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Support for a full investigation into the expanding Qatargate affair continued to grow Thursday, as Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich issued some of the strongest remarks yet from within the coalition.

Speaking at a conference hosted by the Makor Rishon newspaper, Smotrich said the matter must be thoroughly examined by the Shin Bet, echoing comments made a day earlier by Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, who became the first minister in Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s government to publicly endorse the ongoing probe.

Smotrich said that if staff members in the Prime Minister’s Office were found to have acted on behalf of Qatar during wartime, the response should be uncompromising. “If there are corrupt people within the Prime Minister’s Office who, amid a war, worked for Qatar, they need to be pilloried and sit behind bars for many years,” he said.

At the same time, Smotrich stressed that Netanyahu himself has conducted himself properly throughout the conflict. He said the prime minister made decisions based solely on “relevant considerations,” adding that any penetration of the Prime Minister’s Office by outside actors would represent an extremely grave failure. If “questionable figures” succeeded in “infiltrate” the office, “it’s very serious,” he said.

Underscoring the severity of the allegations, Smotrich added, “Someone who was working for an enemy state in a time of war — I don’t have words to describe how despicable and serious it is.”

The finance minister also said that over the course of the two years of war, he never met Eli Feldstein, a central suspect in the Qatargate scandal.

Feldstein, together with senior Netanyahu adviser Jonathan Urich, is alleged to have carried out work for Qatar while employed by Netanyahu, through the Perception PR firm run by Yisrael Einhorn, the prime minister’s former campaign manager. According to the allegations, Einhorn and Perception promoted Qatar’s image in Israel and internationally, including in connection with Doha’s role as a mediator in hostage negotiations.

In a lengthy interview this week with Kan public broadcaster, Feldstein claimed that Netanyahu was responsible for leaking classified intelligence to the German newspaper Bild last year in an effort to influence Israeli public opinion regarding the hostage talks. Feldstein was indicted last year in the separate Bild leak affair.

During that interview, Feldstein also alleged that Netanyahu’s chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman, learned of the secret investigation into the leak months before it became public and reassured him that the probe could be shut down, along with a possible investigation into IDF information security, if necessary.

Asked whether it would be problematic if Netanyahu was unaware of the alleged activities, Smotrich responded Thursday that “it’s a problem,” while adding that he could not assess the extent of the issue.

He reiterated his view of Netanyahu’s conduct, saying the prime minister acted only “with a higher purpose, 100% only with relevant considerations, 100% for the good of the State of Israel and its security and future and existence.”

The Prime Minister’s Office and Braverman have both rejected Feldstein’s claims and accused him of lying. Netanyahu has likewise dismissed the allegations involving Urich.

Although opposition figures have long called for a full investigation into the various scandals, the past two days have seen additional coalition figures publicly back the probe, including Chikli and Likud MK Eli Dallal.

{Matzav.com}

Like many retirement communities, The Terraces serves as a tranquil refuge for a nucleus of older people who no longer can travel to faraway places or engaging in bold adventures. But they can still be thrust back to their days of wanderlust and thrill-seeking whenever caretakers at the community in Los Gatos, California, schedule a […]

The IDF will now refer to the ongoing conflict exclusively as the “War of Revival,” following a new directive issued Thursday by Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir.

Under the instruction, all official IDF usage—including speeches, ceremonies, formal documents, and internal correspondence—must use the newly approved name and abandon any previous terminology.

The move comes after the government formally authorized the change, a step advanced by Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and subsequently implemented within the military framework.

As a result, the designation “Swords of Iron,” which has been used since fighting began in October 2023, is being fully phased out. The IDF will replace it with “War of Revival” across all operational, media, and internal platforms.

Explaining the decision, Zamir said, “This policy is intended to ensure linguistic consistency and the implementation of the decision regarding the name of the war.”

{Matzav.com}

An IDF soldier died on Thursday after being shot inside a military base in northern Israel, marking another fatal incident within IDF facilities in recent days.

Following the shooting, the soldier was evacuated in critical condition to a hospital, where medical teams later pronounced him dead despite efforts to save his life.

The IDF announced that the Military Police Investigation Unit has launched a formal probe into the circumstances surrounding the incident, and that its conclusions will be forwarded to the military prosecution for further examination.

The death comes amid a troubling pattern. Just nine days earlier, on December 16, another IDF soldier was fatally wounded by gunfire inside a northern base. That soldier was also rushed to the hospital in critical condition and later died from his injuries.

Earlier this month, the IDF publicized the conclusions of an expert committee that examined the March 2025 death of Sergeant Yosef Haim Tzvi Serlin, a trainee in Unit 504 who was killed during a military exercise.

