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Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni charged Thursday that senior Finance Ministry officials had repeatedly threatened to withhold funding from yeshivos and the olam haTorah in an effort to pressure him into abandoning his support for Israel’s regional councils and agricultural sector.

Gafni leveled the accusation during a gathering of regional council heads and political party leaders at the Regional Government Center, where he stressed that he has consistently backed local authorities and agricultural communities, including on occasions when their interests conflicted with positions taken by Finance Ministry officials.

Addressing those gathered, Gafni rejected any suggestion that his political decisions were dictated exclusively by the interests of the Chareidi community and said he had faced direct pressure because of positions he took on behalf of other sectors.

“I have never been bought off by sectoral interests, and make no mistake about that,” Gafni declared. “There were many times when Finance Ministry officials directly threatened me that if I supported the regional councils, agriculture, and issues important to you, they would freeze funding for yeshivas and the Torah world.”

Gafni said those threats did not cause him to change course and vowed that similar pressure would not influence his decisions going forward.

“I stood up to them. I did not give in then, and no one should think I will give in in the future.”

The veteran Degel HaTorah leader went on to describe the strengthening of Israel’s peripheral communities and agricultural sector as an important national priority, pledging to continue advocating for the regional councils.

“I have always supported you and will continue to help you with all my strength. The regional councils and Israeli agriculture are a critical and central pillar of the State of Israel’s resilience.”

Looking ahead to the government that will be formed following the upcoming elections, Gafni said regional authorities should receive greater attention and resources, including reforms designed to give local councils the ability to properly carry out their responsibilities.

“The next government to be formed will need to prioritize strengthening regional government, and advance genuine reforms that provide the councils with all the tools and resources they need to function, and I will be there to make sure that happens.”

FBI Director Kash Patel has sharply expanded the bureau’s efforts to capture fugitives overseas and return them to the United States, with the agency carrying out 157 extraditions and 86 foreign transfers of custody during Patel’s first 18 months in charge.

FBI figures obtained by Fox News Digital show that Patel personally made 100 calls to international partners during that period as part of the push to strengthen cooperation with foreign governments. By comparison, his predecessor, Christopher Wray, made nine such calls during the final 18 months of the Biden administration.

The FBI said extraditions have risen 65% compared with the final 18 months of the Biden administration. Foreign transfers of custody, known as FTOCs, increased by 54%. Such transfers involve suspects or fugitives apprehended outside the United States and subsequently placed in American custody.

Patel credited the increased activity to closer relationships between the Trump administration and foreign governments, as well as cooperation between the FBI and Justice Department.

“When I became FBI Director, I made clear that we would relentlessly manhunt high-value targets from overseas, and we’ve delivered,” FBI Director Kash Patel told Fox News Digital. “It’s a direct result of President [Donald] Trump’s relationships with foreign governments, which allow us to work in spaces where we were never permitted to before — and Attorney General Todd Blanche’s leadership giving us the legal tools we need to return these subjects back to America to face charges.”

“These targets are literally the worst of the worst and we will give them no sanctuary,” Patel added.

One of the most recent high-profile cases involved Alexis Flores, a Honduran national who had previously appeared on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Flores was extradited to Philadelphia on Monday after spending approximately 25 years on the run in connection with the alleged rape and murder of a 5-year-old girl.

Flores was arrested in Honduras in February, and authorities there subsequently approved his extradition to the United States. According to the FBI, he had been removed from the Ten Most Wanted list in March 2025 because the previous Honduran government would not extradite him for the alleged crimes, citing restrictions under the country’s laws.

Patel said at the time Flores was returned to the United States that the FBI had completed more than 70 extraditions since June alone.

Another case highlighted by the bureau involved Zobaidul Amin, a Bangladeshi national who was extradited from Malaysia in March to face federal charges stemming from what authorities have described as an extensive online child exploitation operation.

Federal prosecutors allege that Amin impersonated a teenager on Instagram and Snapchat to target hundreds of minors, including children as young as 11, and pressure them into creating explicit images and videos. Authorities allege that he then threatened to distribute the material to victims’ relatives, friends and classmates unless they provided additional images.

The FBI has also pointed to the case of Abdullah Anwar, a 28-year-old Texas resident who was returned from Qatar to face fraud charges. Authorities say Anwar fled the United States for Pakistan before being arrested in Qatar, whose government subsequently agreed to send him back to Texas.

The bureau has made overseas apprehensions and extraditions a major priority under Patel, with the director significantly increasing his direct contacts with international law enforcement and government officials.

