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| Wednesday, Jan 28 '09, Shevat 3, 5769 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1. Obama to Internationalize J'lem by Hana Levi Julian  Likud party chairman and Knesset Opposition leader MK Binyamin Netanyahu warned at the Jerusalem Conference Wednesday that the Obama administration and leftist Israeli politicians will try to internationalize holy sites in Jerusalem -- and he vowed to fight the move. Netanyahu speech starts at 1:00 minute mark in video below. Email readers: click here to watch Netanyahu speech. Netanyahu told the audience, “Some politicians are trying to blur the importance of the Temple Mount to the Jewish People by referring to it as the ‘Holy Basin.’ We, as Jews, know who built the Temple Mount.” The term “Holy Basin” refers to the area of the Temple Mount, the Mount of Olives, Mount Zion and a variety of Christian holy sites which the administration of former U.S. President Bill Clinton recommended be administered under a “special regime.” This raises the issue of who would administer the Temple Mount, since at present the Wakf Islamic Authority controls the site, albeit under Israeli sovereignty. Moreover, the Arab neighborhoods surrounding the Temple Mount, home to tens of thousands of Israeli Arab residents, are also a part of greater Jerusalem, and thereby fall into the same discussion. Former prime minister Netanyahu, who will likely return to his old leadership role after the February 10 Israel elections, repeatedly emphasized the Likud’s loyalty to the concept of a united Jerusalem. “We have demonstrated in the past, and will continue to demonstrate our commitment to a complete, undivided Jerusalem,” Netanyahu assured a packed hall at the Jerusalem Regency Hotel, where he opened the final day of the Jerusalem Conference. “What would have happened had we not built all those neighborhoods” around the central part of the capital after the Six-Day War, Netanyahu asked. “Jerusalem would have been choked.” Moreover, he said, transferring sovereignty over those areas to the Palestinian Authority is not an option. “Everyone knows what will happen if we were to leave those areas and divide Jerusalem. Someone will enter – and that someone will be Hamas.” Dividing the capital, or resurrecting the specter of internationalizing the “Holy Basin”, this time at the recommendation of the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, would cause more problems even for the international community that it would solve, he added. The three major religions of the world exist in peace, have access to all their sites, only because Jerusalem is united and under Israeli rule, Netanyahu contended, adding in deliberately Hebrew-accented English, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!”  L-R: National Union party Chairman Yaakov Katz, Likud MK Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Likud Chairman Binyamin Netanyahu at the 2009 Jerusalem Conference After Netanyahu's Jerusalem Conference speech, he convened with his fellow party member Dr. Yuval Steinitz and Ichud Leumi (National Union) party Chairman Yaakov Katz. Katz asked the Likud chairman what his plans are for a coalition after the Israel elections. Netanyahu responded, "We will establish a broad coalition based on all the Zionist parties - blue and orange." [Orange is the color associated with the Ichud Leumi (National Union) party and its supporter. The meeting between Netanyahu and Katz was held in a positive atmosphere with reciprocal intentions for developing a close working relationship. Katz later told reporters, "Only a strong Ichud Leumi (National Union) in the Knesset will insure that all the good intentions of the government will be implemented." Discuss this topic on the Israel Politics & Elections Forum Comment on this story 2. Obama Interviewed on Al Arabiya by Gil Ronen  President Barack Obama chose the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya Arabic satellite TV network for his first formal television interview as president. He cited his Muslim background and Muslim relatives and said that one of his main tasks was to communicate to Muslims "that the Americans are not your enemy." Obama said the U.S. had made mistakes in the past but expressed hope "that the same respect and partnership that America had with the Muslim world as recently as 20 or 30 years ago, there's no reason why we can't restore that." He condemned Iran's threats against Israel, its pursuit of nuclear weapons and support of terrorist organizations, but he added, "It is important for us to be willing to talk to Iran, to express very clearly where our differences are, but where there are potential avenues for progress." Obama called for a new partnership with the Muslim world "based on mutual respect and mutual interest." He talked about growing up in Indonesia, the Muslim world's most populous nation, and noted that he has Muslim relatives. Hamas likes Mitchell In a surprising statement, Hamas group softened their stance against Obama Tuesday. "In the last couple of days there have been a lot of statements [from Oba, some of them very positive, and choosing this George Mitchell as an envoy," said Ahmed Youssef, a senior Hamas official interviewed on the Al-Jazeera news network. "I think there