Schlaglicht Number 16/24, Latest News from the Israeli Press, September 16-30, 2024

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Main topics covered in this Publication:

1. War With Hezbollah
2. War in the Gaza Strip
3. Election Campaign in the USA
4. Other Topics

1. War With Hezbollah

Hezbollah pager blasts signal declaration of war

(…) The simultaneous strike against thousands of terror operatives is a declaration of war on the Iran-backed group, which will certainly seek to retaliate. (…) This would mean an all-out war. Unlike Hamas, Hezbollah is a large military force with an arsenal of 150,000 precision-guided missiles and rockets, along with a variety of lethal weapons. (…) Such a war would impact Israel's ability to maintain its health and education systems and would have significant economic ramifications. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government must carefully consider its objectives in such a war, what goals are achievable, and whether it would result in the safe return of northern Israel residents to their homes. The coordinated strike attributed to Israel will not stop Hezbollah's aggression against the north, rather it will escalate the violence. The terror group has no intention of retreating north of the Litani River. Therefore, Israelis must prepare for days or weeks of escalating violence, which may even lead to a ground incursion into Lebanon while the war in Gaza continues and casualties mount. (…)

Avi Issacharoff, YED, 18.09.24

Hezbollah is beaten and battered after Lebanon pager blasts

(…) How dire is the situation in Lebanon? (…) Nasrallah told the Lebanese public which was listening, unlike previous speeches he made that were mostly ignored, that his terror group had suffered a severe blow but that it was not disabled or deterred and would continue to fight until Israel ends its war on Gaza. Nasrallah himself, who in his two recent speeches warned residents of southern Lebanon — especially Hezbollah operatives — not to use electronic communication devices, wasn’t injured in the explosions. Rumors claim that three of his bodyguards were seriously injured by the pager detonations. It’s still unclear whether they were near the secretary-general at the time of the explosion.

Smadar Perry, YED; 20.09.24

Schadenfreude, indeed!

(…) "schadenfreude," German for satisfaction felt at someone else's misfortune, is more than reasonable (…) especially after so many months of seeming Israeli helplessness in the face of thousands of Hezbollah attacks on Israel. The crafty technological hit on some of Israel's worst enemies (…) gave Israelis and Jews, supporters of Israel everywhere, and all reasonable analysts a glimmer of hope that Israel is getting back its moxie, its verve, its vigor, its ability to win over enemies. (…) This feeling of triumph is healthy. That alone is a strategic victory. Moralists have long despised schadenfreude as a guilty and cheap pleasure, a low emotion unbefitting of mature adults. But the emotions we are talking about in this case are neither cheap nor crude. There is no glee here, just a sense of justified comeuppance, of vindication, and of relief. (…) Nobody is enjoying the pain of Hezbollah or having fun in warfare, but rather celebrating a cunning and necessary Israeli military success that comes after a long period of setbacks. (…) Wouldn't it be good if Israel could disable Hezbollah's massive missile force with a similar cyber strike? Imagine an electromagnetic attack, a burst of energy that short-circuits the 150,000 Hezbollah warheads aimed at Israel. (…)

David M. Weinberg, IHY, 22.09.24

Is Netanyahu Aiming for War With Hezbollah to Avoid Trial?

Where exactly did Benjamin Netanyahu want to go with his latest rotten effort to force Yoav Gallant from office in order to put Gideon Sa'ar in his place as defense minister? (…) Sa'ar supports a war of choice, even though he knows that continuing the war will kill the hostages. (…) The hostages' families, whom Netanyahu ignores, understand perfectly well that Sa'ar's joining the government may actually result in the execution of those rotting away in Hamas tunnels. With complete justice, they don't believe a single word of the prime minister. (…) Netanyahu is aiming for a disastrous regional war. He does so with the clear knowledge that such a war could lead to the destruction of thousands of homes, military bases, public buildings, the obliteration of towns and kibbutzim and development towns – the destruction of the Third Temple. He knows that such a war could lead the country to ruin, yet he is in no hurry to stop the madness by ending the war in the south. (…) The cloud of criminal conviction, which could land him in the same cell in Maasiyahu Prison that former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert once occupied, hovers over him. It scares him. Thus, I would not be surprised if soon, as the situation in the north escalates, Netanyahu asks the court to postpone his testimony again. A major war is underway, he will claim, and I am not free to testify – I must be there to lead the war effort.

