Feed aggregator

Despite growing doubts within Israel’s political system about the prospects of passing legislation that would regulate the status of yeshiva students, Shas MK Michael Malkieli insists that his party has no intention of giving up. In a forceful interview, Malkieli addressed criticism of the chareidi parties’ conduct within the coalition and stressed that Shas remains committed to pursuing solutions, even as the legal and political obstacles become increasingly difficult.

“We cannot sleep peacefully while talmidei chachamim are being arrested,” Malkieli said. “We simply cannot. The reality in which yeshiva students are afraid to walk the streets is an indictment against Klal Yisroel, and we cannot accept it.”

He said Shas chairman Aryeh Deri is investing tremendous time and effort in trying to resolve the issue of yeshiva student arrests rather than choosing the easier path of withdrawing or surrendering.

“We are trying to find a solution,” Malkieli explained. “Yes, it is difficult, lengthy, and exhausting. Perhaps in the end we will not succeed, but we cannot stand by and do nothing.”

Malkieli also rejected claims that the chareidi public was misled throughout the government’s term by promises that never materialized. He argued that the decision not to push draft legislation earlier was made in coordination with rabbinic leadership and reflected an effort to establish a stronger legal foundation for the law.

“There was an understanding that we wanted to secure legal backing from the Knesset for this legislation,” he said. “Anyone claiming otherwise is simply not telling the truth.”

He noted that once it became clear there was no majority for advancing the daycare subsidy legislation, Shas was prepared to take significant political steps, including supporting efforts to dissolve the Knesset.

When asked about the likelihood of future legislation succeeding, Malkieli avoided making predictions and instead emphasized responsibility and perseverance.

“It is not our job to be optimistic or pessimistic. Our job is to work hard,” he said. “The public and the gedolei Torah sent us to work tirelessly. The easiest thing would be to throw down the keys and say it cannot be done. We did not choose that path.”

He pointed to previous occasions when observers predicted that chareidi initiatives would fail, only for Shas to successfully advance major measures involving religious services and local religious councils.

Malkieli also addressed tensions between Shas and elements within United Torah Judaism, calling for greater unity among the chareidi parties.

“The time has come for genuine unity,” he said. “We face so many challenges. There is absolutely no reason to provide fuel to those who oppose religion. They are motivated enough without help from within our own camp.”

He stressed that Shas is not engaged in attacks or briefings against its political partners and said Deri remains focused on strengthening the Torah world rather than internal disputes.

Concluding the interview, Malkieli delivered a direct message to the avreichim and yeshiva students currently being held in military prisons.

“You are not imprisoned because of a personal offense,” he said. “You are representatives of the entire community. The entire chareidi public, the gedolei Torah, and the roshei yeshiva stand behind you and support you. You are the locomotives pulling Klal Yisroel forward.”

He added, “We do not believe in violence or in methods that are not the way of Torah. But we say clearly: we are not afraid of anyone, and we do not bow our heads before anyone. Anyone who thinks he can crush the Torah world simply does not understand Jewish history.”

{Matzav.com}

As efforts to pass a military draft law remain stalled and arrests of yeshiva students continue to intensify, Shas chairman Aryeh Deri is advancing a temporary legislative measure aimed at halting criminal proceedings against Torah learners. The initiative, however, has drawn sharp criticism from United Torah Judaism chairman Yitzchak Goldknopf, who dismissed it as political maneuvering.

In recent weeks, Deri has been working on a plan designed to stop the arrests of yeshiva students amid growing recognition within the coalition that comprehensive draft legislation regulating the status of bnei yeshiva is unlikely to pass during the current government’s term.

Last week, Deri declared in Shas’s official newspaper, Haderech, that “we will turn over every stone by the end of the summer session to stop the arrests of Torah learners.” At the time, however, he did not reveal the details of the strategy he intended to pursue. It has now emerged that a specific proposal has been formulated behind the scenes.

