Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth said that opposition lawmakers had crossed a serious boundary after several Yesh Atid MKs entered the committee staff area outside his office, apparently disrupting discussions he was holding with representatives of the chareidi parties.
Footage from the scene showed a heated exchange outside Bismuth’s private office, next to the committee chamber, involving several MKs, among them committee members Elazar Stern and Moshe Tur-Paz, and Degel HaTorah MK Uri Maklev. In the video, Tur-Paz was seen lifting a document from a desk and taking a photograph of it.
Reacting to the incident, Bismuth wrote on X, “A red line has been crossed! I have just summoned the Knesset Sergeant-at-Arms following the violent and forceful outburst by opposition members of Knesset who stormed my office at the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.”
He went on to accuse the opposition of hypocrisy, saying, “Those same actors who warned about ‘the right wing storming the Knesset’ are the ones behaving today with bullying and vulgarity, attempting to turn a sovereign institution into lawless territory — including serious attempts to photograph committee documents unlawfully.” Bismuth added that he intended to file a formal complaint with the Knesset Ethics Committee.
The confrontation followed a meeting held earlier that afternoon between Bismuth, coalition whip Ofir Katz, and chareidi MKs Uri Maklev of Degel HaTorah, Yaakov Asher, and Shas representative Yinon Azoulay.
Also reported to have participated in the meeting were former Shas MK Ariel Attias, who had been representing the chareidi parties in talks surrounding Bismuth’s legislation, and committee legal adviser Miri Frenkel Shor, whose proposed amendments to the bill had drawn strong opposition from the chareidi factions.
Yesh Atid chairman and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid sharply criticized that meeting, claiming that those involved had “set up an alternative Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for themselves” in order to apply “heavy pressure on [Shor], to push her to approve changes that the ultra-Orthodox parties want.”
Responding to questions about the episode, Tur-Paz told The Times of Israel that he and fellow opposition MKs had gone to the committee area “to tell the Haredim and Bismuth: you will not strike a deal behind the backs of those who serve. We will not allow it.”
Tur-Paz also shared the photograph he had taken, which showed a list of committee members, and said he had snapped it “in an unclassified area,” insisting that he had not broken into any restricted space.
{Matzav.com}
Speaking in the Knesset plenum, United Torah Judaism chairman Yitzchok Goldknopf said that he and members of his Agudas Yisroel faction would vote against the 2026 state budget, arguing that the chareidi public was being “persecuted” by a government that arrested yeshiva students who avoided military service.
Goldknopf said there were considerations that outweighed fiscal concerns, declaring, “There are things that are more important than a budget, and in their name we oppose the budget. The State of Israel without the Torah of Israel does not need a budget.” He accused the government of criminalizing yeshiva students and relegating them to the status of “criminals” and “second- or third-class citizens.”
He stressed that the move was not intended to bring down the coalition. “Our intention in this vote is not to overthrow the government,” Goldknopf said, while directly urging Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu to delay the budget vote until legislation formalizing the status of yeshiva students could be enacted.
Goldknopf’s Chassidishe Agudas Yisroel faction opposed the current draft law under discussion, even though it would have exempted yeshiva students from conscription, because it included punitive sanctions.
By contrast, Degel HaTorah, UTJ’s Litvishe faction, supported both the enlistment bill and the budget, as did the Shas party. Despite Agudas Yisroel’s opposition, the budget was still viewed as likely to move forward.
{Matzav.com}
Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu declined 11 opportunities to authorize the killing of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader in Gaza, in the months leading up to the October 7, 2023, massacre, according to a report aired by Channel 12 that cites a senior defense official.
Sinwar, who is widely regarded as the chief planner behind the October 7 attack, was repeatedly located by Israeli intelligence earlier in 2023, the report says.
According to the senior official quoted in the report, the Shin Bet managed on numerous occasions in February and March 2023 to pinpoint Sinwar’s whereabouts and relayed that information to Netanyahu. Despite recommendations from the security agency to carry out a targeted killing, the prime minister allegedly refused to approve the operation. The official further claimed that Netanyahu did not even agree to convene senior officials to weigh the option of launching a strike.
