Tick Tock

839 Days Since Oct 7, 2023

War

Nimitz class air craft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is now positioned in the Middle East.

USS Abraham Lincoln with Strike Force

According to the Jerusalem Post, the carrier is accompanied by destroyers and missile ships equipped with hundreds of launchers capable of striking targets across Iran with unprecedented force.

US B2 bombers have been positioned again in Diego Garcia.

B-2 Spirit Bomber

A joint US-UK base in Diego Garcia has unusually long runways that enable heavy strategic bombers that can carry out long-range strike sorties across the Middle East. According to the Jerusalem Post, the emphasis is on hardened and underground targets and regime command centers.

F-15E fighter bomber landing in Diego Garcia

F-15E fighter bombers and HIMARS systems have also been deployed to the region.

M142 HIMARS (High Mobility Artillery Rocket System)

President Trump has called on his military advisers for a ‘decisive’ plan to attack Iran. Earlier he’d warned the Iranian regime to stop the killings of protesters. Estimates are that between 6,500 -16,000 protesters have been killed. Many executed. Last week President Trump warned Iran to stop the executions, which they said they did.

Israel TV’s Channel 12 puts the number killed at over 20,000. And said that the internet blackout in Iran helps the regime hide what is really happening in Iran.

The U.S. based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported 629 protests, at least 26,314 arrests and confirmed deaths of 4,519 individuals, including 33 children under 18.

Analysts ask should the US attacks Iran this week or next week will that lead to another war between Israel and Iran? According to informed sources, Israel is readying for a preemptive missile attack by Iran. Others say that Israel is preparing for a long engagement with Iran and Iranian proxies.

Israel TV Channel 12’s Arab Affairs correspondent Ohad Hemo said that “there are long days ahead.”

Speaking at an Israeli air force base on Jan 21st, Eyal Zamir, Israel’s Chief-Of-Staff, said that Israel was prepared for any attack.

According to Fox News, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has said that any strike against Iran will result in a full scale war. Fox News reported that Iran warned it would respond “with everything we have” to any new U.S. military attack, accusing Washington and its allies of exploiting recent unrest to push the region toward a wider war.

In a Wall Street Journal op-ed piece, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said protests in Iran began peacefully before being hijacked by “foreign and domestic terrorist actors,” prompting a violent crackdown and near-total internet and communications shutdown.

He warned that an all-out conflict would be “ferocious” and engulf the entire region, marking a significant escalation in tone from Tehran.

Iran has threatened to hit not only US targets in the region but also US allies.

According to the website Iran International on Jan 1,2026 Iran put up banners across Tehran threatening attacks against Israel and a US base in Qatar. The banners went up following remarks by US President Donald Trump on his support for possible Israeli attacks on missile or nuclear sites in Iran

Meanwhile, according to CBS, the US and UK are reducing the number of personnel at the Al-Udeid air base in Qatar. Al-Udeid is the largest US military base in the Middle East and about 10,000 personnel are based there, as well as about 100 UK staff.

This steps take place a US President Donald Trump considers whether to take action against Iran. Officials have told CBS that the partial American withdrawal was a “precautionary measure”. The BBC understands some UK military personnel are also being removed.

A Qatari government statement said the measures reportedly being taken by the US were “in response to the current regional tensions”.

The UK’s Foreign Office has also temporarily closed the British embassy in Tehran, which will now operate remotely, a government spokesperson said.

Then there is the question of effectiveness. Will a strike on Iran have a ‘decisive’ effect? Will Supreme Leader Khamenei suffer the same fate as Hezbollah leader Nasrallah, killed while hiding in his bunker deep underground in Lebanon?

Israelis are watching the developments closely. More people know where the US task force is located than where their household cat is.

However, on the other side of the analysis is veteran military correspondent Ron Ben Yishai. Writing in Yideot Achranot, Ben Yishai says that Israeli officials assess that if Iran does not agree within weeks to US talks on Trump’s terms, Washington will strike; if Israel is attacked, it would seek to finish off Iran’s missile and drone capabilities, though restraining factors reduce the risk of immediate escalation

Ben Yishai says that tension in the region, and in Israel, has been raised because of the “bellicose statements by President Trump,” and the build-up of US weapons in the region.