Mordechai Gilat, HAA, 22.09.24

This is Israeli resistance

(…) this is what resistance against a terrorist army actually looks like. (…) Blowing up the pagers exclusively of members of a terrorist army who has been shooting rockets at us for 11 months is Israeli resistance. Assassinating a Hezbollah leader who had a $7 million American bounty on his head for orchestrating the 1983 Beirut bombings and was responsible for daily attacks on northern Israel is Israeli resistance. Eliminating a room full of Hezbollah special forces who were literally in the middle of discussing plans to invade northern Israel October 7th style (Operation “Conquer the Galilee”) — that is definitely Israeli resistance. (…) it’s a tragic consequence of war when Lebanese civilians get hurt or die in the crossfires. Lebanese civilians don’t deserve to die. But neither did the 1,200 Israelis who were murdered on October 7, and there will be more October 7s if Israel does not act against Hezbollah before it’s too late. (…) Israel is finally resisting Hezbollah. Rightfully so. (…)

Rachel Lester, TOI, 23.09.24

Israel Has No Way Out of the War in Lebanon Without an Agreement

(…) How many more missiles must be destroyed, how many more senior Hezbollah figures must be killed to create "safety"? (…) Hezbollah's eradication has not been defined as a goal of the war, nor has the destruction of all its missiles and drones. Israel is also realistic enough not to demand that the organization be removed from controlling Lebanon's civilian institutions or from its network of funding – some of which comes from the Lebanese budget – or the exile of its leaders. The result is that even after the massive damage to Hezbollah's missile stores and the targeted killings of its military heads, and even if the goal of driving Hezbollah north of the Litani River is met, Israel will need to reach to an official arrangement with Beirut. (…) Unlike Gaza, which has become Israeli territorial property, Lebanon has a government that is recognized by the international community and that has already signed agreements with Israel – including the demarcation of the Blue Line withdrawal line and the maritime border agreement dividing the offshore natural-gas fields between the countries. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has expressed his agreement to the involvement of a large multinational force that, together with the Lebanese Army, would control the southern border area. (…) even those who (…) dream of renewing the era of the Israeli security zone in Lebanon in the manner in which we conquered Gaza must know that the international legitimacy that Israel still enjoys has a short shelf life. And when it comes to Lebanon the world will be even less tolerant and patient than it has been in regard to Gaza.

Zvi Bar´el, HAA, 25.09.24

It was never an Israeli-Lebanese war

(…) Three times Israeli forces entered Lebanon and fought on that country’s soil, but never against its people. In the 1970’s it was Yassir Arafat and the Palestine Liberation Organization who built a country within a country and chose Lebanon to be the frontline in their war of terror against Israel. In the 1980s, Syria came to Lebanon claiming an attempt to keep the peace, and chose to keep the country instead. Of late, it is Iran that has chosen to make Lebanon its sacrificial lamb, with Hezbollah the executioner. (…) We have never had any real border dispute or insurmountable ideological conflict, yet for 40 years the border between Lebanon and Israel has been drenched in the blood of our youngest and bravest. (…) Tel Aviv and Beirut are like sister cities of the Mediterranean. They welcome visitors from across the work with rich cultures and a firm embrace of diversity, while tediously working to give their guests and inhabitants a sense of normality shielded from the surrounding conflicts. In the Middle East, the struggle has always been between those who wanted to spread freedom and democracy and those who feel threatened by it. For decades Islamic extremists have tried to destroy both Lebanon and Israel because our way of life offers an alternative to their dark and oppressive existence. (…) My hope is that the coastal road between Haifa and Beirut will one day be reopened and the old tracks will see new trains. (…) If we allow the warmongers in our region to control our actions or hijack our right to self-determination, this tragic saga will only drag on.

