Yeshiva World News

President Trump on Hamas and Gaza: “They pulled out in terms of negotiating. It was too bad. Hamas didn’t really want to make a deal. I think they want to die.”

Approximately 50 followers of Eliezer Berland illegally entered Shechem overnight in an unauthorized attempt to reach Kever Yosef, the IDF said. The group was detained by Palestinian security forces and handed over to the IDF, then transferred to police. An investigation is underway amid claims some threw rocks at buildings. No injuries were reported. The IDF emphasized that such uncoordinated visits are dangerous and strictly prohibited.

Two Israeli Air Force C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft dropped more than 35 tons of fire retardant over wildfires in Cyprus yesterday, according to the military.

Cambodian forces launch multiple rockets into Thai territory.

The conflict between Thailand and Cambodia is intensifying, with Thailand now deploying its M48A5 tanks to the front lines.

New footage released today shows Thai troops moving toward the Cambodian border with armored fighting vehicles.

A European delegation entered Iran’s consulate in Istanbul this morning for talks with Deputy Foreign Minister Gharibabadi, who has arrived on site; the meeting has been in progress for over an hour.

Thailand has declared a state of emergency along its border with Cambodia amid escalating clashes, urging citizens to avoid the area and remain alert.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee responded to French President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to recognize a Palestinian state in September, suggesting that if Macron can “declare” a state, the UK could just as easily declare France a British colony. He later said that France would offer the French Riviera for the new state, calling it “Franc-en-Stine.”

Approximately 50 Israeli citizens illegally entered Shechem overnight, according to a statement from the IDF. Their entry into the area, which is classified as Area A under full Palestinian Authority control, is a violation of Israeli law. The individuals were detained by Palestinian security forces and subsequently handed over to the IDF, who then transferred them to the Israel Police for potential legal proceedings. The IDF noted that an investigation is underway into claims that members of the group threw rocks at buildings during their time in Shechem. No injuries were reported as a result of the incident. The group are followers of Eliezer Berland, and attempted to reach Kever Yosef without any prior coordination or approval from the IDF — a move that is strictly prohibited due to the volatile nature of the area. The IDF regularly escorts coordinated visits to the kever, but unauthorized entries pose significant security risks and are strongly discouraged by military and security officials.

