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Ryanair said one of its planes was forced into an emergency landing at Thessaloniki airport in Greece shortly after take-off on Friday after its window was “dislodged,” with two industry sources saying a passenger was partially sucked out of a window.

The airline said one person received medical assistance, but did not elaborate on the cause.

The plane was flying from Thessaloniki to Memmingen airport in Germany.

“The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal,” Ryanair said in a statement.

A piece of the engine broke off, smashing the window

Local media in Greece reported that a piece of engine broke off and smashed a window, causing the cabin to decompress and sucking one passenger partially out of the window.

Two sources with knowledge of the incident relayed the same details to Reuters.

Unverified videos posted on social media from the inside of the plane showed a broken window and oxygen masks dangling from the ceiling.

Jerusalem Border Police rescued an Israeli citizen on Thursday who accidentally entered the village of A-Ram, just north of Jerusalem, in Area A of the West Bank. 

Israeli citizens are strictly prohibited from entering Area A; police emphasized in their statement following the event that entering Area A is “extremely dangerous and can be life-threatening.”

On Thursday evening, police received a report of a 30-year-old Israeli man from the Givat Ze’ev settlement who unwittingly found himself in A-Ram. 

Border Police in the Jerusalem area were dispatched to the scene and quickly located and escorted the man to safety.

IDF, Border Police rescue ten civilians who entered Kalkilya to search for stolen motorcycle

On Monday, the IDF and Border Police officers rescued ten Israeli civilians who had entered the West Bank town of Kalkilya, located in Area A, forbidden to Israeli citizens.

The Israelis entered the area to search for a stolen motorcycle, according to Israel Police.

Locals surrounded the Israelis upon noticing them, with the IDF and Border Police arriving soon after to separate the groups and extract the Israelis.

Goldie Katz and Ariella Roitman contributed to this report.

China announced on Friday a temporary export ban on helium, effective immediately, as resumption of military conflict in the Middle East threatens to trigger new shortages of the gas critical for chip manufacturing.

Earlier this year, the US-Israeli war on Iran led to helium shortages, disrupting companies globally, including in China, where the AI industry increasingly relies on domestic chips for training and running AI models. Helium is essential for heat management in semiconductor production.

The helium ban is the latest example of Beijing seeking to prevent domestic shortages of critical materials by curbing exports. It has previously imposed similar measures on fuel, fertilizers and sulphuric acid.

China is also looking to boost domestic chip manufacturing capacity and reduce the industry’s dependence on cutting-edge Nvidia semiconductors that fall under US export controls.

China re-exports helium

China is heavily dependent on overseas helium despite efforts to expand domestic production.

Still, the export ban could squeeze global supply further because Chinese companies have increasingly acted as intermediaries, importing Russian helium and re-exporting some volumes to overseas markets, including Europe.

Analysts estimate China imports around 85% or more of its helium requirements. Qatar accounts for a major share of global helium output and has supplied more than half of China’s imports in recent years.

Helium is extracted from natural gas fields with unusually high helium concentrations and cannot be quickly manufactured from other industrial processes.

In chipmaking, it is used for wafer cooling, plasma etching, chemical vapor deposition, atomic layer deposition, lithography support and leak detection.

The question, “Is Israel facing a constitutional crisis?” echoed across the country’s airwaves this week.

Arguably, the crisis has existed for a long time – from the days of the 2021 government’s judicial reform proposals and the resulting mass demonstrations, and even further back. There’s a reason, after all, that the reform was raised.

Perhaps Israel is not so much facing a constitutional crisis as facing elections, which must be held by October 27. Political camps need battle cries. On the Left, there are slogans about the end of democracy; on the Right, fears that a juristocracy has taken control, making it impossible for the elected government to rule.

This week’s trigger unexpectedly centered on the decision regarding the Second Authority for Television and Radio regulatory body that oversees commercial broadcasting, which was handling an attempt to buy the relatively small Channel 13.

Due to a wave of resignations when a new council was approved by the government in March, the Second Authority was left without the quorum needed to authorize a buy-out. The government maintains that without the quorum, the Second Authority could not legally approve a purchase (whose backers, not coincidentally, are considered to oppose the Netanyahu government).

Last month, the High Court ruled that the Second Authority can continue to function even without the 10-member quorum, and without the voices of the outgoing members, while it hears the challenges to the new appointments.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi and Justice Minister Yariv Levin spearheaded a resolution on Sunday that the government would not recognize the actions of the Second Authority’s old council (without the legally required number of members) despite the High Court’s approval.

Criticism of the government’s resolution was voiced by President Isaac Herzog, embattled Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, and a slew of party leaders from the opposition.

Former and wannabe prime minister Naftali Bennett, who heads the Together joint list with former premier Yair Lapid, issued a statement saying non-compliance with the court would lead to “anarchy in the streets and to the collapse of our state,” adding: “Soon we will fix everything. There will be one law for everyone.”

At the annual Israel Hayom conference on Sunday, Levin said: “With all due respect, the Supreme Court is not above the other two authorities, above the Knesset and above the government. It is equal to them. This is the essence of democracy.”

Trying to avert the crisis, or at least ameliorate it, Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs posted on X/Twitter: “Contrary to reports, there is no word in the statement that calls for non-compliance with the High Court of Justice ruling but rather sharp criticism of a ruling that contradicts the explicit language of the law; the government stated that it will act with all the legal tools at its disposal to annul the decision in the future. How do legal tools become non-compliance with the ruling?”

The crisis, of course, goes way beyond the fate of Channel 13 or the status of pro-Bibi Netanyahu Channel 14, which opposition members threaten to close if elected. It hits at the heart of a dilemma that has been dividing Israel for years. Who ultimately rules the country: the courts or the government?

Since the judicial activism of former Supreme Court head Aharon Barak in the 1990s, the rhetoric has grown stronger but the answer less clear. Barak’s guiding principle was “Hakol shafit,” everything is justiciable. This enabled the courts to assume more power to overturn laws passed by the Knesset. 

As a result, the Supreme Court has become involved in decisions which are essentially political ones. It was on Barak’s watch that the Knesset in 1992 enacted two Basic Laws that the courts consider to be a version of a constitution.

Among the hundreds of thousands of demonstrators who took to the streets in the first few months of 2023, rhythmically chanting “Demo-crat-ia,” many if not the vast majority fought against the government’s plans to amend the so-called Reasonability Clause – the clause that allowed judges to strike down a law, government appointment, and pretty much whatever else they saw fit not on the basis of legal facts and precedents but on a subjective, value-laden interpretation of what they judged to be “reasonable.”

There is little doubt that Israel’s enemies perceived Israel to have been severely weakened by the civil unrest – and threats of civil war – ahead of the October 7, 2023, Hamas mega-atrocity and subsequent war on seven fronts. When reservists threaten not to serve, the message is picked up by ayatollahs in Tehran and not just ministers in Jerusalem.

The shock of the brutal invasion and war brought Israelis together, but the politics did not disappear. Neither did the judicial intervention. Just last week, the High Court determined that the four most significant sections of the report into October 7 drawn up by outgoing State Comptroller Matanayahu Englman could not be published; separately, the court ordered a revote by the Knesset of his elected replacement, Michael Rabello, as some MKs recorded themselves despite it being a secret ballot.

Balance between majority and minority

It is at once both the most normal and abnormal phenomenon that Israel is arguing about domestic politics, while still embroiled in a war spreading from Iran to Gaza and Lebanon.

Last week, headlines focused on Netanyahu’s ongoing trial. The judges, for the second time in three years, called for the state prosecutor to drop the bribery charge in Case 4000, the most serious charge of the three cases that the prime minister is facing. In Case 4000, the so-called Walla-Bezeq Affair, Netanyahu is accused of granting regulatory favors to Shaul Elovitch, the former chairman of the telecommunications giant, in return for positive coverage on the Walla website that he also owned. 

The claims of “positive coverage” were later changed to allegations of “unusually favorable and responsive treatment,” although it was hard to see evidence that the news site treated Bibi unusually favorably (or even minimally favorably).

The name most frequently raised in the current talk of a judicial-constitutional crisis is Baharav-Miara. Members of this government aren’t the first to propose that the roles of attorney-general and state prosecutor should be split, but Baharav-Miara has provided them with more ammunition.

In several key cases, rather than defending the government that she is meant to advise, she has advocated prosecuting it. Although a government appointee and public employee, she has also refused to resign even though she clearly cannot work with her current boss, Netanyahu.

Several of her decisions have been overruled by the courts, most recently her attempts to prevent the appointment of Roman Goffman as head of Mossad (replacing David Barnea) and David Zini as Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) head, replacing Ronen Bar, who had been the service’s head on October 7, 2023. Bar, like Baharav-Miara, initially refused to be fired. 

The attorney-general even made an attempt to keep Bar on via the courts after he agreed to resign, making the courts play devil’s advocate in a case it did not want, and Bar hadn’t asked for.

The heads of the Mossad and the Shin Bet are not meant to appoint their successors, although they can make recommendations, and the courts and attorney-general aren’t meant to have the last word in determining who holds those sensitive positions. Add to that the situation in which the judges want to appoint themselves, leading to the absurd situation in which Justice Minister Levin refuses to recognize Yitzhak Amit as head of the Supreme Court.

It’s easy to see why the country is in such a mess – and not so easy to see how to get out of it. The country can’t function when the elected government tries to take it in one direction, and the unelected and unimpeachable courts push it in the other. There needs to be a balance between protecting the rights of minorities and the right of majority rule. The politicians and the justice establishment need to step back and lower the flames.

