When U.S. President Donald Trump first suggested buying Greenland in 2019, people thought it was just a joke. No one is laughing now. Trump’s interest in Greenland, restated vigorously soon after he returned to the White House in January, comes as part of an aggressively “America First” foreign policy platform that includes demands for Ukraine to hand over mineral rights in exchange for continued military aid, threats to take control of the Panama Canal, and suggestions that Canada should become the 51st U.S. state. Why Greenland? Increasing international tensions, global warming and the changing world economy have put Greenland at the heart of the debate over global trade and security, and Trump wants to make sure that the U.S. controls this mineral-rich country that guards the Arctic and North Atlantic approaches to North America. Who does Greenland belong to? Greenland is a self-governing territory of Denmark, a long-time U.S. ally that has rejected Trump’s overtures. Denmark has also recognized Greenland’s right to independence at a time of its choosing. Amid concerns about foreign interference and demands that Greenlanders must control their own destiny, the island’s prime minister called an early parliamentary election for Tuesday. The world’s largest island, 80% of which lies above the Arctic Circle, is home to about 56,000 mostly Inuit people who until now have been largely ignored by the rest of the world. Why are other countries interested in Greenland? Climate change is thinning the Arctic ice, promising to create a northwest passage for international trade and reigniting the competition with Russia, China and other countries over access to the region’s mineral resources. “Let us be clear: we are soon entering the Arctic Century, and its most defining feature will be Greenland’s meteoric rise, sustained prominence and ubiquitous influence,’’ said Dwayne Menezes, managing director of the Polar Research and Policy Initiative. “Greenland — located on the crossroads between North America, Europe and Asia, and with enormous resource potential — will only become more strategically important, with all powers great and small seeking to pay court to it. One is quite keen to go a step further and buy it.” The following are some of the factors that are driving U.S. interest in Greenland. Arctic competition Following the Cold War, the Arctic was largely an area of international cooperation. But climate change, the hunt for scarce resources and increasing international tensions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are once again driving competition in the region. Strategic importance Greenland sits off the northeastern coast of Canada, with more than two-thirds of its territory lying within the Arctic Circle. That has made it crucial to the defense of North America since World War II, when the U.S. occupied Greenland to ensure that it didn’t fall into the hands of Nazi Germany and to protect crucial North Atlantic shipping lanes. The U.S. has retained bases in Greenland since the war, and the Pituffik Space Base, formerly Thule Air Force Base, supports missile warning, missile defense and space surveillance operations for the U.S. and NATO. Greenland also guards part of what is known as the GIUK (Greenland, Iceland, United Kingdom) Gap, where NATO monitors Russian naval movements in the North Atlantic. Natural resources Greenland has large deposits of so-called rare earth minerals that are needed to make everything from computers and smartphones to the batteries, solar and […]
An explosives-filled trailer that Australian politicians earlier described as an antisemitic terrorism plot and a foiled mass casualty event was staged by criminals in a complicated hoax — and was never meant to be detonated, police said Monday. Law enforcement agencies investigating January’s discovery of the trailer on the outskirts of Sydney divulged in a news conference that its placement was concocted by criminals who meant to derive personal gain from tipping off authorities to its presence — a bizarre twist in a saga that followed a monthslong wave of antisemitic crimes in Australia. The cluster of attacks targeting places where Jewish people live, work and study, including a firebombing of a shul and a daycare center and numerous instances of antisemitic vandalism, were committed by “a very small group, and potentially one individual behind all those matters,” Deputy Police Commissioner for the state of New South Wales David Hudson told reporters on Monday. Authorities in January made the unusual claim that none of the 12 they had then arrested in relation to the spate of crimes in Australia’s largest cities Sydney and Melbourne was driven by antisemitic ideology and were instead criminals for hire. Hudson said 14 more arrested Monday were not motivated by hate either. But he added he has no doubt that antisemitism in Australia -– which has dominated news media and the political sphere following the recent spate of crimes — has experienced “an escalation over the past 18 months” since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza. ‘There was no detonator’ The revelation — leaked to the public before law enforcement planned to announce it — that a trailer was found in January outside Sydney, packed with explosives used in the mining industry and containing a list of Jewish targets, prompted state and national leaders to say it represented an escalation in potential extremist violence. But investigators said Monday that they “almost immediately” believed that the trailer’s appearance was “part of a fabricated terrorist plot, essentially