A spokesman for the Shas party said that Israel’s long-debated draft law is expected to pass within two weeks, adding that arrests of yeshiva students would then be halted.
Speaking in an interview with Kol Barama Radio, Shas spokesman Asher Medina said the legislation regulating the status of Torah learners is nearing completion and will move forward shortly.
“In two weeks, a law regulating Torah learners will pass, and the arrests of bnei Torah will stop,” Medina said. He described the issue as deeply painful for the chareidi public and stressed that the legislative process is being carried out in full coordination with senior Torah authorities. “Everything is being done in consultation with Gedolei Yisrael. The law has been on their table throughout the entire process,” he said.
Earlier, it was reported that the 2026 state budget was not formally submitted to the Knesset as planned, following opposition from the chareidi parties. Those parties have conditioned their support for the budget on significant progress in advancing the draft law, which is still being debated in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
Chareidi factions have made clear that they will not back the budget unless the draft legislation moves forward in a meaningful way.
Under Israeli law, if the state budget is not approved in three readings by the end of March, the Knesset will automatically dissolve and the country will head to early elections.
{Matzav.com}
A special meeting took place on Wednesday when the Toldos Aharon Rebbe visited the home of the tzaddik Rav Dov Kook in Tiveriah, during which Rav Kook presented the Rebbe with an ornate walking staff adorned with silver, described as a traditional “Rebbe’s stick.”
The visit occurred while the Toldos Aharon Rebbe is spending the days of Shovavim in Tiveriah. He arrived at Rav Kook’s residence for a special audience marked by brachos, warm interaction, and unique symbolic gestures between the two.
During the visit, Rav Kook bentched the Rebbe with Birkas Kohanim and, in the course of doing so, asked that the Rebbe—who is also a kohein—reciprocate.
The meeting continued with the serving of a rare wine aged for three decades. The Toldos Aharon Rebbe poured wine for Rav Kook and requested that he recite the brocha first. Rav Kook responded with humility, saying, “I am embarrassed. Your honor should make the brocha and include me,” after which the two shared a l’chaim together.
In a striking moment, Rav Kook then reached beneath his seat and removed a walking staff topped with silver decorations, referring to it as a special “Rebbe’s staff.” He presented it to the Toldos Aharon Rebbe as a gift and explained its symbolic meaning, saying, “This staff is meant to strike the Erev Rav.”
{Matzav.com}
A stormy exchange erupted in the Knesset on Wednesday after MK Ahmad Tibi delivered a sharply worded address accusing the government of widespread failure and escalating violence, while also launching a personal attack against the Chief Rabbi of Tzefas, Rav Shmuel Eliyahu.
Speaking from the Knesset podium, Tibi lashed out at the coalition, declaring, “Everything you touch is bad, it is a failure, blood is flowing in the streets.” His comments immediately drew loud reactions from lawmakers in the plenum.
As his speech continued, Tibi turned his focus to Minister Amichai Eliyahu and intensified his rhetoric, directing a personal insult at the minister’s father. “He says the blood in the streets is because of education-you absorbed racism from your father,” Tibi said, a remark widely viewed as crossing an unacceptable line.
In response to the language used, Knesset officials intervened and brought the address to an abrupt end. Deputy Knesset Speaker Nissim Vaturi ordered Tibi removed from the podium, halting the speech amid ongoing uproar.
Minister Amichai Eliyahu later responded from the plenum, condemning Tibi’s remarks. “A glorifier of ‘martyrs’ and supporter of terrorism cursed my father, Rav Shmuel Eliyahu, Minister Ben Gvir, and me. Someone who was an aide to the arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat dares to lecture anyone about racism and education.”
Eliyahu continued with a pointed rebuttal, adding, “Personally, I take some satisfaction in seeing his loss of composure, the anxiety and hatred in his eyes. He understands that we have won and will win. He knows very well that the Jewish people have returned to their land, that the Creator will not stop halfway-and that is why he is shouting and smearing.”
{Matzav.com}President Donald Trump has directed his national security advisers that if the United States were to take military action against Iran, it should be swift, forceful, and conclusive rather than devolving into an extended conflict, according to an NBC News report published Wednesday citing a U.S. official, two individuals familiar with internal discussions, and a source close to the White House.
“If he does something, he wants it to be definitive,” one of the people familiar with the discussions told NBC News.
At the same time, advisers have been unable to guarantee that a U.S. strike would result in the rapid collapse of the Iranian regime, the U.S. official and two of the sources said. That uncertainty has weighed heavily on the internal deliberations.
Officials have also raised concerns about whether the United States currently has enough military assets positioned in the region to effectively respond to what they anticipate could be a strong and immediate retaliation from Iran, according to the report.
As a result, those dynamics could push Trump toward approving a narrower initial strike while preserving the ability to escalate later — assuming he opts to take action at all, the U.S. official and one person familiar with the discussions said.
Those sources stressed that the situation remains fluid and that as of Wednesday afternoon, no final decisions had been reached.
When asked about the President’s thinking, a White House official pointed reporters to remarks Trump made earlier Wednesday from the Oval Office.
During those comments, Trump said, “We have been notified pretty strongly that the killing in Iran is stopping, and there’s no plan for executions or an execution.”
He added, “I’ve been told that in good authority. We’ll find out about it, I’m sure. If it happens, we’ll be very upset.”
Trump said the information came from “very important sources on the other side and they said that the killing has stopped and the executions won’t take place. There were supposed to be a lot of executions today, but the executions won’t take place. We’re going to find out. I’ll find out after this, you’ll find out.”
According to the U.S. official, two individuals briefed on the talks, and one person close to the White House, Trump continues to signal that he is willing to act on his repeated pledges to Iranian protesters that the United States would intervene militarily in support of their efforts to overthrow the regime.
Addressing Trump’s overall posture, a White House official said: “All options are at President Trump’s disposal to address the situation in Iran,” adding that U.S. military actions in Iran last year and in Venezuela this month demonstrate that “he means what he says.”
{Matzav.com}
