Matzav

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Hamas’s external chief Khaled Mashal delivered a fiery address that openly celebrated the organization’s armed campaign and portrayed the group’s arsenal as a source of national dignity, vowing that its struggle against Israel would continue. Speaking via video to supporters gathered in Istanbul, he praised the October 7 attacks as a defining event meant to push Israel from what he called “our homeland,” while dismissing the foundations of President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan for Gaza.

His remarks were broadcast on Al Jazeera during the “Pledge to Jerusalem” conference, where Mashal charted an uncompromising vision for the next stage of Hamas’s strategy. Even though the group has publicly entered the first phase of the U.S.-mediated ceasefire that began two months ago, he rejected the core requirements of the American proposal — including international oversight, demilitarization, and Hamas’s removal from governing authority.

Mashal told his audience that although the stage he described as the most brutal period of a “genocidal war” had passed, the conflict with Israel would continue. The message he delivered cast Gaza as the spearhead of a broader regional mission and the October 7 “Al-Aqsa Flood” massacre as an uprising that set into motion what he sees as a turning tide for Palestinians.

He appealed to the global Muslim community to unify around what he described as a religious and national campaign centered on Jerusalem, asserting that the “liberation of Jerusalem” must become the symbol of Palestinian aspirations. Among the ambitions he laid out were claims that the Al-Aqsa Mosque must be “cleansed,” holy sites reclaimed, and that Gaza’s actions had “turned into the pride of the nation and the conscience of nations.”

Israeli media outlets highlighted passages in which he dismissed any possibility of external authority assuming control of Gaza or the West Bank, declaring that Palestinians themselves alone possess the right to govern. Mashal insisted that Hamas will not accept any “guardianship, mandate and re-occupation” of Gaza or “all of Palestine,” and that “the Palestinian is the one who governs himself and decides for himself.”

This rejection extended directly to the International Stabilization Force and the Board of Peace that the Trump peace plan envisions as central elements of Gaza’s transition. Mashal argued that attempts to redefine Palestinian claims “into misleading frameworks are rejected,” reinforcing his refusal to allow outside actors to shape Gaza’s future.

One of the strongest themes of his speech was Hamas’s pledge never to relinquish its arms. He declared that “the resistance project and its weapons must be protected,” describing them as fundamental to Palestinian identity, and stated that “the resistance and its weapons are the honor and strength of the nation.” He mocked diplomatic appeals, saying “a thousand statements are not worth a single projectile of iron.”

Mashal predicted that Gaza would eventually oust foreign forces and described this period as an “opportunity” for Palestinians to “remove this entity [Israel] from our homeland and exclude it from the international stage.” He portrayed Hamas’s war effort as a vehicle for reshaping both regional politics and international legitimacy.

Even the pro-Palestinian outlet Palestine Chronicle underscored that Mashal’s message rested on a few central pillars: Yerushalayim, resistance through arms, and the insistence that no external bodies may direct Gaza’s future. It framed the speech as a blueprint for Hamas’s next phase of activity.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry swiftly circulated clips of Mashal’s remarks, warning that the Hamas leader’s rhetoric “made a mockery of President Trump’s peace plan” and signaled that Hamas has “no intention of disarming, giving up its weapons, its rule, or its path.” The ministry stressed that Mashal had also rejected any international presence in Gaza, calling his speech a repudiation of the plan’s fundamental conditions.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar reinforced that interpretation, noting that Mashal had publicly thrown out every requirement that made the ceasefire and hostage-release process possible. He argued that Mashal’s statements illustrate why negotiations with Hamas remain deeply unstable.

HonestReporting, which monitors media portrayals of Israel, pointed out that Mashal’s sweeping rejection of disarmament was ignored by Western outlets. Idit Bar, a researcher on Arab and Islamic affairs quoted by the group, said Mashal “put all the cards on the table: no to disarmament, no to relinquishing Hamas’ rule, yes to the annihilation of Israel, yes to the liberation of Jerusalem.” She emphasized that calls for “cleansing” Al-Aqsa of “impure Jews” and freeing prisoners effectively incentivize more kidnappings, given Hamas’s lessons from October 7.

Mashal also laid out additional goals, including halting what he described as the “Judaization” of Judea and Samaria and intensifying regional coordination against Israel. He urged supporters to challenge Israeli officials in international bodies and to expand activism on college campuses and in the media.

Within Hamas-friendly networks, the speech circulated widely as a statement of direction for the organization, placing Jerusalem and armed struggle above all other considerations. The celebration of resistance and the rejection of outside authority became the speech’s defining features.

Mashal’s hardline posture stood in stark contrast to comments released one day later by another senior Hamas official, Bassem Naim. Speaking to the Associated Press in Doha, Naim said Hamas was “very open minded” about pursuing a “comprehensive approach” that could involve “freezing or storing” its weapons for a period of five to ten years as part of an extended truce intended to pave the way for a Palestinian state.

Naim maintained that Hamas still holds its “right to resist,” yet acknowledged that the group might permit its arsenal to be placed under Palestinian controls with guarantees “not to use it at all during this ceasefire time or truce.” At the same time, he insisted that international forces would not be permitted “inside the Palestinian territories,” limiting any foreign role to border-monitoring duties.

