Elon Musk made a move to mend fences with President Donald Trump after receiving a phone call last Friday from Vice President JD Vance and White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, according to sources cited by The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.
Vance, who has emerged as a loyal Trump ally while maintaining a role as a behind-the-scenes negotiator, kept his public distance from the spat. Though he clearly backed Trump’s side, he avoided speaking negatively about Musk, which positioned him to help broker a truce.
During their conversation with Musk, Vance and Wiles encouraged him to put an end to the public rift that had erupted earlier in the month, creating headlines and tension between the tech executive and the president.
Musk seemed to respond to their appeal by issuing a statement on X early Wednesday that read, “I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.”
Trump, for his part, has recently signaled a more conciliatory attitude. Speaking on Monday, he addressed Musk’s recent criticism of the tax legislation by saying he was disappointed but open to restoring their relationship. “Things like that happen, I don’t blame him for anything,” Trump told the New York Post.
{Matzav.com}
President Donald Trump’s trusted military leader, Gen. Dan “Razin” Caine, who heads the Joint Chiefs of Staff, struck a slightly different tone from the president when addressing Russia’s intentions under Vladimir Putin. Specifically, Caine suggested skepticism about trusting Putin as a genuine partner in future negotiations.
During a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on the defense budget, Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina asked pointed questions of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Caine. He wanted to know if they believed Iran would use a nuclear weapon against Israel, whether China would make a move on Taiwan, and if Putin’s ambitions would end with Ukraine.
“I don’t believe he is,” Caine said in response to the question about Putin stopping at Ukraine.
“Remains to be seen,” Hegseth replied when asked the same question.
“It doesn’t remain to be seen,” Graham fired back. He emphasized that Putin “tells everybody around what he wants to do.”
Graham, who has faced criticism—including from fellow conservatives—for his aggressive foreign policy stances, urged the defense leaders to take the rhetoric from adversaries like Iran, China, and Russia seriously, pointing to their public declarations.
“I like what you’re doing; I just think we gotta get this stuff right,” Graham said, after noting what he perceived as reluctance from Hegseth and Caine to firmly state that Iran would deploy a nuclear weapon against Israel.
“The point is,” Graham added, “we need to hit the enemy before they hit us.”
One of the key components of Trump’s legislative priorities is a substantial increase in military funding, which is being debated as part of his sweeping One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Fiscal conservatives have criticized the bill for raising the debt limit and not sufficiently rolling back spending levels that surged under President Joe Biden.
Even as Trump pushes for robust defense funding, not everyone in his orbit supports Graham’s more hardline proposals. Among the dissenters is retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, who has taken issue with Graham’s calls for regime change—and even hints at assassinating Putin.
“I urge President Trump to also distance himself from demonstrated warmongers in our own government, chief among whom is U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina,” Flynn wrote in a sharp statement over the weekend. “Those who love wars fought by others are no friends of America and have no entitlement to be friends of the president.”
{Matzav.com}
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has, for the first time, directly denounced Hamas’s October 7 assault and urged the terror group to release all hostages it continues to hold in Gaza.
In a letter addressed to French President Emmanuel Macron and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — who are expected to co-chair an upcoming United Nations summit on advancing a two-state solution — Abbas wrote: “What Hamas did in October 2023 in killing and taking civilians hostage is unacceptable and condemnable and Hamas must immediately release all hostages.”
Though Abbas has consistently spoken out against violence as a strategy for Palestinian liberation, he had until now avoided condemning Hamas’s actions on October 7. One of his advisers previously explained that he had refrained from doing so as long as Israel’s military campaign in Gaza remained ongoing.
However, Abbas is also positioning the Palestinian Authority to potentially take over control of Gaza from Hamas, and in doing so, he is trying to garner international backing.
In that context, Abbas has intensified criticism of Hamas over recent months and has initiated various reforms. One key change includes phasing out the PA’s widely criticized program of paying stipends to the families of terrorists and security prisoners.
The timing of Abbas’s statement is significant, arriving just days before the UN’s scheduled two-state solution conference. Palestinian officials hope the event will serve as a springboard for broader recognition of a Palestinian state by France and other key nations.
Western governments, many of which have previously faulted Abbas for failing to condemn the October 7 massacre, may now find it easier to lend support to the PA. While Jerusalem did not formally respond to Tuesday’s statement, Israel has strongly opposed the upcoming UN conference. Israeli officials recently barred a Saudi-led delegation of Arab foreign ministers from entering Ramallah, accusing them of attempting to promote a two-state framework that Israel claims would threaten its security.
In his letter, Abbas also laid out his proposed steps for ending the war and establishing regional stability.
“Hamas will no longer rule Gaza and must hand over its weapons and military capabilities to the Palestinian Security Forces,” he stated.
He further added that he was “ready to invite Arab and international forces to be deployed as part of a stabilization/protection mission with a (UN) Security Council mandate.”
Abbas went on to express readiness to finalize a peace accord, stating: “We are ready to conclude within a clear and binding timeline, and with international support, supervision and guarantees, a peace agreement that ends the Israeli occupation and resolves all outstanding and final status issues.”
He also pledged to overhaul the PA and declared his intent to organize both presidential and general elections within a year, under international monitoring.
“The Palestinian State should be the sole provider of security on its territory, but has no intention to be a militarized State,” he affirmed.
Regional and Western actors have been pushing for a reshaped and reformed Palestinian Authority that could take over governance in Gaza once the war ends. This push is seen as central to any long-term post-conflict framework.
Nevertheless, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has remained firmly opposed to the PA reasserting authority in Gaza, a stance that has caused several Arab states to withhold their involvement in postwar reconstruction efforts. These countries have said they will only participate if there is a clearly defined roadmap toward a two-state solution.
