Matzav

The man accused of attempting to kidnap a Jewish child from his father in Brooklyn, NY has been taken into custody.

Previously, Matzav.com released security camera footage (below) from Crown Heights capturing the alarming moment. The video shows a frum father walking with his two young children when, suddenly, a masked individual attempts to grab one of the children. The father manages to hold onto his child, forcing the attacker to flee the scene.

The New York Police Department promptly launched an investigation, and the suspect has now been apprehended.

Shomrim acknowledged the collective efforts that led to the arrest, stating, “The arrest of the suspect was made possible thanks to the cooperation of our volunteers, the New York City leadership, and police detectives.”

WATCH:

{Matzav.com}

Donald Trump made $500 million after posting that he would not sell his shares in Truth Social, CNN reported. The social media platform, which Trump launched after getting kicked off Twitter in 2021, had seen its stocks decline by up to 42 percent since an initial post-election surge on Wednesday. But after the President-elect announced that rumors of his sale of Truth Social were “fake” and “untrue,” even possibly “illegal,” stocks suddenly surged.

“I HAVE NO INTENTION OF SELLING,” Trump declared. The post saw the value of his shares spike by around $500 million.

The figures have largely followed his performances during the electoral campaign, with volatile trading making it known as a “meme stock” that is heavily influenced by social media speculation rather than investment or other factors.

Truth Social remains a small operation in terms of revenue by comparison to the likes of TikTok, Instagram and Elon Musk’s X. Read more at CNN.

Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi shared her thoughts that if President Joe Biden had decided to end his reelection campaign earlier, the Democratic Party might have been able to hold a more competitive nomination process to select his successor.

“Had the president gotten out sooner, there may have been other candidates in the race,” Pelosi said during an interview with the New York Times. “The anticipation was that, if the president were to step aside, that there would be an open primary.”

Pelosi also expressed her belief that Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumed Democratic contender, “would have done well in that and been stronger going forward. But we don’t know that. That didn’t happen.” She explained that Biden’s early endorsement of Harris made it nearly impossible to hold a primary at that point. “That really made it almost impossible to have a primary at that time. If it had been much earlier, it would have been different.”

“I don’t think that any review of the election should be predicated on weaknesses, but strengths of Kamala Harris. She gave people hope. She caused a great deal of excitement in all this,” Pelosi remarked in her interview with the New York Times, according to the quotes provided by her office to Reuters.

Discussing a potential open primary, Pelosi said, “Kamala, I think, still would’ve won, but she may have been stronger having taken her case to the public sooner,” as quoted by her office.

At 81 years old, Biden suspended his reelection campaign in July, offering an immediate endorsement of Harris following concerns sparked by his lackluster debate performance against Trump, 78, which raised doubts about his ability to both defeat the former president and complete a second term. Pelosi was reportedly involved in behind-the-scenes efforts to encourage Biden to withdraw from the race.

After Republicans regained control of the House in the 2022 midterms, Pelosi stepped down from her leadership role but continued to serve in the House. She was reelected to a 20th term in the House on Tuesday.

{Matzav.com}

Iran’s Foreign Ministry has firmly rejected allegations from the United States suggesting that Tehran was involved in a supposed plot to assassinate President-elect Donald Trump, all while calling for better relations between the two countries, according to Reuters.

On Friday, the US Justice Department revealed that it had brought federal charges against three individuals in connection with a foiled Iranian scheme to murder Trump prior to the presidential election held earlier this week.

Legal documents indicated that in September, Iranian authorities instructed one of the accused, Farhad Shakeri, to monitor and ultimately eliminate Trump. The Justice Department added that Shakeri remains at large in Iran.

The two other individuals charged—Carlisle Rivera and Jonathon Loadholt, both US citizens—were detained in New York. They are accused of assisting the Iranian government by surveilling another US national of Iranian descent.

Today, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi took to social media to dismiss the claims, stating, “Now … a new scenario is fabricated … as a killer does not exist in reality, scriptwriters are brought in to manufacture a third-rate comedy.”

