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The nation’s air traffic system is teetering under the weight of a deepening crisis as the government shutdown drags into its second month. Controllers across the country opened their pay stubs Tuesday to find zeroed-out checks — even as they continue managing America’s skies under crushing overtime and severe understaffing.

“The system is already short-staffed, shutdown or no shutdown, and has been for a very long time,” said Ian Petchenik, communications director for the real-time flight-tracking website Flightradar24. The mounting strain, he explained, is pushing many controllers to their breaking point.

“Even at full staff, it’s a very stressful job. Then there’s a government shutdown where you aren’t being paid anymore. This sets the backdrop for an increase over time of air traffic controllers calling out and saying look, I’m not getting paid, so maybe a six-day week and mandatory overtime right now isn’t something I can do.”

Federal Aviation Administration data shows the shortages are already taking a toll. The agency has flagged major staffing gaps at control centers overseeing airports in Denver, Philadelphia, and throughout much of the western United States.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy confirmed Tuesday that the impact has been swift and severe. According to Duffy, “44% of Sunday’s flight delays, and around 24% on Monday, were a direct result of air traffic controller staffing issues.” Those numbers mark a dramatic spike from just 5% of delays earlier this year.

The ripple effect has stretched far beyond domestic terminals. At New York’s JFK International Airport, international passengers are facing grueling customs wait times — now reaching as long as one hour and fifteen minutes, roughly half an hour longer than before the shutdown began.

Petchenik warned that other major hubs may soon face similar chaos. “Right now the facilities that are impacted vary from day to day, and are scattered throughout the country. We’re dealing with delays and a few cancelations here and there, but if it continues along this path, if there are fewer air traffic controllers working at more facilities then we start to get into real systematic issues,” he said.

And if the stalemate in Washington persists, Petchenik said, travelers should brace for even greater disruption. “It could mean travelers not getting to where they need to go, because you have a national airspace system that deals with making sure we can get roughly 50,000 scheduled flights where they need to go in a day,” he cautioned.

“If you’re adding delays on top of that because controllers can’t safely move that number of flights, something has to give. Either scheduling or something else.”

Meanwhile, frustration continues to mount on Capitol Hill. Democrats again voted Tuesday — for the 13th time — against reopening the government, keeping hundreds of thousands of federal workers in limbo.

“These are all federal employees,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune said of the unpaid controllers and other essential workers. “They want to get paid, and the way to get them paid is to open up the government.”

“With the military and our troops, law enforcement, TSA, ATC, there are some really, really bad consequences to have the government shut down,” Thune added, blasting the political gridlock. “Which is why I said nobody wins, and it seems like the Democrats have been making a calculation from day one that this is about who wins and who loses politically, and if their far left base is happy, they’re happy even if the majority of Americans are paying the price for it.”

{Matzav.com}

Early voting in New York City’s mayoral election is already drawing massive participation, with over 223,000 ballots submitted in just three days — and the numbers reveal a clear tilt toward older and Democratic voters, according to an amNewYork analysis of unofficial Board of Elections data.

Those demographics could spell opportunity for Andrew Cuomo, 67, who’s running as an independent but remains a registered Democrat. Polls show him performing best among older voters, while his 34-year-old opponent, Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani — the official Democratic nominee and current frontrunner — commands strong loyalty from younger progressives, amNewYork reports.

Between Oct. 25 and Oct. 27, about 74% of early voters were registered Democrats, the Board of Elections reported. Registered Republicans represented nearly 13%, while another 11% were unaffiliated or declined to list a party.

Both leading contenders have been chasing the city’s large Democratic base, but Cuomo has made a visible effort to attract Republicans and independents frustrated with the direction of city politics.

Generationally, amNewYork says, the early turnout skews gray. New Yorkers aged 55 and up — encompassing Baby Boomers, the Silent Generation, and what remains of the Greatest Generation — make up 41% of ballots cast. Generation X accounts for roughly 24%, while voters aged 18 to 38, including Millennials and Gen Z, total just 34%.

