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Tensions within the governing coalition escalated this week as United Torah Judaism (UTJ) declared that it would maintain its boycott of Knesset votes, a move aimed at pressuring the government over its failure to pass legislation that would safeguard military draft exemptions for chareidi yeshiva students.

The boycott, which began last week, came in response to statements by Brigadier General Shai Taib, the IDF’s head of manpower, who raised alarms about an urgent shortage of personnel. Taib emphasized the military’s immediate need for an additional 12,000 soldiers, including 7,000 for combat roles—figures that underscore the mounting push to broaden conscription and potentially eliminate longstanding exemptions.

Because of UTJ’s refusal to participate in parliamentary voting, the coalition was compelled to remove several significant items from Wednesday’s legislative docket. Among the shelved bills were a contentious measure to separate the responsibilities of the government’s legal adviser and another proposal to increase the pay of Knesset members, cabinet ministers, and the Prime Minister.

Signaling the seriousness of the political impasse, Prime Minister Netanyahu is slated to attend a confidential session of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee this Sunday at 15:30. The briefing will center on the military’s enlistment needs and the broader political fallout of the ongoing battle over draft exemptions.

Channel 13 reported that members of the coalition and individuals close to Netanyahu have reached out to Shas leaders, asking them not to contribute to what they termed a “negative dynamic of dismantling the coalition and the government.”

In response, Shas issued a statement declaring, “We will not be a political cover for Netanyahu and for the members of United Torah Judaism.” The party is expected to sustain its boycott into the coming week as well.

{Matzav.com}

New details were released on Sunday about the risky and complex operation carried out in the heart of Syria to recover the body of fallen IDF soldier Tzvi Feldman, H’yd, whose recovery 43 years after his death was announced on Sunday morning. Five months ago, shortly before the fall of the Assad regime,  the Mossad dispatched a team of non-Israeli Mossad agents to Syria, where their lives were constantly in danger, Ynet reported. The agents used deceptive tactics to explain their presence in the area where Feldman’s remains were thought to be located, in a cemetery dozens of kilometers from the border. There, the team progressed little by little, fostering relationships with the cemetery guards. Eventually, they found Feldman’s overalls. One of the sources said: “I saw Feldman’s overalls, I felt that this was it, we were in the right place. This was even before the DNA was confirmed.” Once the DNA was confirmed, they brought out the remains in sacks. “It was very complex because they had to get sacks out of there,” a source said. In response to a question from Ynet about what the turning point in the operation was, the source replied: “It happened when the Mossad found a way to work in the location, and allow the cell to feel a little safer doing the activity that is defined as banned [digging]. There are permanent guards there who are instructed to kill anyone who tries to touch these graves. The moment they found a way to appease them, the force was able to work more freely.” The source added that Israeli Mossad agents did not cross into Syria, and there was also no involvement of Russians or Syrian Druze in the operation. The source emphasized that the operation shows the Mossad’s commitment to fallen soldiers, even 43 years later. “We are explaining through our actions to the families that we are not abandoning them,” he said. “It’s not just Sultan Yacoub. There are other open cases, such as Eli Cohen, Ron Arad, Elizabeth Tsurkov in Iraq, and others. We continue to work and will not abandon those in or out of Gaza. This gives perspective to the families.” He noted that “the operation was carried out in cooperation with the IDF on intelligence and operational levels because ultimately the IDF’s assistance is needed to cross the border. Everything was coordinated with the IDF. All the actions were with the assistance of the IDF, working shoulder to shoulder. It was very significant. Without them, the Mossad would not have been able to carry out this operation.” Regarding Eli Cohen, the source said: “That’s a completely different issue. We don’t know where Eli Cohen is buried now. Regardless, we are making great efforts on the issue of Eli Cohen as well, and I hope that soon there will be positive news, not at the level of bringing the remains, but in a positive way from another direction. We are working very hard on it, and along the way, we are receiving additional clues. We are still far from closing the Eli Cohen case.” Regarding Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was abducted in Iraq, the source noted: “The Mossad is handling it. The Mossad is not close to returning her, but we hope to make progress on it. There is […]

President Donald Trump celebrated what he described as a major breakthrough in relations with China after the first round of high-level discussions took place in Geneva between American and Chinese officials. The talks were aimed at easing the strain caused by Trump’s recent imposition of sweeping tariffs on Chinese imports.