a criminal con job,” but kept their suspicions a secret, according to Australian federal police deputy commissioner Krissy Barrett. The trailer was easily found and the explosives were visibly displayed. “Also there was no detonator,” Barrett said, adding that it was “never going to cause a mass casualty event.” Instead, those who staged the caravan planned to then inform the authorities of an impending attack against Jewish Australians, said Barrett. Why investigators believed they had done so was not simple. A criminal gig economy Barrett and Hudson, speaking on behalf of a joint law enforcement effort assembled to arrest the perpetrators of antisemitic crimes, said they believed those who faked the trailer plot meant to attract attention from authorities, divert police resources, create fear and leverage the situation for personal gain. That might have included attempts to use information about an attack to bargain with police for lesser sentences in other criminal proceedings. “We believe the person pulling the strings wanted changes to their criminal status but maintained a distance from their scheme and hired alleged local criminals,” Barrett said. That person remains at large, she added. Authorities have said since January that they believe overseas interests are orchestrating the crimes, although they haven’t been more specific. They also haven’t divulged which local criminal groups might have been […]
The Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee held another meeting on Monday morning regarding the regulation of a Chareidi draft law. During the meeting, Lt. Col. Avigdor Dikstein, the head of the Chareidi department in the IDF’s Manpower Directorate reported that 14,000 draft orders will be sent to bnei yeshivos in three phases: 5,000 on Thursday, March 13th; 4,000 on April 6th; and 4,000 on May 4th. The majority of the orders are being sent to random bnei yeshivos who are eligible for enlistment but 4,900 are being sent to those whom the IDF views as being more likely to actually enlist, including those working or studying for a career while also attending yeshiva. However, Dikstein estimated that the IDF will not meet its recruitment targets for the Chareidi sector. Last week, Dikstein revealed: “Of the 10,000 orders sent to Chareidim between July 24 and March 25 – only 177 actually enlisted.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
North Korea fired several ballistic missiles into the sea Monday, South Korea’s military said, hours after South Korean and U.S. troops kicked off their large annual combined drills, which the North views as an invasion rehearsal. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missile firings, North Korea’s fifth missile launch event this year, were detected from the North’s southwestern Hwanghae province. It called the weapons close-range but didn’t say how far they flew. The military said South Korea bolstered its surveillance posture and is closely coordinating with the United States. Earlier Monday, the South Korean and U.S. militaries began their annual Freedom Shield command post exercise, their first major combined training of President Donald Trump’s second term. The allies have already been engaging in diverse field training exercises in connection with the Freedom Shield training. North Korea’s Foreign Ministry warned Monday the latest training risks triggering “physical conflict” on the Korean Peninsula. It called the drills an “aggressive and confrontational war rehearsal” and reiterated leader Kim Jong Un’s stated goals for a “radical growth” of his nuclear force to counter what he claims as growing threats posed by the U.S. and its Asian allies. This year’s training came after the South Korean and U.S. militaries paused live-fire training while Seoul investigates how its fighter jets mistakenly bombed a civilian area during a warm-up drill last week. About 30 people were injured, two of them seriously, when two South Korean KF-16 fighter jets mistakenly fired eight MK-82 bombs on a civilian area in Pocheon, a town near the North Korean border, on Thursday. The bombing occurred while South Korean and U.S. forces were engaging in a live-fire drill ahead of the Freedom Shield exercise. The initial assessment from the South Korean air force was that one of the KF-16 pilots entered the wrong coordinates and failed to visually verify the target before proceeding with the bombing. The second pilot had the correct coordinates but focused only on maintaining flight formation and dropped the bombs on the first pilot’s instructions without recognizing the target was wrong, according to the content of the latest briefing provided to The Associated Press. Gen. Lee Youngsu, chief of staff of the South Korean air force, bowed and apologized Monday over the injuries and property damage caused by the bombing, which he said “should have never happened and must never happen again.” Both the South Korean and U.S. militaries have halted all live-fire exercises in South Korea following the mistake. South Korean military officials say live-fire training will resume after they complete the investigation of the bombing and form preventative steps. The South Korean air force earlier suspended the training flights of all its planes too but lifted the steps on Monday, except aircraft affiliated with the unit the two KF-16s belong to. (AP)
Elon Musk-run X went down on Monday in a massive outage, as millions of users were unable to access the platform. X was non-operational for millions of users, and the company was yet to respond to the reason behind the mega outage.
