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Former Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan has held a series of meetings in recent years with senior officials from Israel’s Shin Bet and defense establishment as part of ongoing efforts to identify a governing alternative for the Gaza Strip, according to a report aired Tuesday night by Kan News.

Sources familiar with the discussions described Dahlan as “one of the strongest people in Gaza,” despite the fact that he has not lived in the territory for years. According to the report, his influence stems largely from his ability to secure funding and financial backing connected to Gaza affairs.

The latest revelations come after reports earlier Tuesday that Shin Bet chief David Zini met with Dahlan during a recent visit to the United Arab Emirates.

According to Kan News, the meeting was not an isolated encounter but part of a broader and ongoing diplomatic-security track taking place behind the scenes amid international efforts to shape the future of Gaza after the war.

The discussions are reportedly unfolding alongside American efforts — together with former UN envoy and current Peace Council director Nikolay Mladenov — to continue advancing President Donald Trump’s regional initiative and create what officials described as a new political horizon for Gaza.

When asked about reports concerning Zini’s meetings, the Shin Bet declined to address the matter directly, stating only: “We do not comment on the schedule of the head of the service.”

Dahlan, once one of the senior leaders of Fatah, previously headed the Preventive Security apparatus in Gaza before falling out with Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas. He has spent years living in exile in Abu Dhabi and currently serves as an adviser to UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

In July 2024, The Wall Street Journal reported that American, Israeli, and Arab officials increasingly viewed Dahlan as a leading candidate to play a major role in governing Gaza in the postwar era.

The report also noted that some regional players view Dahlan as a potential future successor to Abbas within Palestinian leadership circles.

Responding at the time in an interview with Sky News Arabia, Dahlan rejected suggestions that he intended to assume a direct security or executive role.

“I have repeatedly declared my refusal to accept any security, ministerial, or executive role, and I call for the formulation of a realistic and implementable international work plan that will lead to the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital,” Dahlan said.

{Matzav.com}

An Indiana university has agreed to pay $225,000 to settle a federal lawsuit brought by a former employee who claimed she was unlawfully fired over a private Facebook post criticizing conservative activist Charlie Kirk following his death.

The settlement, announced Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union, resolves a lawsuit filed last year on behalf of Suzanne Swierc against Ball State University president Geoffrey Mearns.

Swierc previously served as Ball State’s director of health promotion and advocacy at the university’s campus in Muncie, Indiana. She was terminated last September after university officials cited a Facebook post she made regarding Kirk’s killing, claiming the comments caused “significant disruption” on campus.

According to the ACLU, the firing violated Swierc’s constitutional protections because the post represented speech made in her capacity as a private citizen on a matter involving public debate and political concern.

Swierc’s firing violated her constitutional rights because she was “speaking as a private citizen on a matter of public concern,” said Stevie Pactor, an ACLU attorney in Indiana.

“The First Amendment does not allow government institutions to retaliate in those circumstances, and this settlement reflects that,” Pactor said in a statement.

Mearns defended the university’s decision in a statement distributed Tuesday to campus leadership and later shared with The Associated Press by a university spokesperson.

According to Mearns, the backlash triggered by Swierc’s social media comments threatened the university’s fundraising efforts and future enrollment numbers. He also argued that the settlement payment was significantly smaller than the projected cost of continuing to fight the lawsuit in court.

Kirk, the founder of Turning Point USA, was shot and killed by a gunman on September 10 while visiting a university campus in Utah. Prior to his death, Kirk had become one of the country’s most influential conservative youth activists and was widely credited with helping energize younger conservative voters during President Trump’s successful reelection campaign.

Swierc was one of several employees in both government and private-sector positions who lost their jobs after posting online reactions, comments, or memes related to Kirk’s assassination. Her case is also not the first to end in a financial settlement.

Earlier this month, a Florida state agency agreed to pay $485,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by a former state biologist who had been fired after reposting a meme claiming Kirk would not care about children killed in school shootings.

In another case earlier this year, Austin Peay State University reinstated a professor and agreed to pay a $500,000 settlement after he sued the school over his firing tied to a social media post sharing a 2023 headline that read: “Charlie Kirk Says Gun Deaths ‘Unfortunately’ Worth it to Keep 2nd Amendment.”

Several other lawsuits involving employees dismissed over comments related to Kirk’s death are still pending.

In the Facebook post at the center of the Ball State case, Swierc referred to Kirk’s killing as a “tragedy,” while also criticizing his rhetoric and public influence.

She wrote that the killing was a “reflection of the violence, fear, and hatred he sowed.” She also added: “If you think Charlie Kirk was a wonderful person, we can’t be friends.”

Swierc’s attorneys argued that her Facebook account was set to private and that her comments were never intended for broad public distribution. However, someone reportedly took screenshots of the post and circulated them widely online.

According to Ball State officials, the controversy quickly triggered an avalanche of angry messages directed at the university. Mearns said administrators received numerous hostile emails and phone calls, with some individuals threatening to withhold donations and at least one parent allegedly saying she planned to remove her children from the school. He also said some callers issued threats of violence.

“The reaction was extraordinarily damaging to our University’s reputation and image, and it was exceptionally disruptive to our mission and our people,” Mearns said in his statement.

{Matzav.com}

Disturbing allegations of underage marriages within a Breslover community in the northern town of Yavne’el took center stage Tuesday during a special Knesset hearing, where lawmakers, former community members, social workers, and government officials described what committee members called a deeply entrenched and ongoing crisis.

The hearing was convened by the Knesset Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women and Gender Equality following mounting accusations that girls as young as 14 and 15 had been pushed into marriage over many years while authorities allegedly failed to intervene.

The Breslov community at the center of the allegations was established in Yavne’el in 1986 and is made up largely of baalei teshuvah. According to testimony presented at the hearing, the community encouraged marriages at extremely young ages, with girls often marrying at 15 or 16 and boys around age 18.

Committee chair Merav Cohen opened the session by saying officials have known about the issue for years but repeatedly failed to stop it.

