Labels: Bethlehem, Fatah, Palestinian Authority, Palestinian Christians, peaceful demonstrations
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:26 PM
0 comments
Initially, Hussein al-Sheikh, a top Palestinian official, told Reuters that Jordanian and Palestinian doctors involved in the late night examination of the body said Ziad Abu Ein, 55, had died from being struck, inhaling tear gas and not receiving prompt medical attention.
However, the report, being led by Palestinian, Jordanian and Israeli pathologists, said the death was caused by blockage in the coronary artery, and there were signs of light internal bleeding and localized pressure on the neck.
The deceased suffered from heart disease, and there was evidence that plaque buildup were clogging more than 80% of his blood vessels, as well as signs that he had suffered heart attacks in the past.
Dr. Hen Kugel, the Israeli doctor who took part in the autopsy, told Ynet that the report was not final and that they were awaiting on the return of some tests, however "we know what happended there – he died from a heart attack. He had significant blockage of the arteries and his heart was in bad shape. When they grabbed his neck it caused massive stress which led to bleeding and then full blockage which is what killed him."But the 'Palestinians' will blame Israel anyway, and this will be another excuse for incitement to violence anyway.
"There is no disagreement with the Palestinians about this, the only thing we still need to find out about is wounding to his front teeth, tongue and windpipe. These could be a result of resuscitation attempts or an attack as the Palestinians claim, but it doesn’t matter, he died because of his heart and stress," Dr. Kugel said.
Labels: heart disease, IDF, Israeli border police, Palestinian incitement, Palestinian terrorism, Palestinian terrorists, peaceful demonstrations
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:00 AM
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'We're all united against military service for religious men in Israel because it doesn't allow for religious learning,' said Peggy Blier, an interior designer from Brooklyn. 'The Israeli government is looking to destroy religious society and make the country into a secular melting pot.'Yes, that's really what it's all about. When the Israeli government makes the effort to convince Haredim otherwise - which they won't do through sanctions, criminal or otherwise - they might succeed in getting Haredim to join the army and/or the workforce. Until then, all they've accomplished is to undo the progress which has been made in the past ten years:
...
'They came out of fear of one thing: that they are going to be changed, that they will be put in a melting pot and changed,' ultra-Orthodox lawmaker Israel Eichler told Israeli Channel 2 TV.
In 2011, for instance, 55 percent of ultra-Orthodox women and 45 percent of the men held jobs, up from 48 percent and 33 percent respectively nine years earlier, according to Israel's central bank and its central bureau of statistics. The numbers, while still far below the national average of around 80 percent, show the community is far from the homogenous mass viewed by outsiders.I suspect 2014's numbers will go back in the other direction.
Labels: draft, God, Haredim, IDF, peaceful demonstrations, prayers, Torah
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:40 AM
1 comments
Labels: God, Haredim, IDF, peaceful demonstrations, prayers, Torah
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:27 PM
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Labels: Ayelet Shaked, God, Haredim, IDF, Jewish Home party, Naftali Bennett, peaceful demonstrations, Torah
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 1:27 PM
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Images of hareidi protesters are timed for the lines "we get up early to study Torah," and are juxtaposed to "they get up early for worthless pursuits" which is played to images of IDF soldiers, as well as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu warning the UN about the Iranian nuclear threat.
Emergency workers who worked to provide medical aid and keep the rally safe were also shown on the clip in time for the lines criticizing "worthless pursuits."
...
The clip has raised an outcry; Emily Amrousy of Yisrael Hayom wrote "I'm sure the clip will anger the hareidim who study Torah as well. After all, most of them value and respect the IDF, understand that it's important for the physical existence of the state of the Jews, and just don't want to enlist themselves."
"The clip turns the soldiers, who endanger their lives, to actual enemies," added Amrusy. "Even two innocent soldiers who accidentally crossed the road at the place where the protest started with large heavy bags on their backs are 'waking early for worthless pursuits.'"I agree. I can think of a lot of things that go on in this country that are far more deserving of the characterization 'worthless pursuits.' This was really unnecessary. Note that there is no one who takes credit for producing this video. And I would bet that these guys are not very happy about it either.
