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The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee renewed discussions Wednesday on the controversial Draft Law and legislation extending mandatory military service, following instructions from Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu amid growing political tensions surrounding the issue.

The renewed talks came shortly after MKs from the Degel Hatorah faction announced that they plan to support dissolving the Knesset during the preliminary vote scheduled for later Wednesday.

During the committee session, Brig. Gen. Shay Tayeb, who heads the IDF’s Planning and Manpower Administration Division, presented stark figures regarding the army’s manpower crisis.

“We have not yet received a new draft of the law. There is a need for 12,000 soldiers, and at the beginning of the year this will rise to 17,000 when soldiers are discharged after 30 months.”

According to Tayeb, the military is already facing an urgent shortage of between 6,000 and 7,000 combat troops.

He added that enlistment numbers have increased in part due to enforcement measures and penalties already being implemented, but cautioned that the broader situation remains alarming.

“there are already 30,000 draft dodgers now, and another 50,000 on the way to becoming draft dodgers.”

Tayeb also noted that the burden on reservists has grown far beyond earlier projections. While the army had originally hoped to limit reserve duty to approximately 55 days annually, he said the reality is far harsher.

“today we are at 80-100 days of reserve duty.”

Committee chairman MK Boaz Bismuth addressed the prolonged legislative deadlock as well as the public uproar over the punishment handed to a soldier who wore a “Moshiach” patch.

“Today we are resuming the discussion on the Draft Law after many long weeks, and at the instruction of the Prime Minister, out of a genuine and sincere intention to complete the legislation of the law that is so necessary at this time for the IDF, for the cohesion of the people, and out of the need to ensure that brothers do not turn to each other as enemies – certainly not during wartime,” Bismuth said.

Later in the discussion, Bismuth argued that efforts to increase chareidi enlistment cannot simultaneously reject outward expressions of religious identity and faith.

“You cannot want more chareidim in the IDF and at the same time be alarmed by every expression of faith or Jewish spirit that they bring with them.”

“If we want more chareidim in the IDF, we must understand that they will not arrive as secular people wearing a kippah; they will arrive with their value system, with faith, with symbols, and with a spirit that will integrate into a single Israeli partnership.”

Bereaved father Yehoshua Shani also addressed the committee and appealed directly to MKs Yuli Edelstein and Dan Illouz, both of whom oppose the current legislation.

“Show responsibility and support the Draft Law. This is the only law that will expand the enlistment of chareidim and prevent the rift from deepening.”

{Matzav.com}

The Knesset plenum convened Wednesday afternoon for a high-stakes debate and preliminary vote on a coalition-backed proposal to dissolve the 25th Knesset, as political tensions surrounding the Draft Law continue to shake the government.

The proposal passed overwhelmingly, with all 110 MKs present voting in favor and no lawmakers opposing or abstaining.

The initiative is being pushed by the chareidi parties after the coalition failed to move forward with legislation addressing military draft exemptions through the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

Under political agreements reached between coalition factions, a separate bill submitted by the Blue and White party calling for the dissolution of the Knesset is also expected to pass its preliminary reading in the plenum.

Despite Wednesday’s dramatic vote, the Knesset will not immediately dissolve. Under parliamentary procedure, the legislation must first move to the Knesset Committee for additional deliberations and final drafting.

Once committee discussions are completed, the bills will return to the plenum for a first-reading vote. If approved at that stage, they will once again be sent back to committee for further preparation before being brought for final approval in second and third readings.

Only after a bill passes its third reading will the Knesset officially dissolve and a date for new national elections be set.

According to the explanatory notes attached to the coalition’s proposal, “It is proposed to determine, in accordance with Sections 34 and 35 of Basic Law: The Knesset, that the 25th Knesset will disperse before the end of its term, and that the elections for the 26th Knesset will be held on a date to be determined by law, as proposed by the Knesset Committee as part of the legislative process.”

{Matzav.com}

The IDF stated Wednesday that a soldier who petitioned Israel’s High Court of Justice over his prison sentence was not punished for wearing a “Moshiach patch,” but rather for what the military described as a disciplinary infraction.