Reflecting on the US election’s outcome, Araqchi commented, “The American people have made their decision. And Iran respects their right to elect the President of their choice. The path forward is also a choice. It begins with respect.”

Araqchi also reiterated Iran’s stance on nuclear weapons, saying, “Iran is NOT after nuclear weapons, period. This is a policy based on Islamic teachings and our security calculations. Confidence-building is needed from both sides. It is not a one-way street.”

Meanwhile, Esmaeil Baghaei, a spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, described the assassination allegations as a “repulsive” plot orchestrated by Israel and Iranian opposition groups abroad to “complicate matters between America and Iran.”

Iran has previously vowed to avenge the killing of General Qassem Soleimani, a high-ranking commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad in 2020.

In 2020, Iran issued an arrest warrant for Trump, requesting Interpol’s assistance in his capture over the death of Soleimani.

However, Interpol swiftly rejected Iran’s request, clarifying that its guidelines prohibit any involvement in “political” matters.

In 2022, a video produced by Iranian state media and published on Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s website depicted an animated assassination of Trump.

{Matzav.com}

Shortly after the Amsterdam pogrom, which resulted in thousands of Jews fleeing the Netherlands, Jew-hating demonstrators in the United Kingdom are planning to  “swarm” the country with “highly coordinated” nationwide rallies on Armistice Day,  Sunday November, 10th.  Armistice Day in the UK is a national event that commemorates war veterans.

The demonstrations are being planned by Youth Demand, an offshoot of activist group Just Stop Oil.  The demonstrations are planned for five British cities in an attempt to disrupt Remembrance Sunday (or ‘Poppy Day’) events.  Reportedly, Birmingham and Manchester were two of the five cities planned.

According to a report in The Express, at a meeting of about 50 protest organizers last week,  Youth Demand activist Arthur Clifton reportedly told the crowd, “This is the start of our strategy coming into place on November 11.

With five cities across the country, Youth Demand will be getting out onto the roads, swarming, causing disruption [and] getting off before arrests are made, hopefully.”

Just Stop Oil posted on Instagram after Shabbos that Sam Griffiths, a member of the group who spoke at the event, had been arrested.  At the event, a speaker had threatened  “highly coordinated, highly organized disruption on a nationwide level,” leaked footage publicized by The Express revealed.

Last year on Remembrance Sunday, a similar protest in London unsurprisingly turned violent, and resulted in around 140 arrests.

Reacting to news of the protests, The Metropolitan Police said that any attempts to disrupt Armistice Day events would be “entirely unacceptable.”

{Matzav.com} 

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of Mrs. Faigy (Kolodny) Japha a”h of Lakewood, NJ, who tragically passed away over Shabbos at the age of 41 following a battle with illness.

Mrs. Japha was a resident of Coles Way in Lakewood Commons, where she was known for her warmth, kindness, and unwavering bitachon.

She is survived by her husband, R’ Aharon, and their children.

The levayah will take place at noon on Sunday at the Congregation Sons of Israel Holocaust Memorial Chapel, located at 613 Ramsey Avenue in Lakewood, NJ, followed by kevurah at the adjacent Mt. Sinai Cemetery.

 Yehi zichrah boruch.

{Matzav.com}

Grocery store owners responded fiercely after Whoopi Goldberg labeled them “pigs” on ABC’s The View for being responsible for rising food prices, expressing concern that such remarks could put store owners at greater risk of violence, the NY Post reports.

The comedian referred to grocery store owners as “pigs” during a broadcast on Thursday, accusing them of being behind the increasing costs of supermarket items. Her comments came just a day after Donald Trump’s election victory, in which he had focused heavily on inflation as a key issue.

“Your pocketbook is bad, not because the Bidens did anything. Not because the economy is bad. Your grocery bills are what they are because the folks that own the groceries are pigs,” Goldberg stated during her appearance on the show.

