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A report published by Middle East Eye claims that the United States and Israel are quietly advancing a dramatic proposal that would dismantle Jordan’s longstanding custodianship over the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in Yerushalayim and replace it with a new governing structure more closely aligned with Israeli oversight and interests.

According to multiple American, Jordanian, Palestinian, Gulf Arab, and Western sources cited in the report, the initiative is being championed by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. The proposal would reportedly end the authority of the Jordanian-backed Islamic Waqf and establish a new Israeli-created administrative body that would redefine the Al-Aqsa compound as a “multi-faith centre.”

Officials familiar with the discussions told Middle East Eye that the proposed framework would permit Jews “equal access” to the site and officially authorize organized Jewish prayer there in large groups.

Under the alleged arrangement, Israel would also gain substantial influence over the appointment of imams, mosque administrators, and preachers, while additionally taking part in approving the content delivered in Friday sermons.

Two American officials told the outlet that Washington had already prepared a draft outlining its vision for the future of the compound. According to those sources, the Trump administration envisions transforming Al-Aqsa from an exclusively Muslim religious site into a tourist destination representing all three Abrahamic faiths.

A Western official and another source briefed by Jordanian authorities said one proposal under discussion would create a rotating oversight structure involving multiple Arab countries.

According to those sources, Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates have already been briefed on the American initiative.

However, two Gulf Arab sources and another individual familiar with Jordanian deliberations said Saudi Arabia strongly opposes the proposal, viewing it as dangerously destabilizing.

Sources cited in the report said Israel first presented the concept to the Trump administration nearly ten years ago, but that the effort intensified after Huckabee assumed his diplomatic post last year. According to the report, Huckabee “repeatedly” urged Washington to move forward with the plan.

Huckabee, an Evangelical Christian and longtime supporter of Israel, has consistently backed Israeli settlement activity in disputed territories and has advocated for expanded Jewish rights on Har Habayis.

One source close to the Jordanian government told the outlet that “the Americans have been angry that the Jordanians cite their custodianship and raise complaints about Israeli actions at Al-Aqsa”.

The tensions have escalated in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Jordan’s parliament condemned Israeli efforts to seize Palestinian property and Islamic endowments in areas surrounding the mosque compound.

Sources interviewed by Middle East Eye said the proposal leaves unresolved questions surrounding Yerushalayim’s Christian holy sites.

Jordan’s royal family also serves as custodian of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Church of the Ascension, and maintains veto power over the appointment of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Yerushalayim.

“This plan says nothing about the Christian sites, which raises a whole new set of concerns,” one of the sources said.

A Jordanian government official insisted that the kingdom’s position regarding Yerushalayim remains unchanged and emphasized that the Hashemite custodianship is recognized internationally through treaties and formal agreements, including the 1994 peace treaty between Israel and Jordan.

The official said Jordan continues coordinating with Palestinian, Arab, and international partners to preserve the sites’ “Arab, Islamic and Christian identity” and block attempts to alter the historical status quo.

For decades, the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound has operated under a carefully maintained arrangement preserving its standing as an exclusively Islamic holy site.

Following the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel and Jordan reached an understanding under which the Islamic Waqf would retain control over internal religious administration while Israel handled outside security responsibilities.

Although non-Muslims may visit during designated hours, Jewish prayer at the site is officially prohibited under the current arrangement.

For Jews, the area is revered as Har Habayis, the location where the two Batei Mikdash once stood — first the Beis Hamikdash built by Shlomo Hamelech and later the Second Temple destroyed by the Romans.

Jordanian and Palestinian officials reportedly believe the emerging proposal resembles the arrangement imposed at the Ibrahimi Mosque in Chevron after the 1994 massacre carried out by an Israeli settler.

Following that attack, Israel formally divided the site between Muslim and Jewish worshippers, allocating 63 percent for Jewish prayer and 37 percent for Muslims despite the location’s significance to all three major monotheistic faiths.

For Jordan’s Hashemite monarchy, control over Al-Aqsa is viewed as a central pillar of the kingdom’s legitimacy and standing in the Muslim world.

The Hashemites trace their custodianship over Yerushalayim’s holy sites back to 1924 during the British Mandate period following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the end of the Islamic Caliphate.

After losing control of Mecca and Medina to the Saudi royal family, the Hashemites were granted responsibility for Muslim and Christian holy sites in Yerushalayim.

Jordan’s role was later formally acknowledged in its peace treaty with Israel, which recognized Amman’s “special role” concerning Yerushalayim’s Islamic holy places.

Still, Jordanian and Palestinian leaders have long argued that Israeli governments and nationalist activist groups have steadily weakened that arrangement over time.

Repeated Israeli police operations inside the compound, growing visits by nationalist Jewish activists, and calls by Israeli ministers to allow Jewish prayer at the site have fueled accusations that Israel is gradually reshaping the status quo.

Waqf officials have also accused Israel of severely restricting maintenance and repair work at the compound while imposing increasing limitations on Muslim worshippers.

Mustafa Abu Sway, deputy chairman of the Waqf council, declined to directly address Jordan’s diminishing influence but described the Hashemite role as “a cornerstone for stability in the region”.

He added that Palestinians regard the custodianship “strategically as a lifeline” and said Jordan has consistently defended the historic arrangement at international institutions such as UNESCO.

“The Hashemite Custodianship is a cornerstone for stability in the region, undermining it is tantamount to undermining the very principles for peace”.

The Yerushalayim Governorate said it had not been officially informed about such a proposal but declared that it “reject[s] it entirely”.

Officials there warned of what they described as a “dangerous escalation” in Israeli interference with Waqf operations, including restrictions placed on guards and employees and increasing visits by Jewish activists.

Two Gulf Arab sources told the outlet that Jordan would likely seek broader regional support to counter the reported American-Israeli initiative.

Despite Jordan’s growing diplomatic ties with the UAE, the sources said Saudi Arabia would almost certainly oppose any move that weakens the Hashemite custodianship.

“Saudi Arabia fully understands that if any moves are taken against the Hashemite custodianship, then that would inflame the entire region,” one Gulf Arab source said.

Another Gulf Arab source described the custodianship as “a pillar of regional stability”, adding: “The Saudis may have disagreements with Jordan on some issues, but on Yerushalayim and Al-Aqsa they understand the consequences of dismantling the existing arrangement”.

