Category: Politics

BATTLING WITH THE BASICS

While confidence in Netanyahu’s government drops, consumer prices rise

By David E. Kaplan

At last Saturday night’s demonstration against the governments judicial reform in Kfar Saba, a friend of mine, defying the deafening din, blasted profoundly in my ear:

“You know, never in my wildest dreams did I ever believe when I was protesting as a 20-year-old medical student in South Africa that I would be protesting as a doctor in my seventies.”

Five decades later and in another country, and we feel we are back where we started. To get seventy-year-olds and older out every Saturday night standing for hours, listening to speeches repeating what we all know and agree, bellowing “Busha” (shame) repeatedly while holding aloft the Israeli flag and then walking home saying farewells to friends, “Same place, same time next week,” then clearly, to paraphrase the Great Bard:

 “Something is rotten in the State of Israel”.

Saturday Night Fever. A typical Saturday night at city square Kfar Saba with protestors. People tend to stand in same areas meeting the same people each week.

Much of the country knows it, including those brave enough in the Likud at admit it. In my recent article ‘IS THERE EVEN JUST ONE?’ I asked:

 “Where is the one in Netanyahu’s coalition who is going to finally stand up and say – “enough”?”

Well, maybe cracks are appearing.

Has now the proverbial ‘penny dropped’ – the shekel has – with Likud MK David Bitan’s headline admission in the news? Using the platform of Israel Bar Association’s 12th annual conference, Bitan in his address to Israel’s legal fraternity, admitted that his governing coalition had made a mistake with the judicial reform adding that his government was failing to give sufficient attention to other important issues unrelated to judicial reform – like the soaring cost of living! He alludes that he is not alone by revealing that  “There are [other] members in the Likud who think so too.” Seemingly unafraid – unlike his colleagues –  he publicly admits that his Likud party:

 “….was harmed by this move, and it will continue to be harmed if we don’t reach broad agreements.”

Bitan was clearly seeing what most his political bedfellows were failing see or as the astute 16th century saying goes:

“There are none so blind as those who will not see.”

If the coalition pursued its judicial reform legislation warned Bitan, “credit rating companies would follow up on their threats and drop Israel’s rating.”

It was happening.

No Age Limit. Afar cry the writer recalls from the protests in South Africa against Apartheid where the average age was below twenty. Looking around at the protests in Kfar Saba, the average age appears to be 55 and over.

While affirming Israel’s rating in April at A1, Moody’s in July then warned Israel that continuing judicial overhaul legislation would have negative consequences on Israel’s economy. Ever since the judicial reform was presented, credit rating companies have warned that the situation would lead to a downgrade in ratings and hardly unexpected, at the end of July, Morgan Stanley did lower Israel’s rating.

Clearly, Israel’s government is battling with the basics. As Bitan continued in his Bar Association address, the government is failing to give sufficient attention to other important issues that are not related to the reform.

As Israel’s government struggles with bulldozing forward on judicial ‘reforms’ – a misnomer if ever there was one –  consumers struggle with rising prices.

“We could be dealing with a lot of things at the same time,” Bitan continued. “The cost of living needs to be dealt with. It’s not just on the government, but the government needs to change directions. It’s not doing its part. The responsibility is ours, and we need to give attention to the rest of the issues outside of the reform. Unfortunately, only some of us are working in other fields.”

What an admission by this Likud MK and what a shocking indictment against the government in which he serves.

David Denounced. Likud MK David Bitan in the Knesset. What he had to say at the recent Israel Bar Association’s 12th annual conference did not please his Likud colleagues, who were quick to respond that it did not represent the party’s position.

Since Netanyahu returned to the premiership at the beginning of 2023, prices in Israel have only continued to rise. Despite campaign promises to address the high cost of living, most of the prime minister’s focus in 2023 has been on passing sweeping judicial reforms, something hardly addressed during the campaign. Although  inflation and the rising cost-of-living were Likud campaign promises, once in government, it relegated these issues to a low priority, subordinate to the judicial overhaul. The result – as confidence in the government has plummeted, consumer prices rise.

Commensurate with Netanyahu government’s failure to grapple with reality, more and more regular Israelis are failing to grapple with their financial situation. Struggling to make ends meet, Sharona Bat Haim, a cleaner and single mother of two girls, told The Jerusalem Post’s Media Line that:

“I have no money and prices keep going up. I don’t know how I will cope. I will probably have to stop buying meat for my other daughter, but I don’t want to discriminate.”

Tapping into this cry from the people, opposition leader, Yair Lapid said at a recent protest, “Milk, fruits and vegetables, meat—all the prices are going up. We will come back to power, and we will lower the prices.”

In the first quarter of 2023, foreign investment dropped by 60%. This is according to a Treasury report revealed by Israel’s chief economist on Wednesday.  The preliminary data paints a troubling picture of a steep drop in foreign investment transactions, totaling approximately $6.2 billion. Comparing with the quarterly averages in previous years, the data represents a “HEFTY PLUMMET”.

Is this not a sufficient sobering confirmation of the dire warnings for months by esteemed economists against the government’s controversial judicial overhaul?

Israel needs to recalibrate its priorities. Sadly, the Likud has distanced itself from its lamenting MK David Bitan refuting his public utterances at the Israel Bar Association as “not the position held by the party.”

Warned and Ignored. Rating agency Moody’s warned in July on the negative consequences of the government’s judicial reform for Israel’s economy.

Considering the destructive makeup of the governing coalition and the ‘March of Folly” its leading this country, what is needed is  YES – a pressing overhaul – but not of the judiciary but of Israel’s present political leadership!

This is why seventy-year-olds like every other age of participating protestors across Israel, will continue to block off their calander’s Saturday nights for the foreseeable future.





While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

HIGH ANXIETY

You cannot hide it nor disguise it; Israel is facing a political crisis. It’s a crisis not only of the state but the state of its people. From a decidedly happy people, we are a people less than happy at the new direction of their country since January 2023 caused by Prime Minister Netanyahu’s governing coalition’s unpopular and controversial overhaul of its judicial system. This is causing anxiety.

Some have found an outlet of this anxiety by expressing  what they are feeling not only in protest and prose but also in poetry. Here below is a poem by a Lay of the Land contributor from Israel’s southernmost resort city of Eilat.

David Kaplan (editor)


HELPLESS

By Fonda Dubb, Eilat

Sometimes I feel  my heart beating fast
My breath breathing faster
How can I stand aside and say or do nothing
I loathe the words that are spoken
I loathe the division that is so split and divided
I loathe the violence
That like an inferno rips the country apart.
It affects me so deeply
That I have to write
In the hope that there will be a change of heart
That I can look in the mirror and say
I did something!!
So I feel forgiven
But just for a little while
It takes time to adjust ones thoughts to one of gratitude for the many things bestowed on me
Family and friends to brighten up our days
Eilat with its beauty of mountains and sea.
They are not in the conflict of helplessness that I experience
They are G-d given
The joy of nature, of flowers and trees, butterflies and bees
They too like the birds that sing and fly at night are a gift of life.
I count my blessings every day
To remind myself of the many gifts of life
So never to forget that the opposite of helplessness is light and joy in the miracles of life.
It is my fervent prayer that we all believe in gratitude
To change our thoughts to one of prayer and forgiveness to make a better world to see the ” other side of life”.
Just to be kind to one another is goodness itself
to rid the helplessness we feel and see
A belief that one hand will stretch out and touch each another
So we can cling to hope that will never be abandoned
But will forever with our gratitude
Be intertwined together
While we pray for peace in our blessed land.





