Attorneys for former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett have filed a police complaint against political social media activists, accusing them of spreading content taken from Bennett’s Telegram account that allegedly leaked following an illegal hacking incident.
According to the complaint, the materials were knowingly distributed after being obtained through criminal means, in violation of the law. Bennett’s lawyers argue that the dissemination of the messages is especially serious given the sensitivity of an election year and its potential impact on public opinion.
The complaint states that distributing materials obtained through unlawful wiretapping constitutes a serious criminal offense, punishable by up to five years in prison. Among those named are social media activist Ido Gavoni and an individual identified as Gor Ben Ze’ev, who allegedly shared screenshots of purported correspondence between Bennett and his former adviser, Shimrit Meir.
Investigative sources said the matter is being handled by the Shin Bet. Authorities believe the breach was limited to Bennett’s Telegram account and did not involve access to his personal phone. The complaint was also forwarded to the State Attorney and to the head of the police investigations and intelligence division, with Bennett’s legal team stressing that the incident represents an improper attempt to use a criminal hack to influence the democratic process.
{Matzav.com}
The Anti-Defamation League said that a senior hire announced by New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani had published antisemitic remarks on social media more than ten years ago.
On Tuesday, Mamdani selected Catherine Almonte Da Costa to serve as director of appointments in his incoming administration. Da Costa previously held a similar role during Mayor Bill de Blasio’s tenure.
According to the ADL, it uncovered posts from Da Costa’s X account written in 2011 and 2012 that contained antisemitic language.
Among the posts cited by the organization was the statement, “Money hungry Jews smh.” The abbreviation “smh” refers to “shaking my head.”
The ADL said Da Costa also wrote, “Promoted to upstairs office today! Working alongside these rich Jewish peeps,” as well as, “Far Rockaway train is the Jew train.”
Shortly after the ADL made the posts public, the X account was removed.
In response, the ADL said, “We appreciate Da Costa has relationships with members of the Jewish community, but her posts require immediate explanation — not just from Ms. Da Costa, but also from the Mayor-Elect.”
The controversy followed another incident involving Mamdani’s team, after a separate staff member issued an apology last month for past social media posts that portrayed Israel in a demonizing manner.
Mamdani’s transition operation has also drawn scrutiny for including Women’s March leader Tamika Mallory, who has been accused of engaging in antisemitic conduct.
{Matzav.com}
President Donald Trump said the White House had not officially arranged a meeting with Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, even as he indicated that the Israeli leader was eager to meet and that a visit was likely to take place in Florida.
Asked in the Oval Office whether Netanyahu would be coming to Mar-a-Lago later in the month, Trump replied, “We haven’t set it up formally, but he would like to see me,” adding, “He’ll probably come to see me in Florida.”
Despite repeated briefings from Netanyahu’s office over more than a week asserting that a meeting was scheduled for December 29, the White House had not issued any formal confirmation.
During the same exchange with reporters, Trump was also questioned about the possibility of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi joining the gathering in Florida. Trump responded warmly, saying, “I’d love to have him. El-Sissi is a friend of mine.”
According to a US official quoted by The Times of Israel, Washington had been exploring the idea of hosting a three-way meeting involving Trump, Sissi, and Netanyahu. The official said US officials believed progress toward that goal was made after American mediation helped persuade Israel to move forward with a major gas agreement with Egypt, following months of hesitation by Netanyahu.
However, the same official said Egypt showed significantly less interest in such a summit, citing ongoing objections to Israel’s actions in Gaza and reluctance to offer Netanyahu a political advantage during an election year.
{Matzav.com}
