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Iran’s Guardian Council has approved six candidates to run in the June 28 presidential election, and among the approved candidates is the hard-line parliament speaker, while former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been disqualified.

This decision marks the beginning of a brief, two-week campaign period to find a successor for Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash last month.

The leading contender is Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, 62, a former mayor of Tehran with strong connections to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Qalibaf has previously run for president in 2005 and 2013, and he withdrew from the 2017 race to back Raisi in his first presidential attempt. Raisi eventually won the 2021 election, which saw historically low voter turnout due to the disqualification of major opponents.

Other candidates in the race include Saeed Jalili, a former senior nuclear negotiator; Tehran mayor Alireza Zakani; former justice minister Mostafa Pourmohammadi; Amirhossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, who was Raisi’s vice president; and reformist Masoud Pezeshkian, who is not considered a strong contender.

Ahmadinejad had registered for the election last week, hoping to make a comeback to the country’s top political office. Despite his efforts, he was once again barred by the Guardian Council, as he was in 2017.

Ahmadinejad served as Iran’s President from 2005 to 2013. Notably, he once stated that his “proudest moment” as President was denying the Holocaust. In 2019, he claimed he was not antisemitic, clarifying that he opposed the “Zionist government” rather than Jewish people.

{Matzav.com}

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A serious terror attack occurred overnight Sunday when two terrorists dressed in military vests and helmets infiltrated the the Sde Ephraim farm in Binyamin. The terrorists, one of whom was armed, entered the trailer and when they found it empty, they decided to set it on fire. They poured flammable liquid on it and set it on fire. They then fled the scene. The trailer was home to a newlywed couple who got married less than a week ago. B’Chasdei Hashem, since their Sheva Brachos that night was a far trip, they decided to sleep there, saving their lives. The firefighters who arrived at the scene worked for hours under heavy IDF guard to quell the fire and prevent it from spreading to the rest of the farm. The trailer was completely destroyed. The IDF launched a manhunt for the terrorists. Yesha Council chairman Yisrael Gantz said: “We’ve been warning for a long time about the dangers from the Arabes in the villages in the area who continue to carry out terrorist attacks and constitute a significant security threat to the State of Israel. If you want to prevent the next attack, the army must launch an operation today in the terrorists’ village and protect the area and the State of Israel.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

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The IDF on Sunday evening released footage from the camera of an IDF Shayetet 13 commando in Gaza. The footage shows the moments in which the rescued hostages were transferred to helicopters in Gaza to return home to Israel. The transfer was carried out under fire by Yamam officers, Shin Bet agents and Paratrooper soldiers. According to details that emerged about the daring rescue operation on Sunday, the special forces unit that first entered Gaza disguised themselves as displaced Gazas from Rafah. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

In the first attack of its kind, Hezbollah terrorists on Sunday attempted to down Israeli fighter jets over southern Lebanon by firing anti-aircraft missiles at them, the IDF said. Baruch Hashem, their attempt was unsuccessful. Shortly later, the IDF killed the terror cell in a drone strike. The IDF emphasized that the fighter jets were not seriously threatened by the missiles. However, the unprecedented attack is another escalation in Hezbollah’s steadily increasing war on Israel. The elimination of the terror cell that launched the anti-aircraft missiles: Hezbollah also launched numerous rocket and drone attacks at northern Israel on Sunday, including a rocket barrage of at least 10 rockets in the morning, some of which hit open areas in the northern Golan and caused fires to break out. Shortly later, two suicide drones landed in open areas in Ramat HaGolan, also sparking fires. In return, the IDF struck two Hezbollah compounds, a rocket launcher and additional terror infrastructure in southern Lebanon (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

WATCH:

On Sunday, Israel’s Finance Ministry published a report detailing the deficit and spending for this year. In the updated Knesset budget for 2024, Israel’s deficit was supposed to be capped at a ceiling of 6.6% of the county’s GDP. However, the report shows the deficit this year is up to 7.2% of GDP.

Additionally, Israel’s public spending is up 35%, year over year.

The monthly deficit in May was NIS 10 billion, and NIS 46.7 billion since the start of the year.

The additional spending is somewhat expected due to the costs of the war. However the report also found that after accounting for war spending, public spending was still up 10% year over year. Meanwhile public income is only up 2%.

