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Strong Words on Iran, Weak Actions Internally(50:33)
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While no official word has yet come out of Vienna, officials in Israel are already declaring a nuclear deal with Iran has been completed. Defense Minister Ya’alon stated, “We will have to be prepared to defend ourselves on our own,” while Opposition MK (former finance minister) Yair Lapid said, “For the state of Israel, all options are on the table, including the military option.” The panel was not so confident that this is anything more than talk. They were curious, however, how Israel has all this information before any announcements have been made.
Israel has opened an investigation into a senior officer’s actions in calling for a heavy artillery strike on a complex from which a Hamas sniper killed a soldier the prior day. At the same time, the officer who shot dead a terrorist who threw a boulder at his windshield from close range last week is being questioned over this event, even though it was said at the time that he acted appropriately. The panel discusses why these soldiers are being investigated rather than congratulated, and what effect this has on the soldiers and the police charged with protecting the citizenry.
Yishai Fleisher relates the story of what happened to him on Friday evening, when a group of Arabs attacked him and the 10 people he was with on their way to Shabbat eve prayers. Although he was armed, he did not use his weapon out of fear of what the police would do to him. The panel debates whether the apparent attempt to calm things down, rather than make arrests, was appropriate.
In an apparent attempt to bury a bill making it easier to sentence terrorists to death, the Committee for Legislation has postponed the vote for three months. This is after the bill seemed likely to gain approval. The panel discusses whom the death penalty under this bill would be applied to, and debates whether Israel should institute such a punishment.
Host: Glen Ladau
Panel: Mottle Wolfe, Daniel Seaman, Yishai Fleisher, Jeremy Gimpel