Feed aggregator

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf has delivered an unusually blunt warning about the Islamic Republic’s worsening economic crisis, acknowledging that even formidable military capabilities will not be enough to preserve the country’s strength if its population is struggling with hunger and its economy continues to collapse.

Speaking during a gathering of Iranian and Iraqi economists in Baghdad, Qalibaf, one of the most powerful figures in Iran’s political establishment, directly connected the country’s economic condition with its ability to maintain security and withstand mounting pressure.

“No matter how strong our military power becomes, if we are hungry, we will not be able to endure,” Qalibaf warned, according to the report.

The admission offered a rare public glimpse into growing concern within the Iranian leadership over the potential consequences of the country’s severe financial distress, suggesting that economic instability is increasingly being viewed as a threat not only to living standards but also to national security and the regime’s long-term stability.

Qalibaf argued that military strength and economic health cannot be treated as separate issues, comparing security and the economy to “two wings” that must function together if the country is to remain strong.

He explained that a lack of security will discourage investors from putting capital at risk. At the same time, he said, security itself cannot be maintained indefinitely without economic expansion, stronger domestic production and sufficient earnings for the population.

The warning comes as Iran grapples with mounting economic pressure following years of international sanctions, regional warfare and massive expenditures on its military establishment and network of allied forces throughout the Middle East.

Iranian inflation has reportedly climbed to approximately 90%, while the country’s gross domestic product has contracted significantly. More than one million jobs have reportedly disappeared, while Iranian oil exports have fallen to near zero amid the U.S. naval blockade.

Despite those pressures, Tehran has continued pouring substantial resources into its ballistic missile and drone programs and other military capabilities, while financing and supporting armed groups and regional allies across the Middle East.

Qalibaf’s comments, however, indicate that at least some senior Iranian officials increasingly recognize that weapons and military capabilities may provide little insulation against the consequences of deepening economic distress among the Iranian population.

“We are hungry, we cannot survive,” news outlet Al Bawaba summarized Qalibaf’s warning in its headline Saturday.

Qalibaf previously served as a commander in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and has for years been a prominent member of the country’s conservative political leadership.

His background makes the public warning particularly noteworthy, as it comes from a senior establishment figure with extensive ties to the very military apparatus that has consumed a significant portion of Iran’s resources.

The Parliament speaker said Iran must generate stronger economic growth, attract investment, expand financial activity and boost domestic production if the country is to withstand the challenges confronting it.

His broader warning was unmistakable: Iran cannot rely upon missiles, weapons and military strength alone to ensure the Islamic Republic’s survival.

Qalibaf said genuine national strength also requires an economy capable of sustaining the Iranian population and providing people with the means to live.

Without economic strength alongside military power, he warned, Iran “will not be able to endure.”

{Matzav.com}

Hamas on Sunday denied involvement in a series of kites launched from Gaza toward southern Israel, portraying them as harmless children’s toys even as Israeli leaders warned that continued launches involving kites, balloons or drones would prompt intensified IDF action.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem rejected Israeli concerns over the objects and accused Israel of using the incidents as a pretext for further military activity in Gaza.

“We warn of the seriousness of Israel’s claims and threats regarding the launching of kites, which are in fact children’s toys in the refugee camps, in what remains of the Gaza Strip’s territory, 70% of which is controlled by the Israeli military,” Qassem said, as quoted by Channel 12 News.

“These threats are an attempt to justify the continuation of the aggression and violations,” he further claimed.

Qassem was responding after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a warning following a security assessment focused on drones, balloons and kites being sent from Gaza toward Israeli territory.

“Israel is warning Hamas that if launches toward Israel are not stopped immediately, the IDF will act to intensify interdiction against those responsible for the launches and will move populations out of areas from which kites, drones, and balloons are set to be launched,” they said.

The heightened concern follows the discovery of four kites between Friday and Saturday in the vicinity of Kibbutz Nahal Oz and Kibbutz Be’eri. Residents of Gaza border communities have called on Israeli security officials to thoroughly investigate the incidents rather than assume that the objects pose no threat.

Authorities reportedly found no explosives or incendiary materials attached to the four kites. Nevertheless, residents have pointed to Israel’s previous experience with kite launches from Gaza, when objects that initially appeared harmless were eventually followed by incendiary kites that sparked fires throughout communities and agricultural areas near the border.

The four discoveries are part of a broader series of similar incidents recorded in recent months. A kite bearing Arabic writing was found near Nahal Oz during the past week, while another was discovered near Moshav Shuva one week earlier. At least seven kites have now been located in the Gaza border region since the October 7 attack.

The renewed activity has prompted authorities to revive a warning that residents had not received since the incendiary balloon campaign of 2018 and 2019: “If you spot a kite, foreign balloon, or drone, do not approach or touch it.”

Israeli defense officials are concerned that seemingly innocuous kites could eventually be modified to carry explosive devices.

Security officials are also examining whether the launches could serve another purpose beyond carrying explosives, including the possibility that they are being used to collect intelligence in preparation for a more sophisticated attack involving tethered drones.