The report also said Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah has developed increasingly close ties with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in recent years, particularly after several Arab states normalized relations with Israel.

Still, the sources acknowledged uncertainty about how Saudi Arabia would react if the UAE or Bahrain publicly endorsed the proposal.

Since signing the Abraham Accords in 2020, both Bahrain and the UAE have dramatically expanded political, economic, and security cooperation with Israel despite growing outrage across the Arab world over developments in Yerushalayim and Gaza.

The UAE in particular has become Israel’s closest Arab ally, broadening ties in trade, defense, energy, and technology.

Officials cited in the report expressed concern that Emirati-backed interfaith initiatives promoting “multi-faith coexistence” could eventually be used to justify changes at Al-Aqsa.

In 2023, the UAE opened a major interfaith center housing a church, synagogue, and mosque together on one campus.

Bahrain has likewise maintained close cooperation with Israel and has defended those ties as strategically necessary in confronting Iran.

According to the report, Bahraini officials have generally refrained from publicly criticizing Israeli policy in Yerushalayim, increasing fears among Palestinian and Jordanian officials that Manama may ultimately support changes at the holy site.

“They [UAE and Bahrain] understand how explosive this issue is in the Arab and Muslim world,” one of the sources said.

“Given that they are closely aligned with Israel, they should be cautious about publicly supporting changes to the status quo,” they added.

Middle East Eye said it contacted the foreign ministries of Bahrain, Egypt, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE but received no response before publication.

After the article appeared, an American official issued a brief denial rejecting the report outright and calling the claims that Washington was working to remove Jordan’s custodianship “totally false.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Deputy Minister Yisroel Eichler launched a sharp attack Monday night against Israeli police and the judicial system over attempts to arrest yeshiva bochurim, accusing authorities of targeting Torah students whose “only crime,” he said, is learning Torah.

In a strongly worded statement, Eichler condemned what he described as efforts “to hunt down and arrest innocent yeshiva students in the streets.”

According to Eichler, “their only sin is Torah study.” He argued that the judicial system has become a “dictatorial regime of those who persecute Torah and those who learn it,” and charged that the police have been “dragged into carrying out humiliating arrests against Torah learners who committed no crime.”

Eichler also sharply criticized police conduct surrounding enforcement of military draft regulations, saying that “the police, which failed to eliminate crime, must take into account the historic consequences of a war between armed police officers and students.”

He further warned that “history will record a mark of shame upon those who persecute innocent Jews devoted to Torah.”

The deputy minister said the proper role of law enforcement is “to preserve public order and protect Jews whose entire desire is to uphold the Torah of Israel,” warning that what he called the ongoing persecution “could lead to innocent blood being spilled.”

Concluding his remarks, Eichler urged Israeli police officers “not to listen to the jurists,” claiming that they “are attempting to undermine the foundations of Jewish existence in Eretz Yisroel.”

{Matzav.com}

Thousands of children from Torah schools, together with leading rabbinic and chassidic figures, gathered this past week in Beit Shemesh for a massive public assembly ahead of Shavuos that featured a rare double Pidyon Peter Chamor ceremony, an event many residents described as something the city had not seen in years.

The gathering was organized by the city’s chassidic faction, including chairman Shimon Goldberg, Yeshaya Weissman, and Avraham Nachman Frenkel, in cooperation with Mayor Shmuel Greenberg.

Kedushas Aharon Street was closed to traffic and transformed into a large event complex to accommodate the thousands who attended. Hundreds of children from Torah schools and chadorim across the city arrived in organized groups following extensive preparations and coordination with school administrations.

The event featured stirring music and emotional songs led by singer and composer Bentzi Stein together with the “Kapella” choir and keyboardist Mendy Brandwein. The crowd joined in singing “U’vchein Tzaddikim Yir’u V’Yismachu” as one rabbinic leader after another ascended the stage.

Among those in attendance were the Vizhnitz Beit Shemesh Rebbe, the Lelov Rebbe, the Trebishan Rebbe, the Shotz-Drohobych Rebbe, the Kasho Rebbe, the Ziditshov Rebbe, the Spinka-Sasregen Rebbe, the Radoshitz Rebbe, the Amshinov Rebbe, the Lizhensk Rebbe, the Dzshikov-Vizhnitz Rebbe, and the Bergsaz Rebbe, along with dozens of rabbanim and community leaders from throughout the city.

The gathering opened with remarks from Harav Asher Schwartz, one of the city’s rabbanim and author of the sefer “Maadanei Asher,” who spoke about the importance of preparing properly for mitzvos and the holiness of the days leading up to Shavuos.

The keynote address was delivered by the Vizhnitz Beit Shemesh Rebbe, who spoke at length about the sanctity of the three days of preparation before Matan Torah and the proper mindset needed to receive the Torah.

One of the most emotional moments of the evening came when the Lelov Rebbe cried out “Shema Yisroel,” prompting thousands of children and participants to proclaim the words together in a thunderous voice that echoed throughout the city and gave the event the atmosphere of a modern-day Sinai experience in the streets of Beit Shemesh.

Later in the evening, two separate Pidyon Peter Chamor ceremonies were conducted one after the other. The first ceremony was performed by the Spinka-Sasregen Rebbe serving as the kohen, followed by a second Pidyon Peter Chamor conducted by Harav Aharon Katz, rav of Kehillas Brod in Ramat Beit Shemesh D.

The large-scale operation and coordination of the event were overseen by Tzvi Frenkel, director of the “לטובת” center, who spent weeks organizing logistics with local communities, Torah schools, safety officials, and the “Aktiver” production company.

Organizers and residents in Beit Shemesh described the gathering as “not just another event, but a historic moment of Torah, unity, and Kiddush Hashem that the city has not witnessed in many years.”

פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין

פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין פטר חמור בבית שמשצילום: משה גולדשטיין

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump is expected to visit Walter Reed National Military Medical Center this week for what the White House has described as a routine medical examination. However, the upcoming visit comes amid growing public scrutiny in the United States regarding the 79-year-old president’s physical and cognitive condition.