Reda Mansour, TOI, 27.09.24

There's Only One Way for Israel to Confront Hezbollah's Threats

(…) Hezbollah poses two challenges. It will be harder to deal with a missile buildup in the Lebanese hinterland in the future. (…) Israel has already been bombing arms convoys, facilities and infrastructure in an attempt to stop the buildup. This has not prevented Hezbollah from acquiring an unimaginable number of missiles. The real solution to the challenge lies in strengthening the Lebanese state, in having it disarm Hezbollah. However, Lebanon is weaker than ever, and Israel's ability to influence such a process diplomatically is negligible. The more practical challenge is the removal of Hezbollah ground forces and its antitank rocket threat from the border, out of sight and range from residents of the north. Assuming and hoping that nobody really yearns for a permanent Israeli presence in the buffer zone, or is dreaming of re-establishing a South Lebanon Army, there is only one way. A weak, almost frightening way that is unlikely to win the public's trust, but the only way: an international force that will support the Lebanese military. (…) The Americans will not send troops, but they are surely quite interested, a month before a presidential election, in mobilizing a more effective coalition. They can tailor a UN Security Council resolution that will give the new force a broader mandate, particularly regarding use of weapons. They can also work for the arming, training and equipping of the Lebanese military. (…) It is equally clear that Israel will have to be much readier to use force, in peacetime too, should there be any definite proof of a return of Hezbollah to the area. (…) Unfortunately, this is just an intellectual exercise. The chances of Netanyahu striving to end the war at this high point are very slim.

Raviv Drucker, HAA, 30.09.24

Tehran poised to strike back after Nasrallah’s killing, maybe abroad

The assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Friday will have dramatic consequences. (…) With the killing of the group's leader and other senior commanders, Israel has reportedly debilitated around 90% of Hezbollah’s military command. (…) Despite this, the group still retains the ability to launch heavy barrages toward Israel, including precision missiles capable of carrying warheads of up to 100 kilograms (...). Iran is likely to retaliate, as it provided Hezbollah with its arsenal of heavy and precise missiles and is committed to maintaining its Lebanon-based proxy’s strategic capabilities, which can disrupt any Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear sites. Nasrallah was a key figure in Iran's so-called "Axis of Resistance," holding a status comparable to that of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. (…) Israel must also prepare for the possibility that Iranian commanders might assume control of Hezbollah's forces and lead any retaliatory actions. Iran may also attempt to target Israelis and Jews worldwide, as well as facilities connected to Israel. Hezbollah could activate its international terror cells (…). Nasrallah’s assassination could trigger the regional war Sinwar has been seeking, eliminating his incentive to negotiate a hostage deal. I believe the killing of the Hezbollah leader could push negotiations in Gaza in a positive direction, as it forces all parties involved to reassess their positions and consider their best interests, particularly Iran. If the United States aims to advance negotiations in both the north and the south, it should directly threaten Iran against any attack on Israel, whether direct or via its proxies. (…)

Ron Ben-Yishai, YED, 28.09.24

Israel’s Elimination of Hezbollah’s Leadership Deserves Global Praise

Israel’s recent operation to neutralize Hezbollah’s senior leadership, including its long-time leader, Hasan Nasrallah, marks a significant milestone in the global fight against terrorism. This operation has not only enhanced Israel’s security but has struck a major blow to an international network responsible for organized crime, drug trafficking, and terrorism. (…) It’s time for the world to fully recognize the global implications of dismantling Hezbollah’s criminal empire. This is not just a victory for Israel—it’s a victory for the international community in the fight against terrorism and organized crime. (…) Under Hasan Nasrallah’s leadership, Hezbollah transformed from a regional actor into a global player in organized crime. (…) Hasan Nasrallah, as the leader of Hezbollah since 1992, played an integral role in expanding the group’s influence globally. (…) Without his leadership, Hezbollah’s intricate network of criminal enterprises will face significant challenges. (…) Critics of Israel’s military strategies often point to the potential for unintended consequences, such as civilian casualties or regional destabilization. Some may argue that removing Nasrallah could lead to chaos within Hezbollah, giving rise to more violent factions or destabilizing Lebanon further. While these concerns are valid, they must be weighed against the global harm Hezbollah has caused. (…)

