Inside Israel Today: Is it Time for Anglos in Israeli Politics?

you're listening to inside Israel today with your Hoffman on the land of Israel Network hello and welcome to inside Israel today on the land of israel the network on the land of israel calm we're believe it or not we are only five weeks ahead of the September 17th election which may or may not be our last election of the year and that's why it's important that there are people who are ready preparing for future elections because you never know we could end up doing this forever who says there's no law that says you have to form a government we could end up just having elections after elections after elections which will make the political correspondent of The Jerusalem Post very happy so here we are looking ahead when people are preparing for the future one of the ways to do it is to ensure that your people will be more politically active and so I wrote an article in The Jerusalem Post website that I'm expanding on for print about a new organization that aims to get immigrants from english-speaking countries and their children what are called Anglos in Israel more politically active now this organization is called our time is now and it's an attempt to get people from a lot of different political parties that have some kind of grassroots that has an impact to be more involved and the founder of it is the former Knesset member dovi Lippmann who is also a former radio show host on the voice of Israel Network may God bless its memory doe thank you for coming back on our show Thank You Gayle it's great to be with you okay so why is our time now douve I've been involved in politics in Israel now for about six years and all the time English speakers are coming to me and saying we have to start our own party we have to find a way to have more influence whether it's because of issues that are related to our community specifically we're just in general we don't want to sit back and just watch the whole political scene and leadership play out without our involvement and I've been analyzing and thinking and giving a thought to what could we possibly do we don't have either the numbers or a unified ideology to justify our own party but I've been seeing over the last few years how in parties that have primaries when people join those parties in bloc's they are able to have tremendous influence just as an example there is right now an effort for vegans throughout Israel to become members of parties based on their political ideologies so god forbid we we carnivores sorry don't have to respond to this by joining a partying Mouse okay so if right-wing vegans are joining and Lily could and left-wing vegans are joining it merits and their idea is join the party that they generally identify with but then they can work on the issues that are close to their hearts within those parties and I've spoken to party leaders and they all said a hundred percent if we get a few hundred a few thousand our people as a group unified becoming members of these parties we can have a say both about issues that are important to us as an Engel community both in terms of who the future share people of these parties are who the members of their Knesset lists are so now all of a sudden we as a community who are so politically connected and so involved don't have to sit back and just complain about things that are happening but we can get involved as a group be organized and have a major say in the future of these parties and then ultimately what those parties do once they're in the Knesset so you're trying to get people active as activists not to get them to run for Knesset right now the goal is very much focused on become members of the party so together with our block and then we will enter the parties all these different parties as bloc's and have influence on the future decisions of the party could that one day translate into us having our own candidates in these it's possible but that's certainly not the initial goal so you yourself you were a member of knesset and e esha teed right now you're not affiliated with any party do you see this as something that could help you facilitate your return to the Knesset I have to be honest with you right now I am enjoying the break from politics Gil you're talking about how much you as a correspondent for the newspaper gain from the political process I'm sitting back and watching it and saying thank God I'm not part of it I'm enjoying time with my family I'm enjoying not have to answer questions for things that are said by everyone else in my party I'm just able to use the platform as a former member of Knesset and do really good things for the Jewish people and for Israel and I'm very much not at the moment looking for a way back in is it possible that somewhere down the road in the future an opportunity will come well I'll see well I can actually make a difference from inside more than I'm doing from the outside that's absolutely possible but right now I really feel that I'm in a place where I can help the entire Anglo community galvanized itself become organized and get involved in what's happening in the political sphere one last personal question are you though you're trying to get tens of thousands of Anglos to join parties and you're not going to give a personal example by joining a party it's a it's a very good question and I'm thinking long and hard about that at the moment I have not decided who I am voting for in the elections but I will absolutely make a decision in terms of a party to join as part of this effort oh wow and then so that means in in the weeks ahead there's no doubt that if people ask me personally which party I'll be joining I'll be happy to answer people I'm not looking to make any kind of a major dramatic announcement though right now the focus is really on getting people to become members and I have to tell you it's been incredible to see the response yeah tell me about the response just from your article alone we have been flooded with emails the email address is il our time is now at gmail.com and we have hundreds of people just from the online article that have written to us people either have no which pardhu they want to become a member of or they're asking us for guidance as to which particle member of people are coming to volunteer we are now establishing leaders of branches in every single city so they can work in their city to get people involved and it's playing out exactly the way that I had hoped in an organized manner so that we can be not just becoming members of parties as individuals but we can actually join together and make this happen now why has this never happened before though that I can't answer I don't know what's been thought of not been thought of in the past I know there have been efforts to bring Anglos together getting involved in parties I can't answer why it hasn't happened in the past I just know that I'm happy to see that people are interested and excited and getting involved for now is it true that anglers are among the more divided people in Israel there is no doubt I'm just seeing from the responses we absolutely have people saying I view myself as