National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir arrived in the Bedouin town of Lakiya overnight together with a massive police force, as part of an intensified campaign aimed at restoring governance and cracking down on crime across the Negev. Hundreds of Southern District officers, special units, and dozens of patrol vehicles took part in the operation, launched under the government’s “New Order” initiative.
Ben Gvir reached the area between Sunday night and Monday morning to oversee the activity firsthand and to meet with the forces deployed on the ground. He was accompanied by Southern District commander Maj.-Gen. Chaim Bublil, Deputy Police Commissioner Maj.-Gen. Avshi Peled, and additional senior commanders involved in the effort.
As the convoy entered Lakiya, tensions flared when MK Walid Al-Hawashla and the head of the Lakiya Regional Council attempted to create a confrontation. Ben Gvir responded sharply, telling them, “Governance is returning — and we are the ones in charge here.”
Throughout the tour, small-scale clashes broke out in several areas, but police continued the operation as planned. The sweep is part of a broader push to reestablish law and order in Negev communities, an issue the minister has repeatedly placed at the top of his agenda.
Ben Gvir said during the visit, “We will not back down. We are doing what hasn’t been done for 30 years. Those who behave properly — we will be good to them, and those who don’t — will be dealt with harshly. I understand that some residents find this difficult — they’ll have to overcome it. We came to remind everyone who is the boss in the State of Israel.”
{Matzav.com}The targeted killing of Hezbollah’s military chief, Haytham Ali Tabatabai, on Sunday surprised not only the terror organization but also officials in Washington, who were not told in advance whom Israel planned to strike, when it would happen, or where the operation would take place. According to a Channel 12 News report, the Trump administration learned the key details only after the mission had already concluded.
U.S. officials had received earlier indications from Israel that the northern front was sliding toward a security escalation due to delays in Hezbollah’s disarmament. Still, while they understood the direction Israel was heading, they had no knowledge of how that would translate into specific military action.
Even so, the lack of advance warning did not dampen Washington’s approval. Senior figures in the Trump administration — described as the most supportive Israel has ever had — openly welcomed the outcome of the strike. One top American official said, “We are pleased with the elimination of Hezbollah’s number two. We think it’s an excellent development. Congratulations. Mabrouk. Mazel tov.”
Officials also noted that in conversations held after the strike between U.S. representatives and the Lebanese government, Beirut did not voice sharp objections and did not ask Washington to pressure Israel in response.
{Matzav.com}
A special peter chamor ceremony drew thousands of participants on Motzaei Shabbos in the Givat HaAntenna community of Bayit Vegan, with leading rabbonim, dayanim, and roshei yeshiva joining the event.
The ceremony, held under the leadership of Rav Shimon Zafrani and Rav Avraham Dayan, was sponsored by Reb Yitzchak Kafif of Brazil. The gathering attracted prominent Torah figures from across Eretz Yisroel and abroad.
Among those in attendance were Rav David Attiya, member of the Bais Din Hagadol and son of Chacham Ezra Attiya zt”l; Rav Nissim Harari of Yeshivas Chida; Rav David Berdugo of the Bais Din Hagadol; Dayan Rav Yisroel Zar; Rav Moshe Vaknin of Orchos Meir; Rav Shalom Pinhasi of Darkei David; Rav Yosef Ades of Maalos Yosef; Rav Avraham Nochum Vig of Torah Ohr; Rav Asher Wiener, mara d’asra of Kiryat Yovel; as well as Rav Eli Mansour, rav in the Syrian community in NY, and Rav Chaim Dishi of Brazil.
The evening opened with remarks from Rav Yosef Shushan, Av Beis Din of Mishpetei HaTorah, who spoke about the significance of the mitzvah. Rav Avraham Dayan then addressed the crowd, elaborating on the halachic foundations and principles of acquisition related to the ceremony.
Rav Zafrani led Kabbalas Ol Malchus Shamayim, with the massive crowd responding.
The actual pidyon was then performed by the kohen, Rav Yitzchak Cohen, mara d’asra of the Shmuel HaNavi neighborhood and rosh yeshiva of Torah Vodaas. Before the main ceremony, a special Avos U’Banim learning session took place in the community’s beis medrash, drawing hundreds of fathers and children.
Rav Yosef Niyazoff served as the evening’s master of ceremonies.
Photographer Yaakov Cohen captured the scenes from this uplifting gathering:
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At a special event in Yerushalayim on Monday night, Rav Shlomo Moshe Amar delivered an emphatic message about the closeness of the geulah, asserting that the arrival of Moshiach is imminent. His remarks came as he participated in a mezuzah-placement ceremony for the new headquarters of “Banim Atem – Genetics and Halacha,” an organization dedicated to offering halachic and medical support for couples navigating fertility issues.
During his address, Rav Amar stated with certainty, “It is clear and certain, according to all opinions, that we are very close to the coming of Moshiach.” He went on to underscore that this understanding leaves no room for hesitation, emphasizing, “We are in the days of Moshiach. It’s not a question or a matter of doubt.”
Drawing on what he heard from those close to Rav Chaim Kanievsky, Rav Amar shared a striking recollection attributed to the late gadol: “I heard from great individuals that he told them: ‘How can you travel abroad? He’s already here!’”
Rav Amar clarified that his message was not meant to be taken as poetic imagery or subtle allusion but as a literal assessment of our times. “These are decisive things. This is not politics or policy, but actual redemption. We are at the height of the birth pangs of Moshiach, and it is very near. It’s as clear as day.”
{Matzav.com}
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signaled that Ankara is weighing whether to contribute troops to the proposed multinational force being assembled for Gaza, according to remarks he delivered on Sunday and cited by Reuters. He said the matter remains under review and that a final stance will be taken only after further conversations with international partners.