But Ben Yishai seems to think that the current build-up is more to

convince Tehran to agree to a diplomatic solution, and the weapons build-up is a threat that should diplomacy fail a military strike will soon follow. Ben Yishai gives the Trump tactics a couple of weeks to play out before, or if, military action is taken.

According to Ben Yishai, the ayatollahs understand that the present threat of civil unrest has not passed. And that the regime, especially the Revolutionary Guard, is on edge sensing that their grip on power is slipping. This, according to Ben Yishai and his contacts, could lead to further violent measures by the Iranian regime including mass executions as a way to suppress dissent.

Ben YIshai quotes sources saying that the decision making in Iran has become more erratic since Supreme Leader Khamenei’s top advisors, such as Iranian General Qasem Soleimani and Sheik Hassan Nasrallah were eliminated. Khamenei is now surrounded by people who lack experience and professionalism, making him more prone to miscalculation.

Ben Yishai writes that at the same time, the United States likely lacks a military formula for one or two strikes that would bring down the regime.

Even killing or capturing Khamenei and severely damaging the Revolutionary Guard’s command structure would not guarantee the regime’s collapse, and Khamenei’s successor could be equally radical and brutal.

Ben Yishai thinks that advance warning would be provided to Israel and the Israeli public should the US decide to attack Iran.

Tick tock. Tick Tock.

Gaza

US President Donald Trump announcing the Board of Peace

According to the Times of Israel, during the annual World Economic Forum meeting on Thursday, Jan 22, 2026, in Davos, Switzerland, US President Trump asked world leaders who were members of the “Board of Peace” to sign the treaty. 60 countries have been approached for support.

According to Ynetnews, a senior White House official said that so far 35 countries have agreed to take part in the Board of Peace including Saudi Arabia and 7 other Arab states. Each country has to agree to pay $1 billion, the amount Trump is demanding for permanent membership in the council

“Who can say no to Trump?”, wondered an official from an Arab country in a Reuters news agency article.

Trump and Board Members Holding Up Signed Treaty

In the Reuters report diplomats from several regions around the world said that Trump’s invitation to join the “Peace Council” felt “less like a choice, more like no choice,” the report said.

Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu has staunchly opposed any inclusion of the Palestinian Authority and has also strongly objected to the inclusion of Turkey and Qatar.

Initially, the new Board of Peace was supposed to include a small group of leaders, and its original role was to oversee the ceasefire in Gaza, but Trump later decided that it would also oversee other conflicts.

US President Donald Trump With Signed Treaty

Trump later claimed that the Board of Peace could “replace the UN.” A statement that has caused consternation among some European leaders. Ynetnews said that Trump’s “Peace Council” was an attempt to shake up the world order.

Officials in France have indicated that while they support the Gaza peace plan, they are concerned that the council could try to replace the United Nations as the main organization responsible for resolving conflicts.

Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golub said that “the time has not yet come to accept the invitation,” with the main concern being that the council’s power would be too great, undermining the international order based on the UN Charter.

Some say that Trump announced the establishment of the “Peace Council” amid his great frustration at not winning the Nobel Peace Prize, despite his claim to have managed to end eight wars around the world.

Ynetnews reported that Trump later threatened Hamas, saying that the terrorist organization “was born with weapons in its hands. If they don’t hand them over, that will be the end of them.” Trump also mentioned the last hostage in Gaza, Ran Gvili, whose body is still somewhere in Gaza. Trump demanded that Hamas release Gvili’s body as well.

According to Israel Radio’s Reshet Bet both Hamas and Islamic Jihad know where Gvili’s body is buried.

President Isaac Herzog arrived in Davos, but he did not sign the “Peace Council” charter at the ceremony that took place Thursday morning. Israel’s Prime Minister agreed to join the Board of Peace but he was not at the ceremony. Nor was any other Israeli official.

The “Board” will be largely ceremonial. The only important position is that of the Chairman, President Trump. According to Reuters, Trump will be “Chairman for life” even when he is no longer in office.

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff announced the formation of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NGAG). Witkoff said this will begin Phase Two of the Trump Peace Plan. This phase will begin the full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza, primarily the disarmament of all unauthorized personnel.

Top “Board of Peace,” the “Technical Council” and then “The Administrative Council”

According to Ynetnews, Witkoff said that the US “expects Hamas to comply fully with its obligations, including the immediate return of the body of Ran Gvili, the final hostage. Failure to do who will be ‘serious consequences.’

