Walla News starts off an oped today with a question. The author ask, is the Attorney General, Avihai Mandelblit, cut from the right cloth? does he have the courage to do what is necessary - i.e. order an indictment against Netanyahu?

I don't like such questions. Such questions presupposes a predetermined conclusion. The question presupposes that Netanyahu is definitely guilty and should be indicted, and if Mandelblit comes decides to not indict it is not because he felt there was not enough evidence or there is no case for whatever reason. Rather, the question presupposes, Mandelblit was afraid. He could not stand up and indict Netanyahu. He could not do what is right. He is a weak man.

The question does not give Mandelblit any room to decide for himself what the appropriate steps are and how to proceed. He is either a worthy Attorney General (by indicting) or he is not.

Sorry, but that is not how the justice system works. I do not know if Mandelblit is courageous or not. I do not know if Netanyahu is guilty or not. I do not know if Mandelblit will do what is right or not. I do know that we cannot assume a conclusion and then demand that Mandelblit act according to our conclusions, and any other decision makes him a chickensh*t, as Obama called Netanyahu.

I can see two courageous moves for Mandelblit.
1. If Mandelblit feels Netanyahu is guilty and should be indicted but comes under heavy pressure from Netanyahu's people, but he indicts anyway.
2. If Mandelblit feel Netanyahu is innocent or there is not enough evidence so he decides to not indict, depite the heavy pressure from the leftist protesters and from much of the media.

Mandeblit can be courageous. Mandelblit can be cut from the right cloth, but not necessarily by indicting Netanayahu. If Mandelblit has the strength to make the decision he feels to be correct, despite the heavy pressures against him from either side, he will have shown himself to be cut form the right cloth.

a fellow Jew, a MOTT, a bro, could be voted hero of the week, but he needs your votes... it is basketball hero of the week,, but still..

As of this writing, Gabriel Leifer of Yeshiva University is in the lad with 776 votes. The guy behind him is a non-Jew maybe he is Jewish too. His name is Parker Davidson) with 613 votes. How does that work out?

There are also a couple other names in the list of athletes with names that could very well be Jewish as well.

Since when were Jews such great athletes?

Anyways, get in there and help a bro out. Go vote for Leifer!

this seems a bit like a Meir Kay copycat, but it's all in good fun..

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.

the taught me one thing when I was a child, Dudi - no snitching. Nobody will ever want to sit with you again. You are a wretched snitch. Are you not embarrassed?  

  -- MK (Chairman of Coalition) Dudi Amsalem (Likud), screaming in the Knesset at MK Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) after it became known that Lapid is a State witness in the indictment against Netanyahu (in one of the cases)

Two points:

1. Amsalem makes it sound like the Knesset is basically a mafia, or runs on mafia rules. Much of the public has not thought highly of the Knesset anyway, but I don't think most people thought of the Knesset as a mafia.

2. if Amsalem is upset at Lapid for being a "shtinker", as it is commonly known in Israel, he is basically admitting that Lapid is right in what he is claiming...

FYI

I wonder if the meeting with Bibi is still on..

a roundup of my tweets from this evening's announcement of the police recommendations to indict Netanyahu in two of the investigations he was involved in:

 - When discussing the bribes received by Netanyahu and converting the sum to dollars, do we use today's exchange rate or the rate from a year ago?

 - And once again Yair Lapid screws the haredim

 - The guy is worth millions. I can't understand why he would have other people buy him his wine, jackets and cigars and why take bribes to the tune of $300k

 - will we see Netanyahu show up in court with a big black kipa and holding a tehillim, as many criminals in Israel do?

These are dancers and performers at the semi-finals of the local basketball league. Among their routines was one dressed with what appears similar to tzitzis. Religious fans got upset and offended and sent in complaints. The organizers claim they have done this show many times and nobody has complained before, it is normally so well received in Israel and in other places, but they will not perform it again during the upcoming finals.
source: Israel Hayom (with a couple more pictures)