Naftali Bennett declared that he would back a pardon for Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, provided it comes as part of a deal removing Netanyahu from the political arena. His announcement appeared on X, where he cast Israel’s current climate as dangerously unstable.
Bennett argued that the country has been pushed to the edge by deep internal fractures. “In recent years, the State of Israel has been led into chaos and to the brink of a civil war that threatens the very existence of the state,” he writes on X. He framed Netanyahu stepping aside as the key to national reset, insisting that Israelis must end the ongoing legal and political battles.
He laid out his proposal plainly. “In order to rescue Israel from the chaos, I will support a binding arrangement that includes a respectful retirement from political life alongside the end of the trial,” he says. “That way, we can let it go, unite, and rebuild the state together.” Bennett portrayed such an agreement as both a practical and moral way to move the country forward.
The context behind Bennett’s stance is rooted in recent political history. He and Yair Lapid headed the short-lived coalition that removed Netanyahu from office for a year and a half beginning in 2021, only for Netanyahu to return after his bloc prevailed in the 2022 vote. Surveys since then have routinely suggested that a new slate led by Bennett could outperform Netanyahu in the next contest, which must take place by next October.
{Matzav.com}
In a wide-ranging conversation with Channel 12, attorney Micha Fettman — who once served on Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s defense team — laid out why President Isaac Herzog is legally barred from granting Netanyahu a pardon unless the prime minister does something he has repeatedly refused to do: admit guilt. As Fettman put it plainly, “A pardon is given to an offender – that’s what the law stipulates.”
Fettman pointed to the 1984 Bus 300 case as the closest historical comparison, noting that it involved one of the only pre-trial pardons in Israeli legal history. But even that exceptional episode, he stressed, required full acknowledgment of responsibility. The Shin Bet agents involved had conceded what they had done before receiving clemency from then-president Chaim Herzog.
That affair centered on two Palestinian terrorists who attempted to hijack an intercity bus carrying dozens of Israelis. After the hijacking was foiled, agents captured the terrorists alive, executed them in custody, and subsequently lied about the incident. When the truth emerged, it triggered a national scandal, senior resignations, and a criminal investigation — ultimately ending with presidential pardons before the trial even began.
Fettman underscored that even in that extraordinary situation, the High Court was emphatic that admitting guilt was a non-negotiable condition. He added that “there’s no way on earth” the attorney general or state prosecution would advise President Herzog to pardon Netanyahu without the same requirement.
He noted that on the rare occasions when presidents issued pardons contrary to the Justice Ministry’s position, it was always for severely ill private citizens — never for a sitting prime minister facing corruption charges.
His remarks surfaced just as Netanyahu submitted a massive 111-page pardon request to the president, accompanied by a personal letter arguing that clemency would enable him to focus exclusively on leading Israel “in these critical times” and “would help mend rifts between different sectors of the public.” Netanyahu did not acknowledge guilt, offer remorse, or retreat from his longstanding claim that the prosecution against him is fundamentally flawed.
Fettman, who stepped down from Netanyahu’s legal defense team five years ago, suggested that by framing the request as one made “for the good of the country,” Netanyahu may have inadvertently opened the door for Herzog to conclude that the national interest could require conditions — including the possibility of Netanyahu stepping down from public life.
Earlier this month, Netanyahu publicly reiterated that he would not consider seeking a pardon if it required admitting guilt.
Netanyahu currently faces charges across three separate cases, including one count of bribery and three counts each of fraud and breach of trust. His trial, which began in 2020, remains far from conclusion, and he continues to adamantly deny every allegation against him.
{Matzav.com}
A bruising online fight erupted on X over the past 24 hours after Elizabeth Tsurkov sharply condemned Channel 12’s description of an incident in the southern Gaza Strip. Her post triggered an immediate and fiery response from political commentator Amit Segal, setting off a back-and-forth that quickly drew widespread attention.
The televised report at the center of the blowup stated: “The Air Force this morning eliminated two suspects in the southern Gaza Strip who crossed the yellow line, conducted suspicious activities on the ground, and approached troops.” Within minutes of its broadcast, Arab outlets asserted that the individuals killed were actually children, reported to be 10 and 12 years old.
Tsurkov — who endured abduction by the Kta’ib Hezbollah terror group in Baghdad in March 2023 and was freed in September 2025 — shared an English rendering of the Channel 12 phrasing and commented: “How Israeli Ch 12 reported on the killing of 10 and 12-year-old boys in Khan Younis today. Ch 12 is the most watched channel in Israel and represents the mainstream.”