Russian special forces walked inside a gas pipeline to strike Ukrainian units from the rear in the Kursk region, Ukraine’s military and Russian war bloggers reported, as Moscow claimed fresh gains in its push to recapture parts of the border province that Kyiv seized in a shock offensive. Ukraine launched a daring cross-border incursion into Kursk in August, marking the largest attack on Russian territory since World War II. Within days, Ukrainian units had captured 1,000 square kilometers (386 square miles) of territory, including the strategic border town of Sudzha, and taken hundreds of Russian prisoners of war. According to Kyiv, the operation aimed to gain a bargaining chip in future peace talks and to force Russia to divert troops away from its grinding offensive in eastern Ukraine. But months after Ukraine’s thunder run, its soldiers in Kursk are weary and bloodied by relentless assaults of more than 50,000 troops, including some from Russian ally North Korea. Tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers are at risk of being encircled, open-source maps of the battlefield show. According to Telegram posts late Saturday by a Ukrainian-born, pro-Kremlin blogger, Russian operatives walked about 15 kilometers (9 miles) inside the pipeline, which Moscow had until recently used to send gas to Europe. Some Russian troops spent several days in the pipe before striking Ukrainian units from the rear near Sudzha, blogger Yuri Podolyaka claimed. The town had some 5,000 residents before the full-scale February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and it houses major gas transfer and measuring stations along the pipeline, which was once a major outlet for Russian natural gas exports through Ukrainian territory. Another war blogger, who uses the alias Two Majors, said fierce fighting was underway for Sudzha, and that Russian forces managed to enter the town through a gas pipeline. Russian Telegram channels showed photos of what they said were special forces operatives, wearing gas masks and moving along what looked like the inside of a large pipe. Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed Saturday evening that Russian “sabotage and assault groups” used the pipeline in a bid to gain a foothold outside Sudzha. In a Telegram post, it said Russian troops were “detected in a timely manner” and that Ukraine responded with rockets and artillery. “At present, Russian special forces are being detected, blocked and destroyed. The enemy’s losses in Sudzha are very high,” the General Staff reported. A third Russian war blogger argued that the attacking force lacked the logistical backup to succeed. “Food, water, ammunition, communications, charging electrical devices, power banks, the approach of the main forces, evacuating the wounded … Two or three groups in the rear without all this — that’s a disaster,” the blogger, who describes himself as a soldier with the call sign Thirteenth, wrote on Telegram. The Associated Press could not independently verify the accounts. The Russian Defense Ministry reported Sunday that its troops had taken four villages north and northwest of Sudzha, with the closest lying some 12 kilometers (7.5 miles) from the center of the town. The claim came a day after the ministry reported the capture of three more villages near Sudzha. Ukraine did not immediately comment on the Russian claims. Trump questions Ukraine’s survival, while France announces new aid package Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said in an interview that aired Sunday that Ukraine “may not survive” as he continued […]
Lakewood Alerts regrets to inform you of the petirah of Rabbi Shmuel Lieberman z”l, a dedicated mechanech who served as a fourth-grade rebbi in Yeshiva Torah Vodaas for approximately 40 years. Read the full story on Lakewood Alerts.
