Feed aggregator

In an interview with Arutz Sheva, Energy and Infrastructure Minister Eli Cohen laid out Israel’s red lines regarding postwar Gaza and regional diplomacy, addressing Turkey, Qatar, Gaza’s future, and Israel’s outreach to Somaliland.

Asked about speculation that Turkey could be included in a multinational peace force operating in Gaza, Cohen rejected the idea outright. “Turkey will not be part of the peace force. This issue is not up for negotiation. Neither Turkey nor Qatar will be included. Both are part of the Muslim Brotherhood axis. Turkey’s actions would work directly against Israeli and American interests. It would try to ensure Hamas maintains some form of power, and that is something we will not agree to.” He later reiterated the point bluntly, saying, “Turkey is not going to be part of any multinational force in Gaza.”

Cohen framed Israel’s position as one rooted in security and long-term strategy, stressing that Jerusalem would not tolerate outside involvement that undermines its core interests. His remarks came against the backdrop of heightened regional tensions and Israel’s ongoing efforts to secure its borders and weaken terrorist infrastructure.

Turning to the humanitarian and political reality inside Gaza, Cohen painted a bleak picture of the territory’s prospects. “The issue with Gaza is that it will not recover in the near future,” he said. “It’s in ruins after the devastation Hamas caused. We must give Gaza’s residents the basic right to leave the region, to go anywhere else in the world, not just to Egypt.”

Cohen was also asked about Israel’s recognition of Somaliland and reports suggesting that, in exchange, Somaliland might be prepared to absorb residents from Gaza. Addressing the broader issue of exits from the Strip, he said, “With or without ties to Somaliland, we need to work to open the Rafah crossings for exit. It is clear that Gaza will not be rebuilt in the coming years. It looks like a pile of ruins after the disaster that Hamas inflicted on it, and therefore, the residents of Gaza should be allowed the basic right to leave the Strip for anyone who wants to.” He emphasized that this did not mean relocating Gazans to Egypt, adding, “This is a basic right that should be given to them.”

While declining to give a direct answer on whether Somaliland would take in Gazans, Cohen focused instead on the diplomatic significance of the relationship. He said the move “proves that Israel is a regional power that is expanding its spheres of influence, is forming a relationship with Somaliland, which is pro-Israeli and pro-Western, and is located at a central point on the shipping lanes, and therefore this is a very strategic move by Israel, which I assume will be similar in the future.”

{Matzav.com}

Zohran Mamdani is sworn in as the Mayor of New York City by Sen. Bernie Sanders.

The New Year festivities at Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday featured a notable international presence, as Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, joined the celebrations at the personal invitation of US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.

The gathering was especially distinctive in diplomatic terms, as Netanyahu was the sole foreign head of government invited to attend the President’s Gala.

According to those familiar with the event, Netanyahu’s appearance also marked a unique milestone, as he remains the only international leader ever to have taken part in the President’s Gala at Mar-a-Lago.

{Matzav.com}

Mazel Tov! The joy and bliss when an engagement is announced. The excitement is palpable. What a time of complete happiness & simcha! As the myriad details need to be arranged and the hectic whirlwind sets in, for some of these smiling families the smiles begin to falter, the dance slowly slips off-beat. The reason […]

New York City Comptroller Mark D. Levine welcomes New Yorkers at the inauguration of New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani in 3 different languages.

The U.S. State Department issued an advisory urging U.S. citizens in Iran to “exercise increased caution” due to ongoing protests in the country.

“The Department of State advises U.S. citizens in Iran to exercise increased caution due to ongoing and escalating protests in Iran,” the U.S. Virtual Embassy in Iran stated. “Demonstrations have resulted in heightened security presence, road closures, disruptions to public transportation and internet blockages. Protests can turn violent, leading to arrests and injuries.”

It advised U.S. citizens in Iran to “avoid crowds and keep a low profile,” follow local media reports for the latest and to “have a plan for departing Iran that does not rely on U.S. government help.” The State Department currently lists Iran under a “do not travel” advisory “due to the risk of terrorism, unrest, kidnapping, arbitrary arrest of U.S. citizens and wrongful detention.”

The protests, which have entered their fifth day, reportedly stem from a worsening economy and have featured chants of “death to the dictator,” a reference to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran.

The State Department, from its Farsi-language social-media account, stated that the protesters are “demanding respect, access to services and the right to self-determination.”

“Their resolve demonstrates the power of people who refuse to remain silent,” it stated. “The United States stands in solidarity with the people of Iran in their pursuit of their fundamental rights.” JNS

{Matzav.com}

Supreme Court justices Yitzchak Amit, Ofer Grosskopf, and Gila Kanfi-Steinitz issued a conditional order to the state on Thursday, freezing a law that allows the Education Ministry to dismiss teachers who publicly support terrorism. The order requires the state to explain why the law should not be repealed in response to petitions filed against it […]

The Israel Defense Forces is expediting preparations for a multi-front war with Iran in light of the internal unrest in the Islamic Republic, Hebrew media reported.