According to a report published by Maariv, this will mark Trump’s third visit to the military hospital in just 13 months — an unusually high frequency for a sitting president. Reports noted that his previous visit, which took place last October, sparked widespread speculation, and only three months later did the White House acknowledge that Trump had undergone a CT scan intended to rule out cardiovascular and vascular problems.

The White House has continued portraying Trump as being in excellent health, but independent physicians and a Washington Post investigation have raised concerns over several symptoms and incidents documented in recent months. Among the issues highlighted were recurring bruises on the president’s hands, which White House officials attributed to aspirin use and frequent handshaking.

Trump was also seen with swelling in his legs. Administration officials previously said the condition was related to chronic venous insufficiency, but senior cardiologists warned that such symptoms — particularly when combined with reports of sudden drowsiness — can in some cases point to more serious medical conditions, including heart failure.

Trump himself has continued making his physical and cognitive health part of his public image. He has repeatedly touted the results of cognitive tests he says he passed, emphasized his fitness for office, and mocked critics questioning his condition.

At the same time, however, a Washington Post poll found that only about 40% of Americans believe Trump possesses the mental sharpness necessary to serve effectively as president.

{Matzav.com}

[Video below.] New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Monday that federal officials blocked her from entering the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in Newark as demonstrations intensified outside the building and detainees inside reportedly launched a hunger strike over conditions.

Sherrill said the refusal to allow access to the facility only deepened concerns about what may be taking place behind closed doors.

“I have long opposed private detention facilities and will continue to advocate for the closure of Delaney Hall and against any expansion of mass detention facilities in New Jersey, like the proposed facility in Roxbury,” Sherrill said in a statement obtained by NewsNation, The Hill’s sister network. “I came today to hear from families and advocates, and what I heard from them was heartbreaking.”

The Department of Homeland Security sharply criticized the visit, accusing the governor of turning the situation into a political spectacle.

A DHS spokesperson told The Hill that Sherrill’s appearance at the detention center was “nothing more than a political stunt on Memorial Day when visitation is currently suspended due to riots outside in the facility.”

Several Democratic officials from New Jersey accompanied Sherrill, including Andy Kim, Rob Menendez Jr., Nellie Pou, and LaMonica McIver. The lawmakers met with demonstrators gathered outside Delaney Hall after confrontations broke out Sunday, during which protesters claimed ICE officers used pepper spray against them, according to WABC.

Federal officials said Kim was eventually permitted to enter the facility after contacting Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin directly. DHS did not clarify whether Sherrill or the other lawmakers were ever granted entry.

Mullin pushed back against allegations surrounding conditions at the center, rejecting claims that detainees had begun a hunger strike and insisting that the facility was not operating under “subprime conditions.” He also accused Democratic officials in New Jersey of “smearing ICE law enforcement.”

Demonstrations outside Delaney Hall began Friday after activist Gabriela Soto arrived at the site during the launch of what organizers described as a hunger and labor strike by detainees, according to The City, a New York-based outlet. Protest organizers said roughly 300 detainees participated, demanding the release of elderly and younger detainees as well as those suffering from medical problems.

Soto said her husband, who has reportedly been detained since February, was confined to a cell for eight hours while being questioned by officers.

“The people inside Delaney Hall are fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, and members of our community,” she said. “In New Jersey, we believe in the rule of law and that everyone deserves to be treated with basic dignity. We have a duty to safeguard the rights, health, and well-being of everyone within our borders.”

DHS officials described the protests as disruptive and aggressive. According to a spokesperson, approximately 125 protesters, “many carrying anti-ICE signs and Antifa flags… formed a human chain around entrances to the facility and set up barricades, blocking all entries and exits.”

The lawmakers accompanying Sherrill also criticized the conditions inside the detention center after attempting an unannounced oversight inspection Sunday night. Menendez said he too was prevented from entering.

“I was told that I would be able to go inside at 8 a.m., but ICE continues to deny entry,” he wrote on social platform X Monday morning.

Pou, Kim, and McIver each posted photographs from the protest scene on X and publicly demanded that Delaney Hall be shut down.

Cory Booker also announced Sunday that he planned to visit the facility.

“Immigrants at Delaney Hall are on a hunger strike because they are fighting for their human rights,” he wrote on X. “The conditions there are deplorable… Enough is enough — not in New Jersey, not anywhere.”

Federal officials defended the detention center’s operations and insisted detainees are receiving proper care. A DHS spokesperson said inmates are given three meals daily along with water, bedding, clothing, and hygiene supplies, adding that ICE “has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens.”

{Matzav.com}

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has reportedly told regional officials in recent discussions that he does not believe a significant diplomatic breakthrough with Israel is possible under the current government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

According to a report aired Monday night by Kan News, a regional source familiar with the matter said the Saudis have made clear that any move toward normalization or closer ties with Israel would require a firm Israeli commitment regarding the Palestinian issue.

The report also said Israeli officials were informed in advance about President Donald Trump’s initiative to connect a developing agreement with Iran to a broader expansion of the Abraham Accords that would include Gulf states such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

An Israeli source told Kan News that the proposal came up during discussions between Trump and Netanyahu.

At the same time, negotiations between the United States and Iran remain unresolved, with major disagreements still lingering over key elements of the proposed agreement. Qatar has reportedly intensified its efforts to mediate between the sides, and its role in the negotiations has become increasingly central.

Earlier reports indicated that Trump is attempting to transform the Iran talks into a much larger regional arrangement by linking a potential agreement with Tehran to a dramatic expansion of the Abraham Accords involving additional Arab and Muslim nations.

In an unusual post published on Truth Social, Trump wrote that negotiations with Iran are “going very well,” while warning that only two outcomes remain possible: “a great deal for everyone,” or a return to military conflict that would be “bigger and stronger than ever before.”

According to Trump, during conversations held Saturday with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, and Bahrain, he stressed that after the American effort to “put together the complicated puzzle,” most of those countries should sign onto the Abraham Accords simultaneously.

Trump acknowledged that one or two countries might ultimately choose not to participate, but insisted that “most should be ready, willing and able” to turn a potential Iran agreement into what he described as a far larger historic regional achievement.

{Matzav.com}

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri is reportedly dismissing concerns that a national election scheduled for mid-September could disrupt travel to Uman and negatively impact the chareidi tzibbur, saying the date would actually benefit the broader right-wing bloc.