Seth Eisenberg, TOI, 30.09.24

2. War in the Gaza Strip

War and Pain and Rights in Israel & Gaza

(…) Agree or disagree (…) with the Israeli government’s actions – if their goal was genocide Gaza and the West Bank would have been parking lots by October 10. (…) It is devastating to see what is happening to innocent civilians – but I also believe Israel must do everything in its power to go after the perpetrators of October 7. I believe it is possible to be pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian at the same time. Ensuring Israel’s right to exist as the Jewish homeland and believing Palestinians should have their own state; a two state solution where each has the right to live in safety and freedom. (…) Antisemitic and anti-Zionist activity around the world in response to the war does nothing to help people in Israel or Gaza – instead, it punishes Jews thousands of miles away for actions they have no say in. (…) no Jew or Jewish ally (…) anywhere outside of Israel is responsible for it. Targeting all Jews for decisions in Israel is an old antisemitic trope which must be rejected by all people of good will.

Roberta S. Clark, TOI, 19.09.24

Amid escalation in the North, the hostages in Gaza are fading into memory

Headlines were rife last week with the brilliant and devastating surprise beeper attacks on Hezbollah members throughout Lebanon, and some reportedly in Iraq and Syria. This landed Hezbollah the largest blow it has experienced in years. (…) Yet, with those successes (…) rockets are still being fired at the South, and it is still unsafe to live there. (…) there are still 101 innocent hostages being held in death tunnels in Gaza, now for nearly a year. (…) The focus and priority of the government has been the military and the security it provides. That is what dictated the next steps all along the way. (…) the wind of focus shifted North. When government officials say that there are three main goals – disabling Hamas as a military and governing power, bringing the hostages home, and returning the displaced residents to their northern towns and cities – they can’t all be priorities at once. (…) The sad fact is that the hostages are fading from the national consciousness and ethos. (…) the hostages are simply not the priority. (…) The hostages used to unite us, then they divided us – and now they are fading into memory.

Editorial, JPO, 22.09.24

Victory over Hamas in Gaza hasn't been achieved, but it's within reach

(…) Hamas continues guerrilla warfare, operating from command and control centers disguised as civilian institutions such as humanitarian shelters, schools, and hospitals, which they have set up in the heart of civilian areas. The organization tirelessly works to refresh its ranks and recruit new activists, especially youth. Crime families and clans collect taxes, distribute humanitarian aid, and work for "public order" while receiving salaries from Hamas in return. Hamas is recovering, primarily in areas where the IDF is not currently operating, including the northern Gaza Strip, Khan Younis, and Mawasi. (…) Hamas uses brutal force on the population to instill fear, including public executions of thieves or those suspected of collaborating with Israel, as well as Gazans who dare to protest against Hamas rule. (…) as long as Hamas retains the ability to harm Israel and hold our sons and daughters hostage, Hamas has not been defeated. (…) The continuation of the fighting until Sinwar is eliminated, the hostages are freed, and Hamas is defeated—will constitute a total victory, and this is within reach.

