Government's Legislative Term Ends in Israel - Let the Cheering for Messi Begin!

Messi at the Kotel in 2013

The government of Israel officially concluded its last parliamentary session on Friday July 17, 2026 - and it can only be described as a debacle.  The governing coalition spent its last two weeks of legislative session pushing through, at lightning speed, several pieces of outrageous legislation - in an effort to shore up ultra-orthodox support for the coming election.

The first bill was the Bill to enshrine "Torah Study"  as a fundamental value in Israel's basic law.  Now of course, I have nothing against Torah Study, nor do most Israelis, many of whom engage in Torah study in all different ways.  But the goal here, was to define Torah Study as type of right - that allows a person to use it to reject other obligations or laws.  The Ultra-Orthodox in Israel plan to use the law, essentially - to say "we can't serve in the army because we are engaging in "Torah Study" and that is a supreme right of ours that trumps other obligations and duties. Of  course, it is also unclear what constitutes "Torah Study" and who might be able to use this - and for what purposes.  But this was the "easy" bill - the first one.

Next came the bill to suspend all sanctions against ultra-Orthodox draft evaders.  Not "all draft evaders" - just "Ultra Orthodox draft evaders" -  until November 30, 2026, one month  after the election, presumably giving Netanyahu and his coalition the time to win the election and enact a permanent draft evasion bill.  Based on an urgent injunction brought by Yesh Atid, the Supreme Court of Israel immediately froze this bill, as an interim measure, given that it was likely to be found unconstitutional in a full Supreme Court hearing.  The bill is simply indefensible other than as an effort by Netanyahu to buy the support of the ultra-religious parties  in the coming election.  

The third bill was the bill to weaken the powers of the office of the Attorney General, who is generally appointed to be an independent watchdog of the government.  The bill gives the government the legal authority to disregard the advice and recommendations of the AG.  Until now, these opinions had been treated as binding on the Executive Branch.  In other words, if the government obtains the opinion of the AG about a potential law - and the AG advises that it is likely to be illegal, Israeli law has normally required the government to follow that advice.  Under the current  legislation, the Government can  simply ignore the AG. It is noteworthy - that the sitting AG has made certain recommendations with respect to Netanyahu's current criminal charges.  With this bill, the government could potentially ignore those recommendations and cut a deal with Netanyahu to let him off the hook from his criminal charges.

The fourth bill was the bill to grant the government extensive additional control over the Israeli broadcasting industry - including certain content control.  The government would have the power to appoint the "oversight committee." This is a dangerous step towards state control over a large chunk of the media. The Supreme Court today (Sunday July 19, 2026) froze parts of this bill on an interim basis pending a full hearing.

The Israeli government also enacted a bill extending mandatory military service from 30 to 32 months for Israelis who report to duty under Israel's mandatory draft laws, even while making it easier for the ultra-orthodox to avoid the draft altogether.

The government also passed a bill strengthening the monopoly of the ultra-orthodox over Kashrut - which was intended to undo legislation enacted by the previous Bennett government.  This would affect organizations like Tzohar -  an Orthodox institution which has been trying to demonopolize Kashrut in Israel - even while continuing to adhere to all recognized standards of Kashrut. The difference is that the monopolization -  gives the  ultra-orthodox and their political parties - the right to appoint Mashgichim (Kashrut supervisors) and exert financial control over the Kashrut industry.  

On Friday, the government passed a bill allowing for gender segregated classes in Israel's state funded universities. This was their final bill - the "piece de resistance."  

Aside from these measures, the government also hurried through spending bills to be able to immediately transfer hundreds of millions of shekels - primarily to the  ultra-orthodox and to new developments in Judea and  Samaria (the disputed territories).  At the same time, the government sent a bill to assist wounded military veterans "to a committee for study" and turned down other measures proposed by opposition.

Certainly, the ultra-orthodox coalition partners are happy with these laws but I can't believe that even most Likud supporters are prepared to support this agenda.  In fact, the early polls are already suggesting that Likud is losing polling momentum as a result of passing these laws.  This legislative blitz may well wind up costing Netanyahu the election - if enough people are sufficiently upset about these laws.

Polls suggest that the opposition party led by Gadi Eisenkot - Yashar - has made significant inroads and may well be in a position to form a government.  Of course, there are still three months of campaigning remaining and these are only polling results.