No government will be able to govern if every decision is overruled by the courts and citizens lose faith in the courts if they are perceived to be acting out of political convictions.

Israel’s democracy is not in danger – but neither the judiciary nor the political establishment can be a law to themselves.

The debate in Washington regarding the relationship between the United States and Israel has long been binary: Is Israel a strategic asset or a liability? 

Since the regional upheaval following October 7, 2023, this question has shifted from the theoretical to the urgent. As America recalibrates its global posture to prioritize partners rather than friends who required US protection, Israel serves as the ultimate “model ally,” in the words of the Pentagon’s National Defense Strategy. In fact, Israel is the only partner that delivers a 400% return on investment with no American “boots on the ground,” and provides a definitive ROI that bolsters US national security, economic interests, and technological supremacy.

As the current 10-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) nears its 2028 expiration, the time has come to transition our bilateral tie from a model of security assistance to a deep strategic partnership, built upon the unique characteristics and strengths of the Israeli model. The era of 20th-century “foreign aid” is over. We are moving toward a 21st-century strategic merger.

The security dividend

The military-to-military relationship is often characterized as a one-way street of American generosity. The reality, though, is a rapid cycle of mutual benefit. Israeli innovations and battle-proven technologies are force multipliers for the US military, allowing the Pentagon to skip costly R&D cycles and adapt to modern warfare in real-time.

Joint developments – most notably in multi-layered air defense – serve as the blueprint for protecting US forces globally. Israel acts as a “battlefield incubator” for US power: Every time Israeli forces deploy battle-proven technologies – be it F-35 fighter jets or an Arrow missile defense system – the feedback loop to the Pentagon is immediate. 

This allows the United States to skip costly research and development cycles and adapt to modern warfare in real time. This synergy saves American lives and assets, and the flow of Israeli intelligence provides a “silent” shield without requiring a permanent US troop presence on Israeli soil.

The historic synergy witnessed during Operations Roaring Lion and Epic Fury has only cemented this view. US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth recently lauded this cooperation, noting that the tactical and intelligence integration between Washington and Jerusalem during the campaign against Iran reached unprecedented levels, saving American lives and proving that Israel is an indispensable node in the Western defense architecture.

The economic case for cooperation

The economic dimension of this partnership is equally vital. Approximately 90% of US security assistance to Israel is immediately reinvested into the American defense industrial base, supporting hi-tech jobs from California to Alabama. Far from a one-way street, US security assistance to Israel acts as a massive stimulus for the American defense industry, returning approximately $15 billion annually to the US economy, according to a study we have conducted in MIND Israel. Joint programs such as the F-35 and Iron Dome illustrate how Israeli operational feedback improved system reliability and reduced development costs for the United States. 

The potential for further joint research and development (R&D) is best exemplified by bi-national funds like BIRD and BARD. These programs illustrate a “small input, large return” model where seed funding for collaborative ventures translates into global market dominance. While the absolute sums invested in civilian cooperation are relatively modest, their return on investment points to enormous economic and technological potential for expanding the partnership between the two countries. 

This can be a significant booster for the US-Israel relationship as technology is increasingly likely to determine both winners and losers in international politics. In the global race, the fusion of Israeli agility and American scale is an indispensable weapon.

A triple ecosystem for the 21st century

As the current MoU nears its 2028 expiration, we propose a new 10-year “bridge” that evolves the relationship into a triple-layered ecosystem. A sudden cut in support would send a dangerous signal of retreat to our common enemies; instead, we must use this decade to guarantee that Israel emerges as a fully self-reliant partner – a permanent, hi-tech fortress for our joint interests.

The proposed framework rests on three pillars:

• The Industrial Defense Ecosystem

Maintain the current $3.3 billion baseline alongside $500 million for air defense, but with a new focus: building the “Golden Dome” together. By the end of the decade, the entire aid model must transition into a partnership model that realizes President Trump’s vision for a Golden Dome, ensuring the skies of both the United States and Israel remain protected. This Joint Security Fund would focus on missile defense and shared industrial capacity. Under this pillar, Israel would serve as a rapid innovation sandbox for US defense, integrating into the American Defense Industrial Base (DIB) to accelerate procurement for both nations. Israel should also commit to increasing independent, non-aid procurement from American firms.

• The tech ecosystem for AI supremacy

The US and Israel should dedicate a combined investment of around $10 billion dollars over a decade specifically for AI and emerging technologies: quantum computing, energy, semiconductors, and rare materials. This AI supremacy alliance” would operate under a trusted ecosystem, with Israel ensuring its tech sector remains resilient according to US standards, while the US provides Israeli researchers with access to national laboratories and the National Science Foundation (NSF).

• The Regional Ecosystem

Leveraging the spirit of the Abraham Accords, Israel and the US can deepen regional ties. By connecting Gulf infrastructure with Israeli brainpower and American power, we can create a pro-American innovation bloc and promote normalization. In fact, technology can serve as an accelerator for normalization, enabling the creation of solutions for the challenges facing all people in the Middle East: food security, water, and energy. This architecture, rooted in the spirit of the Abraham Accords, allows Washington to shape the Middle East as a winner, further pushing Russian and Chinese influence to the margins.

Conclusion: future-proofing the alliance

The innovation in this proposed model lies in its resilience. Unlike previous frameworks, this strategic merger is designed to be immune to the shifting winds of domestic politics. It is not about managing Israeli dependence; it is about cementing a high-value partnership that secures the future for both nations.

By the end of this 10-year bridge, the transition from “aid recipient” to “strategic partner” will be complete. Securing AI supremacy together, building the Golden Dome together, and leading the Middle East together is the very definition of a win-win partnership. It will ensure that Israel remains a power-multiplier for the United States for decades to come.

Talk about poetic justice. 

Hardly two days after intimidating soccer’s governing body to cancel a Team USA footballer’s red card, the president of the United States saw his mighty superpower’s World Cup squad, along with its reinstated player, trounced by Lilliputian Belgium, 4-1. 

It was a typically Trumpian tale of ignorance, absurdity, scandal, and farce.  

The ignorance was about soccer’s laws. “That’s not fair,” ruled the president, who had just learned of soccer’s red-card rule. In itself, this quip is actually reasonable. It’s what my wife said when she first saw a football tackle as the husband she had just married watched one of the NFL games, which, she then realized, are part of his cultural diet. Nurit, however, didn’t follow her statement with a call to the NFL’s commissioner demanding that the rule she disliked exclude her husband’s beloved New England Patriots. 

Donald Trump did call Gianni Infantino, the president of the International Association of Football Federations (FIFA), and demand that striker Folarin Balogun’s red card be canceled. That was the absurdity. The scandal was that Infantino heeded Trump’s demand, thus confirming longstanding claims that his Qatari-funded outfit is corrupt to the bone. 

Then again, this tale of poetic justice was but a comic storm in a teacup. 

Netanyahu’s political formula no longer works

That cannot be said of what was happening at the same time in Israel, where two unfolding tales of poetic justice suggested that Benjamin Netanyahu’s political formula no longer works, and the social base it was designed to cement is cracking at its core. 

The backgrounds of Gadi Eisenkot and Yuli Edelstein are very different. One is a retired general, the other a veteran politician. One hailed from sunbaked Eilat, the other from frozen Moscow. One spent years as an infantry officer in Lebanon, the other as a prisoner of Zion in a Siberian jail.

The pair’s current situations are also entirely different: one is the moment’s political meteor, the other, having this week announced his departure from the Likud, is in his political twilight. 

Even so, between them the two’s transitions jointly reflect the sunset of Netanyahu’s career. 

Edelstein, whose three political decades included stints as minister of health, speaker of the Knesset, and chairman of the defense and foreign affairs committee, was appalled by the draft-evasion bill that ultra-Orthodoxy’s leaders demanded, and Netanyahu vowed to pass. 

By doing so, Edelstein voiced the revulsion of hundreds of thousands of Orthodox right-wingers who have borne the brunt of the fighting this country has endured since autumn 2023, with families left fatherless and businesses shuttered for hundreds of days. 

Eisenkot, at the same time, became an emblem of this ordeal’s worst part: bereavement. 

The lifelong warrior’s loss in Gaza of one son and two nephews, Gal and Maor Eisenkot, and Yogev Pazi, made him a potent symbol of what the serving population endured while the non-serving population’s leaders labored to etch non-service in constitutional stone. 

Moreover, Eisenkot’s zenith and Edelstein’s rebellion show that Netanyahu’s loss of political altitude is about much more than the current war’s events.

Edelstein and Eisenkot are representatives of two populations disconnected from Netanyahu

Edelstein and Eisenkot are representatives of two populations that were wheels of the social wagon Netanyahu rode to Israel’s helm: the so-called Moroccans and Russians. 

The latter included the past 40 years’ immigrants not only from Russia, but also from the rest of the former Soviet Union and its neighbors. The former refers to the immigrations of the ’50s and ’60s, which were predominantly from Morocco, but also from many other Muslim lands. 

Both immigrations generally identified with Netanyahu’s hawkishness. In addition, the “Russians” liked his economic policies, and the “Moroccans” liked his rhetorical embrace of tradition (though there was little of it in his private life). In between these electorates stood the religious Zionists, who hailed mostly from veteran, Ashkenazi Israel, but were fashioned as the lynchpin of Netanyahu’s rainbow coalition of minorities. 

It all worked well for him until the outbreak of this decade’s multiple wars. Now the “Russians” feel what Edelstein feels: that Netanyahu abused them. That while he had them fight war after war, he had other citizens get away with serving not one day. And that while he happily collected their votes, he did nothing to solve their problems, like allowing civil marriages, or easing the conversion rules that he abandoned to ultra-Orthodoxy’s devices. 