Israel’s government has faced criticism that it is increasing spending for coalition party’s pet causes in a time of war, when every Shekel should be saved.

{Matzav.com}

The Border Patrol arrested Gerardo Henao 14 hours after President Joe Biden suspended asylum processing at the U.S. border with Mexico this week. But instead of being summarily deported, he was dropped off by agents the next day at a San Diego bus stop, where he caught a train to the airport for a flight to Newark, New Jersey. Henao, who said he left his jewelry business in Medellin, Colombia, because of constant extortion attempts, had one thing working in his favor: a scarcity of deportation flights to that country. Lack of resources, diplomatic limitations and logistical hurdles make it difficult for the Biden administration to impose its sweeping measure on a large scale. The policy, which took effect Wednesday, has an exception for “operational considerations,” official language acknowledging the government lacks the money and authority to deport everyone subject to the measure, especially people from countries in South America, Asia, Africa and Europe who didn’t start showing up at the border until recently. The Homeland Security Department said in a detailed document outlining the ban that “demographics and nationalities encountered at the border significantly impact” its ability to deport people. Thousands of migrants have been deported under the ban so far, according to two senior Homeland Security Department officials who briefed reporters Friday on condition that they not be named. There were 17 deportation flights, including one to Uzbekistan. Those deported include people from Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Peru and Mexico. Henao, 59, said a Border Patrol agent told him about the ban after he was picked up Wednesday on a dirt road near a high-voltage power line in the boulder-strewn mountains east of San Diego. The agent processed release papers ordering him to appear in immigration court Oct. 23 in New Jersey. He casually asked Henao why he fled Colombia but didn’t pursue that line of questioning. “It was nothing,” Henao said at a San Diego transit center, where the Border Patrol dropped off four busloads of migrants in a four-hour span Thursday afternoon. “They took my photo, my fingerprints and that was it.” Many migrants released that day were from China, India, Colombia and Ecuador. One group included men from Mauritania, Sudan and Ethiopia. “Hello, if you are arriving right now, you have been released from immigration custody and you can go to the airport,” a volunteer with a bullhorn told the migrants, directing them to a light-rail platform across the parking lot. “You can go for free if you don’t have money for a taxi or an Uber.” Under the measure, asylum is suspended when arrests for illegal crossings reach 2,500 a day. It ends when they average below 1,500 for a week straight. Border officials were told to give the highest priority to detaining migrants who can be easily deported, followed by “hard to remove” nationalities requiring at least five days to issue travel documents and then “very hard to remove” nationalities whose governments don’t accept U.S. flights. The instructions are laid out in a memo to agents that was reported by the New York Post. The Associated Press confirmed its contents with a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because it has not been publicly released. Homeland Security has been clear about the hurdles, said Theresa Cardinal Brown, senior adviser for […]

In response to Israel’s successful rescue of 4 hostages over Shabbos, Hamas announced on Sunday that three Israeli hostages, including a US citizen, were killed in the operation. Hamas has made similar claims before, and no proof was given to back up their claims.

“In exchange for them [the four Israeli hostages], your own army killed three of your own captives in the same attack; one of them holds a US citizenship,” Hamas said.

The IDF operation, now named Operation Arnon in honor of the commander who was killed in the operation, rescued Israeli hostages Noa Argamani (25), Almog Meir (21), Andrey Kozlov (27), and Shlomi Ziv (40), all of whom were kidnapped by Hamas to the Gaza Strip from the Supernova festival on October 7. Hamas claimed the death toll during the operation reached over 200 Palestinians. Of course Hamas did not distingiush between “civilians” and terrorists in it’s figure, and other sources has put the figure at under 100 deaths.

Hamas put out a video with text stating that “your Israeli government killed a number of your captives in order to save the other captives.”

The video then proceeded to show images of wounded Palestinian children and elaborated that the IDF committed a massacre “in the Nuesirat Camp yesterday to rescue four captives.”

“Your captives will not be released unless our prisoners are freed. Time is running out,” the video concluded.

