Here is the actual story as written by the participant. I've erased certain details for security reasons.

Friday afternoon I was on my way home, I stopped by the Gilo trempiada to pick up anyone going to Efrat.

A lady in her 40's gets in and says she is going to Efrat. She had the appearance of a nice Jewish women (Tichel on the head and all) and spoke fluent Hebrew!
So I picked her up and started driving.

As I was driving something felt wrong, I turned and asked the women what her destination was, she answered "derech Efrat", I asked her to specify a yishuv and she kept quiet, at this point I became very suspicious and asked her if she was Jewish, She said yes and so I kept driving.

I then took a wild guess and asked her if she needed to get to Bet Lechem?, She said YES!!

I swerved my car to the shoulder, jumped out and told her she has ten seconds to get out of my car, I was counting down with one hand on my gun. She started getting out and saying that I was embarrassing her and that she was Jewish!!

I of course was feeling embarrassed and very confused! I asked for her Teudat Zehut, she answered that she does not have it with her! I once again asked if she was Jewish and this time she told me she was an Arab woman!

After several seconds of yelling at this woman, I told what the difference between a Jew and an Arab is! "YOU GUYS BLOW UP AND MURDER!!!!"

I immediately called a local security official who instructed me to have this woman open her bags to make sure she was not carrying a bomb! I ordered her to rip open all five bags she was carrying and dump them on the sidewalk.

She complained and yelled a little but I made it very clear I was not fooling around! After several seconds she started dumping her clothes out on the sidewalk!

After being sure she was not carrying any weapons I ordered her to get back into the car and that I was taking her to the nearest checkpoint! She got back in and I sped to the nearest Machsom! I jumped out and approached the MAGAVNICK with this story!

I was FUMING (after what happened the day before in kedumim!) This woman has some nerve!

The Magav told me that he will escort me to the Bet Lechem base where they will arrest the woman!

I arrived at the base and told the Magav that I will stick around till this woman is arrested! He then asked her for a Teudat Zehut and she pulls out a green Palestinian ID!
She then turns to me and says - " Toda Raba" - I turned to her and said - When you sick Muslims stop blowing people up I might take you in my car - till then keep your mouth shut!!!

The Magav came back after 20 minutes and said to me the following " this woman broke the law and we will therefore arrest her, but you too broke the law!"

In disbelief I replied....WHAT?!

The Magav looked me straight in the eyes and says: "You were transporting a palestinian without a permit!!!!"

I was in completes shock!

I looked this guy back in the eye and said " put the cuffs on! I would love to stand in front of the judge and explain this!!"

He then tells me that I can go and they will deal with the woman!

I say NO WAY!! I am here to make sure you don't let this woman go!!

The magav turns to me and says..."go home"! I left out of total disbelief!!!

PEOPLE:
If you are waiting for a tremp or are picking someone up ASK ABOUT ANY SUSPICIONS YOU HAVE!! Dont be shy or you might be DEAD!!
I had a bad feeling making a woman empty her belongings - BUT - that's because I am Jewish!!! AND THAT"S EXACTLY WHAT THE ARABS ARE BETTING ON!!!
This case is exactly what " Lerachem al achzarim" means!!!!

Some minor changes have resulted from counting the outstanding votes.

Except for providing Olmert with 61 nearly guaranteed disengagement votes (assuming the Gimlaim vote as he wants), as of yet I can't see it affecting anything else besides some internal perceptions (and 6 specifically happy or disappointed individuals).

• Kadima 29 (up from 28)
• Likud 12 (up from 11)
• Meretz 5 (up from 4)
  ---------------------------------------
• Shas 12 (down from 13)
• Lieberman 11 (down from 12)
• Raam-Tal 3 (down from 4)

For Kadima, overall this is good because Shas and Lieberman now can't ask for as much.

For a potential Labor coalition it doesn't effectively change anything, except make the idea much more interesting to Shas and Lieberman now that they are less important to Kadima. It may also make the idea more interesting to Labor as they can still get rid of any (at least one) choice of partners and still have 61.

• Avoda 20
  ...(Prime Minister, Foreign, Finance, Industry-Trade, Labor, Education)
• Shas 12
  ...(Interior, Justice, Construction&Housing)
• Likud 12
  ...(Agriculture, Communications)
• Lieberman 11
  ...(Defense, Security, Transportation)
• Gimlaim 7
  ...(Health)
• UTJ 6
  ...(Deputy Minister - they don't like taking full responsibility)
• Meretz 5
  ...(Environment)

Total 73 seats.

In short, the idea is still doable and even more favorable to Avoda if Peretz really wants to be Prime Minister and not second string.

As a number of bloggers and pundits have already pointed out, there is a good possibility that we can still foil Kadima.

A Labor/Perertz led coalition with most of the smaller parties can easily block Kadima’s entrance to the government. Not only that, but there is less of a problem of portfolio greed as most of the parties have just a single issue or two that is really important to them and they want the same results anyway.

