The United States and the Philippines signed an agreement on Monday to secure the exchange of highly confidential military intelligence and technology in key weapons the U.S. would provide to Manila. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and his Philippine counterpart, Gilberto Teodoro, signed the legally binding General Security of Military Information Agreement in Manila at a time when the longtime treaty allies have boosted their defense and military engagements, including large-scale joint combat drills, largely in response to China’s increasingly aggressive actions in Asia. The outgoing Biden administration has taken steps to strengthen an arc of military alliances across the Indo-Pacific region to better counter China, including in any future confrontation over Taiwan or in the disputed South China Sea, which Beijing has claimed almost in its entirety. That has dovetailed with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s thrust to strengthen his country’s external defenses given an alarming escalation of territorial confrontations between Chinese and Filipinos forces in the South China Sea. The Department of National Defense in Manila said the agreement aims to ensure the security of classified military information that would be exchanged between the U.S. and the Philippines. It will “allow the Philippines access to higher capabilities and big-ticket items from the United States,” the Philippine defense department said. Neither side provided more details or released a copy of the agreement. Two Philippine security officials, however, have told The Associated Press that such an agreement, similar to ones Washington has signed with other allied countries, would allow the U.S. to provide the Philippines with higher-level intelligence and more sophisticated weapons, including missile systems. It would also provide the Philippine military access to U.S. satellite and drone surveillance systems with an assurance that such intelligence and details about sophisticated weapons would be kept highly secure to prevent possible leaks, the two Philippine officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the sensitive issue publicly. Philippine efforts to obtain sophisticated weapons from the U.S. military in the past have been hampered by a lack of such an intelligence deal, including when Filipino forces were scrambling to fight a 2017 siege by Filipino and foreign militants aligned with the Islamic State group in southern Marawi city. Philippine forces, backed by U.S. and Australian spy planes, quelled the uprising after five months. Austin and Teodoro also attended a groundbreaking ceremony for a center where the U.S. and Philippine militaries would coordinate future joint operations, including the exchange of information. Austin said the center “will be a place where our forces can work side-by-side to respond to regional challenges.” Austin renewed the U.S. commitment to the Philippines as an ally and told Teodoro that “we are more than allies. We are family.” The coordinating center, Teodoro said, would provide “a unified picture of the shared areas of responsibility and common approaches to threats against both our securities.” “I’m sure it will benefit future generations of both our peoples to come because although we may change people, the values don’t change,” Teodoro said. The Philippine defense chief reiterated the crucial need for the U.S. security presence in the region, citing Marcos’s repeated statements that such a presence “is essential for maintaining peace and stability in this region.” (AP)
Canadian security forces have foiled an Iranian plot to assassinate Irwin Cotler, a prominent Jewish former politician and human rights advocate, The Globe and Mail reported Monday. Cotler, 84, served as Canada’s justice minister and attorney general from 2003 to 2006 and has been an outspoken critic of the Iranian regime. On October 26, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) warned Cotler of an “imminent threat of assassination within 48 hours” by Iranian agents, according to sources cited by the newspaper. Authorities reportedly identified two suspects but have not disclosed whether they were apprehended or fled. The threat level was reportedly downgraded last week. The RCMP has not commented publicly on the case. Since the October 7 Hamas-led attacks in Israel, Cotler has been under 24/7 RCMP protection, including bulletproof vehicles and armed bodyguards. Cotler, founder of the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights, has been a vocal advocate for listing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist entity. He has also represented Iranian political prisoners and championed Holocaust remembrance and combatting antisemitism during his tenure as Canada’s special envoy from 2020 to 2023. In an earlier interview, Cotler warned that democracies like Canada underestimate the threat posed by Iran. “These threats remind us of the dangers posed by regimes that target dissidents and advocates for human rights worldwide,” he said. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A disturbing incident occurred last weekend in Cyprus when an IDF reservist who completed his reserve duty was targeted by a Cypriot anti-Israel organization after he shared his arrival on the island on social media. The organization called for his arrest, claiming “war crimes,” Yisrael Hayom reported on Monday. Israeli security officials identified the threat and warned the soldier. He was quickly returned to Israel to thwart his arrest. On Sunday, Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a warning to Israelis in Greece to avoid certain areas, including the area of the Israeli embassy in Athens, as well as Aristotle University in Thessaloniki and the US consulate in the city. The warning added that Israelis should “conceal Israel and Jewish symbols.” The reason for the warning is that Sunday was November 17, which is marked in Greece each year as the commemoration of the Athens Polytechnic uprising, a massive student demonstration against the Greek military junta in 1973 that ended in bloodshed on November 17. The military junta ruled Greece from 1967 to 1974. Thousands of Greek students in Athens and Thessaloniki participated in the protests, with some waving Palestinian flags and screaming about “genocide.” In Athens, the students marched to the US Embassy and then continued to the Israeli embassy. The U.S. Embassy also issued a warning to US citizens in Greece, saying that “some past demonstrations have turned violent and have involved destruction of property.” Israel’s warning to Israelis in Greece was lifted after Sunday’s protests were over. However, it should be noted that Israel’s National Security had previously designated Greece as a Level 2 threat, which means there are concerns about occasional or random threats against Israelis and Jews. This warning is still in effect. Israeli media outlets spoke to Israelis living in Greece who said that they have no issues with local Greeks and generally feel safe but are cautious in areas where Muslim immigrants frequent. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Families of American victims of the October 7 Hamas-led attacks have filed a lawsuit in a U.S. federal court against Iran and terror organizations associated with it, alleging Tehran’s direct involvement in the massacre. The suit includes secret documents showing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) funneling millions of dollars to Hamas. Attorney Gary Osen, representing several plaintiffs, cited a 2022 document revealing discussions between senior Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar and Khalil al-Hayya about a mutual defense agreement with other Iran-backed groups. The document reportedly shows Hamas requested $7 million monthly from Iran to “mobilize and prepare” for confrontations, with funds allegedly used to plan the October 7 attack, according to The New York Times. The suit names Iran, the IRGC, Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine but excludes Qatar, Turkey, and Yemen’s Houthi rebels, despite references to Hamas funding from these nations. Among the 37 families in the lawsuit is Yechiel Leiter, Israel’s incoming ambassador to the U.S., whose son Moshe was killed in battle in Gaza. The families, including relatives of those killed, kidnapped, or emotionally impacted, seek financial compensation under the U.S. Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and Anti-Terrorism Act. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A criminal network stretching from India to Canada made money smuggling families seeking better lives in the United States, including a man who died holding his 3-year-old son in gusting snow and bone-chilling temperatures two years ago, federal prosecutors plan to argue at a trial starting Monday in Minnesota. Prosecutors have accused Indian national Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, 29, of running the scheme and Steve Shand, 50, of Florida of waiting in a truck for 11 migrants, including the couple and two children who died after they tried to walk across the border to the U.S. Prosecutors say Patel recruited Shand at a casino near their homes in Deltona, Florida, just north of Orlando. Jagdish Patel, 39, died along with his wife, Vaishaliben, who was in her mid-30s, and with their 11-year-old daughter, Vihangi and their 3-year-old son Dharmik. Patel is a common Indian surname and the victims were not related to Harshkumar Patel, who has pleaded not guilty, as has Shand. The family, from the village of Dingucha in Gujarat state, is believed to have spent hours wandering fields in blizzard conditions as the wind chill reached minus 36 Fahrenheit (minus 38 Celsius). Canadian authorities found the Patels’ frozen bodies on the morning of Jan. 19, 2022. Jagdish Patel was holding Dharmik, who was wrapped in a blanket. Federal prosecutors say Patel and Shand were part of an operation that scouted clients in India, got them Canadian student visas, arranged transportation and smuggled them into the U.S., mostly through Washington state or Minnesota. The U.S. Border Patrol arrested more than 14,000 Indians on the Canadian border in the year ending Sept. 30. By 2022, the Pew Research Center estimates there were more than 725,000 Indians living illegally in the U.S., behind only Mexicans and El Salvadorans. Harshkumar Patel’s attorney, Thomas Leinenweber, told The Associated Press that his client came to America to escape poverty and build a better life for himself and now “stands unjustly accused of participating in this horrible crime. He has faith in the justice system of his adopted country and believes that the truth will come out at the trial.” Attorneys for Shand did not return messages. Court documents filed by prosecutors show Patel was in the U.S. illegally after being refused a U.S. visa at least five times. Over a five-week period, court documents say, Patel and Shand often communicated about the bitter cold as they smuggled five groups of Indians over a quiet stretch of border. One night in December 2021, Shand messaged Patel that it was “cold as hell” while waiting to pick up one group, the documents say. “They going to be alive when they get here?” he allegedly wrote. During the last trip in January, Shand had messaged Patel, saying: “Make sure everyone is dressed for the blizzard conditions, please,” according to prosecutors. Prosecutors say Shand told investigators that Patel paid him about $25,000 for the five trips. Jagdish Patel grew up in Dingucha. He and family lived with his parents. The couple were schoolteachers, according to local news reports. Satveer Chaudhary is a Minneapolis-based immigration attorney who has helped migrants exploited by motel owners, many of them Gujaratis. He said smugglers and shady business interests promised many migrants an American dream that doesn’t exist when they arrive. “The promises of […]
In a bold initiative to prioritize community safety, Chaverim of Rockland has launched a countywide reflector campaign in response to the earlier nightfall caused by the time change, Monsey Scoop reported. Teams of Chaverim members have mobilized across Rockland County, patrolling villages, towns, botei midroshim, and major roads to distribute reflectors and promote visibility for pedestrians during these darker hours. Chaverim encourages all residents to “Be Seen” and take proactive steps to ensure their safety on the roads. Reflectors, a simple yet effective tool, can save lives by making pedestrians visible to drivers in low-light conditions. This impactful initiative was made possible thanks to the generosity of Quality Air, who sponsored the reflectors, and the Town of Ramapo Supervisor and Board, who graciously donated additional reflectors to support the cause. The campaign’s success was evident from the outset—on its very first day, Chaverim distributed over 7,500 reflectors in just two hours on Sunday, underscoring the community’s enthusiasm and the pressing need for such safety measures. As the days grow shorter, Chaverim’s proactive approach and the overwhelming community support highlight their unwavering commitment to keeping Rockland County safe and united. Residents in need of reflectors can approach any marked Chaverim of Rockland vehicle or visit the Chaverim Office at 6 Olympia Lane. CLICK HERE SIGN UP TO THE MONSEY SCOOP WHATSAPP STATUS TO BE INFORMED OF MONSEY NEWS IN LIVE TIME (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Spirit Airlines said Monday that it has filed for bankruptcy protection and will attempt to reboot as it struggles to recover from the pandemic-caused swoon in travel and a failed attempt to sell the airline to JetBlue. Spirit, the biggest U.S. budget airline, has lost more than $2.5 billion since the start of 2020 and faces looming debt payments totaling more than $1 billion over the next year. Spirit said it expects to operate as normal as it works its way through a prearranged Chapter 11 bankruptcy process and that customers can continue to book and fly without interruption. All tickets, credits and loyalty points remain valid, the airline said, as are affiliated credit cards and other membership perks. Shares of Spirit Airlines Inc., based in Miramar, Florida, dropped 25% on Friday, after The Wall Street Journal reported that the airline was discussing terms of a possible bankruptcy filing with its bondholders. It was just the latest in a series of blows that have sent the stock crashing down by 97% since late 2018 — when Spirit was still making money. Shares rose nearly 4% before the opening bell Monday. CEO Ted Christie confirmed in August that Spirit was talking to advisers of its bondholders about the upcoming debt maturities. He called the discussions a priority, and said the airline was trying to get the best deal it could as quickly as possible. “The chatter in the market about Spirit is notable, but we are not distracted,” he told investors during an earnings call. “We are focused on refinancing our debt, improving our overall liquidity position, deploying our new reimagined product into the market, and growing our loyalty programs.” People are still flying on Spirit Airlines. They’re just not paying as much. In the first six months of this year, Spirit passengers flew 2% more than they did in the same period last year. However, they are paying 10% less per mile, and revenue per mile from fares is down nearly 20%, contributing to Spirit’s red ink. It’s not a new trend. Spirit failed to return to profitability when the coronavirus pandemic eased and travel rebounded. There are several reasons behind the slump. Spirit’s costs, especially for labor, have risen. The biggest U.S. airlines have snagged some of Spirit’s budget-conscious customers by offering their own brand of bare-bones tickets. And fares for U.S. leisure travel — Spirit’s core business — have sagged because of a glut of new flights. The Association of Flight Attendants told union members early Monday that it does not expect any furloughs, or changes to pay or working conditions. The union also said that it has retained bankruptcy counsel. The premium end of the air-travel market has surged while Spirit’s traditional no-frills end has stagnated. So this summer, Spirit decided to sell bundled fares that include a bigger seat, priority boarding, free bags, internet service and snacks and drinks. That is a huge change from Spirit’s longtime strategy of luring customers with rock-bottom fares and forcing them to pay extra for things such as bringing a carry-on bag or ordering a soda. In a highly unusual move, Spirit plans to cut its October-through-December schedule by nearly 20%, compared with the same period last year, which analysts say should help prop up fares. But that will help […]
The Biden administration is still imposing obstacles and delays in the transfer of offensive weapons to its ally Israel in its war against its enemies in Gaza and Lebanon, Walla reported on Monday morning, quoting IDF sources. Despite the pressure of Israeli senior diplomatic and security officials on the Biden administration, there are still difficulties described as “delays’ and even a “grey embargo.” IDF sources said that “officials made it clear to the Israeli side that the administration is receiving criticism for American weaponry harming civilians in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, hence the delays. They do not explain the delay in transferring 150 bulldozers to the engineering forces.” Defense Ministry officials told Walla that the sensitive situation was brought to the attention of President-elect Donald Trump, who said he would revoke all barriers to the transfer of weapons to Israel as soon as he entered office. Channel 12 also reported that Trump’s transition team has assured Israel that Trump will lift all delays and embargoes on arms and military equipment shipments to Israel on his very first day of office. Meanwhile, the IDF has been forced to economize its use of arms as it engages with its enemies on seven fronts, including two active battlefronts. It should be noted that as Biden imposes an arms embargo on Israel, the IDF has eliminated a number of terror leaders from Hezbollah and Hamas who are on the US wanted list for the murder of US citizens. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
by Rabbi Yair Hoffman “In the choice of the land we shall bury your dead” [Bereishisis 23:6] The Midrashic Teaching The Midrash Tanchuma [Behar 1] writes: “Be not alarmed by a man of evil eye” [Mishlei 28:22] – this refers to Ephron the Hittite. When Sarah died, Abraham went to Ephron to purchase the cave from him. Ephron said to him, “Give me its value,” and he said to him “The land is worth four hundred shekels of silver between me and you, what is it?” Abraham began to weigh out the silver to Ephron, as it is said “And Abraham listened to Ephron, and Abraham weighed out [the silver] to Ephron.” Ben Maara said, although Rabbi Chanina said that all shekels mentioned in the Torah are sela’im (regular shekels), except for these which are kentorin (centenaria, a larger measure), Abraham passed four hundred kentorin before Ephron. When Ephron saw the silver, he became alarmed and flustered, and said ‘In the choice the land we will bury your dead.’ The Holy One Blessed be He said, “You were alarmed about money? By your life, you wull have a deficiency in the matter.” And what was his deficiency? Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi bar Shalom said: Every [mention of] ‘Ephron’ written here, until he took the silver from Abraham, is written full (with the letter vav), but this one is deficient, ‘And Abraham weighed out to Ephrn’ is written without the vav.” The Sequence of Events It is clear from this Midrash that the chain of events progressed as follows: A) Abraham requested from Ephron to sell him the Cave of Machpelah. B) Ephron agreed to sell the Cave of Machpelah for four hundred shekels of silver. C) Abraham paid Ephron the full price, with larger shekels that contained more shekels. D) Ephron became over-enthralled by the abundance of silver, and therefore suggested to Abraham that he could choose the “choice burial place.” E) And since Ephron became over-enthralled by the abundance of money, therefore Ephron was punished and his name was written in the Torah deficiently, without a vav. The Fundamental Question The Midrash requires explanation: Why, in fact, was Ephron punished? After all, Ephron did not commit any transgression! On the contrary, he offered Abraham the choice burial place! Rav Leibowitz’s Explanation Rav Henoch Leibowitz zt”l explains that it is clear from this Midrash that the very fact that Ephron was over-enthralled by the abundance of money was in and of itself a transgression, even if the alarm did not lead to any transgression. For the Holy One, Blessed be He, wants our mind to be clear upon us – that we should not confuse our mind without any proper reason. We are here for a reason – all of us, and we cannot become side-tracked from our purpose or mission in life by the pursuit of the false illusive attraction of materialistic consumption. Here there was no proper reason to confuse Ephron’s mind. Ephron’s role in the world was to perfect himself spiritually, and not to become wealthy materially. Therefore, the very fact that his mind became alarmed, that he had allowed himself to react in a materialistic manner – was a diversion from the true direction of where we should be and is considered a transgression. Modern Application and […]
