A frum, elderly man and veteran Hatzalah member was tragically found shot along the shoreline of Kissena Lake in Queens on Monday afternoon. He was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.



Officers responded to a call about an unconscious man near the lake, located within Kissena Park in East Flushing, just before 5 p.m. Upon arrival, they discovered Albert (Avrumi) Itzkowitz, 75, of Queens, suffering from gunshot wounds to the neck and back. 



No arrests have been made, and police have yet to release descriptions of possible suspects or establish a motive.



Community members remember Avrumi as a pillar of the Queens Jewish kehilah. Sorolle Idels of the Queens Jewish Alliance told Belaaz that he was beloved by all who encountered him.



&#8220;Always with a smile, Avrumi was a wonderful man,&#8221; Idels said. &#8220;He was osek tzibbur — he was in Hatzalah early on.&#8221;



Idels also recalled that Avrumi and his family had operated the first kosher bakery in Kew Gardens Hills. &#8220;He had a bakery with his father and brother &#8211; the first kosher bakery in Kew Gardens Hills,&#8221; Idels said. &#8220;And when their faher was niftar, he and his brother ran the store.&#8221;



Avrumi had recently suffered the loss of his wife, who passed away two weeks ago.

BDE: Hatzalah Veteran Avrumi Itzkowitz z”l, Tragically Murdered at Queens Lake

The Islamic Center of San Diego, where a deadly mass shooting Monday left three people dead, has previously drawn national attention over past ties to September 11 hijackers and inflammatory statements made by its current imam regarding Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel.



Three people, including a security guard, were killed after two gunmen opened fire at the mosque. The suspected attackers were later discovered dead from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds inside a BMW. Authorities said the threat had been neutralized, though a motive has not yet been officially determined.



The mosque has long faced scrutiny because two of the September 11 hijackers, Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar, reportedly attended prayers there while living in San Diego. According to previous reports, the pair also found housing near the mosque through community advertisements while taking flight lessons in the area.



More recently, Imam Taha Hassane came under criticism for remarks made shortly after the October 7 Hamas massacre in Israel.



“This did not start last week or on October 7. This is the result of brutal Zionist occupation and genocide,” Hassane said in a social media video posted days after the attack.



“Resistance is justified when people are under occupation and don’t let them change that narrative.”



Members of Hassane’s family have also faced accusations over anti-Israel activism and inflammatory rhetoric.



According to Canary Mission, Selma Hassane has “promoted incitement, spread hatred of Israel, engaged in anti-Israel activism and is a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement.”



Meanwhile, watchdog group StopAntisemitism accused Hassane’s wife, Lallia Allali, of sharing graphic imagery following the October 7 attacks, including a depiction of a Jewish star accompanied by the words “the devil is killing.”



The group also alleged that Allali was involved with the Palestinian Youth Movement, a radical anti-Zionist organization that openly advocates for the “liberation” of all land “from the river to the sea” and describes its movement as rooted in an Arab struggle for all of “Palestine,&#8221; with the newly formed state to be entirely Arab.



Residents living near the mosque told the New York Post that tensions between the Islamic Center and the surrounding community had escalated following the October 7 attacks, particularly involving a nearby Hebrew-language charter school.



One parent said disputes intensified after the school displayed hostage posters across the street from the mosque, prompting mosque officials to contact police over alleged vandalism concerns.



“Hassane was supposed to bridge all the communities, but quickly became a hostile figure,” local journalist and parent Stella Escobedo said.

San Diego Mosque Hit By Deadly Shooting Had Long History Of Extremism and Ties to 9/11 Hijackers

President Donald Trump is scheduled to appear at a campaign event Friday alongside Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) at the Eugene Levy Fieldhouse at Rockland Community College in Suffern &#8211; on the first day of Shavuos.



Lawler&#8217;s office confirmed to Belaaz that there will be a frum presence at the event, which is open to the public. A number of those offered VIP seating declined due to Yom Tov complications, as attendees will need to go through metal detectors and other security screening procedures. A source indicated to Belaaz that Rabbi Shmuel Gancz of Suffern, who was invited to speak, reportedly stated that if he were permitted to read the Aseres Hadibros, he would participate, but when this request was rejected he declined to attend.



The event will begin at 3PM on Friday.



The White House framed the visit as an opportunity for the President to tout his economic agenda, highlighting what it described as the largest middle-class tax cuts in history, including an expansion of the SALT deduction cap from $10,000 to $40,000.



But the timing of the visit &#8211; falling on Yom Tov Shavuos &#8211; has drawn notice in the heavily Jewish county, where frum residents will be celebrating the Yom Tov and will be unable to attend.



Images shared with Belaaz on Thursday show Jewish Rockland residents displaying welcome signs for the president.



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Lawler&#8217;s district, New York&#8217;s 17th Congressional District, which encompasses Rockland and Putnam counties along with parts of Westchester and Dutchess, is considered one of the nation&#8217;s key House battleground seats and the only New York congressional district currently rated a toss-up. Control of the narrowly divided U.S. House could hinge on races like Lawler&#8217;s in November.







The scheduling has raised eyebrows in the local frum community. Rockland County&#8217;s Orthodox Jewish population &#8211; concentrated in Monsey, Spring Valley, New Square, and surrounding areas &#8211; represents a major bloc of the district&#8217;s electorate, one that Lawler has cultivated carefully throughout his tenure in Congress. A slew of Trump administration officials have visited Lawler&#8217;s district to hold events with him in recent weeks as the second-term Republican gears up for his re-election campaign.



Some observers have noted the apparent incongruity of a presidential visit designed in part to shore up Jewish community support being scheduled on a day when virtually the entire observant Jewish community is unavailable. Whether the date was an oversight or reflects a calculation that Lawler&#8217;s Jewish support is sufficiently secure regardless, is a matter of speculation among community members.

Some Jewish Community Figures Decline Invitations to Shavuos Trump Campaign Event for Rep. Lawler

Ahead of Friday&#8217;s presidential visit to Rockland County, askanim have secured a dedicated viewing location at Viola Road corner College Road, with significant accommodations tailored specifically for frum Jews.



The announcement, circulated Thursday afternoon erev Yom Tov, confirmed that local officials met with community representatives and agreed to establish a separate area where the President will be visible to the crowd. The location will be reserved exclusively for the heimishe community. A special hotline was established to inform community members of updates. The number is 845-738-2222.



Attendees at the designated area will not be required to pass through metal detectors or present identification. The site will also be physically separated from the general public, and arrangements are being made to ensure the area is maintained in accordance with tznius standards.



Officials will distribute American flags at the entrance for those who wish to have one.

Monsey Askanim Secure Dedicated Area for Presidential Visit: No Metal Detectors, No ID Required

UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese sparked a new backlash after publishing a Facebook post attacking Germany over its Holocaust memory and support for Israel, in remarks critics described as highly antisemitic.



Albanese, the UN rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, wrote that Germany’s postwar sense of responsibility for the Holocaust should no longer be described as “historical guilt.” Instead, she called it “a historical superiority syndrome that was never properly diagnosed, never treated, never healed.”



She then linked Germany’s postwar identity to its treatment of Jews and Israel. Albanese wrote that the West accepted Germany because Germans proved they could tolerate certain members of a group once considered “undesirable,” adding that they accepted “the Jews, but not all of them.”



The most inflammatory passage referred directly to Jewish identity and Israel. “No longer a fragile minority. No longer a people in exile. No longer the people of the book. But the chosen people. ‘Chosen to rule?’ one might wonder when looking at what Israel has become,” she wrote.



Albanese also claimed that “Israel does not represent all Jews,” and therefore “Germany does not honor all Jews,” pointing to Germany’s treatment of anti-Zionist Jews. She ended by saying Germans are “called to free themselves” and that “this is their opportunity.”



The post adds to mounting controversy around Albanese, who has repeatedly faced accusations of antisemitism over her comments on Israel. Earlier this year, several European governments called for her removal after she described Israel as “the common enemy of humanity” during an Al Jazeera forum in Qatar. The United States has also sanctioned Albanese, though a federal judge recently blocked those sanctions while the case continues.

UN Rapporteur Tells Germans To ‘Free Themselves’ From Holocaust Guilt

Rabbi Yishai Por z&#8221;l, 52, was murdered Wednesday night while learning Torah inside Kollel Chazon Ish in Bnei Brak.



According to eyewitnesses, the attacker -believed to be mentally unstable &#8211; entered the shul, pulled out a sharp object, and repeatedly stabbed Rabbi Por z&#8221;l as his 13-year-old son watched in horror.



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Hatzalah and other emergency medical teams rushed to the scene and treated the victim, who was critically wounded. He was transported to the hospital while undergoing CPR as doctors battled for roughly an hour to save his life before pronouncing him dead.



Yechiel Goldman, operations officer for ZAKA, described the aftermath of the attack.



“The scenes inside the synagogue were extremely difficult: the holy books and study benches were stained with blood. ZAKA volunteers, operating under these circumstances with deep reverence, are cooperating with investigators from the forensic identification division of the Israel Police and assisting in collecting the many evidentiary and forensic findings left at the scene.&#8221;



Israel Police opened an investigation into the killing and said a suspect has been taken into custody.

Rabbi Yishai Por z”l, Murdered In Kollel Chazon Ish In Front Of Son

On Wednesday, the Tzedek Association delivered the first in a series of air conditioning units to FCI Otisville, a medium-security federal correctional institution with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp and detention center, located in Orange County, New York. The group plans to expand the initiative to additional facilities across the country.



The effort is the latest in a string of advocacy victories for Rabbi Moshe Margaretten, the group&#8217;s founder and president, who has spent more than a decade pressing the federal government on prison conditions and sentencing reform. Tzedek was among the organizations credited with helping push the First Step Act into law.



“For too long, many incarcerated individuals have suffered through unbearable heat conditions with little relief. We are thankful to work alongside leaders who understand that basic humanity and dignity must remain a priority,&#8221; Rabbi Moshe Margaretten told Belaaz.



The air conditioning donation comes as federal prisons face recurring scrutiny over summer heat conditions. Inmates in many facilities serve their sentences wearing 100 percent polyester uniforms that offer little relief in hot weather. With summer approaching, Tzedek argued that exposing incarcerated people to extreme heat in such conditions is a matter of basic human dignity.



The announcement comes amid what reform advocates describe as an unusually receptive moment inside the Bureau of Prisons. Last week, Rabbi Margaretten met in Washington with Deputy Director Joshua J. Smith and his team. Smith, who was sworn in last June, oversees 122 facilities and a workforce of 36,000, and is responsible for the care and custody of 156,000 federal inmates. He is the first formerly incarcerated person to serve at any level as a Bureau of Prisons employee — having been convicted in the late 1990s on drug conspiracy charges and later pardoned by President Trump.



Under the current BOP leadership, Tzedek said it has been advocating for expanded tablet access and video communication for inmates, significantly broadened furlough opportunities, and further implementation of the First Step Act.



Rabbi Margaretten also attended the White House&#8217;s Shabbat 250 celebration last week, a gathering honoring 250 years of American history, where he met with senior administration officials including Martin Marks, the White House Jewish Community Liaison.

Tzedek Installs Air Conditioners in Federal Prison

Dozens of Talmidim from Shavei Hebron Yeshiva on Wednesday moved into a residential building in Chevron’s Old City market district, known as the Casbah, marking the first permanent Jewish residential presence there since the 1929 Chevron massacre.



Jews lived in Chevron for centuries until Arab rioters murdered 67 Jews during the 1929 massacre and the British evacuated the surviving Jewish community from the city. After Israel took control of Chevron in 1967, Jews returned to several limited, heavily secured parts of the city, but not to the Casbah, the dense Palestinian market and residential area in Chevron’s Old City.



The students moved into Beit Valero, a building inside one of the most sensitive parts of the city. Chevron is one of Judaism’s holiest cities and is home to the Tomb of the Patriarchs, where Jewish tradition says Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaakov are buried. Today, the city is home to both a large Palestinian population and a small Jewish community living under heavy Israeli military protection.



The yeshiva said the move became possible only after it completed a complex legal purchase of the property, followed by months of renovations, security upgrades and coordination with Israeli authorities. Jewish groups cannot simply move into the Casbah. Property purchases in the area require willing sellers, extensive legal documentation, military security planning and government coordination, and they are often politically explosive and can take years to complete or approve.



Rabbis, public officials and residents gathered at the site for a mezuzah ceremony as students officially entered the building. Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Chananel Etrog said: “We are entering Beit Valero, and it is impossible not to see King David returning to his city, Chevron.”



The IDF said forces would secure the building and surrounding area on an ongoing basis because of the site’s high security sensitivity.

Shavei Chevron Yeshiva Talmidim Move Into Chevron Casbah For First Time Since 1929

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee issued an unusually forceful rebuke Wednesday against National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir following the minister’s filmed confrontation with activists from the pro-Hamas flotilla headed to Gaza.



“Universal outrage &amp; condemnation from every high-ranking Israeli official, from Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israeli Foreign Minister Gidon Sa&#8217;ar, Israeli President Yitzchak Herzog, and Ambassador Yechiel Leiter for despicable actions by Ben Gvir. Flotilla was a stupid stunt, but Ben Gvir betrayed the dignity of his nation,” Huckabee said.



Ben Gvir also faced criticism earlier in the evening from Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Yechiel Leiter.



“As Prime Minister Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa&#8217;ar have made clear, Itamar Ben Gvir’s reckless grandstanding is not representative of government policy. I am Israel’s top diplomat in the US, at the heart of our most important alliance. Ben Gvir’s antics take a sledgehammer to our diplomatic efforts while Israel’s enemies gleefully jump on every unfortunate nonsense to discredit and demonize. The provocateurs of the Flotilla charade were properly detained in accordance with international law and will be deported to their home countries. End of story,&#8221; Leiter wrote on X.



Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also publicly condemned the national security minister’s conduct.



“Israel has every right to prevent provocative flotillas of Hamas terrorist supporters from entering our territorial waters and reaching Gaza. However, the way that Minister Ben Gvir dealt with the flotilla activists is not in line with Israel’s values and norms. I have instructed the relevant authorities to deport the provocateurs as soon as possible,&#8221; Netanyahu said.



Foreign Minister Gidon Sa’ar likewise sharply criticized Ben Gvir over the incident.



“You knowingly caused harm to our State in this disgraceful display &#8211; and not for the first time,&#8221; Sa’ar wrote. &#8220;You have undone tremendous, professional, and successful efforts made by so many people &#8211; from IDF soldiers to Foreign Ministry staff and many others. No, you are not the face of Israel.&#8221;



According to reports, at least five countries have announced plans to summon Israeli ambassadors for reprimand meetings following Ben Gvir’s visit to the flotilla activists and the release of footage from the encounter.



Despite the backlash, Ben Gvir defended his actions and dismissed the criticism.



“There are those in the government who still do not understand how supporters of terrorism should be treated. Israel’s foreign minister is expected to understand that Israel has stopped being a punching bag. Anyone who comes into our territory to support terrorism and identify with Hamas will get hit &#8211; and we will not turn the other cheek,&#8221; Ben Gvir said.

US Ambassador Mike Huckabee Blasts Ben Gvir Over Gaza Flotilla Incident

Israel established a special task force after the October 7 massacre to track down and kill or capture every Hamas terrorist involved in the attack, according to a Wall Street Journal report published Wednesday. The unit, known as “NILI,” targets everyone from senior Hamas commanders to terrorists who physically crossed into Israel during the massacre.



The task force’s name is an acronym for “Netzach Yisrael Lo Yeshaker” — “The Glory of Israel does not deceive.” According to the report, Israeli officials said the name reflects a message that no victim of the October 7 attack would be forgotten.



NILI compiled a list containing “thousands of names” connected to the massacre. Israeli officials use facial recognition from Hamas social media footage, cellphone tracking data, and interrogations of Gazan detainees to identify suspects. Current and former officials told the WSJ that once two separate pieces of evidence confirm participation in the attack, the individual is marked for elimination without trial.



The report described operations targeting both low-level participants and senior Hamas leaders. One example cited was a terrorist who drove a tractor through the Gaza border fence on October 7 and was later killed in an Israeli airstrike while walking through an urban street. The report also referenced the recent killing of Hamas military leader Izz ad-Din al-Haddad, whom IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir described as “one of the chief perpetrators of the October 7 massacre.”



Former Israeli intelligence official Michael Milstein told the WSJ that “revenge is an important part of the discourse” in the Middle East, arguing that Israel must demonstrate the price of attacks like October 7. The report added that NILI has also reportedly taken part in assassinations of Hamas figures in Lebanon and Iran.

Report: Israel Created Special  Unit To Hunt October 7 Terrorists

A US source told Axios that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “hair was on fire after the call,” referring to the recent conversation between the Israeli prime minister and President Donald Trump regarding ongoing negotiations with Iran.



Israeli officials, however, downplayed the characterization somewhat, noting that Netanyahu “is always concerned” about the direction of talks with Iran, including during earlier negotiation rounds that ultimately collapsed.



Both the Prime Minister’s Office and the White House declined to comment to Axios regarding the report.



According to Axios, mediators have spent recent days attempting to close remaining gaps surrounding the latest Pakistani-backed proposal. Two Arab sources and one Israeli source said Qatar recently presented both the United States and Iran with a revised draft agreement.



A separate Qatari source disputed that characterization, saying there is no independent Qatari proposal and that Doha is instead trying to refine the existing Pakistani framework.



The latest diplomatic push is reportedly focused on obtaining firmer Iranian commitments to curb its nuclear program, while also securing stronger American guarantees to gradually release frozen Iranian assets held overseas.



The report added that both Qatar and Pakistan dispatched delegations to Tehran earlier this week to discuss the newest version of the proposal with Iranian officials.

Report: Netanyahu Alarmed Following Trump Call As Iran Negotiations Continue

Survivors and relatives of victims of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing expressed alarm over the growing congressional campaign of Democrat Adam Hamawy, citing his past relationship with convicted terrorist cleric Omar Abdel-Rahman, widely known as the “Blind Sheikh.”



Hamawy, a plastic surgeon from Princeton, is considered a leading contender in the Democratic primary to succeed retiring Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman in New Jersey’s heavily Democratic 12th Congressional District. His past association with Abdel-Rahman, who was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing plot, has drawn renewed scrutiny.



The February 1993 bombing killed six people and injured more than 1,000 others. Abdel-Rahman stood trial in 1995 over his involvement in the attack, and Hamawy appeared as a defense witness during the proceedings. On the campaign trail last week, Hamawy reportedly referred to the cleric as a “leader of the community.”



Hamawy has also stated that he never heard Abdel-Rahman advocate violence or terrorism, despite having traveled with him for 13 hours in 1991 to an Islamic conference in Detroit titled “Toward a Global Islamic Economy in Detroit,” where multiple speakers reportedly discussed jihad and infidels.



“I would never vote for Hamawy because of this and again, saying that as a lifelong Democrat and someone who really wants to keep New Jersey blue, I would find another Democrat to vote for even if it meant writing in someone. I could not with a clear conscience ever vote for this man. Nor would I encourage anybody else to. Some things are just not forgivable,&#8221; said Michael Macko, whose father, William Macko, was killed in the World Trade Center bombing while working in the North Tower.



“These are people being associated with the very horrific killing of my father. Whenever I see things like this it&#8217;s hard because your immediate reaction is just unbelief,&#8221; Macko added.



“Maybe he didn&#8217;t know how bad the sheik was,” Macko said of Hamawy, “but I would find that hard to believe given his closeness to him.&#8221;



Many survivors said memories of the 1993 bombing have faded in public consciousness because of the September 11 attacks, though they continue to live with the trauma decades later.



James Outerbridge, who survived both the 1993 bombing and the September 11 attacks, told the Washington Free Beacon on Monday that he remains in therapy because of his experiences.



“What had happened [in 1993] not only affected me, but was a precursor to 9/11,&#8221; Outerbridge said.



Outerbridge, who worked at a bank in the towers and later helped save hundreds of lives during the September 11 attacks, sharply criticized Hamawy’s candidacy.



“There&#8217;s no place for people like this,&#8221; Outerbridge said. “Allowing people who have those kinds of connections to come in here, run for political office, and then who knows, down the line, put their own agenda into play.&#8221;



“He doesn&#8217;t deserve to run for political office in our country,&#8221; he added.



Charles Maikish, who directed the Port Authority’s World Trade Department during the bombing, recalled to the Beacon feeling the tower physically shake when the blast occurred.



“I was sitting at my desk in Tower One when the tower heaved. It just actually heaved. And I knew something had happened,&#8221; he said.



“I always referred to them as my twins,” Maikish added. “And it was a devastating experience to have it, you know, injured the way it was injured.&#8221;



Speaking about Hamawy’s ties to Abdel-Rahman, Maikish said: “Personally, it disgusts me. For somebody that has befriended that group, or the head of that sect that perpetrated such a heinous crime, to me, is just totally against what would be a free, open, democratic society.&#8221;



Questions surrounding Hamawy’s relationship with the Blind Sheikh resurfaced after reports highlighted a 1995 New York Times article that identified him as a “supporter” of the cleric.



“If you need anything, you can just give me a call,” Hamawy reportedly told Abdel-Rahman in 1993, months after the bombing.



Hamawy has not denied knowing the cleric, who died in prison in 2017, but has dismissed criticism over the relationship as “right-wing, MAGA smears.”



While Hamawy’s Democratic rivals had initially been cautious in addressing the controversy, some have recently begun speaking more openly as the primary race enters its final weeks.



“You are known by the company you keep. In the mid 1990s when Adam Hamawy indicated he was an interpreter for [the Blind Sheikh], who was convicted of acts against this country, he sat in a ride and developed amnesia about what transpired on that very long road trip,&#8221; said Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp.



“You can&#8217;t describe Adam Hamawy as a progressive,” Mapp added. “He is what you would call a radical extremist. Individuals associating with clearly anti-American views like the convicted Sheikh call into question people like Dr. Hamawy.&#8221;

1993 World Trade Center Bombing Survivors Outraged Over Congressional Candidate’s Ties To Mastermind

A man around 40 years old was seriously wounded Wednesday afternoon in a stabbing attack on Rechov HaAri in Bnei Brak, as police launched a manhunt for a suspect who fled the scene. Hebrew media reports said the stabbing occurred near a kollel in the area.



Magen David Adom said emergency crews were dispatched at 2:13 p.m. after receiving reports of a stabbing. Paramedics found the victim suffering from penetrating wounds and provided life-saving treatment at the scene before evacuating him to Sheba Medical Center in serious condition.



“The victim was lying conscious but disoriented and suffering from penetrating wounds to his body,” MDA medic Elchanan Rosenstein said. “We provided medical treatment including stopping the bleeding and administering medication, and evacuated him in intensive care condition to the hospital while in serious condition.”



Israel Police said officers were called to the scene immediately after the report was received and began collecting evidence and witness testimony. Authorities said the background to the incident is currently believed to be criminal, not terror-related.



The suspect fled before police arrived, and no arrests had been announced as of Wednesday afternoon.&nbsp;

Bnei Brak Man Seriously Wounded In Criminal Stabbing, Suspect Escapes

An active shooter attack at the Islamic Center of San Diego on Monday afternoon left three people dead with two suspects found dead in a nearby car, police said, declaring the threat neutralized.



San Diego police responded to the Clairemont-area mosque shortly after noon local time following multiple reports of an active shooter. Officers arrived to find a scene that officials later described as &#8220;active but contained,&#8221; with significant law enforcement resources deployed. The two suspects were killed during the response. Law enforcement officials identified 17-year-old Cain Clark and 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez as the suspects.



Multiple nearby schools were placed on lockdown as the situation developed, and police established a reunification site at 4125 Hathaway Street. Authorities asked the public to avoid the area.



California Gov. Gavin Newsom was briefed on the incident, with his office saying emergency management officials were coordinating with local law enforcement. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said he was aware of the situation and that emergency personnel were &#8220;actively working to protect the community.&#8221;



In New York, the NYPD announced it was increasing deployments to mosques citywide as a precautionary measure. &#8220;While there is currently no known nexus to NYC or specific threats to NYC houses of worship, out of an abundance of caution, the NYPD is increasing deployments to mosques across the city,&#8221; the department said.



The Islamic Center of San Diego is located approximately eight miles north of downtown San Diego.

3 Killed, 2 Suspects Dead in Shooting Attack at San Diego Mosque

Sen. Tom Cotton and 24 Republican senators are urging President Donald Trump to fully dismantle UNRWA, arguing that American taxpayer money is still indirectly reaching the agency through the broader United Nations budget despite Trump’s funding ban last year. The lawmakers said roughly $70 million from the UN’s annual budget still flows to UNRWA and called for the agency to be completely removed from the UN funding system.



The senators’ letter cited ongoing investigations into alleged Hamas ties among UNRWA employees following October 7. According to findings referenced by the lawmakers, multiple staff members were accused of participating in Hamas terrorist activities, holding Israeli hostages, or assisting the attack. “Any aid organization in Gaza or otherwise must be demonstrably free of ties to terrorism and committed to transparency, accountability, and peace,” the senators wrote.



The push comes after Trump signed an executive order in February 2025 ending direct US funding to UNRWA, which had received up to $1.5 billion during the Biden administration. Congressional Republicans are also backing broader cuts to UN funding and proposals that would block American money from reaching organizations that refuse to cooperate with federal watchdog investigations.



