ONLY One Box Of Matzoh!! Adopt a TSFAT Family!! $39!! Adopt a Tsfat family for Yom Tov!. DONATE NOW One Box Of Matzoh For $39 CLICK HERE!! · Can you imagine what it’s like to come home Pesach night to your Seder table—and there’s hardly anything there?? · Can you imagine being so poor before Pesach that you don’t know how you’ll get matzos and wine?? CLICK HERE!! · Can you picture the face of a yungerman being asked—again—by his devoted wife and beautiful children: “Tatty, when are we going shopping for Pesach?” What can he say?? CLICK HERE!! ONLY One Box Of Matzoh!! Adopt a TSFAT Family!! $39!! Adopt a Tsfat family for Yom Tov!. DONATE NOW One Box Of Matzoh For $39 CLICK HERE!! · Can you imagine what it’s like to come home Pesach night to your Seder table—and there’s hardly anything there?? · Can you imagine being so poor before Pesach that you don’t know how you’ll get matzos and wine?? CLICK HERE!! · Can you picture the face of a yungerman being asked—again—by his devoted wife and beautiful children: “Tatty, when are we going shopping for Pesach?” What can he say?? CLICK HERE!! ONLY One Box Of Matzoh!! Adopt a TSFAT Family!! $39!! Adopt a Tsfat family for Yom Tov!. DONATE NOW One Box Of Matzoh For $39 CLICK HERE!! · Can you imagine what it’s like to come home Pesach night to your Seder table—and there’s hardly anything there?? · Can you imagine being so poor before Pesach that you don’t know how you’ll get matzos and wine?? CLICK HERE!! · Can you picture the face of a yungerman being asked—again—by his devoted wife and beautiful children: “Tatty, when are we going shopping for Pesach?” What can he say?? CLICK HERE!!
YWN regrets to inform you of the petira of HaRav Shimon (Shimmy) Betzalel ben Reb Mordechai Yitzchok Edelstein Z”L. He was 52 years old. Reb Shimmy, a lifelong Flatbush resident, was a gifted talmid chochom with an extraordinary mastery of Torah. He learned in Yeshiva Torah Temimah and was one of the prized talmidim of Hagaon HaRav Shlomo Feivel Schustal. A true ilui, he possessed a phenomenal bekius in Shas—both Bavli and Yerushalmi—as well as in Poskim, able to quote entire passages verbatim. Though he worked as an attorney to provide for his family, his true passion and essence were entirely devoted to Limud HaTorah. Every free moment was spent immersed in learning. For over 20 years, Reb Shimmy davened with his family at Khal Kol Torah, where he served as a baal koreh and delivered shiurim in place of the Mora D’asra, Hagaon HaRav Lipa Geldwirth, when he was away for Shabbos (Minchas Chnuch, and Or HaChayim Hakadosh). He gave a weekly shiur in Orach HaShulchan every Sunday morning and was a beloved storyteller at Avos U’banim each Motzei Shabbos, bringing the stories of Tanach to life for young children. His brilliance in Torah was widely recognized. On one occasion, when the late Mirrer Rosh Yeshiva, Hagaon HaRav Shmuel Berenbaum ZT”L, delivered a shiur at his shul, Reb Shimmy posed a profound question. The Rosh Yeshiva paused in astonishment, contemplating before answering. Later, as he left, he turned to his driver and asked in admiration, “Ver is der yungerman vus hut gefregt a ga’onishe shaila?” (“Who is that young man who asked such a genius question?”). Reb Shimmy leaves a mother, siblings, a devoted wife—an incredible baalas chesed—and children who are masmidim, bnei Torah, and baalei chesed, following in his footsteps. The levaya will take place today, Monday, at 11:30 AM at Shomrei Hadas. Yehi Zichro Baruch. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Heathrow bosses on Monday defended their response to a fire that shut down Europe’s busiest air hub for almost a day, after Britain’s energy system operator suggested the airport had enough electricity from other sources to keep running. More than 1,300 flights were canceled on Friday after a fire knocked out one of the three electrical substations that supply Heathrow with power. More than 200,000 passengers had journeys disrupted, and industry experts say the chaos will cost airlines tens of millions of dollars. The airport reopened after about 18 hours after Heathrow reconfigured its power supply. Heathrow said it ran a full schedule on Saturday and Sunday, with 400,000 passengers passing through on 2,500 weekend flights. The fire’s huge impact raised concern about the resilience of Britain’s energy system to accident, natural disaster or attack. The government has ordered a probe into “any wider lessons to be learned on energy resilience for critical national infrastructure.” Counterterrorism police initially led the investigation into the fire, which came as authorities across Europe gird against sabotage backed by Russia. The head of Britain’s MI6 spy agency has accused Moscow of mounting a “staggeringly reckless” sabotage campaign against allies of Ukraine in its war against Russia’s full-scale invasion. Police say they have found no sign of foul play. The investigation has been handed back to the London Fire Brigade, which said it is focusing on the substation’s electrical distribution equipment. Meanwhile, the utility company and airport executives are trading blame. John Pettigrew, chief executive of energy-supply network National Grid, told the Financial Times that “each substation individually can provide enough power to Heathrow” for the airport to stay open. “Losing a substation is a unique event — but there were two others available,” he said. “So that is a level of resilience.” Heathrow said it had worked to reopen “as soon as safely and practically possible.” “Hundreds of critical systems across the airport were required to be safely powered down and then safely and systematically rebooted,” the airport said in a statement. “Given Heathrow’s size and operational complexity, safely restarting operations after a disruption of this magnitude was a significant challenge.” Heathrow CEO Thomas Woldbye is also facing questions about why he put the airport’s chief operating officer, Javier Echave, in charge of decision-making as the fire raged early Friday. