Israel on Monday delivered an ultimatum to Hamas, warning the terrorist group to free hostages and disarm or face total destruction of Gaza City. “A mighty hurricane will hit the skies of Gaza City today, and the roofs of the terror towers will shake,” Defense Minister Yisrael Katz declared in a post on X. “This is a final warning to the murderers and rapists of Hamas in Gaza and in the luxury hotels abroad: Release the hostages and lay down your weapons — or Gaza will be destroyed, and you will be annihilated.” Katz said the IDF is preparing to “expand the maneuver to defeat Gaza,” signaling an escalation of operations ordered by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month to capture the city and wipe out Hamas’s remaining strongholds. The threats came just one day after President Donald Trump, who has been mediating cease-fire talks, issued his own ultimatum to Hamas. “The Israelis have accepted my Terms. It is time for Hamas to accept as well,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “I have warned Hamas about the consequences of not accepting. This is my last warning, there will not be another one!” He did not clarify what the terms entailed. Hamas, under mounting pressure, has said it may release some hostages in exchange for a temporary truce. Netanyahu, however, has rejected partial deals, insisting the group must free all captives and surrender. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Police in Kathmandu opened fire Monday on protesters demonstrating against a government ban on social media, killing at least 17 people and wounding 145, officials said. The death toll was announced by police official Shekhar Khanal. He said that 28 police officers were among the wounded, as smaller protests continued into late Monday evening. Rallies swept the streets of Kathmandu around the Parliament building, which was surrounded by tens of thousands of people angry over the decision by authorities to block most social media platforms including Facebook, X and YouTube. Officials said the companies had failed to register and submit to government oversight. Protesters pushed through barbed wire and forced riot police to retreat inside the Parliament complex. Police eventually opened fire at the protesters. The situation remained tense and the government announced a curfew for Monday around Parliament, the government secretariat, presidential house and key parts of the city. Seven of those killed and scores of wounded were received at the National Trauma Center, the country’s main hospital located in the heart of Kathmandu. “Many of them are in serious condition and appear to have been shot in the head and chest,” said Dr. Badri Risal, a physician. Families waited anxiously outside for news of their relatives while people lined up to donate blood. “Stop the ban on social media, stop corruption not social media,” the crowds outside parliament chanted, waving the red and blue national flags. Monday’s rally was called the protest of Gen Z, generally referring to people born between 1995 and 2010. About two dozen social network platforms that are widely used in Nepal were repeatedly given notices to register their companies officially in the country, the government said. Those which failed to register have been blocked since last week. TikTok, Viber and three other platforms have registered and operate without interruption. The move by the authorities came as the government sent a bill for a debate in Parliament that wants to ensure that social platforms are “properly managed, responsible and accountable.” It includes asking the companies to appoint a liaison office or point in the country. The bill has been widely criticized as a tool for censorship and punishing government opponents who voice their protests online. Rights groups have called it an attempt by the government to curb freedom of expression and violate fundamental rights. Nepal in 2023 banned video-sharing app TikTok for disrupting “social harmony, goodwill and diffusing indecent materials.” The ban was lifted last year after TikTok’s executives pledged to comply with local laws. (AP)
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu visited the scene of the terror attack at the Ramot Junction in Jerusalem on Monday, in which six people were murdered and 16 people were injured. The murderous attack occurred a day after Israel’s Supreme Court issued an outrageous ruling that the state must improve the diet of imprisoned Nukhba terrorists. It should be noted that the ruling not only benefits heinous mass murderers and rapists, who are already being fed in accordance with international law, but also besmirches Israel by claiming that it was “abusing” Palestinians. Similar false reports have been used to incite Palestinians to commit violence against Israelis. “We’re at war,” Netanyahu said at the scene. “A powerful war against terror on several fronts.” The prime minister then issued a scathing message directly to the Supreme Court: “The court—you’re also in this war; you’re also part of this war. We don’t make it easy for our enemies. We’ll strike them hard—and so should you.” National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who spearheaded a transformation in prison conditions for Palestinian security prisoners, also slammed the Supreme Court at the scene of the attack. The video of Netanyahu’s speech at the scene of the attack published on his social media accounts did not include his remarks against the court. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