Israeli officials have long accused UNRWA of allowing Hamas terrorists to operate inside its schools and facilities in Gaza, including claims that weapons and tunnel infrastructure were hidden near agency compounds. Earlier this month, Israel announced plans to establish government offices at the former UNRWA compound in Jerusalem as part of its broader campaign against the agency. UNRWA has denied many of the allegations against it and says some accused staff members were dismissed.

Senate Republicans Urge Trump To Remove UNRWA From UN Budget

President Donald Trump announced Saturday evening that a peace agreement with the Islamic Republic of Iran had been &#8220;largely negotiated&#8221; — stopping well short of declaring a completed deal and offering no specifics about its terms, even as a chorus of Republican voices warned that the emerging framework would squander the gains of the military campaign against Tehran.



In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had convened an Oval Office call with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain, followed by a separate conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. He said the discussions centered on a Memorandum of Understanding pertaining to peace and cited the opening of the Strait of Hormuz as one element, but provided no further details.



&#8220;An Agreement has been largely negotiated, subject to finalization,&#8221; Trump wrote, adding that &#8220;final aspects and details of the Deal are currently being discussed, and will be announced shortly.&#8221;



What those details are — or whether the parties can actually agree on them — remains unclear.



The announcement landed just hours after Trump himself cast serious doubt on whether any agreement was within reach. In an interview with Axios earlier Saturday, he put the odds of reaching a &#8220;good&#8221; deal at &#8220;a solid 50/50,&#8221; with the alternative being, in his words, to &#8220;blow them to kingdom come.&#8221; He said he would meet with chief negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, along with Vice President JD Vance, to review Iran&#8217;s latest offer before making a decision he expected to reach by Sunday.



The afternoon was marked by frantic regional diplomacy. Pakistan&#8217;s Field Marshal Asim Munir, who had been mediating between Washington and Tehran, departed Iran on Saturday after meeting with senior officials there. Islamabad described the talks as showing &#8220;encouraging progress toward a final understanding&#8221; but acknowledged that no deal had been finalized.



Iran&#8217;s foreign ministry spokesperson said from Tehran that the two sides were in the &#8220;final stage&#8221; of discussions on an MOU framework that would address the Strait of Hormuz, the lifting of a U.S. blockade, and frozen Iranian assets — followed by a 30-to-60-day period of more detailed negotiations. Iran separately said that nuclear issues were not part of the current negotiations at all — a direct collision with the terms Trump and his secretary of state have publicly insisted upon.



Trump&#8217;s apparent pivot toward a deal triggered sharp pushback from prominent members of his own party.



Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said he was &#8220;deeply concerned&#8221; about what he was hearing, warning that if the military campaign — which he credited with &#8220;destroying all of their missiles and drones and sinking their entire navy&#8221; — resulted in an Iran &#8220;still run by Islamists who chant &#8216;death to America,&#8217; now receiving billions of dollars, being able to enrich uranium and develop nuclear weapons, and having effective control over the Strait of Hormuz, then that outcome would be a disastrous mistake.&#8221; Cruz noted that he was still waiting on details, but added that former Obama-era Iran negotiator Rob Malley&#8217;s reported praise of the deal was &#8220;not encouraging.&#8221;



Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) warned that a deal struck on the premise that the Strait of Hormuz cannot be protected from Iranian threats would represent &#8220;a major shift of the balance of power in the region&#8221; and would over time become &#8220;a nightmare for Israel.&#8221; His post was amplified by the Senate Republicans&#8217; official account and by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee.



Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, was more blunt, warning that &#8220;the rumored 60-day ceasefire — with the belief that Iran will ever engage in good faith — would be a disaster.&#8221; He added: &#8220;Everything accomplished by Operation Epic Fury would be for naught.&#8221; On Friday, Wicker had blamed unnamed Trump advisers for pushing the president toward &#8220;a deal that would not be worth the paper it is written on,&#8221; warning that &#8220;further pursuit of an agreement with Iran&#8217;s Islamist regime risks a perception of weakness.&#8221;



Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who served under Trump in his first term, went further, likening the reported terms to the Obama administration&#8217;s 2015 nuclear deal and calling them &#8220;straight out of the Wendy Sherman-Robert Malley-Ben Rhodes playbook.&#8221; He said the emerging framework was &#8220;not remotely America First.&#8221;



Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday there had been &#8220;some progress&#8221; in talks and hinted that news could come later in the day. But he reiterated that Iran must surrender its enriched uranium stockpile, can &#8220;never&#8221; possess a nuclear weapon, and that the Strait must be reopened &#8220;without tolls&#8221; — positions that remain far from Iran&#8217;s stated terms and that any preliminary MOU would likely defer rather than resolve.



The Republican dissent over the deal comes amid broader congressional turbulence over the Iran war. The Senate this week advanced a war powers resolution that would end the conflict absent congressional authorization, in a 50-47 vote that reflected a small but growing bloc of Republicans willing to challenge the president. A similar House vote, which observers said had the votes to pass, was abruptly canceled by Republican leadership and pushed off until after the Memorial Day recess.

Trump Claims Iran Deal ‘Largely Negotiated’ Amid Republican Pushback Over Terms

The Binyamin Regional Council announced Tuesday night that Major (res.) Itamar Sapir Hy’d was killed during combat operations in southern Lebanon. He was 27 years old. Levaya arrangements were set for Wednesday in Ra’anana.



Itamar was born to Yehuda and Rivki Sapir of Eli, where he was raised and educated in local schools throughout the Binyamin region. He later continued his studies at Yeshivat Neve Shmuel in Efrat.



A number of years ago, he married Roi, and the couple initially lived in Ra’anana before settling in Ariel. There, they raised their young son, Maayan, who is about a year and a half old.



Sapir enlisted in the IDF in 2019 and served in the elite Maglan unit. By the end of his active-duty service, he had risen to the position of company commander. During reserve duty, he continued serving as a company commander in Maglan’s reserve battalion.



Those who knew Itamar spoke emotionally about the loss and the impact he had on those around him.



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“He was the most upright friend I know,&#8221; said Meir, a childhood friend of Itamar. “A cheerful and opinionated friend with a wonderful family. A friend who, when he wanted something, would invest all of himself to achieve his goal.&#8221;



Sapir is the 63rd soldier from the Binyamin Regional Council to fall since the beginning of the war. He is survived by his wife Roi, son Maayan, parents Yehuda and Rivki, and brothers Tal, Erez, and Yosef.



Binyamin Regional Council head Israel Ganz issued a statement mourning Sapir’s death and offering condolences to the family.



“All of our hearts are broken with the fall of Captain Itamar Sapir, of blessed memory,&#8221; Ganz said. “Itamar grew up in Eli, a community that has already sacrificed many of its finest sons since the start of the war. The Eli community sends its sons to the front with faith, responsibility, and endless devotion, and tragically, this time its son did not return.&#8221;

Major (Res.) Itamar Sapir Hy’d Killed In Battle In Southern Lebanon

London&#8217;s frum community received a measure of relief this week as two antisemites were brought to justice following separate incidents that had left residents deeply shaken.



In the first case, Mohamed Sibous, 18, of Schoolhouse Lane, Limehouse, was arrested and charged following the spread of a deeply disturbing video on social media in which he threatened to behead Jews. London Shomrim, which worked closely with the Metropolitan Police to identify the suspect, thanked law enforcement for their swift response. The video, recorded outside 82 Whitechapel Road in Tower Hamlets, had prompted Shomrim to sharply increase patrols in frum neighborhoods pending his arrest.



&#8220;The Orthodox Jewish community is exceptionally concerned about these threats,&#8221; Shomrim stated, adding that they were &#8220;working closely with Metropolitan Police Tower Hamlets and Hackney&#8221; to address the situation.



In a separate case, Tavius Jean-Charles, of Bethune Road, London N16, was found guilty of a string of antisemitic offences committed over a period of months. Among his crimes were explicit threats to kill Jewish individuals, and throwing a stone at a vehicle driven by a Jewish man, shattering the windscreen. Jean-Charles was also overheard on his phone, while standing outside a Jewish school, discussing blowing up &#8220;one of their schools.&#8221; A victim impact statement read in court from the manager of a local shul conveyed the toll the campaign of terror had taken: some members of the kehillah, he said, were terrified for their lives. Jean-Charles was remanded in custody pending sentencing at Southwark Crown Court.



Shomrim welcomed the verdict, stating that Stamford Hill&#8217;s kehillah &#8220;can sleep easier with this extremely unpleasant character off our streets,&#8221; and acknowledged the investigative work of Metropolitan Police Hackney detectives in bringing him to justice.

London Man Charged After Beheading Threat Video; Second Antisemite Convicted on Multiple Counts

Israeli authorities have issued a series of emergency directives to communities and yeshivos amid mounting fears that the war with Iran could soon resume, Belaaz has learned.



Institutions which who do not have access to safe rooms have been directed to evacuate. 



In a major development, a yeshiva in Carmiel, a town in northern Israel, was instructed to close its doors Thursday and send all students home due to not having a bomb shelter.



The order underscores the gravity of assessments being made by security officials, who appear to believe that a renewed outbreak of hostilities is likely.



Additionally, hospitals in the region have reportedly received notifications ordering them to prepare their underground facilities for emergency use. The activation of subterranean hospital wings is typically reserved for imminent conflict scenarios, and the order signals that military and medical planners are taking the threat of renewed hostilities with the utmost seriousness.

EXCLUSIVE: Israeli Authorities Order Evacuations, School Closure as Iran War Renewal Feared

The House of Representatives on Wednesday approved sweeping legislation designed to tackle rising housing costs, expand homeownership opportunities, and boost the nation’s housing supply. The measure now heads back to the Senate for further consideration.



The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act cleared the House in a 396-13 bipartisan vote, with all opposition coming from Republican lawmakers.



The Senate had already passed an earlier version of the legislation in March. However, the bill remained stalled in the House for months due to disagreements among Republicans over several provisions. According to Politico, revisions that won President Donald Trump’s backing ultimately helped move the legislation forward. The White House issued a statement Wednesday praising the bill and encouraging the Senate to approve the updated version.



According to The New York Times, Trump has recently focused heavily on limiting the role of institutional investors in the housing market, including large financial groups and pension funds that purchase residential properties. The president had originally supported the Senate’s earlier version of the bill.



&#8220;This has been years of work in the making and months of intensive work in this 119th Congress to find a path that improves accessibility on housing for the American people and affordability for the American people that could be a bicameral and bipartisan housing measure,&#8221; said Rep. French Hill, R-Ark., and chairman of the Financial Services Committee.



The legislation has become a major priority for both parties ahead of the upcoming midterm elections, as housing affordability continues to worsen across the country. Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have increasingly faced pressure from constituents struggling with soaring housing costs.



&#8220;It&#8217;s unconceivable that members of the House and the Senate would want to go home and face constituents who legitimately frustrated with housing affordability and not be able to tell them, &#8216;I got this bill passed,&#8217; &#8220;said David Dworkin, president of the National Housing Coalition, in The New York Times.



Despite the overwhelming House vote, uncertainty remains over the bill’s future because of the changes made by House lawmakers. Senators Tim Scott and Elizabeth Warren addressed the issue in a joint statement released Wednesday.



&#8220;There&#8217;s still work to be done, and we are committed to continuing to work with the White House and our colleagues in the House on a housing bill that can pass the Senate and get to the president&#8217;s desk,&#8221; they said.

House Passes Bipartisan Housing Bill

A new Fox News national survey found growing voter frustration over the economy and President Donald Trump’s handling of major issues, while opposition to continued U.S. military involvement in Iran is also rising — even though most voters believe the United States is winning the conflict.



The poll found that affordability remains the dominant concern for Americans.



Fifty-eight percent of voters identified the cost of living as their biggest economic worry, an increase from 50% in February. Other concerns trailed far behind, including government spending at 16%, jobs at 8%, and tariffs at 8%.



More than three-quarters of respondents — 77% — described the economy as being in bad shape, up from 73% last month and 71% a year ago. Just 23% rated the economy positively, marking the lowest figure recorded in more than a year.



The economic pessimism is also affecting voters personally. A narrow majority, 51%, said their family’s financial situation is worse now than it was two years ago. Before the 2022 midterm elections, that number stood at 44%.



The worsening outlook appears to be hurting Trump politically. A year ago, 56% of voters disapproved of his handling of the economy. That figure climbed to 66% last month and now stands at 71%. Fox News noted that much of the latest increase came from Republicans, with GOP disapproval rising by 7 points since April.



Support among Republicans outside the MAGA movement was especially weak. Just 36% of non-MAGA Republicans approved of Trump’s handling of the economy, compared to 74% of MAGA Republicans and 18% of independents. Overall, only 29% approved of Trump’s economic performance, down from 34% in April.



Trump received his worst marks on inflation, where only 24% approved of his handling of the issue, compared to 35% in January. Inflation was also one of the few issues where a majority of Republicans — 51% — expressed disapproval. Among independents, disapproval reached 85%, while Democrats registered 96%.



The president’s ratings were also underwater on foreign policy, with 38% approving and 62% disapproving. Border security, once considered one of Trump’s strongest issues, also slipped into negative territory for the first time during his second term, with voters divided 49% to 51%. That decline came even as 45% said border security is better now than it was two years ago, compared to 29% who said it is worse.



Trump’s overall job approval rating fell to 39%, down 3 points from last month and 10 points lower than at the start of his second term. Meanwhile, 61% disapproved of his performance, including 48% who said they strongly disapprove.



Since April, approval ratings have weakened among several traditionally supportive groups, including rural White voters, White men without college degrees, and Republicans.



Fox News said Trump’s approval ratings among Republicans, non-MAGA Republicans, White voters, and rural voters have all dropped to record lows in its polling.



&#8220;Despite consistently strong GOP support, the president’s numbers are leaking a bit,&#8221; says Republican pollster Daron Shaw, who conducts the Fox News Poll with Democrat Chris Anderson. &#8220;Make no mistake; it’s all about affordability. Independents jumped ship in 2025, and now non-MAGA Republicans and other core constituencies are wavering.&#8221;



The survey also found that 57% of voters believe Trump’s policies will hurt the country in the long run, compared to 34% who believe they will help. The share saying his policies will “hurt” increased by 6 points since last April. While 88% of MAGA Republicans said Trump’s policies would help the country, only 43% of non-MAGA Republicans agreed.



Gas prices also remain a major concern for voters. Eighty-six percent called rising gas prices a problem, including 51% who described them as a “major” problem. Nearly all respondents — 96% — said gas prices are a problem for the broader economy, while 75% labeled the issue “major.”



When asked who or what is responsible for high gas prices, voters largely blamed domestic factors such as Trump’s policies, oil companies, and government regulations. However, 91% said the Iran war is the primary cause.



On Iran, two-thirds of voters said they believe the United States is winning the war, but opposition to American military involvement still rose to 60%, up from 55% last month.



Half of respondents said they expect the war to last at least a year, including 33% who believe it will continue for more than a year. Meanwhile, 60% favored setting limits on how long the United States should remain involved militarily in Iran.



Nearly all Republicans — 89% — and two-thirds of independents said they believe the United States is winning the war, while 56% of Democrats said they think Iran is winning. Younger voters under 30 were the most likely age group to say the United States is winning, at 79%, but they were also among the most opposed to the war, at 67%.



Among military veterans and active-duty service members surveyed, 55% supported U.S. action against Iran and 72% said they believe the United States is winning the conflict.



Concern over Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon has also declined sharply. Last summer, 78% of voters expressed concern, the highest level ever recorded in the Fox News poll. That figure has now dropped to 56%, the lowest on record, down from 66% in March.



The poll also examined reactions to Trump’s handling of the recent U.S.-China summit. While 45% approved of Trump’s performance, 54% disapproved.



A majority of voters — 52% — said Chinese President Xi Jinping came away with more of what he wanted from the negotiations, compared to 46% who said Trump did. More than a quarter of Republicans agreed that Xi emerged stronger from the summit, along with majorities of Democrats and independents.



The survey was conducted May 15-18 by Beacon Research and Shaw &amp; Company Research and included 1,002 registered voters nationwide. The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Trump’s Ratings Tank In Fox News Poll

At least 10 people were hurt Monday night after a bus crashed into a tree and an electrical pole on Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv before swerving into pedestrians nearby.



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According to Magen David Adom, an 11-year-old girl suffered severe multi-system injuries and was listed in critical condition. She was evacuated to Ichilov Medical Center while receiving CPR treatment.



Emergency responders also said a 49-year-old woman and a 76-year-old man were seriously wounded in the crash. A 39-year-old man sustained a back injury and was listed in moderate condition, while six additional victims suffered light injuries.



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Bus Slams Into Tree And Pole In Tel Aviv, Leaving 10 Injured Including Child In Critical Condition

Council Speaker Julie Menin is preparing to move forward with a revised bill establishing protest buffer zones around schools after Mayor Zohran Mamdani rejected an earlier version of the legislation, The Post has learned.



The updated proposal makes narrower changes to the original measure by specifically limiting the restricted protest areas to schools. Sources familiar with the matter said the legislation is expected to pass the full City Council within weeks by a commanding margin, likely preventing another showdown with the mayor.



Under the revised School Safe Access bill, the protest-free zones would apply only to educational institutions that serve students. Insiders said the adjustment is relatively modest but could help win over lawmakers who had hesitated to support the previous version.



The changes were also welcomed by members of the Jewish community, many of whom strongly criticized Mamdani after he vetoed the original proposal.



“We commend Speaker Menin for consistently advocating for the safety and well-being of Jewish families,” the UJA-Federation of New York said in a statement. “At a time when too few elected officials in New York City are willing to take meaningful action against antisemitism and hate, Speaker Menin has shown real courage and moral clarity.”



Moshe Spern of United Jewish Teachers also praised the revisions to the bill.



“By clarifying and refining the bill’s language, she helped keep the focus where it belongs: protecting students and ensuring safe access to schools while bringing more stakeholders together behind that goal,” he said.



Mamdani had vetoed the earlier version of the legislation, sponsored by Eric Dinowitz (D-Bronx), after it failed to secure enough votes for a veto-proof majority. The mayor argued the wording was overly broad and could potentially limit demonstrations at universities, museums, and teaching hospitals.



“This could impact workers protesting ICE, or college students demanding their school divest from fossil fuels or demonstrating in support of Palestinian rights,” he said last month.



Supporters of the revised legislation believe the amendments directly address those concerns.



The school-focused measure closely mirrored another proposal that sought to establish protest-free zones outside houses of worship.



Mamdani also opposed the religious institutions bill, though that legislation ultimately passed with enough support to override a veto.

Council Advances Revised School Protest Buffer Zone Bill After Mamdani Veto

A federal jury in Oakland ruled Monday against Elon Musk in his high-profile lawsuit targeting OpenAI, determining that the billionaire filed the case after the legal deadline had already passed.



The unanimous decision came less than two hours after deliberations began, bringing an end to a closely watched three-week trial that drew major attention across Silicon Valley and the tech world.



Following the verdict, Musk’s attorney told the court that the Tesla and SpaceX CEO plans to preserve his right to appeal.



The courtroom battle featured testimony from several of the biggest figures in artificial intelligence and technology, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, OpenAI president Greg Brockman, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, OpenAI co-founder Ilya Sutskever, and Musk adviser Shivon Zilis.



Musk — who contributed roughly $38 million to OpenAI before later launching his own AI venture, xAI — had sought approximately $150 billion in damages and wanted the court to dismantle OpenAI’s for-profit structure.



The lawsuit accused Altman, Brockman and OpenAI of abandoning the organization’s original charitable mission by creating a for-profit arm that later attracted billions of dollars in investment. Musk also alleged that Microsoft helped advance the effort through its reported $13 billion investment into OpenAI.



During testimony earlier in the trial, Musk repeatedly argued that OpenAI had betrayed its founding purpose.



“This lawsuit is very simple: It is not OK to steal a charity,” Musk said from the witness stand.



At another point in the proceedings, jurors heard about a message Musk allegedly sent Altman after details of Microsoft’s investment became public, describing the arrangement as a “bait and switch.”



Altman and the other defendants maintained throughout the trial that Musk not only knew about OpenAI’s transition toward a for-profit model, but had supported the idea at the time. Lawyers for OpenAI introduced evidence they said showed Musk agreeing that raising traditional investor funding through equity was necessary to compete with major tech firms such as Google.



Brockman also testified about a 2017 meeting held at one of Musk’s homes, where senior OpenAI figures — including Altman, former chief technology officer Mira Murati and Zilis — discussed the organization’s future.



According to Brockman, it was “clear there was a party there the night before,” with the residence covered in “confetti and cups.”



Brockman testified that whiskey was served during the gathering and that conversations about launching a for-profit entity carried a “celebratory” atmosphere.



One attorney who attended much of the trial but was not connected to the case said Musk’s arguments appeared stronger as proceedings unfolded, particularly during Altman’s cross-examination.



“Musk has more of a case here than previously thought,” said the attorney. “The first 15 minutes of Altman’s cross-examination were devastating.”



Questions surrounding Altman’s credibility became a central focus for Musk’s legal team. Attorneys for Musk pointed to testimony from former OpenAI board members Tasha McCauley and Helen Toner, as well as Murati, who suggested Altman was not always consistent or truthful in his dealings.



“My concern was about Sam saying one thing to one person and completely the opposite to another person,” Murati said in recorded testimony played for jurors.



In closing arguments last week, Musk attorney Steven Molo used a dramatic analogy to challenge Altman’s credibility before the jury.



“Imagine that you’re on a hike, and you come upon one of those wooden bridges that you see on a trail and it’s over a gorge,” Molo said.



“There’s a river that’s 100 feet below and it looks a little scary, but a woman standing by the entry to the bridge says, ‘Don’t worry, the bridge is built on Sam Altman’s version of the truth.’”



“Would you walk across that bridge? I don’t think many people would,” the lawyer added.



Altman pushed back on Musk’s accusations while testifying last week, responding to Musk’s repeated claim that OpenAI had effectively “stolen” a charity.



“It feels difficult to even wrap my head around that framing,” Altman said.

Jury Rejects Elon Musk’s Massive OpenAI Lawsuit In Major Blow To Tech Billionaire

A hotel employee in Cambria, California, was fired after verbally confronting an Israeli couple, telling them “Free Palestine” and accusing them of being “baby killers.”



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Footage of the incident spread rapidly across social media after being posted online.



The video shows the Israeli couple arriving at the hotel to check into rooms they had reserved when the front desk worker began berating them while recording the interaction himself. He later uploaded the footage to social media, writing that he had “never looked the devil in the eye” the way he did that night and claiming there were “child murderers” staying at the hotel.



During the confrontation, the Israeli woman told the employee that he was expected to remain professional and provide equal treatment to all guests. She was later heard telling her husband in Hebrew, “I&#8217;m afraid he will break into our room and do something to us.”



A young child could also be heard in the background repeatedly calling out, “Mommy, mommy.”



According to reports circulating online, the family ultimately decided not to stay at the hotel and found accommodations elsewhere.



Pro-Israel activist Hen Mazzig reacted to the incident by noting that the employee’s dismissal did not end the controversy.



“The employee was fired. This is where the story usually ends. It does not end here. He launched a GoFundMe called &#8216;Support Ryan’s Stand for Justice.&#8217; Almost $8,000 raised in roughly a day. In his own words, he was let go for &#8216;speaking up on the genocide.&#8217;”



“That is one version of events. The other version is on camera. This is what 2026 looks like for Jews,” he concluded.

California Hotel Worker Fired After Calling Israeli Guests ‘Baby Killers’ In Viral Confrontation

A gunman identified by law enforcement as Nasire Best opened fire outside a White House security checkpoint Saturday evening before being fatally shot by Secret Service agents in a barrage of return fire.



Best, 21, allegedly approached the checkpoint around 6:10 p.m. after pacing erratically along 17th Street Northwest near the White House, sources told The New York Post. Authorities said he fired several rounds from a revolver before federal officers quickly neutralized him.



At least one civilian was reportedly struck and seriously wounded during the exchange of gunfire, according to sources familiar with the incident.



Investigators have not officially established a motive, though sources described Best as a mentally disturbed individual who had repeatedly lingered around White House security posts in the past. Authorities said he had also violated a court order barring him from the area. Court documents from a previous arrest indicate that Best believed himself to be the Christian diety.



“FBI is on the scene and supporting Secret Service responding to shots fired near White House grounds – we will update the public as we’re able,” FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X.



The sudden eruption of gunfire sent members of the White House press corps scrambling for cover, including journalists broadcasting live from the North Lawn.



“I was in the middle of taping on my iPhone for a social video from the White House North Lawn when we heard the shots,” said Selina Wang, a senior ABC White House correspondent.



“It sounded like dozens of gunshots. We were told to sprint to the press briefing room where we are holding now.”



Secret Service agents immediately locked down the White House complex and directed reporters to gather on the North Lawn before rushing into the briefing room. The lockdown lasted roughly 30 minutes before authorities declared the area secure. The shooting occurred less than two hours after President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he was in the Oval Office working on a peace agreement involving Iran.



According to records, Best had previously been involuntarily committed on June 26, 2025, after obstructing traffic near 15th Street and E Street NW. He was later arrested again on July 10, 2025, on an unlawful entry charge.



During that earlier encounter, authorities said Best bypassed a restricted White House pedestrian checkpoint by entering through an exit turnstile and made bizarre remarks after being detained by police and Secret Service personnel.



Although investigators have not determined whether the shooting was politically motivated, lawmakers from both parties swiftly condemned the violence, which comes amid a growing series of security threats surrounding President Trump.