The Israeli Supreme Court has already frozen some of this legislation on an interim basis and may well strike down more  of these enactments but the message has been sent by Netanyahu loud and clear - if he and his coalition partners are elected again, this country will begin to look more and more like Turkiye - or perhaps even Iran.  

Netanyahu and his coalition partners are also running against the Israeli Supreme Court.  In the past, Netanyahu campaigned on the promise that the Supreme Court was untouchable and he would always support and abide by its judgments as the ultimate arbiter of law in Israel.  Since his criminal trial began, he has switched tactics and has campaigned actively using the argument that Supreme Court has too much power, is part of the deep state, is too liberal etc.,  This government was the first in Israel's history to snub the chief justice of the Supreme Court and to state openly that it would refuse to abide by decisions of the Court.  If this coalition is able to form another government, the Israeli Supreme Court will face new and unprecedented challenges.

Israel is at a major crossroads.  After what can probably be described as one of the most, if not the most, extreme and anti-egalitarian weeks of legislation in Israel's 78 years history, it is clear that there is a great urgency for the anti-Bibi side  of the electorate to get out, mobilize votes and try to convince other Israelis that Israel would be better off as a democratic, more pro-egalitarian state.  Hopefully it is not too late.

Another four years of a government with this type of make up - including ultra-orthodox and right wing extremist politicians would have a disastrous effect on the country - and would almost certainly result in a significant exodus of educated and more liberal voters and perhaps many corporations.

Fortunately, from early polls - that are still three months away from the  election - the anti-government coalition bloc appears to be picking up steam.  If elected, it could have the ability to reverse much of the damage that has been done - and make changes that would benefit all segments of Israeli society.

War Drums

The war between the U.S. and Iran has really heated up over the past few days.  The U.S. has been ramping up its attacks and the Iranians have shown no sign of seeking any kind of deal (at least not publicly). It almost seems like the U.S. put the war on a low burner until the FIFA World Cup could end (it ends today) and then go full throttle to try and wring some concessions out of Iran.

Iran has responded by attacking a wide range of countries around it - including the UAE, Jordan, Bahrain and others.  So far, Iran has not attacked Israel in this around, though the country is certainly on high alert.

Netanyahu seems poised and ready to have the Israeli army jump in and begin another round with Iran.  He has already floated the idea that because of the security situation, he may have to cancel the Likud Primaries (the Likud party uses a primary voting system to determine the ranking of its different candidates in the election.  Since Israel uses a proportionate representation system - parties get one set for approximately each .833 % of the vote (roughly 35-40,000 votes) though there is a minimum  of 3.5% - i.e. a 4 seat minimum).  The Likud primaries are scheduled for August 17, 2026.

Netanyahu would rather skip these primaries and simply appoint Likud candidates in order which would give him greater control over the party.  He is concerned that some dissonant voices within his party will win high rankings in the primaries and he will have to work with a group of less pliable party members. But Netanyahu has claimed that this could be necessary - because of the security situation with Iran. I note that Netanyahu spent the last two weeks fighting over how many reserved prerogative seats he should be able to appoint in the top 40.  Initially, he was demanding the right to appoint 15 of the top 40 but eventually came to a deal with the party to be able to appoint 8 of the top 30 - with 6 of them in the first 20.  He has not yet announced who will be on his list.

Israelis are also concerned that if Netanyahu can successfully cancel the primaries - he may then move to finding a way to "postpone" the coming elections scheduled for October 27, 2026.  So far, he has not floated anything like that - and I think it is unlikely that he will even try it.  But the prospects of a full on war with Iran - and the security problems that will create for Israel - may well lead to Netanyahu exploring options.

Meanwhile, as the attacks from Iran get closer and closer to Israel (and Jordan, is after all, a neighbour of ours, and is being attacked by Iran), it is become increasingly likely that Israel will be directly involved in this round of war with Iran very soon.

Flying in and Out of Israel

As I have mentioned in just about every recent blog, it is extremely difficult to find decent flights in and out of Israel these days.  For our next flight, we will be flying to Toronto via Lisbon - with a stop on the way  in Athens.  

El Al is the most reliable way to leave Israel currently, but if you haven't booked a flight months in advance the prices are outrageous.

