Ben Gurion AirportiStock

Three men in their 20s from central Israel were arrested on Friday aboard a Lufthansa flight at Ben Gurion Airport shortly before takeoff to Frankfurt, Channel 12 News reported.

According to police, the suspects engaged in unruly behavior, refused to follow the cabin crew's instructions, and posed a safety threat to passengers and crew members. Police stated that the three will be brought before a judge, where investigators will request an extension of their detention.

Police reported that the flight crew, who were making final preparations for departure, alerted Ben Gurion Airport precinct officers after reporting three unruly passengers on board.

A senior source familiar with the investigation told Channel 12 News that the men refused to comply with instructions from the flight attendants and crew. As a result, Lufthansa declared it would not take off while they remained on board, citing a danger to passengers and crew.

Ben Gurion Airport precinct officers boarded the aircraft and asked the men to disembark, but they refused, according to police. Officers then placed the three under arrest and transferred them to the airport precinct for questioning.

Police allege that during the arrest, the suspects assaulted the officers, who were forced to use reasonable force to complete the detention. Officials added that four police officers and two volunteer officers were injured during the incident and transported for medical treatment. According to police, some officers were even bitten by the suspects during the altercation.

During the arrest process, one of the suspects said to a female officer: "I wish another October 7th happens to you police officers." Police stated that the investigation remains ongoing, and based on its findings, investigators will request a further extension of the three suspects' remand tomorrow evening.

(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)

US refueling planes at Ben Gurion AirportGideon Markowicz/TPS

Washington has informed Israeli officials that it plans to deploy dozens of additional aerial refueling aircraft to the country as President Donald Trump reviews options for an expanded military campaign against Tehran, according to a Friday report by Axios.

The notification follows a White House Situation Room briefing where the administration evaluated broader strategic plans that go significantly beyond recent operations focused around the Strait of Hormuz. Potential targets currently under review include Iranian civil power grids, deeper strikes on nuclear infrastructure to further entrench enriched uranium stockpiles, and targeting a suspected underground location at Pickaxe Mountain, according to the report by Barak Ravid.

While no final directive has been issued, American and Israeli sources indicate an expanded offensive could be authorized within days. The objective remains pressuring the regime into reopening vital maritime shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz and accepting US nuclear terms.

The potential expansion comes after five consecutive days of US air operations. American aircraft recently hit seven bridges surrounding Bandar Abbas - a primary logistical hub for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) - disrupting supply routes across the region. Concurrently, Iranian forces have intensified strikes targeting American positions across Kuwait, Iraq, Bahrain, Qatar, and Jordan, while the IRGC claimed a strike on an abandoned US installation in Syria.

The US military presently maintains approximately 30 refuelers at Ben Gurion International Airport and another 30 at Ramon Air Base in southern Israel. The incoming aircraft would restore American refueling capabilities in the country to levels maintained at the onset of the conflict. According to Axios, US Central Command favors operating out of Ben Gurion Airport due to superior infrastructure and security compared to other regional facilities that face higher vulnerability to Iranian fire.

The military footprint at Ben Gurion Airport has generated political friction in Jerusalem. While the heavy presence of tanker planes caused minimal disruption when Israeli airspace was previously shut down, normal summer travel has resumed. Transportation Minister Miri Regev has advocated for capping or relocating the US aircraft to prevent widespread commercial flight cancellations - a scenario that could carry heavy political costs ahead of upcoming elections.

However, Israel's Defense Ministry and military leadership have opposed moving the aircraft, citing operational necessities. With Washington formally requesting full accommodation for the incoming fleet, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to make the final determination.

(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)

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Andy BurnhamPA Images via Reuters Connect

Andy Burnham secured victory Friday as the new head of Britain’s ruling Labour Party, setting the stage for his arrival at Downing Street next week.

Running unopposed to succeed outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the former Greater Manchester mayor gained backing from 379 out of 403 Labour members of Parliament, according to The Associated Press. His victory was widely anticipated after Starmer succumbed to internal party revolt.

In his inaugural speech as party chief, Burnham addressed lawmakers, trade unionists, and party members, vowing to serve "people and places who have been waiting too long for politics to let them hope again."

"We´re going to give them hope back," he declared, adding, "I am ready."

Addressing a party whose public standing has plummeted since its massive election triumph two years prior, Burnham sought to ease concerns and call for internal harmony.

"I have a plan," he asserted, stressing that "we won’t beat Britain´s new right if we are consumed by infighting and pulling in different directions."

Though he re-entered Parliament through a by-election a month ago, Burnham has revealed sparse details about his ultimate governance agenda, leaving him largely unfamiliar to voters outside northern England.

He signaled a desire to decentralize authority, advocating for "good growth in every post code" through a shift away from London-centric governance.

"We will take power back from Westminster and Whitehall and give it to the place you live," Burnham promised. "More power over life’s essentials so you can make them work better."

Starmer's departure follows a tumultuous two-year tenure plagued by self-inflicted mistakes, slumping poll ratings behind Reform UK, and a dismal showing in May's local contests. Starmer will remain in office through Monday before offering his resignation to King Charles III, who will subsequently invite Burnham to form a cabinet.

Under the UK parliamentary system, a ruling party may change its leader without calling a general election, meaning a national vote is not required until 2029. Burnham will mark the nation's seventh prime minister since 2016.

Burnham recently laid out an anti-Israel platform, apologizing for Labour's initial response to Israel's military campaign in Gaza and promising a stronger approach toward the Jewish state if he becomes prime minister.

Burnham said a future government under his leadership would seek to increase pressure on the Israeli government, including by considering additional sanctions against individuals and entities and examining a ban on trade in goods originating from what he described as illegal settlements.

He declined to describe the situation in Gaza as genocide, saying such a determination should be left to international courts.

Burnham said he remained committed to combating antisemitism and reiterated his condemnation of the Hamas attacks of October 7th.

(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)

אייל גולן: החלטתי שלא לנסוע השבתמתוך האינסטגרם

Singer Eyal Golan said that after a Torah class held at his home, he took upon himself not to travel on Shabbat.

According to Golan, the decision was made for the recovery of Rabbi Dov Kook, who is hospitalized at Poriya Hospital in Tiberias following an acute respiratory complication.

Golan called on the public to also take upon themselves a positive commitment for this purpose.

Golan said that his daughter Aline initiated the Torah lesson at their home. He thanked her and said: “This week, my righteous daughter Aline hosted a Torah class here in my home. At the end of the class, I went outside and took upon myself that I would not travel on this Shabbat."

Golan appealed to the public to join the initiative, saying: “For the recovery of Rabbi Kook, I ask each and every one of you: take something upon yourselves, this Shabbat, for the recovery of Rabbi Kook. I took upon myself not to travel."

He concluded his remarks by saying: “Thank you to my righteous daughter Aline, who gave me this merit. Thank you."

US ship in Strait of HormuzUS Navy

US forces destroyed a surveillance tower at the Chah Bahar Shahid Kalantari Port in Iran on July 16, according to a statement released by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on X.

The tower was part of a maritime surveillance network along Iran’s Gulf of Oman coastline that was used for decades by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to monitor commercial vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, the statement said.

The strike has reduced the IRGC’s ability to coordinate attacks against civilian maritime crews and was carried out to protect freedom of navigation in regional waters, according to US forces.

The statement added that the operation was not directed against vessels operating legally in the region, but was aimed at preventing ships from violating the ongoing US naval blockade against Iran.

IsrairFlash 90

Israir Flight 116 from London to Israel, which was scheduled to depart last night, did not take off following an accident that occurred while the aircraft was being towed.

An airport service vehicle struck the aircraft, causing damage that prevented the flight from operating.

After the accident area was cleared, the passengers were removed from the aircraft, transferred to the terminal, and waited to receive their luggage. Israir arranged transportation and hotel accommodations for the passengers.

Passengers who chose to arrange their own lodging received notice that they would be reimbursed for accommodation, transportation, and food expenses, in accordance with the company’s procedures.

Israir said that it is working with all relevant parties in order to operate a rescue flight during the day and return the passengers to Israel as soon as possible. The company added that passengers who observe Shabbat will be returned to Israel on Sunday.

The airline apologized to passengers for the inconvenience caused by the incident, which it said was beyond its control. Israir emphasized that it continues to assist passengers until they return home and that their safety and security remain its top priority.

Tal Derdik with his familyCourtesy of the photographer

The Honenu legal aid organization claims that the condition of Tal Derdik, a farmer from the Binyamin region who is being held under an administrative detention order, continues to deteriorate as he enters the 12th day of a hunger strike.

According to the organization, Derdik was taken to the Russian Compound detention facility's medical clinic on Friday morning after suffering repeated fainting spells.

Attorney Nati Rom of Honenu visited Derdik at the Russian Compound detention facility in Jerusalem, where he is being held under an administrative order issued by Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth. Honenu said the fainting episodes began on Thursday and that Derdik was examined at the facility's medical clinic on Friday morning.

Following the visit, Rom said: "I have just concluded a pre-Shabbat visit with detainee Tal Derdik, who has now been on a hunger strike for 12 days. As is well known, Tal was arrested after receiving a draconian and unworkable order from the Central Command chief. It is painful to witness the growing use of these draconian orders against residents of Judea and Samaria without trial. There are other ways to address these situations, and these orders must not be used. This practice must come to an end."

Honenu added that Derdik, a resident of a farm in the Binyamin region and a father of four, was arrested about two weeks ago on allegations that he violated the administrative order. According to the organization, the order required him to remain under full house arrest at the home of his mother-in-law, a widowed and deaf woman, without her being informed of the arrangement. Honenu said Derdik has been on a hunger strike since his arrest in protest of the administrative detention order.

Gush EtzionScreenshot

A 90-year-old extreme left-wing activist arrived Friday afternoon at Tomer Farm in Gush Etzion and began confronting a local teenage resident.

At one point, the activist got into his vehicle and drove off, striking the teenager and causing him light injuries.

A female resident then approached the vehicle to question the suspect's actions. According to the allegations, he continued driving, hit her, and she clung to the vehicle before being dragged several meters.

The woman sustained light injuries in the incident. The teenager was also lightly injured in the initial collision.

The suspect was detained for questioning, and his vehicle was seized.

Minister Smotrich commented, saying "The attempted ramming of the pioneers of the farms in Gush Etzion by a Jewish anarchist is a direct result of the incitement campaign led by Yair Golan and his colleagues on the left. I call on the President of the State to condemn the violence among us, and I call on Yair Golan, [Gadi] Eisenkot, and [Naftali] Bennett to retract their statements that they will evacuate the farms after the elections. Any other response would constitute a continuation of the incitement against the pioneers of the farms and the endangerment of their lives."

Binyamin Regional Council head and Yesha Council chairman Israel Ganz said: "A Jewish woman is hospitalized after being struck by a Jewish left-wing anarchist. This is an inconceivable reality and the crossing of a red line that cannot be accepted. Time and again, we deal with anarchists who harass IDF soldiers, attack Jews, and stage provocations throughout Judea and Samaria. Unfortunately, in this case as well, the warning signs were there. We call on the security forces to remove these violent elements from the area and act decisively to prevent the next incident."

Gush Etzion Regional Council head Yaron Rosenthal said: "The warning signs were there. We are shocked, but not surprised. We have been dealing with these anarchists for years, and this time they attacked pioneers at a farm established by the council. We call on the security forces to use every tool at their disposal to safeguard the security of the pioneering residents of the farms."

Tzvi SukkotNoam Moskowitz/Knesset Spokesperson

Democrats party candidate Moran Zer Katzenstein has announced that she cancelled her participation in a public event after she discovered that it was meant for "conversation, listening, and reconciliation," and was scheduled to be attended by Knesset Education Committee Chairman MK Tzvi Sukkot (Religious Zionists) as well.

Katzenstein said that she is unable to have a conversation with MK Sukkot in such a forum.

In a post on X she wrote that at first she believed that it was going to be a political debate, but after the event was publicized, she understood that it was "an attempt to reach common ground" according to her.

She added that "there is a difference between debating fascism and sitting with it to reconcile... you can't find common ground with fascists. You have to draw a line in front of fascists," and therefore, she announced that she will not participate.

“How many times did you try to schedule a meeting with me while I was serving as chairman of the Education Committee? How many times did you stop me in the hallway to have a conversation and raise issues that mattered to you? Two posts on X, and you've been swept up in the boycott frenzy, joining the camp that only talks to people who already agree with it."

Sources close to Sukkot said that, in their view, Zer Katzenstein's response highlights a contradiction between her previous efforts to engage with him professionally in the framework of the Knesset Education Committee and her current refusal to participate in an event intended to foster dialogue between people with differing viewpoints.

LiverpooliStock

British police on Friday charged a 39-year-old man with assisting Iran's intelligence service under the UK's National Security laws.

The suspect, Vahid Aberi, of Liverpool, was taken to a police station in central England. Police also carried out searches at addresses in Birmingham and Liverpool.

British security officials have repeatedly warned that Iran has attempted to use criminal proxies to conduct hostile activity in the UK. Since the start of the US-Iran war, Britain has seen a number of antisemitic attacks linked to Iran.

Earlier this week, Britain used new powers targeting state-sponsored proxies to ban support for Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Police said they had not identified any direct threat to a community or individual in connection with the Aberi investigation, but added that they have increasingly had to intervene to disrupt suspected activity by foreign intelligence services.

"We have seen a significant and sustained increase in the tempo of our work in national security investigations in recent years," said Helen Flanagan, head of counter terrorism policing in London.

Last week, Britain summoned Iran's most senior diplomat following the stabbing of an Iranian journalist in London, an attack for which two Romanian men were convicted.

Iran's embassy in London has previously rejected allegations that Iran poses a threat to Britain, calling them "unfounded, politically motivated and hostile."

Aberi is due to appear in a London court later on Friday.

Major General (Ret.) Eitan Ben EliyahuPersonal

Nearly three years after the October 7th Massacre, the argument over the manner in security establishment functioned on that terrible day continues, even among former top officials.

Joining the discord is former commander of the Air Force, Major General (Ret.) Eitan Ben Eliyahu, who claimed that of all the IDF's branches, the one that was designed to respond swiftly to emergency situations was not available during the critical hours. He said that the main lesson that needs to be learned is that the IAF must ensure that at least some of its forces are on standby that enables them to react within half an hour, even in the case of a surprise attack.

First published by Israeli journalist Gideon Alon, Ben Eliyahu made the remarks during a lecture on Friday to the Commercial and Industrial Club at the Hilton hotel in Tel Aviv.

Ben Eliyahu stated that "the Air Force was built in a way that it could respond quickly, but on the morning of October 7th, it didn't happen."

He added that "one of the lessons that must be learned from the failure of October 7th is that a surprises can always happen and therefore, at least part of the Air Force must be ready within half an hour."

The terrorist who was eliminatedIDF Spokesperson

The IDF and Shin Bet confirmed on Friday that they struck in the Khan Yunis area a day prior and eliminated the terrorist Anas Mahmoud Ahmed Hamdan, a Hamas Company Commander who served as a central figure in the captivity of Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip and participated in the processes related to their transfer and return to Israel as part of hostage release deals.

Additionally, Hamdan was responsible for the propaganda activities of Hamas’ Khan Yunis Brigade.

According to the IDF, for years, including throughout the war, Hamdan served as a close aide to senior commanders in Hamas’ military wing, including Mohammed Deif and Rafaa Salameh.

During the war, Hamdan was directly involved in holding Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity and was responsible for documenting the hostages during the release ceremonies. Prior to the war, he was also involved in the captivity of Avera Mengistu.

Recently, Hamdan trained Hamas terrorists and worked to advance terrorist attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians. The terrorist posed a threat to IDF troops operating in the Gaza Strip and was eliminated in a precise aerial strike.

The IDF stated that Hamdan’s elimination marks a significant milestone, eliminating a terrorist who played a central role in supporting and securing senior Hamas leaders responsible for the October 7 massacre.

Scene of the murderChaim Goldberg/Flash90

Details of the murder investigation that has shaken Jerusalem continue to emerge.

It was cleared for publication on Friday that Agam Tsarfi is the primary suspect in the alleged planning of the murder of Benyahu Razi in Jerusalem.

According to investigators, the murder was premeditated, and police are examining Tsarfi's alleged role in the chain of events that led to Razi's death.

Police suspect that Tsarfi contacted criminal elements after claiming she had been subjected to violence by Razi. Investigators further believe she later went to the scene as part of the sequence of events now under investigation.

The Jerusalem Magistrate's Court extended Tsarfi's detention by an additional seven days after determining that evidence had strengthened the suspicions against her. Through her attorney, however, she has denied any involvement in the murder.

Police continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the killing and the events leading up to it. The investigation is also examining the possible involvement of additional suspects and allegations of obstruction of justice.

On Sunday, police arrested six suspects in connection with the murder of Benyahu Razi, 19, from Givat Ze'ev, who was killed in Jerusalem's Nahlaot neighborhood. The investigation remains ongoing, with the allegations against Tsarfi at the center of the case as she continues to deny the accusations.

Naor NarkisChaim Goldberg/Flash90

Ahead of the Democrats party primary, Yariv Oppenheimer lashed out against his fellow candidate, anti-religion firebrand Naor Narkis, warning in an interview with Channel 13 against the latter's election to the Knesset. Oppenheimer said that the two are neck-and-neck for Meretz faction allotment on the party's list.

Oppenheimer said that his main concern stems from Narkis's past remarks on social media. Oppenheimer said that Narkis has written that he is ready to join a Netanyahu government, and added, "Is there anyone in the Democrats, from the Democrats' members, who wants to bring to the Knesset someone who said several times that he wants to enter a Netanyahu government?"

Oppenheimer further claimed that Narkis classified Meretz as a "dead party," presented himself as a capitalist, and had previously debated joining different parties. "I say, run in Yisrael Beytenu. Something here smells and feels almost like fraud," Oppenheimer said, and added that the left-wing camp has already been disappointed in the past by electees who acted contrary to expectations.

Later in the interview, Oppenheimer was asked about Narkis's public activism in the fight against religious coercion. He answered that he himself supports the struggle for the legitimacy of the secular public, but believes that Narkis "does these things in a provocative and trolling manner, and in a way that may allow the other camp to use it."

Oppenheimer added that beyond his style, he takes issue with Narkis's past public activism. He noted that Narkis was part of an initiative that would encourage Israelis to emigrate to Berlin and would even aid them in making the move. He wondered if such activities are in line with the Democrats' values.

Hilltop youth building a new communityOmer Messinger/Flash 90

Remember those math lessons years ago about the X-axis (north-south) and Y-axis (east-west) that are perpendicular to one another but intersect at the “origin" - called point (0,0)? Well, on a recent day’s trip to three Israeli geographic start-ups, more commonly known as hilltop communities, each hilltop I reached seemed point (0,0) of just such a coordinate system, and from it I looked at what was to the north, south, east and west.

These were hilltops in Gush Etzion, the historic and thriving Etzion Bloc south of Jerusalem. The hiilltops are part of Area C in Judea and Samaria, under complete Israeli governance according to the Oslo Accords, are located about 15-45 minutes south from the more familiar city of Efrata and not far from the city of the Patriarchs, Hevron.

What was the catalyst for the proliferation of these hilltop communities, farms and sheep ranches in Judea and Samaria - a count of a whopping 360 outposts and agricultural farms****as of mid-2026? And what made Israel’s current government, at the initiative of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, whose other position is additional minister within the Ministry of Defense for civil issues, encourage them (except for when it doesn't, see below)?

It began in 2009, when Salaam Fayyad, then Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority, told the NY Times:

“We have decided to take the initiative, to accelerate the end of the occupation through hard work, and to create facts on the ground that are consistent with the idea that the establishment of a state is not something that can be ignored. This is our agenda, and we intend to implement it with determination."

Fayyad's plan, titled “Palestine: Ending the Occupation, Establishing the State," declared blatanty that, ignoring the Oslo Accords, the PA would work toward establishing “an independent Arab state with full sovereignty over all of the territory of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as its capital" and explained in detail how that would be accomplished.

The detailed plan remained under the radar and only became public recently, but Regavim, the public movement dedicated to preventing illegal seizure of state land which Minister Smotrich founded before turning to politics, warned about and described the dangers by 2016.

Regavim then published a thoroughly researched position paper in 2019, writing: “Fayyad described the vision and the blueprint for the de facto, unilateral creation of the Palestinian state. Basing itself on the Oslo Accords’ division of the territory and the PA’s already-established jurisdiction in Areas A and B, Fayyad explained that the establishment of the State of Palestine would be made possible by, among other things, the creation of territorial contiguity between the Arab population blocs in Area B of Judea and Samaria through massive construction and land-seizure in Area C. These projects would draw the borders of the State of Palestine as a fait accompli whether these borders were agreed upon or not."

And with the help of generous support provided by the European Union and its constituent states, as well as Arab states, the Palestinian Authority advanced a series of national initiatives through large-scale illegal construction, including buildings adjacent to and overlooking main traffic routes, massive agricultural projects in strategic locations and the attempted creation of contiguity between Arab towns and villages in Area C, intended to turn Israeli towns and villages into isolated dots on the map, and in effect, strangle them.

The Fayyad Plan did not remain a theoretical paper, but it took Israel time to realize the overall threat and begin to respond.

That is why Israel’s hilltop communities and farms in Judea and Samaria were founded, with idealistic young couples and youth managing to thwart key aspects of Fayyad’s plan. When the horrors of October 7 turned almost all Israelis against the very thought of a Palestinian Arab State alongside Israel, the government realized the need for the farms and sheep ranches spread over the empty expanses of land. It saw how hilltop communities would block Arab attempts to create contiguity - all this, I remind you, in Israel-controlled Area C.

Eventually those in favor of expanding already existing Jewish communities, a primary goal of settlement efforts, realized that doing so is contingent on their not becoming isolated enclaves. (Note: The left's opposition to settling Judea and Samaria coninues unabated - and what better way to fight this endeavor than to paint all of its activists as violent towards Arabs, despite that sweeping accusation’s being authoritatively disproven. See Regavim's position paper, Gadi Taub in Tablet, Jonathan Tobin on Arutz Sheva, and others)

And now that you know the background -

Imagine yourself joining our small group of mostly Americans, led by popular tour guide Shalom Pollack ([email protected], who asked each spokesperson what the pressing needs of his community are and then asked the group to donate towards one of them - from a Ranger to a water tank - which they most willingly did), and organized by Menachem Gottlieb (creator of the Hilltop Maccabees chat which already has over 300 friends. For more info on the hilltop communities, write [email protected]).

Here are your virtual vistas, one by one:

(Apologies for the Hebrew map, the only one available. Hilltop communities are in yellow and our visit is to the 2nd, 6th and 7th counting from the bottom of the map )

uush Etzion area hilltop map 2026Elisha Yered

If you are at point (0,0) on the hilltop called Beit Anot (2nd from bottom on map), to your north is the large Arab city of Halhoul, to your south is Israel’s Route 35 which goes from Ashkelon to Kiryat Gat, Lachish, Beit Guvrin and Arab Tarqumiyah (several horrific terror attacks led to the closing of Route 35 exits to Arab towns - alternate roads exist) and joins Route 60 near Halhoul. To your east is more of Halhoul, and on to your west is Israel’s crucial Route 60 (officially the ‘Bible Road’) stretching from Beer Sheva to Nazareth. All this from the top of one hill.

Beit Anat's young mothersR. Sylvetsky

Eitan Kalimeon, resident and spokesperson, explained how easy it would have been for Halhoul to expand, taking over this hill all the way to route 35 and route 60, and turning these major routes into death-traps for Israeli drivers. It is to prevent that scenario, while settling more of the Holy Land, that he and his wife, along with two other idealistic young couples, their children and a group of teenage volunteers, have made their homes on this barren hilltop.

Meeting volunteer youth at Beit AnatR. Sylvetsky

Beit Anot was demolished, its three homes and synagogue, watchtower and water tank, by Border Police accompanied by Civil Administration inspectors, and Arab workers to empty those home, in the early hours of Thursday, June 25, although its strategic necessity is clear.

"We woke up in the middle of the night to a crazy and surreal event," Yaron Klav, a resident who was given minutes to evacuate from his home along with his wife and eight children, said to Arutz Sheva on Thursday morning. "Hundreds of police officers surrounded our house in a complex operation as if we were leaders of a crime organization. They gave us 10 minutes to get the children out, and then Arab workers simply started throwing all of our furniture and personal belongings outside - the baby's crib, the beds, the clothes, the kitchen utensils, everything. The children were in shock."

Beit Anat demolishedM. Gottlieb

The cheerfully energetic teenage volunteers (hilltop youth to the mainstream media), whose days are spent working to develop the hilltop and whose nights are spent guarding it, told us they started to rebuild with supplies given to them by Elisha Yered, legendary head of the Frontline Hilltop Administration, and managed to finish an entire structure - the one in which we sat for refreshments and a talk - before Shabbat!

Since the process needed for Beit Anot’s gaining legal standing is not different from that of other communities, many of which were recognized retroactively, we hope it will soon become one of them. And that the establishment of a new Border Police battalion in the Gush Etzion area is to protect its Jewish communities.

On to the next hilltop:

If you are at (0,0) on the hilltop called Tsur Yehuda (third yellow rectangle from the top on the map) and look north, you see the Arab city of Beit Ummar, to the south you see Halhoul, to the East is route 60 and to your West the Israeli town of Carmei Tsur. Elya Guber, a founder of Tsur Yehuda, is especially proud of the Beit Midrash where each day begins with Torah study before attending to the arduous work at hand.

Elya grew up in Carmei Tsur, surrounded by a barbed wire fence no one dared to cross, but Arab plans to connect Beit Ummar and Halhoul, turning Carmei Tsur into a threatened, isolated community were thwarted by the establishment of Tsur Yehuda and residents can now walk beyond the fence without fear. A young, Melbourne-born shepherd shared his experiences with us. Sheep-herding, he said, need large expanses of land and are an important aspect of farms and hilltop communities.

Tsur Yehuda sheep penM. Gottlieb

And continuing southward:

Your next hilltop stop is Gefen Ami (second from top of map), where you can see Arab Beit Omar to the northwest, Arab El Aroub to the northeast, and discover that you are actually standing on a hill between the two parts of Route 60 which splits into two distinct paths: the older route passing through the Al-Aroub town center and the modern one avoiding Arab towns and known as the Beit Ummar/Al-Aroub Bypass.

Hilltop community children plantingM. Gottlieb

Yair Harel Ben Baruch tends sheep and grows organic produce there. His wife Ayala, an up-and-coming influencer with nearly 40,000 followers and the farm’s co-founder, is part of a growing cohort of women using social media to showcase daily life on the strategic hilltops - a rural lifestyle focused on nature, shepherding, and organic produce. In fact, the volunteers we saw there were all young women who will spend the summer working as volunteers at Gefen Ami.

These are the young people of Israel, going off uncomplainingly to army service or bouts of reserve duty, settling barren hilltops and living in conditions demanding perseverance, courage and ingenuity. Many of their parents built what are now towns and cities in Judea and Samaria, and they have decided to act to make the fences around their childhood homes unnecessary.

As well-known activist Elisha Yered said in an interview:

"If we, the hilltop youth, are not there, we will get a terrorist state and end up battling on every hilltop in the entire country. Our enemies love land, and when Fayyad’s plan became public, people realized that we, too, must show our love for the land. Today there are 250 families and thousands of young people involved. Before Fayyad’s plan become known, there were 30." Am Yisrael Chai.

Crude oil tankerFlash 90

Armed men seized the chemical tanker Asana on Friday while it was sailing through the Gulf of Aden off the southern coast of Yemen, according to maritime security sources. The attackers reportedly boarded the vessel and took control of it.

Ship-tracking data indicates that the tanker, which does not carry a verified registered flag, was en route to the Somali port of Bosaso. No additional details about the circumstances of the incident have been released.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) also reported that a vessel was attacked by unauthorized persons while sailing eastbound in the Gulf of Aden. According to the agency, the incident occurred about 65 nautical miles south of the Yemeni port of Al-Mukalla.

At this stage, it remains unclear who was behind the reported seizure of the tanker. No information has been released regarding the condition of the crew.

Yoaz Hendel and Chili TropperYonatan Sindel/Flash90

A Maariv poll published Friday points to a significant shift in Israel's political landscape. The new "Yesodot Israel" party, led by Chili Tropper and Yoaz Hendel, crosses the electoral threshold for the first time with four seats, while Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar! and Likud are tied at 22 seats each.

Naftali Bennett's Together party drops by two seats to 16. The Democrats, led by Yair Golan, gain one seat to reach 11, while Avigdor Liberman's Yisrael Beytenu falls by two seats to nine.

Within the coalition bloc, Likud gains one seat to reach 22, while Shas and Otzma Yehudit each lose one seat, falling to seven. United Torah Judaism remains at eight seats, and the Religious Zionist party holds steady at four.

Among the Arab parties, Hadash-Ta'al drops one seat to five, while Ra'am, led by Mansour Abbas, remains at five seats. Balad and Blue and White fail to cross the electoral threshold, polling at 2% and 1.7%, respectively.

The poll gives Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition bloc 48 seats, one fewer than in the previous survey. The Zionist opposition, including the new Tropper-Hendel party, reaches 62 seats, while the Arab parties collectively hold 10 seats, one fewer than in the previous poll.

The survey also found that 83% of opposition voters oppose including haredi parties in a future governing coalition, while 8% support such a move. Among coalition voters, 59% support including the haredi parties, compared with 19% who oppose it.

Among Arab party voters, 70% support including one or more Arab parties in the next coalition, 10% oppose the idea, 16% say it makes no difference to them, and 4% are undecided.

The poll further found that a majority of Israelis do not trust the current government to make the right decisions until the next election. Fifty-five percent said they lack confidence in the government, while 38% expressed confidence. Trust remains high among coalition voters at 78%, while 85% of opposition voters, 80% of Arab party voters, and 64% of undecided voters said they do not trust the government.

The survey was conducted by Lazar Research, headed by Dr. Menachem Lazar, in cooperation with the All4Panel online panel.

Gali Baharav-MiaraNoam Moskowitz- Knesset channel

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara sent an official letter to government ministers following the dissolution of the 25th Knesset.

In her letter, the Attorney General clarifies that the special restrictions and rules governing an election period now apply to the government.

She stresses that, under the current circumstances, ministers and government ministries are required to exercise considerable restraint in making substantive decisions.

"The current government is required to exercise restraint in the use of its powers during a period in which the case law has identified an increased risk that narrow partisan interests may be preferred over the public interest, as well as a concern that irreversible facts may be created that could leave the next elected government with no meaningful ability to change them."

Baharav-Miara also instructs that any decision falling outside the scope of routine government administration must first be reviewed in consultation with her office and the relevant legal advisers.

"Accordingly, during this period, whenever decisions concerning matters that do not constitute routine administration are under consideration, ministers (and the other competent authorities within government ministries) must conduct a preliminary review with the ministry's legal adviser before making a decision."

The Attorney General explains that these restrictions do not depend solely on the formal declaration of an election date or the official dissolution of the Knesset. Rather, they also take effect once it is clear that elections are imminent.

"The political discourse that has taken place in recent weeks regarding the possibility of early elections, together with the Knesset's preliminary approval of the bill to dissolve the 25th Knesset, are factors that must be taken into account in the legal assessment of decisions and actions taken recently, as well as in their implementation."

The letter further states that, in the coming days, the Attorney General will publish detailed guidelines defining the limits on government action in key areas, including the approval of government decisions, the advancement of secondary legislation, appointments to senior public positions, the allocation of government funding, and the signing of international agreements.

In addition, Baharav-Miara instructed the Government Secretariat to ensure that every proposed government or ministerial committee decision submitted for consideration is accompanied by a legal opinion.

"I would appreciate it if this letter is circulated to all ministers, and if the Government Secretariat ensures, when setting the agendas of government and ministerial committee meetings during this period, that the legal opinions attached to proposed decisions address the restrictions currently applicable to the government, with due regard for the principles of restraint and moderation. Naturally, we remain at your disposal for any questions on this matter."