Last Thursday, just days before the mass protest, 21-year-old Yossi Ashtamkar became the second Nahal Hareidi (Hareidi brigade) officer to receive a prize for excellence in IDF history at an officers' course graduation ceremony.
Nahal Hareidi has won three other prizes over the past several months. In December, the unit won the IDF Chief of Staff's prize; the unit was also awarded the IDF Department of Technology and Logistics' Award and the GOC Army Headquarters Safety Award.
The unit was also nominated for the Education Award, along with an award in Excellence in Maintaining Sector Security, issued by the Paratroop Command and Chief Infantry Officer.Here's a video about Nachal Haredi's Netzach Yehuda brigade, the largest in the IDF.
Labels: God, Haredim, IDF, Nachal Charedi, peaceful demonstrations, prayers, Torah
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 11:45 AM
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Labels: God, Haredim, IDF, peaceful demonstrations, prayers, Torah
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:09 AM
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Labels: God, Haredim, IDF, peaceful demonstrations, prayers, Torah
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:30 AM
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Labels: God, Haredim, IDF, peaceful demonstrations, prayers
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 8:27 PM
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Labels: God, Haredim, IDF, peaceful demonstrations, Torah
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 6:35 PM
1 comments
Today, in 12 hours, a lot of people [will] gather at the entrance to Jerusalem.No comment needed.
This day [is] not for political protest. [It is] the result of cooperation between (rare!) all the ultra-Orthodox factions even [the Eida Haredith, which generally scorns] the ultra-Orthodox parties [who] participate in [elections].
There are days like this, where you declare belonging. Those who come today or who just want to come but can't [due to circumstances beyond their control, are] declaring affiliation. This day is meant to say: the Torah is our [life] and [those who work at it and study it are our leaders]. Any statement that defines as criminal anyone who wishes is to continue to study the Torah, is a statement that [is] rejected in disgust.
This day is the day of the Prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel, the day we choose if we side with the prophets of Baal or [the] Prophet [Elijah]. Whoever [comes, should come] only to pray and say: "Master of the world [we are Your] soldiers [and the soldiers of Your Torah]. There are days like this when there is no sitting on the fence, because [by] sitting on the fence you choose sides.
Today is the day, and you will choose.
Labels: draft, God, Haredim, IDF, peaceful demonstrations, Torah
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:04 AM
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Do the Haredim have a legal leg to stand on in their arguments against the Barak Court? For the sake of illustration, let us examine one of the cases which supporters of the court have repeatedly touted as an example of its "restraint": The ruling on yeshiva deferments. In December 1998, the court nixed a five-decades-old arrangement whereby the defense minister was empowered to decide how many deferrals of army service to grant to yeshiva students.
The court gave the Knesset a one-year grace period in which to draft a law setting explicit policy for such deferrals, but said that in the absence of such a law, all such deferrals would have to be discontinued. The argument advanced by defenders of the court was that the Haredim could not really be upset over this issue, since the court had merely transferred the decision to the Knesset-which is what the Haredim say they want.(47) Yet nothing could be further from the truth. The court explicitly ruled that the current system of draft deferrals was illegal. It permitted this arrangement to remain in force for another year to give the Knesset time to propose an alternative, but did not leave the Knesset the option of restoring the authority to the defense minister, which was the system that the Haredim, and the Knesset majority, had long preferred. In ruling that the deferral policy was patently unreasonable, the Supreme Court also created a public furor against the Haredi community, and thus applied pressure on the Knesset to draft a far more restrictive policy on the use of deferrals.