House Speaker Mike Johnson praised the response by federal agents, saying he was grateful for the “brave Secret Service agents who took quick, decisive action to protect President Trump, and our prayers are with victims of tonight’s senseless shooting for a speedy recovery.”



Rep. Cory Mills echoed those remarks, saying that “there is no place in America for political violence, and every leader should be condemning it unequivocally.”



Rep. Betty Column also denounced the attack and urged Americans to “unite behind a common belief that our differences should be resolved at the ballot box.”



Saturday’s shooting is the latest in a string of violent incidents tied to the political climate in the United States.



The gunfire came roughly one month after another armed attacker opened fire near the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner while President Trump was attending. It also follows the July 2024 assassination attempt against Trump during a campaign rally, when a gunman grazed the president’s ear with a bullet.

Attempted White House Shooter Identified as Nasire Best

Nearly 200 lawmakers, congressional aides, Jewish organizational leaders, and invited guests gathered Wednesday morning at the US Capitol for an event recognizing Jewish American Heritage Month.



The breakfast gathering was organized by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) and Jewish Federations of North America in partnership with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History.



Among the featured speakers was Sam Salz, identified as the first Orthodox Jew to play Division I college football. Members of both parties from the House and Senate also addressed attendees.



Lawmakers who delivered remarks included Reps. David Kustoff, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Virginia Foxx, Timothy Kennedy, Haley Stevens, Don Bacon, Brad Schneider, Randy Weber, Mark Harris, and Randy Fine, along with Sens. Bernie Moreno and Dave McCormick.



Additional members of Congress in attendance included Reps. Josh Gottheimer, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Wesley Bell, Madeline Dean, Kim Schrier, Jim Jordan, and Dan Goldman.



Much of the discussion centered on antisemitism following the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks and the broader role of Jewish Americans in US history and public life.



Rep. David Kustoff addressed the rise in antisemitism globally since October 7.



“How do we combat it? That is the magic question. We know that antisemitism has been around as long as the Jews have. There’s no easy, push-button answer. What each of us has to do is continue to call it out and show it exists all over. I’ll do that, and I’m proud that so many of my Republican and Democratic colleagues continue to do that. Let’s keep working. Let’s keep fighting.”



Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz focused on education and public awareness during her remarks.



“It’s essential to seize this opportunity in the month of May to build awareness of the role Jewish Americans play in our country’s success. The best tool in the toolbox to counter baseless conspiracy theories, ignorance, and bigotry is education and sunlight. The mission of JAHM is clear — to educate our neighbors, to build broad, cross-community coalitions, and be embraced and celebrated, rather than tolerated. It’s essential, it’s achievable, and it’s fundamentally American.”



Other speakers included CAM President of US Affairs Alyza Lewin, Jewish Federations of North America President and CEO Eric Fingerhut, Conference of Presidents CEO William Daroff, and Weitzman Museum Chairman Emeritus Phil Darivoff.



Lewin said antisemitism cannot be addressed without understanding Jewish identity and Jewish history.



“Antisemitism is skyrocketing, and to address antisemitism effectively, you have to not only understand how it manifests and its patterns, but you need to understand Jewishness. You need to understand what it means for Jews to be Jewish, and you need to recognize and appreciate how the values of Judaism and Judeo-Christian ethics form the basis of this country.”



She added, “It is important that we come together to recognize Jewish American Heritage Month and celebrate what Jews in America have contributed over the last 250 years to this country. That’s what we’re here for today.”



Fingerhut described the United States as historically unique for Jewish life in the Diaspora.



“We are so proud of this great country that has been so open and so welcoming to the Jewish people. This is the greatest, most open, and freest society for the Jewish Diaspora in the 4,000-year history of the Jewish people. On this 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we affirm our commitment to helping this country continue to be a strong, open, and vibrant beacon of freedom for peoples of all faiths from all over the world.”



Daroff said Jewish American history is intertwined with the broader American story.



“Jewish American Heritage Month reminds us that the Jewish story in America does not stand apart from the American story, but forms part of the fabric of our nation’s history, character, and democratic ideals.”



Darivoff said Jewish American Heritage Month serves as an opportunity to educate the public about Jewish history and identity.



“American Jewish values are central to the founding of this country and our political thought. Jewish American Heritage Month is an important moment for us to teach all Americans about who Jews are. It’s a huge task and we have a long way to go.”



In keynote remarks, Salz reflected on becoming the first Orthodox Jewish player in Division I football despite not having played football in high school.



“The fact you can have the child of an immigrant from Latvia and an immigrant from Uzbekistan come to this beautiful country and be the first Orthodox Jew to play Division I football is the epitome of the American dream,” he said. “I’m proud to stand on the shoulders of all the great Jewish Americans who came before me and helped shape the foundation of this country.”



Congress passed a bipartisan resolution in 2006 encouraging presidents to annually recognize Jewish American Heritage Month, after which President George W. Bush officially proclaimed May as the observance month.



Since then, presidents from both parties have issued annual proclamations marking the occasion, including President Donald Trump earlier this month.



Last week, the House unanimously approved a bipartisan resolution recognizing Jewish American Heritage Month and condemning antisemitism. CAM was among the organizations backing the measure.

Lawmakers Mark Jewish American Heritage Month At Capitol Event Amid Focus On Rising Antisemitism

Hamas has reportedly chosen senior intelligence official Mohammed Odeh to take over as the terror group’s leader in Gaza and commander of its military wing following the elimination of Izz al-Din al-Haddad, according to Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat.



Al-Haddad was killed Friday in an Israeli strike.



The report says Odeh previously headed military intelligence for Hamas’s al-Qassam Brigades during the October 7 massacre and worked closely with al-Haddad in efforts to rebuild Hamas’s command structure after the assassinations of former leaders Muhammad Deif and Muhammad Sinwar.



Citing a source familiar with the matter, Asharq Al-Awsat reported that Odeh had earlier been offered leadership of the al-Qassam Brigades after Sinwar’s assassination last May, but turned down the position at the time.



According to the Saudi outlet, Odeh was responsible for collecting intelligence on IDF bases near the Gaza border and identifying vulnerabilities within the military’s Gaza Division ahead of the October 7 attacks carried out by Hamas terrorists.

Report: Hamas Names Mohammed Odeh To Lead Terror Group In Gaza After Elimination Of Al-Haddad

Israel is considering closing its historic Istanbul consulate, months after the building was targeted in a shooting and after Israeli diplomats were evacuated from Turkey following Oct. 7, AFP reported today.



Israel’s embassy in Ankara would remain open, but both the embassy and Istanbul consulate have been staffed by local Turkish personnel since Israeli diplomats were pulled from the country.



An Israeli source said no decision had been made, but the vacant Istanbul property is costing Israel money and was slated for demolition under earthquake-preparation plans

Israel Weighs Shutting Istanbul Consulate, Empty Since Oct. 7 Evacuation

In accordance with the instructions given by the Degel HaTorah leaders, the Charedi Members of Knesset will vote tomorrow, Wednesday, in favor of dissolving the Knesset and advancing elections. This comes in response to the Prime Minister’s refusal so far to pass the IDF Conscription Law.



 The legislative process for dissolving the Knesset and moving up the elections consists of three votes, with the first vote scheduled to take place tomorrow. The Prime Minister will attempt to stall the remainder of the process to ensure the completion of his term and hold the elections at their original date at the end of October 2026.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="900" height="600" src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-19-at-3.46.44-PM.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-27192" srcset="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-19-at-3.46.44-PM.jpeg 900w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-19-at-3.46.44-PM-300x200.jpeg 300w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/WhatsApp-Image-2026-05-19-at-3.46.44-PM-768x512.jpeg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">MK Moshe Gafni with Degel Hatorah leader, Hagaon Reb Dov Landau</figcaption></figure>



 Meanwhile, over the past week, the Netanyahu has been working to try and pass a conscription law, despite the fact that this could harm him politically due to anger from his own voters, which demands universal enlistment, including Charedim.\



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="599" src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/spoke_interest230326.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-27190" srcset="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/spoke_interest230326.jpg 800w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/spoke_interest230326-300x225.jpg 300w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/spoke_interest230326-768x575.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Prime Minister Netanyahu</figcaption></figure>

Tomorrow: Haredi Parties to Vote in Favor of Dissolving the Knesset – Netanyahu Offers to Pass Conscription Law

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Donald Trump is taking CBS News to court, alleging the network manipulated Kamala Harris&#8217; 60 Minutes interview to sway the 2024 election in her favor. 



Trump&#8217;s attorneys claim CBS engaged in &#8220;malicious, deceptive news distortion&#8221; to mislead the public and benefit the Democratic Party, effectively interfering with the election.



The lawsuit seeks $10 billion in damages, marking a significant escalation in Trump&#8217;s ongoing criticisms of mainstream media outlets.

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Trump Campaign Files $10 Billion Lawsuit Against CBS News

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is standing by a controversial Nakba Day video released by City Hall, even as major Jewish organizations across the country intensify criticism of the mayor over the post.



The video, published Friday by Mamdani’s administration, featured a woman identified as a “Nakba survivor” describing the “catastrophe” tied to Israel’s founding and saying it “continues to this day.”



“Nakba,” the Arabic word for “catastrophe,” is used to describe the flight and displacement of hundreds of thousands of Arabs during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence. Critics of the Nakba narrative argue that it is frequently tied to demands for a so-called “right of return” that would effectively end Israel’s status as a Jewish state.



Jewish leaders in New York had already blasted the video for portraying Israel’s founding in a one-sided manner, warning that such rhetoric contributes to hostility and threats targeting Jews. On Monday, prominent national Jewish organizations added their voices to the backlash.



“In his post sharing a one-sided video about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the mayor of New York City fueled real world harm,” the American Jewish Committee says. “At a time when Jews are being attacked in the streets of New York and worldwide because of antizionist narratives, amplifying misleading content doesn’t just distort public understanding, it puts the Jewish community at further risk.”



The controversy reflects growing concern within the pro-Israel American Jewish community that anti-Zionist rhetoric has crossed from political expression into outright discrimination and incitement against Jews.



The Anti-Defamation League also sharply criticized the mayor, calling the video “propaganda.”



“Releasing it right before Shabbat isn’t leadership. It’s provocation. Especially when Nakba Day ‘commemorations’ in this city featured open support for US-designated terror organizations, veneration of their leaders, and calls for Israel’s destruction. New Yorkers deserve a mayor with the moral clarity to call that out,” the ADL says.



Demonstrations held in New York City for Nakba Day on Friday and Saturday included protesters waving Hezbollah and Hamas flags, including from a truck carrying children.



Additional footage circulating online from the Pal-Awda Bay Ridge “Nakba Day 78” protest appeared to show children being led in chants while, directly behind them, a flag bearing the emblem of Hamas’s Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades was visible.



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Despite the uproar, Mamdani defended the video during a Monday press conference.



“I was proud to commemorate Nakba Day, which is an annual day on May 15th that commemorates the expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians from 1947 to 1945 during the creation of the State of Israel and for the year that followed,” Mamdani says, incorrectly stating the timeline surrounding Israel’s founding.



“We wanted to ensure that the focus of this is just to hear from a New Yorker herself, on her own memories, of what it means to be expelled, what her life has been like, and she has found home in New York City,” Mamdani says.



The mayor also revealed that he had originally intended to appear in the video personally, but said he became ill and did not want to “create any kind of complications” for the woman featured in the clip.



Mamdani was also questioned about the decision by several major Jewish organizations to boycott an event he is hosting Monday night in honor of American Jewish Heritage Month and Shavuot.



“My message to Jewish leaders across this city is that my door is always open,” he says.

Mamdani Defends ‘Nakba Day’ Video As Jewish Groups Accuse NYC Mayor Of Fueling Incitement

President dismissed his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS and Treasury Department, just hours after reports emerged that his administration was considering a massive taxpayer-funded compensation program for political allies who claim they were unfairly targeted by past investigations.



According to ABC News, the proposed $1.7 billion fund could compensate Trump allies, including some connected to Jan. 6 prosecutions and other federal investigations. The report said commissioners overseeing the payouts would reportedly not be required to publicly explain why certain individuals received money. 



Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and the Trump Organization originally filed the lawsuit in January, accusing the IRS of failing to stop the leak of Trump’s tax records. The records were leaked by former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn, who later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to prison for disclosing confidential tax information to media outlets.



The case drew unusual legal scrutiny because Trump, as president, effectively oversees the Justice Department lawyers defending the IRS in court. Last month, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams questioned whether the lawsuit created a conflict by allowing a sitting president to seek damages from agencies controlled by his own administration.



The White House referred questions Monday to the Justice Department, while representatives for the Treasury Department, IRS and Trump’s legal team did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Trump Drops $10 Billion IRS Lawsuit In Exchange For $1.776 Billion Compensation Fund

Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Sunday night that Israel’s death penalty law for terrorists has now been applied in Judea and Samaria, making it the default punishment in cases where terrorists murder Jews or Israelis and are captured alive.



Katz said the move marks a major post-October 7 policy shift. “Enough with the era of containment. Terrorists who murder Jews will not sit in prison in comfortable conditions, will not wait for deals and will not dream of release &#8211; they will pay the heaviest price,” Katz said. “Today, with the signing of the amendment by the Central Command commander, we are turning the new policy into reality.”



Katz thanked National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who led the law with the backing of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Katz said Israel’s message to terrorists is clear: “Whoever raises a hand against a Jew, whoever harms IDF soldiers or Israeli civilians &#8211; the State of Israel will pursue him, reach him, and exhaust the law against him to the end.”



Ben Gvir also welcomed the move, saying the government had fulfilled its promise. “A terrorist who murders Jews must know that his end will not be in a release deal, but in the death penalty,” he said. “After October 7, the State of Israel is changing the equation. In the face of murderous terror, we do not fold and we do not contain &#8211; we defeat.”



The Knesset approved the death penalty law earlier this year, but its application in Judea and Samaria required a military order amendment because the area operates under military law.

Death Penalty For Terrorists Takes Effect In Judea And Samaria

It is with sadness that we report the petirah of Rebbetzin Tova Kalman a&#8221;h, who was nifteres suddenly at her home in Bnei Brak at the age of 83. Her petirah came without warning — she had been feeling unwell and within moments was no longer responding. Hatzalah was summoned but were unable to revive her.



Rebbetzin Kalman was born and raised in Bnei Brak, into a home that was steeped in Torah and avodas Hashem from every direction. Her father, Harav Yehudah Dov (Berel) Tshishensky zt&#8221;l, was one of the last survivors of the famed town of Ger in Poland, where he had grown up as a child in the very court of the Imrei Emes zt&#8221;l.



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Her husband, Harav Pinchas zt&#8221;l was a talmid of the Chazon Ish zt&#8221;l who had been among the founding generation of the Kollel Chazon Ish in Bnei Brak. And the home she built with her husband was situated in the very apartment where the Chazon Ish&#8217;s rebbetzin had lived out her final years — a home that breathed the kedushah of that generation.



Rav Pinchas went on to learn his entire life in the Kollel Chazon Ish, davening each day in the nearby Lederman shul, known to all as a hidden tzaddik who walked with great humility. He maintained a close bond with his neighbor the Sar HaTorah, Harav Chaim Kanievsky zt&#8221;l, having learned together with him as a chavrusa before his marriage. Harav Chaim presented Reb Pinchas with a Sefer Chochmas Adam as a wedding gift, inscribed &#8220;l&#8217;yom chasunaso, from (Rav) Chaim Kanievsky&#8221; — though Reb Pinchas, in his great humility, crossed out the title &#8220;HaRav HaGaon&#8221; that Rav Chaim had written before his name. When Rav Pinchas was niftar during COVID and the levayah was small, Harav Chaim stood watching from his window.



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Her father Rav Berel, who was known affectionately among the Gerrer chassidim as &#8220;Berel Gerer,&#8221; was regarded as one of the most reliable and vast repositories of Gur&#8217;s tradition. When the Gerrer leadership sought to verify a minhag, it was to Reb Berl that they turned. Based on his precise recollections, the ohel of the Chiddushei HaRim and the Sfas Emes in the town of Ger was restored, along with other graves in Poland. The Beis Yisrael zt&#8221;l himself remarked of the Tshishensky family: &#8220;All of Reb Berl&#8217;s children are yirei Shamayim, refined and good.&#8221; Reb Berl&#8217;s wife had founded the Bnos Agudas Yisrael organization in Bnei Brak and established mosdos for the chareidi community there, with the encouragement and support of the Chazon Ish.



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Even before her marriage, the Rebbetzin had forged her own bond with the world of the Chazon Ish. As a young woman, she used to assist the Chazon Ish&#8217;s rebbetzin, caring for her with great devotion in her later years. When the Chazon Ish&#8217;s rebbetzin was nifteres, the apartment — which belonged to Kollel Chazon Ish — was entrusted to Rebbetzin Kalman and her husband, and she lived there until her final day.



Her husband was himself a figure of great stature. Born in Budapest to his father Rav Avraham Yaakov hy&#8221;d, he lost both parents in the Holocaust and came to Eretz Yisrael with his aunt, where he was raised in the Ponevezh orphanage in Bnei Brak. There he came under the influence of&nbsp; Chazon Ish zt&#8221;l, who even purchased his tefillin for his bar mitzvah.



Those who knew Reb Pinchas recalled stories that spoke to a purity of middos unusual even among the outstanding. On one occasion, while spending Shabbos at a son&#8217;s home in Moshav Tifrach, he woke in the morning and told his son quietly that he would not be eating the cholent. When pressed for a reason, he shared that he had dreamed that he was carrying the cholent outside the eruv. Father and son soon discovered that the eruv had indeed fallen during Shabbos — and that the cholent had been moved before Shabbos to a neighbor&#8217;s home that was outside it.



The Chazon Ish had once been asked whether there are Lamed-Vav tzaddikim in this generation. A young bochur was present in the room that day. The Chazon Ish replied that yes, there are — and pointed to Reb Pinchas, saying: he is one of them.



It was a condition of their shidduch that Rav Pinchas, who came from a Hungarian background, would don a shtreimel, as befitting her Gerrer family. He did so willingly. Their home was a place of tznius, emunah and kedushah. As a teacher, Rebbetzin Kalman was beloved by her students, to whom she imparted a deep sense of emunah. The last act she performed before her petirah was the iber-maissering of food(“double maaser”- a chumra practiced by talmidim of the Chazon Ish, Briskers and other groups, who don&#8217;t wish to rely solely on the maaser that is under kashrus supervision) — a practice she had observed meticulously her entire life, as was the custom of the Chazon Ish.



Rebbetzin Kalman a&#8221;h is survived by her children and grandchildren, who continue the legacy of these great homes.



Notably, the rebbetzin was nifteres on Rosh Chodesh Sivan, but was brought to kevurah on 2 Sivan; her husband&#8217;s s yahrtzeit.



She was buried in the Segulah cemetery in Petach Tikvah.



Yehi zichra baruch.

BDE: Rebbetzin Tova Kalman a”h

When the sun began its descent over the nation&#8217;s capital last Friday afternoon, something unprecedented was unfolding inside the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. Roughly 120 Jewish guests gathered in the ornate Indian Treaty Room for a pre-Shabbos reception hosted by the White House — a direct expression of President Donald Trump&#8217;s historic proclamation calling on the country to observe what has become widely known as Shabbat 250.



As part of the White House&#8217;s Jewish American Heritage Month proclamation, President Trump designated the period from sundown Friday, May 15, through nightfall Saturday, May 16, as a national Shabbos, in honor of the 250th anniversary of American independence. The call marked the first time an American president had formally urged the celebration of Shabbos.



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Rabbi Levi Shemtov, executive vice president of American Friends of Lubavitch-Chabad and one of the most recognizable Jewish faces on the Washington political scene, was among those who spoke at the event. Rabbi Shemtov, in a Sunday interview with Belaaz, described the atmosphere inside the Indian Treaty Room as lively and warm. Guests enjoyed tapas-style hors d&#8217;oeuvres and refreshments, and the gathering wrapped up with enough time for everyone to make their way home before the z&#8217;man.



From there, the evening only deepened. A group made their way on foot to the Decatur House, adjacent to the White House, where davening was followed by a full Shabbos seudah — with Rabbi Shemtov making Kiddush for the roughly 100 guests in attendance.



Martin Marks, Special Assistant to the President and White House Liaison to the Jewish Community, also addressed the crowd. &#8220;The room broke out into singing and dancing,&#8221; Rabbi Shemtov said. &#8220;It was lebedik — very lebedik.&#8221;



A separate Shabbos dinner, organized by Arie Lipnick of the Combat Antisemitism Movement, drew a parallel gathering of Jewish administration members, Capitol Hill staff, media figures, and policy professionals in celebration of the president&#8217;s national Shabbos. President Trump, who had been returning from a lengthy trip to China, touched down as the White House event was winding down and was not present at the seudos.



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Rabbi Shemtov said he also witnessed a beautiful Kabbalas Shabbos in the courtyard of the complex.



Asked whether he had seen anything quite like it before, he reached back to a different memory — a massive musical davening led by Beri Weber outside the White House on the day of a major Washington rally, with what he estimated was close to a thousand people and a massive Kiddush Hashem. &#8220;But that,&#8221; he noted, &#8220;was not inside the White House. This was actually at the White House.&#8221;



For Rabbi Shemtov, the significance of the moment ran far deeper than the festivities themselves. He drew a pointed historical parallel. &#8220;Compare it to Antiochus,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Antiochus forbade the Jewish people from keeping Shabbos, from performing bris milah, from sanctifying Rosh Chodesh — because he wanted Jewish observance stripped of its quality of kabbolas ohl, of submission to the ratzon of the Ribono Shel Olam. Here comes the President of the United States, leader of the free world, and decides that he&#8217;s going to call on Jewish people to keep Shabbos.&#8221;



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The proclamation itself came as part of a weekend in which the administration had organized a large prayer event on the National Mall — a multi-faith gathering that, as Rabbi Shemtov noted, was not something many Jewish people could comfortably or appropriately participate in.



The President&#8217;s singling out of Shabbos for the Jewish community, rather than folding them into the broader program, carried its own message. &#8220;He wants to make sure that when they say they&#8217;re celebrating their Judeo-Christian values or the foundations of the founding of America, that includes people who are of the Jewish faith,&#8221; Rabbi Shemtov said. &#8220;I think that&#8217;s very interesting and unprecedented. It means Jews are being told that they can observe their religion without compromise.&#8221;



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What made this gesture stand apart from prior presidential outreach, he explained, was its reach. Making the White House kosher for a party — as George W. Bush did during his administration — was one thing. &#8220;Here he&#8217;s asking people to do something outside the White House, across the country,&#8221; Rabbi Shemtov said.



The proclamation invoked President George Washington&#8217;s seminal 1790 letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, and paid tribute to Revolutionary War-era financier Haym Salomon, highlighting the role Jewish Americans have played in the life of the nation since its founding.



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While the website Shabbat250.org logged over 7,500 pledges to observe Shabbos, Rabbi Shemtov said the true scope of the response was almost certainly far greater. &#8220;I don&#8217;t think you have to think wildly to say that hundreds of thousands of people across the country responded to this call,&#8221; he said, pointing to the wave of Chabad House programs organized specially for the occasion, shuls that marked the Shabbos in unique ways, Chabad on Campus initiatives, and alerts and calls to action issued by the OU, Agudath Israel and affiliated organizations.



For Rabbi Shemtov, the cumulative effect of that response captured something essential about what the proclamation was meant to accomplish. The Shabbat 250 call, he said, reached Jews across the spectrum — those keeping Shabbos for the first time, those being brought to the table by a friend or family member who keeps Shabbks, and even those who are fully shomer Shabbos but were given pause to reflect on just how fortunate they are. &#8220;The Ribono Shel Olam has allowed us a unique freedom within the larger society for us to do what we need to do in terms of Yiddishkeit without any interference into our practices,&#8221; he said. &#8220;That is something very, very important.&#8221;



&#8220;When the president asked people across the country, everywhere, who are of the Jewish faith, to do something about Shabbos — that wasn&#8217;t only that he took it personally,&#8221; Rabbi Shemtov said. &#8220;He wanted them — meaning us — to take it personally.&#8221;



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Recap: White House Marks Historic ‘Shabbat 250’ with Pre-Shabbos Reception, Singing, and Dancing

London&#8217;s Shomrim partnered with Scotland Yard&#8217;s Counter Terrorism Policing unit to deliver a specialized security training session for members of the frum Jewish community in Stamford Hill, as the UK&#8217;s national terrorism threat level remains at &#8220;severe.&#8221;



The Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) Operational training, which was also supported by the Metropolitan Police&#8217;s Hackney Safer Neighbourhood Teams, covered a range of critical security topics, including how to identify hostile reconnaissance and suspicious activity, recognize potential terrorist threats, and respond effectively in an emergency situation.



Terrorism Policing London Protective Security Operations division led the session, which brought together Prevent officers and community liaison personnel alongside Shomrim volunteers who helped coordinate and facilitate the training.



The session came as British security services maintain a SEVERE threat level — the second-highest designation on the national scale — indicating that a terrorist attack is considered highly likely within the next six months. Officials said the elevated threat environment makes community-level preparedness training more essential than ever.



Participants were reminded to trust their instincts and immediately report any suspicious behavior to police.



Shomrim thanked the counter-terrorism officers, Prevent teams, and Met Police personnel for their continued cooperation with the community and their support for proactive safety initiatives.