“The kites, which are launched using an especially long string, are being used to gather intelligence ahead of a major operation involving tethered drones. We are tracking the kites and continuing our policy of thwarting threats. The message is that we will also reach those behind the launching of these kites.”

{Matzav.com}

U.S. Special Envoy to Syria and Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack moved Sunday to clarify controversial comments in which he referred to Israel as “still” occupying the Golan Heights, insisting that President Donald Trump’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the strategic territory remains unchanged U.S. policy.

Barrack’s clarification followed remarks he made Friday during an interview with Lebanese-Australian entrepreneur Mario Nawfal. His characterization of the Golan appeared to clash with the policy established by Trump in 2019, when the United States formally recognized Israeli sovereignty over the territory.

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria during the 1967 Six Day War and extended Israeli sovereignty over the territory in 1981. While the United Nations and much of the international community continue to classify the area as occupied Syrian territory, the Trump administration broke with that position in 2019 by formally recognizing the Golan as part of Israel.

Speaking to The Associated Press on Sunday, Barrack maintained that his use of the term “occupation” was intended as a historical reference rather than a statement of current American policy.

“United States policy on the Golan was set by President Trump in 2019 and is unchanged,” he said.

Barrack said his original comments came in the context of a discussion about Lebanon and why he does not anticipate Israel annexing Lebanese territory. Israeli forces remain deployed in portions of southern Lebanon following the latest fighting with Hezbollah.

According to Barrack, his broader point was that agreements reached through negotiations are generally more durable than territorial arrangements that remain contested over long periods. He pointed to the Golan Heights as an example of territory that has remained the subject of international dispute for decades.

During the same interview, Barrack also took aim at Israeli airstrikes carried out last week against an airbase in northern Syria. Israeli officials said those strikes were aimed at preventing Turkey from establishing a military foothold at the facility.

The envoy was also forced to clarify a separate remark concerning U.S.-backed negotiations involving an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon and efforts to disarm Hezbollah.

Discussing the challenges surrounding those talks, Barrack had said “there are two people missing from that (negotiating) table – Hezbollah and Iran.” The comment prompted speculation that he was advocating bringing Iran and Hezbollah directly into the negotiations.

Barrack rejected that interpretation on Sunday, saying he had been describing the obstacles facing negotiators rather than suggesting that either Hezbollah or Tehran should be invited to participate.

“I was describing the difficulty of the problem, not proposing a new table,” Barrack told AP. “Hezbollah is a designated foreign terrorist organization. We do not negotiate with it, and nothing I said suggests otherwise.”

Barrack said Iran nevertheless remains central to the underlying problem because of its longstanding financial and military backing of Hezbollah, noting that “the weapons in question are supplied and financed by Iran,” which complicates efforts to reach a resolution.

Israeli Defense Minister Yisroel Katz had publicly criticized Barrack’s initial comments about the Golan, saying they were “full of inaccuracies and contradict President Trump’s clear position,” while arguing that American officials cannot simply disregard the administration’s established recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the territory.

{Matzav.com}

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on Sunday stepped up international pressure on Israel over plans for new construction in the E1 corridor between Yerushalayim and Ma’ale Adumim, calling on the Israeli government to abandon the project and claiming it would further undermine the possibility of establishing a Palestinian state.

Kallas issued the criticism after Israel on Tuesday published a tender for seven residential complexes containing a total of 1,234 housing units in E1. The construction is part of roughly 3,400 housing units that received approval for the area last August.

In a statement addressing the Israeli move, Kallas said the tender “fundamentally harms the prospect of the two-state solution.”

She claimed, “Implementation of the E1 plan would divide the West Bank in two, isolating East Jerusalem, and further eroding the viability of a two-state solution.” She later added, “The EU position is clear: Israel’s settlements in the West Bank, including in the E1 area, are illegal under international law.”

Kallas called on the Israeli government to reverse course not only on the E1 project, but also on broader construction efforts in Judea and Samaria.

“We urge the Government of Israel to withdraw the tender, halt its E1 plans as well as all other settlement expansion projects, and ensure accountability for settler violence,” Kallas wrote.

She concluded by reiterating the European Union’s longstanding support for the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

“The EU reaffirms its unwavering commitment to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace and security within secure and recognised borders,” she concluded.

The EU criticism came days after seven countries issued their own coordinated condemnation of the Israeli construction plans. The United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada and Norway released a joint statement Thursday urging Israel to cancel the E1 project.

The seven governments labeled the tender “unacceptable,” arguing that Israel had moved forward despite repeated international objections to construction in Judea and Samaria.

“The E1 settlement will undermine the prospect of the two-state solution by driving a wedge through the West Bank and harming the territorial contiguity of the Palestinian Territories,” the countries said.

The governments further warned that advancing the project could harm both diplomatic efforts toward an Israeli-Palestinian agreement and Israel’s standing internationally. They also discouraged companies from participating in the Israeli tenders, warning of potential “legal and reputational consequences” and claiming that involvement could expose firms to allegations of participating in serious breaches of international law.

