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Lindsey Graham: Until Hamas disarms and relinquishes power, there will be no peace for our friends in Israel.

Former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen: Vladimir Putin is a serious guy. Now he is on his third term as president, and this is the last time he will be president for 10 years. He is guaranteed to be the czar of Russia till 2036. So don’t hold your breath as if he’s going tomorrow or […]

Nine people have died and at least 10 others were wounded after a group of gunmen carried out a shooting at a South African pub during the early hours of Sunday, authorities said. The incident occurred just before 1 a.m. in the township of Bekkersdal which is located 46 kilometers (28 miles) west of Johannesburg. […]

  “In the days of Matisyahu…” – Days of miracles, of tefillah, of light in the darkness. But for one young mother, this Chanukah is filled with tears.   Talya, a devoted Yiddishe mother, sits beside the hospital bed of her one-year-old daughter, Sheina Yafa.   Born with a severe brain bleed, Sheina was later diagnosed […]

Republican Rep. Thomas Massie announced that he and Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna are preparing inherent contempt charges against Attorney General Pam Bondi over her handling of the Epstein files.

Scott Jennings commented on Ben Shapiro’s comments on Candace Owens and Nick Fuentes at TPUSA, saying, “I know this: platforming and absorbing hateful ideologies and conspiracy theories, especially regarding Charlie’s murder, are the opposite of helpful.” He added that while he doesn’t enjoy the infighting, the issue of Israel and whether to give a platform […]

Russian officials moved Sunday to shut down speculation about imminent three-way negotiations with Ukraine and the United States, even as diplomats from several countries convened in Miami to explore possible paths toward ending the war.

Speaking to reporters, President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov rejected claims that a trilateral framework was taking shape. “At present, no one has seriously discussed this initiative, and to my knowledge, it is not in preparation,” he said, according to Russian news agencies.

Ushakov added that Moscow has yet to review an updated American proposal aimed at resolving the conflict, saying he had “not seen” the revised plan. He also noted that Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev, who arrived in Miami over the weekend, “will return to Moscow, make his report, and we will discuss what to do next.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had revealed a day earlier that Washington had floated the idea of joint talks involving Kyiv and Moscow — a format that would mark the first direct encounter between the two sides in about six months. At the time, Zelenskyy was openly doubtful, telling reporters he was “not sure that anything new could come of it,” and urging the United States to apply greater pressure on Russia to bring the war to an end.

By Sunday, Zelenskyy struck a more cautiously hopeful tone, saying that discussions among American, European, and Ukrainian negotiators were “moving at a fairly rapid pace.” Still, he warned that “much depends on whether Russia feels the need to end the war for real.”

In a separate post on X, Zelenskyy painted a bleak picture of developments on the ground. “Unfortunately, the real signals coming from Russia remain only negative: assaults along the frontline, Russian war crimes in border areas, and continued strikes against our infrastructure,” he wrote.

He later added that “over the past week, Russia has launched approximately 1,300 attack drones, nearly 1,200 guided aerial bombs, and 9 missiles of various types against Ukraine,” saying the Odesa region and southern parts of the country had been “hit particularly hard.”

The Miami talks are being mediated by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, with the participation of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. Ukrainian and European delegations have been gathering there since Friday, alongside the Russian representative.

Washington last month surprised Kyiv and its European partners by circulating a 28-point peace framework that many viewed as accommodating Moscow’s core demands. That plan has since been revised following input from Ukraine and European governments, though details of the latest version remain scarce. Ukrainian officials are widely expected to face pressure to concede some territory in return for U.S. security guarantees — a prospect that has drawn strong resentment among many Ukrainians.

On the battlefield, Russian forces have continued to press forward in the east. Putin on Friday praised recent territorial gains by his army and warned that further advances could follow in the coming weeks. Moscow on Sunday claimed it had seized two villages in the northern Sumy region and eastern Donetsk, while Ukraine reported that it had shot down two Russian fighter jets over the occupied Crimean peninsula.

The last official direct talks between Ukrainian and Russian representatives took place in July in Istanbul, resulting in prisoner exchanges but little substantive progress toward halting the fighting. The presence of Russian and European officials together in Miami marks a shift from earlier efforts, when U.S. negotiators held separate discussions with each side in different locations.

Despite that change, hopes for face-to-face Ukraine–Russia negotiations remain dim. Relations between the two countries have been severely strained by nearly four years of the deadliest conflict Europe has seen since World War II. Moscow has also argued that European involvement complicates negotiations rather than helping them.

