The Coalition is spending a lot of time and energy trying to pressure the Judiciary to push off PM Netanyahu's testimony (in his own trials) again. And that is understandable.

The police, in their work to thwart criminal activities in the town of Taibeh, raided a house. During the raid they found 7 million shekels in cash packed into bags. Additionally they found a loaded gun. A 29 year old was arrested as part of the raid.

Reports have come out that Justice Minister Yariv Levin paid a visit on Purim to the head of a crime family ((Israeli mafia) in Herzliya who has sat in prison four times for heinous crimes such as murder. The criminal he paid a visit to is Rafi Chaim, head of the Kedoshim crime syndicate ( I have also seen it spelled Kedushim, but I like Kedoshim better). Rafi Chaim's son, also a member of the gang, who sat in prison for two years for murder, was also present at the Purim party.

There is some crazy situation going on how in advance of the Likud primaries, and the Likudniks are torn as to how to deal with it.

A lawyer named Yoni Jorno has announced that he is running for a slot on the Likud list. Big deal, a couple hundred other people are as well. 

Well, Jorno, it turns out, was arrested some 20 years ago for involvement in a weird kidnapping case involving a Filipino foreign worker. He was convicted, served some jail time, blah blah blah.

Likudniks are now not sure what to do with him. Let him run and let the Likud look bad? Don't let him run? It seems the ranks are torn as to how to handle the situation.

One thing I know is that they cannot really refuse his candidacy. Considering the head of the party has been indicted for several crimes and is sitting in trial for them, pushing away someone else who served his time, paid for his crime, while letting Netanyahu continue to sit atop the Likud would be pretty hypocritical. Especially because the Likud keeps repeating the mantra that the people have to be left to choose who they want as their leaders in a democracy and the leadership cannot decide that for the peoople. They say that to fight against the movement to prevent Netanyahu from running while under indictment, so they cannot now turn around and prevent this Joprno fellow from running - let the people choose.

That being said, they do not have to support him and promote him. Let him fail to earn a realistic spot like tens of other candidates.

Arrests have been made of two young Haredi men suspected of forging tickets to Meron for Lag B'Omer.

I admit, this was surprising, and shocking, to me. I don't remember hearing about these allegations before.

The courts in Jerusalem yesterday responded to a petition regarding the defacing of images of women on signs in the public sphere. The courts said that the City of Jerusalem must coordinate and meeting with representatives of the police and come up with an organized plan to fight this phenomenon, and hire new workers within 3 months to be ready to respond to such calls in real time.

According to Kikar, the eldest son of an unnamed Hassidic rebbe from the USA came to Israel for a visit and upon departure back t the USA he and his entourage of about 10 young men were all arrested.

it is not uncommon for complaints to be filed against Israel in the International Criminal Court, the ICC, in, and also known as, the Hague. 

A couple of crazy Bet Shemesh stories happened over the past couple of days.

Some excitement happened in Bet Shemesh itself, as a professional hit was averted. Undercover detectives put a stop to a hit after 4 young men in their 20s attached an explosive device to someone's car. Kikar does not say it, but other news sources mentioned that he was a former "well known" football player (ie soccer).

I guess they really hold a grudge for that time he missed the goal...

In other news, that happened outside the city but with a resident of Bet Shemesh, an extremist from RBS B who had been arrested during the violent protests against the closure placed on RBS B a few weeks back because of the CoronaVirus spreading freely, had to be chained to his bed in jail.

Binyamin Friedman has been in jail since the protest on Pesach. During the protest he allegedly attacked a female police officer and spit at her. Friedman denies the allegations.

This past week Friedman was transferred to the Maasiyahu prison and it seems he did not want to go into his new cell because there was a television in it. The police refused to remove the television (saying they cannot do that, there is no such thing) and they also denied his request to be incarcerated in the "torani" wing of the prison.

Friedman threatened to commit suicide if they would lock him up wit the television. As soon as he threatened suicide they chained him down to his bed as a precaution. He says they didn't even let him bring a siddur in, and it is a miracle he had already davened mincha. Big miracle. Then he says his kipa fell off and he couldnt even pick it up because he was chained down. He eventually managed to figure out a way, somehow using his teeth. He says it took him four hours. I don't know how he picked it up, put it back on his head, and tied it to his head using the strap of a corona mask, all with just his teeth, as he says, but I guess when there's a will there's a way.

The Prison Services response is that he threatened suicide and self-harm and did so time and again even after protective measures were taken. Such threats are taken very seriously.

It seems much easier to solve the problem by removing the television form the cell, but maybe making him watch Yuval Hamevulbal and general Israeli tv shows (besides for the good ones) is a much harsher punishment!

Bet Shemesh hasn't been so exciting in a long time!

It seems there are two types of people in Israel.

there are those who think the court case beginning now against PM Benjamin Netanyahu is all one big conspiracy to bring him down, since the Left has failed to do so in elections.

There are those who think PM Benjamin Netanyahu is guilty.

