Houthis in YemenReuters/IMAGO/ Sanaa Yemen/xHamzaxAlix

Six individuals lost their lives Tuesday during a Houthi missile strike on a commercial vessel transiting the Bab el-Mandeb strait, according to Yemeni officials quoted by The Associated Press.

Yemen's coast guard confirmed that the casualties comprised four civilian crew members and two personnel from the government-aligned National Resistance Forces. Official statements from the Transportation Ministry of Yemen's internationally recognized government stated that Houthi forces launched three ballistic missiles directly at the Yemeni merchant ship.

The casualties represent the initial reported fatalities stemming from Houthi maritime operations off the Yemeni coast during the current surge in regional fighting.

With maritime transit through the Strait of Hormuz effectively halted by Iranian operations, international shipping focus has shifted toward the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait along Yemen's southern coast, which serves as a critical bypass route for Saudi petroleum exports.

The naval assault followed back-to-back attacks by Houthi forces targeting the government-controlled port city of Mocha and other regional territories over two consecutive days.

Yemeni military sources reported that rebel units directed drone and missile salvos at Mocha and the central Marib governorate, though specific operational assessments were not immediately released.

During the preceding week, Houthi strikes hit targets across Marib and the eastern province of Hadramout, resulting in dozens of military and civilian deaths. Over the weekend, combined missile and drone assaults against Mocha claimed at least seven lives, including three military personnel, according to Yemeni defense figures.

Mocha functions as a primary shipping gateway administered by Yemen's internationally recognized government, having undergone infrastructure upgrades to handle commercial cargo and bypass the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeida.

The strikes form part of a broader offensive by Houthi forces targeting Yemeni government troops, energy infrastructure in neighboring Saudi Arabia - which backs the recognized administration - and Saudi commercial shipping lanes throughout the Red Sea.

On July 20, Houthi leadership announced a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea, framing the measure as a response to an alleged Saudi blockade on Yemen - an accusation Riyadh denies.

Regional volatility escalated further when Houthi spokespersons accused Saudi air forces of carrying out airstrikes against Sanaa International Airport. However, Yemen's internationally recognized government accepted responsibility for the raid, maintaining that the action was executed to block an incoming Iranian aircraft.

In response, Houthi units fired retaliatory missiles into southwestern Saudi Arabia, targeting areas adjacent to Abha Airport.

Nukhba terroristsIsrael Prison Service

Legal proceedings against hundreds of Nukhba terrorists who participated in the October 7 massacre are stalled due to a failure to recruit military prosecutors, Kan 11 News reported Tuesday evening.

A senior official in the Military Advocate General's Corps sharply criticized the lack of funding and operational capacity needed to launch the trials, warning of the consequences of further delay.

According to the official, there is a genuine concern that the prolonged timeline will lead to the erosion of gathered evidence. As part of these proceedings, the military prosecution intends to seek precedent-setting death sentences, fully aware that the issue will ultimately be kicked up to the Supreme Court.

In response to the report, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit stated: "Six officers have been agreed upon for various roles and are expected to assume their duties shortly. Employment terms for the remaining positions - including those enabling the hiring of civilian attorneys - have not yet been finalized and remain under ongoing discussion in full cooperation with all relevant government entities."

It was further noted that the budget designated for the project was transferred to the military in recent weeks.

The initiators of the legislation to prosecute massacre participants, Knesset Members Simcha Rothman and Yulia Malinovsky, stated that they are "closely monitoring progress in the proceedings to bring the terrorists to justice and are meeting regularly with all officials involved."

The lawmakers added: "It is frustrating, infuriating, and disheartening to discover that even after the immense effort invested in advancing this law, there are entities that have yet to internalize the urgency of the moment and the weight of their responsibility, engaging instead in power struggles, bureaucracy, and ego games rather than rallying behind this critical national mission. As soon as the Knesset reconvenes from recess, we will convene a meeting in the Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee with all relevant parties. We will demand clear answers and practical solutions."

US strikes in IranCENTCOM

American military forces deployed two Hellfire missiles against a Panama-flagged commercial cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday after the vessel's crew disregarded verbal commands and continued heading toward an Iranian harbor, US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed.

In an official statement published on social media, CENTCOM wrote, “Earlier today, CENTCOM forces disabled the steering gear of Panama-flagged M/V Vela Nova as the cargo vessel attempted to transit the Gulf of Oman and violate the US blockade against Iran by sailing toward an Iranian port. A US Navy MH-60 helicopter fired two hellfire missiles into the Vela Nova’s engine room after the ship’s civilian crew ignored repeated warnings from American forces."

CENTCOM further reported. “The ship is no longer transiting to Iran in violation of the U.S. blockade, which remains in full effect. As of Aug. 11, CENTCOM has redirected 55 commercial vessels attempting to run the blockade, disabled 3 non-compliant vessels, and boarded 2. U.S. forces operating in the Middle East are highly vigilant, lethal, and ready."

The naval enforcement measures were originally implemented by Washington on April 13 following a breakdown in peace negotiations in Islamabad. Intended to restrict Iranian petroleum exports and maritime commerce, the operational framework gives CENTCOM authority to intercept vessels entering or departing Iranian ports, sustaining heightened economic and geopolitical friction across Persian Gulf shipping lanes.

While a temporary 60-day memorandum of understanding was concluded between Washington and Tehran in June to suspend the embargo in exchange for unhindered merchant vessel navigation, American authorities reinstated the maritime blockade last month in response to renewed military skirmishes and attacks on regional shipping.

Tuesday's military action transpired one day after Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei signaled that reopening the strategic Strait of Hormuz remains contingent on Washington fulfilling specific Iranian demands.

"As long as the US naval blockade continues, along with its other violations, the necessary conditions will not exist for us to say that the Strait of Hormuz has become an open international waterway," Baghaei asserted.

"The United States must end these actions and compensate for the damage. Only afterwards can we begin discussing the next steps," he added.

US President Donald Trump was asked by a reporter on Monday about his previous comments warning that the current negotiations with Iran represented its final chance before "decapitation," and was pressed on what comes next.

“You’ll find out," Trump replied. Asked whether a massive escalation remains on the table, Trump added, “Well, we certainly have that ability if we want to do that. You’ll find out."

Yair GolanErik Marmor/Flash90

Yair Golan, chairman of the Democrats party, has said that he believes in the sincerity of United Arab List (Ra'am) chairman MK Mansour Abbas' intentions.

In an interview with A-Nas Radio, Golan said his party can offer Arab voters the ability to exert influence, since the key question is the balance of power in the next government, and it is "clear" that the Democrats will likely receive more senior and significant ministerial portfolios.

Golan also claimed that effectively combating crime requires political power.

In addition, Golan promised that the Democrats would be able to work with Ra'am, Mansour Abbas, and Yoav Segalovich, who is currently considering joining Ra'am.

In this context, Golan added, "Mansour Abbas and Yoav Segalovich are truly people about whose good intentions I have no doubt." In his opinion Segalovich joining Ra'am would be "an important move" that "emphasizes the essential partnership, because there really is no other future for the State of Israel except through Jewish-Arab partnership."

When asked about the distribution of votes among Arab Israelis in the upcoming elections, Golan urged the parties to work together to increase voter turnout and create a true alternative government.

Last year, Golan told the Times of Israel that "as long as they get their pound of flesh," the haredi parties are "willing to sit in any government."

Golan said he is willing to sit with haredi parties in a government if politically necessary, but emphasized: "What’s good for Israel is a coalition ranging from [Naftali] Bennett to Mansour Abbas of Ra’am (United Arab List), led from within by the liberal-democratic camp - not the Right."

At the same time, he ruled out joining any government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, [National Security Minister] Itamar Ben Gvir, or [Finance Minister] Bezalel Smotrich, but said he would consider cooperating with haredi parties if circumstances required.

"We all understand that we need each other. We don’t want any of the current coalition parties. They are destructive: a corrupt Likud, the extreme nationalists Ben Gvir and Smotrich, and the haredim who are destroying the country," he said.

Rabbi Dr Josh Joseph Orthodox Union Executive Vice President

Rabbi Dr. Josh Joseph, Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union (OU), spoke to Arutz Sheva - Israel National News during a visit to Israel about the strengthening of Jewish identity since October 7, rising antisemitism in the US, the OU's growing activities in Israel and the Diaspora, and the legacy of his close friend and colleague Rabbi Moshe Hauer.

Joseph's visit to Israel was also a personal one. His daughter, who made aliyah (immigrated to Israel -ed.) several years ago, married another oleh (immigrant to Israel -ed.) in Jerusalem last week.

"It's really a miracle of aliyah," Joseph said, describing the wedding under the Jerusalem sky. He recalled that Nefesh B'Nefesh co-founder Rabbi Yehoshua Fass told him the wedding could mark "the beginning of the Joseph Aliyah."

Asked whether he might follow his daughter to Israel, Joseph laughed. "We have some work to do still in America and worldwide," he said, adding, "If it were up to my wife, we wouldn't be going home from this trip."

Joseph explained that the OU, founded 128 years ago, began as an organization intended to bring synagogues together and strengthen Jewish communities through cooperation.

Over the years, its activities expanded significantly, including into the field of kashrut (relating to kosher food - ed.). Today, approximately 1.5 million products around the world bear the OU symbol, with operations in more than 100 countries and thousands of kosher supervisors.

Joseph stressed, however, that kashrut is only one part of the organization's broader mission.

"We're a nonprofit. The money that comes in from our services goes back to the community," he explained.

The OU's goal, he said, can ultimately be summarized as "more Jews growing closer to Hashem."

Joseph noted that while the organization once focused primarily on serving Orthodox Jews, it is increasingly reaching out to Jews who do not define themselves as Orthodox or affiliate with any particular denomination.

That effort has accelerated dramatically since the October 7 massacre.

Joseph pointed to the OU's Jewish Student Union (JSU), which operates Jewish clubs in public schools across the US: On October 6, 2023, the organization had 304 clubs reaching between 25,000 and 30,000 Jewish teenagers. Within months of the massacre, the number of clubs had grown to 515.

The most striking development, Joseph said, was what the teenagers themselves were asking for.

"They didn't want us to come in and talk to them about antisemitism and how to combat antisemitism," he recalled.

Instead, they told the organization: "We're being criticized, we're being attacked for being Jewish. Tell us what it is. What's our connection? What does it mean to be Jewish?"

Joseph described the response as "pro-Semitism" - strengthening Jewish knowledge, pride and identity rather than allowing Jewish life to be defined by those who hate Jews.

The OU currently reaches approximately 40,000 Jewish teenagers and hopes to eventually reach 100,000.

Joseph said the organization is also trying to move beyond labels that have traditionally divided Jewish communities, but added, "Sometimes we get stuck in those labels." He also noted that many American Jews today do not identify as Orthodox, Conservative or Reform.

"We've lost that ability to say, okay, we disagree. We agree to disagree," he said. "I'll hear your opinion. Even if I don't agree, I'm still going to love you."

Pointing to IDF soldiers from very different backgrounds fighting together in Gaza and Lebanon as an example of the ability to put disagreements aside when necessary, he asked, "How do we see the connecting points? How do we see the 80% that we actually do agree on?"

Joseph also addressed the relationship between American Jewry and Israel more than two years after October 7.

For a long period, he said, American Jews began their mornings by immediately checking what had happened overnight in Israel, following updates and praying for the country. As the war continued, however, he began to detect a degree of fatigue.

"Let's not forget our family and friends," Joseph urged Diaspora Jews. "Reach out, text, call, go visit, go buy something in the shuk."

At the same time, he said, OU has been expanding its activities inside Israel.

Joseph highlighted the organization's work with at-risk youth through programs including the Zula of Harel, as well as its growing investment in English-speaking communities.

The OU has identified more than 400 synagogues in Israel with significant English-speaking populations and is working to better understand the needs of those communities. Its activities have also expanded on Israeli university campuses. A decade ago, the OU had one couple working with students at what is now Reichman University. Today, Joseph said, 17 couples operate on 11 campuses and reach approximately 3,500 English-speaking students. The goal is to provide students with a "bayit cham" - a warm home - including Shabbat meals, Torah learning and a sense of community.

Joseph recalled visiting a Torah study event in Tel Aviv attended by approximately 85 to 90 young professionals after a full day of work. When he asked about one participant whom he assumed came from an English-speaking background, he was told that the young man was Israeli. Joseph was told that he had joined an Anglo-oriented program because "he likes the warmth of the community."

Joseph also spoke emotionally about Rabbi Moshe Hauer, the late Executive Vice President of the OU, whom he described as a close friend, mentor and "brother."

The two grew up near one another in Montreal but only developed their close friendship decades later, during the COVID pandemic. Even today, Joseph said he still finds it difficult to listen to Hauer's old voice messages or look through their correspondence.

"It's very hard to hear his voice," he said.

Hauer's unique strength, Joseph explained, was his ability to bring Torah into every issue, not merely by offering a Torah thought but by allowing Torah to frame the entire discussion. Today, the OU is working to continue the direction Hauer helped establish.

Asked about the rising antisemitism in New York, Joseph said that although he regularly rides the New York subway wearing a visible kippah and has not personally been physically or verbally attacked, the statistics tell a disturbing story.

"The numbers of antisemitic incidents have increased tremendously in New York," he said, criticizing New York City's Mayor Zohran Mamdani over his rhetoric toward Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"The violent rhetoric - is it a surprise that it leads to violence?" Joseph asked.

At the same time, he praised US President Donald Trump and his administration for their actions against antisemitism on American university campuses, explaining, "What they've done with universities, and what they've called out on universities, has helped lower the temperature on antisemitism on university campuses."

Joseph also argued that Jews should acknowledge those who stand with them regardless of partisan politics, urging, "We have to remember our friends."

For Joseph, strengthening Jewish communities in America and encouraging a connection with Israel are not contradictory goals. Different Jews have different journeys, he explained, but Israel remains at the heart of Jewish identity.

In his own family, that journey has already brought the next generation to Jerusalem. And after watching his daughter marry another oleh under the Jerusalem sky, Joseph acknowledged that Rabbi Fass' prediction may yet prove correct: This could be "the beginning of the Joseph Aliyah."

Jonathan PollardPhoto: INN

The signing in Mecca of the new Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani Joint Defense Agreement should set off alarm bells throughout Jerusalem-and, frankly, throughout Washington.

On August 7, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan signed what has been called the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, pledging that an armed attack against one member will be treated as an attack against all three. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has acknowledged that the agreement is, technically, comparable to NATO's Article 5, although the precise mechanisms for implementing that commitment remain unclear.

This is not yet NATO. The treaty's full text has not been made public, and we do not know precisely what constitutes an "attack," whether assistance is automatic, or exactly what military obligations each country has undertaken. Fidan himself has said that assistance could range from intelligence and logistics to the deployment of military forces, depending on the circumstances.

But dismissing the agreement because its operational details remain vague would be a serious mistake.

The strategic significance lies not merely in what has been written, but in what these three countries collectively represent.

What each country brings to the table

Saudi Arabia brings money, oil, enormous economic influence and considerable weight within the Sunni Muslim world.

Turkey brings one of NATO's largest militaries, a rapidly expanding indigenous defense industry and an increasingly independent foreign policy under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Turkey's ambitions for a greater regional role have led some observers to describe its foreign-policy vision in neo-Ottoman terms. Whether one accepts that description or not, there can be little doubt that Ankara intends to be a major power in the Muslim Middle East rather than merely a subordinate member of the Western alliance system.

Pakistan brings something neither Saudi Arabia nor Turkey possesses: nuclear weapons and a large, battle-tested military establishment.

That combination is extraordinary.

Money. Oil. Military power. Advanced weapons production. Strategic geography. And nuclear weapons.

Put them together and one begins to understand why the Mecca agreement deserves considerably more attention than it has received.

Pakistan is already on the ground

Nor is this merely a paper alliance.

Pakistan has already demonstrated the seriousness of its military commitment to Saudi Arabia.

In May, Reuters reported that Pakistan had deployed approximately 8,000 troops, around 16 JF-17 fighter aircraft, two drone squadrons and a Chinese-made HQ-9 air-defense system to Saudi Arabia under the existing Saudi-Pakistani defense framework. The equipment was reported to be operated by Pakistani personnel and financed by Saudi Arabia.

Reuters also reported that thousands of Pakistani personnel were already stationed in the Kingdom under previous agreements, while sources familiar with the confidential framework indicated that considerably larger deployments could theoretically be made if required.

This matters.

The new Mecca agreement therefore does not create military cooperation from scratch. It places a new trilateral political and strategic framework over a relationship in which Pakistani military forces are already physically present in Saudi Arabia.

That is a very different proposition from three countries simply signing a diplomatic communiqué.

And then there is the nuclear question

The September 2025 Saudi-Pakistani mutual defense agreement is an even more important piece of the puzzle.

That agreement stated that aggression against either country would be regarded as aggression against both. It did not publicly and explicitly state that Pakistan had extended its nuclear arsenal to Saudi Arabia. Nevertheless, senior Saudi officials and analysts subsequently suggested that the agreement could provide Riyadh with protection under Pakistan's strategic deterrent.

That distinction is crucial.

There is no publicly confirmed Pakistani nuclear umbrella contained in the new Mecca agreement. We should not claim otherwise.

But neither should we pretend that Pakistan's nuclear status is irrelevant.

A nuclear-armed Pakistan has now entered a formal collective-defense arrangement with Saudi Arabia and Turkey. That fact alone changes the strategic calculations of every country in the region.

The ambiguity may actually be part of the deterrent.

Deterrence without Washington

Perhaps the most important aspect of the Mecca agreement is what it says about the changing relationship between the Gulf and the United States.

For decades, Saudi Arabia's ultimate security guarantee rested on Washington. That assumption is now being challenged.

Riyadh has watched the United States struggle to provide what the Kingdom regards as an adequate long-term answer to missile and drone threats against its territory and energy infrastructure. Saudi Arabia has also seen Washington's difficulty in containing Iran and securing vital shipping routes in the region.

The result is predictable: Saudi Arabia is looking for additional insurance.

The Mecca agreement is therefore not simply a military pact. It is also a declaration of strategic autonomy.

The message is unmistakable:

If Washington cannot-or will not-provide the security architecture Riyadh believes it needs, Riyadh will begin constructing one of its own.

That should concern Washington almost as much as it concerns Jerusalem.

"It isn't aimed at Iran"

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan insists that the agreement is not directed against Iran-or against any other particular country.

Really? If the agreement is not directed against Iran, Israel, or any other identifiable threat, then the obvious question is:

Who exactly are these three countries preparing to defend one another against?

Fidan has subsequently emphasized that there is nothing in the agreement defining a common enemy. He has also explained that a member would first have to request assistance and that the response could range from intelligence sharing and logistical assistance to the deployment of military forces.

Legally, that ambiguity is important.

Politically, however, statements made by the alliance's own leaders cannot simply be ignored.

Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Asif has called for a broader NATO-like military alliance among Islamic countries, arguing that Muslim states should unite around collective security. Moreover, one day after the trilateral agreement was signed, Asif specifically called for a united Islamic military front against Israel, declaring it a threat to the entire Muslim world. Not one member of either the Saudi or Turkish governments challenged his identification of Israel as the main enemy of the Islamic world.

If the ultimate objective is indeed a broader Islamic security bloc, then the Mecca agreement may be only the beginning.

And that brings us to Israel.

The Egypt question

Fidan has already indicated that Egypt could participate at a later stage, describing Cairo as a "natural partner."

This is potentially the most consequential development of all.

Egypt is not simply another Muslim-majority country.

Egypt controls the Suez Canal, possesses one of the Arab world's largest armed forces and occupies Israel's entire southern strategic horizon.

If Egypt eventually joins a collective-defense arrangement with Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, the strategic environment surrounding Israel could change dramatically.

Israel could eventually find itself facing a coordinated military bloc stretching from the eastern Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf and from Anatolia to South Asia.

That does not mean that Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan would automatically go to war with Israel. Nor does the agreement establish such an obligation. But it would create a framework within which a future confrontation involving one member could potentially become a much larger regional crisis.

That possibility must be taken seriously. The Abraham Accords may already be in trouble

The Mecca agreement also raises a profound question about the future of Saudi-Israeli normalization.

For years, there was speculation that Saudi Arabia might eventually join the Abraham Accords.

The logic was powerful: Saudi Arabia, Israel and the United States could form the nucleus of a new regional order designed to contain Iran, integrate Israel economically into the Middle East and create a new security architecture.

The Mecca agreement points in a very different direction.

Saudi Arabia is now constructing a security relationship with Pakistan and Turkey-two countries whose political establishments remain profoundly hostile toward Israel.

That does not necessarily mean that Saudi Arabia has permanently abandoned the possibility of normalization with Israel. Saudi policy is pragmatic, and Riyadh has repeatedly demonstrated that it can maintain relationships with countries that disagree sharply with one another.

But the strategic direction is unmistakable.

The more deeply Saudi Arabia embeds itself within an Islamic collective-defense structure, the harder it becomes to imagine Riyadh simultaneously becoming a formal member of an Israel-centered regional security architecture.

Israel must not underestimate the significance of this pact

There is a temptation to dismiss the Mecca agreement as another grandiose declaration that will collapse when its members actually have to fight.

Perhaps it will.

There are enormous differences between the three countries. Their strategic interests do not always coincide. Turkey is a NATO member. Pakistan's primary military focus remains India. Saudi Arabia has its own complicated relationship with Iran. And none of the three has publicly committed itself to an automatic war against Israel.

But that is not the point. The point is that the architecture is being constructed.

A ministerial committee is being established. A permanent secretariat is planned in Saudi Arabia. The agreement is explicitly open to additional participants. And Egypt has already been identified as a potential future member.

Strategic alliances rarely appear fully formed. They develop incrementally.

First comes the agreement.

Then military cooperation.

Then exercises.

Then intelligence sharing.

Then integrated planning.

Then additional members.

And eventually, a structure exists that would have been almost unimaginable a decade earlier.

Israel should therefore treat the Mecca agreement not as an immediate declaration of war, but as a warning about the strategic environment that may exist five or ten years from now.

The lesson for Israel

Israel cannot afford to wait until an emerging military bloc has become fully operational before deciding what to do about it.

The correct response is not panic. It is preparation.

Israel must ensure that Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps cannot continue developing the missile, drone, intelligence and logistical capabilities that could eventually be integrated into a much broader regional confrontation.

Israel must also strengthen its missile-defense capacity, intelligence penetration, air superiority, long-range strike capabilities and diplomatic relationships with states that share an interest in preventing the emergence of a hostile regional military bloc.

Most importantly, Israel must make absolutely certain that no adversary ever concludes that it can surround Israel, attack Israel from multiple fronts and survive the consequences.

The nightmare scenario is not necessarily that the Mecca agreement immediately becomes an Islamic NATO.

The nightmare is that it gradually becomes one.

And if Egypt ultimately joins, the strategic equation becomes still more serious.

Israel should therefore regard the Mecca agreement as a strategic wake-up call.

Not because the treaty proves that Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt are preparing to attack Israel tomorrow. It does not.

But because, for the first time, we can see the outlines of a regional security architecture developing that could eventually leave Israel confronting a far more formidable coalition than anything it has faced in the past.

Israel's enemies are learning to coordinate.

Israel must learn to anticipate.

And the most dangerous mistake Israel could make would be to wait until the alliance is fully assembled before taking the threat seriously.

Itamar Ben GvirYonatan Sindel/Flash90

National Security Minister and Otzma Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben Gvir criticized the Likud's newly-unveiled election slogan, "Likud - A Broad National Government."

"The Likud's slogan is very concerning and reflects the Prime Minister's intention to form a government with [Yashar! chairman Gadi] Eisenkot," Ben Gvir said. "A unity government with Eisenkot would bury the judicial reform and constitute a complete victory for [Attorney General] Gali Baharav-Miara and [Supreme Court President] Yitzhak Amit."

Last year, Baharav-Miara was fired, but asked the Supreme Court to intervene. Thereafter, the Supreme Court illegally overturned her dismissal. Last month, Baharav-Miara demanded that all government ministers consult her before making any moves during the transition period leading up to the elections.

Ben Gvir added, "Eisenkot and Gantz are full-fledged leftists who, when they were in the government, thwarted the capture of the Philadelphi Corridor, the capture of Rafah, the seizure of the security zone in Lebanon, the elimination of [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah, and the beeper operation. They demanded complete surrender to Hamas' demands. Right-wing voters deserve a right-wing government."

Meanwhile, Netanyahu's opponents also criticized the slogan, with Yisrael Beytenu chairman MK Avigdor Liberman saying, "Netanyahu's election slogan: 'A broad national government.' Netanyahu's slogan in the Knesset: 'A broad draft-dodging alliance.'"

GazaIDF spokesperson

A recent operational incident in the Gaza Strip sector reflects the complex command situation facing troops in the field, particularly with the next stage of the 15-point plan coming into effect.

Channel 12 News reported that IDF surveillance teams detected unusual movement by terrorists, raising serious concerns about an attempt to cross the Yellow Line. Following the detection, the alert level was raised and troops were dispatched toward the fence, but no strike was carried out in response.

Soldiers involved in the incident said they requested authorization to strike in the area in order to prevent a surprise attack and maintain deterrence. The defense establishment, however, chose to keep the forces at a heightened state of defensive readiness only and opposed opening fire.

An officer in the field said: “We wanted to strike - and they wouldn’t authorize it. We feel that our hands are tied in the face of terrorists who are already planning the next massacre."

Bezalel SmotrichArutz Sheva

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has appealed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, calling on him to prevent Palestinian Authority (PA) Chairman Mahmoud Abbas from returning to Ramallah.

Calling Abbas by his nickname, Smotrich said, "Abu Mazen's pilgrimage to [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, who openly declares his antisemitic aspiration to destroy the State of Israel, once again reveals the true face of Abu Mazen: an enemy who heads a terrorist authority that encourages and finances terrorism against the State of Israel."

"I call on the Prime Minister to seize this opportunity and prevent him from reentering Israel and Judea and Samaria. The Palestinian Terrorist Authority must be dismantled."

Last year, despite signing a decree ordering an end to the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) policy of paying stipends to terrorists who murdered Israelis - also known as "pay-to-slay" - Abbas told the Fatah Revolutionary Council that the PA would continue its payments to terrorists even if it only had a single penny left.

The PA chairman stated that the prisoners and "martyrs" are the "most dear" to Palestinian Arabs, and he would not allow payments to them to be reduced.

That same year,Wafa reported that the Palestinian Authority's General Intelligence Service had transferred financial aid to the families of terrorists. Adnan Abu Ayash, director of general intelligence in the Jenin district, said that the move was being carried out in accordance with Mahmoud Abbas' declaration that "even if there is not a penny left, it will be given to the families of the shahids and prisoners."

A report by i24NEWS states that in 2025 the Palestinian Authority transferred approximately half a billion shekels in payments to terrorists and their families. Details presented during a cabinet meeting revealed that 395 million shekels were allocated to terrorists currently imprisoned, while 92 million shekels were paid to families of terrorists killed while carrying out attacks. Terrorists released during the recent hostage agreements were also granted a special payment.

This is not new: For years, PA officials have remained defiant about the issue of payments to terrorists and have made clear that the PA will never cease paying terrorists' salaries.

Abbas has in the past called the PA's continued payments to terrorists a "red line" that would not be halted under any circumstances.

In a 2017 interview with Al-Quds Al-Arabi, Abbas stated that, "Israel incites the US to see prisoners and martyrs as terrorists. They are soldiers and the sons of our nation...and they are the martyrs of the Palestinian people. And since then (1965), we have provided them [and their families] with allowances."

"Israel and the US says that this is supporting terrorism...I will not back down on this issue. The families of the martyrs will continue to receive their allowances in full." he added.

In response to the question of whether the allowances will continue to be extended to prisoners in Israeli prisons, Abbas answered, "certainly."

damage from the Colombia earthquakeREUTERS/Raquel Cunha

A day after the deadly earthquake that struck western Colombia and claimed the lives of more than 220 people, a clearer picture is emerging regarding the condition of the Jewish community in the city of Cali.

Meir Partush, a resident of the city and director of the local “Jewish Home," which provides for Jewish religious needs, described the situation since the earthquake: “At around 7:00 yesterday morning, we felt the earthquake very strongly, and it caused tremendous damage."

According to him, despite extensive destruction to homes and property, miraculously there were no casualties. “In our community, families lost their homes. Thank God, there were no physical injuries or loss of life, but there was enormous property damage. The community itself was also hit - a wall collapsed onto the roof of the synagogue and caused damage, and ceilings were blown off in some of the rooms," he said in an interview with the Behadrei Haredim website.

The “Jewish Home," which serves as the main address for Jews and Israelis in the city - operating in a manner similar to a Chabad House, including a synagogue, the provision of kosher food, and assistance to travelers in need at hospitals or with the police - immediately became a central hub for relief efforts.

Partush said the team is providing food, water, and assistance with repairs to anyone who approaches them, including non-Jewish local residents, out of a sense of mission and a desire to sanctify God’s name.

Throughout the night, the team assisted many Jews who had been left homeless, while the community itself relies entirely on donations and outside assistance due to its limited financial resources.

Even before that, Partush made a point of immediately contacting hostels and Israeli travelers to ensure that none of them had been harmed.

Shmuley BoteachEliran Baruch

REYKJAVÍK - I came to Iceland in love with Iceland.

I leave heartbroken by it.

For nearly two weeks my family and I traveled through what is unquestionably one of God’s great masterpieces. We drove beneath mountains disappearing into clouds, stood before thundering waterfalls, crossed black volcanic landscapes, watched glaciers descend toward the sea and experienced the surreal beauty of an island perched between Europe and America.

Iceland is magnificent.

But there was another Iceland that emerged during our visit - an Iceland I could never have imagined when I arrived. Again and again, I was recognized as “Rabbi Shmuley," the celebrity Jew and rabbi who is an outspoken supporter of Israel and confronted with hostility.

I was cursed. I was continuously and repeatedly called “baby killer."

“Free Palestine" was hurled at me incessantly - not as a political slogan at a demonstration, but directly at me, a Jewish man walking down a street with his Jewish family and IDF hero children who had come to get away from the war for Israel’s survival for just a few days.

I was told, in various formulations, that Zionists were not wanted in Iceland.

I heard nonstop “F--- Israel."

I was followed everywhere I went in the larger cities and verbally abused.

I was confronted by strangers who seemed to regard the mere presence of a proud Jew and lover of Israel as a provocation.

I was physically assaulted. Then I was assaulted a second time.

And during one approximately 30-minute walk through Reykjavík, I counted seven separate hostile confrontations.

Seven.

Thirty minutes.

I have documented this extraordinary experience across my Instagram and Facebook accounts so that people don’t have to take my word for it. The videos are there and have been watched my tens of millions of people worldwide. They went viral especially in Iceland. The faces are there. The confrontations are there.

One of my posts documented what I described as my second assault in Iceland. Another recorded a verbal confrontation. Another showed an Icelandic couple confronting me on the street, with “F--- Israel" at the center of the exchange. Yet another captured a longer discussion with an Icelander over the supposedly convenient distinction between hating Israel and hating Jews.

This wasn’t one unpleasant encounter. It became a pattern. And after enough encounters, a tourist ceases asking, “What is wrong with that individual?" and begins asking, “What is happening in this country?"

Seven hostile confrontations in one 30-minute walk through Reykjavík. At what point do isolated incidents become an atmosphere?

One of the most disturbing incidents came in a bar.

I wanted to buy a beer. That’s it.

Not deliver a lecture about Gaza.

Not debate Icelandic foreign policy.

Not ask why in ten days we had only seen five black people in a country that dares preach to Israel about tolerance.

Not lead a pro-Israel demonstration.

I wanted a beer. I was recognized, another confrontation ensued, and I was physically assaulted.

Imagine traveling thousands of miles with your family to one of the world’s most celebrated tourist destinations and discovering that even buying a drink can become dangerous because someone recognizes you as a prominent Jewish defender of Israel.

Afterward there was the predictable chorus: perhaps I provoke people by responding. Perhaps I should ignore them. Perhaps a public Jew should learn to walk away.

Forgive me. Since when did the victim of harassment acquire the responsibility to disappear?

A Jew should not have to remove his yarmulke, hide his Magen David, conceal his identity or remain silent in the face of abuse in order to purchase a beer safely in a European capital.

And after repeated confrontations, I experienced something far more consequential than anger.

Fear.

There were moments during this trip when I genuinely feared for my physical safety and even for my life and the safety of my family.

I have confronted antisemites throughout the world. I have been threatened before. I have been attacked before. I know that political disagreement can become heated without becoming dangerous.

This was different because it was so incessant, so pervasive, so universal. And then the street hatred met the online hatred.

Unhinged antisemite Candace Owens’ relentless obsession with Israel and attacks on me need little introduction. One of the posts I sent out during the trip described an attempt by Owens to publicize my family’s presence and inflame hostility while we were already being confronted in Iceland. Candace Owens jumped into the fray from the United States and demanded that “Viking Power" evict us from Iceland.

You begin looking over your shoulder. You notice who is watching you. Your family notices.

A pleasant walk stops being a pleasant walk because you wonder whether the next person who recognizes you will say hello, scream “baby killer," or put his hands on you.

That is no way for any tourist to experience Iceland.

And it is certainly no way for a Jew to experience Europe in 2026.