Air France, Aegean, Lot Polish, Emirates are among the foreign carriers flying currently, along with some smaller Israeli carriers like Arkia, Israir, Tus Airways and Blue Bird.  Many of the smaller airlines have baggage restrictions are like flying North American budget airlines. 

One of the issues now is that the U.S. government has asked Israel for permission to use a significant amount of Ben Gurion's capacity for refuelling planes and other aircraft.  Israel has tried offering the U.S. other military airports but the U.S. has been insistent on using Ben Gurion. This has been another reason for the lack of available commercial flights.

As for Air Canada - while it is scheduled to start flying again to Israel on October 25, 2026, this seems unlikely to me.  I certainly would not recommend booking an Air Canada flight between Toronto and  Israel any time soon.

Sports

Of course the only sport to write about on July 19, 2026 is football (soccer) - and the FIFA World  Cup.  In Israel - I think this is probably as big as the Super Bowl - Israelis are all talking about watching parties, bars and pubs are expected to be overflowing across the country and there is a palpable sense of excitement. Football is definitely the most popular spectator sport in Israel - basketball is a distant second.

The vast majority of Israelis (as far as I can tell anecdotally) seem to be cheering for Argentina to beat Spain. One reason is that Israel's relationship with Argentina is so much better than its relationship with Spain. Spain has become one of the world's loudest anti-Israel voices - joined by Ireland, Slovenia, the Netherlands and unfortunately, the current Canadian government. (As well, of course, as many of the Arab countries). By way of contrast, the current Argentinian government, led by President Javier Milei, has been a vocal supporter of Israel. That has not been lost on Israeli football fans.

The other reason - is that Israelis love watching Messi (who doesn't?) and are hoping he can, with a World Cup win, secure his place as the GOAT.  He needs two goals tonight to win the Golden Boot award for most goals in the tournament. That will not be easy against the strong Spanish defence - but even if he does not score any goals - it should be a fun game.

Tisha B'Av

I am planning to be at the Kotel this week on Wednesday night to mark the commemoration of the destruction of Israel's two great temples (the first in 586 bcc, the second in 70 cc). I think it might be the first time I will have been in Jerusalem on Erev Tisha B'Av.  When the kids were younger, we would generally go to Yad Vashem (the Holocaust Memorial Museum) during the day of Tisha B'Av.  We may wind up doing that this year as well.

Many observant Jews mark the nine days leading up to Tisha B'Av as a period of mourning in which they do not eat meat, though they do eat fish.  Generally, Sephardic Jewish and other Jews of eastern origins  - including Yemenite Jews do not observe this period as rigorously - particularly the food  restrictions. Since Israel has a mixture of Jews from countries all over the world, it is definitely less common here to see Kosher restaurants using a no-meat menu. Some restaurants will offer specials, including fish deals.

Even among Jews who do observe, many agree that it is still permissible, even desirable to eat meat on Shabbat.  For many people these days, who tend to minimize meat meals during the week, for health reasons and not religious ones - and eat meat only once or twice a week - the observance of Tisha B'av, with the Shabbat exception, may not even change their eating patterns.

Tisha B'Av, like other Jewish fast days, means about 24.5 hours of no food, water or anything else. This year the fast starts at 745 p.m. Wednesday night and ends at 8:17 p.m. on Thursday night. Unlike many other Jewish holydays, observant Jews can travel, do necessary work and use electricity.  But it is still a long day...even if you are fasting in an air conditioned place while it is in the mid-30s outside.

Weather

It is hot in Israel, for sure, and will only get hotter over the next two months.  But this year, it sounds like it has been even hotter in the U.S. and Canada -  with temperatures reportedly reaching 41c in Toronto last week.   I can't remember when Israelis were last told to "stay in the house and not go outside" (other than during a war or an epidemic) but that was apparently the case last week in Toronto.  Here we were able to go for a walk along the beach, near sundown when it had cooled down somewhat. The humidity was a lot lower than the humidity levels during Toronto summers. I guess I will be able to compare shortly.

We take it for granted being only 10-15 minutes' drive from the beach though we really don't wind up going that often.  My office in Toronto is right near an outdoor skating facility - and every year - I say that I will skate more often at lunch - but somehow it just doesn't seem to happen.  Perhaps its the same thing with the beach here.

Wishing everyone peaceful times - and if you are fasting this week - a meaningful fast.  