Under Trump’s 20-point plan, such a temporary weapons freeze falls short of what the proposal requires. The framework, endorsed by the UN Security Council, calls for Hamas’s complete disarmament, the transfer of internal security responsibilities to vetted Palestinian police units supported by an International Stabilization Force, and the handover of governance to a technocratic Palestinian committee.

One of the plan’s provisions makes clear that Hamas and similar organizations must “not have any role in the governance of Gaza, directly, indirectly, or in any form,” and that all terrorist infrastructure, including tunnels and weapons factories, must be dismantled and prevented from reemerging.

The plan mandates the creation of a temporary International Stabilization Force in Gaza to cooperate with Israel and Egypt on border security, to prevent weapons from entering the Strip, and to oversee the reconstruction process through a controlled flow of goods. The ISF would effectively manage the transition from IDF control to Palestinian civilian administration under a deconfliction mechanism.

Point 17 allows Israel and stabilization forces to move ahead district by district if Hamas refuses to uphold the agreement, enabling reconstruction to occur in “terror-free areas handed over from the IDF to the ISF” while remaining pockets of resistance are addressed separately.

Retired U.S. Army Major John Spencer referenced this clause in his analysis online, arguing that Hamas’s leadership no longer holds the leverage it once did. He suggested that the IDF could continue “high intensity operations against Hamas to kill, capture, disarm Hamas one area at a time while other forces create bubbles of stability for ever increasing size of the population,” implying that Mashal’s stance fits within contingencies anticipated by the plan.

{Matzav.com}

The widening federal fraud scandal tied to a taxpayer-funded meal program is casting a long shadow over Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s future prospects, with allies beginning to question whether he can survive another gubernatorial run—let alone pursue higher office. According to a report from The Hill, the fallout from the scheme, which siphoned away staggering sums intended to feed children during the COVID-19 shutdowns, is reshaping political calculations across the state.

The controversy centers around elaborate theft operations involving members of Minnesota’s sizable Somali community, where federal investigators say participants stole huge amounts of money from pandemic-era nutrition initiatives. More than 50 people have already been convicted, and prosecutors have suggested that the overall haul—across several schemes—may total as much as $1 billion. The scope of the scandal gained national visibility after The New York Times highlighted it on November 29.

The political ramifications are mounting quickly. Longtime associates of Walz are reportedly wondering whether he should abandon the idea of seeking a third term, with several of them telling The Hill that the governor’s vulnerability is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

One of the most striking assessments came from Ember Reichgott Junge, a former Democratic state senator and a well-known political commentator in Minnesota, who told the outlet, “The governor, I think, has done a very respectable job, a good job, in Minnesota for the years that he’s been here. But he clearly is vulnerable and in my view, he is riskier than any Democratic candidate that might run.” She emphasized that the fraud “happened on his watch” and added that Walz “can’t erase that.” Though she acknowledged that he has ordered audits and corrective measures, she warned that those probes will “probably uncover more.”

Reichgott Junge noted that the scandal dominates local news cycles, appearing “nearly every other day,” and predicted it will “continue to surface through the next year.”

Compounding the pressure, Small Business Administration Secretary Kelly Loeffler wrote on X that her agency has found evidence of fraud as well, accusing Walz of using his “best efforts to obstruct” inquiries.

Another veteran Walz ally, speaking anonymously, told The Hill that the damage may stretch far beyond the governor’s local prospects, potentially crushing any national ambitions. The source explained, “The challenges are that Minnesota has a very low tolerance for fraud, waste and abuse. It’s a very low threshold, and that’s one of the reasons the state has worked so well for so long. It’s clearly a real vulnerability.”

Additional reporting from Breitbart News revealed that nearly 500 state employees claim Walz repeatedly dismissed their warnings about widespread fraud carried out by Somalis in state-funded aid programs. Some even allege that whistleblowers were punished by Walz’s political allies for sounding the alarm.

Walz, now 61, first burst into national relevance roughly a year and a half ago when then–Vice President Kamala Harris selected him as her running mate, sparking high hopes among Democrats. But one senior party strategist offered a blunt retrospective, telling The Hill, “I think we all had high hopes for him, but I don’t think he was a very effective running mate at the end of the day. It never seemed like he was comfortable in the role beyond his rollout.”

{Matzav.com}

Hamas hinted Sunday that it may be willing to place its weapons under long-term storage or suspension as part of its ceasefire arrangement with Israel—an unprecedented suggestion from a senior figure in the organization and one that touches the core dispute in the US-brokered truce process.

The remarks came from Bassem Naim, a senior member of Hamas’s political bureau, as both sides prepare to move from the initial stage of President Donald Trump’s 20-point Gaza framework into the far more complicated second phase. Speaking in Doha, where much of the group’s leadership is based, Naim said, “We are open to have a comprehensive approach in order to avoid further escalations or in order to avoid any further clashes or explosions.”

The ongoing ceasefire began on October 10, halting two years of combat that followed the Hamas rampage in southern Israel on October 7, 2023—a massacre in which roughly 1,200 people were murdered and 251 were kidnapped. When asked whether that invasion had been a strategic error, Naim rejected the premise, calling it an “act of defense.” Hamas leaders have openly pledged to carry out additional attacks modeled on October 7 as part of their stated aim of destroying Israel.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, Hamas was obligated to return every hostage — living or deceased — in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners held by Israel. With only the remains of Israeli policeman Ran Gvili still in Gaza after his murder on October 7, the parties are now shifting toward the next stage of the agreement.

