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Israel’s Security Cabinet signed off Thursday night on a sweeping decision to formally authorize and regulate nineteen communities throughout Judea and Samaria, moving forward with one of the most extensive expansion steps in years.

The move came in response to a joint initiative advanced by Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Israel Katz. Among the newly approved locations are Ganim and Kadim, two communities in northern Samaria that were cleared nearly two decades ago during the Disengagement and are now slated for renewed development.

The authorization package covers a mix of longstanding neighborhoods seeking formal status as well as newly emerging sites still in the early phases of construction. The breadth of the decision underscores a significant political milestone in expanding Israel’s presence across the region.

The communities included in the government’s approval are: Esh Kodesh, Allenby, Givat Harel, Ganim, Har Bezek, Ya’ar El-Keren, Yatziv, Yitav West, Kadim, Kochav HaShachar North, Kida, Mishol, Nachal Doron, Pnei Kedem, Reihanit, Rosh HaAyin East, Shalem, and Tamun.

{Matzav.com}

As Klal Yisrael prepares to light the first Chanukah candle on Sunday night, an astonishing discovery in the hills south of Yerushalayim may shed new light on one of the most dramatic episodes of the Chanukah story. Dr. Dvir Raviv of Bar-Ilan University revealed to The Press Service of Israel that his archaeological survey at […]

Fox News host Jesse Watters declared Wednesday that Republicans are likely to lose their House majority in next year’s midterm elections, even as he predicted “the strongest economic year” since the 1980s. Watters’ comments came during a heated segment on The Five, where the hosts debated affordability and economic messaging. Amid widespread public frustration over […]

A stunning new lawsuit is accusing ChatGPT of playing a direct role in a brutal murder-suicide in Connecticut, marking the first time an artificial intelligence platform has been formally accused of contributing to a killing. The complaint, filed Thursday in California by the estate of 83-year-old Suzanne Eberson Adams, alleges that ChatGPT fed paranoid delusions […]

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The United States has demanded in recent days that Israel take financial responsibility for clearing the vast amounts of rubble across the Gaza Strip and oversee the enormous engineering operation required, according to a Ynet report citing a senior Israeli official. Israel has agreed to the request, the report says, despite the projected cost reaching […]

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Indiana’s Republican-led Senate decisively rejected a redrawn congressional map Thursday that would have favored their party, defying months of pressure from President Donald Trump and delivering a stark setback to the White House ahead of next year’s midterm elections. The vote was overwhelmingly against the proposed redistricting, with more Republicans opposing than supporting the measure, signaling the […]

In a dramatic escalation following a recent Israeli High Court ruling, officials in Israel’s Finance Ministry and Justice Ministry are now considering a complete halt to all yeshiva funding until the government can verify that none of the money is being directed—directly or indirectly—to students classified as draft-evaders.

The emerging proposal, reported by Kan News, comes days after the High Court ruled that the state may not finance, even indirectly, any yeshiva bochurim who are legally obligated to enlist and have not received deferments.

While government allocations to the Olam HaTorah have already been sharply reduced over the past year, funds are still being transferred to yeshivas under existing budget frameworks. Senior officials, however, fear that even with stipends to draft-evading students already frozen, general yeshiva funding may still ultimately benefit those individuals.

Earlier today, Kan News reporter Tamar Almog revealed on Reshet Bet that the Attorney General intervened to block an increase in funding for foreign-born avreichim for precisely that concern, arguing that until the government can prove that allocations are not “leaking” to draft-evaders, such increases cannot move forward.

Tonight, it was disclosed for the first time that ministries are weighing an across-the-board shutdown of the entire yeshiva budget unless and until the state can demonstrate clearly that no part of the funding is supporting students who are obligated to enlist.

Such a measure would freeze billions of shekels annually and would set off a major political and communal upheaval, dealing an unprecedented blow to the chareidi sector and triggering far-reaching implications in the coalition.

{Matzav.com}

Tensions rose on Thursday during a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the United Torah Judaism faction, as the continued stalemate over the draft law leaves chareidi lawmakers under growing pressure from their constituents.

The meeting, held under significant time constraints, was described as partially heated. According to remarks aired on Channel 13, Netanyahu tried to calm concerns, saying he has no intention of going to elections now and that he would lead a public campaign in support of the law to ensure it passes.

The MKs, however, expressed the strain they are experiencing on the ground.

MK Yaakov Tessler reportedly told Netanyahu, “We can’t go to the batei knesses because people shout at us over the situation.”

UTJ chairman Yitzchok Goldknopf challenged the prime minister as well, saying, “Your grandfather learned Torah and sat in the mizrach. Here they are putting Torah learners in prison.”

MK Asher added that “the rabbonim have not yet approved the wording.”

According to the leaked comments, Netanyahu reiterated that he wants to maintain the long-term partnership between Likud and UTJ and said, “I am not interested in elections at this time. The alliance between Likud and United Torah Judaism is long term. We will run a campaign explaining why this law is good. Only Edelstein and Shasha-Biton will oppose.”