Those statistics mirror findings in a Gothamist report suggesting that the weekend’s turnout was heavily weighted toward older residents.

Cuomo said Tuesday he’s feeling optimistic about that trend. “I think as long as the voters are smart, I’m in very good shape,” he told reporters after earning the endorsement of former Governor David Paterson.

Despite Cuomo’s confidence, the contest remains tight. Mamdani has consistently topped recent polls, though the margins have narrowed as Nov. 4 approaches. His campaign says it’s relying on a vast network of more than 85,000 volunteers to ensure supporters reach the polls. The assemblyman expressed calm determination, saying he remains “confident in our campaign.”

Brooklyn currently leads the city’s early-voting tally with 67,608 ballots cast, narrowly edging out Manhattan’s 67,075. Queens follows with 52,062, while the Bronx and Staten Island trail with 19,094 and 17,059 respectively.

Early voting runs through Sunday, Nov. 2, at designated polling sites across the five boroughs. On Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 4, voting will take place from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. City residents can confirm their polling location at vote.nyc.

{Matzav.com}

The fallout from President Biden’s disastrous debate with Donald Trump sent shockwaves through his inner circle, triggering days of chaos, panic, and finger-pointing, according to a damning new report from the House Oversight Committee, the NY Post is reporting.

The report paints a picture of senior aides torn between loyalty and political reality as doubts over the president’s future reached a boiling point.

Behind closed doors, Biden’s most trusted advisers admitted to investigators that the June 27, 2024, debate had shattered morale and forced urgent conversations about whether he could continue as the Democratic nominee. “It is fair to say within a few days after the debate, he was aware of my view that I thought it was prudent to consider getting out of the race,” testified Jeff Zients, Biden’s former White House chief of staff.

Zients said his concerns weren’t about Biden’s capacity to govern but about whether the aging incumbent could realistically defeat Donald Trump in a grueling general election. As questions about his mental sharpness intensified, Zients revealed that other top officials quietly began to share the same doubts.

Among those alarmed were then–Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, and Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough, according to Zients. Their private misgivings added to the growing tension engulfing the administration.

“The fact of the matter was that President Biden was underwater across his administration, the caucus, donors, and the American people,” the House GOP report declared, summarizing the grim political outlook that gripped the White House.

Zients went on to acknowledge that Biden’s memory lapses had become more noticeable over time. “I think it’s always been a challenge, as it can be for a lot of busy people,” he told the committee. “He might have that challenge more than others. And I would say, like the stumbling over words, I’d say there’s been some trend of that being more common across time.”

Even as some aides began to waver, Biden’s most devoted loyalists refused to entertain the idea of withdrawal. Senior adviser Mike Donilon and counselor Steve Ricchetti urged him to stay the course, believing the storm would eventually pass.

Zients said Anita Dunn, one of Biden’s most influential communications strategists, expressed concern about his electability but ultimately sided with those who believed he could still win. “She was worried about whether he could win re-election,” Zients recalled. “But I don’t recall — in fact, I’d be very surprised if there was any absolute statement that he can’t, because she believed he could.”

As the internal fight raged, aides agreed that Biden had to appear in public more often to calm the electorate’s fears. “The plan was about, ‘How do we get him out there more?’” Zients explained. “He did a lot of different things, but — were meant to build back public confidence that he was the right person to be the next President of the United States.”

Others tried to downplay the disaster altogether. “It isn’t how the country perceived it. That just isn’t true,” Ricchetti insisted, rejecting claims that the debate exposed deep cognitive decline. Donilon — who admitted he earned $4 million for his work on Biden’s campaign and stood to receive another $4 million if Biden won reelection — defended his boss, saying, “I do not believe with the voters that it produced a substantial change in the horse race.”

Still, the damage proved irreversible. On July 21, 2024, just over three weeks after the debate, Biden bowed out of the race, ending his campaign in an extraordinary moment of political collapse.

