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It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of Rebbetzin Sarah Bressler a”h, wife of Rav Chaim Bressler, longtime rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Bais Moshe of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Rebbetzin Bressler, née Falik, spent most of her adult life in Scranton, where she stood faithfully at the side of her husband throughout his decades of harbotzas haTorah. While Rav Bressler devoted himself to building generations of bnei Torah, the Rebbetzin provided the steadfast support that enabled that lifelong undertaking, while becoming a beloved and respected presence in the Scranton community in her own right.

Yeshiva Bais Moshe traces its beginnings to 1965, when Rav Bressler and Rav Yaakov Schnaidman, both talmidim of Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l, set out to establish a new makom Torah in Scranton. The two young talmidei chachomim sought to create a yeshiva that would carry forward the mesorah and derech halimud they had absorbed from their great rebbe.

The undertaking began on a modest scale. Yeshiva Bais Moshe opened with a small group of talmidim in rented quarters, but over the ensuing decades it grew steadily into a major Torah institution. In 1976, the yeshiva acquired the former Mercy Heights Hospital property on Scranton’s South Side, converting the facilities into a bais medrash, classrooms, dormitory, dining room and other facilities needed for the growing yeshiva.

From those humble beginnings emerged an institution that has educated thousands of talmidim, with its alumni going on to serve in chinuch, rabbanus and positions of communal leadership across the Jewish world. The yeshiva transformed Scranton into a flourishing center of Torah, with generations of talmidim carrying its influence far beyond northeastern Pennsylvania.

Behind Rav Bressler throughout that remarkable journey was Rebbetzin Bressler.

For decades, she shared in the sacrifices and responsibilities inherent in building and sustaining a yeshiva far from the major Torah centers of New York and New Jersey. Her home and her life were bound up with the yeshiva, its talmidim and the broader Scranton community. She was a devoted rebbetzin and a pillar of the community, providing the foundation upon which her husband was able to devote himself to his talmidim and to the yeshiva.

Her role took on particular significance because the Bresslers were not merely joining an established Torah community. They were among those who helped build one. Rav Bressler and Rav Schnaidman arrived in Scranton as young talmidim of Rav Aharon Kotler with a vision of establishing a yeshiva in a smaller American city, and the institution they created ultimately became a fixture on the American Torah landscape. Rebbetzin Bressler accompanied and supported that mission from its formative years through decades of extraordinary growth.

After spending the overwhelming majority of her life in Scranton, Rebbetzin Bressler more recently relocated with her husband to Lakewood, New Jersey, where they settled in the A Country Place neighborhood.

Rebbetzin Bressler leaves behind her husband, Rav Chaim Bressler, as well as their distinguished family of children and grandchildren who continue in the path that she and her husband charted, perpetuating their legacy of Torah, yiras Shomayim and dedication to Klal Yisroel.

The levayah will be held tonight, Monday night, at 10 p.m. at the Congregation Sons of Israel Holocaust Memorial Chapel, located at 613 Ramsey Avenue in Lakewood, NJ.

Yehi zichrah baruch.

{Matzav.com}

[Photos below.] By Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer

Yesterday, Sunday, 24 Elul/September 6, Rav Liron Rogovsky was installed as Rav of K’hal Adath Jeshurun–Washington Heights (KAJ/”Breuer’s”) in a magnificent ceremony held in the shul, before an attendance of at least 400 members and guests and a large delegation of very prominent rabbonim.

The sensational Hachtarah event commenced with the KAJ choir singing Mah Tovu, followed by Mincha led by Chazzan R. Ezra Lasdun and Teki’as Shofar by the renowned KAJ Ba’al Tekiah and shofar expert, R. Bentzion Ettlinger, author of the acclaimed sefer, The Shofar. (The German/Yekkish minhag is to blow shofar during Elul after Mincha as well [v. Rema on Shulchan Aruch-Orach Chaim 581:1] and to blow three sets of “Tashrat” each day at Shacharis and Mincha. At KAJ, the Teruah is blown as a continuous “wave” or “siren” sound [which is the opinion of the Ba’al Ha-Itur], rather than as a series of short beeps. This is Minhag Frankfurt, and it is similar to how Yemenite Jews sound the Teruah as well.) Some guests commented afterwards how moved they were to hear this unique shofar blowing, which occurs twice daily at KAJ during Elul.

Following Mincha, Mr. Alan Ettlinger, President of KAJ, spoke about the historic role and impact of KAJ and the significance of the appointment of Rav Rogovsky. This was followed by a host of premier rabbinic speakers who delivered divrei Torah about the event and about the new Rav. Rav Meir Levi, Rav of K’hal Adath Jeshurun-Monsey explained that even though Rav Rogovsky began to serve as Rav of KAJ immediately upon the departure of Rav Yisroel Mantel some three months ago, the concept of a Hachtarah is a kiyum of “Aseh Lecha Rav”, meaning that the Kehillah now accepts upon itself and submits to Rav Rogovsky as its sole halachic authority. Rav Levi, along with the rest of the distinguished speakers, spoke at a smaller shtender in front of the Aron Kodesh, adjacent to the Rav’s shtender, and Rav Levi elaborated that since Rav Rogovsky is now Rav, absolutely no one else is permitted to speak from his shtender; such is the exceptional status of Rav at KAJ, Rav Levi explained.

Rav Yerucham Olshin, Rosh Yeshiva of Beth Medrash Govoha-Lakewood (BMG), spoke next and cited the Chofetz Chaim’s statement that the primary role of a rav is Harbatzas Ha-Torah, teaching and disseminating Torah. Rav Olshin declared that he came as a representative of the entirety of BMG and praised KAJ for providing an exceptionally large component of Torah leadership worldwide, by way of the graduates of KAJ’s yeshiva system, Yeshiva Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch. Rav Asher Dovid May, Rav of Congregation Bais Tefilla of Monsey, spoke next and addressed the unique and iconic roles of the rabbanim of KAJ and of Rav Rogovsky in particular, drawing from the middos of Hashem as manifested by these legendary rabbanim and elaborating on the unique relationship of the Hachtarah with the completion of the Shev D’Nechemta, the seven haftoros of consolation that we just competed. And Rav Tzvi Berkowitz, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Ner Yisroel-Baltimore and rebbe muvhak of Rav Rogovsky, discussed the significance of a tzibbur appointing a rav and the concomitant role of the rav toward the tzibbur – particularly that the rav must be equipped to deal with the diversity of his following and be able to understand the specific needs of each individual – as exemplified by the appointment of Yehoshua to assume leadership after Moshe Rabbeinu.