The upcoming phase outlines the political and security blueprint meant to reshape Gaza after years of conflict. It envisions a multinational force to stabilize the region, the establishment of a technocratic Palestinian administrative committee, an incremental withdrawal of Israeli troops, and ultimately the disarmament of Hamas. Oversight of the plan — including Gaza’s reconstruction — is to be handled by an international board led by President Donald Trump.

Israel has insisted that Hamas surrender its arsenal entirely, a demand Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he is prepared to enforce “the hard way” if the group resists. In response, Naim asserted that Hamas still claims a “right to resist,” yet he maintained that the movement would consider relinquishing its weapons as part of a wider process that leads to the creation of a Palestinian state.

He offered only a sketch of how such a mechanism might function but suggested that the talks could take place over an extended calm lasting five or 10 years. Naim emphasized, “This time has to be used seriously and in a comprehensive way,” describing Hamas as “very open-minded” regarding the future of its arsenal.

He even outlined specific options under discussion, saying, “We can talk about freezing or storing or laying down, with the Palestinian guarantees, not to use it at all during this ceasefire time or truce.” Whether this formulation satisfies Israel’s demand for total disarmament remains unclear.

The components of this stage were included in Trump’s 20-point proposal unveiled in October alongside several “guarantor” nations. Though it was later approved by the UN Security Council, major questions remain unanswered, and the plan will require intricate diplomacy involving the US and partners such as Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey. As Naim acknowledged, “The plan is in need of a lot of clarifications.”

One urgent issue is the composition and mandate of the planned International Stabilization Force. Countries including Indonesia have expressed willingness to contribute troops, yet its leadership structure, mission parameters, and geographic authority are still undefined. US officials have indicated they expect “boots on the ground” early next year.

A central question is whether this force would play any role in disarmament. Naim made Hamas’s position clear, stating that such an approach would be rejected. Instead, he said the force should limit itself to monitoring the truce, explaining, “We are welcoming a UN force to be near the borders, supervising the ceasefire agreement, reporting about violations, preventing any kind of escalations.” But he added emphatically, “We don’t accept that these forces have any kind of mandates authorizing them to do or to be implemented inside the Palestinian territories.”

Despite the many unresolved issues, Naim said that Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have made progress on forming the technocratic panel that will oversee Gaza’s day-to-day governance. According to him, the sides have agreed on a West Bank–based Palestinian cabinet minister originally from Gaza to lead the body. He withheld the individual’s name, though Hamas officials — speaking anonymously — identified the figure as Health Minister Majed Abu Ramadan.

{Matzav.com}

The mobile phone belonging to captivity survivor Bar Kupershtein made its way back to him on Sunday evening, more than half a day after it vanished when his vehicle was burglarized during the night. The break-in, which happened while he slept, left a shattered window and a missing device—but not a broken spirit.

A friend managed to track down the phone’s location after Kupershtein shared its live coordinates through an app. Kupershtein later posed with the recovered device and wrote joyfully, “He actually found my phone, what a champ! Thank you so much.”

Earlier that morning, he had told his followers about discovering the scene of the break-in, recalling his reaction upon stepping outside. “I woke up this morning, went to the car, and saw it had been broken into. They smashed the window and stole the phone. And you know what? It’s all fine,” he said.

Instead of dwelling on the theft, Kupershtein chose to frame the experience with perspective born from his time in captivity. He explained why he refused to feel bitter, remarking, “We need to look at the glass half full. I’m grateful that what I have to deal with is going to the police station to file a complaint, and not being stuck in tunnels wondering what I’ll eat now, or if they’ll even give me food. Thank you that this is what I need to deal with. It’s not fun, but it’s more interesting. Thank you to the Lord.”

As the day went on, Kupershtein shared that the phone’s signal had been traced to Petach Tikva. Hopeful and slightly amused, he declared his intention to follow the trail, signing off with a wry message to the culprit: “I’m coming for you, thief.”

{Matzav.com}

Iran and Hezbollah, once the anchors of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, abruptly withdrew from Syria just before Assad’s downfall, according to a newly published AFP account. Their hasty departure unfolded as Islamist-led rebels surged into Damascus last December, leaving Syria’s longtime ruler without the foreign backing he had relied on for more than a decade.

For years, Iran had poured personnel and resources into propping up Assad—deploying Revolutionary Guards, stationing Hezbollah fighters, and bringing in allied militias from Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet the moment rebel forces tightened their encirclement of the capital, that relationship collapsed with stunning speed, the report says, leaving Syrian forces stunned at how quickly Tehran disengaged.

Syrian military personnel described the shock that rippled through Damascus’s Mazzeh district on December 5, when Iranian commander Hajj Abu Ibrahim suddenly informed about twenty Syrian officers, “From today, there will be no more Iranian Revolutionary Guards in Syria. We’re leaving.” He added a second blunt declaration: “It’s all over. From today, we are no longer responsible for you.”

Within hours, units were ordered to burn classified papers and wipe computer systems. Iranian-aligned soldiers received a month of pay and were dismissed outright. Two days later, Assad himself fled to Russia, and Damascus fell with virtually no resistance, the report recounts.