According to FBI figures, Wray made 20 calls to foreign partners between 2022 and 2025, including nine during his final 18 months under the Biden administration. Patel, by comparison, logged 100 such calls during his first 18 months as director — 400% more than Wray made during the cited four-year period and a 1,011% increase compared with Wray’s final 18 months.

International extradition cases generally require extensive coordination between the FBI, Justice Department and foreign authorities. The FBI typically works with overseas law enforcement agencies to locate and apprehend suspects who have fled the United States or are otherwise wanted on American charges.

After a fugitive is taken into custody overseas, the Justice Department can formally seek the suspect’s extradition under applicable treaties and agreements. If the foreign government approves the request, FBI personnel travel to the country, assume custody of the suspect and transport the individual back to the United States to face prosecution.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu is facing sharp criticism from the right over a prerecorded television interview scheduled to air on Friday night, with Channel 14 host Boaz Golan accusing the prime minister of showing disrespect for Shabbos despite frequently invoking siyata diShmaya.

Netanyahu sat for an interview with i24NEWS journalist Naveh Dromi that is scheduled to be broadcast Friday night as part of the network’s “Friday Cabinet” program. The interview itself was recorded in advance and did not take place on Shabbos.

The Netanyahu interview is expected to serve as a centerpiece of the program, which i24NEWS has promoted with language that includes the phrase “Opening Shabbat.” Netanyahu has previously faced criticism over a similar situation involving a prerecorded interview that was broadcast on Friday night.

Following news of the planned broadcast, Golan, a prominent right-wing media personality and Channel 14 presenter, issued a blistering criticism of Netanyahu on Thursday evening, arguing that such an appearance by a sitting Israeli prime minister is highly unusual.

“From a quick search I conducted: Since the establishment of the state, no sitting prime minister has given an interview to a program broadcast on Friday night (even an interview filmed in advance). Not even to a program that would show portions of the interview and perhaps broadcast the rest after Shabbos,” Golan wrote.

Golan pointed out that Netanyahu himself had done something similar in 2010 but subsequently apologized and pledged to be more careful in the future.

“The only one who did so in 2010 was Benjamin Netanyahu, and afterward he apologized and promised to be careful about it going forward. This week he is doing it again!” Golan wrote. The assertion was based on Golan’s own review of previous prime ministers’ television appearances.

Golan concluded his criticism by invoking Netanyahu’s own references to Divine assistance during Israel’s ongoing war.

“Someone who speaks in the media about ‘siyata diShmaya’ in an existential war cannot disgrace Shabbos — the source of blessing for the Jewish people,” he wrote.

Golan then added a single word: “Disgrace.”

The latest controversy is not the first time Golan has taken Netanyahu to task over matters involving Shabbos. In February 2025, he strongly criticized the Prime Minister’s Office for issuing non-urgent statements during Shabbos.

“I’m going to say something here that is unpleasant to say: Lapid and Bennett violated Shabbos less with announcements than Netanyahu, and that needs to be said,” Golan said at the time.

Golan also urged Israel’s religious political parties to treat government activity on Shabbos as a red line, arguing that remaining in a coalition should depend upon respect for Shabbos.

“Over Shabbos, one should leave a government,” he said, adding, “Government ministries are not supposed to work on Shabbos.”

{Matzav.com}

Israel’s High Court of Justice on Thursday unanimously struck down legislation that had frozen arrests and other enforcement measures against Chareidi bnei yeshivos who failed to report for military service, dealing another major blow to efforts to protect lomdei Torah from arrest amid the ongoing draft crisis.

All nine justices on the expanded panel agreed that a fundamental defect in the legislative process required the law to be invalidated. Eight of the nine went further, ruling that the measure was also unconstitutional because it severely violated the constitutional principle of equality.

The ruling came in response to five petitions challenging the validity of the legislation, including one submitted by the Israel Hofsheet organization.

Deputy Supreme Court President Noam Sohlberg authored the principal opinion. The other members of the nine-justice panel were Daphne Barak-Erez, David Mintz, Yael Willner, Ofer Grosskopf, Alex Stein, Gila Canfy-Steinitz, Yechiel Kasher and Ruth Ronnen.

The court unanimously concluded that the amendment ultimately approved by the Knesset departed substantially from the subject matter of the original bill that had passed its first reading. According to the justices, that violated Section 85 of the Knesset Rules of Procedure.

Because the final measure differed so significantly from what had initially cleared the Knesset, the court determined that, for legal purposes, it was effectively legislation that had never passed a first reading. The justices characterized the procedural flaw as fundamental and sufficient on its own to require the law’s cancellation.