Rav Rogovsky then ascended to the pulpit, with great fanfare, and explained that every kehillah must yield to the Will of Hashem as the sole factor in making any decision, and that the Torah is how Hashem’s Will is determined – all else is irrelevant. The Rav expounded upon the point that all is in Hashem’s hands, and he painted a very optimistic picture of a prosperous and growth-oriented future for KAJ, as KAJ submits to Hashem’s mandate as formulated in the Torah and as elucidated by Rav Shamshon Raphael Hirsch and Rav Breuer and the successive rabbanim of KAJ. As always, the Rav’s presentation was upbeat and brimming with good spirit and humility, as he thanked the membership for its overwhelmingly warm welcome to him and his family and for its love and support from day one. The Rav declared that the exceptional amount of kindness, enthusiasm and heartfelt care expressed by the kehillah from the very start was of historic proportion, and he most graciously thanked KAJ for making him and his family feel so welcome and for so much positivity.

The KAJ choir sang a selection from Hallel, as well as Yigdal and Adon Olam, at various intervals during the Hachtarah event.

Rav Rogovsky’s new sefer, Iyun Ha-Halacha, packed with close to 300 pages of original chiddushei Torah, was distributed to all attendees, along with a beautiful Yom Kippur Machzor with the commentary of Rav Breuer, courtesy of Feldheim Publishers.

The Hachtarah concluded with an elegant and delicious collation of various foods and beverages, along with live music and dancing. The entire event was absolutely stunning and profoundly inspiring!

One woman who attended the Hachtarah and who relocated to a different neighborhood after the passing of her husband in order to be with her children, told this writer that although she of course treasures living near her children, she misses the unique, close-knit community feeling and kehillah structure of KAJ, and that “Washington Heights is the best place to raise children”, reflective of the wholesome Torah environment pervasive in the community, free of materialistic focus and packed with the values of traditional Yahadus and derech eretz.

It is hoped that with the appointment of Rav Rogovsky as its dynamic new Rav, embodying immense warmth, approachability, resourcefulness and positivity, there will be renewed interest and growth in the KAJ community and in its outstanding Torah institutions.

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu declined to comply with a Monday evening deadline imposed by Likud’s internal tribunal requiring him to disclose his proposed reserved candidates for the party’s Knesset slate by 9 p.m., instead announcing after the deadline had passed that the names would be released Tuesday morning.

The Likud tribunal had issued the ultimatum earlier Monday, ordering Netanyahu, who serves as party chairman, to provide the names to members of the Likud Secretariat by the 9 p.m. deadline.

Netanyahu did not do so. About an hour after the deadline expired, he announced that the reserved slots would instead be revealed the following morning.

His decision could set up a confrontation within the party. In response to Netanyahu’s refusal to meet the deadline, the Likud Secretariat may hold a secret ballot on the proposed reserved candidates, potentially allowing members to reject each candidate individually.

In its earlier ruling, the tribunal warned that releasing the names only shortly before the vote “could be interpreted as an improper ambush.”

The tribunal acknowledged that political circumstances could justify departing from the original requirement that Netanyahu’s proposal be released 48 hours before the vote. Nevertheless, it ruled that the names should now be provided to Secretariat members as quickly as possible.

According to reports, Netanyahu has not yet made final decisions regarding all of the candidates he intends to reserve spots for on the Likud slate.

Among the names already reported are Oren Dobronsky, Gideon Sa’ar, Chaim Katz and Yisrael Katz. MK Michel Buskila is also expected to receive a reserved position as part of Likud’s agreement with New Hope.

Other names reportedly under consideration include attorney David Peter, a researcher affiliated with the Kohelet Policy Forum, and Prof. Keren Assayag.

Likud officials believe Netanyahu intended from the outset to postpone his final decisions until as close to the deadline as possible. At the same time, he is reportedly facing pressure from government ministers and members of his family to select candidates who are clearly identified with the political right.

The final list of reserved candidates is expected to be announced Tuesday, the deadline for submitting the party slates.

{Matzav.com}

A delegation of 20 American state lawmakers visiting Shomron pledged to pursue legislation in their home states that would penalize companies and organizations that boycott residents of Yehuda and Shomron because of where they live. The initiative comes amid moves by several European countries targeting Israelis and businesses connected to the region.

The group, made up of state senators and representatives from around the United States, toured Shomron as guests of Shomron Regional Council head Yossi Dagan. The visit came against the backdrop of threatened measures by Ireland and Spain against Israelis living in Yehuda and Shomron.

During the tour, lawmakers said they intend to bring proposals to their respective state legislatures aimed at responding to economic boycotts of the region.

Under the proposed approach, businesses and organizations that refuse to deal with residents or companies in Yehuda and Shomron solely because of their location could face sanctions or other countermeasures in states that adopt the legislation.

The lawmakers were hosted by Yisrael Rappaport at Nof Avi Farm, where they received a briefing on Jewish communities throughout Shomron and were given an overview of conditions in the region.

Leading the delegation was Jason Rapert, founder and president of the National Association of Christian Lawmakers, or NACL, which has developed close ties with Dagan and has promoted legislation relating to Yehuda and Shomron. The visiting lawmakers represented states including Alaska, Georgia, Arkansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Montana, Minnesota, Alabama and Missouri.

Rapert described the anti-boycott initiative as the next phase of NACL’s efforts concerning Yehuda and Shomron.

“Just as we are winning the first battle, of recognizing Judea and Samaria, we are going to win the second battle – stopping the economic war against Israel, and especially against Judea and Samaria. We are with you, and together, with God’s help, we are going to win. We will win,” he said.

Rapert urged the elected officials participating in the trip to use their positions and public influence to push back against economic measures targeting Israel and residents of Yehuda and Shomron.

Mississippi State Senator Kathy Chism said she intends to bring the proposed legislation home and seek its passage in Mississippi.

“I plan to take the legislation back to Mississippi and try to pass something that will help Israel, because they should not be putting these sanctions on them. I support Israel 100%,” she said.

Alabama State Representative Mark Gidley pointed to measures already enacted in his state against those participating in sanctions or boycotts targeting Israel and called for similar action elsewhere.

“I want to encourage every state to do the same thing. I even encourage us to do it at the national level, because Israel is a partner. Israel is our ally in the Middle East,” he said.

Arkansas State Representative Hope Duke similarly called for states to take action against companies that refuse to conduct business with Israel.

“When you have other countries that are sanctioning Israel, we need to do our part. We’ve done things in Arkansas, and we need to continue to do things, and hopefully other states will follow suit in sanctioning companies that refuse to do business with Israel, because Israel is our greatest partner in the Middle East,” she said.

The new push builds on a broader NACL campaign seeking official recognition of Yehuda and Shomron by state governments across the United States. Tennessee has already enacted legislation requiring state documents to use the name “Judea and Samaria” rather than the “West Bank,” while Arizona has approved a resolution addressing the terminology.

