Israel’s Chief Rabbi, Rav Kalman Meir Bar, took part Monday in the 15th Conference of Religious Leaders in Israel, held in Nazareth, where senior figures from multiple faiths gathered to discuss shared challenges, promote unity, and coordinate efforts to combat extremism and violence.
The conference, organized by the Interior Ministry and its Department for Religious Communities, was held at the Golden Crown Hotel in Nazareth and focused this year on the theme “From Polarization to Unity,” with an emphasis on strengthening social cohesion, advancing peace, and confronting evil.
During the proceedings, Rav Bar played a central role in interfaith discussions with religious leaders, focusing on the responsibility of spiritual leadership to reduce polarization in Israeli society and to foster coexistence and peace. He also participated in a dedicated working group that examined the impact of polarization on public life and explored practical ways to address it.
Addressing the gathering, Rav Bar said: “This gathering of religious leaders is important both practically and symbolically. We must use the power we have as religious leaders to promote peace and goodness in the world — not only in matters that directly affect us.”
He continued by pointing to global conflicts and humanitarian crises. “If a war in Ukraine has claimed the lives of nearly a million people, we have an obligation to speak out clearly. And if there are other places of suffering, hunger, and evil, it is our duty to raise a clear and unambiguous voice. Not only to issue statements, but also to advance initiatives, partnerships, and concrete actions to increase goodness and eradicate evil in the world.”
Rav Bar stressed that the very act of convening carried an important message. “Judaism is not an enemy of Christianity or Islam. On the contrary. Judaism is a religion of peace, especially when it comes to other faiths that believe in one God. We are all children of one Father. And precisely when there are those who try to ignite a religious war by distorting religion and using it to justify terror and the harming of innocents, we declare loudly: there is no religious war between Judaism and Islam. On the contrary. There is brotherhood and peace — and above all, a shared mission to eradicate evil, fight it, and promote goodness and peace for all who live in this land.”
Interior Ministry Director-General Israel Uzan also addressed the conference, emphasizing the influence of religious leadership. “The heads of religions and communities in Israel have a central role and significant ability to promote values of unity, tolerance, peace, and shared living. Meetings between religious leaders, based on open and respectful dialogue, are an important pillar in strengthening social cohesion and building a more united and healthy society. We will continue to reinforce this area in the Interior Ministry by advancing meetings, dialogue, and cooperation, viewing religious leaders as key partners in shared responsibility and in preserving the fabric of life in Israel.”
The conference concluded with a formal signing ceremony of a joint declaration by the religious leaders, read aloud in Hebrew, Arabic, and English, expressing a shared commitment to social unity, interfaith dialogue, and the advancement of peace.
Among the participants were Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III, Latin Patriarch Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the head of the Greek Catholic Church, Druze spiritual leader and chairman of the Supreme Druze Council Sheikh Mowafaq Tarif, Muslim Sharia Court of Appeals judge Dr. Iyad Zahalka, Interior Ministry Director-General Israel Uzan, Emir Mohammed Sharif, and representatives of Israel’s various religious communities.
{Matzav.com}
Nine people were arrested and a demonstrator was taken to the hospital after clashes erupted during a hafganah Monday evening at the Geha Junction, as police moved to clear blocked roadways and restore traffic flow in the area.
According to Israel Police, officers operated near Geha Junction, close to Bnei Brak and Givat Shmuel, after demonstrators protesting the arrest of yeshiva students blocked Highway 4. Police said protesters sat on the road, physically blocked vehicles and confronted officers, actions that endangered both themselves and other motorists.
Police commanders declared the gathering an illegal demonstration prior to any enforcement measures. Despite repeated warnings, authorities said the protesters refused to comply with instructions and continued blocking traffic.
As the situation escalated, police used crowd-dispersal measures and force to extract vehicles trapped at the scene. During the disturbances, officers reported that stones and pyrotechnic devices were thrown at police forces. Two officers were injured, and windows of a police patrol vehicle were shattered. All roadways in the area were later reopened to traffic.