The U.S. Department of Justice filed a federal lawsuit Thursday against New York City, Mayor Eric Adams, and several senior city officials, alleging that the city’s sanctuary policies for undocumented immigrants violate the U.S. Constitution by intentionally obstructing federal immigration enforcement. The suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, targets longstanding city laws that limit cooperation between local agencies and federal immigration authorities, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The DOJ is seeking to have the policies struck down under the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, which bars state and local laws from interfering with federal authority. “New York City has released thousands of criminals onto the streets to commit violent crimes against law-abiding citizens due to sanctuary city policies,” said U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi in a statement. “If New York City won’t stand up for the safety of its citizens, we will.” The lawsuit names, in addition to Mayor Adams, the Speaker of the New York City Council and the heads of multiple city departments, including the NYPD, Department of Correction, and Department of Probation. Among the provisions cited are a 2011 law prohibiting the city’s Department of Correction from honoring ICE detainers—civil requests to hold an individual past their release date—and NYPD regulations that limit officers’ ability to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. The Justice Department also referenced a recent high-profile incident involving the shooting of an off-duty U.S. Border Patrol agent during an attempted robbery in a city park. The alleged assailant, an undocumented immigrant, had a history of serious criminal offenses and outstanding warrants. A spokesperson for Mayor Adams confirmed the city is reviewing the suit. While the mayor said he supports the intent behind the sanctuary laws, his office acknowledged that certain aspects may need to be revisited. “Keeping New Yorkers safe also means making sure they feel safe,” the mayor’s office said in a statement to ABC’s WABC-TV. “Mayor Adams has been clear: no one should be afraid to dial 911, send their kids to school, or go to the hospital. No New Yorker should feel forced to hide in the shadows.” The DOJ suit against New York City is part of a broader legal campaign against so-called sanctuary jurisdictions. Similar lawsuits have been filed against local and state governments in California, Colorado, Illinois, New Jersey, and the state of New York. Many of those cases challenge policies that prevent immigration agents from arresting individuals in or around courthouses without a judge-signed warrant. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Two Columbia University custodians who were violently trapped by anti-Israel rioters during the notorious Hamilton Hall takeover have reached a financial settlement with the Ivy League school, ending their battle with the university—but not with the protesters who allegedly held them hostage and beat them while hurling antisemitic slurs. Lester Wilson and Mario Torres, both non-Jewish minorities, filed Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) complaints against Columbia after they were assaulted, threatened, and forced to clean swastikas off campus walls during a wave of anti-Israel unrest last year. Their complaints sparked a federal civil rights probe and contributed to a damning $220 million settlement between Columbia and the Trump administration. While the exact terms of their payout remain undisclosed, The New York Post reported that the pair’s compensation comes from a $20 million fund set aside specifically for victims of civil rights violations under the settlement agreement. Another $200 million from that deal was earmarked to resolve broader discrimination claims and restore federal funding to the university. But Wilson and Torres aren’t done. The two men, both of whom have not returned to work since the Hamilton Hall riots, are pressing forward with a separate lawsuit against more than 40 student protesters they accuse of physically assaulting them and preventing their escape during the takeover. “The university set up the situation and ended up putting them into that situation,” said Alyza Lewin, president of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, which is litigating the suit alongside former U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr’s firm, Torridon Law. “Now the issue is holding accountable those who carried it out and were responsible for the takeover and the assault.” According to their complaints, both men—each employed at Columbia for over five years—suffered serious injuries during the April 2023 siege of Hamilton Hall. Protesters labeled them “Jew-lovers,” violently shoved them, and threatened their lives. “I’m going to get twenty guys up here to [expletive] you up,” one masked rioter told Torres, who grabbed a fire extinguisher to defend himself. He was later beaten repeatedly in the back by rioters. Wilson, meanwhile, was shoved and had furniture hurled at him as he tried to flee the building. NYPD officers eventually stormed the building, arresting over 100 protesters. But the nightmare began long before the riot. As early as November 2023, both men were routinely ordered to scrub swastikas and other hateful graffiti that appeared across campus. Wilson, an African-American man, was deeply disturbed by the imagery. “Mr. Wilson recognized the swastikas as symbols of white supremacy,” his complaint noted. “As an African-American man, he found the images deeply distressing.” He reported the vandalism to supervisors. Their response? Erase the graffiti—and do it again when it reappeared. Torres, who is Latino, counted dozens of swastikas defacing Hamilton Hall and grew increasingly frustrated by the university’s passivity. Though Columbia has electronic ID access and security cameras, administrators did little to stop the hate. At one point, Torres began removing chalk from classrooms to stop the vandalism. Instead of support, he was reprimanded by his supervisor. Campus security, according to Wilson’s complaint, even brushed off his report of a masked protester chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” while scribbling swastikas in the halls. The response: the vandals were “exercising their First […]

In a blistering online tirade, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee tore into French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday following Macron’s announcement that France will formally recognize a Palestinian state in September—regardless of ongoing negotiations or Israel’s security concerns. “How clever!” Huckabee wrote on X. “If Macron can just ‘declare’ the existence of a state, perhaps the UK can ‘declare’ France a British colony!” The sarcasm didn’t stop there. In a follow-up post dripping with mockery, Huckabee took aim at the lack of geographical specificity in Macron’s plan. “Macron’s unilateral ‘declaration’ of a ‘Palestinian’ state didn’t say WHERE it would be,” he wrote. “I can now exclusively disclose that France will offer the French Riviera, & the new nation will be called ‘Franc-en-Stine.’” The ambassador’s comments mark an unusually sharp rebuke from a U.S. official directed at a key Western ally, underscoring growing tensions between the Trump administration’s Israel policy team and European leaders pushing unilateral moves on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While Huckabee’s remarks were clearly intended to ridicule Macron’s move, they also reflect broader concerns in Jerusalem and Washington that European recognition of a Palestinian state—absent a negotiated peace agreement—undermines Israel’s diplomatic leverage, rewards Palestinian terrorism, and emboldens terrorist entities like Hamas. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