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Israeli security officials admitted that they did not correctly estimate the locations in Gaza where some hostages were held, Kan News reported on Sunday evening. The admission came after security officials questioned hostages released in recent weeks. The knowledge provided by the released hostages proved that the IDF’s decision to refrain from operating in certain areas for fear of harming hostages was correct. IDF officials were not only unsuccessful in determining where some of the hostages were held but, no less importantly, were not fully aware of which locations were free of hostages. In September, Kan reported that the IDF presented the political echelon with a dilemma regarding the continuation of the war—whether to continue operating in additional areas of the Gaza Strip even at the cost of endangering additional hostages. The dilemma arose after Hamas brutally murdered six hostages in a tunnel in August, while the IDF was operating near the area. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Air Force fighter jets intercepted a civilian aircraft flying in the temporarily restricted airspace near Donald Trump’s Florida home Sunday, bringing the number of violations to more than 20 since the president took office on Jan. 20. North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement that Sunday’s incident, which took place as Trump finished a round of golf at his West Palm Beach golf course, saw F-16s deploy flares to get the attention of the civilian pilot. Jets also conducted an intercept on Saturday morning shortly after Trump arrived at the course from his private Mar-a-Lago club and residence. The airspace intrusions in the heavily congested south Florida airspace have prompted fighter jet intercepts but did not alter Trump’s schedule or impact his security, officials said. NORAD says the flares may have been visible from the ground but that they burn out quickly and don’t pose danger. Federal officials maintain a permanent flight restriction over Trump’s club that expands to a radius of 30 nautical miles when the president is in residence. Violations, and intercepts, are relatively routine, but NORAD is raising alarm over the frequency of the intrusions since Trump’s inauguration, saying it has responded to more than 20 incidents and blames civilian pilots for not following regulations requiring them to check for airspace restrictions before taking off. “Adherence to TFR procedures is essential to ensure flight safety, national security, and the security of the President,” Gen. Gregory Guillot, the commander of NORAD and US Northern Command said in a statement. “The procedures are not optional, and the excessive number of recent TFR violations indicates many civil aviators are not reading Notice to Airmen, or NOTAMS, before each flight as required by the FAA, and has resulted in multiple responses by NORAD fighter aircraft to guide offending aircraft out of the TFR.” (AP)
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The hostage release ceremonies that the Hamas terror group held in Gaza during the first phase of the ceasefire deal, replete with fancy propaganda, appeared to be attended by large audiences only because Hamas paid each participant $200 in an attempt to broadcast widespread support, Channel 12 News reported. The channel aired a program on Sunday evening showing journalist Ohad Hamo interviewing former Gazans who immigrated to Germany. According to estimates, about 40,000 Palestinians live in Germany, most of them former residents of the Gaza Strip. In Europe, they are no longer afraid to speak against Hamas. Hamo interviewed Hamza, a 26-year-old Gazan who immigrated to Germany after he was beaten up by Hamas terrorists for attending a protest against the high cost of living in the Strip. “There were Hamas activists in civilian clothes at the protest,” he said. “In Gaza, you don’t know if the person in front of you is Hamas or not, you can’t identify them 100 percent. After the protest, someone dragged me into a car, where they beat me even before I got to the station. All this happened because I said two words: ‘We want to live’, which is a crime according to Hamas laws.” “I once jokingly told my father that maybe I’ll join Hamas. They’ll pay me a salary and provide a car, so why not? He told me that that would be the last time I would enter his house.” “I was at their central headquarters at Islamic University. I know a lot of people who joined Hamas, despite the fact that they don’t identify with them, just to benefit financially. Good friends of mine joined them,” Hamza said. “It’s not easy to protest against Hamas. Everyone knows that any criticism against them will at least end with you in intensive care— after they shoot you in the knees—so on the contrary, I will fly the Hamas flag over my house. Think of them as ISIS, with better public relations people.” Hazma addressed the fact that Hamas has recruited thousands of new terrorists since October 7. “Who enlists in Hamas? People who live in tents, who stand all day to get a meal and fail to get it at the end. Hamas says to those people: ‘Come, and we’ll give you a monthly salary’, and that’s it.” “In the