After the meeting, Likud issued a statement saying: “Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu concluded a meeting with the United Torah Judaism faction, part of a series of meetings he is holding with all coalition parties. The prime minister and UTJ members discussed the issues currently on the agenda.”

{Matzav.com}

A federal judge in Massachusetts on Thursday ordered the Trump administration to restore billions of dollars in canceled FEMA disaster mitigation funding, siding with 22 states and the District of Columbia that sued over the canceled grants this summer. President Donald Trump’s administration said in April it was “ending” the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities […]

Speaker Mike Johnson defended the military’s second strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug-smuggling vessel, saying after reviewing a classified video that “this is a straightforward case — narco-terrorists were caught smuggling deadly drugs en route to the United States.”  

Officials in Turkey report that nearly 700 sinkholes have formed across drought-stricken regions, with new ones continuing to appear as extreme dryness weakens the ground.

President Trump said the U.S. is “working very strongly on Gaza,” claiming there is “real peace in the Middle East” with 59 countries offering support. He added that several nations are prepared to “take care of Hamas” in Gaza and “take care of Hezbollah” in Lebanon.

Singers Yoni Z and Shulem Lemmer took the stage tonight at an NCSY event in Toronto, energizing the crowd with a powerful musical performance.

A civil lawsuit seeking 220,000 shekels in damages has been filed against an Arab bus driver who, two years ago in Yerushalayim, sprayed perfume at a group of chareidi teenagers while telling them they “stink” and ordering them to move to the back of the bus.

The incident, which occurred on Egged’s Route 19, resurfaced after the Honenu legal organization submitted a civil claim on behalf of the youths, following the closure of the police file and the rejection of an appeal against that decision.

Attorney Chaim Bleicher of Honenu, who filed the suit, said the goal is both to compensate the boys and to deter future acts of anti-Jewish harassment.

According to the lawsuit, the event took place on June 16, 2023. The victims, aged 14 and 15, boarded the bus with two friends. The teens, described in the filing as having a distinctly traditional Jewish appearance with peyos, sat quietly in a double seat near the front of the vehicle, leaving an empty row between themselves and the driver.

The claim states that the boys were behaving respectfully when the bus approached the Petach Tikva Junction. At that point, the driver allegedly stopped at a station, glared at them with clear disdain, and instructed them to move to the rear, saying they were “stinking.” He also warned that if they refused, he would spray perfume on them.

When the teens asked why he was ordering them to the back, the driver allegedly took out a bottle of perfume or air freshener and sprayed each of them at close range, directing the mist at their bodies and faces. The suit says the driver’s actions constituted an unlawful assault motivated by racism, as well as defamatory statements toward the youths.

Attorney Bleicher condemned the behavior, saying, “The lawsuit describes a disgusting antisemitic incident targeting children. This is especially serious when involving a bus driver who is responsible for the safety and security of hundreds of passengers every day. Unfortunately, law enforcement authorities declined to address this incident on the criminal level, and we are making an effort, at least in the civil sphere, to compensate the boys for the significant anguish they suffered and to create deterrence against such antisemitic acts.”

{Matzav.com}

A new report says Prime Minister Netanyahu is preparing to travel to Cairo for the first time in 15 years to sign a long-term $35 billion natural gas agreement with Egypt. The visit is being coordinated with senior U.S. diplomats and would include a meeting with President Sissi, with Netanyahu expected to frame the trip […]

Moments before stepping onstage this week, famed singer Avraham Fried recounted a deeply personal incident that occurred during a recent concert tour in Europe, a moment he said he will never forget. At a train station abroad, a police officer suddenly approached him with his lost wallet in hand, leading to an emotional exchange that left a strong impression on the singer.

Speaking with Dudi Kepler, Fried described the whirlwind of travel that preceded the story. “I was in France,” he said, explaining that he had been rushing from place to place: “I was running from one place to another for concerts — Belgium, France, London, Zurich.”

He recalled standing at a train gate in one of those countries, waiting for the train to arrive. “Suddenly I see a tall police officer standing in front of me. He walks over and asks me, ‘Is this yours?’ I look at his hand and see my wallet. ‘Yes,’ I told him immediately. ‘It’s mine.’”

Fried said he was completely confused as to how the wallet had ended up with the officer. “I didn’t understand. I asked the officer: Ribono Shel Olam, this is mine — where did you find it?” The officer explained that Fried had forgotten it on the counter when purchasing his ticket.

But the singer still wondered how the officer had known to whom it belonged in such a crowded station. “I still didn’t understand. I said to the officer: Wait, there are thousands of people here — how did you know this wallet is mine?”

The officer responded that he had no choice but to open it. “He said: ‘With respect, rabbi, I had no choice. I opened the wallet, and inside was a picture of your father.’

“It was a picture of the Rebbe.”

Fried concluded the story with emotion: “So on the train, on the way to the next place, I kept thinking that even a police officer, not Jewish, knows and feels that the Rebbe is a father.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump issued a symbolic pardon for Tina Peters on Thursday, but it alone won’t free the former Colorado elections administrator who was convicted under state laws of orchestrating a data breach scheme driven by false claims of fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Trump’s pardon power does not extend to state crimes like […]