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U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday that Hamas would face swift destruction if it fails to lay down its arms, delivering the remarks during a broad address at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

“We have peace in the Middle East,” he said.

Trump maintained that Hamas had agreed to disarm, despite public statements by the Palestinian terror group rejecting such a move.

“There are some little situations like Hamas, and Hamas has agreed to give up their weapons,” he asserted.

Acknowledging the difficulty of the demand, Trump added that Hamas’s long-standing reliance on armed violence complicates the process.

“They were born with a weapon in their hand, so it’s not easy to do,” Trump said.

Still, the president said he expects clarity soon on whether the group will comply. “That’s what they’ve agreed to, they’re going to do it,” he said. “And we’re going to know over the next two-three days, certainly the next three weeks, whether or not they’re going to do it.”

He followed with a blunt warning. “If they don’t do it, they’ll be blown away very quickly,” he said.

Trump also repeated his claim that dozens of countries are prepared to participate in a future International Stabilization Force for Gaza, emphasizing that many are eager to confront Hamas directly.

He said the “59 countries” interested in joining the force “want to come in and take out Hamas. They want to do whatever they can.”

Later, speaking to reporters at the start of his meeting with Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi in Davos, Trump doubled down on the threat. “If they don’t get rid of the guns, they’ll be very unhappy people. [They’re] going to have no choice. They will be eliminated,” he said.

The United States has faced difficulty persuading countries to commit troops to the proposed force, particularly amid uncertainty over whether Hamas would actually disarm and whether the Israel Defense Forces would continue withdrawing from Gaza. One country previously cited by Washington, Azerbaijan, announced earlier this month that it would not take part.

However, U.S. officials briefing reporters last week said sufficient commitments have now been secured and indicated that a formal announcement could come within roughly two weeks.

One of those briefings also appeared to confirm earlier reporting by The Times of Israel that the mission of the stabilization force has been narrowed, focusing on border security and humanitarian assistance rather than active military operations to disarm Hamas.

Under Trump’s Gaza peace framework, whose first phase took effect in October, the stabilization force is intended to assume responsibility for security in the Strip while the IDF gradually reduces its presence, which currently covers 53% of the territory.

{Matzav.com}

The US government has accused six Palestinian aid organizations operating in the Gaza Strip of secretly maintaining ties to the Hamas terror organization and supporting its military activities, according to a statement released by the US Treasury Department. The organizations named by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) are: Waed Society Gaza, Al-Nur Society […]

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Wednesday that he intends to press ahead with income tax increases, brushing aside a state budget proposal from Gov. Kathy Hochul that included a promise not to raise taxes, the NY Post report.

Mamdani’s stance marks his latest effort to nudge Hochul leftward, aligning state policy with his own agenda and that of progressive supporters who want higher taxes on wealthy residents and corporations to finance expansive initiatives, including fare-free bus service.

“Our administration is preparing to make the case that it is the time for New York’s most profitable corporations and wealthiest residents to pay their fair share,” Mamdani said while speaking to reporters at an unrelated event at the Whitney Museum in Manhattan.

His remarks came a day after Hochul rolled out a sweeping $260 billion spending plan for New York, as the Democratic governor navigates competing pressures from both ends of her party in an election year.

Hochul’s budget also included a proposal for universal pre-kindergarten, a priority long championed by Mamdani and his allies.

Still, the mayor argued that the city is shortchanged under the current arrangement, noting that New York City contributes 54.5% of state tax revenues but receives only 40.5% in return, and that any local tax increases would require approval from Albany.

“What we are looking to do is to tackle long standing fiscal issues that both have to do with the need for more revenue from the highest earners, but also the relationship between City Hall and Albany,” he said.

Despite having been in office for just three weeks, Mamdani is already confronting a projected $12.6 billion budget gap over the next two fiscal years. He laid the blame for the city’s financial troubles on his predecessor, Eric Adams, while saying the state’s finances remain solid.