The Oversight Committee’s report didn’t stop at recounting the chaos; it also accused White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor of helping conceal Biden’s mental deterioration. Along with deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini and Anthony Bernal, Jill Biden’s chief of staff, O’Connor invoked the Fifth Amendment and declined to answer key questions about the president’s cognitive state.

The committee’s scathing findings, released as part of its broader investigation into Biden’s use of an autopen for official documents, recommended that O’Connor face a probe by the D.C. Board of Medicine for what it called a “coordinated” cover-up of the president’s decline.

{Matzav.com}

New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani is facing serious legal trouble after a campaign finance watchdog accused him of accepting thousands of dollars in prohibited foreign donations. Two criminal referrals were submitted Tuesday, charging that his campaign repeatedly violated both federal and state election laws.

The Coolidge Reagan Foundation filed the complaints with the Department of Justice’s Criminal Division and with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office. The organization alleges that Mamdani’s campaign violated the Federal Election Campaign Act and the New York Election Code by knowingly accepting money from overseas contributors.

The move follows a report by The New York Post earlier this month revealing that Mamdani’s campaign had collected nearly $13,000 from about 170 donors listing foreign addresses — including one contribution from his own mother-in-law in Dubai.

“These are not isolated incidents or clerical errors,” said Dan Backer, a nationally recognized campaign finance attorney and president of the Coolidge Reagan Foundation.

“This was a sustained pattern of foreign money flowing into a New York City mayoral race which is a clear violation of both federal law and New York City campaign finance rules,” Backer continued. “Mamdani’s campaign was on notice for months that it was accepting illegal foreign contributions, and yet it did nothing meaningful to stop it.”

The watchdog organization, known for pursuing high-profile campaign finance cases — including complaints against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, and the Democratic National Committee — has urged both the DOJ and DA Bragg to pursue criminal charges. According to the group, money tied to contributors in countries including Australia, Turkey, France, Canada, and Germany flowed into Mamdani’s campaign in violation of clear prohibitions.

Under federal law, it is illegal to “accept or receive” political donations from foreign nationals in any election, whether federal, state, or local. Violations can carry steep fines and possible prison terms for candidates or treasurers who knowingly accept such funds.

“The law is crystal clear that foreign nationals may not participate in American elections, and that includes making contributions,” Backer said. “Yet Mamdani’s campaign repeatedly accepted donations from individuals abroad, some even tied to regions and individuals openly sympathetic to hostile actors.”

He warned, “Whether through negligence or intent, this conduct undermines the integrity of the democratic process.”

Although Mamdani’s team has reportedly refunded a portion of the questionable donations, records indicate that at least 88 foreign contributions totaling $7,190 remain unreturned.

Mamdani’s campaign has amassed around $4 million in private contributions and received an additional $12.7 million in public matching funds, leaving about $6.1 million in cash with less than a month before election day.

Campaign spokesperson Dora Pekec defended their fundraising practices, insisting that some of the donors in question may be American citizens who reside abroad.

“All US citizens and permanent residents, including those who live outside the US, are legally permitted to donate to New York City mayoral campaigns under federal campaign finance law and New York State and City law,” Pekec said in a statement to Fox News Digital.

“The Campaign has a rigorous compliance process in place to ensure compliance with these laws, including a protocol to confirm whether donors with foreign addresses are U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents,” she added. “The Campaign will promptly issue refunds for any donations that are found to be impermissible.”

{Matzav.com}

Dov Hikind, chairman of Americans Against Antisemitism and longtime New York activist, sounded an urgent alarm over the deepening antisemitism in America and the political danger posed by New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. Speaking with Arutz Sheva-Israel National News, Hikind said the wave of antisemitic attacks has reached levels unseen in his lifetime.

“Things are worse than ever in terms of antisemitic incidents,” he said. “But a great number of them involve assaults. Most of them do not get any coverage, so we don’t hear about them, but they’re happening, being reported to the police. A great number are not even being reported.”

He described an environment where Jews are afraid to report attacks. “I know cases where people have been assaulted, bloodied, and I have to beg and plead with them to go to the police, and many times they don’t want to. They’re afraid it’s not going to make a difference, so the atmosphere is out of control. Jew hatred with no consequences for the perpetrators.”