That’s also what happened with the “Moroccans.” 

When this electorate sees Gadi Eisenkot, they see a role model, a success story of a humbly born “Moroccan” like them. When considering his tragedy, they identify with him, and fume at his detractors. And when juxtaposing his humility and sacrifice with his rival’s arrogance and conceit, a growing number of them side with Gadi, and loathe his antithesis.

The Netanyahu operation’s clumsy effort to disparage Eisenkot’s imperfect English only underscores the threat they detect. Eisenkot’s English is actually fluent, he is a graduate of the US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The attempt to lie about his English only shows that Netanyahu doesn’t know how to deal with this kind of “Moroccan,” one who refuses to play the role of the servile extra that Bibi has given other “Moroccans” over the years. 

Looking at Netanyahu’s continuous cultivation of Shas, a machinery that deliberately prevents non-Ashkenazi Israelis’ military service and educational enlightenment, and thus sabotages the emergence of more self-made “Moroccans” like Gadi Eisenkot, many “Moroccan” voters are finally asking: What has Bibi done to us?

What has he done to you? He did to you what he did to “the Russians.” He took you for a ride. It’s been way too long, and the damage has been catastrophic, but it’s still not too late for you to finally get off his bus and hand Bibi Netanyahu the poetic justice that the career he built on your backs demands. 

www.MiddleIsrael.net

The writer, a Hartman Institute fellow, is the author of the bestseller, The Jewish March of Folly (Yedioth Books 2026), now available in English on Amazon.

Is Israel headed toward a January 6 moment? After this week, it is impossible to rule out the possibility.

On Sunday, the government openly declared that it would not respect a ruling by the High Court of Justice. The decision in question – allowing the Council of the Second Authority, the commercial broadcasting regulatory body, to resume operations – might seem inconsequential. But that was beside the point. Here was the government of Israel, the country’s executive branch, openly signaling that it no longer considered itself bound by a ruling of the nation’s highest court.

Then came Wednesday, when Justice Minister Yariv Levin called for defying another High Court ruling, this one ordering the Knesset to hold a new vote for State Comptroller after the original vote a few weeks ago was tainted by lawmakers who violated the principle of a secret ballot and filmed themselves voting.

Again, it might seem inconsequential. It was, after all, just one minister speaking. But this is far from trivial. Ever since taking office in January 2023, this coalition has done everything it possibly could to undermine the legitimacy of the Supreme Court and the attorney-general.

While it ultimately failed to carry out the sweeping judicial overhaul that Levin unveiled just days after the coalition took office almost four years ago, it has succeeded in something else: eroding public trust in Israel’s judicial system and in the rule of law itself.

For nearly four years, Israelis have been told repeatedly that the Supreme Court is responsible for the country’s problems, that the attorney-general prevents the government from governing, and that a so-called “deep state” stands in the way of Israel defeating its enemies.

Many people heard those arguments and found them persuasive. To some extent, they had legitimacy. Over the years, for example, I have repeatedly written in these pages about the lack of transparency in Israel’s judicial appointments process. 

I also saw firsthand how legal advisers in ministries sometimes overextend their authority and insert themselves into policymaking, at times attempting to dictate the direction of a minister’s agenda.

But there is a fundamental difference between criticizing a system and seeking to improve it, and trying to dismantle that system altogether.

Over time, the attacks on the courts and the attorney-general became less about genuine reform and more about avoiding difficult policy decisions. There was a problem with drafting haredim (ultra-Orthodox) into the IDF? Blame the courts. Illegal outposts were being demolished? Blame the attorney-general. Whatever the issue, there was always an institutional scapegoat.

It became a politics of deflection rather than one of accountability.

Viewed in light of what happened this past week – with ministers, and ultimately the cabinet itself, openly declaring that they will refuse to adhere to Supreme Court rulings – it becomes clear that this campaign was never simply about judicial reform. Each attack, each accusation, and each attempt to delegitimize the judiciary served as another building block toward the moment Israel finds itself in today.

Not random choices

Democracies do not unravel overnight. Governments do not simply wake up after an election and refuse to accept the results. The public first has to be conditioned to believe that the institutions responsible for safeguarding democracy – the courts, the attorney-general, the election commission – are themselves illegitimate. That is a process, and it happens gradually through a constant process of delegitimization.

That helps explain what we have witnessed over the past several years. The Supreme Court has been portrayed as an enemy of the people. The attorney-general has been accused of preventing elected officials from governing. 

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana refuses to recognize Justice Yitzhak Amit as president of the Supreme Court or invite him to state-level events at the Knesset while giving him the ceremonial status traditionally afforded to the role. Levin has refused to convene the Judicial Selection Committee because doing so would acknowledge the legitimacy of the court as it currently exists. 

And now, with elections just months away, ministers and the cabinet are openly declaring that Supreme Court rulings need not be obeyed.

Notice also which rulings they chose to challenge.

Neither involved an emotionally charged national issue that dominates headlines or divides the country. 

One concerned an obscure broadcasting regulator that most Israelis have never heard of, and the other involved the Knesset’s vote for State Comptroller – a decision the coalition can easily portray to its supporters as judicial interference in parliamentary affairs, even though the vote itself was compromised after Likud lawmakers were instructed to photograph their ballots, violating the principle of a secret vote.

These were not random choices. They were chosen because they are relatively neutral and most people will look at the calls to defy and simply shrug and move on, thinking the issues are small and inconsequential. That might be true, but that is only temporary. What is happening is the normalization of the idea that Supreme Court rulings are optional and not binding. 

It is, in other words, another building block and step toward eroding a central pillar of Israeli democracy.

What happens next is impossible to know.

Perhaps nothing. Perhaps this is simply another way for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to preserve maximum political flexibility, allowing him to decide later whether to escalate or pull back.

What happens, though, doesn’t have to be something big and all at once. There can be efforts to discourage voter turnout among Arabs, attempts to undermine confidence in the election committee overseeing the voting, or a refusal to recognize legitimate results after votes are counted. 

None of those outcomes is inevitable. Yet after this week’s unprecedented challenge to the authority of the Supreme Court, they can no longer be dismissed out of hand.

Years later, January 6 is still remembered as a scar on American democracy. Without getting into the politics of it, it demonstrated that even the world’s most powerful democracy is not immune from attempts to overturn constitutional norms when someone wants to cling to or seize power.

Israelis have always believed that our democracy is resilient enough to withstand any political crisis. But resilience is not automatic. It depends on people respecting the institutions that constrain power. 

After this week, that can no longer be taken for granted.

The writer is a co-founder of the MEAD Forum, a senior fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, and former editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post. His latest book (with Amir Bohbot), While Israel Slept, is a bestseller in the United States.

Police and the Shin Bet arrested four Negev residents suspected of planning to carry out a terror attack in Beersheba. An indictment was filed against them on Friday morning.

The arrests followed a joint investigation by the Southern District Police Central Unit and the Shin Bet that lasted several weeks during May and June. All four suspects are residents of Segev Shalom, a Bedouin town in the Negev.

During the investigation, police found that one of the detainees had posted social media content that allegedly constituted incitement to terror activity. Following this lead, investigators determined that all four suspects were involved in a conspiracy to promote terror activity and plan attacks.

The Shin Bet found that the suspects planned to open fire on the Segev Shalom police station, carry out an attack at Beersheba’s central bus station, and establish terrorist infrastructure aimed at harming security forces operating in the town.

IDF soldiers arrest twenty suspects in overnight raids across West Bank

The IDF arrested 20 suspects across the West Bank in an overnight operation between Tuesday and Wednesday, the military announced.

Among those arrested were individuals suspected of planning a terror attack, arms dealing, drug smuggling, human trafficking, and Hamas affiliation, the IDF said.

In Jenin, the military said it searched over 50 structures, while soldiers exchanged gunfire in Hebron before arresting five suspects.

Meanwhile, IDF soldiers operating jointly with Border Police officers in Tulkarem arrested four people suspected of Hamas affiliation, along with an additional person in Funduq suspected of terror incitement.

History, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recent Channel 14 interview, “teaches that when one regional power declines, another rises. Our task is to make sure Israel continues rising faster than anyone else.”

This explains why Netanyahu launched a public campaign in the US this week against President Donald Trump’s apparent willingness to sell the state-of-the-art F-35 fighter to Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey, the state now furiously jockeying to replace Iran as the region’s dominant power.

Indeed, with the sun setting on Iran’s regional hegemony, despite diplomatic missteps that let Tehran off the ropes before a knockout blow, its military capabilities and web of regional proxies have been severely degraded, the sun is rising on Turkey’s ambitions.

Already entrenched in Syria, steadily expanding an indigenous defense industry capable of producing sophisticated drones, naval vessels, and eventually advanced fighter aircraft, and seeking a foothold in Gaza, Ankara increasingly appears intent on filling the regional vacuum Iran leaves behind.

Turkey is interested in surrounding Israel with a Sunni ring of fire

As former national security adviser Giora Eiland observed this week, Iran sought to surround Israel with a Shi’ite ring of fire. Turkey, he warned, increasingly appears interested in building a Sunni one.

That explains why Netanyahu went on American television networks to lobby publicly against an administration policy still under consideration. If Iran’s decline is creating a regional vacuum, Israel fears Turkey is positioning itself to fill it, and that American F-35s, coupled with Trump’s embrace of Erdogan, might help it do so.

Trump, however, sees matters much differently.

Standing beside Erdogan during the NATO summit, the president again spoke warmly of the Turkish leader. “I like Erdogan,” Trump said. “He’s an extraordinary leader.”