Reworded by Rabbi Yair Hoffman from a Vaad given and printed in 5784. Klal Yisroel is blessed that we have Gedolei Torah such as Moreinu HaGaon HaRav Olshin shlita. This thought on the parsha has been adapted for easier comprehension. To subscribe to a weekly parsha sheet on the topic of Integrity from the parsha please send the word “Subscribe” to yairhoffman2@gmail.com. At the beginning of Parshas Chayei Sarah, the Torah tells us “Sarah died in Kiryas Arba, which is Hebron, in Canaan, and Avrohom Avinu came to eulogize Sarah and weep for her.” The pasuk makes it clear that Avrohom Avinu wasn’t at home in Hebron with Sarah at the time of her death. The Ramban explains that after the Akeidah, Avrohom didn’t return to his home in Hebron. Instead, he traveled to his Eshel in Be’er Sheva to give thanks for the miracle he had just experienced. Avrohom Avinu had just witnessed the survival of Yitzchok and went directly to his Eshel to thank Hashem for this miracle. The Fundamental Question Rav Meir Soloveitchik raises a compelling question regarding Avrohom Avinu’s choice of location. Why didn’t Avrohom give thanks on Har Moriah itself, the place that Yaakov would later refer to as the “Gateway to Heaven?” Surely he knew that this was the best place of prayer. Why would he travel to Be’er Sheva to thank Hashem? Understanding Avrohom Avinu’s Choice Rav Meir explains that while Avrohom Avinu could indeed have given thanks right there on Mount Moriah, he specifically wanted to thank Hashem in public – “בתוך רבים אהללנו”. He therefore went to his Eshel, a place where travelers from around the world passed through, ensuring his gratitude would be expressed publicly. However, the Ramban’s language –“to his Eshel” – suggests there was more to this choice. He didn’t just go to any public place; he went specifically to his Eshel. This detail reveals a deeper dimension to Avrohom Avinu’s gratitude. The Nature of True Gratitude The Prayer of Nishmas In the Tefilah of Nishmas, we express the limitless nature of our obligation to thank Hashem through some powerful metaphors: (1) Even if our mouths were as full of song as the sea itself, (2) our tongues as rich with melody as the countless waves, (3) our lips as expansive with praise as the breadth of the heavens, (4) our eyes as radiant as the sun and moon, (5) our hands spread as wide as eagles’ wings in the sky, and (6) our feet as swift as deer – even then, we would be unable to thank Hashem adequately for even one of the millions of favors done for our ancestors and for us. The inclusion of physical attributes like hands and feet presents a puzzle. While the role of the mouth and tongue in offering praise is obvious, how do hands and feet participate in expressing gratitude? This question leads us to the teachings of the Chovos HaLevavos, who says that true gratitude must extend beyond verbal expression to encompass action and service. In his introduction to Sha’ar Avodas HaElokim, he writes that an intellectual person will clearly understand his obligation to accept divine service through reason and logic alone. This is in addition to all the proofs that Hashem showed us and the incredible […]
The Kremlin warned Monday that President Joe Biden’s decision to let Ukraine strike targets inside Russia with U.S.-supplied longer-range missiles adds “fuel to the fire” of the war and would escalate international tensions even higher. Biden’s shift in policy added an uncertain, new factor to the conflict on the eve of the 1,000-day milestone since Russia began its full-scale invasion in 2022. It also came as a Russian ballistic missile with cluster munitions struck a residential area of Sumy in northern Ukraine, killing 11 people, including two children, and injuring 84 others. Another missile barrage sparked apartment fires in the southern port of Odesa, killing at least 10 people and injuring 43, including a child, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said. Washington is easing limits on what Ukraine can strike with its American-made Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMs, U.S. officials told The Associated Press on Sunday, after months of ruling out such a move over fears of escalating the conflict and bringing about a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO. The Kremlin was swift in its condemnation. “It is obvious that the outgoing administration in Washington intends to take steps and they have been talking about this, to continue adding fuel to the fire and provoking further escalation of tensions around this conflict,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. The scope of the new firing guidelines isn’t clear. But the change came after the U.S., South Korea and NATO said recently that North Korean troops are in Russia and apparently are being deployed to help the Russian army drive Ukrainian troops out of Russia’s Kursk border region. Russia also is slowly pushing Ukraine’s outnumbered army backward in the eastern Donetsk region. It has also conducted a devastating aerial campaign against civilian areas in Ukraine. Peskov referred journalists to a statement made by President Vladimir Putin in September in which he said allowing Ukraine to target Russia would significantly raise the stakes. It would change “the very nature of the conflict dramatically,” Putin said at the time. “This will mean that NATO countries — the United States and European countries — are at war with Russia.” Peskov claimed that Western countries supplying longer-range weapons also provide targeting services to Kyiv. “This fundamentally changes the modality of their involvement in the conflict,” he said. Putin warned in June that Moscow could provide longer-range weapons to others to strike Western targets if NATO allowed Ukraine to use its allies’ arms to attack Russian territory. He also reaffirmed Moscow’s readiness to use nuclear weapons if it sees a threat to its sovereignty. President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office in about two months, has raised uncertainty about whether his administration would continue vital military support to Ukraine. He has also vowed to quickly end the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a muted response to the approval that he and his government have been requesting of Biden for more than a year. “Today, much is being said in the media about us receiving permission for the relevant actions,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address Sunday. “But strikes are not made with words. Such things are not announced. The missiles will speak for themselves,” he said. The new policy’s consequences on the battlefield are uncertain. The change came “too late to have a major strategic effect,” said […]