Calling the meetings “very good,” Trump said they marked “a total reset negotiated in a friendly, but constructive, manner.” In a Truth Social post from late last night, he added, “We want to see, for the good of both China and the U.S., an opening up of China to American business.” He also wrote, “GREAT PROGRESS MADE!!!”

Yesterday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. This was the first face-to-face dialogue between representatives of the two economic giants since Trump enacted significant new tariffs on China last month—a move that was met with fierce retaliation from Beijing.

The talks were expected to continue on Sunday, according to someone close to the discussions who spoke anonymously due to the sensitivity of the negotiations.

China’s state-run news agency Xinhua praised the meeting in an editorial, stating, “The contact in Switzerland is an important step in promoting the resolution of the issue.”

The confidential discussions took place at the Geneva residence of the Swiss ambassador to the United Nations—a secluded home with pale blue shutters located beside a park overlooking Lake Geneva.

Since the beginning of the year, Trump has imposed tariffs on Chinese products that now total 145 percent. On some items, the combined US tariff load has reached an astounding 245 percent.

In response, Beijing has levied its own duties on American goods—reaching as high as 125 percent—effectively creating a virtual freeze on bilateral trade.

On Friday, Trump hinted that he might consider adjusting those tariffs, writing online, “80% Tariff on China seems right!”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Fox News that Trump is open to reaching a compromise with China. “The president would like to work it out with China,” Lutnick said. “He would like to de-escalate the situation.”

However, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized that the administration would not make tariff adjustments without reciprocal action from China. She said that China would first need to make meaningful concessions.

Even if changes are made, a reduction to 80 percent would still represent a massive financial hurdle for Chinese exporters, making the gesture more symbolic than practical.

Bessent, for his part, said the meetings in Geneva were not about striking a broad agreement but were intended to create conditions for “de-escalation.”

Meanwhile, Chinese leaders have held firm, insisting that the US must remove tariffs before any deal can be reached. An editorial in Xinhua published early Sunday stated, “Trade wars and tariff battles yield no winners.”

Vice Premier He entered the meetings bolstered by surprising economic news from China—exports had actually risen in the previous month despite the weight of the tariffs. Analysts attributed the increase to the redirection of trade through Southeast Asian countries to avoid US penalties.

This weekend’s dialogue took place just two days after Trump announced a separate trade pact with the United Kingdom. It was the first agreement the US had reached since launching its broad tariff campaign.

That five-page memorandum with Britain, while non-binding, reassured markets that Washington is open to negotiating exemptions in certain sectors—specifically, the deal involved relief for British steel, aluminum, and automobiles.

In exchange, the UK agreed to expand market access for US agricultural exports, including beef and other farm goods.

However, the administration left a 10 percent baseline tariff on most British imports unchanged. Leavitt told the press on Friday that Trump remained “committed” to keeping that rate for other nations as well.

A few hours later, Trump appeared to allow for some wiggle room, saying the baseline could be revisited under certain conditions.

“There could be an exception at some point. We’ll see,” he said. “If somebody did something exceptional for us, that’s always possible.”