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir responded to the letter, saying: "Gali, as far as you're concerned, the caretaker government began on the day this government was sworn in. I didn't pay attention to you then, and I'm not paying attention to you now. Unfortunately, no one listened to me when I demanded that you be dismissed at the beginning of this government's term. But in the next term, that will be my first condition. Go ahead and start packing. Big change is on the way."

Avi SagiHartman Institute

Prof. Avi Sagi, a senior research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute and professor of philosophy at Bar-Ilan University, passed away at the age of 72. His funeral will be held today (Friday) at 1:30 p.m. at Yarkon Cemetery.

Born in Bat Yam, Sagi was a member of the Bnei Akiva youth movement in his youth and served in the Nahal Paratroopers. He completed his undergraduate and master's degrees with highest honors at Bar-Ilan University, where he later earned his Ph.D. in philosophy in 1987 with a dissertation titled "Kierkegaard: Religion and Existentialism."

Over the course of his academic career, Sagi held numerous positions at Bar-Ilan University before being appointed a full professor in 1997. Since 1986, he also served as a senior research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, where he founded and headed the Program for Hermeneutics and Cultural Studies. In addition, he served on the steering committee responsible for formulating the IDF's Code of Ethics.

Prof. Sagi authored and edited more than 40 books and hundreds of scholarly articles on philosophy, Jewish thought, Jewish law, literary studies, and cultural criticism. In 2022, he was awarded the Bialik Prize for his contributions to literature and Jewish scholarship.

The Shalom Hartman Institute paid tribute to Sagi, saying: "With deep sorrow and shock, the Hartman Institute mourns the untimely passing of our teacher and colleague, Prof. Avi Sagi. Avi was one of the pillars of the Hartman Institute-a brilliant and prolific philosopher, a man of values and morality, wise and prophetic, a man of the people and a moral voice of conscience, who supported, encouraged, and helped others. The grieving members of the Hartman Institute community extend their heartfelt condolences to his family."

Senior research fellow Tomer Persico also paid tribute, describing Sagi as "profound, incisive, fearless, and possessed of rare public courage." He noted that Sagi's scholarship focused on modern Jewish identity, the relationship between religion and morality, and humanity's responsibility toward its moral and spiritual world. According to Persico, Sagi viewed Jewish tradition as "a living conversation" and never separated his academic work from his public and educational commitments.

AntisemitismiStock

Melanie Phillips, a British journalist, broadcaster and author, writes a weekly column for JNS. Currently a columnist for The Times of London, her new book, Fighting the Hate: A Handbook for Jews Under Siege, has just been published by Wicked Son. Her previous book, The Builder’s Stone: How Jews and Christians Built the West and Why Only They Can Save It, was published in 2025. Access her work at: melaniephillips.substack.com.

(JNS) Astonishingly, in America and Britain, the vilification and scapegoating of Israel through an agenda of malice and mendacity-and with undertones of something even darker-has become a key driver of political life.

U.S. Vice President JD Vance has ramped up his attacks on Israel by channeling anti-Jewish tropes of covert manipulation and warmongering.

TIME magazine has revealed that Israel funded an influence campaign organized by U.S. President Donald Trump’s former presidential campaign manager, Brad Parscale.

Vance told podcaster Joe Rogan: “When I open up the pages of TIME magazine, and I see that there’s a literal foreign influence campaign being funded to tank the very deal that I was pursuing, and many of the people who were receiving that money were attacking me in completely dishonest ways, my response to that is, go to hell."

Parscale denies this interpretation, saying that his campaign was intended to prevent young conservatives from drifting away from Israel but not to turn opinion against Trump’s objectives in the war with Iran.

An anonymous senior U.S. intelligence official told TIME: “We’re talking about American influencers who are being paid by a foreign country, then trying to build momentum to change the president’s view or the views of others around him."

Not only is there no evidence in the article for this recycled Jewish conspiracy theory, but Vance himself is reportedly close to lobbyists for the Iranian regime. Two years ago, he addressed the Quincy Institute, which Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) has described as a “hotbed of pro-Iran lobbying."

In April, Lee Smith wrote in Tablet magazine that the group of officials, journalists and think-tank experts who formed the Obama administration’s notorious “echo chamber" to give a favorable spin to the 2015 nuclear deal, which would have allowed Iran to develop nuclear weapons with only a few years delay, were trying to pull the same stunt again-this time with “structurally aligned" Vance as America’s lead negotiator pushing things their way.

The more obvious reason for the criticism of Vance is that he’s responsible for a stupid, gullible and dangerous strategy that’s now gone belly-up. He tried to negotiate with a regime whose goal of destroying America and Israel is totally non-negotiable. Vance has chosen to mask his humiliation by the time-dishonored ploy of dumping on the Jews.

For Britain’s incoming prime minister to use such an anti-Jewish dog-whistle-and as a priority-is an ominous signal indeed.

This disgusting tactic was also deployed last week by someone who is not only a Jew himself but who uses his father’s record as a Jewish resistance fighter in pre-Israel Palestine to assert his devotion to the State of Israel. He has a strange way of showing it.

In a speech at Tel Aviv University, Rahm Emanuel, the former chief of staff to former President Barack Obama, blamed Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the fact that Israel had become an international “pariah."

Netanyahu, said Emanuel, had “sparked a regional war," denied food and medical relief to innocent Palestinian Arabs suffering in Gaza, and presided over a coalition that believed it could “burn Palestinian farmland in the West Bank and terrorize Palestinian families without consequence."

These were monstrous distortions. Obviously, the war was sparked not by Netanyahu, but by the Hamas-led slaughter of 1,200 people in southern Israel and the kidnapping of 251 others on Oct. 7, 2023, which launched a seven-front war against the Jewish state to wipe it off the map.

Israel has not denied food and medical relief to Gaza’s civilians but delivered vast amounts of aid, much of which was stolen by Hamas. As for terrorizing Palestinian Arab families, this is a problem that has been vastly exaggerated and distorted as yet another weapon to demonize and delegitimize Israel.

Such terrorism is being carried out by a few mainly delinquent boys, out of the 500,000 or so overwhelmingly peaceful Israeli residents in these territories-attacks, moreover, that are vastly outnumbered by the thousands of murderous acts of violence by Arabs on these Israeli residents, which Emanuel doesn’t even mention.

That’s because he himself has a fanatical hatred of these Jewish “settlers." In his speech, he equated “greater Israel" with the chant of “from the river to the sea."

He thus obscenely equated Jewish residency in the disputed territories of Judea and Samaria, which Jews alone have the legal and historical right to settle, with the genocidal aim of writing Israel itself off the map.

Telling Dan Senor on his “Call Me Back" podcast that he only had Israel’s best interests at heart and that the status quo was not an option, Emanuel came up with the same old “two-state solution."

Refusing to acknowledge that, after Oct. 7, the vast majority of Israelis have rightly concluded that a Palestinian state can never be tolerated because endemic Palestinian Arab hatred of Jews would ensure even more deadly attacks, Emanuel blithely asserted that the solution lay in telling all 21 Arab states to deliver a state of Palestine that posed no threat.

The most charitable thing to say about this is that it’s utterly deluded.

Both Vance and Emanuel have now crossed a number of red lines. They have both suggested that the Israelis only ever want to kill people.

Ignoring Israel’s multiple peace deals with Arab states and its many offers to the Palestinian Arabs of a state of their own, Vance observed about Israel to The New York Times that you “can’t just kill your way out of solving every single national-security problem that you have."

Instead of acknowledging the obsessional and insane nature of the lies being told about Israel, Vance and Emanuel have actually regurgitated them.

The ugly reality of a Democratic Party that’s now dancing to an anti-American, anti-Israel, pro-Islamist tune was on display this week with another visitor to Israel, the possible 2028 presidential candidate Rep. Ro Khanna of California.

In an outrageous PR stunt cooked up with radical Israeli anti-government activists, Khanna made an unauthorized visit to a sensitive area of the “West Bank," where he claimed to have been detained, harassed and even threatened by Israeli security forces who sided with "violent settlers".

As video footage subsequently revealed, there was no violence and no harassment. It was a stunt designed to further the agenda of turning Israel into a pariah state-a situation that Emanuel blames on Netanyahu but which has actually been created by a poisonous narrative of lies to which both Emanuel and Vance have contributed.

This unconscionable onslaught is now the driver of politics on the western left and in parts of the American right.

In Britain, Andy Burnham, who next week will become prime minister after a bloodless coup in the governing Labour Party, made a point of threatening further punishment of Israel over Gaza as his first statement on foreign affairs.

This week, he went one stage further. Having refused to spell out to the British public his intentions for government, Burnham gave an interview to podcaster and former sports broadcaster Gary Lineker, who left the BBC after sharing a post about Zionism that depicted a rat-a Nazi image for Jews. When Lineker referred to the “genocide" in Gaza, Burnham conspicuously failed to challenge him.

For Britain’s incoming prime minister to use such an anti-Jewish dog-whistle-and as a priority-is an ominous signal indeed.

The surreal prominence of the Israel issue in domestic politics is due to a poisonous cocktail of factors, including Islamist influence, the dominance of the intersectional left and the West’s loss of its own cultural bearings, including the notion of objective truth.

What’s becoming ever more apparent, however, is that political leaders are scapegoating Israel because things are going wrong for them, both at home and abroad, and they cannot understand why. Refusing to acknowledge what they’re up against, they blame the Jews.

Israel, America’s indispensable ally, is now making plans to develop its own independent weapons supplies and nurture other alliances against the danger of a possibly hostile future U.S. administration.

Emanuel came to Israel to lecture it that it was in danger of losing America. In fact, with the iron having entered the soul of the Jewish state as a result of Oct. 7, America is in danger of losing Israel.

Ido Zoldanno credit

An indictment was filed Thursday evening with the military court against terrorist Shadi Juma, detailing his direct involvement in the murder of Ido Zoldan in November 2007, nearly two decades ago.

The indictment was made possible following Juma's arrest about six weeks ago in Qalqilya during a joint operation by the IDF, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), and the Gideonim Unit.

The arrest took place immediately after Juma was released from a lengthy prison sentence served in Palestinian Authority prisons, where he had been held from the time of the attack until recently.

According to the indictment, the attack was the result of careful planning and a premeditated roadside ambush.

"On November 19, 2007, Juma joined two additional accomplices, and together they formulated a detailed operational plan to carry out a targeted shooting attack against Jewish residents traveling on the main roads. The defendant and his accomplices traveled together to obtain weapons and prepare the vehicle that would be used both to carry out the attack and to facilitate their escape, while coordinating among themselves the manner in which the shooting would be executed and the specific weapons to be used," the indictment states.

The indictment further states: "After completing the logistical preparations, the three members of the cell went into the field to locate vehicles driven by Israeli civilians. They agreed in advance that they would positively confirm the victim's Jewish identity before opening fire, and they began lying in wait for passing vehicles. After identifying the car driven by the late Ido Zoldan, they closed in on it with their own vehicle. At that point, one of Juma's accomplices opened fire at close range directly at Zoldan with the intent to kill him. As a result of the shooting, Ido Zoldan was killed. Immediately after carrying out the attack, Juma and his accomplices fled the scene."

The military prosecution has charged Juma with "causing death with intent while acting in concert," the military-law equivalent of the offense of murder.

soldiers in Judea and SamariaIDF spokesperson

The Knesset plenum approved the Security Service Law (Amendment No. 29 and Temporary Provision) overnight (between Thursday and Friday) in its second and third readings, providing that compulsory military service for men will remain at 32 months.

The IDF had sought to extend mandatory service to 36 months, warning that "the regular army is reaching the limits of its capabilities."

The bill passed with 43 votes in favor, 12 against, and one abstention. Several Knesset members from Shas and Degel HaTorah voted in support of the legislation.

As a result of the law, the planned reduction of mandatory service from 32 months to 30 months will no longer take effect in January 2027. Soldiers drafted from July 2024 onward had been expected to serve only 30 months, with the first group scheduled for discharge this coming January. Following the law's approval, their service will be extended by two months, and they will now be discharged after completing 32 months of service.

The explanatory notes accompanying the bill state: "The extension of regular military service under this temporary provision is immediately necessary in order to meet the IDF's force requirements and address the State of Israel's current security needs."

Rabbi Kookצילום: אוסף התצלומים של צדוק בסן.

Roars of Anguish

All over the world, there are flourishing Jewish communities, blessed with thriving synagogues, bustling schools, and prominent yeshivot. With all of this vibrancy of Jewish life, do we truly feel the absence of the Beit HaMikdash? Are we aware of our state of exile and dispersion?

The prophet Jeremiah describes God’s grief in startling terms, as the anguished roars of a lion: “God roars from on high; He calls out from His holy dwelling, roaring over His habitation" (Jeremiah 25:30).

The Sages were able to hear these heavenly cries and translate them for us:

"Woe to My children! On account of their sins, I have destroyed My House and set fire to My sanctuary and exiled them among the nations of the world." (Berakhot 3a)

The Three Watches of the Night

The Sages also knew at what hour one could hear these heavenly cries. These roars take place during the three watches of the night. The darkness of night is a familiar metaphor for exile. And there are signs indicating the exact time of these anguished cries:

"The night consists of three watches, and during each watch the Holy One sits and roars like a lion.... The sign for this: in the first watch, a donkey brays; in the second, dogs howl; and in the third, a baby nurses from its mother and a woman converses with her husband."

What is the meaning of these strange signs - donkeys braying, dogs howling, babies nursing, and early-morning conversations?

The Flawed Service of Israel in Exile

We must first understand the significance of these night watches. The watches symbolize the world’s underlying spiritual workings. Each watch corresponds to an elevation of higher realms, brought about by Israel’s service of God.

With the Temple’s destruction and exile, however, the spiritual vitality of the Jewish people was greatly diminished. This decline has reduced the level of Divine providence in the world. The roars of heavenly anguish express the cosmic pain caused by this loss.

Why are there three watches? The three watches correspond to the three primary ways we serve God:

through our actions,

by refining our character,

and by deepening our understanding and knowledge.

Sadly, all three aspects have been adversely affected by the exile and the absence of the Beit HaMikdash.

Deeds and Traits

The first form of serving God is through our actions. When the Jewish people are on a lofty spiritual plane, their mitzvot and acts of kindness are guided by a deep awareness of God’s presence. Due to the detrimental influences of exile, however, our actions are tainted by an overall atmosphere of self-centeredness and materialism. This causes our service of God to lose its reparative quality of tikkun. Lacking the guidance of Divine wisdom, our material instincts are reinforced. This phenomenon is particularly evident with mitzvot that involve physical pleasures, such as the mitzvah to rejoice on the holidays.

For this reason, the sign of the first watch is the braying of a donkey (in Hebrew, chamor), indicating the awakening of materialistic tendencies (chomriut). This is a basic aspect of human nature - “For man is born a wild donkey" (Job 11:12) - that is bolstered by the negative influences of exile and its reduced spiritual life.

The second night-watch corresponds to our service of God through the acquisition of proper character traits, such as kindness, generosity, and humility. The current state of the world, with its lack of holy influences, fosters certain negative traits. This is not simply the result of the body’s physicality. Rather, we lack an accurate image of pure and refined traits. We are unable to faithfully model ourselves after God’s traits of kindness and compassion.

The sign for the distortion of this service is the howling of dogs. Dogs symbolize negative traits, especially insolence (see Isaiah 56:11). Greed and brazenness are the source for many other flawed traits.

Service of the Intellect

The final watch corresponds to the highest form of serving God - using our cognitive powers. This intellectual service has two levels: those who study Halakhah and the revealed parts of Torah, and those who delve into its deeper, esoteric teachings. Unlike the service of God in actions and character traits, Torah learning cannot be debased. As the Sages taught, “Words of Torah cannot contract ritual impurity" (Berakhot 22a). Therefore the signs of the third watch are positive ones, signs of Divine intimacy and beneficence: a baby nursing and a wife conversing with her husband.

Yet even this service is impaired by the exile. What is the heavenly sign for those who study the revealed parts of Torah? “A baby nursing from its mother." This suggests a state that is incomplete, an intellectual service not fully developed. It is therefore symbolized by a nursing baby.

Those who study on a deeper level, contemplating the nature of God with philosophical and mystical inquiries, are blessed with a revealed love of God. The sign for this level is one of love and affection: “a woman conversing with her husband."

But even here, something essential is missing. The Sages describe it merely as conversation (mesaperet) - telling stories without deeper and truer content.

Until Divine inspiration returns, even our deepest spiritual insights remain incomplete.

(Silver from the Land of Israel. Adapted from Ein Eyah vol. I on Berakhot 3a (1:6), sent by Rabbi Chanan Morrrison, ravkooktorah.org)



Eliav LibiAharle Crombie

Eliav Libi, one of the founders of the Farm Outposts Association and the father of Sgt. David Libi, who was killed in combat in the Gaza Strip, addressed the Tekuma movement's Right-Wing Conference.

During the conference, Eliav Libi was presented with the 2026 Zionism Award in recognition of his contributions to expanding the network of agricultural farm outposts.

The award was presented by Prof. Talia Einhorn in recognition of his work and significant contribution to the expansion of the agricultural farm enterprise.

In his acceptance speech, Libi outlined a broad nationalist vision based on developments in recent years and called for a complete shift in Israel's approach to its future control over Judea and Samaria.

"At a time when we are privileged to witness with our own eyes what generations dreamed of and prayed for, the past four years have demonstrated beyond any doubt how important a fully committed Zionist right-wing government is. The Prophet Jeremiah says: 'In the cities of the hill country, the Shephelah, the Negev, the land of Benjamin, the surroundings of Jerusalem, and the cities of Judah, flocks shall once again pass under the hands of the one who counts them.' Indeed, today we are witnessing herds throughout Judea and Samaria, because the prophecies of redemption are not merely words of consolation-they are a practical blueprint that we have the privilege of carrying out," Libi said.

He presented figures describing what he said was the extent of land controlled through the farm outpost project in Judea and Samaria.

"The farm enterprise under this government has doubled in size and today effectively holds more than one million dunams. To put that in perspective, this area is five times larger than the total land held by all the communities in Judea and Samaria combined. Quietly, without headlines or fanfare, another herd goes out to pasture, another road is opened, more vineyards are planted, and hundreds of thousands of additional dunams are preserved. Step by step, our beloved Land of Israel is returning to the hands of its children."

Libi emphasized that the Zionism Award was not a personal honor but belonged to an entire community of partners, pioneering families, and thousands of supporters who believe in the project and make it possible.

"The award presented here today is far more than recognition of any one individual. It is recognition of an entire enterprise-of hundreds of families who have chosen a life of mission, of the shepherds, farmers, volunteers, and the Farm Outposts Association that leads this remarkable undertaking with endless dedication, and of the 21,000 supporters who contribute to the Farm Fund every month. It is further proof that what we are doing is carried out on behalf of an entire ציבור, not a handful of individuals."

Concluding his remarks, Libi delivered a pointed message to Israel's national leadership, calling for the complete repeal of the historic agreements that, in his view, have limited Jewish sovereignty.

"From here, at the Right-Wing Conference, I call on our leaders: the time has come to abolish this absurd division, to erase the disgrace of Oslo-which is the sin of the spies of our generation-and to recognize all the open areas of Judea and Samaria for what they truly are: an inseparable part of the Land of Israel, where settlement, agriculture, and Israel's presence must be strengthened. For wherever the plow passes, the border will pass. Oslo brought destruction and ruin-we have come to build and to repair."

Diane BedermanCourtesy

What we learn from history is that we do not learn from history: Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

The prophet Jeremiah understood that a nation can appear strong while its moral foundations quietly crumble. His warning was timeless: No society can endure if it abandons justice, compassion, honesty, and responsibility.

I am sharing an excerpt from my book, Bullies of Woke and Their Assault on Mental Health, that sadly speaks to our failure to learn from history. It is from Bill Bowman the author of “Manning Johnson: American author and patriot."

We have a lot to learn from the lessons taught by Manning Johnson (1908 - 1959) as shared by Bill Bowman." Manning was a unique, intelligent and influential Black man from New York who was successfully recruited by the American Communist Party at a very young age. His job as a communist community organizer was to convince Black Americans that white America would continue to suppress them and that their lives would be so much better under a Socialist/Marxist/Communist government. He was very good at his job, and rose fast through the ranks of the Communist Party until he held one of the highest positions on their National Committee. There he was trained to disrupt cities and towns, organize mobs, incite riots, attack police to include how to strategically and tactfully “throw a brick and hide."

Does all this sound familiar? It should.

Miraculously and mostly because of his Christian upbringing, Johnson had a revelation and realized the communist strategies, tactics and lies were not at all beneficial to Black Americans and only causing more hardship and suppression. He saw the deception and how the rejection of traditional American values and contempt of Christianity lowered the value of humanity and quality of life. This is when he turned government witness opposing Socialism and Communism.

Like Dr. King, Manning ultimately gave his life spreading the word, educating and warning Black Americans of the cruelty and diabolical strategies used by the angry liberal left in their attempt to hand over the U.S. to the Socialist and Communist Party. This was Johnson’s mission and passion until his untimely death in 1959.

Johnson testified before Congress several times about the Communist plot to take over America. His testimony is a matter of record. His testimony and the threats to our democracy are as relevant today as they were then. After he left the Communist Party in 1940, he authored an amazing book titled “Color, Communism and Common Sense." This book could have been written yesterday. He details his experiences with communist leaders and the liberal left conspiracy and the sordid tactics they use. Ending democracy and capitalism will never bring us peace and prosperity. No one can name even one country where socialism has been successful."

When will we ever learn? When will we ever learn"

Seems America has not learned. In the 21st century the American left is promoting Democratic Socialism.

Democratic socialism is a diffuse political ideology that advocates for more public control over the economy and a more expansive role for government in providing social services. There are “many avenues" toward achieving the democratic goals of socialism, according to the DSA’s website, which notes that the national organization is itself not a political party, and uses a “variety of tactics" to try to empower workers and advocate for reform.

Perhaps at its most specific, democratic socialism today has come to be associated with a broad and expanding set of issues and priorities, including workers’ rights, immigration, progressive tax policies, universal healthcare and affordable housing, among others.

“Only socialism can solve decades of capitalist mismanagement in the US. Our newly elected leaders will fight for the working class - not for crumbs," the DSA proclaimed in a social media post celebrating the string of primary election victories.

Here are some of the people already elected on this platform or running for office in 2026.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Dearborn, Michigan Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, and Dearborn Heights, Michigan Mayor Mo Baydoun**,** Katie Wilson, Mayor of Seattle, Washington, and Abdul El-Sayed running in the Democratic primary in the Michigan Senate race.

DSA, along with two other far-left groups, Justice Democrats (JD) and the Working Families Party (WFP) have endorsed these people. Read all about them.

And just as importantly, these organizations are promoting WOKE, DIE, CRT, Progressive history: a made-up history that is dividing America into the oppressed and the oppressors (just as Manning Johnson wrote in “Color, Communism and Common Sense") denying and obfuscating the real facts of history that have been preserved through the centuries in a multitude of documents.

Woke Progressive policies have left our youngest with a lack of knowledge of history.

Parents and grandparents, it is time for you to wake up. To stand up to these bullies of woke. To speak up. Silence is collusion and your fear leads to the submission of your children and grandchildren to those who want to destroy the West by annihilating its history.

“A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots." Marcus Garvey

From the Ethics of the Fathers: “Rabbi Tarfon used to say, it is not incumbent upon you to complete the task, but you are not exempt from undertaking it."

הרב שמואל אליהו במירוןצילום: ערוץ 7

HaRav Shmuel Eliyahu is Chief Rabbi of Tzfat

Concerning the Haftorahs before Tisha B’Av, we know that there are three prophecies of tragedy, followed by seven prophecies of consolation, the "Seven of Consolation" (Shiva D'Nechemta). The division into three and seven always corresponds to the sefirot: the three represent the intellectual realm of Keter, Chochmah, and Binah while the seven correspond to practical implementation, Chesed, Givorah, Tifiret, Nezach, Hod, Yesod, and Malchut.

Accordingly, the three prophecies of tragedy leading up to Tisha B'Av, which deal with the sorrow of the Destruction, are meant to awaken within us the desire for true salvation which involves the understanding and wisdom of Redemption. During the seven prophecies of consolation we learn how to put into practice the longing for Redemption that was aroused during the Three Weeks.

The purpose of the Three Weeks is not depression and sorrow. The sorrow is intended to awaken the yearning for Redemption. Therefore, Tikun Chatzot is recited during the day as well, and not only at night, during the Three Weeks.

When we see how evil and cruel the rule of wickedness is in Iran and elsewhere, and how much good Israel’s victories can bring to the world, we immediately yearn for Redemption.

Addendum: Unity and love of the land are prerequisites for Redemption. We see this from the story of the two tribes who settled the eastern side of the Jordan River:

The Tribes of Gad and Reuven: Two Claims That Are Really One

Moshe Rabbeinu stood on the eastern side of the Jordan and prayed 515 prayers to enter the western side of the Jordan. He wept and cried out, "Please let me cross over and see the Land." All this despite the fact that he was already in the eastern side of the Jordan, which is also part of the Land of Israel and within the boundaries of the Promised Land.

It is clear that Moshe specifically wished to enter the western side of the Jordan because of its greater holiness. The wonder is that the tribes of Gad and Reuven saw how fervently Moshe prayed to enter the western side specifically, yet did not grasp its significance to the nation. They themselves had the opportunity to enter the centrality of the Land of Israel and dwell there, but they allowed other factors to lead them astray.

The truth is that the tribes of Gad and Reuven illustrate two problems. The first was their lack of mutual responsibility. "Shall your brothers go to war while you remain here?" Did they not feel that we are one people, like one man with one heart? How could they separate themselves from the rest of Israel?

The second problem was that they weakened the will of the nation. Moshe said to them: "Why do you discourage the hearts of the Children of Israel from crossing over into the Land that the Lord has given them?"

Unity - Only in the Land of Israel

Our Sages taught that wherever the Land of Israel is lost, national unity is lost as well, for there is no land that unites the Jewish people more than the Land of Israel.

Thus the Zohar (Vol.3, 93b) explains the verse, "And who is like Your people Israel, one nation in the Land" (Samuel 2, 7:23), teaching that only in the Land of Israel are the Jewish People called "one nation," and not elsewhere. Outside the Land, the Jewish people are scattered and divided. Each community has its own language and its own customs.

Therefore, whenever the Torah describes exile, it also describes the nation's disunity. It tells us that in exile we would be scattered among scores of foreign countries: "I will scatter you among the nations."

Rashi explains there that this is a particularly harsh punishment because when the people of one country are exiled together to one place, they can still see one another and find comfort. But Israel was scattered "like one who winnows barley with a sieve," with each grain separated from the next. Indeed, this is exactly what happened. The Jewish people were dispersed throughout the world - to Shanghai, Siberia, India, and New Zealand. There was virtually no country without Jews.

The Mistake of Gad and Reuven

This was the mistake of the tribes of Gad and Reuven. They rejected the western Land of Israel and consequently lost their unity as well.

Moshe rebuked them for both mistakes. Concerning their lack of unity he said, "Shall your brothers go to war while you remain here?" Concerning their rejection of the Land he admonished them, "Why do you discourage the hearts of the Children of Israel from crossing over into the Land that the Lord has given them?"

If you truly wish to unite with the people of Israel, then help them conquer the western side of the Jordan.

Mutual Responsibility Only After Crossing the Western Jordan

The entire concept of mutual responsibility, that "all Israel are responsible for one another," is learned from the account of Achan's transgression. There, God said to Yehoshua, "Israel has sinned," and the entire nation was punished in the battle of Ai because of the sin of one individual.

This teaches that once Israel crossed the Jordan, they became responsible for one another. Rashi explains (Deuteronomy 29:28): "Even for public sins He did not punish the many until they crossed the Jordan, after they accepted the oath at Mount Gerizim and Mount Eival, when they became responsible for one another."

A Deficiency in Love for the Land

King David teaches us that the primary sin of the spies was that they did not love the Land of Israel: "They despised the pleasant land; they did not believe His word" (Psalms 106:24).

When people do not love the Land, they see only its faults, saying, "It is a land that devours its inhabitants." When there is no love, every difficulty makes conquering it seem impossible. This was the reason for their fear of the giants.

In contrast, Caleb and Joshua loved the Land and declared, "The Land is exceedingly, exceedingly good." They said, "We shall surely go up and inherit it, for we are certainly able to conquer it" (Numbers 13).

They Loved their Flocks More than the Land

The Torah tells us that the tribes of Gad and Reuven loved their flocks and herds more than their own children. "They approached him and said, 'We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock and cities for our children'" (Numbers 32).

Our Sages explain: "They cared more for their possessions than for their sons and daughters."

They loved their flocks and herds more than their children, and also more than the Land of Israel. They saw Moshe praying 515 prayers in order to cross the Jordan, and they understood that this was the place destined for the Jewish People. Nevertheless, they preferred grazing land for their flocks rather than the Land itself.

This teaches us that a distorted order of priorities ultimately leads to serious consequences.

Strengthening Our Love for the Land

Our Sages taught that we must strengthen our love for the Land. How is this done? Among other ways, through proper intention when reciting Birkat HaMazon.

They taught: "Rabbi Eliezer said: Whoever does not mention 'the desirable, good, and spacious Land' in the blessing for the Land, and mention the kingdom of the House of David in the blessing 'Who rebuilds Jerusalem,' has not fulfilled his obligation" (Berachot 48b).

It is our duty to recognize that the Land of Israel is a land worthy of our longing. It is also a good land, as the verse states:

"For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good Land, a Land of streams of water, of springs and underground waters flowing forth in valleys and mountains; a Land of wheat and barley, vines, fig trees, and pomegranates; a Land of olive oil and honey... You shall eat and be satisfied, and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good Land that He has given you" (Deuteronomy 8).

The Rambam Teaches Us Love for the Land

The Rambam writes in his code of Jewish law (Hilchot Melachim 5:10):

"The greatest of the Sages would kiss the borders of the Land of Israel, kiss its stones, and roll in its dust, as it is said, 'For Your servants cherish her stones and favor her dust.'"

The source of this teaching is the Gemara (Ketubot 112a), which relates several stories showing that the greater the Torah scholar, the greater his love for the Land of Israel.

My revered father, of blessed memory, Israel’s Chief Rabbi, was especially fond of the book Sha'ar HaChatzer, written by Rabbi David ben Shimon of blessed memory, which contains 613 praises of the Land of Israel.

They Tore Their Garments

The Midrash relates that great Torah scholars wept when leaving the Land of Israel and tore their garments as mourners do.

"It happened that Rabbi Yehudah ben Beteira, Rabbi Matya ben Charash, Rabbi Chananiah the nephew of Rabbi Yehoshua, and Rabbi Natan were leaving for the Diaspora. When they reached Paltia, they remembered the Land of Israel. They lifted their eyes, tears flowed from them, and they tore their garments. They recited the verse: 'You shall possess it and dwell in it, and you shall be careful to observe all the statutes and ordinances.' They said: 'Dwelling in the Land of Israel is equal in importance to all the commandments of the Torah'" (Sifrei, Re'eh 53).

My revered father of blessed memory would ask: When have you ever seen people boarding a jet to fly abroad, weeping and tearing their garments before the plane took off? Such was the love for the Land possessed by the greatest Torah scholars of Israel.

Dangers of Excessive Materialism

In contrast stood the tribes of Gad and Reuven, who belittled the value of the Land of Israel and preferred their flocks and the meat and milk they provided to the love of the Land.

About them, the prophet Amos wrote:

"They lie on beds of ivory and lounge upon their couches, eating lambs from the flock and calves from the stall."

He then describes their punishment: “Therefore they shall now go into exile at the head of the exiles" (Amos 6).

This was indeed the punishment of the tribes of Gad and Reuven, who were exiled from the Land of Israel forty years before the exile of the Ten Tribes.