Jury selection began Monday in the trial of a man charged with trying to assassinate Donald Trump while he played golf last year in South Florida. The court has blocked off four weeks for the trial of Ryan Routh, but attorneys are expecting they’ll need less time. Jury selection is expected to take three days, with attorneys questioning three sets of 60 prospective jurors. They’re trying to find 12 jurors and four alternates. Opening statements are scheduled to begin Thursday, and prosecutors will begin their case immediately after that. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon signed off in July on Routh’s request to represent himself but said court-appointed attorneys need to remain as standby counsel. Cannon confirmed during a hearing last week that Routh would be dressed in professional business attire for the trial. She also explained to Routh that he would be allowed to use a podium while speaking to the jury or questioning witnesses, but he would not have free rein of the courtroom. Cannon is a Trump-appointed judge who drew scrutiny for her handling of a criminal case accusing Trump of illegally storing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach. The case became mired in delays as motions piled up over months, and was ultimately dismissed by Cannon last year after she concluded that the special counsel tapped by the Justice Department to investigate Trump was illegally appointed. Routh’s trial begins nearly a year after prosecutors say a U.S. Secret Service agent thwarted Routh’s attempt to shoot the Republican presidential nominee. Routh, 59, has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and several firearm violations. Just nine weeks earlier, Trump had survived another attempt on his life while campaigning in Pennsylvania. That gunman had fired eight shots, with one bullet grazing Trump’s ear, before being shot by a Secret Service counter sniper. Prosecutors have said Routh methodically plotted to kill Trump for weeks before aiming a rifle through the shrubbery as Trump played golf on Sept. 15, 2024, at his West Palm Beach country club. A Secret Service agent spotted Routh before Trump came into view. Officials said Routh aimed his rifle at the agent, who opened fire, causing Routh to drop his weapon and flee without firing a shot. Law enforcement obtained help from a witness who prosecutors said informed officers that he saw a person fleeing. The witness was then flown in a police helicopter to a nearby interstate where Routh was arrested, and the witnesses confirmed it was the person he had seen, prosecutors have said. The judge last week unsealed the prosecutor’s 33-page list of exhibits that could be introduced as evidence at the trial. It says prosecutors have photos of Routh holding the same model of semi-automatic rifle found at Trump’s club. Routh was a North Carolina construction worker who in recent years had moved to Hawaii. A self-styled mercenary leader, Routh spoke out to anyone who would listen about his dangerous, sometimes violent plans to insert himself into conflicts around the world, witnesses have told The Associated Press. In the early days of the war in Ukraine, Routh tried to recruit soldiers from Afghanistan, Moldova and Taiwan to fight the Russians. In his native Greensboro, North Carolina, he was arrested […]
Skyrocketing housing values and a shortage of homes on the market gave homeowners the upper hand for years when it came time to sell. That’s no longer a given. Across the country, it’s getting tougher for sellers to drive a hard bargain. A dearth of home shoppers who can afford to buy and uncertainty about the outlook for the economy, jobs and mortgage rates is putting pressure on sellers to give ground at the negotiating table. In some markets, mainly in the South and West, homeowners who are eager to sell are more likely to give buyers a better deal. This could include a lower price, up-front money to nudge down the buyer’s mortgage rate, and funds for closing costs and any repairs or improvements that may pop up after the home inspection. The reasons: Would-be buyers balk at what they view as unreasonable asking prices, while at the same time new construction is giving buyers more options and putting pressure on sellers to make their homes more appealing. As a result, while the national median home listing price rose slightly in July, some metro areas saw a decline, signaling a reversal in the power dynamic between buyers and