— US President Biden is expect to arrive in Israel for a diplomatic visit today, now being joined with US Secretary of State Blinkin in a last minute change along with the US delegation cancelling many traditional activities last minute such as a visit to Yad Vashem and the traditional meet and greet at the airport.  

— Defense Minister Gantz met with PA president for 5 years…ah for life… Abbas to offer concessions, ah “ease of daily life measures”, that historically have ALWAYS ended up in increased terror incidents and Jewish Israeli deaths.

…… 5,500 “undocumented” Arabs or foreigners (who arrive to marry locals) will be documented.

…… 6 PA housing building projects in area C (Israel control) will be approved.

…… Multiple housing projects in East Jerusalem, initially ones targeted at Jewish Israelis but expanded by MK Shaked to include an equal number targeting Arab Israelis and Arab Jerusalem residents, will be paused.

…… Work permits for Gazans to work in Israel will be increased by +1,500 to 15,000, with intention to continue to increase to 20,000.

…… The Salem crossing to the Shomron (West Bank) near Jenin will be re-opened.

(The news report that listed this added at the end, “there have been regular clashes (attacks on) between Israeli troops and Palestinians in the West Bank in recent months.”  Societal rewards for attacks?)

— Meretz chairman MK Horowitz, who was health minister in the coalition, will step down as chairman but run on the party list.  To understand Meretz, here’s part of his resignation speech: “Only Meretz advocates social and social democratic justice, ending the occupation and striving for peace on the basis of a two-state solution, and the separation of religion from the state.”

— MK Handel, “The dichotomy around Netanyahu is driving the political system crazy. They no longer ask anything about risk management in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, governance in the Negev, attitudes toward minorities or relations between religion and state. Everything is Bibi. It is insane and leads to an election campaign again and again.”

— Religious Zionism, which included Otzma Yehudit as part of a joint list last election, is having serious internal issues.  MK Smotrich has arranged an open primary, inviting the Otzma people to be included in the primary (and even take over the party if the place higher).  Otzma appears to want to stay separate, to guarantee their people are not submerged if the larger group were to vote them down.  Given the combined party was polling a few days ago as high as 10 seats, this now public conflict is guaranteed to hurt their chances… assuming they come back together.  If they run separate, they will lose support and may not even make the threshold.

INTERESTING POLL - Charedi (orthodox Jewish) community in Israel, who will you vote for?

56% - United Torah Judaism

30% - Shas

4% - Religious Zionism

3% - Otzma Yehudit

3% - it’s prohibited to vote!

3% - don’t know

0.4% - Blue and White

0.3% - Likud