The Midrash likewise states:

"So you find with the tribes of Gad and Reuven. They were wealthy and possessed abundant livestock. They loved their possessions and settled outside the Land of Israel. Therefore they were the first of all the tribes to go into exile, as it is stated, 'He exiled the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh' (I Chronicles 5:26). And what caused this? They separated themselves from their brothers because of their possessions" (Bamidbar Rabbah 22:7).

From this we learn how dangerous the excessive pursuit of materialism can be to a person’s spiritual wellbeing and to his or her connection to Eretz Yisrael.

Noahide NationsINN

On Sunday morning in Jerusalem, I opened Twitter and froze. Senator Lindsey Graham, dead at 71, hours after stepping off a plane from Ukraine. The shock landed on a bruise: only last week our neighborhood buried a friend who died just as suddenly, a man we raised our children alongside. Sudden death, of someone close in friendship or in conviction, shakes something at the foundation.

What is man, and how fragile. Those words were still echoing in me when another thought rose, and it would not sit down.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said Israel had lost one of its greatest friends. True. But underneath the eulogies, in Washington and in Jerusalem, a question is stirring that few will say out loud this week: who stands with Israel now?

Graham spent his final years arguing not with Israel’s enemies but with his own political family. A new instinct has taken root on parts of the American right, and not only on the left, that asks why Israel is America’s business at all. The friendship Graham embodied stood on two pillars, strategic interest and moral memory, and both are weakening: interests are being recalculated in real time, and the generation that carried the memory is leaving the stage.

I do not know how the argument inside the American right will end, and I will not pretend to. What I do know is what has been arriving in my inbox.

I wrote last week, in a separate essay, about the old argument between Francis Fukuyama and Samuel Huntington: the prophecy of history’s happy ending against the prophecy of civilizations forever colliding, and why, three decades on, it is Huntington’s world we keep waking up to. My claim was that the Torah offers a third option neither man considered: the covenant of the Children of Noah, in which every nation keeps its own language, memory, and path while all of humanity shares one moral foundation. Unity without uniformity.

I will not repeat the argument. I want to show you what it looks like when it gets up and walks.

This week the coordinator of our English department forwarded me an email, and added one line of his own: “What do I answer her?" It was not the first time he has sent me that question. The email was from a woman named Lara, in Texas. “Are there any other Noahides near me? I have felt alone for years, ever since I declared myself a daughter of Noah." I read it twice. There is a frustration in this work that never dulls: the world’s distances keep pushing the warm, human encounter behind a screen, and all we can send back is words.

Messages as Lara’s reach us every week, from the American South, from northern England, from the Philippines, from Kenya. They come from people who took upon themselves the Seven Laws of Noah, the Torah’s universal covenant, out of conviction alone, and who have paid for that conviction in solitude. Many held on to it through years when standing openly with Israel carried a social price in the West. No lobby recruited them. They read, studied, and decided alone.

This November the solitude ends, at least for five days. Nearly 100 Noahide leaders from 20 countries across six continents will gather in Jerusalem for the First International Congress of Noahides, the first of its kind. They will study together, sign a founding charter, establish the first international rabbinical court for Noahide affairs, and be received at the Residence of the President of Israel, with the blessings of Israel’s Chief Rabbis. They are not Jews, and they are not converting. Nobody is paying their airfare. Nothing binds them to Israel except a covenant they chose, which is why they cannot be unbound.

Here is what Graham’s passing forces into focus. A senator’s friendship, even the best of senators, is built of interest and memory. It is precious and mortal: it hangs on a primary electorate, a news cycle, a heartbeat. And I write the next sentence with gratitude, because Israel has had no warmer friends in America than its Evangelical Christians: even friendship of faith passes through generational weather.

The surveys have been saying for years what the podcasts now say aloud, that the children of Israel’s warmest friends do not automatically inherit the warmth. Support, however loving, stands beside Israel’s story. A covenant stands inside it. The Noahide believes in Israel’s prophets and in Israel’s God; his faith has one center, and its address is Jerusalem; and nothing in his own culture must be erased for the bond to hold. A covenant does not run for reelection, and no podcast talks a grandchild out of it.

Israel will always need friends in the world’s capitals, and it should honor them; this week it mourns one of the greatest. But a nation cannot rest its future on the lifespans of its admirers. The deeper answer to “who stands with Israel now?" is being written far from Washington, in a study group in Texas, in a living room in Manchester, in a congregation in Nairobi, by people whose grandchildren will know that their family’s story is bound to Israel’s.

Lindsey Graham earned his title, and may his memory be blessed. A man is fragile. I have been reminded of that twice this month. A covenant is not. And perhaps that can be part of his comfort: he was not the last of Israel’s friends. The next ones have already bought their tickets to Jerusalem.

Chaim Goldberg is the CEO of Brit Olam - World Noahide Center in Jerusalem, convening the First International Congress of Noahides on November 2-6, 2026 (brit-olam.org/congress).

Military Intelligence headquartersIDF spokesperson

Following the failures exposed by the October 7 attack, the IDF has launched a major reform of its Military Intelligence Directorate (AMAN), including doubling the number of intelligence officers at the battalion level, establishing forward intelligence units, and dramatically reducing the time between target detection and engagement.

The profound changes in intelligence operations since October 7 are part of a broader transformation in the IDF's overall operational doctrine that has taken place during the war, particularly in the field of military intelligence.

The reform is being led by AMAN's Field Intelligence Department, which has assumed responsibility for developing and strengthening the IDF's tactical intelligence capabilities in both wartime and routine operations.

According to a report in Yedioth Ahronoth, the centerpiece of the reform is the creation of forward intelligence centers embedded directly with maneuvering forces. These centers provide frontline units with continuously updated real-time intelligence.

To implement the new vision, the IDF has carried out a broad restructuring of its personnel. The number of intelligence officers assigned to each battalion has been doubled, while maneuvering brigades have been reinforced with dedicated intelligence specialists in human intelligence (HUMINT), visual intelligence (VISINT), signals intelligence (SIGINT), and open-source intelligence (OSINT).

The enormous volume of information now flowing to frontline units has also created the challenge of information overload. The new system is designed to ensure that intelligence reaches commanders only after it has been processed, analyzed, and distilled, enabling rapid decision-making under fire without overwhelming them with raw data.

At the same time, the department is introducing new technological systems that significantly shorten the time between identifying a target and directing fire against it-a capability considered critical in modern combat. The rapid integration of AMAN with maneuvering combat teams has already led to substantial improvements in the effectiveness of proactive offensive operations conducted by the IDF.

However, Military Intelligence officials acknowledge that the ultimate test will not come when the IDF is setting the pace of operations, but rather in its ability to respond to the next strategic surprise. Under the shadow of the intelligence failure of October 7, AMAN officials say that technological upgrades and expanded battlefield capabilities alone are insufficient; what is required is a fundamental change in mindset.

The directorate's primary objective is to eliminate the institutional overconfidence that in the past led senior intelligence officials to ignore-or at times even dismiss-clear and accurate warnings from personnel in the field, including surveillance soldiers and junior intelligence officers.

The upheaval within the directorate has underscored that preventing the next intelligence failure will depend on humility, constant skepticism, and a genuine willingness to listen to those who challenge prevailing assumptions, even when they are junior soldiers with relatively low ranks.

Meir Ben ShabbatAvshalom Sassoni/Flash90

Former National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat, now head of the Misgav Institute for National Security, said in an interview with Arutz Sheva that Israel must remain prepared for possible Iranian retaliation following recent U.S. strikes on Iran and warned against withdrawing from strategic positions in Lebanon.

Ben-Shabbat said that while Israel is not currently involved in the exchange of blows between the United States and Iran, it must prepare for several possible scenarios.

"At this stage, Israel is not involved in the exchange of attacks and should not seek to insert itself into it," he said. "However, it must be prepared for the following scenarios: the possibility that Iran will attack Israel directly in response to an American strike (senior Iranian officials have threatened that if the U.S. attacks its infrastructure, Israel will not remain outside the conflict); the possibility that Hezbollah or the Houthis will attack Israel under Iranian direction-either in response to American action or for another reason; and the possibility of a broader escalation in which Israel will be asked to operate alongside or assist the United States."

In his view, "Israel should use this time to tighten the screws and improve its readiness both defensively and offensively. At the same time, Israel must refine its policy in Lebanon so that, on the one hand, it can continue its operations without allowing that front to become linked to developments involving Iran, while on the other hand avoiding giving anyone grounds to accuse it of collapsing the 'memorandum of understandings.'"

What should Israel emphasize to the United States, which itself recognizes the difficulties of reaching an agreement with Iran?

"I think Tehran, more than anyone else, is helping President Trump understand who he is dealing with. The month that has passed since the 'memorandum of understandings' was signed has helped dispel the optimism its architects tried to create. The Iranians have made clear that they will not back down from their position regarding the Strait of Hormuz. 'The Strait of Hormuz belongs to Iran for historical and geographical reasons. This waterway will never return to what it was before the war,' Ali Akbar Velayati, senior adviser to the Supreme Leader, declared. Similar messages have been delivered by numerous Iranian officials.

"The insistence on dictating the conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the maneuvering in negotiations, and the growing calls to eliminate Trump leave the American president with no alternative but military and economic pressure. Trump still prefers a bad agreement to a successful war, but he cannot surrender on the one issue that represented his only achievement in the 'memorandum of understandings.' He knows that capitulating to Iranian demands would not only embarrass him but would fail to resolve the crisis and would merely increase the appetite of the extremist regime. If this is how matters stand regarding the temporary memorandum, one can only imagine what negotiations over the far more complex nuclear issues will look like."

In recent days there have been increasing reports that President Trump is pressuring Israel to withdraw from areas it controls in Lebanon and Syria. Can Israel afford such a step now?

"The most important element of the agreement with Lebanon is the Lebanese government's willingness to stand against Hezbollah and Iranian interference, and the legitimacy it grants Israel's military presence as long as the threat posed by Hezbollah has not been removed. Anyone familiar with Lebanon's history, demographic makeup, and internal balance of power will struggle to find grounds for optimism. Reality demonstrates just how artificial the divisions created by the Sykes-Picot Agreement were.

"In any case, we are looking toward the future, not the past, and Israel's conclusion is that it must maintain a security zone and preserve its operational freedom in order to defend itself.

"The same is true regarding Syria, where Israel faces a jihadist in a suit who also serves as a proxy for Erdoğan, given the Turkish president's ambitions and his positions toward Israel. With all due respect to diplomatic arrangements, Israel cannot trade its control of territory and its operational freedom for agreements that would not be worth the paper they are written on. I am convinced these issues can be resolved within the framework of our relationship with the Trump administration and will not lead to a confrontation."

What should Israel continue insisting on in its talks with Lebanon? What are the red lines?

"Israel must not give up its strategic objective of disarming Hezbollah. It must maintain the principle that as long as a threat exists, Israel has the right to hold territory and act in self-defense. In addition, Israel must insist on-and if necessary act independently to prevent-Hezbollah's military rearmament and renewed entrenchment."

The front we hear the least about is Gaza, even though Hamas continues rebuilding its capabilities.

"Hamas has exploited Israel's shift in attention toward Iran and Lebanon to intensify efforts to rebuild its military capabilities in Gaza. At the same time, it is consolidating its rule, suppressing internal opposition, and using the 'mediating countries' to pressure Israel into restraint while allowing civilian measures to proceed without requiring Hamas to disarm."

What steps should Israel take to avoid waking up one day and discovering that Hamas has rebuilt itself and regained control of Gaza?

"More than anything else, what concerns Hamas today is the increased pace of Israeli targeted killings and counterterrorism operations. The long list of Gaza-based terrorists eliminated recently by the IDF and the Shin Bet supports this assessment. It demonstrates not only the intelligence and operational capabilities of our forces, but also Israel's success in continuing these operations despite the restrictions Hamas and the mediating countries tried to impose.

"Hamas continues to play games by proposing various formulas designed to avoid its obligation to disarm. It is also trying to create the impression that it is willing to relinquish civilian governance. In reality, Hamas remains the strongest power in Gaza. It has no intention of giving up its weapons, and regarding civilian rule, it is trying to replicate Hezbollah's model in Lebanon.

"Israel cannot accept Hamas continuing to exist as a military organization, as the governing authority, or as the dominant power in Gaza. Therefore, it will have to finish the job, subject to the constraints created by the situation involving Iran and Lebanon. On the front where everything began, Israel will have to complete the mission.

"Alongside the praise for Israel's operations, it must be said honestly that the pace of counterterrorism operations is not keeping up with the enemy's efforts to restore its governance and military capabilities. The IDF and the Shin Bet must continue pursuing Hamas terrorists, dismantling its governing institutions, strengthening efforts to prevent military reconstruction, and significantly improving the fight against weapons smuggling. In addition, they must remain alert to the possibility that Hamas will begin using drones-copying the pattern we saw in Lebanon-as well as the possibility of renewed kidnapping attempts, because these are the only ways this enemy can escape its current predicament and secure the release of its imprisoned operatives."

Israel is entering an election period. We have learned that internal division projects weakness to our enemies. What should be done during this time to project strength?

"On the eve of Tisha B'Av in 2023, about two months before the massacre, I published an article titled 'Happy Is the One Who Is Always Vigilant,' in which I wrote precisely about this issue. Indeed, internal disputes and polarization do very little to strengthen our national resilience and they influence how our enemies perceive us. National unity is, of course, important in its own right, regardless of our enemies, and everyone should work toward it within their own sphere of influence.

"As for our enemies' expectations, unfortunately, they witnessed in real time that when Israel faces danger, the people unite against those who seek to destroy them. May we succeed in uniting-or at least moderating our disagreements-even without having to face such tragic circumstances."

Ro KhannaRon Kampeas

Jonathan S. Tobin is editor-in-chief of the Jerusalem News Syndicate, a senior contributor for The Federalist, a columnist for Newsweek and a contributor to many other publications. Previously, he was executive editor, then senior online editor and chief political blogger, for Commentary magazine. He has won more than 60 awards for commentary, art criticism and other writing and appears regularly on television, commenting on politics and foreign policy. Born in New York City, he studied history at Columbia University.

(JNS) There was a time, not so long ago, when presidential aspirants from both major parties visited Israel to boost their campaigns. They still do so now, but for different reasons, as the recent misadventure of Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) illustrated.

In the past, American politicians traveled to Israel to make clear their solidarity with the Jewish state and its American supporters. They understood that this demographic was composed not merely of the vast majority of American Jews, but also of tens of millions of American Christians.

Such visits were not merely ways to boost fundraising. They were an effort to demonstrate that the candidate was someone who appreciated the fact that Israel was the sole democratic ally the United States had in the Middle East, as well as a place that deserved the admiration of the world for its tremendous achievements in the face of implacable hostility rooted in Jew-hatred.

Today, they go there to virtue-signal their solidarity with that same hatred.

Anti-Israel virtue-signaling

That’s something that many Israelis and American Jews struggle to understand. Try as they might to see Khanna’s visit-or the previous one by veteran politician Rahm Emanuelin the context of Israeli politics and disputes about who should be running the Jewish state and policies it ought to pursue (including those canards regarding “violent settlers" in Judea and Samaria)-these episodes are about something very different.

They are a way to connect with the left-wing base of the Democratic Party and other Americans who have swallowed the idea that the struggle for global justice is inextricably linked to the Palestinian Arab war on Israel’s very existence.

Rather than continuing to litigate the dispute about whether or not, as Khanna falsely claimed, “violent settlers" threatened and illegally detained him (or, as he also falsely claimed, the Israel Defense Forces and police aided those seeking to harm him), we need to understand that something else is going on here. It is the political context of the Khanna dustup that is significant-not the specific facts of the case. Once one sorts through the congressman’s disingenuous rhetoric and the credulous reporting about them in the mainstream media, however, it’s clear that the congressman didn’t tell the truth about what happened.

Khanna went to Israel to show the world that he’s against the Jewish state. The fact that he subsequently said that those who had explained that his version of the incident was largely made up out of whole cloth were the same people who “lied about genocide" in Gaza tells you all you need to know about the story. Just as there has been no genocide in Gaza, there is no “apartheid" in Israel. Even some fellow Democrats who are not so invested in catering to the anti-Zionist crowd have criticized him for such a publicity stunt.

A big deal over nothing

The short version of the Khanna confrontation is that, accompanied by anti-Israel activists and some press people, the congressman journeyed into an area of Judea and Samaria that the IDF has defined a closed military zone. Had he chosen to coordinate his trip with the U.S. embassy or the Israeli military or police, he would not have encountered any trouble. But since he did not-his tour guide was unable to ensure him ahead of time that there would be no issues-Jews who live in the area became suspicious and stopped him.

One can argue that they shouldn’t have done so, but videos supplied by Khanna’s entourage don’t back up the assertion that "settlers" threatened or detained him. Nor were they violent. They may have been armed, but all Jews living there [and many other Israelis] are because of the ongoing hazard of Arab terrorism, which continues daily, even though it is rarely, if ever, reported in the press.

It was only after this encounter that Khanna reached out to the embassy, and soon, IDF soldiers arrived. When they arrived, not only did they not “side" with the supposedly violent "settlers" and acquiesce in Khanna’s “detainment." Instead, they stayed in their vehicles and made the relevant calls to higher authorities, and soon sent him on his way.

It was, as Israeli commentator Haviv Rettig Gur, himself a loud critic of supposed “violent settlers," pointed out, an “irrelevance."

Nothing happened, save for the fact that Khanna was delayed for a while. And that was largely because while traveling in a foreign country in an area where violence is to be feared-not from Jews, but from local Arabs-he chose not to inform the authorities where he was or what he was doing.

Why, then, did Khanna make a big deal about such a nothing burger?

The answer is obvious. Outlets like The New York Times, CNN, and even some Israeli and Jewish media were willing to publicize the event as an instance of “settler violence," even before they knew the facts. For them, it fits into a narrative of Israeli bad behavior that they think defines the contemporary Jewish state. The liberal Times of Israel amplified Khanna’s demand that the Jews who had asked what he was doing there should be punished, since they think it helps undermine Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his supporters.

Why the focus on ‘violent settlers’

For many inside Israel and in the American Jewish community, this isn’t about Khanna and his ambitions, but a chance to vent their anger and frustration concerning the hundreds of thousands of Jews who live in Judea and Samaria. After the Second Intifada from the years 2000 to 2005, Israel-under then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon-withdrew from the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2005. That move directly led to the transformation of the coastal enclave into a Hamas terrorist state in the summer of 2007.

The tragedy of Oct. 7, 2023, was the result of that terrible decision. In light of the massacre of 1,200 people and the kidnapping of 251 others that day, only a deluded radical fringe can go on advocating for a two-state solution.

The goal of evicting Jews from the heart of their ancient homeland to create a Palestinian Arab state that will bring peace between the two peoples is a fairytale that, in reality, is a formula for more bloodshed. It is now painfully obvious that Palestinian Arab national identity is linked to the dream of eradicating Israel, not achieving self-determination. So, all those who believed in this pretense are left with is the demonization of the Jews who helped prevent their country from making the same mistake in Judea and Samaria that Sharon made in Gaza.

Yet their narrative about "violent settlers", which has been adopted even by liberal Americans who support Israel, is itself a calumny. As JNS has reported, more than 90% of incidents reported as “settler violence" are nothing of the kind. Most are ordinary acts of Jews merely living or worshipping over the so-called “Green Line," such as peacefully visiting the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Every time a Jew defends themselves against Arab terror, it is considered an act of “settler violence." And even incidents, such as one I was told about during a recent visit to the same region Khanna was touring, which involved local Palestinian Arabs killing a sheepdog belonging to an Israeli farming family, have been falsely reported as Jews killing a Palestinian Arab-owned dog. (Op-ed editor: See Regavim's position paper on the subject: False Flags & Real Agendas: “Settler Violence" - A Modern Blood Libel)

Neither Khanna nor those who cheered his antics in the media after he cried “wolf" about settler violence care about these facts-or what happened when some Israelis had the temerity to ask him where he was going.

The real context is what is happening in the Democratic Party.

A political chameleon

Khanna, a native of Philadelphia and the son of Indian immigrant parents, is, like many in his profession, something of a political chameleon. A lawyer, he served as deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce in the Obama administration. He was elected to Congress in 2016, where he continues to represent Silicon Valley.

He describes himself as a pro-business “progressive," a contradiction in terms, but something that has ingratiated him with the left-leaning oligarchs who run Big Tech. In 2022, he was part of a delegation of pro-Israel members of Congress led by then House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). But since Oct. 7, the views of the once marginal Israel-bashing left-wing “Squad" in the U.S. House of Representatives about Israel and antisemitism have become mainstream discourse in the Democratic Party, as well as in liberal media.

Khanna is someone with national ambitions. He understands which way the wind is currently blowing in his party and has used his considerable sway with Democratic donors to invest in promoting some of the most prominent left-wing anti-Israel primary candidates, in addition to Democratic Socialists who oppose the capitalism that produced Silicon Valley.

He endorsed and campaigned with Abdul El-Sayed, a Michigan Islamist who has parlayed a nonstop stream of antisemitic invective demonizing the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC into a real chance of winning the state’s Democratic primary in August.

Khanna was also one of those most responsible for promoting the political fortunes of Graham Platner, the Nazi-tattooed Israel-basher who won the Democratic Senate primary in Maine. Khanna aided those seeking to deflect attention from scandals surrounding Platner, including those involving sexual misconduct. But his efforts collapsed after a local woman he dated years ago, a liberal activist, stepped forward with an accusation of rape, which ultimately forced Platner to withdraw from the race.

As recriminations among Democrats about those who foisted Platner on their party grew, Khanna knew that he needed to do something to change the conversation about his own role in that debacle. He may be a long shot for 2028 and is not yet making the cut in polls for the top 10 contenders for the Democratic presidential nomination, which is currently led by figures like former vice president Kamala Harris and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. But the congressman more than realizes that the party establishment that has dominated the presidential nomination process over the last three election cycles is unlikely to fend off the progressives who backed Socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in 2016 and 2020. And so, he naturally turned to an issue that unites the left as a way of refocusing attention on himself.

Seen from that perspective, it doesn’t matter that thoughtful observers know that he lied about what happened on his recent trip to Israel. Truth is irrelevant.

Had he been interested in learning more about the conflict, in addition to meeting Palestinian Arabs who support the war on the Jews-like the mayor of Hebron, who murdered two Americans-then he might have met with Israelis from southern Israel who had been held hostage by Hamas or those residents in the north who have been rendered homeless by Hezbollah attacks from Lebanon. His visit, however, was orchestrated to show support for the blood libels about “genocide" and “apartheid." All it does is reinforce the determination of Hamas and other terror groups to keep fighting for Israel’s destruction in the hope that someday, America will turn on its longtime Middle East ally: Israel.

Thinking about 2028

It’s unlikely that Khanna cares about the way he is helping to perpetuate the conflict. All he wants is to create a narrative in which he can be singled out as the most active and most-funded left-winger around whom progressives can unite in 2028.

Will he succeed? As one among many others on the left with similar ambitions, it’s difficult to envision Khanna being his party’s standard-bearer in two years. But stranger things have happened.

Still, his conduct should attract interest not so much because of the dubious notion that he is presidential timber, but because he is not mistaken about what will help galvanize Democrats.

As we have seen in primary after primary this year, hostility to Israel has become, alongside a belief in open borders and anger about ICE enforcing immigration laws, the organizing principle of Democratic politics in 2026. If there is one prediction that seems safe to make right now, it is that he won’t be the only presidential candidate in two years who will try to weaponize anti-Zionism and hatred for Israel to smooth his path to the White House.

Jonathan S. Tobin is editor-in-chief of JNS. Follow him: @jonathans_tobin.

תשעה באב בכותל 2025צילום: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

Our sages teach us that the Second Temple was destroyed due to baseless hatred. From an historical perspective, one can surmise that the first Temple’s destruction was also partially due to this same hatred.

During the First Temple era, the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah were divided into two independent kingdoms. Israel was eventually conquered by Assyria with no assistance offered by Judah, and Judah, sitting alone, was conquered by Babylon, during a time in which the Kingdom of Israel had already been destroyed.

At this moment, right before Tisha b’Av and in the run-up to the Israeli election, which has the potential to sow seeds of discord in the nation, or alternatively seeds of unity, let us look back and learn from our forefathers. Let us sketch out a summary of the inter-tribe politics of Am Yisrael, and see what a prophesy of Jeremiah can teach us about today’s times.

Throughout the entire biblical era, the tribes alternated between times of unity and discord. Let’s focus on the process that created the Great Divide: the divide between Judah/Benjamin on the one side and Israel/Joseph on the other.

The seeds of the coalescence of these two camps may be traced to Egypt. Joseph, Grand Vizier of Egypt, threatened to enslave Benjamin based on his false accusation that Benjamin had stolen his goblet. Judah risked his freedom to save Benjamin, and thus an alliance started to form between Judah and Benjamin on the one side, with Joseph on the other.

The tragic episode of the concubine in Gibeah took place generations later, following which the tribes of Israel - with Judah leading the way - nearly slaughtered the entirety of the tribe of Benjamin. Right before Benjamin was annihilated, the tribes expressed regret and eventually anointed Saul, a native of Gibeah in Benjamin, as their king. This coronation expressed a desire to reconstitute national unity and signified the tribes' attempt to sow cooperation in the face of bloodshed.

The Benjamite Saul would go on to try to eliminate his Judean rival David, who refused to fight back, possibly in deference to the traumatic memories of the war in Gibeah. This conscious decision to avoid bloodshed may explain his excellent relationship with Saul’s son Jonathan, forming the basis for a reaffirmation of the old alliance between Judah and Benjamin.

Throughout all this, the tribe of Joseph’s son Efraim, the scion of Egypt’s Grand Vizier, and scion of Joshua, the conqueror of the Land of Israel, looked on in indignation as the Prophet Samuel anointed first a Benjamite and then a Judean as king. Eventually, when the moment was ripe, Jeroboam from Ephraim rebelled against King Rehoboam of Judah, at which time Benjamin decided to stay with Judah. Thus, the People of Israel were divided in two, and so too was the family of the Matriarch Rachel.

The years passed, and each kingdom developed alone, like two estranged brothers living their separate lives. The Kingdom of Israel thrived; it possessed greater dimensions, population, potable water, and arable land, and developed into a regional military and diplomatic force.

The Kingdom of Judah was less successful in raw geopolitical and economic numbers, but still managed to imprint its legacy on world history. Judah produced the world’s greatest prophets, finalized the Bible, and was the seat of the Holy Temple.

In the end, Assyria conquered Israel and scattered it to the four corners of the earth. Miraculously, though, Assyria failed to conquer Judah. From this, one can deduce that if the two kingdoms had remained united, perhaps they would have repelled Assyria together. Later, an even greater power, Babylon, threatened to conquer Judah, which remained alone without hope for aid from the north.

Thus, the partition was a direct factor leading to the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel and also threatened to destroy Judah.

In those tense days, the prophet Jeremiah sat in a Jerusalem under the threat of Babylon’s legions, and prophezied a vision that will connect this entire discussion to our contemporary experiences.

" כֹּה אָמַר ה': קוֹל בְּרָמָה נִשְׁמָע נְהִי בְּכִי תַמְרוּרִים, רָחֵל מְבַכָּה עַל בָּנֶיהָ, מֵאֲנָה לְהִנָּחֵם עַל בָּנֶיהָ כִּי אֵינֶנּוּ. כֹּה אָמַר ה': מִנְעִי קוֹלֵךְ מִבֶּכִי וְעֵינַיִךְ מִדִּמְעָה, כִּי יֵשׁ שָׂכָר לִפְעֻלָּתֵךְ נְאֻם-ה', וְשָׁבוּ מֵאֶרֶץ אוֹיֵב. וְיֵשׁ תִּקְוָה לְאַחֲרִיתֵךְ נְאֻם-ה', וְשָׁבוּ בָנִים לִגְבוּלָם... הִנֵּה יָמִים בָּאִים נְאֻם ה', וְזָרַעְתִּי אֶת בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל ואֶת בֵּית יְהוּדָה..."

(ירמיהו ל"א י"ד-ט"ז; כ"ו)

“Thus said God: A cry is heard in Ramah-wailing, bitter weeping-Rachel weeping (mevacah) for her children. She refuses to be comforted for her children, who are gone. Thus says God: Restrain your voice from weeping, your eyes from shedding tears; for there is reward for your labor-declared God: they shall return from the enemy’s land. And there is hope for your future, declares God**: your children shall return to their country**…See, a time is coming-declares God-when I will sow the House of Israel and the House of Judah with seed…"

(Jeremiah 31: 14-16; 26)

Most of chapter 31 is about longing for Ephraim, and as such, the fact that Rachel cries out to Ephraim specifically from the town of Ramah changes the meaning of the prophesy. Years after Ephraim’s destruction and on the eve of Benjamin’s exile, Rachel calls to Ephraim to return, and she calls to him from the town of Ramah, which sits in the tribal boundary of Benjamin. This prophesy is not a call from any random biblical heroine, rather it is a particular call of a mother who refuses to be comforted until her actual two children return to her, until Joseph/Ephraim returns to his brother Benjamin in his town of Ramah. It is a pleading from the tribal boundary of Benjamin towards his lost brother Ephraim, “my sons, Ephraim and Benjamin, unite!"

The verse uses two different phrases for two different cries. First, Rachel is heard “wailing, bitter weeping" ("נהי בכי תמרורים") because Ephraim and Benjamin have become estranged. And this wailing is also related to the two tragedies caused by this estrangement. Ephraim has been exiled, and Benjamin is facing exile, and if only they had stayed united, neither Assyria nor Babylon could have easily defeated them.

But then she goes one step forward and weeps again (mevacah "מבכה") to her children. This nearly unique grammatical form of the word is a more active form of the usual word for weeping-bocha בוכה_._ In this form, the connotation may be that rather than weeping out of sadness, Rachel is imploring and begging her two sons that, “Despite your relationship having known its ups and downs, if my sons are not united, I am not complete, and neither are my sons. Please, I implore you, Ephraim and Benjamin, unite!"

Rachel used Ephraim and Benjamin’s filial relationship in an attempt to unite them. This literary parable is obviously a metaphor for the call for an even greater union. Throughout the entire bible, Ephraim is the metaphorical personification of the Kingdom of Israel. And Benjamin’s union with both the patriarch and the tribe of Judah sets him up to represent the Kingdom of Judah. Given this, we can deduce that Rachel’s cry from Ramah towards Ephraim for her two sons to unite, is in fact metaphorically a piercing call for a reunion between the estranged Kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

Rachel’s labor has a reward: “Your children shall return to their country". Not just half of her children, but rather “the House of Israel and the House of Judah" together.

Rachel’s labor is obviously a prophetic parable. She never literally sat in Ramah and cried out. Given that, we can expand her cry to a call for the unity of the People of Israel in our times.

Eighty years after the establishment of the Davidic dynasty, the nation was divided into the Kingdom of Israel (representing economic development, industry, and international relations), and the Kingdom of Judah (representing tradition and the spirit). Their disunity ultimately was the root of their undoing in their battles with Assyria and Babylon. Given all this, it does not take an avid imagination to extend Rachel’s parable to a call for unity between the contemporary Kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the so-called “State of Tel Aviv" and “State of Jerusalem". For a union between both the geographic but also the opposing social milieus and cultures that divide contemporary Israeli society.

The State of Israel rests on two pillars. “The State of Tel Aviv" is a dynamic, modern society, highly influenced by Western values (among other influences). These values provide much good to the State of Israel. Democracy creates stable governments with peaceful transitions of power and a citizenry that feels a sense of connection to its leadership. Classical liberalism grants civil rights to each person. Individualism pushes each person to maximize his or her potential, which is a powerful force driving society towards economic and technological advancement. These values are an essential factor towards Israel’s status as a wealthy start-up nation, as well as its possession of a modern technological defense establishment, and its diplomatic standing as a legitimate nation state. The State of Tel Aviv answers the question of how we live here, and it is obvious that without the State of Tel Aviv, the State of Israel could not survive for even a single day.