This ‘technocratic committee’ that sits beneath the Board of Peace will be run by Bulgarian diplomate Nickolay Mladenov. That committee will answer to the board.

Then comes the ‘Administrative Council” run by Ali Shaath, former deputy head of the Palestinian Authority. One commentator on Channel 12TV quipped, “If the PA can’t get in the front door, they’ll come in the window.” Ynetnews pointed out that PM Netanyahu has said that the Palestinian Authority would have a part in rebuilding Gaza.

According to the treaty, it is the Chairman of the Board of Peace, Donald Trump, who has the power to overrule the technocratic and administrative committees’ decisions. In short, according to analysts, President Trump will be the final authority in Gaza. And, if he has his way using the Board of Peace to replace the UN, in the entire world.

And to put everyone’s mind at ease, President Trump has said that only his own morality limits his power. To which one observer quipped, “now we’re really in trouble.”

The inclusion of Turkey and Qatar in the Board of Peace has riled many in Israel. Turkey has been accused of funding the Islamic Brotherhood and sheltering Hamas terrorists. Qatar has long been a supporter of Hamas pouring billions into Gaza, most of the time with Israeli consent.

According to Ynetnews, on Jan 17th, former Chief-of-Staff Gen. (res.) Gadi Eisenkott warned Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu against the composition of Gaza’s technical committee. Eisenkott said, “We warned that the lack of Israeli initiative and decision on ‘the day after’ in Gaza would lead to loss of control, and today reality is exploding in our faces.

“Netanyahu has lost control, other countries are managing Gaza over Israel’s head, with Turkey and Qatar being part of it. The transition to phase two after military achievements at a heavy cost is being carried out as an international dictate imposed on Israel, from a leadership and strategic vacuum, and politicians driven by narrow political considerations.”

Eisenkott lost his son in the Gaza war.

Meanwhile, according to Ynetnews, the IDF warns it may take years to uncover Hamas tunnels on Israeli side of yellow line, some beneath army outposts. The IDF troops are racing to locate these tunnels ahead of a possible pullback.

According to Ynetnews, the terror organization, which still controls the Gaza Strip and is recovering and rebuilding at a pace that alarms IDF’s Southern Command officers, has focused in recent months on three main trends: reestablishing its grip in Gaza and eliminating opponents from Palestinian clans backed by Israel; rebuilding its forces through training operatives and producing weapons, including rockets and employing force against the IDF.

While US President Trump threatens to forcibly disarm Hamas if they refuse to disarm, the IDF knows that should force be needed to disarm Hamas the task will again fall on Israel’s soldiers and reservists.

According to Israel TV’s Channel 12, Gen.(res) Amir Drori, former head of Military Intelligence, said that the IDF is ready to strike Iran if necessary. He also said that if Hamas refuses to disarm President Trump’s plan for Gaza will stall. According to Drori, Trump thinks that Turkey and Qatar can convince or cajole Hamas to abide by the treaty and disarm.

Also, speaking at the Davos conference US Special Envoy Jared Kushner displayed a map of a futuristic Gaza with between 180-360 high rise buildings. Kushner said the plan would be implemented within two years.

However, according to experts on Israel Radio’s Reshet Bet just clearing the rubble from Gaza to prepare for any reconstruction could take up to six or seven years and costs tens of billions of dollars. This before any construction could take place.

On a side note, Yahoo news quoted a figure of how much President Trump has made as President. The figure reached $1.5 billion. Another commentator said that the Trump administration has blurred the line between politics and business.

Both Witkoff and Kushner are involved in business dealings with the UAE and Qatar.

North

IAF Strike on Arms Depot near S. Lebanese Village of Al-Katrani

According to Reuters, on Thursday Jan 18th the Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah targets in several areas in Lebanon, adding that the strikes were in response to Hezbollah’s “repeated violations of the ceasefire”.

According to Reuters, Lebanon has faced growing pressure from the U.S. and Israel to disarm Hezbollah, and its leaders fear that Israel could dramatically escalate strikes across the battered country to push Lebanon’s leaders to confiscate Hezbollah’s arsenal more quickly.

Meanwhile, according to the Times of Israel, the Lebanese government has said they have disarmed Hezbollah in the south in an “effective and tangible way.’