According to reports, Deri approached Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs approximately two weeks ago with a plan to separate portions of the draft legislation currently under discussion in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Under the proposal, a one-year temporary order would enact only the law’s transitional provisions, allowing authorities to suspend criminal proceedings and arrests involving yeshiva students.

The proposal would leave economic sanctions in place while freezing criminal enforcement measures. Shas argues that thousands of Torah learners have effectively been classified as lawbreakers despite the absence of legislation formally regulating their status. Party officials contend that, given the current political reality, no broadly accepted draft law can be passed before elections are held and a new government is formed.

Supporters of the initiative also point to its speed. Rather than beginning an entirely new legislative process, Deri is seeking to carve out the relevant provisions from the existing draft bill and move them forward through second and third readings as part of the current legislative framework.

Over the past several days, Deri has reportedly been in contact with the Cabinet Secretary in an effort to accelerate the process. According to the report, Defense Minister Israel Katz, Coalition Chairman Ofir Katz, the Cabinet Secretary, and other senior officials also participated in a conference call to discuss the proposal and explore ways to ease tensions and reduce protests surrounding the arrests.

Goldknopf, however, responded forcefully to the reports and rejected the initiative outright.

“We are tired of tricks and gimmicks designed to generate headlines and spin, nothing more,” Goldknopf said. “What the government failed to accomplish over four years, it certainly will not accomplish now. We woke up long ago and have no trust.”

He added that, following the guidance of senior Torah leaders, his party continues to demand that legislation to dissolve the Knesset be brought to a vote as early as this Wednesday.

Vice President JD Vance disclosed Monday that the memorandum of understanding recently reached between the United States and Iran is a surprisingly brief document, describing it as a broad framework rather than a detailed agreement and emphasizing that many of the most difficult issues remain unresolved.

During an interview with CNN, Vance said the memorandum is only about a page and a half in length and is intended to establish general principles while leaving the specifics to future negotiations.

“Yes, so the MOU is about a page and a half, so it is a very general document,” the vice president said.

Vance explained that substantial technical and logistical matters will have to be addressed in subsequent discussions, but said the agreement creates a mechanism through which Iran can receive benefits only by fulfilling its commitments.

“On a number of issues, we are going to have to figure this stuff out during the technical negotiation phase, but what the MOU does is set up a framework whereby the Iranians get the benefits of the bargain by meeting their obligations under the bargain,” he added.

According to Vance, the opening section of the memorandum focuses on regional stability and outlines obligations intended to reduce tensions throughout the Middle East. He said the provision requires Iran to move away from activities that contribute to instability in the region.

“What paragraph one of the agreement says is effectively that Iran commits itself, just as the United States commits itself, to regional peace and stability,” Vance said.

He further stated that a key component of that commitment involves ending support for terrorist groups and destabilizing actors.

“Part of that is that the Iranians have to stop funding violent terrorist organizations, they have to stop funding regional instability.”

Shortly after President Donald Trump announced the agreement Sunday evening, Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency published what it claimed were the 14 core provisions of the understanding.

According to that report, the financial component of the deal would require the United States to release $12 billion in frozen Iranian assets before formal negotiations begin. The report further claimed that another $12 billion would become available during a 60-day period of final negotiations.

The published framework also asserted that U.S. sanctions on Iran’s oil and petrochemical industries would be suspended and that a naval blockade imposed on Iran would be lifted within 30 days.

Mehr reported that these measures would need to occur before any final treaty negotiations could proceed, making the release of funds, suspension of sanctions, and removal of the blockade prerequisites for further talks.

The Iranian account of the agreement was later challenged by a senior U.S. official, who dismissed the claims as misleading and denied that Iran would receive billions of dollars before meeting its obligations.

Speaking to Axios reporter Barak Ravid, the official rejected reports that Tehran would gain immediate and unrestricted access to $12 billion in frozen assets before the 60-day negotiating process begins, characterizing that portrayal as a distortion of the agreement.