According to reports from closed-door discussions, Deri argued that elections held on September 15 would not significantly interfere with the annual pilgrimage to Uman surrounding Rosh Hashanah.

“People return immediately after the Yom Tov, it won’t have an impact. It’s a date that is good for the entire right-wing bloc, not just for Shas,” Deri reportedly said.

Sources in Shas emphasized that the final decision ultimately rests with Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu, who is expected to discuss the issue further with Deri in the coming days.

At the same time, Netanyahu has reportedly continued telling associates in private conversations over the past 24 hours that he wants to exhaust every possible avenue to delay elections as long as possible, with his preferred target date said to be October 27.

The issue has created growing tension within the coalition, particularly with representatives from United Torah Judaism, who oppose a September 15 election date because it falls during the Aseres Yemei Teshuvah and could interfere with the schedules of talmidei yeshiva.

During the party’s faction meeting Monday, officials from United Torah Judaism reportedly accused Deri of acting on Netanyahu’s behalf in an effort to undermine the possibility of September elections and push the political system toward an October vote instead.

{Matzav.com}

The editorial board of The Wall Street Journal is raising alarm over President Trump’s ongoing negotiations with Iran, warning that easing pressure on Tehran before major nuclear issues are resolved could create dangerous long-term consequences and weaken America’s leverage in the region.

In its coverage and commentary surrounding the negotiations, the Journal warned that sanctions relief and economic concessions could become “difficult to reverse” if Iran later fails to meet verification requirements or refuses to fully dismantle key elements of its nuclear infrastructure.

The paper also described the negotiations as unfinished and unstable, noting that critical questions surrounding Tehran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief, uranium enrichment, and enforcement mechanisms remain unresolved.

One Journal report said the proposed framework would give both sides additional time to negotiate “thorny issues including Tehran’s nuclear program,” while critics quoted by the paper questioned whether the concessions under discussion would be worth the risks.

The Journal additionally highlighted growing concerns among Trump allies and foreign policy hawks that Iran could secure economic relief while maintaining significant leverage and enrichment capabilities. One report noted that “many of Trump’s political allies openly urged Trump to resume strikes on Iran instead of making diplomatic concessions.”

President Trump has continued defending the talks, insisting that any agreement would fully protect American interests and only move forward if Iran accepts strict U.S. conditions. Administration officials have acknowledged, however, that negotiations remain active and that major details are still being worked out.

Trump has also lashed out at critics attacking the negotiations before a final agreement has been completed. According to reports, he argued opponents do not yet know the actual contents of the deal and are reacting prematurely.

Republican lawmakers including Tom Cotton and Lindsey Graham have continued warning that any relaxation of sanctions could strengthen Tehran economically and strategically while undermining years of American pressure efforts.

Former Trump administration officials have also expressed concern. John Bolton and other Iran hawks have repeatedly argued that partial agreements risk leaving Iran’s nuclear infrastructure largely intact while giving the regime badly needed financial breathing room.

Several analysts aligned with pro-Israel security positions have echoed those warnings, arguing that limited agreements lacking aggressive verification systems could allow Tehran to preserve uranium enrichment capabilities while still receiving economic benefits and sanctions relief.

Trump, meanwhile, has rejected accusations that he is preparing to accept weak terms, insisting that he would never agree to “a bad deal” and arguing that many of the loudest critics are reacting without full knowledge of the negotiations themselves.

{Matzav.com}

Senior Likud MK David Bitan said Monday that the controversial draft law regulating the status of yeshiva students no longer has enough political support to pass, while acknowledging that even the chareidi parties themselves are no longer backing the current proposal.

Speaking in an interview on Kol Chai Radio’s main evening program, Bitan painted a picture of a political system already preparing for new elections, with coalition tensions growing over both the draft law and the timing of the next vote.

According to Bitan, the main dispute at the moment revolves around whether elections should be held in September or October.

“We prefer October, while the chareidim prefer September,” Bitan said, adding that “I don’t think elections can be held during the holidays themselves.”

The chairman of the Knesset Economic Affairs Committee also addressed Israel’s ongoing military challenges, saying the country remains deeply engaged in simultaneous conflicts on several fronts, including Lebanon, Gaza, and Iran.

“As the war dragged on, things stopped depending only on us,” Bitan explained.

At the same time, he rejected criticism suggesting Israel entered the fighting unnecessarily.

“I do not accept this claim that we fought for nothing. We absolutely had to fight,” he said.

When asked about the government’s repeated promise of achieving “total victory,” Bitan conceded that Israel has not yet fully reached that objective.

“‘Total victory’ was the intention, but we still haven’t reached that point. It is still a process,” he said.

Bitan argued that the Israeli public understands the complexity of the situation and the enormous challenges facing the country during the current security crisis.

A major portion of the interview focused on the stalled draft law and the growing crisis between the coalition and the chareidi parties. Bitan insisted that responsibility for the deadlock does not rest solely on Likud.

“You can’t come only to Likud with complaints about why the draft law did not advance over these years,” he said. “It is impossible to pass a law that the chareidim themselves currently do not support at all.”

Bitan outlined the series of political and legal obstacles that ultimately derailed the legislation.

“At first there were legal problems that dragged things out,” he explained. “Afterward, some coalition members refused to support the wording, and we reached the point where the law simply no longer has a majority — and now the chareidim themselves no longer want it. Life goes on, and eventually we will arrange a fair law in the next term.”

The veteran Likud lawmaker also addressed the government’s judicial reform efforts, suggesting that Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu’s current approach differs from his earlier position on the issue.

“Based on how he behaves today, yes. I think today he wants what he did not want in the past,” Bitan said regarding the possibility of reviving judicial reform legislation.

Still, Bitan cautioned that any renewed effort would need to move gradually rather than all at once.

The interview also touched on growing internal tensions inside Likud surrounding reserved spots on the party’s Knesset slate ahead of the next elections.

Bitan said demands that Netanyahu receive ten reserved slots on the list are unrealistic and noted that past Likud leaders rarely relied heavily on such mechanisms.

“We are a democratic party,” he said, defending the party’s primary system, which allows lesser-known candidates to rise through the ranks.

Bitan additionally rejected criticism from some right-wing figures who argue the current government failed to fulfill major ideological promises.