U.S. Special Envoy Tom Barrack announced Thursday night that Israeli and Syrian officials held a face-to-face meeting in Paris aimed at reducing tensions and advancing regional stability. “I met this evening with the Syrians and Israelis in Paris,” Barrack wrote on social media. “Our goal was dialogue and de-escalation, and we accomplished precisely that. All parties reiterated their commitment to continuing these efforts.” Neither Israeli nor Syrian government sources immediately confirmed the meeting. While rumors of indirect talks and quiet diplomatic contacts between the two nations have circulated for months, this marks the first time that a meeting involving the new Syrian government in Damascus has been publicly acknowledged. According to a report by Axios, Israel was represented by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close confidant of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, while Syria’s delegation was headed by newly appointed Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani. The meeting, reportedly facilitated by both the United States and Turkey, comes amid renewed instability in southern Syria following sectarian clashes in the Sweida region and an Israeli airstrike in Damascus last week. According to Saudi outlet Al-Hadath, those clashes and strikes have accelerated secret diplomatic contacts, with additional meetings between Israeli and Syrian delegations reportedly planned in Baku, Azerbaijan. Despite these diplomatic overtures, Israel is said to be maintaining its security posture in the region. Reports indicate that Israeli officials have thus far refused to halt strikes inside Syria and are demanding the establishment of a demilitarized zone near Israel’s northern border, along with a permanent Israeli presence in the buffer zone seized after the Assad regime’s fall in December. Dermer was scheduled to meet with U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff in Rome Thursday evening, though the meeting is reportedly postponed after Israel and the U.S. recalled their delegations from Gaza ceasefire talks in Doha. The last publicly confirmed high-level meeting between Israel and Syria took place over two decades ago, when President Bill Clinton hosted Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Sharaa for peace talks in West Virginia in 2000. In Jerusalem on Thursday, Prime Minister Netanyahu also met with Sheikh Muwaffaq Tarif, the spiritual leader of Israel’s Druze community. The meeting followed Israel’s intervention earlier this month in Syria’s civil strife, in which the IDF acted to protect the embattled Druze minority in southern Syria. Jewish and Druze communities in Israel have long maintained strong ties, with Druze youth serving in the IDF and playing a visible role in national life. While Syria’s interim government—led by Ahmed al-Sharaa—has pledged to protect the country’s many minority groups, those promises are being tested. Sharaa himself has been accused of tolerating or failing to prevent attacks by Bedouin tribes on Druze communities in Sweida. Complicating matters, Syria has formally requested Turkish military and technical assistance to bolster its defense infrastructure, particularly against Islamist terror groups such as the Islamic State. Turkish defense ministry sources said Wednesday that training and advisory support is being discussed, and reports suggest that Turkey is seeking to formalize its growing presence in Syria—possibly including permanent military bases. Amid these growing tensions, Israel and Turkey have reportedly agreed to a deconfliction mechanism to prevent inadvertent clashes as both militaries operate in overlapping areas of Syria. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The antisemitic scandal surrounding Vueling Airlines has taken a mindboggling twist as it has been revealed that Iván Chirivella, a pilot who trained two of the 9/11 hijackers, was the captain who ordered the removal of 50 Jewish children from a flight between Valencia and Paris. Vueling Airlines confirmed Friday that Chirivella, a native of the Canary Islands and a senior flight instructor at an independent aviation school, was in command during the incident. Chirivella was the flight instructor for at least two of the terrorists behind the September 11 attacks – ringleader Mohamed Atta and Marwan Al Shehhi – at Jones Aviation in Florida in 2000. Despite this alarming history, Vueling promoted Chirivella to a senior training role, placing him not only in the cockpit but in charge of mentoring other pilots. This development follows growing outrage over the treatment of the children, aged 13 to 15, who were returning home from summer camp in Spain when they were forcibly removed from the aircraft. Their 21-year-old group supervisor was violently arrested in front of the teens after attempting to prevent authorities from seizing the children’s phones—allegedly to delete evidence of the unfolding events. The confrontation began when a child briefly sang a Hebrew song on board. Cabin crew warned the child to stop or risk police involvement. Despite immediate compliance, law enforcement officers boarded the plane moments later, ordering the removal of all 50 teens before takeoff. Witnesses reported that the children—easily identifiable by religious symbols like tzitzis and Star of David necklaces—were treated as criminals. When the supervisor protested the demand for phones to be laid on the floor, she was thrown to the ground and handcuffed. Video footage and multiple independent passengers confirmed that the teens were calm and not disruptive. Following their removal, the children were left stranded in Valencia with no alternative arrangements provided by Vueling. Parents scrambled to coordinate new flights and accommodations for the teens, with some forced to spend the night in local hotels. Eyewitnesses reported that some crew members compared the teens to “terrorists,” while others allegedly made inflammatory remarks about Israel. A passenger unaffiliated with the group shared on Instagram: “They boarded the plane normally, without shouting—which is rare in adolescents. I insist that they were behaving well. Nobody on the plane understood what was happening.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio slammed French President Emmanuel Macron’s announcement on Thursday evening that France will recognize a Palestinian state in September. “The United States strongly rejects Emmanuel Macron’s plan to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly,” he wrote on X. “This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th.” US Senator Lindsey Graham also condemned Macron’s decision, stating, “The French government’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state is curious and disturbing on multiple levels. I am certain this will embolden Hamas and make a ceasefire more difficult.” “In addition, here are some questions that come to mind. Who’s in charge? What are the borders and boundaries? What is the governance structure? Does Hamas stay involved politically or militarily? Is the West Bank and Gaza part of a single state? Are they allowed to have an army? Does the education system change?” “Other than these few missing details, it seems like a foolproof plan!” US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee also slammed Macron’s announcement, responding by writing on X, “How clever! If Macron can just ‘declare’ the existence of a state perhaps the UK can ‘declare’ France a British colony!” He later wrote, “Macron’s unilateral ‘declaration’ of a ‘Palestinian’ state didn’t say WHERE it would be. I can now exclusively disclose that France will offer the French Riviera and the new nation will be called ‘Franc-en-Stine.'” (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