Diplomatic staff vanished as quickly as the fighters. AFP reports that Iran’s consulate had emptied out by the evening of December 5, with diplomats slipping across the Lebanese border. Syrian workers described long lines—up to eight hours—at the Jdeidet Yabus crossing as Iran’s personnel scrambled to get out. Employees were told not to report to work and were handed three months’ salary before operations at the embassy, consulate, and related security facilities ceased entirely on December 6.

Iran had previously built a widespread military footprint across Syria, including entrenched positions in the Damascus suburbs, near the Sayyida Zeinab shrine, at the airport, along border zones with Lebanon and Iraq, and throughout Aleppo. But once Aleppo fell, Colonel Mohammad Dibo—now in Syria’s reconstituted army—summed up the turning point tersely: “Iran stopped fighting.”

What followed was a chaotic evacuation. A former Syrian officer recounted that senior Iranian commander Hajj Jawad and others were rushed to Russia’s Hmeimim airbase and flown directly to Tehran. Dibo said that roughly 4,000 Iranian personnel were moved out through the same base, while additional groups escaped through Iraq and Lebanon. In the confusion, Iranian officers even left behind passports, identification documents, and other personal materials as they fled.

{Matzav.com}

In a new video released Sunday, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani positioned himself as a defender of New York’s millions of immigrants, offering guidance on how those in the country illegally can respond during encounters with federal immigration officers. His message came on the heels of an ICE operation in Chinatown last weekend that was halted by demonstrators.

Mamdani opened his remarks by invoking the tense scenes from Canal Street, declaring, “Last weekend, ICE attempted to raid Canal Street and detain our immigrant neighbors,” before adding, “As mayor, I’ll protect the rights of every single New Yorker. And that includes the more than 3 million immigrants who call this city their home.”

Standing beside a flip chart reading “Know your rights,” Mamdani urged viewers to push back when confronted by immigration agents. “But we can all stand up to ICE if you know your rights,” he said, stressing that ICE’s authority does not grant them automatic entry into homes, schools, or private work areas. “ICE cannot enter into private spaces like your home, school, or private area of your workplace without a judicial warrant signed by a judge,” he stated, displaying an example of such a warrant.

He continued outlining what immigrants should and should not do, noting, “You have the right to say, ‘I do not consent to entry,’ and the right to keep your door closed.” Mamdani then showed an example of other paperwork ICE officers sometimes present, emphasizing that it is not the same as a judicial warrant.

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He also warned that ICE officers may mislead individuals, saying, “ICE is legally allowed to lie to you. But you have the right to remain silent. If you are being detained, you may always ask, ‘Am I free to go?’ repeatedly until they answer you.” He reminded viewers that recording officers is permissible so long as it does not obstruct an arrest: “You are legally allowed to film ICE, as long as you do not interfere with an arrest.”

Mamdani closed with a broader pledge regarding civic activism: “New Yorkers have a constitutional right to protest, and when I’m mayor, we will protect that right.”

The video immediately set off sharp criticism from conservatives, many of whom predict escalating friction between the incoming city administration and President Trump’s White House over immigration enforcement. Commentator Carmine Sabia challenged Mamdani’s message, asking, “Then you ignore laws that you do not like? We should not bother to have borders or immigration laws?” Others accused the mayor-elect of overstepping, with one user writing, “Aiding abetting and advising criminals,” while another insisted, “This man is the best gift Democrats have ever handed to GOP.”

The uproar comes just weeks after Mamdani’s unusually warm meeting with President Trump in Washington—an encounter that now appears unlikely to set the tone for their future dealings.

The controversy also follows a chaotic scene in Lower Manhattan, where nearly 200 demonstrators blocked ICE agents from leaving a parking garage during last weekend’s operation. It marked the second major raid in the area in a month and a half, following the arrest of nine illegal immigrants during similar enforcement actions in October.

{Matzav.com}

A remarkable feel-good story unfolded in New York this past week after a black Brooklyn resident who calls himself Zeus discovered a lost shtreimel and went on a mission to return it to its rightful owner. His search, documented in several videos, ended in an emotional meeting.

In his first video, Zeus addressed “my Jewish people,” explaining that although he is not himself Jewish, he has always admired the large fur hats he sees worn in Brooklyn.

“I always wanted one of these hats, the shnitzels,” he  said, mispronouncing shtreimel as he held it up to the camera, marveling at its craftsmanship and joking that it carried “power.”

He explained that he stumbled upon the hat that morning while walking in the rain: the shtreimel, still in its case, appeared to have been discarded near a heater, soaked and covered in leaves.

Viewers immediately told him that such hats can cost thousands of dollars — information that stunned him.

“Guys, this is worth $6,000,” he exclaimed. Unsure what to do and in need of money, he briefly joked about selling it before deciding to try to find the owner.

A phone number found in the box led to Zeus calling the chassidishe man who had lost the shtreimel. “My name is Zeus… I found a shmeidel? Shtreimel, yeah, a shtreimel,” he told the surprised owner, who confirmed the loss and explained the baffling backstory: the hat disappeared weeks earlier after he briefly stepped out of an Uber to call for his wife. When he returned, the car had driven off, and Uber was unable to give him the driver’s information. The driver later denied having seen the hat, leaving the owner to assume it had been discarded.

Listening to the man tell the story, Zeus described how he couldn’t bring himself to leave the item to be destroyed by rain and garbage.

“I need good karma,” he told the owner. “I’m going to try and find the owner and give it back, ’cause I know this has a lot of religious value.”