I should not have to hide my yarmulke, conceal my Magen David, or surrender my voice in order to buy a beer safely in a European capital.

My social-media pages became a running diary of this ugliness. Eye on Palestine, with 14 million followers. Openly called repeatedly for my assassination on Instagram.

This is the frightening ecology of modern antisemitism.

Someone recognizes a Jew. The confrontation is filmed. The video goes viral.

Thousands cheer the person confronting the Jew. Influencers amplify the hostility.

And the next person who sees the Jew in the street believes he too has permission to confront him.

The digital mob becomes the physical mob.

All the while we are told: This isn’t antisemitism. It is only anti-Zionism.

Really?

Then explain something to me. Why was the target an American rabbi?

I am not a member of Israel’s government.

I do not command the IDF.

I do not determine Israeli military policy.

I was walking through Iceland with my family.

Yet strangers felt entitled to make me answer personally for Gaza because I am publicly Jewish and publicly, now and forever, stand with Israel.

When people scream “Zionist" at a visibly Orthodox Jew as an epithet, “Zionist" is no longer functioning as a political description.

It has become a socially acceptable substitute for another word.

Jew.

Of course, not every critic of Israel is an antisemite. Criticism of Israel is no more inherently antisemitic than criticism of France is anti-French. But there comes a point where intellectual dishonesty becomes absurd.

If you see an Orthodox Jewish tourist and begin shouting at him about Israel; if you call him a “baby killer"; if you tell him Zionists are unwelcome; if you curse the Jewish state in his face and scream “F--k Israel" at the top of your lungs - and then insist that none of this has anything to do with Jews, you cannot seriously expect the Jewish victim to applaud the sophistication of your distinction.

“When ‘Zionist’ becomes the epithet screamed at the Jew standing in front of you, it is fair to ask whether ‘Zionist’ has simply become Europe’s respectable substitute for ‘Jew.’"

And what makes Iceland’s descent so painful is how different the country appeared only recently. From 2003 to 2016, Iceland’s First Lady was Dorrit Moussaieff, an Israeli-born Jew from Jerusalem, wife of President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson. She became an Icelandic citizen and one of the country’s best-known public personalities. Contemporary Icelandic reporting described her unmistakably as Iceland’s First Lady.

Think about that extraordinary contrast.

Just over a decade ago, an Israeli-born Jewish woman from Jerusalem occupied Iceland’s most prominent ceremonial role alongside its president.

Now an American Orthodox rabbi walks through Reykjavík and is repeatedly denounced over Israel.

What happened? There were warning signs.

In 2018, members of Iceland’s parliament seriously considered legislation prohibiting the non-medical circumcision of boys.

For most Icelanders, circumcision may appear an obscure ritual. For Jews, brit milah is the covenant of Abraham, practiced for thousands of years and foundational to Jewish religious identity.

The proposed legislation was real enough that Iceland’s own parliamentary records contain extensive submissions both supporting and opposing it. The Council of Jewish Communities of Latvia warned Alþingi that banning circumcision would effectively prohibit Jewish existence in Iceland.

The proposed punishment was extraordinary: reports at the time said anyone performing such a circumcision could face up to six years in prison.

The bill ultimately died. Thank God.

But Jews noticed that in a European democracy in the twenty-first century it became seriously conceivable that a rabbi performing Abraham’s covenant could face years behind bars.

Europe repeatedly tells Jews: We love Judaism. Then come the qualifications.

We love Judaism without circumcision.

We love Judaism without Israel.

We love Jews provided their Jewishness never inconveniences the prevailing ideology.

That is not tolerance. That is conditional acceptance.

Icelanders will respond that their country has demonstrated genuine compassion toward Palestinians.

That’s garbage.

In 2008, Iceland accepted - get ready- 29 (!) Palestinian Arab refugee women and children who had been stranded in a desert camp on the Iraq-Syria border. UNHCR reported that the group consisted of eight families headed by women, several of whom had lost husbands in the Iraq conflict

Saving refugees is noble. But 29? Seriously? In a country of only 350,000 people that is ninety percent empty?

No. This was never about Palestinian Arab rights or Iceland would have tie in at least 10,000 refugees from Gaza, that was destroyed because of Hamas, the way countries take in refugees. This is all about hatred of Israel, in other words, antisemitism.

Why should compassion for Palestinians require hostility toward Jews? Why must sympathy for one people become contempt for another?

During our travels, my family and I were struck by how racially homogeneous much of Iceland appeared to us. We commented repeatedly on how few Black people we personally encountered during nearly two weeks traveling around the country. That is, of course, an anecdotal observation rather than a demographic study, and I would not pretend otherwise.

Nor would it be accurate to claim Iceland accepts “no one." It has accepted refugees and has significant immigration.

But precisely because Iceland wishes to present itself to the world as enlightened, humanitarian and tolerant, its moral test is not merely which distant populations it champions.

The test is also how human beings standing on an Icelandic street are treated.

Humanitarianism is cheap when its beneficiaries are abstractions. It becomes real when a person you disagree with is three feet in front of you.

You cannot proclaim Palestinian Arab dignity while denying Jewish dignity.

You cannot campaign against racism while intimidating Jews.

And you cannot chant about human rights while making a Jewish tourist fear for his physical safety.

There was something else I encountered in Iceland: a startling strain of anti-Americanism. Not disagreement with American policy. Something more visceral. Much of Europe despises Donald Trump.

Icelanders may criticize President Trump every waking hour if they wish. Americans ourselves fight fiercely over our presidents. But Trump hatred does not justify hatred of Americans.

Some of the hostility I experienced seemed part of a broader ideological package in which America is regarded as imperialist, Israel as colonialist, and an outspoken American Jew who supports Israel becomes a convenient symbol of both.

That worldview is as simplistic as it is poisonous.

America has been central to Europe’s security for generations. Iceland itself is a NATO ally. Political disagreement between democracies is healthy.

Contempt for entire peoples is not.

Then there is a practical reality Iceland ignores at its peril. Tourism is not some marginal Icelandic industry. It is fundamental to the country’s prosperity.

According to Statistics Iceland, tourism directly accounted for 8.8% of Iceland’s GDP in 2025, up from 8.2% the year before.

Nearly one dollar in every eleven generated in Iceland’s economy is therefore directly connected to tourism. Iceland’s entire global brand is based on a promise.

Come here. See something extraordinary. Experience one of the safest, friendliest, most beautiful places on earth.

But safety and hospitality are part of the product.

Americans have choices.

Jews have choices.

Israelis have choices.

Families deciding where to spend thousands of dollars on a vacation have choices. And nobody wants to travel across an ocean to be told that people like them are unwelcome.

Iceland’s waterfalls are magnificent. Its glaciers are breathtaking. But no waterfall is beautiful enough to compensate for fearing that the next stranger who recognizes you may threaten or assault you.

I do not want Jews to boycott Iceland.

I want Iceland to change.

That distinction is important.

I have seen too much beauty here to wish this country ill. And I have visited probably five or six times and lectured to the Jewish community, tiny as it is, on every occasion.

I met good Icelanders. Many were gracious and welcoming.

It would be morally wrong for me to condemn an entire nation because of people who abused me, just as it is morally wrong for them to condemn every Jew because they despise Israel’s government.

But neither will I sanitize what happened. Too often Jews are told not to make a fuss.

Don’t call it antisemitism.

Don’t embarrass anyone.

Don’t exaggerate.

Don’t answer back.

Don’t make people uncomfortable.

For two thousand years Jews have been advised to survive hostility by becoming less visible.

I reject that advice.

I am a Jew.

I am a rabbi.

I am a lover of Israel.

And none of these things deprives me of my right to walk safely down a street in Reykjavík.

I increasingly worry that Iceland is following the path of Ireland, where hostility toward Israel has become so culturally pervasive that the Jewish state is often discussed not as an imperfect democracy capable of terrible mistakes, but as something uniquely sinister and illegitimate.

I am not going to manufacture a statistical claim that Iceland and Ireland are literally the two “most antisemitic" nations in Europe when reliable comparative evidence does not establish that ranking.

I don’t need to. My firsthand experience is damning enough. On this trip I was cursed.I was verbally harassed repeatedly. I was called a baby killer. I was told Zionists were not wanted. I was physically assaulted. I experienced seven hostile confrontations in approximately 30 minutes in Reykjavík. My social-media accounts became a daily chronicle of abuse.

And as I prepared to depart, I recorded my sadness that a country of such extraordinary grandeur and majesty could have become, in my experience, so consumed by hostility toward Israel and Jews who defend it. That departure reflection too is publicly documented.

This happened in Iceland.

In 2026.

And that should trouble every decent Icelander far more than anything I have written in this column.

I refuse to condemn an entire nation because some Icelanders hated me. But I also refuse to pretend that what happened to me did not happen.

Iceland, what happened to you?

How did the country that embraced a Jerusalem-born Jewish First Lady become a place where I experienced this degree of hostility as a Jewish visitor?

How did legitimate concern for the plight of Palestinian Arabs at the hands of Hamas terrorists become, for some, permission to hate and intimidate Jews?

How did one of Europe’s most famously peaceful societies produce moments in which a rabbi visiting with his family feared for his safety?

I do not ask these questions because I hate Iceland. I ask because I love it. And because beneath all the anger I remain convinced that the haters do not have to define this magnificent country.

So my appeal is to the Icelanders who know that this is wrong. Take your country back from hatred.

Criticize Netanyahu.

Criticize Trump.

Criticize me.

Tell me every political opinion I hold is mistaken.

That is freedom.

But when you see a Jew being harassed, defend him. When “Zionist" is used as an epithet for a Jewish stranger, challenge it. When someone screams “baby killer" at a rabbi, do not pretend you are witnessing human-rights activism. When a visitor is assaulted, do not cheer because you dislike his politics.

A nation is measured not by how loudly it proclaims its tolerance, but by how it treats the people it most profoundly disagrees with.

Palestinians deserve human dignity and freedom from the brutality of Hamas.

Israelis deserve human dignity.

Muslims deserve human dignity.

Christians deserve human dignity.

Americans deserve human dignity.

And Jews deserve human dignity.

No exceptions. No ideological tests. No requirement that we renounce Israel first.

I came to Iceland once again believing it was one of the most beautiful countries on earth.

I still believe that.

But mountains and glaciers are geography. Tolerance is a choice.

And Iceland must now decide what kind of country it wishes the world to see.

Because beauty gets tourists onto airplanes. Human decency determines whether they ever come back.

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach is the international bestselling author of thirty-eight books, translated into more than twenty languages. He has been hailed as “the most famous rabbi in America" (The Washington Post, Newsweek). A fearless public intellectual and one of Israel and Jewry’s most eloquent defenders, Rabbi Boteach has appeared on virtually every major television network and media platform across the globe. For eleven years, he served as Rabbi at Oxford University, where he founded the L’Chaim Society and built it into one of the largest student organizations in the university’s history. Rabbi Boteach is the only rabbi ever to receive the London Times Preacher of the Year Award, and remains the competition’s record-holder. He lives in New Jersey with his Australian wife, Debbie, and together they have, thank God, nine children and twelve grandchildren.Follow him on Instagram and X @RabbiShmuley

Hamas terrorists training in Gaza (illustrative)Aaed Tayeh/Flash90

IDF troops on Tuesday eliminated a Hamas sniper who violated the ceasefire and posed an immediate threat to troops.

"A short while ago, IDF troops identified a sniper from the Hamas terrorist organization who posed an immediate threat near the Yellow Line area, where IDF troops are operating in the northern Gaza Strip," the IDF confirmed.

"Shortly after the identification, IDF troops fired toward the terrorist in order to remove the threat. A hit was identified.

"IDF troops under the Southern Command remain deployed in the area in accordance with the agreement and will continue to operate to remove any immediate threat."

Hamas' violation of the ceasefire follows reports that the IDF is already implementing a 15-point plan to reconstruct Gaza, despite the terror group's failure to disarm.

Earlier on Tuesday, Channel 12 News reported that the proposed multinational force is not expected to begin deploying in Gaza before October, with a real possibility that its arrival will be delayed until after Israel's elections.

On Monday, senior officials in Gaza's "Board of Peace" told Ynet that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's declaration rejecting the 15-point Gaza plan is in contradiction to the facts on the ground.

"We look at actions in practice, and less at words and declarations," the sources told Ynet. "In practice, Israel has halted targeted killings and is observing the ceasefire."

According to the officials, "In essence, Israel is keeping the 15-point agreement. The IDF is positioned along the original Yellow Line, controlling 53% of the Gaza Strip, and there are no outposts or forces beyond the yellow line. Israel is implementing the 15-point document even while verbally rejecting it. Of course, it would have been better for Israel if its declarations matched its actions, because it would have benefited diplomatically from complying with the agreement."

On Saturday night, Channel 12 News reported that Israel's defense establishment recently held discussions examining the possibility of withdrawing IDF forces from several locations in the Gaza Strip.

According to the report, the exiting IDF forces would be replaced with a multinational force, despite Hamas remaining far from disarming.

Israeli leaders have repeatedly stated that the IDF will not withdraw from the "Yellow Line" until Hamas disarms. However, according to the report, security officials are already preparing contingency plans should a withdrawal be approved.

Channel 12 noted that the exact definition of "disarmament" has yet to be clarified, but the US is increasing pressure on Israel to withdraw from Gaza.

A senior security source told Channel 12, "The number of troops [in the multi-national force] is simply not enough. It's only a handful of soldiers, and they're trying to build towers on the basis of that force. It's very worrying. The Americans aren't leaving us with many alternatives - but they're creating a problem for us in Gaza."

The report also noted that defense officials greatly doubt that such a limited force could play a meaningful role in Gaza, particularly if it is expected to replace IDF troops in areas from which Israel withdraws.

Gideon Sa'arYonatan Sindel/Flash90

The Governments of the State of Israel and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela on Tuesday announced an agreement to restore consular relations following talks held in recent weeks between Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar and his Venezuelan counterpart, Félix Plasencia.

As part of the discussions, the two sides agreed to establish a dedicated coordination mechanism that will provide consular services to citizens of both countries. The move creates the first formal coordination channel between Israel and Venezuela since diplomatic relations were severed in 2009.

The two countries also agreed to continue cooperating on emergency response and reconstruction efforts following the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24.

Israel sent a humanitarian aid delegation to Venezuela following the quakes, and the delegation remained in Venezuela for approximately one month before returning home.

The delegation's visit sparked subsequent discussions between senior officials from both sides, and the two countries later agreed to continue bilateral technical cooperation arising from the emergency response and recovery efforts following the earthquakes.

Israel and Venezuela have also agreed to establish a coordination mechanism to enable the provision of consular services, as needed, to their citizens residing in the other country.

"Both governments recognize the importance of the relationship between the State of Israel and the Jewish community in Venezuela, which serves as an important bridge of historic friendship between the two countries," the statement added.

anti0Zionist protests in LondonReuters

A new study commissioned by the British government reveals the heavy price being paid by Jewish schools in the country amid the rise in threats and antisemitism. According to the study, Jewish school principals find themselves primarily occupied with ensuring the safety of their students instead of leading their schools educationally.

As part of the study, whose full findings are expected to be published this coming fall, students and staff at Jewish, religious and secular schools and colleges across England were interviewed. The testimonies collected indicate that security issues consume a significant portion of school principals’ daily schedules.

In interviews with the BBC, principals described the day-to-day reality in which they are required to deal with security challenges almost constantly.

“School security has become an absolute priority in recent years and has increased significantly," one principal said. “There have been weeks when 90 percent of my time was devoted to security-related matters. Security concerns follow me even after school hours, and they are among the things that keep me awake at night."

Another principal, who headed a Jewish school for 13 years, described a similar reality.

“I have never spent so much of my time and so much energy dealing with security issues, speaking with the authorities and with parents, and above all making daily decisions about how to ensure that the children at the school are safe. It prevents me from focusing on educational priorities and the development of the school. Instead, my time is devoted to security - something that should be taken for granted for every child in this country."

The study also points to the extent of antisemitism within the British education system. According to the data, of approximately 5,000 Jewish young people included in the survey, at least 20 percent reported having experienced antisemitic behavior at schools or colleges.

The study’s findings are expected to prompt public debate in Britain over the state’s responsibility to ensure the safety of Jewish students and to enable school principals to refocus on their primary mission - education.

Mali and Liel YahalomiIsraeli Embassy

As the hours pass, concern continues to grow over the disappearance of Mali and Liel Yahalomi, a mother and daughter who went missing during a trip to Europe.

The search for the two has now entered its fifth day, with no breakthrough explaining what happened to them.

Speaking to Arutz Sheva - Israel National News, Chabad-Lubavitch emissary in Vienna Rabbi Reuven Timsit said the Jewish community in Austria is also struggling to digest the news.

"We first heard about it a few days ago, and there is still absolutely no lead. The information is very, very vague," he said.

According to Rabbi Timsit, one of the initial assumptions was that the pair would visit the local Chabad House, as many religious travelers do.

"At the Chabad House this week, over 400 travelers registered for Shabbat meals, but their names did not appear on the lists. They also do not appear on the Chabad House's security cameras, so we don't even have a first indication that they came here."

Since news of their disappearance emerged, the Chabad House has become a hub for search efforts.

"We've activated WhatsApp groups for travelers and are asking everyone to look for them. But what's especially moving is the response from the local Jewish community. People are treating this as though it were their own mother or daughter. You can see it in all of the community's WhatsApp groups."

Rabbi Timsit said local business owners have also joined the effort, adding, "One business owner wrote to us that he thinks he saw them come to him, and he immediately informed Israel's Foreign Ministry. People feel this is their personal issue, and it's very moving to witness."

In addition, he said, "The police and everyone who deals with security in Austria are working on the case. They're not leaving the work solely to Israel's Foreign Ministry."

At the same time, he noted that Europe's open borders make locating the missing pair especially difficult.

"They landed in the Czech Republic and traveled from there to Vienna, but in Europe all the borders are open," Rabbi Timsit explained. "You can travel by car and no one will check you. In 50 minutes you're in Slovakia, and within three hours you're in Budapest. That's why it's so difficult to know where to even begin looking."

"We don't know whether this is a criminal incident, nationalist [attack], a family matter, or something else. There isn't a single lead. That's what makes it all so strange," he said, noting, "We live in a time when almost every movement can be tracked. How in the world is it possible to simply disappear in Europe? That's what's so disturbing."

"Vienna is usually very calm. We are not aware of any unusual warnings or specific threats against Israeli or Jewish travelers. Precisely because of that, this entire case raises more and more questions."

At the same time, Rabbi Timsit admitted, "With every passing moment, your imagination starts working overtime. Suddenly you start wondering - maybe they fell into a pit? Maybe they were kidnapped? We can't know. This isn't a Third World country or an area struck by a natural disaster. This is Vienna, Austria. How can someone simply disappear here?"

Concluding the interview, Rabbi Timsit appealed to the Israeli public to join the effort, urging, "It's not only people in Vienna or Europe who can help. Those in Israel can also be part of the effort. A short prayer, a short chapter of Psalms - they can always help."

the UAVBen Gurion Airport spokesperson

Determined action by the security and monitoring teams at Ben Gurion Airport led to the prevention of a safety hazard and the apprehension of a drone operator who had entered the airport’s airspace.

At 11:40 a.m., an employee in Ben Gurion Airport’s control room detected a drone approaching the airport area. Several minutes later, it was identified as having entered the airport’s municipal boundaries. From the moment it was detected, a coordinated response involving control room personnel, operations staff, security personnel, and teams on the ground was launched, while Ben Gurion Airport police were dispatched to locate the drone operator.

When the small aircraft entered the municipal area bordering the airport, authorities decided to impose a localized flight freeze that lasted only several minutes. Throughout the incident, control teams maintained continuous surveillance of the drone’s flight path.

The combination of advanced technological systems, observations by teams on the ground, and the vigilance of personnel in the control room provided precise information that led police directly to the operator’s location.

Less than an hour after the drone was initially detected, police officers located and detained the operator. An initial investigation at the scene found that he had been flying the drone to film a promotional video for a construction company.

The Israel Airports Authority stressed that unauthorized drone flights in the vicinity of Ben Gurion Airport can endanger aviation safety. Drones may not be flown in restricted airspace without the required permits and in accordance with the law.

The 'yellow line' area in GazaFathi Ibrahim/Flash90

Although the IDF has ceased attacks in Gaza and begun withdrawing to the original "yellow line," the 15-point plan intended to shape the "day after" remains far from implementation, Channel 12 News reported.

According to Channel 12, the proposed multinational force is not expected to begin deploying in Gaza before October, with a real possibility that its arrival will be delayed until after Israel's elections.

One of the main obstacles to the Board of Peace's plan is assembling the multinational force itself; Israeli officials believe the force is unlikely to be deployed in the near future.

The "Green Rafah" project, envisioned as a central pillar of the plan within areas under IDF control behind the Yellow Line, is also still far from becoming a reality.

The United Arab Emirates is promoting the construction of a new neighborhood in eastern Rafah and has recently received approval to begin preparing the site and infrastructure. However, the process is expected to take about six months, and officials estimate that the placement of temporary housing units and caravans at the site will not begin before November 2026, after the elections.

The civilian component of the plan also remains stalled: According to current assessments, the proposed technocratic committee is not expected to enter Gaza anytime soon.

Behind the scenes, Palestinian Authority official Mohammed Dahlan is also involved, leading a major humanitarian aid initiative and advancing UAE-backed reconstruction efforts in Gaza while seeking to strengthen his own political support base.

Tal Yinon DardikHaim Goldberg / Flash 90

After 38 days in detention, the court has decided to release Tal Yinon Dardik, who is suspected of abusing a Palestinian Arab, without any restrictive conditions. Judge Amir Shaked accepted the request submitted by the Honenu organization and ordered Dardik's release from detention.

Attorney Nati Rom welcomed the decision. “We have just received the decision of the honorable Judge Amir Shaked to immediately release Tal Yinon Dardik without any conditions whatsoever. We are pleased that the defense’s arguments from the very beginning were accepted. This order is unenforceable; the general issued the order without authority. The order is therefore effectively nullified, and consequently there was no violation and no justification for his detention. We are pleased that he is being released and hope that this time the judicial decisions will be respected and that he will be able to rehabilitate himself and his family."

Attorney Moshe Polsky added: “We welcome the court’s decision ordering his release without any conditions. This was called for. In our opinion, he should have been released nearly two months ago. We already said that the administrative order issued against him was not worth the paper it was written on, because there was no legal possibility of implementing it. The state dragged Tal Yinon into unnecessary legal proceedings, including enormous expenditures at the taxpayers’ expense. It was clear to everyone that this would be the outcome - that Tal Yinon would be released home without any conditions, because no offense can be attributed to him."

The Honenu organization stated: “The administrative order against Tal Yinon Dardik, like those against dozens of others like him, is a black flag over the commanding general and those overseeing him. The general and the Defense Ministry must put an end to the use of administrative orders that are used only against settlers - not against crime bosses and not against any other citizen in the State of Israel. Nor does this happen anywhere else in the free world. The only population in Israel persecuted through administrative orders is the settlers of Judea and Samaria. We call on the general: Cancel all the orders against the settlers today."

Drone (illustration)IDF spokesperson

Ondas announced that it has won a strategic Israel Ministry of Defense tender worth an estimated several million shekels to develop and manufacture the next generation of tactical attack drones for the IDF.

According to the company, the project is part of a broader Defense Ministry initiative to expand the IDF's tactical drone capabilities and integrate unmanned and autonomous systems more deeply into the battlefield.

Under the contract, Ondas will lead the development of a new, low-cost tactical attack drone designed to meet evolving operational needs and enable widespread deployment among frontline combat units.

Ondas also said that the new drones will feature a complete operational package, including an advanced aerial platform, autonomous capabilities, mission integration, systems engineering, production readiness, and compatibility with the IDF's command-and-control systems.

Attack drones have become an increasingly important component of modern warfare in recent years due to their ability to provide forces on the front lines with precise, available, and flexible attack capabilities.

Ondas currently operates in four main fields: air defense and counter-UAV systems, aerial intelligence, aerial strike systems, and unmanned ground systems. Its platforms incorporate artificial intelligence-based command-and-control and mission management software designed to coordinate drones, sensors, robotic systems, combat forces, and military command-and-control networks.

The company said the contract award strengthens its position in the defense technology sector and supports its long-term growth strategy, which includes expanding the development, production, and support of advanced autonomous systems for defense organizations in Israel and throughout the world.

Earthquake damage in ColombiaREUTERS/Raquel Cunha

The death toll from the devastating earthquake that struck Colombia continues to rise. Authorities in the country reported that at least 224 people have been killed so far, while more than 2,700 people are still listed as missing, as rescue teams continue searching for people trapped beneath the rubble.

The 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck the country yesterday and caused widespread destruction, particularly in western Colombia. In the Valle del Cauca Department alone, 35 people were killed, approximately 700 others were injured, and 188 are listed as missing.

According to authorities, approximately 5,000 homes were damaged or destroyed in the earthquake, along with three hospitals that sustained significant damage.

Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella said that the primary task at this stage is locating the missing and announced that security forces would be reinforced in the affected areas amid concerns about looting.

Alongside the rescue efforts, Israel has expressed its willingness to assist Colombia. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced that he had spoken with his Colombian counterpart and offered Israeli assistance.

“We are following the reports of the earthquake with concern. Israel is prepared to assist Colombia in any way necessary," he said.

religious soldiersIDF spokesperson

Public discussion about Haredi enlistment generally focuses on the question of how to persuade young Haredi men to enlist in the IDF. Attorney Yaakov Meyuhas believes that the truly important question begins only after the young man has already put on a uniform.

Meyuhas, one of the leaders of the “Haredim in the Army - Preserving Identity" organization, which assists haredi soldiers during their service, says that many of them feel that they are not a natural part of the system.

“The haredi soldier feels like a guest in the army," he says. “That is a feeling that recurs among many soldiers. They enlist out of a desire to serve the country, but quite often they feel that they have to manage on their own and not ask for what they are entitled to."

According to him, this feeling stems not only from cultural differences, but also from the absence of an appropriate support system. “As long as a haredi soldier feels like a guest, it will be very difficult to bring about significant enlistment of additional haredi young men."

To illustrate the reality, he recounts the case of a soldier who served at a large base in central Israel.

“For a year and a half, he brought sandwiches from home because there was no food on the base that met his kosher requirements. He did not want to complain because he felt uncomfortable doing so. He had the feeling that he was a guest, and therefore preferred to manage on his own."

According to Meyuhas, this is only one example of a series of difficulties haredi soldiers experience during their service. The organization seeks to change this reality through personal assistance and by raising awareness of soldiers’ rights.

“A Haredi soldier is entitled to exactly the same rights as every other soldier. The problem is that quite often he chooses not to complain or confront anyone, and in doing so gives up rights to which he is entitled."

Meyuhas also mentions a case in which a unit designated for haredi soldiers was disbanded and its soldiers were assigned to other units.

“There are soldiers who suddenly find themselves in units that do not have arrangements suited to the haredi way of life, including serving together with women. In such cases, it is much easier for a civilian to raise the alarm than for a soldier who is inside the system and subject to military regulations."

He draws on his personal experience from his service in one of the first cohorts of the Netzah Yehuda Battalion.

“We also felt like guests. The army still didn’t know how to ‘digest’ the battalion and its unique needs. On the one hand, the system learned as it went along, and on the other hand, the soldiers themselves arrived without knowing the military system - not even how to deal with a welfare officer."

According to Meyuhas, there is a significant gap between the specially designated frameworks established for haredim and rear-echelon units.

“In the Hasmonean Brigade, there is a better understanding of the needs of the Haredi soldier, but there are still many other units where Haredi soldiers serve, and there they experience things that they should not have to experience."

Nevertheless, Meyuhas opposes relying exclusively on the creation of “separate tracks." In his view, separation actually deepens the feeling of alienation.

“There is no place for funneling Haredi soldiers into only certain units. Just as the army works to open all units to female soldiers, it should also allow a haredi soldier to integrate into any unit. Why shouldn’t a haredi soldier feel comfortable being assigned to Galai Tzahal (IDF Radio)?"

According to him, alongside opening all units to haredi soldiers, there is also room to establish additional frameworks tailored to the haredi community, including a haredi combat-support battalion.

Another issue that Meyuhas says creates difficulties for haredi recruits is the values-oriented content presented during their service.

“When I enter the army by force of law, you cannot at the same time preach things to me that have nothing to do with security. The attempt to turn the army into a melting pot is not the army’s role."

Meyuhas also disputes the argument that Zionist education is what gives a soldier’s service its meaning.

“I don’t think you need to impose a worldview in order for a soldier to carry out his mission in the best possible way. The army’s role is to defend the State of Israel, not to educate recruits according to a particular ideology."

According to Meyuhas, if the state wants to see more haredim enlist, it must ensure that every young Haredi man who enters the gates of the IDF induction center feels that he is an integral part of the IDF.

“The Haredi soldier should not feel like a guest. He should feel that he belongs here - just like every other soldier who serves the State of Israel."

Hili TropperYonatan Sindel/Flash90

MK Hili Tropper has urged the formation of a broad Zionist government, but set conditions for joining it - despite the fact that most polls indicate that Tropper and his political partner, Yoaz Hendel, currently fail to cross the electoral threshold.

"If we want a Zionist government, Zionist forces will have to come together, and everyone will have to rise above their political interests and focus on what this country needs," Tropper said in an interview with the Knesset Channel.

He also said that his position is not based solely on opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu, but on a broader worldview.

"Our voters have a clear position on Netanyahu, and I have also said it. That's why I've said I will not give Netanyahu the 61st seat for a coalition that relies on non-Zionist voices. But I'm also not willing to base my entire worldview on 'Bibi or not Bibi.' That's not the whole picture."

"When Netanyahu talks about a broad Zionist government, he means a government together with the haredi parties and the MKs who promoted the law exempting draft evaders from arrest, which this coalition supported. That's not Zionist. So I don't take seriously cynical statements made on the eve of an election campaign."

According to Tropper, "Those who bring together Zionists - around whom unite people who can climb into the same tank and fight together in Gaza or Lebanon - can be part of such a government."

Asked whether Otzma Yehudit chairman and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir could be part of such a coalition, Tropper replied, "The first requirement is indeed Zionism, and Ben Gvir's voters have Zionism. After that, there are additional principles. If Ben Gvir decides to respect the rule of law and knows how to preserve Israel's international relationships and not harm them, then we can talk. But beyond Zionism, there are other conditions that mus tbe met."

Tropper said the next government should be based on national responsibility and cooperation among all Zionist parties, rather than political camps or personal considerations, adding, "The basic foundation is a Zionist government."

Haim YellinArutz Sheva

Following the Cabinet’s rejection of the Gaza Board of Peacel’s 15-point document, which includes a demand for IDF forces to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, Arutz Sheva spoke with Haim Yellin, a resident of Be’eri, former Knesset member and former head of the Eshkol Regional Council, about his feelings and concerns regarding the plan that may be taking shape over Israel’s head.

At the outset, Yellin notes that the very fact that this is a plan some are seeking to impose on Israel proves that “something is wrong here," as he puts it. If the plan were good for Israel, there would be no need to impose it. He says he wishes to share his perspective “as a resident who was there on October 7 and was evacuated from his home amid fierce fighting by IDF soldiers, some of whom also fell for us."

“The evil I saw is not an evil that anyone in the world can understand. It goes beyond an enemy. You can make peace with an enemy; with evil like this, there is no possibility of making peace or an agreement. You need to reach the situation the Prime Minister promised - total victory, where there will be no terrorism there. Now we have to deal with the reality of returning to the communities near Gaza when the homes are ready, but what reality are they returning to? The reality of October 6, when we cried out for years and warned that they were growing stronger?"

Yellin recalled the day the first mortar shell was fired at the communities near Gaza. Fuad Ben-Eliezer was Defense Minister at the time. Yellin went to him with the remains of the mortar shell and demanded that the building from which it had been fired be destroyed, warning that things would become very bad if this were not done. His warnings went unheeded, and in later years some dismissively referred to the projectiles as “flying objects."

“They can go from zero to 100 and repeat October 7 even if they control only 10% of the territory. The entire essence of this evil is to harm us, and now the question is how a terrorist organization is supposedly going to hand over its weapons out of some concern for Zionism and the people of Israel... It is obvious that this will not happen, no matter what they sign," Yellin stated.

In light of his comments, and the sense that Israel’s current leadership is more clear-eyed than in the past, we asked Yellin whether Israel can withstand international pressure demanding that it reach some form of agreement.

Yellin responded: “I commend Trump, who has done amazing things for the State of Israel, but I did not elect him. He is not my prime minister. He is the president of the citizens of the United States. We have a prime minister, and he is the one who must take care of our security. The government failed on October 7, and there cannot be an agreement in which Hamas remains there, regardless of whether they give up 80% of their weapons, missiles and tunnels. They will rebuild everything from scratch. From every Subaru, they will build a fighter jet to destroy us. This evil must be destroyed, either through military-diplomatic means or through changing education. But educating them will take at least two generations, and in the meantime they will only grow stronger, so that is not realistic."

He emphasized that there is a reason he did not choose to place himself in a position of governmental influence and decision-making in which he would be expected to provide a solution.

In his assessment, Israel missed two significant opportunities. The first came during the initial three months of the war, when it may have been possible to strike Gaza with greater force and destroy all of its infrastructure. The second came when an arrangement was proposed that would have included the return of all the hostages, followed by a resumption of the fighting.