The preparations, which are part of the military’s multi-year plan extending roughly to 2030, anticipate conflict involving Iran, Lebanon and Judea and Samaria, according to Israel’s Channel 12 News.

A senior Israeli official told the outlet that while Israel was refusing to comment on the protests in Iran, which entered their fifth day on Thursday, the political echelon sees it as a “dramatic event.

“It is too early to know the consequences,” the official told the outlet.

The report said that Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu held “discussions and consultations” regarding the demonstrations during his visit to the United States, which is scheduled to end on Thursday.

The IDF’s developing war plans reportedly include the possibility that the Islamic regime’s leaders will decide to attack the Jewish state to prevent their overthrow at the hands of the Iranian people.

A large-scale “surprise war” with Tehran and its regional terror proxies could for the first time also include Israeli attacks “in and from” outer space, according to the report.

Netanyahu told Newsmax on Tuesday that Iran’s leaders have “robbed their people of the future” and that change would “come from within.”

“It’s up to the Iranian people, and we understand what they’re going through, and we’re very sympathetic to them,” he told the channel.

The regime’s leadership is cracking down on expressions of widespread dissent over the country’s spiraling economic crisis, which has left the national currency at an all-time low of 1.4 million rials to a U.S. dollar.

Iran International reported that the crackdown on protesters continued on Thursday morning, with regime forces opening fire and deploying tear gas at Tehran’s central fruit and vegetable market.

Iranian authorities confirmed on Thursday that a member of the Basij, a paramilitary force within Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was killed during a rally in the country’s western Lorestan province.

The Basij member was “martyred … at the hands of rioters during protests in this city in defense of public order,” a local official said. Another 13 Basij members and police officers reportedly suffered injuries.

A government building in the country’s south was also vandalized by demonstrators on Wednesday, Iranian authorities told local media.

Iran has seen repeated waves of protests since 2009 over a host of issues, including the religious oppression practiced by its theocratic rulers. The latest have reportedly become the biggest protests since 2022, when the death of Mahsa Amini, 22, in regime custody triggered mass rallies.

Ali Shamkhani, an adviser and representative of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, earlier this week alluded to an attack in the wake of the meeting between Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Under Iran’s defense doctrine, some responses are determined even before the threats reach the implementation stage,” Shamkhani wrote in Hebrew on X. He added: “Iran’s missile and defense capabilities are uncontrollable and do not require authorization. Any aggression will be met with a severe, immediate, and unexpected response.”

It appeared shortly after Trump said he would “knock the —- out of” Iran if the regime attempted to rebuild nuclear sites targeted in June. JNS

{Matzav.com}

Dirshu is coming to Far Rockaway and the Five Towns. This coming Sunday, 16 Teves/January 4, will mark a historic milestone in Far Rockaway and the Five Towns which will host their first ever major Dirshu event, An Evening of Celebration and Chizuk. The evening will start off with a gala siyum on Mishnah Berurah Chelek Gimmel […]

OAC delivers the opening remarks at the public inauguration ceremony for New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders stood with the crowd on the front steps of City Hall for Zohran Mamdani’s inauguration. Ocasio-Cortez is set to speak, while Sanders will administer the oath to the new mayor during this afternoon’s ceremony.

Former Mayor Bill de Blasio offered advice to Zohran Mamdani, noting that from his own experience, no matter how much you prepare, “you’re still going to get thrown a lot of curveballs.”

HAPPENING NOW: Chants of “Free Free Palestine” break out at Mamdani inauguration, while another woman is on live TV demanding Mamdani keep to his campaign promise to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu if he visits NYC.

IDF officer (res.) Dovi Yudkin published a sharp warning on Thursday on his Facebook account regarding the treatment of Charedi prisoners in military prisons. Yudkin, from Kfar Chabad, is the brother of Capt. Yisrael Yudkin, H’yd, who fell in the Gaza Strip more than a year and a half ago. Yudkin stated that he chose […]

Residents of cities near Bnei Brak are planning to carry out a counter-protest against the wave of Chareidi protests against the draft by creating a deliberate traffic jam on the roads leading to Bnei Brak on Erev Shabbos, blocking access to the city. The protesters, frustrated with highway closures and weekly traffic jams caused by […]

The Shin Bet, Israel Police, and IDF have uncovered a weapons-smuggling network operating in the Negev using drones. Four MAG machine guns were seized after being transported by a drone that was intercepted and downed by IDF forces.

The massive anti-regime protests in Iran have now spread to more than 50 cities.