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Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are in Moscow for high-level Ukraine peace talks with Vladimir Putin, as the U.S. delegation heads to the Kremlin.

Serious claims are emerging from soldiers serving in the IDF’s newly formed “Adi” company in Tzeilim, raising doubts about whether the unit is truly functioning as a chareidi framework as originally presented.

The situation came to light Monday night on the main broadcast of Kol Barama Radio, where reporter Mendy Rizel shared testimony from soldiers inside the unit. The company, created less than a year ago to provide security for the Tzeilim base, is officially designated for chareidi recruits, but the soldiers describe something very different.

Several servicemen say that most of the current members of the unit are no longer religious. They describe an environment that looks nothing like the halachically sensitive structure that the IDF had pledged to maintain for chareidi soldiers.

One soldier explained: “Most of the soldiers are formerly chareidi and are not religious at all today. The result: public Shabbos desecration, fitness training with a female instructor, and a Torah class once a month instead of every day, as the regulations require.”

Another soldier shared his pain openly: “For the first time, I started violating Shabbos during my service, because of the environment.”

A different soldier said that when he entered the program and stated that he was not religious, he was simply told, “You’ll strengthen yourself.”

According to IDF regulations, a chareidi-designated company is supposed to maintain a strict religious setting, including daily Torah learning, a fully halachically appropriate environment, and zero compromise on religious standards. The accounts coming out of the unit indicate major departures from that commitment.

In response to the reports, the IDF Spokesperson addressed the issue involving a female fitness instructor: “The incident will be investigated by the relevant command authorities and handled accordingly. In the case in question, the fitness instructor opened the gym for the soldiers but did not run the training. The IDF places great importance on maintaining suitable service conditions for chareidi soldiers and works to preserve them through inspections and ongoing command dialogue.”

The IDF further stated: “Chareidi soldiers in chareidi tracks undergo a screening and affiliation interview with the relevant authorities. The soldiers in the Adi company serve in a designated framework for soldiers from the chareidi sector with all the necessary conditions to maintain their way of life, including set times for prayers, Torah classes, and conversations with rabbanim.”

{Matzav.com}

Travelers in the United States who show up to fly without a REAL ID will soon face a new financial penalty. The Transportation Security Administration announced that starting in February, passengers lacking the federally compliant identification will be required to pay a $45 fee.

Although the REAL ID requirement has technically been in place since May, the TSA has until now allowed passengers to proceed after undergoing extra screening and receiving a reminder to update their documentation. According to the Department of Homeland Security, “94% of passengers are already compliant,” and the fee is being introduced as a stronger push for the remaining travelers to obtain the proper ID.

REAL ID licenses—recognizable in most states by a white star inside a yellow circle—meet enhanced security standards that were mandated after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Getting one generally requires bringing additional paperwork to the DMV compared to what is needed for a standard driver’s license. While the program was originally scheduled to launch back in 2008, its rollout has been postponed several times over the years.

Beginning Feb. 1, domestic flyers aged 18 and older who arrive without a REAL ID and who do not have any other approved identification, such as a passport, will be required to pay the non-refundable fee to attempt verification through TSA’s alternative identity-checking process, known as “Confirm.ID.”

TSA officials warned that “paying the fee does not guarantee verification,” and anyone whose identity cannot be confirmed may be denied entry to the secure area of the airport. For those who are approved, the identity confirmation remains valid for a 10-day travel window.

The TSA said passengers will be able to pay the fee in advance online before traveling, or at the airport—though officials cautioned that the on-site process could take as long as half an hour. Initially, the agency suggested an $18 fee, but explained it was raised to $45 after determining that the cost of running the alternative system was higher than first estimated.

Aside from REAL ID cards, other valid forms of identification include permanent resident cards, military IDs, and photo identification issued by federally recognized tribal nations. In addition, TSA accepts certain digital IDs stored in Apple Wallet, Google Wallet, and Samsung Wallet at more than 250 airports across the country.

{Matzav.com}

Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández, sentenced last year to 45 years in prison for his role in helping drug traffickers move hundreds of tons of cocaine to the United States, was released from prison following a pardon from President Donald Trump, his wife announced Tuesday. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons inmate website showed that […]

Colombian officials have transferred a group of Lev Tahor families to the United States, saying the decision came after they determined that “the rights of some of the children in the group are at risk.” The radical group had consisted of 17 children and nine adults.

The families were taken into custody on November 22 when authorities conducted a raid at a hotel in Yarumal, a city in the country’s northwest. Officials emphasized that all of the minors were with at least one parent, but noted that five of the children — who hold American and Guatemalan citizenship — have active Interpol yellow notices. These notices are issued internationally for individuals reported missing or possibly caught in situations of parental or criminal abduction.