Reflecting on his decades in public service and activism, Hikind said the current situation is unprecedented. “It’s a situation that I have never witnessed in my life, going back to my days in the Jewish Defense League and as an elected official for 36 years… things are bad, but this is the worst it’s ever been, no question about it.”

He recalled a chilling phone call that underscored the sense of fear gripping ordinary Jews. “A woman, an elderly woman… called me to ask me ‘How will we know when it’s time to leave?’ She was asking me very seriously, ‘Is someone going to announce it? Is there going to be an announcement?’ This is what she wanted to know, and this was a year and a half ago, and things have just progressively gotten worse.”

Hikind sharply criticized major Jewish organizations for failing to act decisively. “There’s a lot of talk about antisemitism… but at the end of the day, there is no plan on how to deal with it… and as far as consequences for people who have been arrested for committing acts of violence against Jews, nothing happens to them. There’s a revolving door of justice in New York. The perpetrators, they commit 10 acts, 20 acts, they continue to commit crimes, and they just walk out without consequences. So, it’s not a good situation, and I and [other] people are worried about the future. The big question is what’s going to be?”

Turning to the New York mayoral race, Hikind warned that Mamdani represents a threat unlike anything the city’s Jewish community has ever faced. “We’ve had elections and have been candidates that were problematic for the Jewish community and the community at large, that’s nothing new, but what we are faced with now… We have someone running for office who has not found any place in his rhetoric to condemn Hamas, plain and simple. He has not been able to say that ‘globalize the intifada’ is about murdering Jews.”

He quoted Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s explanation of that slogan: “Globalizing the intifada means the murder of every Jew in Israel… and the murder of Jews everywhere.”

Despite this, Hikind noted with outrage that Mamdani enjoys backing from major political figures. “He’s being supported by the governor of New York, Hochul, being supported by people like Jerry Nadler, a Jewish congressman who, by the way, went to yeshiva, not that that matters, but I think we’re watching the spectacle of Jews supporting someone whose best friends are radical Islamists.”

What disturbs Hikind even more is that much of Mamdani’s support base comes from within the Jewish community itself. “Many of these supporters, a great percentage of these supporters are young Jews, educated. They’re educated. They’re from Ivy League universities, from Columbia, you know, top universities. And they march in the streets of New York and the streets of America in support of our enemies. One needs to wonder, you know, what happened at home? What kind of education did they get in terms of their Jews and their commitment to the Jewish people? Something is so terribly wrong.”

Discussing his own political shift, Hikind explained why he chose to back Andrew Cuomo after previously supporting Curtis Sliwa. “I was supporting Curtis Sliwa, who’s a very good guy, and he would have been a very good mayor, but it’s not about being a nice guy and just supporting somebody and sticking with them. The goal of every single person needs to be defeating Mamdani. It is so clear.”

He said that Sliwa’s campaign had lost steam. “The fact was that Curtis Sliwa was not going anywhere. There was a poll just now where he’s down from where he was. He’s only at 11%, and I think it will be even less than that. The goal needs to be to defeat Mamdani. And let me say that I think that’s very doable. The latest poll has Cuomo, who I’m supporting, and I’m not a fan of him, I don’t like him. In fact, it’s even more than that. But forget it. You’ve got to support the guy, period. Because between Cuomo and Mamdani, it’s, you know, it’s living or God forbid being in hell. I’m not exaggerating. I have never seen anything like this, a candidate like Mamdani, who could potentially be the mayor of a city with over one million Jews.”

Hikind shared a story that captured the mood among many reluctant Cuomo voters. “She said, I’m voting for Cuomo, because I recognize for the greater good, how dangerous Mamdani is.”

Pointing to high early voter turnout among senior citizens, Hikind voiced cautious optimism. “If this continues at this level, Cuomo is actually going to win.”

