The changes made to President Donald Trump’s big tax bill in the Senate would pile trillions onto the nation’s debt load while resulting in even steeper losses in health care coverage, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said in a new analysis, adding to the challenges for Republicans as they try to muscle the bill to passage. The CBO estimates the Senate bill would increase the deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion from 2025 to 2034, a nearly $1 trillion increase over the House-passed bill, which CBO has projected would add $2.4 to the debt over a decade. The analysis also found that 11.8 million more Americans would become uninsured by 2034 if the bill became law, an increase over the scoring for the House-passed version of the bill, which predicts 10.9 million more people would be without health coverage. The stark numbers are yet another obstacle for Republican leaders as they labor to pass Trump’s bill by his self-imposed July 4th deadline. Even before the CBO’s estimate, Republicans were at odds over the contours of the legislation, with some resisting the cost-saving proposals to reduce spending on Medicaid and food aid programs even as other Republicans say those proposals don’t go far enough. Republicans are slashing the programs as a way to help cover the cost of extending some $3.8 trillion in Trump tax breaks put in place during his first term. The push-pull was on vivid display Saturday night as a routine procedural vote to take up the legislation in the Senate was held open for hours as Vice President JD Vance and Republican leaders met with several holdouts. The bill ultimately advanced in a 51-49 vote, but the path ahead is fraught, with voting on amendments still to come. Still, many Republicans are disputing the CBO estimates and the reliability of the office’s work. To hoist the bill to passage, they are using a different budget baseline that assumes the Trump tax cuts expiring in December have already been extended, essentially making them cost-free in the budget. The CBO on Saturday released a separate analysis of the GOP’s preferred approach that found the Senate bill would reduce deficits by about $500 billion. Democrats and economists decry the GOP’s approach as “magic math” that obscures the true costs of the GOP tax breaks. In addition, Democrats note that under the traditional scoring system, the Republican bill bill would violate the Senate’s “Byrd Rule” that forbids the legislation from increasing deficits after 10 years. In a Sunday letter to Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, CBO Director Phillip Swagel said the office estimates that the Finance Committee’s portion of the bill, also known as Title VII, “increases the deficits in years after 2034” under traditional scoring. (AP)
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited Magen David Adom headquarters in Ramla and donates blood.
Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina made a surprising announcement on Sunday, declaring that he will not be running for another term in office. His decision came shortly after he drew heavy criticism from President Trump over his opposition to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, putting the GOP’s hold on a key Senate seat in jeopardy.
Tillis had just cast a vote against moving forward with the signature Trump-backed legislation, citing serious reservations about the bill’s Medicaid-related components. That vote put him at odds with Trump and sparked a wave of political backlash.
“In Washington over the last few years, it’s become increasingly evident that leaders who are willing to embrace bipartisanship, compromise, and demonstrate independent thinking are becoming an endangered species,” Tillis said in a statement Sunday.
“It’s not a hard choice, and I will not be seeking re-election.”
Even before this development, political analysts had identified Tillis as one of the most at-risk Republican senators heading into the next election cycle, second only to Senator Susan Collins of Maine.
President Trump responded strongly on Saturday, slamming Tillis for opposing the bill and signaling that he would support a challenger to unseat him in the Republican primary.
“Looks like Senator Thom Tillis, as usual, wants to tell the Nation that he’s giving them a 68% Tax Increase, as opposed to the Biggest Tax Cut in American History!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Thom Tillis is making a BIG MISTAKE for America, and the Wonderful People of North Carolina!” he added. “Numerous people have come forward wanting to run in the Primary against ‘Senator Thom’ Tillis.”
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Iran’s Grand Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi has issued a fatwa calling on Muslims worldwide to kill Trump and Netanyahu, labeling them “enemies of God.”
JUST IN: Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina says he will not seek reelection after President Trump called for a primary challenge to him over his opposition to the “Big, Beautiful Bill.”
Mamdani says we shouldn’t have billionaires. This guy is going to destroy NYC.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY): “Globalizing the intifada by way of example is not an acceptable phrasing. [Mamdani] is going to have to clarify his position on that as he moves forward.”
Muslim socialist Zohran Mamdani DOUBLES DOWN on plans to kick ICE out of NYC Are you committed to keeping New York a sanctuary city? ZOHRAN: “Absolutely…I will be PROUD to stand up…those days [of arrests] are going to come to an END.”