“This is completely not true. This is a pay-for-performance deal and no frozen funds will be released without the Iranians implementing their commitments,” the official stated.

{Matzav.com}

All eight people aboard a U.S. Air Force B-52 bomber were killed Monday evening (Israel time) when the aircraft went down shortly after departing from Edwards Air Force Base in California, according to military officials.

Dramatic images circulating on American news outlets and social media showed large plumes of smoke billowing from the crash scene as emergency crews rushed to the area.

The Air Force later confirmed that none of the eight occupants survived. Those killed included a combination of military personnel, civilian government employees, and contractors assigned to the mission.

Initial findings from investigators indicate that the bomber crashed only minutes after takeoff while participating in a routine test flight connected to ongoing upgrades of the aircraft’s radar systems.

Officials said the cause of the accident has not yet been determined and remains under active investigation. The crash also caused significant damage to the runway, prompting the temporary suspension of all flight activity at the base.

Earlier in the day, Edwards Air Force Base had released a statement indicating that the accident appeared to have been fatal for everyone on board.

“An Air Force B-52 Stratofortress carrying eight people on a routine test mission crashed today shortly after take-off at 11:20 a.m. (PDT). Initial indications are that the crash was not survivable. Emergency response personnel are on scene, and officials are working to account for all personnel,” the statement said, adding, “The crash is currently under investigation.”

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump forcefully denied reports Monday that the newly announced memorandum of understanding with Iran includes an unconditional $300 billion payout, insisting that Tehran has committed to permanently abandoning any pursuit of nuclear weapons.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump dismissed the reports as false and reiterated what he described as a key achievement of the agreement.

“Iran has agreed to never have a Nuclear Weapon! Also, the story that the U.S. is paying Iran 300 million Dollars is Fake News, put out by the Dumocrats!!! President DJT,” he wrote.

Trump’s remarks came amid growing debate over the terms of the understanding reached between Washington and Tehran and claims circulating online regarding a massive financial package for the Islamic Republic.

Earlier in the day, Trump adviser Alex Bruesewitz also sought to counter those reports, arguing that critics were deliberately misrepresenting the proposal.

“The narrative about a supposed $300 billion ‘Iran investment fund’ is being deliberately distorted by grifters to generate clicks and controversy. In reality, this is not an unconditional handout. It is a conditional incentive or, in simpler terms, a ‘carrot.’”

Bruesewitz said any economic benefits would be contingent on sweeping actions by Iran, including dismantling its nuclear infrastructure, ending support for terrorist organizations, and implementing significant domestic reforms.

“Under this approach, Iran would first have to fully dismantle its nuclear program, completely end its support for terrorist groups, and carry out meaningful internal reforms. Only then would the United States help organize a group of investors to pursue commercially attractive opportunities in Iran.”

He argued that the broader objective is to tie Iran’s future prosperity to regional stability and peaceful relations rather than conflict.

“The aim would be to create deep economic ties and mutual interdependence that make future conflict far more costly for all sides and demonstrate that choosing peace delivers greater long-term benefits than continuing to back terrorism,” explained Bruesewitz.

Bruesewitz then lashed out at opponents of the proposal, suggesting their objections are driven either by self-interest or ignorance.

“The only people who could possibly oppose this plan are those who are either financially benefiting from prolonged conflict or are individuals of severely low intelligence… or perhaps both,” he charged.

Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance offered new details about the agreement during an interview with CNN, revealing that the memorandum itself is surprisingly brief.

According to Vance, the document totals only about a page and a half and serves primarily as a framework rather than a detailed treaty.

“Yes, so the MOU is about a page and a half, so it is a very general document,” the vice president said.

Vance explained that many of the most complex issues have yet to be resolved, but said the memorandum establishes a structure through which both sides can be held accountable as negotiations continue.

He described the agreement as a broad roadmap that leaves the finer details to future rounds of discussions and implementation talks.