JUNE 17 • 2021 | 15
O
n June 7, two weeks
after Metro Detroiter
Danny Fenster was
taken prisoner in Myanmar,
during a House Foreign
Affairs Committee hear-
ing with Secretary of State
Antony Blinken, Rep. Andy
Levin (MI-09) bought up the
plight of the imprisoned jour-
nalist.
“Journalists like Danny put
their lives on the line because
they believe in truth-tell-
ing,” Levin said. “His case
hits home because it’s about
our fundamental values as
a democracy and good gov-
ernment, and it literally hits
home for me because Danny
and his brother Bryan went
to my high school — they’re
Berkley Bears! His loved ones
and supporters are in pain,
and I just can’t rest until he
arrives home safely.”
Levin said he and his
staff had been on the phone
with State Department staff,
embassy officials and Danny’s
family every day, drawing
attention to his case.
“Mr. Secretary, I need to ask
you to redouble your efforts,”
Levin said. “What more can
you do, and what can we do in
Congress to support the State
Department’s efforts to bring
Danny home?”
Blinken replied, “We share
the deep concern for Daniel
Fenster that we have for
another American citizen
journalist, Nathan Muang,
who is also being arbitrarily
detained. We’ve had access to
him. We’ve not had access to
Daniel Fenster. That’s a viola-
tion, among other things, of
the Vienna Convention. We
are pressing this in every way
that we can.
“We have very limited, if
any, contact with the military
regime, but certainly through
others we’re pressing this as
best we can, and we will con-
tinue to do so. Other coun-
tries also have detained citi-
zens in in Myanmar — deep
concern there as well — and
we are all working together to
try to get our people home.
“So, all I can tell you and all
we can commit to is doubling
down on our efforts to do
this. I wish I had a sort of sil-
ver-bullet answer here, except
to say, we are very focused on
this, very engaged. We want
to get them out, get them
home.”
For our latest updates on Danny Fenster,
please visit thejewishnews.com.
Levin Speaks Up
for Danny Fenster
Confronts Blinken in Congress on efforts
to free jailed journalist in Myanmar.
JN STAFF
COURTESY OF BRYAN FENSTER
Andy
Levin
Antony
Blinken
Danny Fenster (right)
and his brother Bryan
of good and to work. And I
say to those who intend to cel-
ebrate tonight, don’t dance on
the pain of others. We are not
enemies; we are one people.
”
In the address, Bennett said
his government would prevent
the nuclearization of Iran and
would not permit rocket fire
on Israeli citizens from the
Gaza Strip. Bennett thanked
President Joe Biden’s adminis-
tration for its support during
the war in Gaza and pledged to
maintain bipartisan support in
the U.S.
THANKING NETANYAHU
Bennett made a point of start-
ing his address by praising out-
going prime minister Benjamin
Netanyahu for his hard work
over the years for the State of
Israel and his wife, Sara, for
her dedication. Netanyahu
deserved credit for his outreach
to Ra’am head Mansour Abbas,
he said. The new government
would take unprecedented
steps to reach out to the Arab
sector, he vowed.
Lapid canceled his planned
speech and merely said the
behavior of MKs in the outgo-
ing government reminded him,
his mother and all citizens of
Israel why it was so important
to replace them.
While Netanyahu spoke,
MKs in the coalition being
formed were completely silent,
making a point of showing him
respect. The only MKs who
heckled him were from the
Joint List, until Meretz leader
Nitzan Horowitz mentioned
the criminal charges against
Netanyahu near the end of the
address.
A crisis was avoided ear-
lier when Ra’am MK Saeed
Alharomi said he would not
oppose the new government,
following a threat.
Nothing could interfere with
the swearing in of the new
government on Sunday night,
Abbas told reporters at the
Knesset, adding, “we will all vote
in favor of the government.
”
In return for his support of
the new coalition, Alharomi
demanded that a clause in the
coalition agreement regard-
ing illegal construction in the
Negev be canceled.
Netanyahu and interior
minister Arye Deri pressured
Alharomi and offered him
assurances, including on the
topic of the Kaminitz Law that
addresses illegal construction,
in an attempt to get him to vote
against the government.
Netanyahu would remain in
power if the prospective new
coalition’s razor-thin majority
were to lose the support of even
one MK in a vote of confidence
in the Knesset. If Alharomi
abstains in the confidence vote,
Joint List MKs could come to
its rescue and vote in favor.
The Likud responded that
it would be shameful if the
government were formed
through the backing of MKs
who support terrorists and do
not recognize Israel as a Jewish-
democratic state.
In a separate vote, the MKs
voted to replace Knesset speak-
er Yariv Levin with Yesh Atid
MK Mickey Levy.
Levy received the support of
67 MKs.
Idan Zonshine and Eve Young
contributed to this report.