He ended with a grave warning for Jewish voters. “People need to vote for Cuomo, period. End of the story. Because Mamdani winning [means] Hamas in Gaza will celebrate. Our enemies all over the world will see this as a victory against the Jewish people. So we have to do the right thing, period.”

{Matzav.com}

Vice President JD Vance said Tuesday that he believes the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas will endure, even as Hamas continues to violate it and Israel responds militarily. Speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, Vance expressed confidence in the stability of the peace deal brokered by President Trump.

“The President achieved a historic peace in the Middle East. The ceasefire is holding. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t going to be little skirmishes here and there,” Vance said, acknowledging the tension but maintaining optimism about the agreement’s durability.

He continued, “We know that Hamas or somebody else within Gaza attacked an IDF soldier. We expect the Israelis are going to respond. But I think the President’s peace is going to hold despite it.”

The vice president’s remarks came just hours after Hamas terrorists opened fire on IDF soldiers conducting operations in Rafah, sparking an exchange of fire in what Israel described as another blatant breach of the ceasefire by the terror organization.

In immediate retaliation, the IDF launched artillery fire at Hamas positions, while Israeli Air Force jets carried out low-altitude flyovers above Rafah as a warning and show of strength.

Later in the day, Hamas issued a statement claiming it would not return the body of an Israeli hostage, accusing Israel of “violations” of the ceasefire — a charge Israel flatly rejected.

{Matzav.com}

The Binyamin Regional Council confirmed Tuesday night that reserve soldier Yonah Ephraim (Efi) Feldbaum was killed during a confrontation with Hamas terrorists inside the Gaza Strip. Feldbaum, a 37-year-old resident of Zayit Raanan-Neria, leaves behind his wife, Shulamit, and their five children.

“With deep sorrow, we announce the death in battle of Yonah Ephraim (Efi) Feldbaum, a resident of Zayit Raanan-Neria in Binyamin. Efi, 37, a father of five, lived in the community and worked as a contractor in the area. During the war, he dedicated his skills to meaningful reserve service in the Gaza Strip. Efi is the 59th fallen soldier from the Binyamin Regional Council,” the council’s statement read.

Feldbaum was remembered by neighbors and friends as a man whose devotion to his people and his land defined every part of his life. “Efi was well known and deeply loved throughout the region. He was heavily involved in developing young communities. Efi was deeply connected to the land of Israel and fell while defending it,” members of his community shared, describing him as both a builder in life and a defender in battle.

Yisroel Gantz, who heads the Binyamin Regional Council and serves as chairman of the Yesha Council, offered a moving tribute. “Efi fought on the front lines of the war in Gaza and continued even after the ceasefire was declared – despite repeated violations by Hamas terrorists. On behalf of all Binyamin residents, I extend my condolences to his wife Shulamit, his children, and the entire family. Thanks to Efi’s bravery and sacrifice, the people of Israel will prevail.”

Military officials said Feldbaum was part of an IDF engineering team operating in Rafah when terrorists ambushed their unit. The attackers reportedly emerged from a tunnel system in the Jenina neighborhood and began firing, including RPG rounds, directly at the soldiers.

{Matzav.com}

On the eve of President Donald Trump’s arrival in South Korea, North Korea launched a salvo of sea-to-surface cruise missiles from its western coastline, reigniting tensions across the region. State media confirmed the launch took place Tuesday morning, adding that the missiles were fired from the Yellow Sea and remained in flight for more than two hours.

The country’s KCNA news agency reported that top military figure Pak Jong Chon supervised the operation, hailing “important successes” in the regime’s efforts to strengthen its “nuclear forces” for deterrence. The statement underscored Pyongyang’s ongoing determination to advance its weapons program even as diplomatic efforts remain frozen.

Observers noted the conspicuous absence of Kim Jong Un, who did not attend the test. KCNA made no reference to the North Korean leader in its reports—just as it omitted his name during coverage of last week’s hypersonic missile launch—an unusual move that has sparked speculation about his whereabouts and level of involvement.