But Iron Dome and Waze are insufficient to ensure the survival of the State of Israel. “The State of Jerusalem" is highly influenced by Jewish values (among other influences). These values provide much good to the State of Israel. Connection to God, to the sublime. Mutual responsibility. Being part of a greater story than ourselves. Amazing commandments such as Shabbat and holidays, which build strong families and communities. The sanctity of the Land of Israel, and Jewish longing towards it throughout the generations. The importance of the Jewish people and the aspiration to be a redemptive light unto the nations. The “State of Jerusalem" answers the question of why we live here. It is obvious that without the State of Jerusalem, we would not have survived as a people in the diaspora, would not have returned to the Land of Israel, and it is doubtful if we would have stayed in the land in the face of the difficulties.

So, if we have established that we could not have survived without both the State of Tel Aviv and the State of Jerusalem, then these two entities do not clash but rather complete each other. Rachel refuses to be comforted as long as we are divided because her two children need each other. In a healthy body, no one asks what is more important, the kidneys or the liver, because it is obvious that they do not compete but rather help complete each other. A body cannot live without all its organs, so it would be folly for any of the body’s organs to compete with or be jealous of the others.

Therefore, it is fruitless to compete against ourselves or for one side to try to defeat or fundamentally change the ethos of the other. We must recognize the unique value that the other side brings to the country and be thankful that the State of Israel contains within it different organs that together can build a strong body. It goes without saying that each side may still learn from and teach the other, but only from a perspective of mutual partnership, rather than from a domineering attempt at altering the other.

We need to change our approach. Unity is not just a necessity but rather it is an ideal! If unity is seen as a tactical alliance, it will eventually dissipate as a marriage in which each spouse selfishly focuses on their own needs. But once we realize that both sides are necessary to the whole, and that both sides bring their own unique essential contribution, our tactical alliance turns into a true marriage.

The tragedy of the first half of 2023 was that we almost repeated our ancient mistakes. Some intellectuals even proposed splitting Israel into the State of Israel and the State of Judah, exactly like in the times of Jeroboam and Rehoboam! It is incumbent upon us to utterly reject all these dangerous ideas at their roots. In the last moment, we were forced into uniting in the face of a common enemy. But Rachel goes a step further and implores us to unite as an ideal, and only thus can we merit “I will sow the House of Israel and the House of Judah with seed".

רגעי האימה והתושייה של האמאמצלמת אבטחה

Security camera footage shared by Sharon, the mother of a two-month-old baby, has gone viral after capturing the terrifying moments when her infant daughter was accidentally locked inside a car during an extreme heatwave.

The video shows the ordeal after Sharon's two-month-old daughter, Alma, was left alone inside the locked vehicle.

According to Sharon, she placed her daughter, her bag, and her phone inside the car without realizing the key had also been left inside. She said an apparent malfunction in the vehicle's automatic locking system caused the doors to lock after she closed the rear door. When she walked around to the driver's side, she discovered she was locked out.

Sharon said she initially tried to call for help using her smartwatch, but was unsuccessful. She then sought assistance from neighbors and contacted emergency services. About 10 minutes later, volunteers from Yedidim, along with United Hatzalah, Magen David Adom (MDA), and police officers, arrived at the scene and began working to unlock the vehicle.

Approximately 15 minutes after the incident began, the rescue teams succeeded in opening the car.

"When they opened the car, Alma was already red, drenched in sweat, and completely exhausted," Sharon wrote.

MDA medics provided initial treatment, cooled the infant, assessed her condition, and confirmed that she was able to nurse and take in fluids before determining that no further treatment was required.

Sharon described the incident as the most difficult experience she has faced as a mother.

"I never imagined something like this could happen to me. I'm sharing this not to frighten anyone, but to remind parents of the simple steps that can prevent a tragedy," she wrote.

She urged parents to always keep the car key in their hands, leave the driver's door open until everyone is inside the vehicle, and, when possible, keep the engine running with the air conditioning on while placing children in the car.

"Thank God, she's fine today, and thank God it ended this way," she added.

Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar IbrahimREUTERS/Hasnoor Hussain/Pool

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim pledged Wednesday to immediately expel any Israeli citizens identified within the Southeast Asian country, as federal agencies look into allegations that Israelis joined an international technology retreat located in the Muslim-majority nation.

“If we find any Israeli, we will deport them immediately because we do not recognize Israel," Ibrahim said during an interview with English-language news outlet Free Malaysia Today, as quoted by JNS.

Addressing reports alleging that Israeli citizens holding dual nationality had entered the country, Ibrahim warned that passport holders from the Jewish state “will be deported if the allegations are proven true." He added that “all relevant agencies are already conducting investigations."

The prime minister’s comments followed reports that individuals from Israel had joined Network School, a residential initiative tailored for tech workers situated in Forest City near the border with Singapore. Created in 2024 by American technology investor Balaji Srinivasan, the retreat bills itself as a hub for "techno-optimists," providing housing, meals, and communal amenities - including gym facilities - for a monthly fee of $1,500.

Providing an update on the probe, the director-general of Malaysia’s Immigration Department told the New Straits Times on Thursday that inspectors have not verified the presence of Israeli citizens in the project.

“So far, we have not found any evidence to verify the allegations regarding the presence of Israelis in the Network School program," Datuk Zakaria Shaaban stated. “Preliminary checks found that all those inspected possessed valid immigration documents based on current records."

Israel’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday regarding the investigation.

Malaysia does not have diplomatic ties with Israel. In December of 2023, in fact, a Malaysian citizen was arrested after posting a video to social media in which he called for peace with Israel.

Later that month, Malaysia banned Israeli-flagged cargo ships from docking at its ports in response to Israel's actions in Gaza, which it said ignores "basic humanitarian principles".

In 2022, Malaysia said it arrested suspected Mossad agents who tried to kidnap a Palestinian Arab who was acting on behalf of Hamas in Kuala Lumpur.

Aryeh DeriYonatan Sindel/Flash 90

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri declared on Thursday that he and his party have no intention of cooperating after the elections with Gadi Eisenkot or his "Yashar" party.

"We support Netanyahu, period. Eisenkot is leading a camp of hatred against everything Judaism stands for. We are with Netanyahu all the way, backing him to lead the camp and serve as Prime Minister. The faith-based bloc is our bloc," Deri said in an interview with Yishai Cohen on the Kikar HaShabbat news site.

Deri did not conceal the frustration within the haredi camp regarding the conduct of Likud and other parties in the right-wing bloc, but maintained that no alternative exists. "Netanyahu is the most experienced figure. The faith-based bloc is our home. We have our grievances with them, but there is simply no alternative."

He added that he would encourage Netanyahu, if re-elected, to form a broad national coalition rather than a strictly right-wing government. "I strongly support the Prime Minister's intention to make every effort to form a broad government. We have always striven for a coalition like that because it fosters greater consensus and reduces division. While a 'fully right-wing' government gave us a majority, it also deepened polarization and hostility. If we can expand the government with our bloc as its foundation, that would be the ideal outcome."

Watch the Hebrew video:

דרעי: לא נלך עם איזנקוט, מוביל שנאת יהדותבאדיבות "כיכר השבת"

Minister Gideon Sa'ar at the conferenceSpokesperson

A disturbing synergy between Palestinian Arab terrorist organizations and far-left elements in Western nations took center stage during a speech by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, who attended a special ministerial conference on Thursday in Washington on "The Resurgence of Political Terrorism."

Addressing the summit, hosted by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Foreign Minister detailed the joint operational methods of radical left-wing movements and Palestinian Arab as well as regional terrorist organizations. He focused specifically on the political and media exploitation of protest flotillas aimed at the Gaza Strip.

"Terrorist organizations are working hand in hand with radical left-wing forces - building an operational alliance with far-left elements in Western democracies across Europe, Latin America, Africa, and beyond. Together, they are upending the global order. They pose a direct challenge to the values of democracy and freedom. And through the lens of the BBC and the pages of The New York Times, the world fell right into their trap," Sa'ar charged.

He noted that "the so-called 'Global Sumud Flotilla' is a textbook example of this. It is framed as a humanitarian mission, but in reality, there was no humanitarian aid on these ships. The true goal of the flotilla was to breach a legal naval blockade and serve the interests of terrorist organizations, primarily Hamas."

According to Sa'ar, "Hamas documents seized by the IDF reveal funding, operational involvement, and covert ownership of the vessels through a Spanish shell company. The flotilla is run through a network linked to Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, providing terrorism and its objectives with legitimacy and a civilian cover. Operations of this nature rely on laundering terrorism and its goals through left-wing activists. Networks of activists supply the logistical envelope, recruit participants, mobilize student groups, and generate public pressure. Hamas provides the strategy. The activists provide 'legitimacy' in Western media and beyond."

"The evidence is clear: Hamas funded and even secretly owned what were ironically dubbed 'peace ships.' We have documented direct ties between the flotilla's organizers and terrorist organizations, including Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). Senior Hamas operatives are running these campaigns straight out of the UK and other Western capitals," he concluded.

Morton KleinIsrael National News

Zionist Organization of American (ZOA) National President Morton Klein responded on Thursday to the motion which was brought forward in the US House of Representatives seeking to cut US military aid to Israel.

The measure, initiated by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) was voted down by an overwhelming majority of 313-104, but 103 Democrats joined Massie in supporting the resolution. No Republicans voted in favor.

“ZOA is outraged by the votes of Rep. Thomas Massie and 103 Democratic Congressmembers to eliminate all $3.3 billion in US military assistance to Israel while ignoring the $2 billion in US aid to the Islamic country of Egypt or the $1.5 billion in U.S. aid to the Islamic country of Jordan, even though these undemocratic countries vote against US interests at the United Nations and have terrible human rights records," Klein said.

He added, “$2.5 billion of the aid Israel receives from the US is due to Israel, based on the 1978 Sinai Accords between Israel, Egypt and the US. The US induced Israel to give up all of Sinai, the Alma oil fields and four Sinai oil wells that Israel had developed at enormous cost, by the US agreeing to pay Israel $2.5 billion per year of lost oil revenue. Incidentally, according to AI calculations, the oil reserves Israel was induced by the US to give up in the Alma oil fields would be worth a staggering $433.8 billion today."

“Further, the $3.3 billion in aid for 2027 is included in the ten-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for fiscal years 2018 through 2027, signed by the Jewish State of Israel and President Obama in 2016; and all of that aid must be spent in the US, producing well-paid American jobs," continued Klein.

“The Jewish State of Israel and the US are working out a future mechanism for defense cooperation starting in FY 2028. It is envisioned that joint projects will be funded by each country, and that there will be a gradual tapering off of the current military assistance model in the future."

Klein further stated, “US assistance to other countries, for example Canada and the UK, uses a mechanism that is different from aid to Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon. US aid to such other countries is embedded in defense spending bills, including the monies that are spent for the defense of Korea and NATO, so no equivalent vote is ever held on those funds."

Criticizing lawmakers from the Democratic party who backed the measure, the ZOA President said, “Democrats - including some who voted against eliminating FY 2027 aid to Israel - said they wanted to send a message to Israel that Prime Minister Netanyahu should not be allowed to continue to engage in war. This is outrageous, because the wars were started by and continue to be pursued by the Iranian regime and its proxies, including Hezbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. If there were no tens of thousands of rockets fired at Israel, no terrorist massacres of innocent Jews, no kidnappings, and no continuing threat to Israel’s existence, there would be no war."

Concluding his statement, Klein said, “The 104 votes for eliminating FY 2027 assistance betray the security of the United States and of the Jewish State."

Donald TrumpOfficial White House Photo by Daniel Torok

A longtime teleprompter technician for US President Donald Trump has been placed on unpaid administrative leave following accusations that he used insider access to speech scripts to place bets on an online prediction market, AFP reported.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Thursday that the technician will no longer serve in the administration, though she did not mention the employee by name.

ABC News originally reported the identity of the technician as Gabriel Perez, who has managed speech prompts for Trump since 2016. According to ABC, Perez netted over $100,000 by placing wagers on the platform Kalshi regarding specific vocabulary or phrasing expected to surface during presidential addresses.

"I'm aware of the report, the president is too, I spoke with him about it. He believes it's deeply unfortunate and frankly a disgrace," Leavitt told members of the press corps.

Confirming the aide's suspension, Leavitt noted that he was placed on unpaid administrative leave and "will no longer be working at the White House."

"That was a decision by the president. So I think that speaks for itself," Leavitt added.

According to platform executives, Kalshi flagged unusual wagering patterns associated with presidential public remarks and subsequently alerted its primary US oversight agency, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

"Our surveillance team promptly flagged and referred these trades to the CFTC after an exchange investigation," Robert DeNault, Kalshi's head of enforcement, stated in a message provided to AFP. "We have been assisting regulators on this matter and provided evidence we collected, as we do in any referral."

The trading service noted that more than $90,000 in generated earnings were locked in Perez's account prior to any withdrawal, adding that he is actively engaged in settlement discussions.

ABC News reported that Perez submitted wagers across multiple high-profile events, including December's primetime address, the February State of the Union, and remarks delivered at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Investigators noted that during instances where Trump veered off script and omitted pre-scripted phrases, Perez occasionally pulled back active trades mid-speech.

The investigation comes as American prediction platforms face heightened scrutiny regarding insider trading vulnerabilities. In a separate federal case, a US service member was charged after allegedly utilizing classified military details regarding the January raid to detain former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to generate over $400,000 via online wagers.

In a wide-ranging, primetime televised address to the nation on Thursday night, US President Donald Trump declared the immediate declassification and release of sensitive intelligence files, asserting they expose severe, long-hidden security vulnerabilities in the nation’s election infrastructure.

Opening his remarks by framing his administration as a turnaround from "economic and social disaster," Trump highlighted recent economic developments - noting that "more Americans are working today than ever before" and that "inflation saw the largest monthly decline in more than six years."

He praised provisions in his landmark tax legislation, including exemptions for tips, overtime, and Social Security benefits, while touting lower prescription drug costs and tax-free child investment accounts.

Turning to national security, the president stated that border admissions had fallen to zero over the past 14 months and pointed to international developments in Venezuela and Iran, on which he said, “We are winning big in Iran. You will see the fruits of that labor very, very shortly".

However, he warned that domestic progress remains at risk without total confidence in federal elections, emphasizing, "If there can be no trust, there can be no greatness. And that's very simple: no trust, no greatness."

"Tonight I'm announcing the immediate declassification and release of critical intelligence revealing shocking vulnerabilities in our election infrastructure," Trump said, adding that the material gathered by the White House Government Transparency Task Force and intelligence advisors is being made available on the White House website.

The president outlined five primary disclosures contained in the newly released documents.

According to Trump, intelligence shows that starting in the 2020 cycle, the People's Republic of China obtained 220 million US voter records - including names, addresses, and party affiliations - creating an "unprecedented election security nightmare."

Trump accused members of the intelligence community of actively concealing China's meddling from both the presidency and Congress. Citing CIA documents from mid-2018 and 2019, he asserted that Beijing sought to undermine his administration by leveraging US business ties and paying journalists to produce negative coverage, stating, "The Chinese government wanted US president to lose the next election, and the reason they wanted me to lose is because they knew I was wise to them."

He further cited FBI files suggesting Chinese attempts to manufacture illegal ballots, alleging that analysts "deliberately massaged the presidential daily briefing to withhold information regarding Chinese activities" and noting that one FBI official wrote she was running "a shadow government" to suppress the intelligence.

The president pointed to assessments spanning from January 2020 through June 2026 indicating that centralized election repositories and voting machines remain "extremely exposed to attack" by foreign adversaries, referencing reported digital vote manipulation tactics developed in Venezuela.

Trump highlighted 2020 FBI files regarding a Michigan State Police raid on a Muskegon voter registration operation, alleging that evidence of fraudulent applications paid with gift cards was "slow walked" and suppressed by the Biden Department of Justice.

Citing a Department of Homeland Security analysis of state voter rolls, Trump claimed that approximately 278,000 non-citizens were found registered to vote in federal elections, suggesting the true figure is far higher due to states withholding data.

Addressing network coverage, Trump criticized major broadcasters that opted out of carrying the broadcast live. "In a rare move, NBC and ABC fake news have both said that they would not cover this speech," Trump remarked, adding that "fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licenses" for utilizing public airwaves while concealing election vulnerabilities.

In light of the disclosures, Trump announced that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Department of Justice, FBI, and CIA have been tasked with investigating the alleged intelligence cover-ups, firing responsible personnel, and filing criminal charges where appropriate.

He also confirmed that the Department of Homeland Security will notify affected states regarding non-citizens on voter rolls and conduct briefings on technical voting system patches ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.

Closing his address, Trump pointed to delayed vote tallies in California - calling the state's month-long tabulation "worse than any third world country" - and insisted that "mail-in ballots are inherently corrupt." He urged the public to contact their representatives to demand the immediate passage of the SAVE America Act, which would mandate federal photo voter ID, require proof of citizenship to register, and restrict mail-in voting strictly to cases of illness, disability, military service, or travel.

"These reforms are urgently needed to stop the vulnerabilities that I've mentioned," Trump concluded. "Together we will restore faith and confidence in our country, and we will be bigger, better, and stronger than ever before."

SpaceX's Starship spacecraftREUTERS/Joe Skipper

An automated engine failure forced SpaceX to scrub the scheduled flight of its massive Starship rocket on Thursday, prompting chief executive Elon Musk to state that team members hope to attempt the launch again “hopefully in a few days", CNBC reported.

The private aerospace manufacturer opened a 90-minute countdown window at 6:45 p.m. ET from its Starbase installation along the South Texas coast. However, countdown controllers called off the liftoff shortly after the window opened.

Addressing the sudden hold, Musk posted on his X social media site that “Some of the engines didn’t start, triggering an automatic launch abort."

A company commentator explained on the official webcast that sensors detected a booster anomaly that “shut down the engines right as they were starting to ignite," halting the countdown.

Market reaction was immediate. Shares of SpaceX dropped over 3% during extended trading hours, extending a five-day decline and dipping further below the $135 price fixed during its record-breaking initial public offering last month, which brought in $85.7 billion including underwriter options. On Thursday, the stock closed regular trading at $131.11.

The mission was slated as the debut flight for Starship V3, an upgraded iteration of the 400-foot-tall rocket, following the company's public listing.

The preceding V3 test flight in May experienced technical hurdles when several bottom-stage engines failed to reignite during descent, causing the Super Heavy booster to crash into the Gulf of Mexico. Following an investigation overseen by federal regulators, the Federal Aviation Administration granted flight clearance on Monday.

For Thursday's trial - the 13th overall test flight for the Starship program - the vehicle was configured to deliver 20 upgraded Starlink communication satellites into orbit. The payload was meant to unfold solar panels and antennas to integrate with the broader orbital network before undergoing planned destruction, with SpaceX stating the hardware would “demise upon reentry approximately 20 minutes after deployment."

The launch holds major strategic value for investors and defense partners alike. The Starship system remains essential to expanding SpaceX’s commercial satellite array and serves as a core lander component for NASA’s upcoming crewed lunar missions under the Artemis program.

The Book of Deuteronomy is called "Devarim" in Hebrew, literally meaning "words."

This week's parashat Devarim begins the farewell address of Moses to his beloved people of Israel, five weeks before he passes from this world.

This fifth book of Torah is uniquely different from the others...it is emanating from Moshe himself. The man who had previously self-identified as "heavy of tongue" and unable to speak, suddenly begins to deliver the most beautiful oration.

He proves himself to be a master of words! How did this transformation take place?

In this week's edition of the Jerusalem Lights podcast, Jim Long and Rabbi Chaim Richman ponder Moses' unique relationship with the people of Israel, as reflected in the amazing book of Devarim.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that, as of Thursday, American forces have redirected three commercial vessels trying to run the naval blockade on Iran, disabled one vessel that did not comply, and boarded one to ensure full compliance with the ongoing US naval blockade against Iran.

CENTCOM published footage showing US Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit conducting a verification boarding aboard M/T Wen Yao in the Gulf of Oman.

“The Strait of Hormuz and the surrounding waters remain free and open, except for vessels attempting to violate America’s steel wall blockade," concluded the CENTCOM statement.

On Wednesday, CENTCOM announced that its forces enforced naval blockade measures against Iran by disabling an unladen oil tanker attempting to sail toward an Iranian port in the Arabian Gulf.

According to CENTCOM’s statement, its forces “observed Curacao-flagged M/T Belma transiting international waters toward Kharg Island. The commercial vessel ignored multiple warnings as it attempted to violate the US blockade. A US aircraft disabled the vessel after firing hellfire missiles into the ship’s smokestack. The ship is no longer transiting to Iran."

CENTCOM reinstated the naval blockade after President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the Strait of Hormuz is open to international shipping but that a full blockade will be imposed on vessels connected to Iranian ports or Iranian cargo.

Iran lashed out at the renewed US naval blockade of its ports, warning it has shattered the deal struck between the sides to pause the conflict to allow for peace talks.

Aryeh DeriNoam Moskowitz/Knesset spokesperson

The Knesset Plenum early Friday morning passed the second and third readings of the Party Financing Bill - which includes the official clause dissolving the 25th Knesset - by a 62-0 majority.

With the passage of the bill, the election recess has officially begun.

The vote followed last-minute political turmoil in parliament after Shas chairman Aryeh Deri sent the bill back to committee, refusing to put it to a vote without opposition support.

The drama unfolded when the Shas leader refused to vote on the bill - which sets both funding allocations and the date for the Knesset's dissolution - without opposition backing, arguing that party financing impacts every faction.

The opposition held a firm line, with the Yesh Atid party refusing to support the measure and declaring: "Let the coalition vote on its own."

The Yisrael Beytenu party slammed the coalition, stating: "According to the legal opinion of the Knesset Legal Advisor, the parliamentary recess does not depend on completing any legislative process, but was scheduled in advance for July 17. Therefore, the coalition's disgraceful attempt to tie the end of the session to an increase in party funding has no basis in reality."

Shalom WasserteilHaim Twito

“On the other side of the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses began to explain this Torah, saying…" Before delivering his final address, Moses our teacher had no need for Aristotle’s principles of rhetoric, which teach that a speech must begin with a compelling introduction to capture the audience’s attention and establish its purpose.

Instead, Moses opens with the central message he wishes to leave with the people of Israel as they stand on the threshold of entering the Land: “The Lord, our God, spoke to us at Horeb, saying: ‘You have stayed too long at this mountain. Turn and journey, and go to the hill country of the Amorites and to all their neighbors, in the Arabah, the hill country, the Shephelah, the Negev, the coastal plain, the land of the Canaanites, and Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates. See, I have set the land before you. Go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them and to their descendants after them.’"

The people had become deeply absorbed in the Torah they received at Sinai, yet they had overlooked its essential purpose. “Great is action," the Sages teach, and the true fulfillment of Torah and its commandments can only be achieved in the Land of Israel. That is why Moses’ charge is so direct: “Go in and possess the land."

Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim of Luntshitz, author of the classic Torah commentary Kli Yakar, written more than four centuries ago after recovering from a life-threatening illness, explains that the words, “You have stayed too long at this mountain," constitute the Torah’s first rebuke of those who rejected the Land of Israel. They had become comfortable at Mount Sinai, treating it as a permanent home instead of directing their hearts toward the Land, the unique place where the commandments can be fully observed.

Could such complacency be considered so serious a failing? Indeed it could. They had elevated life at Sinai into an ideal, forgetting that it was only a stage in their journey. Moses therefore commands them to turn their faces toward the Land and return to their true roots. According to Kli Yakar, the Land of Israel is the place from which the very substance of Adam was formed, echoing God's command to Abraham: “Go forth from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you" (Genesis 12:1).

This, then, is the opening of Moses’ final address before his death. He continues his rebuke by recalling: “And we journeyed from Horeb and went through all that great and terrifying wilderness that you saw, on the way to the hill country of the Amorites" (Deuteronomy 1:19).

Kli Yakar notes a striking detail. The verse does not say, “We turned and journeyed from Horeb," even though God had commanded, “Turn and journey." Why? Because, he explains, the people failed to do the most important part, they left Mount Horeb physically, but they never truly turned their hearts toward the Land. Moses had instructed them that after receiving the Torah, they were to direct themselves toward the place where its commandments could be lived, for study alone is not the ultimate goal; action is.

Instead, says Kli Yakar, another spirit accompanied them. Rather than fixing their gaze on the Land where the commandments would be fulfilled, they looked toward the wilderness and continued to harbor resentment toward the Land itself. This is reflected in the verse: “And we journeyed from Horeb and went through all that wilderness." Their attention remained fixed on the desert rather than on their destination, just as the spies later declared: “Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt" (Numbers 14:4).

Only after the sin of the spies, when God imposed severe punishment upon the nation, did they finally change course. It is only then that Scripture states: “And we turned and journeyed" (Deuteronomy 2:1). Their turning came at last, but only after painful consequences had forced them to recognize what they had failed to understand from the beginning.

Commenting on the words, “Go in and possess the Land," Rashi explains that had Israel not sinned by becoming attached to life in the wilderness and rejecting the Land of Israel through the sin of the spies, there would have been no need for war at all. Had they trusted God's promise and refrained from sending spies, they would not even have required weapons.

Ramban, consistent with his understanding of the commandments to conquer and settle the Land, sees this passage as more than a promise, it is a direct commandment. The instruction, “Turn and journey," reminds the people of both their destination and the route they were meant to take. Only afterward does the Torah declare: “See, I have placed the land before you... Go in and possess the land." As Ramban explains, this is not merely a prediction of what will happen, but a mitzvah obligating Israel to conquer and settle the Land, a point he also develops in his commentary on Numbers (33:53).

The Malbim likewise outlines what should have been the swift and proper course from Mount Sinai to the conquest of the Land. First, Israel was not meant to linger in the wilderness but to proceed directly to the hill country of the Amorites. Second, they should not have taken the lengthy route around Edom and Moab, but instead traveled through Edom by the most direct path. Third, they were intended to inherit the full extent of the land promised to Abraham, including the territories of the Kenites, Kenizzites, and Kadmonites, identified with the lands of Edom, Moab, and Ammon. Moses' words, “and to all their neighbors," indicate that Israel's inheritance would extend even further, encompassing the Arabah and reaching as far as the great Euphrates River, fulfilling God's promise in Parashat Mishpatim: “I will set your borders from the Sea of Reeds to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the wilderness to the great river..."

Malbim adds an important distinction between these passages. In Parashat Mishpatim, God says He will not drive out the nations in a single year, lest the land become desolate before Israel has grown numerous enough to settle it. There, the gradual conquest, “little by little", is itself presented as a blessing, allowing the nation to expand naturally.

By contrast, the blessing implied in our portion is even greater. Here the expectation is that Israel would have multiplied so rapidly and possessed such strength that it could conquer and settle the entire promised land immediately, without the need for a gradual process. The very possibility of an instant inheritance reflects an extraordinary divine blessing.

Later in his address, Moses repeats God's instruction: “You have circled this mountain long enough; turn yourselves northward" (Deuteronomy 2:3). Kli Yakar sees these words as carrying significance far beyond their immediate context, describing them as a message that resonates throughout the generations.

According to his interpretation, Israel's circling around the mountain foreshadows the long centuries during which the Jewish people would wander around the Land of Israel without possessing it. Generation after generation would remain in exile until the fulfillment of the prophecy: “His feet shall stand on that day upon the Mount of Olives, which lies before Jerusalem on the east" (Zechariah 14:4). As long as Israel continues to wander "around and around" in exile, the instruction remains: “Turn northward."

The Sages understood this phrase as an allusion to discretion. When the time demands it, the Jew living in exile should conceal his prosperity rather than display it openly. According to Kli Yakar, this advice is particularly relevant because Esau, and, by extension, those who see themselves as his heirs, harbors deep jealousy toward Israel, believing that the Land and its blessings were taken from them. He extends this observation to Ishmael as well, describing both as sharing resentment toward Israel's inheritance.

For this reason, Kli Yakar connects the verse with Jacob's instruction to his sons during the famine: “Why do you show yourselves?" (Genesis 42:1). Rashi explains that Jacob warned them not to appear prosperous before the descendants of Esau and Ishmael, who would envy their success. Isaac's blessings and Jacob's inheritance remained a source of bitterness, making public displays of wealth both unwise and dangerous.

Kli Yakar concludes by lamenting that many Jews in exile have ignored this lesson. Those blessed with wealth often feel compelled to display it through luxurious clothing, grand homes, and visible signs of status, provoking jealousy among the surrounding nations. In his view, such ostentation has contributed to many of the hardships the Jewish people have endured throughout history. His closing appeal is therefore directed to the wise: let those who understand these lessons take them to heart.

In other words, Moses' message is clear: the children of Israel are to ascend to the Land of Israel without delay. Yet so long as exile remains their reality, they are to live with humility and modesty, avoiding unnecessary displays that draw attention to themselves. The Torah underscores the severity of rejecting the beloved Land by twice declaring that “God's anger flared up." First: “The Lord's anger flared up on that day, and He swore, saying: ‘Not one of the men who came up from Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land that I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because they did not wholly follow Me’" (Numbers 32:11). Shortly afterward, the Torah repeats: “The Lord's anger flared up against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years" (Numbers 32:14). God's anger intensified because Israel failed to move forward to conquer and settle the Land.

For many centuries of exile, however, there existed a well-known argument against returning to the Land as a national undertaking, based on the doctrine of the “Three Oaths": “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem... that you not awaken or arouse love until it so desires" (Song of Songs 2:7). But once the binding force of those “Three Oaths" had come to an end, it follows, the author argues, that God's anger would instead be directed, God forbid, toward those who continued to cling to exile or feared ascending to the Land because of the dangers of travel. In this context, he cites Rabbeinu Chaim of Tosafot, who explains at the end of tractate Ketubot (110b) that in earlier generations, if a husband wished to immigrate to the Land of Israel and his wife refused because the roads were dangerous, she was not compelled to go, since the danger was considered genuine.

When, then, did the force of the “Three Oaths" cease? Rabbi Moshe Kalfon HaKohen of Djerba, known as Chacham Kalfon and regarded as a spiritual heir to Ezra the Scribe, maintained that this occurred more than a century ago. He points to a brief note submitted by Menachem Ussishkin to Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak HaKohen Kook during a memorial address delivered at Jerusalem's Hurva Synagogue following the fall of Joseph Trumpeldor and his comrades at the Battle of Tel Hai on the 7th of Iyar, 1920. The note reported that the San Remo Conference, involving the prime ministers of Britain, France, Italy, and Greece, together with representatives of Japan and Belgium, had formally recognized the Jewish people's right to return to the Land of Israel and establish their national home there.

From that moment, the call of this week's Torah portion took on renewed relevance: “You have stayed too long at this mountain. Turn and journey... See, I have set the land before you. Go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them and to their descendants after them." The same theme appears in the commentary of Rabbeinu Bachya ben Asher on the phrase, “to give to them and to their descendants after them." The Sages interpreted “to give to them" as referring to those who left Egypt, “their descendants" as those who returned from Babylonia, and “after them" as an allusion to the days of the Messiah. Moses' appeal, therefore, is not limited to his own generation but echoes throughout history. In the author's view, it speaks with particular urgency today: “You have stayed too long at this mountain. Turn and journey. See, I have placed the Land before you. Come and possess the Land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them and to their descendants after them."

Reflecting on the period before the Holocaust, when many Jewish leaders discouraged immigration to the Land of Israel for a variety of religious and practical reasons, the author cites Rabbi Yissachar Shlomo Teichtal's anguished reassessment in his 1942 work Em Habanim Semecha, written during the Holocaust. Teichtal lamented that those devoted to settling and building the Land had been dismissed as insignificant. Looking back, he concluded that this judgment had been a grave mistake. He placed heavy responsibility upon the leaders who had discouraged aliyah, writing that they could not simply “wash their hands" and declare, “We did not shed this blood."

Some also opposed the establishment of a Jewish state before the coming of redemption, arguing that such a step might lead Jews to neglect the proper observance of the commandments. Variations of this concern, the author notes, continue to be voiced today, rooted in the fear of acting before the proper time. Yet he asks whether fear can ever exempt a person from fulfilling the commandments. Have the Jewish people not already suffered enough because of the sin of the spies, the first of the tragedies associated with Tisha B'Av, a sin born of fear of battle and a preference for remaining outside the Land, content to remain at the mountain rather than continue the journey?