According to him, the war dramatically reshaped the government’s priorities, though he maintained that the coalition still achieved significant accomplishments.

“A lot of good things happened,” Bitan said, arguing that despite wartime pressures and ongoing legal battles, the government managed to preserve economic stability while also addressing social issues.

Toward the end of the interview, Bitan was asked which parties Likud would refuse to join after the next election. He responded that the party maintains a firm line regarding cooperation with Arab parties and the Democrats party.

“Likud currently will not sit with the Arab parties,” he said, adding that there are also major issues from Likud’s perspective regarding cooperation with the Democrats.

{Matzav.com}

At the close of Shavuos, during the traditional Ne’ilas HaChag Tish attended by thousands of Belzer chassidim, a dramatic public announcement was delivered in the name of the Belzer Rebbe regarding what was described as the growing campaign against lomdei Torah in Eretz Yisroel.

The announcement was delivered by the Rebbe’s longtime mashbak, Reb Shimon Wolf Klein, who spoke emotionally about the mounting financial and legal pressures facing avreichim and bnei Torah throughout the country.

“We are now entering the third year of one of the most difficult battles faced by those who learn and toil in Torah here in Eretz Yisroel,” Klein declared.

“Unfortunately, the latest troubles make people forget the earlier ones. It began with the cancellation of funding that supported Torah learners, and when that was not enough for them, they began imposing additional decrees, intimidation, and various harsh measures — all with one objective: to pressure and make life difficult for Torah learners and, chalilah, uproot the existence of Torah.”

Klein praised Belzer chassidim for what he described as extraordinary dedication and sacrifice in supporting kollel families over the past two years.

“Baruch Hashem, over the past two years Belzer chassidim proved themselves and stood with exceptional mesirus nefesh at the side of the kollel avreichim, serving as an example for communities throughout Eretz Yisroel,” he said.

He noted that the Belzer Rebbe established and strengthened the “Keren Hatzolas HaTorah,” a special emergency fund created to sustain Torah learners facing growing economic hardship.

“We merited that the Rebbe established and built the Keren Hatzolas HaTorah, which undertook the enormous responsibility of raising the massive sums needed to support the kollel avreichim — amounts reaching 12 million shekels each year,” Klein announced.

“Now the fund is taking upon itself another year of sustaining Torah learners in partnership with chassidim from Eretz Yisroel and abroad.”

Toward the conclusion of the announcement, Klein issued a direct appeal to the assembled chassidim to personally sponsor avreichim in the Belzer community.

“The Rebbe calls upon every person to take upon himself support for an avreich at a cost of 900,” he said. “And whoever is able should take upon himself several avreichim, so that the strength of Torah should not weaken.”

Klein added a personal message from the Rebbe to those who assist the campaign.

“The Rebbe asked to add that whoever helps will have the Rebbe’s gratitude, and he and his family will be spared from pain and anguish,” he concluded.

{Matzav.com}

The United States carried out a series of military strikes early Tuesday in southern Iran, targeting Iranian vessels and missile infrastructure that American officials said posed an immediate danger to U.S. forces operating near the Strait of Hormuz.

According to American officials, the action was described as a defensive response intended to neutralize threats coming from Iranian military assets during the fragile ceasefire period.

“US forces conducted self-defense strikes in southern Iran today to protect our troops from threats posed by Iranian forces,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins said.

“US Central Command continues to defend our forces while using restraint during the ongoing ceasefire,” he added.

Fox News, citing a senior U.S. official, reported that American forces detected two Iranian boats in the Strait of Hormuz allegedly attempting to deploy naval mines. The same official said U.S. aircraft also came under threat after an Iranian missile installation targeted American warplanes operating in the area.

In response, the U.S. military reportedly destroyed both vessels belonging to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The official also said the United States struck an Iranian surface-to-air missile position in Bandar Abbas after Iranian outlets reported blasts in the city earlier in the day.

Additional explosions were also reported near the coastal areas of Sirik and Jask, both situated close to the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz.

American officials emphasized that the attacks were intended as limited defensive operations rather than a renewed escalation of the broader conflict. One official told Fox News that the mission was “defensive,” while two other sources stressed that the military action should not be interpreted as the collapse of the ceasefire arrangement with Iran.

Reports of explosions across multiple locations near the Strait of Hormuz had already surfaced Monday night, according to Fox. A senior official later told the network that the U.S. military operation was “over for now.”

{Matzav.com}

Degel HaTorah MK Yaakov Asher launched a blistering attack Monday against Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and Israel’s Supreme Court, accusing the legal establishment of waging what he described as a systematic ideological war against the chareidi public.

Speaking at a conference for chareidi mortgage advisers, Asher warned that growing pressure on the Torah community could eventually trigger widespread backlash across the chareidi sector.

“The chareidi public will not sit quietly,” Asher declared. “In the end, this will turn into some kind of uprising.”

At the center of his remarks was the ongoing legal and political battle surrounding the draft issue and government funding connected to the chareidi community. Asher claimed the judiciary and legal advisers are deliberately targeting chareidim not only politically, but economically and socially as well.

He described the situation as “a legal war of judicial activism by the attorney general,” arguing that the campaign is fueled by both political and ideological motives.

According to Asher, the legal system is attempting “even ultimately to starve the chareidi population, causing disproportionate harm to women, teachers, kindergarten workers, and children.”

The MK accused Israel’s legal establishment of applying double standards when it comes to human rights and civil protections.

“When they need to pass a law to deport terrorists’ families, all the legal advisers are concerned not to violate the rights of those families,” he said.

“All the sensitivity that the attorney general, her colleagues, and the Supreme Court justices have — all the sensitivity regarding human rights — take 10% of that sensitivity and apply it to this public.”

Asher went on to describe what he said are the practical consequences of government policies affecting chareidi families.

“There are children struggling in school who have tutors helping them, and now they wanted to stop funding for those tutors,” he said. “Why? Because maybe one of the tutors earns a living from it and is considered by them to be a draft dodger. So what do you want? That these children fall apart and later end up being treated by social services?”

The veteran lawmaker portrayed the situation as an organized and relentless campaign against the chareidi sector.