Trump, who is expected in Seoul on Wednesday, has said he would “love to meet” Kim Jong Un during his visit. The two leaders met three times during Trump’s first presidency—first in Singapore, then in Hanoi, and later at the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas. While their encounters made headlines around the world, they ultimately failed to produce a lasting agreement on denuclearization.

So far, Pyongyang has offered no official reaction to Trump’s overture for a possible meeting. Analysts note that the timing of the latest missile test may be a calculated message to Washington and Seoul as Trump’s trip approaches.

Over the past year, North Korea has dramatically ramped up its missile activity. In early November, the regime fired a ballistic missile toward the East Sea, following an announcement that it had successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile—a move that drew sharp condemnation from South Korea, the United States, and Japan.

Despite the diplomatic overtures of years past, Kim Jong Un’s rhetoric has grown increasingly hostile since the end of Trump’s first term. Still, last month, he struck a rare personal tone, remarking that he has “good memories” of Trump—but firmly reiterated that his nation will “never lay down our nuclear weapons.”

{Matzav.com}

Hamas’s military arm announced on Tuesday that it had supposedly uncovered the bodies of two Israeli hostages, Amiram Cooper and Sahar Baruch, somewhere inside the Gaza Strip. The terror group released the statement hours after a new wave of confusion surrounding its ongoing manipulation of hostage information.

Just hours earlier, Hamas had reneged on its pledge to return the body of an Israeli hostage. The group claimed the decision was in response to an IDF airstrike that followed an incident in Rafah, where Hamas gunmen opened fire on Israeli soldiers engaged in engineering work near the border area.

On Tuesday morning, Israeli authorities confirmed that the body transferred by Hamas the previous night was not that of a newly identified hostage at all. Instead, the remains were determined to belong to Ofir Sarfati, a hostage who had already been retrieved and laid to rest nearly two years ago, exposing yet another act of deceit by the terror organization.

Following a thorough forensic investigation at the Abu Kabir Institute of Forensic Medicine, Israeli experts confirmed that the remains indeed matched those of Sarfati, closing the loop on what officials described as another cruel Hamas fabrication meant to sow confusion and pain.

{Matzav.com}

Almost everything in your 401(k) should be coming up a winner now. That makes it time for a gut check. Not only is the U.S. stock market setting records, so are foreign stocks. Bond funds, which are supposed to be the boring and safe part of any portfolio, are also doing well this year, along with […]

President Trump boards Air Force One en route to South Korea after a historic visit to Japan.

See the moment the FOX Weather team reporting live from St. Ann Parish, Jamaica uncovered damage throughout their live location during Hurricane Melissa.

NASA’s new X-59 quiet supersonic jet took off for its first flight from US Air Force Plant 42 in Palmdale, California

Marine One lands at Haneda Airport in Tokyo as President Trump prepares to depart Japan.

Four vacant homes collapsed into the ocean Tuesday along North Carolina’s Outer Banks, the National Park Service said, bringing the total to eight this month and 26 since 2020.

The political battle over immigration and ideology has found a new flashpoint — and this time, it’s not about the border. It’s about the front-runner in New York City’s mayoral race. Two House Republicans are demanding that the Justice Department investigate and potentially strip Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani of his U.S. citizenship — a move […]

WATCH: Prof. Michael Ben-Gad, a native Israeli whose economics lecture at City St George’s, University of London was disrupted a week ago by anti-Israel thugs who threatened to behead him, issued an apology for his “IDF service.” In an appearance on GB News, Ben-Gad said that the thugs “are now offering terms. I can have […]

With early voting underway in New York, Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani is facing renewed scrutiny over his campaign’s fundraising practices. The Coolidge Reagan Foundation, a conservative campaign-finance watchdog, filed two criminal referrals Tuesday alleging Mamdani accepted donations from foreign nationals — a violation of both federal and city election laws. The foundation’s president, Dan […]

A senior Agudas Yisroel party official sharply criticized the newly revealed draft of the government’s proposed conscription law on Tuesday night, deriding it as “Atias’s nonsense.”