“I think that it’s actually the governor’s fiscal stewardship, I think it’s also the strength of our city’s tax base, that the state is on firm financial footing,” Mamdani said.

“The issue, however, is that the city is not, and that is a result, a direct result of Eric Adams’s gross fiscal mismanagement,” he added.

The mayor’s comments add to the political challenges facing Hochul as she tries to balance demands from the party’s progressive wing with the need to appeal to moderates and suburban independents. She is also facing a primary challenge from Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, who is running from her left.

Republican Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, has seized on the issue early in the campaign, portraying Hochul as captive to the Democratic Party’s liberal base.

Hochul had endorsed Mamdani during his 2025 campaign in a move that surprised many observers, and later faced chants of “Tax the Rich” from crowds at a large rally of his supporters.

Even as Mamdani continues to advocate for higher taxes on affluent individuals and businesses, a recent report from City Comptroller Mark Levine showed that tax revenues rose by 7% in fiscal year 2026.

“This wasn’t caused by a bad economy — it’s the result of budgeting decisions from the previous administration that we must now deal with,” Levine said.

While Hochul has not entirely ruled out tax increases after the November elections, her budget director Blake Washington told the New York Post on Tuesday that the governor wants to steer clear of that option.

“She thinks it’s a last resort to raise taxes on anybody at any time,” Washington said.

{Matzav.com}

New York City police are investigating two separate cases of aggravated harassment after dozens of swastikas were discovered vandalizing a children’s playground in Brooklyn, JNS reported Wednesday, citing the New York City Police Department.

According to police, officers were initially called to Gravesend Park on January 19, where they uncovered numerous swastikas painted in red throughout the playground area.

“Approximately 16 swastikas were drawn on slides, walls and floor of the playground. The paint bottles were found on scene,” the Deputy Commissioner of Public Information told JNS. Authorities said the incident is being handled by the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force.

Police returned to the same park two days later, on January 21, after another emergency call reported additional vandalism. “On Wednesday, at approximately 1050 hours, police responded to a 911 call of an aggravated harassment in the vicinity of 56 Street and 18 Avenue (Gravesend Park), within the confines of the 66 Precinct,” DCPI said. Investigators found “approximately 57 swastikas in the playground and handball court area written on the wall in red, blue and yellow colors.” No suspects have been arrested.

Brooklyn Community Board 12 denounced the acts, pointing to the disturbing pattern of repeat vandalism at the same site. “Same park, different day. A day later, and this is what happened,” the board wrote. “We are requesting that NYPD Hate Crimes pull out all the stops to catch these vile Jew haters.”

The Anti-Defamation League of New York and New Jersey also issued a sharp condemnation. “Parents should never have to fear their children will encounter vile hatred at the playground,” the ADL said. “We are disgusted to see this display of antisemitism in Boro Park, home to tens of thousands of Jewish New Yorkers and thousands of Holocaust survivors.”

Israel’s diplomatic mission in the city echoed those sentiments. The Consulate General of Israel in New York described the vandalism as “antisemitic hatred.” It added, “A playground meant for joy and innocence was deliberately turned into a place of fear and terror because the children who play there are Jews. We will not be silent. The Jewish community around the world will stand together and will not be intimidated.”

The incidents come amid a broader surge in antisemitic activity across New York since October 7, 2023. Figures released by the NYPD on the eve of the November mayoral election, which was won by Zohran Mamdani, showed that Jews accounted for 62% of all hate-crime victims reported last month, with 29 antisemitic cases out of 47 total incidents.

On the same day Mamdani won the election, swastikas were sprayed on the Magen David Yeshiva in Brooklyn.

Nearly two weeks later, antisemitic graffiti reading “[Curse] Jews” was discovered written on a sidewalk in Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill neighborhood.

In December, a Jewish man was stabbed in broad daylight in Crown Heights, an assault police are investigating as a possible antisemitic attack.