Similar legislative efforts have been moving forward in West Virginia and Florida, while measures have also been formally introduced in Alabama, Florida, Oklahoma and Georgia. NACL and allied groups have been working with state lawmakers to turn their positions on Yehuda and Shomron into legislation and government policy.

Dagan thanked the American lawmakers for their efforts and told them their actions were sending a broader message beyond the region itself.

“What you are doing together is like a shofar – a powerful voice for the world. What is happening here in Judea and Samaria is part of history and the Bible, and it is relevant to the entire world. Day after day, you are voting on the right side of history, and I am certain that, with God’s help, we will win,” he said.

In a major political shakeup within the Belz chassidus, Deputy Communications Minister Yisrael Eichler will step aside as the chassidus’s longtime Knesset representative and will be replaced by Elyakim Stark on the United Torah Judaism slate for the 26th Knesset.

The move, which was made with the blessing of the Belzer Rebbe, will not mark Eichler’s departure from the leadership of the Belz political establishment. Eichler will remain chairman of the Machzikei Hadas movement and will continue to lead its activities, while Stark will serve as the movement’s representative in the Knesset.

According to an official announcement from Belz, Eichler and Stark “will continue to work in full and coordinated cooperation.”

The decision confirms a report published Sunday night by Kikar HaShabbat that Belz was preparing to replace Eichler after his many years in the Knesset. Eichler has served, intermittently, as a Knesset member since 2003, representing Belz within Agudas Yisroel and United Torah Judaism.

Under the new arrangement, Eichler will retain his position as chairman of Machzikei Hadas, while Stark will assume responsibility for representing the movement in the Knesset. Kikar HaShabbat reported that Eichler and Stark themselves jointly drafted the announcement about the transition shortly before it was released to the media.

Stark is regarded as one of the younger and more energetic senior figures within Belz, and his stature has risen considerably both inside the chassidus and beyond it in recent years. He is also said to enjoy a particularly close relationship with the Belzer Rebbe’s only son, Rav Aharon Mordechai Rokeach.

Stark currently serves as chairman of the executive committee of Belz. During the most recent municipal elections, he effectively oversaw the chassidus’s entire political operation, giving him considerable experience in political organization and election activity.

The dramatic decision came after reports earlier Monday that Eichler was stunned upon learning that he was being replaced. Despite his surprise, however, Eichler reportedly made clear that he would accept whatever decision was made by the Belzer Rebbe.

Belz sources told Kikar HaShabbat that Eichler was personally hurt by the unexpected development.

“It can be said that Eichler was really hurt by the move. He did not expect it — but as a loyal chassid, he accepts the decision,” the sources said.

Until very recently, according to those sources, the expectation within Belz had been that Eichler would continue serving as the chassidus’s Knesset representative.

“It already seemed settled that Eichler would continue, and now everything has changed. It may be that because of the decision in Degel to remove the veteran and respected MKs, it was decided here as well to bring in fresh blood,” they said.

Netanel Jacobs, who was wounded in a terrorist stabbing attack in Shomron on Monday morning, described from his hospital bed how he fought his attacker with his bare hands, attempted to subdue him and even pursued him as he fled — before realizing that he himself had suffered multiple stab wounds.

Speaking from Beilinson Hospital, where he was being treated following the attack, Jacobs recalled wrestling the terrorist to the ground as he tried to defend himself.

“I fought him, punched him and pushed him. He fell to the ground, and I went down with him,” Jacobs recalled. “We were both lying on the ground. I tried to pick up a rock to throw at his head, but I couldn’t reach it.”

According to Jacobs, the confrontation did not end when the attacker’s knife broke. The terrorist continued trying to stab him using what remained of the weapon.

“He had his knife. The knife broke, and only the blade was left. He tried to keep stabbing me with it,” he said. “I got to him and choked him, and then he managed to escape and ran toward his car.”

Rather than immediately stopping after the terrorist broke free, Jacobs said he grabbed a rock and began pursuing him. It was only at that point that he noticed the extent of his own injuries.

“I chased him with a rock, and then I saw that I was covered in blood and had stab wounds to my head, neck and hand,” he recounted.

Jacobs’ parents, Avdiel and Penina, later said at the hospital that their son was in stable condition, expressing gratitude that he had survived the attack.

“We thank the Creator of the Universe that we merited, on the 25th of Elul, the day the world was created, for our son Netanel to be created anew. His condition is now good and stable, but without the heroism and the miracles, this could easily have ended differently,” they said.

The parents also urged the IDF and Israeli government to respond more forcefully in the wake of the stabbing.

“We must not accept a situation in which, in the State of Israel, an Arab can rise up with the aim of slaughtering and massacring Jews. The IDF and the country’s leaders need to wake up and take truly tough action against every village of murderers from which a terrorist emerges,” they stated.

They called on authorities to “demolish homes, confiscate all the weapons and not make do with routine measures.” They further said the attack underscored what they see as the importance of Jewish farms maintaining a presence across open areas, arguing that such communities help keep terrorists farther away.

The IDF says it redirected a munition in midair moments before it was set to strike a Hamas terrorist in the Gaza Strip after troops detected a group of civilians approaching the intended target area.

Footage released by the IDF shows the planned strike, which took place Sunday. According to the military, the operation was intended to eliminate a member of Hamas’ military wing, but the attack was effectively called off at the last possible moment when civilians suddenly entered the vicinity. Since the munition had already been fired and could no longer be canceled, the IDF changed its flight path in real time.

In the video, the Hamas terrorist can initially be seen walking through the area selected for the attack. The strike was subsequently authorized and the munition launched in his direction. Shortly afterward, several people are seen moving toward the terrorist’s location.

After detecting the civilians gathering close to the target, the IDF decided that continuing the strike as planned posed a risk to them. The munition was therefore redirected away from the terrorist and instead struck a nearby building, causing damage to the structure.

It remains unclear whether anyone was inside the building that was ultimately struck. The IDF said that once the munition had been launched, there was no way to cancel it entirely, leaving the military to make a real-time decision to redirect it away from its original target.

The IDF said the episode illustrates its efforts to distinguish between Hamas terrorists and the civilian population during operations in Gaza. The military said it employs all feasible precautions during its strikes in an effort to reduce civilian casualties.

{Matzav.com}

Dr. Nechumi Yaffe has joined the HaTzibur HaCharedi party’s slate for the 26th Knesset, becoming the first woman to be placed on the Knesset list of a chareidi party running in an Israeli election.

Yaffe, 50, lives in Yerushalayim and is a mother of three. A researcher specializing in political psychology, she spent the past year at Harvard University working on a research project examining the chareidi community as part of the “Israel and the Regional Economy” initiative. She is also a senior faculty member and researcher at Tel Aviv University.

