head of the Central Electoral Committee made a decision yesterday that was relevant perhaps 15 years ago, maybe more.

Justice Salim Jubril decided that Netanyahu's speech before the House of Representatives would be allowed to be broadcast in Israel, but only with a 5-minute delay. The 5-minute delay would allow them to view it and edit out any election propaganda, if Netanyahu should try to take advantage of the opportunity.

Today, with the internet, and live feeds of streaming video, this decision is supremely irrelevant. If I cannot watch it unedited on IBA or Channel 10 or whatever other channel there is in Israel I will go to the Fox News website or MSNBC or CNN or any of a hundred other websites and pull up the live feed. The only people who will be affected by this decision are the handful of people who do not have Internet access and are interested enough to try to watch the broadcast live on television.

The days of censorship are long over in a free and democratic country/ In a place like China or Dubai perhaps they can block the streams and prevent any given speech from being broadcast before they edit it out. In a developed country like Israel, they'd be better putting their efforts to better use no other issues and not waste their time any longer on this type of pointless narishkeit.

Yesh Atid:
Devorah's story


Ofer Shelach on State of the Nation (in my opinion he isn't that funny, but thanks for trying)


United Arab Party
I have no idea what this is about or what they are saying, but here goes..


Green Leaf
campaign song


Kulanu Kahlon
Netanyahu speaks and housing prices go up


Habayit Hayehudi
hanging signs

elections are great.

Elections brings with it promises of development and promises of advancement of projects that have sat stagnant.

Elections brings with it an renewal of ideology and purpose.

Netanyahu recently went to pay a visit to the mechina in the Shomron town of Eli. He has announced that he will soon be paying a visit to Hebron and the Mearat Hamachpela. When is the last time Netanyahu has been to either of those places, while sitting in office, or to any of the other places he will probably pay visits to over the next couple of weeks?

I wish our leaders could be true to their ideology also when in office, but if that cannot happen, at least elections come around once in a while for that purpose..

On Wednesday, February 25, 2015, the Jewish Press, among others, will be hosting a live debate in English with members of various parties running for Knesset in the elections.

If you want to be informed about the parties and their positions, in English, you should try to attend this debate.

details from the site:

Details

Itinerary

6:30 PM Meet the Parties: Dairy Reception and Booths

7:30 PM Opening Remarks: Stephen Leavitt, Editor in Chief, JewishPress.com

7:35 PM

Conversations

One-on-One Conversations with top party leaders



to buy tickets to the event: The Anglo Vote

participants form the parties will include Benny Begin (Likud), Hilik Bar (Zionist Union), Ayelet Shaked (Habayit Hayehudi), Ashley Perry, Yisrael Beyteynu, Yoni Chetboun (Yachad) and others at this point still unnamed (or undecided).

This is a great initiative. Instead of just having to formulate your thoughts based on who put out the cutest or funniest or most shocking video on any given day, or who released the sharpest soundbite to the media, you can actually find out what each party stands for.

If you had an opportunity to ask the candidates a question, what would you ask?

I think my question would be regarding Israel's societal problems. I would ask something to the effect of - our society in Israel has serious rifts. Each group thinks a different one is responsible for Israel's bad situation - taking money or abusing power or whatnot. Either it is the haredim, or the settlers, or the tycoons,  etc..

So, my question is, how do we solve problems and ensure equality - of service, of distribution of resources, etc. while increasing cooperation and participation of the various sectors and without turning each issue into a battle that is all or nothing? For example, it is though that bringing the haredim in to the next government, no matter who leads it, will require a compromise to the tune of reversing, at least almost completely, the "shivyon bnetel" legislation of the last government. Yet, doing so will renew the sense of inequality of service and provide that point of anger to be renewed as it was in the past. How do we go about making service for the haredim to be equal somewhat to that fo the rest of society, i.e. not reversing the legislation, at least not completely, while also making it acceptable to the Haredim. Another example - funding development of the settlements. No matter your political belief as to a peace solution and two states, and all that, until that happens the people living in judea and Samaria need development and investment - how do we support those communities while also working towards peace without maligning them or making it impossible for them to flourish. How do we solve the issues without ramming things down people's throats in ways that will cause them to reject change?