There don't seem to be any people who believe that the accusations against PM Netanyahu were reasonable enough to demand a conviction and the trial will actually be as fair as possible and will reasonably determine guilt or innocence.

It is a sad day for the judicial system in Israel - not because they are trying a sitting Prime Minister, but because 99% of the country seems to have little or no faith in the judicial system.

It is a sad day for the executive and political system in Israel - not because a sitting Prime Minister is being tried for crimes he allegedly committed, but because they did their part in undermining the faith of the people in the judicial system.

Let us not forget that a fair judicial system is important for every society. Even Pirkei Avot says that without proper government  we would have chaos as each person would swallow up the other. Government includes the judicial system, because without it the laws passed by the government are worthless.

The predator Berland was arrested last night with a group of his goons. Due to him being a flight risk, his remand was extended. Immediately after, he suddenly felt sick with deteriorating health and had to be sent to the hospital for care.

Berland knows how to play the game... when he was in jail last he arranged to be released under some form of house arrest due to his deteriorating health. After a bit, he was out and about like anybody else without any necessary hospital visits or special treatments. Suddenly he is detained and sure enough once again his health is deteriorating and he needs urgent medical care.

To that end, they should tell him not to go to the hospital but to heal himself. The police can even sponsor the mentos pills that he will take to heal himself...
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Eliezer Berland and a bunch of his goons were arrested last night. he has been under investigation for persuading desperate people to give him lots of money for him to cure their terminal illnesses, or those of dear relatives.

The victims  thought that his spiritual connections to God, assuming he has any, would be enough to heal. Berland had them pay lots of money and stop all medical treatments and only take a pill that he gave  - a "pill" that turned out to be a Mentos candy.

It seems the arrest was made after a couple hundred people testified against him during the investigation.

I hope he will be found guilty and put away for long enough to not hurt any more people. Unfortunately, like last time, our Minister of Health will probably work his magic once again to get him released to "house arrest" due to his "seriously deteriorating health"...

Berland and his goons are predators and need to be stopped.

Larissa Trimbobler, the wife of Yigal Amir, submitted her official papers today for her new party to run in the upcoming national elections. Their platform is simply that Yigal Amir should be given a new trial.

The new party is called Mishpat Tzedek. Larissa says secret things connected to the justice system and to the entire institution have become known.

Mishpat Tzedek is a one-issue party, but the one issue is not as narrow as their focus makes them seem. They are focused on Yigal Amir but they will support a retrial for anyone who deserves one - for anybody innocent sitting in jail.

Whatever that means.

All jails are full of innocent people. Just ask the people in jail and most of them will tell you they are innocent.

I am not quite sure how being involved in politics will get someone in jail a new trial after already having one, but I guess if she can convince about 140,000 or so people by March 2 that this is the most important issue of the day I guess we'll find out...

Last night I found myself for a bit in the city of Rishon Letzion. When departing, I decided to stop for gas on the way out and there was a Sadash gas station right there. I pull in and find much of the gas station taped off by the police with a number of police vehicles there, along with a crime scene unit and a policeman photographing the area.

I pulled through and saw that outside of the taped off area there were another couple of gas pumps so I asked a cop standing nearby if it is ok to fill up. I expected a no, but he said you can fill up but only if you are paying by credit card. So I filled up the tank of gas and went on my way.



Not really knowing what happened but assuming there had been a murder (though no chalk drawing of a human shape was on the ground) or at least a shooting, I found it a little surreal that they even let cars drive into the complex, let alone fill up with gas!

If you are curious as to the actual story, the news reported that there had been a shooting and the victim is in stable condition. He had actually been shot outside a nearby wedding hall and ran away and collapsed in the gas station. I am not sure whether or not to feel bad for him, as a year earlier he escaped a situation in which an explosive device had been attached to his car. It seems as if this poor fellow is connected to the underworld. Or maybe he isn't and this is all a big case of a mistaken identity or whatnot...

So it is official. The Attorney General has served Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with indictments for various charges in the 3 cases, 1000, 2000, and 4000.

To remind you, here is what Benjamin Netanyahu himself said back in the day when Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was being indicted.

That is, Netanyahu said a Prime Minister knee deep in investigations has no moral or public mandate to continue to rule and make important decisions for the State, for he might make decisions for his personal good rather than for the good of the State.

Sure, there is no law requiring the Prime Minister to resign at the serving of an indictment, but Netanyahu himself says a PM with such cases open against him has no moral right to continue serving. I wish him well and I hope he beats the charges and can prove himself innocent. Nobody wants to see the Prime Minister of their own country be found guilty of such serious charges. He should take the time off to defend himself - as he himself demanded of others.

Then again, I am not surprised that he has no intention to resign because of the indictment despite his demand that another PM in a similar situation do so. As Prime Minister Netanyahu has not followed the guidelines he himself laid out in his various books that he wrote regarding how to put an end to terror and how to make peace... In Netanyahu's book (and it is probably the same with most, if not all, politicians) what is good for the gander is not necessarily good for the goose...