The National Grocers Association (NGA), which advocates for over 21,000 stores across the country, also voiced their concerns in a letter to Brian Teta, the executive producer of The View. The letter, which was obtained by The Post, expressed dismay over Goldberg’s remarks.

“We are deeply troubled by these remarks … referring to people who own grocery stores as ‘pigs,’” the NGA’s letter read, signed by Greg Ferrara, the association’s CEO.

According to the NGA, grocery stores typically operate on very slim profit margins, usually between 1% and 2%, and are wrongly blamed for food inflation. The group further warned that such inflammatory rhetoric could encourage “violent” behavior toward retail workers.

“Statements that falsely depict grocers as ‘gouging’ not only exacerbate these tensions but also risk further harm to these frontline workers who have continued to serve the public through challenging times,” the letter continued.

The root causes of food inflation, Ferrara explained, are “broader economic issues,” such as rising labor costs, rather than the actions of store owners.

Zulema Wiscovitch, a grocery store owner with two Associated stores in Rosedale, Queens, and Brownsville, Brooklyn, and co-president of the Associated Supermarket Group, expressed her anger to The Post.

“We are totally outraged by the comments,” Wiscovitch said, noting that the viral spread of Goldberg’s statement among the grocery community had stirred up significant outrage. Many felt that family-owned businesses were being unfairly targeted by a celebrity fueling “hate” against their workers.

Wiscovitch pointed out that grocers are facing increased costs from manufacturers.

“It shows a lack of understanding of what’s going on with the economy,” she said. “For us to receive this kind of attack from a public figure is totally unacceptable.”

{Matzav.com}

Bushfires in areas left bone-dry after not seeing a drop of rain in more than a month are blanketing parts of New York City with potentially dangerous smoke.

A wildfire broke out about 80 miles away in Ulster and Sullivan counties along with one closer to the city in New Jersey’s Passaic County. Officials from both states say crews are fighting the flames in record-setting drought conditions.

An extremely dry air mass – more typical of midwinter – is contributing to high fire danger across the Northeast. Saturday’s gusty winds fanned a fire near the New York-New Jersey border and pushed smoke south to New York City.

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service posted online Saturday night that the Cannonball 3 Wildfire is 75 percent contained across 175 acres, adding that 55 structures were under threat. In the same county, the agency posted there is the Jennings Creek Wildfire that spans 2,000 acres and is not at all contained.

The Whitehouse Fire in Ulster and Sullivan counties has impacted about 300 to 400 acres and is expected to increase, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said Saturday. State forest rangers along with 70 personnel from 13 fire departments are battling the fire. Agencies are using drones to monitor the fire. There are no mandatory evacuations, but some trails in the area are closed.

Throughout Saturday night, it is expected that winds will move the smoke away from New York City. And, finally, rain is expected Sunday evening. Forecasters believe between a quarter-inch and a half-inch of rain will help, but certainly not cure, the extreme dryness.

Hochul said the state issued an Air Quality Health Advisory for “smoke-enhanced fine particulate matter that could reach levels that are Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups” in the New York City area.

New York Mayor Eric Adams (D) asked residents not to grill and for those experiencing respiratory issues to stay indoors, preferably with an air filter. Adams said the New Jersey fires were to blame, adding that there was also a recent fire in Brooklyn’s 526-acre Prospect Park.

“It’s crucial that we all take the right steps during the drought issues we are facing,” he said.

Much of the Northeast has gone without rain for more than a month. The drought is made more dangerous when combined with the dried-out fall foliage covering much of the region.

Fall fires aren’t rare, but it’s uncommon for the Northeast to have consecutive rounds of red flag fire warnings.

Earlier this month, New York City declared a citywide drought watch, and Adams urged New Yorkers to fix leaks, take shorter showers, turn off the tap while brushing teeth and only flush the toilet when necessary amid the historic lack of rain.

“Mother Nature is in charge, and so we must make sure we adjust based on the lack of water and rain we have received,” Adams said early this month.