“This has been in the background for two decades,” Cohen said. “This is a principled debate about minors who are forced into marriage and sexual relationships at a young age. Time and again, the public is shocked, but nothing changes, and the authorities fail to stop a phenomenon that endangers lives.”

Cohen said an investigative team had uncovered “very serious” findings, though the details had not yet been publicly released. She added that lawmakers would demand answers regarding how such practices were allegedly permitted to continue unchecked for so long.

Several former members of the community delivered emotional testimony before the committee, recounting experiences of being married off as teenagers against their wishes.

Sarah Maimoni, a mother of eight and grandmother of five who has publicly campaigned against the alleged marriages in Yavne’el, told lawmakers she herself was married at 15 and became a mother a year later.

“This is how my childhood was taken from me,” she said, alleging that girls as young as 14 continued being pushed into marriage and pregnancy. Maimoni accused welfare authorities of abandoning vulnerable children and called for a joint police-welfare task force to confront what she described as “complete lawlessness” in Yavne’el.

She further claimed that influential figures within the community consolidated power and used it to perpetuate the system, while families who resisted the marriages allegedly faced retaliation and pressure.

Another witness, Ruth Reichman, testified that she was forced into marriage at 16 to a man approximately ten years older than her despite objecting to the arrangement.

“I wanted to study and build a future,” she told the committee. “Instead, I knew I was going to be married off.”

Reichman said she became aware at age 15 that preparations for her marriage were already underway but was instructed to keep the matter secret.

Nachman Boltin, who was raised in the Yavne’el community, told lawmakers he married a 14-and-a-half-year-old girl when he himself was 18, describing a culture where teenagers were heavily encouraged to wed young and taught that such marriages represented the proper path in life.

“We were brainwashed for years that this was the right thing,” he said, adding that many children within the community suffered from severe trauma that was never properly addressed.

Social activist Heidi Mozes shared similar allegations, telling lawmakers she too was married at 16 against her wishes despite repeatedly pleading with relatives not to force the marriage.

“Why wasn’t there an adult there to protect me?” she asked during emotional testimony, while criticizing what she described as insufficient enforcement mechanisms to stop such situations.

Officials from Israel’s welfare agencies and law enforcement also appeared before the committee to address questions surrounding the government’s handling of the allegations.

Ilan Sharif, who heads the cults department at the Ministry of Social Affairs, acknowledged that authorities have long been aware of concerns in Yavne’el and said efforts had recently been made to strengthen local welfare services and improve coordination between agencies.

“This situation is horrific, and we are not minimizing it,” Sharif said, noting that staffing levels in the local welfare department had been increased and that a formal report on the issue was nearing completion.

Deputy Police Chief Avi Ayish said police investigated several incidents involving suspected underage marriages but noted that prosecutions are often difficult because ceremonies are sometimes presented publicly as “introduction parties” rather than formal weddings.

Welfare official Ami Romano said social workers had intervened in cases involving minors dressed for wedding ceremonies but emphasized that ultimate enforcement authority rests with police and prosecutors.

Batya Menachem, a social worker in the area, testified that authorities often receive reports only after ceremonies have already taken place, making meaningful intervention extremely difficult.

Representatives from the Knesset Research and Information Center presented statistics showing that between 2023 and 2025 authorities received 321 reports involving underage marriages conducted without legal authorization, yet only four indictments were ultimately filed.

The Health Ministry informed lawmakers that current Israeli law does not require mandatory reporting of pregnancies involving girls over age 16, suggesting that legislative changes may need to be considered.

The hearing intensified growing calls for tougher enforcement measures and new legislation amid accusations that underage marriages in Yavne’el continued for years despite repeated warnings from survivors, activists, and social service professionals.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump launched a blistering attack Tuesday against major media outlets over their coverage of the war with Iran, accusing the press of such extreme bias that they would portray even a total Iranian surrender as a defeat for the United States.

In a fiery post published on Truth Social, Trump mocked what he described as the media’s obsession with undermining his administration regardless of the facts on the ground.

“If Iran surrenders, admits their Navy is gone and resting at the bottom of the sea, and their Air Force is no longer with us, and if their entire Military walks out of Tehran, weapons dropped and hands held high, each shouting ‘I surrender, I surrender’ while wildly waving the representative White Flag, and if their entire remaining Leadership signs all necessary ‘Documents of Surrender,’ and admit their defeat to the great power and force of the magnificent U.S.A., The Failing New York Times, The China Street Journal (WSJ!), Corrupt and now Irrelevant CNN, and all other members of the Fake News Media, will headline that Iran had a Masterful and Brilliant Victory over The United States of America, it wasn’t even close. The Dumacrats and Media have totally lost their way. They have gone absolutely CRAZY!!! President DJT.”

Trump has repeatedly criticized opponents who claim his administration is moving toward an agreement resembling the 2015 Iran nuclear deal formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, which was negotiated under President Barack Obama.

On Monday, Trump amplified that message further by circulating a graphic to millions of followers comparing what he labeled “Obama’s Iran Policy” with “Trump’s Iran Policy.”

The image, designed in a split-panel format, contrasted the Obama administration’s diplomatic engagement with Iran against Trump’s military-focused posture toward the Islamic Republic.

One side of the graphic displayed large stacks of cash labeled “Pallets of Cash,” referencing the controversial transfer of funds to Tehran during implementation of the JCPOA agreement.

The opposing panel showed a U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer — identified as the DDG 50 — launching missiles during a dramatic naval battle scene, symbolizing what Trump and his allies portray as a strategy centered on military strength and deterrence rather than economic concessions.

Supporters of the graphic said it underscored the administration’s broader message that Trump views force and pressure as the proper approach toward Iran, in sharp contrast to what he has long condemned as failed appeasement policies by previous administrations.

