Tel Aviv Diary June 9, 2023
Hot Weather, Protests, Murders in Arab Israeli Towns, Tragedy on Egyptian Border, Gay Pride, Business and a Review.
WEATHER & CLIMATE CHANGE
Last Friday marked the hottest June day on record. Temperatures soared to 104ºF (40ºC) in Tel Aviv and 107ºF (41.6ºC) degrees at Ben Gurion Airport. Despite warnings, the electric grid was unprepared for such demand, leading to brownouts in several parts of the country. Thankfully, power was restored to ultra-Orthodox areas minutes before Shabbat, allowing residents to set appliances on prior to the start of Shabbat. These brownouts could potentially be the first of more to come, as Israel's growing population and the increased cooling demands due to global warming outstrip the country's power supply infrastructure, including collective output from solar fields and power plants. After a cooler week, today it is 97 ºF in Tel Aviv.
PROTESTS
On Friday evening, police forcibly dispersed a protest at Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Caesarea home, arresting over 30 demonstrators who were later released overnight.
Saturday saw a resurgence of mass protests, with over 100,000 participants congregating on Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv and other locations nationwide. The persistence of these protests signals the population's resolve not to allow any undermining of the judiciary.
STATE OF JUDICIAL OVERHAUL NEGOTIATIONS
There is a potential compromise in the offing that could enable Netanyahu to subtly withdraw his proposed judicial changes. Reports suggest that the opposition may agree to minor amendments in the law governing government legal advisors, enabling ministries to hire external counsel, if the in-house advisor opposes a given action. Furthermore, the proposed compromise could restrict the courts' abilities to overturn government decisions based on the “reasonability” of that decision. In exchange for that concession, the government would agree not to make any further changes to the judicial system during its current term without opposition approval.
Although it's unclear whether Netanyahu has decided to adopt this approach, all signs suggest he will. The opposition's main concern is whether they can trust Netanyahu, known for his unreliable commitments. If this compromise comes to fruition, it will distinguish the protest movement as one of the most successful in history … But we're not there yet.
US Israel Relations
The Netanyahu government continues to persistently damage its relations with the U.S. Recently, Netanyahu appointed Gilad Zwick as a new communications advisor. Zwick previously posted claims that U.S. President Biden “suffers from dementia and is ruining America,” among other criticisms. It's unclear why Netanyahu would make such a questionable appointment, unless he truly doesn't care about receiving an invitation to the Biden White House, or about U.S. assistance concerning Iran.
This wasn't the only regrettable action by Netanyahu’s government this week. While attending the annual reception at the Israeli Embassy celebrating Israel’s Independence, Vice President Harris made a very pro-Israel speech, in which she emphasized the importance of maintaining an independent judiciary. In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Cohen criticized Harris, suggesting Harris doesn't understand the issues with the judicial reform. This criticism was said about the U.S. Vice President, who had served as Attorney General of California. Cohen soon had to issue “a clarification”.
DEFENSE
A tragic incident occurred on Saturday. An Egyptian soldier slipped across the border and ambushed two Israeli soldiers, killing them instantly. Their bodies were discovered hours later, leading to a manhunt for the attacker. He was found, and in the attempt to capture or neutralize him, another Israeli soldier was killed. This incident raised serious questions. First, how was it possible that the soldiers' ambush went unnoticed for hours? The explanation asserted that communication in the area was spotty — which seems absurd in 2023, when it's expected that soldiers would have reliable communication equipment.
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There has been objection over the practice of assigning two soldiers to guard an isolated location for 12 hours (a practice the IDF has maintained since my time in the army). This type of patrol is a difficult task, one that I experienced while serving in the Gaza Strip in 1980. In addition, questions arose as to why a ground pursuit was initiated when the Egyptian soldier was spotted by a UAV, and could have been targeted from the air without endangering other troops. A comprehensive IDF investigation is underway.
GANG-RELATED SHOOTINGS IN ARAB-ISRAELI COMMUNITIES
On Thursday, Israel was rocked by a series of gang-related shootings. In Yafa an-Naseriyye, an Arab town near Nazareth, five people, including a 15-year-old, were killed when a gunman opened fire at a car wash. Later, a 30-year-old was murdered in a drive-by shooting in Kafr Qasim, while earlier in the day, a 3-year-old and her father were injured in a shooting in Kafr Kanna. These incidents bring the total number of Arab-Israelis killed this year to 98, marking a fourfold increase from last year.