“Every day there’s another letter, every day another directive, every day something else,” Asher said. “This is a war against the entire chareidi public. And it’s not just political. In politics, you can maneuver and make different moves. Here, every move you make, the court comes and overturns everything.”

He also argued that government policy toward chareidim is contradictory and economically self-defeating.

“You are harming the economy while at the same time talking about legislation to encourage public transportation,” he said. “And with the other hand, you are making life harder for the very public that uses public transportation more than anyone else.”

Asher stressed that any response from the chareidi community would remain nonviolent and guided by rabbinic leadership, even as frustration intensifies.

“The chareidi public will not sit quietly. In the end, this will turn into some kind of uprising, but of course a legal one. We are not people of violence or things of that nature. Some say it’s a shame, but no — these are the instructions we receive from the Gedolei Torah, and that is how we will act.”

He concluded by saying that the mounting pressure is increasingly uniting all segments of the chareidi community, including both full-time learners and working families.

“In the end — and this is our strength — they are putting everyone into the same category,” Asher said. “Those whose Torah is their profession and those who work as well, because they are also harming their families and their sons who are learning Torah. They are dragging the entire public into this.”

Asher closed with another sharp jab at the legal establishment, accusing it of showing greater concern for Palestinians than for Israel’s chareidi citizens.

“They are causing enormous damage to the State of Israel,” he said, “but they will continue protecting the quality of life of various Palestinians in Area C.”

{Matzav.com}

A storm of controversy and fascination swept through the Jewish music world this week following claims that Yaakov Shwekey incorporated artificial intelligence into parts of his newly released EP, Happiness — a development some insiders are calling a turning point for the entire industry.

The discussion exploded after reports surfaced that the music-identification system used by the Jewish music app Jusic detected audio patterns suggesting possible AI-generated elements within some of the album’s arrangements.

Israeli radio host Menachem Toker described the revelation during his “Zman Avir” program on Kol Chai as a dramatic moment for Jewish music.

“When the biggest singer in the world today uses AI, it’s an absolutely crazy explosion,” Toker said.

The new EP contains four songs, and according to those involved in the discussion, the concerns do not relate to Shwekey’s vocals themselves, but rather to portions of the instrumentation and production.

Producer and arranger Yishai Shin, who works with the Jusic platform, explained on-air that the app’s “smart algorithm” flagged unusual characteristics in the recordings.

“We can see in the song’s characteristics that it contains content that may have been created by AI,” Shin said.

At the same time, he stressed that the album was not entirely AI-generated.

“There are AI motifs in the guitars and in the arrangement,” he explained, adding that other music professionals independently reached similar conclusions after reviewing the tracks.

Participants in the discussion emphasized that the singing itself was not generated through artificial intelligence.

Toker described the development as “an earthquake in Jewish music,” particularly because of Shwekey’s stature as one of the genre’s most influential and recognizable artists.

According to Toker, the decision was not driven by budget limitations or attempts to cut costs, but rather by an intentional embrace of new creative and technological tools.

During the broadcast, it was also reported that individuals connected to Shwekey confirmed that certain portions of the project were indeed created with the assistance of AI technology.

Composer and producer Moishy Woldar defended the move and argued that adapting to emerging technologies is both natural and necessary.

“The greatest move a person can make is knowing how to connect to the right time and the right generation,” Woldar said.

He warned that musicians who refuse to adopt artificial intelligence tools in the future may ultimately fall behind the industry.

Woldar also noted that arranger Ravid Kashti was involved in the production process and argued that AI does not eliminate the need for human professionals, but rather gives them new capabilities and creative options.

Music critic Netanel Leifer also joined the debate, explaining that experienced musicians and studio professionals are often able to identify AI-generated elements, especially in guitar sounds and instrumental textures.

Still, he acknowledged that most ordinary listeners are unlikely to notice any difference at all.

“For the ears of most listeners, they simply don’t care,” Leifer said.

Despite differing opinions over the growing role of artificial intelligence in music production, all of the participants praised Happiness itself and described the EP as a high-quality and impressive musical release.

{Matzav.com}

As hopes fade for passage of a draft law during the current Knesset term, frustration is mounting inside United Torah Judaism, where party leaders are now demanding immediate and tangible achievements for the chareidi public in exchange for continued coalition support.

According to a report published Monday, senior UTJ figures made clear during an internal faction meeting that the party no longer intends to provide automatic backing for coalition legislation without receiving concrete benefits in return.

The growing pressure follows increasing recognition within the chareidi parties that the long-discussed draft law regulating the status of yeshiva bochurim is unlikely to pass during the current government.

During the meeting, MK Meir Porush and Deputy Communications Minister Yisroel Eichler reportedly insisted that every future vote supporting coalition initiatives in the Knesset plenum must now be tied to legislation delivering immediate gains for the chareidi sector.

The strategy is aimed at allowing UTJ to present voters with meaningful accomplishments after efforts to advance the draft law effectively stalled.

As part of the negotiations, the faction reportedly agreed that in exchange for supporting legislation transferring certain Interior Ministry powers to Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu, UTJ would demand advancement of the Daycare Law — legislation initiated by the party intended to benefit chareidi families.

The proposal was supposed to move forward this week with preliminary approval in the Knesset. However, according to the report, UTJ ultimately backed away and abstained during the vote on the transfer of powers without securing any concessions in return.

Party officials are also expected to push for additional legislation important to the chareidi public, including an override clause limiting judicial intervention and further measures designed to ease sanctions imposed on yeshiva students and regulate the legal status of lomdei Torah.

At the same time, tensions reportedly continue between Degel HaTorah and Shas over the question of possible election timing. Due to ongoing disagreements between the parties, UTJ lawmakers reportedly agreed that all faction members will present their positions next week regarding when elections should take place in an effort to establish a unified strategy.

Meanwhile, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri reportedly acknowledged during a separate Shas faction meeting that prospects for passing the draft law have effectively collapsed for the foreseeable future.

“Yesterday it became clear that the draft law will no longer pass during the current term,” Deri reportedly told party members.

Despite the pessimism, political insiders say Degel HaTorah’s position does not necessarily mean the party would actively oppose such legislation if Netanyahu somehow succeeds in assembling a majority independently. In that scenario, faction members could still vote in favor of the bill and allow the legislative process to move forward.

