LIVE: International Conservative Conference with Ben Shapiro | In Tel Aviv - Israel

[00:00:02] all right there's a big speaker coming [00:00:03] up [00:00:08] and he's really tall [00:00:11] uh [00:00:12] anyway i wanted to say a couple things [00:00:14] did you notice there was a world leader [00:00:17] that just went to saudi arabia went to [00:00:19] israel [00:00:20] joe biden [00:00:22] joe biden decided [00:00:25] that when he was traveling in jerusalem [00:00:28] he would put [00:00:30] your beautiful flag the israeli flag on [00:00:33] his limo [00:00:35] in one part of the city [00:00:37] and then when he got to the other part [00:00:39] of the city he took your flag off his [00:00:41] limo [00:00:44] he went to a hospital [00:00:46] he decided [00:00:47] that maybe the people [00:00:49] the good decent people of israel [00:00:52] didn't support [00:00:53] going to a hospital [00:00:55] and he wouldn't let any of your [00:00:56] officials be on that trip to the [00:00:59] hospital as if telling the world the [00:01:02] people of israel don't believe in taking [00:01:04] care of other people [00:01:06] he went to saudi arabia i'm not even [00:01:09] going to talk about that hand gesture [00:01:10] thing whatever that was [00:01:12] he went to saudi arabia [00:01:14] and did something that is shameful [00:01:17] he went to [00:01:19] a leader of another country [00:01:21] and begged for for oil for fossil fuels [00:01:26] at the same time [00:01:28] in america [00:01:30] where we have more fossil fuels than we [00:01:33] need [00:01:34] to light every light heat every home [00:01:36] cool every home run every [00:01:38] car but yet he's stopping the projects [00:01:41] in america making america more dependent [00:01:45] on mideast oil and going to this country [00:01:48] and begging for more oil [00:01:51] i want you to know [00:01:52] that when you see [00:01:54] that coming from our government [00:01:57] behind that government are millions of [00:02:00] angry americans [00:02:02] they're ashamed that our president [00:02:07] would want to be israel's friend in one [00:02:10] place and act like he's not israel's [00:02:13] friend in another place and you ought to [00:02:16] know that in america [00:02:18] we're on to what's going on with our [00:02:20] president and our vice president we have [00:02:22] a president [00:02:24] who i often say [00:02:27] can't read a cue card [00:02:30] and we have a vice president who has no [00:02:33] clue card [00:02:40] and our promise to the great people of [00:02:42] israel into this great conservative [00:02:44] movement that's being built by the [00:02:46] wonderful speakers here you've heard [00:02:48] from these great israeli institutions is [00:02:51] come november [00:02:53] both in your country and in our country [00:02:56] help is on the way god bless you all and [00:02:59] thank you for letting us be here in [00:03:01] israel [00:03:19] it is an honor to bring to this stage a [00:03:21] tel aviv international salon fan [00:03:24] favorite omari caspy [00:03:26] [Applause] [00:03:33] leading israeli businessman and the [00:03:35] first israeli-born player ever selected [00:03:38] in the first round of the nba draft [00:03:48] he'll introduce our main event for this [00:03:51] evening he'll introduce the one and only [00:03:54] ben shapiro [00:03:55] [Applause] [00:04:03] okay [00:04:06] hold it [00:04:08] what a beautiful event seriously uh [00:04:11] never been done like this in israel [00:04:12] before three thousand people [00:04:14] this is literally just the beginning [00:04:17] cpac tel aviv international salon really [00:04:19] excited to be here with you guys um i [00:04:22] talked to amiadi about it many years ago [00:04:24] and this was the dream and god willing [00:04:26] like you really see all of israel here [00:04:28] you know the the jewish people the the [00:04:30] not just jewish but you know this has [00:04:32] never been done here before so it's it's [00:04:34] so exciting i see kharadim and hilo [00:04:36] named [00:04:37] and really everyone it's awesome [00:04:39] may just continue to grow and thank you [00:04:41] for everyone who've been involved behind [00:04:43] the scenes and [00:04:45] and around the world [00:04:46] so [00:04:47] i have the honor really so let me tell [00:04:49] you a little bit about ben so the [00:04:50] conservative punditry for ben [00:04:53] started at the age of of 16 when he [00:04:55] started school the university of [00:04:56] california in los angeles by the time he [00:04:58] reached 21 he already published two [00:05:00] books [00:05:01] uh four of his 11 books have been new [00:05:04] york new york time bestsellers from 2012 [00:05:07] to 16 been edited britt news following [00:05:10] the time there obviously he's the chief [00:05:12] editor of the daily wire [00:05:15] and [00:05:17] yeah [00:05:20] today ben ben host [00:05:22] probably the most popular podcast and [00:05:24] live radio show in america the ben [00:05:26] shapiro show we frequently speak of [00:05:28] university campuses [00:05:30] triggering a leftist dismantling all of [00:05:32] their arguments [00:05:33] go viral you know on a day-to-day basis [00:05:37] uh ben fled uh left sorry california oh [00:05:42] they say fled i fled california to south [00:05:45] florida and really excited so guys [00:05:48] please welcome van shapiro [00:06:11] [Music] [00:06:12] thank you [00:06:18] it's great to see all thank you [00:06:29] thank you so much [00:06:30] well [00:06:32] it's an honor to be here at my inaugural [00:06:35] speech in israel or as i like to talk [00:06:44] or as i like to call my bar mitzvah [00:06:48] i want to thank those who are working so [00:06:50] hard to spread intellectual conversation [00:06:52] about conservative values in the jewish [00:06:54] state and all the organizations involved [00:06:56] with this event tonight shibuya press [00:06:58] publishing the very best english [00:07:00] language conservative thought in hebrew [00:07:02] selam air publishing bringing solid [00:07:03] political literature to israel cpac with [00:07:05] whom i've worked for years and tel aviv [00:07:07] international salon israel's largest [00:07:09] speakers forum [00:07:14] vito dalechem [00:07:18] [Applause] [00:07:24] our countries have something profound [00:07:26] and vital in common they are both gifts [00:07:29] from god blessed by him founded in [00:07:31] liberty consecrated to the idea that he [00:07:33] is present in history and that he guides [00:07:35] history toward his ends [00:07:42] as george washington said in his first [00:07:43] inaugural address no people can be bound [00:07:46] to acknowledge and adore the invisible [00:07:47] hand which conducts the affairs of men [00:07:49] more than the these of the united states [00:07:52] and as monaco bacon told jimmy carter [00:07:54] what you have just heard about the [00:07:55] jewish people's inherent rights to the [00:07:56] land of israel may seem academic to you [00:07:59] theoretical even mood but not to my [00:08:01] generation to my generation of jews [00:08:03] these eternal bonds are indisputable and [00:08:06] incontrovertible truths old as recorded [00:08:08] time they touch upon the very core of [00:08:10] our national being [00:08:17] but but it's fair to say our countries [00:08:19] also have much that differentiates us [00:08:21] and so tonight i want to talk about [00:08:23] something deeply important what israel [00:08:25] can learn from america and what america [00:08:28] can learn from israel [00:08:30] so let's begin with what israel can [00:08:32] learn from america [00:08:33] israel is an amazing country despite a [00:08:35] complete lack of natural resources a [00:08:37] tiny land area located in one of the [00:08:39] most dangerous parts of the planet and a [00:08:41] total population of 9.2 million people [00:08:43] israel has the 20th highest gdp per [00:08:45] capita on planet earth [00:08:52] despite its small size israel has one of [00:08:54] the most effective and efficient and [00:08:56] moral militaries on planet earth and one [00:08:59] of the most technologically advanced as [00:09:00] well [00:09:06] israel ranks 13th in the world in [00:09:07] unicorns those are billion dollar [00:09:09] startups and more startups per capita [00:09:10] than any country on the planet [00:09:16] this is all due to the intelligence hard [00:09:17] work and social capital of the people of [00:09:19] israel [00:09:21] because [00:09:22] it really is certainly not due to the [00:09:24] economic system of israel which is kind [00:09:27] of a dumpster fire [00:09:33] and this is the first thing that israel [00:09:34] can learn from america [00:09:36] free market economics is a very very [00:09:38] good thing [00:09:44] free markets work to strengthen the [00:09:46] living standards of your people [00:09:48] america's dynamism is the result of a [00:09:49] tax structure that benefits investment [00:09:51] precisely the reverse is true in israel [00:09:54] in israel the overall tax burden equates [00:09:56] to 30.5 percent of total domestic income [00:09:58] in the united states by contrast the [00:09:59] overall tax burden equals 24.5 [00:10:02] of total domestic income in israel the [00:10:04] top