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander declined to back Heathrow management’s decision-making, saying, “I don’t have all the information that they had available when they made the decision.” “Safety should always be paramount, but, as I say, it was not my decision,” she told the BBC. (AP)
Yomim Tovim are fast approaching. Please, hear the cry of your brothers and sisters in Israel and send financial help! The money raised will be distributed before Yom Tov. HaRav Asher Weiss shlit”a blesses those who open their hearts: “Hashem should fulfill what your heart desires for the good.” HaGaon HaRav Dov Landau shlit”a, Rosh Yeshiva of Slabodka, gives a bracha to all donors, with a special bracha for doubled success for those who give $180+! Your tzedakah ensures these families can celebrate Pesach with dignity. CLICK HERE. Give now—receive a powerful bracha & bring relief to those in need! May Hashem bless all those who give Tzedakah. CLICK HERE TO DONATE
The IDF and Shin Bet have confirmed that Ismail Barhoum, a senior Hamas terrorist, was eliminated in an overnight airstrike on Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza’s Khan Younis. Shortly after the strike, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Barhoum’s death, a claim later confirmed by Hamas. Barhoum, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, served as the terror group’s chief financial officer and was the successor to Issam Da’alis, Gaza’s de-facto prime minister, who was killed last week. According to the IDF and Shin Bet, Barhoum played a central role in Hamas’ decision-making process and directly oversaw its financial operations, channeling funds for terror attacks and weapons procurement. While Hamas claimed Barhoum was at Nasser Hospital receiving treatment for injuries from a previous strike, the IDF asserts he was using the medical facility as a base of operations. “This is yet another example of Hamas systematically violating international law, taking over civilian infrastructure, and using the Gazan population as human shields for its terror activities,” the IDF said in a statement. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
U.S. negotiators worked on a proposed partial ceasefire in Ukraine on Monday, meeting with representatives from Russia a day after holding separate talks with the Ukrainian team. Each side has accused the other of undermining efforts to reach a pause in the 3-year-old war. Kyiv and Moscow agreed in principle Wednesday to a limited ceasefire after U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with the countries’ leaders, but the parties have offered different views of what targets would be off-limits to attack. While the White House said “energy and infrastructure” would be covered, the Kremlin declared that the agreement referred more narrowly to “energy infrastructure.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he would also like to see railways and ports protected. Talks Monday are expected to address some of those differences, as well as a potential pause in attacks in the Black Sea to ensure the safety of commercial shipping. U.S. and Russian representatives met in the morning in the Saudi capital, Russia’s state Tass and RIA-Novosti news agencies reported. The U.S. and Ukrainian teams met Sunday in Riyadh. Serhii Leshchenko, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, said the delegation remained in Riyadh on Monday and expected to meet again with the Americans. Grigory Karasin, head of the foreign affairs committee in the Russian parliament’s upper house and a participant in Monday’s talks, told the Interfax news agency the negotiations were going on in a “creative way” and that the U.S. and Russian delegations “understand each other’s views.” Meanwhile, both Russia and Ukraine continued to launch attacks across their borders. The Russian Defense Ministry said Monday a Ukrainian drone attacked an oil pumping station in southern Russia that serves a pipeline carrying Kazakhstan’s Caspian Sea oil to the Russian port of Novorossiisk for export. It said the drone was downed before it could reach the pumping station. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday the Russian military has been fulfilling President Vladimir Putin’s order to halt attacks on energy facilities for 30 days. He has accused Ukraine of derailing the partial ceasefire with attacks on Russia’s energy facilities, including a gas metering station in Sudzha in Russia’s Kursk region. Ukraine’s military General Staff rejected Moscow’s accusations and blamed the Russian military for shelling the station, a claim Peskov called “absurd.” Zelenskyy said Sunday evening that “since March 11, a proposal for an unconditional ceasefire has been on the table, and these attacks could have already stopped. But it is Russia that continues all this.” He added that Ukraine’s partners — “the U.S., Europe, and others around the world” — should increase pressure on Russia “to stop this terror.” Zelenskyy has emphasized that Ukraine is open to Trump’s proposal of a full, 30-day ceasefire. Putin has made a complete ceasefire conditional on a halt of arms supplies to Kyiv and a suspension of Ukraine’s military mobilization — demands rejected by Kyiv and its Western allies. Speaking on “Fox News Sunday,” Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said he expected “some real progress” at talks and that a pause in hostilities by both countries in the Black Sea would “naturally gravitate into a full-on shooting ceasefire.” China rules out supplying peacekeeping forces Asked about reports speculating that China might send peacekeepers to Ukraine to enforce any peace deal, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun responded Monday with an unequivocal no. “Let me […]
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is planning a large ground operation in Gaza, based on the belief that conquering and holding Gaza territory will allow Israel to finally defeat Hamas, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. Netanyahu and his inner circle, including people appointed in recent months to various positions, belive that Hamas must be hit hard before any political solution can be advanced for the fate of Gaza, the report says. Netanyahu and his new team, including Defense Minister Yisrael Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, believe that Hezbollah’s defeat last year and the Trump administration’s willingness to support a renewed attack against Hamas give them more room to maneuver on the battlefield. They believe that Israel could have inflicted greater damage on Hamas during the first round of war if it had not been hampered by a shortage of ammunition and pressure from the Biden administration to use less force and provide humanitarian aid. The Trump administration has now increased the flow of weapons and Hezbollah’s defeat also means that Israel has more forces to deploy in Gaza to conquer territory and control humanitarian aid shipments. “Hamas’ tunnel system will need to be destroyed, an effort that could take months or years, more terrorists will be eliminated and Gaza will be in even more ruins, but in the end, it will weaken the terror group,” supporters of resuming the battle were quoted as saying. Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said on Friday that the IDF will begin to permanently seize territory in the Gaza Strip if Hamas doesn’t release the hostages. “I have instructed the IDF to seize additional areas in Gaza, evacuate the population, and expand security zones around Gaza to protect Israeli communities and IDF soldiers,” Katz said. “The more Hamas persists in its refusal to release the hostages, the more territory it will lose, which will be annexed to Israel.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
A private European aerospace company scrubbed its attempt on Monday to launch the first test flight of its orbital launch vehicle from Norway. Unfavorable winds meant that the Spectrum rocket couldn’t be launched from the island of Andøya in northern Norway, Munich-based Isar Aerospace said. The launch is subject to weather, safety and range infrastructure. The company said it could also conduct the test flight later in the week. Another date hasn’t yet been set. The 28-meter (91-foot) Spectrum is a two-stage launch vehicle designed for small and medium-sized satellites. The company has largely ruled out the possibility of the rocket reaching orbit on its first complete flight, saying that it would consider a 30-second flight a success. Isar Aerospace aims to collect as much data and experience as possible on the first integrated test of all the systems on its in-house-developed launch vehicle. The startup, which says it has raised more than 400 million euros ($435 million) in capital, hopes to build up to 40 launch vehicles per year in the future at a plant outside of Munich. The launch vehicles are all to be used for putting satellites into orbit. Isar Aerospace is separate from the European Space Agency, or ESA, which is funded by its 23 member states. ESA has been launching rockets and satellites into orbit for years, but mainly from French Guiana — an overseas department of France in South America — and from Cape Canaveral in Florida. (AP)
