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.