CNN’s Fareed Zakaria recently had an interesting interview with Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu on the GPS show. Fareed is an expert on the Middle East and he asked Netanyahu about the recent massive protests in Israel over judicial reform.  Netanyahu said that there was a pause in the process to let time build a consensus.  

From what I have read about the reform it would give Netanyahu more power and it would reduce the Supreme Court’s power to remove him if he had a vote of confidence.  Netanyahu is just trying to cling to power for himself and his appointed right wing politicians.  He said the large demonstrations are just an example of normal democracy in action.  The Supreme Court is the only check and balance in Israel.  It is not like the United States where you have states and their power structure.

The recent raid of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is also on the same location as the Temple Mount, stirred up a hornets nest. Gaza immediately fired missiles into southern Israel, which brought retaliation. I feel sorry for the Palestinians who live in crowded Gaza and are under the thumb of Hamas. All Hamas knows is death to Israel. They are not smart enough to run that enclave but they are ruthless enough to have a vast underground network of missile building facilities that are financed by Iran. The top people in Hamas are living high on the hog in Gaza while the rest of the people are living in miserable conditions.

Iran is now very close to having a nuclear bomb, and Israel is going to have to take some military action in the near future. Israel can’t afford to have a North Korea in their backyard.  I don’t know what the answer to the problem is, but I know you can’t have a nuclear arms race in that part of the world.

At the rate things are going with the West Bank expansions, I don’t think there will ever be a two-state solution.

William McKee

Flowery Branch