December 2022 Update from Israel

As we close out 2022, I am overdue to put together another blog.  I could probably devote this whole blog to political developments in Israel - but that would be a depressing post and would probably bore those of us you who are less interested in Israeli politics.  So I have instead put together a smattering of items.  Hopefully one or more  will interest you.  That's not to say that I will skip Israeli  politics entirely - I certainly won't.  But this will be  more of one of those "stream of consciousness blogs" hitting on a few different topics.  Hopefully it will all come together.

"Holiday Season" in Israel

This year, I came to Israel a bit earlier than usual in December since we had guests arriving for Chanuka.  I usually tend to come back to Israel later in the month, once things quieten down in Toronto.  For me, one of the nice aspects of being in Israel in December is the complete lack of Christmas and  Christmas celebrations.

I don't mean that in a negative way towards those who celebrate.  But in Canada, the November-December period is the time of year when I am reminded that I don't really belong.  Decorations and trees are everywhere - in stores, office places, malls.  The Second Cup that I go to in the mornings to grab a coffee starts playing all Christmas music 24/7 the day after Halloween.  Is that really necessary?  I guess if the majority of people enjoy it - then great.  Even for people who fully embrace the holiday - I think they probably used to start getting ready in early December.  Now the whole month of November has also become entirely Christmas oriented in many places.

I grew up in an environment in which in my early years the school I attended recited the "Lord's Prayer," (and forced everyone  to do so) even though it was a "public school."  We had Christmas concerts, Christmas Carols and other trappings of the ubiquitous Christian majority culture.  As one the small minority who did  not celebrate these holidays, I always felt that I just didn't fit in this time of year.  

So for me, it is somewhat refreshing to spend this time in a place where things are  completely different.  Christmas in Israel, in most areas, is a normal work day.  Everything is open and  operates on a normal, non-holiday schedule.  In some  predominantly Christian areas, there are certainly festivities,  decorations and celebrations.  In Nazareth, Bethlehem, parts of Jerusalem and other areas, Christmas is celebrated actively.  I certainly have nothing against that and wish everyone celebrating a Merry Christmas.  But, around the rest of Israel, there is a totally different December atmosphere.

Although Chanuka coincides this year with Christmas, it is a relatively minor holiday.  Some places have a Chanukiah set up for lighting (for example, this restaurant that we were at the other day - pictured above).  But since it is not really a major holiday, most places  haven't really done any decorating.  No one is wearing ugly Chanuka sweaters in Israel (even  though it is cold and rainy) and people are working as usual.  Our  visiting guests couldn't believe it since I think it was their first "holiday season" in Israel.   

Our big  holiday period is the September-October holidays - from Rosh Hashanah to Simchat Torah - or again over Pesach  (Passover).  During those time periods, many businesses are closed, there are festivals around the country and many people are off work, travelling or celebrating.  I could imagine that Yom Kippur in Israel would feel very imposing to someone who is not Jewish since everything is closed.  Though I don't know of any radio station in Israel that would start playing  Yom Kippur and other high holiday music 6 weeks before the actual holiday.

In any event, I have been honoured to attend holiday celebrations with my friends in Canada - whether that is Christmas events, Diwali, or other religious occasions.  And of course  one of the great things about Canada is that people can feel free to celebrate whatever religious or other ethnic or cultural events they choose to celebrate.  But the holiday season still reminds those who don't celebrate Christmas that they are very much a minority - starting as early as Halloween.  I might add - that even in  2022 - Ontario, Canada is still a place where the  government funds Catholic school education  but  not that of other religious groups.  That's a bit of a digression but my overall point - simply - is that it is nice to be somewhere else for a change that time of year.   

We did mark Chanuka by lighting the candles each night, eating some potato latkes, trying some donuts (I tried to minimize my consumption of the donuts...).  But it was fairly low key.

We lit this beautiful Chanukiah that a friend of  ours made.   

Here you can see an example of some of the types of "sofganyot" (filled donuts, basically) that are sold this time of year.

And even though we actively try to minimize the frying - every once in a while  (like during Chanuka and Pesach) - we do enjoy a few  potato latkes.  I like them much more than donuts personally.  In fact, I'll admit that I like them too much - especially with home made apple sauce or fresh sour cream.  

Unlike the custom for many American Jews and some Canadians, we didn't go out for Chinese food on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. Partially, that  is due my discussion above, that December 25th is more or less a normal work day here.  But the other reason is that there are relatively few Chinese restaurants.