The seven countries again emphasized their backing for the creation of a Palestinian state through negotiations with Israel.

“We reiterate our commitment to a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-state solution,” they said, adding that they would continue efforts toward that goal.

The Trump administration has also weighed in on the controversy. A State Department spokesperson told Axios on Friday that Washington remains opposed to Israeli annexation of Judea and Samaria.

“As the President has clearly stated, the US does not support Israel annexing the West Bank. A stable West Bank keeps Israel secure and is in line with this Administration’s goal to achieve peace in the region,” the spokesperson told Axios.

{Matzav.com}

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that the United States is entering the “endgame” of its confrontation with Iran, declaring that the Trump administration is preparing to unleash what he described as an unprecedented financial campaign aimed at cutting Tehran off from its remaining economic lifelines.

Bessent’s warning comes after the administration says Iran has suffered devastating damage to its military infrastructure and nuclear program, with Washington now preparing to shift the pressure toward an aggressive effort to economically isolate the Islamic Republic.

“President Trump has dismantled Iran’s military capabilities, destroyed nearly 100 percent of its military factories, and buried its nuclear program,” Bessent wrote on social media.

“We are now entering the endgame. At dawn begins an economic D-Day – the single greatest financial offensive ever marshaled against an adversary,” he added.

According to Bessent, the Trump administration has overturned the longstanding dynamic in which Tehran operated on the assumption that threats of Iranian retaliation would deter the United States from taking decisive action.

“The Islamic Republic has subsisted by dressing extortion as security guarantees. It has drawn strength from a calculus that regards Iranian retaliation as certain and American enforcement as negotiable. Under President Trump, that era is over. And those who fear the danger of defying Tehran ought not to discount the cost of testing Washington,” warned Bessent.

Bessent said the administration has also prepared the foundation for a far-reaching effort to target the sources of revenue and financial connections that continue to sustain the Iranian government.

The Treasury secretary further stated that Trump “has created the conditions to leverage every agency, every authority and action many assumed we would never summon. Our objective is to sever every economic lifeline that sustains the tyrannical regime until Tehran stands alone.”

The remarks came several days after Trump announced a broad new economic campaign against Iran. Writing Wednesday on Truth Social, the president characterized the initiative as “an economic D-Day” and put countries that continue providing Tehran with economic assistance on notice that they could face repercussions.

“These maniacs are on the ropes, and these HISTORIC MEASURES will cripple them and their ability to project terror worldwide. IRAN WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON,” he wrote.

Bessent had already signaled the previous week that sweeping new measures were imminent, indicating that the administration intended to pursue a degree of economic isolation that Washington had never previously attempted against another country.

“Watch this space for more announcements coming next week because we are going to apply measures like have never been seen in the history of economic isolation on a country,” Bessent told Newsmax.

He said the strategy would combine extraordinary financial pressure with restrictions surrounding Iranian maritime commerce.

“It will be a combination of economic isolation like the world has never seen before, and the continued blockade in the Strait of Hormuz that will keep anything from going in or out of the Iranian ports,” he added.

{Matzav.com}

LISTEN:

​​For more info, email bitachon4life@gmail.com.

LISTEN:

Yoaz Hendel, chairman of the Zionist Right party, delivered a blistering attack on Israel’s Chareidi political parties in a contentious interview, declaring that he would refuse to join a government with them and accusing their opposition to military enlistment of amounting to a denial of the Torah.

Hendel, who recently announced a joint political run with former minister Chili Tropper, made the remarks during an interview with Yossi Sargovsky in the Kikar HaShabbat studio. Throughout the interview, Hendel rejected compromise over the military draft and directed particularly harsh criticism at Shas chairman Aryeh Deri.

Asked about his alliance with Tropper at a time when some polls show their party hovering near the electoral threshold, Hendel said the partnership resulted from “an understanding that politically, this is the right thing to do.” He then outlined the principle he said would determine his future political alliances.

“The principles should be what dictate political alliances. I have one principle – a Zionist government without Chareidi and Arab parties.”

Hendel was subsequently challenged over comparisons he has made between the Chareidi community and lawlessness in the Bedouin and Arab sectors. The interviewer asked: “Can you really compare Chareidim in Bnei Brak, where the crime rate is close to zero and their volunteerism in emergency organizations is enormous, to crime among the Bedouins?”

Hendel insisted that his comparison was not about criminal behavior but about what he views as a failure to accept obligations to the state.

“It’s not about crime, it’s about a lack of commitment to the state. My Chareidi brothers – and I also have Chareidi family – what they have done over the last three years pains me much more than what is happening with the Arabs… I don’t have a bad word to say about the chessed organizations, but I have many bad words to say about the denial of the Torah. There is an explicit commandment to go out to a milchemes mitzvah, and they choose to deliberately violate it because of financial considerations and political considerations.”

Turning to the broader debate over military service and the status of those engaged in full-time Torah study, Hendel said he does not dismiss the importance of Torah learning but believes every Israeli citizen must also perform some form of national service.

