Grapevine February 18, 2026: I beg your pardon, Donald Trump

Because Netanyahu has a record of skirting the truth, many refuse to believe him. But anyone who looks at the history of Trump’s relations with people who dare to disagree with him may reach a different conclusion.

When, during his address to the Knesset, he asked Herzog to pardon Netanyahu, it was widely considered as being cute – though even then it was thought that he had done so at Netanyahu’s bidding.

Herzog took the trouble to explain to Trump that, under Israeli law, a pardon can be given only when the applicant has been convicted, admits to the felony, and expresses remorse. The request is then submitted to the Justice Ministry, whose recommendations on studying the case are submitted to the president, who ultimately makes his decision one way or the other.

Trump chose to ignore this. It’s not Herzog who should be ashamed; it’s Trump.

Herzog is a polite person by nature, and although he was probably furious at the insult and what it implied, he maintained his dignity and his restraint, and responded in a polite manner.

Trump could take some lessons from him.

In asking for the president’s help, members of the delegation said “Tell us what to do.” The response to that plea should be obvious. With Knesset elections only eight months away at most, and probably sooner, what the Arabs should be doing is putting their disagreements aside and joining forces to conduct a nationwide election campaign, trying to convince Arab citizens that the more votes a joint party gets, the more Knesset seats it is likely to hold; and if it manages to get a double-digit number, it should be a force to contend with in the next Knesset, especially if Jewish supporters also vote for an Arab list.

There are currently 12 Arab MKs. The number could easily rise to 15 and more if a concerted effort is made to bring eligible Arab and Druze voters to the ballot box.

Leading figures among current Arab legislators include Mansour Abbas, Ayman Odeh, Ahmad Tibi, and Aida Touma-Sliman. Tibi is the most veteran legislator in the group. The present Knesset is the 11th in which he is serving.

Incidentally, there are Arabs serving in Zionist parties, including right-wing parties.

■ THE ENGLISH-LANGUAGE newsletter from Rachel Neiman, the head of international media relations at the National Library of Israel, arrived late last week with an apology stating that she had been out of the office.

She did not explain the reason for her absence, but her excuse was a good one. She was preparing for her wedding to Jonathan Sierra, the CEO of Yarok Microbio, a start-up through which he acts as consultant to Israeli foodtech and agrotech companies. He is also a social activist and has a background in communications and education.

They’ve actually been together for 20 years, but decided that it was time to tie the knot and make their union official. The wedding was a two-day affair, with the ceremony taking place in Jerusalem’s Italian Synagogue last Friday morning, and the celebration on Saturday night at the former Shaare Zedek Hospital site, which is now an impressive social space facility.

The elaborate baroque-style Italian Synagogue, which is more than 300 years old, was dismantled from its original site in Canegliano and reassembled in Jerusalem in 1952.

Both the American-born bride and the Italian-born groom, who met in Israel, are the offspring of scholarly rabbis who were prominent in both religious and academic circles. The bride is the daughter of Rabbi David Neiman, and the groom the son of Rabbi Sergio Joseph Sierra.

The parents of the couple are all deceased, but in order to honor them, and in a sense have them at the wedding, the invitations included the marriage photographs of each set of parents.

The officiant was educator and social and political activist Rabbi Avidan Friedman, who said that when he was having his prenuptial discussion with the couple, the bottom-line sentence “Aren’t we lucky?” was like a slogan for the event. He suggested that everyone present was lucky, and rattled off a string of reasons why.

The actual bridal ceremony took place on the bimah, where, prior to the entrance of the bride and groom, a string trio serenaded the guests, who filled the men’s chamber and part of the women’s gallery. Unlike most grooms, Sierra took on the role of MC and conducted the secular part of the ceremony.

The bridal canopy was unlike either of the traditional options. It was not a tallit (prayer shawl), with the corners held by four men over the heads of the bride and groom. Nor was it a canopy mounted on four poles bedecked with flowers. It was an arc of fine fabric suspended across one side of the bimah, and just wide enough to cover the space occupied by the bridal couple.

As they entered the chamber, the crowd gave a loud roar of joy, which later prompted Friedman to remark that he had the feeling that the couple got married just to make everyone else happy. In fact, at the end of every blessing, the crowd roared again.

Among the guests were some of the groom’s friends from the time they were children together in Italy. The bride’s sisters Becky and Rina flew in from the United States, as did journalist, author, and public speaker Sue Fishkoff, a longtime friend of the bride, with whom she worked together at The Jerusalem Post some 30 plus years ago.

At the conclusion of the ceremony, after the reciting of the seven blessings, the couple were blessed again by two members of the priestly tribe in full traditional custom.

Some of the guests were also present at the Saturday celebration, where refreshments were served all night. There were many other people who had not been at the synagogue on Friday. A DJ was on hand, and people had a great time dancing solo or in couples. The atmosphere was enhanced by psychedelic lighting.