Neither opportunity was utilized, he said, and he now fears reports that while Israel officially rejects the 15-point document, in practice it is accepting it.

The central objective that should now guide the Israeli government, Yellin said, is finding a way to restore a sense of security to residents returning to their rehabilitated communities.

“The most important thing now is to heal the people. Not a people fighting among themselves, left and right, as the politicians invented. When we become one fist and speak the same language, with the same tone and determination, the world will change as well."

Yellin concluded with a reminder: “We are still fighting, both in Lebanon and in Gaza," and expressed his great hope “that we will all be worthy of the fallen."

“Without the Kalmanzon family and all those who came to save us, the 34 who fell, we would not have been able to move forward. Hope is the best contagious disease there is, but for there to be hope, we need to be one people."

Hadar MuchtarArutz Sheva

Prime Minister and Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu has approved waivers to the party's membership seniority requirement for Almog Cohen, Ze'ev Elkin, Shay Kalech, and Dror Kapah.

The decision allows the four to compete in the Likud primaries despite not meeting the minimum membership period required under the party's bylaws.

By contrast, Hadar Muchtar was denied a similar waiver. As a result, unlike the other four candidates, she will not be eligible to run in the Likud primaries through this mechanism.

A seniority waiver in Likud is a special exemption that allows new party members to compete in the primaries without completing the standard qualifying period required for membership.

The mechanism enables the party to incorporate new candidates or prominent public figures into its list without requiring them to wait through the usual eligibility period.

Yossi CohenYonatan Sindel/Flash90

Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen revealed Tuesday that Mossad operatives visited Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility multiple times as part of efforts to study and understand the highly fortified site.

“We toured the nuclear site in Fordow, Iran, many times in order to understand the site," Cohen said at the Galilee Conference. He also addressed the U.S. strike on the facility, describing it as “the fulfillment of all my dreams."

Cohen also discussed Iran’s uranium enrichment capabilities, saying that the country’s stockpile of uranium enriched to 60 percent remains some distance from the ability to produce a nuclear weapon. “Sixty percent enriched uranium is still far from a bomb," he said.

Fordow is one of Iran’s two main uranium enrichment facilities, alongside Natanz. Located about 30 kilometers northeast of Qom, the facility was constructed deep underground in the Zagros Mountains, roughly 90 meters below the surface and surrounded by hard rock.

The facility’s location and construction have made it one of the most heavily fortified elements of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and a major challenge for any potential military strike. Fordow was publicly revealed in 2009 after Western intelligence agencies had already identified its existence, making it a central focus of international concerns over Iran’s nuclear program and the 2015 nuclear agreement.

In April 2018, during the Mossad operation that obtained Iran’s nuclear archive, the organization acquired diagrams of the Fordow facility. Iran subsequently expanded its enrichment activities there and moved advanced centrifuges to the site.

On June 13, 2025, the Israeli Air Force struck Fordow as part of a broader campaign against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. The facility was damaged but not destroyed.

Nine days later, the United States launched its own strike on Fordow, as well as Iran’s nuclear facilities at Natanz and Isfahan. Six B-2 bombers participated in the attack on Fordow, dropping 12 MOP bunker-penetrating bombs, each weighing approximately 13.5 tons.

Gen. Dan Caine, then chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, later said the bombs entered the underground complex through two ventilation shafts. According to his account, initial bombs were used to clear concrete layers that Iran had placed over the openings, allowing subsequent bombs to penetrate deep into the facility.

הלוחמים שברו את קירות הבית וחשפו נשק ותחמושת שהוסלקו בתוכם

Judea and Samaria Border Police and IDF forces arrested three suspects on Monday night at separate locations in the Yehuda Brigade's area of operation. During the operation, the forces seized two rifles, magazines, and ammunition.

The forces operated in the villages of Yata, Khalet al-Maiyya, and Bayt Awa in the Hebron area, with guidance from the Jerusalem Envelope Border Police Investigations and Intelligence Branch. The operation's objective was to seize weapons and arrest suspects.

While searching a home in Yata, the forces found weapons hidden inside the wall of the structure. The forces broke some of the walls and revealed a carbine rifle, two magazines, and two bags of assorted ammunition. One suspect was arrested at the scene.

Operating in Khalet al-Maiyya, forces located an M-16 assault rifle and magazines full of ammunition. A suspect was arrested at the scene and taken for questioning.

At the same time, forces operating in Beyt Awa arrested another suspect. In total, forces arrested three suspects during the operation and seized a carbine rifle, an M-16, magazines, and ammunition.

All suspects and the weapons seized were transferred for further investigation and processing to the Judea and Samaria Border Police Headquarters.

Assad, left, and Russian president Putin, rightReuters

A Syrian court has sentenced ousted president Bashar al-Assad to death in absentia after convicting him of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the country's civil war.

BBC reports that Assad fled Syria for Moscow with his family in December 2024 after his regime was overthrown, bringing an end to his family's more than five-decade rule over the country. He has remained in Russia since then, and it is unclear whether Syria's new authorities will be able to secure his extradition.

The death sentence marks the latest legal action against Assad by Syria's new leadership. An arrest warrant was issued against him in December 2024 on charges including murder and torture.

Assad was ousted after forces led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, now Syria's president, seized control in an 11-day offensive that brought down the Assad dynasty. Since taking power, the new government has detained numerous former regime officials and security personnel, although Assad and many of the regime's most senior figures remain beyond its reach in Russia.

The court's ruling stems from the brutal crackdown carried out under Assad during the uprising that began in 2011 and developed into a devastating civil war. Hundreds of thousands of people were killed during the conflict, while Assad's government was repeatedly accused of widespread torture, killings and other abuses.

The Syrian authorities began prosecuting officials associated with the former regime earlier this year. The proceedings represent a significant effort by the new government to hold members of Assad's former government accountable for crimes committed during his rule.

Previous attempts by Syrian opposition figures to pursue Assad through courts in Western countries during the final years of his rule did not result in convictions.

Assad's death sentence, however, is unlikely to be carried out unless Syria can first bring him back from Russia. For now, the former Syrian ruler remains in Moscow, where he has lived since the collapse of his regime.

"ממשיך בדרכו של עמיחי" | האב השכול גייס את בנו לגולני

Among the hundreds of families who accompanied their children to enlist in the Golani Brigade, the Rubin family stood out.

For the Rubin family, their son's induction day was more than just the start of a military service; it was the direct continuation of the legacy of Sergeant Amichay Rubin, who fell in the heroic battles of October 7th as a Golani soldier.

The father, Yishai Rubin, stood beside his recruit son, carrying with him the memory, but a sense of mission too.

"I was also a Golanchik (the moniker for a Golani soldier), and a few of his brothers were Golanchiks," Yishai said and shared that his son "is continuing an important path. He is doing the right thing. He has a lot of strength, and he will give it to the people of Israel."

He went on to share, "His older brother fell on October 7th in Golani. He continued on his path. We pray that G-d watches over him and all the soldiers."

Asked how a family that already paid the heavy price can send another son to combat service, Rubin answered simply, but faithfully: "Amichay, on October 7th, fought. He was severely injured and fought to keep going despite his injury. And his brothers continue in the same way. The brother who is enlisting now in the Golani is following him. Even when it hurts, keep going. Even when you're severely injured, keep going. This is the way."

At the end of the conversation, he admitted that, alongside the great pride, the family also feels natural concern: "Absolutely. Both pride and a lot of concern."

מלי וליאל יהלומיצילום: שגרירות ישראל

The Israeli Embassy in Vienna published a public appeal on Tuesday asking for assistance in locating two Israeli citizens, a mother and daughter, with whom contact was lost while in the Austrian capital.

The two were identified as Mali and Liel Yahalomi, who were last seen in the city on Friday, August 7th.

The embassy's statement includes a direct appeal to Mali and Liel, asking them to immediately contact their family. At the same time, the Israeli mission asked the public to spread the message and assist in efforts to locate the two.

The Embassy requests that anyone with information on their location contact the Austrian police or the Israeli Embassy in Vienna emergency hotline at +43-676-3672304.

פוצץ בית המחבל שרצח את יובל ובניהודובר צה"ל

Security forces demolished the home of the terrorist who carried out the shooting attack in which IDF soldiers Yuval Ezra and Benayahu Mellet were killed.

The demolition was carried out less than three weeks after the attack by IDF forces from the Samaria Brigade and Yahalom special forces unit, together with Border Police forces from Judea and Samaria.

The operation took place on Ezra's birthday. The battalion that led the demolition was Battalion 411, where Ezra served as the commander of an artillery battery.

"The IDF will continue to act proactively and offensively to thwart terrorism across Judea and Samaria and to ensure justice is served against terrorists who seek to harm the citizens of the State of Israel," the IDF said following the demolition.

Last week, the IDF released the findings of its command-level investigation into the attack. The investigation found that the group of hikers had set out without the required coordination or approval from security authorities. Several hours before the group departed, the Samaria Brigade received preliminary information about the trip and attempted to obtain additional details.

The incident began when military observation teams identified stone-throwing directed at the hikers. An IDF force was dispatched to the area, followed by additional forces under Ezra's command, along with the security coordinator of Havat Gilad and Mellet. The forces worked to separate the Palestinians from the hikers and push the attackers back toward the nearby village.

According to the investigation, after the security coordinator's weapon was seized, Ezra and Mellet acted courageously to protect the civilians and neutralize the terrorists. Ezra charged one of the terrorists, engaged him at close range, and killed him, but was himself killed during the confrontation.

Regarding Mellet's death, the investigation found that it could not be conclusively determined whether he was struck by terrorist gunfire or by incidental fire during the effort to neutralize the attackers.

All of the terrorists involved in the attack were ultimately killed, while two additional terrorists were wounded and all those involved were arrested.

The investigation also identified several operational failures, including the size of the initial force relative to the scale of the incident, difficulties in developing a complete situational picture, and delays in deploying additional forces and medical teams.

The IDF described as a serious failure the fact that Mellet remained wounded at the scene for several minutes, receiving treatment from a civilian medic without a military medical unit present.

Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir accepted the investigation's conclusions and ordered that its lessons be implemented immediately. Following a recommendation from the head of the Manpower Directorate, Zamir also approved the posthumous promotion of Mellet to the rank of Captain (Res.). The IDF said Mellet had been in the process of completing officer training at the time of his death.

Yosef Haddad submits complaint against anti-Israel YouTuber after the brawl

Israeli-Arab advocacy activist Yoseph Haddad submitted an official complaint to the police against anti-Israel YouTuber Dennis Feitosa, known as "Def Noodles," following the violent confrontation between the two on Monday night in Los Angeles. The incident began during a podcast debate and later spilled out to the parking lot, where the confrontation escalated.

During the debate, Feitosa began cursing at Haddad and turning the argument into a physical confrontation. Later, while in the parking lot outside the studio, Feitosa attacked Haddad from behind before security tackled him to the ground.

Haddad, a veteran of the Golani Brigade, did not run away after being attacked and managed to land a few punches on Feitosa while he was pinned to the ground before the two were separated. The two sides continued to spar verbally before Haddad and his entourage left.

הותקפתי על ידי ניאו נאצי בארה"ב, רק שהוא לא ידע שהוא נפל על גולנצ'יק!

"This isn’t anything new," Haddad wrote after the incident. "When they can’t win a verbal debate, they turn to physical confrontation...which they lose as well!"

Feitosa, who lost the Republican primary in California’s 30th Congressional District in June 2026, made serious allegations against Haddad following the debate. Among other claims, he alleged that Haddad referred during the debate to his military service and to fatalities in operations in which he had participated.

The matter is now also being handled as a criminal case by local law enforcement authorities in the United States.

תקיפת יוסף חדאדללא קרדיט

מרגש: שגיא שר את השירים שכתב בשבי - על הדשא בניר עוז

Survivor of Hamas captivity Sagui Dekel-Chen took the stage on Monday in Kibbutz Nir Oz and performed, for the first time, nine songs he composed during the 498 days in captivity. The performance was part of the Israel Festival in the kibbutz where Dekel-Chen grew up, which was devastated during the October 7th Massacre.

After returning from captivity, Dekel-Chen began the process of creating and arranging the songs, with the musical production of Liad Grushka and Idan Shneur. The show combined the songs with stories and other works, accompanied by a band and special guests.

The performance, held on the kibbutz lawn before approximately 3,000 spectators, was attended by former hostages, bereaved families, and residents. Dekel-Chen opened the evening with a renewed rendition of Yigal Bashan’s song “Skies," and later shared personal stories with the audience from the period when he was held captive in Gaza.

“I dreamed a lot there," he said. “They were very difficult dreams, and there were friends who would wake me from my sleep. But there were also good dreams, and those were actually the hardest to wake up from. In those dreams, I was in my simple place - here, at home."

All proceeds from the performance will be donated to widows and orphans of the Iron Swords War.

Dekel Chen was abducted from his home in Kibbutz Nir Oz during the October 7 terrorist attack and was released after 498 days in Hamas captivity. While he was held hostage, his wife, Avital, gave birth to their third daughter, Dor, whom he met for the first time only after returning to Israel.

In April, he took the stage for the first time since his release as part of the “Songs in the Square" broadcast, where he performed the song “Children of Life" accompanied by Idan Raichel. The performance in Nir Oz marked the first time he shared with an audience the works he created during his days in captivity.

The festival's producers noted that leading Israeli artists, former hostages, bereaved families, and others participated in the show.

Ahead of the performance, the participants received a personal letter from Dekel-Chen in which he explained how the songs were born. "I am not a singer, I am a father who sings. I never planned on being a singer or singing," he wrote.

He recounted how, during his captivity, music helped him through the difficult moments, and that after several months, he began creating songs which he was unable to write, play, or sing.

Dekel-Chen described how he memorized the words of the songs in his head and imagined the tunes, and later recorded them after his release. "On February 2nd, 2025, I was released from captivity. Two days later, at night, in the hospital (the correct one), I went to a side room, and with a voice of a toad without air, quietly, and with even a bit of shame, I recorded myself on my phone, all nine songs, words, and tune."

שגיא דקל-חן - השיר בשבילי

On the decision to perform in Nir Oz, he wrote, "I will have my first performance in Nir Oz, at my home. This is the same lawn on which I ran throughout my entire childhood, the lawn where I first met Milli, the one on which I raised two girls, the lawn on which I fought, the lawn on which my friends fell." According to Dekel Chen, "The event this time is not a celebration, not a party, not closure, not victory... It's just part of the story."

Dekel-Chen added in his letter that the event and the kibbutz are very important to him and wrote: "I wish that it will be rebuilt with new life. I hope this event will be a stone in its foundation." He closed with the words: "This is your story as well. You're invited.

The Nir Oz community said that the kibbutz is “a home of memory, resilience, hope and the future," and that visitors were invited to walk along the kibbutz paths and pass through some of the sites where events unfolded on October 7.

The kibbutz added: “Come walk this path, look reality in the eyes, and face the future through the music and stories that Sagiv brought with him from the darkest place. Come, we’re waiting for you at home."

credit: אורית פניני

credit: אורית פניני

During the exerciseIDF

The Shimon Battalion, the first reserve battalion established in the haredi Hashmonaim Brigade, completed its first battalion-level exercise in the Golan Heights last week, marking the completion of its formation and preparations for operational activity.

During the exercise, the battalion's soldiers trained for a range of combat scenarios, including operations in open terrain, raids and fighting in built-up areas. The battalion is expected to begin operating in the northern sector in the coming months, including during the upcoming holiday period, according to operational requirements.

The Shimon Battalion, designated as Battalion 1200, includes graduates of the Hashmonaim Brigade's reservist program who were drafted into the reserves after previously receiving exemptions from military service. It also includes haredi soldiers who transferred from other IDF frameworks.

As part of their preparation, the soldiers completed full combat training adapted to the haredi lifestyle at the Hashmonaim training base. The battalion is also expected to recruit graduates of the brigade's regular-service track in the next stage.

The soldiers completed specialized training in several fields, including explosives and sabotage, assault and evacuation tactics, drones, electronic and combat engineering, combat medicine and mortars. The courses were adapted to the soldiers' way of life while preparing them to operate together as an integrated battalion.

The IDF said that since the beginning of the war, dozens of new battalions have been established in both the regular and reserve forces as part of efforts to expand the military's ranks. The initiative is also intended to reduce the burden on existing reservists and regular-service soldiers

Officers participating in the operationIsrael Police

Dozens of suspects were arrested in a large-scale police operation in southern Israel on Tuesday morning on suspicion of involvement in protection rackets, extortion, and other crimes.

The arrests were part of an investigation that the Central Unit of the Lachish Police Precinct conducted in recent months together with the Border Police National Guard, as part of the broader police war on organized crime.

During the investigation, law enforcement collected evidence against dozens of suspects, including major Southern District Police targets, who were allegedly involved in collecting protection money, extortion, and other crimes that violated public security and the sense of safety of the residents of southern Israel.

After the investigation became overt, Lachish Central Unit detectives, Border Police National Guardsmen, officers from Israel Police's Sahar Brigade, and additional Southern District forces raided the homes of suspects in Ashdod, Kiryat Gat, and other locations across the country, arresting dozens.

Police Commissioner Danny Levy said: “The Israel Police continues to act decisively against serious and organized crime organizations. We will dismantle protection racket networks throughout the country."

The suspects were transferred for questioning by the Lachish Central Unit and will be brought before the court later today, where police will request that their detention be extended according to the needs of the investigation.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir welcomed the operation: “The extensive raid and dozens of arrests are exactly how we need to act against protection racketeers - go to their homes, arrest them, and dismantle their infrastructure."

“For decades, the phenomenon of protection rackets was neglected, and people were afraid to confront it. We changed course: I passed a law against protection rackets, established protection racket units in the north and south, and set a clear goal: protection rackets = war.

“The results speak for themselves: since 2022, we have doubled the number of cases and indictments. There is still much work to be done. I call on citizens: do not be afraid to file complaints. When people report these crimes, the police can reach the offenders and do their job. The Israel Police is with you - and we will continue to pursue protection racketeers everywhere."

Hamas terrorists infiltrate Israel on October 7thAtia Mohammed/Flash90

The IDF on Monday presented the bereaved families with the findings of its inquiry into the events that transpired at the eastern shelter in Re'im on October 7th, 2023, where 29 people were murdered, one was abducted to Gaza, and only 12 survived.

After seeing the findings, the victims' families shared the details presented to them and their feelings.

Menashe Mansouri, whose daughters Norel and Revaya were murdered in the shelter, wrote: "Yesterday, the IDF presented us with the investigation into the shelter near Re'im where 29 children were murdered, 12 survived, and one was abducted, among them, my beloved daughters Norel and Revaya."

Mansouri described the information that was revealed to the family: "What they went through, how much they suffered, you can not describe it, you can not bear such a thing. 100 terrorists massacred them, grenades that exploded, gunshots into the shelter. Hell, here, by us."

Mansouri continued by addressing the number of terrorists eliminated since the attack. "The IDF has identified the majority of the terrorists. How many have been eliminated this far? Three. Most of them are alive; they are in Gaza. Tell me more about 'total victory.'"

Hen Zander, whose sister, Noa, was murdered in the shelter, also discussed the inquiry's findings: "Two years and ten months since October 7th, and yesterday the IDF inquiry about the eastern Re'im shelter was presented to us."

Zander added that she does not intend to share the details of the findings, but emphasized the number of terrorists eliminated: "I will not share the details with you so as not to ruin your night, but it's worth knowing that out of 100 terrorists who occupied the junction and massacred my sister as well, three were eliminated so far. Only three terrorists!"

The seized watermelonsIsrael Police

Border Police officers from the Coastal District arrested two suspects accused of stealing more than a ton of watermelons from an agricultural plot near Ein HaMifratz. Police said one of the suspects is an illegal resident of Israel and that indictments were filed against both men on Tuesday morning.

The incident began last week after a farmer reported that suspects had entered his land with a flock of sheep, damaging his crops. Border Police settlement forces from the Coastal District were dispatched to the area and established surveillance.

Shortly afterward, officers spotted two suspects picking watermelons and loading them into a vehicle. A flock of approximately 300 sheep was also found on the property and was allegedly brought there by one of the suspects.

The officers arrested the two suspects at the scene. A search of their vehicle uncovered a large quantity of watermelons believed to have been stolen from the field. A subsequent weighing determined that the watermelons had a combined weight of 1,014.5 kilograms.

An identity check found that one of the suspects was an illegal resident from the Palestinian Authority. The second suspect is accused of employing and transporting him, as well as bringing the flock onto the agricultural land, damaging the crops and stealing produce.

Police estimated the damage to the agricultural property at thousands of shekels. An administrative fine of 150,000 shekels was issued to the owner of the flock over its alleged trespassing onto the land, while the vehicle believed to have been used in the offenses was seized.

The suspects were taken to the Coastal District Border Police Central Unit for questioning and were subsequently detained. Following the completion of the investigation, indictments were filed against the two men on Tuesday morning.

VotingiStock

Leonard Grunstein, a retired attorney and banker, founded and served as Chairman of Metropolitan National Bank and then Israel Discount Bank of NY. He also founded Project Ezrah and serves on the Board of Revel at Yeshiva University and the AIPAC National Council. He has published articles in the Banking Law Journal, Real Estate Finance Journal and other fine publications. He is the co-author of "Because It’s Just and Right: The Untold Back-Story of the U.S. Recognition of Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel and Moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem."

Voting is a sacred duty; however, making it truly count is a science. I remember well studying the subject in political science in college and applying the cogent lessons we were taught, in practice, as a member of my community.

The first lesson was organization. Each vote does matter; but when a significant enough group of voters get together and cast their votes in unison, they become a potent political force. The coveted reward is being afforded a seat at the table, where the actual decision-making is done.

The second lesson is education. We must study the candidates and understand their platforms and assess what they really intend to do. This is no mean task. Party identity is no substitute for a real analysis of the merits of each candidate. In civics class we were taught to vote for the candidate not the party. We must also educate prospective voters about the issues. This all too often means encapsulating the lessons of history in a meaningful way.

As surprising as it may seem to members of my baby-boomer generation, many young voters have not studied the mass murders that occurred in the dystopian world of socialism under Stalin, in the Soviet Union, and Mao, in Communist China. Some are also unfamiliar with the true facts of 9/11. The threats of antisemitism, including in the guise of euphemisms like anti-Zionism and anti-Israel, are often discounted by some of the younger voters. We must pull resources together to reach them with appropriate messaging on the social media platforms they frequent, as well as in personal discussions.

Preaching is not the answer, effective communications is an important part of the solution and that means we must learn new communications skills too.

The third lesson is getting out the vote, and is no easy task. Everyone has his or her own life and it’s not always apparent that voting is critical. This is especially so when the status quo is not so bad; why rock the boat? It appears that many don’t appreciate that not voting does not necessarily preserve the status quo. Low turnout in elections is a real problem. It allows nefarious forces to elect candidates with significantly less than a majority of the registered voters.

The fourth lesson is that each person in the group must actually cast his or her vote. The collective impact of a genuine voting bloc makes a real difference; but absent real votes that are cast and counted, the effect is nil. All the talk and money in politics is ultimately about getting out the vote in support of a candidate. It’s a simple syllogism: Significant number of votes cast by a group, election of a preferred candidate equals a measure of power; no votes, no preferred candidate elected, no power.

This election season, U.S. voters are faced with candidates aligned with political movements such as democratic socialism, who are seeking radically to change life in the US. Their program seeks to undermine the American system of government and free-market economy, including the fundamental right to own property, which has yielded unparalleled prosperity. Indeed, it can well be said that never in the history of the world have so many lived so well. Their alternative is a planned economy, which has failed miserably everywhere it’s been tried.

Despite their presumptuous insistence that they can do better this time, they truly can’t, because the system is inherently flawed.

Indeed, life under G-d is not a zero sum game. Each person has their own destiny and mission in life, and the last thing we need is, in essence, the state, as a false god, enslaving us to the will of the demagogues, who thereby personally profit by our labor.

The US has a free-market system with heart that is the envy of the world. It enables people to work hard and achieve much, employing enlightened self-interest. In essence, it recognizes that by working together we can all do better and sharing some with others who are less fortunate is a sacred duty. Social welfare is most assuredly not Marxist socialism. Being a slave to anyone is an anathema and that includes the state.

Unfortunately, these anti-American groups have highly motivated followers. It is not coincidental that they are also against the existence of Israel. The US and Israel have shared values and interests and both are beacons of liberty and success in the world. Unless there is strong turnout to vote for more moderate candidates, the anti-America/anti-Israel ones might win. Not voting is, effectively, a vote in favor of their noxious program.

Generating turnout means committees, block captains, door knocking and person-to-person calls. It also means organizing transportation and schedules to facilitate people coming out and voting. There is no substitute for this kind of old-fashion electioneering.

Let’s work together to get out the vote and elect pro-America/pro-Israel candidates. May G-d grant us success in fulfilling this noble duty.

a new centerPR

The leader of the Edah HaChareidis, Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch, may he live long, a leading halachic authority, has announced that “those who donate to Merkaz HaTorah Teshuvos V'Hanhagos will receive wealth."

Support the establishment of the new Merkaz HaTorah Teshuvos V'Hanhagos Kollel in Beit Shemesh and receive the leading halachic authority’s exclusive Golden Protective Coin, which is said to be a treasured spiritual merit associated with livelihood, wealth, and success.

Join those supporting Torah learning that will help shape the future great Torah leaders of the Jewish people, and take part in this extraordinary opportunity while the remaining coins are still available.

Donate now

(The statement about receiving wealth is the blessing and promise of Rabbi Shternbuch and the advertiser. Arutz Sheva makes no guarantee of financial success or wealth.)

Soroka HospitalFlash 90

The Ministry of Health announced Tuesday morning that it is investigating a suspected case of Ebola in Israel after a person who returned from the Democratic Republic of the Congo several days ago developed a fever and sought medical treatment.

The ministry stressed that there is currently only a suspicion of Ebola, with laboratory tests now being conducted to determine whether the person is infected. The patient is being treated at Soroka Hospital under isolation conditions in accordance with established medical procedures. Results are expected within the next day, while an epidemiological investigation is being conducted in parallel.

The Ministry of Health said it has been closely monitoring developments in recent months amid Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. The health system has also carried out extensive preparations to ensure it is equipped to respond to potential cases.

The ministry urged the public to avoid non-essential travel to areas where Ebola transmission is active, particularly the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. Those who must travel to affected areas are advised to seek individualized guidance at a travel clinic before departure.

Travelers returning from the Congo or Uganda, particularly from areas experiencing active transmission, are urged to monitor themselves for 21 days after returning. Anyone who develops a fever or unusual symptoms during that period should remain at home, avoid contact with others, and contact the Ministry of Health's Health Call Center by telephone.

The ministry emphasized that anyone contacting the call center should inform staff that they recently stayed in an area where Ebola transmission is occurring. "At this time, this is only a suspicion," the Ministry of Health reiterated, adding that it will continue to provide updates to the public and medical teams as necessary.

Zohran MamdaniZUMA Press Wire via Reuters Connect

The New York Board of Rabbis says it was not invited to a closed-door meeting that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani held with rabbis on Monday.

The board represents more than 750 rabbis from different Jewish denominations throughout the New York area. A spokesman for the organization told JNS that the board had no involvement in arranging the meeting and was not contacted by the mayor’s office.

“I don’t know who he went through," a board representative told JNS. “He didn’t go through us. We had nothing to do with it."

Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun, a Modern Orthodox synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, also said he was not invited.

“My initial reaction is it’s classic Mamdani," Steinmetz told JNS, accusing the mayor of focusing on how his administration is portrayed publicly rather than rebuilding relations with the Jewish community.

“He wants to feign interest in the Jewish community, but is only ready to meet with Jews who he picks and chooses as ideologically comfortable," Steinmetz said.

Rabbi Etan Tokayer, president of the Rabbinic Council of America, likewise told the Jewish media outlet that he did not receive an invitation. He said he could not determine whether he would have attended without knowing more about the meeting.

Tokayer also said he had previously written to Mamdani’s Jewish liaison after reports that the mayor’s wife, Rama Duwaji, had made antisemitic comments. According to Tokayer, the letter was “strong but thoughtfully balanced," but he received no response.

The meeting was held against the backdrop of tensions between Mamdani and Jewish community leaders over his criticism of Israel and his response to antisemitism in New York.

Ten rabbis representing different streams of American Judaism participated in the meeting with Mamdani and raised concerns about his public opposition to Israel, his pledge to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his calls for protests during Netanyahu’s visits to New York.

The rabbis warned that such statements were contributing to a sense of insecurity among Jewish New Yorkers and making cooperation with the mayor’s administration more difficult. Reform and Conservative representatives at the meeting reportedly also expressed concern that Mamdani’s rhetoric could contribute to rising antisemitism.

The discussion took place as New York Police Department data showed an 8.5% increase in reported hate incidents targeting Jews during the first seven months of Mamdani’s tenure. The incidents represented approximately 57% of all reported hate crimes in the city, while anti-Jewish hate crimes increased by 53% in July compared with the same month last year.

Several participants said they believed Mamdani had not acknowledged a connection between his rhetoric and the increase in antisemitism, leading them to raise the issue directly during the meeting.

Madani at a press conferenceReuters/Anthony Behar/Sipa USA

A tense closed-door meeting was held in recent days at the office of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, where ten rabbis representing different streams of American Judaism confronted him over his anti-Israel statements.

During the hour-long meeting, the rabbis warned Mamdani’s public opposition to Israel, his pledge to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his calls for protests during Netanyahu’s visits to New York are creating a deep sense of insecurity among Jewish residents.

The community leaders said Mamdani’s positions were also damaging their ability to cooperate with his administration. Representatives of Reform and Conservative Judaism, who have often taken critical positions toward Israel, reportedly told the mayor that his statements are contributing to rising antisemitism and could encourage further hostility toward Jews.

The meeting came amid recent New York Police Department data showing an 8.5% increase in hate incidents targeting Jews during the first seven months of Mamdani’s tenure. Such incidents accounted for approximately 57% of all reported hate crimes in the city, while July saw a 53% increase in anti-Jewish hate crimes compared with the same month last year.

Several participants said they felt Mamdani had yet to acknowledge a connection between his rhetoric and the rise in antisemitism, prompting the rabbis to confront him directly with their concerns.

הותקפתי על ידי ניאו נאצי בארה"ב, רק שהוא לא ידע שהוא נפל על גולנצ'יק!

What was supposed to be a debate between pro- and anti-Israel views turned physical when Arab-Israeli advocacy activist Yoseph Haddad was allegedly attacked by his antisemitic opponent.

Haddad had arrived at the studio in the US to partake in a debate against a group of anti-Israel activists, with the person debating him constantly changing.

At one point, Groyper YouTuber Dennis Feitosa, known as "Def Noodles," sat down to debate Haddad. Per the Israeli activist's account of the events, even in the studio, he started cursing and turning the argument into a physical confrontation. Haddad's fiancée, pro-Israel activist Emily Schrader, added that Feitosa became incredibly frustrated when Yoseph refused to engage physically and said, repeatedly, “I have no interest in fighting you, why would I?"

One clip shows the antisemitic social media star grabbing Haddad's arm. In turn, Haddad pulled Feitosa across the table, freeing himself from his clutches.

The confrontation later moved to the parking lot outside the studio, where it escalated even more. Footage from the incident shows one of the anti-Israel activists harassing Haddad's fiancée, while Feitosa is being held back from assaulting Haddad.

At one point, Haddad turned his back on Feitosa to film a video. The Groyper YouTuber then broke loose and rushed the Israeli from behind, before security tackled him to the ground. Haddad, a veteran of the Golani Brigade, did not run away after being attacked and managed to land a few punches on Feitosa, who was pinned to the ground, before the two were separated. The two sides continued to spar verbally before Haddad and his entourage left.

"This isn’t anything new," Haddad wrote after the incident. "When they can’t win a verbal debate, they turn to physical confrontation...which they lose as well!"

הרב שמואל אליהוצילום: ערוץ 7

Tzvi Fishman interviews Rabbi Shmuel Eliahu, Chief Rabbi of Tzfat.

What is the proper orientation a religious Jew should have toward the State of Israel?

Just as we thank Hashem in the morning for each new day, and over each breath we take, as King David says, ‘Let every breath praise Hashem,’ and over each drop of rain, so too we should express thanksgiving over every second the State of Israel exists and continues to flourish, for this is the greatest miracle that has transpired in the world since the beginning of Creation until today.

On several occasions, your father, a former Chief Rabbi of Israel, of blessed memory, said that the celebration of Yom HaAtzmaut should focus more on Torah study and prayer, and less on half-day barbecues. Can you summary for us what his attitude was toward Medinat Yisrael?

Upon his appointment as Israel’s Chief Sefardi Rabbi, HaRav Eliahu, זצוק"ל, cited the Gemara which states that the surest sign of the revealed End of the Exile is when the Land of Israel gives forth her fruits in abundance, something which our generation has merited to witness. He often asserted that he only saw lights in Medinat Yisrael, not the shadows of doubt.

Each year on Yom HaAtzmaut, in his speech at the Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva in Jerusalem, HaRav Tzvi Yehuda Kook would bemoan the fact that not everyone saw the Divine Hand in the establishment of the State of Israel, declaring that we only had to open our eyes to see ‘the return of Your Shechinah to Zion,’ as we say in our prayers. What is the source of this blindness?

