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Despite Coalition Rebellion, Netanyahu Reassures Chareidi Parties: “We Will Secure a Majority for the New Draft Law”

Matzav -

A political storm erupted Monday as numerous coalition MKs — especially from the Religious Zionism party — publicly announced that they would vote against the current version of the new draft law submitted to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. But according to Chareidi party sources, Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu appears far less alarmed than expected.

Late Monday night, Netanyahu sent a message to senior representatives of the Chareidi factions stating that he believes he will succeed in assembling a majority to pass the draft law now under committee review. His assessment came even as tensions within the coalition intensified.

Chareidi lawmakers were stunned by the scale of opposition from within their own partnership. While they anticipated a handful of dissenters, they did not expect so many coalition MKs to openly declare that they would vote against the proposed legislation.

To make matters worse, senior coalition officials began briefing reporters that “the law was born dead,” a phrase first publicized by journalist Amit Segal. They predicted the bill would not survive a vote on the Knesset floor. Furious at the internal backlash — and at the media briefings — Chareidi party leaders delivered sharp messages to the Prime Minister’s Office demanding clarity and commitment.

Sources say that Netanyahu responded confidently, assuring the Chareidi factions that despite the vocal opposition, he expects to secure enough support for the legislation. He conveyed that, in his view, the law will pass its second and third readings within five weeks.

Still, senior Chareidi officials are deeply uneasy. They fear that in order to lock in the needed majority, the government may introduce substantial changes to the bill — particularly in the sensitive clause defining “who is considered Chareidi” for the purpose of calculating draft quotas. According to one veteran Chareidi figure closely involved in the negotiations, “We are barely able to vote for the current draft as it is. The rabbonim told us explicitly this is the absolute limit. If changes are made, Netanyahu may gain the votes of the Religious Zionism party and the Likud rebels, but he will lose the Chareidim — and once again there will be no majority.”

Meanwhile, the Religious Zionism faction issued a public statement Tuesday reiterating its stance: “We reaffirmed in our faction meeting that we will vote only for a law that brings about real and immediate enlistment of Chareidim to the IDF in order to meet the army’s needs and ease the burden on soldiers, reservists, and their families. We are consulting and formulating our comments on the law and will insist that they be incorporated in the legislative process. In any case, we will make decisions together and act as a united faction.”

{Matzav.com}

India Orders Mandatory Government App on All Smartphones, Triggering Privacy Uproar

Yeshiva World News -

India’s telecoms ministry has directed smartphone manufacturers to pre-install a government-run cybersecurity app on all new devices, according to a government order, raising concerns of data privacy and user consent in one of the largest handset markets in the world. The Ministry of Communications’ order issued Monday asked smartphone makers to pre-install the government’s “Sanchar […]

Red Cross Transfers To Israel ‘Findings’ From Gaza

Matzav -

The International Committee of the Red Cross on Tuesday handed over to the Israel Defense Forces “findings” that had been transferred to it by Hamas, according to the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.

The possible remains of a hostage were set to be sent to the Health Ministry’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir in Tel Aviv following a military ceremony with the participation of an IDF rabbi, it stated.

The PMO’s hostage and missing persons coordinator is in “continuous contact with the families of the two deceased captives, and in this difficult hour, our hearts are with them,” the statement continued.

“The effort to bring our hostages home continues without interruption and will not cease until the return of the last captive,” the PMO added.

The bodies of two hostages remained in the Gaza Strip: Israel Police counter-terrorism officer Master Sgt. Ran Gvili and Thai national Sudthisak Rinthalak, who was working in Israel’s south when thousands of Hamas terrorists invaded on Oct. 7, 2023.

Under the U.S.-brokered ceasefire that went into effect last month, the Palestinian terrorist organization committed to returning for burial all 28 bodies it was holding, on Oct. 13.

However, Hamas has slow-walked the return of the deceased hostages.

The most recent handover took place on Nov. 25, when the terror group transferred the body of Dror Or. He was buried on Sunday.

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s office said last week that Hamas must fulfill its obligation, vowing that Israel “will not compromise” until every captive is brought home. JNS

{Matzav.com}

Inside the IDF’s “Chareidi” Unit: Reports of Public Chillul Shabbos, Female Fitness Instructor Spark Uproar

Yeshiva World News -

Soldiers in the “Adi” security unit, established less than a year ago for Chareidi soldiers, revealed a disturbing violation of Chareidi norms and unit regulations, including public Chillul Shabbos and a female fitness training instructor. Kol Barama military correspondent Mendy Rizel spoke with four soldiers in the unit who said that most of the soldiers […]

8 Immigration Judges Canned By Trump Admin After Another Sues, Claiming Discrimination

Matzav -

The Trump administration showed no sign of shifting course on Monday, even as a newly filed discrimination lawsuit took aim at its personnel decisions. Hours after the suit hit federal court, eight immigration judges stationed at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan were dismissed, according to an official with the National Association of Immigration Judges (NAIJ).

