Tel Aviv Diary March 24, 2023
National Crisis Deepens-Netanyahu Pours Gasoline on the Fire, Economy, Reviews and History
NATIONAL CRISIS
Hope surged for a brief period on Thursday afternoon, as people anticipated an end to the ongoing crisis. Rumors spread that Defense Minister Galant would hold a press conference at 7:30 PM, during which he was expected to publicly appeal for a halt to the coalition’s planned Judicial legislation. There was a growing sense of optimism, following reported meetings of the Prime Minister with the IDF Chief of Staff and the Air Force Commander, both of whom warned Netanyahu of the detrimental impact the proposed Judicial plan —if implemented — will have on the IDF's combat capabilities. Furthermore, reports of an upcoming address by Netanyahu, preceded by a statement Sara Netanyahu released urging national unity further fueled the hope. As a result, the shekel strengthened by almost 2%, and stocks soared in the final moments of trading on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
However, this optimism was rather short-lived. Other Likud ministers quickly began labeling Galant as a traitor to the right-wing, and then Netanyahu summoned Galant to Jerusalem. The time scheduled for Galant's press conference passed without any word from him. Instead, at 8:40 PM, Netanyahu delivered a speech broadcasted on TV defending the planned Judicial reforms. After reasserting his alleged intentions to be Prime Minister for ALL Israelis, and while acknowledging concerns about the potential effect of the reforms on defense and acknowledging the opposition's extreme disagreement, Netanyahu ultimately confirmed that the government intends to proceed with the reforms. Netanyahu filled the air with a long list of lies that would do Trump proud, and he ended the speech by saying, “He is back”.
With the passage this week of the “Incapacitation Law,” Netanyahu now feels he can speak about the judicial reform without consequence. He was told by the State’s Attorney General that based on his “Conflict of Interest agreement,” which the Supreme Court mandated in order to allow him to become Prime Minister, despite his ongoing corruption trial, he was prohibited from engaging in such discussions. However, due to the law passed in the early hours of Thursday morning, there were no consequences for violating this agreement. The new law states that a Prime Minister can only be removed from office due to physical or genuine mental impairment—not for failing to adhere to the law. Therefore, “The King is back.”
This morning the Attorney General sent Netanyahu a strongly worded letter stating he had violated the law and ignoring the order of the Supreme Court. Our constitutional crisis has begun.
As for Galant, he joined the ranks of spineless Likud members who fear crossing their leader. Meanwhile, Netanyahu and his wife flew off to a three-day trip to London, where he and his entourage will occupy three floors in the Savoy Hotel, consisting of 60 rooms. One can only speculate about the potential discounts received from the hotel’s $800 per room rate.
It is difficult to comprehend how Netanyahu is able to overlook the harm resulting from the Judicial reform. On Sunday evening, he received a phone call from President Biden. Although they discussed Iran and the Palestinian situation, it was the weakening of the Israeli judiciary that primarily concerned Biden. Remarkably, the President even offered his services as a mediator to address the issue. This reveals the extent of the current predicament — the President of the United States did not propose to mediate between Israel and Egypt, but rather between Israeli political parties. Here’s my i24 appearance on the matter.
In addition, in this past week, for the first time, The INSS Israel issued an urgent strategic warning to the government:
“Continued advance of Judicial overhaul harms social resilience & IDF; undermines ability to confront enemies & retain support of allies, led by US; & damages economic strength, especially flagship hi-tech sector.”
The professional staff at the Finance Ministry warned of a loss of 70 billion shekels in national income if the Judicial reform goes forward.
The number of army reservist who have asserted they will stop volunteering continues to grow. It has also been reported that beyond all the elite units only 60% of the ground forces have shown up in the past weeks for reserve duty as opposed to 90% that usually show up. The Chief of Staff warned that the reform has begun to effect the standing army, as well. As a result, Netanyahu said on Sunday “I expect the Police Commissioner to enforce the law, to prevent violence & roadblocks and to facilitate the daily life of Israeli citizens… I expect the Shin Bet & the public prosecutor to act decisively against those inciting the murder of ministers & Knesset.” Of course the person making the most threats is Netanyahu’s elder son and nearly all the violence has come from right-wingers attacking demonstrators.