“I want every Israeli citizen to do something for the state. Arab, Chareidi, secular, left-wing, right-wing – anyone who doesn’t do anything cannot receive anything from the state, and he also cannot make decisions for me.”

Asked whether Torah study itself qualifies as a contribution to the country, Hendel acknowledged that it does, but maintained that it should not provide a broad exemption from military service.

“Let him sit and learn – and enlist. There can be some sort of test for iluyim, a small percentage, but the Chareidi parties make sure that even those who don’t learn Torah, street kids, shababnikim, don’t do anything for the state. That is parasitism.”

The interviewer pushed back, arguing that such an approach amounts to “dropping an atomic bomb in broad daylight” by suddenly turning thousands of young fathers into draft evaders rather than gradually bringing them into the workforce and military or national service. Such a policy, he argued, could ultimately strengthen Chareidi parties by validating their warnings about government sanctions.

Hendel refused to soften his position.

“I’m not their representative and I’m not their lawyer. It cannot be that a person comes, receives funding from the state and doesn’t perform service… A defense minister (Gallant) is a political operative who encourages mass draft-dodging. We are short tens of thousands of soldiers to hold all the fronts.”

The interview grew even more heated when the discussion turned to Shas and its longtime chairman, Aryeh Deri.

“There is no party that has harmed the State of Israel more than Shas,” Hendel declared. “They are the most racist party there is toward Ashkenazi Chareidim.”

Asked to explain the striking accusation, Hendel pointed to discrimination against Sephardic girls in seminaries and accused Deri of perpetuating a political system that discourages even young Chareidi men who are no longer religious from joining the military.

“Because they are the ones who made sure that seminaries would continue discriminating against girls of Sephardic origin. Deri is the one who prevents the shababnikim – those who aren’t even religious anymore – from enlisting. What, do they have blue blood? Deri prevents it. Look at the chief rabbis, the city rabbis – they all have Deri’s DNA.”

Near the conclusion of the interview, Hendel said he intends to position himself as one of the strongest opponents of political compromises with the Chareidi parties.

“I am in the most determined place possible. I will be the right-wing marker in the political system. I’m not going to sit with them, I’m not going to compromise with them on anything, not one bit… We must not compromise with the Chareidi parties. Otherwise, we will break apart here into autonomies.”

Despite his sweeping criticism of Chareidi political leadership, Hendel concluded by drawing a distinction between the parties and the broader Chareidi population, telling Chareidi Israelis that he considers them his brothers and does not intend to give up on their integration into Israeli society.

“You are my brothers. I love you. Because of that love and shared destiny, and because of the tremendous potential that exists in Chareidi society, I am not going to give up on you. The ones giving up on you are the Chareidi parties. I want every Chareidi to learn, serve as part of the mitzvah of milchemes mitzvah, and have every opportunity in the world.”

{Matzav.com}

A second yeshiva bochur has been arrested and transferred to Israeli military police custody within a matter of days, raising renewed concerns over stepped-up enforcement against bnei yeshiva as the Elul zeman gets underway.

The Am Kadosh organization reported this evening that Yisroel Guchafi, a talmid who learned at Bais Medrash Elyon in Bnei Brak and recently transferred to Yeshivas Kfar Chassidim, was arrested in Haifa while traveling to Rechasim. According to the organization, the incident began after a problem arose with his Rav-Kav public transportation card. Guchafi was subsequently transferred to the military police.

Am Kadosh said it is providing Guchafi with legal assistance through attorneys and is also guiding and assisting his family in dealing with the relevant authorities.

In the wake of the arrest, the faction associated with Rav Tzvi Friedman is preparing to hold demonstrations as early as Monday. As of Sunday evening, an official time and location had not yet been announced. Based on previous demonstrations, however, one possibility under consideration is a protest along Highway 4 near the entrance to Bnei Brak during the afternoon hours.

Guchafi’s arrest is the second involving a yeshiva bochur in just several days.

Late Thursday night, Mordechai Mishkovsky, a talmid at Yeshivas Nesivos Yitzchok in Tel Aviv, was arrested near Ben Shemen Forest. Mishkovsky is a grandson of Rav Nosson Zochovsky, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Gaon Yaakov on Rechov Nechemiah in Bnei Brak.

Following Mishkovsky’s arrest, disturbances broke out near the Maccabim checkpoint as efforts were made to transfer him to military police custody.

According to details released following that incident, an alert distributed through the “Tzeva Shachor” system failed to bring a significant number of protesters to the location in time to prevent the transfer. Police ultimately succeeded in handing Mishkovsky over to the military authorities.

Mishkovsky was subsequently sentenced to 20 days in military prison after failing to report to the IDF recruitment office in accordance with the instructions of his rabbonim.

The two arrests come just days after Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara submitted a position to the High Court calling for the IDF and police to resume proactive enforcement operations and arrests targeting draft evaders from all sectors of the population, citing the principle of equal enforcement.

Her submission also noted the practical difficulties authorities face when conducting proactive arrests within the Chareidi community, particularly because such operations can trigger large-scale protests and disturbances.