CNN senior political commentator Scott Jennings delivered a forceful defense of the Supreme Court’s ruling that effectively ended the use of universal injunctions, calling it a major win for President Donald Trump and a blow to judicial overreach – and used a quote from liberal Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan to prove the left’s hackery. Speaking on CNN Saturday Morning Table for Five, Jennings applauded the 6–3 decision, which fell along ideological lines, as a long-overdue correction to the practice of allowing a single district court judge to block a president’s entire national agenda. “Friday was a great day for Donald Trump,” Jennings told the panel, listing the court ruling alongside stock market gains and Middle East peace developments as evidence of a banner week for the president. “The court really clears the way for him to enact the agenda on which he ran.” Jennings bolstered his argument by quoting none other than liberal Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan. “It just can’t be right that one District Judge can stop a nationwide policy in its tracks,” he recited, noting that Kagan had made the remark in 2022 under a Democratic administration — even though she voted against the Supreme Court’s new ruling. “Just goes to show you that some of these folks really are hacks,” Jennings added, taking aim at what he saw as partisan flip-flopping on the bench. Host Abby Phillip pushed back, noting that “the hackery is definitely bipartisan,” pointing out that Republican figures, including former Trump adviser Stephen Miller, had previously celebrated nationwide injunctions when they blocked progressive policies. Still, Jennings stood firm, arguing the change was overdue. “It’s not right that one of these individual district court judges can act like a king or a monarch and stop the elected president from acting,” he said. The ruling, which conservatives had long sought, will dramatically reshape how legal challenges to presidential authority play out in the lower courts — setting the stage for potentially faster, broader execution of executive orders by Trump as he pursues the policies of his second term. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Sparks of a Nation began as a WhatsApp Status—sharing powerful stories, uplifting messages, and sparks of Yiddishkeit. *Now, we’re bringing that same inspiration to your Shabbos with Sparks of a Nation: Shabbos Edition—a beautifully curated, bi-weekly print magazine.* Each issue is designed to uplift and enrich your Shabbos, featuring heartwarming stories, Torah insights, stunning visuals, and meaningful content the whole family can enjoy—all in a format you can hold, savor, and share. Read more: https://sparksofanation.com/sparks/introducing-sparks-of-a-nation-shabbos-edition-now-at-your-doorstep/
In a televised interview aired on Sunday, President Donald Trump shared that he has secured a buyer for TikTok — a group of “very wealthy people” — though he declined to identify them, promising to reveal their names in roughly two weeks.
Trump discussed the matter during an appearance on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo,” where he spoke at length about the future of the popular social media app.
Earlier in the month, Trump announced that he had signed an executive order extending the deadline by which ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, must sell off its U.S. operations. The new extension provides an additional 90 days, shifting the deadline to September 17, 2025.
“I’ve just signed the Executive Order extending the Deadline for the TikTok closing for 90 days (September 17, 2025),” he wrote on Truth Social.
This marks the third time Trump has postponed enforcement of the TikTok ban passed by Congress, which was originally slated to begin in January.
The initial delay came on January 20, his first day in office, when TikTok temporarily went offline following the ban’s implementation and a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court. Trump stepped in with an executive order to halt enforcement.
The second extension came in April, when administration officials believed they were on the verge of finalizing an agreement to transition TikTok into a domestically-owned entity. That plan ultimately unraveled after China withdrew its support in response to new U.S. tariffs.
Uncertainty remains over how many more times Trump might delay the ban as talks continue in hopes of reaching a binding agreement on TikTok’s future, especially given its ownership by China-based ByteDance.
Since joining TikTok last year, Trump has gained a following of more than 15 million users and credited the app with boosting his popularity among younger Americans. Back in January, he remarked that he has a “warm spot for TikTok.”