Counter-Terrorism Training Held for Stamford Hill’s Frum Community

The World Health Organization declared Sunday that the Ebola outbreak spreading through Congo and neighboring Uganda now constitutes a public health emergency of international concern after more than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths were reported.



WHO clarified that the outbreak does not meet the threshold of a pandemic emergency like COVID-19 and said there is currently no recommendation to close international borders.



The agency announced that a laboratory-confirmed Ebola case had been identified in Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, nearly 1,000 kilometers from the outbreak’s epicenter in the eastern Ituri province, raising concerns about broader transmission. Officials said the infected individual had recently traveled from Ituri. Suspected cases have also emerged in North Kivu province, one of Congo’s most heavily populated regions bordering Ituri.



Authorities in Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, confirmed Sunday that the city’s first Ebola case had been detected. According to local officials, the infected person traveled from Ituri province and has since been isolated. Goma was previously the site of intense fighting during a rapid rebel offensive earlier in 2025 involving Rwanda-backed M23 terrorists and Congolese government forces.



Ebola spreads through bodily fluids including blood, vomit, and semen. The disease is highly contagious and often fatal.



Africa’s leading public health agency said Congo’s Ituri province has recorded 246 suspected cases and 65 deaths so far, while Uganda has reported one death tied to an imported case from Congo.



WHO’s emergency declaration is intended to mobilize international aid agencies and governments to coordinate a stronger response and prevent the outbreak from spreading further.



The current outbreak is linked to the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a rare variant for which there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments. Although Congo and Uganda have experienced more than 20 Ebola outbreaks combined, this marks only the third known outbreak involving the Bundibugyo virus.



WHO said nearly all confirmed and suspected cases remain in Congo, with only two reported in Uganda.



The Bundibugyo strain was first identified during a 2007-2008 outbreak in Uganda’s Bundibugyo district, where 149 people were infected and 37 died. Another outbreak occurred in Congo in 2012, resulting in 57 cases and 29 deaths.



Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya warned that many active infections remain within communities, especially in Mongwalu, where the first cases were detected.



“Significantly complicating containment and contact tracing efforts,” Kaseya said of the ongoing spread.



Health officials said armed conflict, militant violence, and constant population movement linked to mining activity have made efforts to contain the virus especially difficult.



WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cautioned that the full scale of the outbreak remains unclear.



“There are significant uncertainties to the true number of infected persons and geographic spread associated with this event at the present time. In addition, there is limited understanding of the epidemiological links with known or suspected cases,” he said.



Ugandan authorities reported that one infected traveler from Congo died in a hospital in Kampala, while another case was also tied to travel from Congo.



WHO warned that the spread into Uganda and the high percentage of positive test samples suggest the outbreak may be substantially larger than currently documented.



“This outbreak started in April. So far, we don’t know the index case. It means we don’t know how far is the magnitude of this outbreak,” Kaseya said.



Officials said the earliest known suspected patient, a 59-year-old man, became ill on April 24 and died three days later at a hospital in Ituri.



By the time health authorities became aware of the outbreak through social media reports on May 5, at least 50 deaths had already occurred, according to Africa CDC.



WHO also reported that at least four healthcare workers displaying Ebola symptoms have died.



Shanelle Hall, a senior adviser at Africa CDC, told the Associated Press that four potential therapeutics are currently under review for use against the Bundibugyo strain, though no vaccine candidates are actively being deployed.



African health officials also highlighted ongoing concerns over the continent’s reliance on foreign vaccine production and limited domestic manufacturing capabilities.



“If we are serious in this continent, we need to manufacture what we need,” Kaseya said. “We cannot every single day look for others to come to tell us what they are doing.”

WHO Declares Health Emergency Over Ebola Outbreak In Congo And Uganda

Iran is threatening to impose fees on undersea internet cables beneath the Strait of Hormuz, opening a new pressure front that could disrupt internet traffic, banking systems, cloud services and military communications across continents.



Iranian military spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari said today that Tehran would “impose fees on internet cables.” Iranian regime-linked media later said major technology companies, including Google, Microsoft and Amazon, would be required to comply with Iranian law and pay usage fees, while cable-laying companies would also need permission to pass through the strait.



The threat targets one of the world’s most sensitive digital corridors. Undersea cables in and around Hormuz carry large volumes of data between Europe, Asia and the Gulf, including financial transactions, cloud traffic, energy-sector communications and services used by artificial intelligence companies. Damage to the cables could slow internet service, disrupt banking systems and affect oil and gas infrastructure across the region.



Mostafa Ahmed, a senior researcher at the UAE-based Habtoor Research Center, warned that small submarines or underwater drones operated by the Revolutionary Guard could damage the cables and trigger a “digital catastrophe.” Telecom experts have said most regional cables were laid closer to Oman to reduce risk, though at least some systems reportedly pass through Iranian territorial waters.



The warning came as Abu Dhabi authorities said a drone strike caused a fire at an electrical generator outside the inner perimeter of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the UAE’s Al Dhafra region. Officials said there were no injuries and no impact on radiological safety levels. The IAEA expressed “grave concern” over military activity near nuclear infrastructure, as Gulf states face growing fears that Iran could expand the conflict beyond oil routes into digital and nuclear-linked targets.

Iran Threatens Google And Amazon In Hormuz ‘Digital Catastrophe’ Warning

Former minister and Shas MK Moshe Arbel officially submitted his resignation from the Knesset on Sunday, bringing to a close more than a decade of public service.



Arbel delivered his resignation letter to Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana under Section 40 of the Basic Law: The Knesset. His departure ends a 12-year tenure in parliament and government positions. According to the Shas party list, Erez Malul is expected to take his place in the Knesset.



In his resignation letter, Arbel reflected on his years in public service, beginning with his work as a parliamentary adviser and chief of staff before later serving as a Knesset member, Deputy Knesset Speaker, Interior Minister, and Health Minister.



“Twelve years &#8211; more than a quarter of my life &#8211; of meaningful work on behalf of all citizens of the State of Israel… Out of love for the People of Israel and seeing good in each and every one of them,&#8221; Arbel wrote.



He explained that his decision comes as the current Knesset term approaches its conclusion, adding that he intends to dedicate more time to his family, Torah study, and completing his doctoral studies in law at Reichman University.



Arbel also thanked the Moetzet Chachmei Hatorah and Shas chairman R&#8217; Aryeh Deri for the confidence they placed in him throughout his years of service.



He concluded with a call for greater unity within Israeli society and among elected officials.



“May the Knesset merit removing the causes of division, eliminating the barriers that separate us, and banishing baseless hatred from among us, so that we may respect one another and act with moderation toward each other,&#8221; he wrote.

Shas MK Moshe Arbel Resigns From Knesset After 12 Years

President Donald Trump on Saturday hailed a decision by a major international climate panel to move away from one of its most extreme warming projections, using the shift to criticize Democratic climate policies and what he described as years of fear-driven messaging.



The United Nations-backed Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently adjusted its framework that projected global temperatures could rise by 4–5°C by the year 2100. The model, known as RCP8.5, had been widely used in studies forecasting catastrophic outcomes tied to greenhouse gas emissions, including rising sea levels, widespread crop failures, and accelerated glacier melt.



“GOOD RIDDANCE! After 15 years of Dumocrats promising that ‘Climate Change’ is going to destroy the Planet, the United Nations TOP Climate Committee just admitted that its own projections (RCP8.5) were WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.



Trump, who has consistently promoted expanded domestic oil and gas production under his “drill baby, drill” agenda, has long rejected many mainstream climate change claims. During a United Nations address last year, he referred to climate change as a “con job.”



“For far too long Climate Activism has been used by Dumocrats to scare Americans, push horrible Energy Polices, and fund BILLIONS into their bogus research programs,” Trump added.



“Unlike the Dumocrats, who use Climate Alarmism nonsense to push their GREEN NEW SCAM, my Administration will always be based on TRUTH, SCIENCE, and FACT!”



Scientists involved in the updated assessment abandoned the high-end warming scenario in favor of seven other projections they argued provide a broader and more realistic range of possible climate outcomes.



“For the 21st century, this range will be smaller than assessed before,” the scientists wrote in the journal Geoscientific Model Development, adding that the worst-case projections “have become implausible.”



The Trump administration has reversed numerous climate-related regulations enacted during the Obama and Biden administrations. Earlier this year, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the rollback of an Obama-era greenhouse gas policy.



Some critics of climate alarmism have pointed to earlier predictions that failed to materialize, including warnings that glaciers in Montana’s Glacier National Park would disappear by 2020. Park officials later removed signs containing those projections after the glaciers remained.



Tech billionaire Bill Gates has also moderated some of his previous rhetoric, recently acknowledging that global warming is unlikely to lead to humanity’s “demise.”



Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton criticized Trump’s remarks, calling them “total disinformation.”

Trump Celebrates As UN Climate Panel Retreats From Dire Warming Scenario

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel now controls approximately 60% of the Gaza Strip, signaling an expansion of territory held by the IDF during the ongoing ceasefire.



Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Benjamin Netanyahu stated, “In Gaza now, we already control not 50%, but 60%.”



At the start of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire that took effect last October, the IDF controlled roughly 53% of Gaza, while Hamas retained control over the remaining territory, where most of the enclave’s population resides. The military established what became known as the “Yellow Line,” marking the areas under Israeli military control.



According to reports, maps quietly distributed by Israel in March showed an additional restricted zone extending beyond the original Yellow Line. The expanded area reportedly covers another 11% of Gaza’s territory, bringing the total restricted area to nearly two-thirds of the Strip.



The military reportedly provided the updated maps to humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza, explaining that the newly designated zone was intended to facilitate aid operations and that movements there would require coordination with the IDF. Officials said civilians were not directly affected by the change.



The enlarged restricted area has reportedly raised concerns among displaced Gazans living nearby, amid fears they could be viewed as security threats if they approach the zone.



“We are tightening our grip on Hamas,” Netanyahu said Sunday.



“We know exactly what our mission is, and our mission is one thing only — to ensure that Gaza will no longer pose a threat to Israel,” he added.



Addressing Friday’s reported elimination of senior Hamas terrorist Izz al-Din al-Haddad, Netanyahu said Israel was nearing completion of its campaign against those responsible for the October 7 massacre.



“I promised that all the architects of the massacre and all the architects of the kidnappings would be eliminated, every last one of them, and we are getting very close to completing that mission as well,” he said.



Al-Haddad was identified as one of the planners of the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack in which terrorists murdered 1,200 people and abducted 251 hostages to Gaza. He reportedly assumed leadership of Hamas in Gaza following the May 2025 killing of Mohammed Sinwar, brother of Yahya Sinwar.



Meanwhile, Palestinian health officials reported that at least four people were killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza on Sunday.



According to medics in Gaza, one strike near a Hamas police post in Khan Younis killed one person. The IDF said it had targeted an operative posing an immediate threat to Israeli forces operating in southern Gaza.



In a separate incident, medics said another Israeli airstrike struck a community kitchen near Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir Al-Balah, reportedly killing at least three people.

Netanyahu Says Israel Now Controls 60% Of Gaza During Ceasefire

Israel’s National Cyber Authority issued an urgent warning Sunday after deepfake videos surfaced online falsely portraying Israel’s Sephardi Chief Rabbi, Harav David Yosef, endorsing a medical product.



According to officials, the fraudulent campaign uses manipulated footage designed to make it appear as though Rav Yosef is promoting the product. Authorities stressed that the chief rabbi has no involvement whatsoever with either the videos or the advertised item.



The Cyber Authority said the videos direct users to fake websites that imitate legitimate online platforms in an apparent attempt to steal personal and financial information.



Officials described the scheme as a sophisticated phishing operation that seeks to exploit the chief rabbi’s public stature and credibility in order to deceive victims. The public was urged to exercise caution and avoid interacting with suspicious online content.



The agency advised users to carefully verify whether videos featuring prominent public figures originate from official and trustworthy sources before relying on them.



The Authority also warned people not to click on links attached to suspicious videos, comments, or messages, and cautioned against entering personal or credit card information on unfamiliar websites.



Consumers were further encouraged to confirm that any medical product is being sold through an official and recognized platform before making a purchase. In cases of doubt, officials recommended halting the transaction and consulting a trusted source.



The National Cyber Authority urged anyone who encounters similar fake videos to report them immediately both to the relevant social media platform and to the Authority’s 119 hotline in order to help stop the spread of the scam.

Sephardi Chief Rabbi Targeted In Deepfake Scam Promoting Fake Medical Product

Likud launched a last-minute effort Sunday to prevent Charedi parties from backing early elections, scheduling a key Knesset discussion on the Draft law just as lawmakers prepare to vote on dissolving the Knesset.



Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth set a committee hearing on the draft law for Wednesday morning, the same time the Knesset is expected to hold a preliminary vote on a bill to dissolve itself. The move is meant to show Degel HaTorah, Shas and other Charedi lawmakers that the law is finally moving after months of coalition delays.



The draft law is one of the central issues threatening Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. It is meant to regulate the status of yeshiva bochurim after the Israeli Supreme Court struck down the previous exemption arrangement, leaving Charedi parties demanding new legislation to protect the yeshiva world.



Charedi parties have threatened to support dissolving the Knesset because the government has repeatedly failed to pass the law despite months of promises, leaving yeshiva bochurim without the legal protection the factions say is essential for remaining in the coalition.



But Charedi officials dismissed Likud’s move as too late, saying another committee discussion does not guarantee the law will pass. Several coalition lawmakers still oppose the bill, and Charedi factions view the hearing as an attempt to buy time and stop them from supporting early elections.



“The train has already left the station,” Charedi sources told Channel 14, accusing Likud of trying to create the appearance of progress only after the coalition reached the brink. Degel HaTorah sources also said they were tired of “empty actions meant to buy time and distract attention.”



Wednesday’s vote would not immediately bring down the government, but it would begin the formal process toward elections if it passes. Netanyahu is trying to delay that process and keep the coalition alive, but Charedi parties are warning that without a real draft law, the government may no longer have a future.

Likud Makes Last-Minute Draft Law Push As Charedi Parties Threaten Elections

The Jewish community in London is on high alert after a deeply disturbing video surfaced on social media, showing an individual making violent, anti-Semitic threats. In response to the grave nature of the incident, local authorities and London Shomrim have launched an urgent investigation and significantly increased security patrols in local neighborhoods.



The video, which has circulated widely online, features a man making explicit and violent threats against Jews. According to London Shomrim, the footage was recorded outside 82 Whitechapel Road in Tower Hamlets.



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Addressing the situation, Shomrim released a public statement confirming their active involvement in the case.



“Shomrim are aware of the horrific video circulating on social media showing a gentleman threatening to behead Jews and much more,” the organization stated. “This was taken outside 82 Whitechapel Road, Tower Hamlets, London, E1 1JQ.”



The incident was immediately reported to the Metropolitan Police. Authorities have assured the community that the situation is being treated with the utmost gravity. According to the Shomrim statement, the police have “started an investigation to identify and arrest the male and mitigate the immediate threats.”



Recognizing the deep anxiety this has caused within the kehillah, Shomrim emphasized that proactive measures are already underway to ensure public safety and deter further incidents. “We are aware of the fact that the Orthodox Jewish community is exceptionally concerned about these threats and want to reassure the community that we are working closely with [Metropolitan Police Tower Hamlets and Hackney] and will be stepping up patrols till he is caught,” the statement continued.



Residents are urged to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity immediately.

Outrage and Heightened Alert in London Following Horrific Anti-Semitic Threats

President Donald Trump fueled speculation about a possible renewed military confrontation with Iran after posting a cryptic message Saturday on Truth Social.



The post included an AI-generated image showing Trump alongside a US Navy admiral standing before rough seas filled with warships, including one bearing the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran.



Above the image appeared the message: “It was calm before the storm.&#8221;



The post came as reports surfaced suggesting the United States and Israel are preparing for the possibility that military operations against Iran could resume in the near future.



According to a report published Saturday by The New York Times, Washington and Jerusalem are engaged in intensive military preparations for potential renewed strikes against Iran as early as next week.



The report described the buildup as the largest military mobilization since the ceasefire between the sides took effect.



Trump signaled Friday that he could accept a 20-year freeze on Iran’s nuclear program, but stressed that any agreement would require what he described as genuine guarantees from Tehran.



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Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning from his trip to China, Trump discussed the latest Iranian proposal regarding the conflict.



“Well, I looked at it, and if I don&#8217;t like the first sentence, I just throw it away,&#8221; Trump said.



He explained that the opening line of the proposal was “an unacceptable sentence because they fully agree, no nuclear, and if they have any nuclear of any form, I don&#8217;t read the rest of their letter.”



Asked whether a 20-year moratorium would satisfy him, Trump replied, “No, 20 years is enough, but the level of guarantee from them is not enough. In other words, it&#8217;s got to be a real 20 years, not a fake 20.&#8221;



Trump also warned Thursday during an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News that his patience with Iran is running out.



“I’m not going to be much more patient. No, I&#8217;m not. They should make a deal. Any sane person would make a deal, but they might be crazy,&#8221; Trump said.



The interview aired only hours after Trump hinted in another Truth Social post that military action against Iran could continue despite the current ceasefire.



Those remarks followed his diplomatic visit to China, where Iran reportedly remained a central topic in discussions.

Trump Posts Ominous Iran Warning Amid Reports Of Possible Renewed Strikes

A suspected terrorist commander was charged Wednesday with orchestrating three planned attacks in the United States and now faces multiple federal terrorism charges.



According to authorities, Mohammad Al-Saadi allegedly attempted to recruit an individual — who was actually an undercover law enforcement operative — to carry out attacks in New York City, Los Angeles, and Scottsdale, Arizona. Sources familiar with the case told the NY Post that Al-Saadi was expected to make his initial court appearance Wednesday in federal court in lower Manhattan.



The alleged terror scheme surfaced more than two months after the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran.



Federal investigators identified Al-Saadi as a commander in Kata’ib Hizballah, an Iraq-based terrorist organization backed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Both groups have been designated by the U.S. government as foreign terrorist organizations, according to the criminal complaint.



Prosecutors allege that since the outbreak of the war with Iran, Al-Saadi “has directed attacks on U.S. and Israeli interests “including by killing Americans and Jews,” according to the indictment. The complaint further alleges that Al-Saadi and associates coordinated and claimed responsibility for at least 18 terrorist attacks throughout Europe and two more in Canada.



Authorities also accused Al-Saadi of directing and attempting to organize terrorist attacks inside the United States, including plots targeting New York City.



He was charged with two counts of conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization, two counts of conspiring to provide material support for acts of terrorism, one count of conspiracy to bomb a place of public use, and one count of destruction of property by means of fire or explosive.



The New York Police Department confirmed that a planned attack targeting a Manhattan synagogue had been thwarted.



“Working with our law enforcement partners, we disrupted a plan to attack a Manhattan synagogue, and in partnership with the synagogue’s leadership, ensured its security when the threat was elevated,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said in a statement.



“This case puts into stark relief the global threats posed by the Iranian regime and its proxies like Kata’ib Hizballah — Foreign Terrorist Organizations that have repeatedly targeted Jewish communities across Europe and the United States since the war began,” she added.



According to the complaint, Al-Saadi, an Iraqi citizen, “has furthered the terrorist goals of that group and the IRGC since at least in or about 2017.” Investigators said he also maintained contact with senior terrorist figures, including Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. strike in 2020.



The complaint further alleges that after the war with Iran began on February 28, Al-Saadi repeatedly urged followers to murder Americans and Israelis.



“Do not abandon the blood of your Imam of the time, oh Shiites of Iraq. Kill everyone who supports America and Israel,” he wrote on Telegram on the day the war started, according to the complaint. “Do not leave any of them remaining. Civil and military targets, as well as voices of discord, kill them everywhere.”



Investigators said additional posts on X, Snapchat, and Telegram continued to encourage attacks against Americans and Israelis.



Authorities also accused Al-Saadi of helping coordinate 18 terror attacks throughout Europe since the war began, including incidents targeting a synagogue in Liège, Belgium, a Jewish school in Amsterdam, the Bank of America building in Paris, and arson attacks in London. Prosecutors said the attacks were carried out “in the name of Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiya” — known as HAYI — “a component of Kata’ib Hizballah.”



According to prosecutors, Al-Saadi attempted last month to hire an undercover operative posing as a Mexican cartel member to set fire to a synagogue in New York City and two Jewish centers located in Los Angeles and Scottsdale. Investigators said he offered $10,000 for the attacks and requested video recordings of the incidents.



On an April 1 phone call cited in the complaint, Al-Saadi allegedly declared: “war will not end. Either they eradicate us, or we eradicate them.”



Dr. Sajjan Gohel, international security director at the Asia-Pacific Foundation, said HAYI serves as the “front used for propaganda and claim-of-responsibility operations, but it remains a vehicle for Iran’s operations.”



“Although this plot has been stopped in the United States, the infrastructure the IRGC has created remains intact,” Gohel added. “The worry will be that it demonstrates intent and desire to target Jewish communities globally, and the threat inside Europe remains prevalent.”

Iran-Linked Terror Commander Accused Of Plotting Attacks On Synagogues Across U.S.

Comments by President Donald Trump suggesting that American arms sales to Taiwan could be used as leverage in negotiations with China are fueling concern in Taiwan over Washington’s long-term commitment to the island’s security.



Trump made the remarks during a Fox News interview with Bret Baier that aired Friday following his high-profile visit to China.



Taiwan governs itself democratically, though China claims the island as part of its territory and has repeatedly threatened to take it by force if necessary. While the United States does not formally recognize Taiwan as an independent country, it remains Taipei’s main military supporter and weapons supplier.



During the interview, Trump suggested future arms sales to Taiwan could depend on broader negotiations with Beijing.



Asked whether he would approve a stalled $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan, Trump responded: “I&#8217;m holding that in abeyance and it depends on China.”



“It&#8217;s a very good negotiating chip for us, frankly. It&#8217;s a lot of weapons.”



Under American law, the United States is required to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, and Washington has traditionally viewed threats against the island as a matter of major concern.



William Yang, a Northeast Asia analyst with the International Crisis Group, warned that Trump’s comments appeared to touch on one of Taiwan’s greatest fears — the possibility that decisions about the island’s future could be negotiated without Taiwan itself being involved.



Although Trump did not specify what concessions he might seek from China in exchange for delaying arms sales, he has recently pushed Beijing to increase purchases of American products and to assist efforts aimed at pressuring Iran.



The Trump administration and Congress previously approved a separate $11 billion arms package for Taiwan in December, prompting an angry response from Beijing, which launched military drills around the island afterward.



China has repeatedly described Taiwan as the most sensitive issue in US-China relations.



During his recent summit with Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly warned that mishandling the Taiwan issue could lead to “clashes and even conflicts.”



Russian President Vladimir Putin is also expected to travel to Beijing next week following the Trump-Xi summit.



Taiwan’s presidential office attempted Saturday to calm fears by emphasizing that official US policy toward Taiwan has not formally changed.



“The Republic of China is a sovereign, independent, democratic country; this is self-evident, and Beijing&#8217;s claims are therefore without merit,” Presidential Office spokesperson Karen Kuo said, using Taiwan’s official name.



Kuo also thanked Trump for his support and stressed that American weapons sales to Taiwan are mandated by US law.



Another source of anxiety in Taiwan came from Trump’s renewed calls for the island’s massive semiconductor industry to move more production to the United States.



“I&#8217;d like to see everybody making chips over in Taiwan come into America,” Trump told Fox News, calling it “the greatest thing you can do.”



Taiwan dominates the global advanced semiconductor market, producing more than 90% of the world’s most sophisticated microchips used in artificial intelligence systems, smartphones, and military technology.



Taiwanese chip giant TSMC has already committed $165 billion toward a major manufacturing complex in Arizona, while Taiwan earlier this year pledged an additional $250 billion in investment in the American semiconductor industry as part of a broader trade arrangement with Washington.



Trump also repeated past accusations that Taiwan had “stole” the semiconductor business from the United States decades ago.



Although Trump stopped short during his summit with Xi of changing longstanding US policy language regarding Taiwan, some analysts said his rhetoric appeared increasingly aligned with Beijing’s framing of the issue.



China has frequently labeled Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te a dangerous separatist and accused him of pushing the island toward war.



Trump appeared to echo some of those concerns during the Fox interview.



“But they have somebody there now that wants to go independent,” Trump said, apparently referring to Lai.



“They&#8217;re going independent because they want to get into a war and they figure they have the United States behind them.”



Trump added that he has no desire to involve the United States in a distant military conflict.



Observers also noted that Lai has not yet traveled through the United States during his presidency, unlike previous Taiwanese leaders, leading some analysts to speculate that the Trump administration may be scaling back visible demonstrations of support for Taiwan.



Wen-Ti Sung of the Atlantic Council suggested Trump’s remarks may partly reflect his broader negotiating style.



“What matters more is the substance, which Taiwan is holding its collective breath for,” Sung said.

Trump’s Taiwan Remarks Spark Alarm Over Future US Support

Governor Kathy Hochul’s latest effort to raise taxes on wealthy New Yorkers may satisfy Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s calls to “tax the rich,” but critics are warning the rushed proposals could create major complications for New York City’s already tangled property tax system.



Among the ideas floated during ongoing state budget negotiations are a new pied-à-terre tax — a levy on luxury second homes that are not used as a primary residence — as well as a transfer tax on all-cash purchases of homes valued above $1 million.