Labour Party ex-leader Jeremy Corbyn said Thursday that he’s forming a new left-leaning U.K. political party to advocate “mass redistribution of wealth and power” and take on his former colleagues at the ballot box. The new formation has a website — yourparty.uk — but doesn’t have a name yet. “It’s your party,” Corbyn said. “We’re going to decide (a name) when we’ve had all the responses, and so far the response rate has been massive.” Corbyn said that he hoped the new party would have its inaugural conference in the fall. Corbyn, 76, led Labour to election defeats in 2017 and 2019, but the veteran socialist campaigner remains popular with many grassroots supporters. and the new party has the potential to further fragment British politics. The long-dominant Labour and Conservative parties now have challengers on both left and right, including the environmentalist Green Party and hard-right Reform UK. Plans for a new party emerged earlier this month when lawmaker Zarah Sultana, who has been suspended from Labour for voting against the government, said that she would “co-lead the founding of a new party” with Corbyn. At the time, Corbyn didn’t confirm the news. On Thursday, he denied the party launch had been messy, saying the process was “democratic, it’s grassroots and it’s open.” A longtime supporter of Palestinians and a critic of Israel, Corbyn was suspended from Labour in 2020 after Britain’s equalities watchdog found anti-Jewish prejudice had been allowed to spread within Labour while he was leader. He was suspended after failing to fully accept the findings¸ claiming opponents had exaggerated the scale of antisemitism in Labour for “political reasons.” Corbyn was reelected to Parliament last year as an independent. Prime Minister Keir Starmer succeeded Corbyn as Labour leader in 2020 and dragged the party back toward the political center ground. He dropped Corbyn’s opposition to Britain’s nuclear weapons, strongly backed sending weapons to Ukraine and stressed the party’s commitment to balancing the books. Starmer won a landslide election victory a year ago, but has struggled to maintain unity among Labour lawmakers as the government struggles to get a sluggish economy growing and invest in overstretched public services. He has been forced into a series of U-turns by his own lawmakers, including one on welfare reform that left his authority severely dented. (AP)