According to the committee’s findings, Serlin sustained his injuries during a “corridor” hand-to-hand combat drill, an exercise not included in the unit’s standard training regimen. The drill involved soldiers moving one by one through a confined passage while being physically assaulted by fellow trainees, with the intention of testing their defensive reactions.

The investigation concluded that the exercise was carried out in violation of standing orders and safety guidelines and lacked appropriate oversight. In response, the Head of the Infantry and Paratroopers Corps ordered the immediate and total cancellation of the corridor drill throughout all IDF units.

The recommendations of the committee were accepted by the Head of Military Intelligence, Major General Shlomi Binder, who directed a series of disciplinary measures. These included a formal reprimand for the commander of Unit 504, Brigadier General D., a six-year demotion for the unit’s combat commander, Lieutenant Colonel Y., and the dismissal of three additional officers from the unit.

{Matzav.com}

Former captive Eitan Mor said on Thursday that Hamas possesses extensive information about the IDF. Speaking at the Bnei Akiva National Education and Makor Rishon conference, Mor said, “They know a lot about the army—sometimes even more than most of the soldiers serving in the army today.” “They have booklets in Arabic with details on […]

For more than half a century, two of America’s most infamous unsolved murders—the Zodiac killings and the Black Dahlia—have occupied a peculiar place in the national imagination: endlessly theorized, officially unresolved, and periodically revived by a new suspect or cipher crack that promises, and usually fails, to bring closure. Now, an unlikely figure is insisting […]

Trump-backed candidate Nasry Asfura won Honduras’ presidential election, electoral authorities said Wednesday afternoon, ending a weeks-long count that has whittled away at the credibility of the Central American nation’s fragile electoral system. The election is continuing Latin America’s swing to the right, coming just a week after Chile chose the far-right politician José Antonio Kast as its next president. Asfura, […]

Almost a thousand single parents and their children from across the Tri State area gathered at Nickelodeon Park in the American Dream Mall on the fifth night of Chanukah for My Extended Family’s Chanukah Extravaganza. Families came from all over, reflecting the organization’s reach across six branches and its openness to children from every community. […]

Hafganos underway in Yerushalyim after a Yeshiva Bochur was arrested overnight for failing to reply to an IDF draft notice. Protesters are currently blocking the light rail. As YWN reported earlier, the Bochur was pulled put of bed despite suffering from the flu with high fever.

The Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudas Yisrael, representing the chassidic leadership, is scheduled to convene on Sunday at 1:00 PM in Moshav Ora, at the temporary home of the Vizhnitzer Rebbe, amid mounting controversy surrounding Israel’s proposed military draft legislation. During the meeting, the members of the Moetzes are expected to formally declare their opposition […]

IDF troops operating along the Yellow Line in northern Gaza dismantled over 4 km of Hamas tunnels in the areas of Jabaliya, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahiya. Soldiers also eliminated dozens of terrorists and found 10 mortar shells hidden in a child’s blanket inside a home in Beit Hanoun.

A rare and stirring scene unfolded at a Chanukah mesibah held in the home of the venerable gaon, Rav Meir Greineman, where yeshiva bochurim stood patiently in line as the rov himself personally washed their hands prior to the meal.

The special gathering took place in Rav Greineman’s home on Rechov HaAdmor MiGur in Bnei Brak and was attended by bochurim who regularly participate in the weekly chaburah held there every Friday night.

Before the seudah began, Rav Greineman rose and proceeded to wash the hands of each bochur himself. One by one, the bochurim stood before him as he demonstrated, with great care and precision, the proper fulfillment of netilas yadayim in accordance with halachah.

Sources familiar with Rav Greineman’s conduct explained that this is a long-standing personal practice he observes whenever hosting bnei yeshivah in his home. The practice, they noted, traces back to an episode from his youth involving his uncle, the Chazon Ish, zt”l.

On one occasion, when a group of bochurim came to eat at the home of the Chazon Ish, the gadol hador observed how they washed their hands. He remarked that according to the opinions requiring that the entire palm be washed for a seudah, many people — often without realizing it — do not properly fulfill the obligation of netilas yadayim.

Deeply influenced by that moment, Rav Greineman undertook to personally instruct younger generations in the correct method of washing hands, ensuring meticulous adherence to halachah. Ever since, he has made a point of demonstrating this practice himself, transforming a simple act into a living lesson in dikduk halachah.