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President Donald Trump says he is not planning to extend a 90-day pause on tariffs on most nations beyond July 9, when the negotiating period he set would expire, and his administration will notify countries that the trade penalties will take effect unless there are deals with the United States. Letters will start going out “pretty soon” before the approaching deadline, he said. “We’ll look at how a country treats us — are they good, are they not so good — some countries we don’t care, we’ll just send a high number out,” Trump told Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” during a wide-ranging interview taped Friday and broadcast Sunday. Those letters, he said, would say, “Congratulations, we’re allowing you to shop in the United States of America, you’re going to pay a 25% tariff, or a 35% or a 50% or 10%.” Trump had played down the deadline at a White House news conference Friday by noting how difficult it would be to work out separate deals with each nation. The administration had set a goal of reaching 90 trade deals in 90 days. Negotiations continue, but “there’s 200 countries, you can’t talk to all of them,” he said in the interview. Trump also discussed a potential TikTok deal, relations with China, the strikes on Iran and his immigration crackdown. Here are the key takeaways: Few details on possible TikTok deal A group of wealthy investors will make an offer to buy TikTok, Trump said, hinting at a deal that could safeguard the future of the popular social media platform, which is owned by China’s ByteDance. “We have a buyer for TikTok, by the way. I think I’ll need, probably, China approval, and I think President Xi (Jinping) will probably do it,” Trump said. Trump did not offer any details about the investors, calling them “a group of very wealthy people.” “I’ll tell you in about two weeks,” he said when asked for specifics. It’s a time frame Trump often cites, most recently about a decision on whether the U.S. military would get directly involved in the war between Israel and Iran. The U.S. struck Iranian nuclear sites just days later. Earlier this month, Trump signed an executive order to keep TikTok running in the U.S. for 90 more days to give his administration more time to broker a deal to bring the social media platform under American ownership. It is the third time Trump extended the deadline. The first one was through an executive order on Jan. 20, his first day in office, after the platform went dark briefly when a national ban — approved by Congress and upheld by the Supreme Court — took effect. Trump insists US ‘obliterated’ Iran’s nuclear facilities U.S. strikes on Iran “obliterated” its nuclear facilities, Trump insisted, and he said whoever leaked a preliminary intelligence assessment suggesting Tehran’s nuclear program had been set back only a few months should be prosecuted. Trump said Iran was “weeks away” from achieving a nuclear weapon before he ordered the strikes. “It was obliterated like nobody’s ever seen before,” Trump said. “And that meant the end to their nuclear ambitions, at least for a period of time.” Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Sunday on X that Trump “exaggerated to cover up and conceal the truth.” Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” that his […]
In a deeply troubling incident, seforim authored by Hagaon Rav Avrohom Gurwicz, rosh yeshiva of Gateshead Yeshiva and one of the senior gedolim of our generation, were seemingly removed under suspicious circumstances from multiple batei medrash in the Lakewood, NJ region, Matzav.com learned exclusively this past week.
The disappearance of the ענפי ארז and וענפי ארזי אל volumes comes just months after Rav Gurwicz publicly endorsed participation in the WZO elections on behalf of the Eretz HaKodesh party. Subsequently, an American rosh yeshiva sharply critiqued Rav Gurwicz’s position at a public gathering, a move that apparently led to some doing the unthinkable.
Rav Gurwicz is recognized as one of the foremost Torah leaders of our time, revered by the greatest gedolim and talmidei chachamim across the globe. His seforim are staples in yeshivos and batei medrash around the world, treated with utmost reverence by the world’s greatest talmidei chachomim.
Thankfully, in at least one beis medrash where the seforim had vanished, they were quietly restored to the shelves, a step toward repairing the bizayon haTorah.
