Feed aggregator

Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu met Wednesday with Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) at Blair House in Washington, expressing gratitude for the senator’s outspoken support of Israel as Fetterman pledged to continue serving as what he called the “conscience of the Democratic Party.”

Greeting the Pennsylvania senator, Netanyahu praised Fetterman for consistently defending both the U.S.-Israel alliance and what he believes is in America’s best interest.

“Senator, it’s good to see you again. You’ve been a stellar patriot, talking about what is good for America, what is good for our alliance, of which you’ve been a champion, and you’ve been telling it like it is, with no fear, and just an indefatigable and courageous commitment to the truth, and I want to thank you on behalf of the people of Israel,” Netanyahu told Fetterman.

Netanyahu went on to say that Fetterman’s support has earned admiration well beyond Israel.

“Actually, I want to thank you on behalf of free people everywhere, because I’ve been receiving, from around the world, kudos for your courage and your clarity. So thank you. Thank you.”

Fetterman responded by saying that standing with Israel has been among the proudest aspects of his time in the Senate and reflected on his visits to the Jewish state.

“it was a supreme honor of my time here in the Senate, proud to stand with and for the vision and what Israel is, the miracle that Israel is. I’ve had the privilege of visiting a couple times, and when you witness it, and you can just realize what a miracle it is.”

The senator also expressed frustration with the direction of his own party, criticizing fellow Democrats over their approach to Israel and singling out New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

“And it’s been disappointing, as a Democratic politician, how our party continues to behave – and we had the culmination of that, where that worthless mayor in New York, you know, saying these kinds of ridiculous claims. Now I think, as far as I know, I was the only Democrat that was proud to push that trash back, and now here we are. I’m proud to stand with Israel through everything,” he added.

Netanyahu responded by saying Israel values Fetterman’s friendship and predicted that history would remember his steadfast support.

“Well, we’re doubly proud to have you as our friend, and I think history will record your contribution to truth and justice. And these are not just words that are coming out from my mouth; they’re coming out from my heart and from deeply felt convictions. And we’re very proud, very proud of your stats, it’s one that will be recorded in my history, for history, for posterity. So thank you”.

Fetterman reaffirmed that he intends to remain one of Israel’s strongest Democratic allies on Capitol Hill.

“I’m proud to remain the conscience of the Democratic Party in Congress; not just the Senate, but over in Congress, overall. I’ve always supported things like last year, Midnight Hammer, or what you were confronting in Gaza, and how necessary it was to destroy Hamas and Hezbollah, and also go after the Iranians with their capabilities.”

He concluded by defending Israel’s military campaign and lamenting what he sees as a shift in political attitudes toward the Jewish state.

“It’s always been a just war for me, and people forgot why this was even necessary, and look at the ways these organizations and the way Iran… I don’t understand how we’ve arrived with where we are politically, you know, at least in my party, but I have no regrets. So… thank you for your kind words, and I’m always so sorry for what Israel and the Jewish community has suffered, especially since after 10/7.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu dismissed claims that he is trying to persuade President Donald Trump to keep the United States engaged in military action against Iran, insisting that Trump alone is making the decisions while reaffirming the close partnership between Washington and Israel in confronting the Iranian threat.

During an interview Wednesday on ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis, Netanyahu also voiced strong skepticism that Iran could be trusted in any diplomatic process.

“Well, I don’t know if it’s unlikely, but I’m skeptical about Iran’s modus operandi, I mean, the method of operating. They always lie, they always cheat, and they always play for time. Could that, within sufficient pressure — diplomatic, economic pressure — could that change? Give it a try.”

The interview came a day after Netanyahu and Trump held private meetings at the White House. Reflecting on their relationship, Netanyahu emphasized that while Israel and the United States are united in confronting Iran, Trump is clearly the leader of that alliance.

"They always lie, they always cheat, and they always play for time."

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said his goal is to make sure Iran does not have nuclear weapons in an exclusive interview with ABC News' Linsey Davis.
Watch tonight on ABC News Live Prime at 7p ET. pic.twitter.com/nkhtVU7K8G

— ABC News (@ABC) July 29, 2026

“The truth is, we’re partners. We’re allies. He’s the senior partner. It’s the United States of America, let’s not forget. And I’m a junior partner. But I’m the prime minister of Israel, and when I have to stand up for the interest of my country and the security of my country, I do so,” he said.

“But I always do so with a deep appreciation of the role that the United States under President Trump has played in joining forces with us against our common enemy that wants to destroy us both,” Netanyahu stressed.

Netanyahu also rejected remarks attributed to Vice President JD Vance, who suggested during an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience that Israeli groups had financed campaigns designed to derail U.S.-Iran negotiations and encourage the continuation of the war.