Netanyahu, on CNN, disputed that assessment. Erdogan’s Turkey, he said, “has aggressive aspirations,” “is not a force for peace and security,” and F-35 planes in its hands would “destroy the power balance” in the region.

A day later, Trump appeared to temper his remarks, saying no final decision had yet been made regarding the aircraft.

The fact that Trump appeared to soften his position only a day later suggests the proposal may already have encountered headwinds in Washington. Netanyahu’s intervention appears designed not to create those headwinds, but to make them considerably stronger. If the decision is still reversible, now is the moment to mobilize opposition.

The issue is sufficiently important for Netanyahu to do something he has generally avoided doing with Trump as president: publicly take issue with one of the president’s policies in an attempt to get it overturned. This is no trifling matter.

Trump has repeatedly emphasized his close relationship with Erdogan.

Indeed, he has gone even further, portraying himself as the man who prevented Turkey from entering the recent war against Iran on the opposite side.

“He could have gone into the war,” Trump said. “He didn’t because of me.”

Why the president would want to sell state-of-the-art weaponry to a leader who he himself said had contemplated joining a war against the United States and Israel is almost beside the point. The point is that Trump has made clear both where he stands and what he wants. 

Netanyahu willing to take on ‘the boss’

Netanyahu “knows who the boss is,” Trump said on Saturday. That might be the case, but Netanyahu showed this week that he is willing to take on “the boss” over an issue that he deems cardinal to Israel’s security: preserving qualitative military superiority over any potential regional rival.

“Turkey is a great country, but it is governed by a man who openly calls for the annihilation of Israel,” Netanyahu said on Fox News, adding that it occupies half of Cyprus and regularly threatens Greece.

Netanyahu continued: “[Erdogan’s] foreign minister, his number two, has said that the Jewish state has no place among humanity and, essentially, has to be wiped out. His interior minister has said that he looks forward to becoming the governor of Jerusalem. This is a regime infected by the Muslim Brotherhood, an extremist movement that hates America and chants ‘Death to America’ from that side [the Sunni side] of the [Islamic] ideological spectrum.”

Selling them the F-35s or engines for their own fighter planes, he argued, would upset the balance of power in the Middle East, which is “ultimately guaranteed by Israel’s air superiority.”

Those are fighting words. Not so much against Erdogan, Netanyahu has minced no words in the past when it came to what he thinks of Turkey’s president, but against a Trump foreign policy objective.

But here Netanyahu, at least at the start of the battle, appears to be doing what military strategists caution against: fighting the current war with the playbook from the last one.

In previous clashes over US foreign policy, Israel’s strategy was to appeal over the administration’s head to Congress and the American public, where for decades it could count on broad bipartisan support.

When Yitzhak Shamir battled President George H.W. Bush over loan guarantees in the early 1990s, he sought to take his case directly to Congress. When Netanyahu fought Barack Obama’s nuclear agreement with Iran two decades later, he again appealed over the administration’s head, making his case directly to the American public and to lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

Neither effort ultimately succeeded. Shamir lost the loan guarantee battle. Netanyahu failed to stop the Iran nuclear agreement, and that was when public opinion and Congress were more favorably disposed toward Israel than they are today.

At first glance, Netanyahu appears to be returning to a familiar tactic: use American television to appeal directly to the US public, hoping to build enough political opposition on Capitol Hill to block, or at least complicate, the administration’s plans.

But this time there is one crucial difference. Although Israel no longer enjoys the level of public and congressional support it could count on during those earlier battles, it may not have to fight this battle alone.

Why not? Because Turkey’s ambitions are hardly viewed with alarm only in Jerusalem.

Turkey threatens regional, Mediterranean, stability

For Greece, Ankara’s increasingly assertive posture is reflected in repeated airspace violations over the Aegean and long-running disputes over maritime boundaries. For Cyprus, it is embodied in Turkey’s continued occupation of half of the island. For Armenians, opposition to a stronger Turkey is rooted in the national trauma of the Armenian Genocide and Ankara’s continued refusal to acknowledge it.

The reasons differ. The conclusion does not: Turkey should not emerge from the current regional upheaval significantly stronger militarily.

That convergence matters because Washington is influenced not only by governments but also by constituencies.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is by no means the only influential lobby in Washington. Greek-American organizations have spent decades mobilizing congressional opposition to Turkish policies toward Greece and Cyprus. Armenian-American organizations have done the same over the Armenian Genocide.

With characteristic arrogance, Erdogan, at the closing press conference ending the two-day NATO summit, dismissed objections to the sale registered by Netanyahu and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. These objections, he said, “have no place in my world.”

They should. The question is not whether Israel can defeat the sale alone. It is whether several different constituencies, approaching the issue from entirely different directions, can together create sufficient political resistance to scuttle the sale.

Interestingly, but by no means coincidentally, Netanyahu’s offensive against the sale comes just a couple of weeks after the cabinet voted to recognize the Turkish slaughter of Armenians at the onset of World War I as a genocide.

Why now, after so many years? many asked.

The conventional answer was that relations with the Israel-baiting Erdogan had deteriorated to such a low point that there was no realistic prospect of salvaging them. If that was the case, Israel had nothing left to lose by recognizing the genocide and little reason to remain concerned about Turkish sensitivities.

Seen within the context of the F-35 debate, however, there may be another layer to the timing of the Armenian Genocide recognition: what diplomats sometimes call “weaponizing history,” using historical memory in pursuit of political or military objectives.

The target audience here was not Erdogan. This was not Israel trying to get back at the Turkish leader for his implacably hostile rhetoric and actions. The audience was Washington.

Whether that was the government’s intention or merely a by-product, recognizing the Armenian Genocide has the effect of placing Israel alongside one of Washington’s oldest and best-organized ethnic lobbying communities. By recognizing the genocide, Israel is aligning itself with a powerful domestic constituency, most notably Armenian-American organizations, that have long opposed strengthening Turkey militarily.

The move also reinforces efforts by Israel and organizations already opposed to the sale to portray Turkey as an erratic, unrepentant human rights violator that cannot be trusted with fifth-generation stealth technology.

In addition, Congress has already passed a legally binding law barring Turkey from receiving F-35s due to its purchase of the Russian S-400 missile system, and the powerful Greek lobby can help use this to deflate the sale. It is unlikely to be a coincidence that a joint resolution to block a $700 million sale of jet engines for Turkey’s homemade fighter plane was introduced last month by Dina Titus, a prominent Greek-American lawmaker from Nevada and a leading voice in the Hellenic Caucus.

Netanyahu has spent years developing an alliance in the Eastern Mediterranean with Greece and Cyprus as a way to counterbalance Turkey. Cooperation between the countries also translates into cooperation between lobbying organizations in Washington.

Clearly, Israel is increasingly worried about Turkey’s strength and ambitions. But, as Eiland said this week in his radio interview, “complaining is not a work plan.”

His point was that Israel cannot simply warn about Erdogan’s ambitions and hope Washington reaches the same conclusion. It needs partners. And in this case, it actually has some.

If Netanyahu is right that the Middle East is entering a post-Iran era, then stopping the F-35 sale is not the end of the story. It is merely the opening battle in what could become Israel’s defining strategic competition over the next decade.

A replica of a mosque, placed on a bonfire in a pro-British town near Belfast, was set alight on Thursday night before police had a chance to remove what they described as a “hate display” that was condemned by politicians across the region.

Bonfires are lit across the British region in mainly Protestant “loyalist” neighborhoods on the eve of July 12 commemorations of William of Orange’s victory over the Roman Catholic King James at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

The replica mosque on a tall structure of wooden pallets, erected a month after anti-migrant violence swept Belfast, was due to be set alight in front of large crowds on Friday but was lit a day early as police were preparing to remove it, organizers said on Facebook.

“Had the bonfire not been lit, police would have secured the site and removed the offending material and seized it as evidence. Hate crime has no place in our society and will not be tolerated,” Police Chief Superintendent Norman Haslett said in a statement.

A 56-year-old man charged with incitement to hatred is due to appear in court on Friday.

Politicians condemn anti-migrant imagery and violence

Britain’s minister for Northern Ireland, Hilary Benn, described the display on Thursday as a “sickening and cowardly act of intimidation.”

Anti-migrant imagery has in some instances replaced pictures and effigies of Catholic Irish politicians and anti-Catholic slogans commonly placed on some of the bonfires.

A model of refugees in a boat was set alight last year at the same location in Moygashel, 65 km (40 miles) west of Belfast. That also followed a period of violence in which migrants’ homes were attacked.

Rioters attacked homes and businesses of ethnic minorities in riots last month after a viral video showed a stabbing in which a man lost an eye. A man police say is from Sudan or Chad has been charged with attempted murder.

The replica of the mosque had an effigy of a person in one window holding an item that looked like a knife. Banners below it read “secure our borders” and “end the threat of radical Islam.”

Professor Matthew Champion, the Australian academic who won the Dan David Prize earlier this month, rejected calls from dozens of academics to boycott the prize due to its links to Israel.

More than 100 academics, including activist Randa Abdel-Fattah and National Museum chair Clare Wright, signed an open letter calling on University of Melbourne associate Professor Matthew Champion to rescind his acceptance of the largest history prize in the world, The Australian reported.

The open letter reportedly said that keeping the award would contribute to “the ongoing normalization of the genocide and scholasticide in Palestine.” Scholasticide is a term coined by Palestinian scholar Karma Nabulsi in 2009, meaning the systematic destruction of a society’s education system.

Champion was one of nine scholars awarded the 300,000 USD prize this year for his research into how medieval societies experienced, perceived and structured time.