far-right I do myself as far left I do myself a center you know all over the political map but what's good to see is that there are actually solid numbers for all of those different camps meaning the fact that we have solid group looking to join you right solid group saying we're looking into Likud solid groups saying we're looking into merits and labor that's exactly what I hope would happen and and it within each of those camps they're gonna be leaders who are leading the group in those camps so that when they have to make decisions one day as a group they can come together and try to have real influence I don't want to embarrass anyone but I found it interesting that when I've interviewed politicians lately and I make a point of always asking them a question about what they would do for the voters that read the Jerusalem Post that they don't really know how to answer that question don't you know I spoke to I interviewed a particular candidate last week and when I asked this question what are you going to do for the english-speaking population of Israel in order to help them if they vote for you the politicians stopped the interview and called up in english-speaking activists from the party to ask how to answer the question which at least was making an effort as opposed to just saying you guys are rich and you have no problems and or you're just like every other Israeli so it's no big deal how should that those politicians answer that question don't well as someone who not only sat in the Knesset and was flooded with English speakers asking for help with their issues and has continued really to be in that role since leaving the Knesset a few years ago there is no doubt that there are a few issues issue number one relates to their absorption into Israel navigating the school system navigating special education issues navigating driver's-license issues we have issues related to taxation we have issues related to people who want to make Aliya and can't because of issues related to their academics to certification issue after issue that we can absolutely join together we can unify and there are issues that even if people are in different camps politically they can absolutely come together for these issues and ask and demand from their candidates once they enter the Knesset to be responsive to these issues one other issue relates to lone soldiers which is one which we're very sensitive to and their needs for support both weather and the army before they're in the army in the army after the army these are all things that we can absolutely work on together and do bring us together so I would hope that as we enter these parties as bloc's the politicians and the candidates will understand that these are the issues they need to work on for us what about Sunday's off tove any any hope for that is is that our telling could be a banner for us sure I worked on it quite a bit while I was in the Knesset and realized how much pushback there was largely from the business community of the economic community people pointed out that Friday in Israel is a day where things essentially shut down and then to have another day that we can't really afford for that to happen so I don't want to look at anybody in promise that Sundays off one thing we were working on which I do think there is hope for is the possibility of one Sunday off per month that's something which you can actually work on the economic side of it to make up for the loss that will come so I don't want to say that that is something we can demand but there's no doubt that that's something we can raise to the floor we do have a day off that we have regularly that isn't on a Jewish holiday that brings people together from across the religious spectrum it's called Election Day you know that day I'm the only one who works and everybody else gets to have fun and it that's the equivalent that we have in Israel of Sunday's in America they have it every week we have it every few months well well Gil I will tell you this if enough people email us that il our time is now gmail.com everyone involved there will be working on Election Day as well they'll be working within their parties they'll be working to get that party's votes and it won't be such a day off so we'll join your club all right oh thank you so much for coming here on inside Israel today on the Land of Israel network on the Land of Israel com thank you so much and again a reminder if you want to get involved if you want to become a member if you want to volunteer il our time is now at gmail.com and we will get you involved and you'll actually have a say in politics in Israel or start fights with nove on Twitter that also has been working the last that's right okay we'll take a break now thank you this week on the Yishai Fleischer show join me shy and Rob Mike foyer for a road trip to Israel to North visit the Golan Heights spot Keith area and the Jordan River and we're actually underneath the VI way and you can see the fish right Nick this is old school right a fishing hole of epic proportions let's watch a know if you can picture like the reeds and the overhanging willow I mean it feels a little bit of Tom Sawyer meets the Bible right right Skirving survival that's be shy pleasure show on the Land of Israel network at the Land of Israel dot-com and we're back here on the land of Israel network on the land of Israel come on inside Israel today where we are looking ahead to the Israeli election in only five weeks where there could potentially be a political upheaval in Israel but to have a political upheaval in which Netanyahu can be defeated there is one thing you need the answer is an opponent you can't unseat that too now if you don't have somebody running against him wait a second the person run against him has been against well been against keeps on making mistakes we had a show about this here on inside Israel today on June 27th that was called a general without elbows you can find it there on the land of Israel dot-com I didn't expect to do another item on this again so soon but it keeps on happening ladies and gentlemen so I wrote an article on Sunday I get a message on Sunday from the news editor of The Jerusalem Post who happens to be my wife telling me leave Tish above minhas services because Benny Ganz has just offered to form a government with Netanyahu what no way I didn't get a message from Gantz saying that he's made this call and why would he make it on Tish above and why would he say it at all I didn't get any push from any of the news networks but he said this if Benny Gant's was saying that he wants to join a Netanyahu led government I think I would hear about it at least as quickly as others would and so then the Internet of the post sent me a headline from Wynette where the truth was that Gantz was interviewed on the Wynette website and he was talking about what happened in May when it's new I was trying to form a government at the last minute with his back against the wall and gansta that Netanyahu offered him half the world and anything I wanted for me to join the coalition either just him or part of the blue and white maybe his hosting these Sharelle party that's part