Still, the Kremlin signaled a limited openness to dialogue elsewhere. According to spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Putin has indicated a willingness to speak with French President Emmanuel Macron. “Putin has expressed readiness to engage in dialogue with Macron,” Peskov told RIA Novosti. “Therefore, if there is mutual political will, then this can only be assessed positively.”

Macron’s office responded that Putin’s statement was “welcome,” while stressing that any talks with Moscow would take place “in full transparency” and in close coordination with Zelenskyy and Europe’s allies.

{Matzav.com}

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrived at Bondi Beach on Sunday night expecting to save face. Instead, he walked into a stinging public rebuke. As thousands gathered to mourn the 15 people murdered in the December 14 terror attack during a Chanukah celebration, the crowd booed Albanese on arrival, and again when his presence was acknowledged […]

NEC Director Kevin Hassett: “Already, what we’ve seen is after 4 years under the Biden administration, where real incomes went down by $3,000 for the typical family, they’ve gone up by $1,300 this year…we’re making great progress.”

The brother-in-law of the Chabad Rabbi Eli Schlanger hy’d, who was murdered in the Bondi Beach terror attack, visited Ahmad Al-Ahmad in the hospital, honoring the Syrian-Australian hero who saved many lives. He said, “Thank you for your courage. The fact that you come from a Muslim background rather than a Jewish one makes it […]

Residential buildings, business centers, and critical infrastructure were left without electricity in San Francisco yesterday, impacting about 130,000 households and businesses. Traffic lights went dark, trams were halted mid-route, and several metro stations were temporarily closed. Electricity has since been almost fully restored for all customers.

Prime Minister Netanyahu lit the 8th candle tonight with Chabad shluchim, and after lighting he said, quote: “The Chabad community and all of Klal yisroel went through a great tragedy in Sydney — vile murderers who murdered them because they were Jews, and only because they were Jews. But our spirit did not fall and […]

UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed met with French President Emmanuel Macron in Abu Dhabi. Emirati state media reported that the leaders discussed ways to deepen cooperation, especially in the areas of economy, investment, and culture.

Rabbi Avraham Idan, the Rosh Yeshivah of the Ateret Halevi Yeshiva in Jerusalem, was violently arrested after he happened to pass by the area where the clashes were taking place near Rechov Chana last week. In shocking interviews he held with Israeli media channels on Sunday, he described the violence and humiliation he endured at […]

At a meeting held Sunday in Yerushalayim, Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu received U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham at the Prime Minister’s Office, where the two discussed regional security and the path ahead.

During the conversation, the senator offered his assessment of the situation, warning about militant activity and setting his goals for the coming year. “Bibi, you look great. Happy Hanukkah to everyone! I came here with one goal – we accomplished a lot in 2025. I want to make sure that 2026 is a year of peace and victory over the bad guys. My impression is that Hamas is not disarming, but rearming. I have the impression that they are trying to consolidate their control over Gaza, not relinquish it. And I also have the impression that Hezbollah is trying to produce more weapons. That is an unacceptable outcome.”

Netanyahu responded by agreeing with Graham’s evaluation, adding a touch of humor to his reply. “You are right on both counts. You are usually right. I could even say always, but one has to leave a little room for error.”

Earlier in the meeting, the prime minister warmly welcomed the visiting lawmaker and emphasized their longstanding relationship. “I am delighted to welcome Senator Lindsey, a great friend of Israel and a very dear friend of mine, here. We have no better friends than him. Welcome,” Netanyahu said.

{Matzav.com}

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said that disarming Hamas is “absolutely going to happen” and that he expects to see other countries in the region join the Abraham Accords next year.

He spoke as U.S. President’s Donald Trump’s Gaza ceasefire plan is expected to move to its second stage next month following the president’s anticipated meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida after Christmas.

“The challenge of getting Hamas disarmed is not a goal that has been abandoned,” Huckabee told JNS in an exclusive interview in his Jerusalem embassy office. “The president has been very clear: They have to disarm and recognize they have no future in Gaza.”

The U.S. envoy noted that despite Hamas’s very public refusal to disarm—calling into question how the ceasefire can move forward—the Trump administration backed by the international community is determined to see it happen.

“Am I concerned? Of course. … But do I feel it won’t happen? No. In part because of the consistency of the president’s message and demand, and in part because all the Arab partners are holding firm to that same commitment on the peace plan,” Huckabee said. “No one has backed off on that. Everyone still agrees to that.”

