Originally he was going to be meeting with Prime Minister Bennett pictured above with Biden and UK PM Boris Johnson, but Bennett was forced to resign a couple of weeks ago.
Instead, Biden will meet with interim Prime Minister Yair Lapid who will be in power until we hold Israeli elections on November 1.
Coincidentally, Boris Johnson was also forced to resign last week after 50 members of his own party resigned.
My guess is that if there were elections in America today, Biden would lose. Today’s polls show his approval rating at a dismal 30 – 33 percent (according to US press reports from right to left).
POLITICAL POINTS BEFORE NOVEMBER
It seems both Lapid and Biden need to pick up some political support before their respective elections in November.
So in a mutually beneficial gambit, Lapid picked up the phone and called our “non-partner in Peace” Mahmoud Abbas, head of the Palestinian Authority AKA PLO for the first time in five years. (nothing was accomplished… it was a call for the sake of a call to make Biden and Lapid look good)
Biden, in an op-ed in the Washington post, trying to justify his trip to the Middle East when his constituents are focused on inflation, fuel prices and an open southern border took credit for the call!“And this week,” Biden wrote, “an Israeli prime minister spoke with the president of the Palestinian Authority for the first time in five years.”
And?….. So what?
COMMON DENOMINATOR
What is the common denominator between Biden, Bennett and Boris that caused them all to lose support from even their most staunch allies?
They campaigned on a set of values, principles and promises and eventually reneged on most of them.
- Bennett was the hardliner to the right of Netanyahu, who ended up bringing terror-supporting Arabs into his government.
- Boris was supposed to be the conservative UK version of Trump who ended up acting more like the Euro Liberal Elite whom he hobnobbed with.
- Biden was supposed to be the voice of calm, moderate policy and be the unifier who turned hard left after being elected.
All three of them did it for political expediency.
JOSHUA IS THE ANSWER
I woke up early before the sunrise this morning to review this week’s Torah portion “Pinchas” and to research an answer to one of our reader’s questions.
“Was the Joshua mentioned in 1 Chronicles 7, who was born in Egypt, the same Joshua who led the Nation of Israel into the Land of Israel? (Didn’t the entire generation of Egypt die out in the desert?”
The answer is in this week’s portion. Joshua and Caleb were the only two of the entire generation of Egypt who were allowed to enter the Land of Israel!
Why??
Because when the twelve spies, the leaders of each tribe, were sent to scout out the Land of Israel, TEN of those leaders lost their trust in God, and looked at it only in political terms and complained, “We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we” Numbers 13:31
Caleb and Joshua stood up against tremendous political pressure from these ten leaders and said, “Let us go up at once, and inherit it (the Land that God promised us); for we are well able to overcome it”
This was the reason that they merited to enter the Land, and the reason that Joshua merited to be the Leader of the Nation after Moshe.
He was able to stand by his principals and not waver no matter which way the political winds were blowing, nor how much political pressure was put on him. The people knew Joshua could be trusted to fulfill God’s Will.
Now we can understand why Moshe’s and God’s blessing to Joshua was repeated so often…
Chazak Ve’Ematz! Be strong and be courageous!
Deut. 31:6, 31:23, Josh. 1:6, 1:9
May we all merit leaders who have the strength and courage to stand for Godly values and not bend under political pressure.
The Gaon of Vilna says that the lack of trustworthy leaders is the main barrier to the coming of the final redemption.
Thank you so much for your support!
With blessings,
Shmuel Veffer
Galilee Green