The owner, astonished to hear the shtreimel had been found in its box on a Brooklyn street, quickly arranged to pick it up. Zeus dried and cleaned it as best as he could before sharing his location.

In his final video, waiting outside with the recovered shtreimel, Zeus grew unexpectedly moved. “I don’t know why I’m emotional — I’m happy emotional,” he said as he scanned the street for the owner. The moment the chassidishe man spotted him, he rushed over joyfully. Zeus described him warmly: “He was just so sweet… almost like a sweet elf.”

The owner arrived with a small gift — a bottle of tequila — to thank him for his good deed. As Zeus handed back the shtreimel, the man repeatedly expressed his gratitude.

The exchange, bridging cultures, communities, and backgrounds, is a touching Big Apple story.

WATCH THE VIDEOS BELOW:

{Matzav.com}

As the Israeli government pushes forward with the proposed draft law for the chareidi community, members of the Peleg Yerushalmi faction associated with Rav Tzvi Friedman are preparing to launch a protest on Monday in central Israel.

The legislation, promoted in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee headed by MK Boaz Bismuth, is expected to come to a second and third reading soon. In response, activists from Peleg are organizing a demonstration to oppose the continued advancement of the draft bill.

The protest is tentatively scheduled for tomorrow afternoon in the central region. However, organizers note that the plan is not yet final and may still be canceled.

A separate report by Channel 13’s chareidi affairs correspondent Yoely Barim indicated that the demonstration is expected to take place at 4:30 p.m. on the Geha Highway.

Meanwhile, MK Bismuth, who chairs the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, addressed the draft bill during a Likud event in Yerucham Sunday evening, praising the legislation and calling it historic. “This draft law is the most just and intelligent thing in the country and is making history,” he declared.

He continued, emphasizing the law’s guiding principle: “Whoever learns Torah, we respect him because this is a Jewish state. And whoever does not goes to the army. What’s the problem? Likud is doing this. In Likud, the public is sovereign. The Likud public is a smart public, wants what’s best for the nation, and always thinks about the future.”

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A dramatic gathering is expected to take place this week, as the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudas Yisroel plans an emergency session in response to the proposed draft framework advanced by MK Bismuth.

According to sources, the meeting is scheduled to take place at the residence of the Vizhnitzer Rebbe in Moshav Ora. Rabbi Yaakov Veltzer, the Moetzes secretary, has been visiting the homes of gedolim to coordinate attendance and finalize arrangements for the session.

In a rare and highly significant step, several of the most prominent Sephardi roshei yeshiva and senior rabbonim are expected to join the meeting. Among those slated to participate are Rav Moshe Tzadkah, Rav Ben Zion Mutzapi, and Rav Tzvi Baron, along with other leading Sephardi authorities.

The joint participation of Chassidic leaders and major Sephardi Torah figures highlights the gravity of the moment and the broad agreement that the new draft outline poses a serious threat to the Torah community.

This emergency session comes approximately six months after the last gathering in Ora, when the Moetzes issued a sweeping directive calling on Agudas Yisroel representatives to withdraw from the government. In that previous declaration, the gedolim stated that it was no longer appropriate to remain in a government that, in their view, facilitated pressure on the Torah world and violated prior agreements. They instructed Agudah’s elected officials to leave the coalition and resign their positions.

With the draft controversy once again reaching a boiling point, political observers say the upcoming meeting may lead to similarly far-reaching decisions. The issue of conscription and what gedolim describe as a dangerous escalation against the yeshiva world could trigger major political upheaval and force United Torah Judaism and Agudas Yisroel to reconsider their place in the coalition.

{Matzav.com}

House Speaker Mike Johnson paid a formal visit Sunday to the Skverer Rebbe in New Square, where he revealed that preparations are underway for a forthcoming meeting between the Rebbe and President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington.

The Speaker’s stop in New Square came after he and Congressman Mike Lawler attended a fundraising event in Stony Point, Rockland County earlier in the afternoon. From there, the two lawmakers traveled to the Rebbe’s residence for what participants described as a warm and meaningful encounter.

Both Johnson and Lawler informed the Rebbe that they are actively arranging a private meeting in Washington between the Rebbe and President Trump, with the sit-down expected to take place in the near future.

Community askanim expressed deep appreciation for the Speaker’s involvement and for Congressman Lawler’s ongoing advocacy on behalf of local Jewish mosdos and schools.

This latest development follows a personal gesture from President Trump just two weeks ago, when he sent the Skverer Rebbe a heartfelt congratulatory letter in honor of the wedding of the Rebbe’s granddaughter. The message, printed on official White House stationery, conveyed warm wishes from the President and First Lady Melania Trump, offering blessings for joy, peace, and a home “built on tradition and guided by purpose.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu signaled that meaningful movement toward the second stage of the U.S.-crafted Gaza end-game is within reach, yet he warned that several unresolved questions—chief among them the scope and makeup of any international security presence—still stand in the way.

Standing beside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Jerusalem, Netanyahu told reporters that he expects to engage in significant talks with President Donald Trump later this month, conversations he views as essential to securing the next phase of the proposal.

Although Trump extended an invitation to Netanyahu “in the near future” back in November, the date for that White House meeting has still not been officially released.