In 2020, Yaffe was appointed as a special advisor on chareidi affairs to Israel’s National Security Council. In that position, much of her work centered on issues of poverty within the chareidi community.

Following the October 7 massacre, Yaffe founded a chareidi emergency response center that mobilized tens of thousands of chareidi volunteers. The volunteers assisted families evacuated from communities near the Gaza border as well as families who had lost relatives in the attacks.

Yaffe was raised and educated in Yerushalayim’s Slonim chassidus. She later taught halacha and history at the “old” chareidi seminary and at Sniff. She also authored history curricula that have been used for 11th- and 12th-grade students in chareidi seminaries.

Moti Leitner, speaking on behalf of the HaTzibur HaCharedi party, welcomed Yaffe’s addition to the slate, highlighting her decades of work in education and academia.

“I welcome the joining of Mrs. Dr. Nechumi Yaffe to the Knesset list of the HaTzibur HaCharedi Party. Over 30 years of an educational and academic career, Yaffe has worked to advance our haredi brothers and sisters. Together, we will merit to sanctify God’s name. This time, we take responsibility,” Leitner stated.

{Matzav.com}

Rudy Giuliani is calling on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to stay away from the 25th anniversary commemoration of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at Ground Zero, arguing that the mayor’s attendance would be upsetting to victims’ relatives and saying he personally finds the prospect offensive.

Asked during an appearance on Newsmax’s “Sunday Agenda” whether Mamdani should skip Friday’s ceremony, Giuliani responded emphatically.

“There’s no question he should,” Giuliani said. “I mean, the reality is this ceremony is for the families and for America to remember historically.”

Giuliani, who was serving as New York City mayor when al-Qaida terrorists struck the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, said his own experience that day and his longstanding relationships with victims’ families shape his feelings about Mamdani’s planned attendance.

“Having lost friends there and being very close to many of the families, it offends me that he’s coming,” Giuliani said.

Opposition to Mamdani’s appearance has also emerged among some relatives of those killed in the attacks. An online petition calling on him to stay away from the Ground Zero ceremony has attracted more than 99,000 signatures. Some victims’ relatives have said they plan to ignore Mamdani if he attends rather than confront him during the commemoration.

Giuliani made his remarks two days after Mamdani signed executive orders formally designating Sept. 11 as a citywide “Day of Remembrance and Service” and making changes to the city’s emergency preparedness procedures.

That event itself generated controversy when Mamdani presented one of the ceremonial signing pens to his chief counsel, Ramzi Kassem. Kassem previously served as an attorney for Ahmed al-Darbi, an al-Qaida member who pleaded guilty before a U.S. military commission to terrorism charges connected to the 2002 bombing of a French oil tanker.

Speaking Friday about the approaching anniversary, Mamdani said New York would “remember the horrific act of terror” committed 25 years ago, along with those who died in the attacks and those who subsequently lost their lives because of their aftermath.

Giuliani also revisited an episode from the weeks following 9/11, when he rejected a $10 million contribution to a relief fund from Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. Giuliani refused the donation after the prince suggested that American policies in the Middle East had helped create the circumstances that ultimately resulted in the terrorist attacks.

“From Day 1, I’ve taken a very strong position against that,” Giuliani said.

With a quarter-century now having passed since the attacks, Giuliani said preserving an accurate understanding of 9/11 among Americans too young to remember it has become increasingly important.

“Never forget means we have to teach people about it,” Giuliani said. “We don’t want to give them propaganda. We just want to give them the truth.”

During the same interview, Giuliani addressed the sudden departure of longtime Fox News and Fox Business personality Maria Bartiromo, who had spent more than 12 years at the network.

Fox announced Thursday that Bartiromo was no longer with Fox News Media but did not publicly disclose the circumstances surrounding the change. Her attorney, Bryan Freedman, subsequently challenged reports that she had been fired, saying Friday that Bartiromo remained a Fox employee.

Bartiromo has been an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump. Giuliani said friction between her and Fox stretched back to the network’s handling of the 2020 presidential election and Bartiromo’s coverage of disputes surrounding the results. Trump has maintained that voter fraud was responsible for his 2020 loss to Joe Biden.

“They were about ready to fire her in 2020 because they believed she had gone too far on the 2020 election,” Giuliani said. “And I have to believe there’s been a situation like that for her throughout.”

Giuliani, who previously served as an attorney for Trump, said his own relationship with Fox changed after the 2020 election as well. He claimed the network has kept him off its airwaves, including during its annual coverage marking the anniversary of 9/11.

“Look, I haven’t been on a 9/11 show there for eight years,” Giuliani said. “For the first 12 years, I was on constantly at 9/11.”

A fresh internal battle is unfolding within Agudas Yisroel as the party moves to finalize its Knesset slate, with Ger seeking to remove Sanz from the fifth position and award the slot to Biala instead. A separate dispute is simultaneously brewing over a rotation agreement that could determine which faction receives representation if Agudas Yisroel secures only three Knesset seats.

The disputes are emerging as Agudas Yisroel’s National Council convenes to approve the party’s representatives ahead of the upcoming elections. Ger is demanding that Biala receive the fifth position on the Agudas Yisroel slate, a slot that was given to Sanz during the previous Knesset term.

Under Agudas Yisroel’s longstanding internal arrangement, the fifth position belongs to Ger. That allocation has previously allowed Ger to have two representatives serving in the Knesset at the same time. For the most recent Knesset, however, an agreement was reached under which the position was handed to Sanz.

Ger now wants to reverse that arrangement. The demand reportedly comes amid claims that the Sanz representative in the previous Knesset aligned himself with the positions of Shlomei Emunim and Belz. Ger is therefore pushing to give the representation this time to Biala, whose Rebbe also serves on the Moetzes of Agudas Yisroel.

Shlomei Emunim and Belz may oppose Ger’s effort to transfer the position from Sanz to Biala, potentially setting up a showdown among the factions over the final makeup of the slate.

At the same time, another disagreement has emerged over the rotation arrangement between the third and fourth slots on the Agudas Yisroel list. The question would become particularly significant if the party ultimately wins only three seats in the next Knesset.

Shlomei Emunim and Belz are insisting that Ger should be the faction to relinquish its seat as part of the rotation this time around.

Ger is pushing back against that demand, arguing that its Central Faction possesses enough electoral strength on its own to account for an entire Knesset mandate and therefore should not be expected to surrender its representation.

Ger officials are also pointing to a previous concession made in recent years, when Yaakov Tessler entered the Knesset in place of Yaakov Litzman under a rotation arrangement. They argue that Ger has already given up its turn once and should not be required to do so again.