One viable Coalition configuration could easily be:

Avoda 20
...(Prime Minister, Foreign, Finance, Industry-Trade, Labor, Education)
Shas 13
...(Interior, Justice, Construction&Housing)
Lieberman 12
...(Defense, Security, Transportation)
Likud 11
...(Agriculture, Communications)
Gimlaim 7
...(Health)
UTJ 6
...(Deputy Minister - they don't like taking full responsibility)
Meretz 4
...(Environment)

Total 73 seats.

Everyone gets what is important to them – either a good seat, or at least the knowledge that this will forever destroy Kadima.

The Likud might prefer only the Justice ministry to start going after the Kadima people, and Liebrrman may want it also. Meretz would obviously want Education, but the other coalition partners would never agree, so it would stay with Labor.

If only Amir Peretz has the guts to try this.

This election, if anything, has not only proven that sound bites have shrunk to the length of single word, but if something fails or is unpopular, don’t fix it – rename it.

For those that haven’t caught on yet, disengagement was a failure, for every reason, and even its implementers know it.

The solution? We now have a “Convergence” plan. The difference? Nothing, except that the name that is linked to failure (disengagement) is replaced with a clean word (convergence) that carries no baggage (yet).

And Kadima? Failures and rejects from their party. Sharon destroyed the Likud from the inside. Destroyed its name, destroyed its reputation, and destroyed its standing in the public’s eye. So instead we have Kadima. And what is Kadima? The same exact people that brought us ‘disengagement’ and other problems merely repackaged under a different name.

It was only a matter of time that after disengagement convergence the Katushya Convergence Rockets would begin to fall, but now at least we have a new name for voter apathy, it called, well we don’t have a new name, because no one even needs to repackage it, the public doesn't care enough for it to warrant a new name.

Anyway you slice it there is not even close to a Right-wing or Center-Right constellation of parties. On the other hand, it looks like the Left can form a viable coalition without Kadima if they wanted. It would be tight, but it would be doable.

The numbers may still change slightly, but that is all.

I’m waiting for the final numbers, but Baruch Marzel may have come very close (or even in) despite the various campaigns against him. We’ll know later in the morning.

I think there are lessons here for the Right. Stop attacking your fellow right-wing parties. Your opponents are the Left-wing parties. How much money and campaign time was wasted attacking each other (and I don’t just mean against Marzel)?

Every Right-wing party looked at the pie and kept trying to slice it at the expense of the other Right-wing parties as opposed to exclusively trying to expand the pie by attracting unaffiliated and undecided voters.

Also learn that Israelis now care about social/economic issues, and you can’t continue to be a one-trick pony anymore, or at least only harp on one issue.

Wake up! Stop counting on Shas and UTJ to stand by your side! They aren’t Right-wing parties and never were. Their constituents may very well be, but they aren’t getting voted in for that. They are getting voted in for the money.

And on that note, I wanted to discuss how the religious parties will be playing a role in the upcoming disengagements, but perhaps I'll save it for another post.

Who won these elections?

A party with no ideology (except for kicking settlers out of their homes) with a leader who is tired of fighting and winning, and social-based parties that will bring back socialism and higher taxes. And this is where nearly half the citizens couldn’t even be bothered to go out and vote.

What does that say about Israel?

Israel has lost the will to survive. Israel has lost the will to fight. Israel is looking for quick and easy solutions to real problems that don’t have quick and easy solutions.

No one cares that 2 people were killed today by a Kassam rocket. No one cares that the Gazans have been importing Katushya rockets and now begun to use them. No one cares that Israel is not properly fighting the terrorists. No one cares that disengagement has failed or that the socialist infrastructure that was crushing our economy to the point of bankruptcy was nearly at the verge of being removed and positive outcomes were finally being seen by the overall improvements in our economy and the increase in available jobs.

Unfortunately, it is only us, a minority in this country that are still willing to fight for a free market, oppose terrorism, and to keep for our homes and country.

We won’t let these results discourage us. The fight will be more difficult now, but we can’t give in, because if we do then all is lost for everyone in this country, not just us.

The initial exit polls are coming in, and beyond portraying the mass voter apathy, it is pretty clear that any sort of strong ‘right-wing’ bloc is not even close. Lieberman’s party already declared their willingness to join Qadima, Labor obviously wants to join, and the evening’s surprise, the Pensioner’s party said they have no ideological stance beyond their one issue, so whoever takes care of them gets their support (actually they have a stance and it is Left, read 3.2 and 3.3. hattip Robert Klein).

The Ultra-Orthodox parties Aguda/Degel and Shas both did slightly better than expected, but they will also go with Qadima for the money. They won't get as much as they wanted perhaps because Qadima doesn't really need them anymore, but they'll get their bone for keeping quiet during the next disengagement.

