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US Ambassador Michael Waltz sharply challenged criticism of the American-backed Gaza strategy at the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday, accusing humanitarian advocates of ignoring Hamas’ conduct and declaring that while Gaza civilians face serious hardship, the terror group’s fighters and leaders are not going hungry.

The heated exchange came during an open Security Council briefing on “the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question,” where officials presented starkly different assessments of Gaza’s humanitarian conditions and the emerging plan for the territory’s future. Speakers included Board of Peace High Representative for Gaza Nickolay Mladenov, Acting Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Ramiz Alakbarov and Association of International Development Agencies Executive Director Athena Rayburn.

Mladenov told council members that an agreement under which Hamas and other armed organizations would surrender their weapons and relinquish control of Gaza marks a development without precedent during the conflict.

“Indeed, it is a historic breakthrough. For the first time, Hamas and the armed factions in Gaza have agreed to hand over their weapons and to transfer full governing authority, civilian and security, to a transitional administration recognized by the United Nations,” Mladenov said.

“We now have the opportunity to dramatically improve life in a sustainable way for Palestinians in Gaza; to provide durable security for Israelis; and to move from a conflict that has destabilized the region to an environment that offers peace, prosperity and economic opportunity for the entire Middle East,” he added.

Mladenov emphasized that the newly formulated Roadmap is intended to work alongside, rather than supersede, the Comprehensive Plan and UN Security Council Resolution 2803, adopted in 2025.

“There is no grey zone and no category left out,” he said.

According to Mladenov, the Roadmap introduces three elements absent from previous efforts over the past two decades. Most significantly, Hamas has accepted the requirement that it completely demilitarize and relinquish its governing authority in Gaza.

The framework also embraces the principle of “One Authority, One Law, One Weapon,” while establishing that “Progress is performance-based, not calendar-based,” requiring each stage of the process to be completed and certified before the next can begin.

“What has been agreed on paper will matter only if it is translated into verified action,” Mladenov stressed.

Responding to critics who have questioned whether the Roadmap can succeed, Mladenov argued that no viable alternative has been presented.

“I have yet to hear an alternative plan. Yet, I see only two choices.”

He said the alternatives would be either a renewed Israeli occupation of Gaza, forcing Israel to administer a population of roughly two million at enormous human, financial and reputational expense, or a restoration of the pre-Oct. 7, 2023 arrangement, under which Hamas remains armed and in power while Israel periodically uses military force to contain it.

“What remains is a choice. A Gaza disarmed, rebuilt and reconnected to the world. Or a Gaza rearmed, divided and in rubble, with a radicalized generation raised inside it and the next war already on the horizon,” he said.

“The responsible choice is clear.”

Rayburn offered a far more critical assessment, arguing that despite increases in humanitarian assistance, conditions for Gaza residents remain dire and that the Board of Peace has failed to provide an adequate response.

“Yes, the latest IPC figures show we have clawed our way back from an engineered famine in Gaza, but it is a disturbing marker of ‘progress’ to celebrate that a child that may no longer be at imminent risk of starving to death may still be killed at any moment from shelling, air strikes or gunfire, or may survive only to carry the consequences of hunger, devastation and deprivation for the rest of their life,” she said.

Rayburn argued that Gaza requires consistent humanitarian access, restoration of essential services and a meaningful recovery effort, along with “the creation of conditions in which people in Gaza can begin to live rather than just survive the next 24 hours.”

“By these basic measures, the Board of Peace is failing,” she said.

She called on Security Council members to travel to Gaza themselves to examine conditions firsthand.

“Let the reality on the ground, the facts, our colleagues and Palestinians speak to you themselves. We are here, and we are ready to receive you,” she said.

Waltz fired back at Rayburn’s presentation, saying it conspicuously omitted Hamas’ responsibility for conditions inside Gaza and made no mention of the terror organization’s violent treatment of Palestinians who challenge its authority.

“Not a word from Ms. Rayburn, the civil society briefing, on the knee-capping of Palestinians who recently dared to step out and protest Hamas’s rule,” Waltz said.

While acknowledging that Gaza still faces substantial humanitarian challenges, Waltz argued that improvements in food supplies and access to assistance show that increased aid is reaching civilians and having an impact.

Waltz cited UNICEF in accusing Hamas of stockpiling humanitarian assistance and exploiting aid as a tool for maintaining control over Gaza’s population.

He then contrasted reports of civilian hunger with the apparent condition of Hamas commanders, fighters and their families.

“You know who is not starving in Gaza?” he said. “Hamas fighters aren’t starving. You don’t see their leadership starving. You don’t see their wives who are carrying Birkin bags on camera; they’re not starving.”

The United States also defended Resolution 2803 and President Donald Trump’s comprehensive Gaza plan, arguing that the framework offers a path that avoids both continued Hamas control and an indefinite Israeli occupation of the territory.

Waltz pointed out that Hamas has now committed twice to disarming, stressing that meaningful reconstruction and an eventual Israeli withdrawal cannot proceed unless the terror organization actually gives up its military capabilities.

“Gaza cannot sustainably rebuild while Hamas retains the ability to plunge it back into war,” he said.

Alakbarov, meanwhile, warned that despite ongoing discussions surrounding implementation of Resolution 2803 and the broader Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, the existing ceasefire remains precarious.

“As talks continue on the implementation of Resolution 2803 (2025) and the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, the ceasefire remains fragile,” he said.

He said Israeli military operations were continuing in Gaza while conditions in Judea and Samaria “continues to rapidly deteriorate.”

Alakbarov said complete implementation of the 15-point Roadmap would establish transitional arrangements encompassing the disarmament of Hamas and all other armed organizations, an IDF withdrawal from Gaza, deployment of an International Stabilization Force and the eventual transfer of temporary governing authority to the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza.

“I urge all parties to build on this momentum, fulfil their commitments and advance the Roadmap in accordance with international law,” Alakbarov said.

Addressing the humanitarian situation, Alakbarov warned that despair among Gaza residents was deepening.

“They are losing hope,” he said.

He said Israeli airstrikes resumed on Aug. 12 following a one-week pause, while artillery fire, drone strikes and ground operations also continued. Citing figures supplied by the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health, he said more than 100 Palestinians had been killed and over 400 wounded during the period covered by his report.

Alakbarov further said approximately two-thirds of Gaza remains either inaccessible or subject to significant restrictions, while the 2026 humanitarian Flash Appeal has received only 40% of the funding being sought.

“More than 10 months into the ceasefire, this situation is unacceptable,” Alakbarov said, adding that “human dignity must be at the centre of all efforts.”

Turning to Judea and Samaria, Alakbarov accused Israelis of continuing to carry out large-scale attacks against Palestinians “with virtually no accountability for these crimes.”

He also criticized Israel over plans for housing construction in the E1 area east of Yerushalayim and over Israeli authorities’ entry into a UNRWA compound in the Kafr Aqab neighborhood of Yerushalayim.

“I reiterate my call on Israel to act in accordance with its obligations under international law. All efforts to seize, control or expropriate UNRWA facilities must cease,” he said.

French Ambassador Jérôme Bonnafont also criticized Israel during the meeting, condemning recent comments attributed to National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir as well as Israeli community expansion and violence involving Israelis and Palestinian Arabs.

“The restoration of decent living conditions cannot be subordinated to the finalization of the disarmament process,” Bonnafont said.

“It is important that Hamas disarm,” he added. “It is important for the Israeli army to withdraw.”

France additionally condemned restrictions on humanitarian assistance entering Gaza and what it described as continuing daily violations of the ceasefire.

{Matzav.com}

An IDF investigation has concluded that Palestinian Authority security personnel illegally established a roadblock in Area C of the Binyamin region and unlawfully detained IDF reservist Shlomo Rosenthal, contradicting the initial official explanation that the PA officers had intervened to protect him from an attack.

According to the military investigation, the PA forces had no authorization to operate at the location along the so-called Strongholds Route. The findings determined that the officers detained Rosenthal on their own initiative before eventually transferring him into IDF custody.