Segal blasted her critique with a biting attack that immediately escalated the dispute. He wrote: “What an extraordinary country Israel is, that it makes an effort to redeem from captivity even its greatest slanderers – captivity that has nothing to do with it and did not happen through any fault of its own. Even scum like Tsurkov don’t deserve to rot in terrorist captivity.”
Tsurkov insisted that her post was straightforward and that Segal’s outrage was misplaced. She fired back: “If you consider an English translation of a Channel 12 headline as ‘slandering’ the country, maybe it’s worth changing the coverage so it fits journalistic standards. And the State of Israel indeed worked for my release, and I thank those involved that they didn’t listen to your public calls while I was still in captivity, not to.”
Segal responded with renewed force, doubling down on his accusation that she routinely maligns the state. He declared: “You are an obsessive person, and you hate our country. Instead of sitting silently and introspecting on the high price your stupid adventures cost the country over the years, you still dare to spit into the well with a handful of English tweets.”
Tsurkov rejected the characterization and defended her right to critique government policy without being labeled an enemy of the state. She replied: “I don’t hate the country. I criticize its policies in many areas and express my appreciation for those in others. If you want to live under a rule where it’s forbidden to express criticism, move to Gaza.”
Segal then issued his final volley, accusing her of employing rhetoric that echoes hostile foreign narratives. His closing shot read: “You don’t hate the country, you’re just in a years-long ‘Tourette’s episode’ of slandering the country using the cheapest means of enemy propaganda, including the systematic belittling of October 7th, and the systematic magnification of the results of IDF activity. I will not go to Gaza because, unlike you, I do not tend to place responsibility for my actions on the state. But you are welcome to do so.”
{Matzav.com}
A planned launch of reconstruction work in Rafah has been indefinitely pushed off after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich refused to sign off on the necessary budget, according to a report from i24NEWS that quoted a security official.
The rebuilding effort was originally slated to get underway on Sunday, November 30. With the finance minister declining approval, however, officials have now frozen the initiative until a new decision is reached. Those familiar with Smotrich’s position confirmed the move and sharply articulated his reasoning, stating, “Israeli citizens will not pay out of pocket for the reconstruction of Gaza. There is a limit to every trick.”
While budgetary disagreement is one explanation for the holdup, another security source offered a completely different assessment. According to that official, work cannot begin because armed operatives are still hiding in Rafah, creating conditions too dangerous for crews to enter the area.
In the meantime, even the initial step of clearing out the rubble has yet to begin.
The reconstruction phase is intended to roll out only during the second stage of the ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas. Yet progress toward that stage is stalled, as two deceased hostages are still being held by the terror groups in Gaza—an unresolved issue that continues to prolong the conclusion of the ceasefire’s first phase.
{Matzav.com}
A routine family outing turned extraordinary after a young gamer unexpectedly uncovered a concealed stockpile of weapons not far from the Dimona nuclear facility. The revelation has prompted a full-scale investigation by Israeli security authorities.
The discovery occurred when a teenager, absorbed in completing a mission on the Pokémon Go app, wandered up a cliffside in the Mamshit National Park area. While following the game’s prompts, the teen came across a stash that stunned both his family and, later, law enforcement.
According to i24NEWS, the cache held a troubling assortment of military-grade equipment: three M16 rifles outfitted and ready for action, along with multiple magazines for both rifles and handguns, as well as a military vest and coat. The manner in which the weapons were concealed suggested they were positioned for quick access and immediate operational deployment—despite being only a few hundred meters from one of Israel’s most sensitive sites.
Initial assessments by police point toward criminal involvement. Investigators believe the arsenal was stolen from an IDF base and was likely connected to a Bedouin crime network, though the inquiry remains ongoing.
The moment the teen realized what he had found, his family contacted security forces without delay. Responding units secured the area, collected the weapons, and began a deeper probe into who placed them there—and for what purpose.
{Matzav.com}
In a message at the conclusion of his weekly shiur, Rav Moshe Shternbuch urged the avreichim of his Teshuvos V’Hanhagos kollel to recognize the immense joy inherent in Torah learning, declaring that “every halacha deserves its own seudah.”
At the end of this week’s session, the posek marked the completion of a lengthy sugya with a small l’chaim, celebrating months of intense study undertaken by the kollel. Rav Shternbuch has been guiding his students through the sugya of mechitzos for nearly three months, delivering dozens of in-depth shiurim on the topic.
Following the final shiur , he addressed the kollel members and emphasized the true magnitude of their accomplishment. The joy of completing each segment of Torah, he said, is so profound that “it would be fitting to hold a full seudah and celebration for every single halacha on its own.”
{Matzav.com}