The proposals emerged as Hochul and state lawmakers entered a sixth week of extended budget talks over New York State’s next spending plan.



Experts told the NY Post the late-stage proposals would require sweeping changes to the city’s notoriously complex property tax structure, raising concerns about unintended long-term consequences.



“Should we rationalize our property and transfer tax system? Yes,” Citizens Budget Commission President Andrew Rein told the NY Post. “Should we do it piecemeal, 45 days into the state fiscal year based on unvetted proposals? No.”



“That’s not the way for a good outcome.”



Mamdani has repeatedly argued that wealthy New Yorkers should shoulder more of the city’s financial burden, claiming the current system unfairly benefits high earners while the city faces a reported $5.4 billion budget gap.



Hochul had previously rejected Mamdani’s push for a direct millionaire’s tax, warning it could drive wealthy residents out of New York altogether.



However, the governor later shifted course by backing the proposed pied-à-terre tax, a move viewed by many as an attempt to appeal to Mamdani’s progressive political allies ahead of her re-election campaign.



Mamdani celebrated the development in a polished social media video filmed outside billionaire Ken Griffin’s Manhattan penthouse, declaring: “Today we’re going to tax the rich.”



“The two fundamental facts here are that the mayor is unwilling to control spending and separately wants to be seen taxing the rich. And the practicality or sustainability of his solutions look to be afterthoughts,” Manhattan Institute fellow Ken Girardin told the NY Post.



The video reportedly angered Griffin, who responded by pledging to expand hiring in Miami instead of New York “as a direct consequence.”



Even as the political fight escalated, many details surrounding the proposed pied-à-terre tax remained unclear.



Hochul’s office later clarified that the plan would target second homes in condos and co-ops assessed at more than $1 million, along with one- to three-family homes assessed above $5 million.



Under New York City’s current system, condos and co-ops are assessed based on potential rental income rather than actual market value, often resulting in substantially lower tax assessments.



The proposal would initially apply the new tax to units with assessed values above $1 million — a figure officials say typically corresponds to properties selling for roughly $5 million.



After two years, the proposal calls for New York City to overhaul the way condos and co-ops are valued so they would eventually be taxed similarly to traditional family homes.



Tax Foundation senior policy analyst Abir Mandal agreed the city’s assessment system is deeply flawed, particularly regarding condos and co-ops, but warned there are too many unanswered questions surrounding Hochul’s proposal.



“Imposing a tax on top of that flawed assessment system, it’ll lead to a higher deadweight loss,” Mandal told the NY Post.



“Do I support New York City going through a better assessment system? Yes,” he added. “But we’ll just have to take a look at and see exactly what they come up with. It’s like if we don’t have details yet, they could come up with something that’s even worse than what they have right now.”



Lawmakers are also discussing a separate transfer tax on cash purchases of homes priced above $1 million, which Bloomberg reported could generate another $160 million for the city.



A spokesperson for Hochul confirmed to the NY Post that the governor is still considering the proposal and has not ruled it out.



Mandal criticized the transfer tax idea as economically damaging, arguing it would make it more expensive both to purchase and sell homes.



“They’re economically even more harmful because they decrease the liquidity in the market,” he said. “If you really want a freer market for housing available for people increasing the transfer tax is not a good proposal.”



The tax debate comes amid continued growth in city spending.



Mamdani’s executive budget has climbed to $124.7 billion, fueled in part by increased funding from Albany.



Hochul is also directing another $2 billion toward expanded childcare programs for two years, though critics warn the city could later be left scrambling to replace that funding on its own.



Additional pension agreements under discussion could saddle city taxpayers with more than $100 million in new annual costs.



“Revenues are not a problem either for New York City or for New York State,” Mandal told the NY Post.



“It’s the fact that spending has grown even faster than the revenues have grown, which have grown pretty rapidly.”



Republican officials sharply criticized the proposed taxes, warning they could eventually impact far more than just the wealthy.



“This is exactly how ‘tax the rich’ turns into taxing everybody else,” City Councilman Frank Morano told the NY Post.



“A lot of middle-class New Yorkers bought modest co-ops or condos decades ago that now fall into these thresholds because of the insanity of the real estate market. They’re not oligarchs. They’re retirees, small business owners, and families who worked hard and played by the rules.”



“And let’s be honest: if Albany and City Hall keep moving the goalposts from $5 million down toward $1 million assessments, people are right to wonder who gets targeted next,” he added.



Councilwoman Joann Ariola warned that many pied-à-terre owners already contribute enormous sums in taxes and cautioned that pushing them out of New York would shift the burden onto remaining residents.



“There’s this mistaken belief out there that people will never leave New York no matter how high taxes go because ‘it’s New York,&#8217;” Ariola told the NY Post.



“But people can easily move right across the river to Hoboken, take their tax dollars with them, and still be minutes from Manhattan.”



“What we are seeing here is a short-term solution from the governor in an election year that will have long-term consequences for New Yorkers.”



Business leaders also warned the proposals could further damage New York’s already poor reputation for high taxes.



“We are already in last place in tax competitiveness. What are we trying to do, be in super-duper-extra last place?” Business Council of New York State President Heather Mulligan told the NY Post.

Hochul-Mamdani Tax Push Sparks Fears Of Chaos In NYC Property System

The New School has come under renewed criticism after retaining a faculty member accused of helping lead disruptive anti-Israel campus protests, despite the university publicly insisting it is committed to protecting Jewish students.



Corinna Mullin, a political science professor whose work focuses on anticolonialism and criticism of Western institutions, was identified as one of the organizers behind the April 2024 anti-Israel encampment at City College of New York in Harlem.



According to school officials, Mullin was arrested in connection with the protest, which culminated in a fire inside the science building that caused roughly $3 million in damage.



Mullin later became part of a group dubbed the “fired four” — adjunct professors at CUNY who claimed they were dismissed during the summer of 2025 because of their pro-Palestinian activism ahead of a congressional hearing by the Trump administration examining antisemitism on college campuses.



Higher Ed Labor United announced that Mullin and two other professors were reinstated in January, although it remains unclear whether she taught at CUNY during the spring semester, as her name did not appear on faculty listings.



The controversy comes as CUNY recently became the first university in the country whose student senate voted to sanction its Hillel chapter, though university officials later stated the senate lacked authority to take such action.



Mullin previously taught a Fall 2025 course titled “Middle East in the World” and is currently scheduled to teach “Decolonizing International Law” this coming September.



The NY Post reported that Mullin has referred to Arab governments normalizing relations with Israel as committing “high treason.”



The paper also reported that she worked with the Samidoun network, which the State Department has described as a front organization for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorist organization.



Mullin did not respond to requests for comment, according to the NY Post.



Meanwhile, New School administrators continued defending the campus climate, insisting all students remain “welcome, valued and respected,” while also condemning the student senate’s anti-Hillel vote as unacceptable.



“We are looking carefully at how this situation unfolded, what further actions the university needs to take,” a university spokesperson told the NY Post.



The student senate voted on May 1 to revoke funding for Hillel, arguing that the Jewish student organization’s involvement in Israel trips connected it to “grave violations of international law.”



Hillel rejected the accusation, saying the organization itself is apolitical and emphasizing that the Israel trips in question were financed through private donations rather than student activity fees.



“The idea that student money is somehow funding foreign military operations is simply incorrect,” graduating MFA student and Hillel member Michael Valdes told the NY Post.



“People are entitled to their opinion about Israel, the war and international politics. But political disagreement cannot become the justification for excluding a student club from campus life.”



Only a small portion of Hillel’s funding reportedly comes from student senate allocations, and the organization has not canceled any programming following the vote.



“We will continue to be at this campus,” Valdes said Friday during remarks to the student senate.

Anti-Israel Protest Leader Kept On Staff At NYC’s New School Despite Arrest

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing fierce backlash after publishing a social media post marking “Nakba Day,” with critics accusing him of distorting the history surrounding Israel’s founding in a message posted shortly before Shabbos began for Jewish New Yorkers.



Mamdani, who has repeatedly criticized Israel, used Friday night’s commemoration of what Palestinians refer to as the “catastrophe” tied to Israel’s establishment on May 14, 1948, to spotlight the story of city resident and self-described “Nakba survivor” Inea Bushnaq in a professionally produced video shared online.



“Today marks Nakba Day, an annual remembrance to commemorate the expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians between 1947 and 1949 during the creation of the State of Israel and the year that followed,” the mayor wrote on his official X account.



“Inea is a New Yorker and a Nakba survivor. She shared her story with us – one of home, tradition and memory over generations.”



In the accompanying video, Bushnaq recounts leaving Jerusalem at age nine because, she said, “the Zionists were coming into Jerusalem.”



The video also alleges that the displacement of Palestinians “continues to this day.”



The mayor’s remarks drew immediate condemnation from Jewish activists and supporters of Israel, who accused him of inflaming tensions and presenting a one-sided version of history at a time of rising antisemitic attacks.



“Mamdani is dangerous, he’s evil, he is stirring the pot of hate,” Americans Against Antisemitism founder Dov Hikind told The NY Post.



“He is corrupting history,” Hikind added.



In 1947, the United Nations voted to partition the British Mandate of Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states. Jewish leaders accepted the proposal, while five Arab nations — Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq — rejected it and went to war against the newly declared State of Israel after its independence in 1948.



Israel ultimately won the war, and Arab nations later established Nakba Day to commemorate the defeat and displacement that followed.



Mamdani’s post sparked widespread outrage online, with critics accusing him of promoting propaganda while ignoring the suffering of Jews expelled from Arab lands after Israel’s creation.



“He ignores that roughly 850,000 Jews were expelled or forced to flee Arab countries in the years that followed,” one critic wrote on X.



Another commenter argued that Nakba Day is not simply about mourning, but “is a movement that rejects Israel’s existence (and along with it millions of Jews).”



“In a city where Jews are already facing rampant harassment and violence, this kind of one-sided historical revisionism fuels hostility toward Jews,” the commenter added.



The post’s video montage also featured Palestinian-themed artwork displayed inside Inea’s home. One of the pieces shown was a vintage “Visit Palestine” poster designed in 1936 by Frank Krausz — a Holocaust survivor and Zionist Jew.



Critics pointed to the inclusion of the poster as especially ironic given the anti-Israel framing of the video, noting that Krausz himself strongly supported Zionism and Jewish statehood.



Israeli activist Hen Mazzig was among those who publicly criticized Mamdani’s post, sharing his own family’s history of persecution and expulsion from Arab countries.“My grandmother fled North Africa and Iraq after the Farhud [pogrom] of 1941. Six years before any war over Israel. Palestinians were expelled during a war Arab states launched against us. Over 850,000 Jews were driven from Arab lands. Almost none remain,” Mazzig wrote.



“Maybe the mayor of New York should stay out of it. Or speak to both. Don’t weaponize one trauma while actively erasing another. Especially when using this ‘Visit Palestine’ poster created by Frank Krausz, a Holocaust survivor and a Zionist Jew.”



As anti-Israel demonstrations continue throughout New York City, including protests outside synagogues, critics noted that Mamdani has declined to denounce many of the disruptive rallies and has instead continued voicing support for the protest movement.



“This video provokes and justifies acts of revenge and hate on Jews and Jewish Synagogues across NYC,” one commenter wrote, while another accused the mayor of “leaving out some key historical facts.”



“Ok!! I’m done being nice… You are putting Jews everywhere at risk by not providing historical context for this,” United Jewish Teachers President Moshe Spern posted on X.



“You are putting Jews in harms way!! Enough is enough!!”



Mamdani’s ties with many Jewish leaders have remained strained since his mayoral campaign last year, largely due to controversial statements and his vocal criticism of Israel.



His wife, First Lady Rama Duwaji, has also faced scrutiny over past social media activity praising Palestinian terrorists, attacking Israel, and allegedly liking posts celebrating the October 7 terrorist massacre carried out by Hamas terrorists in Israel.



Mamdani defended his wife after the controversy surfaced, while Duwaji apologized in April for the “hurt” caused by the posts, though she stopped short of directly apologizing for the anti-Israel content itself.

Mamdani Under Fire For ‘Rewriting History’ In One-Sided ‘Nakba Day’ Post

As Jewish families across the United States prepare to usher in Shabbos, they are doing so with an added layer of national recognition; the first time in American history that a sitting president has formally called upon the Jewish people to observe a mitzvah.



In his Jewish American Heritage Month proclamation issued May 4, President Donald Trump urged Jewish Americans to mark what he termed &#8220;Shabbat 250,&#8221; a nod to the nation&#8217;s 250th anniversary celebrations. &#8220;From sundown on May 15 to nightfall on May 16, friends, families, and communities of all backgrounds may come together in gratitude for our great Nation,&#8221; the proclamation read, describing Shabbos as &#8220;the sacred Jewish tradition of setting aside time for rest, reflection, and gratitude to the Almighty.&#8221;



The announcement has sparked a series of invitation-only events across Washington tied to the proclamation. Among the most sought-after invitations is the White House reception scheduled for the Indian Treaty Room, where Jewish members of the Trump administration are expected to attend. Another private dinner, co-hosted by the Combat Antisemitism Movement, is set to gather Jewish administration officials, congressional staffers, and policy figures. The event will feature wine provided by Psagot Winery, an Israeli vineyard located in Yehudah and Shomron.



&#8220;It’s an honor and a privilege to work for an administration that values religious freedom,&#8221; Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, long-time Trump ally and United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism told Belaaz. &#8220;The president is a true friend and advocate for the values of religion.&#8221;



Rabbi Moshe Margaretten, President of the Tzedek Association, who has worked extensively with the Trump Administration, told Belaaz: “Shabbos has always been the secret of Jewish survival. Through every generation and every challenge, Shabbos kept Yidden connected to Hashem, to family, and to our mesorah. At a time when America prepares to celebrate 250 years, it is especially meaningful to see Jews across the country coming together to honor the gift of Shabbos and the religious freedom this great country has given us to observe it proudly. In a world that moves so fast and pulls people in so many directions, Shabbos reminds us what truly matters; emunah, family, kedusha, and gratitude to the Ribbono Shel Olam.”



Rabbi Levi Shemtov, executive vice president of American Friends of Lubavitch, said in a statement; “I&#8217;m obviously delighted by the president&#8217;s call to observe Shabbat, because this reinforces Jewish identity with Jewish observance and tradition.”



Rabbi Josh Joseph, executive vice president of the Orthodox Union, issued a statement endorsing the call. &#8220;This weekend, following President Trump&#8217;s encouragement, we will mark Shabbat 250,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We will pause to acknowledge all the blessings that the Almighty has provided American Jews through the unique devotion to liberty embedded in this nation.&#8221; 



Chabad announced special Shabbos 250 programming, and more than 7,500 people registered on Shabbat250.org pledging to observe the day.



For many in the Torah world, the moment carried a weight that transcended politics. Rabbi Dovid Katz, Executive Director of the Israel Heritage Foundation, told Belaaz that the president&#8217;s call stirred deep emotion, drawing a striking contrast to the struggles of an earlier generation of American Jews.



&#8220;70-80 years ago, when Yidden were here in the United States and the government did not push Yidden to observe Shabbos, every erev Shabbos people had a big nisayon of should I observe the Shabbos and how will I put bread and parnosa for my children and my wife? Or should I unfortunately chas v&#8217;shalom violate Shabbos? And it was every erev Shabbos people went through this nisayon,&#8221; Rabbi Katz said. &#8220;And Baruch Hashem, b&#8217;yomeinu hayeim b&#8217;zman hazeh, today, instead of Yidden having the same nisayon, the government, the president, and his entire staff — I texted today and WhatsApped today and communicated with over 40 people that are close to the Trump administration and everybody is so excited and so happy and so pushing for this that I really think that it&#8217;s almost k&#8217;yom shekulo Shabbos.&#8221;



Rabbi Katz, who said he had written letters to President Trump and the administration in support of the initiative, drew on a teaching of the Rizhiner Rebbe zy&#8221;a to give the moment a broader spiritual frame.



&#8220;We are all entering in Moshiach days,&#8221; he said, &#8220;and the holy Rizhiner Rebbe zy&#8221;a once said that before Moshiach will come, Hashem will give a very big shefa and very good days for Klal Yisroel and Klal Yisroel will think that we&#8217;ve reached the highest happiness, the highest simcha, and the highest achievements — and Hashem will say wait, there&#8217;s much more to come, Moshiach is here and now you&#8217;ll really know what yom shekulo Shabbos means.&#8221;

As Jews Nationwide Prepare for Shabbos, Trump’s Call Sparks Wave of Enthusiasm

In a targeted operation in Gaza City Friday evening, the IDF struck Izz al-Din al-Haddad, head of Hamas’s military wing and the No. 1 terrorist leader in Gaza. 



He was one of the main architects of the October 7 massacre. Al-Haddad was responsible for the murder, abduction, and brutal treatment of thousands of Israelis and for directing terror attacks.



Senior security sources report initial indications show that the strike succeeded. Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement moments ago: “On orders from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and myself, the IDF struck the arch-murderer Izz al-Din al-Haddad&#8230; This is a clear message to all the murderers seeking our lives: Sooner or later, Israel will get you.”

Israel Strikes No. 1 Hamas Commander In Gaza

The U.S. Justice Department announced Friday that it will pursue the death penalty against the man charged with murdering two Israeli Embassy employees outside a Jewish museum in Washington, D.C.



Elias Rodriguez has been charged with federal hate crimes and murder in the shooting deaths of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, who were leaving an event at the museum in May. According to the indictment, Rodriguez yelled “Free Palestine” during the attack and later told police, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza.”



Among the charges filed against Rodriguez is a hate crime resulting in death. Prosecutors also included special findings in the indictment, clearing the way for the government to seek capital punishment.



“My message to anyone who seeks to commit political violence in this district &#8212; D.C. is not the place. You will be held accountable and you will face the full wrath of the law,” Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said Friday during an unrelated press conference where she disclosed the Justice Department’s decision.



Federal prosecutors must prove Rodriguez acted out of antisemitic motives when he allegedly opened fire on Lischinsky and Milgrim, a young couple who were reportedly preparing to become engaged. Milgrim was an American citizen, while Lischinsky was an Israeli citizen employed in the United States.



Authorities say the murders were deliberate and carefully organized. Prosecutors stated that Rodriguez traveled from Chicago to the Washington area before the May 21 gathering at the Capital Jewish Museum, bringing a handgun in his checked luggage.



Witnesses told investigators that Rodriguez was seen pacing outside the venue before approaching a group of four individuals and opening fire. Surveillance footage allegedly captured him moving closer to Lischinsky and Milgrim after they collapsed, leaning over them and firing additional rounds. Officials also said he appeared to reload his weapon before fleeing the scene.



Court documents state that after the shooting, Rodriguez entered the museum and declared, “I did it for Palestine, I did it for Gaza, I am unarmed.” Investigators also said he told detectives he admired an active-duty Air Force member who set himself on fire outside the Israeli Embassy in February 2024, calling the man “courageous” and a “martyr.”

Death Penalty Sought For Israeli Embassy Murder Suspect Elias Rodriguez

The Jewish community was the primary target of hate crimes in Toronto during 2025, according to a report published by the Toronto Police Services Board.



The annual hate crime statistics report found that Jews, who comprise less than 3 percent of Toronto’s population, were victims in 82% of all religiously motivated hate crimes and accounted for 35% of all reported hate incidents across the city.



Toronto police documented 81 anti-Jewish hate crime incidents during the year. Officials also stated that a Jewish resident was 14 times more likely to experience a hate-related incident than other residents of Toronto.



The findings come amid what Jewish organizations describe as a dramatic increase in antisemitic attacks throughout Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area. Since February, synagogues have reportedly been hit by gunfire, Jewish-owned businesses have been vandalized and shot at, and visibly Jewish individuals have been assaulted in public.



Police additionally reported a 24% rise in hate crimes compared to the same period the previous year.



Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs Vice President Michelle Stock described the statistics as “deeply alarming.”



“Jewish Canadians are being targeted simply for who they are,” Stock says, calling on government officials, law enforcement, and civic leaders to work together to combat antisemitism, extremism, and hate-driven violence.

Jews Targeted In Vast Majority Of Toronto Religious Hate Crimes, New Report Finds

Residents of Rosh Hanikra, Liman, Nahariya, Betzet, and Akhziv remained in shelters for more than 30 minutes earlier, following sirens triggered by suspected hostile aircraft infiltration from Lebanon.



The IDF launched interceptors toward several drones launched by Hezbollah. One was successfully intercepted, while others fell in open areas per protocol, the military says. No injuries or damage reported B&#8221;H.



The IDF condemned the incident as yet &#8220;another violation of the ceasefire understandings by Hezbollah&#8221;.

UPDATE: Northern Israel Residents Sheltered for Over 30 Minutes Amid Suspected Drone Infiltration:

Rama Duwaji, the wife of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, reportedly created two public Spotify playlists during the early months of the Gaza war that featured profanity-laced anti-Israel music, including songs containing antisemitic themes, according to an exposé published by The Free Press.



One playlist, title featured tracks such as “Amrikkka,” “Intifada,” and “Ana Bakrah Israel,” which translates to “I Hate Israel.”



Another playlist, reportedly created in January 2024, included the song “FREE PALESTINE,” featuring lyrics, with profanity used between most words, that said: “Free Palestine, Israel gon’ die [expletive]. [Expletive], it’s they land, why you out here tryna rob it. No shalom [expletive], [expletive], this Haram [expletive].”



The same playlist also reportedly contained an anti-police track which also used profanity.



According to the report, Duwaji and the mayor’s office declined to comment on the findings, which examined the first lady’s online presence and questioned her previous claims that she had remained a private citizen following her husband’s election. Duwaji had apologized for some tweets she had posted as a teenager which said Tel Aviv, purchased by early Jewish settlers, &#8220;should never have existed,&#8221; praised Palestinian terrorists and used anti-black racial slurs. However, she has not apologized for &#8220;liking&#8221; posts that celebrated the Oct. 7 massacre.



While Duwaji has not publicly confirmed ownership of the Spotify account, the report stated that the playlists were made private after The Free Press requested comment and before the article was published.



The report also noted that Duwaji previously apologized for using what she described as “harmful” language online, though she has not specifically addressed the anti-Israel material.

Anti-Israel Songs And Antisemitic Lyrics Found In Spotify Playlists Linked To NYC Mayor’s Wife

The IDF has successfully completed the &#8220;Sulfur and Fire&#8221; General Staff Exercise, which simulated a surprise attack and infiltrations from the eastern border. 



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The exercise, held today (Friday), tested the readiness of the 96th and 80th Divisions. It included scenarios such as infiltrations into communities, responses to drone threats, and complex incidents near the Dead Sea. 



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Forces also practiced rapid aerial strikes by fighter jets and combat helicopters, aerial deployment of special forces into civilian areas, and handling a simulated terrorist infiltration at a hotel. 



According to the IDF, the high readiness of troops on the eastern border, along with new defense directives and reinforced frameworks introduced after October 7 — significantly contributed to the successful response in the simulated scenarios.



The IDF says it will now conduct a detailed review to identify lessons learned, gaps, and achievements in order to further improve its preparedness



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IDF Completes Major “Sulfur and Fire” Exercise Simulating Surprise Eastern Border Attack

The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit announced Friday morning that Staff Sergeant Negev Dagan Hy’d, 20, from Dekel, was sadly killed during combat operations in southern Lebanon.



Dagan served as a combat soldier in the Golani Brigade’s 12th Battalion. He was killed Thursday night at approximately 10:00 p.m. when Hezbollah terrorists fired an anti-tank guided missile during fighting in the area.



Earlier in the week, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit reported that one IDF soldier sustained moderate injuries while a reservist was lightly wounded in an explosive drone attack launched by Hezbollah near the Lebanese border.



Both injured soldiers were transported to a hospital for treatment, and their families were informed of the incident.

Golani Soldier Negev Dagan Hy’d Killed By Hezbollah Missile Attack In Southern Lebanon

The Department of Justice has alleged that Yale School of Medicine engages in discriminatory admissions practices, claiming the institution gives preference to Black and Hispanic applicants over white and Asian candidates with comparable academic credentials.



The findings were issued following a yearlong federal investigation that examined Yale’s internal admissions data and policies to assess compliance with the 2023 Supreme Court ruling that barred race-based consideration in admissions decisions.



“Yale has continued its race-based admissions program despite the Supreme Court and the public’s clear mandate for reform,” Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights, said in a statement. “This Department will continue to shed light on these illegal practices, and demand that institutions of higher education comply with federal law.”



Yale representatives did not immediately provide a response when contacted for comment.



According to the Justice Department, documents obtained from Yale indicate that university leadership deliberately factors race into admissions decisions and has explored the use of race-based proxies in an effort to work around the Supreme Court’s ruling.



In a six-page letter, Dhillon stated that Yale employs “holistic metrics” in its admissions process, which include consideration of “race” and “national origin.”



“Yale uses its holistic-review procedure to uncover and then use applicants’ race through direct and indirect means. It then conducts interviews that enable the committee to know applicants’ race and ethnicity,” Dhillon wrote. “Race preferences elevate Black and Hispanic applicants in the admissions process.”



The DOJ further reported that it analyzed academic data such as grade-point averages and standardized test scores across different racial groups. It concluded that Yale’s “use of race resulted in a Black applicant being as much as 29 times higher odds of getting an interview for admission than an equally strong Asian applicant with similar academic credentials.”



