It's not about Tzniut! (Agudat Yisrael's "condemnation")

First, read their statement on the violence in Beit Shemsh:

Agudath Israel Statement on Recent Events in Beit Shemesh

Just want to add my 2 cents on Agudat Yisrael's "condemnation":

There's no reason to throw tzniut into it. This has zero to do with tzniut. The issue isn't about people dressing immodestly, and them reacting. The issue is about them acting inappropriately, and using "modesty" as an excuse. I'm quite aware this is a minority, extremist sect, but... Now it's the modesty of an 8 year old girl. But it was girls sitting in the front of the bus. It's also Manny's selling books in English, or "Zionist" books. Or opening up a parking lot on Shabbat. Or moving the bones of pagans to build missile-proof ER (Barzila, Ashkelon).
Agudat Yisrael would have been just as good by condemning violence in the name of God, as that's clearly assur and a Chillul Hashem. Instead, they added extra, extraneous paragraphs, that serve more as a red herring. TZNIUT IS NOT THE ISSUE!!

The Sikrikim have decided to wage war on the rest of the Jewish people, not unlike the original Sicarii (for whom they take their name).  Remember that the original zealots helped bring the downfall of the second Temple, and were heavily condemned for their behavior long before the destruction by Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, one of the foremost Jewish leader, and a Tanna of major importance.  So it's not without precedence to be utterly repulsed by the actions of the current Sikrikim, even if you are a member of the Charedi (ultra-Orthodox) world.

The most important thing to remember is that the Sikrikim in no way represent what true ultra-Orthodoxy is about, and CERTAINLY do not represent religious Jewry or the State of Israel.

They take whatever issue they can in order to terrorize the population.  We must not get sucked into the idea that this is about tzniut or women.  Many times in the past this has been about hundreds of other issues.  And if we don't act soon, there will also be many times in the future.

Here's a small sampling of other issues that have been battle-cries for the Sikrikim:

Mea She’arim ‘mafia’ harasses, vandalizes businesses (Sep 2011)

Damage due to Barzilai riots in Jerusalem: NIS 1 million

Hundreds of haredim riot against Karta lot in capital

Extreme Right May Be Extremists, But They Aint Terrorists

PM: Anyone harming security forces will 'pay a high price'

PM: Anyone harming security forces will 'pay a high price'

First read these two articles. Now I have a question: are they a terrorist group? Again, look at the facts and answer that question honestly: we have a group - no, group isn't the right word. There are certain people living in Israel who have an extreme ideology, and on their own accord, commit hooligan acts of violence. There is no central structure. There is no consensus. The people they claim to support condemn them, whether the Council for Communities of Judea and Samaria (the Yesha Council,) or MKs and Ministers of the Likud, Israel Beiteinu (Israel our Home), National Union, Habayit Hayehudi (The Jewish Home), Shas, UTJ... All these people condemn the acts. They have no leader. They aren't even a group. When a mosque in Jerusalem is set alight, or the windows of a mosque in Jenin is broken, there is no connection between these groups.

What makes Hamas a terrorist group? There is a group with a centralized base of authority, leaders, a charter, etc. None of this exists among these "Right Wing Terrorists."

Now it should be clear: I condemn this behavior as well in the harshest of terms. It does the Right an injustice and by no means is this in the spirit of any of the Zionist leaders to whom we look, be it Ze'ev Jabotinsky as a political leader or HaRav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook zatzal as a religious one. While the government is misguided in its own actions, that is by no means an excuse for acts of violence, AND CERTAINLY NOT AGAINST THE IDF! (Although the government has done a disservice by politicizing the IDF, this is by no means a reason to attack the soldiers who protect us, and further the ill-will and discord between the left and right.)

That being said, by deciding to label them as terrorists, Bibi is heading down a slippery slope. Who isn't a terrorist? Can we decide that the Mafia gangs in Rishon Letzion and Netanya are also "terrorists" whom the IDF can detain without cause, bypassing the courts AND the police? What about people who simply protest via civil disobedience, but not by "violent" means? Considering the IDF has failed to stop attacks in the past, what new criteria will be used to establish who is and who isn't a "terrorist?" If I wear a big knitted kippa, long peyot, and live in a more "radical settlement," am I now someone who can be detained with no probable cause until determined otherwise? Is it now guilty until proven innocent if you live over the Green Line or express right-wing views?