{Matzav.com}

American motorists faced the most expensive Labor Day gasoline prices on record Monday, with the nationwide average climbing above $4 per gallon amid persistently high crude oil prices and disruptions to global energy supplies.

The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline across the country reached $4.15, according to AAA, breaking the previous Labor Day record of $3.82 per gallon established in 2012.

It marked the first time the national gasoline average has ever exceeded $4 per gallon on Labor Day.

The situation was considerably worse in some parts of the country. At one gas station in Chicago, regular gasoline was priced at $5.59 per gallon Monday morning as millions of travelers made their way home at the conclusion of the holiday weekend.

Although gasoline has retreated from its 2026 high of $4.56 per gallon in May, drivers are still paying substantially more than they were at this point last year. The current national average is approximately 30% higher than the $3.20-per-gallon average recorded a year earlier.

“While gasoline demand typically declines after the summer driving season — often leading to lower prices — this year’s elevated crude oil costs have offset that seasonal trend,” AAA spokesperson Brittany Moye said.

Diesel fuel has experienced an even steeper increase, with the nationwide average reaching $5.90 per gallon Monday, compared with $3.71 at the same time last year.

The war with Iran has been a major factor driving crude oil prices higher, as the conflict has dramatically curtailed petroleum shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important energy transit corridors.

West Texas Intermediate crude was trading at approximately $92 per barrel Monday, compared with about $67 before the war began on Feb. 28. Brent crude, meanwhile, was trading near $97 per barrel, up from roughly $72 before the fighting started.

During the second quarter, an estimated 4.9 million barrels of crude oil and other petroleum liquids passed through the Strait of Hormuz each day, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That represents a dramatic decline from the 21.6 million barrels per day that traveled through the strategic waterway during the final quarter of 2025.

Additional pressure on fuel supplies has come from damage sustained by refineries in both the Middle East and Russia. At the same time, U.S. gasoline inventories for the week ending Aug. 28 stood 6% below their typical levels.

Motorists could see some relief in the weeks ahead. The Environmental Protection Agency announced last month that less expensive winter-blend gasoline could begin being sold on Sept. 1, two weeks earlier than normally permitted, a move intended to expand available supplies and help bring down prices at gas stations.

Dear Matzav Inbox,

It seems to be on everyone’s mind: Achdus in Klal Yisroel.

For many of us, it is deeply painful to watch the growing discord between different groups of Yidden, particularly in Eretz Yisroel. The intensity of the disagreements has left many people feeling unsettled and heartbroken. And although much of the conflict is taking place in Israel, its effects have certainly crossed the ocean.

Over the past few months, I have heard from many people who are genuinely devastated by the rift. They are not necessarily debating politics or even taking a position on the issues themselves. They are simply asking: How did we get to a place where fellow Yidden can have so much anger and disdain for one another?

The opinions are strong. The differences are real. And the challenge is enormous.

There are those who believe that the only way to preserve our values is to create greater separation from people whose lifestyles and ideals are different from our own. They worry that being sensitive and accepting of others will cause our children to be more vulnerable to influences and weaken our commitment to Torah. They believe that strong boundaries, and sometimes even strong opposition, are necessary to protect what is sacred to us.

That concern cannot simply be dismissed.

At the same time, there is another concern that deserves our attention.

What happens when our commitment to Torah comes at the expense of our middos?

We all believe that Hashem expects us to be a mamleches kohanim v’goy kadosh—a holy nation and representatives of Hashem in this world. That means that our responsibility is in both Kedushah and menschlichkeit. One without the other won’t succeed.

We can maintain firm Torah convictions without humiliating another Jew. We can establish boundaries without hatred. We can reject ideas without rejecting people. We can disagree deeply while still remembering that the person standing across from us is a fellow Yid created b’tzelem Elokim.

This may be one of the greatest challenges of our generation: learning how to remain uncompromising in our Torah values while remaining deeply committed to the middos that Torah demands from us.

It is a lifelong journey and a difficult balance.

It has implications far beyond the current disagreements in Eretz Yisroel. It affects our schools, our communities, our workplaces, our families—and every interaction we have with another Jew. It affects our whole culture.

This year, the worldwide Kiddush Hashem Selichos presentation is exploring these questions through a collection of powerful stories and Torah-based insights about what it means to truly live as Mekadshei Hashem. See the full free video on https://livingkiddushhashem.org/

It raises a challenge worth thinking about during the days of Selichos:

Can we be uncompromising about Torah and kedushah—and at the same time be uncompromising about being a dignified reflection of Hashem’s middos tovos?

For us to succeed in our ultimate mission of Kiddush Hashem, I believe we need to figure out how to continue growing in both.

Rabbi Shraga Freedman

LivingKiddushHashem@gmail.com

https://livingkiddushhashem.org/

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A new internal battle is emerging within Agudas Yisroel as the party prepares to approve its Knesset candidates, with the Ger faction demanding that a seat previously allocated to Sanz be transferred to Biala.

The dispute is expected to come to a head at a tense meeting of Agudas Yisroel’s National Council, which is convening to formally approve the faction’s representatives ahead of the upcoming elections. Ger is seeking to give the fifth slot on the Agudas Yisroel list to Biala, after the position was held by a representative of Sanz during the previous Knesset term.

Under Agudas Yisroel’s internal arrangements, the fifth position is technically allocated to the Ger faction. In the past, that arrangement even resulted in Ger having two representatives in the Knesset simultaneously. Ahead of the most recent Knesset term, however, an agreement was reached under which Ger relinquished the slot and allowed Sanz to fill it.

Ger is now seeking to change that arrangement. According to the report, Ger officials contend that the Sanzer representative in the previous Knesset aligned himself politically with the positions of the Shlomei Emunim and Belz factions.

As a result, Ger wants the seat allocated this time to Biala, whose Rebbe is also a member of the Moetzes of Agudas Yisroel.

Shlomei Emunim and Belz are expected to potentially oppose the proposed change, setting the stage for a further confrontation over the makeup of the party’s slate.

A separate dispute is also underway over the rotation arrangement involving the third and fourth positions on the Agudas Yisroel list. The issue could become particularly significant if Agudas Yisroel wins only three Knesset seats in the coming election.

Shlomei Emunim and Belz are demanding that Ger surrender its turn in the rotation this time, allowing another faction to benefit from the arrangement.

Ger, however, is rejecting that demand. Ger officials argue that the Central Faction, as Ger’s political faction is known, commands enough electoral strength on its own to account for a full Knesset mandate.

They also maintain that Ger has already made such a concession in recent years, pointing to the rotation under which Yaakov Tessler entered the Knesset in place of Yaakov Litzman. On that basis, Ger argues that it would be inappropriate to demand that the faction once again give up its place in the rotation.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak raised a proposal to shutter all social media platforms in the country for three days before the national election on Oct. 27.