Netanyahu said he intends to use his discussions with Trump to address the broader objective of eliminating Hamas control in Gaza. The current ceasefire, now moving into its second month, remains fragile, with both Israel and Hamas repeatedly accusing one another of undermining the agreement.

He emphasized that the terror group must not only maintain the fragile truce but must also honor “their commitment” to relinquish its weapons and allow Gaza to be fully demilitarized.

Under the first chapter of Trump’s plan, Israel maintained authority over 53% of Gaza as hostage exchanges and reciprocal detainee releases were executed. The final unresolved handover involves the remains of an Israeli police officer who fell in battle on October 7, 2023, while confronting invading terrorists. “We’ll get him out,” Netanyahu said.

Despite the pause in fighting, Hamas has managed to reconstitute itself in areas of Gaza not controlled by Israel.

The next stage of the American blueprint envisions Israel withdrawing further as a transitional administration takes hold in Gaza, a multinational force arrives on the ground, Hamas is stripped of its arsenal, and reconstruction efforts begin.

A multinational coordination hub has already been set up inside Israel, though insiders acknowledge the plan has no binding schedule and that momentum has slowed.

“What will be the timeline? What are the forces that are coming in? Will we have international forces? If not, what are the alternatives? These are all topics that are being discussed,” Netanyahu noted, calling them critical matters still in play.

Chancellor Merz said that Germany is prepared to assist with rebuilding Gaza but will wait until Netanyahu’s upcoming conversation with Trump clarifies Washington’s intentions. He added that phase two “must come now.”

Even during the ceasefire, Israel has launched numerous strikes, arguing they were aimed at preempting imminent threats or dismantling terrorist infrastructure. Gaza’s health authorities claim 373 Palestinians have died since the truce began, while three Israeli soldiers have been killed by terrorists.

Netanyahu said he also plans to speak with Trump about “opportunities for peace,” a nod to ongoing American efforts to expand Israel’s normalization with Arab and Muslim countries. “We believe there’s a path to advance a broader peace with the Arab states, and a path also to establish a workable peace with our Palestinian neighbors,” Netanyahu said, reiterating that Israel will continue to demand security control over the West Bank.

Trump has conveyed to Muslim leaders that Israel will not annex the West Bank, even as members of Netanyahu’s coalition continue to promote settlement expansion. The “question of political annexation” remains unresolved, Netanyahu acknowledged.

{Matzav.com}

Amid charges against dozens of Somali immigrants in a series of multimillion-dollar alleged fraud schemes in Minnesota, Rep. Ilhan Omar, whose district includes much of Minneapolis, told “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” that if allegations of a connection between tax dollars and al Qaeda affiliate al Shabaab are true, “that is a failure of the FBI and our court system.” She added that “if that is the case, if money from U.S. tax dollars is being sent to help with terrorism in Somalia, we want to know and we want those people prosecuted and we want to make sure that it doesn’t ever happen again.”

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Tucker Carlson stepped into an unusual role at the Doha Forum, taking the stage across from Qatar’s foreign minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, while joking about accusations that he’s in the pocket of Doha’s rulers. Critics like Laura Loomer have long pushed that narrative, but Carlson brushed it off with a grin, insisting again that he has never accepted a cent from Qatar. “I’m American and a free man and I’ll be wherever I want to be,” he declared to applause, adding with mock seriousness, “I have given my money to Qatar, and want to ask if that means that I bought you, and that you will spread my propaganda?” The line broke the ice before the conversation shifted into heavier terrain.

The audience quickly saw the tone shift as Carlson pushed the foreign minister on the fallout from Israel’s Sept. 9 strike in Doha. Israel had justified the bombing by claiming Hamas operatives were present—and Carlson pressed on the obvious contradiction: wasn’t it Israel and the United States who had asked Qatar to host those officials precisely to facilitate negotiations? The foreign minister confirmed that both governments had indeed requested the Hamas presence and emphasized the principle at play. “The concept of mediation is that it is a safe place for the two parties … to have a mediator be bombed by one of the parties in the conflict is unprecedented and I have said that many times. I think it is not acceptable, no one can swallow it.”

From there, Carlson introduced the elephant in the room: Washington’s stance. He restated that Trump had no advance notice of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s order to target Hamas operatives inside a residential Doha neighborhood, and that the operation derailed a delicate ceasefire push. The Qatari minister did not disagree. “President Trump was very clear from the beginning, since the attack …he expressed his frustration, his disappointment for such a thing,” he said. He stressed that Qatar had been instrumental in the negotiations. “He knows how helpful we were to this process. This kind of move was shocking for him…it was happening while we were trying to convince Hamas to sign the offer by President Trump at that time.”

The foreign minister went even further, saying the strike crossed a line the U.S. leader had explicitly set. “He made it clear to everyone that this was a red line,” he said, characterizing the bombing as part of “many efforts to sabotage the relations between Qatar and the United States.” Carlson noted that the U.S. later pushed Netanyahu to apologize, followed soon after by a significant new security agreement between Washington and Doha.

Another part of the conversation tackled the long-running effort to paint Qatar as a financier of Islamist extremism. The foreign minister blasted those portrayals as deliberate smears. He reminded the room that Doha’s funding in Gaza was humanitarian support provided with Israel’s approval and with full visibility from the U.S. “When they claim this financing of Hamas it has no basis,” he said. He added that Qatar’s lobbying in Washington has a simple aim: “To make sure we are not being attacked.” As he put it, “Qatar has never gone to the U.S. to encourage them to bomb this country or support that country. We have always been about how we can get to peace in the region.”