{Matzav.com}

A group of senior diplomats from eight Muslim-majority nations said Wednesday that they will participate in a newly formed Peace Council for Gaza, following an invitation from U.S. President Donald Trump, according to reports in Turkish media.

In a joint declaration issued by the Foreign Ministry of Turkey, the ministers said the decision marks a coordinated diplomatic step backing a U.S.-driven framework. Each government will complete its accession through its own legal channels, with Egypt, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates already confirming their formal entry.

The foreign ministers from Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates reiterated their endorsement of President Trump’s peace initiative and pledged to carry out the Peace Council’s mandate as an interim governing mechanism. That mandate is set out in the Comprehensive Plan to End the Conflict in Gaza, which was adopted under UN Security Council Resolution 2803.

According to the statement, the plan aims to lock in a durable ceasefire, facilitate the rebuilding of Gaza, and pursue what the ministers described as a just and lasting settlement grounded in Palestinian self-determination and statehood under international law. They said the effort is intended to enhance security and stability for all communities in the region.

The ministers also stressed their resolve to work toward “fair and lasting peace,” adding that close diplomatic coordination among the participating states will continue as the initiative moves forward.

At the center of the effort is Trump’s Board of Peace, an international body chaired by the U.S. president, which the administration views as a cornerstone of its strategy to secure long-term calm in Gaza after the ceasefire that took effect in October.

The Board of Peace is charged with guiding Gaza’s demilitarization, reconstruction, and transitional administration, coordinating its work with a Palestinian Arab-led National Committee for the Administration of Gaza while rallying international support and financing.

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu said Wednesday morning that he has accepted Trump’s invitation to participate and will take a seat on the Board of Peace.

“The Prime Minister will join as a member of the Board of Peace, which will be composed of world leaders,” his office said.

Earlier in the week, Mohammed VI of Morocco also agreed to join the Board of Peace, accepting Trump’s invitation to serve as a founding member.

{Matzav.com}

The court on Wednesday rejected the appeal against the extension of the detention filed by the lawyer for the owner of the Jerusalem daycare and her assistant, where two babies passed away earlier this week. Judge Mordechai Borstein claimed in his ruling that there is concern that releasing them to alternative detention at this stage […]

Israel’s commercial airlines are quietly preparing contingency plans to move their aircraft out of Ben-Gurion Airport amid mounting concern that Iranian missile fire could threaten aviation infrastructure, Miri Regev said Wednesday. Speaking in an interview with Israeli radio station 103FM, Regev said carriers including El Al, Arkia, and Israir are prepared to evacuate their fleets […]

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he intends to move swiftly to turn the Greenland framework agreed to by President Trump into something concrete, signaling that follow-up talks will begin without delay.

“There’s a lot of work to be done. We’ll do it step by step, but of course, working fast, but also with thoughtful diplomacy,” Rutte said in an interview on Special Report with host Bret Baier.

Rutte emphasized that the process will advance decisively, adding, “We will get this done.”

Trump has recently made clear that he believes anything less than U.S. “ownership” of Greenland would fall short of what is needed, sharpening the stakes surrounding the framework.

When asked whether Greenland would continue as a Danish territory under the proposed arrangement, Rutte said that question was not part of the talks.

“That issue did not come up anymore in my conversation with the president,” Rutte explained. “He’s very much focused on what do we need to do to make sure that that huge Arctic region … where the Chinese, Russians are more and more active … how we can protect that.

“That was really the focus of our discussions.”

The NATO chief’s remarks underscore that the negotiations, led under the umbrella of NATO, are centered primarily on security concerns in the Arctic rather than questions of sovereignty.