Also in the north, Syria’s new government has increased attacks against Kurdish and Druze areas. These moves worry Israel since the Druze in Syria are considered Israel’s allies.

According to Ynetnews, more than 2,000 Druze were killed in a brutal massacre and only Israel’s airstrikes halted the bloodshed. This according to Druze Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri.

  Druze Sheikh al-Hijri

According to Sheikh al-Hijri, “The previous regime also acted against us, but the current one is the most brutal. They do not want to eliminate only the Druze, but any minority that is not like them.”

West Bank

Palestine Square Tehran, Iran. Anti-Israeli/US messages On Buildings

According to NPR, the Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza and Lebanon, supported Iran during the protests that rocked the Ayatollahs’ regime.

In the West Bank, Palestinians say they hope the Ayatollahs’ regime stays in place and protests die down soon.

“Who else has been able to fight Israel?” says Abu Akram, a driver who ferries goods from Jordan to the West Bank. “It has been Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah,” he said, referring to the Iranian-funded militant group.

Opposition to Israel’s existence and support for a Palestinian state are core tenants of Hezbollah. It was once a powerful, non-state actor in the Middle East, but it have been substantially depleted after a recent war with Israel.

According to NPR, should the current regime in Iran fall, many Palestinians say they are pessimistic any government that replaces it will be beneficial for their hopes for a Palestinian state one day.

“Any government that comes after Iran will be against us,” says Ibrahim Issa, a shop manager in Ramallah. “It will be a worse government than the one before if it is installed by the U.S.A.”

Also, Israeli police and security services continue to raid suspected terrorist operations in the West Bank. During the week of Jan 10th, Israeli forces went into a number of towns and villages around Hebron seeking terrorists, weapons and explosives.

In an East Jerusalem raidPolice arrested dozens of Palestinians and seized weapons and fake products.

Jewish Settlers Throw Stones at Palestinians

Meanwhile, Jewish settler violence continues.

According to the Times of Israel, settler violence has risen 27% in 2025. Serious attacks spiked by over 50%. Experts say that a group of approximately 300 extremists are carrying out most of the attacks.

According to the Times of Israel scores of masked Jewish rioters vandalized a school near Nablus. No suspects were arrested. Also, settlers stormed the Palestinian village of Deir Sharaf, wounding residents, torching cars, hurling stones, kicking and beating villagers with clubs. Three Palestinians were hospitalized.

Settlers also raided a West Bank Bedouin village beating villagers. Two Palestinians were hospitalized. Rabbi Moshe Lichtenstein, co-head of Yeshiva Har Etzion in Alon Shvut says that “Extremist settler violence must be stopped.”

Red Sea

US President Donald Trump Speaks at Davos

According to Ynetnews, at the World Economic Summit in Davos, Switzerland, US President Trump referred to Iran in a speech. He said: “We destroyed the nuclear content that Iran had, and we completely destroyed what was there. They were two months away from a nuclear bomb. They want to talk now and we will talk.”

Israel is waiting anxiously to see if the US will strike Iran. One observer said that when looking out the window of a high rise building over the city of Tel Aviv the question arose if an when sirens and missiles would again fill the sky.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Should the US strike Iran, Israel expects Iranian puppets like the Houthis in Yemen to again attack Israel with missiles.

Meanwhile, according to Ynetnews, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei published several posts on X, writing that “The U.S. made extensive preparations to orchestrate this rebellion. The rebellion was a prelude to larger conspiracies. The Iranian nation defeated the U.S.”

According to Khamenei, “We extinguished the fire of rebellion, but this is not enough. The U.S. must be held accountable.”

According to Israel’s Channel 12TV over 20,000 Iranians were killed by Iranian forces during the protests. The Internet blackout has shielded the Iranian regime from the truth of the killings they are committing.

According to Channel 12TV’s Arab Affairs correspondent Ohad Hemo, Iran is not serious about negotiating no matter what President Trump says. Hemo believes that Iran is stalling for time to prepare for any attacks by the US and counter-attacks against US and Israeli targets. Hemo said that there were “long days ahead” before there was a clear view of what Iran and the US are planning.

Meanwhile, according to Ynetnews, reports indicated that Iran’s Revolutionary Guards conducted missile launch drills and air defense exercises.

According to analysts, Israel won the previous round but emerged bruised. Iranian missiles caused significant damage, and Arrow 3 interceptor stockpiles are limited.

