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Buying Jewish & Pas Palter

In the fourth installment of the Let’s Talk Kashrus Q&A series featuring Rav Shmuel Fuerst, Dayan of Agudas Yisroel of Illinois, R’ Yitzchok Hisiger presents a new set of practical shailos about supporting Jewish-owned businesses. How far should a person go to patronize a Yid when a non-Jewish store offers lower prices or greater convenience? Rav Fuerst discusses the balance between supporting fellow Yidden and the realities of price, convenience, and pas palter, including when it is permissible to purchase non-Jewish baked goods. The discussion concludes with a fascinating shailah about working as a salesman for a company that sells non-kosher products.

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Transcription

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Let’s Talk Kashrus, presented by the Kashrus Awareness Project in conjunction with the Chicago Rabbinical Council. Today, I am joined by Rav Shmuel Fuerst, dayan of Agudas Yisroel of Illinois. Thank you, Rav Fuerst, for being here. So, we have more shailos that came in, and I’d like to present them to the rav. 

Today’s topic is the chiyuv of buying from a Yid. We know there’s a a mitzvah vehechzakta of buying from Yidden, supporting Yidden, patronizing frum businesses, and the question is where convenience plays a role in supporting a frum Yid. Sometimes, it’s more convenient to buy from a anon-Jewish proprietor. So, how far does a person have to go before it’s considered a tircha when buying from a Yid? 

R’ Shmuel Fuerst: First of all, in Shulchan Aruch, it’s not mentioned a word. 

It’s not mentioned. It’s only a Sifri that it’s mentioned in parshas Behar, that a person should try to to solicit to go to buy from a from a Jewish from a Jewish person, Jewish owner. The question is, and another thing is, how far does it go? Since it’s not mentioned in Shulchan Aruch, there’s a Teshuvos Rema. There are other poskim that discuss this, and they say like this: this is the consensus. 

I mean, it’s a big machlokes, but ledina, we hold like the Teshuvos Rema, that if it’s a davar mu’at, then you if it’s a davar mu’at, then you as long as still the one, you should patronize a Yid and not a goy. 

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: Meaning davar mu’at meaning? 

R’ Shmuel Fuerst: So so what’s a davar mu’at is hard to say. Depends on each person. I asked this once Reb Reb Elyashivand and Reb Yisroel Yaakov Fisher, they both said It depends on each person what a davar mu’at is. 

A thousand dollars could be a lot of money for some people. Someone else, a thousand dollars is a lot of money. Sometimes, the difference of price could be a hundred thousand dollars going to two people. Depends on what whatyou’re looking to buy. 

So so davar mu’at depends on the person. So, if it’s a davarmu’at, then you should patronize the Yid. It’s not a davar mu’ator not. Sometimes, you go shopping for Shabbos you go shopping in let’s say in Walmart, you go shopping, sometimes you buy a whole cart full of things, and it’s a lot cheaper in Walmart than you go buy by a Yiddishe store on 13th Avenue. 

It’s a lot cheaper. So, sometimes it accumulates and it adds to a lot of money. But if it doesn’t add to a lot of money, it’s only davar mu’at, then lechatchilah, you should buy by a Yid. You should patronize a Yid. 

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: So, if it’s only a small If the difference in price is only a small amount, you should definitely go to a Yid. And you’re And the rav is saying that as far as what is considered a small or big amount depends on the person. But how about where the price is the same, but it’s a question of tircha? 

R’ Shmuel Fuerst: Depends what the tircha is. Is it two minutes? Is it a half hour? Depends what the tircha is. 

If it’s down the block, and so on. And also, the other poskimsay, if it’s only a small thing you’re buying, let’s say you want to buy a Pepsi, you want to buy a Coke, you want to buy something, and there’s 7-Eleven down the block, and you go to Jewish store, it’s two blocks away, you just want to buy a small thing, then zicher you can buy even by the goy then also. It’s only when you go buy a lot of stuff, you go shopping for Shabbos, you go shopping for the whole family, and so on, then it accumulates a lot of money. If it’s really a small amount and it’s a one-time thing, then, for sure, you can go to the goy. 

That’s how some of the poskim say. 

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: Right. This question of buying from Yidden versus goyim is definitely very prevalent nowadays because it’s become so common for people to buy items online from from non-Jewish vendors. It’s a lot more convenient, yeah. 

is a lot more convenient, and for some people, they’re buying, except for their basic groceries, they’re literally buying everything that they need from online. So is that is that Can one buy Can one just buy all their items from from an online vendor if that’s more convenient? 

R’ Shmuel Fuerst: Yeah, sure. That’s called a tircha. That’s considered a tircha. 

If you can buy it online and it’s all shipped to you, and then you have to go out and spend a half hour, an hour out there shopping, considered a tircha. 

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: Right. One more question that comes up when buying from from Jewish stores versus non-Jewish stores is benogeia pas palter. There are many items of pas palter category that either are much cheaper when you buy it from from ShopRite or Walmart or stores like that, from non-Jewish companies, and they may be cheaper, they may be Taste better. 

taste better, they may have items that don’t exist in a bishulYisroel form. 

R’ Shmuel Fuerst: And also, it could be different hours. A Jewish store is open from 9:00 to 5:00 or 9:00 to 6:00, and they’re open 24 24 hours a day. 

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: 24 hours a day, right, right, right. 

It’s convenient. So, what guidance could the rav give as far as pas palter? 

R’ Shmuel Fuerst: Pas palter, if it if the goyishe food tastes better, and tastes better and it’s cheaper and so on, then Shulchan Aruch says clearly then it’s okay. You’re allowed to buy pas palter. Not just Stella D’oro cookies. 

Right, no. Any type of cookie, right, yeah. But if they’re a lot cheaper, then You’re allowed you’re allowed to buy Stella D’oro if it tastes better. A lot of times, like people say it tastes better, and it’s fresher. 

Sometimes you buy in a Yiddishe store, it could be sitting out there for for a couple of days, and this one every day they have a large overturn. 

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: Is there a makom l’hachmir that people should not, or?

R’ Shmuel Fuerst: It’s a nice thing to be it’s a nice thing to be machmir, but b’din it’s mutar. It’s a nice thing to be machmir. It’s also you should support, vehechzakta bo. 

You should give if everyone goes on Amazon, they Won’t have parnassah. Won’t have parnassa , vehechzakta bo. You should buy you should buy from Jewish business. Right. 

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: One final question in this category of ofpatronizing non-Jewish companies or businesses: can one be a salesman for a non-Jewish company? 

R’ Shmuel Fuerst: In other words, the shaileh is like this. There’s issur sechar devarim assurim. You’re not allowed to do business with with treif stuff. So to own treif stuff and to sell it, that’s assur. 

It’s clear in Shulchan Aruch, according to rov poskim, it’s issurd’Oraisa, except in the noda beyehuda who holds it is d’Rabbanan, according to all poskim also it’s issur d’Oraisa. To do sechar devarim assurim, on things which are assurd’Oraisa. So the question is, can you be a can you be a salesman? In other words, you don’t own the you don’t own the food, but you’re selling the food and so on. So the DarkeiTeshuvah brings down a machlokes Beis Shlomo and the ShoelU’meishiv, if it’s mutar or assur. 

Beis Shlomo assers and the Shoel U’meishiv is meikel. I asked this Reb Moshe many years ago, cuz it was nogeia a shaileh I had, and Reb Moshe says, “Men zol zein somech an di meikilim.” That’s how he answered me. So he’s meikel. As long as you don’t own it, you could do sechora with it and so on. 

The issur sechora is when you own it; if you don’t own it, there’s no issur sechora.

R’ Yitzchok Hisiger: Okay. Thank you so much.

NATO’s highest-ranking military commander delivered a forceful warning to Russia on Monday, declaring that the 32-member alliance is prepared to dismantle an enemy’s military capabilities and strike the entire network supporting its forces if any NATO country comes under attack.

U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, who serves as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, outlined the alliance’s plans during an appearance at the Warsaw Security Forum in Poland. His remarks came as tensions between Moscow and Western governments continued to intensify over Russian military activity near NATO borders, suspected sabotage operations, and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“Should the adversary choose to press the attack or commit his reserves, we will break the warfighting system engaged against us,” Grynkewich declared.

“This includes not just the attacking force itself, but anything and everything that supports, sustains, and controls that force,” he said during a discussion titled “Theory of Victory: How Do We Achieve Military Success Against Russia in Deterrence and Defence?”

The American general described NATO’s military doctrine as a three-stage approach centered on “blocking, blunting and breaking” an attacking force. He emphasized that the alliance’s defensive mission does not mean it would limit its response to simply repelling enemy troops from its territory.

“If someone is foolish enough to attack us, we will fight,” he said. “We will stop the attack and deny them the ability to achieve their objectives, whatever those might be. We will, in short, ensure any attack, against any ally, proves utterly futile.”

The unusually direct language reflected growing concern among European leaders about Russia’s activities along NATO’s eastern frontier. Western governments have reported repeated incidents involving drones entering allied airspace, suspected attacks on infrastructure, cyber operations, and other forms of hostile activity that they attribute to Moscow.

Grynkewich said the alliance had strengthened its coordination and military capabilities as members sought to prepare for potential threats.

“We stand here together in Poland today stronger than ever united in our common vision of a more balanced, more ready and more lethal alliance,” he said.

European security officials have increasingly accused Russia of pursuing a campaign of hybrid warfare designed to destabilize NATO countries without necessarily triggering a conventional military confrontation. The allegations include sabotage, deliberately set fires, cyberattacks, and military provocations near sensitive borders.

The concerns intensified in 2025 when several Russian drones crossed into Polish airspace during a major Russian attack against Ukraine. Polish fighter aircraft and allied military assets were mobilized in response, underscoring the possibility that the conflict in Ukraine could spill into NATO territory.

The alliance subsequently established Operation Eastern Sentry to bolster surveillance, air defenses, and military readiness across its eastern member states.

Romania has also reported incidents involving Russian drones entering its airspace, while Estonia has accused Russian military aircraft of unauthorized flights over its territory. The repeated episodes have increased pressure on NATO governments to demonstrate that their borders will be defended.