The government needs to step up and call a spade a spade. Israelis living over the Green Line need to be afforded the same rights as all other citizens. In Jerusalem, as in Tel Aviv, and Sderot, and Eilat, and Givaat Shmuel, and Beit Shemesh, and Modiin, and all the other communities that are not under "military rule," housing demolitions are carried out by the police under the complaints of the municipality and the Ministry of Housing. Only in Jewish communities over the Green Line (except East Jerusalem) do we have this phenomenon that houses, with full approval of the government, within the community's recognized borders, are housing demolitions carried out by the army and not by the police, with the authorization of the Defense Ministry and not the Housing Ministry, and that happen in the middle of the night with little to no warning. If rule of law was established, akin to within the Green Line, perhaps we'd see a reduction in these acts of vandalism. And no, this should not be misconstrued as giving in to terrorism. This should be construed as upholding the rule of law and the democratic nature of the country. And what to do about these hooligans? Treat them as such. If an "arse" vandalizes a building in town in Jerusalem because he's a bum, he's arrested and treated to due process. DO THE SAME!

ETA: Additional related articles

War-Hungry Youth (Israel Hayom)
Creating Tension to Expel Jews (Jerusalem Post Op-Ed)

Has Obama Treated Israel Fairly?

While this isn't a post of substance, and rather a clipping ground of links - please feel free to peruse, add more links, and explain why I'm an idiot ;-)

• What Obama did to Israel
• Krauthammer: Obama speech shows he ‘has sympathies everywhere except Israel’
• Krauthammer: Obama has done more to undermine Israel’s position in the world than any other president
• Panetta and Clinton Take Aim at Israel
• Panetta Scolds Israel on Peace Talks
• Clinton scolds Israel over new Jerusalem housing
• Hillary Clinton 'concerned over Israeli democracy'
• Bam gives Bibi brushoff in icy White House visit
• Obama Administration’s Threefold Slap in Israel’s Face

You be the judge - Has Obama treated Israel as fairly as George Bush treated Israel?

FOR SOME REASON, IT DIDN'T POST INITIALLY - AGAIN, THE CREDIT FOR THE SEARCH GOES TO ADAM BAKER

ADAM IS A TRUE FRIEND OF ISRAEL, AND WORKS TIRELESSLY TO HELP LONE SOLDIERS SERVING IN THE IDF.

The Truth About the Refugees: Israel Palestinian Conflict

Once again, Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister, Danny Ayalon (Israel Beitunu - Israel Our Home), does it again, with a clear and concise video explanation of the issue.

The issue of Palestinian refugees is not so much Israel being the occupier, as one might believe. Palestinian refugees are actually a group of people cynically used by Arab leaders for their own benefit. They are not granted citizenship by the PA or any of the Arab countries within which thy reside, such as Lebanon and Syria. (The notable exception to this, to their credit, is Jordan.) They are not allowed to work, marry, leave the refugee camp... Compare this to the Jewish refugees from Arab countries (and from Europe after the Holocaust) who were unceremoniously thrown out of their own countries, (in contrast to the Palestinian refugees who mostly left,) and were immediately granted full Israeli citizenship.

Israel - Nakba, Apartheid, Racist?

My Twitter "discussion" with @engelo brought the realization that Tweets aren't enough to discuss this issue. This post isn't enough to discuss this issue. But I'll try to start anyways.

First, let's dispel any notion that Israel is "apartheid." Apartheid is a system of racial segregation mandated by the law. The South in the early 19th century could be constituted as apartheid. South Africa was apartheid until 1994. Israel isn't. Why? Because there's no legislated racism, or legislated segregation between Jews and non-Jews, or between Arabs and non-Arabs. Anyone who is a citizen of the State of Israel, regardless of ethnicity, religion, creed, gender... has full and equal rights under the law. You can be a doctor; go to the same schools; use the same buses; drive on the same highways; run for government; serve in the Knesset (Israel's Parliament); serve in the Cabinet; be Prime Minister (if you get enough votes); serve on the Supreme Court; and the list goes on. Just a parenthetical note, an ARAB Supreme Court Justice just sentenced the JEWISH former President to prison. You can't really get any less apartheid than that. That should get that out of the way.