{Matzav.com}

Adirei Hatorah hosted a event welcoming representatives and ambassadors from nearly 350 shuls spanning Lakewood, Jackson, Toms River, Manchester, Brick, and Howell. The triumphant launch of the Ma’amad ticket sales, uniting the entire community, owes its success to the unwavering dedication of these shul representatives and ambassadors. The Rosh Hayeshiva, Horav Malkiel Kotler Shlita, addressed the gathering, emphasizing the significance of dedicating time to an event that will bring Kavod Hatorah. Horav Uren Reich Shlita, Rosh Yeshiva of Ohr Zecharya, addressed the crowd. Attendees discussed ideas how to make the third event exciting and successful. The upcoming Ma’amad is scheduled for June 16th at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The collective dedication of the reps led to the rapid sell-out of shul tickets, surpassing expectations by five days. Limited tickets are still available at: adireihatorah.com/tickets

Israeli political leaders reacted to the news of Benny Gantz’s resignation from the coalition on Sunday night.

The Opposition leader and chairman of Yesh Atid, Yair Lapid, posted a statement to X, saying: “Gantz and Eisenkot’s decision to leave the failed government is important and just. The time has come to replace this extreme government with a sane government that will lead to the return of security to the citizens of Israel, to the return of the hostages, to the restoration of Israel’s economy and international status.”

Meanwhile, Finance Minister Bazalel Smotrcih of Religious Zionism stated, “Benny, when you got under the stretcher eight months ago, you did a brave and right thing, and for that, you deserve to be appreciated.”

“Today, your step is aimed at dismantling this cohesion for political reasons and is irresponsible.”

“There is no less stately act than resigning from a government during a war. This is exactly what Sinwar, Nasrallah, and Iran were aiming for, and unfortunately, you are fulfilling their request,” wrote Smotrich.

Avigdor Liberman of Yisrael Beiteinu wrote in a statement on X: “Better late than never, the time has come for a Zionist coalition.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir demanded to be added to the war cabinet following Gantz’s departure.

“Now, in light of Gantz’s retirement, I have requested the Prime Minister to join the war cabinet. The time has come to make brave decisions, to achieve real deterrence, and bring security to the residents of the south, north, and Israel as a whole,” Ben-Gvir said.

The new leader of the Labor party, Yair Golan, criticized the timing of Gantz’s exit, calling it “too late.”

“I do not doubt that on a personal level, Benny Gantz had good intentions. He is a patriot who worries about the fate of this country – just like us. His decision to resign from the government was the biggest failure in the country’s history – necessary, appropriate, but late. Too late,” Golan wrote.

{Matzav.com}

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has reached 15% or more in three approved national polls. One more, and he will have met one of CNN’s benchmarks to qualify for the debate June 27 with Democratic President Joe Biden and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. But Kennedy cannot count on maintaining his current level of support as the November election nears. It is pretty common for third-party candidates to look like they have polling momentum in the months before an election, only to come up far short at the ballot box, according to an Associated Press analysis of Gallup data going back to 1980. That is not a sign that the polls about Kennedy are wrong right now. They just are not predictors of what will happen in the general election. Studies have shown that people are bad at predicting their future behavior, and voting is months away. And in a year with two highly unpopular candidates in a rematch from 2020, voters may also use their early support for a third-party candidate to express their frustration with the major party choices. In the end, voters may support the candidate for whom they feel their vote can make a difference or they may decide not to vote at all. AMERICANS WANT A THIRD PARTY, IN THEORY The concept of a third party has been popular for a long time. A poll conducted by Gallup in 1999 found two-thirds of U.S. adults said they favored a third political party that would run candidates for president, Congress and state offices against Republicans and Democrats. (The AP analysis used Gallup data, when available, because Gallup has a long history of high-quality polling in the United States.) About 6 in 10 U.S. adults have said in Gallup polling since 2013 that the Republican and Democratic parties do “such a poor job representing the American people” that a third major party is needed. In the latest Gallup polling, much of that enthusiasm is carried by independents: 75% say a third party is needed. About 6 in 10 Republicans and slightly fewer than half of Democrats (46%) say an alternative is necessary. Marjorie Hershey, a professor emeritus in the political science department at Indiana University, said Americans generally like the idea of a third party until specifics emerge, such as that party’s policies and nominees. “It’s a symbolic notion. Do I want more choices? Well, sure. Everybody always wants more choices, more ice cream choices, more fast-food choices,” Hershey said. “But if you start to get down to brass tacks and you talk about, so would it be tacos or burgers, then that’s an entirely different choice, right?” THIRD-PARTY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES RARELY GET A SUBSTANTIAL SHARE OF THE VOTE That hypothetical support for third-party candidates often breaks down quickly. The AP analysis looked at polling for every independent and minor party presidential candidate who received at least 3% of the popular vote nationally going back to the 1980 election. In multiple elections, including the 1980, 1992, and 2016 presidential races, third-party candidates hit early polling numbers that were much higher than their ultimate vote share. For instance, in polls conducted in May and June 1980, between 21% and 24% of registered voters said they would like to see independent candidate John Anderson, a veteran Republican […]