Grynkewich’s comments followed another weekend of Russian attacks against Ukrainian energy installations, even as diplomatic efforts continued to seek an end to the fighting.

President Donald Trump recently announced that he had reached an arrangement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to increase Russian diesel supplies to American and international markets. The reported understanding included relief from certain U.S. restrictions on Russian energy exports.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, however, accused Moscow of continuing its attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure despite diplomatic initiatives aimed at reducing hostilities. The continuing strikes have raised questions about whether the negotiations can produce a broader ceasefire.

The dispute has also been accompanied by increasingly explicit warnings from Russia concerning the heavily fortified Kaliningrad region, a Russian exclave situated on the Baltic Sea between Poland and Lithuania.

On September 30, Moscow warned that attempts by NATO to cut off or isolate Kaliningrad could provoke a military response involving nuclear weapons.

In a diplomatic communication obtained by Reuters, Russian officials accused the alliance of following a “dangerous and reckless course” that created “high risks of the outbreak of a direct armed conflict.”

The Russian warning indicated that Moscow could employ its full range of military capabilities, including nuclear weapons, to defend the territory. It also raised the possibility of attacks against military and political command centers inside NATO countries at the beginning of a confrontation.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte dismissed Moscow’s threats and maintained that the alliance was sufficiently powerful to deter Russian aggression.

“Putin knows that he can never win from NATO,” Rutte said during a September 30 appearance at the Euronews Defence and Space Summit.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, for his part, has repeatedly denied having plans to attack European countries and has maintained that Moscow seeks peaceful relations with neighboring states.

Although Grynkewich avoided explicitly naming Russia during his address in Warsaw, the context of his remarks left little doubt about the country at the center of NATO’s security concerns. The alliance’s 2022 Strategic Concept identifies Russia as the most serious and immediate threat to the security of its members.

“My theory of victory is simple: we will block the initial attack. If the attack persists, we will blunt it and prevent enemy advance,” Grynkewich explained.

“And if required, we will break the enemy’s forces and the operational warfighting system that is arrayed against us.”

The general said NATO was already working to translate that doctrine into operational capabilities through military exercises, increased readiness, and investments in advanced weapons systems and other defense technologies.

“If attacked, we are ready to fight tonight, but we are not complacent,” he said.

Under the strategy he described, NATO could target command-and-control networks, logistical infrastructure, supply operations, and other military assets supporting an enemy offensive, rather than restricting its response to the units directly participating in an attack.

The remarks also came amid continued debate over the United States’ commitment to European security and the financial burden of maintaining NATO’s military strength.

President Trump has repeatedly urged European governments to assume greater responsibility for their defense expenditures, arguing that American taxpayers should not be expected to shoulder a disproportionate share of the alliance’s costs.

At NATO’s 2025 summit in The Hague, member countries agreed to work toward defense and security-related spending equivalent to 5% of gross domestic product by 2035. The commitment included at least 3.5% for core military requirements and an additional 1.5% for related security investments, including critical infrastructure protection.

Grynkewich sought to reassure European allies about Washington’s commitment, recalling Trump’s positive reception of the alliance during that gathering.

“I was in the room and I felt the love,” he said, referring to the summit.

“What I want to do is assure the one billion citizens of our alliance that we’ve got this. We know what we need to do. We know how we would do it,” the general added.

Grynkewich also addressed concerns about Russia’s suspected unconventional operations against European countries, indicating that he would be willing to discuss particular incidents publicly if the governments involved requested his involvement.

“If a nation wants me to, I’m happy to talk about it,” he said.

The general’s presentation was intended to demonstrate that NATO’s preparations extend beyond statements of solidarity and include concrete military planning for a possible confrontation.

He also stressed that a conflict with Russia was neither inevitable nor imminent, and that maintaining strong defenses and clear communication with potential adversaries remained essential to preventing one.

The Warsaw Security Forum, held October 12 and 13, brought together senior military commanders, political leaders, diplomats, and security specialists to discuss the war in Ukraine, European defense capabilities, and the increasingly strained relationship between NATO and Moscow.

{Matzav.com}

Federal agents searched the Washington, D.C., residence of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) on Monday as part of an ongoing federal investigation, according to Justice Department officials, with President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, confirming that authorities have been pursuing the matter for some time.

The search, conducted by agents from Homeland Security Investigations, was carried out under a warrant authorized by a judge. Federal officials have not publicly disclosed the allegations being investigated or whether Omar herself is suspected of any criminal wrongdoing.

“Today in the Washington, DC, area, Homeland Security Investigations executed a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice,” a Department of Justice (DOJ) official told Fox News Digital. “This enforcement action is part of an ongoing federal investigation.”

Reports of the investigation emerged Monday, with some accounts identifying the operation by the name “World War 11,” an apparent reference to an earlier verbal slip by Omar that attracted widespread attention. The significance of that reported designation, if any, has not been explained by federal authorities.

Homan, speaking to Fox News about the operation, indicated that the investigation had been underway well before Monday’s search became public. He said federal officials were aware that “this investigation was ongoing for a while.”

“There was a warrant executed this morning, so I’ll leave it at that,” Homan said. “The specifics of the investigation, I think I need to turn that over to [Attorney General] Todd Blanche or [DHS Secretary] Markwayne Mullin.”

The involvement of Homeland Security Investigations has prompted speculation that the inquiry could concern immigration-related matters, although officials have not confirmed its subject or scope. The agency also investigates a broad range of federal offenses, and its participation alone does not establish the nature of the allegations.

Omar responded to the search by accusing the Trump administration of using federal law enforcement to punish political opponents. The Minnesota Democrat, a frequent critic of the president and his immigration policies, portrayed the operation as another episode in what she described as a yearslong campaign against her.

“I’m ok. Make no mistake: this is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement,” Omar said. “For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns. This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation. I will not be silenced.”

Multiple reports have since provided additional information about the investigation, indicating that federal authorities are examining immigration documents prepared by Omar’s late father when she entered the United States as a child. Investigators are reportedly looking into possible false statements and immigration fraud, although no criminal charges against Omar have been announced.

Sources familiar with the investigation said Homeland Security Investigations is directing the inquiry, with assistance from the Justice Department. Attorney General Todd Blanche was reportedly aware of the search, and federal officials consulted the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section.

The investigation was not entirely unknown before Monday. Homan had publicly acknowledged an active criminal inquiry involving Omar in September, although he did not disclose its details at the time. Omar previously said she had not been contacted by federal investigators about such a probe.

President Trump, asked about the search, denied personally directing the operation.

“I think she’s a terrible person, but that’s really up to the DOJ,” Trump told reporters.

Omar’s office maintained that the congresswoman had “done nothing wrong” and accused federal authorities of an “outrageous abuse of power and an unprecedented escalation in the weaponization of federal law enforcement to target political enemies.”

The search also triggered condemnation from senior House Democrats, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and other members of the party’s leadership, who questioned the administration’s decision to carry out the operation just weeks before the November congressional elections.

The timing has become a central point of controversy because Omar is seeking another term in Congress, with Election Day scheduled for November 3. Democratic officials argue that the search raises serious questions about political interference, while the administration maintains that federal law enforcement is pursuing an authorized criminal investigation.

Omar, who was born in Somalia and became a naturalized American citizen in 2000, has repeatedly rejected allegations of immigration-related wrongdoing. Federal authorities have not publicly presented evidence establishing that she committed fraud, and the execution of a search warrant does not itself constitute a criminal charge.

{Matzav.com}

Iran-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen threatened Monday to launch retaliatory attacks against American targets throughout the Middle East if President Donald Trump orders U.S. forces to participate in Saudi Arabia’s military campaign against the group. The warning followed a deadly Houthi assault on Riyadh’s international airport that left at least 13 people dead and hundreds injured.

Mohammed Al Bukhaiti, a senior member of the Houthis’ political bureau, warned that American intervention would trigger immediate retaliation against U.S. personnel and facilities across the region.

“If the US becomes involved in the aggression against Yemen, we will not deliberate over the decision to respond, rather, there will be a swift and painful response targeting the US and all its interests in the region,” Bukhaiti told AFP.

The Houthi official also issued an explicit threat against Saudi Arabia’s energy and transportation infrastructure, urging civilians employed at sensitive installations to evacuate.

He warned “all employees and workers at Saudi oil facilities and airports to stay away from these sites, as they have become legitimate targets”.

The statements came amid mounting tensions following the Houthis’ attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, where at least 13 people were reportedly killed and hundreds more wounded. The assault has intensified fears of further strikes against civilian aviation facilities and other critical infrastructure throughout Saudi Arabia.

President Trump strongly criticized the airport attack during remarks to reporters at the White House on Monday, making clear that he regarded the Houthis’ actions as unacceptable.

“The Houthis are misbehaving very badly. They’re misbehaving very badly. No good,” Trump said.

The president also described the deadly strike on the Saudi airport as “not acceptable,” and confirmed that he had spoken with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman as the kingdom considered its response to the attack.

The confrontation showed signs of further escalation Monday night, when additional explosions were heard over Riyadh. The Saudi-led military coalition reported that its air defenses had intercepted a missile launched by the Houthis, while the terrorist organization asserted that it had carried out another operation targeting the capital’s airport.

Bukhaiti made clear that the Houthis intended their attacks to demonstrate that Saudi Arabia’s leadership could no longer expect to remain insulated from the consequences of military operations against Yemen.

The Houthi official said the strikes were meant to send Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman a message “that he can no longer wage aggression against Yemen from a safe position.”

The escalating violence has also prompted Saudi authorities to investigate how the country’s air defense network failed to stop the earlier attack on King Khalid International Airport. Preliminary findings indicate that the Houthis launched drones ahead of cruise and ballistic missiles, apparently seeking to overwhelm or confuse Saudi defenses.

The airport remained closed Monday, with authorities extending the suspension of operations until at least October 17. Thousands of flights have been disrupted, while American officials have urged U.S. citizens to exercise extreme caution at Saudi airports.

The attacks have also unsettled international energy markets and complicated major business gatherings in Riyadh, including conferences intended to attract foreign investment. Oil prices rose amid renewed concerns that the fighting could threaten regional energy infrastructure and transportation routes.