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Hamas agreed to an Egyptian proposal that includes the release of five live hostages in exchange for the resumption of humanitarian aid into Gaza, a weeks-long ceasefire, and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, the Associated Press reported on Monday morning. Reuters reported on the Egyptian proposal on Friday but did not disclose details. The AP report revealed details from sources in Egypt that the agreement includes the release of five live hostages, including US-Israeli citizen Eden Alexander. A senior Hamas official told the AP that the organization “responded positively” to a proposal – which differs from its latest outline it agreed to: the release of Edan Alexander along with 4 deceased hostages with US citizenship. However, political sources in Israel said that no Egyptian proposal had been passed to the negotiating team. The Tikvah Forum, which represents right-wing families of hostages, responded to the report by stating that this is “another selection. Again, they are taking out individual hostages and condemning other hostages to their fate. We demand that the Prime Minister and all members of the cabinet strongly oppose and not allow another selection among the hostages. The Israeli government must get everyone out together in one go on one bus, and until then increase military pressure, conquer territory in the Gaza Strip and prevent any humanitarian aid, electricity, and water from reaching Hamas.” A source quoted in the Qatari Al-Araby Al-Jadeed media outlet on Monday morning said that the Egyptian proposal requires Hamas to provide detailed information on living hostages, the dead and the wounded, including photographic evidence to substantiate the information. However, this information was not published in the AP report and has no confirmation from other sources. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
In recent months, the Shin Bet conducted a covert investigation against the police and the minister in charge of it, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, on suspicion of “undermining the foundations of government and the democratic regime,” Channel 12 News reported on Sunday evening. According to the report, a secret document compiled by the Shin Bet stated: “We have marked the spread of Kahanism to law enforcement institutions as a dangerous phenomenon, the prevention of which is part of the Shin Bet’s mission. Given the involvement of the political echelon, this must be carried out with great care and caution.” Bar’s people were instructed to gather information secretly and come up with some “findings,” with the document stating: “Continue to collect evidence and testimony of the political echelon’s involvement in the actions of the security echelon in the direction of using force in a manner contrary to the law, and come up with some findings.” The Shin Bet initially confirmed the report, even claiming that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was informed of the investigation, but then retracted the statement and denied the existence of such a probe. Ben-Gvir responded by saying: “This is an earthquake. Now it is even clearer why Ronen Bar must not be left as the head of the Shin Bet for even a minute. The head of a secret organization who initiates investigations and gathers materials against elected officials, while defining the goal in advance, ‘to collect evidence and testimony of the political echelon’s involvement’, is an immediate danger to democracy, who must be removed from any position immediately.” According to reports, a stormy scene took place on Sunday evening when Ben-Gvir, who heard about the Shin Bet probe from his advisors, burst into a meeting of the cabinet and shouted at Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, saying: “Are you behind this?” Bar responded: “A lie. I never ordered an investigation against you. They’re always telling lies about me.” Ben Gvir then left and returned with the documents and presented them to the participants at the meeting, saying to Netanyahu: “This is a lying Shin Bet chief, a criminal whose place is in prison, a head of a secret service who spies on the political echelon, orders the collection of incriminating material on them, and tries to carry out a coup. It is simply unbelievable that a security organization in Israel is undermining the government and conducting a political investigation in order to carry out a political coup against the will of the people.” Netanyahu’s office responded to the report on Sunday evening, stating: “The Prime Minister is not aware of this investigation and was not updated about it by the Shin Bet chief.” His office published another harsh statement against Bar on Monday morning, stating: “The claim that the Prime Minister authorized Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar to collect evidence against Minister Ben-Gvir is another lie that has been shattered.” The statement added that “the document that was published – which shows an explicit directive from the Shin Bet chief to collect evidence against the political echelon – is reminiscent of dark regimes, undermines the foundations of democracy, and was aimed at overthrowing a right-wing government.” “The Prime Minister was never updated by the Shin Bet chief that he intended to collect evidence on the […]
The US has been exerting massive pressure on Egypt in recent weeks to absorb hundreds of thousands of Gazans. The London-based New Arab media outlet reported that the US plan, which was conveyed to Egypt through UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed, is that Egypt will absorb between half a million and 700,000 Gazans. According to the report, Bin-Zayed arrived in Egypt on Sunday evening for a visit and conveyed the US message to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, saying that if Egypt complies with the plan, the US will provide massive financial assistance of billions of dollars to aid the Egyptian economy, which is currently in crisis. However, if Egypt continues to refuse to absorb Gazans, the US will look for alternatives and the billions of dollars will be transferred to other countries along with much of the US military aid to Egypt. The report added that the US also plans to pressure Jordan into absorbing Gazans. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