The Prime Minister’s Office rejected the claims, pushing back strongly against the report’s characterization. In a statement, the PMO said the account reverses the facts and asserted that Netanyahu “demanded repeatedly to eliminate the Hamas leadership, but the security leadership stopped it. This is well documented in minutes of the discussions.”
{Matzav.com}Authorities believe the brownish liquid sprayed on Rep. Ilhan Omar during a chaotic town hall meeting in Minnesota late Tuesday was apple cider vinegar, according to reports following the incident.
Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, was struck by the common kitchen liquid when 55-year-old Anthony Kazmierczak allegedly rushed the stage as the congresswoman was delivering a speech critical of ICE, Alpha News reported, citing sources familiar with the investigation.
A hazmat team later determined that the syringe Kazmierczak is accused of using contained the vinegar-like substance, the outlet said.
Minneapolis City Council member LaTrisha Vetaw, who was also splashed during the incident, said the odor was so overpowering that it made her physically ill.
“It smelled like vinegar or ammonia,” Vetaw told The Post, adding that the stench was “overwhelming.”
“It started out smelling really like apple cider vinegar-smelly. Then it started to smell like ammonia, like a strong, pure ammonia smell, I was wondering why the smell wasn’t going away.”
“I got sick to my stomach,” she continued. “I went outside and threw up because, like, the smell was so strong.”
The incident occurred as Omar was sharply criticizing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and calling for the abolition of ICE when Kazmierczak allegedly confronted her in front of a packed audience.
Video from the scene shows the suspect apparently leaping from his front-row seat and charging toward the podium, spraying the amber-colored liquid across Omar’s chest.
Law enforcement officers inside the venue quickly tackled the suspect to the ground and placed him in handcuffs, while forensic teams were summoned to examine the scene.
Footage taken after the spray shows Omar appearing to lunge toward the alleged attacker with her fist raised.
“I need a napkin,” Omar could be heard telling a staff member.
Despite the incident, the 43-year-old member of the so-called “Squad” declined medical attention and went on to continue her remarks to the audience.
{Matzav.com}
Federal authorities have placed the Border Patrol agents involved in the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti on administrative leave, according to information obtained by The Post, as investigations into the incident continue.
Officials from the Department of Homeland Security said the decision follows standard procedure whenever officers discharge their weapons during a deadly encounter.
According to a preliminary review released Tuesday by DHS, two federal immigration officers fired their weapons during a confrontation in Minneapolis over the weekend that ended with the death of Pretti, 37, after a struggle involving multiple agents.
Authorities have not publicly identified either of the officers involved in the shooting.
The review states that Customs and Border Protection officers attempted to arrest Pretti after he refused repeated orders to move out of the street. Pretti, who was carrying a loaded Sig Sauer pistol, “resisted,” and during the ensuing struggle a Border Patrol agent could be heard shouting, “He’s got a gun!”
Moments later, one Border Patrol agent opened fire on Pretti, followed shortly by a second CBP officer. Officials said video footage shows at least 10 shots being fired in total, though it remains unclear whether Pretti’s own firearm discharged during the incident.
Despite immediate medical assistance provided by the federal officers at the scene, Pretti was pronounced dead within about 30 minutes of the confrontation.
An autopsy is being conducted by the Hennepin County Medical Examiner’s Office as part of the ongoing investigation.
DHS officials said the preliminary findings, which were compiled using body-worn camera footage and other CBP records, have been forwarded to congressional committees responsible for overseeing the department.
{Matzav.com}
President Donald Trump sharply criticized Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Wednesday after the mayor publicly rejected Trump’s call for the city to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, escalating tensions between the White House and Democratic-led sanctuary jurisdictions.
“Surprisingly, Mayor Jacob Frey just stated that, ‘Minneapolis does not, and will not, enforce Federal Immigration Laws,’” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “This is after having had a very good conversation with him. ‘Could somebody in his inner sanctum please explain that this statement is a very serious violation of the Law, and that he is PLAYING WITH FIRE!’”
Frey responded about an hour later, defending Minneapolis’ policies and arguing that immigration enforcement should not be the responsibility of local police. “The job of our police is to keep people safe, not enforce fed immigration laws. I want them preventing homicides, not hunting down a working dad who contributes to MPLS & is from Ecuador. It’s similar to the policy your guy Rudy [Giuliani] had in NYC. Everyone should feel safe calling 911,” Frey wrote on X.