– – –

(c) Washington Post

On motzei Shabbos, El Al announced that approximately 2,000 Israeli citizens were evacuated from the Netherlands back to Israel on emergency rescue flights over the weekend.

Six of the flights occured on Friday, and another two took place over Shabbos.  All the flights were financed by El Al.

The airline announced: “Over the weekend, we mobilized to assist Israeli citizens and our country, and we will continue to do so as needed.

We operated a total of 8 flights from Amsterdam to Tel Aviv – 6 flights on Friday and 2 additional flights on Saturday, with all evacuation flights operated on wide-body aircraft. We flew a total of approximately 2,000 passengers back home. It is important to note that these evacuation flights were fully funded by EL AL and were free of charge for passengers. Operating these flights cost millions of shekels. Additionally, we responded to over 10,000 inquiries received by our customer service center. We are proud to be a pillar for Israelis, even in difficult times.” Immediately following news of the Amsterdam pogrom, the IDF was planning on sending it’s own rescue mission to the Netherlands.  In the end, the rescue operation consisted of El Al flights. {Matzav.com}  

A frum child was snatched by an attacker while walking with his father to a Shabbos afternoon event at a shul in Crown Heights. The unsettling event took place around 3:30 pm on Kingston Avenue near Lefferts Avenue. Security footage shows the masked attacker passing by the father and his two children, then suddenly seizing one of the children. The father reacted by confronting the man, prompting the assailant to release the child.

The child’s mother described the attacker as “a black man, wearing a mask, who tried to grab her son, until her husband started to beat him up,” at which point the man let go of the child. Authorities are actively seeking the individual responsible for the incident.

WATCH:

Yaacov Behrman, Director of the Jewish Future Alliance, voiced concern over the recent string of violent events in the area. “Something is clearly going on in Crown Heights—there have been incident after incident over the past two weeks,” he remarked.

This incident adds to a series of troubling occurrences in Crown Heights over the past week. These include a violent assault on a Jewish man by two teens during an attempted robbery, a slashing attack on another Jewish man, an individual aggressively knocked to the ground, and an incident of harassment at a Kosher Cafe, where a man shouted antisemitic and anti-Israel remarks at patrons. In each case, the perpetrators were black males.

{Matzav.com}

President-elect Trump may be able to increase Americans’ incomes through a series of changes to the tax code, according to experts and insiders.

Throughout his campaign, Trump made repeated promises to reduce taxes on tips and Social Security benefits, and even proposed the full elimination of income taxes, aiming to replace the lost revenue with tariffs.

With the major tax cuts from Trump’s first term set to expire in 2025, and Republicans likely to hold full control of Congress, extending and potentially expanding these tax cuts is a top priority for him.

A key focus of Trump’s proposed tax changes is the reduction of corporate tax rates.

In 2017, Trump lowered the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%—and now, he wants to cut it further to 15%.

“When you reduce the corporate rate by 2% wages go up 1%, corporations have more money to invest for workers,” Grover Norquist, an activist and president of Americans for Tax Reform, told The Post.

Norquist, a seasoned insider in GOP tax circles, predicted that both House and Senate leadership would fully support this reduction.

Trump has also vowed to undo one of the provisions of his 2017 tax reform: the $10,000 cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions.

This cap primarily affects residents of high-tax blue states, where hefty state and local taxes fund large state governments. Trump’s pledge to repeal it could lead to a rare bipartisan achievement.

“I take President Trump at his word and will hold him accountable for his promise to eliminate the SALT cap. I will work with him and anyone to get things done on behalf of the people,” said Long Island Democratic Rep. Tom Suozzi, a vocal critic of the SALT cap.

However, insiders suggest that repealing the cap could prove much more challenging.

“The major problem is it pits high tax states against low tax states. Certain states like New York and California and New Jersey have really high and state and local tax rates, and it gives people who live there an advantage in their deductions over people who live in [low-tax] places like Florida or Texas,” said Phil Magness, an economic historian at the Independent Institute.