The Rebbe of Chabad also said that for the Geulah to come, a Jew had only to open his eyes and proclaim, ‘Behold, the Mashiach is on the way.’ The blindness in not seeing the great events of our time as the workings of Hashem, this is the root of Amalek. When the Children of Israel went out from Mitzrayim, they asked, ‘Is Hashem with us or not?’ Immediately Amalek attacked.

Our Sages compared this to a father who carried his son on his shoulders and gave him everything he needed. With the passing of time, the father heard his son ask, ‘Where is my father?’ The father replied, ‘I am carrying you on my shoulders, yet you ask where I am?’ So he set his son down and a dog leapt forward and bit him.

In the same light, if an unthinking person were to witness the dividing of the Red Sea day after day, he would say that the wonder was the natural way of the world - not a miracle. In contrast, a person who contemplated the phenomenon would understand that its daily, repeated occurrence was a much greater miracle than a onetime event.

The same is true with the day-after-day miracles which have accompanied Israel’s restoration in Eretz Yisrael and our continuing development, including the tremendous ingathering of the exiles and the rebuilding of the Land and Jerusalem. Each of these things is a miracle, but they remain hidden when you forget that Hashem is the Grand Conductor of Jewish History.

The Torah informs us that the Children of Israel were compelled to wander in the Wilderness because they failed to see and acknowledge Hashem’s Providence and loving care. Only in the fortieth year did their eyes and ears open, and did their hearts comprehend. Because of this turnabout of understanding, they finally merited to enter the Land of Israel. In a similar light, our Sages teach us that King Hezkiyahu lost his chance to be the Mashiach because he didn’t sing Hashem’s praises over the great miracle granted to him.

Likewise today, what Heavenly Merit can we expect if we fail to thank Hashem for orchestrating our way back to Zion via the historical events of our time?

How does a person learn to see Hashem in the workings of history?

When you study the prophecies in the Torah and the Tanach, you learn to see the workings of Hashem in history, in all of their wondrous manifestations. The same applies to the unfolding of Modern Zionism.

The G-d of Israel whom we read about in the Torah is the same G-d of Israel today. He directs the events of the world and the ups and downs of the Children of Israel today just as he did in the past, even though His guidance is often hidden. This understanding gives a person an infusion of faith regarding the ongoing development of the Jewish State. It also enables one to make thought-out decisions about the future when you understand that the national life and Redemption of Am Yisrael proceeds gradually in stages, which the Jerusalem Talmud compares to the slow breaking of dawn.

Your book, “The Prophecy" presents a convincing argument for recognizing the Divine Hand surrounding the establishment of the State of Israel by a unique blend of Biblical verses juxtaposed with photographs and explanations. Why did you trouble to back up your assertions with so many facts and figures?

Everyone acknowledges that the terrible prophecies of our national destruction came to pass during our wanderings in exile. Moshe Rabeinu describes it as, ‘And you shall perish amongst the heathen nations, and the land of your enemies shall devour you,’ (Vayikra, 26:36). The prophet Ezekiel pictures the Diaspora as a valley of dry bones, saying, ‘These bones are the whole house of Israel,’ (Ezekiel, 37:1). Can there be any greater evidence of this than photographs of Auschwitz? Wherever we wandered, after briefs periods of respite and prosperity, the wrath of the Gentiles swept down upon us like a reaper’s scythe.

At the same time, for almost 2000 years, the Land of Israel lay barren and fallow, as the prophet Jeremiah declares: ‘Therefore is your land a ruin, and an astonishment and a curse, without inhabitant,’ (Jeremiah, 44:22). Foreign nations endeavored to cultivate the Holy Land without success. On a visit to Palestine in 1869, the American writer Mark Twain noted in his diary, Innocents Abroad, ‘Of all the lands there are for dismal scenery, I think Palestine must be the prince. The hills are barren, they are dull of color; they are non-picturesque in shape. The valleys are unsightly deserts fringed with a feeble vegetation that has an expression about it of being sorrowful and despondent.’

Just as we acknowledge that prophesies of destruction were fulfilled, we are called upon to also recognize the Providence of Hashem in the awe-inspiring ingathering, rebuilding, and national revival which we have witnessed in modern times, as the prophecy promises: ‘Behold O my People, I will open your graves, and cause you to come out of your graves, and bring you into the Land of Israel,’

No one can deny the ingathering of Jews to Israel from all over the world, but perhaps, as some people say, given the secular nature of modern Zionism, this mere physical revival of the Nation isn’t the awaited Redemption?

All of the Prophets see the beginning of Israel’s Redemption in the return of the Jewish People to Eretz Yisrael from around the world. For example, Moshe Rabeinu declares: ‘Then the L-rd your G-d will turn your captivity and have compassion on you, and will return and gather you from all the nations…. If your outcasts will be in the farthest parts of the heaven, from there will the L-rd thy G-d gather and fetch you, and bring you into the Land which your fathers possessed, and you will possess it, and he will do you good and multiply you more than your fathers, (Devarim, 30:3-4).

The prophecy emphasizes that the ingathering will come from the most distant places, and that the Jewish population will multiply greatly. Hasn’t this happened in the last few hundred years? At first, the process began very slowly, then steadily increased. 450 years ago, Rabbi Yosef Caro and the Arizal arrived in Tzfat. Several thousand followed their call to make Aliyah. 200 years later, the Rashash came from Yemen. The Orach Haim HaKodesh came from Morocco. At the same time, the Gaon of Vilna and the Baal Shen Tov encouraged their students from Europe and Russia to immigrate to Israel and dwell in the Holy Land.

By 1880, there were 24,000 Jews living in the country. Then, miraculously, within the next century, the number swelled to 6.5 million.

Nearly all of the Prophets of Israel repeat this theme of mass ingathering, each in his own fashion. The physical ingathering marks the beginning of a gradually developing process. At a later stage, the spiritual side of the Nation is strengthened, as Ezekiel explains: ‘Then I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean, from all of your impurities, and from all of your idols, I will cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you… and I will cause you to follow My statutes, and you shall keep My judgments and do them. And you shall dwell in the Land that I gave to you fathers, and you shall be My People, and I will be your G-d,’ (Ezekiel, 36:25-28).

As HaRav Tzvi Yehuda told us time and again on Yom HaAtzmaut, all we had to do was open our eyes and see the growing movement of t’shuva that has accompanied the rebirth of the Land. Today, Baruch Hashem, Jerusalem is the Torah capital of the world. Everywhere you look in Israel, there are new yeshivot, religious seminaries for girls, synagogues, mikvaot, Talmudei Torah, pre-army Torah academies, and Hesder Yeshivot.

What do you mean by ‘the rebirth of the Land’?

Citing a prophecy of Ezekiel (36:8), the Talmud states that the surest sign that the Exile is ending is when the trees of the Land of Israel bring forth their fruits in abundance: ‘Rabbi Aba stated, there is no greater revealed End of the Exile than this, as it says, ‘But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to My People Israel, for they shall soon be coming,’ (Sanhedrin 98A).

Look how the former wasteland has become a leading world exporter of fruit. Jaffa oranges are famous all over the globe. Even Holland buys our flowers. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Israel’s average agricultural bounty per dunam is three times higher than the international standard.

In what other spheres have the visions of the Prophets found fulfillment in the rebirth of modern Israel?

Israel’s economy today is one of the most prosperous and stable in the world, as Moshe foretells, ‘And the L-rd shall make you plenteous in goods, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your ground, in the Land which the L-rd swore to give to your fathers,’ (Devarim, 28:11).

The profound wisdom of the Jewish People has also found national and international expression via its contributions to science, medicine, computer and digital technology, to cite just a few, earning it the appellation, ‘Start-Up Nation,’ in accord with the prophecy, ‘And all of the families of the earth shall be blessed in you,’ (Bereshit, 12:2).

Why did you include so much research data in your book, including comparative tables and graphs, and not let the prophecies speak for themselves?

Not everyone has a rich Torah background. Many people need to see empirical evidence before they make up their minds. Secular Jews educated in universities, and non-Jews, are more at home with facts and figures than faith in Biblical texts.

Often, a criticism is expressed is the haredi community regarding the celebration of Yom HaAtzmaut when the country’s military might is glorified, like when our jet fighters fly over our cities and coastline with blue-and-white stripes in their wake.

Jet fighters also come from Hashem. In addition, people often overlook the incredible metaphysical transformation of the Jewish People in our return to our Homeland, from the frightened and impotent Jew of galut to the fearless freedom fighters of the Lehi and Etzel, and the heroic soldiers of the Hagana and Israel Defense Force.

In our exile in foreign lands, we are characterized by the prophecy, ‘And amongst those who are left alive, I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies, and the sound of a shaking leaf shall cause them to flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursues,’ (Vayikra, 26:36).

Behold, in our return to the Land of Israel, we rediscovered our valor and prowess of old, just as the Prophet proclaims: ‘And the remnant of Yaacov shall be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the L-rd, like a lion amongst the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among a flock of sheep, who if it accosts them, treads upon them, tears into pieces, and none can deliver,’ (Micah, 5:6-7).

In the short span of decades, Israel has become one of the most powerful military forces in the world, boasting soldiers who have an unparalleled willingness to sacrifice their lives for the Nation. May the continuing Providence of Hashem bring us speedily to a complete Redemption, for Israel and for the whole world. Amen.

Jibril RajoubReuters

Jibril Rajoub, head of the Palestinian Authority (PA) soccer federation, announced Monday that PA sports activities will resume in September following a hiatus that began after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.

"We announce the resumption of sports activities and the football association's league beginning September 4," Rajoub announced during a press conference in Ramallah, as quoted by AFP.

The PA soccer federation has designated its initial tournament the "Thousand Martyrs' Cup," claiming to honor 1,014 Palestinian Arab athletes. Israeli officials have noted that many individuals categorized by the PA as athletes were active members of terrorist organizations.

The competition is planned to involve over 200 clubs, with 146 teams from Judea and Samaria, 44 from Gaza, and 36 from “Palestinian refugee camps" located in Lebanon, launching concurrently across all three regions.

Addressing the press conference, Rajoub remarked that the war "created difficult conditions for all Palestinians that led to the suspension of our competitions and activities."

He continued, "But we have not lost our Palestinian national will, nor have we lost our belief that sport will remain a symbol of hope and life."

Highlighting the financial difficulties faced by the federation and local teams, Rajoub urged FIFA and international sports governing bodies to support PA sports and guarantee players' rights to participate in "freedom and dignity."

Addressing previous comments regarding FIFA President Gianni Infantino's withdrawn proposal to open competitions to private investment, Rajoub remarked that "many today are questioning FIFA's commercial direction."

"But for Palestine, the issue is more fundamental … Our question is whether FIFA still has the courage to apply its regulations to everyone equally … without succumbing to political pressures," Rajoub claimed.

The PA soccer chief continues to push FIFA to penalize Israeli teams based in Judea and Samaria and suspend Israel's membership in the global sports organization.

"We are not asking for privileges; we are demanding legitimate rights guaranteed by international sporting laws and charters," he asserted.

Rajoub, who previously served a prison term in Israel for security offenses, has a long record of incitement and antisemitic statements. In past public statements, he claimed that Jews deserved the genocide perpetrated against them by the Nazis.

During an October 2011 address honoring terrorists released by Israel in the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange, Rajoub commended Hamas for the abduction of the Israeli soldier and celebrated the released terrorists as heroes. In another statement, he declared that if the PA possessed a nuclear weapon, it would deploy it against Israel.

In 2018, FIFA suspended Rajoub from official activities for one year due to incitement to hatred and violence after he called on soccer fans to burn jerseys and pictures of Lionel Messi to force the cancellation of a scheduled exhibition match in Israel. His subsequent appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was rejected.

More recently, US authorities denied Rajoub a visa to attend the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The visa refusal followed a high-profile incident during the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, where Rajoub publicly refused to stand alongside or shake hands with Basim Sheikh Suliman, the vice president of the Israel Football Association.

Iran sanctionsiStock

Tehran has firmly rejected a fresh round of American financial sanctions, asserting that the country will not yield to pressure and warning that Washington's actions diminish the likelihood of achieving a negotiated resolution to the Middle East crisis.

The response follows an enforcement action taken Friday by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). That action targeted a network of individuals, currency exchange houses, and corporate entities operating across several nations, accusing them of facilitating covert transactions worth hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of Iran's Shahr Bank.

Addressing the development in a social media post on Monday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei pointed to statements by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent regarding plans to achieve "suffocating" economic pressure on Iran.

Baghaei maintained that such tactics are destined to fail, stating that Iran had "demonstrated over decades that it will not be strangled by these exhausted refrains," while emphasizing that the newly imposed penalties serve only to make a peaceful diplomatic outcome less attainable.

According to the US Treasury Department, Friday's action represents the eighth sanction wave launched in 2026 aimed at disrupting Iran's covert financial apparatus as part of Washington's ongoing "maximum pressure" initiative.

“Iran’s shadow banking system is buckling under Economic Fury, and the regime is running out of ways to move money," Bessent asserted in a formal Treasury statement released Friday, promising that American authorities will continue uncovering these international illicit networks and severing their access to the US financial sector.

Meanwhile on Monday, President Donald Trump was asked by a reporter about his previous comments warning that the current negotiations with Iran represented its final chance before "decapitation," and was pressed on what comes next.

“You’ll find out," Trump replied. Asked whether a massive escalation remains on the table, Trump added, “Well, we certainly have that ability if we want to do that. You’ll find out."

The President also reiterated his opposition to Iran’s demands for reparations - a topic he had addressed earlier in a post on Truth Social - stating, “They ask for reparations, you might say, or they ask for money for the damage that we've done. And I said, that's a good idea. Well, we're going to ask for money for the damage they've done over a 50-year period, whether you go USS Cole or whether you go [to] all of the people that were so badly hurt, so badly wounded or killed - many thousands of people. And maybe damages for the 52,000 protesters over the last four months that were killed in Iran. It was at least 52,000 a month and a half ago. So now what is it? If there are damages to be paid, I think Iran should pay those damages."

Following his recent primary victory, Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed acknowledged that Hamas was responsible for war crimes while reiterating his accusations of genocide against the Israeli government.

During an appearance on the Jim Acosta Show, El-Sayed addressed his position directly and said, “I condemned Hamas on day one, right? I think they're wrong. I think they committed war crimes. That's not hard to say."

The progressive nominee then pivoted to Israel's military actions in Gaza, claiming, “I just don't know why it's also not hard to say that in response, the Israeli government also committed war crimes, including genocide."

Framing the conflict as a matter of domestic fiscal policy, El-Sayed questioned American foreign assistance allocations.

“The question for us is ultimately about where we use our tax dollars. That is the political question," he argued, continuing, “I think people like to get involved in this big, long question of what's good for Israel or how we ought to be engaged in a conflict. My point is that our job is not to give money to make the conflict worse. Our job is to use our money here. And I believe that it is up to a free Palestinian people and free Jewish Israeli people to decide what the ultimate peace ought to look like."

He further emphasized that domestic investments should take priority over overseas military financing.

“I just know that right now, our tax dollars are making it far worse. And I don't want our money that could be used to make education and opportunity better for our people to be used to make life worse for other people."

El-Sayed, a progressive figure, last week secured the Democratic nomination for Senate in Michigan by narrowly defeating moderate Representative Haley Stevens (D-MI). The contest served as a major focal point concerning the ideological direction of the Democratic Party.

Throughout his primary run, El-Sayed faced significant scrutiny over his foreign policy positions regarding Israel, including his remarks, after a terrorist attempted to blow up and shoot up a Jewish preschool at a synagogue in Michigan earlier this year, that "hurt people hurt people."

He placed opposition to US military assistance to Israel and sharp criticism of its operations in Gaza at the forefront of his platform, accusing Israel of committing genocide, calling for an end to unconditional foreign aid, and stating in an interview that the Israeli government is "as evil as Hamas."

Following the primary, US President Donald Trump last week launched a series of sharp verbal attacks directed at El-Sayed.

“When I watch Abdul, he’s full of s--t," Trump stated during a Wednesday event in Nevada, describing El-Sayed as a “man of hate" and alleging that he harbors hostility toward Jewish people.

“He's a communist. And the polls were wrong again last night when they thought it would be a landslide victory for a hater of Jews and a hater of Israel," Trump declared.

Elaborating on his accusations, Trump continued, “This guy hates Jews. Somebody said, ‘Oh, that's a little strong’. No, he hates Jews and he hates Israel…He's a man of hate. And now he's going around saying, ‘No, I love everybody.’ He doesn't love everybody. Put him in office. You're going to find out what he loves."

Trump further asserted that the primary victor “doesn't love Israel. He doesn't love Jewish people. He hates them. He hates them with a passion that burns in his heart."

Looking ahead to the November general election, Trump predicted that Republican nominee Mike Rogers, whom he described as a "great candidate", would win the Senate seat.

“Actually, we do better against the communists, according to every poll. The poll says we do better against the communists. So he won. And so I think I'm happy. I put out a statement: Congratulations to the Republican Party."

Gofman, Barnea, Ahmadenijad, KhameneiMiddle East Insider

Gregg Roman is an investigative journalist specializing in Middle East security and politics and executive director of the Middle East Forum.

Reposted with permission from daily MIDDLE EAST INSIDER INTELLIGENCE BRIEF

The Mossad does not hold press conferences when it wins, and it does not hold them when it loses. It moves chairs. This past Thursday, Channel 12 reported that Director Roman Gofman had removed two of the agency’s most senior officials: the head of the intelligence directorate, in the job only since December, and the head of the Iran division. Both departures were described as mutual, part of a broader reorganization. Both men stay in the building, in other rooms.

They were, by every account, the architects of the most ambitious operational plan in the agency’s history: a written blueprint to bring down the Islamic Republic with the help of Iran’s minority populations and install a replacement leadership. It was presented to the President of the United States. It was never executed as designed. In June, days into his term, Gofman had already dismissed the deputy director, the man his predecessor wanted for the top job. Three senior chairs have emptied in nine weeks.

Amit Segal, in his newsletter, recalls Yitzhak Rabin’s line that Meir Dagan had a unique capacity to invent operations that look like movie thrillers, and asks the obvious question: what happens when the movie has no ending? Consequences for the writers. Segal calls this the Mossad’s most ambitious plan in its 76 years, and its greatest failure. Both halves of that sentence are true, and the second half is doing quiet, useful work. A service that reassigns the authors of a failed theory has stopped pretending the theory worked.

The question that matters, in Jerusalem and in Washington, is what replaces it.

The plan itself is no longer a secret; it is a genre. Nadav Eyal’s reconstruction, the Channel 12 investigation, and the American reporting agree on the outline. Kurdish forces, armed and organized with CIA involvement, would cross from Iraq in the war’s opening days under massive American and Israeli air cover. A first wave of some 15,000 fighters would take the Kurdish cities and swell, in the planners’ arithmetic, toward 150,000 or 200,000 marching on Tehran. Israeli strikes across the northwest would open the corridor; the IDF said so publicly at the time, that it was operating heavily in western Iran to open the way to Tehran.

The armed periphery would reignite the mass protests of December and January. And at the end of the corridor, in the plan’s strangest clause, sat Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, cultivated as the replacement figure.

The planners understood at least one thing about Iran: they required the Kurdish factions to fly the old lion-and-sun flag, not Kurdish colors, and Israel arranged the flags. They understood a second thing too late: a plan with that many moving parts survives only in the dark.

In the first days of March the operation surfaced in American media, with Fox News reporting an offensive underway. Tehran reinforced the northwest. Ankara weighed in hard; Erdogan told President Trump that Turkey would not tolerate armed Kurdish power anywhere in the region. Gulf capitals warned that carving Iran along ethnic lines would burn the whole neighborhood. The Kurds, watching their operational security evaporate, began asking for political guarantees. And Israel’s own Military Intelligence had graded the plan from the start as imaginary and full of holes.

Be fair to the President here. He leaned into the idea early and made the opening calls to Kurdish leaders himself. When the operation lost the only advantage that made it survivable, surprise, he declined to launch thousands of lightly armed fighters into a forewarned Iran. That is not lost nerve; that is a commander reading a changed board. The failure belongs to the leak, and to a design so brittle that one broadcast and one phone call could kill it.

A plan that dies of a news cycle was never a plan. It was a wish with a timetable.

You cannot invade your way into someone else’s revolution.

Houthi strikes on Red Sea port city of MochaREUTERS/Stringer

For the second day in a row, Iran-backed Houthi insurgents directed ballistic missile strikes against the coastal Red Sea city of Mocha and its commercial harbor facilities, according to an online update published Monday by Yemen's armed forces.

The bombardment represents a sustained two-day offensive focused on the strategic maritime hub.

On Sunday, rebel units carried out a coordinated assault using both ballistic projectiles and uncrewed aerial systems, as confirmed by statements from both insurgent leaders and Yemeni military authorities.

Yahya Saree, serving as the military spokesman for the Houthi movement, asserted that the strikes were aimed at groupings of Saudi military personnel alongside nearby weapons and logistical storage facilities.

Media footage broadcast by Al Masirah TV, an outlet operated by the Houthi movement, showed the launch sequences of several uncrewed drones and ballistic missiles deployed during the offensive.

This latest assault follows a coordinated offensive carried out on Friday, in which the Houthis claimed they had deployed missiles and drone swarms against Saudi-aligned military facilities at the Sahn al-Jinn base in Marib province. Houthi officials asserted that those strikes inflicted heavy damage on supply inventories, military vehicles, logistical hardware, and opposing personnel.

Concurrently, Yemen’s official SABA news agency, citing local government authorities in Marib, reported that Houthi forces launched ballistic missiles and uncrewed aircraft into densely populated urban neighborhoods and temporary encampments housing displaced families on Friday morning, resulting in two civilian deaths and leaving 14 others injured.

The Friday strikes followed a Thursday night assault targeting the southern Saudi border settlement of Najran. That strike resulted in injuries to 11 non-combatants, according to formal disclosures issued by the military command of the Saudi-led coalition.

Coalition authorities detailed that the injured included seven Saudi citizens, two Egyptian nationals, one Pakistani national, and one Yemeni citizen.

On Wednesday, Houthi representatives claimed responsibility for launching missile strikes against a pair of Saudi crude carriers-one operating close to the Red Sea port city of Yanbu and another navigating waters in the Gulf of Aden.

Palestinian CultureAI generated by IPT

For part I, click here.

Among the distinguishing features of culture are art, architecture, literature, film, education, music, entertainment, and language. In each of these categories, Arab Palestinianism depends entirely on the dream of destroying Israel. No other Arab sub-culture is so monomaniacal.

The PLO's Creation

Under Yasser Arafat's leadership, the PLO actively produced Palestinian Arab culture through the Unified Information Office's Plastic Arts Section and its Department of Arts and National Culture which, according to Kristine Khouri and Rasha Salti at The Markaz Review, "were mandated to commission, fund, and promote the production of posters, art, film, theater, dance, music, and publications; to preserve folklore and cultural traditions; and to galvanize support for the Palestinian struggle internationally, in the arena of art and culture."

In 1978, the Plastic Arts Section organized the "International Art Exhibit for Palestine" in Beirut, confidently announcing that, "Beside armed resistance in extremely difficult conditions, our people is carrying out a political and cultural struggle."

It continues, "This exhibition will be a starting point for a militant cultural front that enables us, through art expression, to convey our cause and voice to all peoples and enable these peoples to participate in our struggle."

Palestinian Arab Art and Architecture

Art and architecture have always been considered important indicators of cultural achievement, and there is a well-documented body of Palestinian Arab art in the Twentieth Century.

By claiming that Palestinian Arab art begins in the Byzantine era, partisan historians show that their agenda takes precedence over logic. Referring to the Al-Aqsa mosque as an example of Palestinian architecture misrepresents the work of the Byzantine period, which was entirely alien to anything having to do with "Palestine" or the people who today call themselves "Palestinians."

There was never was a distinctively "Palestinian" art unconnected to violence and war.

Book cover Liberation Art of Palestine
by Samia Halaby

As Palestinian artist and art critic Samia Halaby pointed out in 2012, Palestinian Arab art is liberation art. Aesthetics are subsumed by agenda, and the agenda is to fight against Israel.

In a long passage worth quoting in its entirety, Halaby demonstrates the single mindedness of Palestinian Arab art: "The horse came to mean revolution. The flute came to mean the tune of the ongoing resistance. The wedding came to mean the entire Palestinian cause. The key came to mean the right of return. The sun came to mean freedom. The gun with a dove came to mean that peace would come after the struggle for liberation. Artists used the colors of the flag, patterns from embroidery, chains, etc. Village scenes, village dress, the prisoner, prison bars. There were special themes regarding the martyr. First there were generalized pictures of the martyr as well as pictures of specific individuals who had been killed by the Israelis. The second form was based on a popular practice of framing a collage of symbols representing the deceased's life then hanging it at their home or grave."

As for architecture, the greatest Palestinian Arab achievements are underground. Surely the most impressive Palestinian engineering has never been seen by most of the world since it is hidden beneath the Earth. Like everything else in Palestinian Arab culture, Subterranean Gaza was built to wage war against Israel, allowing Hamas fighters to penetrate Israel's borders and fabricate weapons shielded from watchful eyes overhead.

Palestinian Arab Literature

Another important marker of culture is literature.

There is a long history of Arab narrative and lyric poetry on many topics. Sincere and satirical stories about love, nature, and heroism pre-date Islam. But Palestinian Arab poetry is exclusively about "resistance." It consists of angry, self-pitying victim narratives and revenge fantasies.

The New York Timessays, "For a Raw Portrait of War, Look to Palestinian Poets." A writer for the Culture section at The Atlanticadvises that "Everyone Should be Reading Palestinian Poetry," enthusing that "although reading about violence in Palestine does little more than cause me pain and frustration, poetry allows me to access the place's wonder and complexity." The problem is that most Palestinian Arab poetry is about violence. Even the annual Palestine Writes Literature Festival is obsessed with violence.

The most famous Palestinian Arab poet was Mahmoud Darwish, who was also a member of the PLO. His most famous poem, "Identity Card," is about killing Israelis. The poem concludes with these six lines:

But if I become hungry
The usurper's flesh will be my food
Beware ...
Beware ...
Of my hunger
And my anger!

Fittingly, Darwish is buried in Ramallah, across from the Palace of Culture. His gravesite was later expanded into the Mahoud Darwish Memorial Cultural Center and Park.

Palestinian Arab Film

Palestinian film is also dominated by violence. Beginning with the PLO's Information Department's propaganda films, like With Soul and Blood (1971) and We Are the Palestinian People (1973), to this day, Palestinian cinema is dominated by violence.

Palestinian Arab film series have titles like "Palestinian Revolution Cinema" and "Cinema of Palestinian Return." As the blurb to Hamid Dabashi's book, Dreams of a Nation: On Palestinian Cinema (2006), has it, "Deeply rooted in the historic struggles for national self-determination, this cinema is the single most important artistic expression of a much-maligned people."

Palestinian Arab Education

Children's entertainment is even worse. Generations of children have been brain-washed by the education-entertainment combination produced by the PLO, the PA, and Hamas. Pierre Rehov's eye-opening documentaries and Palestinian Media Watch analyses illustrate what Palestinian Arab culture has brought to child rearing and education.

Hamas has weaponized the simple, innocent fun of flying a kite, turning it into Kite Jihad. The PLO turned Disney's beloved Mickey Mouse into the murderous rat Farfour. Even summer camps for children have been transformed into jihad training grounds. If the entire Palestinian Arab educational system were changed immediately, it would likely take another eight decades to erase all the hatred inculcated over the previous eight.

Palestinian Arab Music

Music is no different. Traditional Arab music types (the ataaba, mawwal, taktouka) are popular among Palestinians, Syrians, and Jordanians alike, but what distinguishes Palestinian Arab music from other Arab music is, again, the concept of "resistance."

Most sources differentiate between "Palestinian" music prior to, and after, 1948. The Interactive Encyclopedia of the Palestinian Questiontakes it a step further: "Palestinian musical output changed significantly after 1967, when ... A new kind of music emerged in opposition to the new occupation, and what became known as 'committed songs' gained prominence alongside the national anthems that had been popular before."

The first Intifada marked another turning point, leading to the establishment of the National Conservatory of Music in 1993 at Birzeit University, eventually renamed the Edward Said National Conservatory of Music, celebrating the leading anti-Zionist intellectual. The latest iteration of Palestinian Arab music is protest rap music. The popular music streaming service Spotify has a "Palestine Solidarity Protest Playlist." Since February 17, 2024, the number one song has been "From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free."

Palestinian Arab Language

Like the rest of the Arab world, the language of Palestinian culture is Arabic, but Palestinian culture has actually added to the language, introducing a word that hadn't existed in the entire 2,000-year (give or take) history of the language. It came on January 27, 2002, as Yasser Arafat spoke to a crowd of over one thousand women outside of his Ramallah compound. It was his famous "feminism" speech where he told the women that they would become his "Army of Roses that will crush Israeli tanks."

What Arafat did next changed the language. He shouted "Shaheeda all the way to Jerusalem," and the crowd chanted back knowingly "Shaheeda, Shaheeda, Shaheeda." What made it unique is that the Arabic word for martyr (shaheed) had previously existed exclusively as a masculine noun with no feminine counterpart. Arafat "coin[ed] on the spot the feminized version of the Arab word," as Barbara Victor puts it in her book Army of Roses (2003). Later that day, Wafa Idris would become the first of many female Palestinian suicide bombers.

It was a shift for Arafat, who prior to 2002 restricted women's role in Palestinian Arab society to child-bearers, often boasting that "the womb of the Arab woman is my strongest weapon." In the notion of Shaheeda, he had found a new way to weaponize them.

Unique in History

Never before in recorded history has a culture been defined exclusively by its desire to wipe out a people. The closest analogue to the Palestinian Arabs' all-consuming desire to destroy Israel is the Roman Republic's obsession with destroying the Empire of Carthage.

Rome's Punic Wars lasted over a century. Like the wars between Israel and Palestinian Arabs, there were periods of relative calm punctuated by intense conflict. Eventually, the Romans dedicated themselves to the destruction of Carthage. Cato the Elder and other Roman orators closed their speeches with the phrase "Carthago delenda est" or "Carthage must fall," signifying their commitment to the cause.

Like Palestinian Arabs, Romans were capable of a single-minded drive to wipe out their enemy, and eventually (in contrast to close to a century of Arab violence against the Jews), they did. In 146 B.C., the victorious general Scipio Aemilianus ordered the city of Carthage destroyed and, according to legend, ordered the ground salted so nothing would grow for years.

But Rome also gave the world useful things like roads, massive beautiful buildings, and indoor plumbing. Rome gave the world artists, physicians and philosophers. Palestinian culture has given the world airplane hijacking and Intifada.

Palestinian Arab culture has all the fanatical monomania of Rome's quest to destroy Carthage but none of Rome's advancements and contributions to humanity, all of the anger and vengeance but none of the beauty and truth.

Conclusion

In "Why there Should Not Be a Palestine," Hussein Aboubakr Mansour explains that until recently he was an advocate for a Palestinian Arab state but changed his mind on February 20, 2025, after witnessing the "cultural glorification of martyrdom" in Hamas's video showing its release of the remains of four Israeli hostages.

Mansour was referring to the bizarre ceremony at a cemetery in Khan Younis when 4 coffins with the bodies of Odeh Lipshitz and the Bibas family were paraded for cheering crowds in front of a stage and handed over to the Red Cross.

Sky News called it "a scene of a very sick culture."

Mansour agreed.

In the images of "children encouraged to revel in the spectacle ... children paraded around corpses in broad daylight," Mansour found "a deep... moral and cultural collapse."

The depraved ceremony shattered Mansour's optimism that Palestinian Arabs "could somehow find a new identity built on pragmatic coexistence or even form a civic ethos of their own, unshackled from the destructive impulses that have repeatedly manifested in violence."

Palestinian Arab culture is incapable, currently, of creating such an identity.

Reposted from the Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT).

Chief IPT Political Correspondent A.J. Caschetta is a principal lecturer at the Rochester Institute of Technology and a fellow at Campus Watch, a project of the Middle East Forum where he is also a Milstein fellow.

Air Force OneiStock

A credible Iranian assassination plot aimed at US President Donald Trump prompted an unprecedented covert operation last month in which he was secretly flown out of Turkey aboard an alternate military aircraft while the White House falsely maintained he was traveling on Air Force One, The Washington Post reported on Monday.

The covert relocation - which remained completely undisclosed until now - was executed without the knowledge of embedded reporters or several White House staffers who believed they were traveling on the same aircraft as the president, according to operational documentation reviewed by The Post, a US official familiar with the mission, and another source knowledgeable about presidential travel arrangements.

Publicly, administration officials maintained that Trump departed Turkey on July 8 aboard the legacy Air Force One. Trump previously stated on social media that he would utilize the "former Air Force One" rather than the Boeing 747-8 gifted to the US by Qatar, an aircraft whose security measures faced public scrutiny and which Trump indicated would undergo further defensive enhancements.

While in Ankara, Trump walked onto the legacy Air Force One jumbo jet in full view of news cameras. Minutes later, however, he was covertly transferred to a smaller Air Force C-32A transport plane using an airport catering truck normally reserved for loading inflight meals, according to the US official and supporting records reviewed by The Post. That maneuver effectively turned the primary Air Force One into a "decoy" carrying journalists and White House personnel, the official noted.

