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Report: This Is How Hamas Leaders Escaped Moments Before The Israeli Attack In Qatar
Ben-Gvir Denies Torture Allegations Against Barghouti, Says He’s “Proud” Conditions Have Worsened
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Wednesday dismissed reports that Palestinian terrorist leader Marwan Barghouti was abused during a prison transfer, asserting that while the claims were fabricated, he was “proud Barghouti’s conditions have drastically worsened.”
Earlier in the day, the Qatari news outlet Al-Araby TV cited a Palestinian source alleging that Barghouti was “beaten and assaulted” while being moved from Ramon Prison in southern Israel to Megiddo Prison, located north of Jenin.
The same report claimed that Barghouti suffered four broken ribs and briefly lost consciousness as a result of the alleged beating.
Raed Abu al-Hummus, the head of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, issued a statement accusing Israel of carrying out “a real, systematic, and planned execution attempt” against Barghouti. He said Barghouti was “in real danger,” adding, “his blood flowed, his ribs were broken, and he was tortured until he lost consciousness…The necessary medical intervention was not performed, and he was not taken to the hospital. They merely gave him an Acamol pill.”
Responding to these accusations, Ben-Gvir said that “arch-terrorist Marwan Barghouti’s claims are false,” yet proudly declared that “we are proud that Barghouti’s conditions have drastically worsened in my tenure.”
The minister continued, “The games are over. The murderer Barghouti now knows terrorists like him will be treated harshly, which is why he invents fake news to energize his despicable terrorist friends who left him behind.”
Barghouti, who hails from the West Bank, was a senior Fatah figure and a central organizer of the Second Intifada. He was captured by Israeli forces in April 2002 during Operation Defensive Shield in Ramallah and later convicted in a civilian court on five counts of murder and several additional charges. He is serving five consecutive life sentences plus additional years.
During a large-scale hunger strike he led between April and May 2017, the Israel Prison Service released footage purportedly showing Barghouti eating secretly in his cell, a video his supporters dismissed as fake.
Barghouti continues to enjoy widespread popularity among Palestinians and has often been cited by Hamas as a top priority for release in negotiations. He appeared on a list of high-profile prisoners Hamas demanded Israel free as part of the ceasefire deal mediated by US President Donald Trump.
However, Israeli officials have made clear that Barghouti’s release is not under consideration. Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian told reporters last week, “I can tell you at this point in time that he will not be part of this release.”
{Matzav.com}
Israeli Air Force Strikes Hezbollah Weapons Sites in Lebanon
ITS TIME FOR TERM LIMITS: Mitch McConnell Falls Again in Russell Basement
Turkey Sends 81 Disaster Relief Experts to Gaza, Including Hostage Search Team
Hamas Forced Israeli Hostages to Write “Propaganda Letters” to Their Families Before Release, Officials Say
This Is The Mortgage Document New York AG Letitia James Signed That Has Her Facing 60 Years In Prison
A single-page mortgage form signed by New York Attorney General Letitia James has become the focal point of a federal criminal case that could send her to prison for up to 60 years.
The document in question — a “second home rider” attached to her mortgage and obtained by The Post — contains James’s written assurance that the property would serve as a secondary residence she would primarily occupy.
That statement, according to prosecutors, allowed James to lock in a more favorable loan rate from Old Virginia Mortgage/Annie Mac, ultimately saving her close to $19,000 in mortgage costs.
In reality, however, The New York Times reported that shortly after the deal closed, James’s grandniece, Nakia Thompson — who has a long criminal history — moved into the home and began living there.
Federal prosecutors allege that James’s actions amount to bank fraud and false statements to a financial institution. The strength of the case, they note, may depend on whether Thompson paid rent while residing there.
Thompson told a federal grand jury in June that she lived in the three-bedroom, one-bath house rent-free, according to the Times.
The mortgage rider, dated August 17, 2020, bears James’s signature and spells out detailed restrictions on how the property was to be used.
Among the clauses in the agreement was a promise that James would “occupy and use” the house as a second home and retain “exclusive control” over who could live there.
It further required that the property remain “primarily” for her personal use for at least one year following purchase.
The document explicitly barred any “shared ownership arrangement” that would require her to rent it out or grant a management firm — or anyone else — control over occupancy, reiterating that it would be used “primarily” for her own purposes.
Another clause stated that if she or anyone acting on her behalf provided “inaccurate information or statements” about the property’s use as a second home, she could be found in default on the $109,600 loan.
The government’s case appears to hinge on Thompson’s sworn claim that she did not pay rent.
