Who Cares
So the big story that isn't ---- Annexation. There is a lot being written in the press here about Bibi's announcement that he will begin annexing the west bank starting July 1st. You would think people would care but I have never seen such an important topic generate so much apathy.
Background
The UN and the international community has determined that what we call Judea and Samaria is occupied territory that needs to be returned.
One of the big problems is who do we return it to? At the time it was taken ( liberated, take your pick) in 1967, Gaza belonged to Egypt and the West Bank was under Jordanian control.
This is the basis of Israel's legal argument ( which so far has been rejected). In order to occupy, the occupied need to be a recognized country. Besides, this land is the historical heartland of the Jewish people. We think it is ours.
It is disputed ( as opposed to occupied). Indeed, UN security council resolution 242, calls for Israel to withdraw from territories seized in this war. However, it specifically did not say ' all the territories'. That is because the USA, UK and others felt that going back to the 1967 border was not a correct solution as that border was only drawn as a result of a cease fire reached in the 1948 war which the Palestinians started. As such, the final borders needed to be negotiated.
From the creation of the state until as recently as 2008, Israel has offered to return land for peace. They have proven that they are willing to do this by returning land to Egypt in return for peace. There was also a hope that by leaving Gaza that perhaps it could be a start of peaceful coexistence. However, until now every offer has been rejected. The last one gave the Palestinians 98% of what they were asking for.
The Issue.
The areas Bibi wants to annex are, for the most part, the areas that would never be given up under any peace deal. This includes Maale Adumim, population 40k, Beitar Illit - 57 k , The Gush Etzion Block - 40k, Givat Zeev - 18 k and Moddin Illit - 73k . The total population of these 5 places is over 225k which is about half of all the Jews living in the 'occupied territories'.
These people are not going to move nor will they be asked to. Everyone in the world, including the Palestinians, know this. The problem is that right now these cities do not live under full Israeli law particularly when it comes to laws pertaining to the land ( planning , ownership etc..)
So to rectify this situation, and perhaps show the Palestinians that waiting for a better deal might not have been the smartest move, Bibi is planning to annex these areas. This will end the situation of Israel waiting for the Palestinians to agree to something.
Why should we wait? We need to move on with our lives.
On the one hand
On the other hand. What is the real difference? Why do we need to do this? Why now?
Many world leaders have said that relationships with Israel will be tested and perhaps, in some cases damaged, If Israel will go through with this. The Palestinians and Jordanians have basically said it would cause a war.
Bibi sees the current American administration backing his plan and understands there might be a short window for him to do it. As far as the threats, the same was said when the American Embassy was moved to Jerusalem.
What happened as a result of that?
Nothing.
It is also interesting that with all the warnings Israel is receiving against annexation , there are very few actual threats of countries ending trade , adding sanctions etc.. So I am guessing Bibi feels there will be very little backlash.
Also,I watch Sky news (UK ), France 24 (guess), and they are not talking about it. Same as the Wall street Journal , and what I have seen in the New York Times ( I am not a regular reader).
Yawwwwwwwwwwn
I have read that even the average Palestinian doesn't care. Even the people in the Israeli cities to be annexed don't care. When reporters asked people in the Haredi cities of Modiin Illit and Beitar Illit ( see if you are Haredi you are Elite) what they thought of the annexation, the answer they got is that it doesn't mean anything to them one way or the other.
Personally , and maybe I don't really see the whole picture, I don't believe in doing things where the possible downside outweighs the upside. I don't really see the upside on this at this time and although we are used to threats why risk it. This is certainly a bigger provocation than moving the embassy.
Speaking of annexation, let's talk about secession.
How cool is what is going on in Seattle.
A group of anarchists/communist/freedom fighters ( your pick) has taken over and area of downtown Seattle and renamed it the Capital Hill Autonomous Zone or CHAZ.
Chaz is the newest nation to be born into this world. Upon entering you are greeted with a sign that says 'you are now leaving the United States'
The leaders of CHAZ have not only liberated a police precinct but the city government refuses to allow the police to restore order. For their part the leadership of CHAZ will not relinquish control until their demands are met. These include disbanding the police ( not defunding), giving a retrial to every person of color incarcerated for a violent crime and making sure that black patients can see only black doctors citing a study that shows that this provides better results. As you can imagine this is not going over well with the taxpayers.
I have written many times about the erosion of the rule of law. I see a connection, for example, between allowing people to be judged guilty without evidence or a trial, to the total breakdown of order in society.
Here is a big part of the problem.
I read somewhere that more than 40% of current New Yorkers arrived ( either from another place or being born ) after 1990. There is no collective memory of what the city was like then. I assume it is similar in other big cities.
Well, I remember.
Crime was rampant. There were over 2500 murders in 1991.
Last year - around 300.
1991 was not an anomaly . In the decade between 1985-1995NYC averaged over 2000 murders per year.
It was during that time that all of the tough on crime laws were passed.
It worked
That does not in anyway excuse racist behavior by law enforcement.
But disband or defund the police???
Last year NYC started to loosen up on some of those laws including getting rid of bail for lower level crimes.
Guess what? Petty crime is up.
Antisemitism - up
Murder - up
In 2014, during the Gaza war, we had many people asking us how we were doing here in Israel. How bad was it actually? They were watching CNN and it looked horrible. I told them not to believe the news all the time. Now I am here, looking at what is going on in the States and hoping that the news is exaggerating.
Unfortunately I know that it is not.
The only good to come out of this is almost everyone I now speak to in the USA is making some kind of backup plan to come to Israel
Kol Ha'Kavod
You should know that this place is no paradise. Last week my wife took the grandkids to a park for children in the neighborhood. It was completely empty with the exception of an adult man working out with this trainer. The guy had put his keys at the top of the slide which the kids wanted to use. My wife asked him to move the keys and in all seriousness he said ' why?? I was here first'
Welcome to Israel.