Monday afternoon sent unusually wide tremblors in Israel from Tiberias in the north to south of Be’er Sheva in the Negev.
The Geophysics Institute in Israel said the earthquake in Greece registered 5.7 on the Richter scale and was felt in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, where buildings shook.
Last May, a 5.3-magnitude earthquake in the Mediterranean Sea was felt in Israel.
Government officials have increasingly warned that many buildings in Israel are not built according to standards that would withstand a large earthquake.
The most damaging earthquakes in Israel in the past 200 years were in 1837, when the northern city of Tzfat was virtually destroyed, and in 1927, when Tiberias suffered from huge landslides.
The intensity of the Tzfat earthquake has been estimated as being between 6.25 to 6.8.
Tags: earthquakes ,Greece ,Tzfat (Safed)
More on this topic
Comment on this story
6. Woody Allen Urged to Film Next Movie in Israel
by Rachel Hirshfeld
The Los Angeles Jewish Journal has launched a new Internet campaign aimed at persuading Woody Allen to film his next movie in Israel.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker makes one movie a year and, according to what he told The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and LA Weekly, he chooses the locations based on “where the money is.”
Within recent years, Allen has filmed in London for "Matchpoint", in Barcelona for "Vicky Christina Barcelona", in Paris for "Midnight in Paris", and most recently, in Rome for "To Rome With Love."
The Jewish Journal has therefore launched a new campaign to solicit funding for “The Woody Allen Israel Project.”
"Here’s this week’s not-so-crazy idea: Let’s all pitch in, just a few dollars each, and fund Woody Allen’s next movie — in Israel," writes Journal editor, Rob Eshman.
"($18 million) is what an Allen movie costs... That will enable Israel to enter the world's imagination in a way a billion dollars of hasbara (public relations efforts) couldn't possibly buy. All Allen asks for is funding and complete control over his project,” said Eshman. "As far as I know, Allen himself has never been to Israel. For a man who has done much to define the image of Jew in our time, this needs repair."
In an online video, Jewish actress Noa Tishby urges readers and viewers to pledge cash to the campaign.
In the video plea to Allen, Tishby says, "Don't worry, we're gonna bring you home."
In 2011, Tishby founded the non-profit organization Act For Israel, an organization for online advocacy, which seeks to correct misinformation, end demonization and stop de-legitimization.
She is a member of AIPAC and has travelled to Washington DC to lobby on Capitol Hill. Tishby is also a member of “Summit Series” organization for young entrepreneurs, The Israeli Consulate Speakers Bureau, a member of The Israeli Leadership Council and served in the IDF for two and a half years.
Comment on this story
by Rachel Hirshfeld
The Los Angeles Jewish Journal has launched a new Internet campaign aimed at persuading Woody Allen to film his next movie in Israel.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker makes one movie a year and, according to what he told The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and LA Weekly, he chooses the locations based on “where the money is.”
Within recent years, Allen has filmed in London for "Matchpoint", in Barcelona for "Vicky Christina Barcelona", in Paris for "Midnight in Paris", and most recently, in Rome for "To Rome With Love."
The Jewish Journal has therefore launched a new campaign to solicit funding for “The Woody Allen Israel Project.”
"Here’s this week’s not-so-crazy idea: Let’s all pitch in, just a few dollars each, and fund Woody Allen’s next movie — in Israel," writes Journal editor, Rob Eshman.
"($18 million) is what an Allen movie costs... That will enable Israel to enter the world's imagination in a way a billion dollars of hasbara (public relations efforts) couldn't possibly buy. All Allen asks for is funding and complete control over his project,” said Eshman. "As far as I know, Allen himself has never been to Israel. For a man who has done much to define the image of Jew in our time, this needs repair."
In an online video, Jewish actress Noa Tishby urges readers and viewers to pledge cash to the campaign.
In the video plea to Allen, Tishby says, "Don't worry, we're gonna bring you home."
In 2011, Tishby founded the non-profit organization Act For Israel, an organization for online advocacy, which seeks to correct misinformation, end demonization and stop de-legitimization.
She is a member of AIPAC and has travelled to Washington DC to lobby on Capitol Hill. Tishby is also a member of “Summit Series” organization for young entrepreneurs, The Israeli Consulate Speakers Bureau, a member of The Israeli Leadership Council and served in the IDF for two and a half years.