US Senate Majority Leader-elect Senator John Thune (R-SD) said that the Senate will sanction the International Criminal Court at the Hague if it doesn’t halt its twisted pursuit of arrest warrants against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, which ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan filed at the same time as those of Hamas leaders, equating the war crimes of murderous terror leaders with the democratically elected leader of the only democracy in the Middle East. Thune, who will enter his new position in January, stated on Sunday: “If the ICC and its prosecutor do not reverse their outrageous and unlawful actions to pursue arrest warrants against Israeli officials, the Senate should immediately pass sanctions legislation, as the House has already done on a bipartisan basis.” He added: “If Majority Leader Schumer does not act, the Senate Republican majority will stand with our key ally Israel and make this – and other supportive legislation – a top priority in the next Congress.” Although Schumer and President Joe Biden condemned the ICC’s move, they failed to take action against the court. In a poetic twist of justice, the morally depraved Khan is now facing his own probe after a female aide accused him of inappropriate behavior and abuse over a prolonged period as well as coercive behavior and abuse of authority. Unsurprisingly, the court’s watchdog closed the case within five days, but last week, the ICC’s governing body said it would pursue an “external investigation” against Khan. However, since then, the ICC has become embroiled in a major scandal as serious concerns have arisen regarding the integrity of even the “external probe” due to Khan’s links to the investigative body, the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), a watchdog that oversees probes of UN agencies. According to a report by The Guardian, the concerns have been raised at the highest level of the court, with one concern relating to Khan’s wife, Shyamala Alagendra, who previously worked at OIOS, has “deep connections” there, and also allegedly acted “highly inappropriately” following the claims against her husband, including contacting the victim directly. Another conflict of interest is that the OIOS’s director of its investigations unit previously worked closely with Khan at the UN, serving as one of his top officials for several years. The ICC’s pursuit of an external probe is partially due to the pressure and scrutiny that the court has been under following Khan’s issuance of arrest warrants against Israeli leaders. Reuters reported in July that on May 20, the same day that Khan made a surprise request for warrants to arrest Netanyahu, former defense minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leaders, he suddenly canceled a scheduled trip to Israel to collect evidence on the decision. Reuters spoke to eight people with direct knowledge of the matter, who said that plans for the visit had been discussed for months with US officials. The trip was intended to allow Israeli officials to present their position regarding the allegation of war crimes and for Khan and his team to collect “evidence.” Apparently, Khan decided that he didn’t need any “evidence” for his antisemitic claims. In August, the Daily Telegraph reported that the organization UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) threatened to charge Khan, a British lawyer, with professional misconduct. The organization sent a […]
Donald Trump Jr. said Sunday that the team now around the president-elect knows how to choose a Cabinet and build out an administration, unlike the time before his father first took office. Any pushback that Donald Trump’s unconventional choices face from the Washington establishment proves that they are just the kind of disruptors the new administration and voters are demanding, the younger Trump said. “The reality this time is, we actually know what we’re doing. We actually know who the good guys and the bad guys are,” he told Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures. “And it’s about surrounding my father with people who are both competent and loyal. They will deliver on his promises. They will deliver on his message. They are not people who think they know better, as unelected bureaucrats.” After Donald Trump was elected in 2016, he stocked his early administration with choices from traditional Republican and business circles, tapping figures such as former Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson, who was his first as secretary of state. Today, Trump is valuing personal allegiance above political experience. That has translated into selections such as former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who faced a House ethics investigation, as attorney general, anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as head of the Department of Health and Human Services and Tulsi Gabbard, a former Democratic lawmaker who has in the past publicly expressed sympathy to Russian causes, as director of U.S. intelligence services. Some of his picks might face difficulties getting confirmed by the Senate, even with Republicans holding a majority in January. Donald Trump Jr. suggested that was precisely the idea. “A lot of them are going to face pushback” but ”they are going to be actual disrupters,” he said. “That’s what the American people want.” He said there are “backup plans” if Senate confirmation is problematic in some cases, but “we’re obviously going with the strongest candidates first.” Trump Jr. also looked back to eight years ago, when his businessman father was new to Washington and its ways. “A big part of that process is just something that we didn’t understand in 2016, where he came to Washington, D.C., he had no experience,” he said. Now, his son said, Trump knows what to expect. Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., said the president-elect has “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to deliver that change, to take on permanent Washington, return the power back to the people.” “You have to have people you trust to go into these agencies and have a real reform agenda. And that’s why I think there’s real momentum, real momentum to get these nominations confirmed to actually deliver what President Trump promised on the campaign trail,” Schmitt told “Sunday Morning Futures.” On the same show, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., said, “We don’t need any Democrats to help us. We have got the numbers.” But, he added, Trump needs “a team around him that’s going to help him. He can’t do it by himself.” Vivek Ramaswamy, the former Republican presidential candidate tapped by Trump along with businessman Elon Musk to lead a new effort on government efficiency, also predicted pushback from traditional Washington to promised steep federal cuts that he said showed the needed to “in the early months, score quick wins through executive action.” (AP)