The conclusions directly contradict the account initially circulated after the incident, which maintained that PA security personnel had come to Rosenthal’s assistance because he was being assaulted and faced immediate danger. Instead, the investigation largely corroborates the version Rosenthal provided to Arutz Sheva following his release.

The incident began earlier this week when Rosenthal left his home and headed toward Route 443 using the Strongholds Route. Speaking afterward with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News, Rosenthal said that upon reaching the Beitunia Junction, he encountered what appeared to be a police vehicle and checkpoint. He initially assumed they were Israeli, only realizing as he drew closer that the officers were members of the Palestinian Authority security forces.

According to Rosenthal, the PA officers prevented him from continuing, surrounded his vehicle and then physically assaulted him. “At a certain point, one of them grabbed my arm, and when I was unable to defend myself, they all jumped on me, sprayed a can and a half of pepper spray at me, and kicked me in the face.”

Rosenthal said the officers smashed his glasses and confiscated his cellphone, car keys and firearm before pulling him from his vehicle, placing him in handcuffs and forcing him into a PA police vehicle.

He also disputed the original assertion that a crowd of Arabs had gathered around him and that the PA security forces had intervened to save him from them.

Rosenthal said the officers then drove him for approximately 30 minutes in the direction of Ramallah, eventually arriving at a PA police station in the city. He was not brought inside the station, he said, and was eventually permitted to speak with an Israeli COGAT representative, who informed him that IDF personnel would meet him. Rosenthal was subsequently turned over to Israeli forces.

Even before the IDF investigation was completed, Rosenthal vehemently rejected reports suggesting that he had mistakenly entered Palestinian-controlled territory and had then been rescued by PA police.

“That is a complete lie,” he told Arutz Sheva, emphasizing that the Strongholds Route runs through Area C and was a road he had traveled previously.

The IDF investigation has now confirmed that the checkpoint was located inside Area C and that the PA security officers had no authority to establish or operate a roadblock there. Investigators also concluded that Rosenthal was unlawfully detained and that the officers had not arrived at the location to rescue him from an attack, as initially claimed.

The probe further determined that Rosenthal was handed over to IDF forces only after the PA officers had detained him and taken him away from the scene. Those conclusions substantiate Rosenthal’s account on the major points that had been disputed by the initial version presented by defense establishment and Civil Administration officials.

Rosenthal’s vehicle, which had also been taken during the encounter, was subsequently returned to him by the IDF and Israel Police. In the aftermath of the incident, Rosenthal, represented by the Honenu legal advocacy organization’s Department for Victims of Hostile Acts, contacted Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth and demanded that the PA officers responsible for attacking him be arrested.

Binyamin Regional Council head and Yesha Council chairman Yisrael Ganz praised the IDF for investigating the incident and establishing what had occurred.

“We commend the IDF for the investigation, which confirms the testimony of the Binyamin resident who was abducted by Palestinian Authority security officers, beaten and had his weapon stolen. We thank Central Command chief Avi Bluth and the command’s personnel for establishing the facts.”

Ganz said, however, that establishing the facts was insufficient and called for concrete action against those responsible.

“We must not settle for an investigation alone. This was an armed force of the enemy, the Palestinian Authority, that set up a roadblock within the sovereign territory of the State of Israel, abducted a soldier along with his weapon and transferred him to Palestinian Authority territory. A sovereign state cannot overlook such an incident.”

Ganz called on the Israeli government to respond forcefully, including by ending coordination with the PA and arresting the officers involved.

“We expect the Israeli government to take meaningful action, not merely issue condemnations: immediately end coordination with the Palestinian Authority, arrest the Palestinian police officers involved and put them on trial in Israel. At the same time, the Civil Administration must conduct a thorough internal review into how such an incident was allowed to occur,” he said.

Ganz warned that failing to respond decisively could encourage additional challenges to Israeli control in the region.

“If we do not act now, attempts to erode Israeli sovereignty on the outskirts of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area will continue and intensify,” Ganz warned. “We must not close our eyes and wait for the next disaster.”

{Matzav.com}

John Bolton is sharply criticizing President Donald Trump’s handling of Venezuela following the removal of Nicolás Maduro, arguing that the administration squandered a historic opportunity by leaving much of the Chavista power structure intact instead of pushing aggressively for democratic elections and the return of opposition leader María Corina Machado.

In an opinion piece published Wednesday in The Hill, Trump’s onetime national security adviser applauded the Jan. 3 US military mission that captured Maduro and removed him from power, describing the operation as “brilliantly successful.”

Bolton contended, however, that the administration failed to capitalize politically on that dramatic military victory and instead pursued a deeply misguided approach to Venezuela’s future.

“Tragically, however, the Trump administration’s underlying political strategy was flawed from the start,” Bolton wrote.

“Maduro’s removal changed only the corrupt regime’s public face.”

Maduro was captured during the January US operation and transported to the United States, where he remains imprisoned while facing federal criminal charges.

But the Venezuelan government did not undergo a wholesale transformation following his removal. Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s vice president and a longtime figure in the governments of both Hugo Chávez and Maduro, took over the presidency, allowing much of the Chavista political establishment to remain in power.

Questions about what would replace Maduro surfaced almost immediately in Congress following the US operation, with lawmakers drawing particular attention to Rodríguez’s history as a hard-line member of the existing regime.

Bolton said the administration should now shift course by making free and democratic elections the central objective of American policy. A critical part of that strategy, he argued, would be ensuring that Machado, the opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, can safely return to Venezuela and participate openly in its political life.

“The real centerpiece, however, is Machado’s return home,” Bolton wrote.

If the Trump administration truly possesses the leverage over Caracas that it has suggested, Bolton argued, Washington should be capable of guaranteeing the safety of Machado and other Venezuelan opposition figures.

His criticism comes as scrutiny intensifies over the administration’s approach to Venezuela’s political and economic transition, including its management of the country’s vast petroleum sector and the expanding influence of Venezuelan businessman Alejandro Betancourt Lopez, who has close ties to Maduro.

Recent reports by Bloomberg, Fortune and The Times of London have said Secretary of State Marco Rubio enlisted Betancourt as an intermediary as the administration attempts to encourage US companies to invest in Venezuela’s oil industry.

According to The Times, Betancourt had previously been investigated in Europe over money-laundering allegations. He has not been convicted of wrongdoing and has maintained that his business dealings are legitimate.

Questions have also emerged about the transparency of the investment process, with reports indicating that major agreements have moved forward without being subjected to competitive bidding.

For Bolton, however, concerns surrounding particular oil agreements are merely one element of a much larger problem. He argued that while Washington successfully removed Maduro himself, it failed to dismantle the political and economic machinery that allowed his government to maintain control.

Bolton characterized Maduro’s capture as an extraordinary military achievement that failed to produce genuine regime change. Although he again described the Jan. 3 mission as “brilliantly successful,” he said Maduro’s longtime allies were subsequently permitted to retain substantial control over the country.

He also urged Washington to fully embrace Machado and facilitate her return to Venezuela, where she must be able to engage in “free, open political activity without intimidation.” Bolton accused Rubio of committing a serious strategic mistake by excluding Machado from negotiations over the country’s electoral future.

Genuinely competitive elections, Bolton argued, should now become Washington’s overriding objective. He warned against portraying cooperation with Rodríguez as proof that Venezuela has undergone a successful transition when key elements of the previous government continue to wield power.

Bolton singled out Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello as another major impediment to democratic change. Cabello remains among the most powerful holdovers from the previous government, while the pro-regime motorcycle organizations known as colectivos continue operating. Bolton maintained that real democratization will require Cabello’s removal as well as the dismantling of the colectivos.

He further called on Washington to insist on verifiable proof that the remaining Cuban intelligence and security personnel operating in Venezuela have left the country.

