On today’s Israel Uncensored with Josh Hasten, Josh laments this period of extreme disunity in Israel. While Josh is clear in his support of judicial reform, the images from today of Jews demonstrating against each other face to face on the streets of Jerusalem, is extremely difficult to witness.
Israeli media over the weekend reported that a senior government official claimed that the protests which have been taking place in Israel over the past 10 weeks (under the guise of opposition to the judicial reform), were partially being funded by the U.S. Biden Administration. At the same time, it was noted that Prime Minister Netanyahu has not yet been invited to the White House for a visit. Is the U.S. Administration taking a page out of the Obama and Clinton playbooks by getting involved in Israeli politics and internal matters while snubbing our leadership? This question, and much more news from Israel on this week’s Israel Uncensored with Josh Hasten.
Photo Credit: The U.S. National Archives
Israeli media reported this week that 37 out of 40 reservist pilots from the Israeli Air Force’s elite 69th fighter squadron will not show up for training this Wednesday in protest over the government’s judicial reform plan. While some opposition officials have called on the pilots to show up for duty, and leave politics out of the army, others have praised their protest. This report reeks of hypocrisy as those who called on soldiers not to fulfill their orders to carry out the 2005 expulsion of Gush Katif, were nearly universally condemned by those saying that soldiers can’t pick and choose. At the same time El Al had trouble finding pilots willing to fly Prime Minister to a scheduled visit in Rome later this week. Apparently El Al pilots have the right to pick and choose their passengers. “Hypocrisy” is the theme of this week’s Israel Uncensored with Josh Hasten.
Photo Credit: Israel Defense Forces / Commons Wikimedia
Israel mourns today, as two brothers from Har Bracha – Hillel and Yigal Yaniv HY”D were murdered in a terrorist shooting attack, carried out by an Arab Jihadist, in the Shomron village of Huwara on Sunday. The brothers were on their way back to their respective Hesder Yeshivas when they were gunned down at short range. 13 Israelis have been murdered in terrorist attacks since the beginning of 2023. On today’s Israel Uncensored, Josh Hasten says (once again), that the Israeli government must create a meaningful deterrence to prevent future terrorism.
Photo Courtesy of the Yaniv Family
This week, US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides – under direction from the Biden Administration, decided to weigh in on Israel’s proposed judicial reform. In a patronizing manner, Nides said “We’re telling the prime minister [Netanyahu] – as I tell my kids – pump the brakes…” Israeli Minister for Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli told Nides to “mind his own business.” On this week’s Israel Uncensored, Josh Hasten says that Nides’ patronizing remarks against Israel’s government are unacceptable. While the US and Israel are great allies, Israel is not a banana republic which needs a scolding, as if we are the ambassador’s children.
Photo Credit: www.flickr.com/photos/usembassyta/51940168124
On Sunday Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, complying with a Supreme Court ruling, fired Shas Party Minister Aryeh Deri. It is true that Deri has a criminal past and promised to stay away from politics, but on this week’s Israel Uncensored, Josh Hasten says that no doubt, the court’s ruling was politically motivated. He explains that the firing of Deri is a result of the court flexing its muscles, upset over the government’s proposed judicial reforms.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Thousands of Israelis demonstrated against the government this past Saturday night under the guise of “democracy,” saying they were against the new government’s proposed judicial reforms. However, on this week’s Israel Uncensored, Josh Hasten says the protest reeked of sour grapes by “liberals,” who in reality don’t respect Israel’s election results or its democratically elected leadership.
Photo Credit: SMcGarnigle / Commons Wikimedia
On today’s Israel Uncensored, Josh Hasten calls out those Israelis who have already taken to the streets to protest the new government – despite the fact that the government hasn’t been given a chance to implement any policies. Josh says that the concepts of “liberalism” and “free speech” have been hijacked by those protestors who claim to be open-minded folks who respect democracy, yet take to the streets when they don’t get what they want.
Photo Credit: Flickr
A news report over the weekend indicated that incoming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is once again considering pushing off applying sovereignty over Judea and Samaria in exchange for a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia. Sovereignty was pushed off in exchange for the Abraham Accords agreement with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain several years ago. On today’s Israel Uncensored, Josh Hasten says that while an alliance against Iran is a top priority, Israel should stay strong on the sovereignty issue.
Photo Credit: Commons Wikimedia
Two parallel stories in the news this week coming out of the United Nations. First, UN special rapporteur for the “Palestinians” spoke at a Hamas conference in Gaza and welcomed their resistance (see: terrorism). Then, the UN Special Coordinator for the so-called Middle East Peace Process expressed that he was “horrified” that a terrorist who tried to murder Israelis in a village near Shechem was shot dead. On today’s Israel Uncensored with Josh Hasten, Josh says that once again the UN is showing that it has no moral compass. This and all the latest news from Israel on this week’s podcast.
Photo Credit: Jacob Richman – Pictures