are some positive things we have to count." Mitchell arrived in Egypt on Tuesday for a visit that will also include Israel, the PA, Jordan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The interview centered on Israel and the PA, but Obama did not say what his approach to the dispute would be. He said he felt it was important to "get engaged right away" in the Middle East and had directed Mitchell to talk to "all the major parties involved." The president reiterated the U.S. commitment to Israel as an ally and to its right to defend itself. He added: "I do believe that the moment is ripe for both sides to realize that the path that they are on is one that is not going to result in prosperity and security for their people," he said, and called for “a Palestinian state” that is contiguous with internal freedom of movement and can trade with neighboring countries. Clinton supports Israel The United States supports "Israel's right to self-defense," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a Washington news conference Tuesday. "The rocket barrages which are getting closer and closer to populated areas [in Israe cannot go unanswered," she said in her first news conference at the State Department. Comment on this story  3. IAF Hits Rafiah Tunnels by Maayana Miskin  The Israel Air Force (IAF) blasted smuggling tunnels along the Philadelphi Corridor in southern Gaza late Tuesday night. The bombing run was a response to an Arab attack earlier in the day that killed one soldier and wounded three others. Pilots reported hitting their targets, and the planes returned safely. Local Arabs said there were three separate attacks in the Rafiah area, where thousands of residents reportedly fled their homes. On Tuesday afternoon, the IAF carried out a strike in northern Gaza, critically wounding one of the terrorists responsible for Tuesday morning's attack. After the afternoon strike, outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned that Israel's response was not yet complete. He told senior government officials that the response would be “harsh and disproportionate.” The Cabinet will hold a Wednesday morning meeting during which ministers will discuss Israel's response to the bombing. Comment on this story 4. Iranians Need a Clear Ultimatum by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz  Knesset Member Dr. Yuval Shteinitz (Likud), former head of the powerful Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, told the Sixth Jerusalem Conference on Tuesday that the only useful dialogue with the Islamic Republic of Iran on its nuclear program would be one that gives the regime a clear ultimatum. Former National Security Council Chairman Uzi Dayan agreed, and MK Dr. Aryeh Eldad (Ichud Leumi-National Union) laid out the prerequisites for an Israeli strike on Iran. MK Dr. Yuval Shteinitz Israel National News Steinitz said that Iran is likely to have nuclear weapons within one or two years. The issue, however, may be put on a back burner in the United States due to immediate economic concerns. Therefore, both Iran and America seemingly have an interest to drag their feet on the nuclear issue, Steinitz speculated. While sanctions and pressure have in fact slowed development of the Iranian nuclear program, the Likud MK observed, "time is running out." At this stage, he said, Iran's rulers calculate that riding out two years of sanctions to ultimately become a nuclear power may well be worthwhile. Dr. Emily Landau, from Tel Aviv University's Institute for National Security Studies, also addressed the Iran issue at the Jerusalem Conference. The Iranians must be persuaded that maintaining the status quo, under which they pursue nuclear weapons and successfully ignore diplomatic pressure, is no longer in their self-interest, according to Steinitz. The only way to do so, he said, is "a military ultimatum with a clear date." Such a strategy has worked in the past, Steinitz noted, such as in the case of Libya and even Iran itself several years ago. In both cases, when the regime believed it would come under U.S. attack aimed at halting its WMD program, the regime backed down. At the start of the Iraq campaign, when it feared America was on a warpath that included Tehran, the mullahs of Iran put forth a nuclear compliance plan of their own. When they saw the military option was not realistic, they returned to belligerent obstructionism. "The only way is to threaten very clearly," Steinitz said. The only type of negotiation he recommended is one carried out "with gun in hand." Email readers, click here to view the three videos in this story of Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Dr. Emily Landau and Dr. Aryeh Eldad. It is that type of dialogue that Steinitz believes U.S. President Barack Obama has in mind for engagement with the Iranians. In fact, Steinitz pointed out, an ultimatum of the sort he suggests may be far more credible coming from Obama than it would have been coming from George Bush during his term, because Obama enjoys a far more favorable international environment than Bush did at the end of his term. Deligitimization, Not Dialogue In his remarks at the conference, Uzi Dayan expressed agreement with MK Steinitz that the only justification for dialogue with Iran would be "in order to display the stick." Nonetheless, he