Others opposed cooperation with Zionist institutions, using this as another justification for remaining, as it were, “at the mountain." Among them was Rabbi Chaim Elazar Shapiro, author of Minchat Elazar of Munkatch, in the Carpathian region (today in Ukraine), who strongly opposed Zionism. In his view, the cooperation of Agudat Yisrael with the settlement efforts in the Land of Israel, as well as the establishment of Beit Yaakov schools, were serious mistakes. Most of the members of his community were later murdered in Auschwitz in 1944.

This stood in sharp contrast to Rabbi Avraham Yitzhak HaKohen Kook, who viewed the Balfour Declaration not as a danger, but as a means through which the divine promise could begin to be fulfilled. While Rabbi Shapiro described the declaration as “the harm caused by Baal Peor," Rabbi Kook recognized it as part of a historic process guided from Above.

In Letter 106, Rabbi Kook discusses the Torah of the Land of Israel and its unique significance. He explains that the spiritual decline and suffering found throughout the world are connected to the fact that “the Land of Israel is not publicized." He therefore called for increased writing and teaching about the holiness of the Land, as a way of repairing the sin of the spies, who spoke negatively about it. Rabbi Kook called upon the entire House of Israel to ascend to the Land, to participate in its rebuilding, and to prevent spiritual assimilation within exile. In the language of this week's portion: “You have stayed too long at this mountain; turn and journey for yourselves and come", come to the Land of Israel.

Had the Jewish people merited to hear “the voice of my beloved knocking" and to understand the significance of the Balfour Declaration, issued on the 17th of Marcheshvan 5678 (1917), as Rabbi Kook understood it during his speech in London, history might have taken a different course. Rabbi Kook emphasized that he had not come to thank Britain for the declaration, but rather to bless Britain for being granted the great privilege of serving as an instrument in the fulfillment of the divine promise.

Had the Jewish people merited to hear “the voice of my beloved knocking" once again, two years later, through the words of Rabbi Moshe Kalfon HaKohen of Djerba regarding the San Remo Conference and its recognition of the Jewish people's right to return to the Land of Israel and establish their state there, the message might have transformed the course of Jewish history. Had this call been heard and internalized by Jews in exile, by the nation as a whole, and by its leaders, perhaps many of the tragedies that befell the Jewish people during that terrible century, including the Holocaust, could have been prevented.

Blessed are we to live in a generation of the ingathering of exiles, a generation like that of those who were privileged this year to establish the community of Karmei Hanadiv. We live in a generation in which God's anger has subsided, as He has returned Zion to us, a reality that for many generations existed only as a dream. We live in a generation in which an even stronger and clearer voice is heard calling to our brothers and sisters who remain in exile: Rise up and ascend to Zion, for the time of mercy has arrived, and the appointed moment has come.

The author is the CEO of Tzifha International Real Estate

Rabbi Dr. Josh JosephOrthodox Union

By now, I imagine many of you have heard of the tragic and inspiring story of Charlotte Herzberg. On June 2, Yudi Herzberg was picking his son up from school when he received a call from his wife. She was frantic, she could hardly speak, something about their daughter being hit by a car. Yudi raced home and found his eight-year-old daughter, Charlotte, on the street surrounded by members of Hatzalah.

He immediately noticed his dear friend and chavrusa, who was also a member of Hatzalah, on the scene. Knowing that his friend was there meant that his daughter would receive the best possible care and that gave him a small sense of comfort. Only then, Yudi noticed something was wrong. His friend was looking away from him and at his car; avoiding eye contact. And then it clicked. The car on the street right next to Charlotte’s motionless body belonged to his best friend.

Hatzalah whisked his daughter away and sped to the nearest emergency room. They worked on her for over 40 minutes, but tragically, Charlotte would not make it. What is not as well-known is what Yudi shared at the funeral. Yudi, in a soft, broken voice, spoke about his precious daughter, her smile, her energy. He thanked the many people who tried to help her. And then he acknowledged the elephant in the room. “I’ve been wondering to myself," he said, “how this could have happened. Not just the tragic death of my daughter. But how could it be that my closest friend, my chavrusa, the person I speak to whenever I need advice, could have caused this?"

“The only answer I could think of," he continued with a crack in his voice, “is this. There was a conversation up in heaven. G-d was boasting about how peaceful our community is, how much shalom there is between neighbors, how different types of Jews could all get along. And the Satan came along and said, ‘Big deal. The only reason there is shalom is because they’ve never been tested.’ And Hashem gave the Satan permission to test us. This is the only plausible reason I could come up with."

And then Yudi’s voice rose. “Satan," Yudi said, “you underestimated us! We will not fall for your trap! We will not point fingers! We will not spread stories! We will not allow this terrible incident to rip us apart! We will double down in how loving we are with one another! I bear no grudge against my friend; he is still my best friend! And I ask you," he concluded, “to join me in bringing more shalom to the world."

I can’t help but wonder if Yudi is actually touching on a much broader phenomenon. Perhaps after October 7th, G-d was proud of how unified the Jewish People were, how we all came together as one family, across religious divides, across continents. I can’t help but wonder if the Satan was given permission to test us, in Israel and all over the world, to see if we could really hold it together. Can there be another explanation for the great divisiveness we have seen in the streets, highways, and courtrooms of Israel these past months? Is this not the act of the Satan trying to prove to G-d that the brotherhood on full display right after October 7th was a blip?

The divide in Israel is real, and it is complex. I do not have the audacity to weigh in on the particulars, but I am reminded of the chilling words of Rav Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin who described the lead-up to the Churban. He questions the seeming contradiction between our Sages describing that generation as righteous and immersed in Torah study with statements that describe them as full of hate for one another, even leading to bloodshed. The Netziv suggests that they were indeed fully observant and even righteous. However, “they suspected anyone who was not religious in accordance with their viewpoint to be a heretic."

Do we not grapple with the same challenge? Are we not a righteous generation, learning more Torah, performing more chesed, living according to halakha like never before? And yet, we so quickly condemn those who do not share our religious viewpoint as being entirely wrong and worthy of hate.

As the Yerushalmi (Yoma, 1:1) states, “Any generation in which the Beis Hamikdash is not rebuilt, is as if they destroyed it." We are not suffering the impact of our forefathers' sins, I fear we are perpetuating them. As Mark Twain is quoted to have said, “History does not necessarily repeat itself; but it does rhyme."

In the wake of the death of their child, the Herzberg family launched a campaign called Shalom for Charlotte. They are asking people to commit to one act of shalom. Stop waiting for your friend to apologize and take the first step yourself. Call the sibling you haven’t spoken to in years. Take some time to better understand a fellow Jew who has an opinion you believe to be wrong. Specifically at this time of Bein Hametzarim, when we remember that the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed due to sinas chinam, baseless hatred of our fellow Jews, this is the time to commit ourselves to making peace. To loving each other, despite our differences, disagreements, and intractable, unanswerable challenges. Yes, we must diminish our joy during the month of Av, but perhaps we can still be marbim b’shalom.

I invite you to join me in participating in this campaign, a tribute to a precious girl, that has the capability of bringing an end to all of our suffering. Click here to take the pledge.

Our generation has so much going for it. We are so close to the end. Let’s prove the Satan wrong by doing our part and becoming the generation that finally brings the geulah.

Rabbi Dr. Josh Joseph is OU Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

מאיר חביבצילום: רויטרס

Meyer Habib, a former member of the French National Assembly representing French citizens in southern Europe and Israel, met Argentine Ambassador to Israel Rabbi Shimon Axel Wahnish in the Israeli Knesset.

During their meeting, ahead of the FIFA World Cup Final between Argentina and Spain, the two posed with an Argentina national football team jersey, as the former French lawmaker threw his support behind the South American country.

"So now that France is eliminated, we wanted France-Argentina in the final," Habib said

"Now I am fully with the ambassador of Argentina, Alex Nesset. We are Vamos Argentina. All the French are with Argentina to avenge Spain," he added.

Tisha B'Av at Western WallFlash 90

The Shabbat before Tisha B’Av is known as Shabbat Chazon, named for the opening words of this week’s Haftorah: “Chazon Yeshayahu ben Amotz" - “The vision of Isaiah, son of Amotz" (Isaiah 1:1).

Isaiah begins with a sharp condemnation of the people of Judah for allowing corruption, injustice and spiritual hypocrisy to take root. He rebukes the nation for continuing to offer sacrifices and observe religious rituals while ignoring the suffering of the vulnerable and permitting dishonesty to flourish.

“What need have I of all your sacrifices?" (verse 11), G-d asks through the prophet. Prayer and worship cannot substitute for ethical conduct. Religious devotion that is divorced from justice is not merely incomplete; it is offensive.

And that is why the Haftorah is read right before Tisha B’Av, when we mourn the destruction of the First and Second Temples and the long exile that followed. It is a jolting reminder that our relationship with the Creator hinges too on how we treat our fellow man.

Yet Isaiah does not conclude with despair.

After delivering a blistering indictment of Jerusalem’s failures, the prophet ends the Haftorah with two remarkable verses:

“I will restore your judges as at first, and your counselors as in the beginning. Afterward you shall be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City. Zion shall be redeemed through justice, and those who return to her through righteousness" (Isaiah 1:26-27).

These words contain an important message.

Isaiah promises that Jerusalem’s greatness will be restored. Its institutions will once again be characterized by wisdom, integrity and faithfulness. The city that had become corrupt will again be known as the “City of Righteousness."

But this transformation will not occur automatically.

Note that the prophet does not say that Zion will be redeemed through military strength alone, nor through economic prosperity, diplomatic recognition or technological achievement. All of these are essential to Israel’s survival and success, but they are not sufficient.

The ultimate redemption of Zion depends upon the moral character of the society that is built there.

And that message speaks directly to our generation.

After nearly two thousand years of exile, the Jewish people have returned to their ancestral homeland. Hebrew has been revived as a living language. Jerusalem has been rebuilt. Millions of Jews have come home from every corner of the earth, and the State of Israel has become a military, economic and technological power.

Previous generations could scarcely have imagined the miracles that we have been privileged to witness.

But Isaiah reminds us that physical return is only the beginning.

The rebuilding of Zion is not complete merely because Jews once again live there. The Jewish state must also strive to become a society worthy of the name Zion - a society grounded in justice, honesty, compassion and fidelity to the values of the Torah.

That means demanding integrity from our leaders and fairness from our courts. It means ensuring that government institutions serve the public rather than themselves. It means protecting the weak, assisting the needy and treating every individual with dignity.

Isaiah’s vision requires us to build a nation in which justice and righteousness shape daily life. National unity cannot depend solely upon external threats. It must be rooted in a shared understanding of our purpose and destiny.

There is also a profound significance in the prophet’s promise to “restore your judges as at first."

A healthy society depends upon institutions that command public trust. Judges, leaders and counselors must act with humility, wisdom and integrity. When citizens believe that institutions are driven by politics, favoritism or personal interest, the social fabric begins to unravel.

Isaiah’s message is therefore not only spiritual. It is intensely practical.

As we prepare to sit on the floor on Tisha B’Av and mourn the destruction of Jerusalem, we should not view the day merely as a commemoration of ancient tragedy.

It is also a summons to action.

Yes, the Jewish people have returned to Zion, but the full vision of redemption has yet to be realized.

Our task is not merely to lament the Jerusalem that was destroyed, but to help build the Jerusalem that Isaiah foresaw: a city of justice, righteousness and faithfulness.

“Zion shall be redeemed through justice, and those who return to her through righteousness."

Those words were spoken more than 2,700 years ago.

They remain both a promise and a challenge for Israel today.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog stated that he is "not surprised" by the collapse of the Memorandum of Understanding between the US and Iran and the renewal of military hostilities.

Speaking with Al Arabiya, Herzog stated that he believes "in a diplomatic solution to the conflict," Herzog said. “I think this is absolutely what needs to be done, and I actually know that this is the clear Israeli position."

However, he said that he is "not surprised that this is the situation because with the Iranian pattern of behavior, which we know, it's impossible to do deals. They violate all the time, they have their own way of interpreting things that are very, very clear. We see in so many instances, their proxies all operating on their behalf simply to stir up and radicalize the situation leading to instability."

Herzog added that he is “happy that the American reaction" to Iran's violation of the agreement and attacks on international shipping "is firm and clear, so that everybody understands, especially the Iranians, that they cannot goof around here."

According to Herzog, "the whole situation is controlled and led by President Trump. And I trust [Trump] fully on this and I believe that it is an American-led situation, meaning the Americans have to deal with it with their allies as well. Because closing Hormuz, let's understand it, closing Hormuz is clearly another extortionate step in the relations of Iran with the world."

Turning to the prospect of peace with Israel's Arab neighbors, Herzog described his "dream."

"It is my dream, as I say all the time, it is my dream to take a car and drive to Beirut. It is my dream to go to Damascus. And it is my dream, really, to see peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia, definitely normalization moving forward. And I believe it's part of history. And I believe we are all the children of Abraham are destined to live together and must move forward together, including with our Palestinian neighbors," he said.

Temple MountFlash 90

(Part 2 of the UNESCO series)

"If all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed-if all records told the same tale-then the lie passed into history and became truth."- George Orwell, 1984

Once there was a traveler who forgot his watch on the nightstand of a hotel in the Middle East.

More than ten years passed. He returned to the same hotel and recognized the old owner, who was wearing his watch. It was the same watch, but it now had a new strap.

“That watch is mine," he said hopefully.

“It is mine," said the hotelier, unmoved.

“Since when?" asked the traveler.

“Since a winged camel with a human face delivered it to me one night, flying over the courtyard. His name was Albarq - lightning."

The traveler smiled. He could not believe the story, but the hotelier did not smile. A few seconds passed, and the traveler repeated:

“But the watch is mine."

A religious man from the neighborhood who had been watching the dispute came closer and confirmed the account of his friend, the hotelier:

“Yes," he said, “there is a tradition, passed down from generation to generation, though unwritten in its earliest times, according to which certain watches descend upon the wrists of the righteous through the mediation of Albarq, the illuminated winged camel."

The traveler asked for proof. He was told that doubting the tradition was an offense to the faith of the entire neighborhood. Meanwhile, other religious men from other neighborhoods joined in confirming it, not because they had seen the camel, but because denying their neighbor’s story might cast doubt on their own tradition.

But the story needed something more in order to prevail: institutional legitimacy. Everyone should respect that Albarq had existed and not doubt, as the unbelieving traveler did.

And then the inevitable happened: the bodies responsible for resolving disputes over heritage, traditions, and watches - bodies made to vote, not to investigate - placed the matter on their agenda and, gathered in assembly, voted:

The watch belongs, in fact, to whoever is wearing it.

The wearer becomes its original owner. No one asked about the manufacturer or the purchase receipt; no one requested the serial number. It was put to a vote.

No one was surprised that this criterion applied only to certain watches.

The traveler, still perplexed by the decision, watched the sky from the window of his room. Perhaps Albarq was not a legend after all, but instead of a camel flying through the sky, all he saw was rubble in the hotel’s back courtyard.

His instinct drove him to approach and clear it away, until among the debris he found the watch’s original strap, worn but real, bearing the same mark.

He did not move the strap from its place. It would be his perfect proof the next day, when the members of the bodies came to inspect. As he returned to his room, he saw a shadow slip away.

The next day, the rubble was gone. Someone had removed it. The explanation was simple: the hotel’s structures needed reinforcement.

The traveler wondered: after more than ten years? On that very night? Then he remembered the shadow and understood.

The evidence was of no use before the international bodies. The winged camel carried more weight.

And just as it had been voted once, it was voted on again at the next session, and at the one after that, each time citing the previous resolution as if it were proof. Until dozens of resolutions piled one on top of another, each more certain than the last about something none of them had ever demonstrated.

Then the hotelier, now emboldened, did what every story needs to survive scrutiny: he filed off the original mark on the mechanism. It was no longer possible to read the manufacturer's name, the country of origin, or the date stamped on the back. "An accident of wear," he explained - and gave it a new name: Sa'at al-Yad al-Aqsa(The Farthest Wristwatch).

“An accident of use," he explained. And he gave it a new name: Sa’at al-Yad al-Aqsa, the Farthest Watch.

A name that evoked a mythical distance, a sacred destination reached in a single night’s flight. From then on, whenever anyone mentioned it - the tour guide, the diplomat, the cartographer drawing the map of the neighborhood - they simply called it Sa’at al-Yad al-Aqsa, without realizing that, by naming it so, they had already accepted, without ever questioning it, the entire story carried within the name.

Meanwhile, the traveler continued explaining at every assembly that the watch bore his name engraved in places that had not yet been completely filed away, even as he presented the purchase receipt and the warranty paper he had kept out of habit.

But by then the room was already busy debating whether it was politically expedient even to hear that part of the story. They also remembered that “doubting the tradition was an offense to the faith of the entire neighborhood," and offense came at a high price, a very high price.

To reaffirm this blind faith, they named the wall at the entrance to the city Albarq, a decision that was also approved by the international bodies, displacing the original name.

The traveler, now alone, tried to make sense of what had happened: Could the body vote on this? Can a vote substitute for the evidence the matter requires?

Democracy had granted majorities the right to decide, but at some point, someone confused that right with the power to determine the truth. A majority could decide what to do tomorrow without acknowledging what had happened yesterday

Yet if minds could be manipulated, majorities could be manipulated as well, and once the vote had been cast, the legitimacy of the procedure began to blur into the truthfulness of what had been voted upon.

The name Jurispolitics flashed through his mind like lightning, and then he remembered the meaning of Albarq: lightning.

The lightning reminded him of Baruj, his teacher and Guide, who had taught him the Moreh Nevukhim, where Maimonides affirms that metaphysical truth does not shine continuously, but rather that “truth communicates its splendor to us as though it flashed like lightning," plunging us afterward back into darkness.

MORAL OF THE STORY

Do not allow the splendor of Maimonides’ lightning to be extinguished by the darkness of Albarq, or by sophistries, post-truths, and complicities.

In that moment, the traveler committed himself to stripping bare all jurispolítica and recovering his original watch.

Leon J. Halac is an accountant and businessman. He is also a great-grandfather, Argentinian, and Zionist who has been publishing opinion pieces in Iton Gadol and AJN since 2025.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that it completed its latest major wave of strikes against Iran at 9:40 p.m. ET on Thursday night (4:40 a.m. Friday morning Israel time).

“US forces, including fighter jets, aerial drones, and warships, launched precision munitions that hit dozens of Iranian military targets such as coastal surveillance and air defense sites, military logistics infrastructure, and maritime capabilities," CENTCOM said in a statement, adding, “This was the sixth consecutive night of US strikes against Iran."

“At the Commander in Chief's direction, CENTCOM is further degrading Iranian military capabilities and holding Iran accountable for recent attacks on commercial shipping," said the statement.

It noted that more than 50,000 US service members are operating across the Middle East “and remain vigilant, lethal, and ready."

Iranian media reported that the US strikes targeted a wide range of objectives, including Iranshahr Airport. Further reports indicated that the bridge connecting Bandar Abbas and Shiraz was attacked, as was a railway station in Bandar Abbas.

As the US attacks continued, the Iranian military claimed that it carried out a strike using unmanned aerial vehicles against US military helicopters and reconnaissance aircraft stationed at Sakhir Air Base in Bahrain.

Meanwhile, the Kuwaiti military announced that the country's air defense systems were operating to intercept incoming missile and drone threats.

Loud explosions were also heard in Doha, the capital of Qatar, as the country's air defense systems engaged to intercept missiles launched from Iran.

Earlier reports indicated that the United States is preparing to escalate military pressure on Tehran and has informed Israel of its intentions to expand the current campaign.

In talks between US and Israeli officials, it was noted that the US Air Force's next strike targets are expected to include vital infrastructure and strategic energy sites across Iran.

Iranian military spokesman Abolfazl Shekarchi claimed that "the only way to pass through the region is through the Strait of Hormuz. The Islamic Republic's sovereignty over the strait provides security for the entire region, not insecurity. We insist on America's withdrawal from the region and will never give up Hormuz. If our infrastructure is targeted, all infrastructure in the region will become our target. We have delivered a crushing response to the enemy and will continue to do so; they have taken severe blows."

Earlier in the evening, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that the US blockade of ships entering and departing Iranian ports is in full effect. She noted that the blockade was reimposed due to "Iran's inability to honor their agreement with the United States of America."

She added that more than 10,000 US sailors, marines, and airmen, along with two aircraft carriers, more than 20 warships, and dozens of aircraft, are executing the blockade.

According to Leavitt, in the first 24 hours of the blockade, CENTCOM redirected two compliant commercial vessels and "disabled" one compliant vessel.

Rabbi Yaakov MenkenCoalition for Jewish Values

There are moments when you leave a gathering feeling not simply encouraged, but genuinely inspired. Less than three years after the greatest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, and amid a worldwide resurgence of antisemitism, attending Christians United for Israel's annual conference was one of those moments. This is not simply because CUFI is home to millions of admirers and supporters of the beleaguered Jewish community, but because of the courage found among them.

When antisemitism is surging around the globe, Jewish students are harassed on college campuses, and synagogues require heightened security, the easy course is to keep one’s distance. Some would even call that prudent. CUFI celebrates those who do just the opposite, who lean in against those who threaten us. CUFI’s founder and creator, Pastor John Hagee, put it this way: “If a line has to be drawn, draw it around Christians and Jews. We are united."

Since launching “A Night to Honor Israel" in 1981, Hagee has built what has become one of the strongest and most consequential pro-Israel movements in America. Millions of faithful Christians have chosen not merely to express sympathy for Israel or the Jewish people, but to stand with us publicly, consistently, and unapologetically.

Walking through the conference halls, I met pastors, students, community leaders, military veterans, and families from across America. They were motivated not by politics, but by deeply held moral conviction. They spoke about Israel as America's democratic ally, and the shared Biblical values that have shaped Western civilization. They spoke about religious liberty, human dignity, and the ties between Christians and the Jewish People.

Standing with Israel is no simple matter, especially for young students; it can invite criticism, targeted vandalism, and social ostracism. The conference featured panelists from CUFI High School and CUFI on Campus, who offered personal accounts of the consequences they faced for standing with Israel and against antisemitism.

Pastor Russell Johnson leads a church in what he described as “the People’s Republic of Seattle." When he decided to hold a “Night to Honor Israel" with CUFI, he said, they “had protesters in the service, in the parking lot, and all around the building." But it was more than worth it, he said, to host Pastor Hagee, whom he called “a hero of mine," and to stand with “the most free, prosperous, and equitable ally that America has ever had in the Middle East."

In an age where many are eager to lecture Jews about what our security should look like or how Israel should defend itself, these men and women came simply to stand with us. They understood that after October 7 and its aftermath, solidarity is not merely symbolic. Rivkie Feiner, an Orthodox Jewish woman attending CUFI the first time, said that she “was very impressed at how unabashedly loud and proud they are in their support of Israel and the Jewish community" - and that she wished all Jews would display the same confidence and commitment.

The Torah teaches the importance of hakaras hatov, the obligation to recognize and acknowledge those who do good for us. We cannot take such friendship for granted.

Throughout our history, there have been moments when others remained silent in the face of antisemitism. And for nearly two millennia, organized Christian support for the Jewish people on this scale would have been unimaginable. Whatever our theological differences, this partnership represents one of the most remarkable developments in modern Jewish-Christian relations; millions of Christian Zionists are choosing courage, and we should thank them for their support and their bravery.

That does not erase the deep theological differences between our faiths, nor should it. We remain distinct religious communities with different beliefs and traditions. But friendship does not require uniformity, and mutual respect does not require agreement.

In fact, Pastor Hagee proudly recounts how the “Night to Honor Israel" might not have gotten off the ground, were it not for the early and vocal support from a local Orthodox rabbi, who recognized his sincerity and became a close colleague and friend. There was only one Orthodox synagogue in San Antonio, Texas, in 1981: Congregation Rodfei Shalom, led by Rabbi Aryeh Scheinberg, ob"m. When Hagee encountered suspicion from officers of the local Jewish Federation, it was Rabbi Scheinberg who posed a simple question: “but what if he’s a good person?"

That CUFI is represented by good people was evident throughout the conference. They view the rise of antisemitism as not merely a Jewish problem, but a warning sign for society itself. They know that hatred directed toward Jews never remains confined to Jews, but is the first symptom of a deeper moral sickness that eventually threatens everyone’s freedom.

That understanding should give us confidence. It means millions of Americans recognize that supporting Israel is about more than foreign policy. It is about defending the principles of liberty, religious freedom, and democracy that benefit all people.

America itself has long been blessed by this partnership between faithful Jews and Christians. Together, we have defended religious liberty, strengthened families, supported charitable institutions, fought poverty, opposed totalitarian ideologies, and advanced the timeless belief that every human being is created in the image of God.

Those shared values are worth preserving.

The enemies of Israel are loud. The antisemites dominate too many headlines. Social media often magnifies the ugliest voices in our society.

But they do not speak for America.

In a media environment that often amplifies division, outrage, and conflict, gatherings like the CUFI conference remind us that another story is unfolding across America. It is the story of millions of decent people who reject hatred, reject antisemitism, reject terrorism, and refuse to abandon Israel. And it is the story of those who look past our differences to unite behind common goals for America, Israel, and the world.

That story deserves to be told.

The Jewish people know that our ultimate security rests in the protection of the Almighty. But we are also compelled to show hakaras hatov-to recognize and thank those through whom He blesses us. To CUFI, and to those of every faith and none who stand for Israel when it is costly, who speak plainly where others hedge, and who keep the moral line between those who defend life and those who glorify hatred, thank you.

Your friendship is seen, your support is felt, and your advocacy makes a difference. Because of friends like you, the Jewish people know that we are not alone.

Rabbi Yaakov Menken is Executive Vice President of the Coalition for Jewish Values

crocodileiStock

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is continuing to advance his plan to use crocodiles around prisons holding security prisoners.

Following Ben Gvir's request, Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman signed a declaration today (Thursday) classifying crocodiles as a "domesticated wild animal." The official designation means that security agencies such as the Israel Prison Service (IPS) will be able to launch a pilot program to keep crocodiles on their premises, while ensuring their welfare and providing appropriate living conditions.

The move comes about six months after Ben Gvir proposed adopting President Donald Trump's model of a prison surrounded by crocodiles and establishing such a system around a security prison housing Nukhba terrorists.

The Israel Prison Service embraced the idea and began extensive planning on the project, including a series of studies and professional visits to zoos. According to the IPS, the findings indicated that constructing a prison surrounded by moats containing crocodiles would significantly reduce ongoing security costs while also creating a strong deterrent against escape attempts by security prisoners.

After Minister Ben Gvir approved moving forward with a practical pilot program-which includes construction planning and the creation of appropriate safety and environmental conditions for keeping the crocodiles-the initiative encountered a legal obstacle. Under existing law, the Nile crocodile is classified as a protected wild animal, a designation that prohibits it from being kept outside licensed zoos.

To overcome the legal hurdle, officials developed a solution based on classifying the crocodile as a "domesticated wild animal," a legal status that permits it to be kept for commercial purposes.

Such a designation existed under Israeli law until 2013 and allowed crocodiles to be bred and killed for commercial use. It has now been adapted to meet Israel's security needs, with the new declaration limiting the designation solely to the keeping of crocodiles and only by authorized security agencies.

Moshe SolomonFlash 90

MK Moshe Solomon officially announced on Thursday that he does not intend to run in the Religious Zionist party primaries, as first reported by Arutz Sheva-Israel National News.

"The Religious Zionist party promoted the strengthening of the settlements, a more determined defense policy, an impact on the economy, governance, and the State of Israel's Jewish identity. Along with these achievements, I feel that on the issues that are at the heart of religious Zionism: Torah, military, and labor, we have moved off the path," Solomon wrote in his statement.

He added, "I believe in the Torah. I believe in Torah study. I believe in IDF service, in the joint ownership of the privilege to serve as part of the responsibility to build the entire state and nation. These are not competing values; these are values on which we were raised and which our voters sent us to represent. When the party chose to give up on these principles, I felt that I could no longer look my voters in the eye and tell them that I represent them as they expect me to."

According to Solomon, "This is not a minor issue. This is not another 'toad that we have to swallow.' This is essential for those who sent me, at least that's what I believe. Therefore, after much thought and through public responsibility, I decided not to run in the upcoming Religious Zionist party primaries. I believe that politics is a means, not a goal. When the means no longer enable you to serve the values for which you entered public life, you have to know how to say it straight."

Solomon noted that he still does not know where he is heading politically. "I don't know yet what my political path will be in the future. But one thing is clear to me: my service to the public does not end here. This was my path, and with G-d's help, this will be my path in the future as well. Thank you to my fellow party members and partners."

Solomon is the second Religious Zionist party member to leave the party in two days. On Wednesday, Minister of Aliyah and Integration Ofir Sofer announced that he will leave politics amid disagreements with Religious Zionism Party chairman Bezalel Smotrich, including over the military conscription law.

"The State of Israel must continue to strengthen its security and establish an ironclad and resilient wall of defense, one that is also founded on spirit, values, and unity. We all have a duty to cultivate a unifying spirit among the people of Israel. The bereavement and wounds of the war will leave scars that will not heal quickly. They will remind us every day of the immense responsibility and commitment to the right path," Sofer stated.

According to Sofer, "The citizens of Israel have a duty to demand a discourse of unity, solidarity, and genuine partnership in the sacred and critical mission of defending the country's security. A discourse of national resilience, faith in the justice of our cause, and faith in the heritage of Israel and the eternity of the people of Israel."

Minister KarhiNoam Moskowitz- Knesset channel

The Knesset has approved the Communications Reform Law spearheaded by Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi in its second and third readings. The bill passed with the support of 53 Knesset members, while 48 voted against it.

Addressing the Knesset before the vote, Minister Karhi said, "This reform brings freedom to the public. It removes the chains of propaganda from the minds of Israel's citizens and allows them to choose what they want to watch.

"There was a failed attempt to keep power in the hands of monopolies, prevent competition and a free market, and keep the people of Israel from knowing the true picture reflected in the viewing figures. In addition, we are establishing a uniform requirement for promoting Israeli productions, lowering barriers to entry, and breaking up monopolies," he added.

The law provides for the establishment of the Broadcast Communications Authority, an independent statutory body that will consolidate and replace the existing broadcasting regulators. Under the proposal, the authority will operate with an annual budget of NIS 25 million, which will be deducted from the budget of the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation.

The law also establishes the Broadcast Communications Council, which will set the authority's policy. The council will consist of nine members and will be required to ensure gender and ethnic representation. A search committee, headed by the Director General of the Ministry of Communications, will be responsible for selecting candidates for the council.

Until additional legislation is enacted, the council will operate without direct enforcement powers over content providers, while the Second Authority for Television and Radio will continue exercising its regulatory powers over existing license holders and radio broadcasters.

The law also requires any Israeli content provider meeting at least one of the following criteria to register in a dedicated registry:

• Annual revenue exceeding NIS 40 million;
• More than 100,000 paying subscribers; or
• More than NIS 100 million in funding from controlling shareholders over the past three years.

In addition, the council will be authorized to designate a provider as having "commercial significance," requiring it to offer its broadcasting rights to all distributors on a non-discriminatory basis.

Regarding original productions, the law introduces a new framework for "premium genres"-drama and documentary programming. Registered content providers will be required to invest at least 6.5% of their annual revenue each fiscal year in financing or producing local content, with 10% of that amount earmarked for documentary programming.

The new requirements will be phased in over five years. The production obligation for broadcasters regulated by the Second Authority will gradually decrease from the current 13%, while the obligation for entities regulated under the Communications Law will decrease from 8%. Providers that were previously exempt will be subject to a gradual obligation beginning at 2%.

Under the law, the Idan+ free-to-air digital television platform will continue operating, with its NIS 25 million annual operating cost deducted from the budget of the Public Broadcasting Corporation. Mandatory carriage requirements will continue to apply only to the veteran television channels already subject to them. Sporting events deemed to be of public importance will be broadcast on channels carried by the Idan+ platform.