The best part, however, was the singing of the Sheva Brachot (seven blessings) by women instead of men, followed by dances in circles that many participants had learned in Zionist youth groups when they were adolescents.

But why stop at the community? Expel them from the country. The violent radicals who attack soldiers, police, civilians advocating for haredi young men to join the IDF, and particularly those haredim who volunteer or do respond to call-up notices are simply terrorists in black kapotas. The black kapota doesn’t fool anyone. Their actions point to a lack of ethics and civil behavior.

Netanyahu recently signed a deportation order which included stripping two Israeli Arab terrorists of their citizenship. The same penalty should apply to Jewish terrorists.

■ CRITICS OF haredi radicals should be careful to refrain from being generic.

On Sunday, KAN 11 news anchor Tali Moreno made the cardinal error of speaking in generic terms about the haredim of Bnei Brak.

This raised the hackles of Michael Shemesh, the talented reporter on domestic politics. Shemesh, who was born and raised in Bnei Brak, tried to explain that haredim are not a homogeneous group, and that there are many different haredi sects with different values, ethics, and attitudes.

Moreno remained unconvinced, and Shemesh, who is usually in an upbeat mood, became increasingly agitated.

Sitting opposite him was mild-mannered Suleiman Maswadeh, who reports on foreign politics in their Israel context. Maswadeh, who is a Jerusalem-born Arab, is likewise an excellent reporter. Paraphrasing Shemesh’s comments, he said that Arabs are also placed under the generic umbrella.

■ CHAOS AND anarchy notwithstanding, the month ahead will bring a happy spirit to Christians, Muslims, and Jews.

Last week, following renovations, at an investment of NIS 25 million, Qasr el-Yahud, the baptism site on the Jordan River, and third most important Christian holy site in Israel, was officially inaugurated.

The coming months should be a period of joy all round.

Muslims in Israel and around the world will begin celebrating Ramadan on Wednesday night, February 18, and will conclude the festival on March 18.

Jews, at least those in Israel, know that Purim is around the corner, because the triangular-shaped cookies associated with Purim have been appearing in supermarkets and pastry shops.

Purim, which begins on the evening of Tuesday, March 3, officially ends on March 4, but in Israel it generally goes on for a whole week, beginning ahead of the festival and ending several days afterward.

For Christians, looking forward to Easter, the renovation project jointly undertaken by the Tourism Ministry, the Environmental Protection Ministry, the Civil Administration, and the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA) is a significant boon.

Last week, Michael Izhakov, CEO of the ministry, Col. L., deputy head of the administration, and Raya Shurki, CEO of the authority, officially inaugurated the renewed baptism site.

The work included the development of external infrastructure – roads, parking lots, and landscaping; construction of a large, air-conditioned restroom building with hot showers and changing cubicles; a new service center; a wide wooden deck, allowing safe access to the river; a dedicated pergola for prayers; and more.

The site, which in Israel is the third most important for Christianity, after the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Church of the Nativity, now offers an improved visitor experience for the many thousands of visitors who come through its gates annually.

“The investment in Qasr el-Yahud, a historic site for the Jewish people and one of the most important pilgrimage sites for Christianity, is another step we are taking to develop and upgrade tourism infrastructure at faith and heritage sites, with the goal of enhancing the visitor experience and ensuring a high-quality, accessible visit,” said Tourism Minister Haim Katz.

“The baptism site is one of the most important spiritual and historical sites in the Christian world, serving as a pilgrimage destination for Christian pilgrims and tourists every year,” said INPA CEO Raya Shurki.

“The Israel Nature and Parks Authority considers it a top priority to preserve the sanctity of the site, while developing [it] and making it accessible to the highest standards.

“Our role at the authority is to safeguard the heritage, nature, and landscape values for the benefit of the public, as we do at many other sites important to diverse populations and religions. We are pleased to enable an enhanced visiting experience – respectful, safe, and convenient – while maintaining the utmost care for the natural, scenic, and historical values of the Jordan River and the entire area.”

Qasr el-Yahud is an important pilgrimage destination, which over the years has attracted hundreds of thousands of Christian pilgrims from around the world who come to immerse themselves in the Jordan River, just as John the Baptist is said to have baptized Jesus there some two thousand years ago.

At the point where the river crosses the Jericho plains, it creates a unique lifeline in the heart of the desert.

The site was first opened to visitors in 2009, initially with only temporary structures. Since then, vast numbers have visited annually, with a peak of nearly one million tourists and pilgrims in 2019. More are expected in the future, now that the site has been upgraded to the highest standards, with ongoing improvements planned for later this year, when an air-conditioned auditorium will be constructed to host prayers and other events throughout the year, regardless of weather conditions, along with an accessible path to the water designed for people with physical disabilities.