Bolton also raised concerns about the handling of Venezuela’s oil revenues. Approximately $13 billion in petroleum proceeds has passed through an offshore US account, he said, but questions remain about where those funds ultimately end up once they reach Venezuela’s central bank. With Chavista officials still controlling the central bank, Bolton warned that the money could ultimately help strengthen the very political system Washington had sought to dislodge.

At the same time, the enormous wave of American oil investment initially envisioned following Maduro’s capture has yet to emerge. Major US energy companies remain reluctant to commit billions of dollars without dependable property rights, legal protections and the rule of law. More than seven months after Maduro was seized, reports this month indicated that major petroleum agreements have remained difficult to secure.

The battle over Venezuela’s oil sector could assume even greater significance as the political debate over the country’s future unfolds.

Venezuela holds some of the largest proven petroleum reserves anywhere in the world, and Trump initially presented Maduro’s removal as an opportunity to unleash substantial American investment, dramatically expand Venezuelan oil production and potentially help drive down energy costs.

Reviving the country’s battered petroleum industry, however, would require enormous amounts of investment. Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, PDVSA, also continues to play a central role in deciding which companies are permitted to operate and under what conditions.

Bolton argued that no amount of economic maneuvering can replace the fundamental political changes necessary to transform Venezuela.

“Political liberty and economic recovery in Venezuela will come through pressure,” he wrote, “not through the beneficence of the Chavista regime.”

Bolton warned that Trump now faces the possibility that one of his administration’s most dramatic military victories could ultimately fail to produce meaningful political change. Maduro may be imprisoned in the United States, but much of the system that kept him and Chávez in power remains intact.

Unless the administration changes direction and makes Machado, Venezuela’s democratic opposition and genuinely free elections the foundation of US policy, Bolton argued, Washington risks allowing the extraordinary opportunity created by Maduro’s removal to slip away.

{Matzav.com}

Catastrophic flash flooding along the Nepal-Tibet border killed nearly 100 people Wednesday and left hundreds missing, including at least 54 Americans, after a massive torrent of mud, rocks and water thundered down from the Himalayas and devastated communities in its path.

At least 98 people were reported dead on the Nepali side of the border, while more than 300 tourists remained unaccounted for. Officials said 54 Americans were among those missing as rescue crews scrambled to reach areas cut off by the destruction.

The disaster is believed to have begun when an enormous mass of rock and mud crashed into a river near the Himalayan frontier separating Nepal from Chinese-controlled Tibet, triggering a sudden and devastating surge downstream.

Terrifying footage from the region showed a towering wall of muddy water and debris racing through a valley as people fled desperately ahead of it. Buildings, roads and other structures were swallowed or swept away within moments.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping ordered an “all-out” search operation as authorities on the Tibetan side reported widespread devastation. Chinese state media said at least three people had been confirmed dead in the landslide and 265 remained missing, while officials described “significant” casualties in Gyirong, near Tibet’s border with Nepal.

Nepalese Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal told parliament Wednesday that preliminary information indicated the flooding could have been caused by an avalanche set off by an earthquake.

The United States Geological Survey initially reported detecting a magnitude 4.4 earthquake around the same time that surveillance footage captured the disaster unfolding along the border.

Hours later, however, the USGS said the seismic activity had not been an earthquake at all. Instead, the massive landslide itself had caused the shaking, producing seismic activity equivalent to a magnitude 5.2 earthquake.

The resulting torrent tore through communities in Nepal, destroying homes, businesses and roads as it raced downstream. On the Tibetan side, officials warned of “major casualties” as emergency teams searched through the devastated area, according to local media reports.

Authorities also issued flood warnings for heavily populated regions farther downstream, including areas of the northern Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, amid fears that the effects of the disaster could spread beyond Nepal and Tibet.

Nepal’s tourism board said at least 391 foreign nationals were missing from the affected region. In addition to the 54 Americans, those unaccounted for included 142 Indian nationals who had been making a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash in Tibet, 34 Australians, 33 British citizens and 24 Canadians.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry reported that at least nine South Korean citizens were also missing. All nine were employees of two energy companies involved in construction of a hydroelectric facility along Nepal’s Trishuli River.

The US Embassy said it was “deeply saddened” by the mounting death toll and advised Americans in affected areas to stay away from low-lying terrain, move to higher ground and comply with instructions issued by local authorities.

“We extend our sincere condolences to the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, and our thoughts are with all those affected by this disaster,” the embassy posted on X.

The State Department also confirmed that it was following developments involving US citizens caught up in the catastrophe.

A State Department spokesperson said the agency “is aware of Americans impacted by floods in Nepal and is closely tracking the situation.”

The spokesperson did not provide further information about how many Americans were missing or whether any had been located or injured.

As the scale of the disaster became clearer, foreign governments and international relief organizations began mobilizing emergency assistance for Nepal and other affected areas.

India announced that it was dispatching 10 metric tons of humanitarian aid along with “essential medicines,” according to External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies also announced plans to provide emergency funding to the Nepal Red Cross as relief and rescue operations intensified.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Europe was preparing to assist with the international response.

“My thoughts are with all those affected, especially the families who have lost loved ones or are still waiting for news. We also share a thought for the brave first responders,” she wrote on X.

“We stand ready to mobilise further European assistance,” she added, saying the European Union’s Copernicus satellite service had been “activated to help map the affected areas in Nepal and support the response on the ground.”

{Matzav.com}

The newly formed HaTzibur HaChareidi party has launched a major election campaign across Chareidi cities and communities, days after announcing that it will run independently in the elections for Israel’s 26th Knesset.

The campaign, which carries the slogan “Where were you during the last Knesset term?” focuses on several issues that party leaders say have been inadequately addressed by the established Chareidi political parties, including the draft crisis and protection of the olam haTorah, mathematics and English education in Talmudei Torah, and employment.

Among the slogans being promoted by the party are: “Protect the olam haTorah — whoever is not learning should serve,” and “A Chareidi child also needs mathematics and English.”

HaTzibur HaChareidi officially announced its Knesset bid on Sunday during a launch event in Beit Shemesh. The party is seeking to establish itself as an alternative voice within Chareidi politics and is now bringing its message directly to voters in Chareidi population centers.

Party chairman Motti Leitner used the launch event to deliver sharp criticism of the existing Chareidi political leadership, arguing that decisions made in recent years have harmed the community and worsened its relationship with other sectors of Israeli society.

“The Chareidi community is facing an existential threat,” Leitner declared.

On the highly contentious issue of the military draft, Leitner said the party favors complete protection for those genuinely engaged in Torah learning, while calling for those who are not learning to serve.

“Whoever is learning will receive absolute and complete protection. Whoever is not learning — will serve,” he said.

The position represents an effort by the fledgling party to distinguish itself from the established Chareidi factions at a time when the draft crisis and the status of bnei yeshivos remain among the most explosive issues facing the community.

The party is also placing education prominently on its agenda, including its call for Chareidi children to receive instruction in mathematics and English. Its campaign materials specifically highlight the issue as part of a broader platform dealing with education, employment and poverty.

In the coming weeks, HaTzibur HaChareidi intends to expand its campaign around those issues and unveil a more detailed platform and policy proposals.

For now, party officials are seeking to inject themselves into the Chareidi political conversation and persuade voters dissatisfied with the established parties that there is room for a new alternative ahead of the elections for the 26th Knesset.

A U.S. military transport aircraft made an unusual landing at Moscow’s Vnukovo International Airport, with the Kremlin reportedly claiming it had no information about the flight or its purpose.

Video footage showed the U.S. military aircraft approaching the Moscow airport, while publicly available flight-tracking data indicated that the Boeing C-17A Globemaster III had traveled to Russia after first flying from the United States to Latvia.

According to Flightradar24 data, the aircraft departed Joint Base Andrews in Maryland early Sunday afternoon and flew to Riga, Latvia. It subsequently traveled from Riga to Moscow, arriving at Vnukovo airport.