After the Likud’s devastation, we can expect a coup against Netanyahu, and if it succeeds Silvan will probably try to bring the Likud into Qadima (which will just make the party disappear).

The NRP NU is already trying to blame their poor less than expected showing on Baruch Marzel whose unity attempt they spurned. Oh please.

On the other hand, Qadima did very well, but not well enough to get the 100% free hand it wanted (just 95%).

Labor and the Pensioner’s party did very well, which shows that economic issues are now going to take the forefront, unfortunately I hope this isn’t a step backwards towards an even larger government, more government interference, and of course higher taxes, but it may very well be. (Shitreet thinks a 200% tax on cars is a good thing).

It may very well be that the government will be so busy raising our taxes to create economic equality (everyone equally poor?) that it will be too busy to waste the time throwing me out of my home in exchange for Katushya (that’s right the Gazans launched their first Iranian Katushya rocket today into Ashkelon) rockets. Aren't we glad the censors did not let that get published until the polls were nearly closed?

Oh well.

The counting of the votes will continue until the morning and they'll also start to count the soldier's votes.

Time to go to sleep and see what changes by the morning (I don't expect much, maybe Alei Yarok will get in after all).

Just to let the readers know. JoeSettler placed his vote where his keyboard is. (Money where his mouth is)

Without hesitation, worries, or qualms, JoeSettler (and Mrs. Settler too) voted Baruch Marzel / Chazit while JoeSettler Jr. watched and learned how democracy works (or doesn't).

Disengagement rockets launched from Jew-free Gaza killed 2 more people today, on election day. It is not expected that this will affect any potential Kadima voters as this time the two were "only" Beduins, just as previous rockets "only" hit Ashkelon, Sderot, and the South. No serious IDF response is expected.

It's unfortunate that if Kadima wins and pulls out of additional parts of Eretz Yisrael then the rocket attacks will just escalate and start hitting more towns and cities - eventually including those where Kadima voters live.

Unfortunately, ideology is not the only thing missing here.

There is no party that properly represents us voters, there is no party we feel we can trust to fulfill our wishes (and their promises or platform). There is no party whose vote is not without serious risk of one backlash or another. There is almost no party with any principles (or positive ones at least).

In short, despite the plethora of choices, we are left with no one to vote for.

Certainly 'Just Not Qadima' should be our rallying cry and model for voting this election, but who says that the party we vote for won't then join Qadima (nearly all of them have openly published their list prices for joining).


I've been pleasantly surprised as to how many people have told me they are voting Marzel/Hazit (which is the party I am voting for). Is it a risk? Yes. But I don't see at a bigger risk than voting for any other party that will join Qadima if Qadima get enough seats and offers them enough money/jobs/seats.


In ‘The Princess Bride’ Westley and Vizzini (“inconceivable”) are in a battle of wits over the cup with the iocane poison. Vizzini calculates and analyzes as to the (unknowable) motivations and thought processes of Westley, and in which cup Westley most likely put the poison. Vizzini (thinks he) figured it out, and he then tricks Westley to look away while he switches the cups, putting the (he assumes) poisoned cup in front of Westley. He and Westley then both drink up.


This election is scary beyond belief. My house is on the line. Your house in on the line. Increased terrorism is on the line. Missiles will be hitting large cities. More capitulations. An ineffective and inappropriate separation wall/fence. The potential loss of Hevron, the Tomb of the Patriarchs, and even the Temple Mount.

And like Vizzini, there are those that are calculating and contemplating, ‘don’t vote for Marzel it a wasted vote’, or ‘your vote will go to Qadima’, and ‘if we have this many and they have that many seats this will happen’, and so on.

Sometimes you can simply outsmart yourself with all these twists and turns.

Vizzini died in the end. He outsmarted himself, because he didn't look at other options besides the ones obviously placed in front of him.

Did he choose wrong? Yes and No.

You see, it turns out that both cups were full of poison. Westley, our hero, built up an immunity to iocane powder so it really didn’t matter which poisoned cup he drank from, he would survive either way.


It's times like these that we have to trust in Hashem, and even if things don't turn out the way we think is best right now, we need to remember that in the long term it will. G/d didn’t bring us this far so we can fail right before the finish line.


We have are own immunity to our local version of the iocane poison. Perhaps we may not feel so well immediately afterwards, but it is our Torah communities that will survive, thrive and win in the end.

The former residents of Gaza may still be homeless, jobless, and facing incredible difficulties, but they are still holding strong, and while it may take years, their communities will come back even stronger from the experience.


We need to do what is right and vote for the party that best represents what we believe in and want, and leave the calculating and scheming to G/d. Ultimately, it’s out of our hands.

I’m proudly voting Marzel because Marzel represents uncompromising Torah values and love for Am and Eretz Yisrael, not to mention serious Democratic Reform (within the Torah’s boundaries).

I’m doing my part, G/d will do G/d’s.