Throughout bein hazemanim, there had been widespread concern that yeshiva bochurim could be arrested while traveling or taking trips around the country. Despite those fears, the vacation period concluded without significant incidents of that nature.

Now, with the beginning of the Elul zeman, two arrests in the span of just several days have once again heightened tensions surrounding the military draft, reporting requirements, and enforcement against yeshiva bochurim.

{Matzav.com}

Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Orit Struck are pressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to prevent any multinational or foreign military force from entering the Gaza Strip until Hamas has been completely disarmed and Gaza fully demilitarized, warning that preparations are already underway for a force that could eventually number some 5,000 troops.

The two ministers made their demand ahead of a scheduled Security Cabinet meeting, calling for the Cabinet to adopt an explicit decision establishing that no foreign forces may enter Gaza before Hamas’ weapons and military capabilities have been dismantled.

Their appeal follows what they described as rapidly advancing preparations for the deployment of a multinational force inside Gaza. Struck toured the area surrounding the LSA camp on Friday, a facility designated to accommodate ISF forces, and said she observed extensive preparations that, according to the ministers, go significantly beyond what Cabinet members had previously been told.

According to figures cited in their letter, residential infrastructure is currently being established at the camp for approximately 1,500 foreign troops. The facilities reportedly include 20 enormous tents and approximately 100 temporary structures.

The site also contains a fleet of military vehicles that the ministers said appears sufficient to support roughly 1,000 troops. Approximately 50 workers are reportedly continuing to prepare the base and bring equipment and construction materials into the facility.

Smotrich and Struck further claimed that once development of the site is completed, the camp could ultimately accommodate approximately 5,000 foreign troops.

At the same time, they said efforts are underway to locate additional land that could be used for more bases and storage facilities. Construction and preparation at the existing site are proceeding at a pace that could allow the infrastructure to be completed within several weeks, according to the ministers.

Smotrich and Struck warned that both the anticipated size of the multinational force and its intended mission differ substantially from what they say was previously presented to members of the Security Cabinet.

Their concerns are particularly acute, they said, because Hamas has shown no indication that it is prepared to surrender its weapons or accept the complete demilitarization of Gaza.

In their letter to Netanyahu, the ministers warned that Israel could soon find itself facing enormous international pressure to permit thousands of foreign troops to enter Gaza simply because the force and its infrastructure are already prepared for deployment.

“We must not reach a situation in which the multinational force, on such an enormous scale, is ready and waiting to enter the Gaza Strip, and enormous pressure is exerted on Israel to allow its entry, even though the demilitarization has not yet been carried out,” the ministers wrote.

Smotrich and Struck are therefore demanding that the Security Cabinet adopt what they described as a corrective decision at its upcoming meeting.

Under their proposal, Israel would formally declare that no multinational force — or any other foreign military force — will be permitted to enter the Gaza Strip until Hamas has been fully disarmed and the demilitarization of Gaza has been completed.

{Matzav.com}

The Sanz-Klausenburger Rebbe of Boro Park, who is currently visiting Eretz Yisroel, paid a special visit on Erev Shabbos to Rav Shlomo Moshe Amar, the former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel and Chief Rabbi of Yerushalayim.

Rav Amar lives near the residence where the Rebbe is staying during his visit to Yerushalayim, providing the opportunity for the two Torah leaders to meet.

Rav Amar warmly welcomed the Rebbe into his home, and the two spent an extended period engaged in a wide-ranging Torah discussion, with a particular focus on matters relating to simcha.

An interesting element of the conversation was the language in which it took place. Rav Amar spoke in modern Hebrew, while the Rebbe responded and formulated his thoughts in Lashon Hakodesh.

At the conclusion of the visit, Rav Amar presented the Rebbe with one of his seforim and inscribed it with a warm personal dedication.

The two parted with heartfelt brachos for one another ahead of the approaching new year.

{Matzav.com}

Israel has barred two Swedish members of the European Parliament from entering the country, citing what officials described as a years-long record of hostile activity against Israel, including efforts to promote international legal action against Israeli officials and accusations that Israel has committed genocide and deliberately targeted civilians.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar requested that the Population and Immigration Authority deny entry to Jonas Sjöstedt and Hanna Gedin, both members of Sweden’s Left Party. The decision was made under the authority provided by Israel’s Entry into Israel Law.

Sjöstedt and Gedin had been scheduled to arrive in Israel overnight before continuing on to the Palestinian Authority as part of their planned visit.

The Foreign Ministry said the two European lawmakers have repeatedly engaged in activities directed against Israel in recent years. Among their actions, according to the ministry, have been calls for international judicial proceedings targeting Israeli officials.

Israeli officials also pointed to a series of public statements made by the lawmakers that Israel considers false and inflammatory. Those allegations have included claims that Israel is committing genocide and intentionally starving Palestinians.

The two have also accused Israel of deliberately targeting children and medical personnel, allegations that Israeli officials have strongly rejected.

A man who pleaded guilty to vandalizing cars with the words “[Curse] Israel” did not commit an act of Jew-hatred, an Australian Supreme Court judge determined in a ruling.