individual income tax rate is 50 and [00:10:07] it kicks in really really low in america [00:10:09] it is 37 [00:10:10] in israel the top corporate tax rate is [00:10:12] 23 in america it's 21 [00:10:15] in israel the top capital gains tax rate [00:10:17] is 25 [00:10:18] if derived by non-controlling [00:10:19] shareholders and 30 for everybody else [00:10:21] in the united states the capital gains [00:10:23] tax rate is 15 [00:10:25] there is a reason that people flee [00:10:26] israel to avoid the taxes [00:10:28] and that doesn't even count israel's [00:10:30] value added tax which is 17 [00:10:32] on goods and services there's a reason [00:10:34] unfortunately that a lot of people from [00:10:36] israel leave israel in order to do [00:10:38] business in the united states and that [00:10:40] needs to stop [00:10:42] this brings us [00:10:48] this brings us to the second thing that [00:10:50] israel can learn from america the second [00:10:52] problem the vast bureaucracy the vast [00:10:55] bureaucratization of the israeli system [00:10:58] americans avoid bureaucracy like the [00:11:00] plague america's regulatory environment [00:11:02] particularly in conservative controlled [00:11:03] states like florida is cheap and easy [00:11:06] to build a new home in florida takes a [00:11:07] few thousand bucks in legal fees and [00:11:09] filing and resident and filing fees a [00:11:11] residential construction permit might [00:11:12] take somewhere between five and seven [00:11:14] days for a response it might take a [00:11:16] grand total of six to nine months to [00:11:17] actually build a home in the state of [00:11:18] florida [00:11:20] to build in israel takes years upon [00:11:21] years on average according to the world [00:11:23] banks 2017 it took 15 procedures and 209 [00:11:27] days just to deal with a construction [00:11:29] permit in the state of israel there's [00:11:31] red tape and then there is more red tape [00:11:32] and then there is still more red tape [00:11:35] every issue has to be run through [00:11:36] several different departments none of [00:11:38] which seem to talk to each other unless [00:11:39] you happen to have a brother-in-law who [00:11:41] went to the technion with somebody [00:11:43] [Applause] [00:11:47] and if you fall afoul of the law in [00:11:49] israel or even if you're suspected of [00:11:50] doing so it's shoot first ask questions [00:11:52] later your bank account could be frozen [00:11:54] your assets can be confiscated all [00:11:55] without showing guilt [00:11:57] there's a reason that the world bank [00:11:58] ranks israel 75th in the world in ease [00:12:00] in registering property 28th in the [00:12:02] world and starting a business 85th in [00:12:03] the world and enforcing contracts [00:12:05] which brings us to the third big problem [00:12:07] and the third big thing that israel can [00:12:09] learn from america the unions must be [00:12:11] broken [00:12:12] [Applause] [00:12:20] nearly one quarter of israel's workforce [00:12:22] is unionized that's actually way down [00:12:24] from the year 2000 thank god when [00:12:25] approximately 45 [00:12:27] of all employees in israel were [00:12:29] unionized but 65 percent of the public [00:12:31] sector is unionized in fact overall some [00:12:34] one-fifth of all israeli employees work [00:12:36] for the public sector which is well [00:12:37] above the average for the organization [00:12:39] of economic cooperation and development [00:12:41] work stoppages are commonplace they [00:12:43] happen literally all the time and the [00:12:44] number of disputes and strikes and their [00:12:46] costs are way above the oec average in [00:12:48] the united states more and more states [00:12:50] have been adopting rights work laws [00:12:52] designed taking away special union [00:12:53] privileges freeing up people to work [00:12:55] when and how they want [00:13:01] in israel unfortunately the public [00:13:02] sector unions punch way above their [00:13:04] weight politically and politicians are [00:13:05] simply afraid to cross them [00:13:07] which does raise the problem of how [00:13:09] israel's government runs the chief [00:13:11] problem here is not actually the [00:13:12] political gridlock which seems pretty [00:13:14] common in most western countries these [00:13:16] days the biggest problem is that an [00:13:17] unelected bureaucracy seems to run an [00:13:19] inordinate amount of policy in the state [00:13:21] of israel [00:13:22] that's because where the united states [00:13:23] has an independent judiciary selected by [00:13:25] the executive branch and confirmed by [00:13:27] the legislature israel has a [00:13:28] self-selected judicial branch that [00:13:30] actually acts as a merger of the [00:13:31] executive and legislative branches [00:13:33] thanks to the constitutional revolution [00:13:35] of 1992 the israeli supreme court can [00:13:37] now rule out of bounds perfectly legal [00:13:39] acts of knesset leaving an unelected [00:13:41] unaccountable set of oligarchs in charge [00:13:43] of national policies in the name of a [00:13:45] non-existent constitution [00:13:49] what makes this particularly terrible is [00:13:51] a couple of things first the fact that [00:13:52] the knesset never even gave this power [00:13:54] to the supreme court in the first place [00:13:55] and second the fact that the supreme [00:13:57] court picks its own successors which is [00:13:59] totally insane [00:14:00] in the united states again the president [00:14:02] elected by a majority of the electoral [00:14:03] college selects justices to interpret a [00:14:06] written constitution those justices are [00:14:07] then confirmed by elected officials in [00:14:09] the united states senate in israel the [00:14:11] supreme court judges are appointed by [00:14:12] the president of israel from a list [00:14:14] submitted by three supreme court judges [00:14:16] two cabinet ministers one being the [00:14:17] minister of justice two knesset members [00:14:19] and two representatives of the israel [00:14:20] bar association [00:14:23] approval requires seven of the nine [00:14:24] members of the committee which means [00:14:25] that the left-wing supreme court has [00:14:27] complete veto power over anybody who is [00:14:28] too moderate just as bad israel's [00:14:31] attorney general is selected by [00:14:32] unelected bureaucrats including a [00:14:33] retired judge from the supreme court a [00:14:35] former justice minister or attorney [00:14:36] general a connected member chosen by the [00:14:38] constitutional affairs committee of the [00:14:40] knesset and an attorney chosen by the [00:14:42] israel bar association i know where they [00:14:43] get all this power the bar association [00:14:45] and a legal expert chosen by university [00:14:47] law schools in israel none of this makes [00:14:49] any sense it's totally crazy the [00:14:51] attorney general has a six-year term and [00:14:52] veto power over knesset legislation [00:14:58] precisely none of this is what a [00:15:00] judiciary is designed to do [00:15:03] alexander hamilton wrote of the supreme [00:15:04] court of the united states that its job [00:15:06] was to interpret the laws not to make [00:15:08] the laws he wrote in federalist 78 the [00:15:10] courts must declare the sense of the law [00:15:12] if they should be disposed to exercise [00:15:14] will instead of judgment the consequence [00:15:16] would equally be the substitution of [00:15:18] their pleasure to that of the [00:15:18] legislative body the observation if it [00:15:20] proves anything would prove there ought [00:15:22] to be no judges distinct from that body [00:15:25] israel has adopted precisely the [00:15:26] opposite principle to its own detriment [00:15:29] so in short america's governmental [00:15:31] system is better than israel's and it's [00:15:32] not particularly close [00:15:34] okay so [00:15:38] now let's talk about the flip side of [00:15:39] the coin what can america learn from [00:15:41] israel [00:15:42] what can america learn from israel a [00:15:44] tiny country of 9.2 million people as [00:15:46] opposed to a country of 330 million [00:15:47] people a new country established within [00:15:49] living memory of many human beings what [00:15:52] can the most powerful country in the [00:15:53] history of the world learn from a [00:15:55] country with enemies on all of its [00:15:56] borders a country routinely described as [00:15:58] at existential risk a country about whom [00:16:01] major political forces promote the [00:16:02] possibility that it ought to cease to [00:16:04] exist entirely [00:16:06] well the answer is that israel has quite [00:16:08] a lot to teach america [00:16:09] in the maine america has one major thing [00:16:12] to learn from israel [00:16:14] that a nation-state must have at its [00:16:16] heart a nation [00:16:24] and what that really means is that [00:16:25] america has to learn from israel the [00:16:27] necessity of common history common [00:16:29] culture and common destiny [00:16:32] it's a truism of politics that when [00:16:33] you're too close to something you see [00:16:35] the complicated inner workings nobody [00:16:36] likes to see how the sausage is made [00:16:38] from the inside