*Feature picture: A protester lies in foliage during a demonstration in Jerusalem July 24, 2023 against PM Netanyahu and his governing coalition’s judicial overhaul. (photo: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters).



About the Poet:

A former South African who daringly in her own unique way challenged the apartheid regime by teaching dance and cooking in “Black areas” in the Eastern Cape and Northern Transvaal, Fonda Dubb today resides in Eilat, Israel. (See article: The Right Moves). Her lifelong concern for others has led to her receiving numerous awards, most notably in 2012 the ‘Woman of the Year Miller Prize’ for volunteerism from the Mayor of Eilat.

In recent times, Fonda has taken to writing poetry drawing from her experiences both in South Africa and Israel, her values, as well as the natural beauty of Eilat. Her guiding star she says, is “a yellowing piece of paper” that hung in the consulting rooms of her late pathologist cousin, Dr. Johnathan Gluckman, who exposed the truth with his post-mortem of the famed Black anti-apartheid activist, Steve Biko, who met his untimely death in police custody. The words on that piece of paper read: “Good men have only to remain silent for evil to prevail”. These words says Fonda, “always stuck with me and influenced my way of thinking.”





While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

BACK IN THE GOOD OLD, BAD OLD DAYS OF APARTHEID

What’s happening under the Netanyahu coalition has former South- Africans in Israel worried.

By Larry Butchins

We are under dire threat. Whether many people are ready to accept and believe or not, we are on the brink of becoming what all our detractors and enemies have claimed for decades – an apartheid state. With laws that call for discrimination against Arab Israelis – yes, when funds are held back from Arab communities, that is discrimination; when law makers on the right talk about “giving job preference” to Jews over Arabs, that is racism; when women are told to “cover up” and sit at the back of the bus, that is prejudice – whether we like it or not, and it doesn’t matter if that is “official policy” or not , it is this government which is enabling that type of thuggish, racist, discriminatory behavior. Empowering those who do believe it, to act it out.

I believe that as a former South African, who grew up and then lived under the apartheid regime all my life until making Aliyah, it is my moral duty to raise a red flag and wave it vigorously, to warn what could happen here. It is my moral duty to caution that while I have fervently defended Israel against those who condemn it as an apartheid state, we are rapidly heading in that direction, to hell in a handbasket, and I am horrified by that possibility.

Shades of Shame. Visual imagery of South Africa past that the writer never wanted to revisit elsewhere.

Allow me to hark back to the days of apartheid in South Africa, as a reminder of what life under doctrinaire and dogmatic rule, was really like back then.

One of my earliest memories of apartheid was when I was probably around 10-years-old. Late one night, my parents insisted I accompany my father to take our black maid Mavis to the central train station in Durban. I had to sit in front of the car and Mavis had to sit in the back seat. When on the drive home, I asked my father why I had to go with him, he replied that he had to have proof (me, his white little boy) that he and Mavis were not contravening the Immorality Act. Had he been stopped by the police, driving alone with a black woman, they both would have been arrested on charges under that “immoral” act. He would have copped a large fine (because he was white), and she would have been thrown in jail (because she was black), processed in the system, and not seen the light of day for weeks, possibly even months. I couldn’t quite internalize the message at that age, but it followed me the rest of my life in SA, always looking over my shoulder to check that the dreaded security service, BOSS (Bureau of State Security) wasn’t following me or checking everything I had written, said or done.

Disturbing Developments. At a change of command ceremony on Wednesday night, outgoing Binyamin Regional Brigade commander Eliav Elbaz, said in reference to increasing settler violence that “It should be said in a loud clear voice, that actions of this type are not ethical, not Jewish, and do not contribute to security.” (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON’S UNIT)

I will quote from a chapter of my book, “Train in the Distance” in which the protagonist, Adam Marks, a reporter on a weekly newspaper in the 1970s – the height of apartheid – laments about his so-called “privileged freedom”.

“Do you think I’m free?

“When I write and publish the word ‘Amandla (Freedom in Zulu)’ under my name in the columns of a widely circulated newspaper, do you believe that I will not be condemned for that? Do you not understand that I am putting my freedom – and the welfare of my family – at risk? I cannot express my opinions freely, I cannot associate with whom I please: if I wish to invite Black friends to my home for dinner, I will be watched and under suspicion. If I meet Black friends for a day at the beach…well, that’s not going to happen, because we can’t even go to the same beach! I cannot even meet them for a picnic in a public park – unless my Black friends are seen to be my servants – haulers of wood and drawers of water for my benefit.

“Do you not understand that I cannot read, or view or listen to what I want? If I wish to read ‘The Communist Manifesto’, or ‘Lolita’, or ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’, or hundreds of other banned books, magazines; or see certain films; listen to music by certain musicians – can you believe Maria Callas singing Lucia di Lammermoor fell under the censors obliterating red pencil? Fats Domino, The Beatles, Rodriguez…how many more?

“Radical new ideas, by writers, artists, musicians and committed, passionate people, are influencing and shaping dynamic new thinking throughout the world…and here we sit, under the yolk of an evil system with evil intent, all because of our ‘privilege’.

“I am not free; my ideas are not free; my life is not free – despite all my privileges, I am still a white victim of apartheid. YOU are white victims of apartheid; and I don’t know when or if it is ever going to end…”

Separate entrances in post offices and banks, stairwells in train stations, trains reserved for different races; busses – those which allowed blacks on board in the first place, insisting they sat at the back – the last three rows reserved for blacks; Christian National Education – indoctrination of school children about the “right” of the white man to conquer the land and confine others to “homelands” or “locations”; the imposition of the morals and religious authority over what we could read, or view, or listen to, or even discuss…

Back of the Bus. Some of the hundreds of Israelis demonstrating against the segregation of men and women on buses in certain neighborhoods of Jerusalem, where the women must sit in the back. (Miriam Alster/Flash 90)

I could write volumes on the apartheid regime, its beginnings, middle and end… and how White South Africans enjoyed a multitude of benefits, lifestyle choices and preferential treatment. About how the Afrikaner-led government set itself up as the highest authority in the land – except for the Supreme Court and a group of courageous justices. Despite virulent government opposition, criticism and the possibility of arrest, banning orders, 90- or 180-days imprisonment, they were a light of sanity in a very dark nation.

Under the General Law Amendment Act, the Special Branch was allowed to arrest anyone they suspected of being engaged or involved in any act against the State and to hold them incommunicado for 90 days (and later 180 days) at a time. The Special Branch could interrogate and extract information, and the public was not entitled to any information including even the identity or whereabouts of people being detained. Detainees could literally and effectively “disappear”. If no charges were to be laid, the Special Branch had to release the individual or individuals after 90 (or 180) days. At the time, Prime Minister John Vorster boasted that this was repeatable “until this side of eternity.” A perfect example of the absolute need for an authority higher than the government.[1]

Am I suggesting that bleak Kafkaesque scenario could happen here in Israel? Not exactly, but there are certain resonant and frightening parallels. I do believe that former South Africans, those who came to this beautiful land of ours to flee discrimination and mind control, who came here to a democratic homeland; who came to work for and build a beacon of freedom and enlightenment – albeit somewhat flawed – should now stand up and cry out:

 “We are NOT an apartheid country – and NEVER WILL BE: IT CANNOT HAPPEN.”