The former Labor Party leader raised concerns over the potential spread of fabricated footage using AI tools, speaking in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 broadcaster.

One option to solve this problem is “to appeal to these companies [social media firms] and demand on behalf of the State of Israel to close these channels in the three last days [before the election],” Barak said in Hebrew.

Barak was prime minister from 1999 to 2001, and minister of defense from 2007 to 2013, including in a Netanyahu government from 2009 to 2013.

Last year, he repeated his call for a civil insurrection to topple the Netanyahu government.

“We need to get to a civil insurrection,” Barak said on May 3, 2025, during an appearance on “Moriah & Berko,” a Channel 13 news show co-hosted by Moriah Ashraf and Eyal Berkovic.

Asked to explain what that meant, he said he meant hundreds of thousands taking to the streets guided by political, academic, high-tech and market leaders, among others.

When Ashraf asked what the limits of the insurrection should be, Barak said, “The limits are the shutdown of the country until the government falls.”

Speaking at an anti-government protest rally in Tel Aviv on July 27, 2024, Barak urged the thousands present to engage in “nonviolent civil noncompliance.”

Israeli prosecutors at the time mulled whether to prosecute Barak on charges of incitement and sedition. JNS

Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and peace envoy, said on Sunday that Washington was only beginning to understand what is required to demilitarize the Gaza Strip, calling it “beyond your comprehension.”

“Demilitarizing it is not going to be easy,” Kushner said at a press conference in Kyiv, where he appeared alongside U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

The United States worked with Hamas for more than four months, he said, resulting in the terrorist group committing to lay down its weapons. “You can’t go in if there’s guns,” Kushner said. “You can’t send a government in to a place.”

“There’s a new government, a Palestinian technocratic government that’s neither the [Palestinian Authority] nor Hamas, that’s built a plan to go forward,” the envoy said.

The U.S. and Israel agree on the “end state” for Gaza, Kushner said, but continue to work through “some political issues” due to the upcoming Israeli election. “They just have a crazy election, and that makes them a little irrational in certain regards,” he added.

The Gaza Strip was “built by NGOs and terrorists, and it’s been a dystopian place for a long time,” Kushner said. “Gaza has not worked for a very, very long time.”

The Trump administration has flooded Gaza with aid since the October 2025 ceasefire and changed how it is distributed, and the war-torn enclave now has one of the lowest malnutrition rates in the world, Kushner continued.

The United Nations had previously been spending three times as much per person on aid in Gaza as it did in Syria, he noted, attributing the gap to “this whole industrial complex of aid” and terrorist groups stealing shipments.

The United States now has a plan to rebuild Gaza, drawn up by a team assembled under Trump and his Board of Peace, he said, adding that “these things take time.”

Kushner said on Aug. 17 that progress toward Gaza’s demilitarization could begin within 30 days, following a nearly four-hour meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Kushner told Fox News that Washington would not support rebuilding Gaza before demilitarization, adding that the administration had addressed Israeli concerns about the Board of Peace roadmap and clarified that Israel’s right to act against imminent threats would not be restricted.

“We could be seeing progress in as little 30 days, hopefully on starting to take some of the weapons out, and hopefully filling in some of the tunnels as well in the next 60 to 90 days,” Kushner said, adding that progress would require cooperation from both sides.

Meanwhile, Hamas continues to threaten Israeli forces positioned in the Strip. The Israel Defense Forces overnight Sunday struck Hamas terrorist infrastructure in the Gaza Strip after an explosive device targeted an IDF vehicle, the military said on Monday morning.

An IDF engineering vehicle set off the Hamas explosive on Sunday in the Yellow Line buffer area in the northern Gaza Strip.

No Israelis were injured in the blast, which the IDF said was a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.

The targeted Hamas sites had been used to prepare attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians, the IDF added, noting that Southern Command forces remain deployed in the sector in accordance with the ceasefire and will continue operations to remove imminent threats.

Netanyahu visited an Israel Defense Forces outpost near the Yellow Line demarcation boundary on Sept. 2, according to the Prime Minister’s Office. He said Israel would maintain control of the area as it works to complete the disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of Gaza.

“We control the territory. We are not withdrawing. We are staying on this line,” Netanyahu said during the visit, alongside IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir and senior Southern Command officers.

“We control 60% of the Strip, and our reach extends further, because we are eliminating the terrorists who threaten us. We do so day in and day out,” Netanyahu said, adding, “Yesterday, we got Hamas’s Shin Bet chief. We will surely learn some things.” Shin Bet is a Hebrew acronym for the Israel Security Agency, Israel’s equivalent to the American FBI.

Netanyahu on Sept. 1 extended his congratulations to the country’s security forces on the capture of the head of Hamas’s internal security apparatus, Muein al-Arabid, earlier in the day.

Describing him as “one of the most senior Hamas leaders,” the prime minister said al-Arabid had been “responsible for hiding and transporting our abductees [and] hiding senior Hamas officials,” referring to those taken captive by the terrorist group during its Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of southern Israel.

More recently, al-Arabid was involved in efforts to restore Hamas’s control in Gaza and to carry out attacks against Israeli soldiers and civilians, Netanyahu said. “My directive is clear: The State of Israel will continue to persecute all Hamas leaders and all those who took part in the Oct. 7 massacre,” he added. JNS

A terrorist stabbed a young Israeli man on Monday morning at the Maoz Yehuda Farm, near the Palestinian town of Osarin in central Samaria.

The victim was seriously wounded, according to the Hatzalah Judea and Samaria (Rescuers Without Borders) volunteer emergency service. He sustained multiple stab wounds to his hand and upper body “until the knife broke,” the service said, adding that the terrorist fled in a vehicle.

The victim was evacuated to Rabin Medical Center in Petach Tikvah.

After IDF soldiers set up roadblocks throughout the area and following a brief manhunt, soldiers killed the terrorist an hour after the attack, the army said.

Soldiers located the terrorist near his vehicle outside the Palestinian town of Qabalan, according to the military. The terrorist tried to stab them, and an IDF commander “responded with fire and eliminated him,” the statement read.

“No terrorist has anywhere to hide. I commend our heroic troops who closed in on and eliminated the terrorist who carried out the attack in Samaria,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday.

The premier wished the wounded farm owner a full and speedy recovery, adding that Israel will continue “eliminating terrorists, pursuing those who send them and destroying terrorist infrastructure in Judea and Samaria.”

Defense Minister Israel Katz said that the IDF “will pursue and capture the terrorist.”

“Our policy in Judea and Samaria is clear: to vigorously pursue Palestinian terrorism, develop and strengthen Jewish settlement, and maintain security stability,” Katz added.