said, "I prefer delegitimization to dialogue" with the Islamic Republic because there is a danger of sophisticated delaying tactics during negotiations, including a push for a nuclear-free zone to include Israel. Uzi Dayan Israel National News Dayan said he favored harsh sanctions on Iran to force them to give up their quest for nuclear weapons. Among the measures he mentioned were a boycott of Iranian oil, an embargo of the refined oil products they import, and the insistence on boarding and examining every Iran-bound vessel in allied waters or ports. Sanctions against totalitarian states can work, Dayan explained, only if they successfully destabilize the internal order and threaten the regime. Any other form of regime change will not help, according to Dayan, because the new rulers will not want to appear less patriotic than the Islamic Republic was. In addition to sanctions, Dayan called for strengthening the relatively moderate regional Arab states that see Iran and its proxies as a threat to them as well. He warned against pinning great hopes on this aspect of a larger strategy, but also cautioned against dismissing it altogether. As for a military strike on Iran, Dayan chided that the Americans seem to always say, "It's too early, it's too early, until one morning they wake up and it's too late." If such a strike could be carried out with wide international support, he said, that would be the best option. Furthermore, he added, if such a strike even only succeeds in buying some time, that too is a good enough reason to execute it. In his concluding remarks, Dayan described the Iranian threat as greater than the threat Germany posed to world peace on the eve of World War II. Nonetheless, he does not see a U.S. administration prepared to take the actions he believes necessary. Therefore, Dayan said, Israel must prepare its own military option. Hamas and Hizbullah are Iran's Forward Troops MK Dr. Aryeh Eldad said that an absolute precondition for any Israeli military option against Iran is the neutralization of the Iranian forward units - Hamas in Gaza and Hizbullah in Lebanon. If Israel attacks Iran, he said, it is clear that Hizbullah and Hamas will hit the Israeli homefront with a rain of missiles from the south and the north. It is only a matter of time and technical possibility before Hamas obtains Fajr missiles capable of hitting Tel Aviv, Eldad predicted. It is a mistake to assume that Egypt is actually interested in preventing Hamas from eventually acquiring more sophisticated weaponry than was revealed during Operation Cast Lead. MK Aryeh Eldad Israel National News Steinitz on Gaza Regarding the recent IDF operations in Gaza, MK Steinitz said that it was far from a strategic victory. Strategic victory, in his view, would have included completely destroying the Hamas-Iran regime in Gaza or, at least, deploying along the Philadelphi Route between Egypt and Gaza to prevent further arms smuggling. Like Hizbullah, Hamas survived with most of their forces intact, Steinitz explained, which is in itself a victory for them. In fact, Hamas suffered less of a loss in Operation Cast Lead than Hizbullah did in the Second Lebanon War. In 2006, according to Steinitz, Hizbullah was estimated to have around 5,000 active gunmen, while in 2008 Israel estimated that Hamas had 20,000 armed men. Both terror organizations lost around 600 regular armed fighters in a war with Israel, he said, meaning that proportionally Hizbullah suffered worse than Hamas did. Yet, Hizbullah has rebuilt and tripled its arsenal and manpower, Steinitz observed, and Hamas could easily do the same. Egypt's recent lack of assistance to Hamas during he Gaza war may well be a temporary phenomenon, he said, based on short-term interests. Putting his view simply and clearly, MK Eldad said, "The U.S. will accept a nuclear Iran." Though it may couch its acceptance in terms of "peace" and "nuclear energy," that acceptance will actually be the price the Americans will pay for a quiet exit from Iraq. In exchange for turning a blind eye to its nuclearization, Iran will agree to rein in the Shiite militias from their attacks on U.S. troops during the U.S. withdrawal, according to the National Union (Ichud HaLeumi) MK. The other payoff to Iran, Eldad added, will be a Palestinian State within Israel's heartland. Thus, Israel will face a short existence under constant threat from a terror state operating with an Iranian "nuclear umbrella." "The forecast is harsh; it is chilling, because I don't see a Prime Minister willing to take the necessary action," Eldad concluded. Comment on this story  5. Israel's Economy Better Than US by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz  The Israeli economy has weathered the current global economic crisis better than most countries, according to three leaders in the Israeli and American markets. Speaking at the Sixth Jerusalem Conference on Tuesday, they also had some clear recommendations for the future. (l-r) K. Abramowitz, F. Ehrman, Z. Stepak Israel National News While Israel is in a better economic position currently than both the United States and the European Union, all speakers agreed that maintaining stability will require urgent policy changes. Critical to Israel's economic future, they said, was the state of Israel's