February 27, 2023
Rays of Hope:
- Meeting of 700 Orthodox and ultra orthodox against occupation. One of the speakers was the daughter of the late Sephardi Chief Rabbi, Ovadia Yosef.
- Withdrawal of business investment and bank accounts from business saving accounts and venture capital investment. Some estimate that the amount to date exceeds $ 1 billion.
- Arab leaders encouraging that community to participate in democracy rallies.
- Latest rallies throughout country significant growth. Some estimates are 220,000 on Saturday night February 25
- Reservists in the Israel Defense Forces’ intelligence corps are threatening to refuse to serve should the legislation of the Netanyahu government’s judicial coup move forward without broad public consensus, according to a petition published on Friday, February 24.
- The Netanyahu coalition may collapse. The Ultra-Orthodox Party , Degel Ha Torah “Blasts Netanyahu for Neglecting Coalition Promises” ( HaAretz, February 25,2023)
- Temple Mount closure to Jews and Ramadan
- Apparent agreement between PA and Israel regarding UNSC resolution
- The US is sounding tougher about the judiciary issue and expanding settlements.
Full disclosure: Objective analysis would indicate that Netanyahu can safely ignore all of these rays of hope: Points 1-5. The Orthodox opposition to the occupation is so small as to be relatively inconsequential. Foreign investment may come from other places such as India and the Gulf States. It is always possible to buy the services of brainy computer people irrespective of where they live. Those rallying are largely middle class liberal thinking people who wouldn’t vote for Netanyahu anyway. Point 6 is temporary. Point 7 has undermined whatever remaining legitimacy the Palestinian Authority had. Point 8. The US is still opposing a UN Security Council resolution condemning additional West Bank settlements
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Section 2. You can increase hope by donating to one or more
advocacy groups which are friends of Israel and working to support better relations between Palestinians and Israelis and ending oppressive actions against Palestinians by Israel’s government.
Vision and Mission of Healing Across the Divides norbert@healingdivides.org:
Measurable improvement in health for marginalized Israelis and Palestinians via community based interventions. In our 18 years of existence we’ve impacted the lives of hundreds of thousands of Israelis and Palestinians. In so doing we strengthen the community groups we work with and fund. We bring the groups together as desired. Improving health among the marginalized via working with community groups and bringing the groups together represent peace-building. Feel free to contact Norbert Goldfield the founder and executive director at norbert@healingdivides.org or call him at 413-800-2680
Americans for Peace Now ( https://peacenow.org)
APN is the sister organization of Shalom Achshav, Israel’s preeminent peace movement. APN’s mission is to educate and persuade the American public and its leadership to support and adopt policies that will lead to comprehensive, durable, Israeli-Palestinian and Israeli-Arab peace, based on a two-state solution, guaranteeing both peoples’ security, and consistent with U.S. national interests. We also work to ensure Israel’s future and the viability of Israel’s democracy and Jewish character through education, activism and advocacy in the United States
Standing Together (https://www.standing-together.org) describes itself as “ the largest Jewish-Arab movement in Israel. We organize and mobilize people locally and nationally around issues of peace , equality, social and climate justice.” They refer to the interrelationship between the ongoing occupation of Palestinian territories , systemic discrimination in Israeli society and attacks by the government on democratic freedoms and Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel. Their motto is “ Where there is struggle there is hope”.
Combatants for Peace ( https://cfpeace.org/)
Describes itself as, Combatants for Peace (CfP) is a grassroots movement of Palestinians and Israelis, working together to end the occupation and bring
Section 3
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You can and should write to your congressman , two US senators and President Biden .Request that they publicly state their opposition to eliminating an independent judiciary in Israel. Further, they should oppose the occupation and insist on an absolute and immediate freeze of Israeli settlement activity.
This was my letter: As a third generation supporter of Israel, I am asking you to speak out publicly against the new Netanyahu government in Israel.
Israel’s Proclamation of Independence said that it would be a democracy based on the moral teachings of the prophets, with equal rights for all citizens irrespective of religion, gender etc. The new government is making a mockery of that promise.
The independence of the judiciary is being threatened; discrimination based on religion, ethnic group, gender and LGBTQ is being legalized; Arab citizens of Israel are described as a disloyal fifth column. The occupation of the West Bank is being intensified and more forcible displacement of Palestinians is being planned.
The United States must protest openly and vigorously against these actions. The moral standing of our country and the very existence of Israel as a democratic Jewish state is in jeopardy.