{Matzav.com}

India’s military strikes into Pakistan-controlled Kashmir and Pakistan earlier this week killed more than 100 militants including their prominent leadership, India’s director general of military operations said on Sunday. Lt. Gen. Rajiv Ghai said India’s armed forces stuck nine militant infrastructure and training facilities, including sites of the Lashkar-e-Taiba group that India blames for carrying out major militant strikes in India and the disputed region of Kashmir. There was no way to independently verify these claims. “We achieved total surprise,” Ghai said at a news conference in New Delhi, adding Pakistan’s response was “erratic and rattled.” The two countries agreed to a truce a day earlier after talks to defuse the most serious military confrontation between them in decades. But the ceasefire was shaken just hours later by overnight fighting in disputed Kashmir, and both sides accused each other of repeatedly violating the deal. Drones were also spotted Saturday night over Indian-controlled Kashmir and the western state of Gujarat, according to Indian officials. The escalation in violence began last week after a gun massacre of tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir. India blamed the attack on Pakistan, which denied any involvement. As part of the ceasefire, the nuclear-armed neighbors agreed to immediately stop all military action on land, in the air and at sea. People on both sides of the Line of Control, which divides the territory, reported heavy exchanges of fire between Indian and Pakistani troops. The fighting subsided by Sunday morning. In the Poonch area of Indian-controlled Kashmir, people said the intense shelling from the past few days had traumatized them. “Most people ran as shells were being fired,” said college student Sosan Zehra, who returned home Sunday. “It was completely chaotic.” In Pakistan-controlled Kashmir’s Neelum Valley, which is 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the Line of Control, residents said there were exchanges of fire and heavy shelling after the ceasefire began. “We were happy about the announcement but, once again, the situation feels uncertain,” said Mohammad Zahid. U.S. President Donald Trump was the first to post about the ceasefire deal, announcing it on his Truth Social platform. Indian and Pakistani officials confirmed the news shortly after. Pakistan has thanked the U.S., and especially Trump, several times for facilitating the ceasefire. India has not said anything about Trump or the U.S. since the deal was announced. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting on Sunday with top government and military officials. A U.N. spokesperson, Stephane Dujarric, said on Sunday that Secretary General Antonio Guterres welcomed the deal as a positive step toward easing tensions. “He hopes the agreement will contribute to lasting peace and foster an environment conducive to addressing broader, longstanding issues between the two countries,” Dujarric said. India and Pakistan’s top military officials are scheduled to speak on Monday. India and Pakistan have fought daily since Wednesday along the rugged and mountainous Line of Control, which is marked by razor wire coils, watchtowers and bunkers that snake across foothills populated by villages, tangled bushes and forests. They have routinely blamed the other for starting the skirmishes, while insisting they themselves were only retaliating. Kashmir is split between the two countries and claimed by both in its entirety. They have fought two of their three wars over the region and their ties have been shaped by conflict, aggressive […]

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The UK-based Al-Quds newspaper and other Arab media outlets reported on Sunday that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will be joining the meeting in Riyadh with U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday. Trump is visiting Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE this week in his first overseas trip to the Middle East, but not Israel. According to sources quoted in the report, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun will also be joining the meeting. The summit was the initiative of Bin Salman and was accepted by Trump. The report also claimed that the Crown Prince “expects Trump to accept the Saudi condition for the establishment of a Palestinian state.” However, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee last week adamantly denied reports that Trump plans to announce the US recognition of a Palestinian state. Israel has set Trump’s trip to the Middle East as the deadline for launching an expanded military operation in Gaza. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

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A passenger bus skidded off a cliff in Sri Lanka’s tea-growing hill country on Sunday, killing 21 people and injuring 35 others, a police spokesman said. The accident occurred in the early hours of Sunday near the town of Kotmale, about 140 kilometers (86 miles) east of Colombo, the capital, in a mountainous area of central Sri Lanka, police said. Police spokesman Buddhika Manathunga said 21 people died and another 35 were being treated in hospitals. Local television showed the bus lying overturned at the bottom of a precipice while workers and others helped remove injured people from the rubble. The driver was injured and among those admitted to the hospital for treatment. At the time of the accident, nearly 50 people were traveling on the bus. Manathunga said police launched an investigation to ascertain whether the driver’s recklessness or a technical fault of the bus caused the accident. The bus was operated by a state-run bus company, police said. Deadly bus accidents are common in Sri Lanka, especially in the mountainous regions, often due to reckless driving and poorly maintained and narrow roads. (AP)