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PM Netanyahu is a funny guy.

It was just reported that the Likud, .i.e. Netanyahu and his people, just filed a request/demand that the Attorney General investigate the connections between MK Itzik Shmuley (Labor) and the Yediot Achronot newspaper. The suspicion to be investigated is some type of connection between the two leading Yediot to write favorable articles about Shmuley.

One of Netanyahu's tactics in speaking against the investigation into one of his bribery charges is comparing his situation to other politicians who have received favorable treatment by newspapers and asking why none of them are under investigation. I don't know why he is calling for an investigation into Shmuley but did not make the same request for an investigation into Lapid, whom he pointed out weeks ago as having a similar situation with a newspaper and friendship with its owner, but for now he is demanding an investigation into Shmuley and Yediot.

This is cute, and if the Attorney General accepts the request and opens an investigation, I hope Shmuley is clean, but if not he should pay the price like anyone else.

That being said, there is a clear difference between a Prime Minister allegedly trading favors and attempts to close down competing newspapers in exchange for favorable articles and between a newspaper writing a favorable article or three about a regular Member of Knesset. I think Netanyahu should have to present some sort of evidence pointing to a nefarious relationship between the two in order to demand an investigation and not just the fact that some nice articles were written.

Deputy Minister of Health Yaakov Litzman is under investigation for pressuring doctors to issue false psych reports to help Malka Leifer  avoid extradition too Australia.

Today MK Uri Maklev and Jerusalem City Councilman Yossi Deutsch and MK Yisroel Eichler and DM Meir Porush made public statements in support of Litzman. I have no problem with that. There is a presumption of innocence and they can express support for him and give him encouraging words, if they wish to. Some of what they said though is interesting.

Maklev said it is a witch-hunt going on against DM Litzman already for many months and is looking to delegitimize the Haredi community. It bothers them that Litzman's door is open before anybody who needs help... this campaign against the Haredi community and Litzman, to turn helping the public into guilt...

Deutsch said that he strengthens and encourages Rav Litzman who is going through a difficult time right now from miserly people who hate the Haredim, how fortunate is Litzman for being attacked for helping the needy, and we are confident that you did nothing wrong..

Eichler said I strengthen and encourage Rav Litzman and promise you that he is clean with no stains. We have arrived at a crazy situation and it makes no sense that a public figure would be sent to help people and cannot do his work..

Porush said in the name of the entire Haredi Judaism I want to express support for our friend Rav Litzman. How fortunate are you for being attacked for helping the needy.

All those words of encouragement and stating their belief in his innocence are fine. I have no problem with that. The interesting part I find is what they each said - he is attacked for helping the needy, he just wants to help those in need but cannot do his work, helping the needy is turned into guilt.

So he did help Malka Leifer?

It is wonderful to help those in need of government assistance and help ease bureaucracy when possible, but to help an alleged molester, charged with very serious crimes, by, allegedly, pressuring doctors to falsify documents - that is not exactly the type of "helping those in need" that is deserving of praise. I am not saying he did it, but they are referring to the accusations, and they are not saying the accusations are false, but that he does not deserve to be punished for helping the needy. This type of helping the needy deserves to be punished, or at least investigated.

They would have done better by just offering the words of encouragement and their belief in his innocence and not implied that he tried to help her.

 

According to reports, a yeshiva in Jerusalem was vandalized on Friday night. The yeshiva is Yeshivat Tiferet Yisrael, located in the Diskin building in the Givat Shaul neighborhood. The vandals did not desecrate the sifrei torah this time, but they desecrate the seforim, sets of tefillin and megilla scrolls.

After taking keys, they were able to get into the aron kodesh, but they didn't desecrate the torah scrolls, though they did steal the silver "hand" pointer along with a silver torah crown.

I really hope this is not becoming a thing. On the one hand, it seems to me to be different than the incident this past week in Kiryat Hayovel. This looks like frustrated thieves, whereas the incident in Kiryat Hayovel looked like they were out to cause damage. On the other hand, new methods tend to snowball and take on a life of their own...

By the way, all this going on now, with the recommendations for indictment of Netanyahu for fraud and bribery, the not resigning, the calls for him to resign, the investigations, the support, the calls for Alshich to resign, the accusations that Alshich has it in for Netanyahu, the accusations of Alshich being a dictator, etc...

All that is why I think we need term limits for the PM position (and maybe for others) in Israel. When a leader is in office too long, he thinks the office belongs to him and he can get away with anything and that everybody else has to answer to him.

I have no idea if Netanyahu did or did not do what the police are saying he did. It is not my job to come to any conclusions on this. I'll let the justice system work its magic and come to its conclusions.

Do I think Netanyahu should resign? I think Netanyahu should not be PM because I think Israel needs term limits. As great as a prime minister as he might be, I think it is unhealthy for a democracy to have the same leaders in power for too long. Netanyahu should resign, regardless of the current scandal.