{Matzav.com}

Federal agencies distributed approximately $186 billion in improper payments during fiscal year 2025, according to a new analysis by the Government Accountability Office, with Medicare, Medicaid, and welfare-related programs making up the overwhelming majority of the losses.

The total represented an increase of roughly $24 billion compared to the previous fiscal year, according to a report by the New York Post. The GAO found that 15 federal agencies reported improper payments across 64 separate government programs, with nearly 82% of the questionable payments classified as overpayments.

Among all federal programs, Medicare recorded the highest amount of improper payments, totaling $57 billion.

Medicaid ranked second, with an estimated $37 billion improperly distributed, while the Earned Income Tax Credit accounted for another $21 billion that went to recipients who were not eligible.

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as food stamps, saw nearly $10 billion in improper payments.

Another $10 billion was linked to the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant Program, a pandemic-era initiative created to help theaters, museums, and entertainment venues survive the economic fallout of COVID-19 restrictions.

All other federal programs combined were responsible for an additional $51 billion in improper payments, according to the report.

The GAO noted that improper payments have plagued the federal government for decades, estimating that agencies have improperly distributed nearly $3 trillion since 2003.

The agency warned that the true number may actually be significantly larger, explaining that several programs viewed as highly vulnerable to payment errors were not included in the latest calculations.

The findings were released as a federal anti-fraud initiative spearheaded by Vice President JD Vance pressures states to tighten monitoring of federally funded assistance programs or face the possibility of losing federal dollars.

Kristen Kociolek, managing director of the GAO’s Financial Management and Assurance division, told The Washington Times that the sharpest jump in improper payments occurred during the COVID-19 years between 2020 and 2023, when emergency spending programs rapidly expanded.

The GAO said it has repeatedly called on Congress and federal agencies to strengthen oversight systems and accountability safeguards aimed at curbing fraud, payment errors, and abuse throughout the federal government.

{Matzav.com}

A group of coalition lawmakers from Likud, Religious Zionism, Otzma Yehudit, and the chareidi parties submitted a request Monday for an urgent Knesset discussion over a controversial decision by the Israel Land Authority to block certain Torah learners from participating in subsidized housing programs.

The lawmakers accused the government of carrying out what they described as blatant discrimination against chareidi avreichim, arguing that the new policy unfairly targets bnei Torah while other non-serving sectors continue receiving housing benefits.

The request calls for a fast-track hearing in the Knesset Interior and Environmental Protection Committee following changes to eligibility rules for the government’s discounted housing lottery program, known as “Dira B’Hanacha” and “Mechir Lamishtaken.”

Among the MKs backing the request are Meir Porush, Simcha Rothman, Tali Gottlieb, Avi Maoz, Michel Buskila, Moshe Abutbul, and Tzvika Fogel.

The political uproar erupted after legal authorities instructed the Israel Land Authority to revise eligibility criteria in a manner linking housing benefits to military service status.

In the explanatory notes attached to the request, the lawmakers wrote that “following the Supreme Court ruling and instructions from the legal advisory authorities, changes were made to the criteria for eligibility to register for the government housing program ‘Dira B’Hanacha.’ As part of these changes, avreichim whose military status is not regulated were denied the ability to register for the program and participate in the lotteries, due to the legal linkage created between housing benefits and military service.”

The lawmakers argued that the policy creates discriminatory enforcement aimed primarily at the chareidi public.

“An examination of the reality on the ground reveals a severe picture of unequal treatment, constituting blatant and deliberate discrimination against the chareidi sector alone,” the request stated.

The MKs further claimed that while Torah learners are now excluded from the program, other sectors whose members also do not serve in the military continue to retain full eligibility for subsidized housing lotteries.

“While avreichim whose Torah study is their profession are excluded from the program and denied the basic right to housing, members of other sectors in Israeli society who also do not serve have not lost eligibility and continue enjoying full access to the lotteries and the opportunity to receive discounted housing,” the lawmakers wrote.

They warned that the new rules create an illegitimate distinction between different groups of Israeli citizens based on cultural and sectoral identity.

“This policy creates improper discrimination between one citizen and another based on sectoral and cultural affiliation,” the statement said. “Preventing housing solutions for the avreichim public, which is already suffering from a severe and unprecedented housing crisis, under the false pretext of ‘rewarding those who serve’ — while other sectors are exempted from these rules — is a shocking social and economic injustice that cannot be accepted.”

The lawmakers requested that the issue be placed urgently on the Knesset agenda and demanded that representatives from the Attorney General’s office, the Israel Land Authority, the Housing Ministry, and other relevant agencies appear before the committee to explain the decision.

The Israel Land Authority, however, rejected claims that the policy specifically targets chareidim. According to the agency, the updated directive applies equally to all Israelis classified as draft evaders, regardless of whether they are chareidi or secular.

The move followed pressure from the Attorney General’s office demanding immediate operational steps to revoke housing benefits from individuals obligated to serve in the military who failed to regularize their status.

Under the new procedures, the Housing Ministry now conducts automatic computerized synchronization with IDF manpower databases. Any citizen identified by the military system as draft-eligible without regulated status immediately loses eligibility to participate in government housing tenders.

The policy is expected to affect thousands of young chareidi families hoping to participate in upcoming housing lotteries. In some cases, even individuals who already won discounted apartment lotteries but have not yet finalized their purchases could reportedly lose their eligibility retroactively.

{Matzav.com}

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Shmuel Yosef Fishbain zt”l, longtime Chief Rabbi of White Lake, who led the community with unwavering dedication, warmth, and mesiras nefesh for more than 55 years.

Rav Fishbain was a venerated figure of old-world rabbonus, a bridge to the great gedolim of prewar Europe and postwar America, and a living symbol of steadfast devotion to authentic Torah life and hashkafah.

For decades, his presence defined White Lake and much of the surrounding Catskills region. To countless families, vacationers, and year-round residents, Rav Fishbain was not merely a rov, but a trusted guide, a compassionate counselor, and a guardian of Torah values whose influence stretched far beyond the walls of his shul.

Born in Chicago in 1927, Rav Fishbain entered a world very different from the flourishing Torah landscape America knows today. His father, Reb Nochum Dov Fishbain zt”l, was among the pioneering builders of Torah in the Midwest and founded what was then the only yeshivos in Chicago. The elder Reb Nochum Dov’s untimely passing left a profound void when Rav Shmuel Yosef was still a young child.