{Matzav.com}

A brutal antisemitic assault that took place in Manhattan in October has now resulted in federal hate-crime charges, as prosecutors announced the arrest of the alleged perpetrator. Federal prosecutors on Wednesday unsealed an indictment charging Alazim Baker, 29, of Irvington, New Jersey, with two counts of committing hate crimes in connection with violent attacks on […]

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee responded sharply to criticism from church leaders in Yerushalayim who have spoken out against Christian Zionism, saying the term has been mischaracterized by figures who do not speak for Christians worldwide. Speaking Wednesday with Newsmax, Huckabee said the concept is being unfairly attacked and misunderstood.

During an interview on “Newsline” with host Bianca de la Garza, Huckabee addressed a recent letter issued by church patriarchs and senior clergy in Jerusalem. He said the letter wrongly portrayed Christian Zionism as harmful and improperly suggested that its authors represent all Christians living in or connected to the Holy Land.

“I found that a little bit troubling,” he said, “because I’m not sure that anybody has the exclusivity to speak for all Christians in the world.”

The letter claimed that Christian Zionism promotes “damaging ideologies,” an assertion Huckabee said misrepresents what the term actually stands for.

“There was also a very, very targeted kind of a pejorative hit at the term Christian Zionist,” he said. “I consider myself a Christian Zionist.”

“All that means is that, yes, I’m a Christian,” said Huckabee.

He went on to explain that identifying as a Zionist carries no sinister meaning and instead reflects recognition of Jewish historical and national rights. “But to be a Zionist doesn’t mean anything nefarious. It simply means that you believe that the Jewish people have a divine right and, frankly, a geopolitical right to a homeland that they have lived in for almost 4,000 years.”

Huckabee dismissed arguments that Christian Zionism should be treated as controversial or threatening.

“So to say a person is a Christian Zionist, it’s a Christian who respects that Jewish people should be living in the Holy Land,” Huckabee said.

“To say that it’s somehow some term that ought to be fearful or, as Tucker Carlson said, is indicative of a brain virus, there are tens of millions of evangelicals just in the United States who would be called Christian Zionists.”

Pointing to historical figures, Huckabee argued that Christian Zionism has long been embraced by prominent Christian leaders.

“Martin Luther King Jr. … was a Christian Zionist,” he said. “So it should not be something that is divisive to Christians.”

“It ought to be a term that every Christian should embrace.”

In the same interview, Huckabee also weighed in on President Donald Trump’s interest in Greenland, saying the idea makes strategic sense and would benefit more than just the United States.

“If it’s good for the U.S. to put defensive forces in a preventive mode, then I’ll tell you something: It’s not just good for America, it’s good for the world. It’s great for Europe.”

“I think the European nations should be giving him a standing ovation for the fact that he had the courage to say, ‘This is a very strategic piece of land,'” he added.

Huckabee also brushed aside skeptics who question Trump’s ability to follow through on unconventional proposals.

“I would say pop the popcorn, sit back and watch,” he said.

“This is a president who can do things that everyone scoffs at and says, ‘Ah, that’ll never happen; he can’t do that.’ And then he does it.”

{Matzav.com}

Iranian official media reported Wednesday that 3,117 people were killed during the massive protests that erupted across the country in late December, a figure sharply disputed by human rights groups and opposition sources. According to a statement by Iran’s Foundation for Veterans and Martyrs, cited by state television, 2,427 of those killed — including members […]

President Trump is preparing to approach the November midterm elections as if he himself were on the ballot, deploying the full weight of the White House to protect Republican control of Congress by traveling extensively, pouring money into competitive races, and pressing the case that his policies have eased the cost-of-living squeeze for Americans, the NY Post reports.

“He’s going to campaign like it’s 2024,” Susie Wiles, Trump’s 2024 campaign co-chair who now serves as chief of staff, told The NY Post.

Senior advisers say the administration views holding the House and Senate as critical to preserving Trump’s authority and advancing his agenda during the remaining two years of his term.

Under the strategy, Trump intends to take a hands-on role on the campaign trail and regularly deploy Vice President JD Vance as a surrogate. Cabinet members will also fan out across the country to promote the administration’s record, according to senior officials who spoke with The Post.