past, it took over two years until you could enlist in the Al-Qassam Brigades. Today, they say in the Strip that participants in the hostage release ceremonies each receive $200, and half of them are not even active in Hamas. They put on uniforms and weapons to broadcast a picture of victory.” “Even if I was in Gaza and they told me to take $200, I would do it, then take off the uniform and go my way,” he admitted. “They forget about you and you about them.” Hamza added that even in Berlin, there are neighborhoods where you can’t speak out against Hamas, “because they will attack you and shout at you until you think like them.” Hamo also interviewed Rami, a former resident of the Strip, who spent years in and out of Hamas prisons because he called for normalization with Israel – one of the most serious crimes that can be committed according to Hamas. Rami said: “On […]
Thousands of sick, exhausted and terrified young men and women, from countries all over the world squat in rows, packed shoulder to shoulder, surgical masks covering their mouths and eyes. Their nightmare was supposed to be over. Last month, a dramatic and highly publicized operation by Thai, Chinese and Myanmar authorities led to the release of more than 7,000 people from locked compounds in Myanmar where they were forced to trick Americans and others out of their life savings. But survivors have found themselves trapped once again, this time in overcrowded facilities with no medical care, limited food and no idea when they’ll be sent home. One young man from India said about 800 people were being held in the same facility as him, sharing 10 dirty toilets. He said many of the people there were feverish and coughing. Like all former enslaved scammers who talked to The Associated Press, he spoke on condition of anonymity out of concern for his safety. “If we die here with health issues, who is responsible for that?” he asked. The armed groups who are holding the survivors, as well as Thai officials across the border, say they are awaiting action from the detainees’ home governments. It’s one of the largest potential rescues of forced laborers in modern history, but advocates say the first major effort to crack down on the cyber scam industry has turned into a growing humanitarian crisis. The people released are just a small fraction of what could be 300,000 people working in similar scam operations across the region, according to an estimate from the United States Institute of Peace. Human rights groups and analysts add that the networks that run these illegal scams will continue to operate unless much broader action is taken against them. A high-profile crackdown The trapped people, some of whom are highly educated and fluent in English, were initially lured to Thailand with promises of lucrative office jobs, only to find themselves locked in buildings where they describe being forced to sit at computers up to 16 hours a day running scams. Refusing to work could bring beatings, starvation and electric shocks. “Your passport is confiscated, you cannot go outside and everything is like hell, a living hell,” a trapped Pakistani man told The Associated Press. Cyber scams run from compounds have flourished during the pandemic, targeting people around the world. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes estimates that between $18 billion and $37 billion was lost in Asia alone in 2023, with minimal government action against the criminal industry’s spread. Beijing began pushing the region’s governments to crack down this year after a young Chinese actor was trafficked to Myanmar by people who promised him an acting job in Thailand. His girlfriend spearheaded a viral social media campaign that led to his release. Following that rescue, a senior Chinese government official visited Thailand and Myanmar demanding an end to the scams. In response, Thailand cut electricity, internet and gas supplies to five border towns in Myanmar. Shortly after, the ethnic militia groups that rule this part of Myanmar — the Kayin Border Guard Force and the Democratic Kayin Buddhist Army — asked some of the trapped scammers if they wanted to leave, and then escorted them out of their compounds. From forced labor to detention As the number […]
The Reform Movement’s Legal Campaign Against Religious Life in Eretz Yisroel By: Dovid Gold Over the past decade or so, a wave of lawsuits targeting the lifestyle of the religious communities in Eretz Yisroel has been brought before the powerful and left-leaning Israeli Supreme Court. While not all of these cases have succeeded, they’ve complicated life for hundreds of thousands of religious people. Moreover, these petitions have deepened the divisions among Israeli society. But who is spending time and money to bring these cases? And why do they care how the frum community chooses to live? A close look into each of these cases reveals a fascinating pattern. The fingerprints of the Jewish American woke left, organized into the Reform movement, are present each time. Desperate for relevance, Reform leaders in America have merged their anti-Torah ideology with the woke left agenda, launching a systematic campaign against the Torah communities of Eretz Yisroel. In doing so, they