The leaders of all security services have expressed concern about the potential consequences of the proposed legislation. Furthermore, Jewish members of Congress met with Israeli’s US Ambassador Herzog, cautioning that defending Israel would become increasingly challenging if the legislation was to pass.
Despite these passionate, widespread warnings and prior to Netanyahu's speech, the coalition announced its intention to compromise regarding the Judicial Selection Committee, delaying any decision until after Passover. The proposed compromise stipulates that the coalition would have the exclusive right to appoint two judges per Knesset term, as well as the authority to select the Chief Judge, who currently assumes the role based on seniority. Critics argue that this is not a significant compromise, as an average of 2.2 judges are appointed to the high court during a Knesset term. It is worth noting that after the second appointment, the government will still retain the power to veto a judge. The government's plan also would establish a new committee for the appointment of lower court judges, which will be under the government’s control. The opposition does not view these concessions as substantial, or sufficient. Additionally, the government has made it clear that the legislative blitz will resume following the Passover break.
Even without the Judicial Reform that is tearing apart the country, this government clearly seems to be “the gang that cannot shoot straight”.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
The week began with a conference in Sharm El Sheikh, attended by Israel, Jordan, Egypt, the United States, and the Palestinian Authority, with the goal of maintaining calm in the West Bank during the upcoming month of Ramadan. All parties agreed to preserve peace and refrain from taking any unilateral actions.
However, the very next day, the coalition passed a law revoking a portion of the withdrawal resolution pertaining to the northern West Bank. This law was enacted without any discussion in either the security cabinet, or the cabinet as a whole. The implications of this move include the potential for Israelis to enter this part of the West Bank and for settlers to establish new illegal settlements in the area, possibly necessitating military protection. The United States responded forcefully, summoning Ambassador Herzog for consultations and asserting that the move violated assurances given to President Bush. Netanyahu was compelled to issue a statement on Wednesday, asserting that Israel would not create any new settlements in the northern West Bank-Shomron. However, it remains unclear whether Netanyahu can enforce this commitment.
Crisis of their own making
Finance Minister Smotrich sparked an international relations crisis during a speech to local Beitar members in Paris. In his remarks, Smotrich claimed there was no such thing as a Palestinian people, arguing that they never had a king, currency, or their own language, and therefore are not a people. To make matters worse, Smotrich spoke in front of a map depicting Israel on both sides of the Jordan River, including a portion of Jordan. The government was forced to apologize to the Jordanian government for the map, while Israel faced widespread condemnation for Smotrich's statement about Palestinians. It is worth noting that Smotrich's visit to Paris, which took place just one week after his visit to Washington, did not include any meetings with French officials, who, like their American counterparts, continue to boycott him.
Amidst these significant issues, Minister of Transportation Miri Regev managed to offend the UAE by stating she had visited Dubai, but would not return, as she did not enjoy it. In contrast, Foreign Minister Cohen quickly posted online about the positive experience he had in Dubai.
Finance Committee Chair Moshe Gafni introduced legislation that would outlaw Christian missionary work in Israel. However, following an uproar from the American Evangelical community, Netanyahu assured that no such law would be passed.
In another development, it was revealed that Justice Minister Levin, along with other prominent Likud members, attended a Purim party hosted by the head of one of Israel's crime families. The response to this news was that the individual in question had not been charged with a crime in the past 20 years, and had since become devoutly religious.
PROTESTS CONTINUE
Meanwhile, the demonstrations against changes in our government system have remained immense — with close to 500,000 coming out on Saturday night, at 400 locations throughout Israel
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Demonstrators blocked roads throughout the country on Thursday. A number of protesters were attacked by Likud activists, and 79 were arrested for road blockages.
In one of the most remarkable actions, all of the living former heads of the elite Sayeret Matkal IDF Commando Brigade, along with members of the Special Operations Division of Intelligence Services sat down together to block a major road intersection.
ECONOMY
Israeli exports reached and all-time high of $166 billion in 2022, representing a 15% increase from the year before. The High-tech sector is responsible for a large percentage of that increase. High-tech industries are responsible for $60 billion of the services exported by Israel, representing 72% of services— up from 54% in 2014. They are also responsible for 39% of the physical exports, most of that in the form of chips and related equipment.