“This consistent difference in the test scores between students of different racial groups is substantial and cannot be explained by a coincidence,” the DOJ said.



The release of Yale’s investigation findings follows similar conclusions earlier this month from a separate DOJ review of the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles.



The actions are part of broader efforts by the Trump administration to reshape college admissions policies, particularly at elite medical schools, which officials argue place excessive emphasis on diversity initiatives.



In March, the Justice Department also opened investigations into admissions practices at the medical schools of Stanford University, the University of California, San Diego, and Ohio State University.

DOJ Accuses Yale Medical School of Race-Based Admissions Practices

U.S. Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks announced Thursday that he is stepping down from his post as the Department of Homeland Security continues undergoing major leadership changes following the departure of former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.



“It’s just time,” Banks told Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin. “I feel like I got the ship back on course. From the least secure, disastrous, chaotic border to the most secure border this country has ever seen. Time to pass the reins, 37 years is time to enjoy the family and life.”



Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott praised Banks in a statement honoring his decades of service.



“We thank U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks for his decades of service to this country and congratulate him on his second retirement after returning to serve during one of the most challenging periods for border security,” Scott said.



“During his time as Chief, the border was transformed from chaos to the most secure border ever recorded. We wish him and his family well,” he added.



Before joining the Trump administration, Banks served as border czar under Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. He also previously spent years working within the U.S. Border Patrol.



Banks’ resignation comes shortly after Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director Todd Lyons announced plans to leave the agency at the end of May.



Dave Venturella, a veteran ICE official who most recently worked as an executive at a private prison company, is set to take over the role.



Noem and senior adviser Corey Lewandowski both departed DHS in March after scrutiny intensified over hundreds of millions of dollars in federal contracts approved during her tenure that are now under investigation by a watchdog agency.



Also departing in March was Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino, whose leadership during operations in Minneapolis drew significant criticism.



Two American citizens were killed in Minneapolis in January during immigration enforcement activity, including one person who was shot by a Customs and Border Protection agent.



In response to the unrest, President Trump dispatched border czar Tom Homan to Minnesota to calm tensions and halt Operation Metro Surge, which had deployed more than 3,000 ICE and CBP personnel throughout Minneapolis.



Following Noem’s departure, Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma was selected to lead DHS and was later confirmed by the Senate.



According to DHS estimates, more than 2 million migrants voluntarily left the United States during the first year of President Trump’s second term, while another 675,000 migrants were deported by federal authorities.

Border Patrol Chief Mike Banks Resigns Amid Major DHS Shakeup

Police sealed off the heavily Jewish neighborhood of Golders Green in northwest London on Thursday, but unlike the lockdown following last month’s terrorist stabbing attack that wounded two Jewish men, residents this time welcomed the security presence as crowds gathered to greet King Charles III.



The king visited the headquarters of Jewish Care, a major nonprofit health and social care organization serving the Jewish community, where he met the two victims who were stabbed only steps away from the building. The visit was intended as a show of solidarity with Britain’s increasingly targeted Jewish population.



British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, who attended alongside Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley, told the monarch that the visit meant a great deal to the victims, 34-year-old Shloime Rand and 76-year-old Norman Shine.



Rabbi Mirvis later posted on Facebook: “Thank you, your Majesty, for coming today to Golders Green to bring comfort and encouragement to our Jewish community.”



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Large crowds lined the streets to welcome Charles, with many shouting, “Long live the King,” as he arrived. Some residents learned of the visit in synagogue, while others heard the news while shopping in the neighborhood, including at Kosher Kingdom.



Speaking afterward, Shine, who suffered a stab wound to the neck, described the encounter with the monarch as deeply moving.



“The most inspiring thing was that he didn’t let go of my hand,” said Shine. “I mean, it was amazing. He is the king, but I felt a genuine warmth and concern.”



Somali-born Essa Suleiman, 45, has been charged with three counts of attempted murder over the April 29 attack. Prosecutors say he first attempted to kill another man before stabbing Rand and Shine.



The Golders Green visit came one day after Charles delivered the King’s Speech at the opening of Parliament, during which he presented government plans for tougher legislation aimed at combating rising antisemitism and improving protections for Britain’s Jewish community. The visit also coincided with a letter published by Prince Harry, who remains estranged from the king, in which he condemned the country’s “deeply troubling” surge in antisemitism.



The stabbing attack marked the latest in a series of violent incidents targeting British Jews amid record antisemitism following Israel’s wars in Gaza and Iran, both triggered by the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre.



During Yom Kippur services in Manchester this past October, two men were murdered in a terror attack. In March, arsonists torched four ambulances belonging to the Jewish volunteer emergency service Hatzola. The Community Security Trust reported that 3,700 antisemitic incidents targeting Britain’s Jewish population of roughly 290,000 were recorded over the past year.



While visiting Jewish Care, Charles also met members of Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer security organization whose members responded to the stabbing scene and helped capture the attacker.



Outside the building, the king spent time speaking with local Jewish residents who had gathered hoping to see him.



“It’s a dangerous world, isn’t it?” Charles remarked while talking with members of the crowd. After one resident described the April 29 attack as “horrific,” the king replied: “I know.”



Buckingham Palace said the purpose of the visit was to “reaffirm his steadfast support” for Britain’s Jewish community following the recent attack and growing fears over antisemitism.



During the visit, Charles was presented with a challah loaf from the famed Grodz bakery, a beloved London institution for more than 100 years. He also greeted children from a nearby primary school. Behind them hung a sign decorated with London buses and featuring the bracha made on seeing a king.



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The royal visit also carried historical significance. Charles’s grandmother, Princess Alice of Battenberg, was honored as Righteous Among the Nations for rescuing Jews during the Holocaust.



One woman in attendance, who identified herself only as Leah, explained the meaning of the blessing displayed for the king in an interview with the Times of Israel.



“The Jewish people revere monarchy, whether they’re Jewish or not. And we are given an opportunity of making a special blessing when you see monarchy in real life, whether a king or a queen,” she said, noting that it differs from the prayer recited for the royal family in synagogue each Shabbos morning. “It’s a special blessing to thank them for the ability to live safely and for sharing the honor of their kingdom with us — and that is what we all hope to say now.”



Another resident, Yakir, said he rushed to join the crowd after hearing in shul Thursday morning that the king was coming.



“He should know what’s going on in the world and hopefully things will get better. It must stop,” Yakir said regarding antisemitism in Britain.



Susan Winegarten, 77, stood holding the wording of the royal blessing on her phone while accompanied by her granddaughter. She told The Times of Israel she had previously recited the blessing when she watched the royal procession for Princess Diana’s funeral and later when attending a Buckingham Palace garden party with her husband.



Winegarten also recalled attending the coronation procession of Queen Elizabeth II when she was just four years old. She called Charles’s visit during such a painful period for the Jewish community “lovely.”



The stabbing attack happened only a short distance from Winegarten’s home.



“It was crazy,” she said. “The roads were all blocked. I couldn’t get out, even to walk.”



Having spent nearly her entire life in Golders Green, Winegarten said she never imagined such violence could strike her neighborhood.



“It just doesn’t seem real,” she said.







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King Charles Visits Golders Green To Support London’s Shaken Jewish Community

Israel held its annual state memorial ceremony Thursday morning for Ethiopian Jews who died on their journey to Israel, with thousands gathering at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem before Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day) to honor members of the Beta Israel community who unfortunately never made it. The ceremony commemorated more than 4,000 Ethiopian Jews who perished during the dangerous journey through Sudan in the 1980s on their way to Israel.



Beginning in the late 1970s and accelerating through the 1980s, thousands of Ethiopian Jews left their villages following calls from Israel and Mossad emissaries operating in the region. Entire families crossed harsh desert routes through Sudan hoping to reach Jerusalem. Many died from hunger, disease, violence and brutal conditions along the way, while relatives were often forced to bury loved ones in unmarked graves or leave them behind without documentation.



The memorial is held each year on the 28th of Iyar, Yom Yerushalayim, symbolizing the longing of Ethiopian Jewry to reach Yerushalayim after generations in exile. The date was officially established by the Knesset as the national memorial day for Ethiopian Jews who died en route to Israel.



Speaking at the ceremony, President&nbsp;Isaac Herzog&nbsp;described the aliyah of Ethiopian Jewry as one of the defining moments in Israel’s history. “There are moments in the history of the state that enter deeply into the heart. The aliyah of Ethiopian Jewry was one such moment,” Herzog said. He added: “Thank you for coming, thank you for not giving up, thank you for being here.”



Prime Minister&nbsp;Benjamin Netanyahu&nbsp;connected the memorial directly to Jerusalem Day, telling members of the community: “My brothers and sisters of Ethiopian descent, who more than you knows that our presence in Jerusalem is not self-evident. You dreamed, you merited, you saw Jerusalem.” Immigration and Absorption Minister&nbsp;Ofir Sofer&nbsp;also announced plans to establish a heritage center at Mount Herzl dedicated to preserving the story of the Beta Israel community for future generations.

“You Dreamed, You Reached Jerusalem”: Israel Honors Ethiopian Jews Lost On Journey

Today, Thursday afternoon, undercover Israeli Border Police officers from the Jerusalem unit, acting on precise Shin Bet intelligence, arrested a suspect in Jerusalem’s Abu Tor neighborhood who is accused of planning a terrorist attack during Jerusalem Day celebrations, Police said in a statement moments ago. 



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The suspect was located and detained while at a car wash facility. No injuries were reported and the suspect has been transferred for further Shin Bet interrogation.



Jerusalem Day (Yom Yerushalayim) marks the reunification of Jerusalem under Israeli control after the 1967 Six-Day War, and is celebrated annually on 28 Iyar (this year: May 14–15).

WATCH: Israeli Security Forces Foil Jerusalem Day Terror Plot; Suspect Detained at Car Wash

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar instructed officials to begin preparing a defamation lawsuit against&nbsp;The New York Times&nbsp;following a column by Nicholas Kristof that sparked furious condemnation from Israel.



The move came after Kristof published a column accusing Israel of widespread abuse of Palestinian detainees using trained dogs. Israeli officials accused the paper of promoting a false and deeply damaging narrative against the IDF, while stressing that legal action has been initiated but not yet formally filed.



Netanyahu accused the newspaper and Kristof of smearing Israeli soldiers and drawing a moral equivalence between Israel and Hamas terrorists. “They defamed the soldiers of Israel and perpetuated a blood libel, trying to create a false symmetry between the genocidal terrorists of Hamas and Israel’s valiant soldiers,” he said.



“We will fight these lies in the court of public opinion and in the court of law. Truth will prevail,” Netanyahu added. The Foreign Ministry had already denounced the column as one of the most severe modern media smears against Israel, calling it one of the worst blood libels to appear in the press.



The New York Times&nbsp;defended the column, saying Kristof’s reporting was extensively fact-checked and based on accounts corroborated where possible with witnesses, relatives and lawyers. The Israeli response comes amid growing anger in Jerusalem over international coverage that officials say distorts the war, vilifies IDF soldiers and blurs the line between Israel’s military and Hamas terrorists.

Netanyahu Moves To Sue NYT Over Kristof ‘Blood Libel’ Column

A new Channel 13 News poll released Wednesday night suggests that even after the consolidation of the center-left camp, the opposition still falls short of being able to form a government on its own and would need the support of all Arab parties to reach a majority &#8211; a move that several potential coalition parties have ruled out.



According to the survey, the “Together” party headed by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid would emerge as the largest faction with 26 seats, while Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud would follow closely behind with 25 seats.



The poll projects 12 seats for Gadi Eisenkot’s “Yashar!” party. Otzma Yehudit and Shas each receive 10 seats, while The Democrats are projected to win 9. United Torah Judaism and Yisrael Beytenu each receive 7 seats, followed by Hadash-Ta’al and Ra’am with 5 seats apiece. The Religious Zionist Party is projected to secure 4 seats.



Blue and White, the Reservists Party and Balad all fall below the electoral threshold in the survey.



According to the bloc totals, the current coalition parties would hold 56 seats, compared to 54 seats for the opposition bloc, while the Arab parties would control the remaining 10 seats.

Poll Shows Coalition Bloc Leading Opposition Despite Bennett-Lapid Alliance

Energy Secretary Chris Wright warned Wednesday that Iran is nearing the ability to produce weapons-grade enriched uranium, describing the threat as “frighteningly close.”



Speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Wright said Iran’s uranium stockpile — which President Donald Trump has vowed to seize — places the regime only weeks away from reaching the level needed for a nuclear weapon.



“They are a small number of weeks away to enrich that to weapons-grade uranium. There’s still a weaponization process that happens after that, but they’re quite close,” he told the Senate Armed Services Committee.



Special envoy Steve Witkoff previously stated publicly that Iran had accumulated enough uranium enriched to 60% purity to potentially produce 11 nuclear bombs if the material were further enriched to 90%.



Nuclear experts note that reaching 60% enrichment represents a far more difficult technical achievement than advancing from 60% to 90%, the level considered weapons-grade.



Iran is believed to currently possess roughly 1,000 pounds of uranium enriched to 60%.



During the hearing, both Wright and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) agreed that the Islamic Republic is “only weeks away” from refining the material to weapons-grade levels.



Officials also noted that Iran maintains an additional 11 tons of uranium enriched at lower levels.

Energy Secretary Warns Iran Is ‘Frighteningly Close’ To Nuclear Weapons Capability

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Wednesday evening that he will move to dissolve the Knesset next week and bring Israel to early elections, approximately half a year before the legally mandated election date in October.



The vote on dissolution is expected to take place early next week, though the exact election date has not yet been set and will be determined following the formal proceedings.



The announcement follows a dramatic 24 hours in Israeli politics. On Tuesday, Hagaon Harav Dov Lando, shlita, the senior Rav of Degel HaTorah — the Litvishe faction of United Torah Judaism — issued a formal directive to the party’s Knesset faction instructing them to work toward dissolving the current Knesset at the earliest opportunity.



In a letter to Degel MKs, Harav Lando wrote that the faction has “no trust in the Prime Minister,” adding that “we no longer feel that we are his partners, and we are not obligated to him.” The letter stated unequivocally that elections must be held as soon as possible, and declared that the right-wing bloc, of which the chareidi parties had been a central pillar, “no longer exists.”



Degel HaTorah chairman R’ Moshe Gafni cited Harav Lando’s directive as a binding instruction governing the faction’s course of action. The chareidi community’s decision to force the government’s hand reflects months of mounting frustration over the fate of the Giyus law — legislation that would enshrine in law the longstanding arrangement exempting yeshivah students from military service.



The bill, which the chareidi parties regard as a matter of existential importance to the Torah world, was removed from the legislative agenda in March following the outbreak of hostilities between the United States, Israel, and Iran. Despite repeated assurances, coalition leaders have since failed to return it to the floor. Netanyahu’s candid acknowledgment last week that the coalition does not have sufficient votes to pass the legislation was seen by chareidi leaders as the breaking point.



Wednesday’s development appeared to catch even Netanyahu’s own coalition off guard.



Coalition lawmakers had spent much of Tuesday and Wednesday morning urging their chareidi partners not to bring down the government. Likud MK Boaz Bismuth, chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, posted a public appeal calling on the chareidi parties not to “give a gift” to the opposition and insisting that the exemption bill “is ready and can already be advanced tomorrow.” National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit also urged restraint, warning that early elections would be a mistake.



Nevertheless, with opposition parties — including Yesh Atid, the Democrats, and Yisrael Beytenu — having already submitted their own dissolution bills, and with chareidi support pushing a majority within reach, Netanyahu appears to have concluded that it is better to control the dissolution process than to let the opposition set its terms.



Coalition whip Ofir Katz subsequently submitted a coalition dissolution bill co-sponsored by all of the parties in Netanyahu’s coalition, including UTJ, Shas, New Hope, Religious Zionism, and Otzma Yehudit. Under Knesset rules, a preliminary dissolution vote cannot be held before Monday at the earliest. With both coalition and opposition supporting the move, passage is considered all but assured.

Netanyahu Announces Early Elections; Knesset Dissolution Vote Expected Next Week

A federal judge in New York City sentenced a neo-Nazi from the country of Georgia to 15 years in prison for multiple crimes tied to a terror plot targeting Jewish children.



Prosecutors said 22-year-old Michail Chkhikvishvili was a leader of the Maniac Murder Cult, an international white supremacist organization rooted in neo-Nazi ideology.



Authorities said Chkhikvishvili, who went by the nickname “Commander Butcher,” recruited followers to carry out mass casualty terror attacks in New York City.



Investigators said he circulated a manifesto titled the “Hater’s Handbook,” which urged readers to carry out school shootings and other violent acts “for the white race.”



According to prosecutors, one of the individuals he attempted to recruit for the attacks was actually an undercover FBI agent.



Officials said that in November 2023, Chkhikvishvili devised a New Year’s Eve terror plot in New York City in which the attacker would dress as Santa Claus and hand out poisoned candy to racial minorities.



By January 2024, prosecutors said he changed the plan and instructed the undercover FBI agent to target Jewish schools and Jewish children in Brooklyn using poison.



Court filings said Chkhikvishvili provided the agent with detailed guidance on producing deadly toxins and gases, including ricin.



Chkhikvishvili was extradited to the United States from Moldova last year.

Neo-Nazi Sentenced After Plot To Poison Jewish Children In Brooklyn

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly traveled to the United Arab Emirates during the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran, according to an announcement from the Prime Minister’s Office.



During the visit, Netanyahu met with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the PMO said.



“This visit led to a historic breakthrough in relations between Israel and the United Arab Emirates,” says the PMO.



Earlier in the week, senior U.S. officials confirmed that Israel deployed an Iron Dome battery along with Israeli soldiers to operate it in the UAE during the conflict with Iran.



The Wall Street Journal also reported that Mossad chief David Barnea visited the UAE at least twice throughout the war to coordinate efforts related to the conflict, citing Arab officials and a source familiar with the matter.



According to the report, Israel and the UAE additionally coordinated a strike on a major Iranian petrochemical facility.



Israel and the UAE formally normalized relations in 2020 under the Abraham Accords. Netanyahu was also reported to have made a secret trip to the UAE in 2018 for a meeting with bin Zayed.

Netanyahu Secretly Visited UAE During Iran War, PMO Reveals

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Tuesday a major expansion of the city’s antisemitism prevention funding, proposing to increase the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes budget from roughly $3 million to $26 million annually beginning in 2027. City Hall said the proposal would form part of New York’s first comprehensive strategy to combat antisemitism, expected later this year.



Most of the new funding would go toward expanding existing anti-hate programs and grants for community organizations, including the city’s Partners Against Hate FORWARD initiative run alongside the NYC Commission on Human Rights. Officials said the final allocation details are still being finalized, but described the plan as a large-scale investment in prevention rather than only law enforcement response after incidents occur.



The announcement comes as antisemitism remains the largest category of reported hate crimes in New York City. According to NYPD data, antisemitic incidents accounted for 57% of all hate crimes reported in 2025. The Anti-Defamation League also said New York recorded the third-highest total of antisemitic incidents in its history last year despite an overall decline from 2024.



“Too often, the only response offered to a hate crime is exactly that, it’s a response,” Mamdani said while presenting the proposal. “Today we want to also do the work of preventing those hate crimes.”



The funding announcement followed renewed tensions surrounding anti-Israel demonstrations near Jewish institutions across the city, including clashes Monday night outside an event at a Shul in Brooklyn’s Midwood neighborhood. Mamdani condemned “antisemitic, anti-Muslim and racist rhetoric” following the incident while also defending the constitutional right to protest.



The ADL said Jews in New York “were targeted in more hate crimes than all other groups combined” last year and welcomed the mayor’s proposed “866% increase” in hate-crime prevention funding. The New York City Council recently also passed legislation requiring enhanced synagogue security planning and clearer NYPD response procedures around demonstrations near houses of worship.

Mamdani Unveils Major Antisemitism Funding Increase Across New York

The IDF announced that a Hamas terrorist involved in the October 7, 2023 massacre at the Nahal Oz military base was killed in an airstrike in Gaza last week, together with the son of a senior Hamas negotiator.



According to the military, the strike carried out last Wednesday targeted Hamza Sharbasi, a commander in Hamas’s Shejaiya Battalion, who the IDF said posed a threat to Israeli forces operating in Gaza. The strike also killed Azzam al-Hayya, the 23-year-old son of senior Hamas negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, though the military said he was not the intended target.



The IDF said Azzam al-Hayya belonged to Hamas’s elite Nukhba Force and “who recently held a central role in the organization.”



According to the military, Sharbasi participated in the October 7 assault on the Nahal Oz base, where dozens of soldiers were murdered and kidnapped by Hamas terrorists.



“Recently, Sharbasi operated near the yellow line and, in the framework of his role, worked to advance terror plots against IDF troops operating in the area,” the military says.

IDF Eliminates Son of Senior Hamas Negotiator and Terrorist Who Participated In Nahal Oz Massacre

Harav Dov Kook, shlita, the renowned mekubal of Tiveria, was hospitalized Wednesday morning at the Poria Medical Center after falling ill with pneumonia. His condition has since deteriorated significantly, and he is currently sedated and on a ventilator, receiving full respiratory support.



According to reports, Harav Kook felt unwell earlier in the day, and following a brief medical consultation at his home, the decision was made to transfer him to the hospital for further respiratory treatment. His condition worsened in the hours that followed, and he was subsequently placed on a ventilator.



Harav Kook, a son-in-law of Harav Yitzchak Zilberstein, shlita, is widely revered throughout Eretz Yisrael, particularly in the North, for his tzidkus and his profound influence on tens of thousands of Yidden. He is known for his spiritual guidance he has shared with the broader public over the years.



The tzibur is asked to daven for (Rav) Dov&nbsp; ben Shoshana, for a refuah shleimah b&#8217;soch she&#8217;ar cholei Yisrael.

Tefillos Requested for Harav Dov Kook, Shlita, Mekubal of Tiveria; Hospitalized, Placed on Ventilator

Thousands of Jews entered Kever Yosef in Shechem overnight and into Wednesday morning, with hundreds remaining for what organizers described as the largest daylight Shacharis at the site since the Second Intifada.



The visit marked a major change from the limited nighttime entries that have taken place for years under heavy IDF protection. More than 50 armored buses brought Mispalelim to the compound, where Tefilos, dancing and singing continued through the night and into the morning. Volunteers distributed food and drinks, including cholent, kugel, cakes and drinks.



The entry was secured by Israeli forces. Mispalelim came from across Israel and abroad for the 41st day of the Omer, known in Kabbalistic Mesorah as “Yesod ShebeYesod,” a day associated with Yosef HaTzaddik. Natanel Shnir, from the Kever Yosef administration, called it a “historic operation,” saying, “inside people are crying and praying, and outside there is joy and dancing. It’s a mini-Meron.”



The event also became call for restoring a permanent Jewish presence at the site. The campaign is being led by Shomron Regional Council head Yossi Dagan, MK Tzvi Sukkot, Rabbi Dudu Ben Natan, whose son Shuval Ben Natan fell in battle in southern Lebanon, and other activists. They are pushing for a staged return to the site, including the return of the Od Yosef Chai yeshiva.



Finance Minister and Minister in the Defense Ministry Bezalel Smotrich said the Tefilah was part of a wider national return. “The Jewish people are returning home to every part of our land. Kever Yosef is living testimony to the unbreakable bond between the Jewish people and its land,” Smotrich said. “This Tefilah is another stage in a historic correction and in strengthening our hold on the Shomron.”



Dagan called the morning “historic” and said, “Victory in the war means a full return to the tomb of Yosef HaTzaddik.” MK Tzvi Sukkot’s son, Hallel David, named after Sukkot’s grandfather Rabbi Hillel Lieberman, celebrated his Upsherin at the site. Lieberman was murdered near Kever Yosef after the IDF withdrew from the compound in 2000.

Thousands Daven at Largest Shacharis At Kever Yosef Since Second Intifada

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U.S. President Donald Trump is en route Tuesday to China, where he will make the first state visit by a U.S. President since his last visit nine years ago.



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The trip was originally scheduled for late March but was delayed due to the escalating war with Iran.

President Trump Lands in China – First State Visit by a U.S. Leader Since 2017, Delayed by Iran War

Sweden has become the first European country to formally challenge the use of the term “Islamophobia,” arguing that it obstructs open and honest discussion about Islamist influence across Europe. Officials say other countries should consider taking a similar approach.



The Swedish government has now confirmed it is moving away from the term “Islamophobia,” with officials claiming it has increasingly been used to suppress criticism of Islamist ideology rather than to address legitimate hostility toward Muslims.



Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard said the government prefers alternative terms such as “anti-Muslim racism” or “anti-Muslim hatred,” pointing to concerns about protecting free expression and encouraging open public debate.



The decision comes after years of European debate over immigration, integration, and the influence of Islamist movements. Critics of the term argue it can blur the line between legitimate scrutiny of Islamist ideology and prejudice against Muslims as individuals.



A 2025 report by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, titled “The Muslim Brotherhood&#8217;s Strategic Entryism Into the United States: A Systemic Analysis,” stated that the term has been “weaponized” by Islamist organizations to shield their political activities from scrutiny.