have created a cause célèbre to rally their dwindling membership. While the Israeli court system leans strongly to the left and is widely viewed as unkind to religion, by law, courts do not initiate actions against Israeli citizens. Courts intervene only when a petition is filed before them. Successfully bringing a case before the Supreme Court requires expert legal representation and significant financial resources. Litigation typically starts at around 20,000 shekels, and many cases drag on for years, racking up large legal fees. Without the backing of a well-funded institution, these petitions or lawsuits hardly stand a chance of gaining any traction. For these reasons, the status quo understanding between the state and the religious communities in Israel has mostly held. Only in more recent years have so many rulings been handed down by the courts targeting religious practices. This new reality is due to the emergence of a new force on the Israeli scene: The Reform Center for Religion and State. This legal arm of the Reform movement in Israel has taken the lead in each of these petitions and the lawyers they retain have fought these battles. The Reform Center was established approximately 35 years ago. Officially, it was founded to advocate for the rights of Reform communities and promote the recognition of pluralistic and Reform values. However, in practice, the Center has led campaigns against virtually every area in which the Torah communities of Israel operate. Key Legal Battles Since the advent of cell phones, the Charedi public in Eretz Yisroel has embraced the use of kosher-filtered cell phones, which safeguard the purity and wholesomeness of their chosen way of life. But in 2016, a lawsuit claimed these phones don’t allow access to hotlines for people with alternative lifestyles. This sparked a years-long legal saga to protect what the Charedi community views as a basic right. While this case continues to work through the legal system, the courts have already ordered the Knesset to pass laws that satisfy these pluralistic goals. A review of the official court documents shows that the petition was jointly brought by organizations advocating for those who practice alternative lifestyles along with the Reform Center and the Movement for Progressive Judaism, another Reform arm. And that all the petitioners were represented by lawyers who are members of the Center’s legal staff. It is obvious that the […]
Tens of thousands of people packed into Mexico’s City main plaza on Sunday to celebrate with President Claudia Sheinbaum a decision by the U.S. to postpone tariffs on many of the country’s goods. The crowd clutched large Mexican flags and yelled, “Mexico is to be respected!” as they cheered on Sheinbaum. “Fortunately, dialogue and respect have prevailed,” she told the crowd. The celebration comes just days after U.S. President Donald Trump postponed 25% tariffs on many imports from Mexico for a month, saying Sheinbaum had made progress on drug smuggling and illegal immigration. Sheinbaum had planned to announce any retaliatory measures on Sunday, but instead held a mass celebration. While threats persist, the president said she was optimistic tariffs would not be applied to Mexico and that she would continue to act with a “cool head” in the face of Trump. Among Sheinbaum’s supporters was Roberto González, a 68-year-old computer scientist who raised a sign that read “we are united Mexicans.” “The unity of the country is very important,” said González, adding that is the only way Mexico would be able to “face one of the largest powers in the world.” Also cheering on the president was Mariana Rivera, a 40-year-old social activist who held up a massive Mexican flag as high as her arms allowed. Despite the dark clouds hanging over the country, the activist said she was convinced that “the president will overcome everything.” Analysts say they don’t expect the jubilant ceremony to alleviate the climate of uncertainty that threatens new investments and the Mexican economy, but that it would help Sheinbaum consolidate internal support against Trump, who is setting the pace of bilateral relations with his powerful rhetoric. “This is an event designed more for internal politics,” said political scientist and academic Javier Rosiles Salas, stating that Sheinbaum will seek to strengthen her image and leadership with Sunday’s event. Rosiles Salas told The Associated Press that despite concerns in Mexico about the economic impacts that a tariff war with the United States — its main trading partner and destination of more than 80% of Mexican exports — could unleash, the confrontation with Trump has been “very profitable for Claudia Sheinbaum” and has allowed her to achieve popular support of over 60% five months into her term. Although the 62-year-old president appears strong now, it is not clear whether her political support would weaken if the Mexican economy deteriorates because of tensions with the U.S. For now, the projections of specialists and rating agencies are not favorable. Most analysts agree that if general tariffs are imposed, Mexico could face a contraction of more than 1% of the Gross Domestic Product. A prolonged climate of uncertainty doesn’t favor Mexico, according to Samuel Ortiz Velásquez, professor of the Faculty of Economics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico. After phone conversations with his counterparts in Mexico and Canada, Trump decided last Thursday to pause until April 2 the general tariffs for products that are under a trilateral trade agreement. In early February, Trump also suspended tariffs after Sheinbaum promised to send 10,000 national guards to the northern border to contain drug trafficking. Despite the agreements, Trump’s decision on the 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum from Mexico and Canada, which are scheduled to come into effect on March 12, remains […]