{Matzav.com}

A bomb exploded during prayers at a mosque in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri on Wednesday night, killing five people in what police described as a likely suicide attack. Police said that 35 people were also injured in the attack. Nahum Daso, spokesperson for police command in the surrounding state of Borno, said in a […]

Speaking Thursday at the Bnei Akiva Yeshiva Network and Makor Rishon’s National Education Conference, Defense Minister Yisroel Katz delivered a wide-ranging address touching on Gaza, military policy, media, and the draft law, opening with a forceful declaration that “we won in Gaza.”

Turning to the future of the Strip, Katz rejected the idea that Israel would relinquish control even under the terms of the ceasefire arrangement. Although the agreement envisions an IDF pullback and a transfer of authority to Palestinian Arabs, Katz insisted, “Israel will never leave the territory of Gaza. There will be a security buffer zone inside Gaza to protect the communities.”

Addressing the ceasefire framework more broadly, Katz warned that Israel would not tolerate an armed Hamas presence. Referring to the plan advanced by U.S. President Donald Trump, he said that if Hamas refuses to disarm, “we will do it.”

Katz also explained his controversial decision to shut down the IDF radio station, Galei Tzahal, offering a blunt critique of its role and conduct. “This station supports the enemy, it provides an outlet for Hamas members, and attacks soldiers and the IDF. All of the chiefs of staff have said that the station needs to close and can not remain in the IDF. Today, some of them who have moved on to politics changed their opinion,” he said.

He added that the move was not driven by ideology or personal agenda. “I don’t make a hobby of closing radio stations. All of the chiefs of staff wanted to get rid of the station. You can’t privatize it,” Katz stated.

On the so-called Qatar Gate affair, Katz sought to downplay its significance, saying it never reached him as a security concern. “Many things are put on my table, no security official ever brought this to me as some sort of security danger to Israel. That’s a sign that it’s not as big as it sounds,” he said.

The defense minister concluded by addressing the conscription bill, striking an optimistic note about the prospects for change. “I believe that we have an opportunity here; they had a broad consensus on things they had disagreed with in the past. There is also an opportunity to draft 10,000 in the first two years, and within five years, 50% from every cycle. If 50% would serve, the norm will change. This is feasible and necessary.”

{Matzav.com}

By Alex Traiman

Case 4000—the most serious and consequential of the criminal cases against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—has long been portrayed by prosecutors as the centerpiece of their corruption allegations. Yet testimony heard this week in the Jerusalem District Court has intensified claims by Netanyahu’s allies that the case is not merely weak, but compromised by investigative misconduct.

According to Likud spokesman Guy Levy, testimony delivered on Tuesday by Ron Solomon, a serving senior investigator in the Israel Police’s signals intelligence (SIGINT) unit, revealed evidence of intentional suppression of exculpatory material, alteration of professional findings and continued investigative activity even after indictments were filed—all in service of sustaining a narrative that was unraveling under its own weight.

The flagship case—and why it mattered most

Among the three cases against Netanyahu—Cases 1000, 2000 and 4000—Case 4000 has always been regarded by prosecutors as the most severe. Unlike the others, it alleged a direct quid pro quo: that Netanyahu, while serving as communications minister, advanced regulatory decisions favorable to Bezeq, Israel’s largest telecom company, owned by Shaul Elovitch, in exchange for favorable coverage on the Walla news site.

Central to that theory is an alleged meeting between Netanyahu and Shlomo Filber, the former director general of the Communications Ministry who signed a deal to become a state’s witness in 2018, during his first week in office. The prime minister has consistently denied that such a conversation ever took place.

On the witness stand, Solomon testified that cell phone location data never placed Filber together with Netanyahu at the time of the alleged meeting. According to his testimony, the police had assembled a detailed chronology early in the investigation demonstrating that the meeting did not occur.

That data, Solomon said, was transferred to the prosecution.

According to Levy, the significance is unmistakable: The prosecution allegedly knew that the foundational claim of the meeting was false, yet indicted Netanyahu anyway—while withholding the contradictory location evidence from the defense and the court.

If correct, this would amount to concealment of exculpatory material, misrepresentation to the court and the filing of indictments based on claims known to be untrue.

From “favorable coverage” to “exceptional responsiveness”

Solomon’s testimony also addressed the prosecution’s shifting theory regarding media coverage.

Initially, prosecutors alleged that Netanyahu received positive coverage from Walla. During pre-indictment hearings before then–Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, the defense demonstrated that the coverage was frequently hostile, inconsistent and often negative.

Faced with that reality, the prosecution rebranded the allegation as “exceptional responsiveness” or unusually preferential treatment.

Solomon testified that he was tasked with reviewing Walla’s coverage of Netanyahu’s controversial Election Day 2015 statement warning that Arab voters were turning out “in droves.”

