Feed aggregator
BREAKING: NYPD Officer Shot in Queens, Rushed to Hospital
Hotovely To UK: Don’t Tell Us Where To Build In Yerushalayim
Israel’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Tzipi Hotovely, forcefully rejected criticism from British officials after being summoned regarding the newly approved housing project in the E1 area, which connects Ma’ale Adumim with Yerushalayim.
“I wouldn’t tell the British where to build in London,” Hotovely told the Daily Mail on Thursday night. “We see E1 as part of greater Jerusalem.”
Her summons came after UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy denounced Israel’s decision to advance plans for 3,400 housing units in the E1 region.
In a statement released Wednesday, Lammy warned that implementing the project “would divide a Palestinian state in two, mark a flagrant breach of international law and critically undermine the two-state solution.”
“The Israeli government must reverse this decision,” he added.
The Civil Administration granted its approval for the project to move forward on Wednesday, nearly a week after Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich officially announced the plan during a press briefing.
Although several European nations have condemned the initiative, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee countered by stating that “this is not a violation of international law.”
“We will not dictate to Israel what to do, we will not interfere in the running of the country. It would be very strange to say that others can live in this area but Israelis cannot,” Huckabee said in an interview with Galei Tzahal (IDF Radio).
The U.S. State Department also expressed support for the project, emphasizing that the construction of Jewish homes in E1 contributes to Israel’s security and aligns with the administration’s objectives.
{Matzav.com}
Huckabee: Palestinian State Is Not A Priority For Trump
US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said in an interview with Al Arabiya English on Thursday that establishing a Palestinian state is not among the Trump administration’s main objectives.
“I certainly haven’t heard the president say that this is one of the most important things we’ve got to look for,” Huckabee stated. He also criticized both the Palestinian Authority and several European governments, saying their actions “completely disrupt” efforts to achieve peace.
Huckabee pointed out that Gaza once operated as a “100 percent” Palestinian entity and argued that the outcome there has shaken faith in the two-state concept. “People see how that turned out,” he remarked.
In a pointed message directed at European leaders, Huckabee called on them to “reassess their actions” and focus on holding Hamas accountable rather than targeting Israel.
“Stop putting so much pressure on how Israel is defending itself against Hamas,” he said, “and start putting the pressure on radical military actions that were intended to kill Jewish people.”
Huckabee also backed Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza, explaining that the decision ultimately belongs to Israel. “The president’s made it very clear that this is a decision the Israelis have to make. It’s their future on the line,” he said.
He stressed that “Hamas can’t stay, they have no role in the future of Gaza, and they need to let all of the hostages go.”
Addressing the humanitarian impact of the conflict, Huckabee placed the blame squarely on Hamas. He expressed doubts about the group’s reliability in negotiating ceasefires, adding, “They start demanding more things, and it blows up the deal.” He concluded by asserting that Hamas will have to “recognize their future is over in Gaza. They don’t have one there.”
When discussing the hostages, Huckabee acknowledged differences among families over potential strategies but emphasized, “The unanimity is that everybody wants the hostages home.”
{Matzav.com}Trump’s Death Penalty Push Stumbles in Courtrooms Nationwide
Netanyahu Demands A Solution For 10k Breslov “Deserters” Who Face Arrest On Way To Uman
Report: Israel and Syria to Sign Security Agreement On September 25
The Saudi-owned newspaper Independent Arabia reported early Friday that, according to “senior Syrian sources,” Israel and Syria are expected to finalize a security agreement on September 25 under American sponsorship. The signing is scheduled to take place one day after Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa delivers his inaugural address at the United Nations General Assembly.
The sources indicated that the arrangement will focus on security cooperation intended to ease tensions between Jerusalem and Damascus. However, they clarified that a full peace treaty between the two nations is not expected “in the near future.”