The prize was founded by Dan David, a survivor of Nazi and Communist persecution in Romania.

On the Dan David Foundation’s website, it explains that “he was persecuted for his Zionism and arrested by the Communist regime. Years later, his contribution would be recognized by the Israeli government with the ‘Lochamei Hamedina’ medal, awarded to those who fought for the establishment of the state.”

Champion’s colleagues signed an open letter condemning the prize

Champion was the first academic from the University of Melbourne to win the prize, which the university’s Faculty of Arts dean called “the highest possible recognition for scholars studying the human past.”

His success was not celebrated by all of his fellow academics, as more than 30 of his colleagues and over 100 Australian academics condemned his acceptance of the prize, which they accused of “normalizing the colonial occupation of Palestine, and Israel’s apartheid regime, “The Australian reported.

In the letter, the academics claimed that the Dan David Foundation had made “minimal” statements about that war in Gaza, and had failed to describe the conflict as a “genocide” when calling for an immediate end to the war.

In the foundation’s statement, they expressed “growing concern and alarm” about the war, and said civilian lives must be protected.

The open letter claimed that “the foundation’s focus on history and archaeology serves a key part of the Israeli and Zionist project of attempting to rewrite, and write over, the story of Palestinian land.”

University of Melbourne’s response to the letter

Interim vice-chancellor of the University of Melbourne, Glyn Davis, publicly rebuked the letter, saying that the university would celebrate Champion’s recognition.

Davis said he was “disappointed some would petition Associate Professor Champion to reject this award,” The Australian reported.

“We are steadfast in our ongoing support for Associate Professor Champion, his scholarly work and this outstanding international recognition.”

According to The Australian, Champion is thought to have received scores of messages since the academics published their call for him to rescind his acceptance of the prize.

Chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, Alex Ryvchin, said the letter was an example of anti-­Israel activists “propagating the double lie that Israel’s defense of its people and territory was criminal and that every Israeli institution and citizen was a knowing tool of its government.”

“This is as preposterous as claiming that the academics who signed this boycott petition are complicit in the policies and decisions of the Australian government,” he said.

He added that “the aim of this petition and the decades-old anti-Israel boycott campaign is to create permanent separation between Jewish-Israelis and all other people. This ensures that Israelis can never be seen as individuals endowed with opinions and humanity and are instead defined by those intent on eradicating their identities and their country,” according to reports from The Australian.

The Book of Numbers concludes with a description of the places where the Children of Israel encamped during their 40 years of wandering in the desert. The Torah portion opens with the words, “These are the journeys of the Children of Israel” (Numbers 33:1).

This wording puzzled many Torah commentators: If the emphasis is on the places where they encamped, why does it not say: “These are the encampments of the Children of Israel?”

The question is sharpened in light of the words of the Ba’al Shem Tov (Degel Machaneh Ephraim, beginning of the parasha), who explained that the 42 journeys of the Children of Israel reflect the spiritual journey of every person, from birth until entry into the “higher land of life.” If so, it would seem more fitting to emphasize the stopping points – the destinations reached – rather than the path leading to them.

Hassidic teachings explain that the Torah thereby teaches an important principle for life: a person is meant to always be in motion. Even when one “encamps,” one must not stand still, as one who stops growing risks being left behind.

This idea is further strengthened when we examine the structure of the journeys. At first glance, it seems that 42 journeys spread over 40 years would imply a move roughly every 10 months. This is a demanding pace. It is not easy to pack up every few months and move on. However, the sages present a different picture. 

Rashi, citing Rabbi Moshe Hadarshan, wrote: “Why were these journeys recorded? To show the kindness of the Omnipresent One, that although He decreed upon them to travel and wander in the wilderness, you should not think they were constantly moving and unsettled for 40 years with no rest, for there are only 42 journeys here. Subtracting the 14 that all took place in the first year before the decree, and another eight after Aaron’s death, it turns out that during the remaining 38 years they traveled only 20 journeys.”

Thus, among the list of journeys, there were places where the Israelites stayed only one day, and others where they remained for 19 years.

It is difficult to say which is more burdensome: leaving after a single day, or remaining in one place for nearly two decades with the feeling that nothing is changing. But one who views the journey from a broader perspective understands that there is no essential difference between the two. The total span of the journey was already determined in advance; each station, whether short or long, was an inseparable part of the path.

Every stop has a purpose

This understanding deepens when we remember that every place the Israelites stopped, there was a process they had to undergo in order to advance toward their destiny. Both journeys and encampments were directed by the will of God, not by human choice.

The hidden meaning of these journeys can be learned from the following halachic teaching:

“It is written in the book Tzror Hamor that the 42 journeys in Parashat Vayelech must not be interrupted, as they correspond to the Divine Name of 42 letters” (Magen Avraham, Orach Chaim 428:8).

In other words, when reading the Torah, one must read the list of journeys continuously without interruption, because they correspond to one of God’s sacred names composed of 42 letters. Even if the full meaning of this idea is hidden from us, it teaches that every journey and every encampment carries deep significance. Therefore, there is no difference between a stop spanning one day and a stay of many years; each has its unique role in the overall journey.

This idea can serve as a guide for every person’s life journey. Each of us passes through different stages, each of which is an inseparable part of the path. There are years when life seems to move rapidly forward, with major changes happening one after another. Time passes quickly. At other times, it feels as though nothing is progressing. A person invests effort, prays, and waits, yet feels stuck in place.

The journeys in the desert teach us that this feeling is misleading. Not all progress is measured in speed, and not every pause is stagnation. Sometimes, precisely in the quieter and less dramatic years, the biggest changes take place – changes not visible at the moment, but which in hindsight prove to have shaped one’s character, strengthened faith, and built inner strength for the next stage.

Even when the path seems to get longer, a person must not cease internal movement: to continue learning, developing, gaining experience, and adding meaning to life. The most important movement is not always what is visible externally, but what takes place within a person.

Only when looking back from the endpoint does it become clear that every station played an indispensable role. Even the waiting, the challenges, and the delays were not wasted time, but milestones that prepared the ground for the continuation of the journey. 

Thus all the stages – fast and slow, joyful and difficult – come together into one complete journey with meaning and direction – a journey in which a person can ultimately look back with satisfaction and understand that every stage contributed to fulfilling their purpose and reaching their personal “promised land.” ■

The writer is rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites.

Everything was finally in place. Our enemies had been defeated, the nation had been counted, and we stood at the threshold of Eretz Yisrael, ready to enter the land promised to us for centuries.

At that very moment, two tribes approached Moses with an unexpected request. Rather than cross the Jordan, they asked to remain on the eastern bank.

Moses was initially shaken by memories of the previous generation, which had rejected the opportunity to enter Eretz Yisrael. He could not erase the image of the spies and their rebellion.

Eventually, however, he looked beyond the painful memories of the spies and recognized the sincerity of the request. He agreed to their petition. He bound them to a carefully crafted agreement that left nothing to chance or misinterpretation. Moses spelled out every contingency, and this agreement became the halachic model for contracts that contain stipulated conditions.

The two tribes, eventually joined by half of a third tribe, pledged to fight alongside the rest of the nation until the conquest of the land was complete. It would have been morally unacceptable for them to remain safely behind while their brothers risked their lives for the nation.

They fulfilled their promise in full. Not only did they fight throughout the seven years of conquest, but they remained for an additional seven years while the land was surveyed and divided among the tribes. For 14 years, these two-and-a-half tribes lived apart from their families. They honored their commitment and did not waver even when it became difficult.

Standing by our word, independent of any contractual obligation, is the mark of honor, honesty, and integrity.

Knowing when to change

Before turning to the story of the eastern tribes, the Torah begins parashat Matot with the laws governing oaths and verbal commitments.

Yet instead of simply commanding us to honor our word, it focuses on the circumstances in which an oath may be rescinded. In the Torah, certain vows made by a young woman can be annulled by the adult responsible for her, either her father or, if she is married, her husband. This protects her from an ill-advised or impulsive declaration.

Our Sages expanded this concept, allowing any vow made by an adult or a minor to be annulled through hatarat nedarim before a panel of three judges. This process forms the basis of the familiar custom of hatarat nedarim performed on the eve of Rosh Hashanah. Before entering a new year, we seek release from vows that we may not have properly fulfilled.

Sometimes life requires us to change our minds, and Halacha provides a responsible way to repeal verbal commitments that can no longer be honored.

A delicate balance

Taken together, these two sections of parashat Matot offer a balanced perspective. The story of the tribes underscores the importance of standing by our commitments. 

Commitments lose their meaning if they are abandoned whenever circumstances become difficult or enthusiasm fades. A person who continually revises his commitments eventually finds it difficult to build anything lasting, whether a relationship, a community, or a larger mission.

By contrast, the laws of annulling vows remind us that there are times when changing our minds is the right course of action.

Halacha recognizes two broad grounds for releasing a person from a vow. One is regret, when the vow was made impulsively or without fully appreciating its consequences. The other is a change in circumstances. Sometimes we make decisions before we fully understand ourselves, but more often the world around us moves in unexpected directions. We are then required to adapt to new realities rather than stubbornly cling to commitments that no longer fit the situation.

The wisdom to reconsider

My rebbe, Rabbi Yehuda Amital, whose 16th yahrzeit falls this week, was unafraid to change his mind when circumstances warranted it.

He understood that history is not static. As the State of Israel entered new chapters in its development, he refined his understanding of its religious and historical significance.

He also famously reconsidered his views on women’s Torah education. In his earlier years, he did not believe that women required intensive text-based Torah study. As society changed, he revisited that position and became one of the driving forces behind the establishment of a major institution for women’s Torah study.

