Feed aggregator

MK Yaakov Asher of United Torah Judaism delivered a forceful speech in the Knesset plenum, arguing that Israel’s continued existence depends on its commitment to Torah and Jewish tradition and warning that the growing embrace of secularism poses a greater long-term danger than external enemies.

During his remarks, Asher questioned why the Jewish people chose to settle in a region marked by such complex geopolitical challenges, answering that the nation’s presence in the Land of Israel is rooted in Hashem’s promise to the Jewish people.

“Our deed to this land is the Torah,” Asher declared, adding that the Jewish people’s right to the land is accompanied by an obligation to observe the Torah’s commandments and laws.

Asher also criticized what he described as increasing hostility toward Israel’s religious and chareidi communities, arguing that there is widespread incitement and disrespect directed at those who observe Torah and mitzvos. He pointed to expressions that have been used against chareidim, including references to “mezuzah kissers and grave worshippers,” saying such rhetoric reflects contempt for matters of holiness.

He went on to compare the public discourse in Israel with that of leaders in other countries, asserting that many world leaders openly speak about faith in G-d, while some Israeli public officials have avoided doing so for years.

Concluding his address, Asher recounted what he described as a lengthy conversation with an Iranian intellectual, who claimed that Israel’s enemies view the country as lacking sufficient faith.

“That is the real danger facing the State of Israel,” Asher said. “When people stand at this podium and belittle the Torah, halachah, and the mitzvos, that is the true existential threat to the State of Israel.”

{Matzav.com}

A dramatic new escalation unfolded overnight in the Strait of Hormuz after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) reportedly launched missiles at commercial vessels, damaging two ships and fueling fresh concerns that the fragile calm between Washington and Tehran may be unraveling.

According to Axios, citing a U.S. official, the IRGC fired at least two missiles at commercial ships traveling through the strategic waterway late Monday night. The official said both vessels sustained substantial damage, though no injuries or fatalities were reported.

Earlier in the day, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) announced that an “unknown projectile” struck an oil tanker off the coast of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz, igniting a fire aboard the vessel.

The latest attack comes as tensions remain elevated across the region, despite ongoing diplomatic contacts between the United States and Iran aimed at securing a lasting agreement after the two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding.

The uneasy ceasefire has already been tested. In recent days, the United States carried out two separate strikes against Iranian targets in the Strait of Hormuz, saying the operations were in response to Iranian violations of the ceasefire agreement.

Following those incidents, President Donald Trump cautioned that the United States could be compelled to “militarily complete the job” if Iran continued to breach the ceasefire.

The Strait of Hormuz is among the world’s most strategically vital maritime corridors, serving as the passageway for approximately one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas shipments. During the wider Middle East conflict, Iran’s blockade of the waterway brought commercial traffic to an almost complete standstill, sending global energy prices soaring.

After reaching an initial framework agreement with the United States to suspend hostilities, Tehran reopened the Strait of Hormuz, allowing commercial shipping to resume through one of the world’s most critical energy chokepoints.

MK Uri Maklev, chairman of the United Torah Judaism faction and a senior member of the chareidi negotiating team on the draft law, says the combination of the proposed Basic Law on Torah study and legislation freezing the arrests of yeshivah students could bring an end to the current wave of arrests. In a wide-ranging interview, he also accused former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and former Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Yuli Edelstein of repeatedly misleading the chareidi parties during negotiations, addressed Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s version of events, and discussed the political implications of Rav Dov Lando’s recent letter.

Speaking in an interview with Kikar Hashabbat, Maklev reflected on the collapse of efforts to pass a draft law and the growing legal and financial sanctions being imposed on Torah students.

Maklev placed much of the blame on Gallant and Edelstein, claiming they repeatedly backed away from understandings that had already been reached with the chareidi parties.

He also rejected reports that the chareidi factions had agreed to draft quotas amounting to 50 percent of an annual draft-age cohort or to a framework under which anyone not actively learning would immediately be inducted into the military.

Maklev likewise disputed Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s account of the order in which the coalition prioritized judicial reform and draft legislation.

Referring to Rav Dov Lando’s recent letter, Maklev indicated that the political relationship between Degel HaTorah and the broader right-wing bloc has changed significantly.

“We will do what is best for us,” he said. “I don’t think there will be a signature from all the faction leaders supporting it. We have no obligation to it,” referring to the right-wing bloc.