Moshe Pozailov is a former senior Shin Bet agent who spent most of his service in operational roles among the Arab population and as a senior-level interrogator who interrogated arch-terrorists, including Marwan Barghouti. Pozailov told Army Radio on Sunday: “I can tell you  – the planning for the rescue of the hostages began immediately after October 7th.” “The Shin Bet formulated two teams the day after the massacre – one to settle accounts with everyone who was involved in crossing the border fence and the second one to gather the intelligence for eventual rescue operations.” The radio host asked: “Do the civilians in the area matter? Is it even an operational consideration when the hostages are there?” Pozailov responded: “Uninvolved civilians in Gaza is a type of science fiction. In Gaza, everyone is involved – some on an emotional level and some on a practical level. Anyone who can stab you with a knife will stab you there – and the rescue forces take that into account.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Brigadier General Avi Rosenfeld, the Commander of the IDF’s Gaza Division announced on Sunday his resignation from the IDF, due to the October 7th failure.

“On October 7, I failed in my life’s mission to protect the Gaza envelope area. On the morning of Simchat Torah, a surprise war broke out, without any warning. For many hours we were unable to protect the villages, the tens of thousands of residents, the thousands celebrating at the Nova party at Re’im, and the security forces in the outposts, against the thousands of terrorists who invaded our country, through dozens of routes in an all-out attack by the terrorist organization Hamas,” Rosenfeld wrote in a resignation letter.

Rosenfeld stated that “from the beginning of the attack, we operated in the division, each one within his or her ability to do everything they could to stop and destroy the enemy, save lives and regain control of the area. I am full of appreciation for the brigades, battalions, first response teams, and everyone who fought bravely, in the most difficult conditions, against thousands of terrorists. I am hurting and I constantly carry with me the heavy price paid by the citizens, soldiers of the army, and the security forces, and the loss of many friends.”

The letter continued, stating: “Since then, eight months ago, we have been engaged in the most just war of our generation. I have no doubt that the IDF will not back down and will continue to fight until it reaches its goals and the security situation has fundamentally changed. We will no longer have an army of armed terrorists on our border. This is the only way the communities will be able to return to grow, flourish, and prosper. It sounds far off, it will be long and hard – but this will be our victory. I wish for the day when all the residents of the Gaza envelope return to their homes, but I know that in order to go back to living in this part of the country, we need to be assured that what happened can never happen again. Only then will we be able to restore the trust between the residents of the area and the IDF which suffered a severe blow.”

Rosenfeld says: “We need to do everything to bring all the hostages back home and the dead to be buried in Israel. This is a military mission, but more importantly, it is a moral duty. We will always stand by the bereaved families and accompany the wounded in body and soul.”

“Everyone has to take responsibility for their part, and I am the one in charge of Division 143. As part of my responsibility as a commander, I have decided to end my position as the division commander and my service in the IDF after 30 years of service,” he concluded.

{Matzav.com}

In a perfect example of “you can’t make this up,” a BBC presenter asked former IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus why Israel didn’t provide an evacuation warning to Gazans before the operation, “Of course we cannot expect Israel to issue a warning ahead of the raid to extract hostages, because then the terrorists would kill the hostages, defeating the goal. I agree with you that we don’t know if all the civilians who were killed were necessarily directly connected to the holding of Israeli hostages in Gaza for 8 months,” he said. “There was also significant resistance to the Israeli forces, including RPGs, heavy machine gun fire, and hand grenades. Some of the casualties were likely from reckless Palestinian fire.” “Just like we saw in Rafah, Israelis were held by Palestinian civilians. Hamas gunmen may have been there also, but the bottom line is that we have complicity of Palestinian civilians,” he added. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Itamar Ben Gvir, Israel’s National Security Minister and member of the current governing coalition demanded on Sunday evening to join the war cabinet after the resignation of Benny Gantz and his National Unity Party from the coalition.