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Iran’s nuclear program could be back online “in a matter of months,” despite punishing U.S. and Israeli attacks on key facilities, UN atomic watchdog chief Rafael Grossi warned in an interview — contradicting claims from President Donald Trump and Israeli officials that Iran’s nuclear ambitions had been set back for years. Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told CBS News that although damage to Iranian nuclear sites was “serious,” critical capabilities remained intact. “Some is still standing,” he said, adding that Iran could have “a few cascades of centrifuges spinning and producing enriched uranium” in months, or possibly less. His comments mirror a preliminary Pentagon intelligence report leaked last week that concluded U.S. strikes on Natanz, Fordo, and Isfahan had failed to destroy underground facilities and left most of Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile untouched. That assessment, rejected by the White House, suggested Iran was now about six months from nuclear breakout, compared to three months before the U.S. airstrikes. Grossi went further, warning that IAEA inspectors cannot verify whether Tehran secretly moved part of its estimated 408-kilogram stockpile of uranium enriched to 60% purity — material which, if further refined, could fuel more than nine nuclear bombs. “We don’t know where this material could be,” he acknowledged, urging Iran to grant inspectors immediate access. So far, Tehran has refused. Iranian lawmakers voted to suspend cooperation with the IAEA and rejected Grossi’s request to inspect the damaged facilities, especially at Fordo, a key enrichment hub. “We need to be in a position to ascertain, to confirm what is there, and where is it and what happened,” Grossi told CBS. Trump, in a separate interview on Fox News, dismissed concerns about missing nuclear material, insisting, “They didn’t move anything,” and arguing Iran lacked time to hide its stockpile ahead of the strikes. Israel began its bombing campaign on June 13, aiming to cripple Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs and to eliminate senior Iranian military figures. The United States followed suit on June 22, hitting three additional nuclear-related sites. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, conceded that damage was “serious,” but declined to share specifics, while Trump claimed the U.S.-Israeli campaign had set Iran’s nuclear work back “decades.” IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Effi Defrin echoed that optimism, telling reporters Israel believed the strikes had delayed Iran’s program by “years,” though he acknowledged it was “still too early” to measure the full impact. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Socialist NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is standing firm on his controversial plan to raise property taxes on what he calls “richer and whiter neighborhoods” — and went even further Sunday, saying billionaires shouldn’t exist at all. Appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Mamdani claimed his tax plan was “not driven by race” — despite his campaign platform explicitly targeting white homeowners. “That is just a description of what we see right now. It’s not driven by race. It’s more of an assessment of what neighborhoods are being under-taxed versus over-taxed,” Mamdani said. “We’ve seen time and again that this is a property tax system that is inequitable. It’s one that actually Eric Adams ran on, saying that he would change in the first 100 days,” he added. Brushing aside concerns that his rhetoric could turn off voters, Mamdani insisted he’s “just naming things as they are.” While warning that New York City’s tax base is shrinking due to residents fleeing to neighboring states, Mamdani argued that hiking taxes on the wealthy is the only way to save the city. “We are talking about our tax base growing smaller and smaller each day, with New Yorkers leaving to New Jersey, to Pennsylvania, to Connecticut,” Mamdani bemoaned. “If we do not meet this moment, we will lose the city.” Although he acknowledged that he lacks the authority to unilaterally raise taxes without Albany’s approval, Mamdani said his goal is to normalize radical ideas. He explained that his role is to take what “is considered a nonstarter and make it seem inevitable.” Mamdani also took direct aim at New York’s wealthiest residents, saying: “I don’t think that we should have billionaires, frankly.” New York City currently has more billionaires than any other city in the world — 123 in total. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