A man was murdered and an IDF soldier was seriously injured on Monday morning in a combined ramming-stabbing-shooting attack at the Tishbi Junction near the northern city of Yokneam Illit. According to the police, a terrorist arrived at Route 66 and attempted to run over several people standing at a bus stop, seriously injuring a 20-year-old IDF soldier. He then exited his vehicle and stabbed the soldier and stole his weapon. The heinous terrorist then used the weapon to open fire at a passing vehicle. The driver was lightly injured and his 85-year-old father sitting next to him was murdered. He was later identified as Moshe “Musa” Horn, H’yd, from Kibbutz HaZore’a. The terrorist was neutralized by Border Police officers on their way to a unit training exercise who got out of their vehicles and eliminated the terrorist. Gideon Shalom, a resident of Yokneam who was at the bus stop, told Ynet: “I was sitting at the bus stop when an Arab arrived with a scary look in his eyes. He started stabbing, took the soldier’s weapon, and started shooting. I shouted to people to flee. The police officers who were in the area neutralized him.” MDA paramedics called to the scene tried to revive the elderly man but soon were forced to pronounce his death at the scene. The soldier was evacuated to Rambam Hospital in serious and unstable condition with penetrating injuries. The terrorist was later identified as Kareem Jabarin, a 25-year-old Israeli-Arab from the Wadi Ara area (not far from the scene of the attack). The video below shows the terrorist holding the soldier’s weapon before he is eliminated: (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Editor’s Note: Yeshiva World News (YWN) takes no official position in the ongoing debate regarding participation in the World Zionist Organization (WZO) elections. As always, YWN follows the guidance of its Rabbanim in determining what content to publish and which advertisements to accept. We urge our readers to do the same—seek the counsel of your Rav or Manhig and follow their direction regarding this, and any other hashkafic matter. ___________________________________ To our Rabbanim, Kehillos, and the broader Jewish community: With broken hearts, we write this urgent plea to expose a grave betrayal—one that threatens the integrity of our children’s chinuch and the hashkafa of our kehillos, all for financial handouts from the World Zionist Organization (WZO). We are not extremists. We support Eretz Yisroel, we daven for Tzahal, and we stand with our people. But what is happening under the guise of “supporting Torah” is nothing less than a sale of our children’s neshamos to an anti-Torah agenda. For years, the WZO has infiltrated yeshivos and shuls, offering financial incentives in exchange for participation in their elections. We were told this was about “fighting Reform influence” and “securing funding for Torah institutions.” But what they didn’t tell us was the real cost of that money. We recently discovered that our own children—yeshiva talmidim and bnos Yisroel—were forced to complete projects glorifying Zionist leaders like Theodor Herzl and David Ben-Gurion. The schools didn’t even send these projects home—they were hidden from parents, buried under bureaucracy, sent only to the WZO to “prove” our schools were properly promoting Zionist values. When one concerned parent—a graduate of Ner Yisrael, staunchly opposed to the WZO—questioned a menahel, he was brushed off. “Nothing to see here,” they said. But when a courageous teacher leaked the files from the school’s computer, the truth was laid bare: our children were being brainwashed into admiring Herzl, a man who advocated converting Jews to Christianity and refused to give his own son a bris milah. Even worse, images have surfaced of rabbanim unknowingly standing in front of banners of Herzl inside a beis haknesses, all part of the WZO’s demands to maintain funding. We are told that Gedolei Yisrael support the WZO-backed Shas Olami movement. The WZO proudly flaunts endorsements from Hacham Yitzchak Yosef and Hacham Avraham Salim, and Hacham Yitzchak is even being flown to America before Pesach to give a bracha those who vote in the election. But did these gedolim know the full truth? Were they told that their signatures would lead to bnos Yisroel creating projects celebrating IDF enlistment? Did they know that their names would be used to justify embedding Zionist propaganda in our yeshivos? Would Hacham Ovadia zt”l have allowed this? Would Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l have stood for this? We know the answer. Baruch Hashem, our Sephardic kehillos are built on Torah and self-sufficiency. We are not beggars. We already pour millions into supporting Torah in Eretz Yisroel and around the world. We do not need Zionist money that comes at the price of our children’s hashkafa. We are begging our Rabbanim, our community leaders, and those with influence: do not let this continue. Do not allow the WZO to buy their way into our mosdos with a few dollars. We plead with Hacham Yitzchak Yosef and Hacham Avraham Salim: if you truly knew […]