A student once wrote an entire thesis analyzing Rav Amital’s willingness to revise his opinions and asked him to read it. After reviewing the paper, Rav Amital remarked that he disagreed with several of its conclusions. A few moments later he called the student back and said that he had changed his mind. On further reflection, he agreed with many of the paper’s observations. My rebbe had changed his mind about a paper describing his willingness to change his mind.

Identity before ideology

Why is the ability to change our minds such an essential human trait? And why, despite its importance, is it often so difficult?

It all comes back to the question of identity. Human beings need an answer to the question “Who am I?”

If that answer is not supplied by enduring values, it will be supplied by something else. Political movements, ideological camps, and cultural movements offer an immediate sense of belonging. They become an easy answer to the question “Who am I?” But the identity they offer is borrowed rather than one built through character and commitment.

Ideally, our identity should be rooted in values that transcend changing circumstances. Our relationship with God, our moral conduct, our character, our relationships, our idealism, and our dreams and aspirations should define who we are.

These are the anchors of identity because they do not depend on shifting fashions or historical circumstance. Even if we had lived 200 years ago, or if we were to be transported 200 years into the future, we would have wanted, or would still want, to build our identity on these same lasting values.

Opinions become identity

When we fail to build an authentic identity on lasting values, we inevitably replace them with shallower identity markers. Instead of grounding our identity in character and values, we define ourselves by our opinions, our ideology, and our politics.

Political beliefs and ideological positions should guide our decisions about public affairs and contemporary questions, but they should never define who we are. They offer a sense of belonging and certainty, but the identity they provide is borrowed rather than rooted in religious character, moral conscience, and lasting values.

The problem is that borrowed identities demand constant defense. Changing our minds becomes painfully difficult. As long as our opinions remain separate from our identity, we can revise them when facts change. But when our opinions become our identity, changing them feels like surrendering a part of ourselves. Every disengagement from an opinion feels personal. We defend our positions not only because we believe they are correct, but because we believe they define who we are.

Much of modern polarization stems from this confusion. Public debate has become louder, more bitter, and less capable of self-correction because opinions have hardened into identities. Politics and hashkafa (ideological outlook) have become substitutes for identity.

Parashat Matot presents two virtues that stand in tension: the resolve to keep our commitments and the humility to reconsider our opinions. They are not opposites at all. When identity is rooted in enduring values, we can remain faithful to our commitments without becoming captive to our own opinions.■

The writer is a rabbi and educator at Yeshivat Har Etzion (Gush) in Israel. His latest book, Reclaiming Redemption, 
Vol. II: Faith, Identity, Peoplehood, and the Storms of War, is available at mtaraginbooks.com.

A senior Likud official said during talks this week that the party has not ruled out reserving a slot for Bezalel Smotrich on the Likud slate.

Likud has held talks in recent days with senior coalition figures about possible alliances within the right-wing bloc and the need to prevent votes from being lost among parties running to Likud’s right.

Until now, Likud had focused on bringing together Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit and Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party.

That strategy, however, now appears to be changing, and a merger with Ben-Gvir is no longer considered likely because Smotrich alienates some of Ben-Gvir’s voters, while Ben-Gvir alienates some of Smotrich’s supporters.

Meanwhile, the religious-Zionist community, particularly residents of the West Bank, has consistently supported Likud in large numbers.

In the most recent election, approximately 20% of voters in the West Bank cast their ballots for Likud, according to data from the Yesha Council. That made Likud the second-largest party in the region, behind the Religious Zionist Party.

Likud aims to ensure religious-Zionist votes

Likud officials therefore believe that adding Smotrich to the party’s slate could ensure that religious-Zionist votes are not lost if his party fails to cross the electoral threshold. A significant portion of Smotrich’s achievements in the West Bank were made possible through cooperation with Likud Defense Minister Israel Katz.

The discussions come amid controversy surrounding Likud’s primary and the reserved slots on the ruling party’s electoral slate.

Reports this week said Likud was working on a proposal that would give Prime Minister and Likud chairman Benjamin Netanyahu 10 reserved slots on the party’s Knesset slate. Nine would be placed among the first 30 spots, with an additional reserved slot at No. 35.

Under the emerging proposal, which Maariv reported Monday morning, Netanyahu’s reserved slots would be at Nos. 2, 4, 6, 8, 11, 15, 18, 22, and 29, with an additional reserved slot at No. 35.

Likud officials emphasized, however, that last-minute changes could still be made before the proposal receives final approval.

Likud losing ground to Eisenkot

The party is also concerned about its performance in the polls, which show Likud losing ground to Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar! party.

Channel 13’s weekly poll, published Wednesday, showed a slight reversal, with Eisenkot’s Yashar! overtaking Likud. The parties received 23 and 22 seats, respectively.

In a Channel 13 poll conducted the previous week, Netanyahu led Eisenkot by only one seat.

Naftali Bennett’s party also fell by two seats from the previous poll, dropping to 15. The alliance between Yoaz Hendel and Chili Tropper, announced the previous day, failed to cross the electoral threshold.

The poll also showed Yisrael Beytenu, led by Avigdor Liberman, receiving 10 seats, as did the Democrats, led by Yair Golan.

The Haredi parties Shas and United Torah Judaism, along with Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit, each received eight seats.

Hadash-Ta’al received six seats. Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party received five seats, as did Mansour Abbas’s Ra’am.

The Hendel-Tropper alliance, Benny Gantz’s Blue and White, and the Balad party also failed to cross the electoral threshold.

Israel is willing to join the United States in striking Iran should US President Donald Trump request it, sources in Jerusalem told the New York Post on Thursday.

“We’re willing to do it again, if needed,” one source said.

“We’ve proved that we stand with the US. I’m not sure it will be of interest to the US that Israel will join on this – but, you know, we realize that we need to stretch our muscles.”

Also on Thursday, IDF officials told The Jerusalem Post that Israel was not planning to be drawn into the US-Iran exchanges at this time, though they said the military is ready for any eventuality.

Additionally, the officials said that the current assumption is that Iran doesn’t plan to drag Israel into the conflict, with no expected Iranian strikes in the near future.

US, Iran renewed strikes this week

According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), the renewed strikes came in response to Iran’s attempts to “impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.”

On Wednesday, Trump said he felt that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Iran was nullified following overnight strikes between the US and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz.

“To me, I think it’s over,” he said at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, in comments to the press.

Trump also stated he felt the US had “wasted a lot of time” negotiating with Iran, and he did not wish to continue talks.

Yonah Jeremy Bob and Amichai Stein contributed to this report.

A senior US official said that “diplomacy is continuing” despite intermittent strikes in Iran, CNN reported Friday.

The night passed without military action by either the US or Iran, but tensions remained high across the Middle East following the escalation in recent days.

Friday marked the third day of the latest round of escalation. It began with an attack on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, followed by US strikes in Iran and Iranian missile and drone attacks targeting US bases in the Gulf region.

Meanwhile, former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei was laid to rest four months after he was assassinated. His funeral procession passed through several Shiite holy cities.

His son, Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, was not seen during the procession, although other senior officials from the ayatollah-led regime attended.

Israel warns US of new Iranian plot to assassinate Trump as tensions in region grow

Israel shared intelligence with the US about a new Iranian plot to assassinate US President Donald Trump, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The Israeli Embassy in Washington declined to comment. Iran’s mission to the UN did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to the report, the White House referred the Wall Street Journal to remarks Trump made Wednesday while speaking to reporters in Ankara, Turkey, during the NATO summit. Trump alluded to threats against his life.

“They want to eliminate the leader of the US, me,” he said. “I am on every list. I saw this morning, I am on every one of their lists. And so far, I suppose I have been a little lucky, but that may not last much longer.”

Firefighters and rescue crews responded to a fire in a residential building in Tayibe on Friday morning, following reports that people may be trapped inside, according to a statement from Israel’s Fire and Rescue Authority.

So far, four individuals have been rescued from the apartment, including a mother and her two children, who are in serious condition, as well as another individual in moderate condition.

Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics have reportedly provided on-site medical treatment to all those evacuated and have transported the four injured individuals to the hospital.

All residents of the building were accounted for

After conducting a thorough search of the building, Fire and Rescue teams confirmed that no additional individuals were found trapped inside.

Firefighters have brought the fire under control and are continuing operations to fully extinguish the blaze, clear the smoke, and investigate the circumstances surrounding the outbreak.

Israel Fire and Rescue Commissioner Eyal Caspi and Central District Commander Roni Kedem are at the scene, conducting a situation assessment and closely overseeing the rescue and firefighting operations.

This is a developing story.

Marketing company Natural Intelligence (NI) was named the leading Israeli high-tech company for advancing women in the workplace, receiving the “Dun’s 100 Women Tech Leadership Impact Award” at the WO.men CEO Summit at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv this week.

The award, presented annually by Dun’s 100, part of Dun & Bradstreet, and the Israel High-Tech Association, recognized NI for demonstrating a systematic, measurable, and sustainable organizational model for female leadership, according to the press release.

NI was described as a company that integrates a values-driven approach with data-based business management.

The company’s methodology reportedly includes setting quantitative diversity targets, ongoing monitoring of outcomes, and adapting recruitment and promotion processes.

According to NI’s reports, women make up 43% of the company’s management ranks and 52% of its overall workforce, outpacing the country’s average of 34% in the first three quarters of 2025. On the executive board, three of the eight leaders are women: Noa Talmon, Chief People Officer; Smadar Levi, Chief Financial Officer; and Hila Gil, Chief Marketing Officer.