The IDF on Sunday ordered mass evacuations across northern Gaza ahead of an intensified assault against Hamas, even as U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up public pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to lock down a ceasefire deal. The evacuation directive, issued in Arabic posts and in text messages sent directly to Palestinian phones, covers the Jabalia area and most Gaza City districts — neighborhoods that had already been designated as no-go zones weeks ago. Residents were told to head toward the Mawasi area in southern Gaza, a narrow coastal zone where tens of thousands have already sought refuge. “The IDF is operating with extreme force in these areas, and these military operations will escalate, intensify, and extend westward to the city center to destroy the capabilities of the terrorist organizations,” IDF Arabic-language spokesperson Col. Avichay Adraee posted on X, warning civilians that Hamas was “bringing a disaster upon you” and urging them not to return to what he called “dangerous combat zones.” The stepped-up warnings come as Netanyahu convenes top security officials Sunday for a progress briefing on the military campaign. According to a senior security source, commanders will tell the prime minister they are nearing key objectives but caution that further expanding the fighting could jeopardize the fate of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza. Meanwhile, Arab mediators from Egypt and Qatar, working with U.S. officials, are once again pushing to restart stalled ceasefire talks, seeking to end the 20-month conflict and secure the release of remaining Israeli hostages. Trump, for his part, has gone on the offensive, posting early Sunday on Truth Social: “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!! DJT,” while also repeating calls for Israeli prosecutors to drop Netanyahu’s corruption trial, arguing the prime minister’s legal troubles should not derail a hostage deal. A Hamas official told Reuters the group had relayed to mediators its willingness to return to negotiations but stood firm on its core demand: any ceasefire must include an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a full end to the war. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Republican mayoral hopeful Curtis Sliwa is drawing fierce criticism for stubbornly staying in a race that many warn could hand New York City to a radical socialist bent on dismantling the economic foundations of America’s largest metropolis. Sliwa, speaking Sunday on WABC’s “Cats Roundtable,” noted that Zohran Mamdani — a self-proclaimed Democratic socialist — has surged thanks to a powerful digital campaign targeting younger voters, but said his win his ultimately Mayor Adams’ fault. Mamdani, once a blip at just 1% in February, has since clinched the Democratic nomination and is poised to lead a city synonymous with free enterprise and capitalism. “There is no Zohran Mamdani if Eric Adams had done a decent job,” Sliwa argued, seeking to shift blame onto the embattled mayor. But critics say Sliwa’s refusal to drop out of the race — even as Adams runs as an independent — will fracture opposition votes and all but guarantee Mamdani’s victory. While billionaire grocery magnate John Catsimatidis is rallying wealthy donors to fight Mamdani’s push for government-run supermarkets and a far-left economic vision, Sliwa is defiant. “Unless they figure out a way to put me in a pine box and bury me six feet under,” he told Catsimatidis, “I’m not going anywhere.” Observers say that stance amounts to political malpractice. By clinging to a candidacy with slim prospects, Sliwa risks clearing the path for Mamdani to remake New York in a socialist mold — a move that could devastate business, drive out investment, and permanently alter the character of the city. Instead of working to build a broad coalition to stop Mamdani’s radical agenda, Sliwa seems intent on pursuing a personal crusade, even if it means presiding over the ashes of a once-thriving economic powerhouse. Ultimately, history may remember Curtis Sliwa not as the crime-fighting Guardian Angel, but as the enabler who handed New York City to a hard-left ideologue on a silver platter. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of Rav Tzvi Hirsch Weiskopf zt”l, a respected talmid chacham from the Givat Shaul neighborhood of Yerushalayim who was niftar at the age of 48 after an extended illness.
Rav Tzvi was born in Haifa in 1977 to Rav Eliezer and Mrs. Tova Weiskopf. He grew up in the chareidi kehillah of Haifa, where he was educated and nurtured in Torah and yiras Shamayim. As a young man, he learned in Yeshiva LeTze’irim Or Yisrael in Petach Tikvah, where he quickly stood out for his diligence and refined middos.
He later advanced to Yeshivas Chevron in Yerushalayim, where he became endeared to the roshei yeshiva and rebbe’im, and continued to grow in Torah and avodah.
Upon reaching marriageable age, he married Mrs. Chaya Naomi, daughter of Rav Yaakov Dov Frank of Yerushalayim, founder of the Tziyum V’Luchos Frank printing house. The couple established a home built on the foundations of Torah and yiras Shamayim in Givat Shaul.
Rav Tzvi was known for his profound diligence in Torah, and he devoted himself to the editing of kisvei kodesh at Machon Yerushalayim, playing a critical role in preserving and disseminating Torah literature. He also stood steadfastly at the side of his wife, who runs the well-known seforim typesetting and editing enterprise N. Weiskopf, which has brought countless seforim to print.
He was a man of sterling integrity and deep humility, beloved by all who knew him. His avodas hamiddos, his constant toil in Torah, and his unwavering emunah were hallmarks of his character.
Four years ago, he fell seriously ill and endured painful suffering with quiet strength and acceptance.
Rav Tzvi is survived by his parents, his devoted wife, and seven children, the oldest of whom recently got married.
The levayah took place today at the Shamgar Funeral Home followed by kevurah on Har HaMenuchos.
Yehi zichro boruch.