The man, Mohommed Farhat, was sentenced to one year and eight months in prison in November 2025, backdated to February of that year, for vandalizing cars and building walls in Woollahra, in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, with the words “[Curse] Israel,” “PKK” (a reference to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party in Turkey), “PKK is coming” and an obscene gesture followed by the word “Israel.” Farhat also set a vehicle ablaze, per the judge’s ruling.

The New South Wales government had requested a one-year extended supervision order for Farhat, arguing that he is a terror risk. Desmond Fagan, a judge on the New South Wales Supreme Court, stated in his ruling that “a curse in those terms is not antisemitic, either self-evidently or by any degree of analysis or construction.

“It is a crude political expression of contempt and dismissal of a foreign state,” he wrote.

Fagan denied the state’s request. The state is considering an appeal, according to the Guardian. JNS

{Matzav.com}

The Boston Police Department told JNS that a driver who accelerated into a crosswalk and allegedly shouted at two Jews walking to shul on Aug. 14, a Friday night, did not intend to “drive at somebody.”

“They may have driven through the crosswalk when someone was in the crosswalk, which is a crosswalk violation,” Sgt. Det. John Boyle told JNS.

Boyle added that police are still investigating for “bias indicators.” The driver reportedly accelerated while driving toward the Jewish couple.

“With the Jewish holidays coming up, people are always going to be on edge,” he said. “I don’t want people to be in fear.”

The incident occurred shortly after 7:20 p.m. on Aug. 14, as a husband and wife crossed at Washington Street and Euston Road on their way to Congregation Kadimah-Toras Moshe, a shul in Brighton, Mass.

The driver allegedly shouted, “[Curse] Israel!”

Surveillance footage showed what appeared to be a green metallic Audi A-series sedan with distinctive stickers on its rear bumper, according to an incident report. The driver was listed as an unidentified male.

The couple declined medical evaluations at the scene, and shul staff provided investigators with still images from surveillance footage. JNS

{Matzav.com}

Canada’s Jewish community is calling on the Montreal City Council to reject an “incendiary” anti-Israel motion set to be debated on Monday.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs accused Projet Montréal, the city’s official opposition party, of “importing a foreign conflict” to City Hall “while local emergencies pile up,” including homelessness, drugs and housing. CIJA said the motion does not refer to Hamas as a terrorist organization.

Introduced by Projet Montréal city councilors Nathalie Goulet, Ericka Alneus and Alex Norris, the proposal calls on Montreal to recognize and denounce what it describes as an “apartheid regime” and “genocide” in “Palestine.” It also calls on the city to suspend institutional ties with Israel’s current government, its institutions and municipalities until Israel “returns to internationally recognized borders” and ends what the motion describes as violations of Palestinian rights and international law.

The motion, action on which was postponed after being introduced in June, reaffirms opposition to antisemitism and Islamophobia. It also says Jewish residents and those of Israeli origin should not be held responsible for the actions of the Israeli government.

CIJA and Federation CJA, its Quebec partner, shared a video of Raquel Look, whose son Alexandre was killed in the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack at the Supernova music festival in southern Israel. In the video, she urges city councilors to reject the motion.

"Do not let the intolerance that tore my son away from me destroy our city."

Listen to the heartfelt plea from Raquel Look, mother of Alexandre, a Montrealer murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, at the Nova Festival.

While local emergencies pile up (homelessness,… https://t.co/zN8RrYz0ux pic.twitter.com/b1zWxjiuYN

— CIJA (@CIJAinfo) August 21, 2026

“This motion seeks to divide our city,” Look said, adding that violence and hate-motivated acts targeting Jews have risen in Montreal since Oct. 7. She cited statistics showing that Canada’s Jewish community experiences a disproportionate number of hate crimes.

“I am begging you,” Look said. “Do not let the intolerance that tore my son away from me take root and destroy our city.”

A Jewish couple visiting South Florida from New York was allegedly targeted in an antisemitic assault in Surfside, with a man accused of punching the husband in the head, threatening to kill him, and directing antisemitic remarks at the couple. Local rabbonim condemned the attack while stressing that it appeared to be an isolated incident that does not reflect the broader Surfside community.

Rabbi Gavriel Koskas of Magen David Congregation of Surfside-Bal Harbour described the alleged attack as “deeply disturbing and unacceptable” but said it appears to have been “an isolated incident.”

“It is important to put it in perspective,” the rabbi of the shul said. “This appears to have been an isolated incident involving individuals who are not Surfside residents, and it does not reflect the community we live in.”

The incident reportedly occurred on the night of Aug. 16 as the Jewish man and his wife were visiting the area from New York. According to news reports citing a police report, the man was struck in the head and threatened during the confrontation. JNS requested an incident report from local police.

The suspect, identified as 35-year-old Jorden Stephen Perozo, allegedly approached the couple while riding an electric scooter. News accounts citing police said he began cursing at the husband, his wife, and other members of the Jewish community before allegedly punching the man.