In a statement released by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, the military said the case involved conduct that harmed military discipline and was unrelated to uniform appearance regulations.

“The soldier was tried for an offense of harming discipline, and not for a violation related to appearance and dress code. According to the military disciplinary regulations, a senior judicial officer holding the rank of colonel is authorized to impose up to 30 days of military imprisonment for such an offense. The IDF responded directly to the appeal submitted yesterday afternoon by the soldier’s legal representative,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement.

The clarification came after the soldier submitted an emergency petition to the High Court against IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and the Military Advocate General. The filing was made one day after the soldier’s sentence was reduced by ten days by his regional commander, leaving a remaining sentence of 20 days in military prison.

Through his attorney, Ran Cohen-Rochberger, the soldier argued in the petition that his imprisonment is unlawful and exceeds the authority granted under existing military regulations.

According to the defense, the commander of the Nachal Brigade did not possess the legal authority to impose such a severe sentence on a combat soldier for what they characterized as a first-time disciplinary matter connected only to “appearance and dress.”

Meanwhile, parents of soldiers serving in the Nachal Brigade announced plans to intensify protests in response to what they described as indifference and insensitivity on the part of senior military leadership.

The parents said demonstrations in the coming days would expand and be directed toward the homes and offices of senior IDF officials and decision-makers.

“We will not be silent and we will not rest. The system is abandoning its soldiers and harming the spearhead of the IDF because of ego and pettiness. We demand immediate intervention – release the soldier from prison immediately!” the parents’ protest headquarters said in a statement.

{Matzav.com}

A reportedly difficult phone conversation between President Trump and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu exposed sharp disagreements over a developing proposal aimed at ending the fighting with Iran and opening a new round of negotiations, according to a report Wednesday night by Barak Ravid on Channel 12 News.

At the center of the discussion was a new draft framework being advanced by several Arab and Muslim countries in an effort to broker a compromise formula between the United States and Iran that could prevent the war from reigniting. Three sources familiar with the conversation provided details of the exchange.

According to the report, Trump told Netanyahu that mediators are working on what he described as a “letter of intent” that both the United States and Iran would sign.

An American source familiar with the details of the call told Channel 12 that the proposed document could pave the way for ending the war and launching an additional 30 days of negotiations over issues including reopening the Strait of Hormuz and addressing Iran’s nuclear program.

Netanyahu, however, reportedly expressed deep skepticism about the initiative and argued that the United States should continue applying military pressure on Iran in order to further weaken the regime.

Two Israeli sources familiar with the contents of the call said the conversation was tense and that Trump and Netanyahu sharply disagreed over how to proceed regarding Iran.

The American source added that Israel’s ambassador in Washington later updated several members of Congress and indicated that Netanyahu emerged from the conversation deeply concerned about the developing negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

Another senior American source who is also uneasy about the talks remarked, “Bibi’s hair went up in flames after that conversation with Trump.”

When Trump was asked Wednesday about his conversation with Netanyahu, he responded, “Netanyahu will do whatever I tell him to do regarding Iran.”

The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on the report. A spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy denied that Ambassador Yechiel Leiter told American lawmakers that Netanyahu had come away worried from the call. The White House also declined to comment.

Meanwhile, Qatar, along with mediators including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt, is continuing efforts to formulate an agreement between the United States and Iran.

According to two Arab officials and one Israeli source, Qatar recently presented both Washington and Tehran with a revised draft proposal intended to end the conflict.

A fourth source claimed the document was not an entirely separate Qatari initiative, but rather a Pakistani draft that the Qataris modified.

One Arab official said Qatar dispatched a delegation to Tehran in recent days to discuss the proposal, while Pakistan also reportedly sent representatives to the Iranian capital.

The goal of the initiative is said to be securing concessions from Iran on its nuclear program while creating a framework for the gradual release of frozen Iranian assets held overseas.

All three sources cautioned that it remains far from certain that Iran will agree to the proposal, raising questions about whether Netanyahu’s concerns are ultimately justified.

