Lapid refuses to shake Netanyahu's hand at swearing-in

 

The 37th government of the State of Israel, the sixth led by Benjamin Netanyahu, was officially sworn-in in the Knesset plenum on Thursday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the first to take the oath of office. Most of the heads of the opposition parties were present out of respect for the ceremony, but opposition leader Yair Lapid left the plenary hall even before Netanyahu was sworn-in without shaking his hand as is customary.

When National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was sworn-in, Labor MK Gilad Kariv, a Reform rabbi, shouted: "Shame: an idol is in the temple!"

The government will have 30 ministers and 5 deputy ministers - two more ministers than the outgoing government led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid.

A meeting between outgoing Prime Minister Lapid and Netanyahu is expected to take place after the swearing-in ceremony is completed.

Likud MK Amir Ohana was elected to the position of Speaker of the Knesset prior to the swearing-in ceremony, receiving the support of 63 MKs compared to five who voted against him and one who abstained. Ohana is the first openly gay Speaker of the Knesset in Israel's history.

Iranian writer sentenced to death after giving interview to Israeli TV

 Iranian writer and painter Mehdi Bahman was reportedly sentenced to death in Iran on Thursday after taking part in the anti-government protests which erupted following the death of Mahsa Amini.

Bahman was arrested in October, days after he gave an interview to Israel’s Channel 12 News in which he described the goings on in Iran during the protests.

Some reports said that he had been taken to the notorious Evin Prison, which is known for holding political prisoners, after his arrest.

Thursday’s reports indicated that Bahman was charged with and convicted of espionage over the interview with Israeli television.

Protests have gripped Iran following the September 16 death of 22-year-old Amini after she was arrested by the morality police.

Hundreds of protesters have been killed in more than two months of nationwide unrest, including dozens of minors.

Only Hours after govt. sworn-in Security forces raid Settler Binyamin outpost, tell families they will be arrested they do not leave their homes within minutes.

 

the order given to the residents

Security forces raided the community of Ramat Migron in the Binyamin region Thursday night and declared the outpost a closed military zone on the orders of Judea and Samaria Division commander Brig. Gen. Avi Blot.

In addition, the policemen knocked on the houses of the families in the outpost and threatened the residents that if they did not vacate their homes within minutes, they would be arrested and taken to the police station.

The police raid this evening follows a series of raids that took place last week on the nearby outpost of Oz Zion, during which police officers broke into the homes of the families and forcibly evicted the women and children from the community.

Three families currently live in each community, along with a core of youths who are involved in the development of the area and raise flocks of sheep for the purpose of maintaining the surrounding areas.

Why we all should follow Libs of TikTok’s founder and make our voices heard

 

The hardest part of changing the world around you is making the decision to attempt it in the first place. It’s even more difficult when you hear stories of people from different walks of life losing their economic means to provide for simply expressing a counter-viewpoint.

Even in anonymity, there’s the fear your secret will be uncovered — and that secret becomes the main weapon your opposition will threaten to bludgeon you with.

Libs of TikTok creator Chaya Raichik decided to disarm her opponents by revealing her identity this week on Fox Nation’s “Tucker Carlson Today.”

The real-estate agent from Brooklyn built a huge following on Twitter and other social-media platforms by anonymously spotlighting progressives’ own voices — especially teachers bragging about bringing sex and gender-identity talk/indoctrination into their classrooms.

After she “stumbled upon this whole platform” of disturbing videos, she told Tucker, she thought, “I just need to disseminate this. It’s just so bizarre and dangerous. I just need as many people to see this as possible.”

Her efforts infuriated liberals like Washington Post writer Taylor Lorenz, who revealed Raichik’s name, though not her picture.

In the past 14 weeks, NY Times dedicated 14 articles to attack the Hasidic Jewish community

 

Over the past 14 weeks, NY Times has dedicated 14 articles to attack the Hasidic Jewish community, by a team of reporters solely focused on a mission to present a one-sided view of Jews.

The #1 target of violent hate crimes in NY should remember who put the target on their backs https://t.co/x7hqrvOxr3 pic.twitter.com/lVVVzPRyJu

— Joel M. Petlin (@Joelmpetlin) December 29, 2022

This is anti-Semitism, pure and simple.

Yeshivas generally do their best with limited resources to support their students.

I can’t wait for the NYT exposé on the special education public school students neglected by 18 months of school closures. https://t.co/pnaUroJV5f

— Justin Spiro, LCSW (@Jusrangers) December 29, 2022

Ancient Shiloah Pool in Jerusalem Fully Excavated and Open to the Public

 

The Israel Antiquities Authority, the Israel National Parks Authority, and the City of David Foundation have begun the excavation of the historic Pool of Shiloah in Jerusalem. Located in the southern portion of the City of David and within the area of the Jerusalem Walls National Park, it is an archaeological and historical site of national and international significance. The Pool was first constructed some 2,700 years ago, as part of Jerusalem’s water system in the 8th Century BCE, during the reign of King Hezekiah, as described in II Kings, 20:20:

“Now the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made the pool, and the conduit, and brought water into the city, are written in the Book of Chronicles of the kings of Judah.”

