MK Yoav Ben Tzur sharply criticized what he described as selective enforcement against chareidi draft evaders during a speech Wednesday in the Knesset plenum, accusing authorities of unfairly targeting law-abiding members of the chareidi community.
Ben Tzur addressed the chamber during a debate on an urgent motion submitted to the justice minister regarding enforcement policies toward chareidi draft evaders. In his remarks, he charged that a community with low crime rates and strong civic commitment was being stigmatized.
“You have taken a quality, law-abiding public, a public that loves the country and contributes enormously to all segments of society. You have taken the community with the lowest crime rate and turned it into a leper society, a society whose finest sons are being arrested for the ‘sin’ of learning Torah. Who are you fighting against? Your own people?” Ben Tzur said.
He went on to question the focus of recent arrests. “Who are you arresting?” he asked. “Outstanding young men who have never encountered the police, because they are law-abiding? The chareidi community and its leadership respect IDF soldiers. There are chareidi soldiers within the IDF who have fought, and to all our sorrow, chareidi soldiers have also fallen in battle. The enemy did not distinguish between us and did not carry out selection against us in war, but there are those who, for small political reasons, are carrying out selection within our own people.”
Ben Tzur further accused political opponents of placing partisan interests above national concerns. “You are not lovers of the land, you are lovers of politics! The good of the IDF is not before your eyes, nor the good of the state, only divisive rhetoric guides you. What I, as labor minister — a chareidi with a kippah and beard — have done for reservists, most of those who shout here and in the media against the chareidi community have not done. In fact, you have done nothing, not even passed a single benefit for them.”
{Matzav.com}
Kamala Harris said she has yet to determine whether she will pursue another campaign for the presidency, offering a brief but notable response during a podcast interview that is expected to fuel renewed discussion about her political future.
Speaking with podcaster and author Sharon McMahon, Harris stated, “I haven’t decided — I might.”
Her remarks are likely to add momentum to speculation surrounding a possible 2028 run and keep her name circulating in discussions about who will lead the Democratic Party in the next presidential cycle.
Harris, who previously served as vice president and as a U.S. senator representing California, became the Democratic nominee in 2024 after President Joe Biden chose not to run for a second term. She was defeated in the general election by President Donald Trump, a loss that triggered widespread internal debate among Democrats over campaign messaging, coalition strategy, and the party’s broader direction.
In the months following the election, Harris has kept a relatively restrained public profile. She has appeared at a limited number of events and participated in policy-related conversations but has largely refrained from publicly dissecting her defeat or outlining her long-term political ambitions.
During the same podcast appearance, Harris discussed her recently released book and dismissed the notion that it was designed as a stepping stone for another campaign.
“The book was about a specific period in time,” she said. “There was no agenda beyond what we’ve discussed already, which is just sharing with people the reality of the experience and hopefully allowing people to see something of themselves.”
Political observers note that even a cautious or noncommittal statement about a potential presidential run can influence early groundwork, including fundraising networks, activist engagement, and behind-the-scenes organizing well in advance of the primary season. A number of Democratic governors and lawmakers are already being mentioned as possible 2028 candidates, though the prospective field remains unsettled.
Harris did not indicate when she expects to reach a decision about another White House campaign, nor did she specify which considerations would ultimately guide her choice.
Party strategists say Democrats continue to analyze the 2024 results and are weighing how best to expand their support in future national elections.
{Matzav.com}
Sen. John Fetterman joins ‘America’s Newsroom’ reacting to Democrats either skipping the State of the Union address or heckling President Trump and refusing to stand on key issues.
WATCH:
Rep. Ilhan Omar said Wednesday that she does not regret shouting at President Donald Trump during his State of the Union address, dismissing repeated efforts by CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer to get her to reconsider or apologize for her actions.
Omar made the remarks during an appearance on “The Situation Room,” after video circulated online showing her yelling toward the president while he discussed federal immigration enforcement during Tuesday night’s address.
Sitting next to Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., Omar repeatedly interrupted, accusing Trump of bearing responsibility for the deaths of two Minneapolis residents, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, who were fatally shot by federal immigration agents in January.
One of the individuals Omar brought as a guest, Aliya Rahman, was reportedly taken into custody by Capitol Police after allegedly causing a disturbance during the event.
During the interview, Blitzer referenced comments from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., who had advised Democrats opposed to the speech either to skip it entirely or to register their objections silently.
“Should you have just boycotted the address? And do you think you violated the guidelines set out by your own leader?” Blitzer asked.
Omar rejected the notion that she should have stayed quiet or stayed away.
“No, I think it was really unavoidable,” she said. “The president talked about protecting Americans, and I just had to remind him that his administration was responsible for killing two of my constituents.”
Blitzer continued pressing the issue, noting that Democrats had previously criticized Republicans who disrupted President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech.
“Many members of your Democratic Party criticized their Republican counterparts when they interrupted President Biden’s State of the Union address, as a lot of us remember,” he said. “Do you have any regrets at all about the interaction we played between you and President Trump just last night?”
“I do not,” Omar said. “And I think many people look at that moment when the president says it is our responsibility to protect Americans, and he does not acknowledge the fact that two Americans, two of my constituents, two of our neighbors, were killed.
“And it was important for me to just remind the American people that the president and his administration was responsible for killing two American citizens.”
Blitzer made a final attempt to ask whether, in retrospect, she might have handled the situation differently, including by boycotting the address altogether. Omar remained firm, maintaining that her presence in the chamber — along with her guests — was deliberate and meaningful.
She said she attended the speech with four guests from Minnesota and insisted that it was important for the people she represents to see her there.
“It was important for us to be there to bear witness, to hold the space for our constituents that have lived through an occupation from federal law enforcement, that have been terrorized, that have seen our neighbors been killed and traumatized in so many ways,” Omar said.
WATCH:
https://matzav.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Download.mp4{Matzav.com}