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan issued arrest warrants to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and then-Defense Minister Yoav Gallant two weeks after his female aide accused him of severe assault and a day after he abruptly canceled a critical visit to Israel and Gaza, the Wall Street Journal reported. According to the aide’s testimony, Khan began assaulting her in March 2023 and continued for months, even after she told him she was feeling suicidal due to the abuse. On April 29, 2024, the aide, a Muslim lawyer from Malaysia in her 30s, tearfully shared the abuse with Thomas Lynch, a close American adviser to Khan, and another individual, saying she can no longer endure it. Several days later, Lynch and two others confronted Khan and told him they intended to report the allegations to the court’s human resources office. Khan initially said he would have to resign, but then added, “But then people will think I’m running away from Palestine.” On May 5, 2024, the ICC’s internal investigation agency contacted the aide, but she refused to cooperate because, as a Muslim, she did not want to disrupt the issuance of arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant. [She later changed her mind and officially reported the allegations.] According to the testimony she later provided, which was reviewed by the WSJ, Khan tearfully pleaded with her at the office several times after her allegations were publicized, saying: “Tell me if I need to resign. Think about the Palestinian arrest warrants.” In October 2024, he begged her by phone to deny the allegations, warning her of the consequences if she didn’t: “The casualties will unfortunately be three: You and your family, me and my family, and the justice of the Palestinian victims.” She testified that Khan and one of his advisers repeatedly harassed her into denying the allegations. By August 2024, the aide was so distressed by the constant harassment that she approached members of the ICC’s governing board. “I held on for as long as I could because I didn’t want to mess up the Palestinian arrest warrants,” she told them. She added that she also didn’t report the abuse earlier out of concern that Khan would retaliate, she would lose her job, and be unable to pay for her mother’s cancer treatments. The harassment continued even after she reported the abuse to the board. Khan’s wife, Shyamala Alagendra, a high-profile international lawyer who specializes in gender-based crimes, has been accused of acting inappropriately following the charges, including contacting and confronting the aide about her allegations against her husband. Despite the severe allegations, Khan has refused to take a leave of absence from his high-profile position. Khan’s brother, Imran, is a former British politician who was expelled in disgrace after he was convicted in 2021 of assaulting a teenage boy. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

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The body of Sgt. First Class Tzvi Feldman, H’yd, who fell in battle at Sultan Yacoub in June 1982, during the first Lebanon War, was returned in a special operation by the Mossad and IDF. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced the news on Sunday morning: “For decades, Tzvi was missing, and the efforts to locate him, alongside the others missing from that battle, never ceased,” he said. “About six years ago, we returned Sgt. First Class Zachary Baumel, H’yd, to Kever Yisrael. Today, we returned Tzvi, z’l, and we will not stop working to return Sgt. First Class Yehuda Katz, H’yd, who is still missing from that battle.” “Over many long years, I approved many covert operations to locate the missing from Sultan Yacoub, and I promised the Feldman family that I would never stop working to bring Tzvi home.” “His dear parents, Penina and Avraham, never ceased to act on the matter, but sadly, they have already passed away. But today we are returning dear Tzvi to his siblings – Itzik, Shlomo, and Anat – and to the land of Israel that he loved so much.” “I would like to thank the Mossad, the IDF, the Shin Bet, and the Coordinator for POWs and MIAs, Gal Hirsch, for decades of efforts and for their valuable, determined, and courageous work to return Tzvi and to return all those missing and abducted – the living and dead alike. “The State of Israel and the Government of Israel, under my leadership, are fully committed to this.” As the Navi Yirmiyahu says: ״ויש תקווה לאחריתך נאום ה׳, ושבו בנים לגבולם״. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the petirah of Rav Yechezkel Shraga Dovid Halpern zt”l, who served as the Rav of the Sanzer Beis Medrash in the Ramot neighborhood of Yerushalayim. He was 59 years old.