In those difficult years, it was his mother, Miriam Devorah a”h, whose faith and sacrifice shaped the future of her sons. With extraordinary mesiras nefesh, at a time when sending children away to learn Torah was almost unheard of in many American cities, she dispatched Rav Shmuel Yosef and his brother to New York to learn in Yeshiva Torah Vodaas.

In Chicago, Rav Fishbain was raised in a home saturated with Torah and hachnosas orchim. His mother’s home became legendary for its open doors and warmth toward wandering Torah giants who traveled across America to strengthen Yiddishkeit in its fragile early years. As a child, Rav Fishbain merited hosting and observing some of the greatest figures of the generation, including Rav Elchonon Wasserman zt”l Hy”d, the Rayatz of Lubavitch zt”l, the Lomza Rosh Yeshivah, and numerous other gedolim and tzaddikim.

Those encounters left an indelible impression upon him. Throughout his life, Rav Fishbain would recount memories and stories from those formative years with vivid clarity, carrying within him a living connection to a vanished era of European Torah greatness transplanted onto American soil.

As a young man, Rav Fishbain immersed himself fully in Torah learning. He learned in Torah Vodaas and later in Telz, absorbing the greatness of the American yeshivah world during its formative decades. He also became closely connected to Rav Yisroel Zev Gustman zt”l at Yeshivas Netzach Yisroel, where Rav Fishbain himself eventually served as a maggid shiur, transmitting Torah with depth, clarity, and warmth.

Over the years, Rav Fishbain forged close relationships with many of the leading Torah figures and Rebbes of the generation. He maintained strong ties with the Bobover Rebbes, the Satmar Rebbe, the Tzelemer Rov, and the Skverer Rebbe, as well as with such luminaries as Rav Avrohom Pam zt”l, Rav Moshe Feinstein zt”l, Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky zt”l, Rav Eliezer Silver zt”l, Rav Avigdor Miller zt”l, among many others. His life was deeply intertwined with the great personalities who shaped postwar Torah Jewry in America.

Before arriving in White Lake, Rav Fishbain served as rov in several Catskills communities, including Ellenville and Hurleyville, serving both permanent residents and the thousands of summer visitors who flocked to the region each year. In the early 1970s, he assumed the rabbonus of White Lake, a position he would hold for the remainder of his life.

For more than half a century, Rav Fishbain stood as a pillar of Torah in the Catskills. Through changing times and shifting generations, he remained steadfast and uncompromising in his devotion to Torah, halachah, and authentic hashkafah. With tremendous mesiras nefesh, he carried the burdens of the community with dignity and humility, devoting himself entirely to the needs of his flock.

He was a rov whose life revolved around Torah and avodas Hashem, yet who remained approachable and deeply caring to every individual. Whether guiding families through life’s simchos and challenges, delivering shiurim, or preserving the traditions and standards of earlier generations, Rav Fishbain embodied the nobility and responsibility of the classic American rov.

Even in his later years, he remained a revered elder statesman of Torah Jewry in the Catskills, respected across the spectrum of the Torah world for his wisdom, integrity, and unwavering principles.

Rav Fishbain is survived by his esteemed Rebbetzin, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren who continue his legacy of Torah and Yiddishkeit.

The levayah is expected to take place tomorrow in Monsey. Further details will be announced.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com}

A 74-year-old traveler heading to Greece narrowly survived a medical emergency at Ben Gurion Airport after collapsing in the duty-free section and suffering cardiac arrest, with two El Al employees rushing to his aid and reviving him before paramedics arrived.

The two workers, both volunteer emergency responders with Magen David Adom, received an alert through MDA’s emergency responder application and reached the scene within moments. Finding the man unconscious and without a pulse, they immediately began CPR.

As the resuscitation efforts got underway, they instructed a nearby passenger to retrieve a defibrillator from the airport’s public area. Within a matter of minutes, the device was used to administer two electric shocks, successfully restoring the man’s heartbeat.

An MDA intensive care ambulance crew arrived shortly afterward, continued advanced medical treatment at the scene, and transported the man to Sheba Medical Center in stable condition.

The responders, emergency medical technicians Efraim Friedman of Petah Tikva and Yosef Zaks of Modi’in Illit, described the dramatic rescue.

“We were standing near the elevator when suddenly we received an alert through the MDA responder app about an unconscious man. We went up one floor in the elevator and ran quickly to the scene. We performed resuscitation efforts, and within a short time his heart started beating again.”

They added: “He gradually regained consciousness and did not understand what had happened around him. We explained that we were taking him to the hospital, and he said he couldn’t because he was on his way to a flight. After we explained his medical condition, we evacuated him to the hospital in stable condition. It’s an emotional event – being in the right place at the right time – and thanks to the defibrillator placed in the public area at Ben Gurion Airport, we were able to save his life.”

{Matzav.com}

A tense confrontation broke out within Israel’s police leadership over whether officers should assist the military in arresting chareidi draft dodgers following a recent Supreme Court ruling, according to a report published today.

The debate reportedly unfolded during a high-level meeting of senior police commanders, where Central District Commander Amir Cohen voiced strong opposition to military requests for assistance in planned operations targeting draft evaders.

“They are not going to tell us how to prioritize missions,” Cohen reportedly said during the discussion.

The controversy comes after Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that police must cooperate with the military in apprehending chareidim classified as draft evaders. Following the ruling, the IDF informed police that it intends to begin proactive enforcement operations in early June and requested security assistance from law enforcement.

During the meeting, Cohen argued that the police should avoid becoming entangled in what he viewed as a military issue.

“The army is dragging us into an event where we are dealing with deserters,” he reportedly said.

According to the report, several senior officers strongly objected to Cohen’s remarks, including representatives from the police legal advisory division and top investigative officials.

Senior officer Boaz Blatt reportedly responded sharply, telling Cohen: “There is no place for statements of this kind.”

“You are representing police officers and commanders here,” Blatt added.

Police Commissioner Dani Levy ultimately settled the dispute by making clear that the police would follow the court’s directive and cooperate with the military.

“There is a Supreme Court decision here. There is law and order — and we will do what the court said.”

{Matzav.com}