In my latest piece at Breitbart, I report that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has called the election result there "the biggest election scam, maybe, in history."
He is referring to the fact that his party, which is the biggest (though well short of a majority), is set to be pushed out of power by a coalition of much smaller parties, led by a tiny party that barely managed 6% of the vote (and is led by his former chief of staff, Naftali Bennett).
The parallels to the 2020 election in the U.S. are interesting. Almost no one is saying the election was "stolen" -- thanks to in-person voting and hand counts -- but there is a sense on the right that the new government is illegitimate. Here are some parallels:
- Politician with almost no support taking power
- Successful incumbent losing office despite massive achievements
- Betrayals by "Never Trump"-type rivals on the same side
- Extreme media bias against the incumbent government
- "Deep State" prosecutors investigating the leader on flimsy charges
- Foreign interference (hello, Biden administration?)
It will be interesting -- and somewhat worrying -- to see where this goes. A crisis of democratic legitimacy is the last thing war-weary Israel needs.
Here's a poll: do you think the new Israeli government will last?
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 ...