The Pool of Shiloah served as the reservoir for the waters of the Gihon Spring, which were diverted through an underground tunnel, and was already considered one of the most important areas in Jerusalem in the First Temple period. The Pool of Shiloah was renovated and expanded some 2,000 years ago at the end of the Second Temple period. It is believed that the Pool was used as a ritual bath (mikvah) by Jewish pilgrims as part of their purification ritual before entering the Temple (which included being sprinkled with the ashes of a red heifer).

Palestinian Authority Paved Illegal Highway in Gush Etzion with Foreign Funding

 

The Gush Etzion Regional Council and local residents recently discovered the construction of a highway starting at Za’atara village, 11 km southeast of Bethlehem in Gush Etzion, north of the Herodion site, and reaching into the Judean Desert. At the start of the new road stands a sign in Arabic saying it was paved with foreign funding and assistance from the Palestinian Authority.

Mind you, the new highway is built in an agreed upon safeguarded reserve area, where roads and buildings are not allowed to be constructed per the Oslo Accords.

According to the Gush Etzion Regional Council, the road is another part of the ongoing effort to damage the contiguous Jewish territory in Gush Etzion. It provides access to new, illegal Arab neighborhoods in the Gush Etzion area, facilitating faster development.

The new road provides access to new, illegal Arab neighborhoods in the Gush Etzion area, facilitating faster development, December 2022. / Gush Etzion Regional Council 

British killer Jack the Ripper's face was found carved on a wooden cane owned by a police officer.

 

The suspected face of notorious serial killer Jack the Ripper has finally been revealed after police made a chilling discovery while trawling through old archives.

While the true identity of the infamous murderer has never been discovered, the only known facial composite of the killer has now been shared.

Among dozens of artifacts, the face was found etched into the handle of a wooden walking stick, which was owned by the police officer who spent years attempting to catch him.

Scotland Yard Detective Frederick Abberline was removed from the case in 1889 after failing to find Jack the Ripper, who terrorized the streets of London’s East End.

The chilling image is the only reported facial composite of the killer, whose identity remains a mystery more than a century later.

An engraving of “Jack the Ripper.”

Getty Images

The anti-Bibi resistance is playing with fire

 Like the Democrats who went into the streets in their millions the weekend Donald Trump was inaugurated president in January 2017, Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu’s foes clearly intend to act as a “resistance,” rather than a loyal opposition.

Netanyahu and his right-wing and religious coalition partners won a clear majority in the 120-seat Knesset, with 64 seats over the collection of left-wing, formerly right-wing and Arab political parties that ran Israel for the last 18 months. Yet, as is the case in the United States, politics in Israel has become a tribal culture war.

But even if everyone has become inured to a situation in which two sides view each other as not merely wrong, but enemies of decency and democracy, with Netanyahu’s new government set to be sworn in on Thursday, his opponents are playing with fire.

Ever since their defeat became apparent, the “anybody but Bibi” opposition led by interim Prime Minister Yair Lapid has been doing its best to label his successors as “dangerous, extremist and irresponsible.” Taking a page out of the Democrats’ playbook, his camp is claiming that the victors of the country’s democratic elections are intent on "destroying democracy".

New government to be sworn into office today

 

The new government is to be sworn into office today, the first official day of its term, almost two months after elections were held.

Prior to the official swearing-in ceremony, the Knesset will open its session at eleven o'clock on Thursday morning with a speech by Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu, who will present the basic outlines of his government and list the appointments he will be making to ministerial positions. President Isaac Herzog will participate in this special session, along with Supreme Court President Justice Esther Hayut.

Following the session, the head of the Opposition, Yair Lapid, will make a speech, followed by the heads of other parties, each of whom will receive fifteen minutes to speak from the podium.

After all the speeches are concluded, a vote will be held for the position of Knesset Speaker; Likud MK Amir Ohana is expected to be appointed to this position.

Only at this point will the new government be sworn into office, with each government member swearing to serve the State of Israel. This marks the end of the special Knesset session, following which there will be a toast to the incoming Knesset Speaker in the Jerusalem Hall, with the participation of the new Prime Minister, the Knesset Speaker, ministers, Knesset members, family members, and select others who have received an invitation to this event.

The official transfer of power between premiers will take place in the Prime Minister's Office, and is expected to be a brief, business-like affair with outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid handing over power to Benjamin Netanyahu.

The festive day will conclude this evening at the President's Residence, with the traditional photograph of all members of the new government together with the President.