{Matzav.com}

The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a sweeping lawsuit against University of California, Los Angeles, accusing the school of allowing violent antisemitic attacks against Jewish and Israeli students following the October 7 Hamas massacre while failing to intervene or protect students on campus.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by The California Post, Jewish students at UCLA were allegedly assaulted, beaten unconscious, attacked with sticks and pepper spray, and blocked from parts of campus by demonstrators enforcing what the complaint describes as “Jewish exclusion zones.”

“Antisemitic hatred against UCLA’s Jewish and Israeli students reached a point where students were physically assaulted, injured, excluded from campus, and deprived of educational opportunities because of their perceived Jewish or Israeli heritage,” the lawsuit said.

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division alleged that tensions escalated dramatically in April 2024, when masked anti-Israel demonstrators established a large encampment outside Royce Hall.

According to the complaint, “masked demonstrators erected an encampment outside of Royce Hall and slapped, kicked, beat with sticks, doused with pepper spray, and knocked unconscious Jewish and Israeli students.”

The lawsuit further alleges that demonstrators formed so-called “human phalanxes” designed to physically block Jewish students from accessing certain campus areas unless they publicly renounced Zionism before being allowed through makeshift checkpoints.

Federal officials claim UCLA violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by displaying deliberate indifference toward what the lawsuit describes as widespread and ongoing antisemitism targeting Jewish and Israeli students.

Among the incidents detailed in the complaint was one alleged attack in which a Jewish student suffered an open head wound and was left unconscious. Other students were reportedly kicked, beaten with sticks, and sprayed with pepper spray during violent confrontations. One victim allegedly heard the words, “Hitler missed one.”

According to the lawsuit, nearly 60% of Jewish students reported avoiding campus during the unrest, while more than 40% considered transferring or leaving UCLA entirely because of the atmosphere.

The DOJ also accused UCLA of violating federal grant and funding agreements by certifying compliance with Title VI protections while allegedly permitting discrimination and harassment against Jewish and Israeli students to continue unchecked.

“Earlier this year, we sued UCLA for subjecting its Jewish and Israeli employees to an antisemitic hostile work environment,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said.

“Now, the Department of Justice calls UCLA to account for its toleration of the equally appalling hostile educational environment against its Jewish and Israeli students.”

Bill Essayli, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California and one of Los Angeles’ top federal prosecutors, said universities have a legal responsibility to ensure the safety of all students regardless of background or religion.

“Universities that violate our nation’s civil rights laws by repeatedly failing to shield Jewish students from antisemitism will be held accountable.”

UCLA has faced mounting scrutiny for months over anti-Israel demonstrations, protest encampments, and campus unrest connected to Israel’s ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.

{Matzav.com}

A tense confrontation erupted aboard a United Airlines flight earlier this month after a passenger reportedly activated a personal Wi-Fi hotspot using the politically charged network name “Free Palestine, F Zionists,” prompting the pilot to threaten FBI involvement unless the hotspot was immediately shut down.

According to an account later posted on Reddit by a passenger onboard, the pilot addressed the cabin and warned that the individual responsible would have 30 seconds to disable or rename the hotspot or federal law enforcement — specifically the FBI — would be waiting for the aircraft upon landing.

The announcement reportedly created an atmosphere of anxiety and discomfort throughout the cabin, with passengers uncertain how serious the situation had become.

The passenger who described the encounter online said the captain’s response felt unusually aggressive and abrupt, particularly because the hotspot name itself did not contain a direct threat of violence. Nevertheless, heightened airline security sensitivities surrounding Israel-related tensions and global terrorism concerns appeared to contribute to the strong reaction from the flight crew.

According to the account, the pilot immediately escalated the matter to possible FBI involvement without first mentioning any planned intervention by flight attendants or other crew members.

The passenger who posted about the incident acknowledged that pilots and airline crews operate under heightened caution in the post-September 11 security environment. Even so, the individual wrote that it felt “a stretch” to suggest the hotspot itself posed an immediate or credible danger to the aircraft.

The incident comes amid a growing number of airline security scares connected to provocative Wi-Fi hotspot names and politically charged messages displayed during flights.

Earlier this year, a Turkish Airlines flight traveling over the Mediterranean was diverted to Barcelona after concerns emerged over a suspicious hotspot-related incident, according to a report by Fox News. Authorities reportedly met the aircraft with bomb-sniffing dogs after it landed.

In another incident in February, a Wizz Air flight traveling from London Luton Airport to Tel Aviv was intercepted by Israeli fighter jets after a passenger’s hotspot name allegedly included the word “terrorist.”

More recently, a KLM flight traveling from Málaga to Amsterdam was delayed for several hours after a passenger broadcast the hotspot name: “Allahu Akbar – er is een bom aan boord,” which translates to “God is great – there is a bomb on board,” according to NL Times.

Separate security incidents also disrupted two United Airlines flights over the same weekend, prompting emergency responses and renewed debate about airline security procedures and passenger conduct.

Aviation publication Paddle Your Own Kanoo described the hotspot name used on the United flight as anti-Semitic and noted that private airlines have broad authority to remove or deny boarding to passengers displaying provocative political slogans, messages, or symbols.

The publication also noted that many politicians and Jewish advocacy groups argue that the word “Zionist” is often used as a substitute for “Jew” in order to avoid accusations of overt antisemitism, while critics counter that the term is frequently used in debates surrounding Israeli government policy and geopolitics.

The broader debate over whether criticism of Zionism constitutes antisemitism remains deeply contested. Still, many observers noted that the use of an explicit and inflammatory hotspot name alone could justify airline intervention, even if some viewed the threat to summon the FBI as excessive.

At the same time, aviation analysts noted that concerns involving Israeli or Jewish-related security issues are treated with heightened seriousness because of the long history of attacks targeting commercial aviation connected to Israel.

Beginning in the 1960s, Palestinian terrorist organizations increasingly targeted civilian air travel through hijackings and other attacks, leading Israel to develop some of the world’s most advanced airline security measures.

As a result of decades of aviation-related terrorism threats, Israeli commercial aircraft today operate with sophisticated defense systems and some of the strictest security protocols in global aviation.