With respect to sports broadcasting, the law prohibits broadcasters that own sports broadcasting rights from forcing customers to purchase expensive bundled channel packages. They will instead be required to sell their content to competing distributors on equal terms. The law also establishes clear criteria for identifying "sporting events of public importance," for which no additional viewing fee may be charged.

Minister Smotrich at the conferenceAharle Crombie

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich warned at the National Camp Conference that the upcoming elections will determine whether Israel is governed by a national government or a left-wing coalition, cautioning that a change in government would reverse the current coalition's achievements.

Speaking Thursday evening at the National Camp Conference organized by the Tekuma movement, Smotrich said the upcoming elections would determine whether Israel forms a national government or a left-wing government.

According to Smotrich, the outgoing right-wing government has succeeded in nearly completing a full term in office while implementing a series of significant reforms in the fields of the judiciary, settlement, and the economy.

"For the first time in 38 years, a right-wing government will complete its term and will soon face the test of public confidence. Contrary to all the doom-and-gloom predictions and wishful thinking of television commentators, our national government stood firm throughout the entire period despite numerous challenges from within and abroad. From the moment this government was formed, the left-wing camp, which calls itself 'democratic,' tried in every possible way to trample and nullify the democratic choice. They tried to erase your voice-our collective voice," the minister said.

He continued: "We are carrying out a genuine judicial reform de facto-through actions, not words. Above all, we have led a massive, unprecedented revolution in settlement in Judea and Samaria. We are eliminating the idea of a Palestinian state."

Smotrich also addressed the state of Israel's economy.

"Contrary to all the forecasts and scare tactics of the left, Israel's economy is in excellent shape and is outperforming every prediction thanks to the government's responsible management. Despite the longest and most expensive war in Israel's history, we have cut taxes for reservists and the middle class, and we have advanced major reforms against the exploitation by the banks, leaving more money in your pockets. The shekel and the Israeli stock market are reaching record highs, and foreign investment is flowing into Israel."

In the final part of his speech, the finance minister warned against the possibility of a change in government after the elections. He claimed that a government led by Gadi Eisenkot would work to establish a Palestinian state and reverse the current government's policies in Judea and Samaria.

"An Eisenkot government will establish a Palestinian terror state in the heart of Israel. I say this with complete certainty: international initiatives are being advanced together with figures on the Israeli left whose goal is to roll back all the important steps we have taken in Judea and Samaria. The upcoming elections are about one question: whether Israel will have a national, Zionist, and responsible government, or a dangerous left-wing government disguised as 'statesmanlike,' supported by the Arab parties."

Smotrich concluded by appealing to the Religious Zionist community and right-wing voters to unite behind the national camp ahead of the elections.

"In the face of all this irrational hatred, we will stop being ashamed and stop groveling. We proudly declare that we, the people of Religious Zionism, do not need anyone's approval. We will deliver our decisive answer to all those who poison the public discourse and persecute Religious Zionism at the ballot box. In the upcoming elections, no one can afford to be complacent. We must do everything possible to ensure that a genuine right-wing government is formed. That is in all of your hands."

The remarks were delivered during the right-wing conference currently taking place at Expo Tel Aviv, attended by government ministers, Knesset members, and other public figures. During the event, the Tekuma movement announced the establishment of an organization dedicated to mobilizing right-wing voters to the polls in an effort to secure the formation of another national government.

Benjamin and Sara NetanyahuMarc Israel Sellem/POOL

The Ministerial Committee for Shin Bet Affairs has approved security for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, for the rest of their lives, per a recommendation by Shin Bet Director David Zini.

At the same time, the committee approved a security detail that includes a personal car and driver for Netanyahu's offspring for an additional five years. The protection will continue even if Netanyahu is not reelected.

Channel 12 reported that the decision comes after heavy pressure from the Netanyahus' circle and contradicts the position of professional officials who sought to keep the security issue subject to the changing threat level.

Effie Defrin"All in"

IDF Spokesman Effie Defrin was interviewed on Nadav Peri's Podcast on the "All In" platform about the controversy surrounding the official letter sent by IDF Chief of Staff this week, warning against legislation to halt arrests of haredi draft dodgers.

Defrin made clear that attacks by politicians and others not only hurt the person holding the position but also directly affect the resilience of the entire military. "There is criticism, some objective and some not objective and not irrelevant. You have to remember that when you criticize the Chief of Staff in a non-objective manner, and at times even cheaply to a certain extent, you harm the entire IDF."

The Spokesman expanded on the concept that states that the Chief of Staff represents all IDF service members, from the rank of combat soldier in the field to the highest ranks. "In the end, what's the Chief of Staff? The Chief of Staff is not Eyal Zamir; he is the Chief of the General Staff. He is this institution. He represents the company commander, the battalion commander, the Golani soldier, the soldier in the tank, on the ship, and on the plane. That is what the Chief of Staff is; you harm him, you harm them. You didn't just hurt him personally; he's not a political figure. He is a professional and objective institution."

Gen. Defrin strongly rejected accusations and claims against the IDF and its leader, and gave full support to the motives behind sending the letter. "The Chief of Staff waved a flag and sent a professional and objective letter to say: 'Gentlemen, there is a problem here.' This legislation is problematic since it will not bring soldiers to the IDF. There is an issue of equality and values ​​here, first and foremost. It is not about values."

He noted that “the letter comes after many months during which the IDF presented its position before the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Therefore, given the urgency of the situation, the Chief of Staff wrote the letter. It is his role as chief of staff to express the professional position of the IDF."

דובר צה"ל יוצא להגנת הרמטכ"לבאדיבות "All in"

המפכ"ל ירה עם לוחמי הימ"מדוברות המשטרה

Israel Police Commissioner Daniel (Danny) Levy visited today (Thursday) the base of the Yamam, the Israel Border Police and Israel Police's National Counterterrorism Unit.

Joining the visit were Border Police Commander Maj. Gen. Berik Yitzhak, Yamam Commander Deputy Commissioner "A." (identified only by his initial), and the unit's commanders and operators.

The purpose of the visit was to assess the unit's operational readiness firsthand and express appreciation for its personnel's efforts in combating terrorism and serious crime.

During the visit, Commissioner Levy received an operational briefing on the unit's capabilities, advanced equipment, and level of operational preparedness. He also tested the Arad 7 rifle used by the unit, and footage of the experience was released by the Israel Police.

At the conclusion of the visit, Commissioner Levy praised the Yamam's commanders and operators, calling them "the finest fighters in the best unit in the world," and said they serve with dedication and courage to protect the citizens of Israel.

He also emphasized that he has complete confidence in the unit's commanders and personnel, adding that their work is a cornerstone of safeguarding the security of the State of Israel and its citizens.

credit: דוברות המשטרה

credit: דוברות המשטרה

credit: דוברות המשטרה

credit: דוברות המשטרה

credit: דוברות המשטרה

credit: דוברות המשטרה

credit: דוברות המשטרה

JD VanceSamuel Corum/POOL via CNP/INSTAR via Reuters Connect

Israel is fighting a just war for its very survival. On October 7th, Israel stood on the brink of annihilation, surrounded by seven military fronts with the Islamic Republic of Iran at the head of the pack. Yet, never in modern warfare, has a nation fought for its survival with such extraordinary restraint and moral discipline against an enemy that deliberately surrounds its military forces within civilian populations, using women, children, and babies as human shields.

At the very same time, a relentless campaign of lies and demonization has been waged in the United States to ensure that Israel loses, and you, Vice President Vance, have become one of its leading voices. By spreading lies about Israel, do you really believe that you are serving the best interests of the United States?

Even before the ink dried on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), between Iran and the United States, the Iranians simply couldn’t control themselves and began firing missiles and suicide drones on American military bases and adjacent Arab nations aligned with the United States, as well as hitting ships carrying oil, gas, and cargo as they attempted to pass through the Straits of Hormuz. Yet rather than call out the Iranians and confront their culture of deceit and barbaric behavior clearly and unequivocally, you Vice President Vance, chose to speak out and criticize Israel, America’s most important ally in the Middle East.

You did this by stating that you are baffled by “this whole freakout in Israel", telling Israel’s leaders, “You can’t just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have." Singling out Israel and inferring that the Jewish State is provoking the Iranians because it questioned whether the MOU is sustainable and suggested that an "appeasement" strategy is doomed to failure. Israel has publicly stated that the MOU will not advance American interests in the region and will not deter the Iranians from continuing to attack America's allies. The Iranians have proven this past week that this is the case.

Sadly, Vice President Vance felt the need to double down and continue to expand on Israel's seeming “ungrateful behavior". "Wake up and smell reality," Vance delivered a blunt message to Israeli officials against criticizing the MOU with Iran. "If I was in the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have" and added "Donald J. Trump is the only head of state in the entire world who is sympathetic to the nation of Israel at this moment in time." Only yesterday during a Joe Rogan interview, Vance stated that some elements within Israeli ‘system’ are ‘beyond a shadow of a doubt manipulating and trying to change American public opinion to keep the war going on indefinitely’.

Vance is very well aware that many, if not all, foreign governments try to influence the United States all the time. Israel does it as well, no different than any of the other nations of the world. Yet by singling out Israel obsessively, JD Vance is holding the Jewish nation to a different and double standard compared to other nations. Instead of blaming Israel, JD Vance should be more concerned that decision makers in the Trump administration as well as in the Department of War, and the State Department are beginning to question his "appeasement" strategy with Iran as reflected in the MOU.

By deflecting legitimate criticism that questions his claim that there is a divide in Iran’s leadership between pragmatists who want to make a deal with the US and hardliners who do not; Vice President Vance has shown that his understanding of the Iranian regime is based on wishful thinking, with a level of naivety reminiscent of Neville Chamberlain’s historical "appeasement" of Nazi Germany. Commentators like Bret Stephens alongside additional conservative political thinkers have explicitly compared JD Vance's stance to Chamberlain's 1938 Munich betrayal, where ceding territory to an aggressor was falsely framed as a path to peace. The only logical conclusion that can summarize Vance’s negotiating approach is that those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. The Iranians are no different than the Nazi government and JD Vance seems to be no different than Neville Chamberlain.

To understand the extent to which Vice President Vance’s diminishing standing among his Republican supporters has tumbled, one needs to realize the implications for his expected run for the Presidency in 2028 in his recent comment that ‘his job was not to be a “public commentator" but to support the president, which he would continue to do as long as Trump’s decisions remain “legal and ethical," as they have been to date’. One can only understand this statement to be a subtle threat to his boss, President Trump.

Recent polls show a steep decline in public support for Vice President Vance. His net approval rating stands at a historic low of -18%. This drop follows political fallout tied to foreign policy actions, such as the U.S.-Iran conflict, and fading enthusiasm in his home state of Ohio. Key details regarding the drop in support include historic lows: According to CNN, Vance's net approval dropped 21 points to a -18% rating, making it the weakest performance for a modern sitting U.S. vice president at this stage of his tenure in office. In Ohio, his net favorability rating is underwater, and he is 27 points underwater among independent voters. Polling from Navigator Research shows that a majority of Americans disapprove of his performance.

As for the 2028 Presidential elections, his position as the presumptive frontrunner for the 2028 Republican presidential nominee has also slipped. Other GOP figures like Secretary of State Marco Rubio have gained significant momentum meanwhile.

During the 2016 Presidential elections which Donald Trump won, JD Vance privately compared Donald Trump to Hitler. At the time JD Vance stated he went "back and forth between thinking Trump is a cynical a--hole like Nixon... or that he's America's Hitler". Vance also referred to Trump as an "idiot" and a "moral disaster," and penned op-eds calling him "unfit" for office. . He has since reversed himself and described Trump as a successful president and a good leader.

Vance has explained his earlier views about President Trump by blaming negative media portrayals during the 2016 Presidential elections. When asked to explain this shift in perspective, the Vice President stated “they tricked me about Trump". The question that remains to be answered is whether, despite Israel’s significant contribution and unparalleled military cooperation with America’s war against the Islamic Republic of Iran, just maybe, JD Vance been tricked once again, this time concerning the Jews and the State of Israel.

Ron Jager grew up in the South Bronx of New York City, making Aliyah in 1980. Served for 25 years in the IDF as a Mental Health Field Officer in operational units. Prior to retiring was Commander of the Central Psychiatric Clinic for Reserve Solders at Tel-Hashomer. Since retiring has been involved in strategic consultancy to NGO's and communities in the Gaza Envelope on resiliency projects to assist first responders. To contact: [email protected] Website: www.ronjager.com

Marlin Luanda on fire after Houthi attackReuters/EYEPRESS Images

Iran has instructed Yemen's Houthi movement to be prepared to shut down the Red Sea oil shipping route if the United States carries out strikes on Iranian power infrastructure, according to three sources cited by Reuters.

Two senior Iranian sources and a regional source familiar with the discussions told Reuters that the proposal has been considered by Iran's leadership and that the message has been passed to the Houthis. The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the group was informed of Tehran's request recently but did not provide details on how the message was delivered or whether it followed US President Donald Trump's warning on Tuesday of possible strikes on Iranian power infrastructure.

Iran's Foreign Ministry and a Houthi spokesperson did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

A source close to the Houthis said the group has positioned missiles and drones near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and is awaiting orders to begin attacks on shipping. The source added that representatives of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Yemen would determine when to move forward with any effort to close the strategic waterway.

According to the report, any disruption to shipping through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait would further impact global energy supplies after Iran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz. The Red Sea has become a key route for Gulf oil exports following the shutdown of Hormuz.

The report also said the Houthis launched missiles at Saudi Arabia after accusing the kingdom of striking an airport under their control on Monday, ending a four-year truce between the sides.

Torbjorn Solvedt, principal Middle East analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, told Reuters that increased fighting affecting Red Sea shipping and export infrastructure could threaten the region's main alternative route for oil exports.

Two regional sources close to Saudi Arabia said Riyadh is treating threats from Iran and the Houthis seriously and believes the Yemeni group is coordinating closely with Tehran regarding the Red Sea.

According to the report, approximately 7% of global energy supplies now pass through the Red Sea after Saudi Arabia redirected significant oil exports through its Yanbu port. One regional source said Iran is seeking to increase pressure on the United States by raising the potential economic consequences of any escalation through threats to Red Sea shipping.

The report noted that Iran considers the Houthis part of its regional "Axis of Resistance," alongside Hezbollah and Iraqi Shi'ite armed groups. While the United States has long accused Tehran of providing the Houthis with weapons, funding and training, Iran has denied those allegations.

Haredi protests. ArchiveYoeli Brim. Channel 13

Haredim from the Jerusalem Faction's "Ratsafniks" subfaction are blocking Route 4 at the Geha and Givat Shmuel interchanges near Bnei Brak.

Later in the evening, members of the Sanz hassic court, together with their rabbis and Rebbe, are expected to protest outside Military Prison 10 against the arrest of two members for draft evasion.

The Israel Police announced that traffic disruptions may occur on Highway 4 between Aluf Sadeh Junction and Em Hamoshavot Junction in both directions. In addition, traffic congestion and road closures are expected along Jabotinsky Street.

“We recommend that the public use alternative routes, stay updated at all times, and avoid traveling to these areas," the police said.

The demonstrators are followers of Rabbi Zvi Friedman, who split from the Jerusalem Faction and is considered even more hardline than the faction itself. They are commonly referred to as the “Ratsafniks," a nickname derived from the rabbi’s initials.

Carmel Shama-HacohenYonatan Sindel/Flash90

Ramat Gan Mayor Carmel Shama-Hacohen sent a personal apology letter and a cake on Thursday to a haredi man who was attacked in the city.

The letter, which was sent a day after the incident was reported on by Kol Berama Radio, Shama wrote that he was "deeply shocked to hear about the display of violence and threats that were made at you in the streets of our city. Such an incident is in complete contradiction to Ramat Gan's fundamental values. There is and will not be any place for expressions of hatred or discrimination in the city."

The Mayor added that "the fact that you are a resident of the neighboring city of Bnei Brak who visited our city, makes the incident even more painful and upsetting."

According to the victim's testimony to Kol Berama, the incident occurred in the afternoon on Herzl Street in Ramat Gan as he waited for a bus home. According to the victim, while he spoke to his brother-in-law on the phone, he moved to stand on the side so as not to disturb the other passengers at the bus stop.

At this point, according to him, a cyclist holding a beer bottle approached him and began to shout: "Haredi, what are you doing on this street? Go to Bnei Brak."

The victim recounted that he attempted to move away from the scene and avoid a confrontation, but the assailant dismounted his bicycle and began beating him with the beer bottle. The victim claimed that he suffered blows to his stomach and face, and that the assailant later attempted to break the bottle, while threatening: "If I see you here in another 10 minutes, I will come back and murder you." He added that he managed to film the suspect on his cell phone before he fled the scene.

The victim added that the hardest moment for him was the calls directed at him because of his haredi appearance. "The hardest moment was hearing the shout, 'Haredi, don't step on this street, go to Bnei Brak. If you stay here, I'll murder you,'" he said.

According to the victim, although the incident occurred on a busy street near a bus stop where dozens of people were present, none of the bystanders intervened to try to stop the assault.

The victim also said he was disappointed by the way his complaint was handled at the police station. According to him, the investigator refused to immediately accept a photograph of the suspect that was stored on his phone, insisting instead that it be submitted through a designated online link, a process he said was difficult because he uses a kosher mobile phone.

He said he expects the Israel Police to make every effort to locate the suspect, including by reviewing security camera footage from the area.

terrorist arrestedIDF spokesperson

The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), Israel Police, and the Israel Defense Forces announced today (Thursday) that several individuals involved in managing the Union of Health Work Committees have been arrested in recent weeks as part of a joint operation carried out by the Shin Bet, the Judea and Samaria Border Police, and IDF troops.

According to the security agencies, the organization was designated a terrorist organization in Israel in 2021 by the Minister of Defense and declared an unlawful association in Judea and Samaria by the Commander of the Central Command, after it was found to constitute a significant component of the financial infrastructure of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which Israel designates as a terrorist organization.

Security officials said that those arrested include senior officials within the institution, some of whom are also identified as members of the PFLP. They were taken into custody for a joint investigation by the Shin Bet and the Border Police Investigations Division after suspicions arose that the organization had resumed its activities.

According to the Shin Bet, the investigation found that the institution had renewed its operations from its headquarters in Ramallah and continued employing operatives, including members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

The security establishment also noted that PFLP operatives carried out the 2019 bombing attack at the Ein Bubin spring, in which 17-year-old Rina Shnerb was murdered.

The weapons seized by SyriaSyrian Ministry of Interior

The Syrian Interior Ministry announced on Thursday that its specialized units thwarted an attempt to smuggle a large shipment of advanced weapons across the Syrian-Iraqi border, seizing the cargo before it entered Syrian territory.

According to the ministry, the operation began after authorities identified a vehicle parked within the border area under suspicious circumstances. The vehicle was searched, leading to the discovery of a shipment that included long-range missiles, guided anti-tank missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles.

The ministry said preliminary investigations, based on evidence collected during the operation, indicated that the shipment was intended to pass through Syrian territory en route to Lebanon for the benefit of the Hezbollah terrorist organization.

Hezbollah missiles seized by SyriaSyrian Ministry of Interior

The ministry added that investigations are continuing to determine all the circumstances surrounding the case, identify those involved, and uncover the networks connected to the alleged smuggling operation.

The Interior Ministry stated that protecting the country's borders and safeguarding national sovereignty remain top priorities, adding that it will not allow Syrian territory to be used as a corridor or launch point for weapons smuggling or for activities that threaten the security of the Syrian Arab Republic or neighboring countries.

Arresting the individual suspected of murdering Rabbi Amos GuettaPolice spokesperson

Two weeks after the murder of Rabbi Amos Guetta in Netanya, police say they have made a breakthrough in the investigation.

The murder suspect, who had remained completely silent since his arrest, has now begun speaking with investigators from the Central District's Unit for Fighting Crime.

Since his arrest, the suspect refused to utter a word, pretending to be mute and communicating only through glances and by pointing toward the sky. According to a report by i24NEWS, police investigators conducted a surveillance operation, monitoring his behavior outside the interrogation room while he waited at the police station.

During that time, the suspect was offered food and drinks. At one point, investigators believe he forgot to maintain his act and began speaking freely. In one instance, after being offered water, he reportedly replied, "I want a Coke." The exchanges were documented by investigators.

On Wednesday, detectives confronted the suspect during questioning with the recordings proving he had been pretending. At that point, the suspect broke his silence and spoke directly with investigators for the first time.

At this stage, the suspect has not provided a detailed or concrete account of the murder itself and has focused mainly on matters of religion and faith. However, his prolonged silence has come to an end.

Rabbi Amos Guetta was fatally stabbed on July 1 inside his yeshiva on Shimon Bar Yochai Street in Netanya. Initially, he was evacuated in critical condition to Laniado Hospital in Netanya; doctors at the hospital later pronounced him dead. Following the suspect's decision to speak, police hope to complete the investigation and quickly file an indictment on murder charges.

תקיפת נציג מס הכנסה בבני ברקקובי ישראל

A riot broke out in the Bnei Brak's Kiryat Viznitz neighborhood on Thursday after tax authority inspectors arrived to tour and inspect the area.

According to reports from the scene, when hundreds of students left the educational institutions in the area, a crowd began to surround the inspectors. Within a short time, tensions boiled over, with rioters throwing eggs at the inspectors' vehicle and even smashing its windows and damaging it.

Police forces were rushed to the scene and worked to extract the tax inspectors from the area.

The riot joins a similar incident that occurred in the neighborhood last week when tax inspectors arrived to conduct an inspection.

In that case, too, students began to gather around the inspectors, and fearing it would escalate, the police were called, and the inspectors left before completing their inspection.

A British journalist published a video in recent days that has drawn widespread attention on social media, in which he recounts the disturbing footage he watched from Hamas's October 7 attack.

During his remarks, he struggled to hold back his tears and delivered a scathing criticism of the pro-Palestinian protests being held across Britain.

According to him, one of the videos showed a Hamas terrorist shooting a Jewish teenage girl in the stomach inside her home. "I watched a Hamas member after shooting a teenage girl, Jewish, in her home, in the gut. He shot her in the gut and she's writhing on the floor, bleeding out," he said.

He said the terrorist forced the girl's parents and brother to sit beside her while broadcasting the attack live on Facebook. "And then the son is screaming to his parents and the dad and the mom's destroyed, but the dad's trying to stay strong for his son. Like, 'son, we're going to get through this.' And he's watching his daughter bleed out by Hamas. And they then all got killed on Facebook live. They just got shot in the face."

He also described another video recorded on Hamas terrorists' body cameras, showing two young brothers after an attack on a home in a kibbutz. "One of them was missing an arm from getting blown off by a grenade from Hamas. And he was there, the 10 year old boy holding his brother's arm. And the little boy, he was trying to tell his brother that it wasn't real. Like, 'don't worry, it's a dream. It's not real.' And there's a f-ing Hamas guy filming those little kids."

He criticized pro-Palestinian activists annd demonstrators who, he said, "try to downplay that. Like, 'oh, it's a small thing.' I watched it with my own eyes."

He went on to mention the Bibas family, saying that Shiri Bibas understood what was about to happen to her children as they were being kidnapped. "And like, this isn't sh- from like the medieval period. This is people doing it on Facebook live, real," he said. He added that he finds it difficult to understand how, after witnessing such scenes, people continue to take to the streets of Britain every week in demonstrations supporting Hamas.

Concluding his remarks, he criticized British authorities, arguing that they have allowed such demonstrations to continue. "For my Jewish friends, not even feel safe to go to any UK city," he said. He also claimed that the police fail to act even in cases where, according to him, demonstrators display symbols associated with Hamas.

courtesy of the familyצילום: courtesy of the family

On Shabbat Parshat Pinchas, a father of nine sat down to a Shabbat table in the Jezreel Valley. By the end of Shabbat, he was gone, and his wife was a widow.

Rav Mordechai Dovid Shteglitz, a teacher at Talmud Torah Emes Derech, died suddenly that Shabbat. Hours earlier, the house had been quiet and warm. Then came Hatzalah, the neighbors, and a reality his wife and nine children are still trying to absorb.

>> To stand with the Shteglitz widow and her nine orphans, give here now

For more than a decade, he taught the children of Givat HaMoreh and Afula Illit. His students describe a teacher with patience for every child who walked into his classroom, one who gave them far more than what was on the page.

On Saturday Night, thousands came to Kfar Gidon for the funeral. That is what a decade of quiet devotion looks like when it is counted.

His widow woke up to a different fight. Rav Shteglitz gave his life to Torah and chinuch, not to building savings, and the family's modest income ended the day he did. She is now grieving, raising nine children, and trying to work out how to put food on the table, all at once.

She wrote it herself, and there is no softening it. Rebbetzin Shteglitz wrote, "I don't know how to feed them, clothe them, or help them grieve a father who was here Friday night and gone by Motzaei Shabbos".

>> Help this family cover food, clothing, and rent, give here

Rav Avrohom Halevi Lipshitz, Rabbi of Kfar Gidon, saw the situation up close and issued a public appeal calling on Klal Yisrael to step in for the family.

The goal is $100,000, enough to steady a family of ten and keep a roof over nine orphans. So far, $3,873 has come in, which leaves $96,127 still to raise before this widow can stop worrying about groceries and start grieving her husband.

For years, this teacher carried other people's children through their days. His nine are the ones who need carrying now.

>> Give now and help a widow and nine orphans, click here

Aerial view of Huqoq SynagogueWaseem Hamdan, Israel Antiquities Authority

A new US-Israel heritage initiative has been launched to preserve the ancient synagogue at Huqoq, northern Israel, while making the site accessible to audiences in Israel and around the world through digital experiences, educational resources, and immersive interpretation.

The Judeo-Christian Heritage in the Galilee Project was announced last week at Huqoq in the presence of US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and representatives of leading Israeli and American institutions.

Although the synagogue has attracted international attention since its mosaic floors were first discovered in 2012, the archaeological site has never been open to visitors. The new initiative combines archaeological excavation and conservation, public interpretation, and digital engagement, laying the foundation for the synagogue's eventual opening while allowing the public to explore its history through digital platforms.

The excavations at Huqoq, directed by Professor Jodi Magness of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, uncovered one of Israel's most important Late Antique synagogue sites. Its mosaic floors, noted for their artistic quality, preservation, and diverse iconography, have contributed to new scholarly understanding of Jewish life and visual culture in Roman-Byzantine Galilee. Alongside biblical narratives, the mosaics also include rare scenes that continue to inspire research.

While conservation and site development continue, the project will provide public access through a dedicated website, a three-dimensional reconstruction of the synagogue, educational materials, documentary films, and interpretive content.

U.S. Ambassador Huckabee at HuqoqDavid Azagury/U.S. Embassy Jerusalem

The project is being implemented by the W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, funded by the US Department of State through the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs' Cultural Heritage Center and the US Embassy in Jerusalem as part of the Freedom 250 initiative, which commemorates the 250th anniversary of the United States through international partnerships focused on shared heritage, education, and cultural exchange.

"As Huqoq enters this important new phase, the United States is proud to partner with Israeli institutions to preserve one of the region's most significant archaeological treasures while making its remarkable story accessible to people around the world," Ambassador Huckabee said. "This initiative reflects our commitment to preserving shared cultural heritage through international cooperation and education."

Dr. James Fraser, Director of the W. F. Albright Institute of Archaeological Research, said, "For more than a century, the Albright Institute has connected scholarship and heritage preservation. This project ensures that extraordinary archaeological discoveries are not only preserved, but also shared with audiences around the world."

Professor Magness said, "The discoveries at Huqoq have transformed our understanding of Jewish life in Late-Byzantine Galilee. It is exciting to see the site entering a new phase that preserves these remarkable remains while making them accessible to broader audiences."

The initiative brings together the Israel Antiquities Authority, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), the Huqoq Excavation Project at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Yigal Allon Centre, and additional Israeli partners.

The Israel Antiquities Authority is leading conservation work to stabilize and protect the synagogue's remains in preparation for future public access.

"Conservation ensures that archaeological discoveries become lasting public heritage. Our responsibility is to protect these exceptional remains for future generations," said Israel Antiquities Authority Director Eli Escusido.

KKL-JNF, as the site's landowner and long-term steward, is advancing plans to develop Huqoq as one of the Galilee's leading heritage destinations.

"Preserving Israel's heritage and making it accessible to the public are an integral part of KKL-JNF's mission," said KKL-JNF Chairman Eyal Ostrinsky. "Alongside protecting landscapes and open spaces, we work to ensure that the cultural and historical treasures of the Land of Israel continue to tell the story of the Jewish people for generations to come. Our commitment to Huqoq reflects this mission, as we continue to preserve this extraordinary archaeological site while developing it as one of the Galilee's leading heritage destinations."

The project also supports a dedicated exhibition on Huqoq currently on display at the Yigal Allon Centre.

"For years, Huqoq has transformed our understanding of the ancient Galilee," said Dr. Shua Kisilevitz, Project Director on behalf of the Albright Institute. "Our challenge now is to transform this extraordinary discovery into a heritage site people everywhere can experience. Archaeology reveals the past. Heritage makes it part of our future."

According to the organizers, the Huqoq initiative is the first phase of the broader Judeo-Christian Heritage in the Galilee Project, a multi-year effort to preserve, interpret, and share important Jewish and Christian heritage sites across the Galilee. Future phases are expected to expand to additional sites, including Bethsaida.

Rabbi David YosefMichael Giladi/Flash90

The Commissioner for Complaints Against Judges, retired Judge Asher Kula, ruled today (Thursday) that the complaint against the Rishon LeZion and Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Yosef, over remarks he made about High Court of Justice justices during the controversy surrounding a court hearing held on Shabbat was justified.

In his decision, Kula stated that the issue of holding a court hearing on Shabbat does not fall within the core responsibilities of the Chief Rabbi. Therefore, Rabbi Yosef's remarks are not protected by the special immunities afforded to him in the performance of his official duties.

According to Kula, Rabbi Yosef's remarks-including referring to the justices as "these insolent judges," accusing them of "trampling the Holy Torah," and calling the High Court of Justice "an enemy of Judaism"-went beyond the bounds of legitimate criticism.

The commissioner added that such statements are inconsistent with the statesmanlike public discourse expected of someone holding judicial office and could undermine public confidence in the judicial system.

On the other hand, Kula dismissed a separate complaint filed against Rabbi Yosef over his criticism of a High Court ruling requiring the Chief Rabbinate to allow women to sit for the Rabbinate certification examinations.

He ruled that the matter falls squarely within the Chief Rabbi's core responsibilities and authority, and therefore, there was no basis for intervention.

The commissioner did not impose any sanctions on Rabbi David Yosef.

Sanz hasidim (illustrative)Flash 90

Central District Police are deploying reinforced forces ahead of a mass protest by the Sanz hasidic community scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Thursday near Military Prison 10 in Kfar Yona.

According to organizers, thousands of hasidim from across Israel are expected to attend following the arrest of two members of the community - a married yeshiva student who is the father of two, and an unmarried yeshiva student - who were declared draft evaders after refusing to enlist in the IDF.

The demonstration follows a military court's decision to extend the pair's detention by 20 days. Community representatives said the two were arrested earlier this week by Military Police following after they arrived at a military recruitment office to resolve administrative matters.

After legal efforts by attorneys representing the community to secure their release failed, the Sanz leadership decided to escalate its response by organizing a public show of support.

The Sanz Rebbe is also expected to attend and address the demonstrators.

Police are preparing for significant traffic disruptions in the Kfar Yona area and along Route 57 beginning late Thursday afternoon. Dozens of organized buses and shuttles are expected to transport participants from 12 Sanz communities across the country to designated parking areas near the prison. Police urged motorists to monitor navigation apps for updates and avoid the area if possible.

גדי איזנקוט על יוסף חדאדחדשות 13

Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot came under fire on Thursday after saying he would not rule out a future coalition partnership with United Arab List chairman Mansour Abbas during an interview with Channel 13 News.