Rav Halpern passed away at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital after battling illness.

Born in London, Rav Halpern came from an illustrious rabbinic dynasty. His father, Rav Yitzchok Aryeh Leibush Halpern, is the Gaavad of Radomishla, and his grandfather, Rav Elchonon Halperin, served as the Gaavad of Radomishla in Golders Green.

His mother, Rebbetzin Liba Freidel, is a daughter of Rav Shmuel Alexander Unsdorfer, author of Sifsei Shmuel who led the Reishis Chochma kehillah in Montreal and served as a Sanzer Rav in Petach Tikvah.

His birth occurred on the yahrtzeit of the Shinover Rebbe, the Divrei Yechezkel, and he was named Yechezkel Shraga Dovid—Yechezkel Shraga after the Shinover Rebbe and Dovid after his paternal grandfather.

As a bochur, Rav Halpern learned at Yeshivas Sanz in Kiryat Sanz, Netanya. Upon reaching marriageable age, he married Rebbetzin Faiga Baila, daughter of the Stropkover Rebbe.

For many years, Rav Halpern served as the mashgiach ruchani at the Sanzer Yeshiva Ketana in Yerushalayim and gave regular shiurim there. He was later appointed Rav of the Sanzer Beis Medrash in the Ramot neighborhood, a position he held with tremendous devotion.

Known for his refined character, warmth, and yiras Shomayim, Rav Halpern was beloved by his talmidim and kehillah alike. His influence was felt far beyond his shul, through his shiurim and personal example of avodas Hashem.

Despite his illness, Rav Halpern remained a source of strength and inspiration until his final days.

He leaves behind a beautiful family of bnei and bnos Torah.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com Israel}

President Donald Trump’s administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to allow it to end humanitarian parole for hundreds of thousands of immigrants from four countries, setting them up for potential deportation. The emergency appeal asks the justices to halt a lower-court order keeping in place temporary legal status for more than 500,000 people from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The Republican administration argues that the decision wrongly intrudes on the Department of Homeland Security’s authority. “The district court has nullified one of the administration’s most consequential immigration policy decisions,” Solicitor General John Sauer wrote. The order from U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston blocked the Trump administration from putting an early end to the migrants’ temporary legal status. Her ruling in mid-April came shortly before their permits were due to be canceled, opening them up to removal from the country. Talwani, who was appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama, said that people in the program faced the option of “fleeing the country” or staying and “risk losing everything.” She said the government’s explanation for ending the program was “based on an incorrect reading of the law.” The Justice Department went to the Supreme Court after an appeals court refused to lift Talwani’s order. Sauer argued that the judge was instead wrong on the law, including her finding that any revocations of parole must be made on a case-by-case basis. He argued that ending the program early allows the federal government to remove people from the country more quickly, in line with the Trump administration’s policy goals. The case is the latest in a string of emergency appeals the administration has made to the Supreme Court, many of them related to immigration. The government asked the court to strip temporary legal protections from 350,000 Venezuelans last week, and it remains locked in legal battles over its efforts to swiftly deport people accused of being gang members to a prison in El Salvador under an 18th century wartime law called the Alien Enemies Act. Trump promised on the campaign trail to deport millions of people who are in the country illegally. His administration has also sought to dismantle policies from President Joe Biden’s Democratic administration that created new ways for people to live legally in the U.S., generally for two years with work authorization. Biden used humanitarian parole more than any other president, employing a special presidential authority in effect since 1952. Beneficiaries included more than 500,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans who flew to the United States with financial sponsors on two-year permits since late 2022, with authorization to work. Advocates have called the Trump administration’s move to end the program “unprecedented” and argued that it violated federal rule-making. (AP)

President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire agreement had been reached between India and Pakistan, following U.S.-brokered negotiations aimed at ending the most dangerous military standoff between the two nuclear powers in recent decades.

