News from April 26-May 2
Mayor de Blasio, a German ban on Hezbollah, and Israeli supreme court drama
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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio criticized for targeting Jews in a tweet:
What happened? On Tuesday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio specifically called out the “Jewish Community” in a tweet urging the public to adhere to social distancing guidelines.
Mayor de Blasio’s tweet comes after the NYPD broke up a funeral for a Hasidic Rabbi in Brooklyn earlier in the day. Ironically, the Hasidic community has clarified that it coordinated the funeral procession with the NYPD. When the scene became “chaotic,” the NYPD dispersed the crowd (under De Blasio’s direct supervision).
How have people reacted? More than 100 elected representatives and Jewish leaders signed a letter to Mayor de Blasio condemning his tweet, describing it as an attempt to “scapegoat” the Jewish community for the NYPD’s actions. They claim that the real issue was not that Hasidic Jews gathered for the funeral, but that Mayor de Blasio’s NYPD granted the Hasidic community a street permit to hold the event. Congressman Jerry Nadler was among the elected representatives that signed the letter.
Interestingly, the Hasidic community was not nearly as critical of Mayor de Blasio, even going so far as to defend him from much of the criticism he has faced from Jewish leaders. In their letters, the two Satmar synagogues emphasized the importance of social distancing and called the Mayor “a dear friend.” He has historically had deep ties to the Hasidic community in Brooklyn.
Mayor de Blasio responded by saying, “I spoke last night out of passion. I could not believe my eyes...It was deeply, deeply distressing. If you saw anger and frustration, you’re right. I spoke out of real distress that people’s lives were in danger before my eyes and I was not going to tolerate it. So I regret if the way I said it in any way gave people a feeling of being treated the wrong way. That was not my intention. It was said with love, but it was tough love.”
Further reading (Read this!): https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/01/opinion/bill-de-blasio-jewish-funeral.html (NYT)
Germany bans Hezbollah:
What happened? After having previously only banned Hezbollah’s military component, Germany announced that it would be banning the activities of Hezbollah’s political wing. The move, welcomed by the United States and Israel, was reportedly preceded by the Mossad providing intelligence on Hezbollah’s operations in Europe. Israel is said to have supplied information on explosives warehouses and money laundering networks. When Germany announced the ban, it also raided facilities all over the country to prevent Hezbollah from destroying evidence.
Why is this important? Hezbollah presents a critical threat to Israel and American armed forces in the Middle East. Armed with thousands of missiles and a dangerous precision-guided munitions program, Hezbollah could cause catastrophic damage to Israel in a military confrontation. A critical step in countering Hezbollah is cutting off any avenues for external support. Since Europe has long been an important source of financial support for the Hezbollah, Israel and the United States have pushed for European countries to ban both Hezbollah’s military and political wings. Germany has now joined Israel, the United States, Saudi Arabia, and the Netherlands in designating the entirety of Hezbollah as a terrorist group.
Further reading: https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/30/europe/germany-bans-hezbollah-grm-intl/index.html (CNN)
Israeli political update:
What happened? Israel’s current political situation–an indicted MK trying to form a government–is unprecedented. Accordingly, there are a few legal questions that need to be addressed before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White leader Benny Gantz can formally create Israel’s new government. Notably, the Israeli High Court has to rule on whether an indicted MK can even form a government. Israel’s basic law (similar to its constitutional law) explicitly states that while indicted MKs must resign, Prime Ministers do not have to step down if indicted. However, the law does not address whether or not they can form a government.
The petitioners in the case argue that since Israeli law requires indicted MKs to resign, Netanyahu should not be able to form a government while indicted. Netanyahu and Gantz’s lawyers argued that preventing Netanyahu from forming a government would be overriding the voters’ will and would be fundamentally undemocratic.
Israel’s High Court heard arguments yesterday on whether Netanyahu can form a government, and they appeared to favor Netanyahu’s side. Addressing the lawyers for the petitioners, Chief Justice Esther Hayut said, “Show us something! A law! A verdict! From this country’s [history]! From [somewhere else] in the world! Something! After all, [you’re asking us to set] a global precedent! You want us to rule without a basis simply according to your personal opinion?”
What should I look out for? The Israeli High Court is set to announce its decision on the question of an indicted MK forming a government and the legality of Netanyahu and Gantz’s coalition deal this week. If the court rules against Netanyahu, the Israeli political saga will continue, and Israel will head to a fourth election. I wouldn’t hold my breath on the Israeli High Court ruling against Netanyahu, though.
Further reading: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/a-ruling-not-just-on-netanyahu-but-on-the-courts-role-in-democracy-626752 (JPost)
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