The president’s first political trip of the year is scheduled for Tuesday in Iowa, where he plans to speak about economic and energy policy. Trump also continues to involve himself in primary contests, most recently endorsing Rep. Julia Letlow in her bid to challenge Sen. Bill Cassidy in Louisiana’s Republican Senate primary.

Fundraising will be another pillar of the effort. A source said Trump is expected to help raise large sums that can be directed to closely contested Senate races in states such as Michigan, North Carolina, and Georgia. Control of the House, meanwhile, is expected to come down to roughly three dozen swing districts, including several in California and New York.

James Blair, who served as Trump’s 2024 political director, said the administration believes it has both achievements and organizational advantages that could upend the usual midterm pattern in which the president’s party loses ground.

“Since 2024 Republicans have been outperforming Democrats in voter registration in every state in the country,” he told The Post. “That’s a huge deal and has never been the case before. The number one indicator of how people are going to vote is what party they’re registering with.”

Blair said the objective for 2026 is straightforward: “I want to keep the House and keep the Senate. Even by one. One is a victory.”

Trump is expected to devote significant resources to that effort, including tapping into nearly $300 million held by his allied super PAC, MAGA Inc.

“He’s going to behave as though he is on the ballot. So that means some spending, that means a lot of travel, that means a lot of messaging help for candidates that need and want it,” Wiles said.

A central component of the plan is energizing Trump’s core supporters who helped return him to the White House, while framing the election around his effort to complete what he calls a “Golden Age” agenda and pointing to renewed Democratic talk of impeachment as a reason to turn out.

“All Republicans are not Trump voters, but the Trump voters are those who turn out. Our job is to motivate them to vote for President Trump to finish the job,” Wiles noted.

Blair said that focus is essential.

“Converting presidential voters into midterm voters is a core underlying challenge, but if we can substantially increase their participation, it will help all Republicans across the country. It’s something that we will certainly be setting out to do – it’s something that the president is very good at,” he said.

As Trump marks the anniversary of his inauguration, advisers say he is increasingly focused on his second year in office and on locking in a lasting legacy by keeping Republicans in control of Congress. A major part of that effort will be selling voters on what the administration says are concrete gains, including lower mortgage and credit card rates, cheaper prescription drugs, and reduced gas prices.

The president has made clear he is unhappy that those achievements have not resonated more strongly with the public.

“We didn’t do as good a job as the president would like us to do in what he calls PR, what I would call is just getting our message,” a senior administration official said.

Trump voiced that frustration Tuesday during a lengthy appearance in the White House briefing room, where aides distributed 31-page packets detailing accomplishments from his first year in office.

“We’ve done a much better job than we’re able to promote,” the president noted.

Wiles said the breadth of the administration’s work has made it harder to highlight individual successes.

“The first year has been full every day, full of a new accomplishment, a new victory that helps the American people. Now we have to tell the story better,” she said.

“What I want to be sure we do in the second year is go a level deeper. We accomplished so much in the first year. It’s very tangible. There’s the big, beautiful bill. There’s something for everyone. But now we have to go a little deeper,” she said.

Trump struck a similar note recently in Davos, where he promoted the strength of the U.S. economy before an audience of global business leaders.

“President Trump accomplished more in one year than many presidents did in eight,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told The Post. “The President delivered on every major campaign promise—securing the border, stopping Biden’s inflation crisis, signing the largest middle-class tax cuts in history, ending woke DEI nonsense, and restoring American strength on the world stage.”

History, however, suggests a steep climb for the party in power. Midterm elections often result in losses for the president’s party, and current polling reflects that challenge.

Democrats hold a four-point edge on the generic congressional ballot, according to the RealClearPolitics average, and party leaders are confident about their prospects, particularly in the House.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York previewed that message in November, saying: “As Democrats, we will continue to make clear to the American people that you deserve better, and that we’re focused on driving down the high cost of living, fixing our broken health care system, and cleaning up corruption in the Congress, in the courts and in the White House, so we can actually deliver an America of the people.”