[1] South Africa, Overcoming Apartheid, Building Democracy – Detentions Without Trial During the Apartheid Era




About the Writer:

Larry Butchins – I was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and started my journalistic career as a cub reporter on Durban’s morning newspaper, The Natal Mercury, covering fires, accidents, shipping and beach news. I then moved to the Sunday Tribune’s Johannesburg branch office, covering everything from visiting celebrities to political scandals and student anti-apartheid riots. At a protest at Wits University, I was arrested along with student protesters and spent the weekend in a cell in Johannesburg’s notorious John Vorster Square.

Eventually lured into Public Relations, I opened my own PR firm in Durban. On moving to Israel with my family in 1987, I branched from classical PR into Marketing Communication, running a small English-language agency promoting Israeli products abroad, working with Israeli hi-tech enterprises. Five years ago, I self-published my novel Train in the Distance based on my actual experiences as a journalist working under (and often against) apartheid’s rules and regulations.

In addition to professional writing, I write articles and stories, travel blogs – The Offbeat Traveller – and children’s books, two of which have been published in the US and South Africa. I am now entering my third career as a screenwriter and producer for an international TV series based on my novel.

My wife, Marlyn, and I live in Tzur Yitzhak , north of Kfar Saba; have three grown children and four  grandchildren who all live in Mitzpe Ramon.

Contact Details:

Email: larrybtrain@gmail.com





While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

IS THERE EVEN JUST ONE?

Where is the one in Netanyahu’s coalition who is going to finally stand up and say – “enough”?

By David E. Kaplan

“And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
No one dared
Disturb the sound of silence”

                     Simon and Garfunkel (Sounds of Silence)


After 32 weeks of ‘sound’ counseling from the streets  of Israel – not to bring down a government but to save it from self-inflicted folly – lamenting lines in the iconic lyrics of Simon & Garfunkel sadly resonate.

Is ANYONE in Prime Minister Netanyahu’s governing coalition even listening? Are we going to be in the same situation  six months from now?

Is there even one; never mind the biblical 10 from 50 righteous men that Abraham negotiated down with G-d to save the city of Sodom from annihilation?

Millennia later, it is not a desert city but the flourishing nation state of the Jewish people that is at peril and even more difficult than it was for Abraham, we cannot find even one in the governing coalition who will stand up for what is just and sensible and say to his prime minister “Maspik”- (Hebrew: “enough”).

In Whose Hands? Guiding Israel’s destiny are unabashed racist May Golan (left) with fellow arch-supporter of the judicial overhaul and far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben-Gvir. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
 

After eight months in power, this government has little to show for itself besides showing contempt for the protestors. Take for instance the Likud Minister for the Advancement of Women’s Status May Golan who in response to being faced by protestors at a restaurant at Ben Gurion Airport, wrote on the X media platform (formally twitter): 

“To what other depths of decay will those anarchists sink?”

Anarchists?

After all these months of protestors trying to protect and preserve Israeli democracy, this government minister labels them –  “anarchists”.

Is the Likud minister so unaware that an “anarchist” by definition seeks to destroy state institutions not protect them as Israeli protesters are struggling to do. It is coalition members who are behaving like “anarchists”, hellbent on weakening – if not ultimately destroying either by design or indifference – Israeli democracy. They are doing so – despite their protestations – by undermining the efficacy and integrity of the Supreme Court, the hallmark of Israeli democracy. Without a second tier of government  – Israel has no Upper House or Senate – nor a constitution, what check do Israelis have on the excessive exercise of government power besides the Supreme Court? Can this government think beyond its appetites and partisan dispositions? We should be strengthening not weakening the Supreme Court. Until such time of major constitutional changes, what Israel needs and what its economy needs is a robust independent Supreme Court.

It protects the country from the dangerous mindset of the likes of Likud minister Golan.

It says much for the understanding Golan has for democracy when she characterises the protesting milieu in Israel as:

 “depths of decay”.

Golan tweeted further:

 “I have one message for all the anarchists: Move on. This reform will continue to advance even more vigorously …….”

There you have it from the minister and captured in the lyrics of Simon and Garfunkel: “hearing without listening”. No hint of outreach, compromise or future talk; the path forward is “to advance” the judicial overhaul, “even more vigorously…”

Intoxicated like her peers with power, Golan displays only contempt for those who oppose the controversial and unpopular judicial overhaul.

Creators of Chaos. Prime mover of the judicial overhaul that is rocking the country, Israeli justice minister Yariv Levin (right) listens to May Golan during a session of Israeli parliament last month. (Photo: Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP/Getty Images)

Is it any wonder from this MK, who has made a political name for herself by denouncing African refugees in Israel, calling them, as reported in The Guardian (April 20), “Muslim infiltrators”, criminals and rapists. She said many have Aids, suggesting they were spreading HIV by working as waiters, and demanded they be expelled from the country. “If I am racist for wanting to defend my country and for wanting to protect my basic rights and security, then I’m a proud racist,” she said at a political rally in 2013 as a member of the far-right Jewish Power party, a descendent of the Kach party that was outlawed under Israeli anti-terrorism laws.

Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party is flush with members who think just like self-proclaimed racist May Golan. Its embedded in the rank and file.  

Forty-nine-year-old Yitzhak Zarka, from the settlement of Ma’ale Efrayim, who said he has been active in the Likud party for 40 years, made headlines last month when he called anti-judicial reform protestors “AshkeNAZIM” who should “burn in hell.”  In case  he was not fully understood, he added, “Not for nothing did six million  die. I’m proud. If only six million more would burn.” In case this man and his behaviour can be dismissed as an aberration, Zarka has been photographed cozying up with many top Likud ministers and MK’s. While there is a move to expel Zarka and others for the embarrassment caused, it is being met with opposition by some in the Likud, with one member saying:

 “I do not remember any other party that expelled any of its members for excessive anger.”

Kiss of Death. Seen here at the Knesset cuddling Benjamin Netanyahu is Itzik Zarka who at last month’s protest near Beit She’an in northern Israel, while  holding a sign reading “the people demand judicial reform”, said “Ashkenazim, whores, may you burn in hell” and “Leftists are traitors, you are the cancer of the country.”  (Photo: Zarka’s Facebook page)

This is not the verbiage of “excessive anger”, but of a disturbing  mindset that should not be anywhere near the levers of power.  With this level of UNREASONABLE behaviour amongst members of Netanyahu’s governing coalition, is it any surprise that the first bit of legislation they pushed through as part of the overhaul of Israel’s judicial system was the passing last month of the controversial “reasonableness” bill which strips the Supreme Court of the power to declare government decisions unreasonable! “It was passed in the most heavy-handed way possible – without a comprehensive discussion of the law’s consequences for the economy or for Israel’s security and foreign relations, and with complete disregard for their recommendations and warnings issued by experts in Israel and abroad,” write two former Governors of the Bank of Israel, Jacob Frenkel and Karnit Flug in their chilling article ‘Stop the legislation, save the economy’. (The Jerusalem Post August 22). They so astutely observe that following the passage of the ‘Reasonableness Bill’ along narrow partisan lines that what had until its passing “been a  negative scenario that might come to pass, has become a negative scenario that is now being realized. Indeed, the market reacted immediately with a sharp devaluation of the shekel, alongside a decline in stock market indices.”