Over the past week, the group was housed in a government facility in Medellin. During that time, Colombia’s National Institute for Family Welfare stepped in to offer the children additional support and oversight.

Colombia’s immigration agency said that the entire group has now been flown to New York. Upon their arrival, U.S. authorities took custody. The adults will be reviewed by federal officials to determine whether there are any open cases or investigations, and the children will be placed under the supervision of Child Protective Services.

{Matzav.com}

The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation on Monday that would render participants in the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks in southern Israel inadmissible to the United States.

The “No Immigration Benefits for Hamas Terrorists Act of 2025,” which Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.) introduced, would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to bar from the United States “any alien who carried out, participated in, planned, financed, afforded material support to or otherwise facilitated any of the attacks against Israel initiated by Hamas beginning on Oct. 7,” including members of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

The act’s 18 other co-sponsors, all Republicans, include Reps. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) and Ann Wagner (R-Mo.).

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) said during floor debate on the bill that Democrats supported the legislation but were opposed to amending the Immigration and Nationality Act directly to cite specific terror acts. Raskin argued that all members of designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations, like Hamas, are already barred from entering the United States.

“To put into perspective just how anomalous this approach is, consider our response to the 9/11 attacks and the aftermath of that catastrophe,” Raskin said. “We revised our immigration laws to overhaul significant parts of our immigration system, and we created the Department of Homeland Security.”

“Even then, we did not amend the Immigration and Naturalization Act to specifically reference the events of Sept. 11, or to bar the individuals involved in the planning or commission of those outrageous terror attacks from entering or remaining in the United States,” he said.

McClintock said that Hamas deserves to join the Nazi Party and the Palestine Liberation Organization as organizations whose members are explicitly barred from immigrating to the United States under law.

“Does anyone seriously argue that we should repeal the sanctions against persons who aided and abetted the Nazis’ Holocaust?” McClintock said. “If not, then why would they oppose extending the same sanctions to the Nazis’ would-be modern-day successors, who just two years ago slaughtered more than 1,200 innocent civilians, including children and infants and the elderly, because they were Jewish?”

McClintock cited the example of Mahmoud Amin Ya’qub al-Muhtadi, a Gaza-born resident of Lafayette, La., who entered the United States in 2024 and whom the U.S. Justice Department charged about a month and a half ago for taking part in the Oct. 7 attacks.

“New laws would be helpful to prevent a future Joe Biden from making a mockery of our sovereignty and reopening our borders to the most violent criminal gangs and cartels and criminals and terrorists on the planet,” McClintock said.

Raskin asked if the new law would apply to Changpeng Zhao, former CEO of the crypto company Binance, who pleaded guilty to laundering money for terrorist organizations, including Hamas, and whom U.S. President Donald Trump pardoned in October.

McClintock said he was unfamiliar with the case.

The bill passed the House by voice vote with no objections and will now proceed to the Senate, which previously failed to take up a previous version of the legislation. JNS

{Matzav.com}

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff was due to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday, taking to the Kremlin an embryonic peace plan that Washington hopes can end to the nearly four-year war in Ukraine. Coinciding with Witkoff’s trip, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy went to Ireland, continuing his visits to European countries […]

Israel is preparing to receive “findings” from Gaza, an Israeli security source said on Tuesday at about 1 p.m. It is unclear if the remains belong to a hostage. According to the sources, the body will soon be transferred to Israel. About an hour later, Hamas announced that it is transferring the body of a […]

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Haiti’s transitional presidential council has backed an electoral law in the latest step toward holding a general election for the first time in nearly a decade. The approval late Monday means that the government can finally publish an official and long-awaited electoral calendar, after fears that the council would try to push back the tentative […]

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Visiting Bolivia became a little easier for certain travelers on Monday, when the South American nation’s first conservative government in nearly 20 years eliminated visa requirements for citizens from the United States and Israel, among several other countries, as part of a broader geopolitical and economic overhaul. Americans and Israelis, as well as citizens of […]

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US special envoy Tom Barrack sent a message to the Iraqi government stating that Israel plans to carry out an imminent operation in Lebanon aimed at disarming Hezbollah, the Saudi outlet Al-Hadath reported on Monday. According to the report, Barrack warned Baghdad to avoid any escalation in the region and to refrain from involvement. He […]

The terrorist who committed a car ramming attack near Chevron on Monday night, lightly injuring a female soldier, was eliminated overnight Monday, hours after the attack. A manhunt was launched immediately after the attack, and with the assistance of the Shin Bet, the terrorist was found in Chevron, hiding inside the vehicle he used to carry […]

Chaos erupted near Ateret this morning when a terrorist lunged at two people at a spring outside the town, leaving both with minor injuries. Magen David Adom teams reached the location quickly and provided treatment to the wounded.