education system and its small to mid-size business market. In a post-lecture comment, Zvi Stepak, Chairman of the Israeli Meitav Investment Group, pointed out that due to the massive government bailouts in the United States, the American government is now more involved in the private economy than is the Israeli government. The U.S., he claimed, is now closer to where Israel stood 30 years ago in terms of government intervention than where Israel itself stands today. He also predicted that Jewish immigration to Israel is likely to increase in coming years due to the global economic situation. Email readers, click here to view video interview with Eli Kazhdan Eli Kazhdan, the CEO of CityBook Services, set the tone when he said that an investment in Israeli banks several years ago would have been a far better investment than in any of the world's leading banks or private economic giants. However, Fred Ehrman of Brean Murray Carret and Co. in New York, called the worldwide downturn "the early phase of a once in a century economic decline." This period, Ehrman said, is both better and worse than the 1930s. On the one hand, people will not likely be in the streets to the same extent as during the Great Depression until World War II. On the other hand, the global reach of the economic crash is far more extensive, as is the debt incurred by the leaders in world economies. Proposals to Cushion Israel Ehrman put forth several proposals that he said would "cushion" Israel from the ongoing crisis, "none of which will be enacted," he cynically added. Enthusiastic applause greeted Ehrman's statement that the government should "stay out of the way and let business do their thing." He explained that the government needs to be seriously shrunk, taxes need to be cut and small businesses need to be encouraged. In addition, Ehrman claimed, the Israeli economy is under the thumb of several key families, forming an oligopoly that strangles competition. To meet this challenge, the courts need to look into seriously enforcing anti-trust legislation. In one of several examples he described, Ehrman claimed that the influence of the oligopoly shut down a Negev-area free-trade zone he was involved in planning. Nearly 30,000 potential jobs, he said, were lost. Fred Ehrman Israel National News Finally, as did other speakers, Ehrman described the Israeli education system as being "in disrepair." It urgently needs to be fixed in order to take advantage of the nation's "greatest natural resource", its "human brainpower," Ehrman said. On the Verge of Fascism? Following the speakers' prepared remarks, Stepak recommended increasing government support for education and cutting what he called the "bloated" defense budget. He also was not in favor of an immediate cut in taxes because tax revenues have sharply dropped. While he commented that excessive optimism and excessive pessimism are both equally unwise at this stage, Stepak did put forth one extremely pessimistic scenario. During the question and answer session, he suggested that if the global depression continues for many years, then there is a significant threat of the rise of 1930s-style populist fascism and anti-Semitism. Stepak specifically pointed out the tensions in Europe between Muslim immigrants and native Europeans as a critical factor in this direction. A long-term economic depression, Stepak warned, "invites wars," both international and internal. 'No VCs, No Israel' Ken Abramowitz, Managing General Partner of NGN Capital in New York, spoke about the venture capital (VC) market as a prism of the global economic crisis. Comparing Israel's "key success factors driving VC investing and general economic growth" with those of the EU and the US, he praised the Jewish State's "remarkable accomplishment." Israel, with seven million people, is not far behind the EU with its 300 million citizens, he explained. Abramowitz presented his own recommendations for Israel to maintain its position in the VC market. Like previous speakers, he singled out the need for more resources to universities. He suggested means to obtain those resources: higher tuition, higher student loans and tax deductions for contributors to increase endowments. While insisting that in general he is not in favor of government intervention, Abramowitz said that Israel's Office of the Chief Scientist, which supports start-ups in their early years through technology incubators, is a good program that deserves more financial support. Eli Kazhdan Israel National News The Israeli Tax Authority, Abramowitz continued, must act to encourage investment. To attract capital to Israel, he explained, tax officials need to give up short-term tax revenue from foreign investors in order to benefit in the long term. Finally, Abramowitz insisted, Israel needs more VC money. "No VCs, no Israel - it's that simple," he declared. The Israeli government, he explained by way of example, could encourage investment in VCs through providing risk management incentives and directing government-invested funds towards venture capital. Comment on this story 6. Top-Echelon Corruption Discussed by Hillel Fendel  Former Public Security Minister Dr. Uzi Landau proposes adding 10,000 policemen to the national force over the next five years, while a former Police Investigation Department chief