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Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu dismissed speculation of friction with President Donald Trump during an exclusive interview with Fox News on Sunday, insisting that the close partnership between Israel and the United States remains intact and that both leaders continue to stand united on the most critical issues, especially Iran.

Addressing reports of strained ties, Netanyahu said there is no meaningful disagreement between the two governments. “I don’t think there is a rift between us. Unlike other alliances, Israel and America fight shoulder to shoulder. Ninety-nine percent of the time, the president and I see eye to eye.”

Asked about Trump’s recent comment that Netanyahu “knows who the boss is,” the prime minister downplayed the remark, emphasizing that he and the president continue to enjoy “excellent relations” and remain fully aligned on the shared goal of preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear power.

Netanyahu also issued a firm warning to the Iranian regime following reports that Tehran has resumed reconstruction work and may have violated previous understandings at tunnel sites near Natanz.

“Deal or no deal, as long as I am prime minister of Israel, Iran will not have nuclear weapons,” he declared.

The conversation later shifted to developments in American politics, including what Netanyahu described as a weakening of support for Israel within certain sectors of the United States.

Responding to a question about Jewish elected officials who have criticized his government’s policies while facing mounting pressure from progressive activists, Netanyahu argued that they have allowed themselves to be influenced by political trends.

“They allow themselves to be dragged along by unreasonable protests and toxic ideology,” he said. “I don’t think this trend will last. America can try socialism. We tried it in Israel in the past, and it simply didn’t work. I chose to pursue a free-market economy, and it has worked much better.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu’s office is reportedly working to ensure the Knesset formally dissolves before the upcoming election campaign, amid concerns that failing to pass a dissolution law could leave him vulnerable to being replaced through a constructive vote of no confidence while Israelis are still heading to the polls.

According to reports, officials in Netanyahu’s office held discussions over the weekend with Knesset Legal Adviser Sagit Afik after raising concerns that if the Knesset merely enters election recess without formally dissolving itself, the current government would not automatically become a caretaker government.

Under such a scenario, legal officials were reportedly told, the Knesset could still convene during the election period and approve a constructive no-confidence motion, replacing the prime minister and installing a new government before the election is even held.

The Prime Minister’s Office is said to be particularly concerned about the period following the Likud primaries. Officials fear that MKs who receive unrealistic spots on the party’s electoral slate—or fail to secure a place altogether—could join efforts to topple Netanyahu, potentially alongside four coalition lawmakers who have already been acting more like members of the opposition.

To prevent that possibility, Likud is seeking to advance legislation formally dissolving the Knesset before the election campaign begins. Coalition officials believe that once the government assumes caretaker status, it would no longer be possible to remove the prime minister through a constructive vote of no confidence during the campaign.

At the same time, a dispute has emerged between coalition leaders and the Knesset’s legal advisers over when the election recess should begin. Afik maintains that, under the accepted legal interpretation, the recess must start 100 days before Election Day. Coalition leaders, however, are seeking several additional days to complete a series of legislative initiatives before lawmakers adjourn.

Meanwhile, officials in United Torah Judaism have indicated they may withhold support for a bill to dissolve the Knesset if the recess begins on July 17. Instead, the party is pressing to postpone the start of the recess until July 27.

Israeli Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich declared Sunday that the proposed Basic Law on Torah study will not provide an exemption from military service, insisting that he and his party successfully blocked earlier versions of the legislation that could have been interpreted that way. Speaking at the Yisroel Hayom Conference, Smotrich also launched a blistering attack on Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and defended the government’s handling of both the economy and the war.

In an interview with Amit Segal, the Religious Zionism chairman accused Baharav-Miara of serious misconduct, saying, “Gali Baharav-Miara should be investigated criminally for breach of trust and abuse of her office. Zini and Gofman should file a personal defamation lawsuit against her for slandering them.”

Smotrich continued his criticism, arguing that the attorney general has become a political figure rather than an impartial legal official. “She is a political player, the chairwoman of an opposition party who is imposing her views and agenda through force and violence on the overwhelming majority of Israeli citizens,” he said. Turning to Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu’s criminal trial, Smotrich asserted that “Netanyahu’s acquittal is not nearly enough,” adding that “all those who framed him throughout the process in the police and the State Attorney’s Office, including Baharav-Miara, should be held accountable before the Israeli public and sent to prison.”

Addressing Israel’s economy, Smotrich argued that the country’s financial performance remains strong despite the ongoing war on seven fronts and said current economic indicators justify more substantial interest rate cuts. “Look at the shekel, the stock market, high-tech, the labor market, and inflation, which is within the target range,” he said. He added, “Our government has done an outstanding job on security and the war. We fought a war on seven fronts with fantastic results—not perfect, but our strategic, geopolitical, and security position is far better than it was on October 6.”