sellers. It’s rare to see the type of eye-popping bidding wars that exploded home values by roughly 50% nationally earlier this decade. Low-ball offers are more common. Despite this hopeful trend, the housing market remains mired in a slump. Sales of previously occupied U.S. homes are running about 1.3% below where they were through the first seven months of last year, when they sank to their lowest level in nearly 30 years. The national median home listing price rose slightly in July from a year earlier to $439,450, according to Realtor.com. The real estate listing company found the most a homebuyer who earns the median U.S. household income can afford to spend on a home is $298,000. The analysis assumes a 20% down payment and a 30-year mortgage at a fixed rate of 6.74%. By those criteria, 7 out of 10 home shoppers are priced out of the market. Homes linger on the market as sales slow The housing market has been in a rut since 2022, when mortgage rates began climbing from historic lows. The number of homes available for sale sank while prices kept rising. Nationally, more homes are going on sale and remaining unsold longer because buyers have been unwilling or unable to make a deal. Active listings — a tally that encompasses all homes on the market except those pending a finalized sale — increased in July for the 21st month in a row, climbing nearly 25% from a year earlier, according to Realtor.com. The tide turns slowly The inventory of homes for sale across the U.S. has increased gradually as the market has slowed and is now at a level where supply and demand are more balanced. But in states like Texas and Florida, the number of homes on the market has climbed sharply, partly because those states are hotbeds of new home construction. Home shoppers may now have more leverage relative to sellers in the South and West, where home inventory has risen in the single digits, compared to pre-pandemic levels. Conditions are tougher in markets in the Midwest and Northeast, where the supply of homes […]
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir was at the scene of the terror attack in Jerusalem and made the following remarks: “I send condolences to the families, and we are all davening for the recovery of the wounded. One thing must be remembered, Mr. Prime Minister: this was an act of heroism — by a Chareidi soldier from the Hashmonayim Brigade, and by two Chareidim who had received firearms through the weapons reform. I’ve said it before — weapons save lives, and this must be remembered. I call on the citizens of Israel: go and arm yourselves.” “And one more thing: just yesterday, the Supreme Court eased the conditions of the Nukhba terrorists, ruling that their prison menu should be changed. My friends, this is no game. When the Supreme Court does something like this, it sends a dangerous message to terrorists. I say to the judges of the Supreme Court — do not do this. To interfere now with the menu of the Nukhba terrorists, after all security officials, Mr. Prime Minister, have said that harsh conditions add to deterrence — this must not happen. Prison conditions are a crucial part of deterrence.” “And one final point: we have the law allowing the expulsion of terrorists’ families. In recent weeks, I signed 35 such orders, and I believe that the new Interior Minister, Yariv Levin, will approve these requests. Expelling terrorists’ families, together with tough measures in the prisons, along with the efforts of the Shin Bet, the IDF, the police, the IPS, and the weapons reform — this is the way forward. I say again: go and arm yourselves.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
One of the six people murdered in the Ramot terror attack on Monday morning was identified as Reb Levi Yitzchak Pash, H’yd. He was evacuated from the scene in critical condition, and the hospital later pronounced his death. Yeshivas Kol Torah, where the niftar worked for many years, issued a statement saying, “With deep sorrow and grief, Yeshivas Kol Torah Yeshiva announces the murder of its devoted staff member, Reb Levi Yitzchak Pash, H’yd, in the horrific shooting attack that took place this morning at the Ramot Junction in Jerusalem. “Reb Levi Yitzchak, H’yd, a resident of Tel Tzion and longtime maintenance worker at the yeshivah, was well-known and beloved among the talmidei yeshivah and residents of the neighborhood. Over the years, he became known as a man devoted to acts of chessed, generous with his money, and constantly immersed in Torah study. He dedicated his life to serving the public and supporting the talmidim of the yeshiva.” Reb Pash, z’l, was on the way to Kol Torah and was standing at the bus stop with a Rosh Mesivta from the yeshivah when someone offered them a ride. He had already sat down in the car, but then someone who needed to get to the hospital for medical treatment asked for a ride. Reb Pash, z’l, willingly gave up his seat, left the car and was murdered minutes later. His levaya will depart from Yeshivas Kol Torah in