Shila Zabro Weiss, Senior Director at Dun’s 100, described the model NI developed as demonstrating “how gender diversity is managed as a driver of business growth rather than as an isolated initiative.”

What does Natural Intelligence do?

Founded in 2009 by Nir Greenberg, who is currently serving as Executive Chairman, NI operates a network of comparison platforms that match consumers with brands across categories like insurance, personal finance, and consumer services.

NI is now led by Jonathon Edelshaim, CEO, and has grown into one of Google’s top advertisers worldwide, with over 500 employees and generating hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

Dun’s 100 is Israel’s long-running business ranking system, evaluating companies across dozens of sectors using criteria developed and measured by Dun and Bradstreet Israel’s economists.

Inclusion in its rankings is widely treated in Israeli business circles as a mark of quality for a company and its management.

First year of the award for advancing women in high-tech

The WO.men CEO Summit is co-organized by the Israel High-Tech Association and began in 2024 as an annual conference held around International Women’s Day to honor trailblazing women in Israeli tech.

This award is part of an initiative that Dun’s 100 and the Israel High-Tech Association are institutionalizing this year, expanding this singular annual event into an ongoing strategic partnership.

2026 marks the debut of its dedicated award for advancing women in high-tech.

Both organizations are working to establish a standing forum of senior women from Israeli’s tech and industrial sectors.

The forum is aimed at advancing women professionally into leadership and management roles and to increase their representation on boards and executive teams.

“I was pleased to see that this year, despite existing challenges, the Israeli high-tech sector continues to drive the integration of women, with companies spearheading strategic, large-scale initiatives of exceptional business importance,” said Shila Zabro Weiss, Senior Director at Dun’s 100.

Extraterrestrial life may be closer than previously thought, on a nearby super-Earth called GJ 3378 b, according to a study published in The Astrophysics Journal last week.

First discovered in 2024, the exoplanet, a planet outside of our solar system, sits just 25 light-years away from Earth in a nearby star system, a small distance compared to the size of the Milky Way galaxy.

The peer-reviewed study, led by researchers at the University of California, Irvine, analyzed GJ 3378 b in depth and found that it may lie within the habitable zone, the region with just the right amount of solar radiation to support liquid water. 

Due to its proximity to Earth, researchers have believed that the super-Earth, a rocky planet with a mass two to ten times Earth’s, was a perfect candidate for further study.

This idea is supported by the exoplanet’s temperature being almost 0 °C and the fact that it receives 91% of the energy Earth receives from the Sun.

The exoplanet could have a similar atmosphere to Earth

In the study, scientists also recalculated the mass of GJ 3378 b, finding that it’s only 2.3 times Earth’s mass, down from a previous measurement of five times Earth’s mass. This lower mass suggests it could be a rocky planet like Earth and have a similar atmospheric pressure, placing the exoplanet in the habitable zone and increasing the likelihood of extraterrestrial life.

Despite the promising revelations published in the study, it’s important to note that there isn’t any evidence yet that GJ 3378 b actually has an atmosphere or liquid water, and stellar winds may have eroded any atmosphere it once had. 

Because so many unknowns remain about this exoplanet, scientists hope to conduct further research to better understand the possibility of extraterrestrial life on GJ 3378 b. 

NASA plans to launch the Habitable Worlds Observatory in the 2040s, a mission whose goal is “to image Earth-like planets around other sun-like stars,” according to NASA’s website.

Through this mission, scientists will determine whether GJ 3378 b truly has an atmosphere, and, if it does, they’ll study the planet for signs of biological life.

 Skapion, an Israel defense tech company developing a Native Counter Swarm system for the next generation of unmanned aerial threats, announced Thursday that it raised $36 million during its Seed round. 

The round was co-led by UP.Partners and Khosla Ventures, with participation from early backers Fusion VC, Stratos Ventures, TBD VC and q Fund.

The announcement comes as drones and one-way attack UAVs continue to have a significant impact on the battlefield. What emerged as an improvised military tactic used first by the Islamic State in Syria and later by Ukraine has made its way back to the Middle East as Hezbollah continues to field cheap fiber-optic drones, hitting IDF troops and platforms. 

Skapion is developing a mobile, end-to-end system designed not only to detect but also to engage and neutralize drones and UAVs at swarm scale. At the same time, the system can operate independently in communications-limited and environmentally challenging conditions (conditions frequently exploited by swarm drones), alongside maneuvering forces, fixed installations, and critical infrastructure. 

While past interceptors could detect and neutralize more expensive, distinct aerial threats, Skapion’s system is built for mass onslaught, lower-cost attacks. 

According to Ido Bar-On, Skapion’s co-founder and CEO, “the question is no longer whether a single drone can be detected or hit. The question is whether modern militaries can neutralize swarms at the speed, scale and cost required by today’s battlefield.

[Garnering $36 million, the round helped] accelerate development, expand the engineering organization and keep building the team required to solve one of the most urgent defense challenges of the coming decade,” he added.

The company argues that since 2022, low-cost UAS have moved from a “specialized tactical capability to a structural air-defense challenge for military forces, bases and critical infrastructure.” Used at volume, these platforms impose an asymmetric burden and force defenders to use expensive interceptors against cheaper and more numerous threats like swarms. By doing that, hostile forces like Hezbollah have exposed a gap in systems not built for large-scale simultaneous engagements.

With troops facing imminent FPV and fiber optic drone threats on a daily basis in Lebanon, Israeli defense tech companies have announced new C-UAS platforms. Nevertheless, many of those technologies cannot handle drone swarms. Used at high volume, these expendable drones are able to bypass many systems. 

“The Iron Dome changed the calculus for rockets and missiles. Skapion is doing the same for drone swarms. The threat has evolved from single, expensive projectiles to cheap drones attacking in numbers, and defense needs to evolve with it,” said Ben Marcus, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, UP.Partners.

Skapion’s founding team is made up of former Israel Air Force officers who specialize in air defense, including Founding Architect and co-founder Brig.-Gen. (Res.) Pini Yungman, who acted as General Manager of Rafael’s Air and Missile Defense Systems division and President and CEO of TSG Group. Yungman is deeply rooted in Israel’s defense ecosystem and recognized for his contributions to the David’s Sling and Iron Dome programs.

Bar-On previously led the defense and government business across international markets at XTEND, and is also a former IDF special-operations Lieutenant Colonel (reserve). 

The team is rounded out by Gal Goren, Co-founder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO), who is a multidisciplinary engineering leader with experience developing complex technology systems. Zafrir Yoeli previously co-founded Enlight Renewable Energy, and Yaron Karp is a veteran defense entrepreneur. 

Established in late 2025, Skapion has several dozen employees, including senior engineering, defense, aerospace, robotics, autonomy and deep-tech talent. 

The $36 million raised in the round will support hiring, engineering development, system validation alongside government, defense and partner engagement in Israel, the United States and allied markets. 

Skapion is headquartered in Washington, DC, with a research and development center in Ramat Gan, Israel.

A Pennsylvania man was arrested on Wednesday after reportedly making verbal antisemitic threats toward Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro at the office of State Representative Leanne Kruger, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

Richard John Franklin, 65, had reportedly visited the district office to seek assistance with paying outstanding taxes. 

While being helped by a staff member, he began using antisemitic slurs directed at Governor Shapiro and threatened to commit arson at the governor’s mansion, police stated.

After making these threats, state troopers from the Political Violence Threat Unit met with Franklin at his home later that day, where he provided inconsistent accounts of the incident at the district office, CBS News reported. 

Suspect tried to frame the threats as ‘postive’

According to the police report, Franklin admitted to using an antisemitic slur and claimed that his statements about burning the governor’s mansion were ‘sympathetic’ and ‘positive in nature’ because the Governor and his family had previously survived an arson attack.

Franklin was taken into custody and charged with terrorist threats, ethnic intimidation, harassment, and disorderly conduct. 

He was taken to Pennsylvania’s Delaware County Prison after he was unable to post $100,000 bail, and scheduled for a preliminary hearing next week, according to CBS News.

Previous arson attack on Shapiro’s home

Shapiro and his family had previously survived an arson attack last year while celebrating Passover.

Their residence was set on fire overnight, prompting the family’s evacuation.

This previous attack was reportedly motivated by Shapiro’s perceived stance on Palestine.

The attacker, Cody Balmer, called 911 shortly after the incident occurred early on a Sunday morning, identifying himself and telling the operators that Shapiro needed to know he “will not take part in his plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people,” according to the police search warrant.

Reuters and the Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.

At a special Israel Bonds Council meeting in New York City on May 20, senior leaders gathered to mark the organization’s 75th anniversary and to celebrate the appointment of Laura Stein, a Los Angeles-based attorney, as chair of the National Campaign Advisory Council.

Stein succeeds Larry Olschwanger, a longstanding Dallas-based advocate who was instrumental in the organization’s response following the devastating October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.

Dani Naveh, president and CEO of Israel Bonds, said of the new chair, “Laura Stein is a role model of unconditional support for the State of Israel and its people. Our lay leaders play a decisive role in Israel Bonds campaigns—I am deeply grateful to Larry Olschwanger for his tireless dedication and the profound impact he made during one of the most consequential periods in Israel Bonds’ history. I look forward to seeing Laura inspire new investors, new leaders, and new expressions of solidarity with Israel.”

Andrew M. Hutter, MD, National and International Chairman of the Board of Israel Bonds, added, “Laura Stein’s election reflects both the strength and continuity of leadership within Israel Bonds at a pivotal moment in its 75-year history. Her deep commitment to the mission and proven record of service ensure that this next chapter will continue to strengthen the vital bond between the State of Israel and global investors. I have had the pleasure of working with Laura in her role as board member the past few years and I am excited about working with her in her new position.”  