Asked whether he would reject the possibility of sitting in a government with Abbas, Eisenkot replied that he would not. He then criticized the Likud, saying, "Likud, with its cynicism, would gladly sign today on Yoseph Haddad as a Knesset member, but it doesn't say, 'He is Arab, I won't sit with him.' That is Netanyahu's method of divide and rule. Remove 21% of Arab citizens from the camp."

The remarks drew a sharp response from Arab public diplomacy activist Yoseph Haddad, who said he was puzzled by Eisenkot's comparison. "I tried to understand the context, and I went back over his answer several times. I admit I could not understand it, and I was even surprised by it," Haddad said.

"Are you comparing me to Mansour Abbas because both of us are Arabs?" he asked. "Besides our Arab identity, there is nothing in common between us. You served in the Golani Brigade, Gadi, and so did I. Are you comparing a disabled Golani veteran with someone who is unable to call Hamas a terrorist organization? Are you comparing me, who founded a joint Arab-Israeli organization that promotes partnership and advocates for the State of Israel, with Mansour Abbas, whose party has been linked to the '48 Aid Association, which published investigations allege transferred funds to terrorist organizations, including Hamas?"

Haddad insisted there was "nothing" connecting him to the UAL leader and rejected any attempt to "whitewash or legitimize" Abbas through such comparisons. "I strongly oppose the path of the Arab parties. They should not be brought into the coalition. They should be thrown out," he said.

Concluding his statement, Haddad revealed that he is still weighing whether to enter politics but has not yet reached a decision.

"The Arab parties in the Knesset today should be boycotted not because they are Arab, because I am Arab, but because they are anti-Israeli," he said. "Boycotting Arab parties is not racism. Saying that Mansour Abbas and I are the same because we are both Arabs is racism."

IDF strikes in GazaIDF spokesperson

On Wednesday night, the IDF struck in the central Gaza Strip and dismantled four weapons storage facilities belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization.

The facilities contained Kalashnikov rifles, RPGs, grenades, explosive devices, and additional military equipment.

"The weapons were intended to be used in attacks against IDF troops operating in the area of the Yellow Line and against Israeli civilians, and were dismantled in order to remove the threat," the IDF clarified following the strikes.

It added, "Prior to the strikes, steps were taken to mitigate harm to civilians, including the issuing of advance warnings, the use of precise munitions, and aerial surveillance."

"IDF troops under the Southern Command remain deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and will continue to operate to remove any threat."

Rabbi Shmuel EliyahuElisha Grossberg

Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, the Chief Rabbi of Tzfat, on Thursday sharply criticized the possibility that the District Court could approve an alternative to detention for Rabbi Yosef Shoveli ahead of a scheduled hearing in his case.

"We heard in shock that the District Court will hear today a request for a detention alternative for rapist Shoveli ," Rabbi Eliyahu said. "It is important for the judge to know that the Torah equates rape with murder. No less than that."

The rabbi also condemned any move to ease Shoveli 's detention conditions, saying, "We are appalled that the court is considering a hearing on easing the conditions for a person who destroyed families and caused mental, physical, and spiritual harm to many. Any consideration and mercy toward such a person is necessarily cruelty toward the victims."

Shoveli has been indicted on multiple sexual offense charges involving a former student at the Tikun Hamidot yeshiva. Prosecutors allege that he exploited a relationship of spiritual authority and deep psychological dependence to repeatedly sexually abuse the complainant over several years.

According to the indictment, the complainant became religious after completing his military service and joined the yeshiva, eventually living near Shoveli . He allegedly carried out various tasks for Shoveli and his family while developing profound trust in him as a spiritual mentor. Prosecutors claim Shoveli abused that trust by committing sexual offenses on numerous occasions between 2016 and 2021, allegedly portraying the acts as part of a form of spiritual practice with religious significance.

The indictment charges Shoveli with engaging in sexual relations between a religious cleric and a person receiving his religious counseling or guidance. He was arrested early last month after investigators said they had collected 16 testimonies over several years, including accounts from members of his inner circle as well as statements from relatives, parents, and women connected to the case.

מסתערבים פשטו ועצרו מבוקש טרורדוברות המשטרה

Jerusalem Border Police undercover officers arrested a wanted suspect believed to be involved in terrorist activity during a covert operation in the village of al-Eizariya, in the Etzion Brigade sector.

The operation was carried out based on intelligence provided by the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), with the participation of Jerusalem Border Police officers, Border Police forces from Judea and Samaria, and IDF troops from the Etzion Brigade.

During the operation, the undercover force entered the village covertly, located the suspect, and took him into custody. He was then transferred to the Shin Bet for further questioning.

Police said all security personnel involved in the operation returned safely and stressed that "Border Police officers, together with all security forces, will continue to act decisively to thwart terrorism and arrest wanted suspects, anywhere and at any time, for the security of the citizens of the State of Israel."

Marks and SpenceriStock

British retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) has launched an investigation after anti-Israel boycott stickers were placed on packages of potatoes imported from Israel at one of its stores in Worthing, West Sussex.

The incident came to light after a customer purchased a 1.5-kilogram bag of Maris Piper potatoes and noticed that the package, labeled as a product of Israel, had been covered with a sticker in the colors of the Palestinian flag bearing the message "Boycott Israeli Apartheid." The sticker also displayed the website of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, one of the UK's leading organizations promoting consumer boycotts of Israeli products.

The case was reported by UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), which called on M&S Chief Executive Stuart Machin to investigate the incident. The organization argued that tampering with products in an attempt to discourage consumers from purchasing them and cause economic harm could constitute a criminal offense under British law.

In its letter to the retailer, UKLFI urged the company to warn employees about similar incidents, particularly involving Israeli or kosher products, and to notify police if those responsible are identified.

Marks & Spencer said it carries out routine product inspections in its stores and has instructed staff to remain alert for any signs of product tampering.

"It appears that one of the products was interfered with without our knowledge," the company said in a statement. It added that the store manager has launched an internal investigation and that any relevant findings will be passed on to the appropriate authorities.

UKLFI welcomed the retailer's decision to investigate, stating, "Political activists have no right to interfere with products sold in supermarkets in order to intimidate customers or disrupt trade in Israeli goods."

Although the potatoes were imported from Israel, the Maris Piper variety itself is not Israeli. It is a British potato cultivar developed in England in the 1960s. Israel grows the variety for export - particularly to the UK - thanks to its climate, which allows supplies during periods when British domestic production is limited.

Marks & Spencer, one of the UK's best-known retail chains, continues to stock Israeli agricultural produce, including fruits, vegetables, and other food products, despite periodic boycott campaigns by pro-Palestinian groups targeting goods originating from Israel.

Moti AlmozYonatan Sindel/Flash90

Maj. Gen. (res.) Moti Almoz, the former IDF Spokesperson and head of the Civil Administration, called in an interview for the issue of haredi military service to be placed at the center of the public agenda.

Speaking to 103FM Radio, Almoz proposed issuing different identity cards to distinguish between those who serve and those who evade service.

"The problem is that the haredim have no desire to go to work or serve in the army. It's time to put this at the center of the public debate," he claimed, adding, "We need to understand that all our attempts to solve this have failed. We need to tell them we're done chasing them - they need to be chasing us. We need to say, 'We're done funding you.'"

Criticizing the current situation, he said, "You work for the democracy and you've found a golden calf called democracy. The moment democracy begins to harm its citizens, a new arrangement is needed."

"I'm pre-empting the current situation, just without the suckers. No one in Bnei Brak is moved by IDF soldiers. As long as you tell yeshiva heads there's no reason for them to go to work, what incentive do they have to work? There won't be a split; everything will be fine. Everywhere in the world people get up in the morning and go to work. You can't defeat human nature."

According to Almoz, "The good news is that Israel's Zionist spine is showing up for reserve duty and will continue to do so. Israeli society is a healthy society - it is simply no longer willing to tolerate this disgrace involving the haredim. The coalition is not listening to the public mood."

Asked who should lead the nation, Almoz replied, "The Knesset vote in favor of the Basic Law: Torah Study - the discrimination between one group of the people and another - replaced the government of the State of Israel."

Sam NeillREUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File Photo

The cause of death of acclaimed New Zealand actor Sam Neill has been revealed two days after his passing. Neill, who died at the age of 78, succumbed to pneumonia, his manager, Philip Granz, confirmed.

In a statement, Granz asked the public to respect the privacy of Neill's family and announced that a private memorial service will be held at the actor's farm in New Zealand.

"Sam was a very private man who disliked public attention," Granz said. "His family wishes to thank everyone who is respecting their privacy during this difficult time."

Neill's family had previously announced that he died "suddenly and unexpectedly" while surrounded by loved ones. They also noted that he had been cancer-free at the time of his death after recovering from angioimmunoblastic lymphoma, a rare form of blood cancer diagnosed in 2022. Just three months ago, Neill said in an Australian television interview that chemotherapy and CAR-T treatment had left him with no remaining signs of the disease.

Despite his health struggles, Neill remained active in the film industry until his final days. His representative said he completed filming four unreleased projects over the past year. The family requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to hospitals or wildlife and nature conservation organizations in New Zealand, causes that were especially important to the actor.

With a career spanning more than five decades, Neill became an international star through his portrayal of Dr. Alan Grant in Jurassic Park (1993), reprising the role in several sequels, including Jurassic World Dominion (2022). He also appeared in acclaimed productions such as The Piano and Peaky Blinders, leaving behind a celebrated legacy in film and television.

Donald TrumpWhite House Photo by Joyce N. Boghosian

The US Department of the Treasury has announced that the US Mint has begun producing a new $1 commemorative coin featuring US President Donald Trump.

The production is part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the United States; the coin is scheduled to go on sale this fall.

According to the Treasury Department, Trump's portrait was approved earlier this year by members of the US Commission of Fine Arts, whose members were appointed by Trump. Officials also said the original plan was to produce the coin entirely in gold, but it was ultimately decided that it would instead be gold-plated.

Ahead of the coin's release, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said, "The coin is intended to honor the enduring legacy of liberty and the timeless symbol of patriotism. Featuring President Trump's likeness, it celebrates the strength of American values and the promise of a nation dedicated to preserving freedom for all."

The decision to issue a coin bearing Trump's portrait has sparked controversy, as US federal law generally prohibits the depiction of living presidents on American coins. However, the Treasury Secretary has the authority to approve the issuance of such a coin under exceptional circumstances.

The obverse of the coin features Trump with a stern expression alongside the word "LIBERTY," with the years 1776-2026 inscribed below. The reverse displays the Great Seal eagle of the United States, accompanied by the inscription "UNITED STATES OF AMERICA." On the eagle's shield appears the Latin motto "E PLURIBUS UNUM" ("Out of Many, One").

US CongressiStock

The U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday night overwhelmingly rejected an amendment that would have ended the annual $3.3 billion in U.S. security assistance to Israel. The proposal, introduced during debate on the State Department appropriations bill, failed by a vote of 314-104.

The amendment was sponsored by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie, a frequent critic of U.S. policy toward Israel. Although the measure was widely expected to fail, it drew attention amid reports that a significant number of House Democrats were prepared to support it, reflecting growing divisions within the party over the war in Gaza and continued American support for Israel.

Despite its defeat, the vote marked one of the strongest congressional showings to date for eliminating U.S. military assistance to Israel, a policy that has long enjoyed bipartisan support in Washington.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries voted against the amendment, backing continued U.S. security assistance to Israel. However, he also expressed support for a gradual reduction of American aid over time, an idea that has previously been endorsed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

IDF forces in LebanonIDF spokesperson

IDF forces operating in the village of Rab El Thalathine in the security zone in southern Lebanon located a body tied to a stretcher during engineering work being carried out by the IDF and the Defense Ministry near the border.

The body was found in a minefield opposite the Israeli community of Misgav Am and was transferred to Israel for examination and identification. The IDF is investigating the circumstances of the incident and the identity of the deceased.

Defense officials currently believe the body is most likely not Israeli, but that of a Hezbollah terrorist.

Meanwhile, troops from the Golani Brigade Combat Team, operating under the 36th Division, recently located Hezbollah weapons depots during operations in the security zone in southern Lebanon.

According to the IDF, the depots contained launchers, machine guns, explosive devices, missiles, and additional weapons intended for use in attacks against IDF troops and Israeli civilians.

The forces destroyed the depots and all of the weapons found there as part of ongoing operations to remove threats in the area.

The IDF said it will continue "to act to eliminate any threat to its forces and will not allow the Hezbollah terrorist organization to harm the citizens of the State of Israel."

תיעוד ממחסן אמצעי לחימה שאותרדובר צה"ל

Brooklyn, New YorkArie Leib Abrams/Flash90

The U.S. House of Representatives has approved the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill that would make daylight saving time permanent across most of the United States, passing it by a bipartisan vote of 308-117. The measure, backed by President Donald Trump, would eliminate the twice-yearly clock changes while allowing existing exemptions for states such as Arizona and Hawaii.

Supporters of the legislation say keeping daylight saving time year-round would improve public safety, promote healthier lifestyles, and provide more evening daylight for families. However, Orthodox Jewish organizations have voiced strong opposition, warning that the change would significantly disrupt religious life.

Jewish leaders note that permanent daylight saving time would delay winter sunrises, affecting the timing of morning prayers and the laying of tefillin, which must be performed after daybreak according to Jewish law. They argue that later sunrise times would make it difficult for observant Jews to balance religious obligations with school and work schedules.

Rabbi Yaakov Menken, vice president of the Coalition for Jewish Values, said the proposal represents "a substantial disruption" rather than a minor inconvenience. He also pointed to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's support for permanent standard time, arguing it is healthier for the human body.

The concerns are shared by Agudath Israel of America and the Orthodox Union, which warn that children could be forced to travel to school before sunrise during the winter, creating safety risks while waiting for buses in darkness. Community leaders also recall that a similar policy adopted in the 1970s was repealed after widespread public opposition over children commuting in the dark.

The legislation now moves to the Senate, where it is expected to face significant scrutiny. Lawmakers from both parties, including Senators Ted Cruz and Tom Cotton, are expected to challenge or seek changes to the bill before it can reach President Trump for final approval.

Reading the Torahצילום: מנדי טויטו, אריאל אוחנה, צבעים הפקות

Edited by B. Silberstein

This week we begin the final Book of the Torah with the reading of Parshat Devarim. This constitutes Moshe’s last testament to the nation in whose formation he had played the leading role.

Moshe's Unique Role

Having confronted Bnei Yisrael (Children of Israel) when they were in danger of dissolution under Pharaoh’s enslavement, he had won them back to the religious beliefs of their forefathers. Moshe also boldly stood up to Pharaoh and conducted the negotiations that culminated in Yetziat Mitzrayim (the Exodus).

In addition to his political role, Moshe was the supreme religious leader and teacher. He brought down the Revelation-the Written and Oral Laws-from Mount Sinai and taught Torah to the leaders of Bnei Yisrael, who then passed it on to the ordinary people.

Moshe also oversaw and supervised the construction of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and the initiation of the sacrificial service. He stood at the helm through very stormy times such as the sin of the Eigel HaZahav (Golden Calf) and the evil report of the Meraglim (Spies). He was steadfast in the face of Korach’s rebellion against his legitimacy and maintained effective control over the people during the ordeal of their 40-year trek in the wilderness. In sum, he was the greatest prophet, teacher, and leader that Bnei Yisrael would ever have.

Can Man Create Torah?

The Book of Devarim is different than the other parts of the Torah. Hashem dictated every word of the first four Books to Moshe, who functioned as a faithful scribe. In Devarim, however, the words are Moshe’s own. After he communicated his final teachings to the nation, Hashem told him to incorporate them into scripture. Moshe thereby became a _creator_of Torah.

But how can the language of a mere mortal (no matter how elevated) attain the level of Torah, which everyone takes to imply _Divine_revelation? How can any human’s thoughts and ideas be placed alongside the Word of G-d?

When Torah Becomes “His Torah"

Perhaps the answer can be found in the first chapter of Tehilim (Psalms). In it David extols the person who avoids the pathways of the wicked and whose “desire is toward the Torah of Hashem and in his****Torah does he meditate day and night." (Tehilim 1:2) All the commentators note that David initially designates it as the “Torah of G-d," but then characterizes it as “his," that is, the student’s Torah.

This verse delineates two distinct relationships with Torah. At the outset of one’s studies, it “belongs" to G-d. When we first set out to learn, we can’t form any opinions about the actual nature of the material, its beauty, relevance, or utility. All we know is that it’s from the Borei Olam (Creator of the Universe), and this forms the most compelling reason to study it. Could anything be more instructive than a glance into the “thoughts" of G-d?

But the Torah does not necessarily have to remain the exclusive province of the Creator. A miraculous transformation can occur, and it can become the Torah of man. This is because the Torah’s ideas are not mysterious, but correspond to the logical categories implanted in the human soul.

When a person studies in an honest and objective fashion, he gains access to and internalizes the Torah way of reasoning and its perspective on all vital matters of life. The Torah teachings become aligned with his own manner of thinking, and the Torah thereby becomes his****Torah. Thus, David declared that, while at the beginning of one’s studies it is Torat Hashem; after diligent efforts it becomes Torato (his own Torah).

The Creative Role of Torah Scholars

There is a Talmudic dispute as to whether a Rebbe (Torah teacher) can forgive the honor that is due to him. This hinges on the question as to whether it is his****Torah or that of Hashem. The Rabbis conclude that the Rebbe can relinquish his honor because, on the basis of the verse in Psalms, it is, indeed, his****Torah.

It is also significant that the Rabbis are able to create new Mitzvot and the Halakhic (Legal) formulations they encompass. The holidays of Chanukah and Purim, with all their manifold regulations, are purely Rabbinic creations. Many pages of the Talmud with extensive commentaries are devoted to these matters. When we study these areas, we are fulfilling our obligation to study Torah on the Biblical level.

In next week’s Parsha, VaEtchanan, Moshe alludes to the level of Torah study in which it becomes our own. He exhorts,

“You shall safeguard and perform them [the Mitzvot], for it is your wisdom and discernment in the eyes of the peoples, who shall hear all these decrees and who shall say, ‘Surely a wise and discerning people is this great nation!’" (Devarim 4:6)

If we can reach the level of understanding where we are able to expound Torah with clarity, admirably displaying its reason and profound wisdom, we will be sanctifying Hashem in the highest way possible.

May we merit to strive and succeed in our effort to render Torat Hashem into Torateinu.

Questions? Comments?
Please reach out to Mitch Rosner on WhatsApp at 054-426-3419 or by email at [email protected].

Dan IllouzYonatan Sindel/Flash90

MK Dan Illouz, who on Wednesday announced his decision to leave the Likud party, claimed in an interview with Ynet's "120 and One" podcast that following the October 7 massacre, many Likud lawmakers believed Israel's leadership should be replaced.

In his opinion, this should have been done through a no-confidence vote rather than elections, given that the country was in the midst of a war.

"When something like October 7 happens, a country that desires life cannot continue as usual. That should also be reflected in a change of leadership," Illouz said, adding that this view was widely shared within Likud at the time.

"On October 7, that was more obvious to many Likud members. Some of my colleagues, who today are very busy showing how close they are to Netanyahu, were then focused on how to replace him."

According to Illouz, "At least a third of the Likud faction knew that the right thing for the State of Israel was for the leadership to change. Not through elections, because we were in the middle of an intense war, but through a vote of no confidence."

Strengthening Jewish student identityISTOCK

The government approved a national plan overnight Thursday aimed at strengthening resilience, Jewish identity, and national spirit among students and young people across Israel.

The initiative, led by Settlement and National Missions Minister Orit Strock and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, will initially reach about 10 percent of Israel's student population, with plans to later expand to young adults who are not enrolled in academic institutions.

Under the plan, the government will broaden study and enrichment programs focused on Jewish identity while expanding leadership, entrepreneurship, volunteerism, and community engagement initiatives. An inter-ministerial team will also be established to develop additional programs for wider audiences.

Government officials said funding will be directed toward existing initiatives on university campuses and within young communities. Among them is a program which combines lectures, study partnerships, and workshops on Jewish identity with mentorship that helps participants develop social projects addressing community needs.

Officials emphasized that the program is designed to provide opportunities for young people who wish to deepen their knowledge of Judaism through voluntary participation while connecting learning with practical social action.

Speaking after the decision, Smotrich said, "Strengthening Jewish identity is the backbone of our national resilience, especially at this time. As finance minister, I am proud to fund and lead a program that places spirit and values at the center. Investing in the identity and heritage of the young generation is the way to ensure the victory of the spirit of the People of Israel, and it is an integral part of our national responsibility."

Strock welcomed the decision, saying, "Only because of the spirit! The war on seven fronts is sustained by the bravery of our soldiers on the front line and the tremendous spirit of the entire nation. Alongside meeting the physical needs of the war effort, we must continue developing programs that strengthen our national spirit. This government decision is a step in the right direction, and we will continue to strengthen the Jewish identity of the State of Israel in ways that are tailored to every part of the people that seeks it."

Sefer Torah celebrationcourtesy

Rashi comments on the opening psukim of our Parasha :’Since these are words of rebuke, and Moshe enumerates here all the places where they angered Hashem, therefore it made no specific mention of the incidents, but rather merely attributes them to them, out of respect for Israel.’

The Netivot Shalom adds: ’Moshe enumerated to them all the places in which they had transgressed, to bring them to submission and to heart-break, as this is the gateway to all the lofty levels of serving Hashem, and they could thereby reach the highest levels of avodat Hashem, and to receive - and retain the Torah, at the level of the Second Tablets - which remained unbroken - that being the level appropriate to them.’

After this introduction (1:5), ‘Moshe began explaining the Torah to’ them.’

Rashi comments: ’Explaining the Torah’: In seventy languages.

The Maharal elucidates the Rashi: ’If not so, what does the word באר: explain , mean, as its meaning is: explained, until all understand it. But Rashi expounded it:’in seventy languages’, as this was written in regard to the word, in Parashat Ki Tavo.’

The Ktav Sofer asks on this Rashi: ’Why the need to explain it in seventy languages specifically at this time, as they were about to enter the Land? - what is the meaning of:’he explained it in seventy languages’?’.

Answers the Rav: ’It seems to me that the intention is that they should not say - in the way of unbelievers - that the Torah was given only in the desert and for the Land of Israel - and only for those places - only when we sit in the desert apart from other people, or in the safety of our Land - but when we are in the lands of other nations, in the midst of the local inhabitants, there is no need to keep the mitzvot, but instead to keep the local customs.

‘Therefore, when they were about to enter an inhabited Land, Moshe explained the Torah ‘in seventy languages’, to teach that wherever they be, and whatever be the local language and custom, they are to keep this Torah and not to diverge from it one iota, for all time.’

Rav Moshe Sternbuch also alludes to this concern: ’In every generation destroyers arise amongst our people, רחמנא לצלן, who seek to sway our people from their avodat Hashem, by saying that, as we are now amongst the people, we should be like them, whilst we are outside our land - and the mitzvot and the Torah only need to be observed when we are in our own Land.

‘As they were now in the desert before crossing the River to enter the Land, lest they think that only when they dwell alone as in the desert, or sit assuredly in their own Land, need they keep the Torah, but not when they are in other lands, which are not ‘the palace of the King’ - he therefore explained the Torah in seventy languages, whilst in the Land of Moab, across the River Jordan - to admonish them that wherever they be, they were to keep the Torah.

‘Today there are those in our Land who change their wiles, and stating that the imperative that bound them outside the Land - to preserve the faith - no longer is necessary, as residing in the Land suffices to keep our people identity- to these we will also pay no heed, and we will not move from the Torah even one iota.’

The Netziv comments that Rashi learned this from its use in Tractate Sotah (58:), where it is so taught in regard to Joshua, who in setting stones, inscribed them in seventy languages.

‘However’ adds the Rav, ‘this clearly is not the plain meaning of the pasuk - rather, there is a second meaning, as this’ - the seventy languages - ‘was only required by the nations, and not Bnei Israel, whereas here the explanation was for Bnei Israel, as can be seen by the words of rebuke which preceded this pasuk.

‘Rather, the Sifri expounded :’Moshe explained it to them, saying: I am close to death, so now whoever hears a pasuk, and forgets it, can come and hear it again from me’.

‘Why can’t he simply look it up in the Sefer Torah, even after Moshe’s departure?

‘The Rambam’s Preface to the Mishnayot, brings the teaching in another way, which addresses this problem:’Whoever forgot a halakha, can come and be taught it again, from Moshe, whilst he lived.’

Haktav veHakabalah elucidates: ’Rashi’s comment - which is from our Sages - ‘seventy languages’ - is not alluding to the languages of the nations, as what benefit would there be in this for Bnei Israel?

‘Further,, our Sages did not speak in the languages of the other nations.

‘Rather, in using the word ‘languages’, they alluded to seventy different understandings, as we find elsewhere:’There are שבעים פנים: ‘seventy faces’ to the Torah - meaning the deeper, hidden meanings beyond the literal one.

‘Thus, the Torah - in relating that Moshe באר:explained the Torah - meant the inner meanings and secrets of the words.

‘We find support for this understanding, as many of the mitzvot are brought again in Sefer Devarim, with additional words which add understanding to the mitzvot, which had been brought on the earlier chumashim.’

The Be’er Mayim Chaim, As is the way of our holy parshanim, brings a different understanding, of Moshe’s words: ’They come to adjure us to keep the words of the Torah as they are, and not treat their literal meaning lightly, to nullify any of it by ascribing to it some other meaning, that we imagine the Torah intended.

‘The Torah, in these words, also alluded to our Sages saying- as Rashi brings- ‘Moshe explained the Torah in seventy languages’, so that all should understand its teachings - even the nations of the world.

‘The inner secrets of the Torah were only revealed to those who merited them, as we read in Ps’ .. 146:19: ’He has declared His words to Yaakov.. He has done this for no other nation; such laws they do not know.’

Chezkuni expounds: ’Moshe explained the Torah: ‘All the mitzvot - as well as the Ten Commandments that they heard from the Almighty - Hashem wanted those who were born in the desert, to hear them from a faithful source.’

Sforno begins his explanation, by saying that the reason for his explanation now, was that they were about to cross the Jordan and enter the Land without him, so he would be unable to warn them at the time of their performance, nor to deal with any doubts which might arise then, and he therefore - now - related to them their failures, by reason of which he would not be crossing with them - so that from then on, they would take care with their ways.

Rav Yehuda Cooperman, commenting on this Sforno, adds: ’The warnings relate to only certain mitzvot, the performance of which Moshe perceived the new environment might affect - and which therefore needed forewarning.’

The Malbim notes that these words of Moshe were said (1:5) בעבר הירדן:

" ’on the other side of the Jordan, in the Land of Moab’, from whence they were to cross into the Land, and this required Moshe to shortly die.

"Therefore, Hashem now commanded him to record these matters, and to explain this part of the Torah - from Parasha 12 onwards, which is called ‘Torah’.

"This, because it is established - as Rabbi Akiva laid down - that whilst all of the mitzvot - both their principles and their particulars - were told to Moshe at Sinai, Moshe did not relate them to Bnei Israel then, but related each parsha and parsha at its time, when Hashem commanded that he relate it to the people.

"In his lifetime, there were some mitzvot which Moshe had not yet related to them - however, as his death now neared, and no other prophet was permitted to add new matters, it was necessary for Moshe to complete teaching the Torah to Bnei Israel, from Parsha 12 onwards.

"This is what the words: הואיל באר: ‘began to explain the Torah’ allude to - the word באר in several other places in the Torah meaning: making that which is written, clear and understood by all who read it- and this is its meaning here."

Abarbanel adds: ’Lest one should say: If Moshe had already told Bnei Israel all of the mitzvot, what need was there to repeat them here?

‘It therefore said further - that though all the mitzvot were said to Moshe, and he had already said them to Bnei Israel, some had only been said briefly and now - due to Moshe’s nearing demise - there was a need to explain them in greater detail, as there would not be anyone able to reveal the secrets of the Torah, once Moshe passed on.

‘This is why it says: After he had smitten Sichon.. and Og.. on the other side of the Jordan.. Moshe began explaining the Torah, - meaning: He saw the two signs which pointed to his impending death, and therefore hastened to explain the Torah, the two signs being: One: the conquest of the Lands of Sichon and Og, which he knew were to be by his hand, and that he would then be gathered to his people; and:Two: that they were already on the other side of the Jordan River - and Hashem had told him: ’Do not cross this River Jordan’ - therefore, whilst in the Land of Moab, which was to be the place of his burial, and he had already seen that he had conquered the two Lands, and that the crossing of the River was nigh, he began to explain the Torah.

‘Hereby, the introduction was completed, which the Divine Wisdom saw was necessary, to this Chumash.’

A parting gem from Rav Zalman Sorotzkin: "The ‘Torah’ that Moshe began explaining, was not the Torah in its narrow sense, meaning a set of 613 mitzvot.

"In a number of places we find the words ‘the torah and the mitzvah’, indicating that ‘the Torah’ includes matters beyond the set of 613 mitzvot.

IIn the Book of Joshua (22) Bnei Israel were adjured: ’Only take great care to perform all the mitzvot and the Torah which Moshe the servant of Hashem, commanded you, to love Hashem and to go in all His ways, to keep His mitzvot and to cleave to Him and to serve Him with all your heart and all your being’.

"We see that ‘the Torah’ also includes ‘going in Hashem’s ways’, and the foundations of Emunah: the Creation of heaven and earth, the deeds of the holy Avot, of the chosen people, the events at Har Sinai, the mussar of Judaism and more.

"Therefore when it is said here: ’Moshe began to explain this Torah’, the meaning is not only to explain to Bnei Israeo some of the mitzvot which he had received at Sinai but had not passed on to Bnei Israel, for well-known reasons, till his departure from this life - but also words of rebuke and mussar to sway their hearts to follow the way of Hashem as written in the Torah, and to love Him and to cleave to Him.

"Moshe began to explain the Torah’ with words of rebuke and mussar - which ‘precede the Torah, as it says:’The beginning of wisdom is to fear Hashem’ - saying:’Hashem commanded spoke to us at Choreb and said to us: You have stayed too long sitting on this mountain’, and continued to rebuke them, till the words: ’and this is the Torah that Moshe placed before Bnei Israel’ and then (4:45):’’These are the ordinances and laws and mitzvot that Moshe spoke’."

לרפואת נועם עליזה בת זהבה רבקה ונחום אלימלך רפאל בן זהבה רבקה, בתוך שאר חולי עמנו.

Firefighters work at the scene of the gas leakFire and Rescue Service

Road 446 has been closed to traffic in both directions between the Hashmonaim Crossing and the Nili Junction following a gas leak from a truck damaged in a traffic accident.

Police from the Modi'in Illit station in Samaria are operating at the scene, along with firefighters.

According to police, during an attempt to locate a stolen vehicle which had been reported, the officers noticed a vehicle driving against traffic and presenting a serious danger to other motorists. During the incident, the police car was rammed, causing it to veer off course and collide with the side of the truck.

Two police officers sustained light injuries in the collision and were evacuated for medical treatment. The collision caused liquefied petroleum gas to leak from the truck, and firefighters from the Binyamin district are working to contain the incident.

Police said Road 446 remains closed in both directions between the Hashmonaim Crossing and the Nili Junction, and motorists are asked to use alternate routes.

Elor AzariaFlash 90

Dear President Herzog,

I write to you in support of Minister of Defense Israel Katz’s principled request that you pardon Elor Azaria.

I firmly believe that Azaria’s sentence was grossly disproportionate. I’m also of the opinion that Azaria’s judicial mistreatment was tainted by political considerations having to do with the army’s desire to placate certain foreign powers, which wanted to tie the hands of our soldiers.

Moreover, the behavior of the then Ministers of Defense, Moshe Ya’alon and Avigdor Liberman and the Chief of Staff, LTG Gadi Eisenkot, only served to inflame and prejudice both popular and judicial opinion in this matter. In particular, the unethical behavior of the Military’s Legal Office was totally beyond the pale and should have served as a forewarning of what was eventually going to happen later under the command of MG Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi.

