Friday Wrap: Synagogue Attacks. Bibi Speaks to Israeli Media.

And some random commentary and local tourism.

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Note from the Editor: I’m enjoying this Friday wrap feature…..it gives me an opportunity to summarize the week and also share material that may not merit a full pod episode or written article. And….it creates a space for me to share lighter stuff that pops up, even in the midst of a war.

In reverse chronological order, beginning Thursday March 12:

A surprise press conference was held by PM Netanyahu on Thursday, March 12, shortly after 9 pm. It was his first press availability (with Israeli media, which he tends to avoid) since the war began on February 28. His public statements, too, have been very rare.

Why last night? Well, first, have a peek at what I wrote about his appearance shortly after it happened:

Netanyahu loves the limelight. But he made himself scarce since this war began 12 days ago. In fact, he had not once spoken publicly. During a war. But, as we have seen on many occasions, he prefers to make public appearances when he is more confident he will be well-received. And when he can set the terms.

For a prime minister to ghost his own population for 12 days during what has been a very difficult war — that is an eternity. Then again, Israelis have become accustomed to a leader who prefers to engage with English language journalists who are less knowledgeable about Israeli politics and security and are also far more deferential than any Israeli media professional would be. Even the stars of American media serve up soft lobs if they land an interview with Netanyahu.

But clearly, he felt that his moment had arrived, and it was time to debut.

Just 24 hours ago, Israelis were warned by the Home Front Command to brace for a massive joint attack by Iran and Hezbollah.

The excerpt above is from my National Post column that was published late Thursday afternoon ET.

To read the full column click here .

About an hour after the Wednesday night attack began, I took a screenshot on my phone of northern Israel being blanketed by Hezballah fire.

On Thursday midday, IDF Spokesperson, Nadav Shoshani updated the media about what had transpired on Wednesday night.

Among other things, in the days leading up to the Hezballah attack on Israel, the army had tracked Radwan fighters (members of the elite Hezballah fighting force) moving south towards the Israeli border. That raises specters and fears of October 7. It is no secret that Radwan has long been planning to infiltrate northern Israel, slaughter civilians and, ideally, return to Lebanon with hostages. Prize captives are always IDF soldiers.

As it turned out, the north was hit hard but far less severely than anticipated. The expected barrage from Iran never materialized. There were missiles, to be sure, but not the bombardment that was feared.

And so, feeling buoyed, perhaps, PM Netanyahu decided this was his moment. The press conference was in Hebrew for Israeli media, which the PM tends to avoid, for reasons I get into in the National Post column.

I awoke this morning to read this quite brilliant article by Andrew Fox, in which he cautions against the sudden proliferation of early and strident declarations of victory or defeat in the war. We are in the early stages of a very volatile conflict with many moving parts. Dynamic is an understatement. And the main actors – America and Israel – seem to be diverging in terms of their visions for the outcome. I’ll be doing another podcast next week with Mr. Fox, but I leave you with his thoughts from today. Well worth the read.

Stop calling the Iran War too early

Random Rant

It has been quite a week. Where I am living, we do not have many sirens, thankfully, but stress levels are peak. This country is so small and everyone has someone they love in active army or air force or navy service. Schools and universities have been closed for two weeks. Childcare centers are closed. Community facilities are closed. Everyone stays very close to home and before venturing out it is critical to map your journey and think about where the nearest bomb shelters are located. Many workplaces are closed, except for the most essential of essential workers.

This is a war.

And in the midst of the ordered chaos, a distinct social media category portraying the war as, well, a bit of a lark has proliferated. There are endless reels of beach volleyball games, folks chilling in the sand, shirtless, buff, men jogging in packs at a brisk pace or doing one armed chin-ups. This subculture basically exists on a stretch of a few hundred meters along Tel Aviv’s beachfront.

It’s cute, now and then but it has become a touch silly. These Tel Aviv beach shots are meant to convey that the indomitable spirit of Israelis very much remains the dominant social quality in this country. “We’re tough and resilient and nothing defeats our spirit.” But it also gets a little tired, and when overdone – as it has been during these last two weeks; it diminishes the very real and serious impact this war is having on millions of Israelis. It’s a war. Not a beach party. People are being injured and killed. Homes are being destroyed. Sleep is disrupted and psychological trauma is very real.

I do a fair bit of media and do not post many of my interviews on my site but my daughter said that this one is a winner….and that I must.

Harrison Faulkner is a young, independent Canadian journalist who generates fantastic content. And, according to my daughter, this interview that I did with him earlier in the week merited inclusion in this week’s wrap. Harrison and I discussed the manner in which Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has presented Canada’s position on this war from day 1. At the outset of our interview, when Faulkner asks me how I view Carney’s position, I say that it is difficult to do so because Carney’s position has changed daily. I genuinely have no idea what he thinks, but I do go on to critique what I believe to be his position.

It was cathartic.

Like U.K. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Australian PM Anthony Albanese, Mark Carney is a leftish wannabe aristocrat who seems to have also decided – contrary to all evidence – that Islamist extremism is not a national security issue in Canada. He is unprincipled, smug and surprisingly incompetent at managing geopolitical issues. Carney is beginning to make former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau look like a foreign policy genius. And that is not a compliment.