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Israel and China Seek Solar Energy Cooperation
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Israeli Olympic Ticket Seller Caught in Black Market Scandal
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UN Watch Denounces UNHRC Unbalanced 'Settlement' Probe
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A 'Personal' Moment for Murdered Israeli Athletes?
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In Narrow Vote, Presbyterian Church Rejects Israel Divestment
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Canadian Senators Warn Against Israel Boycott
Comment on this story
7. El Al Pilots Ground Two Flights; Strike Looms
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyhau
El Al pilots grounded two flights to and from Russia Monday night as a strike looms during the peak summer tourist season.
The pilots refused to show up for the flights to and from St. Petersburg, leaving 276 passengers stranded there and in Tel Aviv while El Al tried to find alternatives for them.
“Regrettably, Captain Nir Tzuk, decided at his own initiative to initiate actions that are tantamount to labor sanctions, which resulted in several pilots not turning up for duty," El Al said in a statement. Tzuk is chairman of the pilots’ union. The company claimed that the pilots' action was taken without authorization from the union, and the chairman of El Al’s worker’s committee confirmed the statement.
The Tel Aviv Labor Court on Tuesday issued a "temporary injunction in the presence of both parties ordering the Histadrut and El Al's union to use their authority and order the pilots to resume regular work per the norm at the airline in previous times of pressure."
However, the grounding of two flights might just be the opening act to a general strike of all El Al flights this summer, the most profitable period for the airline.
The pilots want management to stop intervening in decisions on planes that they say should be exclusively made by pilots. They also are demanding to participate in the scheduling of work during the busy summer months.
In addition, want El Al executives, who are cutting staff pay, to reduce their own salaries, also. They also want sharp pay cuts for airline executives and not just for staff.
Talks have been going on for a month, and the union of pilots has officially notified its members that negotiations have broken down, leaving open the possibility for a strike.
"Management has systematically ignored proposals for streamlining and warnings about the stresses faced by the airline's pilots and employees,” charged Tzuk.
"It is important for us to now warn, at the start of the peak season and its hundreds of scheduled flights, that in view of management's failed conduct, there is concern that flights could be disrupted,” he added.
Comment on this story
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyhau
El Al pilots grounded two flights to and from Russia Monday night as a strike looms during the peak summer tourist season.
The pilots refused to show up for the flights to and from St. Petersburg, leaving 276 passengers stranded there and in Tel Aviv while El Al tried to find alternatives for them.
“Regrettably, Captain Nir Tzuk, decided at his own initiative to initiate actions that are tantamount to labor sanctions, which resulted in several pilots not turning up for duty," El Al said in a statement. Tzuk is chairman of the pilots’ union. The company claimed that the pilots' action was taken without authorization from the union, and the chairman of El Al’s worker’s committee confirmed the statement.
The Tel Aviv Labor Court on Tuesday issued a "temporary injunction in the presence of both parties ordering the Histadrut and El Al's union to use their authority and order the pilots to resume regular work per the norm at the airline in previous times of pressure."
However, the grounding of two flights might just be the opening act to a general strike of all El Al flights this summer, the most profitable period for the airline.
The pilots want management to stop intervening in decisions on planes that they say should be exclusively made by pilots. They also are demanding to participate in the scheduling of work during the busy summer months.
In addition, want El Al executives, who are cutting staff pay, to reduce their own salaries, also. They also want sharp pay cuts for airline executives and not just for staff.
Talks have been going on for a month, and the union of pilots has officially notified its members that negotiations have broken down, leaving open the possibility for a strike.
"Management has systematically ignored proposals for streamlining and warnings about the stresses faced by the airline's pilots and employees,” charged Tzuk.
"It is important for us to now warn, at the start of the peak season and its hundreds of scheduled flights, that in view of management's failed conduct, there is concern that flights could be disrupted,” he added.
Tags: El Al ,Strike Threat ,tourists
More on this topic
Comment on this story
8. Will the Right Wing Bloc Split?
by Gil Ronen
Coalition Chairman MK Ze'ev Elkin has pointed out to Arutz Sheva that, as regards to hareidi enlistment, there is more at stake than meets the eye. If the two largest parties, Likud and Kadima, unite around the idea of harshly punishing hareidim who do not enlist to the IDF, the result could be a deep rift between Likud and the hareidi parties.