■ ANOTHER INAUGURAL event last week was the unveiling ceremony at the Innovitz Technologies headquarters in Rosh Ha’ayin of the Barak Light Guard, a cutting-edge smart perimeter defense system.

Key participants at the event included Yoav Riesel, CEO of the Drive Group; Omer David Keilaf, CEO and founder of Innoviz; Dr. Yehuda Elmaliah, CEO of Cogniteam; Ohad Kopolovich, CFO and VP of business development at Drive Group; Benny Lev, CEO of Barak 555 (Drive Group); Elad Hofstetter, chief business officer at Innoviz.

These senior executives, who represented the three companies responsible for developing the system, were joined by representatives from the Israeli defense ecosystem and national infrastructure companies, who came to witness firsthand how the Barak Light Guard transforms any standard fence into a truly “smart” barrier.

Developed by Barak 555 in partnership with Innoviz and Cogniteam, the system utilizes advanced LiDAR technology and AI-driven solutions to provide precise detection, classification, and tracking in all terrains, day or night.

The system integrates a high-resolution 3D LiDAR sensor, a video camera, and AI-based analytics software. This combination allows for the identification and classification of objects – such as humans, vehicles, or animals – at distances of up to 500 meters, with extended ranges currently in development.

Unlike traditional radar-based systems, the Barak Light Guard relies on laser beams. This offers two distinct advantages: regulatory ease – it does not require frequency permits from the Communications Ministry; operational resilience – it remains completely unaffected by electromagnetic interference.

■ IT HAS been mentioned in this column more than once that too many volunteer groups in Israel overlap in their goals and activities.

This situation may be remedied – at least partially – with the introduction of a National Volunteer Management App ahead of any of the emergency scenarios concerning a possible attack by Iran.

Tomer Dror, CEO of the volunteer organization Lev Echad (One Heart), says, “Precise volunteer management reduces waste of public resources, eases the burden on authorities and aid organizations, and enables far more effective allocation of civilian responders during emergencies.”

Amid rising security tensions and growing concerns over potential escalation with Iran, public and economic discourse has increasingly turned to the question of Israel’s civilian preparedness. While the security system is equipped for large-scale scenarios, it has become evident that civilian society requires a modern, technology-driven infrastructure to respond effectively, Dror emphasized.

In light of this need and, drawing on extensive field experience, the Lev Echad Organization is launching Israel’s first national technological platform for managing civilian volunteering during routine times and emergencies.

Since October 7, more than 110,000 volunteers have operated through the Lev Echad system, supporting evacuated communities, assisting families of fallen and wounded soldiers, working at missile impact sites, rehabilitating educational institutions, and helping run unprecedented civilian aid operations.

During the recent Iran-Israel conflict, over 12,000 volunteers across the North, South, and Center participated in Lev Echad’s activities, demonstrating both the scale and the logistical complexity of coordinating large-scale civilian response efforts in real time.

The system, developed over two years of development, addresses one of the most significant weaknesses in civilian emergency response: slow and inaccurate matching of real time needs with available volunteers. The platform uses smart, personalized matching based on location, availability, and skill areas, enabling volunteers to join relevant tasks within 60 seconds.

This represents a major conceptual shift. Instead of relying on informal telephone networks, WhatsApp groups, and Excel spreadsheets, Lev Echad now offers a structured, digital, nationwide infrastructure model. Associations, local authorities, and aid organizations can input operational needs in real time, while volunteers receive targeted, relevant assignments without manual coordination or delays. The result is dramatically faster response times, elimination of duplication, and improved efficiency, precisely when every minute counts.

According to Dror, “Large-scale emergencies are not a question of if, but when.

“Our experience over recent months has shown that while tens of thousands of civilians want to help, without an organized system the result is overload, wasted resources, and frustration. Volunteering must function like a technical system, with control, oversight, and real-time coordination.

“After two years of development and extensive field learning, we have built an infrastructure that connects civilians who need help with real needs, in real time. Proper deployment saves lives. Lev Echad volunteer work during emergency situations has been invaluable and, in many cases it actually led to saving lives.”

The system is now open for new volunteer registration and also allows the public to submit aid requests across multiple fields.

Lev Echad stresses that this infrastructure is designed not only for times of escalated security, but also for routine use, as part of a broader approach to ongoing civilian preparedness.

■ ALMOST EVERY supermarket, pharmacy, and cosmetics shop in Israel carries products from the wide Dr. Fischer range of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.

It’s not just a brand name. The person behind the name is Dr. Eli Fischer, who on Independence Day will be officially named Yakir Tel Aviv – a Worthy of Tel Aviv.

In addition to having a direct effect on countless people who use one or more of his products, Fischer has been involved in many of the city’s cultural and welfare projects, among them the art gallery at ZOA (Zionist Organization of America) House in memory of Dvora Fischer.