Addressing reporters after the G20 gathering in South Africa, Erdogan explained that discussions would shape Turkey’s eventual decision. His government was instrumental in brokering the ceasefire agreement and was one of the signatories at the talks in Egypt, positioning itself as a watchdog over the deal’s implementation.
Turkey has repeatedly expressed eagerness to take part in the stabilization mission. Yet Israel has made clear it will not accept Turkish participation in any post-conflict arrangement in Gaza, a point Israel has reinforced even as Ankara continues to press its case publicly.
Jerusalem’s refusal is rooted in the increasingly hostile rhetoric Erdogan has leveled at Israel since the war began on October 7, 2023. The tension spiked earlier this month when Turkish authorities issued sweeping arrest warrants targeting 37 Israeli officials on accusations of genocide linked to Israel’s operations in Gaza.
Those warrants named senior figures including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and Naval Forces Commander David Saar Salama.
At the Sunday press briefing, Erdogan doubled down on his allegation that the campaign in Gaza constitutes “genocide,” insisting once again that Netanyahu bears responsibility.
{Matzav.com}
NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s sweeping pledges of no-cost services are already colliding with fiscal reality, the NY Post reports. A new analysis from the Citizens Budget Commission warns that Mayor Eric Adams’ latest financial blueprint leaves the incoming administration staring at a shortfall that could top $8 billion — and that figure doesn’t even factor in the price tag for any of Mamdani’s proposed giveaways.
On top of that, Washington is widely expected to scale back federal support for the city, adding yet another financial strain that Mamdani will have to address almost immediately.
To plug the projected multibillion-dollar deficit, the next mayor would need to carve out deep reductions from the already-approved budget — a politically explosive task before he even begins to pitch new initiatives.
Even if Albany agrees to both of the sweeping tax increases Mamdani wants — hikes on personal income and corporate levies — and even if the state lets him keep the full $9 billion those taxes might generate instead of spreading them across statewide programs, analysts say the money still wouldn’t cover existing obligations, let alone fund ambitious new policies.
And that’s assuming those taxes actually bring in what supporters promise. Higher levies on wealthy earners and major companies risk driving many of them out of New York — wiping out the very revenue the mayor-elect is banking on.
So the big question hanging in the air: How exactly does Mamdani expect to fund his agenda of complimentary buses, free child care, and expansive housing subsidies?
The numbers are staggering. His transit proposal would cost nearly $1 billion on its own. Universal child care could swallow another $6 billion. Some iterations of his housing vision would require tens of billions — amounts that make the city’s current deficit look minor.
Does Mamdani believe money simply materializes on cue?
Nor is Albany in a position to swoop in with a bailout. Gov. Kathy Hochul may now support ideas she once dismissed — including free buses and certain tax increases — but the state itself is bracing for substantial shortfalls as federal aid drops. New York could lose roughly $8 billion a year from reductions in Medicaid and food stamp funding alone.
Meanwhile, the city’s long-term outlook is worsening. Adams’ plan projects a $12 billion cumulative gap through 2029, but the CBC warns actual expenses are understated by around $4 billion — meaning the true hole could be even deeper.
Unless Mamdani has a hidden supply of miracle cash, the enthusiasm of his supporters is likely to collide quickly with an unforgiving balance sheet.
{Matzav.com}
A newly rediscovered video from 2002 has thrust Mahmood Mamdani — father of NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani — into the spotlight, revealing a series of incendiary accusations against Israel and Holocaust survivors. In the footage, the Columbia University professor likens Israel to apartheid-era South Africa and labels Holocaust survivors as “today’s perpetrators,” igniting a fresh round of outrage.
The remarks come from a Nov. 16, 2002 lecture delivered at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts, where Mahmood Mamdani framed both South Africa and Israel as examples of oppressive settler regimes targeting native populations. Speaking about white Afrikaners, he claimed they feared how Black South Africans might treat them once the system of apartheid collapsed.
“That same specter must also haunt the survivors of the Holocaust in Israel — yesterday’s victims turned today’s perpetrators,” he asserted, tying Jewish survival after the Shoah to modern political conflict with Palestinians.
During the same address, the scholar — known for his work on colonialism, anti-colonial struggles, and decolonization — went further, invoking Adolf Hitler while arguing that European outrage over Nazism was selective. “The European bourgeois cannot forgive Hitler the fact that he applied to Europe the colonial practices that had been previously applied to the Arabs in Algeria, the Koulis in India and the Negroes in Africa,” Mahmood Mamdani said. “The Holocaust was the imperial chickens come home.”
He claimed that Israel operates with unchecked authority and American backing, asserting that Israel acts “with impunity” and “without accountability.” He continued: “There is one state that stands in defiance to practically every UN resolution that affects it. That’s the state of Israel.”
Two decades later, similar talking points have become common among anti-Israel activists, particularly since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 massacre triggered the current war in Gaza — a conflict followed by a surge in antisemitic threats, protests, and harassment, including incidents targeting Jews on their way to shul.
The resurfaced recording was uncovered by Canary Mission, an organization that documents antisemitism and anti-Israel agitation on college campuses. The watchdog said, “Zohran Mamdani’s father, Mahmood, is one of the most antisemitic voices in academia by spewing lies and distortions uninterrupted.” They added, “If not for his son’s fame, we might not know that this hateful rhetoric was infecting impressionable students’ minds year after year after year @Columbia.”
The revelations arrive at a sensitive moment for Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist who has already faced criticism for backing the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement, labeling Israel an apartheid regime, and declaring that he would seek to arrest Israel Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu as a war criminal if he ever entered New York City.
{Matzav.com}