Additionally, Sky News Arabia reported that the United States is working to organize a high-level meeting next month between President al-Sharaa and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with President Donald Trump also anticipated to take part. The outlet noted that Syria’s recent appointment of a new UN representative authorized to negotiate was made “in this context.”
The report further stated that progress was achieved this week during discussions in Paris between Israel’s Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani. However, a central sticking point remains Israel’s insistence on retaining an IDF presence at key strategic positions inside Syria, including the radar installation on the Syrian Hermon and Tel al-Hara in the Quneitra province.
So far, neither the Israeli nor Syrian governments have officially confirmed the reports.
Syria’s state-run news agency reported late Tuesday that al-Shibani met in Paris with an Israeli delegation but did not specify that Dermer led the Israeli side.
According to the Syrian account, the talks were mediated by the United States and focused on initiatives aimed at bolstering stability in southern Syria and the broader region.
Topics discussed reportedly included: reducing tensions along the border, honoring the principle of non-interference in Syria’s domestic affairs, ensuring regional stability, maintaining the ceasefire in the Druze Mountain area, and renewing the 1974 disengagement agreement.
The Syrian report highlighted that these talks are part of a broader international diplomatic effort intended to protect Syria’s security and preserve its territorial integrity.
Notably, this report marks an extraordinary development, as it represents the first time in over 25 years that an official Syrian media outlet has publicly acknowledged direct engagement between the Syrian government and Israel.
{Matzav.com}BIGOT BOUNCED: AI Health Executive Tossed From Company After Explosive Antisemitic Attack On Grieving Neighbor
IDF Tells Northern Gaza Hospitals And Aid Orgs To Prepare For Mass Evacuations Ahead Of Offensive
Texas Democrat Sparks Outrage After Comparing Herself to Runaway Slaves and Holocaust Victims [VIDEO]
Hagaon Harav Zilberstein: “Before Moshiach Comes, Lomdei Torah Will Face Decree After Decree”
Booker Urges Rubio To Reinstate Temporary Medical Visas For Gazans
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called on U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to immediately resume granting medical and humanitarian visas to residents of the Gaza Strip.
“Donald Trump promised to secure a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in his first week in office,” Booker stated, “and now, Secretary Rubio is compounding this administration’s failure of leadership with a policy that leaves Gazans who qualify for temporary medical and humanitarian visas, including seriously injured children and civilians who have been caught in the crossfire through no fault of their own, without this lifesaving recourse.”
On Aug. 16, the U.S. State Department announced that all visitor visas from Gaza were being halted as it conducts “a full and thorough review of the process and procedures used to issue a small number of temporary medical-humanitarian visas in recent days.”
Rubio, speaking with “Face the Nation” on CBS on Sunday, said some of the groups involved in bringing children and adults into the United States may have ties to the Hamas terror organization, which broke an existing ceasefire when it attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
He added that there has been evidence “presented to us by numerous congressional offices that some of the organizations bragging about and involved in acquiring these visas have strong links to terrorist groups like Hamas. And so we are not going to be in partnership with groups that are friendly with Hamas.”
Because of that, Rubio said, the State Department decided to pause issuing the visas.
“There was just a small number of them issued to children, but they come with adults accompanying them, obviously,” he told CBS. “And we are going to pause this program and reevaluate how those visas are being vetted and what relationship, if any, has there been by these organizations to the process of acquiring those visas.” JNS
{Matzav.com}
Hunger Monitor Declares Famine in Northern Gaza After Changing Definition; Israel Slams Report as Hamas Propaganda
US Judge Orders Shutdown of Trump’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Detention Center
A federal judge has ordered the shutdown of President Donald Trump’s controversial migrant detention center in Florida, widely referred to as “Alligator Alcatraz.”
According to the ruling, the facility has been causing significant environmental harm to the Florida Everglades, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the Trump administration has been given 60 days to phase out its operations.
The 82-page decision also bans the transfer of any additional detainees to the center and blocks all new construction or expansion plans at the location.