Saudi Arabia has indicated that it intends to respond forcefully to the continuing attacks. Trump, meanwhile, has been weighing possible American military involvement, although he has not publicly committed U.S. forces to the Saudi campaign.

{Matzav.com}

The family of a Vizhnitzer chossid from Bnei Brak who is serving in the Israeli military has leveled disturbing allegations against the IDF, claiming that he is being subjected to harsh and degrading conditions at a military detention facility, including deprivation of food and drinking water and restrictions on his ability to daven.

The allegations concern a chareidi soldier who was imprisoned after leaving Israel without receiving authorization from his military unit.

According to sources, the soldier was subjected to disciplinary proceedings within his unit after military authorities determined that he had traveled overseas without the necessary permission. He was subsequently sentenced to imprisonment and transferred to the Anatot military detention facility near Yerushalayim.

His relatives are now raising serious concerns about his treatment while in military custody, describing conditions they say are entirely unacceptable for a soldier serving in the IDF.

Family members allege that the young man has been confined to a cell while handcuffed and has been deprived of basic necessities, including meals and drinking water.

They further claim that he has been forced to sleep directly on the floor rather than being provided with appropriate sleeping accommodations.

According to the family’s account, the detention cells are also infested with insects and other pests, adding to what they describe as intolerable conditions.

Perhaps most troubling from a religious standpoint is the family’s allegation that military prison commanders have prevented the chossid from davening.

The reported restrictions on tefillah have raised particular concern given that the detainee is himself a religious soldier serving in the military.

The allegations come amid continuing debate in Israel over the treatment and religious accommodations of chareidi soldiers. The IDF has been working to expand enlistment opportunities for the chareidi population while introducing measures intended to accommodate religious requirements, including enhanced kashrus arrangements and other provisions for observant servicemen.

In September, the military announced changes designed to improve access to food meeting stricter kashrus standards at military bases, as part of a broader effort to address the needs of chareidi soldiers.

The IDF’s published religious guidelines also provide for religious observance within military facilities, including the establishment of shuls at installations where a minyan is available and arrangements for soldiers to observe Shabbos and Yom Tov.

The family’s account of the soldier’s treatment, particularly the allegation that he has been prevented from davening, raises questions about whether those religious protections are being observed at the detention facility.

The soldier’s identity, the length of his sentence and the duration of the alleged mistreatment have not been publicly disclosed.

The IDF Spokesperson’s Office has not issued an official response to the family’s accusations.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump lashed out at Rep. Ilhan Omar, describing the Minnesota Democrat as “totally crooked” following reports that federal investigators had searched her Washington, D.C., residence. Trump insisted that he played no role in the operation, maintaining that the investigation was being handled independently by the Justice Department.

The president’s comments marked his first public response to the reported search, which Omar has denounced as an effort by the administration to intimidate its political adversaries.

Trump also characterized the congresswoman as “a terrible person” and “just a complainer,” taking aim at her criticism of the United States and its Constitution despite having immigrated from Somalia.

According to the report, agents from Homeland Security Investigations arrived at Omar’s Washington home early Monday and conducted a search pursuant to a warrant issued by a court.

The Justice Department reportedly confirmed that the operation was connected to an active federal criminal investigation, although officials did not disclose the allegations being examined or the evidence that prompted investigators to seek the warrant.

Omar responded by accusing the Trump administration of turning federal investigative agencies into instruments of political retaliation, arguing that the incident represented another chapter in the president’s longstanding confrontation with her.

“Make no mistake: This is an attempt to target political enemies and weaponize federal law enforcement,” Omar wrote Monday on X.

“For ten years, Trump has targeted me with baseless lies and smear campaigns,” she added. “This is just the latest escalation in his campaign of political intimidation.”

The congresswoman concluded her statement with a defiant declaration: “I will not be silenced.”

Her congressional office issued a separate denunciation, calling the reported search an “outrageous abuse of power” and an “unprecedented escalation in the weaponization of federal law enforcement to target political enemies.”

“For a decade, Donald Trump has relentlessly targeted Congresswoman Ilhan Omar with inflammatory rhetoric, repeatedly putting a target on her back,” her office said, while maintaining that the congresswoman had engaged in no wrongdoing.

The confrontation follows years of public disputes between Trump and Omar over her immigration background, financial disclosures, and political positions.

One recurring controversy concerns allegations that Omar married her brother in connection with an effort to obtain immigration benefits. Trump has repeatedly cited the accusation, which Omar has denied and which has not been publicly substantiated.

The president has also questioned the congresswoman’s finances, particularly after a disclosure form appeared to indicate that she held assets valued at between $30 million and $36 million. Omar’s office attributed those figures to an accounting mistake, and an amended filing subsequently listed considerably smaller amounts.

Trump has frequently criticized Omar’s Somali origins and suggested that she should leave the United States. Omar was born in Somalia, later immigrated to America, and became a naturalized U.S. citizen.

Throughout Trump’s presidency, Omar has been among his most outspoken congressional opponents, regularly challenging his administration’s immigration policies and positions on international affairs.

The reported law enforcement action comes as the country approaches the November 3 midterm elections, with control of Congress hanging in the balance. Democrats have raised concerns about the political implications of a federal investigation involving a prominent opposition lawmaker so close to Election Day.

Although a search warrant requires judicial authorization and permits investigators to examine designated premises for specified evidence, its issuance does not constitute proof of criminal conduct.

Additional reporting indicates that investigators are examining immigration documents submitted by Omar’s late father when she was a child. The inquiry’s precise scope remains undisclosed, and no criminal charges against Omar have been announced.

The investigation had been publicly discussed before Monday’s search. Border czar Tom Homan confirmed in September that federal authorities were examining allegations involving the congresswoman, while Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin subsequently referred to an ongoing investigation concerning her immigration records.

Vice President JD Vance has also previously raised allegations of immigration fraud involving Omar, which she has consistently rejected.

Senior House Democrats, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar, joined the criticism of Monday’s operation, questioning the timing and accusing the administration of improperly using federal law enforcement against political opponents.

The Justice Department has not announced any charges, and Omar continues to deny wrongdoing.

{Matzav.com}

Yonatan Urich, a senior adviser and longtime confidant of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, turned to ChatGPT for help developing a public relations strategy to improve Qatar’s reputation in Israel and internationally, according to interrogation records disclosed Monday evening. The revelations have added another dimension to the ongoing Qatargate investigation, although Urich insists that he never acted on the artificial intelligence-generated material.

The exchanges, reported by Channel 12 News, show that Urich submitted multiple requests to ChatGPT in September 2024, while Israel was engaged in its war against Hamas. The requests sought proposals for changing public attitudes toward Qatar, which has maintained close ties with Hamas and hosted senior figures of the terrorist organization.

Investigators examining Urich’s activities questioned him about the ChatGPT conversations, presenting them as evidence of his interest in developing messaging that would portray Qatar and its leadership more favorably to audiences in Israel and abroad.

“The investigative material reveals your intentions and actions, including your requests to ChatGPT, which you used several times to ask it to develop a ‘strategic plan to change global perceptions’ regarding Qatar,” the investigator said.

The questioning also addressed a separate request in which Urich allegedly sought recommendations for promoting Qatar’s senior leadership and influencing several specific audiences whose attitudes toward the Gulf state were considered particularly important.

“You requested additional ideas to improve the image of Qatar’s prime minister and emir, as well as three key messages targeting Israeli citizens, Jewish communities around the world, and opinion leaders in the United States, which could help whitewash Qatar and improve its image,” the investigator quoted from the request.

The material indicates that the proposed messaging was intended to reach audiences with considerable influence over Qatar’s international standing, including Israelis, Jewish communities outside Israel, and prominent American opinion leaders.

When confronted with the exchanges, Urich told investigators that he could not recall the details of the questions he had submitted. He also denied carrying out activities intended to advance Qatar’s interests or improve its public image in Israel.

Following the television report, Urich acknowledged that he had made the ChatGPT inquiries but rejected the suggestion that the conversations established any wrongdoing. He maintained that the requests had never resulted in an actual public relations campaign or other activity on Qatar’s behalf.

“Everything that was published has been in the possession of numerous journalists for a long time, and they spoke with me about it. But none of them saw fit to report on my ChatGPT queries because I did nothing with them, as was also established during the investigation,” he wrote.

The disclosure comes against the backdrop of the Qatargate affair, an investigation into allegations that individuals connected to Netanyahu’s circle engaged in activities intended to advance Qatar’s interests while maintaining close relationships with the Israeli prime minister’s office.

The affair has generated considerable controversy because of Qatar’s complicated role in the region. The Gulf state has served as a major intermediary in negotiations involving Israel and Hamas, including discussions over hostages and ceasefire arrangements, while simultaneously maintaining longstanding relationships with senior Hamas officials.

The possibility that individuals operating close to Israel’s political leadership may have been involved in efforts to improve Qatar’s standing has therefore become a subject of intense scrutiny.

Urich, who has been involved in Netanyahu’s political communications and public relations operations for years, was arrested in 2025 as investigators examined several allegations involving his activities.

Those investigations included suspicions connected to the Qatargate affair as well as a separate case concerning the alleged transfer of sensitive Israeli security information to the German newspaper Bild.

In June 2026, prosecutors filed an indictment against Urich in connection with the classified-information affair. The charges included transmitting classified information with intent to harm state security, unlawfully transmitting and possessing classified material, and destroying evidence.

The indictment concerns allegations that sensitive security information was improperly obtained and transferred outside authorized channels. The proceedings remain separate from the question of whether Urich’s ChatGPT requests resulted in any activity benefiting Qatar.

The latest disclosures have also prompted sharp reactions from opposition politicians, who argue that the reported conversations warrant further examination of the relationships between Netanyahu’s advisers and Qatari interests.

Former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot accused individuals within the Prime Minister’s Office of acting on Qatar’s behalf, while Avigdor Lieberman called for a broader investigation into the conduct of officials connected to the affair. Their accusations have intensified the political controversy surrounding the investigation, although Urich continues to deny wrongdoing.