Trump has repeatedly raised the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807 in response to jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. So far, he has not taken that step in Minnesota or Minneapolis, which are governed by Democrats including Gov. Tim Walz, Mayor Frey, and Attorney General Keith Ellison.
The president’s latest comments followed Frey’s public rejection of several issues discussed during recent conversations with border czar Tom Homan regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the city. In a thread posted Tuesday night, Frey reiterated his stance while saying city officials would continue to engage with federal authorities. “I also made it clear that Minneapolis does not and will not enforce federal immigration laws, and that we will remain focused on keeping our neighbors and streets safe,” Frey wrote. “City leaders will continue to stay in conversation with Mr. Homan and his team.”
Earlier in that thread, Frey struck a more measured tone, describing meetings with federal officials as constructive while still pushing back on enforcement actions taking place in the city. “Today, Chief [Brian] O’Hara and I met with Border Czar Homan and had a productive conversation,” Frey wrote. “I reiterated that my main ask is for Operation Metro Surge to end as quickly as possible.”
He went on to argue that aggressive immigration tactics undermine public safety. “Public safety works best when it’s built on community trust, not tactics that create fear or division,” Frey wrote, adding that he conveyed to Homan “the serious negative impacts this operation has had on Minneapolis and surrounding communities, as well as the strain it has placed on our local police officers.”
The clash between Frey and the Trump administration could eventually land before the Supreme Court, with broader implications for how immigration laws are enforced nationwide. As Minneapolis and other sanctuary jurisdictions maintain that ICE operations are solely a federal responsibility, and Trump suggests that refusal to assist may violate federal law, the dispute raises fundamental constitutional questions.
Legal analysts caution that the standoff could intensify into a major test of states’ rights versus presidential authority, potentially reshaping the boundaries of immigration enforcement in cities and states that openly resist cooperating with ICE.
{Matzav.com}
A powerful Shabbos experience focused on strengthening emunah and bitachon is set to take place this winter in New Jersey, bringing together leading rabbonim, gifted speakers, and families from across the region for an immersive, uplifting weekend.
The 5th Annual Shabbos of Emunah & Bitachon will be held February 6–8 at The Westin Princeton, NJ, offering participants a rare opportunity to step away from the pressures of daily life and reconnect with clarity, purpose, and inner strength through Torah, tefillah, and meaningful human connection.
At the heart of the Shabbos is Rabbi Sholom M. Rubashkin, whose personal journey and teachings on faith and trust have inspired tens of thousands around the world. Throughout the Shabbos, Rabbi Rubashkin will deliver powerful addresses, lead spirited seudos and oneg Shabbos, and engage in personal conversations with attendees. Special sessions for women will be presented by Rabbi Rubashkin together with Mrs. Rubashkin, offering depth, chizuk, and practical guidance.
The program features an exceptional lineup of singers and speakers, each bringing a unique voice and perspective to the themes of emunah and bitachon, including Avraham Fried, Rabbi Joey Haber, Rav Aharon Weinberg, Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz, Rabbi Yitzchok Hisiger, Rabbi Shloime Taussig, and Rabbi Getzel Rubashkin. Together, they will create an atmosphere of inspiration that speaks to the heart and resonates long after Shabbos ends.
Beyond the powerful content, the Shabbos is designed as a complete experience. Guests will enjoy luxury accommodations and a five-star menu, creating an environment of menuchas hanefesh that allows participants to fully absorb the message of the weekend. Inspiring tefillos, warm communal moments, and carefully curated programming ensure that every aspect of Shabbos contributes to spiritual elevation.
The event is truly for the entire family. Alongside adult programming, there will be special sessions for teens, an exciting and meaningful kids’ program led by Rabbi Motty Zeiger, and babysitting for infants—making it possible for parents to participate fully while knowing their children are engaged and cared for.
Over the years, the Shabbos of Emunah & Bitachon has earned a reputation as a life-changing experience for individuals and families alike. Many attendees describe leaving recharged, refocused, and better equipped to face life’s challenges with calm, confidence, and trust in Hashem.
Registration information and additional details are available at bitachonshabbos.com and alephbeisgimmel.com, or by calling or texting (732) 354-1496.
{Matzav.com}