Florida, which partnered with the Trump administration on the project, has already filed an appeal challenging the ruling.
The court’s decision marks a major setback for Trump’s plans for the detention facility, which has drawn sharp criticism over both its conditions and its potential impact on the delicate Everglades ecosystem.
In Thursday’s ruling, U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams, appointed by former President Barack Obama, concluded that the center is causing “irreparable harm” to the Everglades and its endangered wildlife.
She also ordered the shutdown of “all generators, gas, sewage, and other waste receptors,” a move that will severely disrupt the center’s operations.
Judge Williams referenced a plan from the 1960s to build a tourist airport in the Everglades that was abandoned due to environmental concerns.
“Since that time, every Florida governor, every Florida senator, and countless local and national political figures, including presidents, have publicly pledged their unequivocal support for the restoration, conservation, and protection of the Everglades,” she wrote.
“This order does nothing more than uphold the basic requirements of legislation designed to fulfil those promises.”
The decision represents a preliminary injunction, temporarily halting operations at the facility while a lawsuit filed by environmental groups moves forward.
Environmental advocates who brought the case celebrated the ruling.
“This is a landmark victory for the Everglades and countless Americans who believe this imperilled wilderness should be protected, not exploited,” said Eve Samples, executive director of Friends of the Everglades.
“It sends a clear message that environmental laws must be respected by leaders at the highest levels of our government – and there are consequences for ignoring them.”
Thursday’s decision follows an earlier temporary restraining order from Judge Williams issued earlier this month, which stopped construction at the site.
Dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” the facility was promoted as a key element of the Trump administration’s aggressive approach to illegal immigration enforcement.
Located deep within a Miami-area swamp, the site earned its nickname because of the surrounding wildlife, including alligators, crocodiles, and pythons — which Trump once suggested would deter detainees from attempting escape.
The center was built to house up to 3,000 detainees and was envisioned as a model for future facilities supporting Trump’s broader deportation agenda.
During a visit to the site in July, Trump praised its purpose and capacity to hold the “most menacing migrants, some of the most vicious people on the planet.”
However, since its opening, the detention center has faced multiple lawsuits and growing opposition from local residents and environmental groups.
Experts have repeatedly warned that the environmental damage caused by the project threatens decades of restoration efforts in the Everglades, an undertaking that has already cost Florida billions of dollars.
{Matzav.com}
Petirah of Rebbetzin Malkie Goldberg a”h
It is with great sadness that Matzav.com reports the passing of Rebbetzin Malkie Goldberg a”h, who was niftar yesterday in Lakewood at the age of 99.
Rebbetzin Goldberg was the wife of Rav Nochum Goldberg zt”l, and together they were among the very first kollel families in Lakewood, part of the pioneering group that helped lay the foundations of the Torah community.
After their years in Lakewood, Rav Nochum became a rav on the Lower East Side, where they lived for many years before Rebbetzin Goldberg moved back to Lakewood a few years ago.
When she was a teenage girl, her sister, Rebbetzin Esther Weissman, encouraged her to join the original group of Bais Yaakov students under the leadership of Rebbetzin Vichna Kaplan, an experience that shaped much of her life’s path.
Rebbetzin Goldberg was the daughter of Reb Yechiel Michel Hakohen Cohen, the beloved baal tokeia in the Poilishe shtiebel in Williamsburg.
She was predeceased by her sisters Rebbetzin Esther Weissman, Mrs. Chavie Rosenberg, and Mrs. Chaya Morgenstern.
She is survived by her sons, Reb Shlomo Goldberg, Reb Yitzchok Goldberg, Reb Nosi Goldberg, Reb Moshe Goldberg, and Reb Dovid Goldberg, as well as her daughters, Mrs. Chana Perl Grozovsky and Mrs. Fraidy Van. She leaves behind many grandchildren and great-grandchildren who continue her legacy.
Yehi zichrah boruch.
{Matzav.com}
Pages