Additional reporting has raised questions about Urich’s knowledge of public relations activities involving Eli Feldstein and Yisrael Einhorn, two other figures whose names have surfaced in connection with the Qatargate investigation. Urich has previously maintained that his professional work for Qatar was connected to the 2022 World Cup, when Netanyahu was serving as opposition leader.

The newly reported ChatGPT conversations do not, by themselves, establish that Urich implemented any of the proposed messaging, received compensation for the requests, or conducted an actual campaign based on the chatbot’s responses. The full exchanges and the responses generated by ChatGPT have not been publicly released.

Urich’s position remains that the inquiries were never translated into action, while investigators have sought to determine whether they were connected to the broader allegations concerning efforts to influence Israeli public opinion on Qatar’s behalf.

{Matzav.com}

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Elazar Yair Vilansky z”l, a ninth-grade student at the ORT Maalot Yeshiva High School, has been identified as the teenager killed Monday when unexploded ammunition believed to have been fired by Hezbollah detonated during a school trip in northern Israel. Twenty-four other people were injured in the tragedy, several of them seriously.

The identification of the young victim was released Tuesday morning, as his family and the Maalot-Tarshiha community mourned the devastating loss. Elazar Yair, the youngest of five children, is survived by his parents, three sisters and a brother.

In a statement following his death, his family described him as “a child who loved life, intelligent and wise, full of joy, a good and beloved friend, whose entire future was still ahead of him.”

The explosion occurred Monday afternoon in the Ramim Ridge area of the Upper Galilee, near Mitzpe Pe’er and the Lebanese border, where students and teachers from the yeshiva high school were participating in their annual outing.

According to preliminary findings, one of the students apparently discovered an unexploded piece of ammunition along the hiking route. Investigators are examining reports that the object was picked up and possibly placed inside a student’s bag before it detonated while the group was gathered together.

The IDF initially assessed that the explosive was a cluster munition left behind by Hezbollah during its attacks on northern Israel. However, investigators are continuing to examine the precise circumstances, including the origin of the ammunition and how it remained in an area accessible to hikers.

The blast sent shrapnel into students and accompanying adults, triggering a large emergency response involving Magen David Adom personnel, police, soldiers and rescue helicopters. Medical teams arriving at the scene found numerous casualties scattered along the trail.

Resuscitation efforts were undertaken on Vilansky, who had sustained critical injuries, but emergency personnel were ultimately forced to pronounce his death at the scene.

The injured were evacuated to hospitals in Haifa, Tzefas and Nahariya. According to a Tuesday morning update, four of the 24 injured were listed in serious condition, seven in moderate condition and 13 in light condition.

Rambam Medical Center in Haifa reported that a 61-year-old teacher who was seriously injured underwent surgery overnight and remained hospitalized in serious but stable condition in the intensive care unit.

Another student, who sustained a shrapnel wound to his neck, was conscious and in stable condition while receiving treatment in the pediatric intensive care unit. Two additional students were hospitalized with lighter shrapnel injuries.

Accounts from the scene described terrifying moments as students attempted to understand what had happened and assist their injured classmates.

One parent said the students had gathered to daven Mincha when the explosion occurred, placing a large number of children in close proximity to the blast.

Another father described receiving a telephone call from his injured son, who had suffered wounds to his leg and neck. Family members instructed the boy over the phone on how to apply a tourniquet while emergency personnel were being dispatched to the scene.

The difficult terrain and limited cellular reception complicated rescue efforts, as emergency crews worked to locate and evacuate the injured.

The tragedy has raised urgent questions about the safety of hiking routes in northern Israel, particularly areas that sustained extensive rocket and missile fire during the prolonged fighting with Hezbollah.

Although the school outing had reportedly received the required approvals, authorities are examining whether the route had been adequately inspected for unexploded ammunition and whether all necessary security procedures were followed.

Israeli police and military officials have launched investigations into the incident. Police Commissioner Daniel Levy indicated that authorities would consider temporarily restricting school outings in affected areas while safety concerns are reviewed.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu visited injured students at Rambam Medical Center together with Education Minister Yoav Kisch. Netanyahu also instructed the Home Front Command to reinforce public warnings against touching suspicious objects and to intensify efforts to identify unexploded ammunition in areas previously subjected to enemy fire.

The Maalot-Tarshiha municipality expressed its condolences to the Vilansky family and announced that municipal welfare personnel and educational psychologists were providing assistance to the affected families, students and school staff.

The incident has renewed concern about the dangers posed by unexploded Hezbollah munitions, which can remain concealed in open areas long after the fighting has ended. Even previously inspected hiking routes may contain hazardous remnants of rockets, missiles or cluster munitions.

Authorities have emphasized that anyone encountering a suspicious object must avoid touching or moving it, leave the immediate area and notify police.

Funeral arrangements for Elazar Yair Vilansky z”l had not yet been announced as of Tuesday morning.

{Matzav.com}

A startling new study involving more than 1,200 participants has found that relying on artificial intelligence for as little as 10 minutes can significantly undermine a person’s willingness to persevere through difficult tasks, raising serious concerns about the growing dependence on ChatGPT and similar technology in schools, workplaces, and everyday life.

The research, conducted by scientists affiliated with several leading universities, including the University of California, Berkeley, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, Oxford University, and UCLA, found that people who initially received assistance from AI performed considerably worse when that assistance was suddenly removed. They were also substantially more likely to abandon difficult problems rather than continue trying to solve them.

The findings, published in a peer-reviewed paper titled “AI Assistance Reduces Persistence and Hurts Independent Performance,” were presented last week at the Conference on Language Modeling. The research has attracted considerable attention because it suggests that even brief interactions with artificial intelligence can change how people approach intellectual challenges.

The researchers conducted three randomized controlled experiments involving a combined 1,222 participants, examining how access to AI affected mathematical reasoning, reading comprehension, accuracy, and the willingness to continue working when answers were not immediately available.

In the first experiment, 354 participants were asked to complete a series of 15 basic fraction problems. Some were required to work independently, while others were permitted to use ChatGPT to assist them, including requesting direct answers.

Initially, the participants using ChatGPT enjoyed a clear advantage. With the AI system available, they solved problems more accurately than those who had to work through the calculations themselves.

However, the results changed dramatically when researchers removed access to ChatGPT after the twelfth question.

Participants who had depended on AI experienced a sharp decline in their ability to solve the remaining problems correctly. Many began skipping questions altogether, while those who had been working independently maintained their performance and were more likely to continue attempting the problems.

The researchers repeated the experiment with a larger group of 667 participants and observed essentially the same pattern. Those accustomed to receiving immediate assistance from ChatGPT struggled once they were required to work alone, while participants who had never been given AI assistance demonstrated greater persistence and ultimately achieved better results toward the end of the exercise.

A third experiment involving 201 participants examined reading comprehension using material modeled on the SAT college admissions examination.

Once again, the researchers found that participants who initially had access to AI were more likely to struggle or give up after the technology was withdrawn. The decline was evident in both their accuracy and their willingness to continue attempting difficult questions.

The results were particularly striking because the participants had used AI for only a short period, approximately 10 minutes, before experiencing the decline in independent performance.

Brian Christian, a research fellow at UC Berkeley’s Center for Human-Compatible AI and one of the study’s authors, said the findings provide experimental evidence for concerns that many people have already begun expressing about the effects of artificial intelligence on human thinking.

“It’s a striking finding, but in a way it supplies ammunition for a story that a lot of us kind of feel in our gut,” Christian said. “I experience it too.”

Christian, who has spent approximately two decades studying artificial intelligence and its implications for society, acknowledged that he is enthusiastic about the technology’s extraordinary potential. Nevertheless, he has become increasingly concerned that depending too heavily on AI could weaken some of the intellectual habits that are essential to learning and discovery.

The researcher, who authored the 2020 book The Alignment Problem, said he continues to write in a physical notebook every day, partly as a way of preserving his own independent thinking and maintaining a direct connection to his work.

The study’s findings highlight a phenomenon the researchers describe as the loss of “productive struggle,” the mental effort required to work through challenging problems without immediately receiving an answer.

According to the researchers, struggling with difficult material is an essential part of developing intellectual abilities. When students or workers must grapple with unfamiliar information, experiment with different approaches, and overcome mistakes, they develop the skills and perseverance needed to handle future challenges.

Artificial intelligence can disrupt that process by providing immediate solutions, allowing users to bypass the very effort that would ordinarily strengthen their understanding.

The researchers suggested that repeated exposure to instant answers may condition people to expect problems to be resolved quickly. When an answer is no longer immediately available, the task may feel unusually frustrating or inefficient, increasing the likelihood that the person will simply give up.

The implications extend well beyond elementary mathematics or standardized examinations.

Students increasingly use ChatGPT to complete homework assignments, explain complicated concepts, write essays, and prepare for examinations. Professionals rely on AI to draft reports, analyze information, develop computer programs, and conduct research. In many cases, the technology allows users to complete tasks more quickly and efficiently than they could independently.

However, the new research raises the possibility that some of those short-term productivity gains may come at the expense of the user’s ability to perform similar tasks without technological assistance.

Christian said the findings should prompt a reconsideration of how AI systems are designed to help people.

“We’ve built these systems to be helpful, but are they being helpful to us in a way that’s actually helping us?” Christian said. “We showed, ironically, that they are often helping us in ways that are kind of unhelpful.”

The researchers argue that today’s AI assistants are generally designed to satisfy immediate requests as efficiently as possible. When a user asks a question, the system typically attempts to deliver a complete answer, even when a more educational approach might involve encouraging the person to reason through the problem.

That approach differs substantially from the methods employed by effective teachers and mentors, who frequently guide students toward discovering answers themselves rather than simply providing solutions.

A teacher might offer hints, ask questions, or break a complicated problem into smaller steps, allowing the student to develop understanding through active participation.

By contrast, an AI chatbot that immediately supplies the finished answer can eliminate much of that learning process.

Christian suggested that artificial intelligence developers should consider creating systems that function more like tutors, encouraging users to develop their own skills rather than becoming increasingly dependent on the technology.

“We need to work toward a future in which human abilities are, as much as possible, augmented rather than supplanted,” he said.

The findings also have potentially significant consequences for scientific research, where artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to analyze large datasets, generate hypotheses, summarize academic literature, and accelerate discoveries.