The Israeli police, whose competence is frequently questioned, have been particularly ineffective in resolving cases within the Arab Israeli community. Furthermore, they have made little more than symbolic efforts to reduce the number of weapons. Although the problems are complex, it's clear that insufficient action has been taken to address them. The current government, with Jewish supremacists controlling the police, appears entirely ill-equipped to handle these issues. A general strike is taking place today, in protest of the government's inaction.
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TEL AVIV PRIDE, 2023
Yesterday, Tel Aviv celebrated the 25th anniversary of its prestigious Pride Parade, the largest of its kind in the Middle East. The celebration, which takes place along the city's scenic coastline, began in the afternoon at Shalag St. and moved towards Daniel St. The event featured nine brightly decorated trucks from various LGBTQ+ organizations, and began with a message from TLV Mayor Ron Huldai, who emphasized equality and freedom to love. As the trucks set off, they were met by a global crowd celebrating freedom, acceptance, and diversity. The parade, which began in 1998, sees hundreds of thousands of local and international participants each year. Tel Aviv takes great pride in its support of the LGBTQ+ community and its position as a global inspiration
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BUSINESS
The American-Israeli cybersecurity unicorn, Snyk, announced its acquisition of the start-up Enso Security. The transaction amount was not disclosed, but market insiders estimate it to be between $40-50 million. Both companies operate in the field of application development security. Enso, a relatively young company established in 2020 by Roy Erlich (CEO), Chen Gour Arie (Chief Architect), and Barak Tawily (CTO), had raised around $10 million, partly through a SAFE deal. All three founders are former employees of Wix. Enso announced a seed round of $6 million in October 2020, led by YL Ventures with participation from today Ventures and Jump Capital
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TEVA SETTLES OPIOID CASE
The Israeli pharmaceutical company, Teva, announced the official closure of its opioid painkiller case. Several plaintiffs in the US had accused various drug companies, including Teva, of aggressively marketing opioid painkillers without sufficient warnings, leading to consumer addiction and fatalities. Almost a year after an announced settlement, the terms were signed by 50 US states and 99% of the involved entities and counties. Teva also separately settled with Nevada, the last remaining state, agreeing to pay $193 million over 20 years. As part of the settlements, Teva will start payments in the latter half of 2023 and will provide drugs to aid in addiction recovery. The total cost to Teva is $4.3 Billion.
ECONOMY
According to Treasury data published today, the government deficit in Israel stood at 0.6% of GDP at the end of May, after government revenue in the past year fell short of expenditures by 10.7 billion shekels. The deficit in May alone stood at 4.4 billion shekels. However, since the start of 2023, the government has a budget surplus of approximately 13 billion shekels, far from the deficit ceiling of 2.75%. It is estimated that 2023 will end with a deficit between 1.1% and 1.5%.
In May, revenues of approximately 36.4 billion shekels were recorded, and since the beginning of the year, revenues of 197.7 billion shekels were recorded. This represents a decrease of about 8 billion shekels, or 4.2% compared to the same period in 2022, however, this decrease is effectively sharper due to inflation eroding the value of money. Focusing on tax revenue, there is a nominal decrease of about 10 billion shekels, reflecting a real decline of 8% from the beginning of the year in tax revenue. Though, looking at May alone, the decrease is sharper, standing at about 10% compared to 2022.
A PIECE OF HISTORY— WAR OF INDEPENDENCE: PART II
One other army invaded: the Arab Legion of Jordan. The Arab Legion was the best-equipped and trained Arab army; as the Legion was commanded by experienced British officers. Fortunately for Israel, the Legion was relatively small, with 4,500 troops. It had been hoped that the Legion would stay out of the war completely. Secret negotiations had been taking place between the Jewish Agency and the Hashemite King Abdullah. But the King ultimately decided that not joining the other Arab states would make his position in the Arab world untenable. On the day Israel’s independence was declared, the Arab Legion captured the Jewish settlements in the Etzion Bloc, located between Hebron and Bethlehem. But the critical battle was for Jerusalem.