Bayit Vegan at 4:30 p.m. Another victim was a newlywed avreich, Reb Yaakov Pinto, H’yd, 25, a resident of Jerusalem who got married only three months ago. He was born in Spain, and he is his parents’ only son. As a bochur, he moved to Israel to learn at Yeshivas Nehora, later transferring to Yeshivas Derech Emunah in Lod. He served as a madrich in Yeshivas Chedvas HaTorah in Jerusalem. The levaya is scheduled to take place on Tuesday at Yeshivas Derech Emunah in Lod. The third victim was a 31-year-old avreich, Reb Yisrael Mantzer, H’yd, of Jerusalem. He was born in Bnei Brak and as a bochur learned in Yeshivas Chevron. After his marriage to the daughter of HaRav Greineman, the menahel of the Taharos Kollel in the Ponvezher Beis Medrash, he began learning in the kollel of HaGaon HaRav Chaim Tzvi Rosenberg in the Givat Shaul neighborhood of Jerusalem. He was killed al Kiddush Hashem on the way to kollel, leaving behind his wife, three children, parents and siblings. A fourth victim was the chashuve avreich HaRav Dovid Yosef, H’yd, 43, a resident of Ramot, murdered al Kiddush Hashem with his sefarim in his hands while on the way to kollel. The fifth victim was identified as Reb Mordechai Steintzag, H’yd, 79, a resident of Ramot who made aliyah from the U.S. decades ago and was the owner of the well-known Dr. Mark’s Bakery in Beit Shemesh. A cardiologist by training, he made it his mission to spread the awareness of a healthy diet in Israel, of which there was little awareness at the time. The small home bakery he founded became a pioneer and leader in the field of healthy flours and breads and now has several branches, with the main one in Beit Shemesh. His neighbors in Ramot Bet told B’Chadrei Chareidim that 10 years ago, he donated a Sefer […]
A Chareidi avreich, armed with a firearm, was the first to charge at the terrorists during the deadly shooting attack at the Ramot Junction. He opened fire at the attackers and assisted in neutralizing them along with an off-duty IDF soldier who serves as squad commander in the IDF’s Chashmonaim Brigade for Chareidi soldiers. Security camera footage shows the avreich running toward the terrorists and shooting, while dozens of civilians can be seen fleeing the scene in panic. The avreich received his gun license a year ago. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
One of the victims injured in the brutal terror attack at the Ramot Junction in Yerushalayim is HaGaon HaRav Yaakov Sharabani, Rosh Yeshiva of *Maor HaTorah* in Yerushalayim and son-in-law of HaGaon HaRav Avraham Salim, shlita, member of the Moetzes Chachmei HaTorah. The Rosh Yeshiva was struck in the back by a bullet and evacuated to Shaarei Tzedek Hospital. Rav Sharabani had been traveling by bus from his home on Mintz Street in Ramot to the yeshiva to deliver his daily shiur when the attack occurred. Bichasdei Hashem, the Rosh Yeshiva is fully conscious. The public is asked to daven for Yaakov Chaim ben Tamar Ivon. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
I would like to raise an important topic—one that perhaps Klal Yisrael as a whole can consider returning to, for the sake of bringing yeshuos to so many who are still waiting. For generations, it was a minhag in Klal Yisrael to wish one another mazel tov at simchas. These words are not just a polite formality—they are true brachos. And when the recipient answers amen, it draws bracha and mazel into their life. At a wedding, when people would wish mazel tov to the chassan or kallah, the proper response was for the chassan or kallah to give a bracha back in return. Someone making a simcha has a unique koach at that time, and their heartfelt brachos can bring yeshuos to others. Chazal teach us that when we give someone a bracha, the words themselves rise to shamayim, and when answered with a sincere amen, they have the power to bring bracha down to this world. About twenty years ago, when the “shidduch crisis” became more pronounced, some older singles felt hurt by certain phrases that were being said—comments that didn’t always come across as sincere, or words like “IY”H by you” said without enough sensitivity. Out of respect for their pain, many in Klal Yisrael pulled back from this beautiful minhag, not wanting to cause discomfort. But as an older single myself, I want to give voice to what many of us who are still waiting feel but rarely say: we want your brachos. We need your tefillos. When they are offered with sincerity and energy, they mean more to us than you can imagine. Please don’t hold back from davening for us, from telling us you are davening, from giving us brachos, and from allowing us the privilege of answering amen. Let us bring back this old minhag—with sincerity, with warmth, and with the knowledge that every bracha, every amen, has the power to open gates of yeshuos. Signed, S.J. The views expressed in this letter are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of YWN. Have an opinion you would like to share? Send it to us for review.
