Yisrael Beiteinu chairman MK Avigdor Leiberman delivered sharp criticism following the disturbances in Bnei Brak yesterday, labeling those involved as “terrorists” and holding the chareidi leadership responsible. Speaking in a Monday morning interview on 103FM, he said the government had pledged to restore order but instead allowed chaos to take root.
“They promised us governance and we got lawlessness. Yesterday, terrorists attacked female soldiers in the heart of Bnei Brak. They are not Jews, they are not citizens – they are terrorists, plain and simple,” Leiberman said. He asked how security forces would have reacted had a comparable assault taken place in Gush Etzion or along the Lebanon border, arguing that the situation revealed what he sees as unequal enforcement.
Responding to reports that police had not been informed in advance about the soldiers’ entry into the city, Leiberman said, “We are eroding reality in a way that sometimes makes you want to pinch yourself. I heard people in the Israel Police say, ‘Their entry into Bnei Brak was not coordinated with us.’ This is the center of the country – what coordination? Soldiers cannot be restricted from entering key areas like Ramat Beit Shemesh, Bnei Brak, or Mea Shearim. This is unacceptable. It is not a fringe issue; unfortunately, this is the central leadership.”
Leiberman directed his strongest criticism at leading rabbinic and political figures within the chareidi world. He cited Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef, who publicly urged followers to tear up draft notices and “flush them down the toilet,” as well as Moshe Hillel Hirsch, who described draft evasion as a religious obligation. He also pointed to statements by United Torah Judaism head Goldberg, who compared military service to wearing a “yellow badge.” “They care only about power, respect, and money for themselves. The chareidi public is held hostage; we need to rescue them,” Leiberman said.
He further warned that many young chareidim lack preparation for gainful employment because they are not taught core subjects such as English, mathematics, and computer skills, leaving them reliant on stipends and communal support. “Along with the charity and the allowance, they will also get a voting slip. They only care about themselves; their public doesn’t matter to them,” Leiberman said.
Making his political stance unmistakably clear, Leiberman ruled out participation in any future governing coalition that includes chareidi parties. “God forbid. The chareidi parties must move to the opposition for at least two terms. The extortion by the chareidi parties has crossed every line; we can no longer subsidize it.” He added that the makeup of the next government would depend on whether voters align with what he described as the camp of those who serve versus the camp of draft evaders. “If we go with a clear bloc strategy, I see at least 63 mandates,” he said.
On the security front, Leiberman called for the immediate deployment of two Border Police battalions to Bnei Brak. “Every time draft dodgers are arrested, they are released through a revolving door. This lawlessness cannot continue when we are building a state within a state. Blocking Jabotinsky Road, the main artery of Gush Dan, is unbearable. It threatens national resilience and unity. When there is draft dodging, there is no unity,” he concluded.
{Matzav.com}
Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu on Sunday reiterated his doubts regarding the possibility of any deal with Iran, which he said must include the dismantling of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, and not just stopping uranium enrichment.
His comments came ahead of a second round of U.S.-Iranian talks in Geneva, Switzerland, on Tuesday, and amid a major American military buildup in the region which is still underway.
“I will not hide from you that I express my skepticism of any deal with Iran, because, frankly, Iran is reliable on one thing: they lie, and they cheat,” Netanyahu said in a keynote speech to the annual gathering of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in Jerusalem.
In his first public address after meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington last week, the Israeli leader said that any agreement must remove all enriched nuclear material from Iran, dismantle its enrichment infrastructure, curb its ballistic missile program and dismantle the axis of terror that Tehran has built across the region.
“There shall be no enrichment capability—not stopping the enrichment process, but dismantling the equipment and the infrastructure that allows you to enrich in the first place,” he said.
Gaza
Turning to Gaza, Netanyahu said that in the second stage of Trump’s peace plan, Hamas must be disarmed of some 60,000 AK-47 assault rifles it still possesses, which, he noted, were the primary weapon used during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.
At the same time, Israel must “complete the job” of demilitarizing Gaza by dismantling its vast network of tunnels—which the terror group built up for years across the coastal strip. About 150 kilometers (93 miles) of an estimated 500 kilometers (311 miles) of tunnels have been destroyed to date.
“We’re giving the president’s plan a chance,” said Netanyahu. “And he put it very succinctly. He said it can be done the easy way or it can be done the hard way. We hope that it will be done the easy way, because we know the ravages of war. We know what it means to lose people, we know the human cost of war, but that goal has to be achieved, one way or the other, and one way or the other, it will be achieved.”
Economy
Despite the two-year war, Netanyahu highlighted Israel’s booming economy, citing an Economist survey that found Israel had the third most vibrant economy in the OECD, and highlighting the record highs of the Israeli stock market, as well as the 30-year high the Israeli shekel has reached against the dollar.
He noted that growing ties between Israel and a string of countries across Latin America, singling out special praise for Argentina under the leadership of Javier Milei, and also noting that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was due in Israel next week to further expand burgeoning bilateral relations.
He added that Israel was a leading power in cyber technology, which has attracted vast foreign investment, and intends to reach the same heights in partnership with the United States in artificial intelligence and quantum technologies.