The French presidential office welcomed Abbas’s remarks, calling them “concrete and unprecedented commitments, demonstrating a real willingness to move towards the implementation of the two-state solution.”
President Macron has previously expressed determination to recognize a Palestinian state, though he has emphasized that any such recognition would depend on specific conditions, including the “demilitarization” of Hamas.
In response, senior Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri lashed out at Abbas, telling Reuters that the Palestinian Authority head “has no legitimacy to speak about the ‘weapons of the resistance.’”
{Matzav.com Israel}
With broken hearts, Matzav.com reports the tragic petirah of Yaakov Yisroel Jurkanski z”l, a one-and-a-half-year-old child who was tragically struck and killed by a vehicle on Wednesday afternoon in Fallsburg, New York.
Yaakov Yisroel, a son of Reb Reuven Jurkanski, was a grandson of Rav Elya Ber Wachtfogel, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Gedolah Zichron Moshe of South Fallsburg.
The incident occurred on Laurel Park Road. Emergency personnel from Hatzolah arrived swiftly and did everything in their power to save his life, but, tragically, their efforts were to no avail.
The levayah will take place this evening, at 8:00 p.m., at Har Shalom Cemetery in Airmont, NY.
Umacha Hashem dimah me’al kol ponim.
{Matzav.com}
In a development few anticipated, major philanthropists from the Litvishe community have joined the fundraising efforts of the Olam HaTorah campaign initiated by the Gerrer chassidus. The campaign, launched during the current visit of the Gerrer Rebbe to the United States, has rapidly gained momentum and expanded its reach far beyond the Gerrer circles.
The shift came into public view after the Gerrer Rebbe paid a condolence visit to the home of the late philanthropist Rav Avrohom Noach Klein z”l. The next stop on the Rebbe’s itinerary was the home of Rav Shmuel Dovid Shapiro, a well-known supporter of Torah who had recently pledged $1 million to the Gerrer fund.
There, Reb Shapiro hosted an exclusive dinner attended not only by members of the Gerrer community, but by prominent Litvishe magnates and philanthropists as well. Attendees included Ralph Herzka, Louie Scheiner, Reuven Wolf, Baruch Jeremias, Yitzchok Rokowsky, and many other wealthy figures from across the Orthodox world.
The evening began with Mincha and continued with a formal dinner, where speakers described the dire situation currently facing the Olam HaTorah in Eretz Yisroel.
Parallel to the high-profile visits, a steady stream of more intimate donor meetings has been taking place at the home of philanthropist Yaakov Klein, the host of the Rebbe during this leg of the trip. There, benefactors from a wide range of backgrounds—ranging from Satmar supporters to Syrian-Jewish business leaders—have been arriving to express their support.
Originally slated to conclude before Shabbos, the Rebbe’s U.S. visit has now been extended due to the overwhelming success of the campaign. This coming Shabbos, the Rebbe will be in Monsey at the home of philanthropist Meir Frei. The Shabbos event will host major donors from Eretz Yisroel and Europe, with the entry cost reportedly set at $250,000 per guest.
Sources close to the campaign say that if current trends continue, the Gerrer Olam HaTorah fund will raise enough money to support its avreichim for the next two years.
{Matzav.com}
As Israel braces for a possible dramatic late-night Knesset vote on a bill to dissolve the government, tensions between key members of the coalition continue to escalate, with harsh accusations and private confrontations further unraveling the fragile alliance.
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Yuli Edelstein, a central figure in the ongoing political crisis, issued a stern warning to chareidi lawmakers earlier today: “Don’t come to me before you remove the threat of toppling the government.”
At the same time, Moshe Gafni, chairman of Degel HaTorah, delivered a sharp rebuke in a side conversation on the Knesset floor. According to Channel 12 reporter Dafna Liel, Gafni lashed out at Edelstein, saying, “He’s a liar and a fraud. He won’t bring any law.”
Despite the fiery rhetoric, talks have continued behind the scenes as coalition members scramble to find a path forward amid deepening disagreements, particularly over the future of the controversial draft law.
Following Argentine President Javier Milei’s address to the Knesset, representatives of the chareidi parties entered a closed-door meeting with Edelstein. MKs Uri Maklev and Yaakov Asher were seen entering the session.
As previously reported, an earlier meeting between the chareidi factions—led by former minister Ariel Attias—and Knesset legal adviser Sagit Afik ended without agreement. Disputes between the chareidi parties and the legal team remain unresolved, and even if partial understandings are reached, any agreement would require Edelstein’s approval. Edelstein has already stated that any deal must also meet the needs of Israel’s security establishment, leaving little room for optimism.
Meanwhile, senior rabbinic figures are closely monitoring the developments. Rav Dov Landau, Rosh Yeshiva of Slabodka, is reportedly receiving constant updates. This evening, he instructed Degel HaTorah MKs to vote in favor of dissolving the Knesset unless a signed agreement is presented, one that includes signatures from both Edelstein and the legal advisers to the Knesset and the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, along with a detailed timeline securing the status of yeshiva students.
Shas leader Aryeh Deri is continuing efforts to convince Degel HaTorah to delay the vote by one week. However, Degel insiders say the party sees no choice but to vote in favor of dissolution, citing Edelstein’s dismissal of chareidi concerns as empty threats and the need to demonstrate that their position is serious.
Currently, all negotiations are focused on Degel HaTorah and Shas, as the Prime Minister’s office believes that the Ger faction has already committed unequivocally to dissolving the Knesset.
As of now, Rav Dov Landau has ordered Degel HaTorah to vote in favor of the bill. If that directive holds when the vote is called tonight, it is expected that Shas will fall in line and vote alongside Degel, potentially sealing the fate of the 25th Knesset.
{Matzav.com Israel}