Not in history books.
Not 80 years ago.
Right NOW!

Two Yidden from Eretz Yisrael are trapped in brutal prison conditions in Poland. Separated from their families, broken emotionally, and desperate for help.

One can finally get out on bail.
But only if we raise $55,000 immediately.

Without it, he may remain in prison for years awaiting trial.

The second Yid is facing years behind bars as well. His wife in Eretz Yisrael is hospitalized and struggling psychologically while he sits alone in a foreign prison. A qualified lawyer can help reduce his sentence, but the legal fees are enormous.

For months, Rabbi Sholom Ber Stambler, the Rebbe’s Shliach in Warsaw for over 21 years, has personally visited them, brought them kosher food, supported them, and fought for them.

Now he’s asking Klal Yisrael to step in.

The Rambam calls Pidyon Shvuyim the greatest mitzvah.

How can we stand by while fellow Yidden sit imprisoned, alone, and forgotten?

Help bring a Yid home.
Help save a family.
Help fulfill one of the greatest mitzvos in the Torah.

DONATE HERE TODAY

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisroel Katz announced Tuesday night that the Israeli military carried out a strike in the Gaza Strip targeting Mohammed Odeh, who recently became the head of Hamas’s military wing.

According to Israeli officials, Odeh assumed the role after the killing of Izz ad-Din Haddad, the previous commander of Hamas’s military apparatus.

Earlier Tuesday, Arab media outlets reported a series of powerful explosions in western Gaza City during what sources described as a large-scale IDF “fire belt” assault. Some reports indicated that Israeli forces launched three separate strikes near the Shaafout restaurant along Salah al-Din Road in Gaza.

In a joint statement issued by the offices of Netanyahu and Katz, Israeli officials said Odeh played a central role in planning and executing the October 7 Hamas massacre and served as the terror organization’s intelligence chief during the attack.

The statement said Odeh had been elevated to lead Hamas’s military wing approximately one week ago following the death of Haddad, who was reportedly eliminated in an Israeli strike in Gaza about two weeks earlier.

“Oudeh was responsible for the murder, abduction, and injury of many Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers,” the statement said.

Netanyahu and Katz also commended the IDF and the Shin Bet for what they described as their ongoing operations against Hamas leadership.

“Congratulations to the IDF and the Shin Bet for their ongoing efforts to eliminate our enemies. We will continue to pursue everyone who took part in the October 7 massacre. Sooner or later, Israel will reach them all.”

{Matzav.com}

A bitter internal war over a proposed boycott of Israeli products has thrown Brooklyn’s famously progressive Park Slope Food Coop into turmoil, with Jewish members accusing anti-Israel activists of harassment, intimidation, and creating an atmosphere so hostile that organizers moved a major vote online over security fears.

The dispute centers around an effort by boycott activists to ban Israeli-made products from the coop, a battle that longtime members say has fractured the organization and created one of the ugliest controversies in its 53-year history.

The vote had originally been scheduled to take place Tuesday evening at the Picnic House in Prospect Park. But after concerns mounted among members about possible confrontations and safety risks, organizers shifted the proceedings to a Zoom-only format. Internal emails obtained by The NY Post said many of the coop’s roughly 15,000 members raised “explicit concerns about their safety.”

“People were nervous to go physically,” coop member Ramon Maislen told The NY Post.

“They are fairly violent,” Maislen alleged of the anti-Israel members.

Maislen said several members feared that individuals publicly opposing the boycott, divestment, and sanctions proposal could face harassment or confrontation after the late-night meeting concluded.

In an email sent to members, coop coordinators Ann Herpel and Matt Hoagland acknowledged that despite increased security measures, “we cannot guarantee their security.”

The proposed boycott itself would have little practical impact on store inventory. The coop reportedly sells only a small number of Israeli products, including seasonal kosher-for-Passover matzah, hummus, Bamba snacks, an herb product, and two Ecolove hair-care items.

Tuesday’s vote marked the latest chapter in a years-long anti-Israel campaign within the coop that reportedly dates back to 2012.

According to members, tensions exploded following the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza.

Maislen filed a complaint in 2024 with New York’s Human Rights Division, alleging that he and other Jewish members faced harassment because of their opposition to the boycott effort.

The atmosphere grew even more heated during a coop meeting last month after one member reportedly declared, “Jewish supremacism is a problem in this country,” while also comparing Jews to Nazis — remarks that triggered outrage among many attendees.

Opposition to the boycott effort has also emerged from prominent liberal Jewish figures. Rabbi Rachel Timoner, who previously faced criticism within parts of the Jewish community for publicly supporting New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, has become one of the leading voices against the boycott campaign.

In a recent sermon to congregants, Timoner warned that BDS “is not a movement for Palestinian statehood, or for co-existence or for peace. It is part of a larger movement for the elimination of Israel.”

Numerous coop members told The New York Post that the controversy has become the most divisive internal battle the organization has ever experienced.

Outside the coop Monday, pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered chanting slogans about genocide, apartheid, and Zionism while newly hired security guards monitored the scene nearby.

“Vote yes to not be silent during genocide. Be on the right side of history at the coop,” shouted one woman, who was wearing a shirt that said “I’m Jewish and I’m against genocide.”

But several frustrated shoppers told The Post they were deeply disturbed by the demonstrations and growing hostility surrounding the issue.

Noah Potter, a 54-year-old attorney and coop member since 2012, warned that approval of the boycott would hand the BDS movement a symbolic victory.

He said the measure would become a “scalp hanging from the belt” of the BDS movement.

“It’s about putting the coop’s brand on the BDS ideology.

“In practice, when BDS comes into an organization, the modus operandi is to polarize and expel, purge and cause the organization to adopt a statement that is highly reductionist, and inflammatory, and assigns blame to the extent of incarnating evil,” he added.

Another longtime member from Prospect Heights, who has belonged to the coop since 1987, said the rhetoric surrounding Jews had left her horrified and reconsidering her membership.