“Now you’re going to die,” Perozo allegedly told the man, per the report. “Walk away before I kill you.”

Perozo allegedly continued directing antisemitic comments at the couple while also making statements about Israel and “Palestine.” The victim’s wife reportedly captured part of the encounter on her cellphone.

Police reportedly located and arrested Perozo on Wednesday at Flanigan’s Bar & Grill, where he was employed. He faces one count of battery with prejudice and another count of harassing or intimidating a person based on religious or ethnic heritage.

As of Thursday, Perozo was reportedly being held on $6,000 bond.

Rabbi Zalman Lipskar of the Shul of Bal Harbour, a Chabad synagogue, praised law enforcement agencies in the area for maintaining a close relationship with the local Jewish population and working to protect residents.

The local police departments “work very closely with the Jewish community and are doing an amazing job ensuring the safety of all our residents.”

“We are very grateful to them for their tireless efforts to protect our community,” he said.

Koskas noted the particularly prominent Jewish presence in Surfside and said the proper reaction to incidents of antisemitism is increased awareness and preparation rather than allowing fear to take hold.

“Surfside has a very visible and vibrant Jewish population” and “we should respond with preparedness, vigilance and confidence, not fear.”

Koskas said Jewish institutions must recognize the importance of establishing serious and organized security systems rather than relying on informal precautions.

“At our synagogue, we have developed a comprehensive security team, both inside and outside, working alongside professional security and law enforcement,” he told JNS. “I would urge synagogues and Jewish institutions everywhere to develop similarly strong security protocols appropriate to their circumstances.”

He cautioned that the mere presence of armed security personnel does not, by itself, constitute an adequate security strategy.

“Simply having armed people present is not a security plan,” Koskas said. “Anyone entrusted with protecting a congregation must be properly trained, coordinated, disciplined, and know exactly how to respond in an emergency.”

Despite the alleged assault, Koskas said Surfside’s Jewish community is not living in fear. He credited state and local authorities in Florida with consistently supporting and protecting Jewish residents.

“We are extremely fortunate that in Florida, our state and local leaders and law-enforcement agencies have consistently been vigilant, responsive and strongly supportive of the Jewish community,” he told JNS.

Koskas said antisemitic incidents must be treated with seriousness but cautioned against allowing a single attack to characterize an entire community.

“Antisemitism is something we must always take seriously and condemn unequivocally,” Koskas said. “But we should respond with preparedness, vigilance and confidence, not fear. One isolated incident should not define Surfside.”

“This remains a community where Jewish families feel safe and supported,” he added.

Perozo reportedly had another encounter with law enforcement earlier this summer. On June 15, Miami Beach police arrested him after accusing him of slashing a large inflatable FIFA World Cup soccer ball that was on display in Miami Beach.

The Torah community in Bnei Brak is mourning the passing of Rebbetzin Simcha (Simone) Barchatz a”h, a renowned mechaneches and the wife of Rav Yehoshua Barchatz, rosh kollel of Kollel Eitz Chaim and a leading rov for the French Jewish community in Bnei Brak. She was 79.

Rebbetzin Barchatz passed away Sunday at Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center in Bnei Brak following a period of severe yissurim, which she endured with remarkable faith and acceptance.

She was born in Morocco on the 22nd of Tishrei 5707 to her parents, Rav and Rebbetzin Yosef Berdugo zt”l. She was a great-granddaughter of the renowned gaon and tzaddik Rav Raphael Berdugo zy”a, known as “the Malach,” and descended from an illustrious lineage of distinguished gedolei Torah.

For decades, Rebbetzin Barchatz devoted herself to chinuch, earning a reputation as an exceptional educator. She guided thousands of kallos at Seminar Ohr Hachaim as well as at numerous other seminaries.

Her influence extended well beyond the classroom. Through her extraordinary acts of chessed, she helped establish numerous Torah homes, while her own home served as a bais vaad lachachomim. Its doors were always open to guests, and she was known for exceptional hachnosas orchim and gemilus chassadim.

Throughout the years, Rebbetzin Barchatz stood devotedly alongside her husband as he dedicated himself to harbotzas haTorah. With tremendous mesirus nefesh, she enabled and supported his Torah endeavors while together they raised generations of accomplished bnei Torah.

She merited to leave behind sons and sons-in-law who are prominent marbitzei Torah and talmidei chachomim. Her sons are Rav Reuven Barchatz, one of the rabbonim of Kehillas Yaaros Devash; Rav Yosef Barchatz, a prominent rov in Elad; Rav Rachamim Barchatz, one of the leading rabbonim of the Kol Yaakov shul in Elad; Rav Raphael Moshe Barchatz, a United Hatzalah volunteer in Elad; and Rav Avraham Yeshaya Barchatz, head of the Kerestir kehillajh in Yerushalayim.

Her sons-in-law are Rav Moshe Cohen, a ram at Yeshivas Mishkan Chaim in Yerushalayim; Rav Goel Elkaref, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Derech Chaim in Bnei Brak; Rav Eliyahu Cohen, mashgiach at Yeshivas Heichal HaTorah in Bnei Brak; Rav Raphael Tzadka, rov of the Shaar Hashamayim shul and community; and Rav Yehuda Lev of Kollel Bais Hillel.