Dr. Daniel Gold (center)

Father of the Iron Dome missile defense system Dr. Daniel Gold, is head of the Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development. Gold said recently that Israel has new weapons that have still not been revealed to the public.

Gold told Ynetnews that the future battlefield will be fundamentally different from the one we have known. It will feature numerous autonomous systems on land, in the air and at sea, perhaps even walking. Weapons will increasingly be based on directed energy.

Gold said that the Iron Beam laser defense system delivered to the Israel Defense Forces last week is only an initial taste. Artificial intelligence will be embedded everywhere, in command systems, in weapons platforms and on every soldier. Gold said that future wars will be decided by the depth of technology each side possesses.

According to Ynetnews, Gold has led a strategy of sharing development costs with external partners, ranging from defense industries and civilian venture capital funds to friendly foreign governments that finance large portions of Israel’s research and development budgets. Without this approach, Israel might have been forced to settle for far weaker technological capabilities.

However, according to analysts, there are pitfalls in relying on foreign money. US President Donald Trump told an audience at the recent World Economic Conference in Davos, Switzerland that he was responsible for the Iron Dome not Israel’s PM Netanyahu.

In part that was true, said one analyst, since the US was a partner in the development of the Iron Dome. And the US supplies Israel with the US manufactured missiles that the Iron Dome uses to defend Israel.

However, Israel has developed the sophisticated software that makes the Iron Dome so effective and has so far denied President Trump’s request for the software.

Gold continued, “There is no silver bullet. You need a multidimensional response. Detection, preferably before they enter Israel.

“During Operation ‘With a Lion’s Might,’ more than 1,000 drones were launched, and only two penetrated Israeli airspace.” “Some were intercepted outside the country by fighter jets, some by Iron Dome, some by Barak 8 missiles from ships and some through electronic warfare.

“Now the laser is coming online. We delivered the first system and it is entering production. It will take time to deploy nationwide, but during the war with Hezbollah we improvised with a lab prototype and intercepted more than 40 drones.

“Whether it is Iron Dome, lasers better suited to drone swarms, or future energy-based technologies we are working on, these are a series of solutions to a very complex problem. But compared to where we were, our capabilities are not bad.”

Antisemitism

Sen. Bernie Sanders

According to records the New York Post claims to have been supplied, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D. Vermont) has not attended a single one of the biannual meetings of the Washington-based US Holocaust Memorial Museum since appointed to 2007. This is the longest absence of any board member.

Recently, there has been a push to oust Sanders from the board. A letter sent to Senate Democrat leader Chuck Schumer, signed by twelve board members, asked for Sanders dismissal. Sanders is one of the five Senate appointees to the USHMM 55 member board.

The letter to Shumer states, “In the current context, with Jew hatred and Holocaust distortion rising globally, it is imperative that Senate-appointed representatives on the Council are fully engaged and steadfastly supportive of its mission.

“This request reflects not personal animus but a principled concern about the ability of the Council to execute its mission when a Senate representative is not regularly participating or is publicly positioned in ways that many of his colleagues believe detract from the Museum’s core educational and commemorative purposes.”

Sanders has often criticized Israel, including accusing Israel of committing acts of Genocide. He has also been an aggressive proponent of legislation that would block arms sales to Israel.

Some observers see Sanders as the one of the loudest and most influential voices the rise of antisemitism in the USA, setting the tone for followers like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the political group known as “The Squad” and others who consistently berate Israel. A tone that has found a large following among young liberals in the USA.

Also, according to Ynetnews, the year 2025 will be remembered as one of the most difficult for Jewish communities since the end of World War II. “Not only in scale, but in nature.”

Flowers At The Site Of The Bondi Massacre

According to the World Zionist Organization, 20 people were killed in antisemitic incidents worldwide, 15 of them in the massacre at the Hanukkah event in Sydney, Australia.

Gefen Bitton who was shot charging the shooters in the Bondi Beach massacre was released from hospital in Australia and was flown back to Israel for further treatment. Bitton had been in a coma since he was shot.

According to the Jerusalem Post, a recent incident in which young people at a Miami nightclub stood and sang Kanye West’s song ‘Heil Hitler’ illustrates a broader trend that is also clearly reflected on social media.