“I thought it was disgusting,” she said, adding that if the vote passes, she will do the bulk of her shopping at the Key Food on Flatbush Avenue.

“When people are passionate about an issue, they sometimes don’t realize the antisemitism that’s there.”

One Jewish member connected to the anti-boycott organization Coop 4 Unity described witnessing a confrontation in which a pro-boycott activist allegedly intimidated someone distributing anti-boycott flyers.

“A member walked up to another guy who was flyering and got really physically aggressive,” she said.

“He backed up to him closely and started yelling about genocide and apartheid.”

Although coop staff eventually intervened, members said the incident reflected a broader escalation of tensions that has intensified in recent weeks.

“The whole time I was out there flyering, my heart was racing,” the 37-year-old woman said. “I’m a mom of two. I could think of 1 million other things I could be doing.”

Ahead of the vote, the pro-boycott organization Members for Palestine reportedly distributed forceful campaign emails urging members to support the boycott while dismissing security concerns as political intimidation tactics.

As tensions escalated, several Jewish members said they no longer felt comfortable attending coop meetings in person.

The Post said it contacted Members for Palestine for comment but received no response Monday.

In a recently filed complaint reviewed by The Post, one longtime member described suffering severe anxiety after receiving boycott-related emails referencing “Zionists.”

“I used to love the coop more than any other institution in my life (I am fast falling into a state of utter disgust with every part of it),” the member wrote.

“I lost sleep. I had diarrhea. My stomach was in knots for the two weeks between the April 14 email and the April 29 meeting,” she continued — referring to the heated debates over the boycott.

“I was so nervous that I went to the Picnic House at 4:30 pm, to ensure I could get in, because I expected to be prevented from entering.”

The member further described the atmosphere at the meeting as “intimidating,” alleging that pro-Palestinian activists “flooded” the venue wearing keffiyehs and watermelon imagery associated with Palestinian solidarity demonstrations, causing many members to stay away out of fear.

Bruno Grandsard, who has belonged to the coop for a quarter-century, said the current crisis is unlike anything he has seen before.

“There have been other periods like this in the past, but this is the worst it’s ever been,” he said.

“The majority of people just want all of this to go away. It’s just very divisive, extremely divisive.”

For Maislen and other opponents of the boycott, one of the biggest concerns is that passage of the measure could trigger a major exodus of members from the institution.

An informal survey estimated that nearly 1,000 current members could leave the coop if the boycott is approved.

“My concern is that if coop members leave in disgust, it actually kind of harms us in a way, because if we have to have another vote, there’s just fewer people that are on our side,” Maislen said.

President Donald Trump announced Monday that he received a clean bill of health following a new physical examination conducted just weeks before his 80th birthday, declaring afterward that “everything had checked out PERFECTLY.”

Trump, who became the oldest person ever inaugurated as president of the United States, underwent the medical evaluation on May 26 at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The examination marked the fourth physical of his second term and came after months of public attention surrounding visible bruising, skin discoloration, and swelling in his ankles.

Following the examination, Trump posted a message on Truth Social saying: “Just finished my 6 month physical at Walter Reed Military Medical Center. Everything checked out PERFECTLY,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “Thank you to the great Doctors and Staff!”

As of Monday evening, no formal medical report from presidential physician Dr. Sean Barbabella had been publicly released. During a previous examination last April, Trump stated that he also completed a cognitive assessment and claimed he “got every answer right.”

Public discussion surrounding Trump’s health intensified last summer after he appeared in public with noticeable swelling near his ankles and bruising on the back of his right hand. Earlier this year, additional speculation emerged after photographs from a Medal of Honor ceremony in March appeared to show discoloration behind his right ear.

White House officials later explained that the ankle swelling was caused by chronic venous insufficiency, commonly known as CVI, a condition involving difficulty returning blood from the legs back to the heart. Officials also said the bruising on Trump’s hand resulted from frequent handshaking combined with aspirin use. Trump later attributed bruising seen on his left hand to accidentally striking a table.

Regarding the discoloration behind his ear, the White House said it was connected to a topical cream but initially declined to provide additional details.

“President Trump is using a very common cream on the right side of his neck, which is a preventative skin treatment,” Dr. Sean Barbabella said in the statement provided to USA TODAY in March. “The President is using the treatment for one week, and the redness is expected to last for a few weeks.”

Additional photographs taken during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January appeared to show bruising on the back of Trump’s left hand during a signing ceremony connected to the Board of Peace initiative.

Traditionally, the White House determines how much information from a president’s medical evaluation will be released publicly. Presidents are not legally required to disclose detailed medical records, and there is no standardized format governing presidential health exams. Throughout his presidential campaigns, Trump released only limited details regarding his medical condition.

During the 2024 presidential race, Trump frequently criticized his predecessor, Joe Biden, over concerns related to age and stamina, particularly as Biden was serving at age 81.

The United States is preparing to significantly reduce the military resources it makes available to NATO allies during future crises, according to a new report outlining major planned cutbacks involving bombers, fighter jets, naval forces, and reconnaissance assets.

German publication Der Spiegel reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth informed senior NATO officials during meetings in Brussels last week that Washington intends to scale back several key military commitments to the alliance.

Among the proposed changes, the United States would reportedly cut in half the number of strategic bombers available to NATO operations.

According to the report, American envoy Alexander Velez-Green also told alliance members that the number of U.S. fighter aircraft deployed for NATO missions would be reduced by roughly one-third.

The report further stated that the U.S. Navy plans to stop assigning nuclear submarines to NATO altogether and will also decrease the number of destroyers it contributes to alliance operations.

Sources cited by Spiegel said the United States additionally intends to retain full control over its reconnaissance drone fleet while limiting NATO access to American attack UAVs.

The move reflects a broader push to reduce America’s military footprint in Europe, a policy shift that has accelerated under President Trump, who has repeatedly criticized NATO countries for failing to adequately fund their own defense systems and for relying too heavily on Washington’s military power.

