There doesn’t appear to be any movement in the negotiations to free hostages being held by Hamas - now 450 days! So this week we focus on a new report presented to the United Nations documenting the conditions of those that were being held, released, and subsequently treated in Israel. We have a call to action that is simple - but might take you out of your comfort zone.

Anyone tuning into the Israeli investigative and current affairs television program, Uvda (meaning "Fact") last week could be forgiven for thinking they'd inadvertently tuned into a Francis Ford Coppola movie: a mob family led by a man and his wife with enormous power and influence turning a small country into their own little kingdom/mafia territory.

But it wasn't a movie. The expose of the Netanyahus — plural, that's correct — revealed a secret network that operated out of Balfour Street in Jerusalem (the official residence of the prime minister), where a multi-armed octopus was activated in an almost limitless manner and targeted political opponents. The network also included a a close connection to a senior police officer, who would later also become the Police Commissioner.

And now, dozens are said to have filed complaints against Sara Netanyahu after the report alleging dirty deeds; in addition, an opposition MK and a good governance group are urging an official probe after the TV report said PM’s wife sought to intimidate witness in Netanyahu's trial, and organize protests against rivals.

This week reminds us of Howard Cosell’s most famous quote in reverse. Rather than “snatching a strategic victory from the jaws of the Oct. 7 defeat”, our political leaders are busy “snatching strategic defeat from the jaws of military victories”.

To be absolutely clear, on Oct. 7 Israel suffered its greatest defeat and the wars in Gaza and Lebanon can never truly be considered a victory. We would gladly have avoided it all; and if we could turn back the clock we would prevent it from happening.  But it did happen and the IDF has since had amazing victories on the battlefield that have effectively removed many of the most dangerous threats against Israel (and the world as a whole). While we credit our brave soldiers who paid, and continue to pay, a heavy price; we believe that it could have ended sooner if our political leaders were more focused on the needs of the country rather than their own narrow political interests.

This week, rather than build on the unity of the soldiers in the field and strengthen Israel, the coalition government has focused its energy on bringing back divisive legislation that threatens to cause Israel to implode. Is this an exaggeration? Maybe, but based on the internal turmoil of the 10 months that preceded Oct. 7 - this apocalyptic scenario is quite real.

Many (possibly most) Israelis are truly scared that Israel is on the path to something closer to a dictatorship or monarchy that rules over its subjects than a democracy that serves its citizens. To be fair, some of those who support the “judicial reforms” fear that our Supreme Court has overstepped its authority to the point of preventing an elected government from governing. The fear of judicial overreach is not totally without basis; for years the Court itself has tried to return issues to the Knesset rather than make rulings.

Unlike the United States, Israel does not have a written constitution, a true separation of powers, or term limits on the Prime Minister. In Israel, the Executive Branch effectively controls the Legislative Branch and the only independent sources of power are the Judicial Branch and the Civil Service. After nearly 15 years in office (with a short 1 1/2 year interlude), Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has managed to destroy much of the independence of the top Civil Servants by appointing mediocre people who are afraid or unable to stand up to him. Leaders of both the military and other security services who did not subscribe to his “conception” that Hamas could be bought off were not promoted - and all signs to the contrary were ignored until Oct. 7, 2023.

Engineer with a specialty in chemistry and a background in robotics. Olah Hadasha moving to Yokneam in January.