Shmuel Meidad, the head of the Honenu legal aid organization, revealed that he was warned by a senior official that the Shin Bet collected personal information about him after a senior official in the agency decided to “take Honenu down.” Meidad founded Honenu in 2001 to provide legal assistance to Israeli soldiers and civilians embroiled in legal trouble after defending themselves against Arabs due to Israel’s left-wing Israeli judicial system and foreign-funded radical left “human rights” groups. The Shin Bet’s Jewish Department collected information on the organization’s activities, including personal information about Meidad. Meidad said that this is “the crossing of a red line and the first case of the Shin Bet acting against a civilian and legal aid organization.” Meidad elaborated that after “a very senior figure from the system called me and said he had something urgent to tell me,” he came to the meeting accompanied by his attorney, Yossi Ben-Baruch. The senior official told him, “Listen, I know, and I confirmed it with an authorized source that the Shin Bet has made a decision to take Honenu down.” When Meidad asked if the intention was towards him personally or the organization, the senior official clarified: “No, no. You personally too.” When he asked how the Shin Bet planned on “taking him down,” he received a disturbing answer: “In any way.” “I was in shock,” Meidad said. “I remembered what happened 25 years ago when I founded Honenu. Many friends warned me, ‘Aren’t you afraid that the Shin Bet will harass you?’ and I would always answer that my wife told me not to be afraid. And I’m much more afraid of her.” Meidad said that after the decision was made to target him, Shin Bet investigators questioned suspects represented by Honenu lawyers about the organization and its lawyers. “This is an improper and forbidden practice, as investigative bodies should not act against legal representation in a case,” Meidad said. “Threats will not deter us,” Meidad asserted. “We will continue to do everything in our power to assist soldiers and civilians who find themselves in legal distress due to the security situation.” No response to the report has been received from the Shin Bet so far. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
NANUET NEAR MONSEY: An MVA occurred next to Exit 14 southbound on the NYS Thruway when a vehicle lost control and rolled over multiple times, knocking down an electric pole and exit sign; two occupants were trapped and extricated by the Nanuet Fire Department. Hatzoloh EMS, Nanuet EMS, Rockland Paramedics, and NYSP are all on scene. The accident is causing heavy traffic on the NYS Thruway and the closure of the southbound entrance ramp at Exit 14.
Mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani (D) came under fire Friday night on CNN as anchor Abby Phillip pressed him on his controversial plan to open five government-run grocery stores in New York City — one in each borough — a taxpayer-funded experiment critics say is doomed to repeat the failures seen in other U.S. cities. Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America, insisted the program could work. “There have been studies that show the applicability of taxpayer-funded grocery stores in major cities like Chicago,” he told Phillip. “This is something I believe will work. We will bring the best and the brightest to deliver it.” But Phillip quickly shot back. “Another example is in Kansas City, where they had a government-run grocery store. It opened in 2018, received nearly $18 million in taxpayer funding, and it’s already on the verge of closing,” Phillip said. “They’ve been riddled with crime, they’ve dealt with a lack of inventory. Frankly, the government is not that good at being in the business of grocery stores.” Mamdani brushed off the Kansas City example, calling it a reason to “prove excellence, not abandon the idea.” “For every one example that you can point to,” Mamdani argued, “there’s another municipality today considering opening a city-run grocery store. The most important thing is the outcome.” He pegged the cost of the proposal at $60 million, which he described as “less than half the city’s already spending on subsidized corporate supermarkets.” But critics warned that Mamdani was ignoring the very real failures elsewhere. “Taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to bankroll an experiment that’s already failed in Kansas City,” one New York business leader told CNN after the segment. “If Mamdani wants to prove socialism works, he can do it with his own money — not ours.” Even Phillip, who pressed him throughout, wasn’t convinced. “You’re proposing something that’s already failed in practice,” she said. “Why should New Yorkers believe your plan won’t collapse the same way?” Mamdani held his ground. “I’m optimistic our government-run stores will not suffer the same fate,” he replied. “This is about feeding New Yorkers and proving a better system is possible.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