Sounds of Silence to Sound Advice. Ex-Bank of Israel chiefs Karnit Flug (left) and Jacob Frenkel warn judicial overhaul is causing a severe blow to Israel’s economy that may, if not stopped, prove irreversible. (Yonatan Sindel and Yossi Zeliger/Flash90)

Is this the “reasonable” behaviour we expect from our ‘elected’ office bearers?

The former Bank of Israel governors  continue  that:

 “As of today, investment in hi-tech, the growth engine of Israel’s economy in recent years, continues to fall. This sector is seeing a decline even as the hi-tech industry globally is showing signs of recovery. Moreover, over the past six months, almost NO new hi-tech companies have registered in Israel. Instead, they are registering abroad, which means Israe will lose out on a large share of their future economic activity and the tax revenue they generate. In parallel, there has been a sharp decline in employment and number of jobs available in the hi-tech sector.”

Following the debilitating impact of three years of Covid on the economy, the self-inflicted mess of this government’s policies might cause irreparable damage to the point that it “could become potentially irreversible,” warns former BOI governors Frankel and Flug.

We shudder to think what is “unreasonably” next  from Netanyahu and his reckless band in the Knesset that are ruining instead of running the country.

Which begs the question:

Where is the one that will break rank, speak up and stop the madness?






While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

PAKISTANI BURNING

Israelis respond to mobs burning Christian churches and homes in Pakistan after blasphemy allegations

By Jonathan Feldstein

Perhaps you have heard the news.  Fires torching hundreds of properties. Entire households burned to the ground.  Every personal belonging lost.  Thousands of lives destroyed.  The devastation has been unprecedented, and it will take years to rebuild that which can be rebuilt. But the personal tragedies and lives lost may never heal. 

If you’re in the West, you may have heard about the tremendous loss in Maui, Hawaii. Wildfires have left a trail of death and destruction. As horrible as that is, it is not what I am writing about today.

Christians look at burnt furniture and other things outside their homes vandalized by an angry Muslim mob in Jaranwala in the Faisalabad district, Pakistan, Thursday, Aug. 17, 2023. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary)

While Maui was burning in what was an act of God, Christian communities in Pakistan have been burning, torched to the ground, not as an act of God but as an act of evil. Trumped up charges of “blasphemy” by Moslems in Pakistan against two Christian men was the spark that set off a widespread rampage of attacks by Moslems against their Christian neighbors that have lasted nearly a week as of this writing.

In Pakistan, charges of blasphemy can carry a death penalty. Blasphemy can be as simple as “embarrassing” Islam. Sometimes, mobs of people take this Pakistani Islamic justice into their own hands. So much for the religion of peace.

For days, an out-of-control pogrom has been carried out against Christians, with law enforcement turning a blind eye as if there’s any legitimate excuse for that.  Dozens of churches have been ransacked, looted, and burned to the ground. Hundreds of Christian homes were also attacked, looted, and burned. Personal belongings that were too big to loot were simply dragged to the street and burned. Countless bibles have been burnt, desecrated, destroyed. 

A boy comforts a woman weeping after her home was vandalised by a Muslim mob. (KM Chaudary/AP Photo)

All this, displaced thousands of lives, entire extended families forced to flee their homes, their communities, seeking shelter anywhere they could, even makeshift tents in open areas.  Not that this would make them safer from the attacks of their Moslem neighbors.  It just made them more vulnerable, marked, open to assault. Just less to burn.  They fled with the clothes on their backs, and now have nothing left, and no homes to return to.

Pakistan Muslim Mob Attacks Christian Churches, Property Over Blasphemy Charges

Even if they could return, how will they ever move back, even if their homes are rebuilt?  How will they ever feel safe among the Moslem neighbors whose hate was ignited against them and their faith? But they are stuck in Pakistan, with nowhere to go, as second-class citizens, tolerated but not really accepted.  The targets of evil hatred whenever there’s an excuse. There’s no recourse.

A few years ago, I posted a video on YouTube of a Christian man in Pakistan being lynched and burned to death.  Apparently that  – the posting not the lynching and burning – violated their “community standards” against violence. Earlier this year, because of that, YouTube blocked me. When I “appealed”, I got an immediate automated response that my appeal was rejected. I laughed at first, realizing that YouTube houses no shortage of gratuitous violence, but when it comes to posting real crimes to highlight the evil amid which Christians have to exist there, that’s too much for their sensitive community standards. I hesitate to post videos I have seen of the most recent violence, but they are real and horrific.

Unlike Maui, Pakistani Christians have no insurance.  No state of federal money to rebuild. Police are not comforting, much less protecting the victims in Pakistan. Pakistani Christians exist in the crosshairs of a society that’s simply unsafe. They are tolerated, sometimes, but not protected. Second class?  How about seventh class.  

A Christian man emerges from a vandalised home in Jaranwala. (KM Chaudary/AP Photo)

In the past week, many of my Pakistani Christian friends have turned to me, in Israel, for prayers and support. They are heartbroken, devastated, and scared. Yet as much as they fear for themselves and their families, they are trying to help those most in need, as good Christians should for one another. However, for them, simply reaching out to me, an Orthodox Jew in Israel, could trigger more violence, even lynching.  As much as they may be “tolerated” in Pakistan, Israel and the Jews are the enemy.

They also know I’ll help, because I care, and because I did a year ago when they were struck by floods of Biblical proportions and Christians suffered because of their status far more than average Moslem Pakistanis. Seventh class.

Christians remove burned furniture and other items from their vandalised homes. [KM Chaudary/AP Photo]

I undertook this effort then on behalf of the Genesis 123 Foundation which exists to build bridges between Jews and Christians and Christians with Israel in ways that are new, unique, and meaningful. This includes looking out for persecuted Christians, specifically in the Middle East. A year ago, after unprecedented flooding across Pakistan, we stepped up to raise funds to support our Pakistani Christian friends who suffered even more of the devastation than the Moslem population. Unprecedented.  An organization of Jews and Christians, run by an Orthodox Israeli Jew, reaching out to protect Christians in Pakistan.  It was a blessing to do so, and it was our responsibility, to be a blessing to the families of the world.

Church on the outskirts of Faisalabad was burned. [Ghazanfar Majid/AFP]

As entire families in Pakistan have been devastated, we launched a campaign again, urgently, to provide any funding, as generously as possible, so we can help with the rebuilding. Our partners and friends are reliable and have the highest integrity.  One is asking for a meagre $20,000.  The truth is even $120,000 is not enough.  But that’s our goal.  We want the impact to be felt as widely as possible because there are and will be needs far beyond the physical and tangible losses. 

I pray that Jews and Christians, and anyone of good conscience, will step up and join the efforts. Maui is horrible. My heart is pained for all the loss. But as much as that’s true, there’s no aid for Pakistani Christians. Not until now.



About the writer:

Jonathan Feldstein ­­­­- President of the US based non-profit Genesis123 Foundation whose mission is to build bridges between Jews and Christians – is a freelance writer whose articles appear in The Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Townhall, NorthJersey.com, Algemeiner Jornal, The Jewish Press, major Christian websites and more.





While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

STAND DOWN

Lay of the Land joins the call for Israel’s governing coalition members to HALT attacks on country’s security forces

Who would have thought that the army that keeps the people safe, its now the turn of the people to keep the army safe!

And safe from whom?