When the discussion turned to the Trump peace plan and the question of rebuilding Gaza, the foreign minister insisted that Qatar would not shoulder the reconstruction costs alone. He argued that meaningful progress cannot begin until Israeli military activity stops, and dismissed the idea that Doha would be writing the major checks for postwar rebuilding. “We are not the ones who are going to write the check,” he said, although he reiterated that Qatar will continue supporting Palestinians directly.

{Matzav.com}

Just days after wiping away the federal bribery case against him, President Donald Trump publicly rebuked Texas Congressman Henry Cuellar for sticking with the Democratic Party and immediately filing for another term under its banner.

Cuellar and his wife were pardoned on Wednesday, clearing them of allegations that they took payments from Azerbaijan and a Mexican financial institution in exchange for political favors. That same day, the congressman signaled he would stay put as a Democrat and announced his re-election bid.

Trump, reacting on Sunday, claimed Cuellar had been “punished” by Democrats because he occasionally challenged the party’s stance on immigration—only to then complain that Cuellar had repaid his intervention with disloyalty.

His remarks underscored once again the expectation Trump places on individuals who benefit from his help. “I never spoke to the Congressman, his wife, or his daughters, but felt very good about fighting for a family that was tormented by very sick and deranged people – They were treated sooo BADLY!” he wrote on Truth Social. “Such a lack of LOYALTY, something that Texas Voters, and Henry’s daughters, will not like. Oh’ well, next time, no more Mr. Nice guy!”

Cuellar, long known as one of the House’s more moderate Democrats, represents a South Texas district that Republicans redrew in August to strengthen their chances there. Even with the new map, Cuellar remains a formidable incumbent with a viable path to victory in the 2026 midterms.

The GOP gained another advantage on Thursday when the U.S. Supreme Court allowed Texas’s revised congressional map to stand, a significant win for Republicans aiming to preserve their majority in the House.

{Matzav.com}

President Donald Trump’s newly launched “Trump accounts” initiative is reshaping the conversation about how early Americans should begin building financial security. The program sets aside $1,000 for every child born from 2025 through 2028, placing the funds directly into investment accounts designed to grow with the stock market over nearly two decades.

The Treasury Department’s financial agent would open each account and invest the seed money in broad U.S. equity index funds, including options tied to the S&P 500. Families would later gain the ability to transfer the account to a brokerage of their choosing, though several operational details and specific investment options have yet to be finalized.

Supporters argue the initiative offers children access to the kinds of investment vehicles that typically benefit families who already participate in the markets. By focusing on market exposure and growth rather than traditional savings accounts, the plan aims to give all families—even those who do not regularly invest—an early stake in long-term wealth-building.

University at Buffalo finance professor Scott Laing emphasized that the strategy hinges on the power of compounding, telling KCRA that the real advantage over bank savings is the steady accumulation of earnings on top of prior gains. According to Laing, the S&P 500 has averaged more than 10% annual returns since 1957, meaning an initial $1,000 investment could balloon to roughly $5,600 by the time a child turns 18.

However, Laing noted that the final amount may be reduced once taxes and penalties enter the picture. KCRA reported that when the account automatically converts into an IRA at age 18, withdrawals taken before age 59½ may incur the standard 10% early-withdrawal penalty along with applicable taxes. As a result, the spendable value could land closer to $3,600 depending on individual circumstances.

The initiative is folded into Trump’s broader “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” with July 4, 2026, targeted as the official launch date. Funds inside the account would grow tax-deferred, and contributions from families could reach up to $5,000 per year, with anticipated employer participation capped at about $2,500 annually.

While critics contend the greatest benefits may accrue to families capable of adding more money, advocates say the broader goal is to democratize access to American economic growth. Even a small foothold in the markets, they argue, can become a foothold in the country’s future.

Adding significant momentum to the effort, billionaires Michael and Susan Dell announced a $6.25 billion commitment to support 25 million young children living in ZIP codes with median family incomes at or below $150,000. Their pledge injects major private-sector backing into a program aiming to bring millions of Americans into the investment economy from birth.

{Matzav.com}

At a high-profile gathering at the Doha Forum, Donald Trump Jr. raised the possibility that President Donald Trump could decide to step away from the U.S.-led push to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war. In remarks that challenged both the current diplomatic track and the political motivations of those involved, he cautioned that the United States should not feel compelled to bankroll an indefinite effort without clear prospects for an end to the fighting.

Sky News reported that when Trump Jr. was asked directly whether the president might back out of the peace initiative, he responded plainly, “I think he may.” He argued that his father’s decision-making style keeps foreign leaders on edge, saying his father is “unpredictable,” which, in his view, forces other negotiators “to negotiate more honestly.”

According to The Guardian, Trump Jr. offered a harsh assessment of Kyiv’s leadership, accusing Ukraine of prolonging the war and alleging that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally benefits from the conflict’s continuation. He claimed Zelenskyy has been elevated by liberal politicians into a “borderline deity,” raising doubts about whether the massive sums sent abroad are being monitored with sufficient transparency.

His comments came shortly after U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, met with two senior Ukrainian officials in Miami. That meeting followed recent U.S.-Russia negotiations in Moscow and was cast as part of the administration’s ongoing attempt to explore possible off-ramps for the war.