Trump had been attending a NATO summit in Ankara with international leaders. The operation transpired the night after American forces launched renewed airstrikes against Iranian targets on Trump's orders following a collapse in talks between Washington and Tehran aimed at ending their months-long conflict.

The maneuver effectively masked Trump's true location from the public and numerous senior U.S. officials for hours. Weeks later, it remains unclear how widely the administration disclosed the security operation internally.

When presented with detailed reporting and questions, White House communications director Steven Cheung released a statement defending the Qatari-provided plane.

“The new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the President and his staff," Cheung stated, adding, “As the President has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal to address those threats."

A Defense Department spokesperson referred all inquiries to the White House, while a Secret Service representative did not reply to requests for comment.

Official White House accounts continued to state publicly that the president departed Turkey on the legacy blue-and-white Boeing 747 used as Air Force One prior to Trump utilizing the Qatari aircraft.

The account from The Washington Post follows a report from The New York Times last month confirming that a credible threat from Iranian proxy groups targeting Trump and his plane forced US officials to suddenly swap aircraft during his exit from Turkey.

During the plane switch, reports surfaced indicating Israeli intelligence had alerted US agencies regarding Iranian assassination plots targeting Trump. Some US officials received the Israeli intelligence cautiously, concerned it might represent an attempt to push Trump toward escalating military action against Tehran.

However, sources informed The New York Times that the specific security hazard in Turkey that forced the emergency plane switch was distinct from the intelligence shared by Israel.

During the summit, the US resumed military strikes on Iranian targets while Trump remained in Ankara, approximately 1,000 miles from Tehran. Addressing reporters regarding the aircraft change, Trump explicitly referenced Iranian efforts to target him.

“They want to take out the US leader - me," he stated, continuing, “I’m on every list. I saw this morning, I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn’t last very long."

Syrian President Ahmed al-SharaaREUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

Israel's defense establishment has recently identified an acceleration in Syria's efforts to rebuild its air force, Kan 11 News reported Monday evening.

These developments come roughly a year and eight months after the IDF declared the Syrian Air Force destroyed following the collapse of the Assad regime.

According to the report, Israeli intelligence observed that the Syrians have begun recruiting new pilots and conducting training exercises using trainer aircraft and helicopters. Over the past 24 hours, a first military exercise involving Sukhoi fighter jets was carried out in northern Syria.

The rehabilitation efforts are taking place under the rule of President Ahmed al-Sharaa, with Syria receiving backing from Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Russia, France, and other regional powers.

The defense establishment continues to monitor the process closely, alongside ongoing discussions regarding a potential future security agreement between Israel and Syria.

Israel is particularly focused on how these moves might affect the IDF's freedom of aerial operation over Syrian skies. The primary concern within the defense establishment pertains to a possible Turkish military footprint in the neighboring country, which could include the deployment of air defense systems.

Commenting on the developments, a security official stated, "We are monitoring the developments in Syria closely and sharing our concerns with the United States."

Gideon Sa'ar and Israel KatzYonatan Sindel and Chaim Goldberg/Flash 90

The Likud party issued a statement early Tuesday morning announcing that, alongside the Prime Minister's reserved slots, the party's secretariat will be asked to approve spots on the electoral list for Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Minister Haim Katz, Chairman of the Likud Central Committee - in addition to the new candidates expected to be brought in by the Prime Minister.

"The party tribunal ruled last week that the Defense Minister - who was already expected to reach the top of the slate - should be granted a reserved spot to allow him to focus on critical defense needs rather than politics during this period," the party stated.

Regarding Sa'ar, Likud noted that his placement stems from his party's merger agreement with Likud, while Haim Katz will receive a reserved spot by virtue of his role as Central Committee chairman.

On Monday evening, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the first candidate to receive a reserved spot on Likud's slate: High-tech entrepreneur and businessman Oren Dobronsky, who will be placed in the 11th position on the slate.

This marks the first slot revealed by Netanyahu ahead of the Knesset elections out of the eight reserved positions granted to him on the Likud list.

Likud welcomed Dobronsky's joining, describing him as a successful businessman, a leader in Israel's high-tech industry, and a right-wing figure widely recognized for his appearance on the reality television show The Sharks.

According to the party's statement, following the elections, Dobronsky is expected to spearhead artificial intelligence initiatives across various economic sectors, including education, medicine, and finance.

Two weeks ago, the Likud Central Committee approved all of Netanyahu's requests ahead of the general election. Among these were eight reserved slots requested by Netanyahu up to the 30th position on the slate, specifically at spots 3, 5, 9, 11, 15, 18, 26, and 29.

For Netanyahu, the composition of the party list has become a central focus ahead of the upcoming election, prompting him to recently consider far-reaching options - including the establishment of an appointing committee that would bypass party primaries altogether. Such a step represents an exceptionally rare departure for him since taking the helm of the Likud party.

Shots fired at Toronto synagogueCourtesy

Authorities in York Region have laid charges against a third individual linked to a sequence of gun-related incidents that targeted Jewish places of worship in Vaughan and Toronto in March, reported CityNews Toronto.

The accused, a 23-year-old from Barrie, now faces charges connected to four separate shootings across Toronto and York Region, which includes two incidents at local synagogues occurring within roughly 60 minutes of each other.

The initial incident transpired shortly before midnight on March 6, when local residents near York Hill Boulevard and Clark Avenue West in Vaughan reported hearing gunfire. Responding York Regional Police officers discovered bullet damage to the main entrance doors of the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto synagogue. Two individuals were present inside the facility at the time, though neither sustained injuries.

Minutes after midnight on March 7, Toronto police received reports of gunshots fired near Glencairn Avenue and Bathurst Street at the Shaarei Shomayim synagogue. Investigating officers found damage at the building's front entryway consistent with discharge from a firearm. The facility was empty during the occurrence.

The consecutive strikes against faith-based institutions roughly an hour apart generated widespread alarm among Jewish communities throughout the Greater Toronto Area, sparking a collaborative investigation by Toronto and York Regional police services.

York Regional Police previously announced charges against two suspects earlier in the spring. Further joint investigative efforts with Toronto officers led to the identification of the 23-year-old as a third suspect tied to both synagogue incidents.

Law enforcement noted that the suspect was already facing charges related to two other shootings in Vaughan and Aurora.

Following this arrest, investigators stated that no outstanding suspects remain in the synagogue shooting cases. The suspect faces an array of criminal counts, including two counts of conspiracy to commit an indictable offence, four counts of reckless discharge of a firearm, two counts of mischief relating to religious property, and two counts of possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, along with various weapons-related charges.

York Regional Police indicated that the joint task force investigation remains active, appealing for anyone possessing relevant details to contact police.

Following the announcement, the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) issued a public statement, saying, "The laying of charges against the third and final suspect in connection with the March shootings targeting GTA synagogues marks an important development in this investigation. With no outstanding suspects, we commend Toronto and York Regional Police for their work to identify and apprehend all those alleged to have carried out these attacks."

"However, the important question remains: who or which 'foreign entities' directed those accused of carrying out the shootings? Last week, Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw again raised concerns about local youth and criminals being hired to commit acts of violence on Canadian soil."

"This announcement comes within the broader context of Canada’s Integrated Threat Assessment Centre warning of a ‘realistic possibility’ that Iran’s Islamic regime is directing local criminal elements to target Canadians. As well, the federal government’s Secretary of State for Combatting Crime has acknowledged that a ‘foreign entity’ is behind attacks against synagogues in Toronto."

"Recent charges brought by US prosecutors add further urgency to these concerns, with prosecutors alleging that an Iranian-proxy Kataib Hezbollah directed attacks in Canada through local criminal networks, including the shooting at the U.S. Consulate in Toronto," said CIJA.

"With the alleged perpetrators now in custody, investigators must continue working to identify and hold accountable anyone or any foreign actor who may have recruited, directed, or financed these attacks. And governments at all levels must ensure security services and police have the tools they need to confront the dangerous trend of a growing convergence between international terrorism, Iran's Islamic regime, youth radicalization, and local criminal elements," the organization concluded.

Toronto and the area have seen a sharp uptick in antisemitic violence since the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023.

In early March, gunfire struck Temple Emanu-El in North York, as members of the congregation were marking the holiday of Purim. There were no injuries but the building was damaged.

In late April, a male suspect attempted to force his way into an Orthodox synagogue in Thornhill, just north of Toronto, and assaulted a victim before fleeing the scene.

A day later, a rock was hurled at the window of a Judaica shop in Toronto, marking the third time this particular store has been attacked.

More recently, two locations of a Jewish-owned bakery in Toronto came under attack within an hour of one another.

Anti-Mamdanii rally, NYPhyllis Chesler

People are ultimately judged by what they do and don’t do, and young Jewish adults are missing in action in the fight against antisemitism. Surprisingly, the demographic showing up, standing up, and doing the work online and offline are people middle-aged and older. Young people, by and large, are not.

It seems every conversation about activism defaults to reaching “the youth," while nobody focuses on the older demographic. That needs to change because the older demographic is by far more civically engaged than the younger generation. Donald Rumsfeld famously said, "You go to war with the army you have."

It would seem wise to engage with the people who are in the fight. We can spend our energy theorizing about why younger Jews and allies aren’t showing up or we can recognize reality and build our strategy around the community that has actually shown up: the 55-and-up cohort who have proven, event after event, that they are willing to give their time, their voices, and their commitment to this cause.

This past Sunday a rally was held in front of the New York Public Library. The rally was attended by 150 people of whom 95 % were middle-aged and older.

Whatever the reasons -- time constraints, competing priorities, an underdeveloped sense of urgency about the moment we’re living through, or simple unwillingness to adjust a comfortable lifestyle for the sake of something larger -- the result is the same. Ultimately, however, those in their 20s and 30s must bear the primary responsibility for their own inaction.

Recently 55+ Digital Activism Training Seminars were created in order to give this age group the tools to fight back. The goal is to create thousands of these types of seminars across the country. While part of this older demographic is active online, they are often navigating it as spectators rather than as the formidable organizers they are in the physical world. This is where the real opportunity for development lies.

A recent participant named Miriam captured the sentiment perfectly: "I always knew I had to be involved in social media, but I never understood the path forward. I understood going to a rally, but online activism is just as important, and now I have a way to act continuously long after the rally is over."

Miriam speaks for the thousands of motivated people who possess passion, commitment, and presence; they simply need the digital framework to turn that passion into power. By investing in their digital evolution, we aren't just helping them 'keep up'-we are unlocking a force that has been waiting for the right path to amplify their impact.

In the end, activism is defined by grit, not a birth year. There is a powerful lesson that the older generation is imparting to everyone else, if those who came before us can master new tools to defend their values, then the younger generation has no excuse to remain disengaged.

The battle lines are now starkly drawn. We are witnessing a defining struggle between the activism of the DSA-educated left and the resilient, seasoned ranks of Gen X and the Baby Boomers. This is the fight of our time, and there is no room left on the sidelines.

If you are intersted in bringing the 55+ Digital Activism Training Seminar to your community please contact [email protected]

Daniel M Rosen is the President and Co-founder of IMPACT a 501c3 dedicated to organizing, empowering and mobilizing individuals to combat Jew hatred on social media and beyond. Their activities have been reported upon on NBC, CBS, FOX, WPIX, AOL.Com, AM NY , Times of Israel, Arutz sheva , JNS, and other outlets. follow us at @joinimpactnow, and to bring the 55+ Digital Activism Training Seminar to your community please contact [email protected]

US President Donald Trump was asked by a reporter on Monday about his previous comments warning that the current negotiations with Iran represented its final chance before "decapitation," and was pressed on what comes next.

“You’ll find out," Trump replied. Asked whether a massive escalation remains on the table, Trump added, “Well, we certainly have that ability if we want to do that. You’ll find out."

The President also reiterated his opposition to Iran’s demands for reparations - a topic he had addressed earlier in a post on Truth Social - stating, “They ask for reparations, you might say, or they ask for money for the damage that we've done. And I said, that's a good idea. Well, we're going to ask for money for the damage they've done over a 50-year period, whether you go USS Cole or whether you go [to] all of the people that were so badly hurt, so badly wounded or killed - many thousands of people. And maybe damages for the 52,000 protesters over the last four months that were killed in Iran. It was at least 52,000 a month and a half ago. So now what is it? If there are damages to be paid, I think Iran should pay those damages."

Asked when the Strait of Hormuz would be opened, Trump replied, “It’s open now. The only one that has control of the Strait of Hormuz right now is the United States Navy. We have a blockade that's been infallible. It's a steel wall. And we let people in that we want to let in, and those people come in, and they've been coming in and going out. So it's actually open now. We do not let them go into Iran. They're not admitted into the Strait to go to Iran."

He continued, “[Iran] can make trouble, but they are broke. They have no money. Iran is totally broke. They are not paying their soldiers. Their inflation is 309%. So we’ll see what happens."

“For 50 years, they’ve been the bully of the Middle East. They’ve killed hundreds of thousands of people. Now they are paying a price," Trump concluded.

Akkale Bridge is located in Gorgan, IraniStock

The purpose of the Supreme National Security Council is to secure the national interests and safeguard the mullahs’ regime and Khomeini’s upheaval, which, in the wintry, springless season of 1979, brought the Islamic caliphate-or Shiite clerical dictatorship-to power under the name of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Council makes decisions on the regime’s foreign policy and its defense and security affairs. Its members are senior political, military, and intelligence officials of the regime.

The Council is chaired by Masoud Pezeshkian-the demagogic and rabble-rousing representative of the so-called reformist mafia-who still prides himself on serving the regime’s Supreme Leader. The Supreme National Security Council is one of the tools in the Supreme Leader’s hands.

At this ominous center, political, intelligence, social, cultural, and economic activities are coordinated in connection with the regime’s general defense-security measures. It mobilizes all the country’s material and moral resources to confront the regime’s internal and external threats.

The Supreme National Security Council emerged from the Supreme Defense Council during the Iran-Iraq War.

After the death of Ruhollah Khomeini and the selection of Seyyed Ali Khamenei as Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hassan Rouhani was initially chosen to lead the Council and, for fifteen years, oversaw all the regime’s crimes and terrorist operations. For a long period, his associates included Seyyed Ahmad Khomeini and Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. After Rouhani, one of the most dangerous Revolutionary Guards officers, Ali Larijani, assumed the position. Two years later, however, he was replaced by another Guards officer, Saeed Jalili, who remained for five years.

Then Ali Shamkhani, the mysterious face of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, led the Council for nearly a decade. For approximately two years, an obscure Guards officer named Ahmadian held the post, but after the twelve-day war between Israel and the United States against the Islamic Republic, he was removed. Ali Larijani returned to the job, but after being killed in the four-day war, another Guards officer, Zolghadr-engineered by the IRGC-took the seat. He lasted no more than four months.

This is a sign of internal divisions and the power struggle within Iran’s current junta government. Since August 6, the seat has once again gone to another Guards officer.

What Mohsen Rezaei shares with predecessor Zolghadr is membership in the terrorist group Mansouroun, whose members carried out terrorist operations before 1979.

Notably, the members of the Supreme National Security Council include the president, the speaker of parliament, the head of the judiciary, the interior minister, the foreign minister, the intelligence minister, the chief of staff of the armed forces, the commander-in-chief of the regular army, the commander-in-chief of the IRGC, and the head of state broadcasting.

The Intelligence Coordination Council is also a body composed of the heads of the Islamic Republic’s intelligence community. It provides the necessary consultations to coordinate the country’s intelligence organizations and coordinates overlapping matters with the Supreme National Security Council.

The National Security Council-known as SHAK-is a subordinate body of the Supreme National Security Council. Within the limits of the law and the SNSC’s resolutions, it is responsible for maintaining domestic security, coordinating provincial security councils, and coordinating law-enforcement and security forces in ensuring domestic and provincial security.

Naturally, the regime’s Supreme Leader also has two representatives on the Council, one of whom usually serves simultaneously as the Council’s secretary.

Most of the IRGC figures within this institution have designed and supervised all the regime’s terrorist-group operations abroad. Yet today’s face of the Council is a mysterious and comical character.

Mohsen Rezaei

Mohsen Rezaei is a figure associated with the fundamentalist camp.

In the early 1970s, he was arrested by SAVAK because of his terrorist activities and spent a period in prison in the city of Ahvaz. He was one of the founders of the Islamist terrorist group Mansouroun. Together with his colleague in that group, Mohammad Boroujerdi, he was a member of the protection team for Seyyed Ruhollah Khomeini after Khomeini entered the country.

Following the 1979 upheaval, most Islamist and Marxist terrorist groups loyal to Khomeini and the regime gathered under the banner of the Organization of the Mojahedin of the Islamic Revolution, a coalition consisting of seven armed Islamist terrorist groups.

Rezaei was the first commander of the IRGC Intelligence Unit and later, in 1980, was appointed by Khomeini to command the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He served in that position for sixteen years. In 2019, the U.S. Treasury Department placed Rezaei on its sanctions list for advancing the regime’s destabilizing objectives in the region and around the world. An Interpol arrest warrant was issued for him in November 2007 on accusations of involvement in the AMIA bombing.

He played a key role in suppressing protests in Kurdistan and Sistan and Baluchestan, in neutralizing the Nojeh coup, and in massacring the nation’s heroes. His military command style in the IRGC led to the slaughter of young soldiers in unsuccessful operations. He faced political challenges while commanding the war and has been described as a war criminal. He dealt harshly and violently with critics within the IRGC, even executing and purging some individuals.

He holds the record for repeatedly running and losing elections: he entered four elections, and no one voted for him. Yet he said, “I will leave only by a bullet or if the people no longer want me." In pursuit of self-promotion, he sometimes appears at meetings in military uniform with his medals displayed. His economic and job-creation schemes, as well as his hostage-taking, have always been mocked by the Iranian people and have even become the subject of jokes.

In addition to the Interpol arrest warrant, Mohsen Rezaei remains wanted by Interpol.

Back in the 1990s, Rezaei wanted to come to the United States and give a lecture at a Washington think tank on warfare, but the plan was blocked because of the AMIA bombing issue. He also wanted to meet with the CIA and former SAVAK officials in Pakistan, yet he refused to enter the U.S. Embassy there.

For a period, there was speculation that he might have the potential to become an intelligence asset, but nothing ever came of it. His son eventually came to the United States, became involved with figures in the Constitutionalist Party around Prince Reza Pahlavi, met the Prince, and was later killed in Dubai by his own employees.

In 1993, he and Iraj Masjedi transported Barzani from Sardasht to Erbil, and he c delusional-and at times almost comical-view of security and intelligence affairs. He has a profoundly disturbed mind and little knowledge, yet he is highly deceptive and destructive.

Like other Guards officers who once served as secretaries of the Supreme National Security Council, he is intensely anti-Israel. He will therefore naturally pursue the Iranian regime’s terrorist plans against Israel and greater coordination with terrorist groups across the Shiite crescent. Although the illusion that Mojtaba Khamenei is still alive continues to be raised, Rezaei is among those who fight for the survival of power and preservation of the regime.

Today, this aging Mansouroun terrorist wants to make decisions about Iran’s security. It is as grotesque as having bin Laden run an educational center or a charity.

IAEA headquartersiStock

Following high-stakes diplomatic coordination orchestrated by the Trump administration alongside Syrian and Israeli leadership, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is slated to extract radioactive substances housed at an undisclosed facility in Syria, Axios reported on Monday, citing Israeli and US authorities.

The quiet diplomatic push neutralized a volatile flashpoint that risked provoking military confrontations among Israel, Syria, and potentially Turkey regarding the sensitive location.

The former regime led by Bashar Al-Assad maintained a covert atomic project centered around the Al-Kibar reactor. An Israeli airstrike obliterated the reactor in 2007, effectively neutralizing Syria’s broader nuclear ambitions. Nevertheless, various inactive research, development, and storage infrastructure survived.

Following the fall of the Assad administration, the IAEA concluded a formal arrangement with Syria's new leadership allowing inspectors access to Al-Kibar and auxiliary locations tied to historical atomic activity.

Over the past two years, Israeli intelligence maintained close surveillance on a specific facility designated as "Site 99." Two Israeli sources told Axios that the former regime utilized the location to store radioactive stockpiles linked to the Al-Kibar project. A US official confirmed the inventory included yellowcake - a refined uranium ore powder capable of being processed and eventually enriched within a fuel cycle - alongside other residual materials from Al-Kibar.

Although the stockpiled material is unsuitable for weaponization directly into a nuclear warhead, experts warned it could be weaponized to assemble a "dirty bomb" - a conventional explosive designed to scatter radioactive fallout over a target area. Shortly after Assad's collapse, Israel Defense Forces targeted and bombed the entrance points of "Site 99" to deny access to the facility.

American and Israeli national security teams have spent over a year strategizing on how to manage "Site 99," according to a US official who spoke to Axios. Top officials from the White House National Security Council collaborated closely with counterparts inside the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.

An Israeli official noted that Jerusalem communicated firmly to Washington that it would not tolerate nuclear material remaining inside Syrian borders. Israeli representatives even warned they were prepared to launch additional airstrikes on the compound if the materials were not cleared or if Syrian personnel attempted to access the area. However, a US official noted that while Israeli concern was high, an immediate strike was never imminent.

Ultimately, American and Israeli strategists determined that securing direct cooperation from Damascus was the most effective pathway to remove the materials. When US diplomats raised the matter with Syrian officials, the new government responded that it was previously unaware of nuclear stockpiles at the site.

"Very few people in the US, Israel and Syria were aware of this," a US official told Axios, adding that Washington has cultivated an effective relationship with post-Assad authorities. "When we work with the Syrians on things - they are good partners."

Tensions flared several weeks ago when Israeli surveillance registered activity near "Site 99," prompting concerns in Jerusalem that Damascus was breaching commitments and attempting to retrieve the materials. Israeli officials even harbored suspicions that Ankara might be assisting Syria's efforts to secure the inventory.

"The Israelis are always kicking the tires on different things to make sure it looks right and it's good they do that," a US official remarked.

The Trump administration advised Israel against taking military action while facilitating direct IAEA intervention. This diplomatic push culminated three weeks ago in a signed accord between the IAEA and the Syrian government to safely remove the stockpiles.

Representatives from the White House, the IAEA, and the Prime Minister's Office declined to offer public comments.

Rabbi Dov LandoSpokesperson

Lithuanian (non-hassidic) haredi leader Rabbi Dov Landau sharply criticized the government's policy regarding the enlistment of yeshiva students and the status of the Torah world.

Rabbi Landau spoke at a special gathering marking the expansion of haredi education and the community in Rechasim in northern Israel. Hundreds of residents and rabbis attended the event, held in a large tent erected especially for the occasion.

"We are now standing at the threshold of the Days of Mercy and Forgiveness," Rabbi Landau said, referring to the difficult circumstances facing the Haredi public.

"All of us, all those devoted to Torah, feel the persecution of Torah and the schemes of the wicked among Israel to undermine the honor of the Torah and those who study it," he said. "We are all experiencing the hardships that continue to multiply as new decrees are imposed. We see the humiliation of Torah and the persecution of its students, and we are powerless."

Rabbi Landau also addressed the rapid growth of Rechasim, which is currently undergoing a major expansion, with hundreds of new housing units and institutions being built for yeshiva families.

However, he stressed that the spiritual and public challenges confronting the haredi community are greater than ever.

According to Rabbi Landau, the response to the crisis and what he described as the persecution of the Torah world cannot rely solely on conventional efforts. Above all, he said, it requires unwavering dedication to Torah study and prayer.

"Your role, your privilege, and your obligation is to increase more and more in Torah study, in its depth and in the effort you invest in it," he told the students and yeshiva scholars attending the event.

"Be strengthened and courageous in immersing yourselves completely in Torah study. Raise the banner of Torah, elevate the honor of Torah against those plotting to cast it into the dust, and grow ever stronger in the struggle for Torah, because the Torah is truth and the Torah is eternal," he said.

military meals (illustration)Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90

About 30 female commanders and recruits undergoing training at the Sde Boker Gadna base have been suffering in recent days from vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal cramps.

According to a report by Israel Hayom, the scale of the illness prompted officials to halt training today (Monday), and the soldiers and commanders underwent medical examinations at the base.

According to a source familiar with the details, completing the medical examinations was made a condition for resuming training. At the same time, a minibus carrying soldiers suffering from similar symptoms left the base for a local clinic to receive treatment.

The Sde Boker base generally serves candidates for military service who arrive for a week of Gadna activities and an introduction to military service. At present, the base is also hosting some of the training courses that are ordinarily conducted at the Israeli Air Force’s Ovda base, due to constraints at the southern base in recent months.

One Air Force recruit who has been staying at the base in recent weeks claimed that conditions in the kitchens are poor.

“The kitchens here are filthy and full of insects and cockroaches, and it was only a matter of time before this happened," she said.

The IDF stated: “Over the past several days, a number of soldiers at the Sde Boker base sought medical treatment after feeling unwell. All soldiers who reported symptoms received initial medical treatment at the base."

The IDF added: “Regarding the claims that the recruits were not allowed into the dining hall, those claims are inaccurate. All soldiers are receiving food in accordance with their medical condition. We emphasize that the soldiers who complained are receiving care tailored to their needs. An epidemiological investigation is currently underway to examine the incident."

Donald Trump, Oren DobronskyWhite House Photo by Daniel Torok, Likud

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday that he will grant the first reserved slot on his Likud party's list to Israeli entrepreneur Oren Dobronsky.

Dobronsky, whom the Likud described as "a successful businessman, one of the founders of Israel's high-tech sector, and a right-winger," will be installed as number 11 on the party's list in the upcoming elections.

However, controversy did not take long to catch up with the new candidate. Minutes after Netanyahu's announcement, past social media posts by Dobronsky with harsh criticism against US President Donald Trump and his actions during the war with Iran began to surface.

In one post, published in June, Dobronsky cited a CNN report according to which Iran will be able to block the Strait of Hormuz whenever it wants, and wrote: "Great job, Trump and your imbecile team. You have managed to worsen the status quo as of before the war." He went on to refer to war as "a colossal failure. Bigger than Biden’s Afghanistan debacle by an order of magnitude."

In another post from the same day, Dobronsky criticized Trump for not including Israel in the negotiations with Iran, and went as far as to call the US President a "morally corrupt piece of *‎*‎*‎*‎."

After the remarks surfaced, Dobronsky rushed to issue a public apology to Trump. He opened his statement by praising the President and stressed that over the years he had published many words of support for him.

"President Trump is the greatest friend Israel ever had in the White House. I have published things in his favor many times," Dobronsky wrote.

He went on to directly address the remarks that set off the controversy, explaining that "in one case, without knowing all the facts, I lost my temper and published something that I regret." He concluded his statement with a direct apology: "I apologize to President Trump, whom I very much admire."

NetanyahuOlivier Fitoussi/Flash90

A new Channel 14 News poll published Monday evening gives the right-wing bloc a majority of 62 Knesset seats. Likud, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, gains two seats compared with the previous poll and leads with 33 seats.

Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party places second with 23 seats. Shas and the Democrats each receive 10 seats, while Yisrael Beytenu wins eight.

The Beyachad party and United Torah Judaism each receive seven seats, while Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism each win six. Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am each receive five seats.

In terms of blocs, the right-wing bloc stands at 62 seats, the center-left bloc at 48, and the Arab parties at 10.

Below the electoral threshold are Balad with 2.3%, Zehut with 1.3%, the Reservists’ Zionist Home party with 1.2%, Gilad Erdan’s party with 0.9%, Ofer Winter with 0.6%, and Blue and White with 0.4%.

When respondents were asked who is best suited to serve as prime minister, Netanyahu led with 54% support. Eisenkot received 34%, Naftali Bennett 6%, Avigdor Liberman 5%, and Benny Gantz 1%.

Satmar RebbePhoto by David Cohen/Flash90

In an unusual move that set off waves across Jewish communities in the United States, the Williamsburg Satmar Grand Rebbe, Rabbi Zalman Leib Teitelbaum, strongly condemned haredi elements who are leading a campaign against New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and rejected attempts to classify him as an antisemite.

Rabbi Teitelbaum warned that such rhetoric conflicts with what he called Torah principles governing Jewish life in exile and could provoke hostility toward Jews.

The remarks came during the Grand Rebbe’s annual address commemorating the death of Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, the founding Satmar Grand Rebbe, in one of the community’s largest yearly gatherings.

“Recently, we have witnessed a terrible provocation against the nations by religious Jews through the incitement against the Mayor of New York City," Rabbi Teitelbaum said.

Citing the Prophet Jeremiah’s instruction to the Jewish people to seek the welfare of the city where they live and pray for it, the Grand Rebbe stressed the obligation of observant Jews to follow the Torah’s guidance while living in exile.

“We must remember that we are in exile," he said. “The Prophet Jeremiah instructed the Jewish people: ‘Seek the peace of the city to which I have exiled you, and pray to Hashem on its behalf.’"

Rabbi Teitelbaum specifically criticized efforts to denounce Mamdani and accuse him of antisemitism.

“To denounce the mayor and brand him an antisemite constitutes a true provocation against the nations," he said, adding that what he described as provocation against the nations in the Land of Israel (ie, the Arabs) was now being brought to the US.

The Grand Rebbe concluded by calling on Jewish families to protect their homes from publications and messages influenced by Zionist ideology.

David ZiniChaim Goldberg/Flash90

The Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) denied Monday evening a report claiming that Shin Bet Director David Zini had removed the agency’s gender equality officer from her position. The Shin Bet clarified that the official had not been removed and that Zini had even spoken with her following the report.

According to a Channel 13 News report, the decision to remove the official was made following her public opposition to a letter sent by Naomi Zini, the Shin Bet director’s wife, to the wives of agency employees ahead of Passover. In the letter, Zini referred to “the strength of women who know how to adhere to what is good and to what will bring additional blessing."

The letter further stated that these strengths and abilities “put our homes and our people back on their feet in their revival after 2,000 years of exile, toward a great destiny whose realization we are only beginning." The gender equality officer criticized both the content of the remarks and the decision to address the letter specifically to the wives of employees.

Following Monday evening’s report, the Shin Bet stated: “In light of the report this evening, we emphasize that the official responsible for gender equality in the service was not removed from her position. Moreover, the Shin Bet director spoke with her this evening following the false report and clarified that no such thing ever happened."

The report, however, quoted Shin Bet officials who claimed that the senior official was due to conclude her tenure as gender equality officer in several months. Those officials alleged that “the primary reason for her removal was her attack on the letter written by Zini’s wife."

It was further reported that the senior official is expected to remain in the Shin Bet in her primary position, which is separate from her role as gender equality officer. These claims contradict the Shin Bet’s official denial, according to which she was not removed from the position at all.

At the time the letter was circulated, the gender equality officer also criticized what she said were its implications for the LGBTQ community within the organization, which she said receives ideological and material support from the Shin Bet.

“Although the organization still has a way to go regarding gender equality, the value of equality is always before our eyes and must not be harmed," she wrote.

The official added at the time that it would have been appropriate to distribute a letter addressed inclusively to all family members of Shin Bet employees. She said it was inappropriate to circulate a letter defining gender roles that she described as outdated.

Donald TrumpOfficial White House Photo by Molly Riley)

President Donald Trump on Monday responded to Iran's latest demands for compensation from the US, saying that he is likewise seeking compensation from Tehran for Americans killed and wounded in conflicts involving Iran.

“I see that Representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran are asking for compensation for the damage done to them during the last five month Military Conflict (started because, THEY WILL NOT HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON), even though it was never mentioned in any of our negotiations or meetings!" Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

Trump said he had instructed his representatives to include his demand for compensation in “any, and all, future negotiations."

The Iranian demands were presented Saturday by Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, as discussions continue over reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

In a statement carried by Iranian state media, Zolghadr said the US must lift its naval embargo on Iranian ports, end economic sanctions and provide war reparations.

He also demanded that American military forces withdraw from the region and that the US cease military actions against Tehran’s regional allies.

“The Supreme National Security Council will never give up, whether in war or in negotiations," Zolghadr said.

The Strait of Hormuz, a strategic maritime passage handling a substantial share of global crude oil shipments, has experienced near-total traffic halts following a series of Iranian strikes in the Persian Gulf. Iran and Oman remain in active dialogue regarding the waterway’s status.

Trump rejected Iran’s demand for compensation and outlined his own claims against Tehran.

“I am likewise demanding compensation from Iran, for all of the people that they have killed and gravely wounded with their roadside bombs and many conflicts, for which they are famous, as led initially by General Soleimani," Trump wrote.

He specifically cited the families of those killed in the al-Qaeda suicide terrorist bombing against the USS Cole in 2000, as well as “thousands of others killed in combat."

Trump also called for compensation to be paid to the families of “the hundreds of thousands of innocent protestors that Iran has killed over the last 50 years," as well as the 52,000 people he said had been killed in the last five months.

“I have instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any, and all, future negotiations," Trump wrote.

In a later post, the President wrote: "Also, with respect to the Iran negotiations, Iran should be responsible for the damages and death caused to the people of Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Gaza!"

Kolombiya Sallandı! 7,4 Büyüklüğünde Deprem 🤲#deprem #colombia

At least 111 people were killed in the powerful earthquake that struck Colombia today (Monday), according to the latest information from the country. The earthquake, measuring 7.4 on the Richter scale, was also felt in the capital, Bogotá.