A senior Qatari official responded to the report by saying, “Qatar supports the mediation efforts being led by Pakistan. We continue to consistently support efforts to reduce escalation for the sake of the region and its people.”

A Democratic congressional candidate in Texas is facing fierce backlash after her campaign promoted inflammatory rhetoric calling for an immigration detention center to be converted into a “prison for American Zionists” that would include a castration facility.

Maureen Galindo, a therapist who finished first in the Democratic primary for a South Texas House seat, drew outrage after her campaign posted the remarks on Instagram while accusing her runoff opponent of participating in alleged Zionist trafficking schemes.

Galindo’s campaign claimed that if she is elected to Congress, she would pursue legislation targeting Zionism.

“When Maureen gets into Congress, she’ll write legislation so that all Zionism and support of Zionism is undoubtedly Anti-Semitic, since it’s Zionism harming the Semites,” her campaign wrote on Instagram last week.

The post then escalated further, declaring:

“She’ll turn Karnes ICE Detention Center into a prison for American Zionists and former ICE officers for human trafficking. (lt will also be a castration processing center for pedophiles which will probably be most of the Zionists).”

The Karnes Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility has frequently been the focus of demonstrations by progressive activists opposed to ICE policies.

The remarks came as Galindo’s campaign attempted to rebut claims by her Democratic opponent, Johnny Garcia, that she supports putting Jews into warehouse-style detention facilities.

Critics quickly pointed out that her own language about imprisoning Zionists in detention centers closely resembled the accusations she was trying to deny.

“The standard that Democrats rightly apply to right-wing antisemites must apply equally to left-wing Jew-haters,” the watchdog group StopAntisemitism said in a statement. “Democratic leaders must clearly, publicly denounce these bigots infecting their party without hedging.

“They must decline to appear on platforms with Hasan Piker. They must stop winking at extremist voices and truly stand for the principles they claim to stand for.”

Galindo led the Democratic primary in March with 29.2% of the vote, while Garcia received 27%, sending both candidates into a runoff election scheduled for next Tuesday after neither secured a majority.

The two candidates are competing for Texas’ 35th Congressional District, which stretches from San Antonio toward the Austin suburbs. The district is currently represented by Rep. Greg Casar, though Republicans recently redrew the district’s boundaries in hopes of making the seat more competitive.

“Instead of focusing on table-kitchen issues my opponent is pushing conspiracy theories and hateful rhetoric. That’s why Republicans are spending to boost her campaign,” Garcia wrote Tuesday on X.

Garcia has argued that Republican-linked groups are attempting to elevate Galindo’s candidacy through outside spending. Much of that attention has focused on Lead Left PAC, an obscure political organization that has reportedly spent $428,713 supporting Galindo, according to the latest Federal Election Commission filings.

Democrats contend the actual amount may be significantly higher. Records indicate the PAC has spent more than $1 million across three Democratic House primaries.

FEC filings also show that before the March primary, Galindo herself had raised less than $10,000.

“At a time when antisemitism is at historic levels, Republicans’ dirty campaign tricks aren’t just cynical, they’re extremely dangerous,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Madison Andrus told The Post.

“Republicans are spending nearly $1 million to uplift a violent antisemite — no matter what your politics are, using virulent antisemitism for your own partisan gain is nothing short of disgusting.”

National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Christian Martinez mocked the increasingly bitter Democratic primary fight.

“Democrats Johnny Garcia and Maureen Galindo are tearing each other apart in a full-blown primary civil war, turning their own races into a circular firing squad.”

Martinez also took aim at Democratic leadership, saying House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ preferred candidates were struggling badly this election cycle.

“Hakeem Jeffries’ pathetic handpicked candidates were already staggering through the cycle with embarrassing fundraising numbers, zero grassroots energy, and no real support from Texans,” he told The Post.

Campaign mailers backing Galindo have highlighted her support for impeaching President Trump and dismantling ICE.

Galindo has also called for Garcia, a former Bexar County public information officer, to be tried for treason.

Throughout the campaign, Galindo has repeatedly attacked Zionists and has also targeted “Jews who own Hollywood,” echoing a widely condemned antisemitic trope.

{Matzav.com}