But, having said this, let me be very clear about the following: I understand the need to maintain discipline in the ranks. The ultimate fate of terrorists that perpetrate murderou crimes should be determined by our courts. And now we have a new death penalty law covering terrorists who have committed murder.

However, I’m also aware of the fact that under the rules of war adopted by several states, a soldier may execute a so-called “illegal" combatant- a terrorist, in other words, on the field of battle. It is to our shame, Mr. President, that succeeding Israeli governments have blurred the distinction between a terrorist and a legitimate uniformed enemy, who, if captured, must be protected under the Geneva and Hague Conventions. I believe that this false moral and professional equivalency must be ended- especially after the atrocities carried out during 7 October by both Hamas, Gazan civilians, and other terrorist organizations.

This is why I feel- as do many others, that if Azaria were to be punished for violating army regulations, his sentence should have been far less than it was. Certainly, if he had murdered an incapacitated uniformed enemy soldier, Azaria should have been punished to the full extent of the law. But he didn’t do that! He killed a terrorist who he thought still presented a threat to his comrades.

Was he perhaps guilty of a lapse in judgement? As I wasn’t there at the time, I can’t bring myself to question the motives of a soldier who puts himself in harm's way to safeguard our national security. I honor such men and women, President Herzog. And I will never presume to stand in judgement of these heroes.

In conclusion, I implore you to please heed the request made by our Minister of Defense to pardon Elor Azaria. If you feel that he had had a lapse in judgement, it was only due to his overriding concern for the lives of both his comrades as well as his fellow citizens.

Thank you for your consideration of my request. May Hashem continue to safeguard the lives of our sacred warriors. And may Hashem continue to watch over and protect our nation. אמן.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Pollard

Rahm Emanuel libels IsraelAI generated

What Rahm Emanuel, a self-professed “friend" did at Tel Aviv University last week was not criticism. Israelis criticize their government every day with a ferocity no other democracy can match, and no one needs an imported scold to teach them the practice. What Emanuel did was something older and far more dangerous. A prominent Jew, piously wrapping himself in his family's sacrifices for the Jewish state, stood before the world and certified as true the specific accusations that Israel's enemies deploy to strip her of legitimacy and mark her people for destruction.

He spoke of Gazans deliberately deprived of food, of Israeli extremists terrorizing Palestinian Arabs across Judea and Samaria, of "illegal settlements" whose financiers deserve American sanctions. He presented none of this as contested allegation. He presented all of it as settled fact requiring Israeli contrition, and he did so from a stage in [leftist] Tel Aviv, in a hall he had carefully chosen for its sympathy, having pointedly avoided the elected leaders of the country he came to correct.

The Jewish people have long and bitter experience with this kind of figure. The blood libel never spread on Gentile testimony alone. In every generation it required a Jew, or a former Jew, to authenticate it. The medieval accusation that Jews murdered Christian children was ratified by apostates who assured the mobs that they had seen the crime from the inside. The Talmud was put on trial in Paris on the sworn word of a Jew. The tormentors of Jewry have always understood that an accusation against Jews acquires its lethal power when it issues from a Jewish mouth, because then it is no longer slander. It is confession.

This is the service Emanuel performed in Tel Aviv, whatever he imagines his motives to be. Every enemy of Israel who repeats the libels of starvation and settler terror can now add: even Rahm Emanuel, son of an Irgun family, admits it.

That is what makes his performance dangerous rather than merely arrogant. And it is what obligates a serious accounting of the charges he certified, because each one has already been taken apart by careful research he either never consulted or chose to ignore.

Begin with starvation. The famine narrative has been among the most potent weapons ever turned against Israel, and its central claims have not survived examination. A detailed 2025 study from the Begin-Sadat Center at Bar-Ilan University, led by the Hebrew University historian Danny Orbach, found that from October 2023 to March 2025 Israel let more food into Gaza than had entered before the war, and that the famine so confidently predicted never arrived. The apocalyptic forecasts rested on a benchmark inflated roughly sixfold, the endlessly repeated claim that five hundred trucks a day fed Gaza before the war, a figure that counted trucks per working day, only a fraction of them carrying food, against wartime trucks per calendar day, almost all of them food. The monitors declared famine imminent while admitting they lacked the mortality data their own rules demand, and the tens of thousands of hunger deaths they projected never materialized, as even Gaza's own health ministry figures confirmed.

Where real scarcity appeared, it was driven above all by Hamas, which looted (and still loots) warehouses and resold to the captive population the very supplies meant to sustain it. The charge that Jews deliberately starve a captive people is not a policy critique. It is the oldest well-poisoning fable in the antisemite's library, updated with trucks and calories, and Emanuel - the Jew and “friend-of-Israel" repeated it as casually as a weather report.

Then "settler violence". Here the demolition is exhaustive and public. The 125-page Regavim study, "False Flags and Real Agendas: 'Settler Violence,' a Modern-Day Blood Libel," examined the United Nations' own OCHA database, the very figures that foreign ministries and editorial boards recite, and found that roughly ninety percent or more of the catalogued incidents involved no settler, involved no violence, or did not occur in Judea and Samaria at all.

Jewish visits to the Temple Mount were logged as assaults, schoolchildren touring Shiloh and Herodium were counted, traffic accidents were counted, and terrorists shot in the act of attacking Jews were tallied among the "victims." What genuine violence exists is condemned and prosecuted so aggressively that Jews are indicted at markedly higher rates than Arabs for comparable offenses. This is the manufactured phenomenon over which Emanuel demanded that America sanction Jews, their defenders, and the banks that serve their communities.

A Jewish politician calling on a foreign power to punish Jews for a libel is not a new sight in our history. It has simply never before been offered as friendship.

And his blithe claims against the "illegal settlements" whose financiers he would sanction rest on a legal claim that scholarship has hollowed out. Professor Eugene Kontorovich's comprehensive study of Article 49(6) of the Fourth Geneva Convention, the single provision on which the whole edifice of "illegality" is built, established three things beyond serious dispute. The clause was written to forbid the forcible deportations of the Second World War, not the voluntary movement of citizens who choose where to live. A state cannot "occupy" territory to which no other sovereign holds legal title, and no sovereign Arab state ever governed Judea and Samaria, which Jordan seized illegally in 1949 and emptied of its Jews. And in every comparable occupation of the last seventy years, from Northern Cyprus to Western Sahara, no international body has ever branded settlement a Geneva violation.

The word "illegal" survives only as an instrument forged for use against one nation on earth, and Emanuel, the Jew and “friend", wielded it without a moment's scrutiny.

Having certified the libels, he proceeded to the uniquely perverse moral inversion that crowned them. Speaking of the chant "from the river to the sea" and of the Jewish aspiration to live in the whole of the Land of Israel, he declared that "both are fantasies chanted by fanatics." With that single formulation he set the call for the elimination of the Jewish state on the same moral plane as the Jewish desire to live in the Jewish homeland.

"From the river to the sea" is not a territorial preference. It is a program for the erasure of the only Jewish state on earth and the people in it, chanted by the ideological heirs of those who poured into the streets on October 8 to celebrate what had been done to Jews on October 7. Emanuel knows this. From the same stage he condemned those who cheered the massacre. Yet moments later he took the genocidal slogan he had just denounced and laid it beside a Jew's wish to build a home in Shiloh or Hebron, as though the two were symmetrical excesses to be scolded in a single breath.

And weigh what he elevated to co-equal standing with Jewish indigeneity. The Jewish bond to Judea and Samaria is the oldest continuous claim any people holds to any land on earth, written across three thousand years of scripture, archaeology, liturgy and law. Against it Emanuel set a rival national identity that cannot be located in any record before the middle of the twentieth century, an Arab population that possessed no separate flag, no distinct language, and no demand for a sovereign state of its own until that identity was manufactured as a political weapon in the 1960s. To treat a nationhood rooted in three millennia and one assembled within living memory as equal and opposite fanaticisms is not even-handedness. It is historical illiteracy pressed into the service of the libel.

Emanuel understood exactly what gave his words their weight, because he spent much of the speech establishing it. He reminded the hall of the uncle buried on the Mount of Olives, the father born in Jerusalem who fought in the War of Independence, his own youthful service alongside Israel's soldiers. He offered his lineage the way an attorney offers evidence, as proof that whatever followed could not be hostile. But lineage is not an argument, and no grave converts a libel into a truth.

The pedigree does not soften the accusations. It arms them. It is precisely the Irgun uncle and the Jerusalem-born father that make Emanuel's testimony so valuable to Israel's accusers and so dangerous to Israel's children, and a man of his intelligence cannot plead ignorance of the transaction. Netanyahu once called him a self-hating Jew. Whatever one thinks of the phrase, a Jew who certifies the blood libels of Israel's enemies as settled fact has forfeited the benefit of the doubt his family's graves were meant to purchase.

"True friends tell each other the truth," Emanuel said. Indeed they do, so here is one. A libel does not become truth because a Jew repeats it. It becomes more lethal.

Every fabrication Emanuel certified in Tel Aviv will now travel the world stamped with a Jewish seal, quoted at the United Nations, recited on campuses, hurled at Jewish students who will be told that even Israel's own admit the crimes. That is the gift our distinguished friend delivered, and no protestation of love can recall it.

With friends like Rahm Emanuel, Israel hardly needs enemies.

Rahm Emanuel libels IsraelAI generated

Daniel Winston is an American-Israeli marriage therapist, trainer of therapists, lecturer and author. He volunteers in the IDF reserves, as an MDA medic, in Zaka, and in the Israel Police Search and Rescue Team.

Footage from the elimination of Omar Ahmed Abu QasemIDF spokesperson

On Wednesday, in a precise strike in the central Gaza Strip, the IDF eliminated the terrorist Omar Ahmed Abu Qasem, a Battalion Sniper Commander in Hamas' military wing.

Throughout the war, Abu Qasem took part in carrying out terror attacks against IDF troops in the Gaza Strip.

In recent months, Abu Qasem attempted to reestablish Hamas' military wing and advanced additional terror attacks against IDF troops, in violation of the ceasefire agreement.

"IDF troops under the Southern Command remain deployed in the area in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat," the IDF warned.

On Tuesday, the IDF eliminated two Hamas Nukhba commanders in northern Gaza.

In the strike, the terrorist Ali Shamlakh, a deputy commander of a Hamas Nukhba company, was eliminated.

As part of his role, Shamlakh attempted to advance terror attacks by training terrorists who were planning to execute terror attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF troops operating in the area.

In addition, the strike eliminated the terrorist Nasser Louh, head of a Nukhba cell in Hamas' Sabra Battalion.

The terrorists posed an immediate threat to IDF troops operating in the Gaza Strip and were eliminated in a precise aerial strike.

Israel KatzChaim Goldberg/Flash90

Defense Minister Israel Katz spoke Wednesday night with US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who updated him on US military operations in Iran.

The two agreed to continue close cooperation between their countries in response to any future developments.

Katz also briefed Hegseth on Israel's operations against jihadist terror groups in Syria, Gaza, and Lebanon. He stressed that Israel is determined to maintain its security zones in Syria, Gaza, and Lebanon in order to protect its borders and nearby communities.

In their conversation, Katz emphasized to Hegseth that this policy is based on the lessons learned from the October 7 attacks.

"We have never asked the US to act on our behalf along our borders," he said, adding, "We are committed to defending the citizens of Israel against every threat, and that is exactly what we intend to do."

New road in SamariaYESHA Council

The government has approved a budget of more than NIS 1 billion to fund the construction of access roads and security routes for dozens of new communities approved by the cabinet during the war, including the four northern Samaria communities of Homesh, Sa-Nur, Ganim, and Kadim, which were evacuated during the 2005 Disengagement.

The NIS 1.075 billion plan was formulated following two months of professional work by the Settlement Administration, in cooperation with the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Finance. The funding will be distributed between the Ministries of Transport and Defense over the next three years.

According to the government, the decision is designed to provide immediate funding for secure access roads and other infrastructure that cannot be financed through the standard development process tied to land marketing. The budget will cover the planning and construction of new roads, upgrades to existing routes, and connecting roads between communities. In Judea and Samaria, the projects will also include built-in security components.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich welcomed the decision, calling it "historic."

"The historic decision we approved will enable the establishment of dozens of communities at strategic points in Judea and Samaria," Smotrich said. "We are leading a settlement security revolution, with more than 100 communities and 160 outposts that strengthen the security of the State of Israel and will foil the terrible idea of establishing a terror state in the heart of the State of Israel."

He added that the multi-year plan would ensure the planning and construction of new access roads, the upgrading of existing routes, and improved connections between communities while incorporating critical security measures.

Smotrich said the government is working with relevant ministries to remove bureaucratic obstacles and secure the necessary approvals to facilitate safe and orderly transportation to the new communities.

Under the decision, any additional communities in Judea and Samaria that are approved or legalized by the government in the future will automatically be incorporated into the infrastructure plan.

Joseph AounREUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou

Sources at the Presidential Palace in Beirut have expressed satisfaction with the progress of the negotiations taking place in Rome between Lebanese and Israeli delegations.

In an interview with the Lebanese newspaper Nidaa Al-Watan, the sources said the talks are being conducted in a positive atmosphere, with clear US commitment to Lebanon's demands and security.

Officials close to President Joseph Aoun stressed that Lebanon is determined to fulfill its commitments in the negotiations.

Aoun reiterated that the negotiating track is the only option on the table for safeguarding Lebanon's sovereignty and national interests, and that it plays a decisive role in preventing a further deterioration into war, destruction, and devastation in the country.

On Wednesday, the United States announced that agreements have been reached on the structure and guidelines for the pilot zones process between Israel and Lebanon, and that its completion and implementation are expected in the coming days.

The "pilot zone" plan would see the IDF would pull back from a relatively cleared section of territory. Lebanese forces would then enter the area under American supervision. Under the plan, the IDF will continue to hold strategic positions in southern Lebanon where its mission has not yet been completed, especially in the Ali Taher Ridge area. A large underground Hezbollah complex remains there, and the army is weighing ways to destroy it without disrupting the diplomatic process. Division 36, including the Givati Brigade and the 401st Brigade, is operating in the area in a complex engineering and logistical effort.

On Tuesday, Axios cited US and Israeli officials as saying that US President Donald Trump urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a phone call to begin redeploying IDF forces from Syria and encouraged him to do the same in Lebanon.

The memorandum of understanding a 14-point framework signed in late June, has been criticized by the Hezbollah terrorist organization which has refused to disarm, as stipulated in the agreement. The terror group has also declared that "Without Hezbollah, nothing will pass."

Supreme Court president Yitzhak Amit 2026Chaim Goldberg/ Flash 90

Adv. A. Amos Fried, a native of Chicago, is a licensed member of the Israel and New York State Bar Associations, and has practiced law in Jerusalem for nearly 35 years. He specializes in civil litigation, criminal representation and commercial law. He can be reached at: [email protected].

(JNS) In a democratic polity, the law reigns supreme. No one stands above the law: no individual, no group, no leader and no branch of government. Already in the early 13th century, England’s Magna Carta subjected even the crown to the common law of the land. While Jewish tradition is somewhat ambiguous on the matter (see Sanhedrin 19a), the modern-day State of Israel has firmly established that we are all subject to the law, including, to be sure, the judiciary.

Section 2 of Israel’s "Basic Law, the Judiciary" states quite bluntly: “In matters of adjudication, no authority is held over one who possesses judicial power, except the authority of the law."

Judges are vested with the power of interpreting the law in disputes brought before them. While not authorized to legislate per se, the judicial branch of government is the final arbiter in determining what the law actually means.

Normally, this should prove to be a rather straightforward, even mundane task, accomplished, whenever necessary, with the help of a dictionary. But when judges begin tampering with the direct language of a statute, the term “in other words" becomes imbued with cynical irony.

Take an example from the United States. Two recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions revolved around the proper understanding of the pure and simple language employed by the statutes in question. Unsurprisingly, both rulings split 6:3 in exact alignment with the political predilections of each justice.

The first case addressed a 1990 act by Congress establishing Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for aliens from embattled or afflicted countries such as Somalia, Haiti and Syria. As its name implies, the program aimed to provide short-term humanitarian relief for aliens who could not safely return to their home countries.

Although designed to afford temporary relief, TPS designations in practice have often lasted for decades. Hence, President Donald Trump was intent on ending this aberration and ordered the program’s termination; essentially affirming that the term “temporary" should mean exactly what it purports to mean: interim, provisional, non-permanent.

But in her dissent, Justice Elena Kagan simply couldn’t countenance such philistine reasoning, contending that a Haitian national enjoying TPS status for 15 years should nevertheless be allowed to remain in California so as to continue treatment for Type 1 diabetes, since “In Haiti, the same disease can be a death sentence, given that country’s collapsed health-care infrastructure." According to this rationale, the statute’s use of the term “temporary" should be vacated entirely whenever confronted by various “humanitarian" considerations.

In Mullin v. Al Otro Lado, the Supreme Court’s two sparring camps argued over the accurate meaning of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, under which an alien is allowed to apply for asylum only once he “arrives in the United States." The majority reasonably held this to mean that an individual must physically enter the country prior to filing such an application.

But Justice Sonia Sotomayor apparently knew better, and to prove her point, she proposed several bizarre examples, such as when a train conductor announces, “We are arriving in Penn Station," which might mean only that the train “has started slowing down half a mile away." So, too, “If someone said, ‘Call me when you arrive in Washington, D.C.,’ it would be logical to call them once you have landed at DCA Airport, just across the river in Virginia. Nor would it be premature to say someone ‘arrives in’ San Francisco while she is still driving on the Golden Gate Bridge. These examples show that the meanings of the phrases ‘arrives in’ and ‘arriving in’ depend on context."

This means that, to the extent “context" informs the meaning of “arrives in the United States," the country’s borders have no significance. A migrant headed towards the Rio Grande from Mexico could apply for asylum long before actually crossing the border.

In Israel, “context" determines meaning whenever it suits the Supreme Court. Such was the logic of Yitzhak Amit, the president of the Supreme Court, when he explained why he suddenly felt the need to reverse a position he had adamantly held for years.

Previously, Amit was a believer in judicial restraint when addressing how Israel’s Civil Service Commissioner and other official “gatekeepers" should be appointed by the government. But that was before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began promoting major reforms throughout the legal system. Such conduct cries out for resolute judicial intervention, reasoned Amit, and thus his sudden demand that these appointments be allocated to an independent, professional selection committee (headed by a former Supreme Court justice, of course), rather than through a direct political appointment by the prime minister. Never mind that the law itself declares unequivocally, “The Government shall appoint the Civil Service Commissioner," with no requirement whatsoever for a committee or even a tender.

As mandated by his manifestly political approach to “context," Amit simply disregarded the plain meaning of the law to prevent what he sees as the utter collapse of proper governance norms and the end of Israeli democracy. Pining for the ways of the past, he lamented, “The norms of today are not the norms of 2011," and thus, “the law must adapt itself to the changing reality."

In short, the Israeli Supreme Court once again treated the law as nothing more than a quaint ornament to be refashioned when necessary. Such is the backdrop to the latest constitutional eruption over Israel’s Second Authority for Television and Radio, the statutory body responsible for regulating the country’s commercial broadcasters.

Actually, at the heart of the conflict is a bitter fight over whether pro- or anti-government investors will take control of Israel’s Channel 13.

When Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi sought to appoint new members to the Second Authority’s board, the Supreme Court stepped in to freeze the process on suspicions of a conflict of interest. Following that, several board members resigned, leaving the Authority without the two-thirds quorum required by law to decide on _Channel 13’_s future.

As before, the Supreme Court threw the law to the wind and decided that, despite the statutory demand for a legal quorum, the Second Authority may continue regardless. Since the justices supposedly found reason to believe that the resignations were an orchestrated ploy aimed at preventing Channel 13 from being handed over to the anti-Netanyahu camp, they felt that they were left with no choice other than to revamp the law to their own liking.

Under this same logic, the U.S. government would be denied the right to construct barriers along its borders since this would be a deliberate attempt at preventing asylum seekers from filing their applications only upon physically arriving in the United States.

In an unprecedented move, the Israeli cabinet responded by declaring it would not comply with Supreme Court rulings devoid of any lawful foundation. “You have no power to trample the law," they announced. “A ruling that contradicts the law will not be recognized, and decisions made under it are void."

Pundits are quick to refer to this episode as yet another constitutional crisis, but the truth of the matter goes well beyond that:

The cabinet may make bad or good decisions to advance its interests and thwart undesirable outcomes, but the remedy for such conduct is elections, not nullifying the law and replacing it with ad hoc judicial caprice. The law must remain supreme and be applied in equal measure to all branches of government, including, and perhaps above all, the Supreme Court.

John FettermanREUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) affirmed Wednesday that he intends to remain in the Democratic fold, but cautioned that a complete retreat from backing Israel would represent an intolerable threshold that could force him out.

"If our party ever becomes - and just makes it official - the anti-Israel party, that’s when I would leave because that’s been a moral clarity for me," Fetterman stated during an appearance at the Hill Nation Summit in Washington.

The Pennsylvania lawmaker expressed confusion regarding why Democrats would abandon a major Middle Eastern democratic partner with shared values. He voiced sharp anxiety about party trends amid growing demands from progressive organizers to scale back traditional security support.

"My long-term concern has been with the Democratic Party, as I am a member of that, is that our party is going to back away and turn their back to Israel," he explained.

To illustrate his concern, Fetterman pointed to a legislative push by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) aiming to strip $3.3 billion in annual security allocations to Israel, along with the momentum behind primary candidates openly hostile to the foreign ally. The measure failed to pass in the House of Representatives on Wednesday, but more than 100 Democrats voted in favor of the measure. No Republican besides Massie backed the measure.

While House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) opposed the amendment, House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) supported it. Fetterman sees Clark’s stance as representative of a broader political drift.

"You look at the kinds of individuals that are winning our recent primaries," Fetterman remarked. "It’s becoming more anti-, anti-Israel and hostile to people" who hold pro-Israel views.

He faulted fellow Democrats who "are trying to ingratiate ourselves with that segment of the base of our voters are intensely, intensely anti-Israel."

Though Fetterman admitted Republican representatives have privately pitched the idea of him switching parties, he refused to outline those exchanges.

Fetterman has become known for his staunch pro-Israel stance. After Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, Fetterman put up posters of the Israelis who were abducted by Hamas in his front office and left them up until every single person safely returned home.

When anti-Israel protesters showed up outside Fetterman's office, chanting accusations of genocide, he responded by waving an Israeli flag from the roof of the building.

Members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)Reuters/West Asia News Agency

Iran’s diplomatic ministry called in Britain's ambassador to Tehran on Wednesday in response to London's decision to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) under the UK’s Countering State Threats Act, Reuters reported.

A formal statement issued by the foreign ministry and reported by the Tasnim news agency cautioned that the British measure would "not go unanswered."

The diplomatic summons follows actions taken by British officials the prior day, when the UK Foreign Office called in Iran's Charge d'Affaires Ali Nasimfar in London. British authorities accused Tehran of directly guiding regional proxy groups to organize and carry out hostile operations across European countries in recent months.

On Monday, the British government officially classified the IRGC along with an associated network as national security threats. The blacklisting utilizes updated statutory powers created to prevent foreign governments from deploying surrogate factions to conduct surveillance, sabotage, and related covert activities on British soil.

In May, Honduras formally blacklisted both Hamas and the IRGCas terrorist organizations.

Honduras’s announcement came several days after the Dominican Republic declared Hezbollah and the IRGC as terrorist organizations.

In April, Argentina blacklisted the IRGC as a terrorist organization, positioning the country as a pioneer in South America in the fight against the regime in Tehran.

Montreal policeiStock

Violent antisemitic attacks in Canada have escalated sharply since the start of the year, already reaching more than double the entire total documented throughout 2025, according to newly published figures from human rights organization B’nai Brith Canada.

The advocacy group reported Wednesday that 27 violent incidents targeting Jewish institutions and individuals have been logged across the country since January 1. The total stands at more than twice the 10 violent incidents documented in B’nai Brith's Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents for all of 2025.

The mid-year update follows an earlier special release in May, when the organization took the rare step of publishing preliminary figures showing 11 violent attacks through the spring. Those earlier cases included potential terror-linked gunfire striking several Jewish institutions.

“It is appalling that, since our last special report, the number of violent antisemitic incidents has more than doubled within a two-month span," said Richard Robertson, B’nai Brith Canada’s Director of Research and Advocacy.

According to preliminary tracking by the organization, the 2026 volume trails only 2023, which saw a peak of 77 recorded violent incidents. As of July 15, the annual tally for 2026 has already surpassed full-year totals recorded for 2022, 2024, and 2025.

Robertson noted that the most recent cases involved a cluster of coordinated, hate-motivated assaults in the Outremont neighborhood of Montreal on July 3. Evidence gathered from video footage, victim accounts, and police statements shows multiple Jewish residents returning home from Friday night Shabbat services were confronted, physically assaulted, robbed, and verbally harassed.

Video recordings captured suspects striking victims and stealing their Streimels. In one assault, a suspect threw a water bottle at a pedestrian, while another involved derogatory anti-Jewish slurs.

“These hate-driven attacks are becoming more targeted, more brazen, and more heinous," Robertson said. “It is unacceptable that this is occurring in our country during 2026."

“We hope that, by releasing our shocking statistics at this time, we can prompt our leaders to take action to confront this worsening, national crisis of antisemitism," Robertson added.

The findings mirror broader metrics reflecting elevated levels of hostility faced by Jewish Canadians. Official law enforcement data consistently reveals that Jewish communities are targeted in hate crimes at disproportionately higher rates than any other minority group in the country.

In response to the data, B’nai Brith is calling on Ottawa to establish a dedicated National Task Force to Combat Antisemitism alongside implementing a suite of legal and law enforcement reforms.

“In June, Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned antisemitism and recognized that Canada’s social compact is failing members of the Jewish community," said Simon Wolle, B’nai Brith Canada’s Chief Executive Officer. “Words are important. Solidarity is essential. But it is not sufficient. It is an outrage that, during the year 2026, Jewish people are being attacked while walking home from Shul in Canada."

“Our leaders must confront antisemitism and all forms of hatred head-on. They must name the problem, including anti-Zionist manifestations of antisemitism," Wolle urged. “We need a whole-of-government approach to combat this crisis, including stronger enforcement of our anti-hate laws and better coordination among law enforcement agencies."

Gideon Sa’ar and Omar Bula EscobarShmulik Almany

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar met on Wednesday in Washington DC, with Colombia’s incoming Foreign Minister, Omar Bula Escobar.

During their meeting, the two ministers agreed to restore relations between the two countries to their previous positive course. They agreed to fully reestablish diplomatic and economic relations, and to the mutual exchange of ambassadors.

Minister Bula told Minister Sa’ar that Colombia is looking forward to opening an embassy in Jerusalem, the capital of Israel.

Additionally, the ministers agreed to mutually abolish the visa requirement between the two countries.

The ministers also agreed to increase the assistance to Colombia through the MASHAV, Israel's international development cooperation agency.

A statement from the Foreign Ministry noted that, following Sa’ar’s telephone conversation in June with Colombia’s President-elect, Abelardo de la Espriella, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has already begun preparations for the appointment of a new Israeli ambassador to Bogotá, Colombia’s capital.

De la Espriella secured his victory during a tense runoff election, edging past left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda by less than a single percentage point. A central tenet of his platform includes significantly tightening foreign relations with both Israel and the United States. Following his election, de la Espriella pledged that "Colombia will restore and strengthen its relationship with the State of Israel like never before."

His platform marks a total reversal of the policies enacted under outgoing President Gustavo Petro, an outspoken critic of Israel who, in May of 2024, severed ties with Israel over the conflict in Gaza. Petro later ordered the opening of an embassy in Ramallah.

In another incident, Petro expressed support for comments made by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who compared Israel’s actions in Gaza to those of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler against Jews during World War II.

“The advance preparations now underway are intended to ensure that the historic relationship between the two countries is restored as swiftly as possible and elevated to new heights immediately following the inauguration of Colombia’s new president on August 7," said the statement from Israel’s Foreign Ministry.

Smotrich and DeriYonatan Sindel/Flash 90

A Channel 13 News poll published on Wednesday evening indicates that if elections were held today, Likud, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, would win 22 seats, remaining the largest party in the Knesset.

The "Yashar!" party led by Gadi Eisenkot receives 21 seats - a two-seat drop compared to the previous poll. Naftali Bennett’s "Together" party secures 15 seats, The Democrats led by Yair Golan earn 11, and Yisrael Beytenu under Avigdor Liberman takes 10.

Further down the list are United Torah Judaism with 8 seats, while Shas and Otzma Yehudit receive 7 seats each. Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionist party climbs to 6 seats.

Hadash-Ta'al gets 5 seats, Ra'am holds 4, and the joint slate of reservists led by Yoaz Hendel and Chili Tropper crosses the electoral threshold for the first time with 4 seats. Balad and Benny Gantz's Blue and White fail to clear the threshold.

According to the poll, the opposition bloc - which includes the Hendel-Tropper slate - reaches 61 seats, while the coalition bloc led by Netanyahu stands at just 50 seats.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Wednesday night that it had concluded an evening wave of strikes against Iran at 9:00 p.m. ET (4:00 a.m. Israel time).

“US forces struck Iranian command centers, air defense sites, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten innocent mariners crewing commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz. CENTCOM used precision munitions to hit targets in multiple locations including Bandar Abbas," said the CENTCOM statement..

It further noted that in strikes earlier on Wednesday morning, American forces struck coastal defense and cruise missile sites on Greater Tunb Island during a 90-minute wave.

“The US military is holding Iran accountable at the Commander in Chief's direction," the statement concluded.

Previously, CENTCOM announced that its forces enforced naval blockade measures against Iran by disabling an unladen oil tanker attempting to sail toward an Iranian port in the Arabian Gulf.

According to CENTCOM’s statement, its forces “observed Curacao-flagged M/T Belma transiting international waters toward Kharg Island. The commercial vessel ignored multiple warnings as it attempted to violate the US blockade. A US aircraft disabled the vessel after firing hellfire missiles into the ship’s smokestack. The ship is no longer transiting to Iran."

The US Army resumed the naval blockade against vessels transiting to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas at 4:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday. CENTCOM noted that, during the first 24 hours of enforcement, CENTCOM has redirected two compliant commercial vessels and disabled one non-compliant vessel.

“US forces remain vigilant and prepared to ensure full compliance," the statement concluded.

Shin Bet chief David ZiniChaim Goldberg/Flash 90

The Government approved on Wednesday evening the plan led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Social Equality Minister May Golan and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

The plan will involve the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) in the fight against crime in the Arab sector. Under this plan, approximately 497 million shekels will be diverted from the 550 Five-Year Plan toward an unprecedented national effort to combat criminal organizations in the Arab sector.

Approximately 364.5 million shekels will be allocated to the Shin Bet to establish a dedicated unit to combat smuggling and weapons trafficking, and to bolster intelligence and operational capabilities.

Approximately 132.4 million shekels will be allocated to the Israel Police to establish a dedicated national unit to combat crime in the Arab society, including the establishment of technological systems and procurement of advanced operational equipment.

An additional 130 personnel positions will be allocated to the Shin Bet starting in 2026, alongside a permanent budget allocation of 35 million shekels annually, beginning in 2026.

Prime Minister Netanyahu said, "Involving the Shin Bet in the fight against crime in Arab society, which has become a national plague, is dramatic news and a significant step in the all-out war we are waging against criminal organizations."

He added, “Combining the intelligence, operational, and technological capabilities of the Shin Bet, alongside the activities of the Israel Police and all law enforcement agencies, will allow us to utilize the best tools available to the State, including advanced means and intelligence capabilities, to reach the heads of criminal organizations, strike at their infrastructure, and restore personal security to our citizens."

“We will not accept a reality of violence, extortion, and murder in our streets. The State of Israel will act with determination, strength, and without compromise to eradicate criminal organizations and restore security to the streets. I commend Minister May Golan and Minister Itamar Ben Gvir for leading this important initiative," stated Netanyahu.