Codium AI, which developed a system to check software code using AI raised $11 million. The system checks both for bugs, and to ensure software is doing what is intended. Vine Venture Partners TLV led the investment round.
Backslash exited from stealth mode and announced it has raised $8 million. The company has developed a product to protect the security of cloud data.
Triple W announced it has raised $16.5 million. The company developed a system to convert food garbage into plastic. It will use the funds to scale their system to commercial size.
DragonFlyDB raised $21 million. The company developed a modern data base system that can operate in a computer’s RAM, increasing its efficiency dramatically.
StructShare raised $8 million. The startup developed a software platform it believes will revolutionize the building industry.
A PIECE OF HISTORY—BLACK SABBATH
In response to escalating resistance from the Yishuv, the British government opted for decisive action. They initiated “Operation Agatha”, a plan designed to apprehend Yishuv leadership, weaken Palmach forces, and collect incriminating evidence against the Haganah's activities. On June 29, 1946, the operation commenced, and became known as “Black Sabbath” within the Yishuv community.
Despite its ambitious goals, the operation was largely unsuccessful. While the British managed to detain approximately 200 Palmach members, a majority of the Yishuv leaders evaded capture. In total, around 2,700 Yishuv members were arrested. Ben Gurion, who was abroad at the time, remained unscathed, as did most of the Haganah leadership. However, a few key leaders were taken into British custody.
Outraged by the operation, Ben-Gurion denounced it as “a pogrom worthy of Czarist Russia, or Hitler.” Ben-Gurion swiftly traveled from France to the United States to exert pressure on the British. During his visit, Ben-Gurion met with Supreme Court Justice and prominent Zionist Felix Frankfurter, asserting that Palestine must be liberated from British rule.
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT—TEL AVIV STORIES
FILM REVIEW
In short, I would say, don’t waste you time. The premise of the film produced in the 1990s, follows the convoluted love life of a number of Tel Aviv women during the period. The film is hard to follow, and is not worth trying. The most redeeming aspect of the film was its window into Tel Aviv of the 90’s, a much grittier city than it is today.
Directed by Ayelet Menahemi and Nirit Yaron, “Tel Aviv Stories” was released in 1992.
Each chapter within the anthology is a distinct, story of love, loss, and the pursuit of happiness.
“Sharona Honey”: This segment follows the story of Sharona, a hairdresser who dreams of opening her own salon. Her life takes a surprising turn when her former boyfriend unexpectedly reappears, forcing her to confront her past and reevaluate her priorities.
“Operation Cat”: The second story revolves around a lonely middle-aged woman named Lily, who finds solace in the company of stray cats. However, when the local authorities decide to launch an operation to eliminate the local stray cat population, Lily takes matters into her own hands to protect her feline companions.
“Diary of an Adolescent”: The final tale explores the life of a teenage girl named Tamar, who is grappling with the challenges of adolescence and the complexities of family dynamics. As she navigates the trials of growing up, Tamar discovers the power of friendship and the importance of self-discovery.
A TASTE OF TEL AVIV—Meatos
RESTAURANT REVIEW, by Marc Schulman
MEATOS is a Tel Aviv institution. Years ago, it was the one Kosher-certified restaurant outside of the hotels where you could get a steak. Today, there are many kosher restaurants is Tel Aviv. However, Meatos has remained one of the few where a good cut of meat is guaranteed. Their steaks are seasoned to perfection and the meat is tender and tasty. If you don’t want a steak their chicken and fish dishes are perfectly fine selections, but its their beef that is a standout. Meatos has a good lunch special deal, available until 5PM. AND… a hidden secret for those who know, Meatos has a cafeteria-style restaurant, on its lower floor that offers an excellent meal for a substantially lower price than the main restaurant.
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT …
My colleague, Aaron Poris, has created an engaging YouTube series titled "Portraits of Israel." Originally from Detroit, Aaron made Aliyah in 2015 and now resides in the Tel Aviv area with his spouse and their child. In this week's episode, I have the honor of being featured as his portrait subject. You can view this fascinating episode by
clicking on the following this link:
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