For more fire and brimstone, you can watch my interview with Harrison Faulkner below.

In case you missed our emails this week, we put out an analysis of where things stand in the war with Iran, featuring a State of Tel Aviv and Beyond favorite, former IDF spokesperson and FDD senior fellow, Lt. Col. (Res.) Jonathan Conricus:

Later in the week, we dropped a short and sharp interview with Air Force “Major G”, a State of Tel Aviv exclusive, in which we spoke with an air force commander who has been overseeing crews running drone missions over Iran to search and destroy missile launchers.

There are great video clips and photos in both podcasts as well.

Toronto and Canada seem to make the international news these days for all the wrong reasons. One week ago, late on Friday March 12, two major synagogues were shot up with guns. Earlier in the week another large synagogue was attacked in the same manner. And then a few days later at 4 am a vehicle was caught on a CCTV camera stopping in front of the U.S. Consulate building in downtown Toronto. Two men got out, aimed their weapons at the front door, shot a few rounds, got back in and drove off.

Toronto police - who have found themselves on the pointy end of my spear repeatedly since October 7 (and for good reason) - have yet to make a single arrest or say anything much other than that this is bad. Seriously. “This is not who we are,” is a staple comment. Alas, it is who we have become, in Canada; a nation which not only tolerates but emboldens antisemitic hatred and where a smug anti-Americanism has been stoked and encouraged by the top political leadership in the country.

I will be dropping an in-depth podcast early in the coming week taking a hard look at what the heck is going on in Canada, especially Toronto. The episode will feature interviews with Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre (remember the apple video?), his Deputy, Melissa Lantsman, Israeli Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sharren Haskell, as well as other strong and important voices addressing the antisemitic gutter that Canada has become. I’ll be working hard on that this weekend.

But - just for kicks, I’ll give you a taste of the awesome apple video, which went viral around the world…..and word has it that Poilievre will be keeping some high profile media appointments while in the U.S. next week….he may go viral again…..stay tuned.

I chose this news clip from Sky News Australia because. It’s high energy and fun. And because they used the best part of the original 9-minute video of Poilievre with the hapless journalist. Unfortunately, as the Aussie journalist in the clip predicted, Poilievre did not win the last Canadian election…..but there’s always the next one. And, yes, she does butcher his name. Enjoy these two minutes:

I want to finish up this dispatch with something that is not war related. And I have a gem for you this week.

One week ago, on Friday March 6, a neighbor invited me to a spontaneous dinner. A bunch of kibbutz families were coming. Food was covered (so Israeli) so I was assigned to bring white wine. That is largely because I prefer white and my kibbutz friends are well aware of that. Israelis tend to drink red….no matter what they’re eating.

I could not bring myself to buy supermarket wine – which is a thing here – so I set about researching the closest winery and happened upon Galai. It is a short drive from my kibbutz, on a beautiful moshav, Nir Akiva. I phoned to make sure they were open – it being a Friday and a war. Assaf, the owner, assured me they were.

Here he is, as I was leaving with a few boxes of wine – saying “Howdy” as he drove home on his tractor.

And this is his employee, Eran, with whom I filmed a short little tour of their boutique winery. I’ll summarize the main bits because it is in Hebrew:

I exclaim at the beginning that I’ve discovered this fabulous place - and Eran then adds that it is in Nir Akiva. Eran tells me that I’ve discovered the Galai winery…..but before we go into the cellars I ask him to stop and explain this memorial.

I say that we should stop and respect/honor a hero - Dror Or. Eran explains that Dror was a long-time friend and also worked with the winery. A master cheesemaker at Kibbutz Be’eri. Dror was one of many good friends that they lost on October 7, including 17 year old Tomer Eliaz of Kibbutz Nahal Oz. Particularly in southern Israel, which was hit so hard on October 7, we live with it, always and everywhere.

We then enter the backroom of the operation, where the barrels and inventory are stored. The winery hosts tastings when it’s not war-time and you can also see the fridge full of cheeses. Eran shows me a number of framed certificates from competitions in which their wines have been awarded prizes but he is most proud of having been chosen as Boutique Winery of the Year at the recent Terravino competition, held in Jaffa in late February of this year. Eran says that this prize in particular really surprised them and he even allows a modest smile.

That’s the gist of it.

(I also did a video with Assaf the owner but forgot to press “record” on my phone. Seriously. Oops – sorry, Assaf. But I did get this nice photo of him and the tractor video. So….not all for naught.)

Here is a peek at their vineyards.

The wine is fantastic. I bought some reds, whites and roses. All fabulous. My Friday night dinner company last week appreciated the haul.

I want to leave you with a little more good vibey stuff.

On a beautiful afternoon this past week, I went for a long amble in the kibbutz fields with my daughter (she has relocated from Tel Aviv where the constant sirens are unbearable….everyone who can escape the center of the country has come south, where things are much quieter).

Welcome to my backyard:

And more signs of spring on the kibbutz.

Thanks for being here. Have a restorative weekend. Shabbat Shalom.