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Israeli police on Sunday disclosed new details about the weeklong international search for Mali and Liel Yahalomi, saying investigators initially feared the mother and daughter had been kidnapped before evidence increasingly pointed to a deliberately planned disappearance. The two were ultimately located in Argentina.

Tali Bankin, who heads an Interpol unit within the Israel Police, discussed the behind-the-scenes investigation in an interview with Kol Berama, describing how authorities gradually changed their assessment of the case as new information emerged.

Bankin said that when the pair first disappeared and could not be contacted, investigators treated the situation as a potential abduction.

“The initial working assumption was that this was an abduction incident. Later, we understood that it was a planned event,” she said.

As police worked to reconstruct Mali and Liel’s movements, Bankin said investigators also had to contend with a flood of unverified claims and speculation surrounding their disappearance, making it more difficult to establish a clear picture of what had occurred.

“There was a lot of fake news that created confusion. We tried to calm the situation,” she said, adding that once police determined that the disappearance had been intentional, “things were clearer in our work with the media.”

The investigation took a decisive turn several days ago when authorities received information indicating that Mali and Liel had traveled to Argentina. That development caused investigators to redirect the international search toward South America.

“The center of gravity then moved to South America,” Bankin said.

According to Bankin, Mali and Liel may not have realized just how extensive the search for them had become while they remained out of contact.

“I don’t think they knew about all the search efforts; they were cut off from contact,” she said.

The operation involved substantial resources and extensive international coordination as Israeli authorities attempted to determine what had happened to the pair and whether they were in danger.

“A lot of money from Israel was spent on the search,” Bankin said.

Once Mali and Liel were found and authorities established that they were safe, Bankin said the police’s role in the matter concluded.

{Matzav.com}

A new Chareidi political party centered on the battle against the drafting of yeshiva bochurim is reportedly being formed ahead of the upcoming elections, in a development that could pose a challenge to both Shas and United Torah Judaism.

According to a report by Israel’s Channel 13, Chareidi political figure Moti Babchik met last week with a group of rabbonim who have taken a firm position against the draft, as discussions continue over the establishment of the new party.

The fledgling movement is currently operating under the name “Black Ink,” according to the report, and would make opposition to the conscription of bnei yeshivos into the IDF a central element of its platform.

Another primary objective would be the restoration of an arrangement allowing yeshiva bochurim and avreichim to continue learning Torah full-time while receiving deferments from military service, without financial or other sanctions being imposed upon those who do not enlist.

The effort is said to include rabbonim and roshei yeshiva representing various segments of the Chareidi community.

The organizers have reportedly commissioned extensive polling that they believe shows substantial potential support for the new party. According to the findings, tens of thousands of voters could back the movement, including younger Chareidim as well as people who previously cast their ballots for existing Chareidi parties.

Should the effort ultimately result in a new party running in the elections, it could reshape the Chareidi political landscape and present both Shas and United Torah Judaism with a new competitor for voters who believe the existing parties have not gone far enough in protecting the status of bnei yeshivos and preserving their ability to learn Torah without the threat of conscription.

Other sources, however, have downplayed the significance of the initiative, saying that support for the proposed party appears to be minimal and that it is unlikely to make substantial inroads among Chareidi voters. According to those assessments, even if the party ultimately runs, it may draw only limited support from the established Chareidi parties and have little, if any, meaningful effect on the overall political landscape.

{Matzav.com}

The House’s progressive “Squad” could emerge from November’s midterm elections twice as large as it is today, potentially giving the far-left bloc significantly greater leverage over Democratic priorities and legislation in the next Congress, the NY Post reports.

A string of victories by left-wing candidates in Democratic primaries around the country has positioned several new figures to enter the House next year, with many running in heavily Democratic districts where victory in November is considered highly likely.

The group, which currently numbers roughly seven members, could grow to as many as 14.