Reports of injuries and significant damage to buildings have been received from western Colombia, and authorities continue to receive reports from the affected areas. According to the Colombian Geological Service, the epicenter was located in the department of Chocó, on the Pacific coast in western Colombia.

The earthquake was felt over a wide area, with residents reporting that they felt the tremor even in areas near the Venezuelan border in eastern Colombia. Reports of casualties and damage were also received from the city of Pereira in the department of Risaralda. Despite the strength of the earthquake, no tsunami warning was issued.

Following the earthquake, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar offered Israeli assistance to Colombia. Sa’ar visited the country just days ago and met with President-elect Abelardo de la Espriella ahead of his official inauguration.

“I am following with concern the reports of the earthquake that struck Colombia," Sa’ar wrote. He said he had offered his Colombian counterpart, Omar Bula Escobar, assistance from Israel in accordance with the country’s needs.

“Israel is prepared to assist Colombia in any way necessary," Sa’ar added. “My thoughts and prayers are with the Colombian people at this difficult time."

The earthquake in Colombia comes about a month and a half after neighboring Venezuela was struck by two powerful earthquakes less than a minute apart. The earthquakes, measuring 7.5 and 7.2, occurred 40 seconds apart and caused extensive damage.

In Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, buildings collapsed and residents were forced to evacuate their homes due to the damage, while the city’s airport was closed. In response to the situation, interim President Delcy Rodríguez declared a state of emergency.

IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir (R) presents Admiral Brad Cooper with the shofarIDF Spokesperson

With the Jewish New Year approaching, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir on Monday presented the Commander of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), Admiral Brad Cooper, with a special gift: a shofar (horn), which is traditionally blown on the holiday and in the month leading up to it.

The gift was presented to Cooper as a token of appreciation in recognition of the deep partnership between the militaries during an operational forum led by the Chief of Staff.

The Chief of the General Staff stated that cooperation with the US military is unprecedented and serves as a strategic anchor.

The CENTCOM Commander reviewed the deep and strategic partnership between the IDF and the US military, which has proven itself time and time again throughout operations.

In his remarks, he emphasized that the partnership between the militaries is historic and founded on trust, commitment, and strong, close cooperation, and that it is a significant component in strengthening security and stability in the region.

Chief of Staff and CENTCOM chiefIDF Spokesperson

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir convened a senior operational forum on Monday, declaring that the military remains prepared for a rapid return to high-intensity combat even as diplomatic negotiations move forward on Israel’s main fronts.

The forum was attended by the IDF’s senior command and operational commanders at the rank of lieutenant colonel and above and included a multi-front operational and intelligence assessment.

Commanders reviewed developments in the fighting, presented case studies and discussed lessons learned from IDF operations across the various arenas, as well as plans for continued operations.

“We are in a significant period and at a strategic crossroads," Zamir told the commanders. “The IDF is a fighting military, and we are engaged in a major, prolonged, multi-front operation."

“Our mission is to shape the reality rather than be driven by it, through tactical and operational initiative."

Zamir noted that diplomatic negotiations are currently underway concerning all of Israel’s principal fronts, and said those talks were made possible by the IDF’s military achievements.

“Diplomatic negotiations are currently underway across all of the main arenas - all of these are the result of the IDF’s historic achievements," he said. “We must ensure that we fully capitalize on and maximize the achievements of the operations."

“We are well prepared in defense, while maintaining immediate readiness and preparedness to return to high-intensity combat."

The Chief of Staff said the military is carrying out a systematic and structured operational plan intended to achieve victory.

“Since the October 7th massacre, the IDF has proven itself to be a victorious military with a spirit of strength - an operational and proactive military," Zamir said.

He credited commanders and troops throughout the military for changing Israel’s security reality.

“The achievements we have made across all arenas are first and foremost your achievements - the commanders and troops on land, at sea, and in the air, and the personnel in intelligence, communications, logistics, and administration," he said.

“Together, you led the IDF to significant achievements and changed the security reality."

Addressing the IDF’s current posture, Zamir described the military as being in an “interim period," while stressing that forces must remain vigilant against threats on every front.

“The IDF, across all of its units, is in an interim period. We remain vigilant and prepared for all challenges," he said. “We will keep our ranks united and cohesive in the face of all the threats before us."

“This is a critical period for the security of the State of Israel, and we will act responsibly accordingly."

Zamir acknowledged the need to provide troops with opportunities to recuperate following prolonged combat, but warned that this could not come at the expense of operational readiness.

“Alongside the desire to allow the troops time to recuperate, we must not lose our vigilance," he said.

“We are required to maintain a high level of readiness, be prepared for a rapid return to high-intensity combat, respond quickly to any development, and continue to defend our civilians."

“Our challenge now is not only to preserve our achievements, but to continue shaping the reality, build our capabilities, and ensure that the IDF is prepared for every scenario."

During the forum, Zamir hosted US Central Command Commander Admiral Brad Cooper, who addressed the senior IDF commanders and reviewed the strategic partnership between the Israeli and American militaries.

Cooper said the relationship between the two militaries had repeatedly demonstrated its importance during operations and described the partnership as historic and founded on trust, commitment and close cooperation.

According to the IDF, the CENTCOM commander stressed that the military relationship constitutes a significant element in strengthening security and stability throughout the region.

Zamir thanked Cooper for the close cooperation between the two militaries and presented him with a token of appreciation recognizing the partnership.

The Chief of Staff described cooperation with the US military as “unprecedented" and said it serves as a “strategic anchor" for Israel.

בנט מברך את מתגייסי גולניצילום: ערוץ 7

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett arrived at the IDF induction center today (Monday), where he met new recruits to the Golani Brigade and the Egoz Unit and wished them well before they boarded the buses.

Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Bennett addressed the emotions surrounding the younger generation’s enlistment in the IDF and noted that his own son is also enlisting.

“It is very moving that the younger generation is enlisting today in Golani and Egoz. I’m here every day as the younger generation enlists - including my son," Bennett said.

Bennett praised the young recruits and emphasized the responsibility Israel bears toward them.

“We have an incredible generation here, and we will fix Israel for this generation. These are literally our children."

Bennett then called for political disagreements to be set aside at the induction center.

“There is no politics, there is no right, there is no left. We are all together, enlisting in the IDF."

בנט בירך את מתגייסי גולני רגע לפני שעלו על האוטובוסים

ColombiaiStock

Colombia has officially recognized Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, becoming the second nation to do so after the United States.

In an announcement published on Monday, the Colombian Government cited the territory's strategic importance to Israel's security amid persistent regional instability in the Middle East.

The statement said Israel has faced persistent and existential security challenges along its borders for decades, with these threats intensifying significantly in recent years and culminating in the October 7 terrorist attacks.

"Within this regional security context," Colombia said that maintaining Israeli control and sovereignty over the Golan Heights constitutes an essential component of Israel's national defense and its ability to protect and safeguard its citizens.

Colombia said the decision reaffirms its commitment to seeking stable and lasting peace in the Middle East.

Colombia is the second nation to recognize Israel's sovereignty over the Golan Heights, after US President Donald Trump did so in 2019.

The decision comes shortly after a major change in Colombia's government following the country's presidential election. New President Abelardo de la Espriella, who took office on August 7, has pledged to restore and strengthen relations with Israel, reversing the policies of former President Gustavo Petro, whose government broke diplomatic relations with Israel in 2024. De la Espriella had pledged during his campaign to restore Colombia's "historic alliance" with Israel, marking a sharp shift in the country's policy toward the Jewish state.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar commended the decision, calling it "historic," and thanking President De La Espriella and Minister of Foreign Affairs Omar Bula Escobar.

Sa'ar noted that the decision follows his meeting with the President in Barranquilla, Colombia, last Thursday.

"With this, the President of Colombia has demonstrated, in one of his first decisions in office, his leadership, his values, and his commitment to Israel and Israel's security," Sa'ar stated.

"Israel is a small country without strategic depth. Having defensible borders is essential for Israel in order to guarantee the existence of the Jewish people in its historic homeland," he added.

The Israeli Foreign Minister pledged to "continue to act so that more countries join the United States (under President Trump) and Colombia (under President De La Espriella) in recognizing Israel's sovereignty over the Golan, to which Israeli law was applied 45 years ago."

Rabbi Eliezer MelamedRevivim

The prohibition against breaking the law to harm the enemy

In the context of the prolonged struggle against the Arab enemy, young people sometimes wish to break the law, and harm Arabs or their property, in order to deter them from harming Jews or to drive them out. However, in practice, their actions are forbidden.

First, “Dina d’Malchuta Dina" (The law of the land, is the law), meaning, the laws and regulations of the kingdom or state bind all its citizens. For if this were not so, every man would do what is right in his own eyes, disputes over property, beliefs, and opinions would multiply, leading to violence and murder, until society as a whole would be corrupted. Therefore, one who breaks the laws of the state harms the entire public. And the exact same principle applies to the laws and regulations of the Knesset, and the Government in the State of Israel.

Second, even without fearing the total collapse of society, there is an obligation to uphold the laws because the leadership and its decisions possess the authority of “Tovei Ha’ir" (the town’s leading citizens), meaning that whatever they decide is binding upon the entire public. Since everyone is a partner in public matters, if each person acts as they see fit, they will harm the public. Therefore, the entire public has taken upon itself to act according to the decisions of its elected leaders.

Third, all the more so when it comes to war, where any individual who acts of their own accord contrary to the position of the government and the military command, harms the collective, and its ability to win the war. Because the ability to win a war is a complex matter depending on many factors, such as national consensus, international support, and knowing the enemy and their capabilities. All the more so when dealing with a multi-front war that spans generations, whose victory depends on expanding and deepening settlement, on the support of the general public, on relations with the powerful nations that support us, and on global public opinion.

Therefore, the entire public grants its leaders the authority to weigh the totality of considerations and manage the war. And when individuals act of their own accord, they endanger the public, whether by undermining national consensus or international support, or by inciting the enemy at a time when the army is not interested in doing so.

These actions are also liable to create significant tension between IDF soldiers and the settlers in Judea and Samaria, which in itself, constitutes a severe blow to the settlement of the Land, and the maintenance of security.

In sum, victory over the enemy depends on the cohesion of military activity, under a single leadership in the name of all Israel. And one who damages this, damages the war effort upon which the lives of Israel depend.

Is it permissible to participate in a tour where part of it breaks the law?

Q: I participated in a trip to one of the locations in Samaria, and during the tour, we passed by Arab homes, and there were a few individuals who wanted to steal various items that were lying in the yards. They claimed they were doing this because the Arabs steal from us doubly, and if they were passing by us, they would steal much more. Besides that, according to their claim, since the vast majority of Arabs generally support the murder of Jews, they are enemies, and they should be harmed so they will flee the land. Is there justice in their words? And is it permissible to participate in a tour where such things might take place?

A: Stealing is strictly forbidden, and this prohibition was stated in the Ten Commandments, and it is one of the Seven Noahide Laws. Regarding the severe nature of the prohibition, our Sages said: “Come and see how great is the power of robbery, for the generation of the Flood transgressed everything, yet their decree of judgment was not sealed until they stretched out their hands in robbery" (Sanhedrin 108a).

In addition to this, as I explained in the previous paragraph, it is forbidden for any person to break the law, and take the law into their own hands. When doing so in the context of war, the severity of the actions is greater, because it damages the cohesion of the military activity upon which the lives of Israel depend.

A participant in a trip containing young people who steal from Arabs must protest against them, and if they do not listen, it is forbidden to participate in such a trip, because the participant becomes an accomplice to a crime.

Is it obligatory to separate “Ma’aser Kesafim" (monetary tithe)?

Initially, more than 90 percent of the national produce was from agriculture and livestock, and consequently, the Terumot and Ma’aserot to the kohanim and Levites could sustain Israel’s Torah and educators. Likewise, gifts to the poor such as Pe’ah (corners of the field), Leket (gleanings), and Shich’cha (forgotten sheaves) from the field’s harvest, along with Ma’aser Ani (tithe for the poor) in certain years, significantly assisted in supporting the poor.

However, over time, the livelihood of many in Israel expanded to industry and commerce, and thus, as a substitute for Terumot, Ma’aserot, and gifts to the poor, our Sages instructed to separate a tithe from the profits of all livelihoods, in order to support Torah teachers, and to assist in providing for the poor (Turei Zahav, Yoreh De’ah 331:32). Akin to what Jacob our Patriarch said: “And of all that You give me, I will surely set aside a tenth to You" (Genesis 28:22). They based their words on what is stated: “You shall surely tithe" (Deuteronomy 14:22) - tithe from the field’s yield, and tithe from all other profits. As they said regarding merchants: “‘You shall surely tithe’… a hint to seafarers to separate one-tenth for those who toil in Torah" (Pesikta D’Rav Kahana 10:10; Tanchuma, Re’eh 18).

And there are those who say that the obligation of Ma’aser Kesafim is from the Torah, as a direct continuation of Terumot and Ma’aserot, as cited in Tosafot: “‘You shall surely tithe all the yield of your seed that comes forth from the field year by year’; I would only know that the yield of your seed is subject to tithing, from where do we derive [that it applies to] interest, commerce, and all other profits? The verse states ‘all’ (et kol) … to include interest, commerce, and anything from which one profits" (Ta’anit 9a, in the name of the Sifrei).

Why do some donate a fifth (Homesh)?

One who separates a tenth fulfills the mitzvah in an average manner, and one who wishes to fulfill the mitzvah in an optimal manner should separate a fifth of his profits (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De’ah 249:1). This is because the ordinance of Ma’aser Kesafim was intended to replace the obligation of Terumot, Ma’aserot, the gifts given to the Priests from animals, and the other gifts given to the poor. And when calculating them all together, they amount to a sum between a tenth and a fifth.

A question on the Vilna Gaon’s (Gr"a) opinion regarding science studies

Q: In the previous column, extraordinary statements were cited in the name of the Vilna Gaon (the Gr"a) praising science studies even for rabbis, up to the sharp expression, “To the extent that a person lacks knowledge of the other sciences, correspondingly he will lack a hundredfold in the wisdom of the Torah; for Torah and wisdom are bound together." These words seemed puzzling to me, as we see important rabbis who oppose studying science. Is there certainty that this was indeed the Gra’s position?

A: There is no room to doubt that this is the Gr"a’s opinion, for his student, Rabbi Baruch of Shklov, wrote in the name of the Gr"a in his introduction to the Hebrew translation of Euclid’s Elements, printed in the year 5540 (1780): “In the month of Tevet 5538 (1778), I heard from the holy mouth, that to the extent that a person lacks knowledge of the other sciences, correspondingly he will lack a hundredfold in the wisdom of the Torah; for Torah and wisdom are bound together. And he commanded me to translate whatever is possible of the sciences into our Holy Tongue, so that many will roam, and knowledge will increase among our people Israel." In doing so, he explains his motivation for translating Euclid from Greek and printing it.

His book was published when the Gr"a was about 60 years old, eighteen years before his passing (5558 / 1797), and it is impossible that they would publish something in the name of the Gr"a that he did not say, without the Gr"a or one of his students denying it.

In addition, the Gr"a’s words were quoted by many, including Rabbi Eliyahu Landau, a descendant of the Gr"a, in the introduction to his book ‘Minchat Eliyahu’; Maran Harav Kook in ‘Ikvei HaTzon’, the article ‘Derishat Hashem’, and in the approbations of the Ra’ayah (Rav Kook) 219; Kol Hator 5:2:12; and Rabbi Menachem Mendel Kasher in his book ‘HaTekufah HaGedolah’ Part 2, p. 635.

Elaboration on the words of Maran Harav Kook

Rabbi Kook, who, to a large extent, followed the path of the Gr"a, naturally agreed with his words. As an explanation for the value of studying science, one can bring what he wrote: “When Divine knowledge is small, then the conception one has of Divinity is also small… By means of knowledge of the world and life, by means of a richness of feeling in all of existence, for which one truly needs to engage in all the sciences in the world, in all the doctrines of life, in all the ways of different cultures, and the moral and religious contents of every nation and tongue… and then, according to his spiritual greatness, the Divine light will shine upon him" (Shmoneh Kvatzim 2:126).

Is there “Bitul Torah" (neglect of Torah) in studying science and literature?

Q: How can one encourage Torah students to study sciences? Don’t they neglect their Torah studies while learning sciences, and the sin of neglecting Torah is extremely severe?

A: Engaging in worldly wisdom is not considered Bitul Torah, because the wisdom of the Creator is revealed in creation and all its components, including humanity in all its diversity, for human talent is also a Divine creation. As the Maharal explained (Netiv HaTorah 14), there is no Bitul Torah in studying the sciences, for we learned from Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai, who never neglected Torah in his life, and yet studied all the sciences. As our Sages said about him: “He never spoke idle chatter in his life, nor walked four cubits without Torah and tefillin, no man preceded him to the study hall, nor did he sleep in the study hall neither a regular sleep nor a brief nap… he never left a person in the study hall and departed, and no one ever found him sitting in silence, but only sitting and studying" (Sukkah 28a).

And regarding him they said he learned everything: “He did not leave unstudied Scripture, Mishnah, Talmud, Halachot and Aggadot, meticulous details of the Torah and of the Scribes, Kal Vachomer (a fortiori arguments) and Gezeirah Shavah (analogies), astronomy and gematria, conversations of ministering angels, conversations of demons, and conversations of palm trees, parables of launderers, parables of foxes, great matters and small matters. A ‘great matter’ refers to Ma’aseh Merkavah (esoteric mysticism); a ‘small matter’ refers to the discussions of Abaye and Rava" (ibid). Thus, even the conversations of palm trees, parables of launderers, and parables of foxes, which encompass literature, are not considered Bitul Torah.

This article appears in the ‘Besheva’ newspaper and was translated from Hebrew

The reason for the cancellation? Eden Ben ZakenPhoto by Hadas Parush/Flash90

The Yalla Ba'Galil festival, which was scheduled for Monday and Tuesday in the Druze town of Beit Jann, was canceled at the last minute due to fears of clashes and violence.

Local Council Chief Adv. Naziah Dabour announced the decision this morning, explaining that it was made out of concern for public safety.

The festival was scheduled to include performances by Jewish and Druze artists, including Eden Ben-Zaken, Loai Ali, and the Revivo Project. According to Dabour, opposition to the event and the fear that the controversy surrounding it would escalate into clashes led him to conclude that it could not be held as planned

"I respect everyone's right to support or oppose, so do I respect the status of the clerics and the feelings of our religious community members. According to Dabour, given the "real fears" of clashes, it was not possible to guarantee that the event would pass without friction.

The Council Chief emphasized that the decision was made out of responsibility for all residents of Beit Jan, religious and non-religious. "My first responsibility is to protect people. I have no right to endanger anyone to prove one position or another," he wrote, and clarified that his goal is to prevent "bloodshed."

Despite cancelling the festival, Dabour clarified that his decision is not a surrender to threats or setting a precedent. He said that the decision "will not constitute a precedent that would enable any factor to force his will," and does not grant the right to violate the Council's decisions or violate the rights of others."

Dabour noted that he plans to work to hold the event in the future, at a date and under circumstances that would allow for the preservation of public peace and the rights of all residents. He defined the cancellation of the event at this time as a "responsible decision."

A source involved in the production told Ynet that the decision was primarily driven by the dispute surrounding the planned performance of Eden Ben Zaken, a Jewish female singer. However, this claim has not been officially confirmed or addressed.

Einav ZangaukerChaim Goldberg/FLASH90

Einav Zangauker, mother of former hostage Matan Zangauker, is accusing Yair Golan of breaking a promise to give her a reserved spot near the top of the Democrats’ Knesset slate.

In a post she published, Zangauker said that the agreement had already been reached in February, but that Golan ultimately decided not to honor it.

“In recent days, I have been flooded with messages of support and also with many questions. We have an incredible people, thanks to whom all the living hostages and the bodies of the deceased hostages were brought home," Zangauker wrote. “These are the people for whom I intend to work in the coming years, to work to fix what is so broken here. Unfortunately, that will not happen from the Knesset, but it will happen in my own way."

She continued, “You deserve answers, and I choose to tell you here what happened. Back in February, when reports began about the expected dissolution of the Knesset, I met, at his request, with Yair Golan. At that meeting, I was offered a reserved spot near the top of the slate, immediately after the incumbent Knesset members."

Zangauker said that after considering the matter, she decided to accept the offer: “After thinking and deliberating over whether this was the right step for me, I gave Yair a positive answer, and the reserved spot was agreed upon between us."

According to her, she was asked from that point onward to keep the matter secret: “From that moment, I was asked to keep it secret, and since then Golan’s people made sure to remain in contact with me. Throughout this entire period, the commitment was reaffirmed on several occasions with Yair himself."

“Each time, it was emphasized to me that a word is a word, that the agreement between us remained in effect, and that after the list of candidates was chosen in the primaries, my reserved spot near the top of the slate would be announced," she added. According to Zangauker, “As part of our agreement, they asked me to maintain a lower media profile during the period leading up to the announcement."

Zangauker claimed that she relied on the agreement and therefore did not explore other political possibilities: “Of course, I upheld my commitment and kept our agreement confidential, lowered my profile and did not explore other options, such as participating in the primaries, nor did I pursue other possibilities. I fulfilled my side of the agreement."

“Unfortunately, and as has been reported, Golan decided otherwise. That is the whole story," she wrote. “This episode is over and already behind me."

Zangauker went on to make clear that she intends to continue her public activities even outside the Knesset.

“I promised, and I will keep my promise: I intend to repay the enormous debt I owe to the people of Israel and do everything I can to make things better here."

“In the weeks remaining until the elections, we must ensure that the government responsible for the failure does not succeed in its scheme to make people forget and erase the massacre, the abandonment, and the total failure for which it bears responsibility on every front!" she wrote. “Together, we will rebuild a country in which the proper order is restored: equality in rights, obligations and opportunities. For all of us."

Zangauker added, “In such a country, genuine unity will be possible. In such a country, it will be possible to create a genuine bridge to mend the terrible divisions that have been created here. Immediately after the elections, we will work toward repair, unity and healing Israeli society."

“Every morning, my children and I choose rehabilitation and healing anew. When I look at them, I see before my eyes the full lives that we got back," she wrote. “Not for one second do I forget the masses in the streets who made that happen. Not for one second do I forget the families who did not get to experience those moments."

Zangauker concluded the post by declaring that she would continue her public activities: “I will continue to make my voice heard, clearly and unequivocally, for the sake of repairing the country. I need all of you with me."

Golan responded: “Einav, you are dear to my heart. I greatly appreciate and cherish you - the courage, determination and strength with which you led a struggle that saved lives. I know my decision disappointed you, and I am deeply sorry for that. It was my decision, and I take full responsibility for it and for the pain it caused you."

He explained: “I decided not to exercise my right to reserve slots on the slate, out of respect for the decision of the 113,000 members of the Democrats and out of confidence in the excellent slate they chose. This was a decision I made regarding the slate as a whole, and other candidates who had been considered for reserved spots received the same message from me: There will be no reserved slots."

Golan concluded: “But I hope our path together has not ended. We still have a major struggle ahead of us over the character and future of this country - to establish a state commission of inquiry, replace the government responsible for the failure, and rehabilitate Israel. I offered you a significant role in the campaign and the opportunity to continue working with us after the elections as well. That offer still stands. I see you as an important partner on this path, and I hope you choose to accept it and that we will still accomplish much together."

Simcha. A dance of joy. 2009 Fin.Michael Rogatchi (C). Private collection.

Dr. Inna Rogatchi is a well-known fine art photographer and artist, and also an internationally known writer, film-maker, scholar, historian and public figure. She is the author of "The Lessons of Survival," the internationally acclaimed film on Simon Wiesenthal, and many essays, some of which, such as her articles on the Polish Holocaust issue, were written for Arutz Sheva.

A Special Shabbat Night

As we were recently returning from a special Shabbat dinner in Jurmala, a well-known resort in Latvia near its capital Riga, I noticed an unusual moon. It was shining in a special way. It was a July full moon, on the third day after Tu b’Av.

My initial thought was that my impression of such a shining full moon was caused by our uplifted mood after a very nice Shabbat night organised by the Chabad Lubavich there.

From 2023 on, the young schluhim couple of Rabbi Mendel and Shoshi Zilbershtrom have been working in Jurmala, recently opening the Chabad house in the very centre of it, and this was the first time we attended the Shabbat dinner organised by them.

Warm, well-attended, with more than sixty people from all over the world, from Israel to Switzerland, including France, Canada, the US and Finland, the evening was very friendly and it generated a special atmosphere of quiet happiness. That feeling was certainly enforced by the presence and participation in the Shabbat dinner of Rabbi Mendel’s parents, distinguished teacher from Kfar Chabad Rabbi Dovid Zilbersthrom and his wife Rabbanit Bella.

Although many guests at that Shabbat in Jurmala were from so many different countries, most of them had their origins in Soviet Latvia or other parts of the former Soviet Union.

Many of them were not particularly religious or observant, and some of them did not know the customs or its details. But all of them celebrated their Jewishness and our tradition in the most gratifying way.

During that Shabbat evening, there were so many grateful smiles, so much understanding and brightened from inside eyes, so much quiet happiness in celebrating the Shabbat together, that these feelings of shared tradition and belonging warmed us all.

It was a very humane and enlightening gift, such a warm and gentle Shabbat, full of goodness and kindness. As in any of Chabad Lubavitch gatherings, including Shabbat celebrations, the leading Rabbis, in this case, both Rabbi Mendel Zilbershtrom and his father Rabbi Dovid Zilbershtrom in their introductions and addressings mentioned the Rebbe.

Simcha. A Dance of Joy.Michael Rogatchi (C). Private collection. 2009.

I felt spontaneously that it was appropriate to share , very briefly, the story of my family and its connection with the Rebbe and the Schneerson family back in Ukraine from the beginning of the XX century onward. None of the many people present at the Shabbat table, apart from my husband Michael knew about it, and it was perceived with great interest, especially on the part of Rabbi Dovid Zilbershtrom, whose family members, such as the Rabbi’s father, had their own relations with the Rebbe’s cousin Zalman Schneerson and encounters with the Rebbe in the 1930s in France. We know that the world is small, but when one encounters this closeness personally, it always ignites a special effect.

Post-Shabbat Miracle

After the Shabbes, I opened my working materials for the volume of the comments for the Torah that I am working on currently.

The very first phrase which appeared on my screen was the following one: “The essence of the soul exists no matter of a Jew’s level of observance, knowledge, or sense of devotion to G-d. [...] And there is no need to wait until achieving perfection in the aforementioned areas before beginning to live in harmony with this essence."

These were the Rebbe’s words from his last public address made in 1991 , in early November, four months before his first stroke in early March 1992.

This was also an absolute direct comment on what we had seen the night before at the Shabbat dinner in Jurmala, when many people celebrated their Jewishness in the warm, quiet and beautiful way, literally from the bottom of their hearts and with the lights in their eyes coming from generations of belonging and devotion, quiet and innermost.

I was - and still am - stunned on the timing of the phrases that appeared in front of me without my effort to search for anything in this particular connection. Not only did the phrases convey the essence of Jewish belonging and an immense understanding of it, but they were also said by the Rebbe, whose schluhim organised the Shabbes dinner in Juramala, said about all schluhim all over the world as they were speaking, mentioning and citing during the dinner, but not the phrases that arrived on my screen by the only trajectory possible in such purely miraculous instances.

Plus - the phrases were from the Rebbe’s last public address. What a grace. And what a message.

Full Moon after Tu b’Av: Uniqueness of Affirmity

And then I remembered that unusual moon that we saw while returning from the Shabbat dinner. It was shining especially powerfully, and I started to make the calculations, in a backward motion. That moon was the July full moon, which is known as a Thunder Moon referring to possible summer thunder storms that routinely occur around the time.

At the same time, it was the full moon after Tu b’Av, which is special in the understanding of Judaism, as it comes from several weighty sources.

There is the phrase in the Talmud, and the similar one in Mishnah that states: “The greatness of Tu b’Av is that it coincides with the full-moon" -without any further explanations .

Why is that? - I was pondering.

The annual Jewish holiday cycle ordinarily has at least six important holidays that fall on the 15th of the corresponding month, including Pesach. So why is Tu b'Av different from all of them, more intense in its message? Uncharacteristically, neither the Talmud or Mishna explains this emphatic statement.

What we know, thanks to the great and very long Jewish astronomic tradition, including the knowledge and works of the luminous representatives of my paternal family from Toledo, all of them distinguished doctors , physical scientists and astronomers there, before the Bujanover family, escaping the fierce anti-Jewish prosecutions, moved first to the Netherlands, then to Austria (with part of the family left, thriving there until the 1930s, with terrible consequences thereafter ), and further on to Lithuania before some part of it eventually came to Ukraine. We know a general astronomic fact that the moon gathers its full luminescent potency by 15th of every month according to Jewish lunar calendar.

From this perspective, there is no surprise - when you learn the fact - that as many as six major Jewish holidays fall on the 15th of various months during an annual circle.

But it does not end there. There is another explicit mention in both the Talmud and Mishnah stating that “ Tu b’Av more than any festival captures the essence of the full moon’. Quite an important statement, from the Judaic point of view, and again, it comes with no explanations, quite uncharacteristically so.

It was quite a puzzle to crack. But the reward came after an intense search through the major Judaic sources that provide the information on Jewish knowledge of astronomy, one of my favourite disciplines, along with pharmaceutical science, medicine, archaeology and history. All my life I have had a strong inclination to all of them, following my both maternal and paternal families' traditions.

According to the knowledge, during an annual lunar circle, the full moon that appears in the middle of the Jewish month of Av is the one that appears after the period of the most intense darkness preceding it. This is a unique phenomenon every given year.

This unique phenomenon explains why both the Talmud and Mishnah mention the unique characteristics of the post Tu b’Av full moon, but perhaps yet more significantly, it explains the spiritual mechanism and the logic of this once-in-the-year moment of the most powerful, annual intensity of light that comes after the period of the most intense darkness preceding it. And from that perspective, it is also understandable otherwise inexplicable mentioning in the Talmud and Mishnah that Tu b’Av along with Yom Kippur does have a special strength and status among Jewish annual holidays.

In a disarming heartfulness of Jewish understanding of life, this revelation of the power of light occurs immediately after none of the other important Jewish dates in our annual calendar but Tu b’Av, the day of love which, in its turn, is the annual day of meaningful, deep consolation for us all six days after traditionally psychologically demanding Three Weeks of reflection and sorrow between the Seventeenth of Tammuz and Tisha b’Av. Indeed, the period of the most intense darkness for Jewish people for many generations, not only historically and psychologically, but also astronomically, literally, as it happens.

Moreover, in an amazing design from the High, even the period of six days between the end of the period of the most intense darkness and the appearance of the brightest of the full moons in the Jewish calendars does not leave anything to chance. According to an astronomic knowledge, the period of six days - and nights - is the time when the moon’s phase during the period, in the month of Av, a summer period of July or August, stabilises gradually but surely, with its switch from the invisible period of darkness to the most steady period of a full moon which gets to its affirmed position.

The Gift of Light: Consolation, Balance and Harmony of Love

There is a reason that the first Shabbat after the Tisha b’Av is known in the Jewish tradition as the Shabbat of Consolation. There are many reasons and ways to explain it and to see the healthy process of balancing the psychologically demanding period of the Three Weeks with the beginning of the process and the enlightened time of consolation after its ending.

What’s more, the Jewish tradition also has an option of starting to say the blessing for a sweet New Year six weeks before its arrival - which coincides with the first Shabbat after the Tisha b’Av which was truly quite a special Shabbes for all lucky us, over sixty people from over ten countries who happened to be at this meaningful Shabbat in our Jewish year in Jurmala this year.

We all were blessed with a comforting, gentle and friendly gathering. We all were united through the message of light which was shining extraordinarily from that unique post-Tu b’Av full moon. We all were embraced by the wisdom, understanding and that incredible vision of the Rebbe conveyed in the warm way by his schluhim who bear his message through generations.

Song of our Souls 2017Inna Rogatchi (C) The Rogatchi Art Collection.

It all has made so many people from all different countries with their Jewish hearts - and their Jewish essence, in the wise words of the Rebbe - to hear this music, to perceive the quiet but steady and unwavering melody of light. And to live by it.

בן גבירצילום: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

An indictment was submitted on Monday against a resident of the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Shuafat who goes by the nickname "Tarzan," for impersonation and threats to murder National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and MK Tzvi Sukkot. The investigation found that the suspect used the identity of a personal rival to send the threats.

According to the investigation's findings, in July, the suspect created a Facebook account using the photo and details of his rival. Using the false identity, the suspect sent threatening messages to various individuals, including Ben-Gvir and Sukkot.

Among other things, the suspect sent a photo of a pistol, magazine, and ammunition to the coordinator of the Shuafat "Refugee" Camp, along with the threat: "I have a pistol at home, and I shoot it every day in the open."

In another message, he wrote: "Tzvi Sukkot and Ben-Gvir, you are such a terrorist settler... The time has come for you to go to hell, you dog..." Other messages included photos of weapons and bullets along with additional threats.

In one message, the suspect wrote: "I always have a gun, I go around without being inspected by security, I will kill you when I see you." After the recipients reported the messages, police opened an undercover investigation.

The investigation uncovered the true identity of the suspect behind the account and messages and led to his arrest and indictment.