of blue and white maybe all blue and white but he rejected all the offers and the interview YZ interviewers yes on the other show they kept on asking Gantz but did Netanyahu offer you to join his government with a rotation as prime minister and they're against said something that I gotta admit I had to hear the tape about 15 times before I had just to make sure it'd be accurate his answer was quote I don't think Netanyahu took that risk on himself but if Netanyahu wants to offer a rotation in which I go first we can start speaking about the details again I'm gonna say it again because I had to listen to him 15 times you're gonna have to listen to it a second time I don't think Netanyahu took that risk on himself he started off by saying in past tense which is the correct way of answering this question you're speaking about something that happened in May you're speaking in past tense right but then he adds in future tense but if Netanyahu wants to offer a rotation in which I go first we can start speaking about the details what he really did say that he joined a Netanyahu led government as long as he would be first now you can clarify that by saying okay he doesn't really think that that would happen that it's sarcastic as against his spokesman told me that you know what Netanyahu's gonna be the transportation minister for Bennigan's for two years or that Bibi is really gonna be around everyone knows he's gonna be thrown in jail I don't know if he's gonna be thrown in jail and legal system works very slowly it can last more than four years you know the President of Israel might very well try to force Netanyahu ants to form a government together if gas gets more seats than Netanyahu does because he's better at at taking votes from the satellite parties then Netanyahu is this time it's actually a pretty realistic scenario but it's not what you say during a campaign he's been saying all along I won't join a govern with Netanyahu because he's got three Criminal Investigations leading to indictments hanging over his head he said that in this very interview with wine at four times why would he say if Netanyahu wants to offer I'll take it as long as I go first that really contradicts everything he said throughout this campaign everything he said in this very interview it upsets his voters who I believe are voting for blue and white for one reason right it's not because of Ganz's beautiful blue eyes and it's not because of the ideology of blue and white which nobody even knows it's because of what has United all these people in blue and white together to win 35 seats which is three words anyone but Bibi you just said yes to Bibi what now this really surprised me because I was one of the only people that had mercy on him after he did the same thing just the the week before when you had the central Elections Committee meeting to decide what parties are being registered and the different representatives of each party came and sure enough benny Gans came even though he wasn't supposed to and he said he wanted to just be there that just like shake the hands of the central Elections Committee and he was there speaking to reporters and so when he was there he said when he was asked by a reporter about whether he would join a government minutes in Yau he answered something about just doing what's right for the people of Israel okay then everybody made a very big deal of this he's not ruling out joining a government led by Netanyahu what do you mean he then found out that people are talking about this he ran back to the cameras and said I didn't hear the question this is my m-16 year the year where he put his m16 when he was in the army um and so after he had just answered Israel comes first we'll do what's best for Israel he now changed it to say I'm going to join a Netanyahu led government he did the same thing on Sunday when he made a point of putting the wine and interview there on his Twitter and said very clearly we're not going to join the government of Netanyahu well then stop saying that you actually will it would Barack said these are not mistakes this is what he really believes I can understand people thinking that if you keep on making this mistake and it's not the only bad mistake he's been making lately last week after the tragic tragic murder of an IDF soldier / yeshiva student named veer Sorek may God bless his memory and he was speaking there in the site of where the incident took place and then a major gaffe he forgot on live television the soldiers name you can't do that you can go to the Jerusalem Post website and you can see him looking so terrible he said we're here not far from the scene where this morning Devere and he can't remember his last name people had only been talking about him non-stop for hours now it's not the first time he made mistakes on live television in March he gave an interview to channel 12 and in which he kept on repeating the name of the anchor he was talking to you neat levee and was saying you need neat neat neat you know neat in part because he wasn't like us hearing the live feed in his earpiece you know that was a mistake I felt bad back then back at the Knesset that was a mistake I felt bad forgetting the name of the soldier okay that's really really inexcusable if you're a candidate for Prime Minister there was a radio interview this week where he confused a Hebrew saying and said shall have it instead of shallick it afterwards it sounds similar right or maybe it was the other way around the show that I did in June about how maybe been against doesn't have it it was right after he screwed up in a meeting of his blue and white faction and actually said BB the public is stupid and immediately corrected himself and said not stupid it's pretty stupid to say that by mistake in that same meeting he said it's unacceptable that crime and israeli-arab areas are starting to look like Chicago in Detroit what he said was also offensive to the millions of people that live in the great American cities of Chicago in Detroit that was a mistake also that would be fine except that he's running for prime minister ladies and gentlemen he's got to understand the world and the fact that I can easily come up with seven bad mistakes that he's made lately it is very very worrisome for those who would like to see Netanyahu defeated because as I said at the beginning you cannot win an election you cannot have a political upheaval if you don't have an opponent there are another 40 35 days Wow until the election he better not screw up if he hopes to win we will be continuing to follow the screw-ups across the political spectrum of the politicians here on inside Israel today on the Land of Israel network on the Land of Israel calm thank you for being with us bye-bye I call for a vote I'm not home for her only an idiot you should know who are you gonna vote for in the upcoming election hi this is Josh hastin host of Israel uncensored on the Land of Israel Network full election news and analysis that you're not going to get anywhere else that's the land of israel network at the land of israel comm keep it like this if you vote for me I love your wildest dreams will come true