A large section of the facade of Yeshiva University’s Belz Building partially collapsed Sunday morning, sending debris crashing onto a sidewalk shed and causing significant damage. The incident occurred around 9:20 a.m. at the five-story building on 185th Street near Amsterdam Avenue, prompting an emergency response from the FDNY and Department of Buildings (DOB) inspectors. A 6-foot-by-70-foot section of the building’s facade broke away, causing a 70-foot portion of the sidewalk shed below to collapse onto Amsterdam Avenue, according to the DOB. Despite the dramatic collapse, no injuries were reported. Videos from the scene show a massive pile of rubble in front of the building, surrounded by police tape. Yeshiva University said that cleanup efforts and scaffolding repairs are already underway, after which the building will be deemed safe for reoccupation. Meanwhile, the DOB has issued a Stop Work Order on the property, despite a previous work permit for facade repairs. The building facade collapse comes just days after Yeshiva University settled with the Pride Alliance, allowing a toeiva club to operate in the supposedly “Torah-true” school. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A shocking incident unfolded when two 14-year-old boys were injured in a public garden in Kiryat Ata due to the explosion of an electronic cigarette they were using. MDA paramedics rushed to the scene, evacuating the victims to Rambam Hospital for urgent medical care. One of the teens suffered severe injuries to his upper body, requiring immediate resuscitation efforts by paramedics. After intense intervention, he was transported to the hospital in critical condition. The second boy sustained moderate injuries and was evacuated in stable condition. Additional MDA teams treated another teenager present at the scene, who had limb injuries and was also moderately wounded. He, too, was taken to Rambam Hospital, where he remains stable. (YWN Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
The U.S. has lifted bounties on three senior Taliban figures, including the interior minister who also heads a powerful network blamed for bloody attacks against Afghanistan’s former Western-backed government, officials in Kabul said Sunday. Sirajuddin Haqqani, who acknowledged planning a January 2008 attack on the Serena Hotel in Kabul, which killed six people, including U.S. citizen Thor David Hesla, no longer appears on the State Department’s Rewards for Justice website. The FBI website on Sunday still featured a wanted poster for him. Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said the U.S. government had revoked the bounties placed on Haqqani, Abdul Aziz Haqqani, and Yahya Haqqani. “These three individuals are two brothers and one paternal cousin,” Qani told The Associated Press. The Haqqani network grew into one of the deadliest arms of the Taliban after the U.S.-led 2001 invasion of Afghanistan. The group employed roadside bombs, suicide bombings and other attacks, including on the Indian and U.S. embassies, the Afghan presidency, and other major targets. They also have been linked to extortion, kidnapping and other criminal activity. A Foreign Ministry official, Zakir Jalaly, said the Taliban’s release of U.S. prisoner George Glezmann on Friday and the removal of bounties showed both sides were “moving beyond the effects of the wartime phase and taking constructive steps to pave the way for progress” in bilateral relations. “The recent developments in Afghanistan-U.S. relations are a good example of the pragmatic and realistic engagement between the two governments,” said Jalaly. Taliban see the opening in breaking out of isolation Another official, Shafi Azam, hailed the development as the beginning of normalization, also citing the Taliban’s announcement they were in control of Afghanistan’s embassy in Norway. Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, China has been the most prominent country to accept one of their diplomats. Other countries have accepted de facto Taliban representatives, like Qatar, which has been a key mediator between the U.S. and the Taliban. U.S. envoys have also met the Taliban. The Taliban rule, especially bans affecting women and girls, has triggered widespread condemnation and deepened their international isolation. Haqqani has previously spoken out against the Taliban’s decision-making process, authoritarianism and alienation of the Afghan population. He has been under U.N. sanctions since 2007, because of his involvement with the network founded by his father, Jalaluddin. But the global body has allowed him to travel in the past 12 months, including to the United Arab Emirates to meet the country’s leadership and to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage. Those were his first trips abroad since the Taliban takeover. Ibraheem Bahiss, a senior analyst with International Crisis Group’s Asia program, said the removal of the bounties was a win for Taliban officials wanting to do business with the international community. The U.S. was showing it could reward those who made compromises within their own remit, even if these compromises didn’t translate to national policy, he said. The international community had made demands of the Taliban, specifically lifting restrictions on women and girls, but offered nothing in return, said Bahiss. Scrapping bounties was a sign that small diplomatic overtures were possible. While recognition as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan might not immediately be on the horizon, the Taliban viewed normalization as enough progress given their existing diplomatic inroads in the region, according to Bahiss. “For the Taliban, the removal of sanctions is more important […]