Far-left progressives might also be reluctant to support what they see as a tax break for the wealthy. Socialist Squad Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has criticized past attempts to remove the SALT cap as a “gift to billionaires.”

Norquist, however, expressed uncertainty about Trump’s ability to fully eliminate the cap but suggested that raising the deduction could serve as a reasonable compromise.

{Matzav.com}

President-elect Donald Trump secured a win in Nevada on Shabbos, officially clinching the final of the crucial seven swing states, as confirmed by Politico.

Trump triumphed with a 3-point margin, defeating Vice President Kamala Harris in Nevada, 50.7% to 47.4%. This victory brings Trump’s electoral vote total to 312, while Harris stands at 226. Additionally, Trump’s popular vote count has surpassed 74 million. With this win, he becomes the first Republican to carry Nevada and its 6 electoral votes since George W. Bush in 2004.

Despite the state’s large Latino demographic, which led some experts to predict a smoother victory for Harris, Trump’s populist approach resonated with voters. In May, Trump introduced his proposal to make tips tax-exempt, a policy that garnered support among Nevada’s significant hospitality workforce.

In another notable development, Democrat Senator Jacky Rosen successfully defended her seat against a determined challenge from Republican Sam Brown, who attempted to flip the Nevada seat Rosen has held since 2018. Although Brown had Trump’s backing, he struggled with a major fundraising disadvantage and limited national support from Senate Republicans.

{Matzav.com}

A Democratic attorney, who previously made a loud spectacle of criticizing President-elect Trump’s refusal to acknowledge the 2020 election results, is now at the center of a controversial attempt to overturn Pennsylvania’s Senate race, the NY Post reports.

According to insiders within Dave McCormick’s campaign, this effort is part of a desperate bid to reverse the outcome in the race, even though McCormick has already been declared the winner by the Associated Press.

Marc Elias, a seasoned Democratic election lawyer known for his involvement in controversial political tactics, is pushing to initiate a recount in the Pennsylvania Senate race. This move comes despite McCormick’s victory being declared on Thursday by the Associated Press, with even some of the state’s most liberal news outlets backing that call.

While the race has been declared over, Democratic Senator Bob Casey has not yet conceded the result. Over the weekend, Casey sent out a fundraising email urging his supporters to continue pushing for a recount and to ensure that “every last vote in this PA Senate race is counted.”

Pennsylvania law stipulates that an automatic recount is triggered if the margin of victory is smaller than 0.5%. With 99% of the ballots counted, McCormick is ahead of Casey by over 41,000 votes — a margin that exceeds the recount threshold.

Even if a recount takes place, it seems improbable that Casey would be able to uncover enough additional votes to alter the results. However, the prolonged legal battle could result in a hefty cost to state taxpayers, potentially running into the millions.

The most recent statewide recount, which was conducted in 2022 following McCormick’s primary challenge against Dr. Mehmet Oz, reportedly cost Pennsylvania around $1 million, according to KDKA News.

“Election Day has past [sic], but the fight for democracy continues. Here is some of what my firm has been up to: Thursday: Intervened against rightwing lawsuit in Pennsylvania,” Elias wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday.

“The Pennsylvania Senate race is not over,” Elias warned in a separate X post on Thursday. He also referenced a statement from the Pennsylvania Secretary of State’s office, which indicated that there were “at least 100,000 ballots remaining to be adjudicated.”

McCormick’s campaign has filed two lawsuits aimed at blocking the counting of provisional ballots in Philadelphia, alleging “errors or inconsistencies in the adjudication process,” as reported by The Hill.

Elias has a long history of working on behalf of various Democratic causes, which have drawn significant criticism. In 2022, he was hired by the Black Lives Matter movement to address concerns over their financial dealings, and in 2016, he played a central role in commissioning the research that led to the now-infamous Steele dossier, which sparked the lengthy Russia collusion investigation into Donald Trump.

