Israelis entering the United States for the first time will be among the foreigners subject to a proposed U.S. government mandate requiring visa applicants to provide five years of social media history to authorities.
According to a notice published Wednesday by the U.S. Homeland Security Department kicking off a 60-day public comment period, the directive would impact all 42 countries participating in the U.S. visa waiver program, which Israel joined in 2023.
The program is intended to ease travel between the United States and participating countries by foregoing the traditional visa application and approval process and using the automated Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or ESTA, to gain approval for stays of up to 90 days.
In addition to completing ESTA, the provision of social media histories would be required should the proposed program take shape, though it is unclear by what method applicants would deliver it.
Applicants would also need to provide additional data, including email addresses and telephone numbers used in the last five years, plus the names and addresses of family members.
A spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which is part of the department, stated on Wednesday that the proposal “is simply the first step in starting a discussion to have new policy options to keep the American people safe.”
“The department is constantly looking at how we vet those coming into the country, especially after the terrorist attack in Washington, D.C., against our National Guard right before Thanksgiving,” the spokesman said.
The United States is slated to host the FIFA World Cup events next year, which are sure to draw fans from around the world, including from the United Kingdom and other countries from which visitors do not require visas.
NBC News cited a Trump administration official as saying visa applicants holding tickets for next year’s FIFA World Cup would be subject to the restrictions even if their appointments are fast-tracked, as the administration has said it would do.
In a broader crackdown on those seeking to enter the country, the State Department said in June that it would require applicants for certain classifications of visas to make their social media profiles public.
Just last week, the State Department said there would be an expanded “online presence review” for H-1B visa applicants and their dependents.
{Matzav.com}
A political firestorm erupted online after Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk publicly accused Rep. Ilhan Omar of treason, reacting to newly resurfaced footage in which she assured Somali constituents that America would align with their demands, Fox News reported. His post on X quickly propelled the clip into widespread circulation.
Musk reposted the video with the charged caption, “This sounds like treason,” amplifying a moment from Omar’s 2024 remarks in Minnesota. The clip had been relatively quiet until his retweet Wednesday unleashed a surge of attention and criticism.
The comments in question came nearly two years ago, when Omar told supporters she would work to prevent Somaliland from permitting Ethiopia to secure a naval foothold on its coast. Minnesota’s large Somali population—centered in her district—has long followed developments affecting the Horn of Africa. In the translated segment, Omar declared, “The US government will do what we ask it to do.” She continued, “We should have this kind of confidence in ourselves as Somalis. We live in this country. We are taxpayers in this country. This country is one where one of your daughters sits in Congress. While I am in Congress, no one will take Somalia’s sea, and the US government won’t support others to rob us. Don’t stress over it, Minnesotans.”
The renewed focus on the remarks followed another round of criticism from President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally, where he accused Omar of placing Somalia’s priorities above America’s interests. “I love this Ilhan Omar, whatever the hell her name is, with the little turban,” he told the crowd. “She comes in, does nothing but [complain]. She comes from her country, where, I mean, it’s considered about the worst country in the world, right? We ought to get her the —- out.” Supporters responded by chanting, “Send her back!”
Omar pushed back later that evening, taking to social media to say, “Trump’s obsession with me is beyond weird. He needs serious help… He continues to be a national embarrassment.”
Her long-running feud with Trump has repeatedly placed her at the center of national debate. Just last month, he shared a clip of her addressing Somali Americans in Minnesota, using it to argue that she “should go back” to Somalia and highlighting her references to Somalia as “our home” and its leader as “our President.”
This back-and-forth follows years of tension between Omar and the Trump political world. During his first term, Trump frequently criticized her, notably in the closing weeks of the 2020 campaign, accusing her of “telling us how to run our country.”
Omar’s national profile has also been shaped by her position in “The Squad,” a group of outspoken anti-Israel Democrats whose controversies have repeatedly drawn headlines. Her disputes with Jewish groups date back to 2019, when she suggested on Twitter that Republican criticism of her was driven by the influence of AIPAC. After she posted, “It’s all about the Benjamins baby,” referencing the pro-Israel lobby, she faced a proposed congressional rebuke before she ultimately deleted the tweet and issued a muted apology.
The pattern continued when Omar circulated a video of her exchange with then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken, appearing to place Israel and the United States on the same moral plane as Hamas and the Taliban. Outrage followed again in October 2023, when she shared a graphic photo of dead children, blaming the IAF for the deaths—only for it to emerge that the image depicted victims of a Syrian nerve-gas attack. She also hastily pointed to Israel after the Gaza hospital blast, despite later proof that the explosion resulted from an Islamic Jihad rocket.
Her confrontations have not been limited to online posts. Last November, tensions boiled over inside the Capitol when pro-Israel demonstrators confronted her as she approached an elevator, accusing her of refusing to condemn Hamas. Protesters shouted questions including, “Why do you stand with Hamas? Why don’t you condemn Hamas,” and, “Do you like Hamas and Hezbollah?” Omar did not respond until one protester told her to “go to Gaza” and called her “sweetheart,” prompting her to snap back “[Curse] you!” just as the doors shut.