Three European allies provided millions of dollars that the United States was supposed to spend for low-income countries. Then the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s government-cutters arrived. Government officials from Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands told The Associated Press that a combined $15 million they contributed for joint development work overseas has been parked at the U.S. Agency for International Development for months. After the Republican administration and Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency cut USAID’s funding and the bulk of its programs, the Europeans asked whether their money would be funneled to projects as expected or refunded. They have gotten no response. “It’s a concern for us, especially as we want our partner organizations to be compensated for the work they have put into the programs,” said Julia Lindholm, a spokeswoman for the Swedish government’s international development agency. The true total may be larger. Other foreign governments also had money entrusted with USAID for distribution in a range of joint development projects at the time President Donald Trump ordered the funding freeze on Jan. 20, according to an official directly familiar with the matter who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The worries point to the extent to which the new administration’s abrupt cutoff of foreign assistance and canceling of contracts for humanitarian and development work are raising questions about Washington’s financial reliability. They also show further strain between allies as Trump revamps American foreign policy. The State Department and USAID did not immediately respond to questions asking how many foreign governments had money for joint development programs going unspent and unrefunded in the USAID funding freeze, how much money that was in total, and whether the administration was doing anything about it. Concerns from American allies Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands had been partnering with USAID on a project called Water and Energy for Food, or WE4F. It helps farmers and others in poorer countries develop innovative ways to grow more food without straining water supplies or depending on climate-damaging forms of energy. “Most importantly,” Lindholm said by email, the U.S. failure so far to disburse or refund allies’ donations is harming ”6 million of the poorest and most vulnerable farmers in the world who are dependent on the technologies for their food production and food security.” Other administration actions already have alarmed traditional partners. Trump has said he would not necessarily follow the mutual-defense pact underlying the NATO security agreement, he has advanced some of Russia’s talking points and demands in its invasion of Ukraine and has imposed tariffs on Canada, the European Union and others. America as a reliable financial partner Now, doubts about the U.S. as a reliable business partner have emerged in lawsuits over the administration’s abrupt cancellation of what Secretary of State Marco Rubio said were 83% of USAID contracts, forcing partner organizations to lay off workers and driving some out of business. In a brief supporting a lawsuit from federal workers, former Defense Secretaries Chuck Hagel and William Perry, former CIA Director Michael Hayden and more than a dozen other former senior U.S. officials said the administration’s mass canceling of thousands of USAID contracts was flouting U.S. financial regulations and “destroying the United States’ credibility as a reliable partner.” Canceling the contracts “sends a message that this administration does not feel bound by […]
A momentous and deeply stirring event unfolded in the hallowed town of Pshischa, Poland on Motzei Shabbos, as for the first time since the Churban of Europe, a Hachnosas Sefer Torah took place within the 400-year-old beis medrash, a remnant of the once-flourishing Yiddishe kehillah that was tragically wiped out in the Holocaust. This historic maamad was led by the Biale Rebbe of Bnei Brak, a direct descendant of the heilige Yid Hakadosh, Rav Yaakov Yitzchak Rabinowicz, zy”a, who founded the Pshischa derech—a derech of avodas Hashem rooted in emes, penimiyus, and avodah sheb’lev. The Hachnosas Sefer Torah was more than just a simchah shel mitzvah; it was the fulfillment of the tzava’ah of the Yid Hakadosh, who instructed that in times of tzarah and hester ponim, Yidden should be mispallel at his kever and dedicate a new Sefer Torah. Before the war, Pshischa was a vibrant makom Torah u’tefillah, a center of Chassidus and