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Israel’s government voted on Sunday to push forward the establishment of what it described as an “independent” commission of inquiry into the catastrophic events of October 7. The panel will reportedly be granted full authority to investigate and is expected to be structured in a way that, according to officials, will reflect the “broadest possible public consensus.”

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu will head the ministerial team tasked with defining the commission’s mandate, a process that must be completed within 45 days. Once the committee’s framework is finalized, it will begin examining the failures that led to the deadly Hamas assault.

The decision immediately sparked outrage among opposition figures. Gadi Eisenkot, the Yashar party leader and former minister, lashed out at the move, declaring, “The October 7th government, whose leaders are the only ones who refuse to take responsibility for the worst disaster in Israel’s history and are unfit to serve in any leadership role, is establishing a whitewashing and backroom-deal committee. It is unacceptable that those responsible for the failure are the ones deciding its makeup and mandate under the pretense of broad consensus. It is clear that all of this stems from fear and panic over the results of a real, independent investigation. Establishing a state commission of inquiry according to the law is the first step toward healing and repair – and we will make it happen. We will not give up. Our very future depends on it.”

Tensions also surfaced inside the cabinet room. As ministers debated how the inquiry should be structured, Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs told Minister Orit Strock, “In the end, there will be a commission, and we need to think about how to approach it.” Strock voiced her agreement, saying she backed the establishment of an investigative body.

Echoing that sentiment, Minister Gideon Sa’ar argued that the political echelon should not be part of the commission. He emphasized that “the composition should exclude the political echelon, to create a model that earns public trust.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir pressed for the inclusion of legal officials among those scrutinized. “Those being investigated should not become the investigators,” he warned, insisting that figures within Israel’s legal establishment must also face questioning.

Ben-Gvir reminded the cabinet that before the Hamas assault, intelligence leaders—including the heads of the Shin Bet and Military Intelligence—believed Hamas was sufficiently deterred. He also pointed to the Attorney General’s refusal to approve tougher conditions for detained terrorists, arguing, “She must also be investigated. No one should be immune.”

Education Minister Yoav Kish added his support for ensuring that any commission ultimately formed would be one that enjoys the confidence of the Israeli public, stating that the inquiry must be structured “to secure broad public support.”

{Matzav.com}

Preparations and rehearsals are in full swing at the massive annual Kinnus Hashluchim gathering, taking place today at the NJ Convention Center.

The ongoing testimony of retired police commander Lt. Col. (res.) Tzachi Havkin, a former Lahav 433 investigator and member of the teams that handled Prime Minister Netanyahu’s cases, in the cases against Netanyahu, has sparked major public uproar in Israel. On Sunday, Havkin provided more dramatic testimony in court about the illegal behavior of the […]

Tensions flared at Sunday’s cabinet meeting when Minister Orit Strock confronted Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu over the ongoing ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza.

“How much longer will the ceasefire last?” Strock pressed. Netanyahu’s reply — “I don’t know” — drew an incredulous reaction. “What do you mean, ‘I don’t know’?” she shot back. The Prime Minister then explained, “At the moment, we are working to end the first phase; we have three more hostages to return.”

Unappeased, Strock responded sharply, insisting, “We did not go to war just to bring back the hostages.” Netanyahu countered, outlining the broader objectives of the campaign. “We have to ensure that the Gaza Strip is being demilitarized and (Hamas) is being disarmed, including the tunnels; for this purpose, we agreed to the creation of an international force, but countries are not excited to join. We can not give up on this stage. Hamas seemingly agrees; we will hold the rest of the discussion in the cabinet.”

Strock pushed further, asking, “About how long will this take? Weeks?” Netanyahu refused to commit to a timeline. “You can’t ignore the fact that we conducted an intense war on seven fronts. You can’t quantify how much time is left,” he said.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich later weighed in with a pointed question of his own, challenging the Prime Minister: “If you return to fight in Gaza in two months, how will you have a commission of inquiry?”

The exchange highlighted growing frustration within parts of the coalition over what some see as a lack of clarity and direction regarding Israel’s next steps in Gaza.

With the record-long government shutdown finally over, Republicans are ramping up conversations about how to reform Obamacare and address the rising cost of insurance premiums. Democrats, who refused to authorize government funding for 43 days, used the shutdown to bring attention to the expiring enhanced Obamacare Premium Tax Credit. The enhanced subsidies are set to […]

A New Orleans man who spent three decades in prison before his murder conviction was vacated won election Saturday to serve as the city’s chief criminal court record keeper, despite the state challenging his past. The city’s newly elected clerk of criminal court, Calvin Duncan, fought for decades to clear his name after being convicted […]

New York City and state political leaders condemned antisemitic graffiti found scrawled on a sidewalk in Brooklyn Friday night.

The words “[Curse] Jews” appeared along Atlantic Avenue near Smith Street. The New York City Department of Sanitation removed the graffiti overnight.