Speaking to B’Chadrei Chareidim, the senior figure said, “This isn’t a draft law — it’s nonsense. Atias wrote a draft for Bismuth just to create the illusion that there’s progress, but in practice, it’s an extremely problematic proposal we can’t possibly accept.”

He accused the move of being politically motivated: “The goal of publishing this draft is to bring Shas back into the government. The law imposes sanctions on yeshiva students and sets unrealistic enlistment targets. It doesn’t even have the attorney general’s approval and will end up being canceled within three years. So what will we have accomplished? They want us to lend our support to a bad law, only for an even worse one to replace it in a few years. Netanyahu must fulfill his commitment and present the version he promised us.”

Backlash Across the Political Spectrum

Criticism of the bill was not limited to the chareidi parties. Likud MK Yuli Edelstein, a former chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, quipped: “When I look at this law, I realize those who dismissed me were right — I don’t have the talent to invent a draft-dodging scam in the middle of a war for our survival while our reservists are collapsing.”

Likud MK Dan Illouz also blasted the proposal: “This isn’t a Likud law — it’s a Shas law. It won’t draft chareidim, it will alienate the serving public that votes for us, and it will hurt Likud heading into the next elections. The only law we should be promoting is simple: whoever serves gets benefits from the state; whoever doesn’t — doesn’t. Across all sectors, from day one, for life. Period. I still hope Bismuth will present a true Likud law on Monday, not one that caves to chareidi politicians.”

Opposition leader Yair Lapid was even harsher: “This isn’t a draft law — it’s a disgraceful draft-dodging law in full. If this draft moves forward, not one chareidi will enlist. It’s a slap in the face to soldiers, families, the wounded, and the fallen. If they continue pushing this through, in the next government every chareidi who doesn’t show up at the induction center won’t get a single shekel from the state.”

Details of the Controversial Proposal

The draft law, prepared by Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Boaz Bismuth (Likud), includes a system of personal and gradual sanctions for those who receive a draft order and fail to report. Under the proposal, those who evade service would immediately lose state benefits, be barred from obtaining a driver’s license until age 23, and be prohibited from leaving the country. They would also lose eligibility for academic scholarships, government employment, housing subsidies, and other benefits if annual enlistment targets are not met.

The committee’s legal adviser, Attorney Miri Frenkel-Shor, sent Bismuth initial feedback, including a recommendation to raise the first-year enlistment target from 4,800 to 5,760 recruits, arguing that the previous target was outdated.

The draft outlines increasing recruitment benchmarks — 5,760 in the second year, 6,840 in the third, 7,920 in the fourth, and ultimately half of each chareidi age cohort after five years.

While the clause setting quotas for combat roles was removed, the bill expands recognition of “civil-security national service,” such as volunteering with rescue organizations, as part of the annual service targets.

The definition of “chareidi” was also narrowed: anyone who studied in a yeshiva for at least two years would be counted within the chareidi population under the law — a move intended to include dropouts still associated with the community.

Restrictions such as the driving license ban would apply only to new draft evaders, not retroactively. Travel restrictions abroad would also end at age 26, to address legal objections to a broader ban.

Debate Delayed Amid Mass Rally Plans

The public debate on the law was postponed to next week — officially at the request of Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu, who asked for more time to review the draft, but also due to a request from the chareidi parties not to hold the discussion alongside the massive “Million Man Rally” scheduled for Thursday in Jerusalem.

Meanwhile, the IDF is expected to establish a special committee to oversee implementation of the new draft law, composed of a retired rabbinical court judge, a former IDF Chief Rabbi, and several senior army officers. The committee will review whether the army is meeting its obligations to create appropriate service tracks for chareidim and to reach the targets established in the law.

The law specifies that biometric fingerprint enforcement will not be used.

{Matzav.com}

A sobering new report from the Knesset Research and Information Center has found that nearly 280 Israel Defense Forces soldiers attempted to take their own lives between January 2024 and July 2025, underscoring growing mental health concerns within Israel’s military amid the prolonged war against Hamas. The report — prepared at the request of Hadash-Ta’al […]