26
JUNE 4, 2020 | The Jewish Home
est-ever cabinet – so large that it was necessary to make across-the-board budget cuts in order to fund the new offices. While Israelis on the left and the right debate which bloc truly won the elections, one group seems to have come out on top: the haredi Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ) parties. These parties control the Housing and Interior ministries, allowing them to help the haredi public and ease their housing crisis. The Religious Affairs Ministry, under control of the Shas party, will be able to ensure that no changes are made to the status quo of how religion is defined and handled in Israel. Five of the seven deputy ministers to have been appointed so far are from the haredi parties, which tend to prefer deputy minister posts, as per their rabbis’ instructions. The committees held by the parties are also influential: UTJ’s Moshe Gafni still heads the Finance Committee, ultimately in charge of writing up budget law, and Shas’ Yaakov Margi now chairs the Economy Committee, giving him influence over any and all economic reforms. The all-important Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee – one
of the Knesset’s most powerful committees – is for the first time in the hands of UTJ. In addition, UTJ’s coalition agreement stipulates that “the status quo on religion and state issues shall be preserved, as was accepted in Israel for decades. The government will act to respect the Sabbath and holidays of Israel, which preserved us as a people. If any change threatens the status quo, the prime minister and the ‘Likud bloc’ shall act together and through mutual commitment to remove the harm in order to preserve the status quo.” In other words, changing the Draft Law to force young haredi men to join the IDF is now a no-go. The haredi parties may not agree with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu on everything, but they remained loyal to him throughout three rounds of elections, mostly due to fear of being left without political power were Benny Gantz – now Alternate Prime Minister – to rise to power. The periods in which the haredi parties were not part of the government are remembered as bad for the haredi public – something which the parties and voters themselves prefer to avoid.
Back to Work
Boot camp
An actionable webinar series designed to help you find the right job and get back to work Identify what the “right” job is for you Learn new tools to research job possibilities Interview with more confidence Craft a resume that clearly portrays your abilities, experiences and interests Negotiate more favorable employment terms And much more!
Presented by Naphtali Hoff, PsyD, and Shaina Keren, MSEd
June 9, 11 and 16 2:00-3:00 pm et PRICE: $79 FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER, VISIT
ImpactfulCoaching.com/btwb
Join us for an interactive 3-part virtual webinar series designed exclusively for serious job seekers!
Trump Cuts Ties with WHO
On Friday, President Trump announced that he is “terminating” the U.S. relationship with the World Health Organization (WHO). This decision came just 11 days after the president threatened to permanently revoke U.S. funding in a letter he had addressed to the WHO leadership. The U.S. leader cited the WHO's failure to enact reforms in the face of concerns over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic and its pro-China bias as reasons for severing the relationship. “Because they have failed to make the requested and greatly needed reforms, we will be today terminating our relationship with the World Health Organization and redirecting those funds to other worldwide and deserving urgent global public health needs,” Trump told reporters at a Rose Garden event. Trump also announced a number of measures aimed primarily at China in response to its conduct on a number of fronts including trade, the coronavirus, and its recent crackdown on Hong Kong. “The world is now suffering as a result of the misfeasance of the Chinese government,” Trump said. The U.S. had been the top contributor to the WHO to the tune of approximately $450 million a year. China, meanwhile, pays approximately $50 million a year – although Beijing had recently announced a $2 billion injection of funds. The U.S. has raised concerns about WHO officials’ praise of Chinese “transparency,” its ignoring of warnings about the virus from Taiwan, and its repetition of Chinese claims that COVID-19 could not be spread person-to-person. Trump noted that he had received opposition from WHO officials regarding his decision to place a travel ban on China in the initial days of the crisis.
“Chinese officials ignored their reporting obligations to the World Health Organization and pressured the World Health Organization to mislead the world when the virus was first discovered by Chinese authorities,” he said. “Countless lives have been taken and profound economic hardship has been inflicted across the globe.” Targeting the Chinese directly, Trump said he will issue a proclamation to secure university research and to “suspend the entry of certain foreign nationals from China who we have identified as a potential security risk.” Trump also accused China of “smothering” freedom in Hong Kong with its newly enacted national security law that would stifle opposition and criminalize anti-government movements such as the pro-democracy demonstrations seen in the territory in recent years. The State Department this week reported to Congress that Hong Kong is no longer autonomous after a number of moves by Beijing to shut down the freedoms that were agreed to as part of the 1997 handover of the territory by the British. Trump said the move by Beijing was a “plain violation” of its treaty obligations: “China has replaced its promised formula of ‘one country two systems’ with ‘one country one system.’” The president also announced that the U.S. will be eliminating policy exemptions that give Hong Kong different and special treatment “from our extradition treaty to our export controls on dual use technologies and more with few exceptions.” Trump added that the State Department’s travel advisory for Hong Kong would be revised to reflect the increased danger of surveillance and punishment by the Chinese. Additionally, the U.S. is revoking Hong Kong’s preferential treatment as a separate customs and travel territory and taking steps to sanction officials involved in eroding Hong Kong’s autonomy.
SpaceX Blasts Off SpaceX’s new spacecraft, the Falcon 9 rocket, was designed to fly cargo and supplies to the International Space Station but it also has a window, symbolizing the reason Elon Musk started the company in the first place.