Armed clashes broke out Thursday between Thailand and Cambodia in long-disputed border areas, rapidly escalating months-long tensions. The fighting included gunfire exchanges and shelling and rocket fire, which Thai authorities said killed a Thai soldier and 13 civilians and injured 14 soldiers and 32 other civilians. Thailand responded with air strikes. It was the second armed confrontation since a Cambodian soldier was shot dead in May and a major escalation that came hours after the two countries downgraded diplomatic relations following a land mine explosion that injured Thai soldiers. Clashes are ongoing in at least six areas along the border, the Thai Defense Ministry said. The first clash Thursday morning happened in an area near the ancient Ta Muen Thom temple along the border of Surin and Cambodia’s Oddar Meanchey province. Here’s what to know about the dispute between the two Southeast Asian neighbors. How the dispute began The dispute flared in May after armed forces of Thailand and Cambodia briefly fired at each other in a relatively small, contested border area that each country claims as its own. Both sides said they acted in self-defense. One Cambodian soldier was killed. While the countries said afterwards they agreed to de-escalate the situation, Cambodian and Thai authorities continued to implement or threaten measures short of armed force, keeping tensions high. Thailand added tight restrictions at the border with Cambodia that stopped almost all crossings except for students, medical patients and others with essential needs. On Thursday, Thai authorities announced they were sealing the border entirely. Cambodia also banned Thai movies and TV shows, stopped the import of Thai fuel, fruits and vegetables and boycotted some of its neighbor’s international internet links and power supply. Fighting sparks political turmoil in Thailand Nationalist passions on both sides have inflamed the situation. Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra was suspended from office July 1 to be investigated for possible ethics violations over her handling of the border dispute following a leaked phone call with a senior Cambodian leader. In the June call, Paetongtarn referred to Cambodian former Prime Minister Hun Sen as “uncle” and criticized Thai military leadership, remarks framed by critics as disrespectful to national sovereignty. Hun Sen was succeeded by his son Hun Manet in 2023 but remains influential as Senate president. He was a longtime friend of her father, Thaksin Shinawatra, a popular but divisive former prime minister, but they became estranged over the border dispute. The leaked call sparked widespread outrage and protests. Paetongtarn’s Pheu Thai party-led coalition also weakened when its second-largest partner, the Bhumjaithai Party, withdrew support, citing her perceived softness toward Cambodia. Paetongtarn has apologized and argued her comments were a negotiating tactic. Her ally, former Defense Minister Phumtham Wechayachai, was appointed acting prime minister. Border claims cause periodic tensions Border disputes are long-standing issues that have caused periodic tensions between the two neighbors. Thailand and Cambodia share more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) of land border. The contesting claims stem largely from a 1907 map drawn under French colonial rule that was used to separate Cambodia from Thailand. Cambodia has been using the map as a reference to claim territory, while Thailand has argued the map is inaccurate. The most prominent and violent conflicts have been around the 1,000-year-old Preah Vihear temple. In 1962, the International Court of Justice awarded sovereignty over the temple area to Cambodia. The ruling became a major irritant […]