Did PMO Cook the Books in Yesha Vote?
Arutz Sheva finds that some ministers were not asked to vote, others who demanded recount were counted as abstaining.
Netanyahu, Cabinet Secretary Tzvi Hauser
Did the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) "cook
the books" in the latest vote
that placed many communities in Judea and Samaria out of the national "preferred status" zones, which confer housing benefits on residents? Numerous ministers think it did.
The PMO initially published a statement that said a telephone straw poll had been carried out among all the government's ministers and that 15 had voted in favor of the decision, 10 against and the rest abstained.
However,
Arutz Sheva also conducted a telephone poll among the ministers and it discovered a different
picture.
Arutz Sheva has learned that several ministers were not even asked for their vote.
Other ministers demanded that the vote be held again, this time publicly. The PMO listed them as abstaining.
Several ministers said that they were asked – "are you in favor of the
proposal [to take Judea and Samaria communities out of the 'national preference zones']?" They replied "no," yet were listed as abstaining.
The PMO responded to these accusations by saying that the ministers' complaints had not reached the Government Secretariat and that once they did, they would be handled appropriately.
The Secretariat explained that according to the government's rules for telephone polls of ministers, "once there is a majority one way or another there is no need to keep on calling ministers."
In other words, once 15 ministers out of 29 said they supported the decision, there was no need to call any more ministers. That is why four ministers were not consulted.
Judea and Samaria residents protested Sunday morning outside the Prime Minister's Office against the decision. Minister Yuli Edelstein visited the protesters and said that he had voted against the decision but was mistakenly counted as abstaining. The PMO said it was looking into the complaint.
“I will ask the Prime Minister to hold a proper discussion of the matter,” Edelstein said. “In all my years in government I cannot remember when such a sensitive topic was dealt with by a telephone vote. I am sure that if the vote had been in person, with everyone able to see how the others voted, we would have seen different results.”
Some 70 towns in Judea and Samaria had been included in the list of communities entitled for housing benefits, but following the telephone poll of ministers, this list was amended. These communities will now only be able to get the benefits if “political officials” sign off on the requests – probably meaning Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who is not a fan of Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria.
- Here is Moshe Feiglin speaking after the fact about the election: quite inspiring:
And finally, just as a reminder, I am also including what the Shomrei Emunim Rebbe of Bnei Brak had to say on Succoth about what is happening in Israel these days; what can I say, he is right.
The Shomrei Emunim Rebbe Shlita [abbreviation for May he have long and good years] granted an interview with the Morasha Magazine for Sukkos. In the interview, he warns of the outbreak of World War III, and spares no words in a scathing verbal attack against President Shimon Peres, who he labels a "rosha" [an evil person], blaming him for much of the tzoros [suffering] that has befallen Am Yisrael [the Jewish people].
The interviewer, Rabbi Turnauwer, asks the Rebbe how he views the changes taking place on the global scene.
REBBE: There can be no doubt that we are on the verge of a world war. This is an absolute certainty. The last prophecy in Tanach [Hebrew Bible] is in Malachi, and we learn that prior to the coming of Moshiach [Messiah], it will be clear and there will be war, a terrible war, one the likes of which was not seen since the world's creation.
It is absolutely clear to us that this will take place. This is the prophecy and the prophet never said anything that HaKadosh Baruch Hu [The Holy one, be He Blessed] did not instruct. Even a moment before this occurs we will remain uncertain. It is sufficient for one crazy Arab who takes a plane and directs it into the Vatican, destroying it. This would send the world into frenzy.
MORASHA: How does the Rebbe see this war?
REBBE: The prophet says the war will be "a single moment", and we know that an atom bomb causes instantaneous destruction in a single moment. The Abarbanel [Yitzhak Abarbanel, a great sage exiled from Spain with the other Jews in 1492] writes in a number of seforim [books] regarding Gog U'Magog (Armageddon) and the coming of Moshiach. Six hundred years ago he wrote how this war will look. Among the writings is when the nations of the world realize they cannot win they will turn to a nuclear bomb. This will destroy the world as we know it, in a moment. This is what the prophecy states. He however did not know about the atom bomb, but nevertheless spoke of the instantaneous destruction. The Abarbanel even describes the war will be a religious war. No one saw this 50 years ago, the matter of religion was not relevant to the nations of the world, even not with the Muslims or the Christians, but now, suddenly, they are all 'frum' [religious] and feel compelled to uproot the deniers.
We will not be warned, not even a moment in advance. Everything will destruct in a moment, as the prophet describes. Therefore, we must be prepared at any moment, with all our body and spirit.
I have been shouting for years calling upon the residents outside of Israel to come home to Eretz Yisrael. Even those unable to do so, at the very least, they should buy an apartment in Eretz Yisrael [the Land of Israel] so they have a place to run to when the time comes.
MORASHA: What about the declaration of a Palestinian state?
REBBE: As the time of declaring statehood draw near, it is a sign that they are being pushed out, driven out of Eretz Yisrael. Therefore, Ishmael is turning the world upside down because he continues to seek a foothold here. It is not far off when HaKadosh Baruch Hu will remove the garbage and impurities from Eretz Yisrael, those who delay the redemption, those who will be as a husk in the wind and the flames will engulf the mountains.