Christian expressed concern that scientists who delegate too much intellectual work to AI could gradually lose the familiarity with their research material that often produces important insights.

He pointed to the possibility that research teams traditionally composed of numerous scientists working closely together could eventually be reduced to a handful of individuals relying heavily on AI systems.

While such arrangements might appear more efficient, they could also diminish the human collaboration, sustained attention, and deep engagement with information that frequently lead to scientific breakthroughs.

The study does not establish that 10 minutes of AI use causes permanent cognitive damage or a lasting reduction in intelligence. Rather, it demonstrates that brief exposure to AI assistance can produce an immediate, measurable decline in persistence and independent performance when that assistance is withdrawn. Whether those effects persist over longer periods remains an important question for further research.

The experiments also focused on specific academic-style tasks, meaning the results cannot automatically be applied to every form of AI use. Using artificial intelligence to check completed work, explain a concept, or provide guided instruction may have different effects from relying on it to supply answers throughout an assignment.

Nevertheless, the researchers believe their findings point to a fundamental challenge facing educators, employers, and technology companies as artificial intelligence becomes an increasingly routine part of daily life.

The study’s authors, Grace Liu, Brian Christian, Tsvetomira Dumbalska, Michiel A. Bakker, and Rachit Dubey, concluded that AI systems should be developed with greater emphasis on helping users build lasting competence and the ability to work independently, rather than merely maximizing immediate performance.

Christian warned that the consequences of excessive dependence on artificial intelligence could reach virtually every level of education and professional expertise, from young children beginning their academic careers to scientists working at the forefront of technological discovery.

“This is not a story about fractions and SAT problems,” Christian said. “This is something that is happening to human knowledge and human expertise from top to bottom and from grade-school students all the way to the leading experts in the world.”

{Matzav.com}

[VideoS below.] Lakewood, NJ – A large crowd gathered today at Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, NJ, to kick off the tri-annual chavrusah tumult that takes place before each zeman – winter, spring, and at the beginning of Chodesh Elul.

Following chavrusah tumult, and chaburos and seats  will be finalized for the thousands of talmidim in the yeshiva. The yeshiva has appointed special memunim tasked with the responsibility of helping any talmid who requires a chavrusah or chaburah.

In various botei medrash, the yeshiva has chaburos devoted to covering virtually every area of Shas and poskim, offering many options for the yeshiva‘s talmidim to choose from.

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{Matzav.com}

United Torah Judaism chairman MK Yaakov Asher has declared that his party will not join or support any future government until legislation protecting the status of yeshiva bochurim is actually passed, announcing a major shift in the party’s political strategy ahead of Israel’s October 27 elections.

In his first extensive interview since assuming the leadership of United Torah Judaism and Degel HaTorah, Asher revealed that Rav Dov Landau had issued explicit instructions that the party should no longer identify itself with any political bloc, including the right-wing alliance led by Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu.

Speaking with Yishai Cohen in the Kikar HaShabbat studio, Asher acknowledged mistakes made during the outgoing government’s term, criticized several prominent political figures, and insisted that the chareidi parties would place the needs of their constituents ahead of political alliances.

The interview comes amid considerable frustration within the chareidi community following years of uncertainty surrounding the legal status of yeshiva bochurim, the loss of exemptions, financial restrictions affecting Torah institutions, and arrests connected to the military draft.

Asked why chareidi voters should participate in another election after the difficulties experienced under a government that had been widely regarded as sympathetic to their concerns, Asher argued that abandoning political participation would only make matters worse.

“Will it stop here? Do you read what they say every day? Do you see their intentions every day? And if, in a completely right-wing government, we didn’t manage to achieve those two things… we managed to save many other things: the Jewish character of the State of Israel, we blocked dozens of anti-religious laws, not a single such law passed during this term! We kept the educational institutions going… But will it end here? In other words, if things are bad for us today, should we take another step to make them even worse? Does that seem logical to you?!” Asher said.

While defending his party’s accomplishments, Asher conceded that the chareidi representatives had made significant strategic errors, particularly in their handling of judicial reform and its implications for legislation regulating the status of yeshiva students.

“Is there anyone who doesn’t make mistakes? The big mistake that perhaps everyone made… not everyone understood that judicial reform was supposed to serve us in the draft law. From our perspective, we needed the override clause. It could be that we should have, at that point… I take responsibility,” he said.

Asher explained that the proposed override clause, which would have allowed the Knesset to reenact legislation struck down by the Supreme Court under certain conditions, had been especially important to the chareidi parties because of the legal obstacles facing a new draft law.

He also dismissed suggestions that a compromise framework advanced by the president could have provided a lasting solution.

“The president, with all due respect… had no teeth against anyone. And when you take parts out of the reform, one of the first things removed is the override clause, because the court would never have allowed that! In the end, it would have come back to the same things,” Asher argued.

Drawing on those experiences, the new UTJ chairman outlined what he described as a nonnegotiable condition for participation in the next coalition.

“United Torah Judaism will not enter a government that does not first pass, de facto, de facto, the law regulating the status of yeshiva students, known as the draft law. Period. We will not enter, support, or be part of a government that does not first pass the draft law. Afterward, we will be partners,” Asher declared.

Pressed on whether his condition would also rule out supporting a government from outside the coalition, Asher reiterated that the legislation must come first.

“I told you in Hebrew… From our perspective, the correct law is one that addresses someone who sits and learns, whose Torah is his occupation, and someone who sits and learns should not face sanctions either,” he said.

The chairman’s remarks represent a departure from the approach taken before the 2022 election, when the chareidi parties publicly aligned themselves with Netanyahu and the broader right-wing bloc.

Asher maintained that the earlier alliance reflected the traditional attitudes of Likud voters toward Torah and religious observance, but he distinguished those voters from individual Likud lawmakers whom he accused of undermining chareidi interests.

“It’s true that we were in that bloc with our eyes open… The Likud public loves tradition, kisses the hands of sages, and gives a place of honor to a ben Torah. We have no quarrel with the Likud public. We have problems with the Likud because weeds have grown there, like Yuli Edelstein, like Dan Illouz, and others whom Likud did not know how to control,” he said.

Asher then disclosed the instructions he said he had received from Rav Landau regarding the party’s future political commitments.

“We received an explicit instruction. You want to ask what changed for him, for Rav Dov Landau, for the gadol hador? Ask him! But we received an explicit instruction: Right now, we are not talking about blocs. We are a bloc that has responsibility for this country… He says not to talk about blocs; we do not belong to blocs. Whoever wants us should come and negotiate with the bloc, should come and ask the bloc. That is the decision we have right now,” Asher explained.

He stressed that the party had not been instructed to work toward removing Netanyahu or installing another political leader, and that its future decisions would be guided by the needs of the chareidi community.

“We have no intention of participating in any of that. We received no instruction to make a deal with anyone, no instruction to oust anyone, we have no revenge to take, no one to crown, nothing. We have one thing that interests us, and this is a lesson we learned from the previous term: We are going to be selfish. Selfish for you, and for your children, and for everyone,” he said.

Asher Takes Aim at Bennett, Winter and Other Political Figures

The interview also featured pointed criticism of several politicians seeking support from chareidi voters.

Asked about Naftali Bennett, Asher dismissed the former prime minister as politically inconsistent, accusing him of repeatedly changing his positions.

“Naftali Bennett… Bennett is a joke! He’s a walking joke of a man who has already changed eight opinions, and even when he had opinions, they were always for sale or rent. He’s a very nice person, a walking joke, what can I do?” Asher said.

Asher also addressed remarks by former IDF Brigadier General Ofer Winter concerning military service and the draft law, suggesting that Winter’s campaign statements were driven by electoral considerations.

“People are now fighting a battle for survival over every vote, every quarter of a Knesset seat, and he has to deal with that… But who knows better than he does, speaking of the draft law he talks about… when he knows that the IDF decided to stop his advancement because he said ‘Shema Yisroel’ before some military operation? So he’s going to convince us that there’s no problem and that the Torah will not be forgotten from our descendants if we all go into the army? Forget it, it’s all election foilishtik,” Asher said.

His comments referred to the controversy surrounding Winter’s military career and his public expressions of religious belief. Asher used that example to question assurances that the military would fully accommodate the religious needs of chareidi recruits.

Regarding Benny Gantz, however, Asher adopted a considerably more respectful tone, explaining that their discussions had been on a personal level rather than part of any political arrangement.

“I think he is a good person and a man of values, and I think he could have contributed somewhat to this matter. But perhaps because he is a man of values and because he is that kind of person, he is being punished in the polls, because today it is a world of falsehood,” Asher said.

UTJ Unity, Rav Gafni’s Role and Relations With Shas

Turning to internal party matters, Asher rejected suggestions that longstanding differences between Degel HaTorah and Agudas Yisroel could result in a split during coalition negotiations.

“There is no split between us, and there will be no split between us. And even if there were issues… we reached agreements about them. We sat together with mutual respect and said: There are gedolei Torah, they can disagree on certain matters, and they know how to work things out among themselves. There will not be a situation where, during negotiations, there are leaks saying ‘these people agree to this and those people don’t agree to that.’ That will not happen. We will all come together: me and Goldknopf, and Porush, and Pindrus, and everyone. And Dudi Zaltz, with Hashem’s help, will also get in, and we will come hand in hand with him as well,” he said.

Asher also addressed the departure of MK Moshe Gafni from the party chairmanship, emphasizing his continued respect for the veteran Degel HaTorah leader.

“From our perspective, he is the chairman of the Degel HaTorah movement, he is a symbol to us, he is an example to us, he is someone we learned from… On the day that the gedolei Torah decide, they decide according to their considerations… There is no blemish whatsoever. We have only to learn from Rav Gafni, to continue forward, to consult with him and benefit from his assistance, and with Hashem’s help, that is what we will do. And at the victory celebration, you will see all of us dancing together,” Asher said.

He stressed that decisions regarding party leadership are made under the guidance of the gedolei Torah and that he intends to continue seeking Gafni’s advice and experience.

Asked about his relationship with Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, Asher described cooperation between the two parties on matters of fundamental importance to the chareidi community.