Moshe Pozailov, JPO, 22.09.24

Retired general's 'siege plan' for Gaza sparks debate

In essence, the plan suggests imposing a complete siege on the northern Gaza Strip until the surrender of the last Hamas combatant or their starvation to death. (…). For almost a year Israel has been muddling through an endless war in which the main motive is the use of force, even though it has become clear that the use of force alone is bringing about the death of the hostages without achieving any of the stipulated goals of the war. (…) The Israeli public is hurting and too many are looking for revenge. (…) Giora Eiland has chosen to advance a position whose main purpose is the use of military force against the civilian population in both the south and the north of Gaza in a manner contrary to international law and basic human values. (…) Wars that are managed wisely and with a strategic purpose can create a basis for agreements, but it is diplomacy that turns military advantage into strategic success in the political arena. In Israel, diplomacy garners lower ratings than the lust for war, starvation, and the unhinged desire for “total victory,” which can never be achieved. (…) Almost a year after the outbreak of the war, 101 hostages are still being held captive by Hamas, and women and men in uniform are still being killed and injured in an endless and purposeless war with no clear exit strategy. The northern front with Lebanon is now becoming a full-scale war, which may well develop into a regional war. (…) As individuals, we are entitled to be angry and demand vengeance. However, serious leaders must act with a political strategy devoid of mere emotion and revenge. The voice of diplomacy, not only the language of power, must be heard more often in the Israeli discourse. Otherwise, we will continue drifting toward the abyss of eternal war, in which everyone loses.

Nadav Tamir, YED, 26.09.24

Israel's Education Ministry Wants to Erase All Traces of the Hostages in Gaza

(…) the Education Ministry is excising the hostages from the national memorial day for the events of October 7. The hostages are not on the list of themes for the day; their mention is prohibited in preschools, discouraged even in first and second grade, and consideration is to be given before bringing up the topic in higher elementary grades. (…) It isn't only the hostages who are being erased. According to the ministry memo instructing schools on handling the memorial, children will also not learn about events here after October 7. (…) The erasure of the hostages and the failures of the government and the military is deliberate, a forgetting meant to mold the memory of Israel's children into a shape familiar from Israeli national memorial days and the Jewish holidays. (…) The hostages suffered and died as the memo was drafted and they will suffer and die in the tunnels while Israel's children stand at attention during the ceremonies. The posters with the pictures of the hostages are still pasted on walls, the protests calling for their return are still being held, their families are out of their minds with misery and helplessness and sorrow – but in the education establishment? Nada. This, then, is not education – this is a cognitive dissonance. This is how schools prepare the children for their ultimate goal: turning them into obedient soldiers by age 18.  (…)

Noa Limone, HAA, 29.09.24

3. Election Campaign in the USA

As US politics heats up, Israeli concerns grow over the 2024 election outcome

(…) the Republican candidate will be unpredictable, like all his predecessors in a second term, with an added Trump factor. But the problem is that Harris is all too predictable. (…) with a party that includes Hamas sympathizers and an administration that champions appeasement, expectations should remain low. (…) This week’s debate showed it’s too soon to start packing at the White House. Trump, the candidate who lost more debates than anyone in U.S. history (…), looked a bit like yesterday’s man. Harris, meanwhile, exemplified the saying that when expectations are lowered to zero, you can dazzle the world with mediocre performance. Next to her predecessor, who seemed to be live-demonstrating dementia, she shone. (…) Trump’s main enemy remains himself. If he could control his tongue, refrain from personal attacks and avoid the lost cause of defending his refusal to concede in 2020, the election might already be behind us. His best political months were last spring when a court order prohibited him from commenting on the criminal cases pending against him. Suddenly, the former president sounded focused, sharp and solution-oriented. But that’s the thing with a candidate who can only be disciplined under the threat of jail.

Amit Segal, YED, 16.09.24

US elections 2024: Does any political party 'own' the Jews?

(…) While Jews constitute only about 2% of the United States population (…), we tend to punch above our weight, as we vote in greater percentages and lend financial support to the candidates beyond our numbers. (…) Trump made the audacious claim that if he failed to be elected, “Israel would be dead within two years.” Donald, while we truly appreciate all you did for Israel and the Jewish people during your term as president – recognizing Jerusalem as our eternal capital, cutting off aid to Iran and Palestinian terrorists, and the breakthrough Abraham Accords – we are an ancient, resilient people, and we are not going anywhere. (…) And as for Kamala’s worn-out, pie-in-the-sky promise to rejuvenate the “two-state solution,” that is a stale dead end that has no credibility in the real world. (…) Only an America that dares the Arab world to acknowledge our permanent existence as a Jewish state can change the status quo and bring peace. (…) Let no political party assume it owns us or our precious vote. That will go to the person and party that deserves our support and will assist us in our holy struggle to bring redemption.