A former Biden White House official dismissed the idea of centering the midterms around Trump.

“Best of luck!” said the longtime Democratic Party official and campaign aide.

“[Voters] are not going to let members [of Congress] slide on their price of electricity and groceries because Trump is pretending he is on the ballot.”

Republicans remain upbeat, arguing that their approach gives them an opening to win over voters on economic issues, which they believe will dominate the campaign.

“Six, seven months from now, when we’re really in the heated campaign season, we’re reasonably optimistic that the way people feel about the economy will be markedly improved, which will bolster the generic ballot and bolster our chances overall,” a senior administration official said.

The official added that Republicans are benefiting from internal cohesion, contending that they “are really pretty unified, all in all, and all rowing in the same direction, whereas the Democrats are very much involved in factional infighting that we don’t really suffer from.”

{Matzav.com}

[Video below.] President Donald Trump said escalating U.S. military deployments to the Middle East are tied to pressure on Iran, claiming Tehran backed away from large-scale executions after he warned of severe consequences. Speaking in an interview Wednesday with CNBC, Trump was asked whether the movement of aircraft carriers and F-15 fighter jets signaled additional steps. He responded by reiterating that Iranian officials cancelled hundreds of planned hangings following his threat of force.

“We hope there’s not going to be further action,” Trump said. “They were shooting people indiscriminately on the streets and they were going to hang 837, mostly young people” after he threatened to hit them hard if they harmed protesters.

Trump also addressed Iran’s nuclear ambitions, saying the regime must abandon any pursuit of atomic weapons. “They gotta stop with the nuclear,” he told CNBC.

A night earlier, Trump warned that the United States would respond decisively if Iran kills protesters or follows through on reported assassination threats against him.

In a separate interview with NewsNation host Katie Pavlich, Trump was asked about reports that Iranian authorities continue to burn protesters alive and about threats made against him over the weekend.

“Well, they shouldn’t be doing it, but I’ve left notification: Anything ever happens, the whole country is going to get blown up,” Trump said. “But I have very firm instructions: Anything happens, they’re going to wipe them off the face of this earth.”

Earlier Wednesday, Iran’s state television released its first official death toll tied to the nationwide protests sweeping the Islamic Republic. The broadcaster reported a total of 3,117 fatalities, including 2,427 civilians and members of the security forces.

That official figure stands in sharp contrast to estimates from human rights organizations, which say the number of people killed during the unrest is significantly higher.

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Two tumultuous weeks saw the fall from power in Syria of the Kurdish-led force that was once the main U.S. partner there, as Washington shifts its backing to the country’s nascent government. Analysts say the Syrian Democratic Forces miscalculated, taking a hard stance in negotiations with the new leaders in Damascus on the assumption that if a military conflict erupted between […]

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Israel’s defense establishment has raised its level of alert in recent days amid concerns that Donald Trump may have decided to carry out a military strike against Iran, possibly within days, according to Israeli security officials. Officials said that while there have been no public signals from Washington indicating such a decision, Israel is taking […]

A wave of anger swept through the Torah-observant public after Israel’s satirical television program Eretz Nehederet released a promotional clip widely condemned as a degrading mockery of Rav Shlomo Yehuda Be’eri, known throughout the Torah world as the Yenuka.

The segment, aired ahead of the show’s scheduled broadcast, triggered sharp backlash from rabbanim, askanim, and countless ordinary Jews who view the portrayal as a direct affront to kavod haTorah and to a revered talmid chacham.

In the sketch, comedian Daniel Chen appears as a caricature dubbed the “Tenuka,” a clear and deliberate play on the Yenuka’s title. The character is presented as confused and theatrical, accompanied by exaggerated behavior including playing an organ, while a submissive aide, portrayed by Ortel Tsabari, hovers in exaggerated reverence. Viewers say the skit reduces a talmid chochom to an object of ridicule, turning spiritual greatness into cheap satire.