Rupert Nathan, 63, was arrested by British police and detained for 12 hours after making inflammatory remarks about a Reform rabbi in a private Facebook post. Nathan referred to Gabriel Kanter-Webber as a “creep,” a “fake rabbi,” and a “kapo boy,” sparking allegations of hate speech and antisemitism. For those that don’t know, the term “kapo” refers to Jewish prisoners in Nazi concentration camps who cooperated with their captors, often at the expense of fellow prisoners. Nathan, while acknowledging that his comments were offensive, argued they were neither illegal nor antisemitic. “I admit that calling someone a ‘kapo’ is not a nice thing to do, but it is not a crime,” he told the Daily Mail. The remarks were aimed at Rabbi Kanter-Webber of Brighton and Hove Progressive Synagogue, also known as Adat Shalom Verei’ut. Kanter-Webber reported Nathan to both the police and the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment (CISI), Nathan’s professional body. While the CISI declined to take action, police arrested Nathan at his home in August. Nathan described the arrest as humiliating, particularly as it took place in front of his 12-year-old daughter. “She was in tears—completely inconsolable,” Nathan said. “Still now she has this deep fear that the police are going to take me away and put me in jail.” At the police station, Nathan was fingerprinted, DNA tested, and held in a cold cell for 10 hours before being released on bail. The case has been referred to the Crown Prosecution Service to determine whether Nathan should be charged with “malicious communications.” Toby Young, director of the Free Speech Union, criticized the arrest, saying, “If it’s not a criminal offense for pro-Palestinian protesters to call for a global intifada, I don’t see how a Jew calling another Jew a ‘kapo’ can possibly be against the law.” The Manchester-based group North West Friends of Israel also condemned the situation, saying Kanter-Webber’s decision to involve the police instead of extending compassion was unbecoming of a rabbi. “The fact that Gabriel Kanter-Webber … chose to report someone to the police rather than reach out, in the pastoral role you would expect of a rabbi, says so much,” the group said. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) made headlines on Saturday after comparing President-elect Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler during an interview with Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto. Clyburn’s remarks, in which he drew parallels between the current political climate in the United States and Germany in the 1930s, have ignited debate over the appropriateness of such historical comparisons. During the interview on Cavuto Live, Clyburn expressed concern that the nation is veering sharply to the right following Trump’s election victory. “I hope it’s not going as far right as that which happened in Germany in the 1930s,” he said, referencing the rise of Hitler. When Cavuto asked whether Clyburn was genuinely comparing Trump to Hitler, the congressman replied, “That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Clyburn elaborated, invoking Italian dictator Benito Mussolini as another historical parallel. When Cavuto questioned whether the comparison was hyperbolic, Clyburn stood firm, citing Trump’s discussion of using recess appointments to bypass Senate confirmation for cabinet positions as evidence of authoritarian tendencies. “I’ll tell you what’s hyperbolic—asking the Senate to approve all your nominees without any vetting,” Clyburn said. Clyburn has made similar comparisons in the past, including during interviews in 2018, 2019, and 2022. On Saturday, he linked the current political climate to the United States’ post-Civil War period, noting that the country’s centennial in 1876 marked the rise of Jim Crow laws. “We’re getting ready to celebrate our 250th anniversary as a nation,” Clyburn said. “I want to remind you how we celebrated our 100th anniversary—it led to Jim Crow. That’s already happened in this country.” Clyburn’s comments come as Democrats grapple with the aftermath of Trump’s election victory and assess their losses in key battleground states. The congressman, a senior member of the Congressional Black Caucus, has been a prominent figure in Democratic politics, playing a pivotal role in President Joe Biden’s 2020 nomination. Clyburn’s remarks have sparked a range of reactions. Supporters argue that his warnings are a valid critique of Trump’s political strategies and their potential implications for democratic institutions. Critics, however, contend that such comparisons risk trivializing historical events and inflaming political tensions. The issue of recess appointments has also drawn scrutiny. Trump’s team has floated the idea of using them to bypass Senate confirmation for cabinet picks, a move critics say undermines institutional norms. However, recess appointments are a constitutionally sanctioned tool that has been employed by presidents of both parties, including Barack Obama. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
A new poll by the non-partisan Jewish Electorate Institute (JEI) reveals that President-elect Donald Trump garnered modest gains among Jewish voters in the 2024 presidential election compared to his performance in 2020. The survey, conducted between October 30 and November 8, showed Vice President Kamala Harris receiving 71% of the Jewish vote to Trump’s 26%. “Jewish voters continue to support Democratic candidates by a substantial margin, while Republicans have made modest gains in recent cycles,” JEI stated. The Democratic Party’s performance among Jewish voters in 2024 marked its weakest showing since 2012, with declines ranging from 4 to 11 percentage points over the last decade, depending on the survey. The poll, commissioned by JEI and conducted by the Mellman Group, highlighted denominational divides in the Jewish vote. Orthodox Jews overwhelmingly supported Trump, with 74% backing the Republican candidate. In contrast, Reform, Conservative, and non-denominational Jews strongly supported Harris, at 84%, 75%, and 70%, respectively. Support for Trump was particularly pronounced among Jewish