What further enraged the Haredim-a fact carefully ignored by those who cited this ruling as an example of judicial "restraint"-was that it was based on no law whatsoever, but only on the justices' opinions. Indeed, the law in effect for Israel's first five decades granted the defense minister the right to issue draft deferrals, and placed no limitations on their usage. Relying on this law, the court itself had three times previously rejected petitions on this issue. In 1970 and 1981, the court found the entire issue non-justiciable-that is, inappropriate for court decision-on the grounds that the reasonability of wholesale yeshiva deferments was a political rather than a legal question. In 1986, the court suddenly decided the issue was justiciable-though the applicable law had not changed in the interim-but that the defense minister's policy was reasonable. In the subsequent twelve years, the law still did not change. Yet in their December 1998 ruling, the justices decided that another important change had occurred: A numerical one. In 1986, there were 17,017 yeshiva deferments, or 5.4 percent of that year's eligible draftees. By 1998, there were 28,772 deferments, or 8 percent of eligible draftees. That quantitative change, Barak wrote, created a qualitative change that made it unreasonable to let the defense minister decide on his own.(48)
It is hard to imagine a flimsier legal argument than one which says that 5.4 percent and 8 percent are qualitatively different. But even if one accepts the court's reasoning, the point is that this ruling, like many others the court has made on other issues, was essentially a value judgment by the justices rather than a decision based on law-and it is this to which the Haredim object. Opponents of judicial activism consider it dangerous to democracy precisely because they believe that value judgments of this sort should be made by a nation's elected representatives rather than by an unelected court. In pretending that the court had merely deferred to the Knesset on the issue of draft deferrals, those who dismissed the Haredi claim against judicial activism were deliberately ducking this argument.(49)
By denying that the Haredim had a legitimate grievance, the Supreme Court's apologists were not merely engaging in a harmless form of fantasy. They were effectively saying that no point of view other than their own could, or would, be taken seriously. Such a stance leaves few options for a minority that views its rights and prerogatives as being stripped away by a process it has little hope of influencing. Furthermore, it deprives the country as a whole of serious debate on an issue of fundamental importance to all Israelis: The role and powers that should be assigned to the various institutions of government.
In such an environment, where substantive arguments are suppressed or dismissed, it is also difficult for any sector of society to persuade others that it is genuinely aggrieved. This difficulty came across most strongly in a post-mortem on the Haredi demonstration by columnist Amnon Dankner. "There was clearly no vital, pressing and painful issue for the Haredi public here," he wrote, "since if there had been, surely such a large Haredi public would have been drawn into violence."(50) Having refused to take the arguments by the Haredim seriously, Dankner in effect tells them that the only way to prove they have real grievances is by turning to violence. The implication that any group wishing to have its interests taken seriously must resort to force is the logical conclusion of a refusal to recognize opposing views when they are communicated peacefully. As most Israelis do not want to live in such a society, it is incumbent upon them to make sure that dissent is permitted, respected and encouraged.
The reaction to the Haredi demonstration shows that the taboo on criticizing the Supreme Court can no longer be tolerated as an evil necessary for preserving the rule of law. It is an evil that not only undermines the rule of law, but also a host of other democratic freedoms and attitudes. The Supreme Court, which has done so much to advance freedom of expression in Israel, must be allowed to be the object of such freedom as well.And yes, that's the origin of the current situation....
The event will take place on Tuesday, 2 Adar 2 5774 to act publically against what HaGaon HaRav Aaron Yehuda Leib Shteinman Shlita called “an awful Chilul Hashem”, in his comments after hearing the Shaked Committee approved criminal sanctions.Back to 1999?
Rav Shteinman’s immediate response was the atzeres is now required to act in the face of the horrific Chilul Hashem and he seems uninterested in the other factors, such as how the event will play out in the media.
On Sunday morning 23 Adar I it was reported that MK Moshe Gafne was working to persuade the Gadol Hador against the atzeres for this very reason, for Gafne is fearful the anti-chareidi media will portray it most unfavorably.
Labels: IDF, peaceful demonstrations, Rabbi Aaron Leib Steinman, Supreme Court
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:10 PM
0 comments
A newly-released document by Wikileaks claims that a high-ranking IDF officer said in meetings with American officials that the IDF has trouble dealing with 'non-violent' demonstrations because 'we're not good at dealing with Gandhi.' In a 2010 meeting with US officials, GOC Central Command Maj.-Gen. Avi Mizrahi expressed his frustration over the protests in the West Bank, including demonstrations against the construction of the security fence in Bilin and Naalin.Since when is throwing stones 'non-violent'? Since when is breaching a security fence 'non-violent'?