defends the police department and says government corruption is rampant. Participating in the 6th Jerusalem Conference’s session on “Israel’s War Against Corruption and Crime,” Dr. Landau said that crime in Israel in 2005 cost the country nearly 14 billion shekels – “and this number continues to rise.” The costs, he said, stem from public corruption, cheating the National Insurance Institute out of disability and other payments, Mafia-like protection money, crime families, and more. Email readers, click here to watch Dr. Landau interview “If we empower the police to deal with the issues,” Landau feels, “the police can become not only cost-effective, but even a springboard for economic growth.” Landau, a long-time Likud member, is now running in the #2 slot on the Yisrael Beiteinu party list - whose head, Avigdor Lieberman, is the target of a long-running police investigation regarding campaign funding irregularities. Seven people close to Lieberman were called in for questioning this week - prompting protests against "election tampering" by the police. Landau said his goal is to make the restoration of personal safety a top priority for the new government – which Yisrael Beiteinu hopes to join when Binyamin Netanyahu, who is favored to win the elections, forms it. Landau proposes giving the Prime Minister direct responsibility over the Public Security Ministry, aided by a team of professionals, thus lending it the backing of his prestige and authority. Landau also proposes adding 2,000 policemen in each of the next five years. In addition, he says, the police department must be upgraded professionally and technologically, and Israel must build a new prison in each of the next three years. He is pleased with the move towards biometric ID – as opposed to today’s ID cards – in helping to fight crime. Chief Investigator Moshe Mizrachi Landau was preceded at the Conference session by Moshe Mizrachi, who headed the Investigations Department of the Israel Police until November 2004. Mizrachi was fired for having been what was described at the time as "overly enthusiastic" in carrying out his job, wiretapping many nationalistic public officials and transcribing the conversations. Some 70% of the calls he wiretapped and transcribed were later found to be of a personal nature or otherwise irrelevant. The police unit for the investigation of police officers recommended that Mizrachi be tried, then-Police Chief Shlomo Aharonishki was willing to settle for only a negative comment in his file, and then-Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra decided to remove Mizrachi from his post. Mizrachi told the Jerusalem Conference audience that “from my subjective point of view, I see a picture of public corruption that is even uglier than most people perceive. I see the ‘intelligence map’ of public corruption in our upper echelons, I see the quick plea bargains, and I see many things that never reach the headlines. Too often, money and government mix together improperly, on both the national and the municipal levels.” Mizrachi said that the police are possibly to blame just for “not paying enough attention to the growth of corruption and organized crime a few years ago; we might have been too busy with the Ohr Commission [which investigated the deaths of 13 violent rioting Israeli-Arabs at the hands of the police at the beginning of the Oslo War in 2000 – ed, as well as with other issues that kept us in the limelight.” Professor Provides Perspective Prof. Yochanan Vozner, former Dean of the Social Work School in Tel Aviv University, said, “I’m sure everyone here agrees with everything that was said here” – causing some raised eyebrows – “but it should also be noted that there has never been a society in history in which there was not some corruption. Even Samuel the Prophet, in his parting speech to the People of Israel, professed, ‘Whose ox did I ever take?’ and the like – showing that the suspicion of corruption was not unheard of. This is important to know…" "At the risk of saying something that is already time-worn," noted the professor, "I will say that what is important is education: Our youth should not grow up thinking that the ideal is to outsmart and get the better of the other guy, but rather that he has a right to make a living just as much as I do…” Impromptu Questions Though there was no time for questions, several in the audience crowded around Landau and Mizrachi afterwards and asked questions such as: “Why is there a sense in the public that the police department also has its share of corruption? Why do we need 10,000 more policemen simply to deal with a few crime families? Why is there a sense in some sectors of the public that people can get arrested, or worse, for no apparent reason, and are then released a day later with nothing more than a curt apology, if that? Why must the police grab the limelight by publicizing its recommendations regarding investigations of public figures? Why was Avigdor Lieberman [currently doing well in the polls as head of the Yisrael Beiteinu party – ed suddenly the subject of a widely-publicized police investigation just two weeks before the election? Why are there especially tough police guidelines against the Jews of Hevron?” Most of the questions were not answered, though Landau explained that