“On the one hand, there are people who suffer genuine anti-Muslim hatred, bigotry, and discrimination based on their faith or perceived identity,&#8221; the report stated. “This must always be challenged and addressed, as it undermines pluralism and social cohesion.&#8221;



“At the same time,&#8221; the report continued, “Islamist organizations have deliberately weaponized the term Islamophobia to shut down scrutiny of their ideology and political activities.&#8221;



Tensions over the issue escalated following a May 2025 report by the French Interior Ministry, titled “Muslim Brotherhood and Political Islamism in France,” which described what it said was an active Muslim Brotherhood presence in Sweden.



According to the French findings, the Swedish branch—while relatively small—plays a notable role in the group’s broader European network. The report linked this influence to funding from Qatar, Sweden’s multicultural policies, and connections with political actors, including the Social Democratic Party.



That report led Swedish authorities to open an investigation in October 2025 into possible Islamist infiltration within Swedish society.



Education and Integration Minister Simona Mohamsson told the Swedish newspaper Expressen that “political Islam has gained a foothold” in the country.



“We see that political Islam has gained a foothold and is being allowed to take over neighborhoods, schools, welfare, and even risks taking over political parties,&#8221; Mohamsson said. “Islamism does not want constitutions but Sharia law. It does not want integration but segregation.&#8221;



The Swedish government has also signaled plans to encourage both the European Union and the United Nations to reconsider the continued use of the term “Islamophobia.”



Internationally, the concept has already become deeply embedded in institutional frameworks. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation operates an “Islamophobia Observatory,” while the United Nations General Assembly has designated March 15 as the annual “International Day to Combat Islamophobia.”



Supporters of Sweden’s position argue that distinguishing between anti-Muslim hatred and criticism of Islamist ideology is essential to safeguarding free speech and enabling honest discussion about immigration and integration challenges in Europe.



The issue remains particularly sensitive in Sweden, which has taken in one of the highest numbers of Muslim migrants per capita in Europe over the past two decades. The country has since faced growing concerns over gang violence, bombings, segregation, and the rise of parallel communities in major cities.



Political parties such as the Sweden Democrats have long been accused by critics of racism or Islamophobia when raising concerns about immigration and integration policies.



Observers say Sweden’s move represents a significant shift in European discourse and could influence wider debates across the continent over immigration, Islamism, and freedom of expression.

Sweden Moves To Drop ‘Islamophobia’ Label In Major Free Speech Shift

Jewish organizations across California’s Bay Area are condemning a judge’s decision to remove Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen from a criminal case involving anti-Israel protesters accused of vandalizing Stanford University’s president’s office.



The ruling bars Rosen from retrying five protesters on felony charges after the judge determined he may have crossed legal boundaries by publicly characterizing the protest as antisemitic during campaign-related messaging.



“Rosen is allowed to take a strong stance against crime in the community, against antisemitism. But caution and care need to be taken when utilizing active litigation in campaign communication,” Judge Kelley Paul said from the bench.



Judge Paul said Rosen improperly described the case as antisemitic even though prosecutors never charged the defendants with a hate crime.



“This case is not a hate crime,” Paul said. “The characterization of the prosecution as a fight against antisemitism runs afoul of case law.”



In a statement to J. The Jewish News of Northern California, Rosen’s office said it “disagrees with the judge’s ruling” but added that it “respect[s] it.”



The Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area and Jewish Silicon Valley issued a joint statement saying they were “deeply troubled” by the ruling and insisted the prosecution should continue.



“This decision uniquely targets minority prosecutors, suggesting they are incapable of pursuing justice in cases perceived to be impacting their own communities,” the statement says, adding that it “risks reinforcing longstanding antisemitic prejudices and invites future defendants to weaponize a prosecutor’s identity against them.”



The defendants are facing felony vandalism and conspiracy charges tied to a June 2024 demonstration in which 13 protesters allegedly broke into Stanford’s executive offices and caused roughly $300,000 in damage. A jury deadlocked earlier this year, reportedly splitting 9-3 on the vandalism charge and 8-4 on the conspiracy count, prompting Rosen to announce plans for a retrial.



The motion seeking Rosen’s removal was filed by deputy public defender Avi Singh, who argued the district attorney compromised his neutrality by featuring the case on a campaign fundraising page titled “DA Rosen Fighting Anti-Semitism,” which also included a donation button.



Singh argued the fundraising material falsely portrayed the defendants as antisemitic despite the absence of hate crime charges.



Rosen, who has publicly spoken about combating antisemitism and supporting Israel, has denied any conflict of interest.



Judge Paul also cited remarks Rosen made during a March 2025 speech at San Jose Hillel, delivered about a month before charges were filed against the protesters. A recording of the speech was later linked on the “Fighting Anti-Semitism” section of his campaign website.



During the speech, Rosen connected antisemitism with “anti-Americanism,” language that Deputy District Attorney Robert Baker later echoed during closing arguments at trial. Judge Paul ruled the overlap in rhetoric justified disqualifying the entire district attorney’s office from handling the case.



Jewish advocacy groups argued the ruling effectively penalizes Rosen for being Jewish.



“Generations of American Jews in positions of public trust have all too often been treated as suspect or inherently conflicted,” JCRC Bay Area and Jewish Silicon Valley said. “This decision risks reinforcing longstanding antisemitic prejudices and invites future defendants to weaponize a prosecutor’s identity against them, casting any public opposition to hate as grounds for disqualification.”



Rosen’s opponent in next month’s district attorney primary, former prosecutor Daniel Chung, seized on the ruling in a campaign video criticizing Rosen’s handling of the Stanford case.



“This is a humiliating loss for DA Rosen and his entire office,” Chung said in an Instagram video. “For years, millions of dollars have been spent trying to prosecute Stanford student protesters with felony charges.”



Chung further argued that Rosen’s conduct “jeopardized the due process of the defendants” and “exemplifies the undermining of integrity, competence and compassion under DA Rosen for the last 16 years.”



The case will now be transferred to the California attorney general’s office, which must decide whether to retry the defendants — German Gonzalez, Maya Burke, Taylor McCann, Hunter Taylor-Black and Amy Zhai — or dismiss the charges entirely.

Judge Removes Jewish DA From Stanford Anti-Israel Protest Case Amid ‘Bias’ Allegations

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pushed back Tuesday against growing concerns that the war with Iran has severely strained America’s weapons stockpiles, telling lawmakers during a tense Pentagon budget hearing that the US military still has the firepower it needs. Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine testified before a House Appropriations defense subcommittee reviewing President Donald Trump’s proposed $1.5 trillion defense budget for fiscal year 2027.



During the roughly two-hour hearing, lawmakers from both parties questioned whether months of strikes, air defense operations, and regional deployments tied to the Iran conflict had burned through critical US munitions supplies. Hegseth rejected that characterization, saying: “I take issue with the characterization that munitions are depleted in a public forum. That’s not true.”



Hegseth acknowledged that the Pentagon is increasing weapons production but insisted the military remains fully prepared for ongoing operations. “Ultimately, we have all the munitions needed to execute what we need to execute,” he said, adding that the Trump administration plans to “supercharge” future production. He declined to publicly discuss detailed stockpile levels.



Lawmakers continued pressing Pentagon officials over long-term readiness concerns and the pace at which advanced weapons are being consumed. Senator Mark Kelly previously warned the US had already fired “years’ worth of munitions” during the conflict, while Senator Chris Coons cautioned that tactical successes against Iran could still lead to a broader “strategic loss” if US military readiness suffers.



Pentagon officials also revealed Tuesday that the estimated cost of the Iran war has now climbed to roughly $29 billion, with much of the increase tied to replacing munitions and repairing military equipment used during the campaign.

Hegseth Rejects Claims Iran War Depleted US Munitions Stockpile

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is set to unveil a massive $124.7 billion executive budget for New York City on Tuesday without the property tax increase he had previously warned might be necessary if his push to “tax the rich” failed.



Sources familiar with the negotiations told the NY Post Mamdani backed away from earlier threats to raise property taxes by nearly 10% and dip into the city’s reserve funds to address what had been described as a $5.4 billion budget shortfall.



Instead, Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday that New York City would receive an additional $4 billion in state assistance to help close the budget gap.



According to Hochul’s office, the funding package will be spread over two years and includes $2.2 billion from pension restructuring, $500 million in anticipated revenue from a pied-à-terre tax on luxury second homes, $508 million from postponing a public school class-size reduction mandate, $202 million from measures aimed at reducing recurring spending obligations, $150 million in additional state aid, and $361 million from other unspecified actions.



Much of the funding had already been disclosed previously, but Hochul — who faces re-election later this year — used the announcement to emphasize her working relationship with Mamdani despite political differences.



“This is what a results-driven, responsible partnership looks like and I’m proud to work with Mayor Mamdani to deliver for working New Yorkers,” she said in a statement.



Hochul has sought to balance her relationship with Mamdani since his rapid rise in city politics, attempting to appeal to progressive voters while maintaining support among moderates.



Her Republican challenger for governor, Bruce Blakeman, sharply criticized the funding package.



“Kathy Hochul just committed the largest daylight robbery in New York history, looting $4 billion from your family’s grocery and rent budget to bankroll Zohran Mamdani’s socialist experiment,” Blakeman said in a statement.



As of Tuesday morning, many specifics surrounding the city’s spending plan remained unclear ahead of Mamdani’s scheduled budget presentation.



Sources said the mayor’s proposed $124.7 billion budget will not include revenue from either his proposed millionaire’s tax or the previously threatened property tax hike.



“This whole thing proves there was never a budget crisis; it was all for the mayor saying he wants to tax the rich, it was performative,” an insider told The Post.



“It’s all these different things that were just fake. This is the theater of the absurd, manufacture a budget crisis. He basically put the whole city in panic for months.”



The proposed property tax increase and the idea of using the city’s rainy day reserves had both drawn heavy criticism from residents and financial rating agencies.



City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Finance Committee Chair Linda Lee praised Mamdani for ultimately avoiding both proposals.



“While we await a final state budget, we are pleased with Governor Hochul and the state legislature’s commitment to providing the City with billions in additional funds and savings,” they said in a joint statement.



City Comptroller Mark Levine warned that despite the state aid, New York City could still face major financial problems in the years ahead.



“There still is a reliance on a number of one-shot measures, and those are tools that are then going to be off the table next year,” he said. “And we are looking at about a $7 billion shortfall for the following fiscal year.”

Hochul Funnels Another $4 Billion To Help Mamdani Close NYC Budget Gap

A political crisis erupted in Israel&#8217;s governing coalition on Tuesday after Degel HaTorah &#8211; the litvishe faction of the United Torah Judaism party &#8211; announced it would push to dissolve the Knesset and call early elections, following Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu&#8217;s acknowledgment last week that the coalition does not have sufficient votes to pass legislation exempting yeshivah students from military service.



The dramatic move came after Hagaon Harav Dov Lando, shlita, the faction&#8217;s senior Rav, issued a formal directive instructing Degel HaTorah to work toward dissolving the 25th Knesset at the earliest opportunity. In a letter to Degel MKs, Rav Lando wrote: &#8220;You have carried out your mission faithfully, above and beyond. Wee have no trust in the Prime Minister. We no longer feel that we are his partners, and we are not obligated to him.From here on, we will do only what we believe is good for Chareidi Jewry.And in our view, elections must be held as soon as possible.All manner of talk about a [coalition] bloc — no longer exists.&#8221;



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Degel HaTorah chairman R&#8217; Moshe Gafni subsequently cited Rav Lando&#8217;s directive as a binding instruction governing the faction&#8217;s course of action.



The Charedi community&#8217;s frustration reflects months of broken assurances on an issue of existential importance to the Torah world. The military exemption legislation, which would enshrine in law protections for yeshivah students dedicated to full-time Torah study, has been stalled repeatedly.



Most recently, the bill was removed from the legislative agenda in March following the outbreak of hostilities between the United States, Israel, and Iran. Since then, coalition leaders have failed to bring it back to the floor, and Netanyahu&#8217;s candid admission last week that the votes are simply not there was seen by Charedi leaders as the breaking point.



For the Charedi community, the stakes could not be higher. The legislation goes to the heart of a long-standing arrangement — rooted in the founding period of the State — that recognized the Charedi community&#8217;s refusal to enlist.



Whether the effort will succeed depends heavily on Shas, the Sephardic Charedi party with eleven mandates. Shas chairman R. Aryeh Deri has not issued public statements echoing Degel HaTorah&#8217;s ultimatum.



A spokesman for Rav Lando&#8217;s office pushed back against suggestions of any daylight between the two Charedi parties. &#8220;Contrary to various reports, there is complete and absolute consensus and cooperation between Degel HaTorah and Shas regarding the course of action concerning the status of yeshivah students,&#8221; the spokesman told the Times of Israel.



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Degel HaTorah&#8217;s four mandates alone are insufficient to secure a Knesset majority for dissolution, and the backing of Shas would be required.



Secular opposition parties wasted little time attempting to capitalize on the coalition rift. Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid announced his party would place a dissolution bill on the Knesset agenda next week. The Democrats party submitted its own dissolution bill, and Yisrael Beytenu was also reported to have done so. Opposition coordinator MK Meirav Ben Ari appealed to Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana to convene an emergency Knesset presidium meeting by telephone to fast-track a dissolution vote as early as Wednesday.



Coalition lawmakers moved to contain the damage, urging their Charedi partners not to bring down the government. Likud MK Boaz Bismuth, chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, posted a public appeal on social media: &#8220;Don&#8217;t dismantle the bloc! I worked side by side with the Charedim. I see them as partners on the path.&#8221; Bismuth insisted that the draft exemption bill &#8220;is ready and can already be advanced tomorrow,&#8221; and called on the Charedi parties not to &#8220;give a gift&#8221; to the opposition or to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.



National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir&#8217;s Otzma Yehudit party also urged restraint, saying in a statement that while going to early elections would be a mistake, &#8220;this government still has several tasks left to complete.&#8221;



Israel must hold national elections no later than October regardless of whether the coalition survives in its current form.

Reb Dov Lando in Blistering Letter Calling for Early Elections: ‘We Have no Trust in the Prime Minister’

An inocent 11-year-old Jewish boy was riding his bike home after school in London&#8217;s Stamford Hil neighborhood, when three Jew hating girls deliberately shoved him into a store shutter. 



The three haters laughed as the young boy struggled to keep his balance. 



CCTV footage captured the traumatized Jewish child wobbling as he stood back up.



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This is the latest in a wave of antisemitic incidents targeting the Orthodox Jewish community in the United Kingdom. 



In a statement on X, Shomrim says it is supporting the boy, known as “M”, and his family. No suspects have been identified. 



Witnesses or other victims should contact the Metropolitan Police or Shomrim quoting CAD 8584 11MAY26.(378 characters)

HATE: Jewish Boy Shoved Off Bike in London

The IDF revealed Tuesday that Israeli special forces operated beyond the Litani River in southern Lebanon during a weeklong raid against Hezbollah positions, in one of the deepest publicly confirmed ground operations in the area.



Forces from the Egoz Unit and Golani Reconnaissance crossed the river in secret and operated near Zawtar al-Sharqiya, about 6 miles from Israeli territory. The area was used by Hezbollah to fire rockets and mortars at IDF troops, according to Israeli reports.



During the operation, Israeli forces encountered Hezbollah terrorists at close range several times. In one clash, terrorists emerged from a tunnel shaft north of the Litani and opened fire at the troops. Several IDF soldiers were wounded during the fighting, and a dog from the Oketz canine unit was killed in one of the encounters.



Israeli reports said 15 Hezbollah terrorists were killed in the Litani area during the operation. Troops also located and destroyed underground infrastructure, weapons, mortars, launchers and compounds prepared for extended Hezbollah stays near the border. The Israeli Air Force struck more than 100 targets during the raid.



The operation stood out because IDF troops crossed the Litani alongside heavy Namer armored personnel carriers from Golani Reconnaissance. The Litani has long been treated by Israel as the key line for keeping Hezbollah away from northern communities, and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in March that Israel planned to establish a buffer zone in southern Lebanon up to the river after the war. This week’s operation showed the IDF can also move forces beyond it when needed.

IDF Reveals Troops Operated Beyond Litani River In Weeklong Hezbollah Raid

The mayor of Arcadia, a city in Los Angeles County’s San Gabriel Valley, admitted Monday that she acted as an illegal agent for Communist China and agreed to resign from office as part of a stunning federal plea agreement unsealed by prosecutors.



According to court filings, Eileen Wang acknowledged that she worked with officials tied to the People’s Republic of China to spread propaganda through a fake news website operating in the United States between 2020 and 2022. Wang was later elected to the Arcadia City Council in November 2022.



Federal prosecutors said Wang, 58, partnered with her former fiancé, Yaoning “Mike” Sun, to run a website called “U.S. News Center,” which presented itself as a legitimate news outlet serving Chinese Americans.



Authorities said the website was actually being used to carry out directives from Beijing.



Court documents state that Wang and Sun “executed directives” from Chinese government officials by publishing propaganda favorable to China while also sending screenshots and analytics back to their handlers to show how many readers viewed the articles.



In one instance described in the plea deal, Wang’s Chinese handler instructed her to publish pre-written propaganda pieces, including an essay authored by a PRC official that had appeared in the Los Angeles Times.



“There is no genocide in Xinjiang; there is no such thing as ‘forced labor’ in any production activity, including cotton production. Spreading such rumor is to defame China, destroy Xinjiang’s safety and stability,” wrote Wang’s master, according to the plea agreement.



Prosecutors said Wang quickly complied with the request, after which her handler responded, “So fast, thank you everyone.”



In another exchange detailed by investigators, Wang’s PRC contact praised the online traffic generated by one propaganda article. Wang allegedly responded, “Thank you leader.”



Wang pleaded guilty Monday afternoon during an arraignment hearing in downtown Los Angeles. She now faces up to 10 years in federal prison.



Bill Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, said the case highlights China’s ongoing efforts to infiltrate and influence American institutions.



“Ms. Wang is just the latest to act as an agent for the PRC and it should terrify Americans that she was able to rise to the highest levels of local office in her city,” Essayli said.



As part of the plea agreement, Wang admitted she operated under the direction and control of Chinese officials to distribute propaganda inside the United States.



Sun was previously charged in 2024 with conspiracy and acting as an unregistered foreign agent on behalf of China.



Wang said her relationship with Sun ended that same year. Sun had also managed her City Council campaign. In Arcadia, the mayoral position rotates among members of the council.



In 2025, Wang attempted to separate herself from Sun’s legal troubles, stating she was “not responsible for the action of others,” while refusing calls to resign from the City Council.



Sun was sentenced in February to four years in federal prison for secretly working as an agent of the PRC.



“For years, Sun received and executed taskings from Chinese government officials, distorted our public discourse by disseminating Chinese propaganda, and surveilled groups in the United States that China viewed as threatening,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg.



Federal prosecutors allege Sun and Chinese officials hoped to transform Wang into a rising political figure who could eventually help advance Beijing’s interests in California politics.



In a 2024 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Wang said she moved from China to Southern California roughly 30 years ago.



She also said her mother practiced Chinese medicine and acupuncture, while her father worked as a physician in Sichuan province before later joining the University of Southern California.



The Chinese government has spent years attempting to shape American policymaking and public opinion through espionage and propaganda campaigns. U.S. counterintelligence officials warned in 2022 that Beijing was increasingly relying on both covert and overt influence operations.



That same year, the House Ethics Committee concluded a two-year investigation into allegations involving former Congressman Eric Swalwell and suspected Chinese spy Christine Fang, who had volunteered on his congressional campaign.



The committee ultimately warned Swalwell “of the possibility that foreign governments may attempt to secure improper influence through gifts and other interactions,” according to a letter issued at the close of the investigation.



Federal agents also carried out raids last month at Lancaster City Hall and at the homes of two local politicians as part of an investigation into ties between the officials and Chinese electric vehicle company BYD, which is conducting America’s first electric bus pilot program in the city.



“The concern was that the buses could be used for spying,” said a person with knowledge of the investigation.

Arcadia, California Mayor Admits To Acting As Chinese Agent In Explosive Federal Plea Deal

Rafael Chairman Yuval Steinitz said today, Monday, that Israel’s Iron Dome system intercepted nearly 99% of the roughly 40,000 rockets fired by Hamas and Hezbollah since October 2023.



Steinitz said Iran has also launched around 1,500 ballistic missiles at Israel in two major attack waves since 2024, with “only a few dozen” managing to evade interception.



He added that Israel currently faces no shortage of interceptor missiles for its air defense systems.

Iron Dome’s Record: 99% of 40,000 Rockets Intercepted Since October 2023

A predatory towing racket is targeting Flatbush&#8217;s Jewish community &#8211; with scammers allegedly filing bogus blocked-driveway complaints to get neighbors&#8217; cars hauled away, sometimes over Shabbos, then charging victims up to $500 to get them back.



The legal maximum for such a tow is $125.



Flatbush Shomrim coordinator Tzvi Weill tells Belaaz the scheme has victimized dozens of residents across the neighborhood over at least the past six weeks &#8211; and he&#8217;s got the footage to prove it.



&#8220;We&#8217;re talking dozens,&#8221; Weill said. &#8220;Five of them sent me that it happened within the last two weeks.&#8221;



The con is simple but brazen. Someone &#8211; not the actual resident, as required by law &#8211; calls the NYPD pretending to be a homeowner and complains that a car is blocking their driveway. A cop shows up, writes a ticket, and a tow truck rolls in to haul the car to an impound lot. The car&#8217;s owner then gets slapped with fees to get it back.



The scam is especially cruel when it hits over Shabbos. In one case Weill described, a man&#8217;s son-in-law drove in from Lakewood to drop him off in Flatbush on Friday &#8211; and came back after Shabbos to find his car gone. The bill? Five hundred dollars. Nearly four times what the law allows.



Weill said multiple victims have identified F&amp;S Roadside Towing as the company behind the scheme. He&#8217;s been reviewing surveillance footage to track whether the same trucks keep turning up at different locations.



&#8220;Someone&#8217;s running around, obviously,&#8221; he said.



When reached by Belaaz, the F&amp;S Roadside Towing company that was accused denied involvement, stating it does not handle the removal of cars blocking driveways. A representative produced an invoice given by what he says was a victim of such a scam in Queens, created by a company called F&amp;S Towing Corp. The representative also shared screenshots of a conversation with the alleged victim, who he instructed to contact F&amp;S Towing Corp at the number listed on the invoice. The invoice, however, does not indicate the $500 fee or any other figure.



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After reaching out to the 70th Precinct Monday morning, Weill said the commanding officer agreed to open a formal investigation.



&#8220;I reached out to the 70th Precinct &#8211; the CO wants to sit down,&#8221; Weill said. &#8220;They want to start an investigation about it. Once you give them all the complainants, they&#8217;re going to take it seriously.&#8221;



The hits are spread across Flatbush, Weill says.



Weill&#8217;s message to anyone who gets towed: don&#8217;t pay a dime until you call Shomrim.



&#8220;If it happens to them, they need to call the local precinct and Shomrim &#8211; and we&#8217;ll get the car given back to them free of charge,&#8221; he said.

Tow Truck Company Allegedly Preying on Flatbush Jewish Community

At least 11 swastikas were found Monday in Highland Park and Forest Park in Queens, the latest in a string of antisemitic vandalism incidents to strike the borough in recent weeks, officials said.



City Council Speaker Julie Menin condemned the discovery in a joint statement with Council Members Lynn Schulman and Joann Ariola, noting that the graffiti appeared exactly one week after similar vandalism struck two shuls and two private homes in Queens.



&#8220;This is yet another hateful incident meant to intimidate Jewish New Yorkers and divide our city,&#8221; Menin said. &#8220;We cannot and will not accept this as normal.&#8221;



The NYPD is investigating and the Parks Department said it will remove the graffiti as soon as possible.



Monday&#8217;s discovery comes one week after a coordinated overnight rampage in Forest Hills and Rego Park in which four suspects spray-painted swastikas and the word &#8220;Hitler&#8221; at five locations, including the Rego Park Jewish Center, Congregation Machane Chodosh, two private homes, and a car. One of the swastikas at Congregation Machane Chodosh — a shul built by refugees from Germany — was sprayed directly over a plaque honoring kedoshim murdered during Kristallnacht.



Jews in New York City were targeted in 60% of all confirmed hate crimes last month, according to NYPD data released Monday. In the first three months of 2026, antisemitic hate crimes surged 140%, and hate crimes overall in Queens were up 45%.



Local Jewish voices vented their frustration with city hall. “These incidents don’t seem to be calming down anytime soon when the Mayors &#8216;Office to Combat Antisemitism&#8217; continues to be a token gesture rather than an actual government body that can work on hate crime prevention,&#8221; United Jewish Teachers head Moshe Spern, a Queens resident, told Belaaz. &#8220;When the Mayor actually begins to take this seriously then we will see the numbers go down.”



The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force, which is investigating both incidents, has released surveillance footage of four suspects wanted in connection with the May 4 rampage, described as young light-skinned men, three of whom were wearing hoodies. No arrests have been made in either case.



Menin, the first Jewish speaker of the City Council and herself a daughter and granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, pointed to the City Council&#8217;s Five-Point Action Plan to Combat Antisemitism as a legislative response to the wave of incidents.



&#8220;That&#8217;s why the Council passed our Five-Point Action Plan to Combat Antisemitism,&#8221; she said, &#8220;and why we&#8217;ll continue fighting for education and accountability.&#8221;

Swastikas Found In Two Queens Parks As Antisemitic Vandalism Wave Continues

The Flatbush community is bracing for a tense Monday evening as a planned anti-Israel protest and a scheduled counter-demonstration are set to converge outside the Young Israel of Midwood.