Trump has long argued that many NATO members allowed their armed forces to weaken while depending on the United States to shoulder the burden of European security.

At the same time, European governments have sharply increased defense spending in recent years following Russian invasion of Ukraine, amid growing concerns over Russia’s military ambitions and regional instability.

The United States currently maintains approximately 68,000 active-duty troops stationed throughout Europe, with the largest concentration based in Germany.

Israel’s currency has surged to its strongest level against the U.S. dollar in three decades, an extraordinary development given the ongoing regional turmoil that has gripped the country since October 7, 2023.

Since the beginning of May, the exchange rate has hovered around 2.85 shekels per dollar, a dramatic rise from the roughly 4 shekels per dollar seen in October 2023. The shekel has also strengthened sharply against the euro, with one euro falling from 4.34 shekels in October 2023 to approximately 3.39 shekels in May 2026.

The sharp appreciation comes as Israel’s broader economic data continues to outperform expectations. The Bank of Israel is projecting economic growth of 3.8% for 2026, inflation dropped to 1.9% in March, and unemployment has remained relatively low at 3.2%.

For Israeli consumers, the stronger shekel carries significant benefits. Imported goods become cheaper, particularly energy products purchased in dollars, while overseas travel has become far less expensive for Israeli families. At the same time, however, the strengthening currency has placed growing pressure on exporters — especially Israel’s technology sector — since Israeli products and services become more costly in foreign markets.

According to the Bank of Israel, several developments have contributed to the shekel’s rapid climb. The ceasefire in the Middle East helped calm investor fears, lowered the perceived risk attached to Israeli assets, and encouraged foreign capital to flow back into the country. In addition, the weakening of the dollar, tied in part to President Trump’s economic policies, has naturally boosted other global currencies, including the shekel.

Economists also point to another major driver behind the rally: the American stock market. Israeli pension funds maintain large investments in U.S. equities and often hedge currency exposure by selling dollars and purchasing shekels. As Wall Street continues climbing, those hedging transactions have accelerated, further strengthening the Israeli currency.

Between August 2025 and February 2026, those currency-hedging activities are estimated to have involved roughly $23 billion in additional transactions. Economist Alex Zabezhinsky estimated that this factor alone may account for as much as 40% of the shekel’s recent gains.

The dramatic rise in the shekel is now creating growing pressure on policymakers at the Bank of Israel. Business leaders and exporters have increasingly urged the central bank to lower interest rates in an effort to weaken the currency and provide relief to Israeli companies competing overseas.

For now, however, the Bank of Israel has kept its benchmark interest rate at 4% — still higher than rates in both the United States and the eurozone — a policy that continues attracting investors to shekel-based assets.

Officials face a difficult balancing act. While lowering rates could ease pressure on exporters, it also risks reigniting inflation at a time when Israel continues dealing with war-related uncertainty and volatile energy prices.

Concern is also beginning to grow within the Israeli government itself. Israeli exports have steadily declined in recent years, falling from more than $76 billion in 2022 to under $59 billion last year.

In response, Israel’s Finance Ministry recently announced a new funding initiative focused on artificial intelligence, aimed at helping companies hurt by the shekel’s sharp rise remain competitive in global markets.

{Matzav.com}

Israel is escalating its military campaign along the northern border, with Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu making clear that operations in Lebanon are being broadened in scope and depth, aiming to secure key territory and strengthen defenses for communities in northern Israel.

Speaking Tuesday at the start of a security cabinet meeting, Netanyahu addressed the widening military push, emphasizing close alignment between the country’s political leadership and its top military officials as operations move forward.

“Under my direction and that of the Defense Minister, together with the Chief of Staff, we are deepening our operation in Lebanon,” the prime minister declared, underscoring unified leadership behind the ongoing campaign.

He explained that Israeli forces are increasing their presence on the ground, focusing on consolidating control over strategically important areas while reinforcing a buffer zone designed to protect Israeli towns near the border.

“The IDF is operating with large forces on the ground and is taking control of strategic areas. We are fortifying the security zone in order to protect the communities of northern Israel,” Netanyahu said, outlining the operational objectives guiding the current phase of the mission.

Beyond ground maneuvers, Netanyahu pointed to continued concern over aerial threats, particularly the growing use of explosive drones, and highlighted a nationwide effort to counter them through new technological approaches.

“We are conducting a massive national effort to advance creative and innovative solutions against explosive drones,” he stated, indicating that Israel is investing heavily in advanced defense capabilities to address evolving threats.

Closing his remarks, Netanyahu offered strong public backing to Israeli troops engaged in the campaign, praising their efforts and expressing confidence in their mission as they operate in high-risk areas.

“We support and praise our heroic commanders and soldiers. They are operating deep inside the field. We trust you.”

{Matzav.com}

The public is being asked to offer tefillos for the full recovery of the Gerer Rebbe, who is scheduled to undergo a planned medical procedure today.

According to sources, the procedure is connected to a medical complication from which the Rebbe has recently been suffering involving the sinus and eye areas, after doctors determined that the condition was affecting his vision.

Initially, physicians explored the possibility that the issue stemmed from another medical problem, but following additional examinations, doctors decided to move forward with the planned procedure.

Sources within Ger stressed that the procedure was scheduled in advance and, according to current medical assessments, is considered relatively limited and is not expected to last long.

The procedure is expected to take place at a medical center in Herzliya.

Following the treatment, the Rebbe is expected to spend approximately a week resting and recuperating in Kfar Shmaryahu together with close aides and attendants.

The public is being urged to continue davening for the complete and speedy recovery of Rav Yaakov Aryeh ben Yuta Henya.

{Matzav.com}

Reb Gedaliah Kook shared an emotional update this week on the condition of his father, the renowned mekubal and tzaddik Rav Dov Kook, describing moving moments at his bedside, ongoing tefillos, and what the family views as repeated medical miracles surrounding the revered rav’s condition.