Elias has also been involved in several efforts to challenge voter ID laws in various states, projects that were heavily funded by Democratic megadonor George Soros, according to the Washington Post.

Critics have pointed out the hypocrisy in Elias’s actions, highlighting his outspoken condemnation of Trump’s legal challenges to recounts in the aftermath of the 2020 election. Elias described those efforts as “dangerous for democracy.”

“Elias is part of Kamala Harris’ campaign’s legal apparatus,” said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, a nonprofit organization focused on government accountability. “One of the big lies of the left is that they support democracy, but what they support is using the law to obtain and retain power for themselves and that’s what Marc Elias is about.”

Elizabeth Gregory, a spokesperson for McCormick, blasted Elias, calling him a “grifter” who was engaging in “frivolous legal challenges with zero merit.”

“McCormick’s lead is insurmountable, and that’s why the AP called the race. Senator-Elect McCormick is honored to have been elected by Pennsylvanians all over the commonwealth, and is moving forward to represent them,” Gregory said.

{Matzav.com}

a leading mental health professional advised MSNBC viewers that it may be necessary to sever relationships with relatives who voted for President-elect Donald Trump.

Dr. Amanda Calhoun, the chief psychiatry resident at Yale University, appeared on MSNBC’s Joy Reid show on Friday to discuss how liberals who are feeling disheartened by Trump’s re-election can manage their emotions. She suggested that one way to cope might be distancing themselves from certain family members or friends.

“So, if you are going into a situation where you have family members, where you have close friends who you know have voted in ways that are against you… it’s completely fine to not be around those people and to tell them why,” Calhoun explained to Reid.

The discussion began when Reid brought up the feelings of vulnerability within the LGBTQ community and other minority groups, who, according to her, are feeling particularly threatened after Trump’s victory early on Wednesday morning.

Referring to a recent article from the progressive publication, The 19th, Reid remarked, “Yeah, and we know that there’s been a vast increase since the election – 700 percent increase in calls from …. youth to [ a project] which offers phone, online chat, or text to people – 700 percent increase in calls, texts, and chats compared to recent weeks.”

Reid then asked Calhoun how these individuals should approach family members or friends who supported Trump, especially considering her view that Trump’s election is harmful to the rights of many Americans.

“But I wonder if also, are people challenged with the idea of, how do you interact with people who voted for this?” she questioned.

Reid continued, “If … you know someone in your family voted essentially against your rights, or you’re a woman knowing, you know, … JD Vance was literally calling Kamala Harris ‘the trash.’ He said, ‘We’re going to take out the trash.’ I know a lot of Black women were incredibly triggered by that.”

{Matzav.com}

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said that she spoke with President-elect Trump on Thursday to “reaffirm” their potential to collaborate on key issues, particularly in areas like infrastructure where the state is heavily dependent on federal assistance.

The conversation took place just one day after Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James held a tense press briefing in which James vowed to “fight back once again” against any Trump administration efforts, vowing to safeguard the rights of New Yorkers and uphold the rule of law.

“It was a very cordial call, and listen, I said I’ll work with anybody,” Hochul remarked during a post-election political event in Puerto Rico on Friday, as reported by Politico. She emphasized that it was only fitting to congratulate the election winner and extend the courtesy of cooperation.

“I basically just reaffirmed there are areas we can work together, like infrastructure, where we rely on federal money, and he seems to share my priorities,” she continued.

New York is counting on federal funding, specifically through the CHIPS and Science Act, to support a semiconductor manufacturing plant near Syracuse. The plant’s future was uncertain after Speaker Mike Johnson suggested Republicans might move to repeal the law, though he later revised his statement. This plant, operated by Micron, could potentially create 50,000 jobs in Central New York, according to Politico.

Additionally, the state plans to extend the Second Avenue Subway in Manhattan, with Hochul highlighting the critical need for federal funding for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and for modernizing Penn Station, the nation’s busiest transit hub, which has become overcrowded with the city’s homeless population. Hochul has previously referred to Penn Station as a “hell hole.”