Stewart Weiss, JPO, 21.09.24

Trust, Truth and Trump (and Netanyahu)

Among the myriad norms shattered by Donald Trump’s decade in presidential politics, the one that seems most damaging and counter to Jewish ethical standards is his degradation of truth.  Even more than his disdain for the stranger, his divisiveness, his war on women and his crusade against democracy, there are the lies, because the lies stand at the root of every other transgression.  So many lies. (…) none of this should surprise us.  (…) Trump and Trumpism  thrive in the world of cloudy, conflicting narratives, outlandish lies and “alternative facts.”  (…) Trump’s deliberate degradation of truth is one of the many Jewish disqualifiers for this candidate for the highest office in the land. (…) Trump has perverted truth through his distortion of words. (…) When truth is lost, trust in our institutions erodes. (…) Kamala Harris is human, and she is not immune to fact checking.  But an embrace of truth is part of her core value system.  (…)

Joshua Hammerman, TOI, 23.09.24

Donald Trump Is Bad for American Jews – and for Israel, Too

Donald Trump is a rough-edged and unsophisticated man. He doesn't have slips of the tongue; his entire speeches are a collection of blunders. (…) If Harris were to say that if she loses the election, it would be the Jews' fault, right-wing media outlets would break out in a chorus accusing her of yielding to the progressive forces setting university campuses on fire, as well as of being antisemitic as a result of her anti-Israel stance. Trump says these things because that's how he talks. He feeds on antisemitic wellsprings embedded deep inside the white right wing, the gun-loving camp that thrives on hatred of Jews and has founded a host of antisemitic organizations that support him. These are the people who believe with all their hearts that Jews control America in all spheres of life. (…) Before we've even recovered from his statement about Jews being to blame, he declares, red-faced, that if Harris wins, Israel will be destroyed. His supporters in Israel are silent. (…) Many Israelis believe Trump is good for Israel (…) because they believe he will support Israel without reservations. (…) But Trump's party champions isolationism. It's doubtful that he would have sent aircraft carriers to the Mediterranean to deter Iran, since he doesn't want direct American involvement in any international crisis. (…) His vulgarity and cruelty should make it impossible for anyone to support him, even if he were a yeshiva graduate. (…)

Uzi Baram, HAA, 24.09.24

As he battles for Jewish vote, Trump is endangering American Jews

In the run-up to the United States' presidential election, Donald Trump has pointedly blamed Jewish voters, suggesting that if he doesn't win it will be their fault. This statement (…) carries a dangerous undertone, turning them into future scapegoats. (…) Trump's rhetoric risks further energizing his antisemitic and white supremacist supporters, who already see Jews as outsiders. These groups, fueled by hate and violence, now have a perceived endorsement from Trump to target potential scapegoats. Should he lose, some of the violence that his followers might unleash could be directed against Jewish communities. (…) Jews are liberal, enlightened, and seek a president who commands respect and depth, someone they can be proud of. They will not overwhelmingly support a bully. However, the damage he is causing now could result in bloodshed if liberal America breathes a sigh of relief at his defeat. In his loss, he might incite his violent factions to act as they did at the Capitol, this time against Jews, whom he would blame. And if he loses, he will quickly forget how to spell Netanyahu's name, despite Netanyahu's substantial support for him. Netanyahu has placed all of Israel's eggs in Trump's basket, burning bridges to the Democratic Party and its presidential candidate.

Orly Azulay, YED, 25.09.24

The Real Danger of Trump's Preemptive Effort to Blame Jewish Voters if He Loses

(…) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who views Trump as a natural ally, has adopted a similarly restrictive definition of what Jewish opinions are permissible and valid. (…) With Netanyahu and Trump, the basis of their frustration is the same: Israeli and American Jews who don't toe the line are a fly in the ointment for their populist, authoritarian, nationalist worldviews. The implied logic Trump uses to Jewish Americans is lifted directly from Netanyahu's core value proposition: "Only I can keep Israel safe." Ironically, this puts the leaders in tension with each other, because by definition Israel can have only one irreplaceable protector. The implication of Trump's doomsday prediction for Israel is that without him, Netanyahu cannot keep Israel safe. This slight will be politely ignored by Netanyahu, who would likely prefer that Trump win in November so that he has a freer hand to manage the war in Gaza and the unrest in the West Bank as he sees fit.