Organizers operating under the name &#8220;Pal-Awda NY/NJ&#8221; have circulated flyers calling for a demonstration outside the shul, located at 1694 Ocean Avenue, at 6:30 p.m. The protest is targeting a real estate event being held at the shul, with organizers urging attendees to bring flags and &#8220;noisemakers&#8221; into the residential neighborhood.



In response, a counter-protest has been organized for 6:00 p.m., with flyers circulating online asking individuals to gather across from the shul with American and Israeli flags to oppose the demonstration.



With multiple groups expected to converge, local safety organizations are taking significant precautions. Flatbush Shomrim told Belaaz that they will maintain a &#8220;heavy presence&#8221; at the shul, with a deployment of 80 members to ensure the safety of neighborhood residents. Photos shared with Belaaz on Monday show dozens of barricades set up in preparation for the event. The NYPD is also expected to maintain a large presence to handle crowd control and maintain order.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="900" height="900" src="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/99112.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-26826" srcset="https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/99112.jpg 900w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/99112-300x300.jpg 300w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/99112-150x150.jpg 150w, https://api.belaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/99112-768x768.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">PHOTO CREDIT: David Glenn</figcaption></figure>



The gathering in Midwood comes on the heels of similar protests targeting real estate events at local shuls in recent months. Many of these past demonstrations have deeply alarmed the community, frequently featuring violent rhetoric and severe harassment.



The escalating situation has drawn the attention of city officials. Mayor Zohran Mamdani addressed the planned protests, issuing a statement in which he condemned both the hosting of the real estate event itself, as well as the protesters whose previous demonstrations have included calls for the death of Jews.



The repeated targeting of local synagogues has also spurred renewed legislative action aimed at protecting houses of worship from intimidation. Lawmakers in Albany are currently pushing a statewide bill that would create mandatory buffer zones around religious institutions, establishing a set distance that protests must maintain to ensure congregants can safely enter and exit.



Simultaneously, a separate bill passed the New York City Council with a veto-proof majority that would also establish buffer zones around houses of worship. However, the city version of the legislation notably lacks a specific distance requirement, leaving the exact parameters of the buffer up to interpretation and enforcement on the ground.

Flatbush Shul Faces Protest Over Real Estate Event; NYPD Sets Up Barricades

President Donald Trump warned Monday that the fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran is effectively on life support after Tehran rejected Washington’s latest proposal aimed at ending the conflict.



Speaking with reporters in the Oval Office, Trump described the nearly month-old truce as extremely unstable and indicated that the agreement could soon completely collapse.



“I would call it the weakest, right now, after reading that piece of garbage they sent us, I didn’t even finish reading it,” Trump said.



He then compared the ceasefire to a critically ill patient, saying, “I would say the ceasefire is on massive life support, where the doctor walks in and says, ‘Sir, your loved one has approximately a 1% chance of living,’”



The ceasefire originally went into effect on April 8 after Trump warned Iran that its “whole civilization” could be wiped out if diplomatic efforts failed. While the arrangement was initially meant to last for two weeks, Trump later chose to extend it unilaterally on April 21.



From the beginning, the agreement appeared shaky, with both the United States and Iran accusing each other of breaching the terms almost immediately after the ceasefire took hold.



When Trump first unveiled the ceasefire on April 7, he insisted that Iran immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz. The key maritime route, essential for global oil transport, had effectively been closed since fighting broke out.



After commercial shipping traffic in the strait failed to return to normal, Trump ordered a U.S. naval blockade in the Gulf of Oman designed to stop ships from entering or departing Iranian ports.



Despite the ceasefire remaining officially in place, fighting across the region has continued. Over the past week, Iran carried out attacks targeting the United Arab Emirates, American and Iranian forces exchanged fire in the Strait of Hormuz, and the Pentagon confirmed strikes against two Iranian-flagged oil tankers.



As recently as last week, Trump administration officials continued to publicly insist that the ceasefire remained active while awaiting Tehran’s formal reply to a U.S. proposal meant to end the war and revive talks regarding Iran’s nuclear program.



In a Truth Social post on Sunday, Trump confirmed that Iran had officially responded to the American proposal.



“I don’t like it — TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!” he wrote.

Trump Says Iran Ceasefire On ‘Massive Life Support’ After ‘Totally Unacceptable’ Tehran Response

A CNN investigation published today detailed how apparent Iran-linked networks allegedly recruit Europeans online for surveillance, arson attacks and other operations targeting Jewish and Israeli-linked sites across Europe.



According to the report, journalists posing as London-based Telegram users found channels openly advertising “high-paid agents” for covert activity. One account allegedly connected to the network told CNN it was looking to “hire anyone who can harm Israeli interests or individuals.”



The investigation centered on a group calling itself Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia, or HAYI, which emerged online in March and has claimed responsibility for at least 17 attacks across Britain and Europe. The incidents included arson attacks targeting synagogues, Jewish neighborhoods, volunteer ambulances and businesses in London, Antwerp and other cities.



CNN reported that recruiters allegedly begin with smaller assignments, including hanging posters or filming minor acts of vandalism, before escalating to more serious surveillance or violent operations. Experts interviewed by CNN said the structure resembles a layered proxy system in which operatives connected to Iran’s IRGC recruit low-level criminals or financially desperate individuals to carry out attacks while shielding higher-ranking organizers.



The report also cited Israeli espionage cases in which suspects allegedly recruited through Telegram were accused of photographing military bases, filming sensitive facilities and carrying out intelligence-gathering missions for Iranian handlers. Israeli authorities say at least 60 Israelis have been indicted on allegations of spying for Iran since 2023.



British counterterrorism officials said investigators are examining whether Iran-linked groups are increasingly relying on “violence as a service” by paying recruits with little ideological connection to the cause. Security experts warned the attacks could become more dangerous as the networks expand operations across Europe.

CNN Investigation Details How Iran-Linked Networks Recruit Europeans For Attacks

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is quietly working against a left-wing congressional candidate backed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in a Democratic primary that has become a flashpoint over Israel, antisemitism, and the party’s ideological future, according to a report by Axios. The May 19 race is increasingly being viewed by Democratic insiders as an early proxy battle between two possible 2028 presidential rivals.



Ocasio-Cortez has publicly endorsed Pennsylvania state Rep. Chris Rabb in the competitive three-way Democratic primary for a Philadelphia-area House seat. She has fundraised for Rabb, promoted him on social media, and is rumored to campaign for him in Philadelphia later this month. The winner of the Democratic primary is widely expected to win the deep-blue seat in November.



Behind the scenes, however, Axios reported that Shapiro and his allies have privately tried to block Rabb’s path. According to the report, Shapiro advised Philadelphia building trades unions to avoid running attacks against candidate Ala Stanford that could unintentionally help Rabb consolidate progressive support. Rabb has repeatedly clashed with Shapiro in recent years, including publicly demanding: “Governor Shapiro, stop state collaboration with ICE!”



The race has also exposed deep divisions inside the Democratic Party over Israel. Rabb is a sharp critic of Israel and has faced accusations of antisemitism from some Democrats, including Stanford adviser Jay Howser, who also consults for Shapiro. Critics pointed to a social media post from Rabb’s account suggesting the Bondi Beach attack on Jews was a false flag operation by “Zionists.” Rabb later disavowed the post, blamed it on a former staffer, and said he strongly condemns antisemitism.



Shapiro spokesman Manuel Bonder dismissed the report, saying: “This is yet another D.C. story more focused on clicks than the reality on the ground in Pennsylvania.” Rabb’s campaign declined comment

Josh Shapiro Quietly Moves Against AOC-Backed Candidate Over Israel Dispute

The IDF announced Sunday that an Israeli reservist was killed in a Hezbollah drone attack in northern Israel a day earlier.



The killed soldier was identified as Warrant Officer (res.) Alexander Glovanyov Hy&#8217;d, 47, of Petah Tikva, who served as a driver in the Transport Center’s 6924th Battalion.



According to an IDF investigation, Hezbollah launched several explosive drones toward Israeli territory near the Lebanon border during the attack.



One of the drones struck the area and killed Glovanyov, the military said.

IDF Reservist Hy’d Killed In Hezbollah Drone Strike Near Lebanon Border

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in his first American broadcast interview since the onset of the war with Iran, acknowledged that Israel has achieved only half of the postwar objectives he had previously outlined for Gaza, proposed an independent commission to investigate the failures that allowed the Oct. 7 attack to occur, and revealed that Israel killed 20 Iranian nuclear scientists &#8211; 12 of them in the opening minute of the operation &#8211; as part of its campaign to cripple Tehran&#8217;s atomic program.



The interview was recorded Saturday and broadcast Sunday on CBS News&#8217;s &#8220;60 Minutes.&#8221;



In a candid exchange with CBS anchor Major Garrett, Netanyahu was asked to assess four commitments he had made roughly a year earlier regarding Hamas: disarmament, demilitarization, the elimination of weapons factories and the halting of arms smuggling into Gaza. He said that weapons factories had been &#8220;reduced a lot&#8221; and smuggling &#8220;really curtailed,&#8221; but that Hamas had failed to voluntarily disarm or demilitarize as it had promised under the terms of the cease-fire agreement.



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&#8220;Two out of four, largely achieved,&#8221; Netanyahu said. &#8220;But the first two was supposed to be done by Hamas. That was part of the deal.&#8221;



He said Hamas had reneged on its pledges and that Israel would complete the disarmament by force if necessary. &#8220;Could be done the hard way, could be done the easy way,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I always prefer the easy way.&#8221;



On the question of personal accountability for Oct. 7 &#8211; the Hamas-led attack that killed approximately 1,200 Israelis and set off the regional conflict now in its eleventh week &#8211; Netanyahu said responsibility extended across the entire security establishment, including himself.



&#8220;Everybody bears some responsibility, from the top, from the Prime Minister down,&#8221; he said. He called for the creation of a bipartisan independent commission modeled on the American inquiry into the Sept. 11 attacks, and said he would testify before it. &#8220;I&#8217;ll be the first one to go there,&#8221; he said, while arguing that the more pressing historical verdict should rest on what had been accomplished since Oct. 7, not what had failed before it.



Nearly all of the senior officials responsible for Israeli security on that day have since left their posts &#8211; the defense minister, the military chief, the heads of military intelligence, the internal security service and the air force. Netanyahu, who has faced intense domestic pressure to resign, has not done so.



On Iran, Netanyahu provided an unusual level of operational detail. He said Israel had killed 20 of Iran&#8217;s top nuclear scientists over the course of the campaign, including 12 in the opening minute of the first military operation &#8211; referred to in the interview by the Israeli code names &#8220;Rising Lion&#8221; and &#8220;Roaring Lion.&#8221;



&#8220;Taking out that amount of know-how sets them back,&#8221; he said, while cautioning that it did not eliminate Iran&#8217;s nuclear capability. &#8220;It means that if they planned this arsenal of nuclear atomic bombs that they thought they&#8217;d have by now &#8211; that&#8217;s gone.&#8221;



He described what he characterized as the single most important strategic achievement of the conflict: demonstrating that Iranian territory was not beyond the reach of military force. &#8220;For 47 years, Iran has been bullying everybody in sight,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Everybody understood you cannot fight Iran on Iran&#8217;s territory. That was a given, and we changed it.&#8221;



On timing, Netanyahu avoided a firm timetable throughout the broadcast. But asked how long the conflict would continue, he offered a brief, unscripted moment of candor: &#8220;It better not take months.&#8221; He immediately hedged, saying outcomes depended on conditions he declined to specify.



Netanyahu also addressed Russia&#8217;s involvement in the conflict &#8211; an exchange that did not appear in the broadcast &#8211; saying that Moscow&#8217;s direct military support for Iran had not been a significant factor. &#8220;Direct military support &#8211; that&#8217;s not been a big issue,&#8221; he said, when asked whether Russian assistance could eventually draw Israel into confrontation with Russia. He declined to characterize the extent of any intelligence cooperation between the two countries.



On China, he said Beijing had provided &#8220;certain components of missile manufacturing&#8221; to Iran and said he &#8220;didn&#8217;t like it,&#8221; but suggested that China&#8217;s long-term strategic interests &#8211; including its dependence on energy flowing through the Strait of Hormuz &#8211; should ultimately align it against a destabilizing Iranian regime. The remarks came days before a scheduled summit between President Trump and President Xi Jinping. &#8220;Not everything is a zero-sum game,&#8221; Netanyahu said.



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Netanyahu also called Trump&#8217;s decision to impose a counter-blockade on Iran &#8211; reversing what had been an Iranian attempt to choke off the Strait of Hormuz &#8211; &#8220;actually a brilliant move,&#8221; saying Iran had badly miscalculated the consequences. &#8220;They should have figured out that&#8217;s what&#8217;s coming,&#8221; he said. The broadcast version referenced the blockade only briefly and without Netanyahu&#8217;s characterization of it. He also cited a private remark by the British ambassador to Washington &#8211; which has since been reported publicly &#8211; to the effect that Britain no longer holds a special relationship with the United States and that the true special relationship is now between Washington and Jerusalem. &#8220;I don&#8217;t always find myself in agreement with British ambassadors,&#8221; Netanyahu said, &#8220;but enough to agree on this one.&#8221;



On the decline in American public support for Israel &#8211; a Pew Research survey cited in the interview found that 60 percent of U.S. adults now hold an unfavorable view of Israel, up nearly 20 points in four years &#8211; Netanyahu largely attributed the shift to coordinated foreign manipulation of social media through bot farms he said could be traced to specific countries he declined to name. He acknowledged that Israel had made mistakes during the conflict but maintained that its ratio of combatant to civilian casualties was among the lowest in the history of modern urban warfare.



On his proposal to phase out the $3.8 billion annual American military aid package over the coming decade &#8211; a plan he said he had already presented to President Trump &#8211; Netanyahu framed the move as a shift from dependency to strategic parity, proposing that the two countries jointly fund defense technology projects and share the resulting benefits equally. He drew a parallel to a similar decision he said he had made regarding American economic aid when he first became prime minister in 1996. &#8220;I want to draw it down,&#8221; he said, &#8220;and then suggest joint projects &#8211; for intel, for weapons, for missile defense.&#8221;



The interview, conducted a day after Israeli strikes on Iranian-backed Hezbollah positions in Lebanon and amid continued hostilities in the Persian Gulf, also touched on Arab state attitudes toward Israel. Netanyahu said several Gulf governments &#8211; which he declined to name &#8211; had privately proposed strengthening alliances with Israel in ways he said were without precedent, spanning artificial intelligence, energy and quantum computing. &#8220;The degree of economic cooperation &#8211; on energy, on AI, on quantum &#8211; that&#8217;s happening right now,&#8221; he said.

Netanyahu, in Rare U.S. Interview, Acknowledges Gaps in Gaza Goals and Calls for 9/11-Style Inquiry Into Oct. 7

Nassau County Executive and Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman sharply criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during a rally against antisemitism in Queens on Sunday attended by roughly 150 people.



Speaking to The New York Post at the event in Forest Hills, Blakeman accused Mamdani of making antisemitism a divisive political issue in the city.



“One of his first acts as mayor was to change the definition of antisemitism. We don’t have enough problems in the city? That was the first thing he had to do?” Blakeman said, referencing controversy surrounding the mayor’s handling of antisemitic tensions, including protests outside Park East Synagogue last week.



Blakeman then launched a broader attack on the mayor.



“He’s got a dark heart. He’s un-American and he’s antisemetic. And he’s got to change or otherwise this city will rise up against him because this is a city of good people,” the Nassau County executive said.



“This is a city of every race, religion, ethnic group. People of all abilities and lifestyles. And they should all be living together in peace and harmony. And not have a mayor that divides us.”



The rally, held at Yellowstone Park in Forest Hills, was organized in response to what organizers described as a “staggering” rise in antisemitic hate crimes in Queens.



Comedian Zach Sage-Fox, another speaker at the event, also criticized Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, over social media activity that resurfaced earlier this year, including posts allegedly supporting Hamas following the October 7 massacre in Israel.



“I’d rather him be honest. At least his wife doesn’t play both sides. At least she says who she is. Her silence is complicity and at least we know what we’re dealing with,” Sage-Fox said.



“But no, the two-faced stuff, it’s BS and we’re not going to stand for it. We’re not going to stand for it,” he continued.



“We have a person running this city who takes no accountability for the rise of antisemitism that he helped create over his political career. I’m sorry, but it’s the truth — he’s playing both sides of the coin.”

Blakeman Blasts Mamdani At Queens Rally Against Antisemitism

The Rebbetzin of Hagaon Harav Moshe Hillel Hirsch shlita, Rosh Yeshivas Slabodka, has been hospitalized and is in need of rachamei Shomayim.



Harav Moshe Hillel had been scheduled to participate in Keren Olam HaTorah&#8217;s fundraising mission to Brazil and Argentina, which departed Motzaei Shabbos, but remained in Eretz Yisroel to be at his Rebbetzin&#8217;s side following her sudden hospitalization.



The mission is continuing as planned, led by Harav Yaakov Hillel, Harav Avrohom Salim, Harav Chaim Peretz Berman, Harav Malkiel Kotler, Harav Shimon Galei, and Harav Yosef Chevroni, who are traveling on behalf of the campaign to sustain the Torah world in Eretz Yisroel and fortify its yeshivos and kollelim.



The tzibbur is asked to daven for the refuah sheleimah of Avigayil Gittel bas Chaya Miriam.

Tefillos Requested for Hagaon Harav Moshe Hillel Hirsch’s Rebbetzin

President Trump tells Barak Ravid in a phone call Sunday afternoo. that he &#8220;doesn&#8217;t like&#8221; Iran&#8217;s latest response to the draft agreement, calling it &#8220;inappropriate.&#8221; 



Trump added that he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this evening and briefly discussed the Iranian reply. 



&#8220;It was a very nice conversation. We have a good relationship, but this is my matter, not anyone else&#8217;s,&#8221; Trump said regarding the Iran negotiations.

BREAKING: Trump Says He “Doesn’t Like” Iran’s “Inappropriate” Response to Draft Deal

Iran’s latest response to a US-backed peace proposal avoids addressing its nuclear program and instead focuses on ending the fighting across the region, according to Iranian state media on Sunday.



The regime’s counterproposal, reportedly sent through Pakistani mediators, calls for guarantees on security and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz before negotiations begin on more divisive issues, including Tehran’s nuclear ambitions, the IRNA news agency reported.



The American proposal had reportedly included plans to end the war, reopen the vital shipping lane and curb Iran’s nuclear program.



The White House has not yet publicly responded to Iran’s reply.



President Trump has repeatedly said dismantling Iran’s nuclear program remains one of the central goals of the conflict.



“We will never bow our heads before the enemy, and if talk of dialogue or negotiation arises, it does not mean surrender or retreat. Rather, the goal is to uphold the rights of the Iranian nation and to defend national interests with resolute strength,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on X.



President Trump also warned Saturday that the US could revive “Project Freedom” — an operation involving Navy escorts for commercial ships through the Strait of Hormuz — if negotiations collapse.



US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Sunday that Trump is giving diplomacy “every chance we possibly can before going back to hostilities.”



Iran has largely blocked non-Iranian vessels from moving through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical passageway that carried roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply before the war.

Iran Refuses To Discuss Nuclear Program In Response To US Peace Proposal

Abraham “Abe” Foxman, the longtime national director of the Anti-Defamation League and one of the world’s most prominent voices against antisemitism, passed away Sunday at the age of 86.



Foxman led the ADL from 1987 until his retirement in 2015, remaining active as national director emeritus in the years that followed. During his nearly five decades with the organization, he became a leading advocate for the Jewish community and Israel, regularly confronting antisemitism and hate on the global stage.



Born in 1940 in what is now Belarus, Foxman survived the Holocaust after his parents entrusted him to a Polish Catholic nanny, Bronislawa Kurpi, who baptized him and hid his Jewish identity during the war. He was reunited with his parents after the Holocaust, and the family immigrated to the United States in 1950.



Foxman later graduated from the City College of New York and NYU School of Law before joining the ADL in 1965 as an assistant director of legal affairs. He rose through the organization’s ranks before becoming national director in 1987.



ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt called Foxman “an iconic Jewish leader” whose voice carried “moral authority and clarity.”



“America and the Jewish people have lost a moral voice, a passionate advocate for the Jewish people and the state of Israel, and a remarkable leader,” Greenblatt said in a statement.



Greenblatt added that Foxman “transformed ADL while confronting antisemitism and hate (from both left and right), opposing the global rise in antisemitism, holding world leaders accountable and working to ensure that Israel was Jewish, secure and democratic.”



ADL Board Chair Nicole Munchnik said Foxman “helped build the modern liberal era of America” and described him as “a great leader and passionate advocate for tolerance.”



“Abe was a warm friend, advisor, spirited antagonist and hugger – all over lunch,” she said.



Following his retirement from the ADL, Foxman served as vice chair of the board of trustees at New York’s Museum of Jewish Heritage between 2016 and 2021.



Foxman is survived by his wife Golda, his children Michelle and Ariel, and several grandchildren.



His funeral is scheduled for Tuesday morning.



6

Former ADL Leader Abe Foxman Passes Away At 86

President Donald Trump has increasingly been asking advisers and friends a question that is fueling Republican speculation about 2028: “What do you think? JD or Marco?”



According to several people close to Trump, the president has repeatedly asked which of the two &#8211; Vice President JD Vance or Secretary of State Marco Rubio &#8211; they prefer as a future presidential nominee. Trump has also joked that the two should run together on the same ticket in 2028.



Trump advisers insist the president is simply entertaining himself and is not focused on the next election. Still, both men have taken on larger public roles ahead of the midterms, drawing growing attention inside the Republican Party.



This week, Rubio appeared in the White House briefing room answering questions about the Iran war before heading to Italy, where he met Pope Leo XIV and presented him with a crystal football. “Wow, OK,” Leo said to Rubio after receiving the gift. Rubio also met Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and is expected to accompany Trump on a trip to China.



At the same time, Vance traveled to Iowa to campaign for Rep. Zach Nunn, where he sharply criticized Democrats while reflecting on his own political evolution.



“It’s heartbreaking for a kid who came from a union Democrat family to realize that Democrats these days, they seem to care more about gender transition than they do about you keeping more of your hard-earned money,” Vance said.



The pair’s high-profile appearances have intensified speculation over whether Rubio could eventually challenge Vance for the Republican nomination. People close to both men say they are friends and do not want to appear to be rivals, though many acknowledge it is still far too early to know how the race will unfold.



“They both appreciate the moment, right?” Sen. Eric Schmitt said. “This is a historic comeback by a president who was out of office, who came back, and a unique coalition that, you know, brought that to be.”



He added: “I think that drives them to work together in addition to their kind of personal friendship.”



Rubio’s allies argue his broad appeal and visibility could help expand Trump’s coalition beyond the president’s core base. Republican pollster Whit Ayres said Rubio is capable of reaching Republicans who supported Trump without being deeply enthusiastic about him.



“He is a politician who could appeal to a whole lot of Republicans who went along with Trump but weren’t overly enthusiastic about him,” Ayres said.



Rubio himself has previously ruled out challenging Vance if the vice president runs.



“If JD Vance runs for president, he’s going to be our nominee, and I’ll be one of the first people to support him,” Rubio told Vanity Fair last year.



Even so, Vance is widely viewed as the current front-runner for the GOP nomination due to his close ties to Trump’s political base and growing influence inside the Republican National Committee.



“The logistical upper hand that JD has cannot be understated,” former Trump press secretary Sean Spicer said.



Still, political challenges remain for both men, particularly over the unpopular Iran war and concerns about the economy. During his Iowa visit, Vance acknowledged that two Iowans were killed in an Iranian drone strike on a military base in Kuwait earlier this year.



“We have to make this country worthy of that sacrifice,” Vance said.



Some Republicans also note that Trump himself could complicate any future presidential race, given his dominant role inside the party.



“The president understandably expects full loyalty from a vice president,” said Marc Short, former chief of staff to Mike Pence. “But in my experience he doesn’t really set up his vice president for political success afterwards.”

Trump Floats ‘JD Or Marco’ As Vance, Rubio Ramp Up 2028 Profiles

Seventeen Americans still aboard the hantavirus-stricken MV Hondius cruise ship are expected to be evacuated to a quarantine center in Nebraska in the coming days, the CDC said Sunday.



The ship docked in Tenerife on Sunday as officials began removing 147 passengers in stages. The passengers, who come from about a dozen countries, are being taken off by nationality, with 13 Spanish nationals set to disembark before the Americans.



The U.S. passengers are expected to be flown on a government medical repatriation flight to the National Quarantine Unit, which is overseen by Nebraska Medicine and the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The facility, described as the only federally funded quarantine unit in the country, has 20 single-occupancy rooms with private bathrooms and negative air pressure systems.



The CDC said it will also deploy a team to Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Nebraska, to support the public health assessment of returning passengers. Health officials are expected to allow the Americans to leave the quarantine facility if they agree to six weeks of additional monitoring, following a WHO recommendation for a 42-day isolation period.



Acting CDC Director Jay Bhattacharya sought to calm public concern Sunday, saying the outbreak should be handled through existing hantavirus protocols. “This is not COVID. This is not going to lead to the [same] kind of outbreak,” he told CNN, adding, “We shouldn’t be panicking when the evidence doesn’t warrant it.”



At least three passengers aboard the Hondius have died and five others became seriously ill. Hantavirus has a reported fatality rate of about 38%.