The mysterious flight comes months after another unusual trip involving an American-registered aircraft. According to Reuters, the last time a U.S.-registered jet flew directly from Europe to Russia was in January, when U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner traveled to Moscow.

During that visit, Witkoff and Kushner met Russian President Vladimir Putin for discussions focused on efforts to resolve the war in Ukraine.

The U.S. Department of War declined to provide an explanation for the latest military flight.

A Department of War spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Tuesday, “We have nothing to provide on this subject.”

Fox News Digital also sought comment from the White House and the U.S. Embassy in Moscow.

Adding to the intrigue surrounding the flight, the Kremlin said it had no information about the arrival of the American military aircraft, according to Reuters.

Following the January talks involving Witkoff and Kushner, Putin aide Yury Ushakov described the American delegation’s discussions with the Russian president and said the U.S. officials had arrived after participating in events in Davos.

“Our counterparts arrived from Davos after taking part in a series of events together with President Donald Trump, including those concerning the Ukraine settlement.”

Ushakov said Witkoff and Kushner provided Putin with firsthand information about their discussions and impressions from meetings involving American, Ukrainian and European officials.

“They offered what can be called their first-hand accounts of these events and shared their impressions, as well as their latest thoughts and assessments regarding the meeting between the President of the United States and [Ukraine President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy in Davos” during the World Economic Forum, he added.

According to Ushakov, the January meeting largely centered on information gathered by the United States through its contacts with Ukraine and European countries and how those developments could shape subsequent talks between Washington and Moscow.

“Overall, I can say that the focus of the meeting between the President of Russia and US representatives was to obtain information resulting from the contacts the United States had with the Ukrainians and Europeans in order to define further steps between our two countries,” Ushakov also said.

It was not immediately clear whether the latest C-17 flight to Moscow was connected to diplomatic activity or carried U.S. officials, cargo or other personnel, and neither Washington nor Moscow had publicly offered an explanation for the unusual flight.

{Matzav.com}

Chinese aircraft developer CoolFly has unveiled a new electric flying vehicle that allows a single person to take off and travel through the air while standing, in what the company is billing as a new approach to personal aviation.

The Hangzhou-based company officially introduced the aircraft, called Urban, as a standing eVTOL designed specifically for individual flight. CoolFly says users can learn how to operate the aircraft in approximately 10 minutes and that it can be flown without a pilot’s license under applicable ultralight regulations. The company simultaneously debuted its seated Dream aircraft lineup and a proprietary flight-control platform known as NA80.

Powered entirely by electricity, Urban relies on enclosed propellers rather than exposed rotors, a design that CoolFly says provides additional protection and safety. Rather than targeting lengthy commutes, the company envisions the aircraft being used for recreational flights, tourism and short trips through urban areas.

CoolFly lists Urban at approximately 90 kilograms, or 242 pounds, and says it can carry a single occupant of roughly the same weight. The aircraft can reach a top speed of approximately 70 kilometers per hour, or 62 mph, and is intended primarily for low-altitude operations below approximately 30 meters.

A Hangzhou-based startup unveiled CoolFly Urban, a standing eVTOL "air skateboard." The flower-shaped platform runs four enclosed ducted fans and an AI gravity-sensing system that adjusts thrust as the rider leans.

Carries up to 90 kg, reaches 70 km/h, and offers about 11… pic.twitter.com/zIVKfetnth

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) August 26, 2026

The technology behind the aircraft centers on CoolFly’s NA80 flight controller, which the company describes as an artificial intelligence-powered, gravity-sensing system. The technology continuously monitors the combined center of gravity of the aircraft and its rider, making automatic adjustments designed to maintain balance while the vehicle is airborne.

CoolFly says the flight-control system incorporates a dual-redundant architecture for additional protection against potential failures. Each of its control units also uses triple-redundant inertial measurement units as another layer of safety.

The company says Urban was engineered to comply with the Federal Aviation Administration’s Part 103 regulations governing ultralight vehicles in the United States. Under those rules, CoolFly says, a person operating the aircraft would not require a pilot’s license, medical certificate or aircraft airworthiness certificate. The company has repeatedly highlighted that feature while promoting the product during the past year.

CoolFly also used the launch to introduce its Dream series, which provides a more conventional seated alternative to Urban’s standing configuration. The Dream ST was developed with ultralight regulations in both the United States and China in mind and includes a folding design intended to make transportation easier.

A higher-end version, the Dream Pro, is designed to carry more weight and remain airborne for longer periods. It also incorporates millimeter-wave radar for detecting obstacles, automatic flight-route planning, airbags intended to reduce the impact of a collision and a parachute system capable of supporting the entire aircraft.

CoolFly says the two product lines are intended to complement each other, with Urban aimed at users seeking a standing personal-flight experience and the Dream aircraft providing seated options for other types of recreational and personal aviation.

The company is also working to build the infrastructure and partnerships needed to support the emerging personal-aircraft market. During its launch event in Hangzhou, CoolFly announced a cooperation agreement with the Zhejiang Institute of Security Technology focused on creating training programs and shared facilities for the sector.

CoolFly separately announced insurance arrangements with PICC Property and Casualty and China Pacific Property Insurance. According to the company, insurance policies covering both the Urban and Dream aircraft have already been established, including product liability protection for aircraft sold overseas.

The Chinese manufacturer has increasingly sought international exposure for its personal aircraft as it looks beyond its domestic market. CoolFly has displayed its technology at major aviation and technology gatherings, including CES 2026 in Las Vegas and EAA AirVenture Oshkosh in Wisconsin, as it works toward eventually offering the Urban and Dream aircraft outside China.

{Matzav.com}

Senior Shas official Asher Medina has pushed back against criticism that his party abandoned the battle over the military draft, while acknowledging that despite its efforts, Shas ultimately failed to secure the legal status of bnei yeshivos during the outgoing Knesset term.

Medina also addressed criticism surrounding a new Shas campaign video depicting a family in which one son serves in the military while his brother learns Torah. The video was subsequently removed.

Speaking in an interview with Yossi Chaim Maimon on Kol Chai’s “Hafuch Al Hafuch” program, Medina said Shas was seeking to directly confront perceptions that the party has become hostile toward soldiers. According to Medina, internal research found that such a perception exists among traditional Israeli voters, prompting the party to address the issue explicitly.

“We are not against the soldiers,” Medina said. “We live among them, soldiers vote Shas, families of soldiers vote Shas.”

According to Medina, the campaign video was intended to portray a reality familiar to many families, in which one member serves in the military while another learns in yeshiva, “and we love everyone and live with everyone.”

Medina also rejected criticism from within the Chareidi community that Shas had not done enough during the last Knesset term to protect the status of bnei yeshivos amid the ongoing draft crisis.

“In terms of the reality, it is an absolute lie,” he said.

Medina maintained that Shas representatives worked throughout the term in Knesset committees, faced protests over their efforts and acted in accordance with the instructions of the Chachmei and Gedolei Yisroel.

At the same time, he conceded that those efforts did not ultimately achieve the party’s central objective.

“Unfortunately, we failed to regulate the status of yeshiva students,” Medina said, blaming the outcome in part on intervention by the judicial system and the attorney general.

As an example, Medina cited legislation intended to address the arrests of bnei yeshivos, which he said passed with the support of 64 Knesset members before subsequently being blocked by an interim court order.

“Ultimately, we can do everything we can with the parliamentary tools available to us,” he said.

Looking ahead to the elections for the 26th Knesset, Medina argued that the next political battle will extend beyond legislation and include the makeup of the Supreme Court and the identity of future justices appointed to the bench.

He said that fight over the future direction of Israel’s judicial system is among the primary reasons he is urging Chareidi voters to turn out for the upcoming election despite disappointment and frustration over what transpired during the previous Knesset term.

{Matzav.com}

A dramatic overnight police pursuit through Yerushalayim ended with the death of a suspected car thief after the fleeing vehicle crashed into a pole at the A-Tur Junction. A police officer and another civilian were lightly injured in the collision.

