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Israel’s Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, has ordered the Israeli Consulate to end all subscriptions to The New York Times, accusing the newspaper of repeatedly publishing false accusations against Israel and fueling incitement against the Jewish state.

Akunis announced Friday that every New York Times subscription used by staff at the Israeli Consulate in New York would be canceled immediately.

He said the decision was prompted by what he described as “a series of false blood libels and ongoing incitement against the Jewish state” appearing in the newspaper’s coverage.

Explaining the move, Akunis declared, “I have ordered the cancellation of subscriptions to the New York Times, a newspaper that consistently incites against the Jewish state.”

Pointing to a recent article published by the newspaper, Akunis criticized its reliance on unnamed sources, arguing that the report lacked credibility.

“Another blood libel from ‘anonymous sources’ in the New York Times against the State of Israel,” he said.

He further charged that the newspaper had previously relied on Hamas-linked sources, adding, “Let me remind you who their ‘sources’ were for the previous blood libel – Hamas terrorists!”

A frightening household accident in Yerushalayim ended safely on Friday after firefighters carefully freed a child’s hand that had become trapped inside the metal beater of a kitchen mixer during a painstaking rescue operation.

Emergency crews from the HaUma District Fire Station were dispatched to a home in Yerushalayim after receiving reports that a child’s hand had become stuck inside a metal mixer attachment.

The call came through the Fire and Rescue Service’s 102 emergency dispatch center. When firefighters arrived, they found the child’s hand tightly wedged within the rigid metal wires of the mixer beater, making it impossible to remove without specialized equipment.

Rescuers kept the child calm as they carried out the intricate operation. Using precision rescue tools, including a miniature Dremel cutting device, firefighters carefully snipped through the metal wires one at a time until the child’s hand was released safely and without injury.

Incident commander Reshef Gordon Asulin praised the crews for their careful work, saying, “This was a delicate and complex rescue that required exceptional precision and great care to avoid injuring the child’s hand during the cutting process. The firefighters worked professionally, calmly, and with great caution, using specialized equipment while reassuring the child throughout the operation. Thanks to their efforts, the child was rescued safely.”

{Matzav.com}

In a bipartisan show of support, the Senate on Friday overwhelmingly approved legislation imposing tougher sanctions on Russia and Iran, advancing one of the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s signature legislative efforts just weeks after his death.

The Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026 passed by an 86-11 vote.

The measure targets Russia’s oil and natural gas exports, which have helped finance Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine, while also extending sanctions on Iran’s energy and weapons industries that were set to expire at the end of this year.

Graham, who died last month, was the driving force behind the legislation and had argued that it could increase pressure on Moscow and help bring the conflict in Ukraine to a close.

The bill gained overwhelming bipartisan backing last week when it cleared a key procedural vote just hours after Graham’s funeral at Washington National Cathedral.

Under the legislation, the Trump administration would have the authority to impose tariffs of up to 100% on the five countries importing the largest volumes of Russian crude oil or natural gas. It also renews existing sanctions on Iran that otherwise would lapse after this year.

“This bill says to Vladimir Putin, ‘Your days of war are numbered,’” bill co-sponsor Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said last week. “’You are on the losing side. Better to come to the table now than sacrifice more lives, waste more money, crater your economy, destroy your standing in the world.’

“America stands with Ukraine.”

Before the Senate voted, Graham’s sister, Sen. Darline Graham Nordone (R-SC), urged lawmakers to unite behind the legislation, calling for “a show of strength” that would preserve America’s role “as a beacon of hope to the free world.”

“Each member of this body must also make a choice,” she added, “whether we have the courage to stand up to evil, or continue on with the status quo.”

Following the vote, Darline Graham was invited to announce the final vote tally from the Senate floor.

Although the bill was introduced last year and attracted broad support from senators, it remained on hold as President Trump pursued diplomatic efforts to bring an end to Russia’s four-year war against Ukraine.

One day before his death on July 11, Graham revealed that he had reached an agreement with the White House to move the legislation forward.

At the time, Graham expressed confidence that the measure would ultimately pass, pledging it would “become law” and saying he had “never been more optimistic” that the war in Ukraine could soon come to an end.

The legislation now heads to the House of Representatives, which is scheduled to reconvene from its summer recess on August 31.

{Matzav.com}