Two of the candidates considered almost certain to join Congress hail from New York City, the political home of “Squad” founder Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Claire Valdez, who has called for nationwide rent control if elected, cruised to victory in the June Democratic primary for New York’s 7th Congressional District. Because of the district’s overwhelming Democratic advantage, Valdez is heavily favored in November. The district includes Bushwick and other sections of Brooklyn that have increasingly become a center of far-left political activism.

Another likely newcomer is Darializa Chevalier, 32, who participated in an anti-Israel demonstration one day after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. Chevalier has previously argued that the United States has committed atrocities worse than those committed by Hamas and has made comments blaming American policies for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Chevalier prevailed in her June Democratic primary and is widely expected to capture New York’s 10th Congressional District, which includes Harlem.

A number of other left-wing candidates around the country could also swell the Squad’s ranks.

Melat Kiros, a 29-year-old socialist in Colorado who would become the first Gen Z woman elected to Congress, defeated a 15-term Democratic incumbent. Her upset drew comparisons to Ocasio-Cortez’s stunning 2018 primary victory over longtime Queens Rep. Joe Crowley.

In New Jersey, Adam Hamawy, a 56-year-old Princeton plastic surgeon endorsed by Ocasio-Cortez, captured the Democratic nomination in a district that strongly favors his party. Hamawy also has the backing of Justice Democrats, the progressive organization that played a major role in Ocasio-Cortez’s rise. While a medical student, Hamawy traveled with Omar Abdel-Rahman, the “Blind Sheikh” who was later convicted in connection with the 1993 World Trade Center bombing plot.

Texas pastor Frederick Haynes, 65, handily captured his Democratic primary in March. Haynes, who also received the support of Justice Democrats, has sought to stake out positions to the left of Rep. Jasmine Crockett.

In Philadelphia, Chris Rabb, 56, defeated establishment-supported opponents in one of the most Democratic congressional districts in America. Rabb, who calls himself a Democratic Socialist and has described himself as a “radical” and “rabble-rouser,” received endorsements from Ocasio-Cortez, the Democratic Socialists of America and Justice Democrats. Among the policies he has supported are government-operated grocery stores. With no Republican candidate challenging him, Rabb is effectively assured of winning the seat.

Michigan activist William Lawrence, 36, also secured his party’s nomination. Lawrence co-founded the progressive Sunrise Movement and previously praised controversial streamer Hasan Piker, telling him, “You’re the man!” Unlike many of the other prospective Squad additions, however, Lawrence is competing in a swing district where the November outcome remains uncertain.

Meanwhile, traders on the prediction market Polymarket have placed Democrats’ chances of winning control of the House at 88%.

If Democrats do capture the chamber, a substantially enlarged Squad could become an important voting bloc capable of influencing whether major legislation advances or collapses. Its members could also push initiatives such as abolishing ICE or pursuing impeachment proceedings against President Trump, causes embraced by members of the original Squad.

One former House leadership aide predicted that the enlarged group would remain unwilling to bend on its priorities.

“They will not compromise,” the former aide said.

Its growth could also pull the broader Democratic caucus further to the left, according to longtime Republican strategist Doug Heye.

“It’s becoming a bigger part of the party,” Heye told The Post. “They will be the loudest voices pushing for impeachment,” he said of the radical group.

The term “Squad” dates back to the aftermath of the 2018 midterm elections. Ocasio-Cortez posted an Instagram photograph of herself with fellow incoming Democratic Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts during freshman orientation, captioning the picture simply “Squad.”

The nickname quickly became permanently associated with the four progressive lawmakers.

The group subsequently became embroiled in a high-profile dispute with then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi following controversy over Omar comparing the United States and Israel to Hamas and the Taliban. President Trump also repeatedly invoked the Squad label while attacking the lawmakers and arguing that they were driving Democrats sharply to the left.

“The ‘Squad’ is a very racist group of troublemakers who are young, inexperienced, and not very smart. They are pulling the once great Democrat Party far left,” he wrote in one series of tweets that June.

{Matzav.com}