“Israel is a very strong country coming out of the war… economically, militarily, and technologically, and we intend to be a lot stronger,” he said. JNS
As preparations move forward for Phase B of President Donald Trump’s Gaza reconstruction initiative, Hamas has introduced a new condition: it wants to preserve its control over the Gaza Strip while continuing to function as a political body.
Israeli officials have conveyed an unequivocal position to Washington, stating that they will not tolerate any arrangement in which Hamas plays a part in administering Gaza. Jerusalem has also clarified that it will not enter into political or financial agreements if the terror group remains embedded within Gaza’s governing framework.
According to a report by Kan News, Hamas is unwilling to hand over authority to the technocratic body formed to oversee Gaza’s civilian management. Instead, the organization prefers to stay in charge of the territory, even if that means agreeing to only a limited disarmament.
The report further indicated that Hamas has been in contact with several Arab governments, signaling its interest in a model similar to Hezbollah’s role in Lebanon — maintaining political influence while simultaneously retaining military power on the ground.
Speaking Sunday evening at the opening gala of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu outlined Israel’s objectives in the ongoing war. He said the country’s three primary aims were to “return the hostages, disarm and dismantle Hamas military capabilities, and third dismantle Hamas governing capabilities. The first has been achieved.”
Netanyahu emphasized the urgency of removing Hamas’s weapons, stating, “Hamas must give up its weapons. The weapon that does the most damage is the AK-47. Assault weapons. There are 60,000 such weapons, they must go.”
He continued by detailing Israel’s broader security goals: “First disarm Hamas. Second, demilitarize Gaza. We dismantled about 150 km of 500 km of tunnels. We’re giving the President’s plan a chance. It can be done the easy or hard way. We hope the easy way. Because we know the human cost of war. But that goal must be achieved. And one way or another it will be.
“Gaza will not pose a threat ever again to the State of Israel,” Netanyahu declared.
{Matzav.com}Iran is prepared to explore concessions in its nuclear negotiations with the United States, but only if Washington is willing to put sanctions relief on the table, according to Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi.
In remarks aired Sunday in an interview with the BBC, Takht-Ravanchi stressed that meaningful progress depends on the United States demonstrating genuine intent to reach an agreement.
“The ball is in America’s court to prove that they want to do a deal,” Takht-Ravanchi told the British broadcaster. “If they are sincere, I’m sure we will be on the road to an agreement.”
His comments come as the two countries prepare for another round of talks and against a backdrop of heightened tensions. The United States has expanded its military footprint in the Middle East, and officials have warned that military action remains an option if diplomacy fails to rein in Iran’s nuclear program.
President Donald Trump has previously cautioned that Iran could face strikes and ordered an increased American military presence in the region following Tehran’s deadly suppression of anti-government demonstrations that reportedly left thousands dead.
Another session of negotiations over Iran’s nuclear activities is scheduled to take place Tuesday in Geneva. Takht-Ravanchi characterized the initial discussions as “more or less in a positive direction,” while emphasizing that it is “too early to judge.”
A central dispute in the talks involves Iran’s accumulation of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity — a level approaching weapons-grade material and one that has intensified international concern about Tehran’s nuclear ambitions. Takht-Ravanchi indicated that Iran is open to addressing its enriched uranium reserves, but only within a broader framework that includes lifting sanctions.
“We are ready to discuss this and other issues related to our program if they are ready to talk about sanctions,” he told the BBC.
When asked whether Iran might again transfer enriched uranium abroad — as it did under the 2015 nuclear agreement that Trump exited in 2018 — Takht-Ravanchi declined to make any commitments, saying, “It is too early to say what will happen in the course of negotiations.”
Tehran has consistently insisted that discussions remain limited to nuclear matters. Takht-Ravanchi explained that Iran believes Washington now recognizes that narrowing the focus is essential to reaching a deal. “Our understanding is that they have come to the conclusion that if you want to have a deal you have to focus on the nuclear issue.” He suggested this marks a departure from earlier U.S. demands that Iran halt all enrichment — a position Tehran argues violates its rights under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Takht-Ravanchi also reaffirmed that Iran will not negotiate over its ballistic missile arsenal. The United States has pressed for missile restrictions, citing concerns shared by Israel, which views Iran’s missile program as a significant security threat. Defending Iran’s stance, he said, “When we were attacked by Israelis and Americans, our missiles came to our rescue so how can we accept depriving ourselves of our defensive capabilities?”
Although he voiced guarded hope that diplomacy could succeed, Takht-Ravanchi acknowledged lingering mistrust, pointing to what he described as inconsistent messaging from Washington, especially comments from Trump about regime change. “We are hearing that they are interested in negotiations… but we are not hearing that in the private messages,” he said.
He warned that a new armed conflict would have severe repercussions across the region. “If we feel this is an existential threat, we will respond accordingly.”
Even with tensions running high, Takht-Ravanchi maintained that Iran remains committed to pursuing a negotiated outcome. “We will do our best but the other side also has to prove that they are also sincere,” he concluded.