Eight members of the panel also concluded that the legislation was unconstitutional on substantive grounds. They found that the amendment inflicted a serious violation on the core constitutional right to equality and failed to satisfy the legal requirements necessary to justify such an infringement.

Justice David Mintz dissented from that portion of the ruling, although he joined the other eight justices in finding that the procedural defect required the law to be struck down.

The court consequently issued a final order completely invalidating the amendment, eliminating the legal protection that had halted arrest and enforcement proceedings against Chareidi draft-eligible men who do not report to the IDF.

The legislation had been advanced amid the escalating battle over the status of bnei yeshivos, who have been instructed by Gedolei Yisroel not to report for military service. It was intended to stop the arrests of those who did not appear at IDF induction offices and to freeze enforcement measures against them.

The Knesset approved the measure in July by a vote of 58-54 following an intense political and legal battle over the arrests of bnei Torah.

After the legislation passed, Degel HaTorah chairman MK Moshe Gafni hailed the vote as an important achievement in defending the olam haTorah.

“We promised and we delivered. This is an important step in protecting the Torah world and those who study it, out of recognition of the importance of Torah study to the Jewish people and the State of Israel,” Gafni said at the time.

Shas chairman MK Aryeh Deri also celebrated the legislation following its passage, portraying it as a rebuke to the government’s legal establishment over its treatment of lomdei Torah.

“The Knesset said in a clear voice to the dismissed attorney general: Enough of the persecution and enough of the hatred toward those who study Torah. The majority of the people of Israel love the Torah, respect those who study it and understand that they preserve the identity and spirit of the Jewish people. Do not allow the attorney general and the various inciters to divide us,” Deri said.

Thursday’s decision wipes away the legislation in its entirety, once again leaving bnei yeshivos who have not reported for military service exposed to arrest and other enforcement measures as the broader confrontation over the status of the olam hayeshivos remains unresolved.

{Matzav.com}

Ofer Winter, chairman of the newly established Amcha Yisrael party, unveiled a three-part proposal for bringing Chareidim into the IDF, arguing that Israel does not need a separate Chareidi draft law and instead should create a system tying state benefits to an individual’s formal status with the government.

Winter, a former senior IDF commander, outlined the proposal during an interview with Channel 12 on Thursday evening, one week after launching his new political party. In addition to the Chareidi draft controversy, Winter addressed the war in Gaza, his relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, military discipline and refusal of orders, and calls from within the right-wing camp for him to abandon his political run.

Winter made clear at the outset that he has no intention of bowing to pressure to drop out of the race.

“I have truly experienced many combat situations. I am not in a hurry, and I do not give in so quickly. I understand that we are moving the cheese for a lot of people. The main consideration for me and for those who will join me here is how we bring something different to the Jewish people, how we bring hope to the Jewish people, and how we change things. Anyone who thinks that what was can remain exactly the same after three years of war, after the greatest failure that has happened to the Jewish people since the establishment of the state, in my view does not understand reality.”

At the center of Winter’s agenda is the deeply contentious question of Chareidi participation in the IDF. He said he has developed a comprehensive proposal built around three separate elements: legislation, changes within the IDF itself, and a new framework involving the Defense Ministry and Chareidi yeshivos.

“I want to explain what I said. I have a plan. We will present the plan in full, but I want to tell you its principles. The plan is built on three components. One component is legislation. I did not say a draft law. There is a draft law for everyone — there is no need for a draft law.”

Under the legislative portion of his proposal, Winter would establish a direct connection between an Israeli citizen’s status with the state and his eligibility to receive government benefits. At age 18, an individual would be required to formally resolve his status; those who do so would remain eligible for state benefits, while those who fail to do so would lose them. The system would also provide greater benefits to those who serve, with additional consideration for longer periods of service.

“The law solves several problems simultaneously. The law creates compensation for those who served and those who serve more. The idea of the law is this — you are a person in your country who has reached the age of 18. You arrange your status with the State of Israel, you receive rights from the state. You did not arrange your status, you do not receive rights from the state.”

The second component of Winter’s proposal would place responsibility on the IDF itself. He accused the military establishment of failing over many years to make the changes necessary to accommodate Chareidi soldiers, pointing to initiatives he undertook during his own military career.

“For 10 years in the army and two years outside the army, I have been working in the same direction. To do everything I can to integrate the Chareidi public into the IDF. When I was a brigade commander, I established a Chareidi company in Givati. When I was chief of staff, I established another Chareidi company in the Paratroopers. My plan was to establish companies throughout the army.”

Winter’s third component would involve the Defense Ministry and the Chareidi yeshiva world. Under his proposal, Chareidi yeshivos would formally arrange their status with the Defense Ministry and receive government funding through a framework he compared to arrangements currently used in the Religious Zionist community.

