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The IDF stated Wednesday that a soldier who petitioned Israel’s High Court of Justice over his prison sentence was not punished for wearing a “Moshiach patch,” but rather for what the military described as a disciplinary infraction.

In a statement released by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, the military said the case involved conduct that harmed military discipline and was unrelated to uniform appearance regulations.

“The soldier was tried for an offense of harming discipline, and not for a violation related to appearance and dress code. According to the military disciplinary regulations, a senior judicial officer holding the rank of colonel is authorized to impose up to 30 days of military imprisonment for such an offense. The IDF responded directly to the appeal submitted yesterday afternoon by the soldier’s legal representative,” the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement.

The clarification came after the soldier submitted an emergency petition to the High Court against IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and the Military Advocate General. The filing was made one day after the soldier’s sentence was reduced by ten days by his regional commander, leaving a remaining sentence of 20 days in military prison.

Through his attorney, Ran Cohen-Rochberger, the soldier argued in the petition that his imprisonment is unlawful and exceeds the authority granted under existing military regulations.

According to the defense, the commander of the Nachal Brigade did not possess the legal authority to impose such a severe sentence on a combat soldier for what they characterized as a first-time disciplinary matter connected only to “appearance and dress.”

Meanwhile, parents of soldiers serving in the Nachal Brigade announced plans to intensify protests in response to what they described as indifference and insensitivity on the part of senior military leadership.

The parents said demonstrations in the coming days would expand and be directed toward the homes and offices of senior IDF officials and decision-makers.

“We will not be silent and we will not rest. The system is abandoning its soldiers and harming the spearhead of the IDF because of ego and pettiness. We demand immediate intervention – release the soldier from prison immediately!” the parents’ protest headquarters said in a statement.

{Matzav.com}

A reportedly difficult phone conversation between President Trump and Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu exposed sharp disagreements over a developing proposal aimed at ending the fighting with Iran and opening a new round of negotiations, according to a report Wednesday night by Barak Ravid on Channel 12 News.

At the center of the discussion was a new draft framework being advanced by several Arab and Muslim countries in an effort to broker a compromise formula between the United States and Iran that could prevent the war from reigniting. Three sources familiar with the conversation provided details of the exchange.

According to the report, Trump told Netanyahu that mediators are working on what he described as a “letter of intent” that both the United States and Iran would sign.

An American source familiar with the details of the call told Channel 12 that the proposed document could pave the way for ending the war and launching an additional 30 days of negotiations over issues including reopening the Strait of Hormuz and addressing Iran’s nuclear program.

Netanyahu, however, reportedly expressed deep skepticism about the initiative and argued that the United States should continue applying military pressure on Iran in order to further weaken the regime.

Two Israeli sources familiar with the contents of the call said the conversation was tense and that Trump and Netanyahu sharply disagreed over how to proceed regarding Iran.

The American source added that Israel’s ambassador in Washington later updated several members of Congress and indicated that Netanyahu emerged from the conversation deeply concerned about the developing negotiations between Washington and Tehran.

Another senior American source who is also uneasy about the talks remarked, “Bibi’s hair went up in flames after that conversation with Trump.”

When Trump was asked Wednesday about his conversation with Netanyahu, he responded, “Netanyahu will do whatever I tell him to do regarding Iran.”

The Prime Minister’s Office declined to comment on the report. A spokesperson for the Israeli Embassy denied that Ambassador Yechiel Leiter told American lawmakers that Netanyahu had come away worried from the call. The White House also declined to comment.

Meanwhile, Qatar, along with mediators including Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Egypt, is continuing efforts to formulate an agreement between the United States and Iran.

According to two Arab officials and one Israeli source, Qatar recently presented both Washington and Tehran with a revised draft proposal intended to end the conflict.

A fourth source claimed the document was not an entirely separate Qatari initiative, but rather a Pakistani draft that the Qataris modified.

One Arab official said Qatar dispatched a delegation to Tehran in recent days to discuss the proposal, while Pakistan also reportedly sent representatives to the Iranian capital.

The goal of the initiative is said to be securing concessions from Iran on its nuclear program while creating a framework for the gradual release of frozen Iranian assets held overseas.

All three sources cautioned that it remains far from certain that Iran will agree to the proposal, raising questions about whether Netanyahu’s concerns are ultimately justified.

A senior Qatari official responded to the report by saying, “Qatar supports the mediation efforts being led by Pakistan. We continue to consistently support efforts to reduce escalation for the sake of the region and its people.”

A Democratic congressional candidate in Texas is facing fierce backlash after her campaign promoted inflammatory rhetoric calling for an immigration detention center to be converted into a “prison for American Zionists” that would include a castration facility.

Maureen Galindo, a therapist who finished first in the Democratic primary for a South Texas House seat, drew outrage after her campaign posted the remarks on Instagram while accusing her runoff opponent of participating in alleged Zionist trafficking schemes.

Galindo’s campaign claimed that if she is elected to Congress, she would pursue legislation targeting Zionism.

“When Maureen gets into Congress, she’ll write legislation so that all Zionism and support of Zionism is undoubtedly Anti-Semitic, since it’s Zionism harming the Semites,” her campaign wrote on Instagram last week.

The post then escalated further, declaring:

“She’ll turn Karnes ICE Detention Center into a prison for American Zionists and former ICE officers for human trafficking. (lt will also be a castration processing center for pedophiles which will probably be most of the Zionists).”

The Karnes Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility has frequently been the focus of demonstrations by progressive activists opposed to ICE policies.

The remarks came as Galindo’s campaign attempted to rebut claims by her Democratic opponent, Johnny Garcia, that she supports putting Jews into warehouse-style detention facilities.