voters who cited Israel as a key issue. Nearly half of respondents (48%) believed Trump would be more supportive of Israel than President Joe Biden, a notable factor influencing their votes. National trends reflected broad support for Democrats among non-Orthodox Jews, making them one of the party’s most reliable constituencies. However, the broader electorate saw significant shifts toward Trump, particularly among Hispanic voters, who swung toward the Republican candidate by 25 percentage points compared to 2020, according to Edison Research. Exit polls and state-specific surveys presented conflicting views on Trump’s gains. Fox News voter analysis reported Trump winning 32% of the Jewish vote nationwide—his best performance among Jewish voters and the strongest for a Republican since George H.W. Bush in 1988. Meanwhile, a poll commissioned by the Orthodox Union’s Teach Coalition suggested tighter races in battleground states, with Harris winning by only 7 points among Jewish voters in Pennsylvania and 8 points in New York. These mixed results have led to competing interpretations. Progressive Jewish group J Street praised the continued Democratic majority among Jewish voters, while Teach Coalition argued that Jewish votes are increasingly “up for grabs” in key swing states. Trump’s handling of the war between Israel and Hamas emerged as a defining issue. A Pew Research Center survey found that 75% of Trump supporters believed he had clearly explained his plans on the conflict, compared to just 57% of Harris supporters who felt the same about her. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Joe Biden toured the drought-shrunken waters of the Amazon River’s greatest tributary Sunday as the first sitting American president to set foot in the legendary rainforest, while the incoming Trump administration seems poised to scale back the U.S. commitment to combating climate change. The massive Amazon region, which is about the size of Australia, stores huge amounts of the world’s carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas that drives climate change when it’s released into the atmosphere. But development is rapidly depleting the world’s largest tropical rainforest, and rivers are drying up. Flying over a stretch of the Amazon in a helicopter, Biden saw severe erosion, ships grounded in the Negro River tributary, and fire damage. He also passed over a wildlife refuge and the expansive waters where the Negro River joins the Amazon. He was joined by Carlos Nobre, a Nobel Prize-winning scientist and expert on how climate change is harming the Amazon. Biden met indigenous leaders — introducing his daughter and granddaughter to them — and visited a museum at the gateway to the Amazon as he looks to highlight his commitment to the preservation of the region. Three indigenous women shook maracas as part of a welcoming ceremony. “I’m proud to become the first sitting president to visit the Amazon,” Biden said before he signing a U.S. proclamation designating Nov. 17 as International Conservation Day. His administration announced plans last year for a $500 million contribution to the Amazon Fund, the most significant international cooperation effort to preserve the rainforest, primarily financed by Norway. So far, the U.S. government said it has provided $50 million, and the White House announced Sunday an additional $50 million contribution to the fund. “It’s significant for a sitting president to visit the Amazon. … This shows a personal commitment from the president,” said Suely Araújo, former head of the Brazilian environmental protection agency and public policy coordinator with the nonprofit Climate Observatory. “That said, we can’t expect concrete results from this visit.” She doubts that a “single penny” will go to the Amazon Fund once Donald Trump is back in the White House. The incoming Trump administration is highly unlikely to prioritize the Amazon or anything related to climate change. The Republican president-elect already said he would again pull out of the Paris agreement, a global pact forged to avert the threat of catastrophic climate change, after Biden recommitted to the accord. Trump has cast climate change as a “hoax” and said he will eliminate energy efficiency regulations by the Biden administration. Still, the Biden White House on Sunday announced a series of new efforts aimed at bolstering the Amazon and stemming the impact of climate change. Among the actions is the launch of a finance coalition that looks to spur at least $10 billion in public and private investment for land restoration and eco-friendly economic projects by 2030, and a $37.5 million loan to an organization to support the large-scale planting of native tree species on degraded grasslands in Brazil. Biden also plans to highlight that the U.S. is on track to reach $11 billion in spending on international climate financing in 2024, a sixfold increase from when he started his term. The Amazon is home to Indigenous communities and 10% of Earth’s biodiversity. It also regulates moisture across South America. About […]
by Rabbi Yair Hoffman A couple of weeks ago, the Rebbe of Karlin was at the Kosel with thousands of his Chassidim. He davened there in heartfelt prayer for an hour. I remember my mother aleha hashalom vividly recalling the Six Day War, where it was her, my uncle, my sister and me in a bomb shelter in Yerushalayim. She would convey such depth of feeling. Join me for a moment. Picture yourself standing there in 1967, your heart pounding as history unfolds before your eyes. After two thousand years of exile, tears, and prayers whispered in foreign lands, the Temple Mount returned to Jewish hands. In those moments of divine intervention, miracles blazed across Jerusalem like shooting stars. A bomb fell on the Mirrer Yeshiva – and by Hashem’s grace, remained silent. But the greatest miracle of all was the return of our beloved Kosel, our precious Wall, which for nineteen agonizing years had been forbidden to us, its stones yearning for our touch just as we yearned to press our foreheads against its ancient surface. Imagine – the Temple Mount, the beating heart of creation itself, where heaven and earth kiss, where the very air vibrates with divine energy. The Kosel stands as our last physical link to that ineffable holiness, its worn stones having absorbed millions of tears throughout the centuries. They call it the “Wailing Wall,” but oh, how much more it is than that – it is our witness, our confidant, our eternal guardian. Each year, on the 28th of Iyar, we celebrate Yom Yerushalayim, but do we truly grasp the magnitude of what was restored to us? Consider this breathtaking truth: According to the Emek HaMelech, the prayers whispered against these stones by Jerusalem’s righteous souls are what sustains our very world. Their tears, their supplications, their deepest hopes pressed into these ancient stones – this is what