Ben Gvir sent a letter to Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu, saying: “With the outbreak of the war, as part of a necessary step of the unity of the ranks, the National Unity Party was added to the coalition. This step was taken with our full support out of statesmanship and national responsibility. In contrast, to this ‘statesmanlike’ step of ‘unity’, there was also added an ugly step, of an ultimatum to form a small cabinet, and to boycott parties in the coalition and senior ministers, including the undersigned,”

He continued, saying that:”out of that national responsibility, despite the difficult ideological differences with Gantz and Eisenkot’s views, which are dangerous in our eyes, we kept quiet about it.”

“The same small cabinet, which until now was the ‘cabinet of the concept’, led Israel until now, while excluding senior ministers in the government. No more. Now, with the resignation of the ministers of the concept, there is no longer an excuse for boycotting and excluding partners and senior ministers, certainly partners who warned in real time about the concept and perception that today everyone understands were wrong,” Ben Gvir said.

“As a minister in the government, chairman of a party and a senior partner in the coalition, I hereby demand to join this cabinet, in order to be a partner in determining Israel’s security policy in the current precipice of times. The time has come to make brave decisions,” Ben Gvir concluded.

{Matzav.com}

An assessment by the CIA and obtained by CNN reveals that Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu likely believes he can evade pressure from the Biden administration to formulate a clear post-war plan for the Gaza Strip. The June 3 report suggests Netanyahu is confident in his ability to withstand US pressure and maintain support from his security chiefs and governing partners by discussing future plans for Gaza in vague terms. According to the report, Netanyahu will likely only engage on the issue of post-war Gaza after achieving “what he sees as key security benchmarks, which may take months.” These benchmarks include completing “major military operations” and killing Hamas’s military wing commander Mohammed Deif. The CIA assessment comes amid a shift in how the Biden administration views Israel, with the US government increasingly seeing Israel as “an unpredictable foreign government to be analyzed and understood,” rather than a trusted partner, according to the assessment. The report’s release coincides with the expected announcement by war cabinet minister Benny Gantz that he will withdraw his party from the government, fulfilling an ultimatum he set to Netanyahu last month. Gantz had demanded a commitment to an agreed-upon vision for the Gaza conflict, including stipulating who might rule the territory in a scenario where Hamas has been defeated. (YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

The world of Torah and mussar in Ereetz Yisrael was thrown into mourning on Sunday with the news of the petirah of the Zakein HaMashgichim in our generation – HaRav Avraham Pollack, z’tl, the Mashgiach of Slabodka, at the age of 95. HaRav Pollack, z’tl had been ill in recent months and was hospitalized in the ICU of Mayanei HaYeshua Hospital in Bnei Brak. After the petirah, the paroches was removed in Yeshivas Slabodka. The levaya began at 10 p.m. at the Yeshivah and the kevurah will take place at the beis hachayim in Petach HaTikvah, where the niftar will be buried next to his wife, a’h. HaRav Avraham, z’tl, was born in Romania in 1929. At the age of 17, he left Romania alone when he obtained an entry ticket to Eretz Yisrael through the Hashomer HaTzair movement. On the advice of the Chazon Ish, HaRav Avraham joined Slabodka, which had just been established in Bnei Brak. There, he drew close to the Rosh HaYeshivah, HaGaon HaRav Isaac Sher, Ztl, while also maintaining a close relationship with the Chazon Ish. He later married the niece of the Rosh HaYeshivah, HaGaon HaRav Mordechai Shulman, z’tl. After he was married for a number of years without being zocheh to children, HaRav Avraham approached his uncle, HaRav Shulman, and told him that they were advised to travel abroad and requested his bracha. Instead, the Rosh Yeshiva suggested that instead, HaRav Pollack become the yeshiva’s new Mashgiach and in the zechus of זיכוי הרבים, he’ll be zocheh to children. HaRav Pollack agreed and was zocheh to children and almost 70 years of guiding talmidim in darchei mussar. Every Wednesday for decades, HaRav Avraham delivered a mussar sichah at the yeshivah. HaRav Avraham, z’tl, was renowned for his sterling middos – his unbelievable anavah, serenity, and patience. He was known to never raise his voice and his consideration for others was legendary. תהא נשמתו צרורה בצרור החיים. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)