Speaking on the “Hafuch Al Hafuch” program with Reb Moshe Ben Lulu, Reb Gedaliah said his father remains hospitalized in intensive care, partially sedated and on a ventilator, though some improvement has been seen in recent days.

“The Rav partially opened his eyes during Yom Tov,” he said, while stressing that the situation remains serious and that Rav Dov still desperately needs the tefillos of Klal Yisroel.

Reb Gedaliah recounted a particularly emotional moment that occurred beside his father’s hospital bed.

According to him, family members played some of Rav Dov’s favorite niggunim, prompting a visible emotional response from the weakened mekubal, who also grasped his son’s hand.

“That was the greatest thing that happened,” Reb Gedaliah said emotionally.

At the same time, he clarified that the rav has not yet fully regained consciousness.

“He is not really in a state of full awareness — it’s more like flickering,” he explained.

He added that family members and talmidim remain constantly at the bedside, surrounding the rav with uninterrupted Torah learning and tefillah.

Reb Gedaliah also revealed difficult details about his father’s longstanding health struggles, particularly the condition of his legs after years of prolonged standing during heartfelt tefillos on behalf of Klal Yisroel.

“His legs are almost black,” he said painfully.

He described how doctors in the past repeatedly warned that Rav Dov’s condition was severe, yet the rav continued recovering against all expectations.

“The Rav is accustomed to miracles,” he said, recalling instances in which physicians feared amputation would be necessary, only for the situation to dramatically improve.

One especially striking story involved a serious infection Rav Dov suffered several years ago.

According to Reb Gedaliah, doctors instructed the rav to undergo a full course of antibiotics, but Rav Dov took only a single pill, relying on his deep emunah.

“We had absolutely no reason to think it would disappear on its own, and the doctors were shocked,” he recounted.

Several months later, the infection reportedly vanished entirely, and Rav Dov returned to standing for long hours in davening.

“We are only people of little faith,” Reb Gedaliah added.

Toward the conclusion of the interview, he urged the public to continue davening fervently for his father’s recovery and not lose hope.

“It is the tefillos of Klal Yisroel that are sustaining the Rav,” he said.

He asked the public to continue mentioning the rav’s full name in tefillah: “Harav Dov ben Shoshana,” emphasizing that the tremendous outpouring of prayers is deeply felt around the rav’s bedside.

{Matzav.com}

A heated debate broke out Monday in the Knesset Economic Affairs Committee over a Transportation Ministry proposal to reduce the frequency of annual vehicle inspections for private cars, with lawmakers and industry representatives clashing over whether the reform would improve convenience or endanger public safety.

Under the proposal being advanced by the Transportation Ministry, privately owned vehicles up to seven or nine years old would undergo licensing inspections once every two years instead of annually.

Committee chairman David Bitan immediately challenged the economic justification behind the move.

“The fact that a person saves 100 shekels a year has no impact whatsoever on the cost of living,” Bitan said. “On the other hand, there is the issue of vehicle safety.”

Bitan proposed an alternative model under which inspection frequency would be based primarily on mileage, while still requiring at least one inspection every two years.

“There is a complete imbalance in determining this according to years alone,” he argued. “Leased vehicles travel tens of thousands of kilometers each year, while others travel only a few thousand. It makes no sense to apply the same rule to everyone.”

MK Sasson Guetta backed the proposal and argued that if the Transportation Ministry truly wanted to ease the financial burden on citizens, it should reduce vehicle licensing fees rather than weaken safety standards.

Deputy Director-General of the Regulatory Authority Guy Mor defended the reform, insisting that the primary savings would come not from the inspection fee itself, but from the time citizens spend dealing with the process.

“When someone dedicates half a day to a vehicle inspection, that’s worth a lot of money. This represents a national savings of about one billion shekels per year,” Mor said.

He also stated that only five percent of road accidents stem from mechanical failures, comments that triggered sharp backlash from representatives of the automotive repair industry.

Ronen Levy, chairman of the Garage Owners Association, argued that European countries are actually increasing inspection frequency because of declining safety standards and odometer fraud.

Attorney Raz Nizri, representing the vehicle inspection institutes, presented opposing data based on research by Professor Moshe Becker, claiming the proposed reduction in inspections would increase accidents and cause economic damages estimated at 4.3 billion shekels annually.

According to Nizri, the Transportation Ministry is ignoring the real financial consequences of traffic accidents.

Representatives of the inspection institutes added that the average vehicle inspection lasts only 26 minutes and argued that “all the Transportation Ministry is saving citizens is the cost of a falafel portion and a bottle of grape juice.”

On the other side of the debate, Neta Lee Graiver, CEO of the advocacy group “Our Interest,” supported the reform and dismissed the warnings as exaggerated.

“As a citizen, I wait two and a half hours outside the inspection institute,” she said. “It’s troubling to hear professionals claim that this inspection ‘is worthless anyway.’”

Yosef Naim, chairman of the tire industry association, warned that poor road infrastructure is causing accelerated tire deterioration and claimed that more than half of the vehicles inspected by Transportation Ministry mobile enforcement units are found with severe defects.

Jonathan Ilan, a representative of the National Road Safety Authority, noted that 168 people have been killed in traffic accidents since the beginning of the year.

He clarified that the authority does not oppose reducing inspection frequency for newer private vehicles, where no proven link has been found between mechanical failure and accidents. However, he said older and heavier vehicles show a direct correlation between wear, mileage, and safety risks.

A police representative similarly voiced support for applying the reform only to newer vehicles.

At the conclusion of the discussion, Bitan demanded that the Transportation Ministry halt advancement of the reform until a comprehensive professional review is completed.

He again urged officials to examine a mileage-based model and instructed the ministry to return to the committee within a week with detailed answers.

“We managed until now with the existing system,” Bitan said. “We can wait a little longer to receive a reliable safety report — and not endanger human lives in the name of reducing regulation.”

{Matzav.com}

Legendary singer Avraham Fried revealed this week that a remarkable moment of hashgachah pratis during a recent visit to the Ohel of the Lubavitcher Rebbe in New York inspired him to launch an unexpected new musical project — recording Jewish lullabies for children.