The expansion of Penn Station involves demolishing several city blocks and could cost up to $17 billion, according to the New York Post. This project is designed to run alongside the $16 billion Gateway Project, which will create a new tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey while also refurbishing Penn Station’s outdated tracks that were severely damaged during Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

“I want Penn Station to be something that we’re all proud of. I said it can be beautiful. And he agreed,” Hochul stated, referring to her conversation with Trump.

The possibility of federal support for the MTA could depend on Trump’s backing, while Hochul has suggested implementing congestion pricing to generate an additional $1 billion for the MTA. However, Trump has previously promised to eliminate congestion pricing.

This controversial plan was postponed by Hochul earlier in the summer, just weeks before it was set to be enforced. The proposal would impose a $15 toll on vehicles entering Lower Manhattan. The MTA had also received over $15 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funding.

{Matzav.com}

Geert Wilders, who leads the largest political party in the Netherlands, the Party for Freedom, wrote on today that he was “speechless” after leaning about Amsterdam police’s response to what has been described as a pogrom on Thursday night.

“Amsterdam Police just confirmed that no one has been arrested during the Islamic Jew-hunt in Amsterdam Thursday night,” Wilders wrote. “All arrests have been made before and during the soccer match and not during the pogrom.”

“Shades of Munich,” wrote John Podhoretz, editor of Commentary magazine. “And you know what Israel felt compelled to do after Munich.”

The Guardian reported today that “four suspects remained detained today on suspicion of violent acts, including two minors, and 40 people had been fined for public disturbance and 10 for offenses including vandalism, prosecutors said.” JNS

{Matzav.com}

President-elect Donald Trump held a “warm and general” call with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Friday, a Palestinian official told Axios, which reported that the two last spoke in 2017.

Abbas “extended his congratulations to President-elect Trump, wishing him success in his upcoming term in office,” according to Wafa, which is aligned with the Palestinian Authority. “The Palestinian leader expressed his hope that Trump would lead the United States towards further progress and prosperity.”

The Palestinian leader “also reaffirmed his readiness to work with President Trump in pursuit of a just and comprehensive peace, based on international legitimacy and principles,” per Wafa. “In response, President Trump emphasized his commitment to stop the war and reiterated his willingness to collaborate with President Abbas, as well as other regional and global stakeholders, in efforts to achieve peace in the region.”

In July, Trump stated that Abbas had sent him a letter condemning the assassination attempt against him. According to the post, Abbas wrote that “acts of violence must not have a place in a world of law and order. Respect for the other with tolerance and valuing of human life is what must prevail.”

Trump posted an image that he hand wrote, on Abbas’s letter, stating, “Mahmoud, So nice. Thank you. Everything will be good. Best wishes, Donald Trump.”

JNS

Today, President-elect Donald Trump revealed that former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would not be joining his administration for a second term.
Trump shared the news on his Truth Social platform, stating, “I will not be inviting former Ambassador Nikki Haley, or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, to join the Trump Administration, which is currently in formation. I very much enjoyed and appreciated working with them previously, and would like to thank them for their service to our Country. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”

Haley, who competed against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in the previous election, ended her bid after suffering several losses in the primaries, including in her home state of South Carolina. Later, she expressed her intention to vote for Trump and gave her full endorsement in July.

Pompeo, who served as Secretary of State from April 2018 until the conclusion of Trump’s first term in January 2021, had considered running for the Republican nomination in the election. However, he declared in April 2023 that he would not be pursuing the candidacy.

Both Haley and Pompeo have been vocal and unwavering supporters of Israel. Haley visited Israel in May of this year as a gesture of solidarity, while Pompeo made his own trip to Israel in February.

{Matzav.com}

Melhem Asad, a Druze-Israeli resident of Kisra-Sumei, is being hailed as a hero for his courageous actions in Amsterdam on Thursday, when he helped protect Jewish fans from a violent mob following a soccer match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and AFC Ajax. The violence erupted after the game ended, and Asad, a supporter of the Maccabi Tel Aviv team, witnessed the security that had previously been in place vanish once the match was over.