(my response was that this is not an ashkenazi-sefardi issue, but we treat everyone with equal disdain regardless of whether they are ashkenazi or sefardi)

Likud:
The Netanyahu's open their house to a famous Israeli interior designer, and he takes a tour of the Prime Minister's residence.. the results might be surprising..
(in my opinion this is a great video clip. It is both interesting and intimate. it humanizes Sara Netanyahu, after everything we hear about her from the press, and it gives us a naked look at the PM's residence. Bibi-supporters watch the video and say wow, what a humble house, they dont waste money, she is such a good host and a nice person, not like as portrayed in the media. Bibi-opponents watch the video and say Sara is a horrible housekeeper, the whole thing was staged, they are destroying State property and should be investigated for the way treat it)


Habayit Hayehudi
at the point of decision, Bennet (Bennet was the first to recognize the threat of the tunnels from Gaza)


Yesh Atid:
fighting for the country.. from every porch


Netanyahu as Finance Minister today can save the factory's employees from being fired..
(I dont get this video - if I understand it correctly, and maybe I do not, the layoffs in this factory are the result of a program put in place to make the factory more efficient as a result fo the Sheshinsky Report. The person responsible for this implementation was Yair Lapid. And now he is blaming Netanyahu? Am I missing something?)


Yisrael Beyteynu
terror against the State - it is time to put it to an end


Yachad:
Hanoch Daum and Eli Yishai - the zoo of Shas

the Committee of Shomron Residents put out this video, very disturbing video, pointing out that the Leftists think they are making Israel more enlightened and acceptable to Europe, but to Europe we are really all the same

Krasicha by R' Avraham Willig and sons



Bshem Hashem by R' Marks Mays


R' Ephy Greene

Things are gearing up for the Yachad party - even the women are finally getting in on the action.

The "Women of Yachad" (coined just now, right here) are setting up their womens division. Kikar reports they had a meeting of womens campaign branch leaders.

As can be seen in the picture, the women, who seem to like to sit very tightly and close with each other, include [at least one] a woman from the "kat hashalim" - the cult of veiled women who wear shals, considered on the more extreme end of the Haredi community.



I find it interesting that such a woman, who focuses so strongly on tzniyus and the need for women to not be seen, to be out as little as possible, would throw herself into being involved in politics and campaigning.

On another note, I guess they need/want representation in the Knesset as well. Why not? They deserve to feel represented just like anyone else.

And on another note, if the kat hashalim women feel represented by Eli Yishai, can others really get their representation from the same people?

And on another note, they are part of the broad umbrella that Yachad is embracing. It is relatively unique of them to represent such a broad spectrum of religious Jewry, and why not also that extreme end of it?

one thing I don't get is why the "shkufim" of Shas campaign is so good and effective.

I actually heard a short discussion on the radio this morning claiming that the shkufim campaign is not so effective, and when they have focsed on it, their polling numbers went down, and when they put that on the backburner and focused on "Rav Ovadia", their numbers go back up.

That may be true, but in general the shkufim campaign has been considered a good and fairly effective campaign. If it is not effective in bringing in the voters (which we do not really know at this point), it at least has been effective in painting Shas as the party that is most considered about the lower-socio-economic slice of the population.

So much so that the "Black Panthers" have reportedly stopped supporting Moshe Kahlon and have switched their support to Shas.

The Black Panthers is a protest group that was founded in 1971. Giving their support to Aryeh Deri is a big boost for Shas, and will be a big hit for Kahlon.

Charlie Biton, head of the Black Panthers, said that while they all initially wanted to support Kahlon, they now realize that only Deri will have the ability to effect change.

What I do not get is why they believe so. I do not know if Kahlon will be able to get anything done. His party is new, untested, and nobody knows how effective or successful they will be. Aryeh Deri, though, has one of the poorest records of MKs regarding issues of social welfare (if I remember correctly, only Eli Yishai came in lower than him). In the 30 years of the existence of Shas, with Shas always claiming to represent that sector of society, the problem is so acute that why does anyone think that Shas or Deri will now have the power and ability to do what they have not done in 30 years?

What am I missing?