“Relations of respect and appreciation. We represent two parties, two movements, but there is one thing we know… In everything connected to the core issues of the chareidi public, we are united under the gedolei and chachmei haTorah of everyone! On that we stand together. They will not break us apart, they will not divide us,” he declared.

Working Chareidim and the Debate Over State-Chareidi Schools

Another significant portion of the interview focused on chareidi men and women who work for a living and who sometimes feel that their concerns receive attention from chareidi politicians only during election campaigns.

Asher rejected that criticism, insisting that his record demonstrates a commitment to serving different segments of the community, including families whose educational and professional needs differ from those of the traditional kollel community.

“I appreciate every person who learns Torah, every avreich in Kollel Chazon Ish I appreciate, I envy him, I want my children to be like that. And when I meet someone who works for his livelihood, I appreciate him too! I appreciate the community of Torah learners, but when it comes to serving them, I have to serve both, and I haven’t been doing that only since Election Day! Open my résumé… When was the Boston cheder opened in Bnei Brak? Who opened it? Who gave them a boost and a push? Who helped the Horev school in Ramat Gan… Who helped the Uziel school? Who opened three educational frameworks in Elad?” Asher asked.

He cited those institutions as examples of his involvement in developing educational options for families seeking different arrangements within the chareidi community.

However, Asher drew a distinction between supporting a variety of educational institutions and endorsing the state-chareidi school system, known in Israel by its Hebrew acronym, Mamlachti-Chareidi, or MAMACH.

He emphasized that decisions concerning the acceptability of such institutions belong to the gedolei Yisroel rather than elected representatives.

“MAMACH or not MAMACH — that is not my decision, it is a decision of the gedolei Yisroel! I heard Rav Shteinman speak about the danger that MAMACH could cause. What do we need to do? We will open educational frameworks. The community is growing, its different shades are growing, and we will provide frameworks… alternatives to MAMACH that will be even better. But do you know who is putting obstacles in our way? The Education Ministry itself! Because the Education Ministry wants to take control,” Asher said.

According to Asher, the appropriate response to changing educational needs is to establish additional institutions operating under the direction of chareidi Torah leadership, rather than expanding reliance on a government-administered educational framework.

He argued that the Education Ministry has complicated efforts to establish such alternatives, accusing it of seeking greater authority over chareidi education.

{Matzav.com}

United Torah Judaism chairman MK Yaakov Asher delivered a sharp rebuke of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich after the latter publicly expressed his hope that Rav Dov Landau, the rosh yeshiva of Slabodka, would do teshuvah, a remark that sparked widespread condemnation throughout the chareidi community.

Speaking at the opening of a campaign headquarters for community gabbaim in Rechasim, Asher accused Smotrich of disrespecting the chareidi public and one of its most prominent gedolei Torah.

Asher told the gathering that those seeking to weaken the chareidi community should look at the large turnout and recognize the strength of its communal institutions.

“There are people who think they can dismantle us and cause us to fall apart. Let them come and see everyone who is here, men, women and children,” Asher declared.

Turning directly to Smotrich, Asher challenged the finance minister’s standing to criticize the chareidi community and its Torah leadership.

“I want to see Smotrich, who opened his mouth today against our upright community and against a gadol b’Yisroel. You don’t know how to bring together people like this. You needed Feiglin just to cross the electoral threshold. That’s your rabbi? First bring him back to repentance,” Asher said.

The confrontation followed remarks Smotrich made during an election-related interview with Arutz Sheva and at another gathering in Ofra, where he addressed criticism previously directed at him by Rav Dov Landau.

During the Arutz Sheva interview, Smotrich was asked why he had chosen not to respond publicly to the rosh yeshiva’s criticism.

Smotrich initially explained that his silence should not be interpreted as agreement, invoking the obligation to treat talmidei chachamim with great caution and respect.

“Let there be no mistake, chas v’shalom, that silence means agreement, because ‘beware of their burning coals,'” Smotrich said, referring to the familiar warning in Pirkei Avos concerning the honor of Torah scholars.

“If I thought responding would accomplish something, I do not respond to a talmid chacham,” he continued.

However, Smotrich then added a statement that became the center of the controversy.

“By the way, it pains me, and I pray to HaKadosh Baruch Hu that He brings him, too, to repentance, but there is no need to respond,” the finance minister said.

The dispute is rooted in the increasingly contentious debate over the drafting of yeshiva bochurim into the IDF, an issue that has strained relations between chareidi representatives and politicians from the Religious Zionist camp.

During his remarks to Arutz Sheva, Smotrich argued that a proposed conscription law advanced approximately two years earlier could have resulted in thousands of chareidi men joining the military with the agreement of chareidi leaders.

He acknowledged that his government had failed to achieve its objectives on the enlistment issue, while maintaining that greater chareidi participation in military service and employment should be pursued through dialogue and gradual changes rather than coercion.

At a separate event in Ofra, Smotrich also criticized aspects of the chareidi community’s approach to the State of Israel, saying he believed its opposition to the religious significance of Zionism was mistaken.

Those comments, together with his statement about Rav Landau, drew strong objections from chareidi circles, where the remarks were viewed as an affront to the honor of Torah leadership.

Asher’s reference to Moshe Feiglin also carried an electoral message. Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party entered into a joint electoral arrangement with Feiglin’s Zehut party in September, amid concerns about whether Smotrich’s party would independently receive enough votes to cross the Knesset’s electoral threshold.

The two parties agreed to run together in the October 27 election, with Feiglin receiving a prominent position on the joint slate.

The confrontation comes as Asher assumes a more prominent leadership role in United Torah Judaism following changes to the party’s Knesset list announced in September under the direction of Rav Landau.

{Matzav.com}

An American yeshiva bochur who has spent approximately four months in Israeli custody after being accused of carrying out assignments for Iranian intelligence has been approved for release to house arrest, following an extensive legal effort by the Tzedek Association and the intervention of prominent attorneys.

Eli L., a 21-year-old American citizen who was learning at the Mir Yeshiva in Yerushalayim, had been imprisoned since his arrest on June 9. His case attracted considerable attention after Israeli prosecutors accused him of communicating with Iranian intelligence operatives and performing various assignments in exchange for cryptocurrency payments totaling approximately $1,400.

The Tzedek Association said today that Israeli Supreme Court President Justice Yitzchak Amit had authorized Eli L.’s release from prison under restrictive conditions, marking a significant development in a case that has drawn attention within the American and Israeli chareidi communities.

According to the organization, the decision followed its involvement in Eli L.’s legal defense, including the appointment of attorney Uri Korb to work alongside attorney Menachem Stauber in securing his release.

As part of the arrangement, Tzedek deposited a check for one million shekels with the court to serve as a financial guarantee for Eli L.’s compliance with the conditions of his house arrest.

An additional development came when Rav Shimon Shisha, chairman of Merkaz Ezra Vayoetz, offered his own apartment as the residence where Eli L. would remain under house arrest. The arrangement provided a designated location for the young man to stay while the criminal proceedings continue.

The release authorization represents a change from the prosecution’s earlier position. When Eli L. was indicted in the Yerushalayim District Court on July 3, prosecutors requested that he remain incarcerated until the conclusion of his trial, citing the seriousness of the national security allegations.

The charges stem from an investigation into alleged contacts between Eli L. and individuals whom Israeli authorities identified as operatives working on behalf of Iranian intelligence.

According to the indictment, the chain of events began in November 2025, when Eli L. was visiting relatives in the United States and responded to an employment advertisement posted in a Telegram group called “Yeshivot Telegram.”

Prosecutors allege that the advertisement ultimately connected him with an individual using the name “Sina,” who contacted him through Telegram approximately one month later, while he was traveling back to Israel.

The individual allegedly offered Eli L. money in exchange for photographing and filming various locations in Yerushalayim. Authorities contend that the assignments were part of an Iranian intelligence operation designed to recruit people inside Israel through online platforms.

Among the initial tasks described in the indictment were photographing the Yerushalayim Central Bus Station, documenting a grocery store, and taking pictures of an abandoned building in the Bukharim neighborhood.

In another assignment, Eli L. was allegedly instructed to place a cigarette package inside a garbage receptacle in a restroom at the Hadar Mall. The package contained a note stating, “The job is complete,” according to prosecutors.

Investigators also alleged that Eli L. was directed to identify locations along Jaffa Road that could potentially be used to conceal objects for collection by another individual.

The indictment states that Eli L. received approximately $861 in cryptocurrency from the individual identified as Sina for completing assignments.

At one point, prosecutors said, the operative requested that Eli L. send a photograph of himself along with an image of his American passport. Eli L. allegedly complied but subsequently became concerned that his personal information might be misused and blocked the account.

However, authorities contend that the communications did not end there.

Around the beginning of 2026, Eli L. allegedly established contact with another individual operating under the name “Alecsander,” who similarly offered financial compensation for carrying out assignments in Yerushalayim.

The second operative reportedly instructed Eli L. to photograph additional locations and complete other tasks, including concealing a USB flash drive at a restaurant in central Yerushalayim.

According to the indictment, on February 23, Eli L. placed the flash drive, wrapped in a 50-shekel banknote, at the designated location. The incident occurred just days before the outbreak of the American-Israeli military campaign against Iran.

Prosecutors allege that Eli L. received an additional $518 in cryptocurrency through his dealings with the second operative, bringing the total payments associated with the alleged activities to approximately $1,379.

One particularly notable detail in the indictment concerns an alleged request that Eli L. provide information about other bochurim learning at the Mir Yeshiva.

According to prosecutors, the individual identified as Alecsander asked Eli L. to supply a list of fellow students, but Eli L. refused to involve his friends or provide their names.

The indictment accuses Eli L. of maintaining contact with foreign agents and transmitting information that could be useful to an enemy. Israeli authorities alleged that he continued performing assignments despite circumstances that should have alerted him to the possibility that he was communicating with Iranian intelligence personnel.

Eli L.’s defense has challenged the prosecution’s characterization of the alleged conduct.

Earlier in the proceedings, defense attorney Raz Bar Tzvi argued that communicating with a suspicious individual through social media should not automatically result in someone being characterized as a sophisticated intelligence operative.