Terrorism in Judea and Samaria is “at its lowest level in decades,” he said, adding that Jerusalem would take “all necessary measures to prevent terrorism from once again raising its head.”

Katz said he and Netanyahu had ordered the IDF to prepare for an “all-out campaign” against the Palestinian Authority and other terrorist infrastructure in Judea and Samaria if Ramallah turns its weapons against Israel.

“We will not allow a return to the reality of a prolonged intifada lasting for years, as occurred in the past,” he continued.

The proposed campaign would include targeted killings of senior figures, the evacuation of residents from areas used for terrorist activity and the IDF remaining in the evacuated territory, “exactly as we did in the security zones in Gaza and Lebanon, and as we also operated in the refugee camps in Jenin and northern Samaria,” he said.

“We will not allow a return to the reality of Oct. 7, and we will ensure the security of Israel’s residents and communities everywhere,” Katz added, referencing the Hamas-led cross-border massacre almost three years ago.

Yossi Dagan, head of the Samaria Regional Council, said, “I stand with IDF soldiers and commanders and pray for the wounded man’s recovery.”

He continued, “I expect the area to be placed under a full cordon and for the IDF to launch a broad military operation, go from house to house and collect the weapons, and dismantle the infrastructure of those who support terrorism. I demand that all roads in the area be closed immediately, that the terrorist be captured, and that everyone who assisted him be held accountable.”

The people of Israel will not surrender to terrorism, and they will continue to build Samaria, Dagan said.

Counterterrorism ops in Samaria

Israeli security personnel apprehended a Hamas cell and dismantled a rocket during a counterterrorism raid in the Aqraba area, southeast of Nablus (Shechem) in central Samaria, the IDF and the Israeli Security Agency (Shin Bet) said on Sunday.

The operation, which included members of the Border Police’s Yamam National Counter-Terrorism Unit alongside the IDF and Shin Bet, was completed on Sunday morning, according to the joint statement.

The 10-member terrorist cell had been working to advance attacks on Israeli civilians, according to the statement. The rocket was found without a launcher and dismantled on the spot.

On Friday, IDF soldiers completed a counterterrorism operation in the Qabatiya area in northern Samaria, apprehending five terrorists who were part of a cell planning an attack on civilians and security forces, the military said.

Earlier on Friday, the IDF said that more than 10 wanted suspects had been arrested during a 48-hour brigade-level counterterrorism operation in the Nablus area.

During the operation, troops searched hundreds of sites and questioned dozens of suspects. JNS

The Breslover community is mourning the passing of Rav Yisroel Yitzchok Besançon, the renowned mashpia, author and leader of the Shir Chadash community in Tel Aviv, who devoted decades to spreading the teachings of Rav Nachman of Breslov and bringing countless Jews closer to Torah. He was 81.

Rav Besançon was born on 27 Kislev 5705 in France, during the final months of World War II. As a young man, he displayed remarkable artistic ability and appeared destined for a career as a painter and artist. At the age of 15, however, he experienced a profound spiritual awakening, became a baal teshuvah, and went on to study in yeshivos in Lucerne, Switzerland, and Antwerp, Belgium.

During his years in Antwerp, Rav Besançon became close to the Pshevorsker Rebbe, Rav Itzikel Leiser, who embraced the young man warmly and helped guide his first steps into the world of Chassidus. Rav Besançon subsequently became deeply attached to Breslov and developed into a close talmid of the legendary Breslover mashpia Rav Levi Yitzchok Bender.

In 1976, with the blessing of Rav Levi Yitzchok Bender, Rav Besançon established a bais medrash and center for the dissemination of Chassidus in Aix-les-Bains, France. A substantial community of French Jewish baalei teshuvah eventually developed around the center, with many drawn to Torah through Rav Besançon’s warmth, personality and shiurim.

Tragedy struck in 1981 when his wife, Bracha Basha, passed away suddenly, leaving him to raise five young orphans. Out of the profound pain of that period, Rav Besançon began writing his celebrated book “Courage,” which explores how to confront hardship through the teachings of Rav Nachman of Breslov. The book achieved worldwide popularity, was translated into seven languages and reportedly reached nearly one million copies.

Rav Besançon later married his second wife, Devorah, who passed away approximately three years ago.

In 1995, Rav Besançon moved to Eretz Yisroel. In his later years, he also became close to Rav Yisroel Ber Odesser. He eventually established his home and the center of his activities on Har Zion Boulevard in southern Tel Aviv.

It was there, in the heart of Tel Aviv, that Rav Besançon built the Shir Chadash community, developing an extensive network of Torah and chessed. The community grew to include a bais medrash, the Netzach Yisrael yeshiva for younger students, a Talmud Torah, chessed organizations, food distribution programs for needy families and a publishing institute.

Rav Besançon was also a prolific author, producing dozens of books and booklets that became widely used in the worlds of kiruv and Chassidus. His works included “Courage,” “Hisbodedus,” “Mesilas Hakesharim,” “Marpeh Lashon,” “Azamra,” “Lechem Abirim,” and “Pe’er HaLikutim,” among many others.

His artistic talents remained an important part of his life as well. Rav Besançon composed stirring melodies that were released on the “Kulmus” albums, while continuing to produce Judaica paintings that reflected the spiritual world of Chassidus that had become the focus of his life.

Among the prominent figures who emerged from his bais medrash are Rav Avraham Yifrach, founder of Mishkan Uman; Rav Michi Yosefi, founder of Yishuv Hadaas; Rav Doron Yitzchok Stern, director of the publishing house and rosh yeshiva of Netzach Yisrael; Rav Aryeh Lippo; Rav Dan Levinson; and Rav Yishai Friedman.

Rav Besançon became weak in recent days and was hospitalized. His many talmidim and admirers davened for his recovery, but he passed away on Sunday.

His levayah is to take place Monday in the holy city of Tzefas, where he will be laid to rest in the ancient bais hachaim.

Yehi zichro baruch.

{Matzav.com}

[COMMUNICATED]

To my dear community, and to fellow parents everywhere,

A few months ago, our precious 4-year-old daughter, Adina, was taken from us in a tragedy that no parent should ever even be able to comprehend.

My daughter was vibrant, full of life, and loved with every fiber of our being. She was truly the light of our lives. Adina was being driven to school in her routine carpool since August of last year. The driver mistakenly left her inside the vehicle on a hot day. The alarm bells went off when I went to pick her up at the end of the day and her teacher said she was absent. By the time anyone realized, it was already too late and my Adina was gone.

Since that dark day, our world has been shattered and the silence in our home is unbearable. What was once filled with giggles and simcha is now filled with an eerie silence. But as the new school year approaches, my family and I will not remain silent while other precious children remain at risk.