The incident unfolded overnight Tuesday into Wednesday after police received a report that a vehicle had been stolen from the Katamon neighborhood of Yerushalayim.

Patrol units from the Yerushalayim District, including officers from the Moriah, Lev Habira and Shalem police stations, began searching for the stolen vehicle and subsequently spotted it being driven through the city.

Officers attempted to stop the vehicle and apprehend the driver, but the suspect ignored their instructions and fled, setting off a dangerous pursuit. According to police, the driver traveled against the direction of traffic during the chase, posing a serious danger to officers, motorists and pedestrians.

As the pursuit continued and the suspect refused repeated instructions to stop, police opened targeted fire at the vehicle’s tires in an effort to bring it to a halt. The gunfire failed to stop the fleeing driver, who continued driving recklessly.

The chase ultimately came to an end at the A-Tur Junction, where the suspect lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a pole as well as a private vehicle traveling in the area.

A police officer and a civilian were injured in the crash. Both were reported to be in light condition and were transported for medical treatment.

The suspected thief sustained critical injuries in the collision. Emergency personnel performed resuscitation efforts at the scene before rushing him to the hospital in critical condition.

Medical personnel later pronounced him dead from his injuries.

The identity of the suspect had not yet been established as of early Wednesday, and police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding the theft, pursuit and fatal crash.

{Matzav.com}

Meta has agreed to pay as much as $16.68 billion to settle a landmark case brought by 29 state attorneys general who accused the social media giant of deliberately designing Facebook and Instagram to addict children and teenagers.

The sweeping agreement also requires Meta to change features on its platforms, including the introduction of daily time limits, “nighttime blocks” restricting app use before bedtime and “enhanced age assurance measures” aimed at preventing underage children from accessing Facebook and Instagram, according to a court filing Wednesday.

Under the terms of what was described as a “consent judgement,” Meta will also develop “additional tools to help parents and guardians to protect their children online.” The agreement still requires approval from the court before becoming final.

Investors reacted positively to the development, sending Meta shares up 4% in premarket trading. The settlement came only days after a closely watched federal trial began in California, where Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had been expected to take the witness stand.

By reaching an agreement, Meta avoided a trial that posed what observers viewed as an extraordinary challenge to the foundation of its social media business. The company is still confronting thousands of other lawsuits in California state and federal courts that accuse its platforms of contributing to a mental health crisis among teenagers.

Earlier in the week, jurors heard blistering testimony from Arturo Béjar, a former Meta safety researcher, who told the court that “you just cannot trust Mark Zuckerberg with kids.”

Béjar went further, accusing Zuckerberg personally of giving the public a distorted picture of how seriously the company addressed the safety of young users.

“I felt that he created a false and misleading impression of Facebook’s commitment to young people,” said Béjar, who estimated that he spoke to Zuckerberg about safety issues at least 100 times during his tenure.

The group of state attorneys general alleged that Meta, whose business depends heavily on digital advertising revenue, violated federal law by collecting data from children without first obtaining their parents’ consent.

The states also targeted specific elements of Facebook and Instagram, alleging that features such as the “like button” and recommendation algorithms were deliberately engineered to keep young users hooked. According to the allegations, those features contributed to increased rates of anxiety, depression, self-harm and even suicide among teenagers using the platforms.

California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey, the four states that took the lead in the litigation, additionally accused Meta of misleading the public about how significant the dangers were for children using its social media products.

In the run-up to the trial, Meta asserted that the states were pursuing damages totaling $1.4 trillion, an amount approaching the company’s entire market capitalization. Attorneys representing the tech giant called such a potential award “outlandish” and argued that it bore little relation to the actual scope of the states’ allegations.

Attorneys representing the states disputed Meta’s characterization, saying approximately $200 billion would have been a more plausible damages figure had they prevailed at trial. They accused Meta of promoting the $1.4 trillion estimate for “shock value.”

{Matzav.com}

Dear Matzav Inbox,

I saw a recent poll on Matzav with a line that I suspect most people simply read and moved past: “United Torah Judaism would receive eight seats.”

Am I the only one who sees that number and wonders how in the world that is possible?

I learned in Eretz Yisroel in 1988. That was nearly 40 years ago. In that year’s election, Agudas Yisrael received five seats and the newly formed Degel HaTorah received two. Between them, the Ashkenazic Chareidi parties had seven seats in the Knesset.

Now fast-forward almost four decades.

Look around.

How many Chareidi families existed then compared to today? How many children did those families have? And how many grandchildren? How many new neighborhoods have been built? How many new yeshivos, chadorim, Bais Yaakovs, kollelim and shuls have opened? How much has the Chareidi population of Yerushalayim, Bnei Brak, Beit Shemesh and other cities grown? Entire Chareidi communities have sprung up in places that barely registered on the map of Chareidi life in 1988.

And after all of that, we are talking about a projection of eight seats?

Eight?

Something is very wrong with this picture.

Are we supposed to believe that the Chareidi population has barely grown relative to the rest of the country over the past 38 years? That secular Israelis have somehow been having children and grandchildren at the same pace as Chareidi families?

Obviously not.

Anyone with eyes can see what has happened demographically.

So where are the votes?

That is the question I would like someone in Chareidi political leadership to answer.

Forget for a moment all the endless internal political discussions. Who gets which seat? Does Gur get this position? Does Belz get that one? Who represents Degel? Who represents Agudah? Which chassidus gets number five, and which faction gets number six?

Maybe before fighting over who gets seat number seven or eight, somebody should be asking why there isn’t a seat number nine, ten, eleven or twelve.

Where did everybody go?

How is it possible that a community blessed with extraordinary population growth over nearly four decades has barely translated that growth into additional political representation?

Perhaps there are explanations. Maybe a significant portion of the Chareidi population does not vote. Maybe too many people have become disillusioned with the parties. Maybe thousands upon thousands of Chareidi voters are casting ballots for Likud, Otzma Yehudit or other parties. Maybe the political leadership has failed to inspire younger voters to feel that casting a ballot for a Chareidi party matters. Maybe there are demographic or electoral factors that make the comparison more complicated than it appears.

Fine. Then tell us.

Because “eight seats” should not simply be another number at the bottom of an election poll.

It should set off alarm bells.

If a business had experienced explosive growth in its customer base for 40 years but its market share remained essentially unchanged, the owners would not pat themselves on the back. They would call an emergency meeting and demand to know what had gone wrong.

Why should politics be any different?

And there is another part of this that bothers me.

We constantly hear before elections how crucial every vote is. We are told that voting is an obligation, that enormous issues affecting the Olam HaTorah are at stake, and that Chareidi political strength depends upon every eligible voter going to the polls.

I don’t disagree.

But if that is true, then the leadership should be just as concerned about the other side of the equation: Why, after decades of breathtaking Chareidi population growth, has the political strength of the Ashkenazic Chareidi parties grown so little?

This isn’t about criticizing one politician or one faction. It isn’t about Gur versus Belz, Agudah versus Degel, or one chassidus versus another.

It is about simple arithmetic.

Nearly 40 years.

Families that had five children then now have dozens of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Neighborhoods became cities. Mosdos multiplied. The Olam HaTorah grew beyond anything people could have imagined in 1988.

Seven seats became…

Eight?

Someone needs to explain that.

Because if the Chareidi population has grown dramatically while its representation has barely moved, then either an enormous number of votes are going somewhere else—or an enormous number of votes aren’t being cast at all.

Either way, that should concern every person who cares about the political strength and future of the Chareidi community.

Instead of only asking who will occupy the eighth seat, perhaps it is time for Chareidi leadership to ask a much more uncomfortable question:

After nearly 40 years of unprecedented growth, why are we still talking about only eight?

T. Broide

Ramat Beit Shemesh

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United Torah Judaism chairman Moshe Gafni has indicated that he may recommend Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot for prime minister following the upcoming election, signaling what could be a dramatic break from years of Chareidi political alignment with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the Israeli right.

