A fierce intra-chareidi dispute erupted today as MK Moshe Gafni, head of Degel HaTorah and chairman of the United Torah Judaism faction, sharply criticized Shas during his party’s weekly meeting. Gafni accused Shas of aggressive maneuvering in the battles over positions in Israel’s religious councils. “They don’t know how to be satisfied. I won’t give it to them,” he declared, taking aim at what he described as excessive demands.
Sources said that the immediate trigger for the clash is Shas chairman Aryeh Deri’s push to appoint Chananel Shem Tov—currently the leader of the party’s faction in Beitar Illit—as head of the Yerushalayim Religious Council, a politically powerful and symbolically significant position.
Against this backdrop, Gafni also addressed the broader chareidi standoff within the coalition amid the intensifying crisis surrounding the draft law. He stated that UTJ “is not returning to the coalition for now,” though the faction is considering allowing certain bills to proceed to a vote. This move would give the coalition some breathing room as it prepares for the major showdown over the draft legislation.
Gafni clarified his position during the meeting: “They say we returned to the coalition. We are not returning for now. There are certain laws we want to release to the coalition and to the Likud MKs ahead of the vote on the draft law.”
MK Yaakov Tessler voiced frustration with the timing of the faction meeting, saying, “We cannot hold a faction meeting at 15:30, moments before the plenum opens. We declared a boycott, and I need to go ask the rabbanim if it can be lifted. I propose that we hold the meeting on Monday at 11:00 in the morning.”
Meanwhile, MK Yaakov Asher confirmed an earlier report and reiterated the faction’s red line: “If the draft law does not pass, we will not vote for the budget in its first reading.”
{Matzav.com}
A major setback emerged tonight for the chareidi factions in the coalition: The Knesset’s legal advisers now estimate that the proposed draft law will require at least two full months of deliberations, far beyond the January 1 deadline the chareidi parties demanded. The report, aired by journalist Amit Segal on Channel 12, signals that the coalition’s internal timeline is no longer feasible.
Chareidi lawmakers had intended to condition their support for the state budget on passing the draft law first. Their goal was to secure guarantees regarding exemptions and enlistment arrangements before agreeing to the government’s fiscal plan. Yet the new legal opinion means that such sequencing is impossible. As a result, the chareidi parties must now advance the budget while the draft law remains uncertain and unresolved.
This shift creates a significant political dilemma for the chareidi bloc. While the delay bolsters Prime Minister Netanyahu’s flexibility, it places his chareidi partners in an uncomfortable position: they may be required to vote for the budget weeks before knowing whether their demands on the draft law will ultimately be met. Without firm assurances, they risk losing leverage at a critical stage.
Adding to the pressure, another blow surfaced during committee discussions. The legal adviser to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee stated that incorporating the civil-security service alternative into the draft bill poses severe legal challenges. According to her, the proposal fails equality tests and does not meet the current operational needs of the IDF. This position further complicates efforts to shape a bill acceptable to the chareidi parties.
With the clock no longer on their side and legal roadblocks mounting, the path to a negotiated draft law has become considerably narrower, leaving the chareidi factions facing a difficult and uncertain political landscape.
{Matzav.com}
Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu used his appearance in the Knesset plenum tonight to launch a sweeping rebuttal to the opposition’s accusations in the 40-signature debate, which was framed around claims of “The Collapse of Israel’s International Standing.”
He opened by insisting that the dire picture painted by his rivals bore no resemblance to Israel’s actual position. “The opposition is detached from reality; the State of Israel is the strongest power in the Middle East,” he said, noting that he is preparing to meet the Indian prime minister shortly, is planning a trip to the United States later this month, and maintains ongoing contact with Moscow. “I speak to Putin regularly, and this conversation has significant meaning in preserving security interests, including on our northern border,” he added.
Netanyahu then shifted to his upcoming meeting in the U.S., using it to jab at his critics. “I am about to meet with President Trump for the sixth time since he entered the White House – more than any other leader in the world. Before every meeting, there’s a regular ritual: You cry that there is ‘collision’ and ‘arm twisting,’ and every time, you’re disappointed again.”