Nevertheless, we actually wound up going out to pan-Asian restaurant - "Queen Lu" in Ra'anana - which is a mixture of Japanese and Thai, coincidentally on Saturday night December 24.  The food was quite good and the service was great. Queen Lu is a Kosher meat restaurant -  so they have meat and fish dishes as well as vegetarian options.   

Sports Comments

By far, the biggest event in Israel for the year - and probably for the past 4 years - was  the World Cup.  It was so huge here that the TV stations were wishing people a "Happy World Cup Holiday"  throughout the tournament, even though Israel wasn't even participating.  Thousands of Israelis flew to Qatar to attend even though they were not the most welcome guests.  Qatar does not have diplomatic relations with Israel but allowed Israeli to fly direct to Doha just for the World Cup.  Despite some anti-Israeli incidents that took place during the event, nothing major occurred (that I am aware of) and the Israeli soccer (football) fans returned safely.   

Israelis were mixed on whether to cheer for Messi and Argentina or Mbappe and France  in the finals - but I think, on balance, the pendulum was on the Argentina side and a majority of Israelis were cheering for Argentina and were happy to see  Messi win.  Sure there is a sense here (like everywhere else) that  FIFA tournaments tend to be rigged.  After all, the Qataris  own the Paris-St Germaine  club where Messi plays - and Qatar was hosting the tournment.....and Argentina (Messi's  team) won even though they were not  one  of the top favourites to win.  But all that being said, there were some fantastic games and I thoroughly enjoyed watching many of them.  It was fun to see Canada play - even though our national team was not able to come up with a win.  Canada did score its first ever World Cup goal and that was exciting.

Other than watching some international soccer, I am not really interested in the Israeli sports scene.  But I am excited about some other sports and sports tournaments which are a bit challenging to watch here in Israel.

As you might know, the annual World Junior Hockey Tournament opens today in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Moncton, New Brunswick.  For hockey fans - this is quite a big deal. This year's  tournament features the much touted 17 year old - Connor Bedard - who is expected to lead the Canadian team and promises to be one of professional hockey's next great stars.   Of course, trying to watch these games in Israel is quite a challenge - because of timing and difficulties in streaming the games.  But I'm hoping to watch a few, especially towards the end of the tournament.  I don't imagine that a huge number of my fellow Israelis will be watching  - but that's their loss.

I am also super excited about the Buffalo Bills this year - who are among the top 3 teams in the NFL with only 2 games to play.  Maybe this will be the year to exorcise those demons of the past - where the Bills played in the Super Bowl four years in a row (1991-1994) without winning any  of them.  As a Torontonian, I grew up travelling down  to Buffalo periodically to attend games - in what has to be the world's worst professional stadium.  But the Buffalo tailgate party, the fan enthusiasm and the general excitement often make  up for the terrible stadium.  We used to bring  barbecues, kosher meat  and other foods, a decent  supply of beer and whatever else was needed to enjoy tailgating starting at 7 or 8 in the morning -  even on snow days.  Sometimes, the weather was  so severe that we left early.  But since Canada does not have an NFL team - Buffalo is really Toronto's "home team" and I would love to see them win.

I have also been watching the odd Toronto Maple Leafs game.  The Leafs have  one of the  top records in hockey this year but Leaf fans know that hockey seasons usually end in disappointment.  After all, the last  Maple Leaf win was in 1967.  Since I still have a share of Leaf  season tickets - I am cheering for them - but I'm not yet convinced that this season will end well.  Watching hockey  from Israel is always a challenge since there is very little  interest here and the times are less than convenient.  But I have seen a few games - and during the playoffs I am willing to sacrifice some sleep to watch my favourite teams play.  But that is not until late April - so I have some time.

Travelling Around    

If you are planning to be in Israel - and looking for something fun to do with young kids - the Yodfat Monkey Forrest in north-central Israel  features a large collection of squirrel monkeys that roam free in the park.  Kids love feeding them (with park-supplied food).  So do many adults.

The park also has a collection of other animals wandering the park including sheep, rams, goats, peacocks and pea hens, and a variety of caged birds including parrots and other talking  birds.  Nothing dangerous, as far as I could see.  People spend about an hour and a half in the park, which closes most days around 3 p.m.