Asked about the proposed Basic Law on Torah study, Smotrich said he opposed earlier drafts because they could have been interpreted as exempting bnei yeshivah from military service. “There was a very bad Basic Law on Torah study that could have been understood to mean that Torah study exempts someone from military service. We opposed it and told the chareidim: ‘Over our dead bodies’—and we won.” He stressed that the current version “unequivocally does not allow draft evasion and does not come at the expense of other values.”

According to Smotrich, one of the law’s goals is to protect yeshivos hesder from legal challenges by opposition groups. He argued that Israel must balance competing national values, saying, “There is a value called equality, there is the value of military service, employment, core curriculum studies, and there is also the value of Torah study—and they must be balanced.” He dismissed warnings from Finance Ministry professionals about potential economic consequences as “complete ignorance.”

Discussing the war in Gaza, Smotrich said Israel has made substantial progress but has not yet completed its mission. “All the hostages have returned home, both the living and the deceased. We control between 60% and 70% of the Gaza Strip, and there is international commitment to dismantling Hamas and demilitarizing Gaza,” he said, adding, “There is no reconstruction without demilitarization.”

Smotrich also urged Prime Minister Netanyahu to authorize additional Jewish communities in the territories under Israeli control. “I call on the Prime Minister: Let us manage the settlement enterprise and establish at least three new communities.” He argued that territorial expansion is the key to defeating Israel’s enemies. “The enemy understands only territory. Want to instill a sense of defeat and the price of making a mistake in the enemy? Take territory. Want to instill a sense of victory among us? Take territory.” He concluded, “Take territory, build communities there, strengthen your security. That is the picture of victory.”

The Badatz of the Eida Hachareidis has issued a formal ruling on a question that has recently generated discussion among the city’s rabbanim: Should the city’s name be written as “Tiveria” ending with an alef or “Tiveriah” ending with a hei? During the same gathering, the Badatz also released a sharply worded public proclamation protesting what it described as serious breaches of kedushah in areas near the city’s beaches and the tziyun of Rabi Meir Baal Hanes.

The special session was led by Rav Avrohom Yitzchok Ullman, a member of the Badatz and Rav of Yerushalayim’s Givat Shaul neighborhood. After reviewing the matter, the beis din ruled that the proper spelling is “Tiveriah,” ending with a hei. Rav Ullman based the decision on the teshuvos of the Minchas Yitzchok, which he cited as the authoritative source for the ruling.

The question is not merely academic. The spelling of a city’s name carries practical halachic significance, particularly in the preparation of gittin and kesubos. As a result, many had sought guidance from leading poskim regarding the correct form to use.

The issue has become increasingly relevant as the city’s chareidi population continues to grow amid Israel’s housing shortage. In recent years, communities affiliated with Toldos Aharon and Satmar—both under the umbrella of the Eida Hachareidis—have established a presence in Tiveriah, joining longstanding communities such as Sanz and Karlin, which have maintained educational institutions in the city for many years.

The meeting was convened following a delegation of rabbanim and community leaders from Tiveriah, including the local representative of the Toldos Aharon Rebbe, who appeared before the Badatz to express alarm over what they described as increasing michsholim near the city’s waterfront, particularly in the vicinity of the kever of Rabi Meir Baal Hanes.

Following the presentation, the members of the Badatz, under the leadership of Rav Moshe Sternbuch, issued a strongly worded kol korei addressed to the Torah-observant public.

The proclamation stated, in part: “The rabbanim and community leaders of the holy city of Tiveriah approached us to warn of a terrible stumbling block recently created by the municipality and its leadership through the opening of a mixed beach on the road leading to the grave of Rabi Meir Baal Hanes, may he protect us. Beyond the severe breach involved in establishing such a beach, the entire roadway has effectively become an extension of the beach, rachmana litzlan.”

The statement continued: “They have further worsened the situation by removing the partitions from portions of the recreational sites and beaches between the ancient cemetery and the Tiveriah hot springs, in the area surrounding the tziyun of the tanna Rabi Meir Baal Hanes. This creates a grave stumbling block for pedestrians and motorists alike, exposing them to forbidden sights and matters related to giluy arayos, while making it increasingly difficult for those who observe Torah and mitzvos.”

The members of the Badatz called on municipal officials to rectify the situation immediately, warning that “those responsible should fear the consequences of causing the public to sin, for the punishment for leading others astray is exceedingly severe.”

They also instructed the chareidi public to avoid traveling on the road stretching from the ancient cemetery to the traffic circle near the turnoff to the tziyun of Rabi Meir Baal Hanes, recommending alternative routes “so as not to stumble in the gravest of prohibitions… especially during the daytime and throughout the summer months, when the pritzus is especially shocking and severe, rachmana litzlan.”

The kol korei further warned Torah institutions, Talmudei Torah, and girls’ schools not to hold activities at attractions in the area, including Aqua Kef and Halom Olami, even during hours designated for separate use. According to the Badatz, doing so could undermine the spiritual development of young students and constitute a chilul Hashem by lending legitimacy to what they view as a serious michshol.

{Matzav.com}