In  75 years of its remarkable existence, Israel has survived and thrived against all odds, only because it could depend on its “people’s army” – the IDF. When Jewish passengers were held hostage by terrorists in faraway Uganda, it was the IDF that came to the rescue as when the lives of thousands of Jews were threatened in disparate diasporas from Yemen to Ethiopia, it was the IDF that saved and returned them to their ancestral homeland in heroic secret missions. And when communities in need, irrespective of race or religion faced catastrophic natural disasters across the globe, no place, whether in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas was too far for the IDF to send salvation teams of specialists. Often the first volunteers to arrive at areas devastated by earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, droughts, fires, landslides or disease outbreaks, they were always on arrival, ready to save lives and saved lives, they did.

Now the IDF needs to be saved, not from the “usual suspects” of Hezbollah, Hamas or Iran but from within – from members of Netanyahu’s governing (a misnomer if ever there was one) coalition. This is why in the annals of Israel’s military history, this is not only another “SURPRISE” attack it is an attack from a totally unexpected front. Long accustomed to  attacks on multiple fronts,  who would have predicted the latest front being – our own government!

Prime targets in the coalition’s crosshairs is the IDF’s chief of staff Gen. Herzi Halevi and air force chief Tomer Bar. A minister in Netanyahu’s government and a member of his right-wing Likud party, David Amsalem, attacked them both in a scathing rant blaming Halevi and Bar for the anti-government protests roiling their ranks and asked they be punished.

“In any normal army,”Amsalem told Israel’s Army Radio. “you treat rebels like rebels should be treated,”

A member of a coalition that is ONLY held together by the inclusion of the ultra-religious haredi community who refuse for their members to EVEN serve in the army and are presently pushing for a bill that would enshrine blanket exemptions for haredi men from EVER serving in the IDF, Amsalem’s name-calling of Israel’s IDF heroes as “rebels” is  beyond disgraceful.

It gets worse.

Berating prominent judicial figures and former military figures for backing the protest movement, Amsalem demands that they:

 “rot in prison until the end of their lives.”

Such vile verbiage from within the government defaming the very people who protect this country with their lives is unacceptable.

Meanwhile, the prime minister’s own son, Yair Netanyahu, a right-wing podcaster known for defaming others in order to defend his father, unleashed from his verbal arsenal a sickening attack ‘aimed’ at undermining the IDF’s stature and reputation.

He nauseatingly called chief of staff Halevi in a post on X, (formally Twitter):

 “the most failing and destructive chief of staff in the history of the IDF and the State of Israel.”

Interestingly, the post was later deleted as it was a glaring embarrassment – an act of stupidity and recklessness that undermined the security of the state of Israel.

Recognising that his own coalition partners were undermining the country’s military preparedness, Defense Minister and member of the Likud Party Yoav Gallant, defended his military, appealing that “If you cannot contain yourselves, attack me, the defense minister,” but “Keep the IDF out of the political debate.”

Amsalem’s remarks was swiftly condemned by opposition leaders. Leading the counterattack was former prime minister and leader of the opposition, Yair Lapid who said:

“The IDF commanders and fighters aren’t ‘rebels’. They’re wonderful Israeli patriots keeping us alive,” He added that it was the rhetoric of Amsalem  that amounted to “rebellion and treason against the state…”

National Unity chief Benny Gantz, a former defense minister and army chief, blasted Netanyahu for allowing his allies to attack the top military brass. He “is allowing extremists to harm our most valuable asset,” he wrote on X, the social media outlet formerly known as Twitter.

Israel’s reservists, frequently referred to as “the backbone of the IDF,”  have a personal stake in protecting not only the country  but also the Supreme Court, which provides  by its international reputation, a legal “body Armour”.  So while  “We feel like we are doing the right thing, and that we are fighting for the democracy of Israel,” as one army reservist told CNN during a protest in Jerusalem, there is also the concern that a weakened judiciary being pushed for by the government will be unable to shield Israeli soldiers from possible criminal charges in the ICC.  

As former attorney general, Avichai Mendelblit warned why the country needs its courts to be independent:

“The moment that the justice system in Israel isn’t perceived as such, Israel will lose international legitimacy for its military operations and will no longer be shielded from accusations of war crimes.”

So while this government expects its soldiers to protect the country, it shirks its responsibility of protecting its soldiers. As the furor reached a danger point caused by the rhetoric from the government and its supporters, the State President felt again the need and urgency to intervene. He did so by immediately appealing for “calm”. Zeroing on where the danger to Israel’s security was emanating from – Netanyahu’s government ministers – President Isaac Herzog  said:

“These are statements that harm the strength of the IDF. We have a strong army and an excellent chief of staff…We all owe them gratitude and affect for their activities to protect the security of the country.”

We, at Lay of the Land subscribe to the message in the wording  of our State President.  Whatever grievance this government has with the reservists over their position on an issue that is tearing the country apart, it needs to be seriously addressed by debating with the people rather than defaming the army.





While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

WHILE THE WEST’S AWAY, RUSSIA AND IRAN WILL PLAY

Did the West just lose Africa to Russia and Iran?

By Stepan Stepanenko and Catherine Perez-Shakdam

Niger’s military coup, coupled with the new regime’s call for Wagner assistance and apparent negotiations with the Iranian regime, is the beginning of a dangerous realignment in the Sahel region.

If left unaddressed by democratic states, this will see a new stronghold of terror networks on Europe’s borders. Russian and Iranian moves to secure the favor of Niger’s coup leaders show the unity of both in their bid to redress historic balances of power, plunging the country and the region into further turmoil by making democracy and economic development for the region unattainable.

In a historic emergency meeting in Abuja earlier this month, Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) called for the immediate release and reinstatement of Niger’s elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, held by the military since 19 July.

President Ousted. Mohamed Bazoum, Niger’s democratically elected president, was ousted by members of his presidential guard on July 26 and has since been under house arrest with his wife and son in the presidential compound in the capital, Niamey. Facing prosecution for “high treason”, if found guilty, Bazoum could face the death penalty, according to Niger’s penal code. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)

ECOWAS issued a stern ultimatum to Niger’s military, giving them one week to comply with their demands or face the consequences, including the potential use of force to restore the nation’s rightful leader. The bloc’s unwavering stance sends a clear message that the international community will not tolerate the disruption of democracy in the Sahel region.

Niger’s coup, orchestrated by General Abdourahamane Tchiani, has further exposed deep-rooted issues within the country. The rise in insecurity and stagnant economic prospects have contributed to the nation’s fragility, leading to disillusionment among the populace – a theme that unfortunately runs throughout much of the region, reminding many that Niger could be only the beginning of a much broader realignment, with efforts by Russia and the Islamic Republic of Iran to exploit chaos to advance their respective agendas.

Taking Charge. Coup leader, General Abdourahmane Tchiani , who was declared as the new head of state of Niger by leaders of a coup, arrives to meet with ministers in Niamey, Niger July 28, 2023. (REUTERS/Balima Boureima) 

Niger’s new leadership is on shaky grounds, coming in at a time when violence and turbulence were decreasing in the country. Coupled with  wider criticism of the presidential guard’s move to detain president Bazoum, the new leadership has no choice but to seek external support from those willing to prey on instability for their personal benefit.

So it comes as no surprise that Evgeniy Prigozhin, head of the infamous Wagner Group, was quick to praise the coup and offer support for the new regime. More worrying is the news that Niger has already asked for assistance from the Russian mercenary group in a visit by the coup’s leader, General Salifou Mody, to Mali – a well-known Wagner outpost.