Right next door, there is a fantastic vegetarian restaurant, the Yodfat Cafe, which has a wide ranging menus of salads, pasta dishes, crepes, pizzas and delicious coffee.  We have been  several times and have never been disapppointed.  Next  to the park, there is a also a strictly Kosher bakery/cafe with take out baguettes, croissants and quiches, as well as a small food-truck style Kosher pizza stand.

There are also a whole  bunch of interesting shops  including a boutique  wine store, a cheese shop, a sock store and a  range of other interesting stores and  galleries all right next door to the Monkey Forrest.

Israeli Politics

As you know, Israel held its fifth election in a period of four years on November 1, 2022.  This time around, Netanyahu and his Likud party captured 32 seats which was not nearly enough on their own to establish a government in the 120 seat Knesset.  However, political parties on the right that were prepared to support Netanyahu  reached another 32 seats in total.  That meant that Netanyahu was on track to put togher a 64 seat governing coalition. 

At first, Netanyahu thought that this would be easy to do and might take  "only days."  However, it has now been more than 7 weeks and the government has still not been sworn in.  Netanyahu has advised the President of Israel  that he has reached agreements with his coalition partners  and he is expected  to swear in the government on Thursday December 29, 2022.

This version of Netanyahu's government will be the furthest right government that  Israel has  ever had.  Netanyahu's coalition includes two ultra-religious parties (Shas and United Torah Judaism) and the Religious Zionist Party - made up of three ultra-right nationalist parties.  

The coalition talks have been difficult for Netanyahu since each of of these five coalition partners have been demanding enormous concessions and Netanyahu has felt  obliged to given in, presumably with the hope  of getting  out of his own legal difficulties in exchange.   

Among the intended, reported agreements:

A change  in the law to allow the Knesset, by a simple majority, to override any decision of the Supreme Court of Israel.

A change in the law to allow convicted criminals (like Shas leader Aryeh Deri) to serve as a cabinet minister without waiting for a seven year "cooling off" period.

A change in the law to allow "freedom of religion" to override anti-discrimination laws - examples provided include the areas of housing, medical treatment,  the military and other areas.   It is apparently targeted at LGBTQ+ people, non-religious women, Arabs and other minorities.     If this is actually implemented, I would imagine it would create worldwide backlash against Israel, even among Jewish communities in countries around the world.     

Changes to further deligimize Reform and Conservative Judaism  in Israel (and worldwide) and to strengthen the power  of the Ultra-Orthodox Rabbinical Authority.

Changes to the land,  civil and military authority in Judea and Samaria (the "West Bank") to give significant power to the Otzma ("Jewish Power") party,  led by Itamar Ben-Gvir and the Religious Zionist party led by Betzalel Smotrich.  This will impact  Palestinian housing decisions as well as decisions relating to the growth of new settlements.   It will  also impact a wide range of other decisions affecting daily life throught the disputed terrorities and the rest of Israel.

This is only the tip of the iceberg.  In fairness, it remains to be seen  which of these intended and  announced changes will actually be implemented - by a government that has not yet  even  been sworn in.  But I have no reason to believe or expect that the changes will only be "minor" or that these  changes won't get implemented.  

Overall, in my view, it is a very frightening government, moving us closer to countries like Turkey or Iran in which religious fanatics have signficant power over the lives of all Israeli citizens. One can only hope that all of the in-fighting that we have seen over the past 7 weeks (they haven't even been able to form a government  yet) will continue to create dissonance that will prove too  difficult to overcome.

To be clear - I think that is overly optimistic.  This new  government is  likely to last for a while - and it is likely to cause signficant damage to Israel as a democracy, as a  place that values the rule of law and as a place that welcomes Jewish people and others from all over the world as visitors and as potential immigrants.  The retroactive legalization of different crimes including corruption, bribery and tax  evasion, (by allowing those convicted of these crimes to serve as ministers), the legitimization of discrimination, the hand-over  of power to nationalist extremists and religious extremists - and other intended changes to the law are all are all steps that should worry Israelis and Jews  around the world who have been proud of Israel's accomplishments as a liberal democracy -  even as one  with warts and spots that inevitably accompany any country.

On the political front, I am hoping that 2023 will bring better news for Israel but I am not counting on it.  

Wishing everyone the best  of health, happiness, success and fun times  in 2023.