“After a long night of talks mediated by the United States, I am pleased to announce that India and Pakistan have agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Both nations later confirmed the ceasefire deal, crediting the United States for helping mediate the breakthrough.

Meanwhile, foreign ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations issued a joint statement urging both countries to step back from the brink and immediately dial down tensions. The group also condemned the April 22 militant assault in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir, which triggered the current escalation.

“We are deeply concerned for the safety of civilians on both sides,” the ministers stated. “We call for immediate de-escalation and encourage both countries to engage in direct dialogue towards a peaceful outcome.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed optimism about the breakthrough and pledged to convene broader peace discussions aimed at long-term stability.

“Over the past 48 hours, Vice President Vance and I have engaged with senior Indian and Pakistani officials, including Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shehbaz Sharif, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, and National Security Advisors Ajit Doval and Asim Malik,” Rubio told Newsmax.

“I am pleased to announce the Governments of India and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire and to start talks on a broad set of issues at a neutral site. We commend Prime Ministers Modi and Sharif on their wisdom, prudence, and statesmanship in choosing the path of peace.”

The ceasefire follows weeks of mounting violence, marked by cross-border rocket fire, drone attacks, and heavy artillery exchanges, set off by a brutal attack on tourists in Kashmir. India blamed Pakistan for orchestrating the massacre, an accusation Islamabad denies. Civilians on both sides have been caught in the crossfire.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar publicly confirmed the ceasefire on Geo News, noting that Saudi Arabia and Turkey had also helped facilitate the diplomatic progress.

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri revealed that senior military commanders from both nations spoke earlier in the day. “It was agreed between them that both sides would stop all firing and military action on land, and in the air and sea. Instructions have been given on both sides to give effect to this understanding.” He said the military leaders planned to speak again on May 12.

The ceasefire brought a swift halt to an escalation that had spiraled overnight. India claimed it struck Pakistani air installations early in the day after Islamabad had fired a barrage of high-speed missiles at both military and civilian targets in India’s Punjab state. Pakistan, for its part, said it intercepted most of those missiles and retaliated with its own strikes.

In New Delhi, Indian defense officials accused Pakistan of aiming at medical facilities and schools near three airbases in Kashmir. “Befitting reply has been given to Pakistani actions,” Indian Colonel Sofiya Qureshi stated.

Pakistan’s military responded by saying they had launched medium-range Fateh missiles that hit Indian air bases and an ammunition depot in Pathankot and Udhampur. Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif, a spokesman for Pakistan’s army, said their air force remained intact despite the Indian assault.

Tensions flared after the April 22 massacre of 26 civilians, mostly Hindu tourists, at a crowded site in India-controlled Kashmir. The incident plunged the region into days of tit-for-tat strikes.

On Friday, Pakistani military officials said Indian missiles had struck multiple locations, including Nur Khan air base in Rawalpindi, Murid air base in Chakwal, and Rafiqui air base in Jhang district. The extent of the damage in Rawalpindi, one of Pakistan’s most densely populated cities, was not immediately known.

Meanwhile, crowds in Pakistani cities like Lahore, Peshawar, and Karachi expressed joy over what they saw as a forceful response to Indian aggression. “Thank God we have finally responded to Indian aggression,” said Muhammad Ashraf, who was out for breakfast in Lahore.

Back across the border, residents in Indian-controlled Kashmir described being shaken by a fresh wave of explosions in the cities of Srinagar, Jammu, and Udhampur following Pakistan’s retaliation.

“Explosions that we are hearing today are different from the ones we heard the last two nights during drone attacks,” said Shesh Paul Vaid, a former top police officer from Jammu. “It looks like a war here.”

He said the blasts seemed to come from military zones, suggesting army installations were under attack. Locals near Srinagar’s airport — which doubles as an air base — also reported being jarred awake by the blasts and the roar of fighter jets.

“I was already awake, but the explosions jolted my kids out of their sleep. They started crying,” said Mohammed Yasin, a resident of Srinagar. He said he clearly heard at least two major blasts.