Over this past summer alone, Klal Yisrael has wept for precious neshamos lost in Los Angeles, Baltimore, and Eretz Yisrael. These horrific incidents happen because human memory is fragile and our days are filled with distractions.

That is why I am writing directly to you today. I am pleading with every parent, school administrator, and community leader to take immediate action and implement the life saving initiatives led by Team Protect – an organization devoted to keeping children safe.

Team Protect is imploring schools and daycares to operate a multi layered defense to do our part to make sure no other family ever experiences this excruciating pain and grief BEH:

In Our Vehicles: The Clever Elly Device

The Clever Elly is a small safety device that plugs directly into a car’s 12V auxiliary port. Every single time the car engine is turned off, it plays a clear, safety reminder: Check the backseat.

It doesn’t rely on Bluetooth, apps, or complex setups. It just works—every single time. I urge every shul, preschool, and daycare to organize community distribution drives so that every parent, grandparent, and carpool driver has this device in their car.

In Our Schools: Mandatory Automated Attendance Systems

Every elementary school, preschool, and daycare must implement automated attendance tracking protocols that immediately alert parents via text, phone call, or app if a child is marked absent without prior notice. As our precious children are returning to school within the next few weeks, it is incumbent on the administration of every school to ensure these systems are in place prior to the start of the new school year.

Recently in Miami, one of these systems saved a child’s life after their mother was alerted that her child hadn’t arrived at school. The child was found in the back of a carpool van just in time. Every minute counts. If a child doesn’t show up, parents must know immediately. Please, do not wait to update your attendance systems.

If your school currently has an attendance system, please consider sharing your name on the website. If your administration is open to looking into this, consider signing a pledge – it’s quick, free and creates momentum to encourage others to do the same. Team Protect also offers a comparative analysis of different attendance systems to look over.

Team Protect can help make sure that every parent has a Clever Elly in their car and guide all early childhood administrators to implement an attendance alert system that works for them.

Check out Team Protect’s campaign, which details their mission and the importance of their cause.

Please, in honor of my sweet Adina, take action today so that no mother ever has to write a letter like this again.

May the memory of Adina Liba bas Zev Chaim A”H be a blessing, and may Hashem protect all of our children as we begin this new school year BEH.

To learn more about hosting a Clever Elly drive or implementing automated attendance protocols in your school, visit Team Protect or contact amanda@teamprotect.org.

Israel’s High Court of Justice sharply criticized the state and security forces Sunday over their response to a series of violent incidents in the Palestinian village of Jalud in the Shomron, ordering authorities to arrange within 14 days for three Palestinians to return to homes they say they were forced to abandon.

Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit, together with Justices Alex Stein and Yechiel Kasher, issued the order following a petition alleging that the three residents had been driven from their homes by violent intrusions and harassment.

According to the court’s decision, the petitioners described a series of incidents dating back to April that included trespassing, threats, road blockages, stone-throwing, and damage to property and infrastructure. They alleged that a water line was disconnected, trees were uprooted, a vehicle was set on fire, and large rocks were used to block the road leading to their homes.

The court noted that the state did not dispute most of the sequence of events described in the petition. The decision further stated that after the petitioners left their homes, Israelis whom the judges described as “rioters” periodically occupied the residences.

The judges also addressed footage showing IDF soldiers playing soccer with Israelis at the site. A brigade operations officer told the court that the soldiers were reinforcement troops who were unfamiliar with the relevant procedures and instructions. The soldiers involved were subsequently removed from combat duty over the incident.

The High Court delivered particularly sharp criticism of the answers provided by the state, writing: “The picture that emerges is very bleak. There are plenty of questions; adequate answers – fewer.”

Considering the number of incidents, the length of time over which they occurred and the authorities’ response, the judges added that “the conduct of the respondents in the present proceedings raises serious difficulties.”

The court further determined that overall responsibility for protecting the local Palestinian population rests with the IDF because the military commander exercises governing authority in the area.

The judges ordered the state to coordinate the petitioners’ return to their homes within 14 days, provide security for their return, and allow them to bring in equipment and supplies needed to repair their homes and restore water and electrical infrastructure.

The High Court also issued a conditional order requiring the state to explain why it should not take steps to return the petitioners and their families to their homes and remove roadblocks and other obstacles preventing access to the properties.

In addition, the state was directed to provide the court with information about enforcement and investigative measures taken against the Israelis allegedly involved in the incidents. That includes information concerning possible prosecutions and whether vehicles allegedly used during the incidents could be confiscated.

The parties were ordered to update the High Court on the petitioners’ return to their homes by Sept. 22.

{Matzav.com}

Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s special envoy and son-in-law, said during a visit to Ukraine that the United States and Israel agree on the ultimate outcome sought for Gaza, while criticizing some Israeli decision-making amid the country’s election season.

Kushner made the comments while discussing Israeli military operations in Gaza and efforts to advance President Trump’s peace plan for the territory.

“I think we agree with the Israelis on the end state for Gaza,” Kushner said. “They have crazy elections, and it makes them a little irrational in certain respects.”

The remarks came as Kushner was in Ukraine as part of the White House’s efforts to bring the war there to an end. The American envoy met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy one day after holding a three-hour meeting in Moscow with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Kushner’s comments regarding Israel come amid continuing tensions between the Trump administration and the Israeli government over implementation of the Gaza peace plan. According to reports, the White House has been pressing Israel to move forward with the disarmament of Hamas and the rebuilding of infrastructure in Gaza.

Last month, Kushner met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for four hours as part of efforts to advance the peace initiative. The meeting resulted in an understanding that reconstruction in Gaza would not proceed until Hamas had been completely disarmed, beginning with the surrender of all weapons for destruction under international supervision.

The Prime Minister’s Office subsequently announced the establishment of two working groups, one tasked with Hamas’s disarmament and the demilitarization of Gaza and the other focused on rehabilitating sanitation infrastructure. The statement stressed that “disarmament and demilitarization will be completed before the start of any reconstruction process in the Gaza Strip.”

Alongside the diplomatic efforts, the IDF has continued military operations in Gaza. Last week, special forces from the Shin Bet and IDF captured Muin al-Arabid, a senior official in Hamas’s security apparatus, during an operation that included 18 simultaneous airstrikes. The mission had been planned for months and was approved by Netanyahu and the defense minister.

Kushner, who serves as Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East, also held an unusual meeting with senior Hamas officials in Egypt approximately three weeks ago. During the meeting, he reportedly placed heavy pressure on the Hamas representatives and demanded that they immediately begin fulfilling their commitment to disarm.

Senior international officials also participated in that meeting, including Peace Council Director-General Nikolay Mladenov and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.