Critics quickly pointed out that her own language about imprisoning Zionists in detention centers closely resembled the accusations she was trying to deny.

“The standard that Democrats rightly apply to right-wing antisemites must apply equally to left-wing Jew-haters,” the watchdog group StopAntisemitism said in a statement. “Democratic leaders must clearly, publicly denounce these bigots infecting their party without hedging.

“They must decline to appear on platforms with Hasan Piker. They must stop winking at extremist voices and truly stand for the principles they claim to stand for.”

Galindo led the Democratic primary in March with 29.2% of the vote, while Garcia received 27%, sending both candidates into a runoff election scheduled for next Tuesday after neither secured a majority.

The two candidates are competing for Texas’ 35th Congressional District, which stretches from San Antonio toward the Austin suburbs. The district is currently represented by Rep. Greg Casar, though Republicans recently redrew the district’s boundaries in hopes of making the seat more competitive.

“Instead of focusing on table-kitchen issues my opponent is pushing conspiracy theories and hateful rhetoric. That’s why Republicans are spending to boost her campaign,” Garcia wrote Tuesday on X.

Garcia has argued that Republican-linked groups are attempting to elevate Galindo’s candidacy through outside spending. Much of that attention has focused on Lead Left PAC, an obscure political organization that has reportedly spent $428,713 supporting Galindo, according to the latest Federal Election Commission filings.

Democrats contend the actual amount may be significantly higher. Records indicate the PAC has spent more than $1 million across three Democratic House primaries.

FEC filings also show that before the March primary, Galindo herself had raised less than $10,000.

“At a time when antisemitism is at historic levels, Republicans’ dirty campaign tricks aren’t just cynical, they’re extremely dangerous,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesperson Madison Andrus told The Post.

“Republicans are spending nearly $1 million to uplift a violent antisemite — no matter what your politics are, using virulent antisemitism for your own partisan gain is nothing short of disgusting.”

National Republican Congressional Committee spokesperson Christian Martinez mocked the increasingly bitter Democratic primary fight.

“Democrats Johnny Garcia and Maureen Galindo are tearing each other apart in a full-blown primary civil war, turning their own races into a circular firing squad.”

Martinez also took aim at Democratic leadership, saying House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ preferred candidates were struggling badly this election cycle.

“Hakeem Jeffries’ pathetic handpicked candidates were already staggering through the cycle with embarrassing fundraising numbers, zero grassroots energy, and no real support from Texans,” he told The Post.

Campaign mailers backing Galindo have highlighted her support for impeaching President Trump and dismantling ICE.

Galindo has also called for Garcia, a former Bexar County public information officer, to be tried for treason.

Throughout the campaign, Galindo has repeatedly attacked Zionists and has also targeted “Jews who own Hollywood,” echoing a widely condemned antisemitic trope.

{Matzav.com}

In two undercover operations carried out within less than 12 hours on Wednesday, soldiers from the Duvdevan Unit arrested two wanted terrorists in Qabatiya and Shechem (Nablus).

During one operation, the unit’s troops arrested a suspect in the village of Qabatiya, in the Menashe Brigade’s area of responsibility. The suspect had allegedly been working to advance terrorist operations and was planning to carry out a terror attack in the immediate timeframe.

In a separate operation, forces arrested another suspect in Shechem, in the Samaria Brigade’s area of responsibility, for allegedly advancing terrorist activity.

The detainees were transferred to the Shin Bet for interrogation.

{Matzav.com}

Police arrested a suspect Wednesday evening following a large-scale manhunt after a 52-year-old yungerman was fatally stabbed inside Kollel Chazon Ish on Rechov HaAri in Bnei Brak.

The victim, Rabbi Yishai Por זצ”ל, was attacked during the afternoon hours inside the kollel. According to police, the suspect fled the scene immediately after the stabbing, while emergency medical personnel evacuated the victim to a hospital in critical condition. He was pronounced dead a short time later.

Following the attack, Dan District Commander Elad Klein conducted a special situational assessment at the scene, and the investigation was handed over to the district’s major crimes unit.

Initial findings indicate that the incident was criminal in nature and that the suspect — a 52-year-old homeless man — was previously acquainted with the victim. Police said there had been no prior complaints filed by the victim against the suspect.

After the suspect escaped, police launched an extensive search operation. A short while later, officers from the Bnei Brak–Ramat Gan station, working together with police in Beit Shemesh, located and arrested the suspect in Beit Shemesh. He was taken in for questioning.

In an unusual move aimed at allowing the victim to be buried later Wednesday night, the forensic institute in Abu Kabir reopened specially after hours in order to process the body and avoid delaying the levayah.

According to information published by Chadashot HaPargod and attributed to avreichim who were present in the kollel and witnessed the events firsthand, the background to the shocking attack stemmed from a strange dispute that had developed over the past week.

A troubled individual known in the area had reportedly confronted the victim repeatedly regarding the study of the writings of the Rambam.

According to witnesses, the suspect claimed that it was forbidden to study the Rambam’s works. Rabbi Por, described as a righteous and upright avreich known for his tremendous diligence in learning, reportedly continued his regular sedorim and immersed himself in Torah without responding to the provocations.

Witnesses said that on Tuesday night, the suspect approached the victim and ominously warned him that because he continued studying the Rambam’s writings, “he sees that he will not complete his year.”

On Wednesday, that threat tragically became reality.

According to reports, the suspect entered the bais medrash during learning hours armed with a weapon, approached Rabbi Por’s shtender, and stabbed him to death in a brutal attack.

One of the most heartbreaking details of the tragedy is that the murder reportedly took place in front of the victim’s 13-year-old son, who had been sitting beside his father during the sacred moments of Torah study and witnessed the horrifying attack unfold.