The explosions left behind widespread damage in parts of Indian-controlled Kashmir, where powerful shockwaves blew out windows, collapsed walls, and riddled homes with shrapnel holes.

In Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, residents and first responders spent Friday morning digging through the remains of homes destroyed by overnight Indian shelling. Some carried out the dead, while others searched for anything left to salvage amid the devastation.

{Matzav.com}

Pakistan shows footage of its JF-17 Thunder jet taking off to hit Indian S-400 air defence system with Chinese-origin CM-400AKG hypersonic missiles in anti-radiation variant.

A sitting member of Congress has given the public a glimpse of a secret staircase beneath the U.S. Capitol.

President Trump, together with a number of top European leaders, issued a clear demand to Vladimir Putin: agree to a 30-day cease-fire in Ukraine starting Monday, or face heavy sanctions and expanded military backing for Ukraine.

The announcement followed high-level talks in Kyiv, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hosted French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to deliberate over a U.S.-driven cease-fire initiative.

According to Zelensky, more than 30 other nations, along with officials from the European Union and NATO, joined the conference via remote link. Discussions also included plans to significantly escalate military assistance to Ukraine, with pledges of more tanks, drones, munitions, and long-range weaponry.

Following the in-person summit, and reportedly at Macron’s suggestion, the leaders placed an early-morning call to President Trump in Washington, D.C., to bring him into the loop.

“As President Trump has repeatedly stated, if both parties agree to a cease-fire, the United States will continue to help ensure longstanding peace,” a White House official told The Post, confirming the leaders’ outreach.

Zelensky characterized the conversation with Trump as “positive and concrete,” while Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, described it as a “fruitful” dialogue focused on advancing peace efforts.

President Trump had previously renewed his call for a one-month cease-fire on Thursday via a Truth Social post, warning that noncompliance would result in punitive action against Moscow.

“Ukraine and all allies are ready for a full unconditional ceasefire on land, air, and at sea for at least 30 days starting already on Monday,” Sybiha said in a post on X.

Zelensky emphasized that any cease-fire must be “full and unconditional,” warning that otherwise, European nations were prepared to implement sweeping new sanctions targeting Russia’s energy and financial sectors.

After the summit concluded, Prime Minister Starmer cautioned that “new and massive” sanctions would follow if Putin continued to delay. He added that it was time for “no more ifs and buts, no more conditions and delays.”

The Trump administration has grown increasingly frustrated by the lack of progress in securing peace, with Vice President JD Vance stating earlier this week that Moscow was making “unreasonable” demands—including territorial claims to regions it doesn’t control.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledged that Russia was open to the temporary truce, but insisted that many “nuances” still needed to be addressed.

“As soon as it was advanced by [the Trump administration], it was supported by President Putin with the reservation that it is very difficult to discuss this in detail if no answers are found to a large number of nuances around the notion of a cease-fire,” Peskov explained on Friday through Russian state media.

Even after the initial U.S.-brokered cease-fire talks held in March—talks Ukraine accepted—the Kremlin has continued launching deadly attacks. Reports indicate that since then, over 117 civilians, including at least nine children, have been killed and more than 1,000 people injured in Russian airstrikes.

Although Moscow declared a three-day unilateral cease-fire to mark Victory Day, which commemorates the end of World War II, the bombings didn’t stop. Ukrainian officials reported that Russia launched over 100 precision bombs just since Thursday.

One of those attacks struck Sumy, a northeastern city near the front lines. An 85-year-old woman lost her life, and three others were wounded. The Ukrainian Air Force noted that nearly 20 homes and 10 additional buildings were obliterated.

Elsewhere in Donetsk, two people were killed in drone attacks on Friday. Local news sources reported that the strikes also set two apartment buildings ablaze.

{Matzav.com}

Mike Herzog, who until recently represented Israel in Washington, criticized Prime Minister Netanyahu on Friday for allowing chances to secure a normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia to slip away—some as recently as a few months ago.