Turning his fire back on the opposition benches, he accused them of feeding narratives harmful to Israel. “The antisemites of the world spread things that are said in this house.” He argued that global threats require a united front, saying, “The first quarter of this century was marked by an Islamic threat to the West. We are the hope in this struggle.”
As for the repeated charge that he had failed to take on Hamas, Netanyahu dismissed it with contempt. “Will you deal with Hamas? Really. For every action in the war, you said ‘no’.”
His remarks were repeatedly interrupted, prompting him to mock those shouting over him. “You need to understand the opposition; they are under pressure that they won’t be in the next Knesset. Whoever shouts louder will be in four realistic spots that will enter. The question is, does Yesh Atid have a future? You need to understand their pressure.”
From the opposition benches, MK Meirav Ben Ari shot back with a challenge of her own: “Then let’s see you go to elections.”
{Matzav.com}It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah Rav Gedalia Yitzchak Liyush zt”l, who was 75.
His passing comes just one year after the tragic loss of his wife, who was killed in a car accident in Flatbush.
Rabbi Liyush was born in Hungary on the 3rd of Nissan, 5710, to his father, Rabbi Peretz Liyush, and his mother, Mrs. Ita.
As a young man, he studied at Yeshivas Knesses Chizkiyahu in Kfar Chassidim, developing a close bond with the rosh yeshiva, Rav Eliyahu Mishkovsky, from whom he absorbed much of his Torah and spiritual direction.
When he reached marriageable age, he wed his wife Chana a”h, daughter of Rav Meir Tzvi Fisher, one of the leading rabbonim of the Har Nof neighborhood in Yerushalayim. Her sudden passing last year, in early Kislev, left him shattered, yet he accepted the decree with profound faith and quiet strength.
After his marriage, Rav Liyush traveled to Romania, where he established a kollel dedicated to outreach and founded an organization focused on drawing Hungarian Jews closer to Torah and tradition. His commitment to kiruv became a lifelong calling.
For over fifty years, he served as a pillar of Torah education at Kiryat Noar in Bayit Vegan, shaping generations of students with devotion, humility, and constant immersion in learning. He never sought honor, living a life of unassuming piety and total dedication to his mission.
In recent years, he served as a professor of Talmud at a New York university, where he was a beloved lecturer known for his eloquence and clarity. His talks were treasured for their depth and beauty.
Rav Liyush was widely recognized for his extraordinary emunah, refined through difficult trials that he nevertheless embraced with love.
He is survived by a distinguished family of children, sons-in-law, and grandchildren.
The aron will be brought to Eretz Hakodesh, with the levayah scheduled for tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. at the Shamgar Funeral Home in Yerushalayim, proceeding to Har Hamenuchos for burial.
Yehi zichro boruch.
{Matzav.com}
Russia escalated its legal offensive against Kyiv by unveiling charges against dozens of Ukrainian public figures, accusing them of orchestrating what Moscow calls a “genocide” targeting ethnic Russians in Ukraine’s east, according to reporting from the Moscow Times.
In its declaration, Russian prosecutors alleged that the officials acted “with the intent of committing genocide” in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. Moscow claims that since 2014, roughly 5,000 civilians were killed, and it further argues that the ethnic Russian population in those areas plunged by two million by 2022, the year Russia initiated its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
None of the names listed include Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, though the accusations clearly aim to widen the scope of Russia’s narrative about the conflict.
The Russian announcement coincided with a significant development from The Hague. The International Court of Justice ruled that Moscow’s counterclaims in the pending genocide-related case are permissible, including Russia’s longstanding assertion that Ukraine engaged in “genocide.”
The court outlined its position in a formal notice released Monday, stating: “By an Order dated 5 December 2025, the International Court of Justice has found that the counter-claims submitted by the Russian Federation in the case concerning Allegations of Genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Ukraine v. Russian Federation) are admissible as such and form part of the current proceedings. By that same Order, the Court has authorized Ukraine to submit a Reply and the Russian Federation to submit a Rejoinder. The Court has fixed 7 December 2026 and 7 December 2027 as the respective time-limits for the filing of those written pleadings.”
The ICJ further stressed its authority to evaluate those arguments, noting: “In respect of the first requirement, the Court concludes that it has jurisdiction to entertain the counter-claims of the Russian Federation under Article IX of the Genocide Convention.”
{Matzav.com}