Speaking to activists at a closed gathering, Gafni suggested that working with Eisenkot and the political left could ultimately prove easier for the Chareidi parties than continuing their partnership with the right, according to a report Tuesday by Channel 12.

“יכול להיות ששם יהיה לנו יותר קל” — “It could be that things will be easier for us there,” Gafni said when discussing Eisenkot.

The remarks come roughly two months before the election and appear to go considerably further than previous warnings Gafni and other Chareidi politicians have directed at Netanyahu over the years.

Gafni was reportedly asked whether, in light of his experience with Netanyahu, he would recommend to the Gedolei HaTorah that the party join forces with Eisenkot. He declined to answer the question directly but said that he had already reached a decision.

Associates of Gafni told Channel 12 that the decision he was referring to was, in fact, to support Eisenkot.

Gafni explained his frustration by arguing that the right-wing bloc had proven itself even worse than the left on certain matters affecting the Chareidi community.

“הימין כולו הוכיח את עצמו שיש שמה דברים שהם יותר גרועים מהשמאל כלפינו,” Gafni said. “הגענו למסקנה במה שקרה בקדנציה הזאת שאנחנו איתם לא נוכל לעשות דברים, במה שנוגע לילדים שלנו”.

“The entire right has proven that there are things there that are worse for us than the left,” Gafni said. “We reached the conclusion, based on what happened during this term, that we will not be able to accomplish things with them when it comes to our children.”

Gafni then raised the possibility that left-wing parties, motivated by their desire to form a government, could be more accommodating to Chareidi demands, including on the explosive issue of the military draft.

“אצל השמאל הם מוכנים למכור את המדינה בשביל שלטון. אותנו הם לא ימכרו? מה, לא ייתנו לנו גיוס?”

“On the left, they are prepared to sell the country for power. They won’t sell it to us? What, they won’t give us [a solution on] the draft?” he said.

Gafni nevertheless acknowledged that such a fundamental political shift would raise broader questions extending beyond immediate political calculations.

“השאלה אם מותר לנו, אסור לנו, השאלה מה הכיוון – זאת שאלה לדורות”.

“The question is whether we are permitted to do it or not, what direction we should take — that is a question for generations,” he said.

Although Chareidi politicians have repeatedly warned Netanyahu that they have political alternatives, the latest comments come amid an increasingly serious rupture between Degel HaTorah and the prime minister, particularly over the failure to resolve the status of bnei yeshivos and military conscription.

That breakdown became particularly public in May, when Degel HaTorah leader Rav Dov Landau delivered an unusually sharp message to the party’s representatives in the Knesset, declaring that there was “no more trust in Netanyahu” and calling for elections to be held as soon as possible.

In a letter that concluded with the words “in pain and anxiety,” Rav Landau wrote:

“לכבוד חברי הכנסת החרדים של דגל התורה שליט”א. אתם עשיתם מעל ומעבר את שליחותכם נאמנה. ואין לנו אמון בראש הממשלה איננו מרגישים שותפים שלו יותר. איננו מחויבים לו. ואנחנו נעשה מכאן ואילך רק מה שאנחנו חושבים שטוב ליהדות החרדית ולדעתנו צריך בחירות בהקדם היותר מהר. כל מיני דיבורים על גוש אינם קיימים יותר”.

“To the Chareidi members of Knesset of Degel HaTorah, shlita: You have gone above and beyond in faithfully carrying out your mission. We no longer have confidence in the prime minister. We no longer feel that we are his partners. We are not obligated to him. From this point forward, we will do only what we believe is good for Chareidi Jewry, and in our opinion elections must be held as soon as possible. All talk about a political bloc no longer exists.”

{Matzav.com}

With the new school year upon us, at least 50 children in the greater Lakewood, NJ area remain without a school placement, according to sources familiar with the situation who spoke to Matzav, leaving dozens of families facing the painful prospect of beginning the year with their children at home.

The number represents only a tiny fraction of Lakewood’s enormous school population. Tens of thousands of children are, boruch Hashem, enrolled in the community’s many mosdos, and the overwhelming majority have been successfully placed. Recent reporting has put Lakewood-area enrollment at approximately 61,000 children in K-12 yeshivos – and another 25,000 younger than primary – highlighting the extraordinary size and rapid growth of the local school system.

But when it comes to a child without a school, percentages provide little comfort.

Even one child sitting at home while classmates walk into their classrooms is one child too many.

The problem is not new. Lakewood’s extraordinary growth has created a continuing shortage of available space in schools, particularly at certain ages and grade levels. Earlier this year, sources indicated that hundreds of eighth-grade girls had not yet secured high school placements when the first round of acceptance letters was scheduled to be released.

Those involved in Lakewood chinuch emphasize that an enormous amount of behind-the-scenes work takes place each year to find spots for children. Rabbonim, roshei mosdos, askanim and placement representatives devote countless hours to an increasingly complicated process, often working quietly with individual schools and families until placements are secured.

Still, with the school year beginning, the reality that dozens of children remain without classrooms is causing anguish among parents and raising renewed questions about whether the community must adopt a more forceful approach to ensuring that every child has somewhere to go.

“This is not about blaming one school or one menahel,” one rosh hamosad told Matzav. “Every school has limitations. Buildings have limitations. Classes cannot simply grow indefinitely. But as a community, we cannot accept a situation where school starts and there are children sitting at home. Once there are children without schools, it becomes everybody’s problem.”

Another longtime mechanech expressed a similar sentiment.

“We can talk about how small the percentage is, and statistically it is very small,” he said. “But try telling a mother whose daughter is watching her friends start school that she represents a small percentage. To that family, it is 100 percent. That child needs to know that Klal Yisroel has not forgotten her.”

Several parents who spoke to Matzav described the emotional toll of reaching the end of the summer without knowing where their children will be attending school.

“Every day my child asks me, ‘Where am I going?’ and I don’t have an answer,” one Lakewood mother said. “Her friends are talking about teachers and classes and supplies, and we keep telling her that everything will work out. But as a parent, it is heartbreaking to keep saying that when you don’t know what is going to happen.”

Another parent described the experience as particularly painful because the family is surrounded by a flourishing Torah community filled with schools.

“We live in a town with yeshivos everywhere,” the parent said. “You drive five minutes and pass school after school after school. And somehow your child doesn’t have one. Unless you have experienced that, I don’t think you can understand what it feels like.”

The situation also raises the question of whether Lakewood should consider the kind of communal stance that has been taken elsewhere when children remained without placements.

In London, as Matzav reported yesterday, rabbonim have taken the position in school-placement crises that the broader educational system cannot simply proceed normally while individual children remain without a place, emphasizing communal responsibility for ensuring that every child is accounted for.

Some in Lakewood believe the same principle deserves serious consideration there: No school should begin the year while children in the community who need placement are still sitting at home.

Such an approach would undoubtedly be complicated in a community as enormous and diverse as Lakewood, with scores of independently operated schools. But advocates say precisely that because the system is decentralized, a clear directive from leading rabbonim could establish the principle that placement is not merely the problem of the particular family that happens to be left without a seat.

One askan put it this way: “The question cannot only be, ‘Is my school full?’ The question has to be, ‘Does every child have a school?’ Those are two very different questions. Until the second question has been answered, the job is not finished.”

The scale of Lakewood’s educational system makes its overall success remarkable. Tens of thousands of children enter classrooms each morning and receive a Torah education through a network of mosdos built largely through private initiative, sacrifice and extraordinary communal investment. The demographic pressures are equally remarkable: One source noted to Matzav that approximately 6,500 frum babies were born in the Lakewood area in 2025 alone, while only about 6,000 primary seats were available this year.

Those numbers make the challenge understandable. They cannot make an unplaced child acceptable.

Behind the statistic of “at least 50” are individual children who know that their friends have schools and they do not. There are parents making phone calls, waiting for callbacks and trying to maintain optimism in front of children who can sense their anxiety. And there are youngsters approaching what should be an exciting beginning to a new school year wondering where, exactly, they belong.