Police said nine individuals suspected of disorderly conduct were taken into custody.
In a statement, police said: “The Israel Police views the right to protest as a cornerstone of a democratic state and allows demonstrations as long as they take place within the framework of the law; however, the police will not permit disturbances of any kind, harm to freedom of movement, or any behavior that could endanger public safety.”
Separately, volunteers from Hatzalah treated a man injured during the protest. Together with paramedics from Magen David Adom, responders provided medical care to a 23-year-old man suffering a head injury. He was evacuated in moderate condition to Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikva.
Hatzalah medics Eli Biton and Moshe Ashkenazi said: “When we arrived at the scene with a MDA ambulance that we staff, we found a 23-year-old man who was semi-conscious and suffering from a head injury after being harmed by violence during a protest taking place at the location. Together with Hatzalah and MDA medics, we provided him with initial medical treatment, including stabilization and bandaging, and evacuated him in moderate condition for further care in the trauma room at Beilinson Hospital in Petach Tikva.”
{Matzav.com}
The Israel Defense Forces have confirmed that there are currently no tunnels extending from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory, according to the deputy commander of the Alexandroni Brigade, as IDF troops continue to hold and operate in key areas of Gaza.
While the Alexandroni Brigade maintains control over strategic sectors inside the Strip, the brigade’s deputy commander, Lt. Col. M., said Israel’s territory is secure from underground infiltration originating in Gaza. “The IDF knows for sure today that there are no tunnels crossing from Gaza into Israeli territory,” he said.
Lt. Col. M. attributed this assessment to improved technological capabilities that give forces a detailed understanding of underground activity. “The threat of tunnels crossing into Israeli territory is almost non-existent. Inside the ‘perimeter’ and in the areas controlled by the IDF, there are still infrastructures, and the forces continue to operate daily to locate and destroy them,” he explained.
According to the deputy commander, combat operations above ground are continuing at a high tempo along the so-called “yellow line.” He noted that enemy operatives attempt to exploit IDF rules of engagement. “The enemy knows we don’t shoot at women and children, and he tries to operate within this space,” Lt. Col. M. said. “What has changed is the precision in the use of force and the adjustments we’ve made in the rules of engagement. We are prepared for attempts to approach, drones, and hostile presence that emerges from the rubble.”
Lt. Col. M. also described a recent incident underscoring the constant vigilance required of troops in the field. During a nighttime offensive operation roughly two weeks ago, IDF forces encountered a terrorist cell. A company commander was wounded during the clash and evacuated for medical treatment, while the troops continued the engagement and killed two terrorists shortly afterward.
“This is an operational routine where we are always alert. The threat can emerge at any moment, and there’s no room for surprises,” he said. “Our positions are meant to protect the forces, while the offensive activity continues to push forward, up to the yellow line, to ensure no threat approaches our communities.”
{Matzav.com}
Despite repeated assurances that the Palestinian Authority has no role in Gaza, new information indicates that its symbols are already being used in practice at the Rafah border crossing.
According to a report by Ynet, ISA chief David Zini told cabinet ministers that passports belonging to Gazans passing through the Rafah crossing are being stamped with the designation “State of Palestine.” Zini raised the issue while responding to a question from Minister Orit Strock during a cabinet meeting.
During the same exchange, Minister Zeev Elkin pressed officials on whether the guards and administrative staff working at the crossing are receiving their salaries from the Palestinian Authority.
In response to the disclosure, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed that the matter be examined immediately and ordered that the passport stamp be altered. He directed that the approving authority for Gazans entering or exiting be listed instead as the Board of Peace.
The development follows a separate dispute last week, after the board’s committee overseeing Gaza released a logo that incorporated the emblem of the Palestinian Authority. Netanyahu’s office later clarified that the logo officially shown to Israel was different and reiterated that Israel would not allow the use of Palestinian Authority symbols.
“The Palestinian Authority will not be a partner in the management of Gaza,” the Prime Minister’s Office stated.
{Matzav.com}