A study underway at Ariel University, in Israel’s West Bank, found that …”there was a 31.1% drop in politically linked antisemitic discourse, with fewer slogans such as ‘Free Palestine,’ ‘From the river to the sea’ or ‘genocide.’ On the other hand, there was a dramatic rise of between 100% and 275in% explicit, extreme and violent antisemitic expressions, including phrases such as ‘Jew Nazi,’ ‘FK Jew,’ ‘FK Israel’ and ‘Heil Hitler.’”

According to Ifat Ovadia-Luski, head of the WZO’s department for combating antisemitism, “The data from 2025 show the continuation of a deeply troubling trend,” she said. “More violence, more harm and greater confidence among antisemites to attack Jews.

“We are seeing an increase in physical incidents and direct attacks on Jews, driven by sustained hateful discourse across social media that prepares the ground for violence. When hatred becomes widespread and routine, violence becomes a legitimate option in the eyes of antisemites.”

In Mississippi, the Beth Israel (Reform) Congregation, the state’s oldest and largest synagogue, was torched by a 19-year-old suspect who had posted antisemitic cartoons on Instagram shortly before he worded the synagogue. On Instagram he called it “The Synagogue of Satan.”

Meanwhile, according to the Times of Israel a suspect was arrested in Iraq for the firebombing of a Melbourne, Australia synagogue. The suspect has ties to ISIS and Iran.

Politics

Egyptian Pres. Anwar Sadat (left) Israeli PM Menachem Begin (right)

According to Ynetnews, the late Prime Minister Menachem Begin’s grandson has come out against Prime Minister Netanyahu. He said, ‘The Likud public must wake up from the nightmare Netanyahu imposed.’

Avindav Begin, grandson of former Prime Minister Menachem Begin, attacked the government’s policies at a protest in Tel Aviv and said: “Everything it does stands in complete opposition to the glorious achievements in building the democratic structure according to Menachem Begin’s doctrine.

“This is not just a deviation from his path but an attempt at total control of all government restraints, everything he warned against repeatedly throughout his life.”

Avindav Begin added: “The Likud public must wake up from the nightmare Benjamin Netanyahu has imposed on them. He is not engaged in rebalancing but in undermining the rule of law in order to rule without checks and balances.”

Meanwhile, Netanyahu’s coalition continues to try to strip the High Court of authority. According to Ynetnews, Netanyahu’s coalition is advancing bills to denude the AG of power, politicize ministerial legal advisers, and give the justice minister power over internal police investigations. One bill demanded that the Attorney General take lie detector tests.

Ynetnews says that the fierce rhetoric by government ministers and coalition MKs in recent weeks, including calls to disobey the court, appears designed to delegitimize the court and possibly prepare the ground for actually outright disobeying court orders.

A series of bills, neutering the office of the Attorney General, restricting the powers of the High Court, closing the Army Radio in an effort, according to the Attorney General’s office, to curtail free speech, are being moved through the Knesset committees and brought to a vote.

One bill was to restrict the High Court from forcing the government to have a state inquiry into the Oct 7,2023 tragedy that saw 1200 Israelis killed and 251 taken hostage in Gaza.

Another bill that the Likud-led coalition is trying to pass is one that eliminates, retroactively, the law that makes Breach of Trust a crime. In the past, according to Ynetnews, governments have tried to amend the law. But none have tried to cancel it.

Should that law be erased from the books then the charges against Prime Minister Netanyahu would be dropped and his trial for three different corruption felonies dismissed. In general, the offense arises when a public servant acts within the scope of his duties contrary to the public interest for which he is entrusted.

And, according to the Times of Israel, Israel’s president Herzog told the media that he respects US President Trump and the request to pardon Prime Minister Netanyahu, but said that Israel has its own legal system.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara

Also, Israel’s Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has appealed to the High Court for the dismissal of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir saying he has overstepped his authority and has been politicizing the police.

In response, Ben Gvir has said that the High Court has no authority to dismiss him. He claimed that the Attorney General was attempting a coup against democracy.

And the Degel HaTorah party head Moshe Gafni has called for the government to ignore the High Court ruling that supported a draft law for Haredi men.

Much of the public has opposed these bills, however Netanyahu’s “base” still support him. Recent polls by Channel 12TV show that given new elections Netanyahu’s Likud would garner 25 seats, with former Prime Minister Neftali Bennett close behind with 23 seats.