Yes, it's true that people can be racist. But if a White person in the USA doesn't like a Black person, because he/she is Black, does that make the USA an apartheid regime, or does that mean the White person is racist? The same logic applies in Israel.

A common theme brought up when claiming Israel to be apartheid is "they have a wall." This is a classic example of twisting and deceiving for one's own goals. It is true that there's a fence (as well over 90% is a chain-link fence, and not a wall. Only a small portion is a wall to prevent sniper fire) but this fence is first and foremost (and only) a SECURITY fence. The purpose of the fence is to keep terrorists out. And it's succeeded. Just look at the drop in terrorism in the past 10 years. The fence is meant as a security buffer, and it works. There's nothing racist about the fence at all. (When Palestinian Arabs have been negatively affected, they have gone to the Supreme Court which has either forced Israel to change the route of the fence or compensate them accordingly, including paying rent!)

Other points brought up by our Twitter friend: Israel was partitioned by colonialists and not the natives. It was unfairly biased towards the Jews and against Christians and Muslims.

Well, no. It was partitioned originally by the Brits. No they weren't the natives. The natives were originally the Jews who were expelled by the Romans. Sure there has been a long-term Muslim presence, but that doesn't exclude the even longer-term presence of Jews. The Jews were simply looking for a state of their own, no different than any other group that can have their own country. Where should they do this? Probably in their homeland. Even the Koran recognizes Israel as the homeland of the Jews. So they (we) returned. But the Arabs living here didn't like the Jews. This was before any "settlements" were being constructed; before any "Palestinian land" was being "stolen and raped;" before any Arabs were being "dehumanized"... They still found the need to massacre the Jewish community of Hebron.

So before anyone talks about Apartheid, Nakba (which the Arabs brought upon themselves by attacking Israel and losing; by telling themselves to leave because "Israel will be vanquished" and then "we can return") and racism, please explain yourself more clearly.

Israel's Supreme Court - Judicial Reform

One of the great aspects of the United States Supreme Court is honor. More honor is attached to that court than most in the world. And rightly so.
The same cannot be said about the Supreme Court or High Court of Justice in Israel. And again, rightly so.

In the United States, the President of the USA is responsible for choosing a new justice. He (or she) selects someone, who must be confirmed by the Senate. Sound like they're overstepping their bounds? Don't worry - once selected, appointed, and confirmed, a Supreme Court Justice is on for life, or until they choose to step down, (unless impeached).

Israel has an interesting way of choosing new justices. While there is a committee that consists of 3 current justices, 2 MKs, 2 ministers (including the Justice Minister,) and 2 members of the Bar, usually, all are aligned to the left. Regardless, only the justices have veto power. So not only can justices help select their successors, they can also keep out unwanted ones. And there's a mandatory retirement age of 70.

What does that leave us with? General neutrality and impartiality in the USA, as they're there for life with no job fears, and in general, there's a pretty even make-up of Conservatives to Liberals. In Israel? Liberal to extremely liberal.

Not disrespecting the court enough yet? In the United States, the court sees very limited cases. They see the real landmark cases. They see cases where the government has perhaps overstepped their Constitutional authority. In Israel? Seemingly every case is eventually appealed up to the Supreme Court. Cases that possibly have zero to do with the government. Cases involving NGOs suing one another...

New judicial reform bills have been proposed in the Knesset to correct at least some issues. By requiring potential justices to be first confirmed by the Knesset's Legislative Committee, it would instill at least some form of accountability into the system by preventing the court from running away with control, and constantly stocking it with their own replacements.

The court is there to protect the law. Judges should uphold the honor and integrity that is due the court. Unfortunately, at least since the times of Ahron Barak, and continued with Dorit Beinisch, the court has been filled with judicial activists, who simply feel it is their right as Supreme Court justices to write the law as they feel, disregard laws passed by the Knesset they don't like, and ignore the people and the Knesset's wishes, and the spirit of the law.

Happy November 29th! כ"ט בנובמבר שמח!!