In an interview with Kan News, Herzog reacted to reports that President Donald Trump had dropped the requirement that Saudi Arabia recognize Israel as part of a major nuclear deal with the kingdom. “Since Israel is planning to widen the operation in Gaza, normalization is getting farther away,” he said.

Herzog stressed the strategic importance of forging ties with Saudi Arabia. “I think Israel should make [normalization] a very high priority. I don’t think Netanyahu doesn’t want it, but he probably isn’t willing to pay the price. I think it’s a missed opportunity,” he said. However, he acknowledged that earlier openings had fallen through due to a range of contributing elements.

During Joe Biden’s presidency, talks about civil nuclear collaboration between the U.S. and Saudi Arabia were part of a broader push for normalization, with the Saudis also pressing for a formal security agreement with the United States.

Riyadh has consistently made it clear that diplomatic recognition of Israel would only be possible if progress is made toward the creation of a Palestinian state—a stance that has complicated efforts by the Biden administration to build on the Abraham Accords negotiated under Trump. Those agreements brought Israel into normalized relations with the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco.

Efforts to bring Saudi Arabia into the fold have stalled, in large part due to outrage across the Arab world over Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Additionally, the nuclear discussions have faced obstacles due to American hesitations surrounding nuclear proliferation.

{Matzav.com}

White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller says President Donald Trump is looking for ways to expand its legal power to deport migrants who are in the United States illegally. To achieve that, he says the administration is “actively looking at” suspending habeas corpus, the constitutional right for people to legally challenge their detention by the government. Such a move would be aimed at migrants as part of the Republican president’s broader crackdown at the U.S.-Mexico border. “The Constitution is clear, and that of course is the supreme law of the land, that the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus can be suspended in a time of invasion,” Miller told reporters outside the White House on Friday. “So, I would say that’s an option we’re actively looking at,” Miller said. “Look, a lot of it depends on whether the courts do the right thing or not.” What is habeas corpus? The Latin term means “that you have the body.” Federal courts use a writ of habeas corpus to bring a prisoner before a neutral judge to determine if imprisonment is legal. Habeas corpus was included in the Constitution as an import from English common law. Parliament enacted the Habeas Corpus Act of 1679, which was meant to ensure that the king released prisoners when the law did not justify confining them. The Constitution’s Suspension Clause, the second clause of Section 9 of Article I, states that habeas corpus “shall not be suspended, unless when, in cases of rebellion or invasion, the public safety may require it.” Has it been suspended previously? Yes. The United States has suspended habeas corpus under four distinct circumstances during its history. Those usually involved authorization from Congress, something that would be nearly impossible today — even at Trump’s urging — given the narrow Republican majorities in the House and Senate. President Abraham Lincoln suspended habeas corpus multiple times amid the Civil War, beginning in 1861 to detain suspected spies and Confederate sympathizers. He ignored a ruling from Roger Taney, who was the Supreme Court chief justice but was acting in the case as a circuit judge. Congress then authorized suspending it in 1863, which allowed Lincoln to do so again. Congress acted similarly under President Ulysses S. Grant, suspending habeas corpus in parts of South Carolina under the Civil Rights Act of 1871. Also known as the Ku Klux Klan Act, it was meant to counter violence and intimidation of groups opposing Reconstruction in the South. Habeas corpus was suspended in two provinces of the Philippines in 1905, when it was a U.S. territory and authorities were worried about the threat of an insurrection, and in Hawaii after the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor, but before it became a state in 1959. Writing before becoming a Supreme Court justice, Amy Coney Barrett co-authored a piece stating that the Suspension Clause “does not specify which branch of government has the authority to suspend the privilege of the writ, but most agree that only Congress can do it.” Could the Trump administration do it? It can try. Miller suggested that the U.S. is facing “an invasion” of migrants. That term was used deliberately, though any effort to suspend habeas corpus would spark legal challenges questioning whether the country was facing an invasion, let alone presenting […]