The levayah was held this evening at 6 Rav Sorotzkin Street in Bnei Brak’s Ramat Aharon neighborhood and proceeded to the Ponevezh bais hachaim, where Rebbetzin Barchatz was laid to rest.

The family is sitting shivah at the Barchatz home at 6 Rav Sorotzkin Street in Bnei Brak.

Yehi zichrah baruch.

{Matzav.com}

Americans could see dramatically later sunsets during the darkest months of the year if Congress approves permanent daylight saving time, but the extra evening daylight would come with a major trade-off: In many parts of the country, the sun would not rise until well after 8 a.m., and in some locations, darkness could linger past 9 a.m.

With the annual return to standard time approaching — and arriving as early on the calendar as possible this year — President Trump is continuing to press the Senate to approve legislation that would eliminate the twice-yearly clock change and establish daylight saving time throughout the year.

Such a change would noticeably alter winter mornings and evenings across much of the United States.

The Sunshine Protection Act would keep participating states on daylight saving time year-round. Hawaii and most of Arizona, which currently remain on standard time throughout the year, would continue to be exempt.

For most of the rest of the country, both sunrise and sunset would occur an hour later by the clock during the period between early November and March, when standard time is currently observed.

That would mean some particularly dark winter mornings. Large portions of the country would experience at least some days when sunrise does not occur until after 8 a.m., while certain areas would remain dark until after 9 a.m.

The benefit would come at the opposite end of the day, with Americans gaining an additional hour of evening daylight.

Many communities currently experience winter sunsets during the 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. hours. Without the November switch back to standard time, a 4:30 p.m. sunset would instead occur at 5:30 p.m., while a sunset shortly after 5 p.m. would move to shortly after 6 p.m.

Some locations could even experience winter sunsets after 7 p.m., something that does not occur under the current clock system.

Juneau, Alaska, for example, currently experiences 40 winter sunsets during the 3 p.m. hour. Under permanent daylight saving time, all of those sunsets would instead occur during the 4 p.m. hour.

Communities accustomed to months of particularly early darkness would experience an especially noticeable change. Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Burlington, Vermont, each currently have more than 90 winter days with sunsets before 5 p.m. Permanent daylight saving time would push those sunsets into the 5 p.m. hour.

Other cities would experience surprisingly late sunsets as winter nears its end. Juneau, Indianapolis, and Louisville, Kentucky, would see some of the latest, with sunsets occurring after 7:40 p.m. in early March.

But those same cities illustrate the central drawback of keeping daylight saving time permanently: extremely late winter sunrises.

Juneau’s latest winter sunrise would not occur until after 11 a.m. Indianapolis and Louisville would experience periods when the sun rises at or after 9 a.m., while Grand Rapids, Michigan, would have one of the latest winter sunrise times in the continental United States, at approximately 9:14 a.m.

Those dark mornings have helped derail previous attempts to establish permanent daylight saving time. Critics have also raised concerns about possible health effects, difficulties for religious observance, and complications for airline schedules, particularly during the transition to a new permanent system.

The debate has now returned to Congress. The House has already approved the Sunshine Protection Act of 2026, but the Senate remains in recess until September. It remains uncertain whether senators will bring the measure to the floor — or whether supporters have enough votes to send it to President Trump for his signature.

Lawmakers are considering several other approaches as well. Two House bills would allow individual states to choose permanent daylight saving time, while another proposal would establish a permanent half-hour shift between standard and daylight saving time.

Yet another bill takes the opposite approach, proposing to end seasonal clock changes by making standard time permanent, subject to certain exceptions.

Today, Sunday, 10 Elul 5786, marks the 35th yahrtzeit of Yankel Rosenbaum HYD, the Lubavitcher bochur who was brutally murdered during the Crown Heights riots in 1991.

Rosenbaum was killed on 10 Elul 5751, in an attack that became one of the defining and most horrifying episodes of the days of antisemitic violence that engulfed the Crown Heights neighborhood.

Thirty-five years ago, a furious mob pursued Rosenbaum through the streets while shouting, “Kill the Jews!” When he reached the area of President Street and Brooklyn Avenue, Rosenbaum was surrounded by attackers who viciously beat and stabbed him.

In the decades that followed, Rosenbaum’s only sibling, Norman Rosenbaum obm, devoted himself relentlessly to seeking justice for his brother. Living in Australia, Norman traveled to New York more than 250 times as part of his years-long effort to ensure that Yankel’s murder would not be forgotten and that those responsible would be held accountable.

Norman continued those efforts for decades. On the 25th anniversary of Yankel’s murder, he returned to Crown Heights and participated in a memorial at the corner of President Street and Brooklyn Avenue, near the site where his brother had been attacked.

Norman Rosenbaum passed away in 2020, leaving behind a legacy of determined advocacy on behalf of his brother and an unwavering effort to preserve the memory of Yankel.

{Matzav.com}