According to the indictment, James submitted tax records showing she spent zero days at the house while reporting thousands of dollars in rental income, as well as deductions for property-related expenses.
Legal analysts noted that Thompson’s criminal background could complicate matters for James.
The 36-year-old grandniece is currently wanted in North Carolina, where she admitted to assaulting a police officer in 2011, and she has multiple prior convictions in Virginia for offenses including grand larceny and possession of burglary tools.
If the defense calls Thompson to testify, prosecutors are expected to highlight her criminal history to undermine her credibility, explained former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani.
“It’ll be up to the judge in the case to decide whether to allow Thompson’s criminal history to be used to impeach her,” she said.
The charges, filed last week in the Eastern District of Virginia, accuse James of falsely certifying that the home “was not occupied or used by James as a secondary residence and was instead used as a rental investment property.”
Prosecutors say her misrepresentation helped her qualify for a 3% mortgage rate — a discount that, according to U.S. Attorney Lindsey Halligan, saved her $18,933 in interest and seller concessions.
James has publicly rejected the allegations, claiming they are politically motivated attacks orchestrated by the Trump administration.
Appearing at a rally for Democratic socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani in Washington Heights on Monday, James struck a defiant tone.
“We see powerful voices trying to silence truth and punish dissent and weaponize justice for political gain,” she told the cheering crowd.
“We are witnessing the fraying of our democracy, the erosion of our system of government,” James declared, calling the moment “a defining moment in our history.”
{Matzav.com}
Israeli Airline Files Complaint After “Palestine” Written on Passenger’s Luggage in Barcelona
TODAY!! FREE! NOW! YAHRTZEIT OF RIBNITZER REBBE & Chasam Sofer Tefillah through Yad L’Achim
Hamas Warned Not To ‘Double Cross’ Donald Trump: ‘Short Clock To Comply’
Fox News contributor Hugh Hewitt warns ‘thousands’ of non-uniformed individuals are ‘complicit’ in Hamas’ terrorist activities as President Donald Trump pushes forward with the second phase of the Gaza peace agreement.
WATCH:
Trump Mocks ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, Says He’ll Refuse Their Questions Over Treatment of JD Vance
President Donald Trump took aim at ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos on Tuesday during a meeting with Argentine President Javier Milei, mocking the host’s interview style and even his name.
“We’ll take a couple of questions from the news, and I’m sure they’ll be incredibly non-hostile, and friendly, like JD went through a very ‘friendly’ interview with George Slopadopoulos,” Trump quipped sarcastically, deliberately mispronouncing Stephanopoulos’ name for effect.
He then brought up the lawsuit he had against ABC, making light of the outcome. “He was nice enough to pay me $16 million the last time we came — he had to pay $16 million to me. Which is good. It was worth it. It was worth having somebody lie. If you get $16 million, that’s good.”
Turning to Vice President JD Vance’s recent appearance on the network, Trump sharply criticized how the exchange was handled. “JD had a very nasty person interviewing him, and we can’t let that happen. Just is inappropriate to cut off a highly respected vice president of the United States, mid-sentence. I guess it’s one way to win an argument. That was the only way he was gonna win the argument. It was pretty inappropriate, I wanna tell you that.”
Moments later, Trump told the reporters present that he would not be taking any questions from “ABC fake news.”
The exchange came days after Vance’s contentious interview with Stephanopoulos, during which the ABC anchor repeatedly pressed him about bribery allegations involving border czar Tom Homan. The back-and-forth ended abruptly when Stephanopoulos terminated the segment after a heated exchange.
Stephanopoulos challenged Vance multiple times, claiming that Homan “was recorded on an audiotape in September 2024, an FBI surveillance tape, accepting $50,000 in cash.”
Vance shot back, questioning the credibility of both the claim and the network. “I don’t know what tape you’re referring to, George. I saw media reports that Tom Homan accepted a bribe. There’s no evidence of that. And here’s why fewer and fewer people watch your program and why you’re losing credibility,” Vance said. “Because you’re talking for now, five minutes with the vice president of the United States about this story regarding Tom Homan, a story that I’ve read about, but I don’t even know the video that you’re talking about.”
When Vance urged the host to move to other subjects, Stephanopoulos refused and ended the interview altogether.
Afterward, Vance took to social media to mock the exchange, writing, “Peace in the Middle East? China threatening critical supply chains? Government shutdown? George S doesn’t care about that. He’s here to focus on the real story: a fake scandal involving Tom Homan.”
{Matzav.com}