This would have wide repercussions for Israeli society and for political alignments in Israel on many levels.
In essence there are two competing identities fighting for supremacy here: One is the "Israeli first" identity that is strong among secular Israelis, which sees the state – and very little else – as sacred, and military service as the way in which the Israeli citizen shows his allegiance to that "sanctity."
The other is the "Jewish first" identity, that sees Torah values as the base upon which everything else rests, including the state of Israel and the military.
The "right wing bloc" of which Elkin speaks essentially welds these two sanctities together. It unites the forces of the modern "Israeli first" sector with the traditionalist "Jewish first" public and says that there is no real contradiction between the two, and that the differences will be smoothed out over time, as secular Israeli society opens up to its traditional values and as hareidi society opens up to the Israeli world around it.
Agreement between Likud and Kadima would mean that a new ideological bloc has superseded the right wing bloc. This new bloc sees the modern state and military service as top values and wants to force its vision on the "Jewish first" bloc. This, in the end, is what forcing hareidim to serve in the military in a way that humiliates them means.
The issue that could prevent a Likud-Kadima deal is the one brought up by Yisrael Beytenu and the Jewish Home: unlike Kadima, these parties want Arabs to pay a price, too, and not just hareidim. Likud has adopted this demand as well. This issue expresses the common ground between the "Israeli first" and the "Jewish first" identities, because it reminds Jews that being Jewish is both a religion and a nationality, and that the state of Israel must not humiliate hareidi Jews by forcing them to change while giving the Arabs – an increasingly violent and hostile minority – a free pass.
Jewish national pride, which is manifest in the Torah and also in the existence of Israel and its army, is the uniting force expressed by Yisrael Beytenu and the Jewish Home on this issue, and since this is such a potent force, it could mean that Kadima and Likud will find it very hard to unite around a new version of the law for enlisting hareidim. Even if they do unite around an enlistment bill, the unification may prove to be short lived.
Comment on this story
by Gil Ronen
Coalition Chairman MK Ze'ev Elkin has pointed out to Arutz Sheva that, as regards to hareidi enlistment, there is more at stake than meets the eye. If the two largest parties, Likud and Kadima, unite around the idea of harshly punishing hareidim who do not enlist to the IDF, the result could be a deep rift between Likud and the hareidi parties.
This would have wide repercussions for Israeli society and for political alignments in Israel on many levels.
In essence there are two competing identities fighting for supremacy here: One is the "Israeli first" identity that is strong among secular Israelis, which sees the state – and very little else – as sacred, and military service as the way in which the Israeli citizen shows his allegiance to that "sanctity."
The other is the "Jewish first" identity, that sees Torah values as the base upon which everything else rests, including the state of Israel and the military.
The "right wing bloc" of which Elkin speaks essentially welds these two sanctities together. It unites the forces of the modern "Israeli first" sector with the traditionalist "Jewish first" public and says that there is no real contradiction between the two, and that the differences will be smoothed out over time, as secular Israeli society opens up to its traditional values and as hareidi society opens up to the Israeli world around it.
Agreement between Likud and Kadima would mean that a new ideological bloc has superseded the right wing bloc. This new bloc sees the modern state and military service as top values and wants to force its vision on the "Jewish first" bloc. This, in the end, is what forcing hareidim to serve in the military in a way that humiliates them means.
The issue that could prevent a Likud-Kadima deal is the one brought up by Yisrael Beytenu and the Jewish Home: unlike Kadima, these parties want Arabs to pay a price, too, and not just hareidim. Likud has adopted this demand as well. This issue expresses the common ground between the "Israeli first" and the "Jewish first" identities, because it reminds Jews that being Jewish is both a religion and a nationality, and that the state of Israel must not humiliate hareidi Jews by forcing them to change while giving the Arabs – an increasingly violent and hostile minority – a free pass.
Jewish national pride, which is manifest in the Torah and also in the existence of Israel and its army, is the uniting force expressed by Yisrael Beytenu and the Jewish Home on this issue, and since this is such a potent force, it could mean that Kadima and Likud will find it very hard to unite around a new version of the law for enlisting hareidim. Even if they do unite around an enlistment bill, the unification may prove to be short lived.
More on this topic
Comment on this story
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