His findings contradicted the prosecution’s narrative. Walla was the third outlet to report the statement, later published a follow-up article debunking Netanyahu’s claim, and framed its coverage in a sharply hostile tone, including accusations of racism from opposition leaders.

Solomon testified that he had submitted these findings to the commander of the police’s financial crimes unit—only to be instructed to delete the information supporting Netanyahu’s position.

According to Solomon, the directive came from above, under guidance from the prosecution.

The big picture

The developments in Case 4000 come against the backdrop of the other cases against Netanyahu, each of which the defense and Likud officials describe as increasingly tenuous.

In Case 1000, prosecutors allege that Netanyahu and his family received gifts—including cigars, champagne and even a Bugs Bunny doll—valued at approximately $230,000 over many years from wealthy acquaintances. The prosecution concedes there was no specific quid pro quo, arguing instead that accepting gifts constituted a breach of trust because it might have compromised Netanyahu at some undefined future point.

In Case 2000, Netanyahu is accused of discussing a possible quid pro quo with Arnon “Noni” Mozes, publisher of Yedioth Ahronoth, under which Netanyahu would advance legislation restricting the free distribution of the pro-Netanyahu daily Israel Hayom in exchange for more favorable coverage. The prosecution openly acknowledges that the quid pro quo never occurred, yet argues that the mere conversation constitutes a criminal breach of trust.

A broader pattern alleged misconduct

Likud spokesman Levy argues that when viewed together, the cases reflect an unprecedented legal theory: criminal liability without demonstrated corruption, benefit or outcome. The picture that emerges is not of an investigation following evidence, but of evidence being reshaped to fit a predetermined conclusion.

Likud officials further allege that evidence in the cases was illegally collected and then selectively leaked to the media during consecutive election cycles, shaping public opinion and influencing electoral outcomes. They also point to the use of state witnesses who, they claim, were subjected to intense pressure and threatened with severe consequences unless they provided testimony aligning with the prosecution’s theory.

These claims remain contested, but Solomon’s testimony, Levy argues, lends new credibility to longstanding allegations of investigative overreach.

The pardon question

Against this backdrop, Netanyahu recently requested a presidential pardon from Isaac Herzog, who possesses the constitutional authority to bring the proceedings to an end.

Supporters of the move argue that after years of political paralysis, repeated elections and deep social division, a pardon would serve the national interest regardless of one’s view of Netanyahu himself.

The issue gained international attention after President Donald Trump sent a letter to Herzog urging him to grant a pardon, describing the case as politically driven and destabilizing.

Whether Herzog will act remains unclear. But after Solomon’s testimony, pressure on the prosecution—and on Israel’s political leadership—to address the legitimacy of the proceedings is likely to intensify.

A case on trial

Ultimately, the court will determine the weight of Solomon’s testimony and the credibility of the allegations surrounding it. Yet one conclusion is already evident: the case once billed as the prosecution’s strongest is now the one most visibly unraveling.

As Levy put it, Case 4000 is no longer merely a trial of a prime minister. It has become a trial of the system that brought him to the dock.

{Matzav.com}

In a joint statement issued Thursday, the Israeli military warned that it will continue to act decisively against Iranian-backed threats, declaring, “The IDF and ISA view with great severity any attempt by the Iranian regime and its proxies to advance terror plans, and will continue to operate in order to remove any threat against the State of Israel.”

The warning followed a targeted operation earlier in the day in southern Lebanon, where forces from the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Security Agency struck in the Ansariyah area, killing Hussein Mahmoud Marshad al-Jawhari.

According to the military, al-Jawhari was a senior terrorist operative affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and played a central role in advancing and planning attacks against Israel over recent years, operating from both Syria and Lebanon.

Al-Jawhari was part of Unit 840, the operational arm of the Quds Force responsible for coordinating and executing Iranian terror activity targeting Israel. The unit is commanded by Asghar Baqeri, with Mohammad Reza Ansari serving as his deputy, and oversees the direction of attacks carried out by Iran and its proxies against Israeli targets and security forces.

Israeli officials stressed that the strike was part of an ongoing campaign to disrupt and dismantle Iranian-directed terror networks operating beyond Israel’s borders, particularly those seeking to establish attack infrastructure along the northern front.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli security forces announced Thursday they had detained an Israeli citizen on suspicion of espionage on behalf of Iran, including photographing “areas near” the residence of former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.

Vadim Kupriyanov, an Israeli in his 40s from the Tel Aviv suburb of Rishon Letzion, was arrested earlier this month after he carried out “photography missions” near Bennett’s home, the Israel Police and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) announced in a joint statement.