In recent days, an unprecedented scare campaign has been targeting Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in an attempt to deter him from firing Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar. Beyond the usual threats from political elements, former senior figures in the security establishment, many of whom are leftists, have made statements insinuating that Bar’s dismissal could lead to the exposure of sensitive and personal information about Netanyahu and his family. Sima Kadmon, a veteran journalist and harsh critic of Netanyahu, published an extraordinary claim in a column in the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper over the weekend, claiming that former heads of the Shin Bet hold a “virtual safe” containing particularly problematic information, and if Netanyahu dares to fire Bar, a new “balance of terror” will come into effect, including the exposure of embarrassing details about the Netanyahu family. The column was perceived by many as an attempt to intimidate the Prime Minister and, in effect, warn him not to fire Bar if he and his family want to avoid paying a heavy price. i24News journalist Avishai Grinzaig responded sharply to the remarks, calling them attempted extortion. “This column by Sima Kadmon is not commentary, not an expression of opinion, and certainly not a journalistic report. This is sheer attempted extortion. I don’t know if someone commissioned her to write the article but the message is very clear: If you dare to fire the Shin Bet chief, very personal and sensitive information about you, Sarah, and Yair will be exposed. This is a disturbed and criminal text.” Other public figures also threatened Netanyahu regarding Bar, including former Shin Bet chief Carmi Gillon and strategic consultant Ronen Tzur who publicly hinted that Bar’s dismissal would not be met with silence and that senior figures might take action in response to such a move. Netanyahu is determined to fire Bar, especially following the organization’s publication of its internal report on its failure to predict or prevent the October 7 massacre, which was politically tainted and cast blame on others instead of fully taking responsibility for its failures. Channel 12 reported on Sunday that a tense meeting took place on Thursday between Netanyahu and Bar, during which Netanyahu pressured Bar to resign but he refused. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries assured fellow Democrats that Republicans are “on the run”—despite the GOP controlling the White House, both chambers of Congress, and holding a firm 6-3 majority on the Supreme Court. During a virtual call last week with DNC Chair Ken Martin, Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), and other Democratic leaders, Jeffries attempted to paint a picture of a Republican Party in retreat, even as President Donald Trump settles into a second term and the GOP enjoys its most commanding grip on power in years. “We have the Republicans on the run on three core issues,” Jeffries declared. “They are on the run in terms of the economy. In fact, Donald Trump and Republicans are crashing the economy in real time.” His remarks came just days after Trump’s address to Congress, a speech Jeffries characterized as “one of the most divisive speeches by a president in American history.” He accused Trump of avoiding economic issues because, in his words, “the economy is collapsing on his watch.” “They made promises with respect to lowering costs,” Jeffries continued. “Costs aren’t going down, they are going up. Inflation is going up. You know what’s coming down? Donald Trump’s poll numbers, because he is mismanaging the economy and the American people are feeling it.” Jeffries also insisted that the GOP was “on the run” regarding healthcare policy, particularly Medicaid, blasting Republican proposals to enact the largest Medicaid cuts in history. “House Democrats stand on the side of Medicaid and the American people,” Jeffries said. “Republicans are trying to enact the largest cut to Medicaid in American history, and we need to keep the pressure on them legislatively and in communities all across the country.” He then turned to the Republican tax agenda, accusing the GOP of prioritizing billionaires and corporations over working-class Americans. “We have to continue to call them out on their extremism—we will do that,” Jeffries vowed. “And all of that is being done in service of trying to pass massive tax breaks for their billionaire donors like Elon Musk and wealthy corporations. So, we have them on the run, and we’re going to keep our foot on the gas pedal.” While Jeffries projected confidence, many within his own party see a Democratic movement in crisis. With Trump in the White House until at least 2029 and a Republican-controlled Congress, Democrats currently wield no governing power. The party’s messaging remains fractured, and voters have increasingly drifted away, handing Republicans resounding victories in recent elections. Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville recently described the party as “rudderless and without leadership.” In a guest essay published in The New York Times, Carville sarcastically suggested that, given the circumstances, Democrats should “roll over and play dead” rather than continue struggling for relevance. “With no clear leader to voice our opposition and no control in any branch of government, it’s time for Democrats to embark on the most daring political maneuver in the history of our party: roll over and play dead,” Carville wrote. “Allow the Republicans to crumble beneath their own weight and make the American people miss us.” Jeffries, however, dismissed such assessments, insisting that the Democratic Party still holds the momentum. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Turkey has blocked Israel from participating in NATO’s annual exercise on “resilience and emergency preparedness,” according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, Ynet reported on Sunday. Two weeks ago, a meeting took place between Israeli diplomats and a NATO coordination team, during which there was strong enthusiasm for Israel’s participation in the exercise, the report said. Nevertheless, Turkey’s opposition is likely to thwart Israel’s involvement in the exercise since NATO decisions require consensus. An Israeli official accused Turkey of using its veto power as a political tool. “Turkey’s position undermines regional cooperation and NATO’s ability to address global challenges,” the official said. “Instead of promoting unity and collective security, Turkey is wielding its veto in a way that harms strategic partnerships. Blocking Israel’s cooperation with NATO does not contribute to stability; rather, it undermines the alliance’s core values.” Turkey has blocked all moves for NATO-Israel cooperation since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, including meetings and joint exercises. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said at the NATO summit in July that the alliance “cannot continue its partnership with the Israeli government.” Then-Israeli Foreign Minister Ysrael Katz called on NATO to expel Turkey after Erdoğan alluded to possible military action against Israel. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Six years ago, the Torah world in America united in an unprecedented way during HaRav Shlomo Kanievsky’s weeks-long trip to the United States to save Yeshiva Kiryas Melech in Bnei Brak. From New York to Los Angeles and cities in between, Yidden opened their hearts to support Yeshiva Tiferes Tzion/Kiryas Melech. HaRav Shlomo assumed full financial responsibility for the yeshiva, following the guidance of his father, Rav Chaim Kanievsky, and his grandfather, Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, who urged him to do whatever was necessary to ensure its growth and vitality. Now, HaRav Shlomo Kanievsky, son of the Sar HaTorah Rav Chaim zt”l, will daven by his father’s kever on his 3rd yartzeit. During the davening, the names submitted will be recited along with the specific needs—be it shidduchim, parnassah, or anything else. Kiryas Melech, the yeshiva so dear to Rav Chaim—as the Sar HaTorah declared, “his saving (the yeshiva) is my saving”—remains a tremendous major Torah. Submit your name and contributing to Kiryas Melech now: https://tinyurl.com/4a2mvmdu
President Donald Trump dismissed concerns over pulling US support for Ukraine in its war against Russia, saying the embattled nation “may not survive anyway.” Appearing on Sunday Morning Futures with Fox News anchor Maria Bartiromo, Trump was pressed on whether he was comfortable leaving Ukraine to fend for itself, knowing he could have done more to help. Rather than answering directly, he pivoted to attack President Joe Biden while downplaying the urgency of Ukraine’s plight. “It may not survive anyway,” Trump said bluntly. “But, you know, we have some weaknesses with Russia. You know, it takes two.” Bartiromo didn’t let up, pointing out that Ukraine and Israel have both come under attack from aggressive forces—Ukraine by Russia, and Israel by Hamas—and questioning whether the U.S. is treating both conflicts with equal urgency. “They’re very different places,” Trump responded. “You’re talking about different levels of power. You’re talking about different parts of the world. The Middle East has been under attack forever.” He then pivoted to take credit for the Abraham Accords, his administration’s landmark peace agreements in the region. When pressed on whether he had been as tough on Russia as he had been on Hamas, Trump doubled down. “I think I’ve been very tough to Russia. Tougher than anybody’s ever been to Russia, if you think about it.” (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