The reaction was immediate and intense. Social media platforms filled with denunciations accusing the program of crossing an inviolable line. Many commenters warned that mocking tzaddikim is not humor but a serious transgression, expressing outrage that a public broadcaster would demean someone seen as embodying Torah purity and yiras Shamayim. Calls to boycott the show have spread rapidly, alongside pleas that those responsible reflect on the gravity of their actions.

The promotional clip itself attempts to frame the parody as lighthearted, presenting the “Tenuka” as an obsessive Torah phenomenon surrounded by sycophantic admiration. Lines in the sketch portray the aide as utterly insignificant before the rov, a depiction critics say cynically twists sincere kavod into parody and derision.

Defenders of the Yenuka point out that the real Rav Be’eri is renowned for extraordinary Torah knowledge, with vast portions of Tanach and Shas committed to memory, alongside niggunim that have inspired thousands. To them, the skit represents not satire but a willful distortion of a life devoted to Torah and kedushah, emptied of context and respect for the sake of a laugh.

Opponents of the broadcast argue that this incident fits a broader pattern in which secular media figures target the Torah world, particularly from cultural centers in Tel Aviv, portraying emunah and spiritual leadership as backward or absurd. They see the sketch as another salvo in an ongoing struggle over Jewish identity and values in the public sphere.

{Matzav.com}

Southwest Airlines is officially ending its long-standing open-seating policy, a move that will take effect for flights departing on or after January 27, 2026. Under the new system, passengers will be assigned seats and the airline will adopt a group-based boarding process similar to other major carriers. Instead of receiving a boarding letter and position […]

Rahm Emanuel on Josh Shapiro saying he was asked if he was a double-agent for Israel: “Totally appropriate and totally inappropriate questions…if you don’t ask ’em you’ll have not done your job…on the other hand…how would you know you were dealing with a double-agent?”

[Audio below.] Audio recordings aired Wednesday night on Channel 12 indicate that gedolei Yisroel who support advancing a proposed conscription law see it as a temporary maneuver designed to delay action, not as a pathway toward bringing yeshiva bochurim into the IDF.

This is no surprise, as has been surmised in a number of prior extensive reports on the matter here on Matzav.com.

In the recordings, Hagaon Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch explains that his backing of the legislation is rooted in the belief that it would “buy time” for the Torah community. When asked whether yeshiva students who are not part of formal learning frameworks might eventually be drafted, he answered without hesitation: “God forbid.”

Rav Hirsch also rejected the enlistment benchmarks included in the bill, making clear that there is no intention to comply with them. “Do they think we will want to meet the target? Of course we will not want to,” he said. He went on to predict that the law would fall apart within a few years, adding, “In the meantime, we gained time.”

Similar sentiments were voiced by Hagaon Rav Dov Landau, who stated plainly that there is no plan to send chareidim to military service, including those not enrolled in yeshivos. “What they are talking about is nonsense. It will not happen. We will not go to the army; no one will go to the army,” he said.

The broadcast prompted swift political backlash. Opposition leader Yair Lapid said the recordings demonstrate that “the spiritual leaders of the chareidi parties are openly admitting that the draft-evading law is a fraud and that no chareidi youth will enlist.”

Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman delivered similar criticism, declaring, “The rabbinical council of draft evasion has revealed its true face. It’s all a bluff – no chareidi will enlist. We will continue to send our sons and daughters to the army, and they will continue to send theirs to live off the taxes we pay.”

Within the coalition, Likud MK Dan Illouz called for immediate action, saying, “I once again urge my fellow coalition members to join my demand to amend the law.”

The National Religious Reservists Forum also issued a sharp response, stating, “It’s time to stop closing our eyes and face reality. The leading chareidi authorities are openly admitting they have no intention of meeting enlistment targets and are merely stringing along the public that serves.”

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}