Lakewood has repeatedly demonstrated an extraordinary ability to mobilize when members of the community are in need. The families still awaiting placements are hoping that the same determination will now be brought to bear on their children.

Because while at least 50 unplaced children may constitute a tiny percentage of Lakewood’s tens of thousands of students, for each of those children, there is nothing tiny about it.

One child without a school is already too many.

{Matzav.com}

Dozens of Yerushalayim residents took to the streets Monday afternoon demanding stronger enforcement against vehicles parked on sidewalks, arguing that pedestrians, parents with strollers and people with disabilities are routinely being forced into dangerous situations.

The problem is particularly familiar in heavily congested areas, including Geulah, Rav Shefa on Shamgar and other busy neighborhoods, where crowded sidewalks and illegally parked vehicles can leave pedestrians with little room to safely pass.

The demonstrators marched through central Yerushalayim to call attention to the obstacles pedestrians regularly encounter and to demand that the city’s sidewalks be restored to their intended use. Participants included people with disabilities, parents pushing strollers and pedestrians of various ages.

The march was organized by the Jerusalem Urban Coalition and began at Davidka Square before proceeding to Bezalel Street. Along the route, participants sought to demonstrate firsthand the difficulties pedestrians face while navigating the city.

During the march, participants encountered illegally parked vehicles blocking sidewalks and forcing pedestrians to step into the roadway. They also pointed to other physical obstructions and lengthy waits at traffic signals designated for pedestrians.

Demonstrators carried signs and called on the Yerushalayim Municipality to crack down on sidewalk parking, increase enforcement and rethink the design of public spaces with greater consideration for the needs and safety of pedestrians.

“The sidewalk is a sterile area that is supposed to serve us safely, and not become an obstacle course,” the organizers said.

“When a car blocks a sidewalk, a person in a wheelchair or a parent with a stroller is forced to risk their life in the roadway. The time has come for the municipality to return the sidewalks to pedestrians,” the organizers added.

The Yerushalayim Urban Coalition includes several advocacy organizations, among them the pedestrian group “Our Streets,” “Bicycles for Yerushalayim” and the public transportation passenger organization “The Next Stop.”

{Matzav.com}

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday sharply condemned Israel’s evacuation and takeover of a UNRWA vocational training facility in eastern Yerushalayim, claiming the Israeli action will prevent young people from receiving an education.

The criticism came after Israeli authorities moved to enforce legislation barring UNRWA from operating in Israel, following years of allegations regarding the agency’s ties to Hamas and evidence implicating UNRWA employees in the October 7 massacre.

“The Secretary-General is greatly alarmed at this development, as it will deprive young people of the vocational education they were receiving,” Guterres’ spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Dujarric maintained that the training center is protected by the legal status afforded to United Nations facilities and argued that Israeli authorities may not interfere with the property.

The training center “and other UNRWA premises are premises of the United Nations. They are inviolable and immune from any form of interference.”

Guterres’ statement followed an operation carried out by the IDF, Israel Police and Yerushalayim Municipality at the UNRWA compound in Kafr Aqab, located in the northern portion of the capital.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir praised the move, saying authorities were carrying out Israeli law against an agency whose personnel have been linked to terrorism.

“This morning, Israel Police forces are working with the relevant authorities to enforce the law and remove UNRWA from the premises. An organization whose employees were involved in terrorism and that repeatedly served as a cover for Hamas has no right to exist for even one more second, and has no place in Jerusalem or the State of Israel,” he stated.

Ben Gvir said the operation reflected his position that Israeli sovereignty in Yerushalayim must be actively enforced rather than merely declared.

“My policy is clear: Sovereignty is not something you talk about – it is something you exercise. The Israel Police will continue to act resolutely to enforce the law, strengthen governance and make it clear that Jerusalem is the capital of the State of Israel, and so it will remain. Anyone who establishes terrorist nests there will be removed,” Ben Gvir added.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu similarly defended the evacuation, noting that it was being carried out pursuant to legislation approved by the Knesset and under his instructions.

“In accordance with my directive and following the law we passed, the evacuation of the UNRWA compound in Kafr Aqab, Jerusalem, began today. The State of Israel will not allow an organization whose employees were complicit in terrorism and the October 7 massacre to operate within its territory, and will act against it by all means at its disposal.”

UNRWA has faced intense scrutiny in Israel for years over alleged connections between agency employees and Hamas. Those concerns escalated dramatically in 2024, when Israel presented evidence indicating that UNRWA personnel had taken part in the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 massacre.

In response to the allegations, the United Nations established an independent review headed by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna. The resulting report found “neutrality-related issues” within UNRWA, while maintaining that Israel had not substantiated allegations that large numbers of agency employees were members of terrorist organizations.

The Knesset subsequently passed legislation in October 2024 prohibiting UNRWA from operating inside Israel and barring Israeli officials from maintaining contact with the organization. Lawmakers later expanded the restrictions to prohibit Israeli electricity and water services from being supplied to UNRWA facilities.

Guterres has repeatedly clashed with Israel since the October 7 massacre. Several weeks after the attack, the UN chief declared that it “did not happen in a vacuum,” comments that sparked outrage in Israel and elsewhere over what critics viewed as an attempt to contextualize or partially blame Israel for the Hamas atrocities. Guterres later insisted that his remarks had been misinterpreted and emphasized that he had condemned Hamas.

Relations between Israel and Guterres’ office deteriorated further in May, when the UN secretary-general placed Israeli entities on a blacklist dealing with sexual violence in conflict zones. Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, responded by announcing that Israel would freeze its relations with Guterres’ office.

“We are done with this UN Secretary-General. Guterres has put Israel on the same blacklist along with Hamas, ISIS and the most depraved terrorist organizations in the world. This is a moral disgrace that proves that Guterres has lost all credibility,” Danon stated at the time.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump has formally transmitted the United States’ civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress, while maintaining that the deal will move forward only if Riyadh joins the Abraham Accords and establishes diplomatic relations with Israel.

A US administration official confirmed the submission to Reuters on Tuesday, marking the latest step toward implementing the nuclear agreement recently reached between Washington and the Saudi government.

According to the official, Trump has not backed away from his insistence that Saudi participation in the Abraham Accords and normalization with Israel are prerequisites for the nuclear arrangement to proceed.

Washington and Riyadh signed the civil nuclear cooperation agreement in late July as Saudi Arabia seeks to expand its civilian nuclear energy program. The agreement is expected to open significant business opportunities for American companies involved in the nuclear sector.

US officials have said the pact could benefit American manufacturers, industrial employees and domestic supply chains while providing Saudi Arabia with assistance in meeting its long-term electricity demands.

The Trump administration has also argued that the agreement would bolster nuclear safety and security, strengthen nonproliferation safeguards and make the American civilian nuclear industry more competitive. Officials have additionally presented the arrangement as one that could contribute to greater stability in the Middle East.

Trump subsequently made clear that, in his view, the nuclear agreement cannot be separated from the administration’s broader effort to bring Saudi Arabia into the Abraham Accords.

Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office two days after the nuclear agreement was signed, Trump said, “I just say that in order to do it, they have to be a member of the Abraham Accords, which have been very successful. But it’s time now that they do it.”

Trump argued that concerns over Iran had previously made Saudi Arabia and other countries reluctant to normalize relations with Israel, but said circumstances in the region had dramatically changed.

“They and others didn’t want to do it because of the problem that they had with Iran. You don’t have that problem anymore. You don’t have a great power there anymore,” continued the President.

Trump went on to say that Tehran’s regional power was continuing to diminish.

“You have a problem, but the problem is disappearing day by day. They were the bully of the Middle East. They were not going to be that much of a bully anymore, probably,” he said of Iran.

The president also predicted that Saudi Arabia would ultimately enter the Abraham Accords and, in turn, be able to move ahead with a civilian nuclear program that does not include uranium enrichment.