{Matzav.com}
A sharp internal dispute erupted Wednesday night within the chareidi political establishment, as a senior chareidi official involved in legislative negotiations accused Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Boaz Bismuth of providing misleading assurances regarding the legal viability of the revised Chok HaGiyus.
The tensions surfaced hours after Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara issued a forceful legal opinion rejecting central components of the proposed draft law and its framework for regulating the status of bnei yeshivos. Her stance, while expected, ignited renewed criticism of the legislative process.
According to senior chareidi officials familiar with the behind-the-scenes discussions, the Attorney General’s position came as no surprise. “It was predictable. We knew this was her view. There was never any doubt she would argue that the law is unconstitutional and unequal,” the officials said, noting that no meaningful attempt was made to coordinate with her. “She wants to topple the government, so what’s written in the law is irrelevant.”
But what caught chareidi lawmakers truly off guard was the position of the Knesset’s own legal adviser to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Miri Frenkel-Shor.
A senior chareidi figure expressed anger over what he described as misleading assurances from Bismuth. “Throughout the past two months, Bismuth told us that every clause in the law was coordinated with the committee’s legal adviser, that there would be no surprises. But it appears he lied to us. No less than that,” the official charged.
He pointed to Frenkel-Shor’s firm rejection of the very first core section of the legislation—specifically the attempt to incorporate security-oriented civilian service into the draft quotas. “When the adviser says ‘absolutely not’ on the central opening section, it shows he wasn’t actually in sync with her,” the senior official said. “And this is just the beginning. At this rate, there won’t be a law. We won’t pass legislation that stands in direct opposition to the Knesset’s legal advisers. The damage outweighs any gain.”
Meanwhile, the Attorney General’s detailed fifteen-page opinion, addressed directly to Bismuth, blasted the proposal for prioritizing the needs of the yeshivos over the pressing needs of the defense establishment.
Among her statements, she wrote: “In the described reality, reviewing the committee chair’s proposal shows that not only does it fail to advance the enlistment of the chareidi public into military service, but it contains a negative incentive for enlistment and anchors, for the long term, the inequality between those who serve and those who do not—while deepening it.”
She further argued: “In practice, the proposal rolls back the tools currently available to the government and the army compared to the existing legal framework, undermining the ability to meet the military’s current needs.”
Baharav-Miara contended that the law caters primarily to the yeshivah world by immediately restoring direct and indirect funding, reinstating benefits to bnei yeshivos, canceling draft notices and enforcement measures for draft evaders, and re-establishing the framework that binds chareidi young men to yeshivos until age 26 as a condition for exemption.
At the same time, she stated, the bill fails to provide the military or the state with any effective mechanisms for enforcing enlistment or alleviating the burden currently borne by the reserve corps.
Her opinion concludes that the proposal falls far short of constitutional requirements regarding proportionality, equality, and legitimate purpose. “Its harm to equality is severe,” she wrote, adding that minor revisions will not be sufficient. Instead, she called for a “fundamental overhaul,” beginning with the principle of equal and universal conscription.
{Matzav.com}
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez intensified his criticism of the Gaza war during Mahmoud Abbas’ visit to Madrid on Wednesday, declaring that anyone responsible for the devastation there “must be held accountable.” His comments, quoted by Anadolu, framed justice as the only path toward lasting peace.
The meeting took place at La Moncloa Palace, where Sanchez welcomed the Palestinian Authority chairman on a day he said carried deep meaning: the anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He underscored that human dignity remains “an unconditional, unique and non-negotiable value.”
Calling 2025 “a terrible year for the Palestinian people,” Sanchez described the near-total destruction across the Strip, saying that nine out of ten homes have become uninhabitable and that “thousands of lives and families” have been shattered. He argued that the current ceasefire has provided little relief to civilians. “Even today, after the ceasefire (declaration), Palestinians in Gaza are still suffering attacks … We need real peace. Those responsible for this genocide must be held accountable,” he said.
Although Sanchez avoided naming Israel in his remarks, he has become one of Europe’s most vocal critics of Israeli policy. He has repeatedly accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, drawing sharp responses from Jerusalem and creating diplomatic strain.
The tension worsened in November 2023, when Israel summoned Spain’s Ambassador after Sanchez asserted that “Israel is violating international law and is carrying out indiscriminate killings in Gaza.” Months later, in April, he charged that Israel’s “disproportionate response” risked “destabilizing the Middle East, and as a consequence, the entire world.”
During Abbas’ visit, Sanchez outlined Spain’s ongoing approach to the conflict, calling for sustained public attention to the Palestinian plight, backing the Palestinian Authority as it attempts to structure governance, and coordinating with European, Arab, and global partners to create security conditions that could “end violence once and for all.”
He closed the meeting with a message of solidarity, declaring that “Spain and Palestine will always walk hand in hand,” and expressing hope that Abbas’ time in Madrid would reinforce dialogue, elevate diplomatic solutions within the framework of international law, and broaden cooperation between the two sides.
Spain, along with Norway and Ireland, formally recognized the “State of Palestine” in May 2024, cementing its role as one of the most vocal European advocates for Palestinian statehood.
{Matzav.com}