israel has to look like [00:16:40] a roiling country of disagreements and [00:16:42] conflicts of dislike and antipathy of [00:16:45] unbridgeable gaps where nobody gets [00:16:46] along from the outside which is where i [00:16:48] live here is what israel actually looks [00:16:50] like a country more solid in its [00:16:52] identity than nearly any country on [00:16:54] planet earth [00:16:56] [Applause] [00:17:04] joseph barcelovic famously spoke on yom [00:17:06] hatsumut in 1956 at yu in new york in [00:17:09] that speech he talked about the two [00:17:11] covenants that bind the nation of israel [00:17:13] brita gara the covenant of fate and [00:17:15] british the covenant of destiny [00:17:18] according to rabbi soloveichek the [00:17:19] nation of israel was bound by a covenant [00:17:21] of fate [00:17:22] a quote strange force merging all [00:17:24] individuals into one unity [00:17:26] a jew said the rav cannot banish the god [00:17:28] of the jews from his world even if he [00:17:30] desecrates the shabbat defiles his table [00:17:32] in his bed tries to deny his identity he [00:17:35] will not escape the dominion of the god [00:17:36] of the jews which follows him like a [00:17:38] shadow [00:17:39] that is the story of the jews for over [00:17:40] three millennia a people bound together [00:17:42] by common history and common culture [00:17:45] whether jews come from russia like my [00:17:47] family or morocco like my wife's whether [00:17:49] they come from spain or ethiopia jews [00:17:51] share that common fate [00:17:53] they share a common history a history [00:17:55] that begins with avraham avinu and is [00:17:56] passed down generation to generation [00:17:58] until the giving of the torah at [00:18:00] harcinae to moshe bainu a history that [00:18:02] spans from the destruction of the first [00:18:03] temple in 586 ce to the liberation of [00:18:06] yerushalayim in 1967 [00:18:08] a history that links the study halls of [00:18:10] yavin with ishii vote of lithuania with [00:18:12] the talmud classes of yerushalayim a [00:18:14] history that carries forward from the [00:18:15] egyptian exodus to the in-gathering of [00:18:17] the exiles over the course of the last [00:18:19] 150 years and a history that connects [00:18:22] from the spanish inquisition to the [00:18:23] groans of taurus russia to kristallnacht [00:18:25] to anti-semitic pogroms and load a [00:18:27] history that links the martyrdom of [00:18:29] rabbi akiva with the martyrdom of our [00:18:30] great grandparents and grandparents and [00:18:32] parents and brothers and sisters in the [00:18:34] holocaust a history that joins the vows [00:18:37] of pauro to the vows of haman to the [00:18:38] vows of hitler to the vows of the [00:18:39] ayatollahs and hamas and hezbollah to [00:18:41] wipe the jews from the planet [00:18:43] we can pretend that history doesn't [00:18:45] exist or that the world's jew haters [00:18:47] have moved suddenly beyond their hatred [00:18:49] for the jews [00:18:50] after all they assure us that the jews [00:18:52] no longer need a state of their own that [00:18:54] we live in a more tolerant kind age that [00:18:56] if only the jews would give up their [00:18:58] stubborn insistence on survival as a [00:19:00] nation everything would just be fine [00:19:02] of course these are precisely identical [00:19:04] to the same people who make excuses for [00:19:07] people who attack jews at supermarkets [00:19:08] in france and on the streets of brooklyn [00:19:10] and at checkpoints in yehuda [00:19:12] haman had the same complaints quote [00:19:14] there's a certain people scattered and [00:19:15] separate among the peoples throughout [00:19:16] all the provinces of your kingdom and [00:19:19] their laws differ from those of every [00:19:20] people [00:19:21] so here's the thing we can ignore [00:19:23] history but we ignore it at our own [00:19:25] apparel because history does not ignore [00:19:27] the jews ever [00:19:36] israelis understand britain in a unique [00:19:39] way they understand it because history [00:19:40] is around them at all times they can run [00:19:42] from it they can pretend that america's [00:19:44] that israel's enemies will suddenly put [00:19:45] down their arms that if israel abandons [00:19:48] or the gaza strip or east jerusalem that [00:19:50] magically history will end but history [00:19:52] doesn't end and increasingly israelis [00:19:54] have realized this they realize that a [00:19:57] historic tied between the jews in the [00:19:58] land of israel cannot be severed even [00:20:01] when it is broken and no matter how much [00:20:03] israel may want to be the same as other [00:20:04] nations it will never be so [00:20:13] as god told the jewish people and i [00:20:15] shall take unto me i will take you unto [00:20:17] me for a people and i will be to you god [00:20:19] israelis understand this they understand [00:20:21] jewish nationhood the single best [00:20:23] indicator of this fact is the fertility [00:20:24] rate in israel it's truly an [00:20:25] unbelievable fact [00:20:27] it [00:20:31] israel because it is comprised of people [00:20:33] who understand the worth of their nation [00:20:34] and its need for survival represents the [00:20:37] only western country with a fertility [00:20:39] rate above replacement rates the only [00:20:41] one [00:20:43] in fact [00:20:44] i mean this is it's truly an amazing [00:20:45] stat when you think about it in fact [00:20:47] even the most politically left-wing [00:20:48] areas of israel reproduce at higher [00:20:50] rates than other countries in tel aviv [00:20:52] the fertility rate is 2.49 [00:20:55] in haifa the fertility rate is 2.35 [00:20:58] and as you would expect in yahudah [00:21:00] shamron the fertility rate is 4.58 [00:21:11] israel is a growing nation with a [00:21:12] commitment to its own survival by the [00:21:13] way just to put those numbers in context [00:21:16] the reproduction rate in japan is 0.9 [00:21:18] the reproduction rate in the united [00:21:20] states is 1.6 okay so when i say that [00:21:22] israel is an outlier i mean it is a wild [00:21:24] outlier okay then there is [00:21:26] the second covenant rabbi sullivan [00:21:28] describes the covenant of destiny this [00:21:30] way he says quote the beginnings of the [00:21:32] congregation are embedded in the [00:21:34] tradition of the people's ancestors at [00:21:35] the dawn of its existence its end is [00:21:37] rooted in a common vision of the end of [00:21:39] days the people of the congregation are [00:21:41] witnesses to the events that have passed [00:21:43] and to the miraculous future that has [00:21:44] not yet arrived the congregation [00:21:46] encompasses not only those who are alive [00:21:47] today but everyone who has lived and who [00:21:50] will live from the dawn of humanity [00:21:51] until the end of days the dead who have [00:21:53] passed on are still alive within the [00:21:54] confines of the congregation [00:21:56] and those destined to be born are [00:21:58] already alive within its jurisdiction a [00:22:00] congregation is a holy nation that does [00:22:02] not fear fate and does not live against [00:22:04] its will it believes in its own destiny [00:22:06] and of its free will sanctifies itself [00:22:08] for its realizations [00:22:10] that's breedhagar [00:22:11] israelis share a common destiny and they [00:22:14] know this it is embedded in their [00:22:16] founding documents it is embedded in the [00:22:18] national anthem literally titled [00:22:19] hatikvah the hope that is two thousand [00:22:21] years old to be a free nation in our [00:22:23] land the land of yerushalayim [00:22:32] it is embedded in israel's nation-state [00:22:33] law which calls for jewish immigration [00:22:35] and the in-gathering of exiles [00:22:36] development of jewish settlement as a [00:22:38] national value the jewish shabbat and [00:22:40] festivals as established days of rest in [00:22:42] the state and which acknowledges that [00:22:43] the state of israel is the nation-state [00:22:44] of the jewish people in which it [00:22:46] fulfills its natural religious historic [00:22:48] right to self-determination [00:22:54] israel is inextricably intertwined with [00:22:57] the destiny laid forth for it in the [00:22:59] biblical history that lays out its [00:23:01] entire reason for being to be a nation [00:23:03] that embraces the book of the covenant [00:23:04] saying no seven ishmael [00:23:06] so what does that commitment entail it [00:23:08] entails a recognition that israel has [00:23:09] its own unique mission a mission to [00:23:11] recognize the special connection between [00:23:12] israel and the land to fulfill the [00:23:14] promise that if israel keeps god's [00:23:16] covenant you shall be my treasured [00:23:17] possession among all the peoples you [00:23:19] shall be to me [00:23:20] imam a kingdom of priests and a holy [00:23:23] nation [00:23:24] now look this doesn't mean the state of [00:23:25] israel ought to be a theocracy it does [00:23:27] mean that the state of israel must [00:23:29] always be connected to its jewish roots [00:23:31] and it must be bound by the central [00:23:32] principles of judaism [00:23:39] to be a light unto the nations through [00:23:41] virtue and responsibility a beacon to [00:23:43] the world through freedom and duty [00:23:45] indeed god keeps his promises israel is [00:23:48] an ace it's a tiny outpost of freedom [00:23:50] and democracy and virtue in a region [00:23:52] filled with tyranny and horror it's a [00:23:54] technological powerhouse bringing new [00:23:55] solutions and innovations to the planet [00:23:57] it has developed one of the two most [00:23:59] moral militaries on planet earth along [00:24:00] with my home country of the united [00:24:02] states [00:24:06] so this is what america can learn from [00:24:08] israel it can remind itself that its [00:24:09] exceptionalism its unique place among [00:24:11] the nations is not a coincidence america [00:24:14] can remind itself that it too has [00:24:15] covenants of fate and covenants of [00:24:17] destiny america can remember that it was [00:24:19] founded as a nation rooted in certain [00:24:21] principles the principles of [00:24:22] judeo-christian morality on the one hand [00:24:24] and the promises of the declaration of [00:24:25] independence on the other america can [00:24:27] remember her own history and refuse to [00:24:29] allow it to be undermined and america [00:24:30] can recognize her unique destiny a [00:24:32] destiny explained by benjamin franklin [00:24:34] in his remarks to the constitutional [00:24:36] convention of 1787 quote i have lived [00:24:38] sir a long time and the longer i live [00:24:40] the more convincing proofs i see of this [00:24:41] truth that god governs in the affairs of [00:24:43] men and if a sparrow cannot fall to the [00:24:45] ground without his notice is it probable [00:24:47] that an empire can rise without his aid [00:24:53] indeed america has spread freedom to [00:24:55] more people than any nation in the [00:24:57] history of the world it has spread [00:24:58] prosperity to all corners of the globe [00:25:00] america has liberated hundreds of [00:25:02] millions and fed billions that is [00:25:03] because america is the greatest country [00:25:05] in world history america has a special [00:25:07] history and it has a special purpose [00:25:09] but here's the thing but here's the [00:25:11] thing america is forgetting that history [00:25:13] and that purpose [00:25:14] in fact that history and purpose are [00:25:16] being purposefully undermined by many [00:25:18] people who despise what america stands [00:25:20] for and who wish to substitute utopias [00:25:22] of their own for covenantal destiny [00:25:24] america represents [00:25:25] america is plagued with the view common [00:25:27] throughout universities and the media [00:25:28] and major parties i won't mention any [00:25:31] names crammed down by bullied [00:25:33] corporations that the united states was [00:25:35] born in sin and corrupted through and [00:25:37] through that america is the country of [00:25:39] slavery and racism not the common not [00:25:41] the country of liberty and tolerance [00:25:42] that america's judeo-christian heritage [00:25:44] are the source of bigotry and evil and [00:25:46] that those traditions have to be [00:25:48] replaced by the cult of individual [00:25:49] feelings subsidized by society that [00:25:51] america has no business on the world [00:25:53] stage because it's imperialistic and [00:25:54] exploitative those viewpoints have [00:25:56] actually split america right down the [00:25:58] middle between a country that sees the [00:25:59] american flag and feels pride and a [00:26:01] country that sees the american flag and [00:26:02] kneels in shame [00:26:04] between a country that thinks that [00:26:05] america was always great and a country [00:26:07] that thinks america has never been great [00:26:09] between a country that believes in [00:26:11] absolute truths and accepted moral [00:26:12] wisdom truths like the simple fact that [00:26:14] men and women exist and are not [00:26:16] malleable categories and moral wisdom [00:26:18] like support for traditional [00:26:19] heterosexual marriage and child bearing [00:26:26] split with a country that believes that [00:26:28] my truth trumps the truth and that [00:26:31] accepted moral wisdom is merely [00:26:32] discriminatory dogmatism that men can be [00:26:35] women women can be men both can be [00:26:37] chickens and the summit of human [00:26:38] existence lies in the subjective sexual [00:26:41] self definition of each and every [00:26:43] individual [00:26:44] between a country that believes that [00:26:45] america's destiny can only be fulfilled [00:26:47] if it holds true to founding ideals and [00:26:48] a country that believes america's [00:26:50] destiny can only be fulfilled if america [00:26:52] abandons those ideals in favor of a new [00:26:55] approach to the world in which the only [00:26:56] thing that matters is a perverse [00:26:58] authenticity at odds with reality and [00:27:00] decency [00:27:02] it is no coincidence by the way that [00:27:03] those who oppose american exceptionalism [00:27:05] also oppose israel 71 of republicans [00:27:08] have a positive view of israel compared [00:27:09] with 44 of democrats and independents [00:27:11] who lean democrat a majority of those [00:27:14] under the age of 30 heavily democrat [00:27:16] some 56 percent have an unfavorable view [00:27:18] of the state of israel [00:27:20] that same group tends to fall heavily [00:27:22] into the camp that believes american [00:27:23] exceptionalism is evil and that group is [00:27:26] gaining ground extremely fast in the [00:27:28] united states [00:27:29] so perhaps that's the last lesson that [00:27:31] america can teach israel do not let any [00:27:34] of this crap happen here [00:27:48] for the love of god do not let the left [00:27:50] destroy the covenants of fate and [00:27:51] destiny cling fast to your principles [00:27:53] cling fast to your history do not be led [00:27:55] astray by those who bless themselves [00:27:57] saying in their hearts i shall have [00:27:59] peace though i walk in the stubbornness [00:28:00] of my heart instead remember the [00:28:02] covenants that make the jewish nation [00:28:04] and the jewish state special [00:28:06] recognize the principles that make [00:28:07] israel great are not far off from you [00:28:09] they are not in the heaven they are not [00:28:10] beyond the sea they are embedded in your [00:28:12] families in your lives in the lessons [00:28:14] you've learned from your parents and [00:28:15] from your grandparents and from their [00:28:16] parents and from their grandparents all [00:28:18] the way back to time immemorial [00:28:20] if you remember those principles you [00:28:21] will prolong your days upon this land [00:28:24] for america and for israel that is our [00:28:26] life that is the length of our days [00:28:28] america has never known exile but the [00:28:30] jews have and as israel knows failure [00:28:32] has tragic horrifying consequences [00:28:35] history is filled with pain and [00:28:36] suffering all brought on because [00:28:38] yeshurun got fat and kicked [00:28:40] but we have the capacity americans and [00:28:42] israelis alike to choose a different [00:28:43] path [00:28:44] we have the ability to choose life so [00:28:46] that we and our children may live let us [00:28:48] all choose life if we do so our enemies [00:28:50] shall dwindle away before us and we [00:28:52] shall tread upon their high places thank [00:28:53] you so much [00:28:57] [Applause] [00:29:12] [Music] [00:29:17] [Applause] [00:29:32] we at the tel aviv international salon [00:29:35] are very excited to have had such an [00:29:37] excellent talk tonight and we are not [00:29:40] finished yet we have a load of questions [00:29:42] that you [00:29:43] the audience submitted in advance and in [00:29:46] order to parlay those questions we have [00:29:48] a very [00:29:49] very prominent israeli journalist [00:29:51] amongst us [00:29:53] [Applause] [00:29:58] amit segal is a columnist [00:30:05] a radio host a television personality [00:30:08] a writer he does it all and he is one of [00:30:11] the most influential journalists in the [00:30:13] country please come to the stage [00:30:16] [Applause] [00:30:28] well i had a strange feeling because for [00:30:31] the first time in my life [00:30:33] while hearing ben [00:30:35] speaking i felt [00:30:36] both old and slow [00:30:39] so thank you for that mr shapilo [00:30:43] how are you how is israel thank god it's [00:30:45] amazing it's terrific to be here [00:30:48] [Applause] [00:30:52] let's talk business [00:30:54] there's an old chinese proverb which [00:30:56] i've just made up this morning [00:30:58] [Laughter] [00:31:00] saying that two things are hardest to [00:31:01] translate [00:31:02] poetry and politics [00:31:04] and and you try to make a comparison [00:31:06] between israel and in the states but [00:31:09] there is a problem and the problem is [00:31:11] that [00:31:12] we are very different and i thought on [00:31:14] my way here that [00:31:16] if u.s presidents were to be [00:31:19] keyboard buttons [00:31:20] so by then trump and obama would be [00:31:23] control zed [00:31:24] they erased everything [00:31:27] their [00:31:28] predecessors [00:31:29] had done before [00:31:32] but in israel it's