{Matzav.com Israel}
Russia launched its biggest aerial attack against Ukraine overnight, a Ukrainian official said Sunday, part of an escalating bombing campaign that has further dashed hopes for a breakthrough in efforts to end the 3-year-old war. Russia fired a total of 537 aerial weapons at Ukraine, including 477 drones and decoys and 60 missiles, Ukraine’s air force said. Of these, 249 were shot down and 226 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed. The onslaught was “the most massive airstrike” on the country since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, taking into account both drones and various types of missiles, Yuriy Ihnat, head of communications for Ukraine’s air force, told The Associated Press. The attack targeted several regions, including western Ukraine, far from the front line. Poland and allied countries scrambled aircraft to ensure the safety of Polish airspace, the country’s air force said. Three people were killed in each of the drone strikes in the Kherson, Kharkiv and the Dnipropetrovsk regions, according to the three governors. Another person was killed by an airstrike in Kostyantynivka, local officials said. In addition to aerial attacks, a man died when Russian troops shelled the city of Kherson, and the body of a 70-year-old woman was found under the rubble of a nine-story building hit by Russian shelling in the Zaporizhzhia region. In the far-western Lviv region, a large fire broke out at an industrial facility in the city of Drohobych following a drone attack that also cut electricity to parts of the city. Ukraine’s air force said one of its F-16 warplanes supplied by its Western partners crashed after sustaining damage while shooting down air targets. The pilot died. Russian troops reportedly advance in Donetsk Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had shot down three Ukrainian drones overnight. Two people were wounded in another Ukrainian drone attack on the city of Bryansk in western Russia, regional Gov. Alexander Bogomaz said Sunday morning, adding that seven more Ukrainian drones had been shot down over the region. Meanwhile, Russia claimed Sunday that it had taken control of the village of Novoukrainka in the partially Russian-occupied Donetsk region. Russian forces have been slowly grinding forward at some points on the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, though their incremental gains have been costly in terms of troop casualties and damaged armor. In other developments, Russia’s foreign intelligence chief, Sergei Naryshkin, said he had spoken on the phone with his U.S. counterpart, CIA Director John Ratcliffe. “I had a phone call with my American counterpart and we reserved for each other the possibility to call at any time and discuss issues of interest to us,” Naryshkin said in remarks to state TV reporter Pavel Zarubin, who posted them on his Telegram channel on Sunday. Sunday’s attacks follow Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comments two days ago that Moscow is ready for a fresh round of direct peace talks in Istanbul. Two recent rounds of talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul were brief and yielded no progress on reaching a settlement. Zelenskyy withdraws Ukraine from an anti-land mine pact Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree to withdraw Ukraine from the Ottawa Convention banning antipersonnel land mines, a Ukrainian lawmaker said Sunday. The move follows similar recent steps by the Baltic states and Poland. The 1997 treaty prohibits the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of antipersonnel […]
The chareidi parties in the Knesset are once again threatening to halt their support for coalition-sponsored legislation unless progress is made on a bill that would officially exempt yeshiva students from military service.
According to a report by Channel 12, the boycott would apply specifically to private member bills brought forward by coalition MKs. Though the outlet did not cite specific sources, the move is said to mirror tactics used earlier this year to pressure the government into acting on the long-sought exemptions.
Tensions over the delayed legislation flared again this month, prompting the chareidi factions to briefly support a proposal to dissolve the Knesset and call for early elections. That threat was withdrawn at the last moment following a compromise, which led to the vote’s defeat.
Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has reportedly turned to Likud MK Yuli Edelstein, head of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, to help steer the legislation forward. Even if the bill doesn’t reach a final vote in the near term, Netanyahu is said to be pressing for a formal draft to be submitted soon.
While Edelstein is reportedly dissatisfied with the compromise that was brokered with the chareidi parties, he ultimately agreed to it due to sensitive security considerations. According to the report, he feared internal political instability could jeopardize U.S. involvement in military action against Iran.
Now that the 12-day conflict with Iran has ended, the chareidi factions are renewing their demands to move the exemption bill forward in the Knesset.
Organizations advocating for the enlistment of chareidim are expected to meet with Edelstein in the coming days, Channel 12 added. These groups have already expressed dissatisfaction with the current compromise proposal and plan to push for significant changes.
On Friday, Netanyahu held a conversation with Edelstein to brief him on recent security developments. The two also discussed the draft legislation regarding the chareidi exemption during that call.
Sources close to Edelstein that he intends to revisit the framework with chareidi leaders in an attempt to make “improvements” to the current compromise.
Edelstein has previously maintained that any draft law passed through his committee must include penalties for chareidi men who ignore enlistment orders. The current compromise, however, offers a more lenient version, with lighter consequences and scaled-back mandatory enlistment requirements for the chareidi public.
Adding fuel to the fire, MK Moshe Gafni of Degel HaTorah provoked backlash last week when he remarked that he fails to understand why Israel is still engaged in fighting in Gaza.
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