Sarah and Gilad Klein (C) and Roi's father and sisterCourtesy of the family

20 years have passed since Golani Brigade 51st Battalion Commander Major Roi Klein fell in battle in Bint Jbeil during the Second Lebanon War, sacrificing himself to protect his men. Today (Monday), his eldest son, Gilad, arrived at the IDF induction center, where he enlisted in his father's battalion, the Golani 51st Battalion.

Gilad's younger brother enlisted slightly over a year ago and serves in the 51st Battalion as a basic training squad commander at the Golani Training Base. Thus, a little over a year apart, Roi's two sons end up in the same battalion in which their father served.

Their mother, Sarah Klein, stresses in a conversation with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News that, despite the special significance this decision holds, her sons were not raised with the expectation of enlisting specifically in the Golani or 51st Battalion.

"They were really small when Roi was killed," Sarah says. "Gilad was nearly three, and his younger brother was a year and a bit. They were raised on Roi's legacy, but not in the sense of enlisting specifically in Golani or choosing his military path. They were raised on the values which he lived by: giving, mission, and dedication, through Torah and a love for the nation and land."

She adds that "On top of those values, they chose to go to Golani and the 51st Battalion, which, of course, is not a chance decision, and expresses a deep connection to their father. The legacy on which they were raised is that sacrifice comes before everything in life. It doesn't begin with a moment of heroism on the battlefield, but with the way one chooses to live their life - what he gives of himself, for what does he work, the ability to take responsibility and to dedicate his strengths to the public."

As an IDF widow, Sarah has to sign a special waiver to allow each of her children to enlist in a combat unit. She shares that she had mixed feelings when she signed it: "On the one hand, there is this very natural and basic motherly concern. I am a mother, and it is clear that there is fear, and it's complicated. On the other hand, there is a great sense of pride in being part of the great story of the people of Israel."

Sarah talks about the young generation, which has been enlisting in recent years amid the ongoing war: "For nearly three years, an amazing generation has emerged here, full of motivation and willingness to give. Along with it, there are amazing families, some have already paid a very heavy price, and yet, they continue to accompany their children and carry the burden. We met bereaved families here whose sons fell on October 7th, and this morning, they are accompanying their son, a bereaved brother, to his enlistment. To see a family that experienced such a big loss and continues to choose giving and responsibility personifies this nation's power."

Sarah places great importance on the path her sons took before enlisting. Both spent years studying Torah before their military service: “Those years built strength, resilience, and inner fortitude within them, and deepened their understanding of the value of the mission they are embarking on."

Gilad’s enlistment was one of several emotional moments the family experienced during his younger brother’s service. One came at the end of his training, when he received his father’s beret from his grandfather, Roi’s father: “It was a very moving and uplifting moment. Seeing Roi’s father give his grandson Roi’s beret was a connection between generations that is difficult to put into words."

Asked what Roi would have thought about the path his sons chose, she answers simply: “I am sure he would have been proud of them. Not only because they joined the Golani Brigade or the 51st Battalion, but because they chose to take responsibility, give of themselves, and be part of something."

NetanyahuRoi Avraham/GPO

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National AI Directorate chief Brig. Gen. (res.) Erez Eskel launched Israel’s National AI Program, aimed at establishing the country as a global leader in artificial intelligence and harnessing the technology to strengthen Israel’s economy and improve services for its citizens.

The program was launched Sunday at a conference attended by representatives of government ministries and agencies that have spent recent months formulating the plan.

Netanyahu said the program has two principal objectives: securing Israel’s position as a global AI superpower and promoting prosperity for the Israeli economy and public.

“We stand at the threshold of a new era," Netanyahu said. “AI is not just another technology; it is going to change the world. It is going to change the lives of each and every one of us, of our children, and of generations to come."

The Prime Minister compared the emerging technological transformation to the Industrial Revolution and warned that countries that fail to adapt quickly could find themselves left behind.

“We are in a historical window of opportunity, but a very short one, because the pace of change is so great that if you do not safeguard and advance yourself in this wave, you will simply be left behind," he said.

“We have no time to waste, and we do not just want to avoid being left behind; we want to be in the number one place, a leading place."

Netanyahu pointed to Israel’s success in cybersecurity as an example of what the country could achieve in artificial intelligence. He recalled predicting approximately a decade ago that Israel would become one of the world’s five leading cyber powers.

“People did not quite buy it," Netanyahu said. “Today we are in second place in investments in cyber ventures. Israel is second only to the United States. This means we have immense capabilities."

“We want to ensure two fundamental things in this program: First, securing Israel as a global superpower - and I emphasize, a global superpower - in the fields of AI, and second, promoting prosperity for the Israeli economy, as well as for Israel’s citizens and Israel’s children."

Netanyahu noted that Israel had previously established itself as a leader in fields including cyber, agriculture, medicine and medical technology, and expressed confidence that it could repeat that success in AI.

The National AI Program expands on Government Decision 4255 and lays out areas in which Israel can distinguish itself internationally, as well as the infrastructure and other measures required to preserve the country’s technological capabilities and ensure their continuity.

Following months of planning, officials at Sunday’s conference began transitioning the program into its operational phase and translating its objectives into practical measures.

“I am counting on you," Netanyahu told the officials involved. “Our ministries, all government ministries, have enlisted in this."

“We are acting to create our competitive advantage. Not just to create it - it already exists - but to preserve and expand it."

“The future will not wait for us; we are creating it," the Prime Minister added. “With our brilliant minds, determination, vision, and the work of all of you, we will ensure the future, security, and prosperity of the State of Israel as a global AI superpower."

Brig. Gen. (res.) Erez Eskel, head of the National AI Directorate, described the initiative as an ambitious plan intended to capitalize on Israel’s existing strengths while developing the infrastructure required for the AI era.

“We are launching this program, which takes into account the distinct advantages of the State of Israel in the fields of cyber, physical AI, and solving life’s problems with AI," Eskel said.

He said the plan would also provide critical infrastructure for Israel’s national and economic needs, including powerful computing capabilities that few countries currently possess and a national quantum computer.

Eskel emphasized that Israel’s most important asset, however, remains its people.

“The central and most important issue [is] the human capital in the State of Israel, which is our true engine," he said.

“We are already in a good position. We have dedicated extensive resources and programs to set a much higher standard, and above all to increase the numbers, so that the State of Israel enters a position of very significant leadership into this vital era."

Eskel thanked Netanyahu for establishing the National AI Directorate approximately six months ago and said its initiatives were already producing tangible results.

“We already have real results, and we have programs entering the operational phase that are now starting to define clear outcomes that make an impact," he said.

Those outcomes, Eskel added, are intended first to strengthen Israel’s resilience and, second, to improve the services received by every Israeli citizen.

The conference brought together representatives from dozens of government and national institutions, including the Prime Minister’s Office, Defense Ministry, Finance Ministry, Bank of Israel, Health Ministry, Economy Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Education Ministry, Justice Ministry, Israel Innovation Authority, Israel Securities Authority, Israel Space Agency, National Economic Council, Council for Higher Education, Central Bureau of Statistics, Tax Authority and other government bodies.

The entrance to the outpostYaakov Schenkman

Yaakov Schenkman, a historian specializing in the history of the city of Tzfat (Safed), recently visited the city and discovered that the historical Irgun underground group (Etzel/IZL) outpost on the city outskirts had been vandalized. The Israeli flag was torn down, the gate was ripped off, and the site was full of trash.

"Yesterday I went to Safed to mark 90 years since the murder of the Unger family members, a father and his three children, in the riots of 1936. We gathered next to the Unger family for a short memorial ceremony and to tell the family's history. I went to the nearby outpost 7, an Irgun outpost next to the alley through which the cell that murdered the Unger family snuck through. The post sits over the military cemetery, where the Irgun fighters fought," Schenkman says in an interview with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News.

According to Schenkman, for years, he had been visiting the post with youth, recounting the battles that transpired in the area, and telling them about the Irgun fighters who defended Safed.

"Every year, I go to the site with the youth and explain it to them. In the past, I would come with Meir Hameiri, who passed away. He was one of the Irgun youth in 1948. He would stand at the post and explain to the kids what was there, about the attacks by the villages during the Arab Revolt. The post was improved in 48', and the Irgun stood there to defend the city. Meir Hameiri would explain to the children about the place, and after his passing, his daughters and family would explain the post."

However, when Schenkman visited the outpost on Sunday, he was shocked to see the scope of the damage. Where there was once a sign memorializing the Irgun, an Israeli flag, polls, and an iron chain that surrounded the site. Now, the site stands damaged and neglected.

According to Schenkman, the Israeli flag was uprooted, the gate to the post was ripped out of place with its hinges, and the site was wholly vandalized. Additionally, a large quantity of trash was left inside the post.

Schenkman notes that this was not the first time heritage sites in the area were damaged. He says that in the past, commemorative plaques were defaced, including one in memory of Rabbi Heller, who permitted Safed residents to engage in fortification work on Shabbat. To his assessment, the culprits are not city residents but rather visitors.

"There are people who fought for Safed and saved the city," he emphasizes.

After seeing the vandalism, he intends to contact the Safed Municipality and ask that it reinforce the security and supervision at the site.

"This is exactly like offending the memory of fallen soldiers today. It's blood-boiling. Those who did this must be punished with a heavy hand, to teach a lesson."

credit: יעקב שנקמן

credit: יעקב שנקמן

credit: יעקב שנקמן

credit: יעקב שנקמן

IDF forces work to locate Hamas terror tunnels in GazaIDF spokesperson

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's declaration rejecting the 15-point Gaza plan is in contradiction to the facts on the ground, senior officials in Gaza's "Board of Peace" told Ynet.

"We look at actions in practice, and less at words and declarations," the sources told Ynet. "In practice, Israel has halted targeted killings and is observing the ceasefire."

According to the officials, "In essence, Israel is keeping the 15-point agreement. The IDF is positioned along the original Yellow Line, controlling 53% of the Gaza Strip, and there are no outposts or forces beyond the yellow line. Israel is implementing the 15-point document even while verbally rejecting it. Of course, it would have been better for Israel if its declarations matched its actions, because it would have benefited diplomatically from complying with the agreement."

"Obviously, it would have been preferable, for Israel's benefit, if the declarations matched the actions on the ground - it would have enjoyed the diplomatic benefits of its keeping the conditions of the deal," the sources told Ynet.

On Sunday, Netanyahu promised, "As long as I am Prime Minister, a Palestinian state will not be established, neither in Gaza nor in Judea and Samaria. Neither 'Fatahstan' nor 'Hamastan.'"

"Israel does not accept the 15-point document," he stated. "I have heard people saying: 'You didn't say it.' So here I am saying it again: Israel does not accept the 15-point document."

"The IDF will not carry out any withdrawal until Hamas is disarmed. And when I say the disarming of Hamas, it means heavy weaponry, lighter weaponry, all weaponry. We are talking about genuine disarmament, not fictitious disarmament."

Regarding US President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza, he said that the Americans "have ideas, some of which are acceptable to us and some of which are unacceptable, and we know how to stand firm against these things."

"The IDF will continue to thwart threats against our forces and our citizens. The existence of Israel and the security of all Israeli citizens are not up for negotiation. We stand firm on these interests."

On Saturday night, Channel 12 News reported that Israel's defense establishment recently held discussions examining the possibility of withdrawing IDF forces from several locations in the Gaza Strip.

According to the report, the exiting IDF forces would be replaced with a multinational force, despite Hamas remaining far from disarming.

Israeli leaders have repeatedly stated that the IDF will not withdraw from the "Yellow Line" until Hamas disarms. However, according to the report, security officials are already preparing contingency plans should a withdrawal be approved.

Channel 12 noted that the exact definition of "disarmament" has yet to be clarified, but the US is increasing pressure on Israel to withdraw from Gaza.

A senior security source told Channel 12, "The number of troops [in the multi-national force] is simply not enough. It's only a handful of soldiers, and they're trying to build towers on the basis of that force. It's very worrying. The Americans aren't leaving us with many alternatives - but they're creating a problem for us in Gaza."

The report also noted that defense officials greatly doubt that such a limited force could play a meaningful role in Gaza, particularly if it is expected to replace IDF troops in areas from which Israel withdraws.

John FettermanREUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein

US Senator John Fetterman fired back at Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed, accusing the radical candidate of having "little man syndrome."

“I dare you to continue to campaign with people like Hasan Piker because he now will quickly find out it’s easy to campaign in the echo chamber as a Democrat," Fetterman said in an interview with the Washington Post over the weekend. El-Sayed has courted controversy by campaigning together with Piker, a streamer who has called Jews "inbred," expressed support for the Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist organizations, and said that America "deserved" the September 11 terrorist attacks.

“He just has like this weird little man syndrome energy just going around insulting people," Fetterman added. “And, you know, that’s the kind of campaign that he’s run."

El-Sayed has attacked Senator Fetterman, one of the few Democrats in the House or Senate to maintain a consistent pro-Israel position in the three years since the October 7 terrorist attack, using threatening language. He called the Pennsylvania senator an "orge" and said that Fetterman's head should be put "on a pike."

El-Sayed, a progressive figure, last week secured the Democratic nomination for Senate in Michigan by narrowly defeating moderate Representative Haley Stevens (D-MI). The contest served as a major focal point concerning the ideological direction of the Democratic Party.

Throughout his primary run, El-Sayed faced significant scrutiny over his foreign policy positions regarding Israel, including his remarks after a terrorist attempted to blow up and shoot up a Jewish preschool at a synagogue in Michigan earlier this year that "hurt people hurt people." He placed opposition to US military assistance to Israel and sharp criticism of its operations in Gaza at the forefront of his platform, accusing Israel of committing genocide, calling for an end to unconditional foreign aid, and stating in an interview that the Israeli government is "as evil as Hamas."

Great Mosque of StrasbourgiStock

The Odyssey teaches a message that still resonates in time - and it is that a threat does not always arrive with swords drawn, but can come in the form of a gift that makes us flatter the generosity and pride of the enemy.

But we Europeans have not learned much from Homer.

We have before us a gigantic new Trojan horse, not on a Moroccan beach like in Christopher Nolan’s movie, but inside our cities, not made of wood but of bricks, alliances and complicit silences.

Today in Europe there are 30,000 mosques.

The Trojans celebrated the horse as a symbol of peace; the Europeans celebrate the mosques as trophies of multiculturalism. Both peoples, blinded by an excess of trust, ignored the warnings. The result then was the fall of Troy; for us, it is the Islamisation of London, Rome and Paris.

King Charles has just visited the Cambridge Central Mosque, the “first eco-mosque in Europe."

After inaugurating a commemorative plaque, the King said: “An enormous contribution, I am sure. Not only to the Muslim community, but to Cambridge itself." The largest public donations, unsurprisingly, came from Turkey and Qatar. Erdogan donated 16 million pounds, almost two-thirds of the total construction costs. Another massive public donation was made by Qatar.

Both Turkey and Qatar are strong supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood and collaborate to finance the construction of mosques in Europe.

In Strasbourg, meanwhile, after ten years of work, the crowns have been placed on top of the two 36-metre minarets of the new mosque: “the largest in Europe," promoted by Millî Görüş, close to Erdogan.

Perhaps it is worth reading what the former Turkish prime minister Necmettin Erbakan, Erdogan’s mentor, says. During a speech in Ludwigsburg, Germany, Erbakan stated that “the Europeans are sick. … We will give them the medicine. All of Europe will become Islamic. We will conquer Rome."

Since coming to power Erdogan has built 13,000 mosques in Turkey. And throughout Europe.

In Germany a third of all Islamic centres depend on Ankara. Turkey has also financed the construction of 27 mosques in Denmark. Of the 475 mosques in the Netherlands in 2018, 146 are controlled by the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet). And in Austria the Turks control 58 mosques out of 250.

And still 400 out of 2,500 mosques in France, 70 mosques in Belgium…

Erdogan goes to Bosnia to inaugurate a new mosque. Then to Roubaix, in France, for the Grand Turkish Mosque. Then another Turkish mosque again in France, in Valenton. Then yet another in Saint-Vaast in Belgium. Then to Wuppertal, in Germany, where there is also the muezzin who calls everyone.

“Anyone who thinks we have forgotten the lands from which we withdrew in tears a hundred years ago is mistaken," Erdogan has said, and he has also stated: “Western hegemony is over."

Yet the Europeans seem far more worried that the Israeli minister Itamar Ben Gvir prays on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem than about all this.

Poor idiots.

Meanwhile Erdogan declares: “The mosques are our barracks, the domes our helmets, the minarets our bayonets and the faithful our soldiers…"

If it looks like a new Trojan horse, that is because it is one.

A new mosque is opened every week in France, at the rate of 50 a year. The Ministry of the Interior estimated 150 in 1976, 900 in 1985, 1,555 in 2001 and so on in a dramatic progression.

Radical Islam does not want to “resist" in Gaza, but to destabilise and conquer the West, exploiting like a wooden horse its freedoms, its porous borders, its internal divisions and its intellectual elites.

The Odyssey warns us: beware of the gifts of enemies.

But at least with the fall of Troy the fugitives founded Rome. Once the West is colonised, where will we go?

On the webFlash90

A troubling trend has become increasingly visible in our communities, particularly online: individuals who have chosen to leave a Torah-observant way of life are publicly expressing dissatisfaction, doubts, and rejection of Jewish belief and practice. Some posts are personal accounts of struggle. Others go much further-mocking the Torah, deriding religious Jews, glorifying transgression, and portraying the abandonment of mitzvot as a form of liberation.

We must respond to this trend with clarity, wisdom, and compassion. This is not a call to reject, humiliate, or write off any Jewish soul. Every Jew remains precious. Each person may carry pain, confusion, trauma, loneliness, intellectual questions, or a sincere search for meaning. Our obligation to care for people does not end when they disagree with us or make choices we believe are wrong.

At the same time, compassion does not mean confusion. Loving a fellow Jew does not require us to expose our children, students, or vulnerable members of the community to content that ridicules the values on which Jewish life is built, nor does it require us to give public platforms or validation to those who promote such messages. A healthy community must know how to extend a hand to the person while setting appropriate limits on harmful public influences.

In earlier generations, a person’s private struggles generally stayed private. Today, a moment of doubt, anger, rebellion, or personal change can be broadcast instantly to thousands of viewers. Platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube reward provocative content. The more shocking, emotional, cynical, or confrontational a video is, the more likely it is to be shared.

This creates an unhealthy incentive. A person who struggles may find that public criticism of Torah observance brings attention, affirmation, followers, and a sense of belonging. Instead of working through difficult questions with trusted teachers, family members, counselors, or mentors, the individual may be drawn into an online community that reinforces resentment and celebrates rejection.

We should not underestimate this environment’s influence. Young people, especially those who are uncertain or emotionally vulnerable, are deeply affected by what seems popular. When they see many others publicly declaring, “I left, and now I am free," they may come to view their private questions as proof that they, too, must leave. They may mistakenly accept public figures’ claims that discipline is oppression, that commitment is weakness, and that faith is intellectually unsustainable.

This is how social influence works. People are shaped by the attitudes, language, and examples around them. A single public voice can attract others; a group can make an idea seem normal; and eventually, what was once seen as destructive can be presented as admirable. We have seen this dynamic across many areas of society, and we continue to see it. Hatred spreads when it is celebrated. Recklessness spreads when it is glamorized. Cynicism spreads when it is treated as sophistication.

The same is true of Torah values. If contempt for mitzvot, Shabbat, kashrut, modesty, family purity, and faith in Hashem is repeatedly portrayed as courageous, enlightened, or a path to fulfillment and happiness, it will influence those who have not yet developed strong roots.

There is an important parallel in the way Jews rightly respond to antisemitism. When a person is attacked merely for being Jewish, the expected reaction is to stand up against the hatred. Silence can be interpreted as acceptance. When people are allowed to humiliate Jews, deny Jewish dignity, or spread hatred without consequence, such behavior can grow and embolden others.

It is essential to distinguish between private struggle and public advocacy. When someone wrestles privately with faith, observance, identity, or personal behavior, our first response should be concern, self-reflection, and compassion. We should ask what may be contributing to the growing number of people who feel alienated from Torah life, including a lack of education, emotional support, a sense of belonging, or a safe place to raise difficult questions. Such individuals should not be treated as enemies. They deserve to be heard, supported, and helped wherever possible.

The concern I raise in this article, however, is different. It arises when private struggles become public campaigns-especially when social media is used to attack, ridicule, or falsely portray the beliefs, practices, families, and institutions of Torah-observant Jewish life. There is a significant difference between saying, “I am struggling," and declaring that Torah is foolish, that religious Jews are members of a cult, or that abandoning mitzvot is the only path to freedom. The former calls for empathy and support; the latter demands a clear, responsible communal response.

We must protect our communities from messages intended to weaken faith, normalize transgression, and influence others-particularly the young and vulnerable-to reject the sacred foundations of Jewish life.

Our response must remain principled. We should firmly oppose hatred, but never become hateful. We should defend Jewish identity, but never abandon Jewish ethics. At the same time, we must not ignore-or pretend there is no danger in-aggressive anti-Torah messaging.

The presence of public dissent should also prompt us to look inward. Why are so many people unprepared to engage with questions of faith? Why do some feel they cannot voice their doubts at home, in school, or in their communities? Why do they turn to anonymous strangers online rather than to trusted rabbanim, educators, parents, and mentors?

We cannot assume that everyone who leaves observance does so because they lack knowledge or discipline. People are complex. Some are wounded. Some have experienced hypocrisy, unhealthy pressure, loneliness, abuse, rejection, or emotional distress. Others have intellectual questions that were never taken seriously. Still others may simply be drawn to the immediate pleasures and freedoms a less disciplined lifestyle seems to offer.

Our children need more than information. They need depth. They need to understand not only what Judaism requires but also why it matters. They need to encounter the beauty, wisdom, intellectual richness, emotional strength, and spiritual power of the Torah. They need educators who are not threatened by honest questions and parents who can say, “I may not have every answer right away, but your question matters, and we will explore it together."

A Jewish education that relies solely on habit, fear, social pressure, or external conformity may not withstand the pressures of modern life. A person needs conviction. He or she needs to know that a life of Torah is not merely a list of restrictions but a path toward purpose, self-mastery, family, community, holiness, and a relationship with Hashem.

The claim that freedom means the absence of all limits is one of the great illusions of our time. A person without discipline is not free. Often, he is controlled by impulse, appetite, fashion, approval, and desire. A society without laws does not become liberated; it becomes dangerous. A person who ignores every boundary may feel unrestricted for a moment, but eventually discovers that a life without direction can be empty.

True freedom is not the ability to do anything one wants. True freedom is the ability to become the person one is meant to be.

Our communities need a thoughtful and practical response to this challenge.

We must create environments where questions can be asked safely. Young people should never feel that uncertainty automatically makes them disloyal, defective, or beyond hope. Honest questions are not the enemy of faith. Avoided questions are far more dangerous.

We should not allow social media personalities to become our children's primary educators.

Parents and educators must actively teach digital literacy:

• Not every confident speaker is knowledgeable.
• Not every emotional personal story is a universal truth.
• Not every video that receives thousands of likes contains wisdom.
• Children and adults alike must learn to ask: Who is speaking? What is their motivation? What information is missing? Is this person seeking truth, or seeking attention?

We should support individuals who are struggling. This includes access to compassionate rabbanim, therapists, mentors, educators, and community members who know how to listen without panic or judgment. People should not be forced to choose between silence and rebellion.

For this reason, communities must set reasonable boundaries. We must be mindful not to lend support to voices that openly demean Torah observance or seek to draw others away from it. This is not a denial of anyone’s humanity. It is a recognition that influence matters, especially when children and vulnerable people are involved.

The Jewish response must include a deeper commitment to Torah, stronger faith, healthier homes, better education, more honest conversations, and greater compassion.

Those who have taken a different path are not enemies to despise. They are fellow Jews, often carrying stories we do not fully know. We should continue to care for them, pray for them, and leave open every possible path to return and healing.

But we must also be honest: public campaigns that mock the Torah and glorify the rejection of mitzvot can harm individuals and communities. We cannot be passive in the face of that influence. We should not lend such messages legitimacy by liking, sharing, praising, or promoting them. When the Torah and Torah-observant life are publicly ridiculed or misrepresented, those claims should be answered publicly-with truth, dignity, intellectual seriousness, and moral clarity, not with personal hatred or humiliation.

The answer is not to retreat, ignore the problem, or pretend it does not pose a serious challenge to our communities. The answer is to build communities that are so strong, thoughtful, warm, intellectually grounded, and spiritually alive that the empty promise of “freedom from Torah" will no longer seem compelling. Along that path, the pushback and viral attacks on all that we hold sacred must be addressed.

(www.rabbishlomoezagui.com)

Destroying illegal buildings in northern Samariaspokesperson

A new report by the Civil Administration's Inspection Unit summarizing the first half of 2026 shows a sharp and sustained increase in enforcement against illegal Palestinian Arab construction in Judea and Samaria over the past several years.

The report, released Monday, compares the first six months of each year and indicates a steady upward trend in demolition activity: During the first half of 2022, authorities demolished 250 illegal structures.

That figure fell slightly to 201 in the first half of 2023, but rose to 310 demolitions in 2024. The trend continued in 2025, with 443 structures demolished, before reaching a record 536 demolitions during the first half of 2026.

Alongside the increase in demolitions carried out by Israeli authorities, the Settlement Administration says another trend has emerged: More Palestinian Arabs are choosing to demolish illegal structures themselves in order to avoid the arrival of enforcement teams.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also serves as a minister in the Defense Ministry with responsibility for the Settlement Administration, said the figures reflect a deliberate policy shift.

"For years, the State of Israel stood idly by in the face of the 'Salam Fayyad Plan,' whose goal was to create facts on the ground and force the establishment of a Palestinian state through the takeover of state lands and the systematic mass construction of buildings in Area C," Smotrich said.

"Since the beginning of this government's term, we have led a revolution in Judea and Samaria - both by establishing 104 new communities and 160 farms that safeguard more than one million dunams of state land, and by simultaneously declaring an uncompromising war against [the illegal] Arab takeover. The hard work by the Inspection Unit personnel is bearing fruit, and for the first time there are more demolitions than [new] illegal Arab construction. And this is only the beginning - every illegal structure will be removed."

Firefighting planes (illustrative)Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90

A large brush fire broke out in the Gush Etzion region between the community of Merom Yehuda and the Kerem Hamami Farm.

Firefighters and volunteers from the Judea Regional Fire Station were dispatched to the scene and are working to contain the blaze.

The first crews to arrive reported a wide fire front advancing rapidly toward the farm, driven by strong winds.

As the fire spread uphill and difficult terrain hampered access for firefighting vehicles, the incident commander conducted a situational assessment and ordered aerial reinforcements.

Four firefighting aircraft from the "Elad" squadron were dispatched to assist in slowing the advance of the flames while ground crews continued operations.

Incident commander Daniel Mizrahi said, "This is a fire which is moving rapidly uphill toward the farm. The terrain is challenging and makes it difficult for ground crews to operate. In light of this, four firefighting aircraft were dispatched to help us stop the spread of the flames. At the same time, we are establishing a ground containment line with fire engines and farmers from nearby farms."

Will (William) ShakinCourtesy of the family

Will (William) Shakin, a US resident who volunteered for IDF service and fought in Gaza, took his own life in New York yesterday after suffering severe mental distress following his service. He was not officially recognized as suffering from PTSD.

Shakin immigrated to Israel following the October 7 massacre and enlisted in the IDF through the Mahal program for overseas volunteers. He served as a combat soldier in the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion in Gaza, where he lost friends fighting alongside him. His mental health subsequently deteriorated severely.

During his service, Shakin lived at HaBayit shel Benji, which provides housing for lone soldiers. After he completed his service, staff members there contacted his parents due to concerns about his condition.

Shakin later returned to the US. He received close support until his flight to New York, but the assistance provided by the IDF and Defense Ministry ended after he arrived overseas.

Haim Meizlish, a volunteer with the Navigating nonprofit, which supports lone soldiers facing mental health difficulties in New York, said Shakin was not recognized as suffering from PTSD during his service and did not receive the support he needed.

According to Meizlish, the Defense Ministry required Shakin to return to Israel to appear before recognition committees. He said this posed a significant difficulty, as returning to Israel would have separated Shakin from his family support system in the US.

Meizlish also pointed to broader difficulties in providing support to wounded IDF veterans and combat-related trauma victims living in the US. He said some 1,200 cases involving such veterans are registered in the country, with only two Defense Ministry representatives handling them.

Following Shakin’s death, his parents are seeking to bring their son to Israel for burial in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl. The request has encountered legal and public opposition from the Defense Ministry, in part because Shakin was never officially recognized as a combat trauma victim.

The family has accused officials in the Defense Ministry of shirking responsibility for the case. At the same time, Minister Ofir Sofer pledged to try to assist the family in bringing Shakin to Israel for burial.

Israeli soldiers check for explosives at the site of the Sbarro terror attackCourtney Kealy/Getty Images

Losing our daughter Malki felt like a horror movie unfolding in real time.

Aug. 9, 2001, was a school vacation morning in Jerusalem. I left early for the drug-technology company I managed, while the house slept. Around 2 p.m., my wife Frimet called my office. Instead of her usual update, she was screaming: “There’s been a terror attack - a pigua. I can’t reach the children." The line went dead.

Twelve hours of frantic calls, hospital checks, prayers and mounting dread followed. Malki, 15, our oldest daughter and the middle child, had gone out with her closest friend Michal for a day of teenage fun. Frimet, sidelined by a migraine, hadn’t seen her leave.

At 2 a.m., our two oldest sons phoned from the government pathology center in Jaffa. A municipal social worker had taken them there. The call no parent ever wants to receive. It marked the end of the first chapter of our lives.

Malki was gentle and loving by nature. She adored her blind, non-verbal little sister Haya and helped with every medical emergency and hospital stay. Her empathy came naturally; her smile lit up rooms. That pure, sweet life was ripped away in an instant.

The memories never fade: the funeral, sitting shiva on the floor of our suddenly crowded home, the stream of friends and strangers offering comfort.

Twenty-five years later, the pain returns sharper than ever - layered now with the knowledge that the woman who orchestrated the massacre walks free, defiant, unrepentant and celebrated. Her name is Ahlam Tamimi. She calls the Sbarro pizzeria bombing “my operation," says she would do it again exactly the same way and lives openly in Jordan under Jordanian protection. A $5 million U.S. State Department reward on her head has been in effect since 2018. She is the sole woman on the FBI Most Wanted Terrorists list.

Born, raised and educated in Jordan, Tamimi crossed into the West Bank in 2000 at age 20 to study journalism in a Ramallah-area university. She worked nights as a news presenter on Arabic television. Within her first year she moved from Fatah to Hamas, becoming the first woman the group accepted for terror operations. She planted one bomb in a Jerusalem supermarket that failed to detonate. A week later she succeeded.

Tamimi escorted the man I call her human bomb - a religious zealot carrying a guitar case packed with explosives and nails - to the entrance of the crowded Sbarro pizzeria in central Jerusalem. There were no security guards in those innocent days.

She recounts in a now-viral video how she left ahead of the carnage and in a taxi back to Ramallah listened to radio reports as the casualty count climbed. She recalls her disappointment at hearing “only three dead" - and the rising elation as the toll mounted. Fellow passengers applauded. The final count: 15 dead, including eight children, and dozens wounded. (A 16th victim, a young mother left unconscious, died of her injuries in 2023.)

Back in Ramallah, Tamimi delivered the news on a local station that evening, reporting on the carnage as if someone else had carried it out. Arrested weeks later by the IDF, she pleaded guilty to all charges, received 16 life sentences, and grinned at the judges throughout the proceedings.

In 2011, barely eight years after her conviction, she walked free as part of the lopsided deal that secured the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, held hostage for five years by Hamas. Her return to Jordan was greeted with ecstatic rallies, media tours, interviews and VIP visits.

In March 2012, Tamimi launched a television program, “Breezes of the Free," produced by the Muslim Brotherhood, focused on solidarity with terrorists, and broadcast from Amman. That this happened in Jordan’s tightly controlled media environment makes clear it had official approval. The show ran weekly for five years.

Jordan, where surveys show some of the world’s highest levels of antisemitic sentiment, has shown that it cannot be expected to hold Tamimi accountable.

But Malki was an American citizen - one of three murdered at Sbarro. In early 2012, after Tamimi began her television show, I traveled to Washington, D.C., to seek justice. Senior officials at the Department of Justice and FBI were responsive. I urged them to enforce a little-known U.S. law allowing prosecution of those who murder Americans in terrorist attacks abroad.

It was years before I learned that the Obama administration secretly indicted Tamimi in 2013. Those charges eventually went public in 2017 under President Donald Trump; the United States formally requested her extradition under the 1995 U.S.-Jordan extradition treaty in February of that year. Within days of the charges being unsealed in Washington, an appellate court in Jordan, citing a contrived technical objection that has found no support outside the kingdom, declared the treaty invalid and thus unenforceable. (Though it does so in a disturbingly quiet voice, the United States has declared repeatedly since then that the treaty remains in effect.) Jordan’s failure to extradite Tamimi continues to this day.

The United States provides Jordan with generous annual aid - currently about $1.45 billion and rising. It has ample leverage to insist Jordan honor the treaty. But no meaningful pressure has ever been applied. The United States has never even issued a public call for Jordan to stop violating the agreement and surrender Tamimi. The passivity from Washington, sustained across multiple administrations, is as stunning as it is underreported.