Trump Jr. did not limit his criticism to Kyiv. He reserved sharp words for European governments as well, faulting their sanctions regime and mocking the idea that waiting for Russia to financially collapse constitutes a plan. The Guardian reported that he argued Europe’s measures have failed to choke off Russian war funding and instead contributed to rising global oil prices, giving Moscow continued revenue.

Returning repeatedly to an “America First” theme, Trump Jr. warned against the United States becoming, as he put it, “the idiot with the checkbook.” He insisted that most Americans do not rank Ukraine among the nation’s core priorities, especially when issues such as drug trafficking and cartel activity pose what he called a “far greater clear and present danger” to U.S. communities.

He drew a contrast between the administration’s aggressive efforts against criminal networks and what he described as public fatigue over “endless wars,” arguing that the narcotics crisis endangers American families more immediately than a distant battlefield stalemate.

At one point, Trump Jr. referenced seeing numerous high-end cars with Ukrainian plates in Monaco, using the anecdote to claim that wealthy Ukrainians have largely avoided the hardships of war while ordinary citizens endure its sacrifices. He went even further by asserting that Ukraine is “far more corrupt than Russia,” remarks that are likely to ignite debate among supporters of sustained U.S. aid to Kyiv.

{Matzav.com}

A storm of criticism has erupted around Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani after he chose Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari — a progressive activist who publicly expressed admiration for convicted cop-killer Assata Shakur — to serve on his youth and education transition team, according to The NY Post.

Shaakir-Ansari, who helps lead the Alliance for Quality Education, was tapped last week to advise the incoming administration on public-school matters. Her past comments resurfaced almost immediately, including an interview with Lingua Franca in which she was asked to choose any woman in history to spend an afternoon with.

Her answer drew immediate fire.

“Assata Shakur — I believe she has so much to offer. With all of the reflection you must have done after all of the years as a Black Panther, what advice do you have for black women to move the movement while also caring for each other?” she said.

Assata Shakur — born Joanne Deborah Chesimard — was convicted for the 1973 killing of New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster after a gun battle on the New Jersey Turnpike. She had been traveling with Zayd Malik Shakur and Sundiata Acoli when state troopers stopped them for a broken taillight, prompting a shootout that left Foerster dead.

Before her involvement with the Black Liberation Army, she was aligned with the Black Panthers and immersed in radical political activity during the 1970s. In 1977 she was convicted of murder and assault, but in 1979 a team of armed BLA members broke her out of the Clinton Correctional Facility for Women, took hostages, and fled in a hijacked van.

Shakur ultimately escaped to Cuba in 1984, where the communist regime granted her asylum. Calling herself a “20th century escaped slave,” she remained a fugitive for decades and was placed on the FBI’s most wanted terrorist list in May 2013 — the first woman ever added.

For families of fallen police officers, Mamdani’s decision to elevate someone who venerates Shakur felt like a painful slap.

“Supporting a cop killer, you know, is not . . . a good thing,” said Grace Machate, whose husband, NYPD Officer Robert Machate, was murdered in 1989 while she was seven months pregnant.

Her husband, like Foerster, was gunned down during what began as a routine traffic stop involving “two suspicious males.”

“When someone kills an officer, whether he’s from New Jersey, New York or Alabama, I don’t care. It’s something that families are going to stick together on,” she said.

Retired NYPD lieutenant and US Marine Eric Dym reacted with disbelief at Mamdani’s choice.

“That’s unbelievable. I don’t think it’s a small oversight. I think it’s a conscious decision,” said Dym.

He added a blunt warning about what this signals to the rank and file: “When someone with that history is given a seat at the table it sends the message that your sacrifice is negotiable . . . this just strips away at the morale of the NYPD.”

John Macari, a retired NYPD lieutenant and co-host of the “New York’s Finest: Retired and Unfiltered Podcast,” argued that while Shaakir-Ansari can hold any views she wants, they shouldn’t shape city policy.

“Shaakir-Ansari has every right to her opinions, but she should have no business shaping education policy in a city where thousands of cops entrust their own kids to be educated and kept safe,” he said.

Shaakir-Ansari, a grandmother and longtime education advocate, has been involved in activism for roughly twenty years. In 2017, she appeared on City and State New York Magazine’s list of the 25 most influential Brooklyn leaders. She even launched a clothing line last year, raising $15,000 through GoFundMe.

During the mayoral campaign, Mamdani sparked additional backlash when he declined to denounce a glowing tribute to Shakur posted by the Democratic Socialists of America after her death.

“We vow to honor her legacy by recognizing our duty to fight for our freedom, to win, to love and protect one another because we have nothing to lose but our chains,” the DSA said on X.

Pressed by The Post to respond to the DSA statement, Mamdani sidestepped the issue.

“I am running to be the mayor of New York City,” he said. “I am running to represent the people of New York City. My focus is on the issues of the city, and I’m accountable to those same New Yorkers.”

Law-enforcement experts warn that appointments like this are a troubling signal for the coming administration. Retired NYPD sergeant and John Jay Professor Joe Giacolone said the fallout will be swift.

“You pick someone who praises a cop killer, you don’t need a slide rule to figure out what’s going on here — there’s gonna be two types of cops left, those who want to get out and can, and those who want to get out and can’t.”

{Matzav.com}