CNN’s Jake Tapper confronted Trump administration border czar Tom Homan on Sunday over a Truth Social meme posted by President Donald Trump that depicted Chicago as a burning battlefield. The meme, styled after the film Apocalypse Now, showed Trump’s face superimposed on the body of fictional character Lt. Col. Bill Kilgore, with the caption: “I love the smell of deportations in the morning. Chicago about to find out why it’s called the Department of WAR.” Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker blasted the post, writing on X: “The president of the United States is threatening to go to war with an American city. This is not a joke. This is normal. Donald Trump isn’t a strong man. He’s a scared man. Illinois won’t be intimidated by a wannabe dictator.” “Is President Trump planning to go to war in Chicago?” Tapper asked on State of the Union. Homan defended the post, saying Trump’s words were being twisted. “We’re going to war with the criminal cartels. We’re going to war with illegal aliens — public-safety threats that rape children, that commit armed robberies, that distribute narcotics that kill Americans,” Homan said. “And Governor Pritzker protects criminal, illegal alien, public-safety threats every day in that state.” Tapper shot back: “So maybe it should say criminal aliens in Chicago are about to find out why it’s called the Department of War, not Chicago itself.” Tapper pressed further on whether Trump is planning to send National Guard or federal troops into Chicago. “Is the president talking about sending National Guard troops and other federal troops into Chicago to handle deportations, or to handle violent criminals, or both?” Tapper asked. Homan responded: “Look, National Guard are always on the table. We used them in Los Angeles, and we used them in Washington, D.C. They’re a force multiplier. Do they arrest illegal aliens? No. ICE officers and Border Patrol agents with Title 8 authority arrest illegal criminal aliens. But the National Guard provides protection, infrastructure, transportation, processing capability — which allows those with badges and guns to stay on the street arresting the bad guy. So yeah, they’re on the table.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
President Donald Trump on Friday raised doubts over how many of the hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza remain alive, warning that recent intelligence suggests some of the 20 captives believed to be living may have “recently died.” “You’ve got 20, plus you’ve got about 38 dead people. Young, beautiful, dead people,” Trump said. “The parents want them every bit as much—almost more—than if their son or daughter were alive.” The president said that current talks involve at least 30 confirmed bodies in addition to those still presumed alive. “Of the 20, there could be some that have recently died is what I’m hearing. I hope that’s wrong,” he added. Trump repeated his demand that Hamas release all the hostages at once, rather than dragging out negotiations with piecemeal exchanges. “I always said, when you get down to the final 10 or 20, you’re not going to get them out unless you do a lot. And doing a lot means capitulation. That’s no good either,” Trump said. “But I put out the other day, let them all out. Every single one. No more twos and ones.” He warned Hamas that failure to release all the captives could provoke severe consequences. “If you don’t let them all out, it’s going to be a tough situation. It’s going to be nasty. That’s my opinion. Israel’s choice, but that’s my opinion,” Trump said. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum in Israel responded with gratitude for Trump’s pressure campaign. “The families thank President Trump and his envoy, Steve Witkoff, for their determination, courage and compassion in advancing the negotiations,” the group said in a statement. “He proves that true leadership is measured by brave decisions.” The forum also released a still image of 24-year-old hostage Alon Ohel from a Hamas propaganda video published Friday, showing him alongside fellow captive Guy Gilboa-Dalal in Gaza City. The families asked the public not to circulate the full video, which they said was designed to manipulate Israeli public opinion as the IDF intensifies its Gaza City offensive. Trump’s comments came as his envoy, real estate magnate Steve Witkoff, traveled to Paris for mediation talks with Qatari officials aimed at securing a ceasefire and the release of all remaining hostages. Meanwhile, Israel’s military campaign — dubbed Operation Gideon’s Chariots — has pushed deeper into Gaza City in an effort to break Hamas’s hold and pressure the group into releasing captives. Trump, positioning himself at the center of the negotiations, made clear that while diplomacy continues, the clock is running out. “We’re in very deep negotiation with Hamas,” he said. “We said, ‘Let ’em all out, right now, let ’em all out, and much better things will happen for them.’” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled Sunday that the state has failed to meet its legal obligation to provide Palestinian security prisoners with sufficient food and ordered authorities to immediately rectify the situation. The court, in a 2–1 ruling, sided with petitions brought by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) and Gisha, which accused National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and the Israel Prison Service of deliberately cutting food rations to levels below subsistence. Justices Daphne Barak-Erez, Ofer Grosskopf, and David Mintz all agreed that Israeli law obligates the state to ensure food “sufficient to enable a basic existence.” But Barak-Erez and Grosskopf concluded the state has not met that standard. Writing for the majority, Barak-Erez pointed to evidence that rations for Palestinian prisoners had fallen below the legal threshold. “The painful testimonies of freed hostages show that a stricter food regime [for Palestinian prisoners] does not improve the suffering of our kidnapped brothers who are still in captivity, and even the opposite,” she wrote. Grosskopf added that the state “has not sufficiently demonstrated” it is carrying out its nutritional obligations. Mintz