However, neither the Likud-led coalition nor the opposition would receive enough votes to form a government. The opposition would receive 59 seats, two short of the necessary 61 to form a government, and Netanyahu’s coalition 52 seats.

Surprisingly, a Channel 13TV report on the northern border town of Kyriat Shmona, nearly decimated during the war by Hezbollah rockets, showed that many in the town still support Netanyahu. “Rock Bibi” (Only Netanyahu) one man yelled from a nearly deserted outdoor market place.

This as the reporter asked what the Likud or Netanyahu had done to help rebuild Kyriat Shmona beside making promises. The question had no effect on Netanyahu’s fanatic supporters.

In an effort to dislodge Netanyahu from his chair, former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkott has approached former Prime Minister Neftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, head of the Yesh Atid party, to form a coalition and run on a joint ticket. So far, neither Bennett nor Lapid have responded publicly. Analysts said the sticking point is who would be number one in the party’s list?

Meanwhile, according to Ronen Bergman, investigative reporter for the New York Times and Yidiot Achranot, the Bibigate affair is still a hot issue.

Eli Feldstein, once an adviser in PM Netanyahu’s office, has told investigators that he met with the PM’s Chief of Staff Tzachi Braverman who knew about the disinformation that was planted in the German Bild newspaper.

The leak, supposedly from an intelligence officer in the IDF, maintained then Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was only stalling and not serious about a ceasefire and prisoner exchange. The result of this missive’s publication was that Israel halted any negotiations for the release of prisoners and the cessation of hostilities.

Feldstein now maintains that Braverman knew about the leak and by implication so did PM Netanyahu.

According to the State’s Attorney’s office, “The investigation was conducted professionally and under close supervision. Any claim of improper motives is baseless.”

Last week police raided Braverman’s house searching for incriminating evidence. However, lawyers for PM’s Chief of Staff Braverman said,“Feldstein’s story is a pack of lies. Braverman never told him about any investigation. The entire meeting as described is fictional.”

Editorial

The Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) draft issue is still creating havoc in Israel. Knesset Member Avigdor Leiberman of the Jewish Home party calls the Haredi leaderships actions ‘a stalling tactic’ aimed at dragging out the process until the next election.

But some pundits ask if the Haredi leadership, men in their late 70’s until their late 90’s, take human life into consideration when sending the idealistic yeshiva students out to battle the police.

On Jan 7th Yosef Eisenthal, 14, was killed at a mass rally against the IDF conscription law. One pundit asked if the rabbis feel guilty sending these kids out to protest? Men like rabbi Dov Lando of Degel Ha Torah who says that enforcing the IDF draft law for eligible yeshiva students means the government and police are “fighting against God.” Lando claims that the Haredim are “in exile among Jews.”

A preliminary hearing into the death of young Eisenthal found that a bus driver trying to escape a mass of protesters who blocked the road and began attacking the bus unknowingly dragged the boy and ran over him.

The IDF says they are short twenty to thirty thousand soldiers. An estimated thirty thousand Haredim men are eligible for the draft. Negotiations between the government and the Haredi leaders has been dragging on for months. Not infrequently the Haredi party leaders threaten to bolt PM Netanyahu’s coalition. This would foster a collapse of the coalition and result in new elections.

Analysts say that the Haredi parties reportedly worry they would be in worse situation should Netanyahu lose the election so mostly their threats are a bluff. For his part, Netanyahu has to push the draft law favorable to the Haredim forward for fear that if not they won’t support him in forming a coalition following the next election.

Still, the Haredi leaders send their young men, mostly bored with study and almost all teenagers with raging hormones, to confront the police. These elderly Haredi leaders seem to consider the young men as cannon fodder to be sacrificed for the greater good. For God and the Torah.

One pundit asked if the parents of Yosef Eisenthal agreed.

Another observer pointed to a High Court criticism of the government transferring enormous sums of money to Haredi schools.

Critics say that the Haredim are living off of the taxes paid by the rest of Israel. And living a life of relative safety because of the protection afforded by the Israeli security services.

But what if that money stops pouring into the Haredi social service and educational system? What happens when there are no longer enough non-Haredi men to defend the country against the enemies of Israel?

According to one analyst, the Haredim would simply move on, find another country to host them where they didn’t have to fight in an army and could even receive social welfare checks. Or, worse comes to worse, have to go out and work.