“Well, we’re not actually. I had a very good conversation with the vice president this morning, and I think we straightened that out because we’re not. That’s not our policy,” he stressed.

Turning to declining public support for Israel among some Americans, Netanyahu argued that foreign governments have exploited social media platforms to influence public opinion.

“I think there’s been a change because of the proliferation of social media, and the fact that sovereign countries have manipulated with bot farms and other things. And we can see a direct relationship between the proliferation of social media and the decline in support for Israel.”

“Does it concern me? Yes, yes, it does. And I want bipartisan support for Israel because I think that’s a fundament of our national security,” he said.

Netanyahu also denied reports that he had attempted to pressure Trump into expanding military operations after the president remarked that intelligence had been shared with him “because he wants me to stay involved.”

“Actually, not. That’s the caricature, the cartoon picture. That is not true,” Netanyahu stated, explaining that their discussions centered on reviewing several strategic options, including pursuing negotiations with Iran, maintaining the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, or carrying out additional military operations.

“We actually analyzed all three possibilities, and I thought we did it in an open way between friends and allies, and it’s his decision. It’s his decision,” said Netanyahu.

The prime minister likewise rejected allegations that he had misled the Trump administration into entering the conflict by suggesting Iran’s regime was on the verge of collapse.

“No, I didn’t mislead anything… nobody tells President Trump what to do,” he stressed.

Speaking about the broader balance of power in the region, Netanyahu said he believes Iran has never been weaker while Israel has never been stronger, though he stopped short of predicting the regime’s immediate downfall.

“I think Iran is weaker than ever before. I think Israel is stronger than ever before, but I can’t tell you that the regime has already collapsed.”

Netanyahu warned that any future Iranian attack against Israel would trigger a decisive military response, calling such a move a “perilous mistake, and we’ll respond very, very forcefully.”

He concluded by emphasizing that he and Trump remain united in their primary objective of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

“My goal is to make sure that Iran, with this regime, doesn’t have nuclear weapons. And that’s something that President Trump and I both agree on, because it would be a different world.”

Although he declined to predict when Iran’s current leadership might ultimately fall, Netanyahu expressed confidence that “it ultimately will be.”

President Donald Trump is reportedly weighing a sweeping military campaign against Iran that could involve up to two weeks of sustained airstrikes targeting the regime’s missile infrastructure, even as his administration continues to leave the door open for a diplomatic resolution.

According to a report published Thursday by The Wall Street Journal, Trump is reviewing plans prepared by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) for a large-scale aerial operation lasting between 10 and 14 days that would focus on severely degrading Iran’s missile capabilities.

People familiar with the discussions told the newspaper that the proposal, developed by CENTCOM commander Admiral Brad Cooper, would represent a significant escalation beyond the previous round of American strikes against Iranian targets.

Despite the military planning, administration officials are also considering a more limited strike option that could preserve the possibility of renewed negotiations with Tehran.

A U.S. official told The Wall Street Journal that, as of Wednesday afternoon, Trump had not yet decided whether to proceed with military action or what targets, if any, would ultimately be selected.

The official added that Trump was “not surprised” by Iran’s decision to resume hostilities and described the president as being “in an escalatory mood” while senior officials weighed the next course of action.

Earlier Wednesday, Trump vowed a powerful response after Iran launched missiles at U.S. bases in Jordan overnight.

“We are going to hit them very hard. I can say that because there is very little they can do about it,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.

“We’re going to be hitting them very hard, because it’s our turn to hit them. They know it’s coming, they’re asking us not to do it. They tried shooting last night…we had five rockets shot going 8,500 mph, and all five rockets were knocked down to the ground – but they nevertheless took a shot, so it’s our turn,” Trump stated.

Trump had previously told Fox News, “We are going to beat the ‎‎‎ing ‎‎‎ out of them.”

He added, “We’ll be hitting them hard. They are going to get a beating.”

The president described Iran’s missile barrage as a surprise attack, saying U.S. forces had only minutes to intercept the incoming missiles before they reached their intended targets.

Tuesday night’s attack marked Iran’s first missile strike against a U.S. base in the region since Trump ordered a pause in military operations against Iran the previous Friday. Tehran fired missiles at locations in Jordan after several days without launching similar attacks.

Later that evening, CENTCOM announced that U.S. forces, working alongside the Saudi Arabian Armed Forces, carried out precision strikes in Iraq against Iran-backed terrorist groups directed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to attack American troops and Saudi energy facilities.

“US and Saudi fighter aircraft struck multiple terrorist logistics and weapons sites across eastern Iraq in a strong response to over 30 IRGC-directed aerial drone attacks in the last 72 hours,” said CENTCOM.

It added, “The unwarranted attacks against US forces were not successful.”