Asked how the situation had deteriorated to the point where yeshivah students are being arrested and financial penalties imposed on Torah students, Maklev responded, “It’s an obvious question. This is the result. There is Divine concealment. We went through many upheavals before reaching this point. At first we wanted to bring a government bill. Then the attorney general said the Defense Ministry had to provide an opinion. We sat with Gallant, and then he asked that Gantz also agree. My second home became the Kirya in Tel Aviv.”

Maklev sharply criticized both Edelstein and Gallant, accusing them of repeatedly deceiving the chareidi representatives.

“Without question, among the political figures, both of them misled us. The test is the outcome: Gallant and Edelstein misled us. Edelstein lied to us, and I never imagined he would do that. On the eve of the strike on Iran, we came much further than we ever thought we could agree to, and then he presented a different document. He backed away from the understandings reached before the strike on Iran. That was just another one of his lies.”

Addressing criticism directed at the chareidi parties over the failure to pass the draft law, Maklev insisted that party leaders fully appreciate the pain being experienced by the public.

“We are not disconnected from the issue. I personally feel it. We feel what the public is going through—the campaign of persecution and the hardships. We are living through this together. Of course people judge by the final result, but they also need to understand everything that happened along the way.”

Maklev also rejected Levin’s claim that the chareidi parties never requested delaying the draft law in favor of judicial reform.

“That’s not accurate,” he said. “I’m telling you differently. They explained to us why it would be better to first pass the judicial reform and only afterward the draft law.”

Responding to reports that the chareidi parties had accepted a target of drafting half of eligible recruits, Maklev said those claims were simply false.

“They said we agreed to targets of 50%. That’s not true! We did not agree to 50%! We spoke about 5,000 recruits out of the entire pool of approximately 80,000 eligible draftees. That’s less than 10%.”

He further insisted that the chareidi negotiating team never agreed that anyone not actively learning Torah would automatically be drafted.

“There was never such a thing. We didn’t agree to anything like that. First they must regulate the status of those who are learning, and only afterward can we discuss anything else.”

Turning again to Rav Landau’s letter stating that Degel HaTorah no longer feels bound to the right-wing bloc, Maklev said the letter marked a turning point.

“Something changed following the letter written by Maran Rav Dov Landau. I don’t think there will be a signature from all the faction leaders supporting it. We have no obligation to that bloc.”

At the same time, Maklev stressed that it is still too early to discuss coalition scenarios following the next election.

“We’ve said one thing: we’ll do what is best for us. I represent a public, and that public wants to hear that our first choice is a right-wing government. Even though we’ve taken blows from right-wing parties, it should not be assumed that we are automatically part of that bloc.”

Maklev concluded by explaining why United Torah Judaism continues to push for both the Basic Law on Torah study and the legislation freezing the arrests of yeshivah students.

“With the Basic Law on Torah study together with the law freezing the arrests, there is a possibility that the arrests will stop,” he said. “I assume these laws will have a majority in the Knesset.”

{Matzav.com}

Five former presidents of Israel’s Supreme Court issued a sharply worded public statement on Monday condemning the government’s decision regarding the Second Authority Council, warning that refusing to comply with High Court rulings would deal a severe blow to Israeli democracy.

The statement was signed by former Supreme Court Presidents Aharon Barak, Dorit Beinisch, Asher Grunis, Esther Hayut, and Uzi Vogelman.

Referring to the government’s decision, they wrote, “In light of the decision adopted yesterday by the Government of Israel regarding the Second Authority Council, we warn of the unprecedented gravity of this decision, whose clear meaning is a call by the government to disregard and disobey court orders.”

The retired justices continued, “Failure to comply with court orders and rulings is the final nail in the coffin of democracy. It is a step that completely disrupts the system of government and the rule of law in the state, leading to anarchy and concentrating all governmental authority in the hands of a single body. Such a reality would make the proper functioning of society impossible.”

They added that, “In order to prevent this destructive outcome, it is appropriate for the government to state the obvious—that court rulings and judicial decisions must be obeyed.”

Meanwhile, Bank of Israel Governor Prof. Amir Yaron also addressed the controversy during an interview with Channel 13 News.

“High Court judicial decisions are binding on all institutions,” Yaron said. “A government announcement that it will not comply with a High Court ruling undermines business certainty in the economy.”