The ambassador continued, “It is absolutely going to happen. President Trump said they can do it the easy way or the hard way. Iran didn’t take him seriously. He told them the same thing: the easy way or the hard way. They took the hard way.”

Huckabee noted that the Oct. 10 ceasefire has held despite intermittent skirmishes in Gaza, with recruitment underway of countries to take part in an international security force for the Strip, and aid supplies reaching the enclave daily.

“We are definitely in a much better place than we were two months ago,” he said, heaping praise on Trump for forging the ceasefire agreement. “It’s the first time in two years that Israelis can go to bed without anticipation of missiles.”

In the interview, Huckabee acknowledged that Israel has “somewhat of a veto role” regarding the participation of Turkey in the future international security force, which the U.S. favors, but said that some role could be found for the Anatolian nation, in comments that suggested that a compromise was likely.

“We recognize Israel has a right to say—somewhat of a veto power on certain participation,” he said. “It doesn’t mean that the Turks can’t have some role.”

Steve Witkoff, the United States envoy to the Middle East, held talks in Miami later on Friday with senior officials from Qatar, Egypt and Turkey as efforts continue to advance to phase 2 of the Gaza ceasefire.

Expansion of the Abraham Accords

The ambassador also told JNS that he expects additional countries to make peace with Israel next year as part of the Abraham Accords.

“I’m just an ambassador not a prophet …, but based on everything I’m seeing and being a part of, I do anticipate that we will see the expansion of the Abraham Accords [in 2026],” Huckabee said. “I would not be overwhelmingly surprised if you didn’t see something that would happen very close to Israel, in Syria, Lebanon.”

The ambassador said that the regional situation was “fragile to be sure,” but that neighboring countries increasingly understand that there is far more to be gained from normalization with Israel than to be at odds with the Jewish state.

“President Trump is in a very good place to help deliver that,” Huckabee said. “I don’t think anybody else could do that. He has an uncanny ability to do things that everybody said cannot be done.”

‘Journalism is for the most part dead’

The U.S. envoy said in the interview that one of his greatest frustrations in an otherwise “dream job” was to follow the hostile media coverage of Israel during the war.

“There is an enormous level of evil in the world and a lot of it gets printed on the pages of what once were respected newspapers and sites,” Huckabee said. “I think for the most part journalism is dead. What we have now is an international opinion market.”

He cited false claims, including from U.S. allies such as the U.K, that Israel deliberately prolonged the war and was starving Gazans as canards that “gullible people soaked in like poisons.

“It has been so frustrating to watch this from a front-row seat right in the middle of this,” he said.

Huckabee also blasted continuous anonymous sources and leaks—frequently highlighted in the Israeli press—reporting tensions between the governments of Israel and the U.S., saying such reporting is purely agenda-driven.

“If there was some major dustup between the U.S. or President Trump and the prime minister of Israel, don’t you think his representative in Israel would be informed of that?” Huckabee asked. “It’s absurd. Do you really think I am sitting here in the U.S. embassy … and something of that magnitude is going on and I am oblivious to it?”

At home in Israel

The 70-year-old Baptist pastor, former Arkansas governor, television host and two-time Republican presidential candidate—who bills himself as a Maccabee—visited Israel scores of times and led thousands of participants on solidarity tours since his first trip to Israel right out of high school, just before the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

From his Jerusalem embassy perch, Huckabee lived through the multi-front war for six months after taking up his position in April (“I haven’t seen this much war since the Baptist Convention in 1982”) and expressed relief and appreciation that the days of scurrying to the bomb shelter at night have passed (“my wife no longer has her ‘missile clothes’ at the foot of the bed”), even as he voiced concern that the scourge of violence against Jews around the globe continues unabated.

He blasted the atmosphere of “irrational Jew-hatred” that has spurred a blast of antisemitism, including within his own party.

“I am constantly saying to my fellow Christians that every enemy that Israel has and the Jewish people has is ultimately the enemy of the Christian people and of America because our values systems are based on the same platform,” he said. “There is a Judeo-Christian underpinning not only to Israel but to the U.S. Without the heritage of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob there would be no Israel but there would also be no America.”

Huckabee said that he feels right at home in Israel in “the assignment of a lifetime.

“We went back home to Arkansas for the first time in November for five-and-a-half days, and it was great to see the grandkids, friends and neighbors,” he said. “And as we were packing up getting ready to come back, my wife and I looked and each other and said it is time to come back home.”

{Matzav.com}

WATCH: Hagaon HaRav Dov Landau, Rosh Yeshiva Slabodka, lighting the menorah on the eighth night of Chanukah.