dissented, insisting that the state’s approved menus and food provisions were consistent with a legally acceptable minimum standard. “The High Court of Justice ordered a halt to Ben Gvir’s policy of starving security prisoners,” said Oded Feller, an attorney for ACRI. “A state does not starve people, regardless of what they have done. This policy, which lasted nearly two years, turned prisons in Israel into torture camps, and according to testimonies from hostages, also led to increased abuse of them.” National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir immediately lashed out at the court. “Our hostages in Gaza have no High Court to defend them. The murderous Nukhba terrorists and abominable rapists have, to our disgrace, the High Court protecting them,” Ben Gvir said. He vowed to maintain a policy of providing only “the most minimal conditions under the law.” Justice Minister Yariv Levin echoed the criticism, accusing the court of misplaced priorities. “While the hostages are being starved in the tunnels, a duo of judges in the High Court require that the food given to the worst terrorists be improved,” Levin said. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee issued a warning Sunday, blasting European efforts to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations later this month as a direct violation of the Oslo Accords that risks destabilizing the region and emboldening terror groups. In an interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssber, Huckabee said that the recognition drive — spearheaded by countries including France — has already undermined hostage negotiations with Hamas and may prompt Israel to expand sovereignty over swaths of Yehuda and Shomron. “I wish that they’d have thought about the implications,” Huckabee said. “When France announced it would recognize Palestine, Hamas walked away from the negotiations to let the hostages go.” He added that the move sends Israel the message that “if we’re going to be forced into something that goes against Oslo … now Israel is talking about declaring sovereignty over more parts of Judea and Samaria. Whatever the thought was, no matter how noble it may have seemed, it has had disastrous consequences that have proven to do the exact opposite of what many European countries thought would be a great idea.” Huckabee stressed that unilateral recognition directly contradicts the framework of the 1990s Oslo Accords, which envisioned eventual Palestinian statehood through mutual negotiation, not international fiat. “Unilaterally declaring a Palestinian state is a violation of the Oslo Accords that everybody thought would lead to a Palestinian state,” he said. The ambassador also repeated his framing of Israel’s war with Hamas as more than a political conflict. Speaking to CNB News last week, Huckabee described the struggle as “a spiritual conflict, a battle of the ages … It’s heaven versus hell, it’s good versus evil.” He invoked the October 7 Hamas massacre, calling it “a level of evil the likes of which, you just look throughout all history, and you’d be hard-pressed to find anything like it.” “You stand with Israel not for its government,” he continued, “but for the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Law, the Light, the foundation of Western civilization.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani (D) took direct aim at Elon Musk on Saturday, declaring at a packed Brooklyn College rally that they would not allow the Tesla CEO to become the world’s first trillionaire. “It’s important that we feel the outrage of children going hungry, people being homeless, 85 million without healthcare — and you got one guy, one guy, Mr. Musk, whose wealth is more than the bottom 52% of American households,” Sanders thundered. “Millions are struggling to put food on the table, and making one guy a trillionaire is insane. We are not going to allow that to happen.” The comments came during Sanders’s fiery speech at the “Fighting Oligarchy” town hall alongside Mamdani, whose insurgent campaign has rallied progressive voters against corporate power and political elites. Sanders was responding to reports that Tesla’s board has floated a mammoth new compensation package for Musk — potentially worth between $800 billion and $900 billion — that could catapult his net worth beyond $1 trillion. Despite Tesla’s volatile performance on Wall Street, Musk remains the richest man alive, with an estimated fortune of $342 billion, according to Forbes. Sanders, 83, framed Musk’s pay proposal as the latest symptom of a system rigged for the ultra-wealthy. “We are living in a crazy world,” he said, contrasting Musk’s wealth against working-class Americans crushed by inflation, soaring rents, and stagnant wages. “The richest one percent have never had it so good, while ordinary people are facing unprecedented financial pain.” Though Sanders offered no details on how he and Mamdani would block Musk’s windfall, the rhetoric underscored a central theme of Mamdani’s mayoral bid: that unchecked wealth and corporate power must be dismantled in order to deliver justice for working-class New Yorkers. Mamdani has already made headlines for proposing to open five government-run grocery stores if elected — a plan he defended in a CNN interview Friday night, despite skepticism over cost and implementation. At Saturday’s rally, Sanders endorsed Mamdani as part of the progressive movement’s “future of the Democratic Party,” tying the fight against corporate greed directly to the local battle for New York’s City Hall. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