“The IDF is an essential component. It was also part of the problem for years. Under chiefs of staff who spoke one way publicly and felt differently privately, and did not do much to integrate the Chareidi public into the IDF. The final element is the Defense Ministry component. The Chareidi yeshivos will come and arrange their status with the Defense Ministry, exactly as happens in Religious Zionism, and they will receive funding. If you cheated the state, you will not receive funding.”

Winter stressed that his interest in the Chareidi draft issue did not begin with his entry into politics, saying that he has been involved in efforts to create frameworks for Chareidi military service for years.

Turning to the political pressure surrounding his new party, Winter insisted that Amcha Yisrael would operate independently and would not serve the interests of Netanyahu or any other political figure.

“I do not — neither I nor those with me — work for any person. We want to lead a change in the security outlook of the State of Israel and genuine integration of the Chareidi public into the IDF, to take care of those who serve and their family members — things that have not happened and are not happening for three years.”

Winter described himself as firmly on the political right and said he views Netanyahu as the leader of the right-wing camp. At the same time, he said he would prefer to see as broad a government as possible, including politicians who identify with the right but are currently outside Netanyahu’s coalition.

“We would be happy for the government to be as broad as possible, and for everyone who defines himself as right-wing to come back home. By the way, perhaps that way, this government will not rely on a majority of Goldknopf and Gafni, and finally it will be possible not to continue with the deadlock in which we find ourselves.”

Winter also laid out his position on the Gaza war, arguing that Hamas deliberately designed its strategy around fighting Israel from densely populated urban areas and exploiting humanitarian considerations to restrict the IDF’s freedom of action.

He said his preferred strategy would have been to move Gaza’s civilian population southward, separate civilians from Hamas terrorists and impose a siege over approximately two-thirds of the Gaza Strip. That, he argued, would have allowed the IDF to employ its military superiority more effectively rather than fighting according to the battlefield conditions Hamas had prepared.

“Therefore, I proposed, very simply, not to operate in the way Hamas planned to drag us into war, but to do the opposite to it, to push the entire population southward, to separate the population from Hamas, and to impose a siege on two-thirds of the Strip. That is how I thought it would be possible to bring the full power of the IDF to bear. In the end they would have surrendered; they did not plan, and they did not have enough energy for months.”

Winter went further in describing what he believes Israel’s long-term policy toward Gaza should be, saying the emphasis should shift away from rebuilding the enclave.

“I believe that Gaza must move from reconstruction mode to emigration mode. We are the ones rebuilding Gaza and giving them hope?”

Despite his criticism of the IDF leadership over its handling of Chareidi enlistment and the Gaza war, Winter took an unequivocal position against soldiers refusing military orders. He said the IDF’s effectiveness ultimately depends upon maintaining discipline throughout the ranks.

“My position throughout all my years as an IDF commander is that you do not refuse an order. That is how I acted during the expulsion from Gush Katif, when my family was evacuated from there. I said, ‘We will not refuse an order.’ That is what I said during every ceremony and episode of refusal. There are things you do not do; the strength of the IDF is discipline.”

Asked how he would handle soldiers who refused orders, Winter said disciplinary action should come first, followed by an examination of the circumstances that led to the incident. He added that military commanders should also exercise common sense and avoid unnecessarily creating conflicts, particularly as Israel seeks to encourage more Chareidim to serve.

“I would punish them for refusing an order, and afterward I would conduct an inquiry. A lot of things are a matter of common sense. We need to remember — we want male soldiers to be in the IDF and female soldiers to be in the IDF, and there is no need to forcibly stick a finger in someone’s eye, especially when we want to integrate Chareidim.”

Winter also weighed in on the continuing debate over what type of commission should investigate the failures surrounding the war. Rather than adopting either the conventional state commission of inquiry model or the alternative national commission proposed by some political figures, he suggested allowing the Knesset to select the commission’s leadership by secret ballot.

“I think there will not be a state commission of inquiry here and there will not be a national commission of inquiry. We will choose the head of the commission of inquiry and his deputy using the method by which the president of the State of Israel is chosen — in a secret ballot in the Knesset.”

Winter framed his new political movement as an attempt to overhaul several areas at once: Israel’s security doctrine, government treatment of soldiers and their families, the integration of Chareidim into the military, and the country’s long-term policy toward Gaza.

He concluded by predicting that the upcoming election will produce a significant protest vote from Israelis dissatisfied with the country’s political and security leadership following three years of war.

“I will say one more thing. I think that on October 27 there will be a protest vote here. Anyone who does not see that is trapped in the conception.”