{Matzav.com}

Boeing disclosed Tuesday that it has absorbed yet another major financial loss on the long-delayed Air Force One replacement program, with total cost overruns now exceeding $3 billion as the company struggles to deliver two new presidential aircraft.

During its quarterly earnings call, the aerospace giant revealed it had recorded an additional $280 million charge tied to the project, pushing the program’s total losses beyond the $3 billion mark.

“While the charge is disappointing, we recognize how critical schedule performance is to our customer and we are investing accordingly to maintain our commitment to deliver the airplane in 2028,” Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said on the call.

Ortberg said the latest financial setback stems from Boeing’s decision to devote substantially more personnel and resources to constructing and testing the two specially modified Boeing 747 aircraft. According to the CEO, the added investment is intended to “help mitigate potential risk during certification and flight test.”

Under the terms of the $3.9 billion agreement President Trump negotiated with Boeing in 2018, the company—not the federal government—is responsible for covering any expenses that exceed the contract price.

By 2024, Boeing had already reported approximately $2.8 billion in cost overruns on the Air Force One program, according to Aviation Week.

The company originally pledged to deliver the first aircraft by December 2024, but the Government Accountability Office reported earlier this month that Boeing is now “almost 3 years behind its current baseline schedule.”

Boeing now expects the first presidential aircraft to be delivered in mid-2028, with the second scheduled to follow by mid-2029.

The current Air Force One fleet consists of two aging Boeing 747-200 aircraft that have served as presidential transports since the 1990s.

President Trump has also flown aboard the luxury $400 million aircraft donated by Qatar—often referred to as the “palace in the sky”—as the presidential plane. That aircraft, however, was removed from service earlier this month so it could undergo upgrades to strengthen its anti-missile defense systems.

Air Force One aircraft require some of the most advanced communications technology and defensive capabilities in the world to safeguard the president, making the program exceptionally expensive and technically demanding.

Trump has repeatedly criticized Boeing over the years for the ballooning costs and repeated delays surrounding the long-awaited replacement aircraft.

{Matzav.com}

WATCH:

WATCH:

LISTEN:

​​For more info, email bitachon4life@gmail.com.

LISTEN:

United Torah Judaism chairman MK Yitzchak Goldknopf launched a blistering attack on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the right-wing coalition in an interview in Hebrew with Kikar HaShabbat, accusing the Prime Minister of abandoning the Chareidi public, breaking his promises, and allowing unprecedented sanctions and arrests against yeshiva students. Goldknopf also declared that any future coalition must pass a draft law protecting Torah learners without quotas or sanctions.

Speaking against the backdrop of High Court rulings, the arrests of yeshiva students, and the ongoing battle over the military draft, Goldknopf said the Chareidi parties made serious strategic mistakes and accused Netanyahu of failing to honor commitments made to the Chareidi parties.

He also sharply criticized police conduct during demonstrations and the treatment of detainees held in military prisons, declaring that, as far as he is concerned, the so-called right-wing bloc no longer exists. He insisted that his support for any future government would depend on legislation fully protecting the status of Torah learners without enlistment targets or penalties.

Addressing the High Court’s decision to freeze the arrests law, Goldknopf said, “I think everyone knew there would be petitions against this issue, especially since the legal experts told us this law was hanging by a thread. But as long as there was something more that could be done regarding these arrests, I joined that effort and supported it.”

Asked about criticism within Agudas Yisroel that Shas chairman Aryeh Deri knew in advance the law would ultimately be struck down, Goldknopf replied, “We did it because we couldn’t avoid asking them to do it, but did it bring ahavas chinam or sinas chinam? I don’t think it brought so much ahavas chinam.”

Reflecting on the current crisis facing the Chareidi community, including sanctions that did not exist since the establishment of the state and the arrest of Torah learners, Goldknopf said, “How did we get here? Because we didn’t know how to say what Ben Gvir said and did. If Netanyahu had heard from us that we were leaving—and everyone would have left—believe me, there would have been a draft law exactly as we wanted, without sanctions.”

He continued his criticism of the coalition’s conduct, saying, “As long as Netanyahu knew we were only talking and didn’t really intend to carry it out, he rode on us, and he rode on us very well, and he had a good government. He stood in America next to Trump—how? Because we gave him 64. Who were the seven MKs who supported him? United Torah Judaism. If we had been stronger, we would have passed the draft law and not a hair on the head of a yeshiva student would have been harmed.”

Asked directly whether Netanyahu bears responsibility for the current situation, Goldknopf answered, “What kind of question is that? Is there any doubt? Have you ever seen something Netanyahu wanted that he didn’t accomplish? He knows how to lead and how to achieve results. If they had wanted to—and decided that the draft law came before everything else—and he said that—they could have passed it before the government was formed and before the state budget. They dragged it out, threw sand in our eyes, and made promises to us.”

