According to Ynet, the security forces are catching postal packages being delivered to Gaza that contain weapons accessories such as scopes, night vision goggles, drones, binoculars, gun parts and more. These packages were often purchased online via Ali Express. Postal deliveries to Gaza come through Israel and then get transferred to Gaza - with the security forces checking them first. They have recently been catching many packages containing this dangerous contraband and the security officials believe they will be going to terror organization in Gaza. No duh!

I am not quite sure what to say, other than I am really ordering the wrong things on Ali Express.

Protesters in 60,000-person Polish rally call to 'remove Jews from power'

  -- YnetNews

tell the protesters that all the Jews in town were already killed about 70 years ago...

The Supreme Court issued a court order to the police, to the Rav of the Kotel and to the Western Wall heritage Foundation to respond within 30 days with an explanation as to why they allow the regular disturbances by the Haredi women at the Kotel to continue disturbing the prayer sessions of the Women of the Wall by the women's section of the northern plaza of the Kotel.

They must explain why legal action has not been taken against those who try to disturb their prayers and why the Haredi women who disturb using whistles and the like are not removed from the area.

Behadrei points out that this approach by the Supreme Court indicates the Court is taking a "problematic" stance by not recognizing the southern plaza, what has become known as the Reform Kotel, as a solution for the monthly prayer services of Women of the Wall.

Personally I do not see why the Supreme Court must accept that as the solution when the Haredi parties and the government cancelled the agreement offering that as the solution. They themselves do not recognize it as the solution, why should the Supreme Court recognize it? If the Supreme Court would impose that as the solution, the Haredi MKs would have just as much of a problem with it as they did before. The Haredi MKs and community want no official solution because in their eyes any official solution grants Women of the Wall, and the Reform by extension, some form of legitimacy. They prefer that there be no decision but Women of the Wall use the Reform Kotel in an unofficial capacity. The problem is it does not work like that. The Courts will not impose something unofficially. They knew this would happen when they canceled the original agreement, and they knew the Court would be amenable to the other side. The original approach has not worked and they will most likely end up with a worse situation than what the original agreement would have provided.

In 1997 the cameras caught Bibi saying "The Left forgot what it is to be Jewish". Do you know what the Left did in response to that? The Left forgot to be Jewish.

  -- Labor Chairman Avi Gabay

Gabay seems to be workign really hard to upset his base. I wonder if he forgot what party he is the head of..

The courts approved the plea bargain arrangement in the case of Rav Avraham Yosef, finalizing today as another sad day in Israel in which  a rabbi gets convicted for a crime.

Rav Avraham, Chief Rabbi of Holon and son of Rav Ovadia zt"l, was convicted for breach of trust. As city rabbi he made constituents coming to him looking for a mehadrin hechsher for a restaurant under their ownership to go to the Badatz Beit Yosef owned and controlled by the Yosef family rather than grant the mehadrin hechsher via the Rabbanut.

According to the plea bargain, Rav Yosef agreed to immediately resign from his position as chief rabbi of Holon and to suspend himself from his position on the Rabbanut Rabbinic Council. Rav Yosef cannot put himself up for any public position for the coming 7 years. As well he gets a 5 months suspended sentence and has to pay a 75,000nis  fine.

His halacha show on Radio Kol Chai was always great. I wonder if they will let him continue in that role or if they will remove him. Considering that it is  a Shas-controlled radio station, they do not really believe convictions are a disgrace, so they might let him continue...

The news is reporting that Minister Aryeh Deri apologized to Rav Shlomo Amar, Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem, for what he had said disrespectfully about him that had been recorded and recently publicized.

Good for him. Very appropriate.

That's all I have to say. If he deserves to be criticized at times, he deserves to be commended at times for doing the right thing.

In recent weeks there has been a debate within the coalition as to when to hold new elections. The Prime Minister wants them as soon as possible, even within the year, while other coalition members want to keep them on the original schedule. For once I agree with Prime Minister Netanyahu. The current situation cannot continue, we need elections as soon as possible, elections that we will win and change the dismal situation

  -- Labor Chairman Avi Gabay

he's so cute. He think s he is ready for elections and to replace Netanyahu at the helm...

Yehuda Glickman, formerly one of the heads of the "bnei yeshivot" division of the IDF and involved in the drafting of Haredi young men,  successfully sued some of the leaders of the Peleg group for their involvement in the "shaming" campaign, known as "Hatzayadim" - "The Trappers" - that caused him so much damage.

The suit was against 3 people and the court ruled that 3 of them are each obligated to pay Glickman 600,000nis compensation, while a fourth was found innocent and Glickman was obligated to pay 15,625nis for his court costs and lawyers fees. In addition,The three found guilty have to pay 30,000nis in court costs and 65,000nis in lawyers fees.

The courts ruled in Glickman's favor saying that the publication of the "Hatzayadim" brochure led to a wave of negative publicity against him, and abusive behavior against him that caused him much anguish and suffering.

This was all put together by private investigation funded by Glickman. Glickman responded to the decision by saying this is one of the first court decisions clarifying that the Haredi community is no longer closed and the blood of Haredi soldiers is not free and their honor is holy.
sources: Kikar, Haredim10

According to a report in Actualic, some wealthy Satmar hassidim from the USA and the UK have committed to paying off these fines.

Sadly this had to be done privately. For whatever reason the police and the IDF could not figure out how to discover who was behind the campaign and only a private person with some private money was competent enough to do so. The police need to deal with law enforcement. The IDF needs to protect its soldiers and deal with law enforcement in relation to the soldiers of the IDF. If they weren't going to chase down the perpetrators and find them, at least now that they have been found I hope those responsible for law enforcement will deal with the guilty perpetrators on a more public responsibility level.