According to leaked minutes from the meeting, Maj.-Gen. Mizrahi claimed that the aim of these protests was to escalate tensions, and warned that the IDF will act firmly against any such protests, even if they seem non-violent.
During the meeting, the Americans noted in writing that less violent protests are expected to frustrate the IDF even more than violent ones, and quoted head of the Defense Ministry's political department Amos Gilad as saying, "We're not good at dealing with Gandhi."
Labels: Bil'in demonstrations, peaceful demonstrations, security fence, Wikileaks
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:28 AM
1 comments
Here are 'Palestinian police' in training for the 'peaceful demonstrations' they expect in September. Yes, this is the picture that went with the full article, which is here.
Labels: Palestinian police, Palestinian state RIGHT NOW syndrome, peaceful demonstrations, unilateral declaration of statehood
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 5:54 AM
0 comments
If this winds up in Israel's High Court of Justice, we could have a major problem.
In a letter to Barak, Yakir and Jaraisy expressed concerns that security forces have acted disproportionately in the recent past with Palestinian and Arab- Israeli protesters, including during the Nakba protests in May.I'm not sure what the 'housing demonstrations' have to do with this, and they have proceeded just fine, thank you. But as far as the 'Palestinians' go, almost every protest turns violent. More importantly, they cannot have it both ways. They cannot insist that they are under 'military occupation' and then complain about having military rules applied to them.
They also slammed the government for what they say is its “apparent nonrecognition of the rights of citizens to demonstrate and protest, and exercise their right to freedom of expression” with regard to country-wide housing demonstrations.
According to ACRI’s lawyers, existing military legislation governing protests and demonstrations in the West Bank denies Palestinian residents the right to demonstrate.
The Order Regarding the Prohibition of Acts of Incitement and Hostile Propaganda, issued in 1967, stipulates that demonstrations and rallies in Judea and Samaria cannot take place without a permit issued by a military commander.
The penalty for doing so is a heavy fine or ten years’ imprisonment.
“The situation, which negates in practice the freedom to protest, violates Israel’s obligations under international law to respect and protect the right to freedom of expression and protest, including the right to demonstrate,” said Yakir and Jaraisy. Palestinian residents of the West Bank have no access to central government, so peaceful protests are the only way they can make their voices heard, they said.
In their call, they referred to recommendations made by the Or Commission in the aftermath of the October 2000 protests in the North, during which 13 Arab-Israeli demonstrators were killed as demonstrations turned violent. The commission urged security forces to refrain from using disproportionate force against protesters in future demonstrations.
They asked Barak to issue security forces with guidelines on how to deal with Palestinian civilian protests, including explicit instructions not to fire on unarmed protesters and to minimize civilian casualties.
“Palestinian civilians taking part in protests should not be treated like enemy combatants, and the army should not be allowed to open fire on them,” they said.
ACRI said its letter to the minister is in response to reports that the government intends to deploy large numbers of security forces to deal with the mass protests and demonstrations expected to occur in September.
As reported in The Jerusalem Post, the IDF has drawn up plans to issue emergency call-up orders to reservists who might be needed to beef up security along Israel’s borders next month.
IDF sources said the call-up orders would be issued per operational requirements, but in the meantime it was training reservists in crowd-control techniques.
The IDF has also embarked on a multimillion dollar procurement plan for new riot control equipment to deal with possible protests along the country’s borders following the Palestinian bid for statehood. Current IDF assessments refer to the possibilities of a large outbreak of violence or sporadic, large and non-violent marches towards Jewish settlements or IDF checkpoints.
Labels: Palestinian state RIGHT NOW syndrome, peaceful demonstrations, Supreme Court, unilateral declaration of statehood
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:56 AM
2 comments
Labels: Bil'in demonstrations, peaceful demonstrations, security fence
posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 9:52 PM
1 comments
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
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