New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani called the incident “another horrific act of antisemitism on our streets,” in an X post, sharing visual documentation by District 33 NYC Council Member Lincoln Restler before and after it was removed and thanking Restler and the Sanitation Department “for your quick response.”

Restler also thanked the Sanitation Department for cleaning up the graffiti along with pictures he said were shared by a neighbor.

“Anti-Semitic incidents are a majority of the hate crimes in NYC. All NYers—including Jewish NYers—must feel safe,” Restler wrote. In another X post, he added: “There is no space or tolerance for hate in our community. I will continue to do whatever I can to condemn and combat anti-Semitism in every possible way.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called it “a disgusting, cowardly act of antisemitism that has no place in New York. We stand with our Jewish communities today and always.”

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) said that it was “another vile act of antisemitism in New York. The criminal cowards responsible must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

The StopAntisemitism organization warned of an increase in these types once Mandami is sworn in to office as the city’s 111th mayor just after midnight on Jan. 1, 2026.

“Now imagine how much worse this is going to get once Mamdani takes office,” the non-profit advocacy group wrote on X.

November’s election of the Democratic Socialist Muslim who holds strongly critical and anti-Zionist views on Israel and supports the BDS movement against the Jewish state has sparked deep concern in the city’s Jewish population, which is the largest outside of Israel.

Nearly half of Israelis plan to avoid travel to New York in the wake of Mamdani‘s election, whom they overwhelmingly perceive as antisemitic, according to recent polling.

Stefanik filed to run for governor on Nov. 7 in next year’s elections, blasting Hochul for backing Mamdani.

“When New Yorkers were looking for leadership the most, Kathy Hochul bent the knee to the raging defund-the-police, tax-hiking, antisemite communist who will destroy New York,” she said. JNS

{Matzav.com}

Today, more than 6,500 Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries and guests will gather for the annual Chabad Kinnus Hashluchim, the closing gala of the International Conference of Chabad Emissaries. This year’s program will showcase powerful stories of resilience and outreach under extreme circumstances.

A Sefer Torah will be completed and dedicated in memory of Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky z”l, the beloved Vice-Chairman of Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch and Chairman of The International Conference of Shluchim.

The banquet will culminate with the iconic International Roll Call, in which representatives from every continent rise as their countries are named.

WATCH LIVE:

Columbia University’s investment committee has rejected a series of sweeping proposals to divest the school’s $15.9 billion endowment from Israel, dealing a major setback to the anti-Israel activists who have made divestment their central demand since the campus protests that erupted after the October 2023 Hamas invasion. The decision is the most consequential institutional response […]

Ukraine is making a strong effort to revive prisoner exchanges with Russia that could see 1,200 Ukrainian captives return home, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced Sunday. His comments came one day after the country’s national security chief reported progress in mediated talks.

“We are … counting on the resumption of POW exchanges,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “Many meetings, negotiations and calls are currently taking place to ensure this.”

Rustem Umerov, who heads Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said Saturday that he had held consultations facilitated by Turkey and the United Arab Emirates to renew the stalled process.

According to Umerov, the sides agreed to reactivate prisoner-swap mechanisms arranged in Istanbul that could free 1,200 Ukrainians. Moscow has yet to issue any official response to his statement.

The Istanbul accords, signed in 2022 through Turkish mediation, outlined the framework for organized and large-scale exchanges of prisoners between the two nations. Over the past two years, thousands have been swapped under those agreements, though the operations have frequently stalled amid renewed hostilities.

Umerov noted that technical meetings would soon take place to finalize the logistics and protocols needed for the next exchange. He voiced hope that the freed Ukrainians might “celebrate the New Year and Christmas holidays at home — at the family table and next to their relatives.”

Meanwhile, Ukraine endured another night of Russian drone attacks, which struck energy infrastructure in the Odesa region, according to the State Emergency Service. Among the sites damaged was a solar power facility.

The latest barrage underscores Ukraine’s struggle to defend against constant aerial assaults that have crippled its power grid and triggered widespread blackouts as the winter cold sets in.

These attacks on the energy sector coincide with ongoing fighting in the east, where Russian troops are pushing to seize the key city of Pokrovsk.

Ukraine’s air force reported Sunday that Russia launched 176 drones and one missile overnight, claiming Ukrainian forces managed to shoot down or disable 139 of the drones. Russia’s defense ministry, for its part, said its own forces destroyed 57 Ukrainian drones during the same period.

{Matzav.com}

President Trump confirms primary challenges to any Indiana GOP state senator who caved to Gavin Newsom and refused to redistrict the 2026 House map, potentially forfeiting a pickup of two Republican seats.  

FBI Director Kash Patel: “We are delivering this accountability… they built this weaponization scheme over the course of a decade plus. In these first 8 months that we’ve been there, we’ve already charged individuals thanks to this great Department of Justice, who are at the pinnacle of this weaponization of government.”