the other way around [00:31:34] i mean bennett and lapida control c copy [00:31:36] paste [00:31:38] i mean allegedly speaking [00:31:41] it is the government of change [00:31:43] and there is a heated debate about bibi [00:31:45] like there is a heated debate about [00:31:47] trump [00:31:48] but at the end of the day when it comes [00:31:50] to iran gaza settlements economy [00:31:53] it's it's [00:31:55] more of the same [00:31:57] so which [00:31:58] first of all how do you explain this i [00:32:00] mean [00:32:01] it's it's like you in the states have [00:32:03] two trains full of explosives [00:32:06] come to each other and we are the [00:32:08] hyperloop i mean we are without oxygen [00:32:12] there are no there are no issues [00:32:14] what is it [00:32:16] well i mean i i think that that was a [00:32:18] long question it was and i'm trying to [00:32:20] suss out all the different parts of it [00:32:21] to be honest with you um the [00:32:24] you know i think that that when it comes [00:32:26] to america the the idea that you know [00:32:29] each party sort of rolls back what the [00:32:30] other has done is is a result of the [00:32:32] fact that everything is now done through [00:32:33] the executive branch in the united [00:32:34] states no major legislation gets passed [00:32:36] that means that a president signs [00:32:37] executive orders the next president [00:32:38] comes in and he reverses all those [00:32:40] executive orders and this this process [00:32:41] just continues uh pays you know in [00:32:44] israel it seems to me that the [00:32:47] you know lack of of issues to argue over [00:32:49] in in some ways that is just a [00:32:51] reflection of the massive success that [00:32:52] you've seen in this country that when [00:32:54] you have presidents who are sort of [00:32:56] bouncing back and forth erasing [00:32:57] everything that their predecessor has [00:32:58] done [00:32:59] if in israel the real problem is that [00:33:01] it's hard to identify the differences [00:33:02] between everything everybody is trying [00:33:04] to do what that really speaks to is the [00:33:05] fact that there is greater unity than [00:33:07] there's ever been in the history of the [00:33:08] state of israel which you see i mean [00:33:09] when you [00:33:10] like i was here in 2000 right when i [00:33:12] when i the first time i visited israel [00:33:14] 16 years old we came in 2000 it was [00:33:15] right after ark sharon had gone up onto [00:33:17] the temple mount onto harabai and and [00:33:20] there was an active left in the state of [00:33:21] israel that was promoting the idea that [00:33:23] east jerusalem should be given away and [00:33:26] who barack was actively promoting that [00:33:27] that's unthinkable today i mean the [00:33:29] israeli public has woken up to this i [00:33:30] mean the simple fact is that [00:33:32] when i look at kanaset [00:33:34] obviously there's a [00:33:36] difference between lapid and natalie [00:33:38] bennett and and bibi netanyahu when i [00:33:40] look at the the constituency of the [00:33:41] knesset what i see is a knesset in which [00:33:43] the left barely has a place the left [00:33:45] does merits and labor used to be [00:33:46] dominant parties in israel now they [00:33:47] essentially don't exist [00:33:50] yes [00:33:51] don't be too sad about that by the way [00:33:52] i'm not okay [00:33:54] i'm quite pleased exactly um but there [00:33:57] is another thing about it i mean you [00:33:59] know we [00:34:00] already had our january 6th [00:34:02] and it was in jenny on january 6 1952 [00:34:06] when hundreds of protesters from the [00:34:08] right wing actually stormed the knesset [00:34:10] with stones [00:34:12] led by menachem begin [00:34:14] the [00:34:15] soon to be prime minister [00:34:18] we had hit the debates sharon going to [00:34:21] the temple mount the disengagement plan [00:34:23] of locals rabin was murdered but now [00:34:26] i feel we are like the states [00:34:28] 20 years ago when you could couldn't [00:34:30] even find a you know [00:34:32] the slightest difference between algo [00:34:34] and george bush for instance [00:34:36] i think that that's true although i [00:34:39] would actually argue that the the big [00:34:41] difference is in the united states [00:34:42] you're right that they started to emerge [00:34:43] after after bush and gore um but but the [00:34:46] real beginning of major problems for the [00:34:48] united states actually began to arise at [00:34:49] the end of the cold war because the cold [00:34:51] war provided a unifying impetus inside [00:34:53] the united states the end of the cold [00:34:54] war that with the fall of the soviet [00:34:56] union the united states was the [00:34:57] unchallenged global hegemon and and that [00:34:59] meant that there was [00:35:01] you know there were going to be new [00:35:02] arguments in which people sort of went [00:35:04] after one another and israel almost the [00:35:05] precise reverse occurred after oslo you [00:35:07] saw the rise of this really serious post [00:35:09] zionist movement that basically said [00:35:11] that israel didn't even why should it [00:35:13] exist should it exist these questions [00:35:14] were really being asked in the late 90s [00:35:16] when i was a teenager and then because [00:35:18] it's now clear that there are [00:35:19] existential threats on every border the [00:35:21] israeli public is unified and [00:35:22] understands the level of the threat so [00:35:24] there is something to the idea that an [00:35:25] existential threat directed at a [00:35:28] democracy helps unify the people who who [00:35:30] exist inside that democracy and maybe [00:35:32] the rise in in the discourse about [00:35:33] economy and even gender in israel is due [00:35:36] to the fact that [00:35:38] to the fact that this conflict is here [00:35:39] to stay i mean elderbrack once defined [00:35:42] it as the villa in the jungle um and [00:35:44] then he offered to evacuate half the [00:35:46] villa but [00:35:48] and and for many years israelis wanted [00:35:51] to actually [00:35:52] they stared from the window of the villa [00:35:55] through the jungle they spoke about the [00:35:57] animals the snakes the elephants etc and [00:36:00] all of a sudden during the the arab [00:36:02] spring they turned to an islamic winter [00:36:04] they found out [00:36:06] that no matter what they want even if [00:36:08] they evacuate half the villa [00:36:10] they will never get peace from the [00:36:12] jungle and then they start to speak [00:36:14] about the villa about the electricity [00:36:17] prices [00:36:18] uh the window etc so i want to ask you [00:36:22] how can israelis [00:36:24] seriously discuss economy [00:36:27] when the discourse is focused on the [00:36:29] palestinian question i mean [00:36:31] how can you expect likud [00:36:33] not to join forces with the unions [00:36:37] um when when it should try and get [00:36:40] support to annex the territories for [00:36:42] instance yeah i mean [00:36:44] again israel is sort of an odd political [00:36:47] constellation of forces in the united [00:36:48] states the the traditional sort of [00:36:50] characterization of u.s politics has [00:36:52] been that the right is social [00:36:53] conservatives economic liberals and [00:36:55] foreign policy hawks and the left is the [00:36:56] reverse of all those positions in israel [00:36:58] you have this sort of bizarre situation [00:36:59] where you have folks who are [00:37:00] economically you know very much to the [00:37:02] left but socially very much to the right [00:37:04] right you have heavy welfare dependence [00:37:06] in kharadi communities and also in arab [00:37:08] communities and this crosses you know [00:37:09] all sorts of boundaries and that that [00:37:11] creates a lot of cross currents that are [00:37:13] very difficult to navigate [00:37:15] my recommendation for a long time when [00:37:16] it comes to israel is that israelis need [00:37:18] to start seeing economics as a national [00:37:19] security issue that they actually need [00:37:21] to link the two so i think that what [00:37:22] you're talking about [00:37:25] is the sort of de-linkage in which okay [00:37:28] well we have to make concessions here [00:37:29] you have to make concessions there in [00:37:30] order to solidify security in yehuda [00:37:32] vishwam and the reality is that if you [00:37:34] want to solidify security in your [00:37:35] chamron you actually need a stronger [00:37:37] economy if you want a more aggressive [00:37:39] foreign policy if you want a policy that [00:37:41] is stronger in the face of predators you [00:37:44] need a stronger economy that is rooted [00:37:46] in the vitality of the israeli [00:37:48] of the israeli people and this is to me [00:37:51] the the single biggest takeaway that you [00:37:53] know as an american i have for for [00:37:55] israelis [00:37:56] israel has for a very long time counted [00:37:58] like blanche dubois in in streetcar [00:38:00] desire on the kindness of strangers [00:38:01] we'll go around and we'll sort of beg [00:38:03] everybody to be nice to us and the nicer [00:38:04] we are maybe the nicer they'll be to us [00:38:06] the reality is that as israel is now [00:38:08] seeing with regard to the sunnis [00:38:10] everything in foreign policy is a power [00:38:12] game and israel has a couple of [00:38:13] resources as at its disposal obviously [00:38:15] it's military as one but that's a last [00:38:17] resort the first resource at its [00:38:18] disposal is this unbelievable [00:38:21] iq right israel has unbelievable skill [00:38:24] sets israel has an incredible group of [00:38:27] of people who are highly educated and [00:38:29] willing to work and incredibly [00:38:30] innovative and not unleashing that in [00:38:32] order to solidify israel's place on the [00:38:33] world stage is such an unbelievable [00:38:35] mistake no matter whether you are arab [00:38:37] or whether you are haradi no matter what [00:38:38] you are if you wish to see a stronger [00:38:40] israel the first thing you have to do is [00:38:41] recognize that in a competitive world [00:38:44] you must strengthen your own economy [00:38:45] it's less than biden is not learning [00:38:46] right now in foreign conflict it's [00:38:47] something that israel should pick up on [00:38:49] by the way no one i mean [00:38:53] many people criticized joe biden for [00:38:55] shaking hands with [00:38:57] the ruler of saudi arabia who actually [00:38:59] murdered the [00:39:00] journalist but a day before [00:39:03] biden shook hands with [00:39:05] mahmoud abbas who actually murdered a [00:39:08] journalist and funds hundreds of [00:39:10] terrorists and murderers and no one said [00:39:13] the words which demonstrates by the way [00:39:14] that whenever you see the media in the [00:39:16] united states particularly ranting and [00:39:17] raving about moral questions it's very [00:39:19] rarely about moral questions it's [00:39:20] usually them telescoping their own [00:39:22] perceived politics into a moral question [00:39:24] that they're sort of making up i mean [00:39:26] joe biden fist bumping with mbs [00:39:29] is mbs a wonderful person who you'd want [00:39:30] to babysit your children probably not is [00:39:33] mbs a leader who's actually attempting [00:39:35] to modernize his own country and make [00:39:36] peace with the jews for the first time [00:39:37] in the history of the state of israel [00:39:39] yes he is and the same people in the [00:39:40] media who are criticizing biden for fist [00:39:42] bumping mbs listen there are a lot of [00:39:44] reasons to criticize biden for for fist [00:39:46] bumping mbs i mean it's politically tone [00:39:48] deaf that we wouldn't the united states [00:39:49] wouldn't be reliant on saudi oil if you [00:39:51] would allow people to drill all the rest [00:39:52] of that but the same people who are [00:39:53] criticizing this are also in favor of [00:39:54] joe biden making concessions to the [00:39:56] iranian terror state which has [00:39:57] subsidized the murder of some 2000 [00:39:59] american soldiers in iraq so there is no [00:40:01] moral ground for them to stand on here [00:40:07] and one thing for sure yuval diana [00:40:09] singer would have never shake the nba [00:40:12] sentence [00:40:14] anyway and this is the thing that didn't [00:40:16] shake biden sense anyway um he spoke [00:40:19] about the economy and and actually the [00:40:21] idea of free markets but then five [00:40:25] minutes later you spoke about the need [00:40:27] for the united states to to actually [00:40:30] hug religion [00:40:32] and in israel many people many people [00:40:34] wonder how you could support free market [00:40:36] as a right-winger and then [00:40:39] tax israelis for actually having budgets [00:40:42] for [00:40:43] jewish religion how do you how do you [00:40:45] how do you settle those two [00:40:47] contradicting ideas so i mean obviously [00:40:50] public education as a at a baseline [00:40:52] ought to have elements of judaism in a [00:40:54] jewish state if you're talking about the [00:40:56] the conflict in in terms of [00:40:58] subsidization [00:41:00] for example synagogues [00:41:01] yeah i mean i i largely disagree with [00:41:03] that policy of the israeli government i [00:41:05] i yeah as a religious jew i think that [00:41:07] it's a mistake for [00:41:12] the religious community to be reliant on [00:41:14] on any state for its survival including [00:41:16] for subsidization and i sympathize [00:41:18] greatly with with segments of the [00:41:20] israeli population who are sending their [00:41:21] kids off to join idf and then spending [00:41:23] their taxpayer dollars to subsidize [00:41:24] people who won't fight in the idf that [00:41:26] doesn't make any sense to me [00:41:31] okay [00:41:33] let's talk uh judiciary there is a [00:41:35] phenomenon in the states where the left [00:41:38] found out recently that [00:41:40] judicial activism is bad [00:41:43] all of a sudden welcome to the club now [00:41:46] i want to ask you i mean [00:41:48] are we against judicial activism because [00:41:51] it is bad or because it is used against [00:41:54] us [00:41:55] well i mean again because in 10 years [00:41:56] from now [00:41:57] i mean the right wing will have a [00:41:59] majority in israel's supreme court [00:42:02] so [00:42:03] i'm against judicial activism because [00:42:05] that's not the role of a judiciary so i [00:42:06] i fundamentally disagree that for [00:42:08] example the overturning of roe versus [00:42:09] wade is an act of judicial activism it's [00:42:11] not if if the definition of judicial [00:42:13] activism is just overturning precedence [00:42:14] then it has no meaning because very [00:42:16] often courts overturn precedent the real [00:42:18] question is whether there's even an [00:42:19] attempt to read the law that's being [00:42:21] construed if it is just a court that's [00:42:23] deciding that its own politics trump [00:42:25] whatever the law says then you've got a [00:42:27] real problem and this is a major problem [00:42:28] in israel obviously because at least in [00:42:29] the united states we have a written [00:42:30] constitution they can refer to when [00:42:32] they're deciding what fundamental [00:42:33] principles look like in israel it seems [00:42:34] the supreme court just makes up whatever [00:42:36] the fundamental principles are and calls [00:42:37] it basic law [00:42:40] but [00:42:41] well [00:42:42] i don't think anyone here has to be [00:42:44] convinced that our um system of [00:42:48] judges selection is good [00:42:50] but i'm not sure the american way of [00:42:52] doing the same thing is is not even [00:42:55] worse than that i mean [00:42:57] when we take a look at the us supreme [00:42:59] court all we see is yet another branch [00:43:02] of the parliament i mean [00:43:04] the republicans vote for conservative [00:43:07] decisions and the democrats vote against [00:43:10] can't we find something which is better [00:43:12] than that [00:43:13] no uh and then the reason i mean and and [00:43:16] the reason that the reason that you [00:43:17] can't is is because whenever people [00:43:20] purport to appoint [00:43:22] allegedly objective and independent [00:43:23] people those people are never really and [00:43:25] never actually objective and independent [00:43:26] if you appoint an ag by third parties [00:43:29] it's very rare that that person is [00:43:30] actually going to be objective and [00:43:31] independent in any way and if you [00:43:33] appoint a supreme court by people who [00:43:36] are politically motivated but they are [00:43:37] outside of government doesn't make them [00:43:38] any less political it's just it's just a [00:43:40] a ruse it's a it's a sort of mythology [00:43:42] that you've created around the supreme [00:43:43] court that's a political when you have [00:43:44] the the justices along with the bar [00:43:46] association picking i'd rather at least [00:43:48] have the transparency of knowing that [00:43:49] when i vote for political parties that [00:43:51] through the system at least there's some [00:43:53] level of responsibility over time okay [00:43:56] you spoke a lot about hatred and [00:43:58] anti-semitism almost as well of history [00:44:00] and it's true you know many jews in [00:44:02] germany of the 20th century or spain of [00:44:05] the 15th century felt that this is their [00:44:08] home that they they are free citizens [00:44:12] that they live in a peaceful empire and [00:44:14] then they found the holocaust or the [00:44:16] inflation etc and i want to ask you [00:44:19] bluntly [00:44:21] do you ever wonder if one day you'll [00:44:23] have to flee united states [00:44:25] i mean i think that every jew throughout [00:44:27] world history who has a brain and knows [00:44:29] history has always wondered if a country [00:44:31] that is not a jewish state is going to [00:44:33] eternally provide them security [00:44:35] guarantees and full citizenship of [00:44:36] course i mean that that's [00:44:38] i think to to think that that's why the [00:44:40] existence of the state of israel is the [00:44:41] single greatest guarantor of my loyalty [00:44:44] to the united states frankly right [00:44:45] because israel exists that means the [00:44:47] united states is going to be more [00:44:48] welcoming place for me because israel is [00:44:50] there as a backstop in case anything [00:44:51] should