penimiyus, where the Yid Hakadosh, zy”a, and his talmidim imbued generations with their elevated avodas Hashem. But then came the days of churban, when the Nazis ym”sh desecrated its shuls, its botei medrash, and ruthlessly eradicated its Yidden, turning a mokom kodesh into a barren wasteland. Yet, the beis medrash of the Yid Hakadosh still stood, a silent testament to its once-thriving kehilla. And now, after decades of emptiness, the very walls of this beis medrash once again shook with kedusha, as the klang of Torah, tefillah, and simchah returned to the town for the first time in generations. The Biale Rebbe shlit”a, whose yichus traces directly to the Yid Hakadosh, traveled from Bnei Brak to lead this extraordinary maamad, accompanied by a delegation of Chassidim and Yidden from around the world. Mispallelim and mechabdei haTorah gathered from Poland, Eretz Yisroel, America, and across Europe, as well as local Poles who looked on in awe at the reawakening of a long-dormant legacy. The Sefer Torah was carried through the town’s streets under a chuppah, just as it had been in the days before the Churban of Pshischa. Men danced with fiery hislahavus, niggunim filled the air, and tears flowed freely, as generations of pain, loss, and longing were lifted through the power of the Torah Hakdosha. For many in attendance, the Hachnosas Sefer Torah was far more than a simchah—it was a statement to the world that Klal Yisroel endures. In recent years, efforts to preserve the remnants of Poland’s once-glorious Jewish heritage have gained momentum, with both local and international organizations working to restore shuls, batei chaim, and historic mekomos. As the Torah was brought home, the dancing continued late into the night, a historic bond between Pshischa and its legacy. And with that, the neshama of Pshischa breathes once more. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Bernie Sanders stepped onto a stage in downtown Denver, surrounded by tens of thousands of cheering supporters in what he described as the biggest rally he had ever addressed. The Vermont senator put his hand on the shoulder of the woman who had introduced him, a signal for her to stay on stage. “She has become an inspiration to millions of young people,” Sanders said of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, recounting her biography from a girl who helped her mother clean houses and later became a bartender before emerging as political insurgent who ousted a powerful New York Democrat in a U.S. House primary. The crowd began a chant of her well-known moniker: “AOC! AOC!” In a leaderless Democratic Party out of power in Washington, Ocasio-Cortez has a message and a connection with a segment of liberals feeling disenchanted with both parties. Now, in her fourth term, the 35-year-old congresswoman is working to broaden her appeal beyond her progressive, anti-establishment roots. Hitting the road last week with Sanders for his “Fighting Oligarchy” rallies, she is addressing people who disagree with her and reframing the divide in the Democratic Party not as progressive versus moderate, but as those going after Republican President Donald Trump and those being more cautious. “No matter who you voted for in the past, no matter if you know all the right words to say, no matter your race, religion, gender identity or status,” Ocasio-Cortez said to thousands in a rally at Arizona State University. “No matter even if you disagree with me on a few things. If you are willing to fight for someone you don’t know, you are welcome here.” Her instinct to brawl is well-matched to the restlessness of the Democratic base, much of which sees top party officials like New York Sen. Chuck Schumer as not confrontational enough. “We’re lacking leadership right now, and we really just need someone to take the reins and tell us what to do,” said Kristen Hanson, a 41-year-old small business owner from Phoenix, whose search for a call to action brought her to see Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez. “I’m not in politics, but I would be very happy to follow a leader who I believe in.” But that instinct also irritates some elected Democrats. Sen. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, whose profile is also rising after her November victory in a state Trump won, was challenged recently by a constituent to more aggressively confront Trump like Ocasio-Cortez, Sanders and Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Dallas Democrat who is becoming one of her party’s key messengers. Slotkin said she had to be “more than just an activist” and noted that those lawmakers represent heavily Democratic areas. “All of those things require me to be more than just an AOC,” she said. “I can’t do what she does because we live in a purple state and I’m a pragmatist.” AOC tours with Sanders Sanders, one of the few political leaders with the resources to plan large rallies and the appeal to pack them, has stepped into the Democratic leadership vacuum with appearances across the country. Ocasio-Cortez joined him this past week for five events in Nevada, Arizona and Colorado. In Denver, the crowd was so immense that people climbed onto statues and sat on the broad steps of buildings across the street to watch. In Tempe, Arizona, outside Phoenix, thousands of […]