“not every person with whom a foreign actor makes contact via social media is an ‘atomic spy.’ The legal reality must be adapted to the technological reality. The matters described in the indictment do not align with reality,” the attorney said in comments reported following the indictment.

The case emerged amid a broader Israeli crackdown on suspected Iranian intelligence recruitment operations, which authorities say have increasingly relied on social media and encrypted messaging applications to identify potential recruits.

Israeli security officials have repeatedly warned that Iranian operatives use apparently ordinary online employment opportunities to approach individuals, initially offering payment for relatively simple assignments before attempting to involve them in more sensitive activities.

Such assignments can include photographing public locations, documenting infrastructure, placing objects at predetermined sites, or gathering information about individuals and institutions.

Authorities have expressed concern that even seemingly minor assignments may serve a larger intelligence purpose, allowing hostile operatives to verify a recruit’s location, assess willingness to follow instructions, or prepare for more consequential activities.

Eli L.’s case was particularly unusual because of his American citizenship and his status as a bochur at the Mir Yeshiva, one of the largest and most prominent Torah institutions in the world.

His arrest and subsequent indictment came as Israeli law enforcement agencies were pursuing numerous investigations involving suspected Iranian recruitment networks. In several cases, individuals were accused of accepting relatively modest cryptocurrency payments in exchange for carrying out assignments for foreign handlers.

The latest development does not bring Eli L.’s criminal case to an end. His release to house arrest concerns the conditions under which he may remain outside prison while the judicial proceedings continue, rather than a determination of his guilt or innocence.

Tzedek’s announcement did not specify all the restrictions that will govern Eli L.’s house arrest, including whether he will be subject to electronic monitoring, limitations on communications, or other conditions.

The precise terms of the release have also not yet been independently confirmed through a published court decision or an official statement from the State Prosecutor’s Office.

For now, the court’s authorization, the substantial financial guarantee arranged by Tzedek, and Rav Shisha’s offer of an apartment have opened the way for Eli L. to leave prison after approximately four months in custody, while he continues to face the serious charges brought against him.

{Matzav.com}

For the first time in Israel’s history, IDF soldiers serving in military operations beyond the country’s borders will be able to cast ballots while remaining in their operational positions, as the military prepares an extensive voting operation ahead of the October 27 elections.

The unprecedented arrangement is part of a major logistical effort intended to ensure that soldiers on active duty and reservists can exercise their voting rights despite the ongoing fighting and the complicated security situation in several operational sectors.

The IDF is completing preparations to establish approximately 850 polling stations across military bases, units, and operational areas, a substantial increase from the 700 polling stations deployed during the previous election.

Military officials attributed the expansion to the increased number of reservists currently serving and the changing deployment of Israeli forces across different regions.

Voting within the military will begin on the evening of October 20, a full week before the general election, and continue throughout the following seven days.

The extended voting period is designed to accommodate soldiers whose assignments, operational responsibilities, or locations may prevent them from reaching a polling station on Election Day itself.

Under the new arrangements, even troops conducting cross-border operations will be provided with opportunities to vote, marking the first time the military has extended its election infrastructure to personnel serving in such circumstances.

Approximately 75 percent of the polling stations will operate from fixed locations, while the remaining 25 percent will be mobile units capable of traveling between military positions.

The mobile polling stations, numbering roughly 210, will play a particularly important role during the early voting period, allowing election personnel to reach soldiers stationed in remote areas or engaged in demanding operational assignments.

Rather than requiring soldiers to travel to central voting locations, these mobile stations will move between units according to schedules established in advance.

Each mobile polling committee will be accompanied by an armed officer or noncommissioned officer responsible for providing security throughout the operation.

Special procedures have also been established to safeguard the ballot boxes while they are transported between military units.

During transit, the secondary cover of each ballot box will remain locked to protect the integrity of the voting process and prevent unauthorized access.

Soldiers will be permitted to vote either at a military polling station or at their designated civilian polling station near their registered residence, provided they cast only one ballot.

To prevent duplicate voting, military ballots will be submitted using a double-envelope system. This procedure allows election authorities to verify each voter’s eligibility and ensure that no soldier has voted more than once while preserving the secrecy of the ballot.

The IDF has also clarified that soldiers who know they will be deployed on operational missions during Election Day may be able to vote in advance, beginning at 10 p.m. on October 20, subject to authorization for early voting at their particular unit.

Soldiers will receive information about the locations and operating hours of their polling stations through their commanders and unit election officers.

Responsibility for overseeing the entire military voting operation has been assigned to Colonel Vered Ben Yehuda, who ordinarily serves as head of the IDF Civilian Employee Employment Center and has now been appointed the military’s chief elections officer.

Ben Yehuda will supervise an extensive administrative network involving hundreds of election officers and approximately 3,000 soldiers who have received specialized training to serve on polling committees.

Each polling committee will generally consist of four IDF personnel trained in the procedures governing identification, ballot handling, voting secrecy, and the proper operation of polling stations.

Because of the unusual operational circumstances, special arrangements will also allow career soldiers and reservists to serve on polling committees in certain cases, subject to individual approval.

The military is coordinating the arrangements with Israel’s Central Elections Committee to ensure that the early voting process complies with election regulations.

Unlike civilians, IDF soldiers will not receive a general day off for the election. Military operations will continue as usual, with commanders responsible for arranging opportunities for eligible personnel to cast their ballots without interfering with operational requirements.

The military is also taking steps to ensure that the election campaign does not interfere with its nonpartisan character.

The IDF Education and Youth Corps has distributed informational materials and guidance to commanders explaining the voting procedures and emphasizing the prohibition against partisan political campaigning on military bases.

Military officials stressed that the responsibility of the election apparatus is strictly administrative: to provide soldiers with access to the ballot box and ensure that the voting process is conducted properly, without involvement in political arguments or attempts to influence voters.

The expanded voting arrangements come as Israeli forces remain deployed across several sensitive operational fronts, including areas along the Lebanese and Syrian borders and in Gaza.

The number and locations of polling stations may be adjusted as operational needs change, with mobile teams expected to provide flexibility for units whose deployment schedules cannot be determined far in advance.

The operation is scheduled to culminate on October 27, when the rest of Israel goes to the polls to elect the 26th Knesset.

{Matzav.com}

Direct flights between Israel and Morocco could once again be suspended, just weeks after Israeli airlines resumed service to Marrakesh following a nearly three-year interruption. New security requirements reportedly being imposed by Israel’s Shin Bet security agency have raised concerns that airlines may be unable to continue operating the routes.

The development threatens to disrupt the renewed air connections between the two countries at a time when Israeli carriers have been working to restore service and expand their schedules.

Although no official decision has been announced to suspend the flights, uncertainty surrounding the latest security demands has raised questions about the future of the routes currently operated by Arkia and Israir, as well as planned service by Sun d’Or, a subsidiary of El Al.

Arkia became the first Israeli airline to restore direct flights to Morocco when it resumed service between Israel and Marrakesh on August 24, ending a suspension that had lasted almost three years.

The airline introduced two weekly flights after an extended period of discussions with Israeli security authorities aimed at obtaining the approvals necessary to resume operations.

The return of direct service was considered an important development for travelers seeking to visit Morocco, particularly those who previously had to rely on connecting flights through other countries.

Israir subsequently resumed flights to Marrakesh as well, although its return was complicated by difficulties securing the necessary authorization from Moroccan authorities.

During September, those complications became serious enough that the airline considered discontinuing the route.

However, following intervention by senior officials, the required approvals were obtained, allowing Israir to announce that it would continue operating flights to the Moroccan destination.

Meanwhile, Sun d’Or, which operates under the El Al Group, has announced plans to introduce its own direct service to Marrakesh beginning November 16.

The airline intends to operate two flights per week, provided it receives all necessary regulatory and security approvals.

Those expansion plans could now be affected by the additional security conditions reportedly being introduced by the Shin Bet.

At this stage, the precise nature of the new requirements has not been disclosed. It remains unclear whether the restrictions apply equally to all Israeli airlines serving Morocco, whether they involve additional screening procedures or operational security measures, and whether any formal instructions have already been issued to carriers.

The uncertainty has prompted concerns that airlines could encounter difficulties maintaining their existing schedules or proceeding with plans to increase service.

Direct flights between Israel and Morocco were suspended following the outbreak of the war in October 2023, amid heightened security concerns and travel warnings affecting Israeli citizens.

The interruption ended a period of expanding aviation ties that followed the normalization of diplomatic relations between Israel and Morocco in December 2020, under the Abraham Accords framework.

The resumption of direct flights this past summer restored a convenient connection between Israel and Marrakesh, allowing passengers to reach the Moroccan city without traveling through a third country.

Morocco remains a significant destination for Israelis, particularly those with family roots in the country and visitors traveling to historic Jewish communities and the kevarim of tzaddikim.

The country’s longstanding Jewish heritage, including historic shuls, cemeteries, and pilgrimage sites, has made it an important destination for Jewish travelers.

For passengers planning upcoming trips, another suspension of direct flights would likely mean returning to connecting itineraries, potentially increasing travel times and costs.

The latest concerns come amid heightened Israeli scrutiny of international aviation security following recent incidents involving flights bound for Ben Gurion Airport.

Nevertheless, there has been no official announcement from the Shin Bet or the airlines indicating that the Morocco routes have been canceled or that a suspension has been ordered.

For now, the flights remain subject to the existing approval arrangements, while the airlines await clarification regarding the new security requirements and their potential impact on future operations.

{Matzav.com}

Visitors planning to daven at the Kosel in Yerushalayim are being advised to prepare for changes to the usual entrance and exit arrangements, as the Western Wall Heritage Foundation begins an extensive renovation project at the main entrance to the Kosel Plaza near Shaar Ha’ashpos, the Dung Gate.

The construction work, which is expected to continue until Shavuos, will involve significant improvements to the entrance area, including upgraded security screening facilities, renewed infrastructure, improved accessibility, and changes designed to make pedestrian traffic safer and more orderly.

The Western Wall Heritage Foundation announced that the project is part of its ongoing efforts to improve conditions for the millions of mispallelim and visitors who come to the Kosel throughout the year.