go wrong [00:44:54] but i feel you try to dodge the question [00:44:57] [Laughter] [00:44:59] so i'll ask it [00:45:01] bluntly [00:45:03] [Laughter] [00:45:05] why won't you make aaliyah to the state [00:45:07] of israel [00:45:12] [Applause] [00:45:23] because [00:45:24] you can take the night to think about it [00:45:26] by the way [00:45:28] because the fundamental principles of [00:45:29] the united states are good eternally [00:45:31] good and worth upholding and my fight to [00:45:33] do that as a jew is deeply important not [00:45:35] just to people who are not jewish but [00:45:37] particularly to jews so in other words [00:45:39] my jewish mission does not conflict with [00:45:41] my presence in the united states or my [00:45:43] citizenship in the united states or my [00:45:44] loyalty to the united states shouldn't [00:45:46] jews live in the state of israel [00:45:48] shouldn't all jews live in the state of [00:45:49] israel to the jews jews should live [00:45:51] where they can do the most where they [00:45:52] can be a light to the nations and for me [00:45:54] as a person with millions and millions [00:45:55] of followers in the united states [00:45:57] promoting what i think our values that [00:45:59] are eternally good living and living in [00:46:01] the united states [00:46:03] is a point of i think morality for me [00:46:05] okay [00:46:06] let's talk about the fresh topic [00:46:09] donald j [00:46:11] trump um [00:46:14] in 2016 you were almost a non-trump or a [00:46:17] neville trump right you didn't vote for [00:46:19] donald j trump right you didn't vote to [00:46:22] hillary for hillary clinton [00:46:25] to this to this lady from the green [00:46:27] movement isn't it [00:46:28] anyway [00:46:29] in 2020 you voted for trump [00:46:33] why didn't you vote for him in the first [00:46:35] place and what changed your mind okay so [00:46:37] i gave several reasons for not voting [00:46:38] for trump in 2016. one was [00:46:41] donald trump's deep and abiding [00:46:43] character flaws [00:46:44] uh which have not been alleviated at all [00:46:47] uh the the second is that donald trump [00:46:50] was extraordinarily unclear about what [00:46:52] he actually was going to do politically [00:46:53] so he was on all sides of every issue [00:46:55] with equal passion [00:46:56] right so [00:46:57] so he would say on the one hand that you [00:46:59] know i think that we should be [00:47:00] definitely defending our friends in [00:47:01] israel and then you'd be like america [00:47:03] should never spend money on foreign [00:47:05] with the exact same amount of passion [00:47:07] right this was hishtik and so my math [00:47:10] was essentially [00:47:12] i object to everything that is happening [00:47:14] in 2016. that was my math my math was i [00:47:16] didn't live in a swing state to be [00:47:17] granted you know i was living in [00:47:18] california so my vote really didn't [00:47:19] matter anyway but with that said the the [00:47:23] basic calculus was that [00:47:26] if i didn't vote in that election then [00:47:27] as a public figure i had made clear my [00:47:29] disdain for all available candidates [00:47:31] trump came in and he governed way more [00:47:33] effectively and way more conservatively [00:47:34] than i thought he was going to [00:47:37] and just a second let's stop before 2020 [00:47:40] sure how was it you have you have an [00:47:42] empire you have built an amazing empire [00:47:46] um [00:47:47] weren't you worried even publicly that [00:47:50] by not supporting trump you lose your [00:47:52] audience and revenues of course i mean [00:47:55] that's why the the kind of silly notion [00:47:57] that that people were taking a position [00:47:59] not to vote that that was done done for [00:48:01] the money absolutely untrue i mean i [00:48:02] took the position in 2016 because i [00:48:04] fundamentally objected to the candidates [00:48:06] that had been presented to the american [00:48:07] public in 2016 the price for the 100 [00:48:09] yeah i mean i lost a job for that in [00:48:10] 2016 with breitbart um but the [00:48:13] but the um [00:48:15] that math change i mean when the [00:48:17] evidence changes if you don't change [00:48:18] your mind then you're not doing your job [00:48:19] and the evidence changed with regard to [00:48:21] president trump president trump came [00:48:22] into office he selected a bunch of [00:48:23] justices who i thought were going to do [00:48:25] a good job on the bench the day that he [00:48:27] that he selected neil gorsuch i [00:48:28] literally put a mag i had on on air um [00:48:31] you know president trump obviously [00:48:33] moving the embassy to jerusalem was a [00:48:34] massive massive move [00:48:36] [Applause] [00:48:39] his sponsorship and negotiation of the [00:48:41] abraham accords was an incredible [00:48:42] history changing move [00:48:46] he did a lot of things that i really [00:48:47] liked so when it came to twenty and that [00:48:48] combined with the fact that the left [00:48:50] completely and utterly lost their mind [00:48:52] in the united states between 2016 and [00:48:53] 2020 made my decision a lot easier come [00:48:56] 2020. and then came 2021 [00:48:59] january 6 and when you see these these [00:49:02] horrifying pictures of people storming [00:49:05] the capitol hill [00:49:07] sorry [00:49:09] um [00:49:10] it wasn't the best guys don't you think [00:49:12] democrats [00:49:14] might have been right about [00:49:17] with [00:49:18] some of their criticism towards donald j [00:49:20] trump i mean [00:49:21] so that's your que i'm sorry but what's [00:49:24] i mean ben's answer the [00:49:26] again i said that i thought that he had [00:49:28] deep and abiding character flaws in [00:49:29] 2016. my opinion of his deep and abiding [00:49:31] character flaws were not changed by his [00:49:33] diarrhea addiction to twitter [00:49:35] so [00:49:36] no i mean i i don't know like almost [00:49:38] nothing about my opinion about donald [00:49:39] trump changed at any point as as sort of [00:49:42] a human being my opinions only changed [00:49:44] as far as what policy i thought he was [00:49:45] going to implement and then how durable [00:49:47] i thought the constitutional boundaries [00:49:48] were and i thought that the uh i will [00:49:50] say i think it is a major misstatement [00:49:52] of fact to declare as most of the world [00:49:53] media has done that the united states is [00:49:55] on the verge of having its democracy [00:49:56] overthrown on january 6 i think it's [00:49:58] absurd you had 200 300 morons who went [00:50:00] into the capitol building attempting to [00:50:02] do harm to people they were cleared out [00:50:03] within two hours the vote took place [00:50:05] under the auspices of donald trump's [00:50:06] vice president mike pence and the [00:50:08] auspices of senate majority leader mitch [00:50:09] mcconnell of donald trump's party people [00:50:11] like brad raffensberger and georgia [00:50:12] republican secretary of state election [00:50:14] officials in arizona and pennsylvania [00:50:15] republican secretaries of state were [00:50:17] rejecting him at every turn the courts [00:50:19] rejected all of his legal complaints [00:50:20] does that mean that trump acted well [00:50:22] between november 4th and january 6th i [00:50:23] thought he acted horribly between [00:50:24] november 4th and january 6th i think [00:50:26] that he was saying things that were not [00:50:27] true but [00:50:28] the the notion that donald trump was [00:50:31] presenting a unique threat to the entire [00:50:33] democracy the most durable democracy in [00:50:35] modern world history is absurd we were [00:50:37] at no point in danger of the democracy [00:50:39] being overthrown by a dumbass wearing [00:50:41] bull horns in the capitol building put [00:50:43] his feet up on nancy pelosi's desk it's [00:50:44] ridiculous so it's yet another protest [00:50:47] in the united states of america that's [00:50:49] what you're saying to me the january 6 [00:50:51] i mean we had an entire summer in which [00:50:54] major cities burned in in 2020 and [00:50:56] nobody in the media seemed to care so [00:50:58] the answer [00:51:00] by the way but that's not an answer for [00:51:01] both but there's an answer for neither [00:51:02] meaning both of those things are super [00:51:04] bad right and people who facilitate [00:51:06] those things are doing something wrong [00:51:07] it's bad when kamala harris tries to [00:51:08] bail out rioters in the middle of the [00:51:10] black lives matter rise of 2020 and it's [00:51:11] bad when donald trump declares that the [00:51:14] the writers of january 6th are are [00:51:16] fundamentally doing something patriotic [00:51:17] that's not true [00:51:18] okay [00:51:22] what do you think about what a former [00:51:24] israeli ambassador to the u.s on dermal [00:51:26] once said that israel should put its [00:51:30] political fortune on the evangelist [00:51:33] community rather than on the reformed [00:51:35] jewish community [00:51:37] i mean just as a matter of [00:51:38] one fact that's true [00:51:40] i mean that's it that [00:51:41] it's it's an unfortunate reality of life [00:51:43] in the united states that reform judaism [00:51:46] as a branch does not see [00:51:48] jewish identity in a serious way as [00:51:50] central [00:51:52] it's a very simple rubric for me if as a [00:51:53] jew right if as a jew your values are [00:51:56] more in line with [00:51:59] same-sex marriage transgenderism and [00:52:01] abortion than they are with for example [00:52:03] the safety and security of the state of [00:52:04] israel i have serious questions about [00:52:05] how you think about yourself as a jew [00:52:07] and so if i'm looking at who's more [00:52:09] likely to back israel [00:52:11] by polling data jews in the united [00:52:13] states are the single most atheistic [00:52:14] group of quote unquote religious people [00:52:16] anywhere it's because jews obviously i [00:52:18] was korea i think what was that save [00:52:20] north korea yeah i mean the the the the [00:52:23] jew what's weird about jewish identity [00:52:25] obviously is it has an ethnic side [00:52:26] because hilarchically jews are [00:52:28] ethnically jewish and then it has a and [00:52:29] it has a religious side so when people [00:52:31] self-identify as jews in the united [00:52:32] states that doesn't actually mean that [00:52:33] they do anything that has anything with [00:52:35] judaism it means that their their last [00:52:36] name ends in bergerstein or something uh [00:52:39] and you know there are a lot of people [00:52:40] whose last names end with berger steen [00:52:42] who fundamentally reject nearly all [00:52:43] jewish values and are secular leftists [00:52:45] and so they vote like secular leftists [00:52:46] okay um we're approaching to the [00:52:49] questions from the audience but i have [00:52:51] one last question [00:52:53] from me you quoted hamilton i think so i [00:52:55] want to quote the play hamilton [00:52:58] do you one day wants to be want to be [00:53:01] part [00:53:02] or you want to be in the room where it [00:53:04] happens [00:53:05] to be a candidate for a vice president [00:53:08] president [00:53:10] [Applause] [00:53:16] that sounds like hell um [00:53:19] number one running for office is a [00:53:21] garbage business you have to ask a bunch [00:53:22] of people that you don't care very much [00:53:24] about for large sums of money in order [00:53:26] to run a campaign in which you have to [00:53:28] fib about your core positions and then [00:53:29] if you win you have to hang out in [00:53:31] washington dc with politicians all of [00:53:33] this sounds horrifying i i my life is [00:53:35] pretty wonderful i get to spend nearly [00:53:37] all my time with my family i get to say [00:53:38] what i want for a living and i get to [00:53:39] pay and i'm paid richly for doing so so [00:53:42] i'll stick with that at least until [00:53:43] [Music] [00:53:45] uh i'll [00:53:46] i'll i'll stick with that and at least [00:53:48] i'm 38 right now i'll stick with that at [00:53:49] least until i'm of the average age of [00:53:52] our president so that gives me like [00:53:53] seven or eight decades [00:53:54] [Laughter] [00:53:57] but i didn't i didn't hear a no [00:54:01] okay [00:54:03] okay questions from the audience um [00:54:08] daniel from long island new york [00:54:11] are you here [00:54:13] regarding the israel-palestine conflict [00:54:15] what is the solution [00:54:24] um [00:54:26] i mean [00:54:28] there is none uh [00:54:30] is the answer [00:54:31] and the palestinian authority is a [00:54:32] terrorist group hamas is a terrorist [00:54:34] group islamic jihad is a terrorist group [00:54:35] and attempts to negotiate with terrorist [00:54:36] groups are likely to end in failure [00:54:43] ben amstellem from the great city of [00:54:45] ashdod asks [00:54:47] how do you see the relationship between [00:54:48] israel and the u.s 10 years from now [00:54:51] so i think that there's a massive [00:54:52] political realignment taking place in [00:54:54] the united states that is is putting the [00:54:56] republican party in much stronger [00:54:57] position than it has been maybe at any [00:54:59] point in my lifetime [00:55:00] the the realignment of hispanic [00:55:02] americans particularly into the [00:55:04] republican camp the the turning of the [00:55:05] republican party into a party of sort of [00:55:08] cross-racial working-class people [00:55:11] is is fundamentally changing uh how [00:55:13] politics works in the united states and [00:55:15] as the republican party gets stronger i [00:55:17] am hopeful both that it will govern [00:55:19] because it is an extraordinarily [00:55:20] pro-israel party uh and also i'm hoping [00:55:22] that the democratic party will learn its [00:55:24] lesson and start moving to the right [00:55:25] also i mean they can react in one of two [00:55:26] ways to loss they can either start [00:55:28] moving more into the camp of the [00:55:29] progressive become more anti-israel or [00:55:31] they can learn that they're going to get [00:55:32] chillaxed repeatedly until they start [00:55:34] acting more moderate and if they start [00:55:35] acting more moderate then hopefully even [00:55:36] the democratic party will go back to a [00:55:38] time when when we had two pro-israel [00:55:40] parties in the united states [00:55:43] david from san fernando valley asks how [00:55:46] do you manage pretty well the balance [00:55:48] between learning torah and being from [00:55:50] and still taking all the pop culture [00:55:53] um [00:55:54] i mean obviously uh i don't learn enough [00:55:56] torah um and [00:55:58] i take in too much pop culture uh the [00:56:00] the [00:56:01] yeah the the answer to me is that i read [00:56:04] incessantly and thank god for shabbat [00:56:06] for a variety of reasons including the [00:56:07] fact that i spent an enormous amount of [00:56:08] time both with my kids in reading on [00:56:10] shabbat so that that helps a lot [00:56:13] okay [00:56:15] one last question leah from modine asks [00:56:18] what advice would you give to someone [00:56:19] today who is looking to develop and [00:56:21] expand horizons within an established [00:56:23] industry as you were [00:56:25] when starting the daily wire [00:56:28] so you have to find a market advantage [00:56:29] in the united states there's a real hole [00:56:31] on the right when we started the daily [00:56:32] wire in terms of right-wing media [00:56:34] outlets basically there's a monopoly for [00:56:36] fox news there are a couple of big sort [00:56:38] of right-wing websites like drudge [00:56:39] report which used to be a lot more [00:56:40] right-wing [00:56:41] and we spotted an opening we also were [00:56:44] sort of first movers in the podcast [00:56:45] industry so i'll tell you when we first [00:56:47] constructed our business plan for daily [00:56:48] wire our projections were that we were [00:56:50] going to make most of our money off [00:56:53] of programmatic ads run on the website [00:56:54] based on share traffic and i think we [00:56:56] had slated my podcast to have maybe [00:56:58] after a couple of years 150 200 000 [00:57:01] downloads [00:57:03] yeah amazing uh and um and obviously now [00:57:06] the podcast does a multiple of that it [00:57:07] has somewhere between two and two and a [00:57:08] half million downloads a day uh so we [00:57:10] were [00:57:11] [Applause] [00:57:14] we i think the key is you have to have a [00:57:16] very consolidated decision-making [00:57:18] process we're not a publicly traded [00:57:19] company we don't intend on becoming a [00:57:20] publicly traded company we're not going [00:57:22] to make ourselves subject to esg and dei [00:57:24] requirements and so because we have a [00:57:26] very tight top structure that means we [00:57:27] can move really quickly and really [00:57:29] aggressively both on issues that we [00:57:31] really care about and with business [00:57:32] strategies we think are going to work [00:57:33] okay [00:57:35] and you think it can work in israel [00:57:38] it's a way narrower field only i think [00:57:41] eight million people with the world ride [00:57:44] i mean i i do think that there is room [00:57:46] for a significantly more robust [00:57:47] right-wing media presence in israel for [00:57:49] sure for sure [00:57:51] okay i'm not giving any hints but we'll [00:57:53] we'll we'll have to think about it over [00:57:55] at daily wire absolutely ben shapiro [00:57:58] thank you very much [00:57:59] [Applause] [00:58:09] ben [00:58:10] ben before you go one thing [00:58:14] it is my honor to thank you on behalf of [00:58:16] our audience tonight television kodesh [00:58:19] and on behalf of the omnius royal [00:58:20] foundation it's an honor to gift you [00:58:23] with this [00:58:24] this is a real treasure of the jewish [00:58:26] people [00:58:27] it is a segula [00:58:29] a prayer book given the hagan of [00:58:31] soldiers in 1948 during the war for the [00:58:34] battle of yerushalayim defending against [00:58:37] her enemies thank you for your constant [00:58:39] support of amieusrael and eric's israel [00:58:42] [Applause] [00:58:48] it is also my honor to bring to the [00:58:51] stage [00:58:52] my friend that sadiq [00:58:55] rabbi katz rav of shirat david in [00:58:58] a fraught for hatikva so please stay [00:59:01] standing [00:59:21] [Music] [00:59:24] the