“At some point they’ll join [the Abraham Accords],” the President continued, referring to Saudi Arabia. “They’ll join, and they’ll do their civil nuclear, no enrichment, it’s civil nuclear.”

The Abraham Accords, brokered by the United States during Trump’s first term, established formal diplomatic relations between Israel and several Arab and Muslim-majority countries. The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain became the first countries to sign the accords in 2020, resulting in the first normalization agreements between Israel and Arab states since Jordan established diplomatic ties with Israel in 1994.

Morocco and Sudan later joined the framework, although Sudan’s full implementation was held up by internal instability. Kazakhstan became the latest country to join the Abraham Accords in January of this year.

{Matzav.com}

Montreal’s city council overwhelmingly approved a heavily revised Middle East resolution on Monday after removing some of the original proposal’s most inflammatory provisions, including accusations that Israel is committing “genocide” and maintaining an “apartheid” regime.

The amended measure passed by a 54-6 vote following significant changes to the motion originally introduced by Projet Montréal. The initial proposal had sought to have Montreal cut its institutional ties with Israel while explicitly accusing the Jewish state of “apartheid” and “genocide.”

Neither accusation appears in the version ultimately adopted by the council. The final resolution also drops the demand that Montreal sever its ties with Israel and does not single out the Jewish state in the manner envisioned by the original proposal.

Ahead of the vote, Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada said city government should be focused on the responsibilities for which municipal officials were elected rather than inserting itself into an overseas conflict. She said that “municipal governments are elected to run the city, keep residents safe, deliver services and bring people together, not to inflame tensions by taking a controversial position on a distant geopolitical conflict.”

Ericka Alneus, the city’s official opposition leader, voiced frustration over the revisions to the proposal, saying, “I will not hide my disappointment at the major modifications imposed by the administration, which significantly diluted our intention.”

The resolution that ultimately passed declares “solidarity with the Palestinian people as well as all civilian victims of hostilities” in the Middle East. It additionally calls for compliance with international and international humanitarian law and voices support for judicial proceedings examining allegations of violations in Gaza.

Jewish organizations welcomed the removal of the provisions targeting Israel, while continuing to question why Montreal’s municipal government was debating foreign policy in the first place.

Paola Samuel, Regional Director for Quebec and Atlantic Canada at B’nai Brith Canada, praised the council for rejecting the original language.

“We are pleased that the City Council did not adopt the deceitful and distorted language contained in the original motion. We applaud Mayor Soraya Martinez and her governing Ensemble Montreal party for standing up for the citizens of Montreal, including the Jewish community.”

Samuel said the mayor had correctly emphasized that foreign policy does not belong in the hands of municipal government.

“During a press conference at City Hall Monday afternoon, Mayor Martinez correctly pointed out that the role of city council is not to dictate foreign policy. Divisions concerning the conflict in the Middle East, as evidenced in B’nai Brith Canada’s Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents, are contributing to a significant increase in hostility and violence targeting the Jewish community,” added Samuel.

She said the tensions were evident outside City Hall itself following the proceedings.

“This manifested itself at City Hall last night, where an angry mob of extremists accosted people leaving the building, shouting hateful invectives.”

Samuel said B’nai Brith had spent weeks warning against bringing the original proposal before the council, arguing that it would further aggravate an already tense environment in Montreal.

“As B’nai Brith warned during the weeks leading to this vote, Projet Montreal was wrong to bring this deceitful motion to City Hall. Tensions have already been building in the city for more than two years, and this motion only served to inflame them and contribute to hate, disharmony, and chaos.”

She urged council members to turn their attention back to the local concerns confronting Montreal residents.

“We urge Montreal’s city council to continue to focus its attention on what matters most to its constituents – housing, crime and affordability – rather than inserting itself into complex geo-political issues that foster division and contribute to the normalization of hate on our streets.”

Samuel said a more direct intervention by the city into the Israel conflict would have further strained relations among Montreal’s communities.

“If the City of Montreal had weighed into this conflict, it would have only served to exacerbate tensions between communities. It is clearly not in the city’s purview to dictate foreign policy for its residents.”

She also credited Montreal’s Jewish community for mobilizing against the initial version of the resolution.

“We applaud our Montreal Jewish community for coming out, in force, to oppose the distorted and inflammatory original text. We are resilient and strong and will remain united as we stand up against those that try to target or threaten our community,” concluded Samuel.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) similarly welcomed the elimination of the most objectionable portions of the motion, while maintaining that the council should never have waded into the Middle East conflict.

“CIJA acknowledges the adoption of a modified motion by the Montreal City Council, following the efforts of Mayor Martinez Ferrada.”

CIJA said its fundamental objection to municipal involvement in an international dispute remains unchanged.

The organization added that “We nevertheless continue to firmly oppose the very principle of importing international conflicts through such motions – a principle, moreover, rightly reaffirmed this morning by the Mayor herself during a press conference.”

The organization credited city officials with removing many of the original proposal’s most incendiary elements, while warning that it would continue watching for future efforts that could heighten divisions within Montreal.

CIJA said that “We note that elected officials have come to their senses by removing many of the most incendiary and unacceptable aspects of Projet Montréal’s initial proposal,” while cautioning that “However, CIJA will remain extremely vigilant against any possible attempt that could once again weaken Montreal’s social fabric.”

CIJA said the revisions represented a defeat for activists who had sought to use the resolution to push a more radical agenda, while noting the strong opposition to cutting Montreal’s ties with Israel.

The organization further stated that “The changes made ensure that the radicals have not achieved their goal of imposing their extremist agenda on our elected officials,” and highlighted “the many community and political leaders who said no to severing ties between our city of Montreal and Israel, as well as the more than 6,200 Montrealers of all backgrounds who wrote to their elected officials via our platform to express that they are tired of seeing the city council fail to focus on municipal issues.”

CIJA also sharply criticized remarks made by some opposition council members during the debate, arguing that they demonstrated a basic misunderstanding of the October 7 Hamas massacre.

“The importation of this conflict by Projet Montréal is all the more irresponsible given that some of its own elected officials do not even grasp the most tragic and basic facts.”

The organization singled out comments by an opposition councilor who would not identify Hamas as a terrorist organization and referred to an October 7 attack against Palestinian civilians.

The group added, “Hearing an official opposition councilor refuse to designate Hamas as a terrorist group and speak of an ‘October 7, 2023, attack against Palestinian civilians’ – when the entire world knows it was a barbaric assault that killed more than 1,200 people, including Montrealer Alex Look – amounts to indecent revisionism that disgraces the city council.”

CIJA ended its response by calling on Montreal officials to abandon divisive international political battles and return their attention to municipal concerns.

CIJA concluded, “In light of such an egregious lapse, we invite all elected officials to finally return to reality, to focus on the true priorities of Montrealers, and to permanently leave these divisive tactics behind,” and stressed that “It is imperative that our representatives stop yielding to radical groups that weaponize our democratic institutions to destroy the peaceful coexistence between our communities.”

The controversy comes against the backdrop of a troubling surge in antisemitic incidents affecting Montreal’s Jewish community and other Jewish communities across Canada.

Earlier this month, Nöam, a kosher restaurant in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough, sustained extensive damage in what authorities were investigating as a suspected overnight arson attack.

In July, the hate crimes unit of the Service de police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM) launched an investigation following a series of incidents targeting Chassidic Jewish residents in Outremont and Mile-End. According to the Council of Hasidic Jews of Quebec, several people returning home from Shabbos davening were aggressively harassed by individuals traveling through the neighborhood in a vehicle.

Congregation Beth Tikvah has also been targeted in two firebomb attacks within the span of a year. In November 2024, an Arab man allegedly entered a Jewish-owned business and threatened the owners while shouting profanities directed at Jews and Israel.

Several months earlier, in July 2024, a Jewish cemetery in Montreal was vandalized, with stones placed over graves in the shape of a swastika.

{Matzav.com}

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