(…) American Jews are alarmed by rising authoritarianism and the threat of growing antisemitism, and both Trump and Netanyahu seem willing to weaponize anxieties about the latter to allay worries about the former. (…) authoritarianism is nearly always accompanied by antisemitism and (…) historically, liberal democracy has provided Jews with greater freedom, safety and prosperity than any other system of government. Trump's preemptive effort to blame Jewish voters if he does badly at the ballot box may instead only remind them of what makes autocracy so dangerous.

Nathan Kohlenberg, HAA, 29.09.24

4. Other Topics

Israel and the UN

The free world must circle the wagons at the UN

(…) As free nations have become a minority at the UN, the least they can do is to stick together. When they don’t, they play into the hands of China and Russia. Unfortunately, this is precisely what happened on September 17 at the general assembly with the PLO-sponsored resolution against Israel. This resolution calls upon Israel to fully and unconditionally withdraw to the 1949 armistice lines without a peace agreement and without security guarantees. Israel did just that in 2005 when it fully withdrew from the Gaza Strip. The outcome was nearly two decades of rocket attacks, and then October 7. While general assembly resolutions are mere declarations that are not binding in international law, those votes carry consequences because they send the wrong message to China and to Russia. That message is that the free world is divided and lacks moral clarity. If we wish to overcome our divisions and to restore our moral clarity as free nations, let’s start at the UN.

Emmanuel Navon, TOI, 27.09.24

UN’s anti-Israel majority: Misinformation and hypocrisy reign at the General Assembly -

(…) The speeches by Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the UN, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, powerful though each was, fell largely on deaf ears, drowned out by consistent and continuous anti-Israel rhetoric from a succession of Muslim leaders and their allies. The UN General Assembly has 193 member states, and a significant number of them are part of the Global South, including Arab, Muslim-majority, and developing nations that have traditionally supported the Palestinian cause or taken positions critical of Israel. Many of them, especially those with histories of colonization, see the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through the lens of anti-colonialism. (…) The UN General Assembly, it seems, was not prepared to countenance anyone suggesting peace with Israel, not even the representative of its supreme enemy. The UN’s in-built anti-Israel majority was as predictable as ever.

Neville Teller, JPO, 30.09.24

New Appointment to the Presidency of the Supreme Court

Israel's Justice Minister Trolls Top Court by Nominating Every Justice for Supreme Court President, Amid Clash Over Judicial Independence

Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin nominated every justice to the Israeli Supreme Court presidency (…). The defiant move by Levin, considered the architect of the Israeli government's contentious judicial overhaul, is the latest development in an ideological and political spat over judicial independence in Israel. (…) Since former Supreme Court President Esther Hayut retired in October, the Supreme Court has been operating for the first time in its history without a permanent president. (…) Levin claims that he has not advanced the Supreme Court appointments due to his desire to reach a unanimous agreement among all nine members of the committee. However, according to the law, a Supreme Court judge can be elected with a majority of seven out of nine committee members, and a Supreme Court president by a normal majority of five members. Since the coalition currently has three representatives on the committee, the judges and Israel Bar Association representatives will not be able to force the minister to make appointments to the Supreme Court. They will, however, be able to force the appointment of Amit as temporary president, in accordance with the seniority system.

Chen Maanit, HAA, 22.09.24

HAA = Haaretz

YED = Yedioth Ahronoth / Ynetnews

JPO = Jerusalem Post

IHY = Israel HaYom

TOI = Times of Israel

GLO = Globes

Published: October 2024.

Responsible:

Dr. Ralf Melzer,

Head of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Israel

Editors:

Susanne Knaul

Judith Stelmach

Homepage: israel.fes.de

Email: fes(at)fes.org.il