For 120 years, and particularly the last 16 years, they plead with the Arabs to take the land. Our 'shkotzim' (derogatory term) [lit. "disgusting things'] want to give them the land since what is it to them? After all, for them, it is only a vehicle to raise money via the Jewish National Fund. Now that their purpose has vanished they no longer need Eretz Yisrael. They, the Arabs however refuse to take it. Do you have an explanation?
Our instinct should tell us that HaKadosh Baruch Hu runs the world. Don't worry for we have a defense minister above us, a much more successful one that the one we call the defense minister of the State of Israel. He sits in the Heavens.
All of the revolutions and turbulence began in 5760 [the year 2000]and since then, the pace increases. We only need to see the Taliban overtake the nuclear facility in Pakistan and then it's over. We are dealing with wild animals that can threaten the entire world. And it will come to being. Then the prophecy will be fulfilled – "והתגדלתי והתקדשתי ונודעתי לעיני גויים רבים". (Hashem's [God's]presence in the world will reach its height at the End of Days when Moshiach will help fix the world. Yechezkel [Ezekiel] 38:23 description of Gog U'Magog).
500 years ago, the Abarbanel wrote in his holy writings the wonders of what will occur with the Arabs. The entire process is taking place at lightning speed as if one who has a closeout sale in a store, paying off all debts before going out of business.
Since 5760 the world has not been quiet – a tsunami, earthquakes, Japan, Hashem is taking care of business, not permitting them any tranquility. We have a sense that these acts are in preparation for what is to come.
In the 'Chessed L'Avraham,' [a book, Compassion of Avraham] Rav Chaim Yosef David Azoulay writes in the introduction in 5760 the oceans will wash away the world and since that year we see both the Christians and Muslims are yelling that the redemption is near since they see and feel it. It is already past the stage of 'signs of the Geula' but one who delves into the words of our Sages and the holy books see that it is visible in our day, the revelation of the wonders.
The vicissitudes in the world today are not only in the Arab world, but in the United States as well. This is major but most simply miss it, they don't understand. I have studied the shameful behavior of different periods — especially that of the years of the Holocaust, in which there were partners in the murder of Jews, those who demanded money to save Jews, those who refused to accept the rabbonim [rabbis].
During the time period of the establishment of the state, President Roosevelt placed an embargo, refusing to send weapons to Eretz Yisrael. [Actually, that was Truman.] And behold, they are now losing their influence and experiencing financial collapse. They have lost their values in the eyes of the international community.
Why all the nations, headed by the 'black dog' (the term used by the Rebbe for US President Barak Obama), an Arab too, and he was elected because he stood for assisting the Arab conspiracy, standing firmly together against Israel.
A maniac stands up and announces he wishes to annihilate Israel and how does the world react? Nothing! Perhaps a few sanctions… and what does HaKadosh Baruch Hu do, disharmony between them, compelling them to busy themselves with their own matters.
Regarding the changes in the world, the Admor [Rebbe] adds that "davka" [pointedly] the "black dog" (term the Rebbe uses for President Barak Obama) decided to select Egypt as his venue for his great first address, and from that location he began to bark. In proximity of HaKadosh Baruch Hu, from where the great revolt will occur. And who was the first to place the knife in the back of the Egyptian president – none other than the president of the United States.
Who ever heard of such turmoil in the Arab world? In the past, if anyone dared to plot a revolution, in Egypt, Jordan or Syria, they sent troops to wipe them out, murdering tens of thousands in a number of days. No one dared to utter a word. What was bad in Tunisia, a quiet nation, and suddenly, a revolution – what was that about. This is because that was a base for the PLO in the past.
The beginning of Ishmael's fall was in Babylonia, what is Iraq today. 150,000 of these people have already fallen. For 2000 years "O violated daughter of Babylon – praiseworthy is he who repays you in accordance with the manner that you treated us. Praiseworthy is he who will clutch and dash your infants against the rock" (Tehillim [Psalms]: 137:8,9) and Baruch Hashem [thank God] now, we merit seeing this. Is this a trivial matter? Is he blind?
Look and see just how the leftists hide their true view. Sitting here in Eretz Yisrael is a murderer. I speak of him since he played a role in destroying neshamas [souls] during the aliyah period, and in addition to this, he is credited with the Oslo Agreement that he brought to Eretz HaKodesh [the Holy Land] all the murderers from Tunisia. Some 2,000 Jewish lives have been claimed since as a result of his actions, this rosha [evil man]. For this we don't see a need for an investigation! We simply ignore this?
"This klipa [husk] called Peres" displayed pig's feet as he helped bnei yeshivos [people of the yeshivot, the Torah learning centers]. He destroys yiddishkheit [Torah Judaism] and there is no one else like him. He sold Eretz Yisrael to Arafat (May his memory be wiped out) for his own interests. All the thievery by elected officials that we have seen. One must question why he is given respect and honor.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
See also:
http://israeltruthtimes.blogspot.com/2012/01/vote-with-your-feet-just-on-time-for.html
Shavuah Tov and a happy Tu Bishvat.
DS