An investigation by the International Crime Investigations division of the Israel Police’s National Major Crime Unit (Lahav 433) and the Shin Bet revealed Tehran had ordered Kupriyanov to carry out “a variety of security-related tasks” over the course of approximately two months.

“Among other things, at the request of his handlers, he transferred various photographs he took in his city of residence and in other cities, in exchange for varying sums of money,” according to the statement.

Prosecutors were expected to file an indictment against Kupriyanov on Thursday in the Central District Court in Lod, the statement added, stressing past warnings against contacts with hostile foreign intelligence services.

“The security agencies will continue to act to locate and thwart terrorist and espionage activity in Israel and will act to bring to justice, with severity, all those involved in such activity,” it concluded.

Bennett, who served a one-year term as prime minister from June 2021 to June 2022 and is seeking to run in next year’s election with his “Bennett 2026” party, stated in response, “Iran’s efforts to harm me will not stop me in my life’s mission. Am Yisrael Chai [‘The people of Israel lives.’]”

Bennett on Dec. 17 confirmed that his official account on the Telegram messaging app was hacked, along with his contacts, photos and chats.

“The contents of my contact list, as well as many photos and chats—both real and fabricated (including a photo of me alongside [the late Prime Minister David] Ben-Gurion)—were distributed. This material was obtained illegally, and its distribution constitutes a criminal offense,” the statement from the former premier’s office read.

Iranian hacker group Handala wrote to Bennett, who was the CEO of Cyota, an anti-fraud software company, before stepping into politics some 20 years ago, “You once prided yourself on being a beacon of cybersecurity, showcasing your expertise to the world.

“Yet how ironic that your iPhone 13 fell so easily into Handala’s hands. Despite all your boasting and pride, your digital fortress was nothing more than a paper wall waiting to be breached,” the group stated.

Since the outbreak of the war triggered by the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023, Israeli security forces have uncovered at least three dozen cases in which Tehran allegedly attempted to recruit Israelis. JNS

{Matzav.com}

An Arkansas lottery ticket sold for Wednesday night’s Powerball drawing has claimed a staggering $1.82 billion prize, making it the second-largest jackpot ever awarded in the game’s history.

Although the drawing had been promoted at $1.7 billion, the total prize climbed sharply once final ticket sales were calculated, pushing the payout into record territory.

The numbers drawn were 4, 25, 31, 52, 59, with Powerball 19.

The ticket holder now faces a choice between receiving the full $1.82 billion through annual payments spread over 29 years or taking a one-time cash payout of $834.9 million.

Powerball officials marked the moment with praise for both the winner and the broader player base. “Congratulations to the newest Powerball jackpot winner! This is truly an extraordinary, life-changing prize,” Powerball Product Group Chair and Iowa Lottery CEO Matt Strawn said. “We also want to thank all the players who joined in this jackpot streak – every ticket purchased helps support public programs and services across the country.”

For Arkansas, the win represents just the second Powerball jackpot in state history. The only prior top prize came on Jan. 2, 2010, when a $25 million jackpot was claimed. In that case, the player opted to remain anonymous and selected a $12.15 million cash payout.

State law allows Arkansas Lottery winners of prizes valued at $500,000 or more to keep their identities private for up to three years.

The Powerball jackpot had last been claimed on Sept. 6, when two tickets—one sold in Missouri and the other in Texas—split a $1.78 billion prize. Each of those winners was eligible to receive either $895 million in annuity payments over 29 years or a lump sum of $410.3 million, and both chose the cash option while remaining anonymous under their respective state laws.

Beyond the top prize, eight players nationwide won $1 million each by matching all five white balls. Two of those tickets were sold in New York, one at a convenience store in Sidney, Delaware County, and another at Montauk Highway Gas Corp in Lindenhurst on Long Island.

The odds of matching all six Powerball numbers stand at 1 in 292,201,338.

Only one Powerball jackpot has ever exceeded Wednesday night’s total—the $2.04 billion prize won in California in November 2022 by Edwin Castro.

With the jackpot now claimed, the Powerball grand prize resets to $20 million for this weekend’s drawing.

{Matzav.com}

ISRAELI POLICE GIVE HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR KAVOD ACHARON * Police officers in Tel Aviv discovered the body of 85-year-old Holocaust survivor Igo Margolis, who lived alone with no family. * After efforts to find relatives failed, the officers arranged his funeral and burial at Yarkon Cemetery. * They recited Kaddish and committed to visiting his kever […]

A short while ago, IDF observation posts and the IAF aerial control center identified two drones that crossed from the west into Israeli territory in a smuggling attempt. Following the identification, an IAF combat helicopter intercepted the two drones upon their entry into Israeli territory.