Speaking about his visits to military prisons, Goldknopf expressed outrage over the detention of yeshiva students.

“I meet detainees there for nothing. I ask them, ‘Who did you murder?’ ‘Who did you steal from?’ ‘Money laundering?’ ‘Why are you sitting in prison?’ And they answer because ‘they sat and learned Torah.’ So what? Because of that you arrest a person? There is no law to arrest them. Why arrest them? Straight to prison? What is this, a chicken? How do you put a person in prison? What’s going on here? Is this atonement?”

Goldknopf also condemned what he described as excessive police force during Chareidi demonstrations.

“They decided somewhere that the blood of the Chareidi public is ownerless. When you see a police officer or Border Police officer grabbing his brother and stripping off his clothes—where in the world has anyone heard of such a thing? How can anyone even imagine that a person could do that? And for what? He demonstrated. Couldn’t cars and ambulances pass in Kaplan too?”

Asked whether he still considers himself part of the right-wing bloc, Goldknopf dismissed the idea outright.

“‘Bloc’? What bloc? How can there be a bloc? A bloc exists when people trust one another. When one betrays another, is that called a bloc? Netanyahu only betrayed us? Didn’t he also hurt us? What am I supposed to tell the thousands of yeshiva students who never received the money they were promised?”

Looking ahead to the next government, Goldknopf said his condition for joining any coalition would be clear.

“The status of Torah learners must be regulated so they are lawful citizens in the State of Israel like everyone else. We will not agree to sanctions or quotas. How can you even say that word (sanctions)? If someone works at Tnuva or Strauss, are you going to impose sanctions on him? What happened here? Who invented this word?”

He concluded with another forceful attack on the sanctions imposed on Torah learners.

“After everything we’ve gone through here, every part of our body has been slaughtered and torn apart. Today we are covered in blood because you carried out such an attack against us that today a Chareidi Jew is humiliated. One is afraid to walk in the street, another can’t send his child to daycare, another can’t travel abroad, they can’t go on vacation like everyone else, they can’t get a driver’s license. What happened here? Is there another country that discriminates against so many of its own citizens?”

Goldknopf reiterated that his demand remains unchanged.

“To recognize all the citizens of Israel as respected citizens who receive all their rights. The demand is that what existed until now should continue—that anyone who learns Torah receives a one-year deferment. A law without sanctions and without quotas. What are sanctions?”

Thousands visit the kever of the Amora Rav Oshiya on Tu B’Av, when many observe the longstanding custom of circling the gravesite as a segulah. Just a five-minute walk downhill lies Ein Tiria, a tranquil spring nestled alongside Nachal Peki’in, offering visitors a peaceful setting with shaded seating, flowing water, and scenic surroundings.

Towering above the gravesite is a centuries-old oak tree that has long been revered by both Jews and local Druze residents. According to local tradition, the Druze never cut its branches for firewood or construction. They collected only the leaves that naturally fell to the ground, burning them as incense around the sick because they believed the sacred tree possessed healing powers.

Another local tradition tells of Ottoman soldiers who ignored the site’s sanctity and cut branches from the tree for firewood. According to the legend, none of them survived, a fate attributed to their desecration of the holy site.

Visitors who come to the kever often recite tefillos and perform the custom of walking in circles around the grave as a segulah. The site was once mistakenly identified as the burial place of Rav Yehoshua ben Chananyah, but that attribution has since been rejected. According to the Arizal, Rav Yehoshua is buried in Tzfas.

Although the exact date of Rav Oshiya’s passing is unknown, the accepted custom is to visit his kever on Tu B’Av.

Rav Oshiya of Tiria was a fourth-generation Amora who earned his livelihood as a launderer. Chazal relate that while washing clothes in a river, he found jewelry that had been lost by a Roman noblewoman while bathing. Even after she told him he could keep it, he insisted on returning the valuables, explaining that the Torah commands honesty and that its teachings must be upheld. Upon his passing, tradition relates that his bier was seen floating through the air, prompting his contemporaries to apply to him the verse, “If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love, it would utterly be despised.”

A short five-minute descent from the kever brings visitors to Ein Tiria. Fed by natural springs and situated beside Nachal Peki’in, the area includes shaded picnic tables, small water channels, and a sealed well. A local Chassidic yeshiva has expressed interest in renovating the spring so it can be used as a mikvah, though local Druze residents have reportedly opposed the plan.

The site is easily accessible by entering “Kever Rabi Oshiya Ish Tiria” into Waze. Visitors will also find a small hospitality beis medrash near the entrance offering hot and cold drinks as well as restroom facilities, making it a convenient destination for those traveling during bein hazemanim.

{Matzav.com}