Asad explained to Kan Reshet Bet that he acted immediately when he saw the chaos unfolding: “Before the game, we were at Dam Square, and there was good security. They really accompanied us the whole time before the game. After the game ended, we left the field on the way to the hotel, and there was no security. There was nothing.”

When the violence began, Asad overheard attackers speaking Arabic, threatening the lives of anyone displaying Israeli or Maccabi symbols. He said, “I saw people speaking Arabic. They said, ‘Anyone who has a Maccabi shirt and Israeli symbols – beat him to kill.’ I tried to confuse them with my language, to tell them that the Jews left. I spoke in Arabic so that they would recognize us as ‘with an Arabic accent,’ I told the fans to hide their Maccabi Tel Aviv shirts and not to speak Hebrew.”

Despite his repeated attempts to protect others, Asad was unable to help everyone, as he recounted: “I went to restaurants in the area and I did it again, three or four times. Around me there were people on the floor, who had been beaten, and I could not help them. I was afraid.”

Asad admitted to feeling fear for his own life, knowing that his actions could put him in danger. “I was afraid that they would recognize me and kill me. The Council called me and my parents were worried about me but I didn’t want to answer the phone, so that they would not hear me or see that I am an Arab-Israeli and begin to beat me.”

He expressed pride in his Druze heritage, stating, “This is our culture – the Druze, we support our country.” However, Asad also voiced frustration about the lack of recognition for the Druze community’s contributions to Israel, noting, “We do not receive rights, they don’t give us respect, and we give everything to our country.”

{Matzav.com}

President-elect Trump is scheduled to meet President Biden in the Oval Office on Wednesday, as announced today by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. This meeting is part of the ongoing transition of power, which will culminate with Trump’s inauguration as the 47th president on January 20, 2025. “At President Biden’s invitation, President Biden and President-elect Trump will meet in the Oval Office on Wednesday at 11:00 a.m. Additional details to follow,” Jean-Pierre stated in her brief announcement.

On Thursday, President Biden spoke to the nation from the Rose Garden following the concession of the 2024 presidential race by Vice President Kamala Harris to President-elect Trump. Harris committed to a “peaceful and orderly” transition of power. In contrast, Trump had not welcomed Biden into the White House in 2020, as the former president challenged the election results. It is customary for the outgoing first lady to also host the incoming first lady during the transition period.

Since being declared the winner on Wednesday, Trump has focused on building his transition team, including a groundbreaking choice in naming Susie Wiles as the first female chief of staff. “Susie Wiles just helped me achieve one of the greatest political victories in American history, and was an integral part of both my 2016 and 2020 successful campaigns,” Trump remarked in a statement. “Susie is tough, smart, innovative, and is universally admired and respected. Susie will continue to work tirelessly to Make America Great Again…. I have no doubt that she will make our country proud.”

Leading Trump’s transition efforts are Linda McMahon, a former professional wrestling magnate, and Howard Lutnick, a billionaire businessman. In addition, the Trump-Vance campaign revealed on Saturday the establishment of the “Trump Vance Inaugural Committee, Inc.,” a 501(c)(4) entity responsible for organizing inaugural events.

The committee will be co-chaired by Steve Witkoff, a longtime Trump ally, and Senator Kelly Loeffler.

“On Election Night, we made history and I have the extraordinary honor of having been elected the 47th President of the United States thanks to tens of millions of hardworking Americans across the nation who supported our America First agenda,” President Trump stated. “The Trump Vance Inaugural Committee will honor this magnificent victory in a celebration of the American People and our nation. This will be the kick-off to my administration, which will deliver on bold promises to Make America Great Again.”

“Together, we will celebrate this moment, steeped in history and tradition, and then get to work to achieve the most incredible future for our people, restoring strength, success, and common sense to the Oval Office.”

{Matzav.com}