Offering Order to sow Disorder. Wagner mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who remains active despite leading a failed mutiny against the Russian army’s top brass, has hailed Niger’s military coup as  good news and offered his fighters’ services to bring order.

While Russia’s mercenary presence in Africa is well documented, if still largely out of the public eye in the west, a tell-tale sign of the region’s importance to Russia’s future plans in its standoff with the West is Iran’s efforts to assist the coup leaders.

The Sahel has grappled for years with Islamic radicalism, with terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda, ISIS, and Boko Haram vying for control, and the risk that Africa could soon lose territory to the Caliphate 2.0 are too real to be discounted.

Taking into account the recent visit to Niger of Esmail Qaani, the infamous Commander of the Quds Forces – a division primarily responsible for extraterritorial military and clandestine operations – the future of Niger could be grim.

Appointed by Ayatollah Khamenei following the death of General Qassem Soleimani in 2020, Qaani is one of the regime’s most loyal and trusted military operatives and his presence generally signals a desire from Tehran to establish or curate influence.

Niger’s new leadership already announced it is cutting bilateral military ties with France and called back its ambassadors from France, the US, Nigeria, and Togo.

But how did we get here, and more importantly, what does it mean for Western interests and the prospects of peace for the people of Niger and the Sahel?

General Abdourahamane Tchiani’s discontent stems, at least in part, from the presence of foreign forces in Niger. The perception that these forces undermine the military’s authority has fueled dissent and complicated efforts by the United States and France to combat insurgent attacks by Islamic radical groups.

In turn, the coup’s leader’s move to welcome Russia’s assistance clearly indicates that foreign presence is only a pretense.

Flames over Niamey. The headquarters of Niger’s ruling party burns in the background as supporters of the mutinous soldiers demonstrate in Niamey, Niger.

Likewise, in a show of hypocrisy, Mali’s Assimi Goïta, who has made Russia his protector and guarantor, has called for an end to colonialism and the influence of the West on the region, echoing the same lines voiced by Russian diplomats and outlets such as Media Afrique TV, closely linked to Prigozhin’s Association for Free Research and International Cooperation (AFRIC).

The ethnicity and the legitimacy of President Bazoum have also been problematic, fanning old upsets. The predominantly ethnic Arab military have challenged Bazoum’s leadership, despite his majority win in the elections, highlighting the fragility of Niger’s democratic institutions and the difficulties in preserving their integrity.

Niger is only the latest African country to fall prey to violence. Military power seizures in Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Mali most likely paved the way, not to say emboldened, Niger’s military junta.

Before such dynamics, ECOWAS and the African Union have little to no influence. This lack of deterrence has created a troubling environment, encouraging opportunistic military leaders to challenge democratic norms.

The implications of this coup are far-reaching. Niger’s strategic alliances with Western nations in combating insurgency and curbing illegal migration to Europe will be jeopardised. The West could also lose access to vital gold and uranium resources, disrupting markets and broad economic outlooks.

The new military leadership is sure to act as a further facilitator for Russian and Iran to circumvent US and EU and other sanctions placed on their trade.

Undeterred by international moral and legal norms, the impetus of the newly enthroned coup leaders to cling to power will outweigh any restrictions placed on such dealings.

Ultimately, the success of this military takeover could set a dangerous precedent for democracy in the region and Africa as a whole. The formation of a military alliance by the regimes of Guinea, Mali, and Burkina Faso raises concerns about the erosion of democratic values and the need for African leaders to prioritize the interests of their citizens.

Capitalizing on Coup and Chaos. Joining Russia in eyeing Niger as possible inroad against US in Africa, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called for stability and calm in Niger, whose President Mohammed Bazoum has been detained and removed in a coup led by members of his presidential guard.

We may also want to consider that Niger’s coup may not be the expression of internal divisions alone but rather the result of a Russian and Iranian bid for control at the heart of Africa to offset Western influence and access.

Taking into account the fragility of the new leader’s power base, the stage is set for the center of Africa to be the new battleground between totalitarianism and democratic forces.


About the writers:

A co-founder and director of UK-based media and consultancy company  ‘Forward Strategy’, Catherine Perez-Shakdam is a frequent contributor to i24NEWS, Al Jazeera, the BBC, The Jerusalem Post, Politico, the Daily Express, and the Daily Mail.

In 2021, Chatherine gained international attention when news broke of her decade-long infiltration of the Iranian regime, during which she was able to gain access to the highest echelons of the regime’s inner circles. Despite the danger following being labeled an ‘enemy of the state’ by Iran, Catherine utilized her extensive knowledge and close-encounter insight to expose a system that had long operated under a shroud of secrecy. Her revelations have provided a unique perspective on Iran’s actions, challenging its narrative and exposing the true nature of its operations.






Dr. Stepan Stepanenko








While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

PROTESTS ARE THE PEOPLE SPEAKING

How else to message Jerusalem before it’s too late?

By David E. Kaplan

Late last Wednesday afternoon, I was at the kid’s playground at Tel Aviv’s popular Sarona market, expecting little more than a fun few hours with my grandkids.  Apart from the obvious enjoyment of engaging with the li’l ones, it’s also one of those rare times I can get away having a ‘glida’ (Hebrew: ice-cream), usually “verboten”.  However, what time should have been simple and sweet became complex and sour, for instead of running after them between the play equipment, we the grandparents were met with “Mah..?” (what?) followed by “Lamah…?” (why?) concerning the sudden cacophony of sound, loudspeakers, and angry police keeping “big people” apart. The protest and counter protest was not something to avoid; it was happening adjacent to the playground. How does one explain to  3 and 5 year-olds that the ‘big people’ are angry; that they are trying to send a message to “important” people in Jerusalem but no-one is listening and that if it was Saturday night, their grandparents too would be among the “big people” protesting.

Quite before the Storm. The playground at Sarona in Tel Aviv next to where the protestors from opposing camps congregated necessitating a large police presence.

While this complex drama was playing out, my mind drifted to that profound observation in the 1970 movie classic, Cromwell, when Oliver Cromwell played by the late Richard Harris, arrives in London on horseback from his country estate summoned to an agitated Parliament and says anxiously to his enquiring two teenage sons amidst a public commotion in the streets:

 “When men run out of words, they reach for their swords. Let’s hope we can keep them talking.” 

Wisdom in Words. Says Oliver Cromwell, played by Richard Harris says to his teenage sons, “When men run out of words, they reach for their swords.”

The “we” did not succeed because the king, Charles I, was not interested in listening and a painful civil war ensued.

Today, the Israeli “we” are talking; that is what these protests are about. They are the collective voice of the people. How else can they make their voices heard? Write letters to newspapers and if published will have as much impact as having been drawn in beach sand? Wait until the next election by which time the ethos of this country will be unrecognizable? One could still petition the Supreme Court, which is precisely why Netanyahu wants to  disembowel it of its judicial gut!

Sarona, a Sound Setting. Back in January 2023, Israeli tech company workers stage a one-hour protest at Sarona in Tel-Aviv against judicial overhaul. (Courtesy)

The Supreme Court is to Netanyahu what Thomas Becket was to King Henry II.  Some eight centuries after the first Plantagenet king cried out “Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?”, Israel’s justice minister, Yariv Levin, hears his “King Bibi” appeal and reaches for his proverbial sword. That is why we are in the mess we are and why the protest will and needs to continue.