more policemen are needed to be on the streets and in the malls to prevent petty crime, and for the detective departments; he said he was not referring to the more “violent” policemen of the Yassam units and the like. Mizrachi said he is convinced that the timing of investigations of public officials is, at worst, “poor judgment” on someone’s part, but that it is certainly not intended to interfere in the electoral process. Comment on this story 7. TNL: Life and Eviction in Hevron by Ezra HaLevi  The Biblical city of Hevron took center stage at this week's Tuesday Night Live, with residents of the holy City of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs interviewed about what it's like to live in the eye of the storm in terms of the struggle for Israel's future. The Pollack family - Michael, Orli and their children - lived the past year and eight months in Beit HaShalom [Peace Hou, the Hevron building that most recently propelled the city to the headlines as Israel's High Court authorized the Defense Minister to evict the Jewish residents despite their heavily documented claim to the strategically placed building. Co-host Ari Abramowitz, who himself served in Hevron during his IDF service, asked Michael Pollack how it felt to be at the heart of so much antipathy 24/7. "A lot of people would say, 'You're crazy, you're putting yourself in a ghetto and you're putting your kids at risk,'" Abramowitz said. "What would you say to that?" "As a Jew, we constantly have to think about what HaShem [G wants from us as a Jewish family," said Pollack, who made Aliyah (immigrated to Israel) from New York. "It is definitely safer living in Florida or Brooklyn, but I think what HaShem wants from us is to be where we can give the most to the Jewish people - in Hevron." Orli Pollack, asked about life in Beit HaShalom, had smiles and fond memories. "[Living in Beit HaShalo was an amazing experience," Pollack said. "The people there gave each other strength just by being there..[Even t kids, of all ages, would defend each other, look after each other and play together." Even the time leading up to the forced eviction was a positive experience, the mother-of-five said, despite the daily headlines heralding their eviction and the uncertainty that each night would be their last. "The last two months of living in Beit HaShalom were full of tension, but full of spirit," she said. "Youth from all over came with this incredible spirit and even though we are now away from there briefly, we will be back. The youth really gave us strength until the very end." When the actual time came, the Pollacks and the rest of the residents were caught off guard. "The Yassam (riot police) came in and took us by surprise," Orli said. "I called a friend to maybe take the children out, but there was no time. A lot of the youth had gone to school, and the police just came straight through the wall of our room. They fired tear gas, pushed everyone – whether four-years-old or adults. They treated everyone like animals." Pollack seems shaken at the fact that her countrymen were able to act in the way that they did. "They seemed completely desensitized to anything," she laments. "My six-year-old was sitting there afterward, and a policeman told us 'Go home already.' He said to him, "That is our house!" and the guy just walked on, couldn't care less. So now the kids, unfortunately know what tear gas is, but we are going to go back, b'ezrat HaShem [with G-d's hel." Spokesman as Teacher Abramowitz recalled his service in Hevron, describing a man who climbed up to his lookout post to invite him over for a Sabbath meal. That man was David Wilder, the Hevron spokesman who also took the stage at this week's Tuesday Night Live. "How do you deal with the constant criminalization and vilification," Abramowitz asked. "It's not easy," Wilder says. "And I work with the media, so I've heard it all. [Bu we know what the truth is. We know we have to continue that truth and bring it to the world. My job is to be an educator, to teach what it is to be a Jew in Hevron, to be a Jew in the Land of Israel. We know there are people working against us. But you know something, there were people working against us for 2,000 years, and now I am talking to you from Jerusalem." Wilder said his main message was for world Jewry: "To all of those Jews watching us, wherever you are. Come here. Be here in the Land of Israel. The fact that I can be living in Hevron today and that Jews can pray there – it was off limits to Jews and to Christians for 700 years – is reason to celebrate. So if you can't come live here yet, come to visit – so see it with your own eyes." Never This Good The evening closed with a local Hevron musician, Sinai Tor, who sang: "Never has there been a time that was so good as now." Though one could not tell from his wide smile and uplifting tunes, Tor himself was evicted from another domicile in the Hevron region. Tickets to Tuesday Night Live (TNL) in Jerusalem may be reserved by sending email to Rachel@thelandofisrael.com. The next live show is February 3rd. TNL requests a 20-shekel donation from those who are able to pay it. Click here to view recent episodes of Tuesday Night Live and click here for last season's shows. Comment on this story
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