A short time earlier, the IDF had been alerted to a suspicious individual seen near Ateret. Soldiers sent to investigate confronted the suspect, and at that point, according to the military, “he began to stab the soldiers, who responded with fire and eliminated him.” The army noted that “further details are under review,” and reinforcements were rushed to secure the area.

The stabbing followed overnight unrest. Hours before the incident at the spring, a terrorist plowed his vehicle into a soldier at the Judea Junction near Chevron, leaving her lightly wounded. Troops from the Paratroopers Brigade’s 202nd Battalion tracked the perpetrator down later in the morning. When they approached his car, the terrorist tried to escape in a way that put the soldiers in danger, and they “responded with live fire and eliminated him.”

In parallel to these attacks, Yisroel Hayom highlighted that nearly 40 terrorists freed in recent hostage deals have since been arrested or killed in Judea, Samaria, or Yerushalayim. The report noted that these cases emerged “in the two years since the first hostage deal, and less than two months after the third,” out of approximately 700 detainees released to those areas.

The outlet added that the true number of those who reentered the terror ranks is likely higher, as “some have not yet been apprehended.” The figures cited exclude the hundreds released to Gaza or expelled abroad, many of whom are also believed to have resumed violent activity. The Shin Bet warns that additional individuals may have already returned to terrorism or could do so in the near future.

{Matzav.com}

A terrorist stabbed two IDF soldiers on Tuesday morning near the yishuv of Ateret in Binyamin, lightly wounding them. According to initial details, an Israeli civilian noted that a Palestinian was acting suspiciously and alerted IDF forces. When the soldiers arrived and began questioning him, the terrorist took out a knife and began stabbing them. […]

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Air travelers in the U.S. without a REAL ID will be charged a $45 fee beginning in February, the Transportation Security Administration announced Monday. The updated ID has been required since May, but passengers without it have so far been allowed to clear security with additional screening and a warning. The Department of Homeland Security […]

The Israeli government’s draft law, which began advancing today in a Knesset committee with the approval of Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu and a green light from chareidi leaders, is already facing sharp criticism from within the coalition. Members of Likud and the Religious Zionism party have announced their opposition to the legislation in its current form, raising new questions about its ability to pass.

Finance Minister and Religious Zionism chairman Betzalel Smotrich convened an emergency faction meeting for Monday night and stated that the draft as written cannot be supported. His comment marks a significant escalation, as he had not publicly expressed such a firm position until now.

Earlier in the day, the party held a special internal discussion in which all of its members reaffirmed their commitment to unified voting. They will not support any draft legislation that fails to meet the operational needs of the IDF or ease the heavy burden placed on combat soldiers, reservists, and their families.

Party officials said that intense consultations are currently underway to prepare detailed comments and demands for changes to the bill. These recommendations will be submitted as the legislative process continues. They stressed that decisions will be made collectively, and no faction member will take an independent position.

According to Kan News, Smotrich is expected to face real difficulty persuading his faction to vote in favor of the bill. The party is scheduled to meet at 8:30 p.m. to receive a full assessment of the urgent amendments they would require before lending their support.

Internal resistance continued to grow throughout the day. Minister Ofir Sofer delivered a scathing public statement declaring, “This is a disgraceful law, lacking courage – I will vote against it even if the prime minister fires me.” MK Moshe Solomon also announced that he cannot support the bill in its present form.

In addition, reporter Daphna Liel revealed that associates of MK Avi Maoz say his support is not guaranteed, contrary to assumptions within coalition leadership. They said Maoz will vote strictly according to his ideological principles and in accordance with the guidance of his rabbinic authorities.

A senior coalition official told Kan News that while most Likud lawmakers are expected to fall in line, the bill cannot pass without reaching an understanding with Smotrich.

In a detailed interview last week, Smotrich emphasized that only a genuine and significant draft plan that brings the chareidi public into what he described as the mitzvah of defending Israel could earn his backing. “Only a law that leads to a real process in which the chareidi community participates in the great mitzvah of protecting Israel’s security and our eternal future. This cannot stay the way it is,” he said.

He added, “Anyone who thinks I am a rubber stamp does not understand. In my worldview, there is no exemption from this mitzvah. Let’s see what law they bring. I understand that there’s a process and I’m patient, but I insist that it be real and fast.”

Smotrich continued, “I demand a genuine process that will bring thousands of chareidim each year into the IDF, into combat service, into areas where they are needed.”

He concluded by saying, “I keep telling the prime minister that the chareidim will vote for it. We will not be the ‘Shabbos goy,’ and I demand that this law be real.”

{Matzav.com}