On May 28, 1948, the outnumbered and outgunned defenders of the ancient Jewish Quarter surrendered. The western portion of the city, however, was successfully defended. But it remained under virtual siege. As a result, grave problems faced Western Jerusalem’s Jewish inhabitants: hunger, thirst, and lack of arms. The road from the coastal plain to Jerusalem had been blocked since the beginning of the war when the Arab Legion occupied the Latrun fortress (having received it from the British.) Latrun stood on an especially strategic elevation that overlooked the road to Jerusalem at the point where the road began the initial ascent from the plain up through the mountains. Whoever controlled Latrun, controlled access to the Jerusalem road. Beginning on May 25, repeated attempts were made by the Israelis to capture the fortress, only to end in failure. Fortunately, Colonel David Marcus, an American member of Machal (volunteers to the military from overseas) helped uncover another narrow path to Jerusalem. Under Marcus’ direction, the path was hastily widened into a crude road, just in time to relieve the siege of Jerusalem before a first truce went into effect.
The truce took place when both sides were exhausted. Under the terms of the cease-fire, neither side was supposed to reinforce their forces. The Swedish Count Bernadotte was appointed as a mediator. But as was expected, the cease-fire agreement was violated and both sides substantially reinforced their positions. During the cease-fire, the Altalena, a ship full of arms purchased by the Irgun arrived off Israel's coast. When the Irgun insisted on retaining some of the arms for its use, Ben-Gurion ordered the army to seize the ship by force. Though the incident nearly caused a civil war, its ultimate effect was to make the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) the only legitimate arms-bearing force in Israel.
The truce was soon to expire. Aware of this, the Egyptians launched another assault against Kibbutz Negba. The attack was repulsed and during this period, the IDF achieved minor gains in the Negev region. The major activity included the capture of the Arab cities of Ramla and Lod in the heart of the new nation. While earlier in the war Israel's policy towards the local Arabs was a mixed one, in these two cities the Arab residents were encouraged to board trucks and were transported to Legion lines. The IDF also captured Nazareth and the Galilee areas that had been in Arab hands.
During a second cease-fire, Count Bernadotte proposed a settlement that would give the whole Galilee to Israel while giving the Negev desert to the Arabs; Jerusalem was to be internationalized. Both the Arabs and the Israelis categorically rejected the Bernadotte plan and the unlucky mediator was assassinated in Jerusalem by Jewish extremist on September 17, 1948
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The second cease-fire ended with an Israeli attack on Egyptian positions. By this juncture, the Israelis were equipped with more modern aircraft and armored vehicles. Israeli forces quickly seized key Egyptian positions and captured the Negev city of Beersheva and soon opened the road to Eilat, at the southern tip of the country. A large Egyptian army was surrounded but refused to surrender. In the final stage of the war, Israeli troops advanced as far as El Arish in the Sinai desert. At that point, the British threatened to intervene, especially after Israel shot down 5 Egyptian planes during a single dogfight. Under British pressure, Israeli troops pulled back. This brought Israel’s War of Independence to a close. Agreements were reached to end the fighting on all fronts.
A TASTE OF TEL AVIV— BANANA BEACH
RESTAURANT REVIEW, by Tali Schulman
As we step into the summer season, let's go back to the basics this week. We're talking about the ultimate summer experience in Tel Aviv: Beach Food. Now, generally speaking, I don't recommend dining at the beachfront restaurants in Tel Aviv. They tend to be exorbitantly priced and offer mediocre fare (I wouldn't even attempt ordering an iced coffee there). However, there is one place that stands out from the rest if you know what to order: the restaurant at Banana Beach.
Nestled next to Kerem Hatemanim, Banana Beach is where you'll find the true locals of the neighborhood and the most reasonably priced and delectable "shnitzlonim" (essentially chicken fingers) and watermelon. These beach snacks are undoubtedly the best you'll find around! So, find yourself a cozy spot on Banana Beach, treat yourself to some mouthwatering shnitzlonim, along with refreshing watermelon, and bask in the joys of the day
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For more Tel Aviv restaurant recommendations, you can find me on Instagram @talischulman where I save all my food adventures in my highlights!
Shabbat shalom.
Hi Mark, thank you for the articles you send every week.
Shabbat Shalom.
Doron