As the parents of a murdered child, we are in a grotesque position: treated as politically more inconvenient than the confessed mastermind of a massacre who enjoys open protection from a U.S. ally. The betrayal is profound and choking.

Tamimi’s very public freedom mocks her victims, their families, the fundamental principle that terrorism must carry a price, and justice itself. It’s incomprehensible. Ordinary families like mine should not be left to wage years-long campaigns so that basic accountability can happen.

Glimmers of light have emerged. A senior Cabinet official in the Trump administration told us in an official communication in recent weeks that “attacks against Americans will not go unanswered and we will not rest until Tamimi is brought to justice." Words come easily to politicians but these are from a more elevated source than we have heard in all these years of fighting for justice to be done.

And on Wednesday, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations officially and publicly renewed its call for the State Department to press for Tamimi’s extradition, urging Secretary of State Marco Rubio to “raise the matter directly with King Abdullah II."

Defeating terror is core to every credible vision of peace in our region. As the 25th anniversary approaches, I want Americans to press their elected officials and community leaders, particularly those at every level of America’s diverse Jewish community, to use available tools - diplomatic, financial and legal - so Ahlam Tamimi is brought from Jordan to Washington and finally tried there for the unspeakable murder of Americans.

When that happens, the second part of our lives can start.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.

Avida BacharArutz Sheva

Avida Bachar, a resident of Kibbutz Be’eri who lost his wife and son in the October 7 massacre, spoke about the proposed framework for an agreement in the Gaza Strip published by the Board of Peace and the future of the communities surrounding Gaza.

In an interview with 103FM, Bachar sharply criticized the possibility of Hamas remaining in Gaza and said he does not believe the terror group will agree to disarm.

“I look at what is happening close to my home. Close to me means four kilometers from the border fence. Hamas continues to grow stronger," Bachar said. “They are talking about some kind of agreement that supposedly leaves Hamas disarmed. That is not going to happen."

Bachar said Israel must change its approach and act with greater determination against Hamas.

“I don’t think they are that stupid," he said. “We lack the determination to understand that we do not want them there. That’s it. We need to be determined and say that we do not want them there, and we should say it every day."

Bachar called on the international community to work toward removing Hamas and Gaza’s residents from Gaza.

“We need to start pushing with all our strength and tell the world to take them, because they cannot remain here," he said.

Bachar stressed that he does not want Israel to settle in Gaza, but also does not want the territory to remain under Hamas control.

“I want October 7 to be remembered as a Nakba for them. I want them to understand that they no longer have the land, that it is no longer theirs, and that this whole thing is over," he said. “I do not want to settle there. But I certainly do not want it to remain theirs. And right now, they are still there."

He warned that the close proximity of Gaza to the communities in the Gaza envelope demonstrates the danger posed by leaving the current situation unchanged.

“There is a yellow line. They will drive another three minutes, or a minute and a half, on the road to Be’eri and the communities surrounding Gaza for the next massacre. And tomorrow it could happen in Tel Aviv as well," Bachar said. “That is the real problem. We are not moving forward at all."

Bachar also addressed understandings reached between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“President Trump counts on determined people. Look at the Iranians - they have incredible determination," he said. “I wish we had the determination to tell the world that the Arabs in Gaza cannot remain there. Not even one of them."

Bachar said that greater Israeli determination could bring about the changes he believes are necessary.

“If we were determined, it would happen," he said. “If we do not believe in our ability to bring about this change, then what will happen? The entire world wants this to remain in Israel’s hands, and Israel is doing nothing about it."

Bachar also addressed an offer he received from the Likud party to reserve him a spot on its electoral list and whether he intends to enter politics.

He said he does not want to assume political responsibility that does not align with his views.

“I am not going anywhere where there is no responsibility. I am not taking responsibility, and I do not even want to examine what the responsibility was," Bachar said. “Someone who ignores a situation? I cannot be part of that. I am far from that."

“I reject it completely. Right now, I am rebuilding my home, my family and my kibbutz," he added.

Investigating fraud (illustrative)iStock

Police have uncovered a large-scale fraud scheme at the Israel Electric Corporation in which customers' debts were allegedly erased illegally in exchange for payment.

The estimated financial damage is approximately NIS 5 million.

As part of the investigation, a resident of the Arab town of Manda was arrested on suspicion of working together with employees of the Israel Electric Corporation.

According to investigators, the suspect obtained lists of customers who owed money to the company, contacted them, and offered to have their debts cleared in exchange for payments significantly lower than the original amounts owed.

Police believe that after receiving the payments, those involved illegally erased the debts from the company's systems, causing substantial financial losses to the Israel Electric Corporation.

A court has extended the detention of the main suspect, and the investigation is ongoing.

Police estimate that dozens of additional individuals were involved in the scheme who have not yet been arrested or questioned, in addition to those already arrested as part of the investigation.

Investigators also said that private individuals fell victim to the fraud and that efforts are continuing to determine the full scope of those involved and the total financial damage caused.

The Sanzer RebbeYonatan Sindel/Flash90

The Sanzer Rebbe met Thursday with a young haredi man who was recently released after serving a prison sentence in military jail for refusing to enlist in the IDF.

During the meeting, which took place at the Rebbe's home in Netanya, he sought to encourage the young man and his family.

The Rebbe illustrated the challenges facing yeshiva students today by quoting historical remarks of his father, the late Klausenberger Rebbe, about prominent Jewish figures who endured imprisonment over matters of faith.

He explained that he had refrained from speaking publicly while the young man was behind bars, but chose to express his admiration for his steadfastness after his release.

The conversation also touched on the deep tensions surrounding the issue of haredi enlistment in the IDF and the ongoing friction with the authorities. As haredi leaders continue discussing future protest measures against what they describe as the "persecution of the Torah world," the Sanzer Rebbe devoted much of his remarks to the relationship between the haredi community and the broader Israeli public.

The Rebbe sharply criticized the conduct of the authorities and the media, saying they were deepening social divisions.

At the same time, he drew a distinction between who he described as "inciters" and the overwhelming majority of Israelis, with Kol Hai Radio quoting him as saying, "Most Jews in Israel possess a basic faith and do not hate Torah learners."

He added that he had witnessed this personally during visits to predominantly secular cities, where he met many residents who expressed respect for rabbis and Judaism.

Regarding the security situation and the war, the Rebbe said the national crisis has created confusion among the general public, while also leading many Israelis to seek more spirituality.

BBC buildingiStock

Prof. Mitch Schwaber, director of the National Center for Infection Control at the Ministry of Health, described an unusual incident in an interview with Benny Teitelbaum on Kan Moreshet Radio, following a request by the BBC to interview him for a report.

According to Schwaber, a senior BBC correspondent contacted him for a background briefing for a special report on the health implications of the situation in Gaza. Given his familiarity with the network's reporting, Schwaber asked how the BBC would ensure that the information ultimately published would be accurate.

In a letter to the correspondent, Schwaber cited six examples, including four errors involving health-related issues and two additional cases that he said reflected journalistic negligence.

"I said, if you are really going to do this report and want my help, I want to know how you can guarantee that this won't be another case in which you publish something incorrect that has real consequences for Israel," Schwaber recounted.

The professor explained that his concern was that even if the BBC were to publish inaccurate information, a correction could come only after the damage had already been done.

Schwaber said he was willing to assist the correspondent and cooperate with the report if he received the assurance he had requested.

"The correspondent decided not to respond and cancelled the interview. I haven't heard from him since," he said.

One of the examples Schwaber cited involved a BBC report early in the war concerning the damage to Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza. According to Schwaber, the BBC reported that there was no other reasonable explanation for the incident and that hundreds of people had been killed. He said it later became clear that the damage had not been caused by Israeli fire.

Oil tanker in Strait of HormuziStock

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has said that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is dependent on the US meeting Tehran's conditions.

"As long as the US naval blockade continues, along with its other violations, the necessary conditions will not exist for us to say that the Strait of Hormuz has become an open international waterway," he said.

"The United States must end these actions and compensate for the damage. Only afterwards can we begin discussing the next steps."

On Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported that US President Donald Trump has been laying the groundwork to declare victory in the war with Iran even without reaching a new nuclear agreement.

According to the report, Trump has privately indicated to senior aides that he could be prepared to walk away from negotiations over Iran's nuclear program if Tehran fully reopens the Strait of Hormuz.

The administration has increasingly focused on restoring free passage through the strategic waterway after broader negotiations with Iran proved difficult. However, Iran has demanded billions of dollars in payments, the lifting of the US naval blockade, the withdrawal of American forces from the region and other concessions in exchange for reopening the Strait.

Iranian Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr said Tehran would require an end to the war, the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian assets, war reparations and an end to US military action against Iranian-backed militias before allowing traffic through the waterway, according to Iranian state media.

Later on Sunday, Trump said that the US is taking a low-key approach toward Iran for now, signaling that he is prepared to allow economic pressure on the Islamic Republic to increase rather than order a new military offensive.

In a brief phone interview with Axios, Trump said the US is only "semi-negotiating" with Iran while watching the country's worsening economic situation.

"We are low-keying it," Trump said, adding that Iran is "in very bad shape" economically and does not have the money to pay its troops. He also said that the US naval blockade has intensified the regime's economic crisis.

At the same time, Trump said US consumers are experiencing less economic pressure from the war as oil prices have fallen to slightly above $75 per barrel.

"It will work out. It always works out. It's like a chess game," Trump said.

Avi Bluth, Tal Yinon DardikChaim Goldberg/Flash90

Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth decided, contrary to Defense Minister Israel Katz’s request, to renew the administrative restraining order against Tal Yinon Dardik, who is suspected of assaulting a Palestinian.

Blot ordered Dardik to be barred from Judea and Samaria, except for the city of Modi’in Illit, where he will be required to report to a police station and sign in twice a day.

Defense Minister Katz demanded that Maj. Gen. Bluth not renew the administrative order against Dardik. However, since the authority to issue such an order does not fall under the defense minister’s jurisdiction, Bluth exercised his authority and renewed it.

Tomorrow, Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court Judge Amir Shaked is expected to hear an application by the Honenu legal aid organization for Dardik’s immediate release from detention.

In the petition, filed by attorney Moshe Polsky, the court was asked to order Dardik’s immediate release, following a decision by the Jerusalem District Court to reject an appeal filed by Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth and uphold the military court’s ruling that the previous administrative order was unworkable and should be revoked.

The renewal of the order could now call the entire request for Dardik’s release into question.

Ron AradFlash 90

The Lebanese delegation demanded during the seventh round of US-mediated negotiations that Israel disclose the number and condition of Lebanese prisoners being held in Israeli custody, An-Nahar reported.

In response, the Israeli delegation demanded information on the fate of 11 Jews who disappeared or were killed in Lebanon since the 1980s, as well as the return of their remains. Chief among these is captured Israeli navigator Ron Arad, who disappeared in 1986.

According to An-Nahar, one of Lebanon's leading and strongly anti-Hezbollah dailies, Israel based its request on provisions in the framework agreement requiring efforts to locate and return the missing. Lebanese officials, however, argued that the demand is impossible to meet given the state's limited capabilities.

Sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Israeli delegation "demanded the return of the remains of Lebanese Jews killed during the civil war and information on the fate of Lebanese Jews who disappeared during the Lebanese civil war, particularly in the 1980s," alongside information on Ron Arad "or the handover of his remains."

These sources insisted that the Lebanese government "knows nothing about the remains of the Jews in the first place, nor does it know anything about Ron Arad," accusing Israel of making these demands to "justify refusing to cooperate on the Lebanese detainees file and also embarrass the Lebanese state, which has no information" on the matter, the site added.

Lebanese sources accused Israel of pursuing a "deliberate diversion policy" aimed at avoiding discussion of 34 Lebanese detainees allegedly held by Israel and shifting attention away from what they claimed to be Israeli violations in southern Lebanon, including actions against Lebanese Army positions.

Of these detainees, 10 are Hezbollah terrorists, three were imprisoned in Israel, two are nurses who disappeared while accompanying Hezbollah terrorists, and the remaining 21 are civilians, Asharq Al-Awsat reported. A list obtained by the site claimed that nine were detained during the war which broke out in March, while 22 were detained between October 2024 and February 2026.

Meanwhile, the Hezbollah-affiliated newspaper Al-Akhbar reported that Israel also raised the issue of a significant number of deceased Jews buried in Jewish cemeteries in Beirut and Sidon. Until the Six-Day War, thousands of Jews lived in Lebanon, continuing a centuries-old Jewish presence in the country. According to Ynet, Lebanon's Jewish population peaked at between 12,000 and 20,000.

Separately, a Lebanese diplomatic source told the Hezbollah-affiliated network Al Mayadeen that there are currently no plans to hold another round of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel next month.

At the same time, Asharq Al-Awsat reported that both Lebanon and Israel agreed to continue discussions.

Gabi Siboni and Erez WinnerArutz Sheva

A new study by Col. (res.) Prof. Gabi Siboni and Brig. Gen. (res.) Erez Winner warns that Israel can no longer consider its eastern border a quiet front and must prepare for the possibility of a large-scale attack from Jordan.

The researchers say a combination of Jordan's internal challenges, Iranian efforts to expand their presence in the region, and growing weapons and drug smuggling requires Israel to reassess its security strategy along the eastern frontier.

They warn that Israel must prepare for a scenario resembling the October 7 massacre, in which terrorists or armed vehicles could attempt to infiltrate Israel through multiple points along the border and rapidly reach communities in the Jordan Valley and Route 90.

According to the study, such an attack could exploit existing gaps along the border. Without an effective barrier and sufficiently large rapid-response forces, Israel could face a mass-casualty incident on an unprecedented scale.

The researchers stress that Jordan remains an important strategic partner for Israel and that maintaining the stability of the Hashemite regime is a critical Israeli security interest.

At the same time, they caution that Israel cannot rely exclusively on security cooperation with Amman. Israel must develop independent capabilities that would allow it to respond if the Jordanian government were to weaken or lose control of parts of the border.

The study points to a number of internal challenges facing Jordan, including a prolonged economic crisis, high unemployment, water shortages, heavy national debt and a complex demographic makeup in which most of the population is of Palestinian origin.

The researchers also point to the growing influence of extremist elements, including the Muslim Brotherhood and jihadist organizations, which they say are placing increased pressure on the Hashemite monarchy.

Siboni and Winner warn that Iran and its proxies are seeking to turn Jordan into another arena for activity against Israel.

The study highlights weapons and drug smuggling through the Syria-Jordan border, the use of drones to transport weapons, and the potential establishment of pro-Iranian militias near Israel's eastern border.

These developments, the researchers say, could transform what has traditionally been viewed as a relatively quiet frontier into an active arena of conflict.

The study calls on Israel to rapidly complete construction of the security barrier along the Jordanian border and strengthen the Eastern Division responsible for the sector.

The researchers also recommend expanding intelligence and surveillance capabilities, deploying systems capable of detecting and intercepting drones, and increasing the number of rapid-response forces available in the area.

They further stress the importance of strengthening the communities, farms and settlements in the Jordan Valley, describing them as an important component of the region's defensive capabilities.

On a diplomatic level, the researchers recommend continuing to strengthen ties with Jordan through cooperation in water, energy and economic affairs.

They also say that Israel should demand that Jordan take decisive action against weapons and drug smuggling and anti-Israel incitement.

The researchers conclude that Israel must continue to regard the stability of Jordan as a strategic interest while simultaneously preparing for the possibility that conditions in the kingdom could change rapidly.

"Let us not return to an event similar to October 7," Siboni and Winner write, warning that the seemingly quiet eastern front could become Israel's next major security challenge.

Aliza BlochArutz Sheva

Former Beit Shemesh Mayor Aliza Bloch has joined the new political party established by former ministers Gilad Erdan and Yuli Edelstein, after holding talks with them in the past few weeks.

Last week, it was reported that Likud officials approached Bloch and offered her a reserved spot on the party's Knesset list, but she declined the proposal.

In an interview with Arutz Sheva - Israel National News several weeks ago, Bloch explained why she believes now is the right time to enter national politics.

"We are living through one of the most important and most difficult moments in the history of the State of Israel," she said. "After October 7, we must not return to the days when we were burning the streets fighting one another."

"I'm not abandoning Religious Zionism - quite the opposite," she stressed. "I'm continuing the very path on which I was raised. Religious Zionism has always seen itself as a bridge. That's how our rabbis and educators taught us - to see every Jew as part of the people of Israel. That is Religious Zionism's mission today: not to focus on itself, but to take on the mission of unity. The moment is too important, and we cannot afford to give up on anyone."

"We're so busy emphasizing our differences that we no longer have time to focus on what really matters-education, the north, Kiryat Shmona, healthcare, and the future of our children. These are issues on which there is broad agreement, but they've been pushed aside because they don't generate headlines.

"I'm not entering politics because it's convenient or because it's the right political timing. I'm entering because we're in a national emergency. There are moments when you can't remain in the stands. Every one of us has to say: 'Here I am.'"

Givat HarelSagiv Cohen

The decision marks another significant step in solidifying the community’s status and advancing its formalization. At the same time, the Binyamin Regional Council, together with the Settlement Directorate, continues working to formalize the remaining areas of the community and advance the broader settlement development effort.

The decision follows a February 2023 resolution by the Security Cabinet to launch a formal process to legalize Givat Harel, together with the nearby community of Givat Haroeh.

In recent days, residents of the communities of Kida and Esh Kodesh were also informed that the Government Names Committee had approved official recognition of their communities’ original names.

Binyamin Regional Council head and Yesha Council chairman Yisrael Ganz welcomed the developments.

“I congratulate the residents of Givat Harel, Kida, and Esh Kodesh, who have built and developed these communities with dedication and love over the years," Ganz said. “The approval of Givat Harel’s jurisdiction and the official recognition of the communities’ names are significant steps toward the State of Israel’s formal recognition of these important communities.

“We will continue working determinedly together with the community leadership and our partners in government to advance the momentum of development and growth in Binyamin. Many thanks to Finance Minister and Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich, the Settlement Directorate, and all those who have contributed to the determined effort to formalize the young communities and advance the settlement enterprise as a whole."

Finance Minister and Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich added: “The approval of Givat Harel’s jurisdiction is another significant milestone in the community revolution we have been leading over the past four years.

“As part of this revolution, we have approved 104 new communities, advanced 160 farms, secured historic funding for infrastructure and roads, and strengthened the communities as a security belt protecting the State of Israel and the central region’s cities. I thank the Settlement Directorate and Yesha Council chairman Yisrael Ganz for this important step.

“Unfortunately, this revolution is not irreversible. In three months, a new government will be elected, and it could be a dangerous left-wing government led by Gadi Eisenkot, with Yair Golan serving as defense minister. An Eisenkot-Golan-Liberman government would evacuate the communities and farms and promote the establishment of a terrorist state in the heart of Israel. This is dangerous-and we must not allow it to happen," Smotrich concluded.

Heat wave (illustrative)iStock

Israel will continue to see high temperatures throughout the week, with temperatures in the Jordan Valley reaching 44°C (111°F).

Monday morning will be cloudy, with the skies clearing as the day wears on. The Jordan Valley is forecast to see the highest temperatures during the heat wave, reaching around 44°C (111°F), while temperatures are expected to climb to as high as 34°C (93°F) in the mountains and up to 38°C (100°F) in the lowlands and southern Israel.

The unusually hot conditions will persist through Tuesday. Dry weather is expected in the mountains and inland areas, while the coastal plain will remain humid.

On Wednesday, temperatures will drop slightly, mostly in the mountains and inland regions. Even so, temperatures will remain above the seasonal average.

Thursday will see an additional drop in temperatures, especially in the mountains and inland areas, but temperatures will remain above average for the season. Skies are expected to stay clear, with dry conditions continuing inland and in the mountains, high humidity along the coast, and heavy to extreme heat stress across most areas of the country.

PakistanISTOCK

Leon J. Halac is a political analyst, 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.

On Friday, August 7, at Al-Safa Palace in Mecca, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the "Mecca Joint Defense Agreement." The official statement, released by the Saudi Press Agency and reproduced without variation by Okaz and the rest of the Kingdom's press, is brief but unambiguous: any armed attack against any one of the three countries will be regarded as an attack against all three, and the pact aims to "develop all aspects of defense cooperation" among them.

On the surface, it is a defensive treaty like any other. A Turkish official, cited by Reuters, insisted the agreement is " purely defensive" and "not directed against any specific party," leaving it even open to accession by other regional states. But surfaces rarely exhaust the meaning of these Instruments, and this case demonstrates that with particular clarity.

The Contradiction No One States

Saudi Arabia has just sealed a formal defense alliance with two states - Turkey and Pakistan - whose position on Jerusalem and Palestinian Arab statehood is, in both cases, irreconcilable with the normalization framework Washington has spent half a decade building under the name of the Abraham Accords.

-Turkey has deepened its diplomatic hostility toward Israel under Erdoğan.

-Pakistan has never recognized the State of Israel, and its commitment to the Palestinian Arab cause - including East Jerusalem as its capital - is one of the few consensus positions spanning Islamabad's entire political spectrum.

And yet this happens even as Washington continues pressing, with ups and downs, for Riyadh to complete the "grand prize" of Middle East diplomacy: Saudi-Israeli normalization. The sequence of the past nine months is telling:

In November 2025, Trump announced the United States would sell F-35s to Saudi Arabia without conditioning the sale on peace with Israel, rebuffing Israeli hopes of using the jets as leverage. Eight months later, in July 2026, the president did introduce that condition - but on a different object: the newly signed civilian nuclear energy agreement, which, according to his own announcement, "is totally subject to Saudi Arabia joining the very respected and successful Abraham Accords." The condition caught even the U.S. Department of Energy off guard, which had closed the deal a day earlier without mentioning it.

Riyadh did not budge. The Saudi position, as U.S. officials acknowledge, remains what it has been since 2023: first a verifiable path to Palestinian Arab statehood, then normalization. No incentive offered so far - not the civilian nuclear deal, not the F-35s, not AI cooperation - has altered that sequence.

Deterrence Without a Declaration

What the Mecca summit reveals is not that Saudi Arabia has "chosen sides" against Washington or Israel. It is something more precise and, for anyone following these processes closely, more unsettling:

Riyadh has found a way to build real security architecture - with a NATO military power and with the only nuclear state in the Muslim world - without ever having to formally declare that it is abandoning the normalization track Washington offers. There is no rupture, no announcement, not even a denial. Only accumulating facts on the ground.

It is the same mechanism I have described elsewhere under the name "jurispolítica": a political decision adopted outside any declared normative framework, which nonetheless acquires, act by act, the authority of a Consolidated fact. Here it is not a matter of an international resolution clothed in historical authority, but of a regional security architecture built pact by pact - the bilateral agreement with Pakistan in September 2025, now the trilateral one with Turkey - until the question of whether Saudi Arabia "is" or "is not" within the Abraham orbit becomes, in practice, irrelevant next to the question of with whom Riyadh has already signed papers.

Doha, the Eve Before

Sequence matters. One day before the signing in Mecca, on August 6, eight foreign ministries - Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Pakistan, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, the UAE, and Indonesia - issued a joint statement from Doha condemning what they called "grave violations" by Israel in Gaza, focused on attacks against healthcare infrastructure and civilian casualties. It is nearly the same cast that, 24 hours later, would partly reconvene to sign the defense pact: Riyadh, Ankara, and Islamabad take center stage in both acts.

What is interesting is not the condemnation itself - predictable given the state of the conflict - but the rhetorical wrapping the signatories chose. The statement did not stand against Trump's peace plan; it stood inside it. The eight signatories invoked Washington's own "Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict" as the standard Israel was allegedly violating, warning that the violations threatened implementation of the plan's second phase. This is not a break with the American diplomatic architecture - it is an appropriation of it.

The Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani bloc does not turn its back on Trump's framework; it uses that framework as a yardstick to measure Israel, while building, on a separate track - Mecca, twenty-four hours later - a security structure that does not depend on that framework's success. It is the same dual logic described above, now applied to the declaratory arena: operating within Washington's language while simultaneously constructing, in parallel, an architecture that does not need it.

Washington, Caught Between Two Doctrines That Stopped Being Compatible

The most significant fact, however, is not what Saudi Arabia is doing, but what Washington is not doing. No U.S. official publicly objected to the Mecca pact, despite it binding Turkey - a country with which Washington has constant friction over its regional policy - into a mutual defense commitment with a Gulf partner. The silence contrasts with the sensitivity the White House did show months earlier, when the possibility of selling F-35s to Turkey itself was floated, a sale Israel opposed outright.

The most plausible explanation is not indifference, but an unresolved tension between two doctrines that competed for priority within the Trump administration through 2026: containment of Iran at nearly any regional diplomatic cost, and expansion of the Abraham Accords as the central legacy of its foreign policy. When both doctrines require the cooperation of the same actors - actors whose interests do not always align with one another - Washington ends up, in effect, tacitly endorsing by omission a realignment that, on paper, contradicts its own stated objective.

The Status Quo Is Not Neutral

One can argue - and I do - that the Saudi-Turkish-Pakistani position builds a de facto architecture hostile to recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of the State of Israel. That hostility does not rest on an unbroken historical continuity - Jewish sovereignty over the city was severed by force after the Bar Kokhba revolt, when Hadrian expelled the Jewish population and renamed Jerusalem Aelia Capitolina and the province of Judea Syria Palaestina in the year 135 - but on the historical, religious, and political bond that that very rupture failed to erase.

But even those who prefer not to take sides in that dispute should recognize an empirical fact: the current status quo is not a static balance between two projects competing on equal footing. It is terrain where one side - the one building defense pacts, summits, and dated, signed communiqués - advances through facts, while the other keeps betting that the promise of F-35s and nuclear reactors will be enough to reverse a sequence that, so far, has shown no sign of yielding.

"Yes to sovereignty, no to Palestine"Sovereignty Movement

Resolving the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Arabs is not possible because the dispute is not over tangibles - territory, economic benefits, etc - but intangibles: identity, nationalism, and religion. That is why all attempts to end the conflict by making compromises failed. Both sides see the struggle as existential.

Ironically, a solution can found in the concept of sovereignty. Israeli sovereignty is widely recognized and indisputable; Palestinian Arab sovereignty is not. As a political concept, sovereignty means the ability of a nation-state to exercise its authority over territory which it legitimately controls, based on the right of its residents to self-determination. Local groups may contest the right of the sovereign to rule over them, but this must be done within the architecture of sovereignty and democracy. Hostile forces and entities cannot be allowed.

Legally, questions of sovereignty over territory which is disputed must have a basis in law. For the territory which was called Palestine, that means a return to the original plan of the League of Nations for creating sovereign states. Any plan that is proposed must be consistent with that plan because, as the recognized sovereign power, its actions create laws and reality. The legitimacy of all states in the region depends on that fundamental power.

Following WWI and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the League of Nations authorized British and French Mandates to replace the defunct Ottoman rulers. Their plan was to create states based on the major populations in the area. Their plan resulted in the creation of Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Saudi Arabia; Egypt was already well-defined. The British recognized Eretz Yisrael (Palestine) as the “National Homeland of the Jewish People," but it also wanted to give something equivalent to its Arab residents. In 1922, therefore, Britain carved out a state for them, which was called Transjordan, later changed to Jordan, and installed a prominent Saudi Arabian tribe, the Hashemites, as its rulers.

All of the powers and authority of the League of Nations were incorporated into the United Nations, in 1945, and therefore, are the basis of international law.

In 1947, the UN General Assembly passed Resolution 181, which outlined borders for an Arab and a Jewish state. It was rejected by all Arab states, which prepared for war.

When the State of Israel was declared in 1948, it was accepted by the UN, the US and most of the international community based on lines drawn by the British Mandate. The plan was interrupted, however, when 5 Arab states attacked Israel, intent on its destruction. During the war, Egypt seized the Gaza Strip, and Jordan took Judea/Samaria and eastern Jerusalem (aka the "West Bank"); Syria claimed the Golan Heights. During the war, hundreds of thousands of Arabs fled and most became refugees; UNRWA was established to provide camps for them in Lebanon, and the areas conquered by Arab armies. No Arab state was willing to accept them. An Armistice was agreed to in 1949 and lasted until 1967, when Israel recovered the areas it had lost.

After the war, the UN asked a private Swiss organization, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for its opinion on the status of the territories which Israel had conquered. The ICRC declared that these areas were “occupied Palestinian territories’ (OPT), and that Israel had violated international law, the Fourth Geneva Convention. Although its decision had no legal basis, it was accepted by the UN and most of the international community; its deliberations remain secret.

Although Israel signed peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan and later the Abraham Accords, most Arab states and all terrorist organizations, such as the PLO, the Muslim Brotherhood (the parent organization of Hamas), and others are opposed to any acceptance of Israel. They demand a state, “liberation" (from Israel), the “right of return" to Israel (to reclaim abandoned properties), and Israel’s destruction.

Israel sought to end the conflict by recognizing the PLO’s legitimacy and established the Palestinian Authority (PA) based on the Oslo Accords. Not only did this fail, it led to waves of suicidal attacks (the Second Intifada), led by the PA, during which thousands of Israelis were murdered and maimed; Hamas continued it when it took over the Gaza Strip in 2007, built an army, and massacred 1,200 Israelis and took hundreds of hostages on Oct 7, 2023. Another Intifada is planned for Judea and Samaria led by the PA, Hamas, and other terrorist organizations.

A ‘two-state-solution,’ the creation of a Palestinian state in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza (the “West Bank") is not an option since it would be controlled by terrorist organizations and Iran and will empower them.

‘Palestinian self-determination’ cannot be realized within the current structure of the Middle East since Arab Palestinians have consistently rejected any two -state solution. Except for Jordan, in which most of its population are Palestinian Arabs, Arab countries refuse to accept Palestinian Arabs as citizens in order to perpetuate the conflict.

The fundamental question is, what does Arab Palestinianism mean? What values and ideology does it represent? Does it mean anything more than “Death to Israel!"?

Israeli sovereignty and Arab Zionism is the answer.

Arab Palestinians who live in Judea, Samaria, eastern Jerusalem, and Gaza can integrate and become part of Israeli society while retaining a separate identity. Their integration must be based on loyalty to the state and support for security - ours and theirs -- and trust. This plan provides an alternative and replaces rejection with acceptance, despair with hope. All forms of bigotry and Jew-hatred by Muslim leaders must be banned and eliminated. The Muslim Brotherhood should be banned, at least in Israel.

Ironically, the best alternative to a destructive Palestinian state is a constructive Israeli state with full sovereignty in all areas of Eretz Yisrael. Our future is also theirs.

Addendum:

A declaration of sovereignty could be the end, or the beginning of the end of terrorism and incitement here. It would set a clear policy: no acceptance or tolerance for terrorism or incitement; no calls or support for Jihad and destroying Israel, It would eliminate the PA/PLO &Hamas.

Arab residents would have to choose. Those who want to integrate and want citizenship would have to renounce terrorism and incitement and live up to that pledge. Those who don't would have to relocate to another country. The Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist organizations would be banned. Support for terrorism and incitement would be treason.

No PA/PLO army Arab policemen who accept Israeli sovereignty could be integrated into the Israeli police.

Israeli sovereignty means no more "Nakba" demonstrations, especially those led by MKs. That's treason!

And of course - No more UNRWA, and other hostile NGOs.

Benjamin NetanyahuChaim Goldberg/FLASH90

Officials in one of the countries in the region advised officials in another country to adopt a policy of tactical flexibility and reach an agreement with Israel, with the aim of “lulling" Israel into a false sense of security while preparations were underway for a large-scale military campaign.

Kan Reshet Bet reported that during contacts between the sides, the officials suggested that their counterparts reach an agreement with Israel in order to violate it at a later stage, while continuing parallel preparations for military action.

This approach is consistent with the pattern of conduct adopted by Yahya Sinwar, who created the impression in Israel that he was prepared to maintain calm in exchange for calm, while simultaneously working on plans for the October 7 massacre.

The reports raise a particularly troubling question: Similar to what Israel experienced with Hamas before October 7, is Israel once again convincing itself that countries in the region are genuinely interested in advancing normalization with the state? In other words, is Israel once again falling victim to a “conception"?

Doug GoldsteinBy PR

Lump sum investing can feel like a smart next step when extra cash is sitting in a money market fund or savings account. But before choosing dividend stocks, bonds, growth funds, crypto, or any other investment, the real question is: What is this money for?

A strong investment strategy starts with purpose, timeline, and risk, not with whatever investment is getting attention right now.

When money doesn’t have a clear goal, it’s easy to build a portfolio around scattered ideas instead of a financial plan.

Matching each pool of money to a realistic timeline can help you decide whether you need safety, income, long-term growth, or diversification.

For Americans in Israel with U.S. brokerage and IRA accounts, that kind of goal-based investing can make it easier to avoid unnecessary risk, tax surprises, and trend-driven decisions.

Key Takeaways and Action Points

• Start with the goal. Define what each pool of money is meant to support before choosing investments.
• Use your timeline to guide the strategy. Money needed soon should usually be handled differently from money meant for long-term growth.
• Don’t chase income you don’t need. Dividend strategies can be useful, but they should fit your actual cash-flow needs and tax situation.
• Avoid trend-driven investing. Diversification can help keep your portfolio aligned with your goals instead of the latest market headlines.