The renovations will focus on the main access point leading from Shaar Ha’ashpos into the Kosel Plaza, one of the busiest entrances to the site and the location of security checkpoints used by large numbers of visitors.

As part of the project, crews will replace and upgrade existing infrastructure, carry out maintenance work, and introduce improvements to the security and safety arrangements in the entrance complex.

The plans also include refurbishing the appearance of the entrance and reorganizing pedestrian passageways to provide a more efficient flow of people entering and leaving the plaza.

Particular attention will be given to accessibility, with improvements intended to make the entrance easier and more convenient to navigate for elderly visitors, people with disabilities, and others who may have difficulty moving through crowded areas.

The entrance serves enormous numbers of people throughout the year, with particularly heavy pedestrian traffic during Yomim Tovim, major tefillah gatherings, and other occasions when tens of thousands of Yidden converge on the Kosel.

Foundation officials said the improvements are intended to accommodate those crowds more effectively while preserving the special character and dignity of the Kosel and its surroundings.

Because the work will be carried out in stages, the existing entry and exit arrangements will be subject to temporary changes throughout the construction period.

Visitors should therefore not assume that the routes they ordinarily use to enter or leave the plaza will remain available. Access arrangements may be adjusted as different sections of the entrance undergo renovation.

Signs have already been installed in the area, including directional arrows guiding visitors toward the appropriate entrances, exits, and pedestrian routes.

The public is being asked to pay close attention to the posted instructions and cooperate with ushers and other personnel stationed at the site to direct pedestrian traffic.

The Western Wall Heritage Foundation emphasized that it is making efforts to minimize disruption during the months of construction and maintain safe access to the Kosel Plaza while the improvements are underway.

Foundation officials thanked the public for its patience and cooperation, explaining that the project is intended to provide a safer, more accessible, and more dignified entrance for the countless people who come to daven at the Kosel.

The renovations are scheduled to be completed by the upcoming Shavuos, when large crowds traditionally gather at the Kosel for tefillos.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump declared Monday that the approaching November 3 midterm elections will not influence his administration’s strategy toward Iran, predicting that the ongoing conflict will conclude in the near future and that oil prices will plunge once the fighting ends.

Speaking with reporters before departing for a campaign rally in Ohio, Trump expressed confidence that the confrontation with Tehran was nearing its conclusion, despite continuing uncertainty over whether Washington will pursue a diplomatic agreement or launch additional military strikes.

“As soon as the war ends with Iran, which will be very soon, oil will drop like a rock. And it’s going to end very soon,” Trump told reporters.

The president’s remarks came amid mounting regional tensions, including a series of missile attacks by Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen against targets in Saudi Arabia. Recent strikes have reportedly targeted Saudi airports, with one attack resulting in the death of an American citizen.

Asked how the United States intends to respond to the Houthi attacks, Trump sharply criticized the terror group’s conduct but did not announce any immediate retaliatory measures.

“Well, the Houthis are misbehaving very badly. No good.”

The comments come as the Trump administration weighs its next steps against Iran, with the possibility of renewed American military action remaining under consideration even as diplomatic contacts continue.

Last Thursday, Trump indicated that the United States would refrain from launching further attacks against Iran until after the November 3 congressional elections, a decision that raised questions about whether domestic political considerations were influencing the timing of American military operations.

“We are having productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

At the same time, the president portrayed Iran as a country under extraordinary pressure, pointing to its weakened military capabilities and deteriorating economic circumstances. He indicated that Washington had no intention of easing its demands simply because negotiations were underway.

During an appearance at the White House on Friday, Trump again suggested that the conflict could be brought to a conclusion within a relatively short period, making clear that the administration was prepared to employ either diplomatic or military means to achieve its objectives.

“We can do it either way, but it’s very simple – one way or another it’s gonna be over soon,” he declared.

Behind the president’s public statements, American military planners have continued preparing detailed options for a possible return to major combat operations against Iran. According to a New York Times report, the Pentagon has developed plans for attacks on Iranian missile stockpiles, drone production and deployment facilities, energy installations, and military command centers.

One proposal under consideration involves a concentrated bombing campaign lasting approximately three days, with the objective of severely weakening Iran’s ability to conduct further missile and drone attacks. Senior administration officials, including Vice President JD Vance, reportedly reviewed the options during discussions at Camp David.

The military preparations have been accompanied by a significant American buildup in the Middle East, with three aircraft carriers expected to be deployed to the region. The deployment would give Washington substantial additional capabilities should Trump authorize another round of strikes.

According to the report, the president has rejected five previous proposals for major military operations against Iran or the Houthis in recent months, choosing instead to maintain military pressure while leaving room for negotiations.

The diplomatic effort has nevertheless encountered significant obstacles, particularly over Iran’s nuclear program. American negotiators have sought to make restrictions on Tehran’s nuclear ambitions a central component of any agreement, while Iranian representatives have resisted addressing that issue before other disputes are resolved.

The continuing confrontation has also placed substantial pressure on global energy markets. Oil prices climbed above $100 per barrel amid renewed Iranian attacks on commercial shipping and the latest Houthi strikes against Saudi Arabia, underscoring the economic consequences of the conflict as Americans prepare to vote in November.

Iranian attacks in the Strait of Hormuz have further complicated efforts to stabilize the region, disrupting shipping through one of the world’s most important energy corridors. The United States has increased naval operations to protect commercial vessels, although the threat to maritime traffic has persisted.

Meanwhile, the recent Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia have added another potential flashpoint. The strikes have raised concerns that the confrontation could expand beyond Iran and draw additional regional countries into the fighting, even as Washington continues exploring a negotiated end to the war.

A preliminary investigation into the deadly explosion on the Ramim Ridge in northern Israel has revealed that the students involved in the tragedy were hiking along a trail where a warning sign prohibited entry, raising serious questions about how the school outing was permitted to proceed. The explosion, believed to have been caused by an unexploded cluster munition left behind during the war, killed one student and injured 23 others.

Following the tragedy, Israel’s Education Ministry announced Monday evening that school trips scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in areas near the northern border and the northern Golan Heights would be diverted to alternative locations.

School groups already hiking in the affected areas were instructed to leave their routes in coordination with the Education Ministry’s field trip coordination center.

The restrictions were introduced after the explosion during an outing involving students from the ORT Ma’alot Yeshiva High School on the Ramim Ridge, an area near Israel’s northern border that was subjected to extensive rocket and missile fire during the war.

According to initial findings, investigators believe the explosive device was a cluster munition that landed in the area sometime between mid-March and early April.

Students who witnessed the incident reportedly told emergency personnel that they had seen additional unexploded munitions scattered in the vicinity, adding to concerns about the dangers remaining along hiking routes in the region.

Israeli Northern Command officials estimate that thousands of unexploded explosive devices may still be lying across northern Israel as a result of the war, with most believed to have originated from Hezbollah rocket and missile attacks.

The discovery has heightened concerns about the safety of outdoor activities in areas that experienced sustained bombardment, particularly locations where unexploded ordnance may remain concealed among rocks, vegetation, and other natural features.

Education Minister Yoav Kisch initially considered imposing a broader temporary suspension of school excursions throughout northern Israel. Following consultations, officials instead decided to redirect trips away from designated high-risk areas over the next two days.

One of the most troubling findings emerged in a report by Kan News, which revealed that the hiking trail used by the students had a warning sign installed by Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael, the Jewish National Fund.

The sign prohibited entering or remaining on the trail and in surrounding forest areas because restoration work was underway.

KKL-JNF confirmed that the warning remained in effect at the time of the incident, meaning that the restriction had not been lifted when the students from Ma’alot-Tarshiha entered the area.

Despite the posted prohibition, the school’s outing went ahead along the route, and the students were hiking there when the fatal explosion occurred.

The revelation has raised questions about the approval process for the excursion, including whether the school and relevant authorities were aware that the trail was officially closed.

However, a separate report indicated that the students entered the area through another access point where no warning sign had been posted. The Education Ministry maintained that the excursion had been approved as part of the Israel National Trail, adding another layer to the questions surrounding the incident.

Police Commissioner Danny Levy told reporters that, based on his understanding, the school trip had received authorization from the appropriate agencies.

Levy said he was also considering recommending a suspension of school outings in the affected region while investigators determine how the tragedy occurred and whether additional safety measures are necessary.

Further details about the moments preceding the explosion have emerged from accounts provided by students and their families.

According to testimony reported by Ynet, several students discovered the unexploded munition during the hike and began handling it. Some reportedly posed for photographs with the object before the explosion.

Eliyahu Galil, whose son participated in the outing, said his son sent him a photograph of the munition after the incident.

Galil explained that the boys had apparently become excited upon finding the unusual object. According to his understanding of the events, one of the students subsequently placed it inside a backpack, where the explosion later occurred.

Other accounts indicated that the munition may have been handled or partially dismantled before detonating. Investigators are examining the precise sequence of events and the actions that may have triggered the blast.

The explosion set off a major emergency response involving Magen David Adom personnel, police, firefighters, military medical teams and IDF helicopters. Rescue workers faced the additional danger that other unexploded devices might be present nearby.

IDF combat engineering specialists, including personnel from the Yahalom unit, were dispatched to search the surrounding terrain for additional explosive remnants.

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir subsequently instructed Northern Command chief Maj. Gen. Rafi Milo to investigate the circumstances of the explosion and submit his findings as quickly as possible.

The military inquiry is expected to examine the origin of the munition, the presence of additional unexploded devices in the area, and the circumstances that allowed civilians to enter terrain potentially contaminated by wartime explosives.

The tragedy has also renewed attention to warnings issued by State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman concerning Israel’s handling of unexploded ordnance and hazardous areas. A May 2025 report identified deficiencies in planning, funding and the clearance of dangerous explosive materials, although its principal focus was on military and industrial sites rather than open hiking trails affected by rocket fire.

Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu visited wounded students at Rambam Hospital in Haifa on Monday evening, accompanied by Education Minister Kisch, meeting with injured youngsters and their families.

The investigation remains ongoing, with authorities now facing the task of determining how an approved school outing entered a restricted area and what measures will be required to prevent another tragedy involving the thousands of unexploded munitions believed to remain across northern Israel.

{Matzav.com}