At present, we too have neither ‘king’ nor coalition listening.

They say that democracies do not disappear overnight; that they  erode over time, little by little, surely but assuredly until that day the people awake to discover it’s absence. This is not what is happening in Israel. The process could not be more out-in-the-open nor rapid, with a prickly populace awakening every day with an OMG and a groan to the news of another outrageous embarrassing statement or act of misconduct by members of this coalition government. An integral part of this pathetic political pantomime is the prime minister, the master of oratory that has less of an audience at home besides his safe Channel 14, explaining in English to a gullible overseas media, mostly in the USA that the judicial law is “minor” and that democracy fears by the protestors are “silly”.  What Bibi and his gang are orchestrating is not “minor” and the people’s fears for Israeli democracy are not “silly”.

The Israeli people that produced a magnificent country in record time are wise to the  attempted undoing by this catastrophic coalition. They have fought off the enemies from without; they will fend off the enemies from within.

Time to Listen. Uproar over the government’s plans to change the way the judicial system works, has led Israel to be in the grip of one of the most serious domestic crises in its history.

At some stage we hope that reason will prevail and that the judicial overhaul will be SUSPENDED allowing people to talk before they reach for their swords. The constitutional issues that have unsettled this nation are complex having to meet multifarious interest groups across the political, ethnic and religious divide and need time to study, present and then decided upon. Possibly even voted upon in a referendum.

In this way we will avoid the impending implosion and grandparents can safely return to the playground without having to engage five-year-olds about politics.

I may even catch up on the “glida” (ice-cream) I unjustly missed out on.





While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).

UK, ACT WHILE YOU STILL CAN!

From the intrepid woman who penetrated the inner sanctum of Iran’s leadership and survived, a warning to the UK to outlaw Iran’s IRCG – before it’s too late

By Catherine Perez-Shakdam

(see her revelations in ‘THE MOSSAD AGENT WHO NEVER WAS’)



Leadership expert Simon Sinek once said, “Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.”

Regrettably, when it comes to the threats posed by Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the UK’s leadership has fallen short of fulfilling its promise to proscribe the IRGC and hold Tehran accountable.

It is high time for Western capitals, including the UK, to fully assess the dangers such a lack of leadership represents. From Iran’s expansionist agenda to its encroachment on Western institutions through various networks, manipulation of opinions via social media, and the rising threat of sectarian violence, it is crucial to recognize the urgency of addressing these challenges.

She Saw, She Met, She Reveals. Seen here in Tehran is the writer, who like a chameleon, blended into the most dangerous political environment in the world.

Despite acknowledging the threat posed by the Revolutionary Guard to its national security and the safety of citizens, the UK’s leaders have not taken effective measures to proscribe the organization.

Britain’s rulers are more concerned with politicking and avoiding risking the burden of a tactical mistake. But true leadership demands vision and, above all, the courage to stand by one’s beliefs.

Leadership is a call for action, and though wisdom, requires reflection, not chaos. To observe terror tightening its grip on our democratic institutions, threatening not only the integrity of our borders but the very safety of our nationals, is too close to treason for any of us to look away.

The USA designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization in 2019 for:

– its acts of global terror

– violations of the laws of armed conflict

– assassination attempts

– support for regional terrorist groups.

The UK’s delay in following suit raises concerns about the effectiveness of its approach to countering Iran’s malign activities. Iran’s expansionist agenda is a significant concern for global security. The regime’s continual disruption of peace by heightening military tensions in the Middle East and North Africa, along with threats to seize control of the Strait of Hormuz while arguing ‘maritime security,’ are too grave a challenge to our strategic interests – never-mind that of our regional partners – to turn a blind eye in the hope that the Ayatollah might come down from his pulpit long enough to broker a lasting peace.

Global Menace. The IRGC developed itself as a “parallel” or shadow government of Iran, accountable to the supreme leader Ali Khamenei only.
 

Iran’s regime hunger for conquest and ideological domination – one only needs to listen to the words of its ideologues.

The Revolutionary Guard plays a pivotal role in advancing Tehran’s interests beyond its borders, supporting proxy groups and armed militias in the Middle East. To proscribe, it would draw a line in the sand and signal that Britain is no longer prepared to cede ground. That in the face of the advance of terror, our democracies are willing to stand by their beliefs.

If we are what we believe we are, then I must ask, what is the UK today in the face of the single biggest threat to our way of life?

Public Execution. This year alone, more than 350 Iranians have been hanged, according to Norway-based Iran Human Rights. The rights group noted a 36% increase on the same period last year, likely exacerbated by the ongoing uprising since the death in morality police custody of Mahsa Amini and the subsequent unrest sweeping the country.

The UK’s inaction over proscribing the IRGC hampers efforts to address Iran’s regional influence and its potential to destabilize the Middle East further.

It has skillfully infiltrated and established networks within Western countries, including the UK. Its extensive presence in diaspora communities allows it to wield influence, fundraise, and conduct intelligence operations on foreign soil.

The rise of social media has also become a potent tool for the IRGC to manipulate public opinion, both in Iran and abroad. It seeks to shape narratives and sow discord through coordinated disinformation campaigns, undermining Western institutions and public trust. By not holding the IRGC accountable, the UK inadvertently allows this disinformation campaign to persist unchecked.

The IRGC‘s efforts to radicalize certain demographics by fanning negative religious sentiments pose a growing threat to societal stability. The UK’s lack of action in proscribing the IRGC indirectly perpetuates an environment in which sectarian tensions can escalate, contributing to potential violence and undermining social cohesion.

To effectively counter Iran’s expansionist agenda, encroachment on Western institutions, manipulation of social media, and the rising threat of sectarian violence, decisive leadership is imperative.

State Terrorism. EU foreign policy chief said in January that “the bloc won’t label the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a ‘terrorist’ organisation, for now.”  Protesters gathered in front of the European Union headquarters in Brussels to demonstrate against the Iranian government. (Photo: Ohanna Geron/Reuters)

By fully assessing the dangers associated with a lack of action, Western capitals, including the UK, can take the necessary steps to protect their nations and preserve global stability in the face of the IRGC‘s malign activities.

Only through bold and resolute leadership can we hope to address the multifaceted challenges posed by Iran and safeguard our shared values and security interests.

In the words of another leadership expert, Roselinde Torres, “Great leaders are not head down, they see around corners, they are shaping their future not just reacting to it.”

It is high time for the UK leadership to embrace this philosophy and act decisively to confront the IRGC threat, safeguarding the nation and its citizens from potential harm. As we navigate the complex geopolitical landscape, the importance of strong leadership cannot be overstated.

Tiptoeing around Terror. The UK has rejected calls to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) as a terrorist group in favour of expanding the criteria by which supporters and companies can be put under sanctions. Members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps attend a rally marking the annual Quds Day in Tehran on 14 April 2023. (Photo: Wana News Agency/Reuter)








 

About the writer:

Catherine Perez-Shakdam is  co-founder and director of Forward Strategy, a boutique media and consultancy company based in the UK. She is a prominent expert in the Middle East, particularly in the domains of Iran and Yemen. With a rich background, including consultancy work for the United Nations Security Council in 2012, she has played a crucial role in shaping policy decisions by providing invaluable insights into Yemen’s War Economy, uncovering the intricate web of corruption, trafficking, and money laundering.