The legal action was launched that same morning by Tania Nemer, who argued she was removed from her position as an Ohio immigration judge because she is a woman, because of her Lebanese citizenship, and because she had previously run for local office as a Democrat.

Her claims land in the middle of a sweeping workforce reduction initiative. According to the NAIJ official, about 200 immigration judges have either resigned or been pushed out under the Department of Government Efficiency’s campaign to cut costs and streamline operations. Of that total, roughly 100 were outright terminated.

Despite the deep cuts, the nation’s immigration courts are drowning in cases. Syracuse University’s TRAC Reports estimates a staggering backlog of 3.4 million unresolved matters — and that number continues to climb.

In an attempt to plug the staffing gap, the War Department announced in September its intention to temporarily deploy 600 military attorneys to the immigration courts. But the NAIJ official said that only 25 of those lawyers have completed the necessary training and begun adjudicating cases.

Meanwhile, Congress previously authorized the creation of 800 permanent immigration judgeships as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Yet so far, only 11 new judges have actually been appointed.

Nemer’s lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington, DC, asserts that her firing on Feb. 5 stemmed partly from her unsuccessful political campaign earlier in her career — a move she argues infringed on her Constitutional right to participate in political activity.

The DOJ, however, countered in her earlier Equal Employment Opportunity proceedings that the Trump administration “has the right to fire employees” and that Nemer’s removal was a “lawful exercise” of that authority.

Nemer, who began serving on the bench in 2023 under President Joe Biden’s administration, is now seeking reinstatement to her judicial post.

{Matzav.com}

Michael and Susan Dell Pledge Record $6.25 Billion to Jump-Start Trump’s Child Investment Accounts

Yeshiva World News -

Billionaires Michael and Susan Dell pledged $6.25 billion Tuesday to provide 25 million American children under 10 an incentive to claim the new investment accounts for children created as part of President Donald Trump’s tax and spending legislation. The historic gift has little precedent, with few single charitable commitments in the past 25 years exceeding […]

Witkoff and Kushner Meet Putin to Discuss Ukraine Peace Plan

Matzav -

President Trump’s senior advisers, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, walked into the Kremlin on Tuesday for a pivotal discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin, aiming to push forward the recalibrated U.S. peace outline for Ukraine. Although Putin remarked in recent days that “Trump’s plan could be the basis for negotiations,” he has also signaled little movement from his entrenched positions, casting uncertainty over whether the talks will yield meaningful progress.

The high-stakes Moscow mission follows two weeks of hurried diplomacy that included back-and-forth negotiations between Washington and Kyiv. The revised U.S. proposal — trimmed from 28 items to 19 — was slated to be formally presented to Putin during the Kremlin meeting. For Kushner, it marks his first direct involvement in talks with Putin; for Witkoff, it is his sixth such sit-down in Russia and the first time Trump’s representatives have met Putin face-to-face since August’s Alaska summit.

American officials intend to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky immediately after leaving the Kremlin. Zelensky noted on Tuesday that he expects to speak with Witkoff and Kushner as soon as their meeting with Putin concludes. According to individuals familiar with the schedule, the two envoys are also set to see Zelensky in Europe on Wednesday to walk him through every detail of the Moscow discussions.

Much of the diplomatic wrangling centers on the future dividing line between Ukraine and Russian-held areas. Putin has repeatedly asserted that Russia will not halt its military campaign until it fully seizes the Donbas region. The U.S. has pushed Kyiv to contemplate territorial concessions to break the deadlock — a notion that would be agonizing domestically for Ukraine and potentially explosive politically.

On Sunday, Witkoff, Kushner, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Zelensky’s national security adviser, Rustem Umerov, leading a Ukrainian delegation in Miami. Zelensky later said that Ukraine’s top general updated the Americans “on the real situation at the front” and discussed “implementing various steps at the front…in the event of a ceasefire.” He added that the 19-point plan was “further revised” during the Miami session.

Witkoff continued discussions with Umerov late into Sunday evening and again on Monday morning before departing for Moscow. While Zelensky was in Paris on Monday, he and French President Emmanuel Macron held a joint call with Witkoff and Umerov. Afterward, Macron briefed Trump directly, emphasizing “the importance of the security guarantees required for Ukraine and our determination to work on them together with the U.S.,” according to a French official.

As Trump’s envoys arrived in the Russian capital, Zelensky convened his own negotiating circle in Dublin. He said afterward that they covered matters “that cannot be said over the phone.” The Ukrainian leader also expressed openness to a direct meeting with Trump if the Kremlin discussions move the process forward.

Zelensky voiced cautious optimism Tuesday, stating, “The chances now to end the war are better than ever. … There will be no easy decisions.”

{Matzav.com}

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