keeps our universe from crumbling. Every stone, every crevice holds within it the power of survival, of continuance, of hope. The Midrash reveals to us a secret that should make our souls tremble: the Shechina, Hashem’s Divine Presence, has never left the Western Wall. Never. Through exile, through destruction, through centuries of darkness, that holy light has remained, waiting, watching, protecting. The Alshich teaches us that this continuous presence is Hashem’s promise made tangible – a divine guarantee of our ultimate redemption. Yet this place of transcendent hope is also one of profound mourning. When we approach and see it for the first time, we perform Kriyah – rending our garments near our hearts, a physical expression of our soul’s anguish. This tear is left forever imperfect, never to be fully repaired, just as our hearts remain incomplete without the Temple. The Mishna Brurah tells us that upon first seeing Jerusalem in its current state, we should abstain from meat and wine – for how can we feast when our spiritual home lies in ruins? With sovereignty comes sacred responsibility. The holiness of this place demands our vigilance, our respect, our unwavering commitment to its sanctity. The ancient Greeks knew this – an archaeological discovery reveals their warning inscription, forbidding entry to the inner sanctum. Even today, this obligation burns bright, calling us to preserve and protect. When we pray at the Kosel, we must remember […]
Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s office issued a statement on Motzei Shabbos that his scheduled trip to COP29, the climate conference in Baku, Azerbaijan, was canceled due to “security reasons.” Herzog was scheduled to fly to Baku on Israel’s Wings of Zion plane on Tuesday for a visit of only several hours. However, Ynet reported on Sunday that a report on an Azeri news site that is considered the government’s mouthpiece claims that the real reason for Herzog’s cancellation is Turkey’s refusal to allow Wings of Zion to fly in its airspace en route to the meeting. Azeri officials were not pleased by Israel’s statement blaming Herzog’s canceled trip on “security reasons” and tried to have it changed via diplomatic channels. Azeri officials confirmed the veracity of the report to Ynet. A senior Azeri Foreign Affairs official spoke to Caliber News about the incident saying, “Unfortunately, intensive negotiations through diplomatic channels that lasted for several days did not yield results. Azerbaijan has created appropriate conditions for the participation of all parties in the climate conference, but the situation surrounding the Israeli president’s visit arose for reasons beyond our country’s control.” He added that Azerbaijan often hosts major regional and global events and guarantees a high level of security. “It is not an exaggeration to say that Baku is one of the safest cities in the world,” he claimed. “This is confirmed by the fact that a large number of Israeli officials have come to Azerbaijan, including President Herzog himself, who visited Baku on May 30 of this year. Prime Minister Netanyahu also came to Azerbaijan for a one-day visit in 2016.” “Unprecedented security measures are also being taken in preparation for the conference in connection with the arrival of tens of thousands of guests and about 100 world leaders and heads of high-ranking delegations to the country.” Israeli ministers who attended the conference did so on commercial flights through Georgia and it is unclear why Herzog did not take advantage of that option. It should be noted that as Israel is subject to international boycotts and Israelis and Jews fear walking the streets of Europe, it seems that no one is concerned about the Taliban’s violation of human rights in Afghanistan. An official Taliban delegation attended the climate conference but no protests were held. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
New details have emerged about a significant security breach within the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, involving the alleged leak of highly sensitive documents to the German newspaper Bild. The documents, reportedly aimed at influencing public opinion on hostage negotiations in Gaza, were allegedly leaked by Eli Feldstein, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Feldstein has been in detention since October 27, and the case is under investigation by the IDF and Israeli authorities. The scandal traces back to June 2024, when a noncommissioned IDF officer in the reserves allegedly transferred classified intelligence documents to Feldstein. In late August, after Hamas murdered six high-profile hostages, protests surged in Israel, demanding the government expedite a deal to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza. Feldstein reportedly used the classified documents to counter the criticism aimed at Netanyahu’s handling of the negotiations. In September, Feldstein allegedly leaked the material to Israeli journalists. When the Israeli military censor blocked the publication due to the sensitivity of the information, Feldstein turned to the foreign press. He reportedly shared the documents with Bild, a German tabloid, and subsequently encouraged Israeli journalists to publish follow-up reports based on Bild‘s coverage. Investigators believe Feldstein sought to bolster Netanyahu’s narrative that the protests demanding a hostage deal were empowering Hamas and complicating negotiations. The leaked documents purportedly painted Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as obstructing the talks, thereby deflecting blame from Netanyahu. Critics argue that the move endangered war efforts and national security. The IDF assessed that the leak had the potential to harm military objectives in Gaza, particularly those aimed at rescuing hostages, and could jeopardize broader security operations against Hamas. The sensitive nature of the material raised concerns about severe damage to Israel’s security and strategic interests. A gag order on the case was lifted by the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court, allowing details of the investigation to be made public. Feldstein faces charges of leaking classified information with the intent of influencing public opinion. While Prime Minister Netanyahu is not a suspect, the controversy has drawn attention to the internal handling of sensitive information within his administration. IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi has ordered a comprehensive investigation into the leak’s origins, underscoring the seriousness of the breach. The noncommissioned officer who initially transferred the documents is also under scrutiny for their role in the incident. The investigation continues as authorities work to determine the full extent of the leak’s impact and the motivations behind Feldstein’s actions. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