Catherine has also established herself as a respected voice in the media landscape. She has been a frequent contributor and commentator for outlets such as the I24, Al Jazeera, the BBC, The Jerusalem Post, Politico, the Daily Express, and the Daily Mail. Her contributions have shed light on critical issues, offering a nuanced understanding of complex situations.

Having previously served as a Research Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society, Catherine has authored compelling policy recommendations and research papers to address the increasing influence of the Islamic Republic of Iran, exposing its activities and providing a deeper understanding of its operations.

In 2021, Catherine gained international attention when news broke of her remarkable decade-long infiltration of the Iranian regime, during which she was able to gain access to the highest echelons of the regime’s inner circles. Unsurprisingly, she was promptly labeled an ‘enemy of the state’ by the regime. Undeterred, Catherine has courageously utilized her extensive knowledge and expertise to denounce the activities of the Islamic Republic, helping to unveil a system that had long operated under a shroud of secrecy. Her revelations have provided a unique perspective on Iran’s actions, challenging its narrative and exposing the true nature of its operations.





While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves.  LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO).






BIBI’S BILLS ARE A LOAD OF BULL

Pushing through nation-divisive bills, Netanyahu is gambling away his people’s future for his own

By David E. Kaplan

In 1993, when he was Israel’s charismatic standout spokesman and still three years shy from being his country’s prime minister for the first time, he published his impressive work on Israel’s rightful place in the world:

‘A PLACE AMONST THE NATIONS’

Three Decades Later. With Israel now far more secure of its place in the world since the Prime Minister published his book in 1993, how secure is the country today from itself?

Now 30 years on in 2023, it is Benjamin Netanyahu’s “PLACE” as prime minister that is being called into question. The man who has served as Israel’s longest serving premier, has in only seven months transformed from being praised as one of Israel’s greatest leaders – for good reason –  to being reviled as its worst – also for good reason. Having taken the country to great heights, he is now driving it to unforeseen lows!

Writing in the right-leaning The Jerusalem Post, Amotz Asa-El refers to the final reading of the law abolishing the protective reasonable standard by 64-0 with the opposition boycotted the vote as “Benjamin Netanyahu’s day of infamy” – a poignant reference to Japan’s surprise attack on Pearle Harbor in 1941. It is also the title of Asa-El’s article with the subhead reading “Netanyahu earned his place in history as the man who tore Israeli society and led it to civil war.”

It may well not come to that but Netanyahu seems reckless as to whether his actions are leading in that direction. For Netanyahu, those opposing him – whom he disdainfully characterizes as either misinformed or misdirected – simply don’t seem to understand him when he says, “ I am actually strengthening democracy.” Securing a platform for his Orwellian-speak with Fox News’ Life Liberty & Levin, Netanyahu took a swipe at President Biden when he told the conservative talk show host Mark Levin that “Everybody has an opinion on Israel,” but that he “doesn’t comment on internal debates in other democracies.” In other words he, Bibi, is always reticent in the affairs of it friends, and that he Biden, should keep his opinions to himself. Netanyahu conveniently forgets or ignores how in In 2012, he all but campaigned for Mitt Romney  against Barack Obama. Inter alia, Netanyahu’s backer, the late Sheldon Adelson, held a high-profile fundraiser for Romney in Jerusalem in what Joe Klein in Time magazine called an “unprecedented” interference by a foreign leader in a U.S. election. Klein described Netanyahu’s behavior at the time as an “unprecedented attempt by a putative American ally to influence a US presidential campaign.”  

Three Decades Later. With Israel now far more secure of its place in the world since the Prime Minister published his book in 1993, how secure is the country today from itself?

There are those in the coalition arrogantly playing down the significance of the striking down of the reasonable bill like Likud MK Boaz Bismuth, who thought he was being highly entertaining by dismissively remarking on i24NEWS before the predictable outcome of the vote that “tomorrow the falafel in Israel will still be democratic.” Jokingly presenting Israel’s democracy as a falafel to a TV audience, Bismuth knows the reality – that the impact will prove monumental and the opening salvo on weakening Israel’s judiciary.

Why all of a sudden is it so important for this extreme right-wing governing coalition to remove the reasonable protection provision from Israeli statutory law?

Uproar in the House. The scrapping of the reasonable standard in the Knesset brought joy to its coalition proponents, while outside the parliament and cross Israel, the people protest. (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)

For starters, the elimination of the reasonable doctrine obstructs the Supreme Cout from cancelling executive decisions that are extremely unreasonable.  Looking back historically, the Supreme Court has rarely intervened using this provision and has never blocked any national programme whether economic, social, economic or defence related. The obvious inference is that you only want the ‘Reasonable’  provision cancelled unless you want to implement something “unreasonable”.

This begs the question of what “unreasonable” does Bibi, Boaz and their cohorts in the coalition want furiously carried out before there is another election or before Bibi becomes mired in his criminal proceedings?

  • Will he use this power to make  unreasonable appointments like a convicted felon Arye Deri as his finance minister?
  • Will he fire the politically independent Attorney General which he has threatened to do?
  • Once Netanyahu has his ‘yes men’ in position, will he then proceed to wiggle his way out  of his bribery, fraud and breach of trust charges by engineering a more pliable new Attorney General to drop all the charges?
  •  And then for the Holy Grail of this coalition’s wish list, will he annex the West Bank and expand settlements.

Did not Justice Minister Yariv Levin , the architect of Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul today, say back in 2017 when as Minister of Tourism that:

“We are not seeking ‘creeping annexation’; we are looking for justice for the residents… and if there are those saying that through legislation we are advancing ‘creeping annexation’ — we won’t argue.”

They won’t argue!

There you have it in the words of those not running but ruining this country. This judicial overhaul that will according to Bibi “strengthen democracy”, will instead liquidate any chance of salvaging the ‘Two State Solution’ and resolving the Israeli-Palestine conflict that has persisted for over a century.

Interestingly, what was Likud MK Boaz Bismuth’s reaction when it was announced that the scrapping of the reasonable bill is being seriously challenged and for the first time in history, the Supreme Court with an extended bench of 15 justices will consider petitions on 12 September? Without any derogatory felafel references this time, he tweeted:

 “15 people wearing judges robes replacing 120 representatives of the people….this is the end of democracy.”

A befuddled Bismuth omits to mention that those “15 people wearing judges robes” in Israel’s absence of a protective second house of parliament or a constitution, offers the only protection against the “unreasonable” conduct of a wayward government.

Boaz was quickly supported by the irascible Likud MK Tally Gotliv, who similarly tweeted that “I will not respect a High Court ruling to strike down the reasonableness bill.”

Age of un’Reason.  Responding to applications against the government’s Law to Cancel the Reasonableness Standard, “The Supreme Court has no authority to intervene,” tweeted right-wing MK Tally Gotliv for the Likud Party.

The battle lines are drawn.

While Netanyahu concludes on the last page of his A PLACE AMONG THE NATIONS that “If the central aim of the Jewish people during its exile was to retrieve what had been lost,”and that “the purpose now is to secure what has been retrieved,” he may sadly end up  the ‘author’ of his own misfortune and possibly that of his country by sabotaging its future.

If this prime minster continues unimpeded on his present path, the architecturally beautiful Supreme Court building in Jerusalem  – the focus of Israel’s present plight – will remain just that – a beautiful building, an edifice to what was rather than what we are and what we could be.

Battle of the Buildings. Close and yet far apart, the Supreme Court and the Knesset (behind) battle for the soul of the nation.









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