Fried shared the story during an in-depth interview with journalist Binyamin Lipkin on the debut episode of the “L’Binyamin Amar” podcast on the COL website, where he discussed personal moments from throughout his celebrated musical career.

The singer recounted that during a recent visit to the Rebbe’s kever, he davened for continued success in his music and performances.

“I asked for brachah and hatzlachah in singing, to continue performing and singing, etc.,” Fried recalled.

After leaving the Ohel, Fried entered an adjoining room where videos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe are continuously shown.

To his astonishment, the particular video playing at that exact moment featured the Rebbe speaking publicly about music during a farbrengen decades earlier.

“How many clips are there of the Rebbe speaking publicly about singing at farbrengens?” Fried asked rhetorically. “There aren’t many.”

Fried described the timing as extraordinary and deeply personal.

“Tell me this isn’t hashgachah,” he said. “I’m looking at the video, and the Rebbe says: ‘Before babies begin to speak, it was customary to lull them to sleep, according to the custom of elderly Jewish women, with a lullaby, Torah di beste sechora [the best merchandise]. And it is known what the Rashba writes regarding the customs of elderly Jewish women in Israel, how carefully they must be preserved.’”

Fried said he felt at that moment as though the Rebbe was speaking directly to him.

Inspired by the experience, he immediately decided to move forward with a completely new type of project.

“On the spot I decided: I’m going to make lullaby albums now,” Fried announced.

A new Channel 13 poll published Monday night shows former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s new political party losing momentum, while Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu’s bloc continues edging closer to a governing majority.

According to the survey, Bennett’s “Together” party dropped three seats compared to the previous Channel 13 poll, while the Netanyahu-led bloc together with the chareidi parties now stands at 56 seats, compared to 54 seats for the anti-Netanyahu bloc.

If elections were held today, Netanyahu’s Likud party would emerge as the largest faction in the Knesset with 25 seats, the poll found.

Bennett’s “Together” party fell sharply to 23 seats, down from 26 mandates in the previous survey.

Meanwhile, the “Yashar” party headed by Gadi Eisenkot continued gaining strength and is now projected to become the third-largest party in the Knesset with 14 seats — an increase of two seats from the network’s earlier poll.

Among the chareidi parties, the numbers remained unchanged. Shas, led by Aryeh Deri, held steady at 10 seats, while United Torah Judaism remained stable with 7 mandates.

Religious Zionism, headed by Bezalel Smotrich, narrowly crossed the electoral threshold with 4 seats, while Otzma Yehudit under Itamar Ben Gvir received 10 seats.

The Democrats party, led by Yair Golan, was projected to win 9 seats, while Yisrael Beiteinu under Avigdor Lieberman gained one additional seat and rose to 8 mandates.

Among the Arab parties, Hadash-Ta’al was projected to receive 6 seats, while Ra’am, led by Mansour Abbas, dropped to just 4 seats.

According to the poll, the Netanyahu bloc together with the chareidi factions now stands only two seats short of the 61-seat majority needed to form a government.

The anti-Netanyahu bloc was projected to receive 54 seats, while the Arab parties collectively accounted for 10 mandates.

{Matzav.com}

Qatar has reportedly provided Iran with massive financial assistance in recent weeks, according to sources cited Tuesday, as Tehran struggles under mounting economic pressure and the lingering effects of the American naval blockade.

The report, published by Yisroel Hayom, claims the Qatari government transferred significant sums of money to the Iranian regime following a series of contacts between Doha and Tehran over the past several weeks.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Monday with Iranian Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati in a meeting that, according to the report, highlighted Qatar’s increasingly deep involvement in supporting Iran economically — far beyond its previously known role as a mediator in negotiations.

According to the report, Iran’s financial situation has deteriorated sharply due to the U.S. maritime blockade. The country is reportedly facing severe difficulties paying public-sector salaries, financing food and goods imports, and maintaining financial support for members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Sources quoted in the report said Qatar transferred substantial financial aid to Iran after diplomatic contacts intensified in recent weeks.

According to those sources, relations between Doha and Tehran expanded significantly following the ceasefire reached more than a month ago.

The report claimed one of Qatar’s main motivations was to prevent another Iranian strike against its territory after Qatar came under attack during the war.

Israel Hayom noted that following the ceasefire, both the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia were reportedly targeted in separate incidents, while Qatar remained untouched.

One source cited in the report said the two countries are also engaged in secret discussions aimed at reaching a broader arrangement that could include Qatari assistance in developing the enormous shared natural gas field jointly controlled by Iran and Qatar.

{Matzav.com}

Shas faction chairman Yinon Azoulay launched a sharp attack Tuesday against Israel’s attorney general and several coalition lawmakers following the decision to revoke yeshiva students’ eligibility for the government’s “Discounted Apartment” housing lottery program.

Azoulay accused the officials of effectively increasing the chances that terrorists and their families would benefit from the subsidized housing initiative while excluding Torah learners.

The Shas MK directed criticism at Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara along with coalition lawmakers Yuli Edelstein, Dan Illouz, Ofir Sofer, and Sharren Haskel over the controversy surrounding the housing program.

According to Azoulay, “The families of terrorists are thanking the attorney general today, along with those members of Knesset who call themselves ‘right-wing,’ who joined forces with the dismissed attorney general and with their own hands increased the chances of terrorists winning ‘Discounted Apartment’ lotteries by excluding Torah learners from participating.”

He continued by condemning what he described as a reversal of priorities in the Jewish state.

“It is unbelievable that in the Jewish state, instead of strengthening those who dedicate their lives to Torah study and to the Jewish identity of the state, they are strengthening terrorists.”

Azoulay also made clear that Shas does not intend to retreat from the fight over the issue.

“It won’t help you — we will not surrender. ‘The more they oppressed them, the more they multiplied and spread.’ Torah learners will continue to sit and learn, because money does not interest them.”

{Matzav.com}