Pedestrians in the German city of Nuremberg made way for hundreds of bleating sheep on Sunday as a flock of the animals was herded through downtown on its way to its winter quarters. Curious bystanders, cellphones in hand to capture the sight, lined the streets as the roughly 600 animals in shepherd Thomas Gackstatter’s flock […]

At today’s cabinet meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu delivered a pointed rebuke to those airing political and security disputes in public, warning that such behavior undermines national unity and responsible governance. He said that with Israel heading toward elections, political rivals have intensified what he described as a “primary season assault” — an internal and external campaign designed to sow division. Netanyahu emphasized that “security matters discussed in tweets and public statements are determined only in coordination with the Prime Minister,” reminding his colleagues that such issues demand confidentiality and unity of purpose.

Turning to Israel’s ongoing campaign against Hamas, Netanyahu made clear that the terrorist organization’s military capabilities would be completely dismantled. “This territory will be demilitarized and Hamas will be stripped of its weapons. It will happen either the easy way or the hard way. That’s what I’ve said, and that’s what President Trump has said as well,” he declared, underscoring that Israel’s security objectives remain firm and non-negotiable.

Netanyahu also revisited a long-standing pillar of his foreign policy: absolute opposition to the establishment of a Palestinian state west of the Jordan River. “Our opposition to a Palestinian state on any part of this territory has not changed in the slightest,” he said, reiterating that he has maintained this stance consistently for decades despite heavy diplomatic pressure. He added pointedly, “I do not need affirmations, tweets, or lectures from anyone,” making it clear that his convictions on this issue are not swayed by public commentary or political maneuvering.

The prime minister went on to denounce two recent acts of violence that have stirred national outrage. He condemned the assault on MK Yoav Ben Tzur, describing the perpetrators as “a small minority that does not represent the ultra-Orthodox public,” and called on authorities to respond “with full force.” Netanyahu also addressed violence carried out by a fringe group in Judea and Samaria, stressing that their actions “do not represent the settler community” and warning against collective judgment.

Concluding his remarks, Netanyahu reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to order and justice, saying simply yet firmly: “We are a state of law, and a state of law acts according to the law.”

{Matzav.com}

WATCH:

Watch as thousands of Chabad Shluchim from around the world gathered this morning at 770 Eastern Parkway for a massive group photo.

PHOTOS:

Photo Credit: Mordechai Lubeki

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu on Sunday emphasized his commitment to disarming the entire Gaza Strip as envisioned in U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for the coastal enclave.

“I want to address two specific issues,” Netanyahu said as he opened the weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday. “The first issue is the supposed ‘non-demilitarization’ of the part of Gaza still in Hamas’s hands. There will be no such thing. Under the 20-point plan, and in everything else, that area will be demilitarized and Hamas will be disarmed. Either this will happen the easy way or it will happen the hard way. I said this, and President Trump also said this,” the premier told journalists.

Netanyahu also reiterated his opposition to establishing a “Palestinian state on any territory west of the Jordan River,” rejecting Friday’s U.S.-backed statement calling for a “pathway” to Palestinian statehood. “I have been pushing back against these attempts for decades, doing so against external pressure as well as internal pressure. So I don’t need encouragement, tweets or lectures from anyone,” Netanyahu added.

Israel’s ceasefire with Hamas came into effect on Oct. 10, with the terror group agreeing to release all hostages, alive and dead, in the first phase, before moving on to the second stage, which requires its disarmament.

The truce agreement was mediated by the United States, Qatar, Egypt and Turkey, although other countries have since joined the post-ceasefire deliberations in the effort to uphold the agreement.

The IDF currently holds about half of Gaza. It is deployed to the east and along the so-called Yellow Line that runs through the north, center and south of the Strip, with Hamas controlling the Strip’s western areas.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Nov. 12 that “eventually, there won’t be a Yellow Line,” as no territory will remain in Hamas’s hands.

“Right now, that Yellow Line is what differentiates between the parts of Gaza under Hamas control and the ones that are not in Hamas control,” he stated. “Eventually, none of it should be under Hamas control. There should be a civilian Palestinian organization that runs Gaza. And that’s the goal, to stand that organization up, give it capacity, allow it to grow in both capability and credibility, and ultimately it will govern Gaza.”

However, Rubio stressed, the International Stabilization Force slated to provide security in Gaza until a Palestinian organization can step up to govern the Strip would not have to initiate operations against Hamas because the Iranian-backed terrorist group has agreed to disarm. JNS

{Matzav.com}

A hateful antisemitic message spray-painted on a Brooklyn sidewalk late Friday has drawn condemnation from New York City officials, including newly elected Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whose victory earlier this month came amid deep concern from Jewish leaders about rising antisemitism across the city.

The Trump administration says all SNAP recipients will now be required to reapply for benefits following the discovery of widespread fraud.

HAPPENING NOW: The annual “class picture” of Chabad Shluchim is taking place Sunday morning at the annual International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries (Kinus Hashluchim). The photo, taken under the iconic gables of 770 Eastern Parkway, Chabad headquarters in Brooklyn, N.Y., features thousands of black-hatted rabbis and represents not just an annual conference tradition – it […]