I can pinpoint the moment at which I felt a sense of alarm about what is happening in Israel this year, the point at which I felt that Israelis had gone mad and I wondered about the future of a country I love: when some military reservists stopped showing up for duty.
They said that they were protesting judicial reforms, and trying to defend democracy. I have no doubt that many believe that -- though they are wrong -- and that their misunderstanding of "democracy" is the reason few Israelis have the stomach to see them dismissed.
Still, it was a shock to me that anyone would refuse to serve, when all that was happening was a democratically-elected government was carrying out what the people democratically elected it to do. The arguments by Israelis who support the protests struck me as empty.
To refuse to perform military duty over a matter of policy is a form of undemocratic pressure on the government, akin to a kind of military coup. You are saying that you are willing to give up on defending the country, and put fellow citizens at risk, because of a political view.
To me, this felt like Israelis were giving up on Israel. And it didn't take the Palestinians, or the Iranians, to make it happen. Maybe the peace deals with other Arab states gave Israelis a false sense of security, like they could afford the luxury of this kind of extreme protest.
This remains disturbing to me, and I don't think I can understand it from afar. As I said, the arguments of the anti-government side seem muddled to me. Israelis have a familial, and not ideological, way of expressing political arguments. I need to know more, firsthand.
I should have noted in my message about the weekly Torah portion that this week is Shabbat Chazon, the Sabbath of Vision. We are about to mourn -- but see through that pain to something better that lies beyond, on the other side.
Wishing you the best vision -- and an incredible reality to follow. It happens!
We begin the final speech of Moses to the people of Israel before they enter the Promised Land. He relates the ups and downs of the years of wandering in the desert, before, finally, the people have the merit to enter the land itself.
This Sabbath always precedes Tisha B'Av, the Ninth of Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It is the anniversary of the destruction of both of the Holy Temples, and a catch-all for many calamities that befell the Jewish people.
A word on Tisha B'Av. This year I am leaving for an overseas trip during the afternoon of the holiday -- in the middle of a fast day. Not idea, but there was no other choice. But my flight is in the afternoon, which is significant.
We relax some of the harsh, mournful customs of the day in the afternoon. We start to pray normally; we sit on regular chairs; we start to have hope again in the redemption that will, one day, lead us all back from exile to our home.
I'll be taking a trip to a land where an important part of ...
President Trump is in Scotland, playing golf and making big trade deals -- a major deal with the EU, in fact. Meanwhile, there is a global outcry about humanitarian aid to Palestinians (not about the Israeli hostages, mind you).
On top of that, Democrats are at their lowest polling numbers ever -- so they are trying to win control of the House by redistricting in the middle of a 10-year Census cycle. Oh, economic optimism is up, so they have a tough road.
And Tulsi Gabbard's revelations about the Russia collusion investigation make it clear that Obama's lieutenants lied to Congress. How deeply was he himself involved? The media continue to ignore the evidence, but we certainly won't.
Special guests:
Nick Gilbertson - Breitbart News White House correspondent, on EU deal
Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Trump abroad and Russia
John Spencer - urban warfare expert, on humanitarian aid and war in Gaza
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on the ...