Dr. Hutter went on to say: “I also want to express deep appreciation to Larry Olschwanger for his dedicated service and leadership as chair, particularly during a period marked by extraordinary challenges and significance for Israel Bonds and the State of Israel.”

When Passion Turned Into Purpose

Olschwanger became involved with Israel Bonds after a formative first trip to Israel in 2010. 

For someone who grew up in Dallas, where Jewish residents made up just one percent of the population, stepping off the plane in Tel Aviv and seeing the Star of David emblazoned across the many stationed aircraft and terminal flags was enough to move him to tears.

“When I came back to Dallas, the people I was close with saw my passion towards Israel and encouraged me to get involved,” said OIschwanger. “I got started in a very small way on my local council, and the work just resonated with me.” 

Olschwanger continued, “Israel Bonds is a unique organization because people aren’t donating. They are investing – and they get a good return. It’s the most impactful way to support the State of Israel.”

Leading Through Crisis

Olschwanger was elected the Council chair in March 2023. His tenure was shaped almost immediately by the events of October 7, which prompted Israel Bonds to launch a sweeping emergency investment campaign unlike any other in the organization’s history. 

Within 30 days of October 7, after a sprint of daily calls, Zooms, and lay leader outreach, the organization generated over $1 billion globally for the State of Israel. 

“It was a galvanizing campaign,” Olschwanger said. “The economic cost to the country was tremendous; Israel essentially shut down, so it was the most fulfilling period of leadership I’ve had in any organization. Hopefully, we never face it again, but it was a unique opportunity to contribute to our beloved Israel.”

He was also among the first to travel to Israel on a solidarity delegation with Israel Bonds, visiting the grounds of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, the community whose residents were brutally attacked by militants, and the memorial site of the Nova music festival, where concert-goers were victims of terrorism.

Since October 7, 2023, Israel Bonds has raised more than $7.7 billion globally, bringing its total to more than $57 billion since its founding over 75 years ago.

A Lifetime of Pro-Israel Advocacy

Stein, a Los Angeles native, brings to the role a distinguished professional record and decades of deep institutional involvement with Israel Bonds. She is Of Counsel at Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP, where she has practiced securities class action litigation and asset recovery law for more than three decades.

Her relationship with Israel Bonds is as personal as it is professional. “When I was Bat Mitzvah-ed on Masada, my mother gave me my first Israel bond,” she said. “When my daughter was Bat Mitzvah-ed on Masada, we did the same thing. Israel Bonds has always been the most direct path to show my Zionism and support my ancestral homeland.”

Her leadership within Israel Bonds spans many years, including her service as Chair of the Los Angeles Women’s Division and Chair of the Los Angeles Leadership Council.  She has also served with distinction on the National Campaign Advisory Council, and is a member of the US Board of Directors of the Development Corporation for Israel. Her broader communal footprint is equally expansive: she serves on the Boards of StandWithUs, WIZO (Women’s International Zionist Organization), the Los Angeles Board of JNF and Beat the Streets Los Angeles, among other important efforts.

To Stein, those commitments are not competing priorities. 

“I see what Israel Bonds does as complementary and supportive of the work of every other organization I’m involved with,” she said. “It’s about opportunity and education – once people understand the real impact of investing in Israel Bonds, they see that this is a very effective, efficient way to make a difference.”

Cultivating New Champions for Israel

Central to Stein’s work ahead will be reactivating a community that has given enormously over the past few years but feels the fatigue of supporting Israel during a difficult period.

“We’ve all been through a lot,” Stein said. “But I want our lay leaders to understand we still need them more so than ever.”

The current network of geographically diverse lay leaders is also part of Olschwanger’s legacy as national chair. During his tenure, Israel Bonds expanded into cities with sizable Jewish populations, like Phoenix and Denver, that lacked local representation by the organization.

“I want to engage them, reset, and encourage them to reach out to their networks to have conversations and create opportunities to talk about the real impact that Israel Bonds has,” Stein said.

The Significance of 75 Years

Since its founding in 1951, Israel Bonds has pursued a single mission: to raise capital for Israel’s economic development. The 75th anniversary arrives at a moment that underscores the urgency and the enduring relevance of that mission.

For Stein, the role carries a weight that is historic and deeply personal. “I couldn’t imagine a greater honor,” she said. “I feel like I’m filling the big shoes of my mother, who played such an active role in so many important Jewish organizations. I welcome this chance to make a real difference.”

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Development Corporation for Israel/Israel Bonds (DCI) is a broker-dealer that sells Israel bonds. The content in this article was prepared by DCI and The Jerusalem Post as part of a paid advertising campaign for DCI. This is not an offer that can be made only by prospectus. Read the prospectus carefully before investing to fully evaluate the risks associated with investing in Israel Bonds. Member FINRA. www.israelbonds.com

Written in collaboration with Israel Bonds

Ukraine and the US have reached a political agreement on licenses for the production of PAC-3 Patriot interceptors, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday, adding that key supplies of the missiles were to arrive in the next few days.

The Patriot is a US-made air defense system. Its PAC-3 interceptor – short for Patriot Advanced Capability-3 – is one of the few Western weapons capable of shooting down the ballistic missiles Russia has increasingly fired at Ukrainian cities.

Zelensky, speaking to reporters after returning from a NATO summit and talks with US President Donald Trump in Turkey, also said that talks were proceeding with the US on a “drone deal” or joint drone production.

“I believe this was a productive summit for Ukraine. In the coming days, we’ll receive a package from the United States, and there were also some separate agreements,” Zelensky said, referring to securing the PAC-3 interceptors.

“We resolved this issue politically,” he said of producing Patriot missiles for Ukraine. “It’s now very important that our technical teams, all our representatives from different ministries, representatives of the executive branch, start working on this without delay, so that we can get licenses very quickly and start production in Ukraine as soon as possible.”

Zelensky has long pleaded for faster supplies of interceptors capable of bringing down Russian ballistic missiles, a need accentuated by recent assaults on the Ukrainian capital and other cities.

Zelensky said no drone deal had yet been signed with Washington, “but there are some documents that have already been signed so that the American side can get from Ukraine various types, different, different kinds that the United States is interested in for testing. And they’re getting them from us.”

He said these included “both aerial drones and marine drones, as well as other technological things.”

He also said discussions would proceed with Ukraine’s European allies on developing a separate anti-missile system, with a meeting planned for France in the near future.

“It’s for ballistic targets, similar to Patriot, but more, I would say, mass-produced and a cheaper system,” Zelensky said.

“At least, that was the task I set for our manufacturers. This is a European model. Our meeting on this will be in France. And it will be very soon.”

Trump now ‘positive about Ukraine,’ Zelensky says

The Ukrainian president has improved his relations with Trump through a series of meetings after an encounter last year in the Oval Office descended into a shouting match.

Zelensky told reporters Trump was now “positive about Ukraine.”

“We definitely discussed a great many different things. We need to follow up, prepare for diplomacy, and there are a few other things, but all of this is the right direction,” he said. “During the meeting, he was very constructive.”

US-brokered talks aimed at moving toward a peaceful resolution have stalled, with Washington focused on the conflict in Iran.

Trump said on Wednesday that he and Zelensky had developed a “very good” relationship and both Moscow and Kyiv wanted to end the war that began with Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

Trump spoke to both Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of the summit. Putin has said he will press ahead with his war despite mounting difficulties like fuel shortages linked to Ukrainian drone strikes on oil industry targets.

Moscow has demanded that Kyiv cede the rest of its eastern Donetsk region that it has been unable to conquer in more than four years of fighting.

Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party overtook Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud for the first time in a Maariv poll released Friday, as the coalition continues its legislative blitz ahead of the Knesset’s dissolution.

Yashar placed first with 22 seats, up two from the previous poll and 10 seats higher than it polled after the April merger between Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid. Likud remained at 21 seats, while Bennett and Lapid’s Together party dropped by one seat to 18.

The new party led by former culture minister Chili Tropper and Reservist leader Yoaz Hendel received 2.9% of the vote and did not cross the electoral threshold. 

However, the party drew support from Religious Zionist Party voters, pushing the party down to four seats and reducing the Netanyahu bloc to 49 seats. The Arab parties maintained their strength at 11 seats. 

When asked which party they would vote for if elections were held today, respondents gave Yashar 22 seats, up from 20; Likud 21, unchanged; Yisrael Beytenu and the Democrats unchanged at 10; Otzma Yehudit, Shas, and United Torah Judaism unchanged at eight; Hadash-Ta’al six, unchanged; Ra’am five, unchanged; and Religious Zionist Party four, down from five.

Bennett-led merger with Tropper-Hendel party would reach 35 seats

In a scenario in which Together and Yashar unite under Bennett’s leadership, the merged party would receive 35 seats, two more than in the previous poll but five fewer than the two parties would win separately.

In that scenario, the Tropper-Hendel party would cross the electoral threshold with five seats, with seats coming partly at the expense of Yisrael Beytenu and the Democrats, and partly from Religious Zionist Party voters. 

The Religious Zionist Party would then fail to cross the electoral threshold in that scenario, receiving only 2.4% of the vote.

The bloc map in that scenario gives the Netanyahu bloc 48 seats, the Zionist opposition 56, the Tropper-Hendel party five, and the Arab parties 11. If the Tropper-Hendel party joined the Zionist opposition parties, the combined bloc would reach the 61-seat majority needed to form a government.

If Eisenkot headed the joint Yashar-Together list, the merger would receive 39 seats, two more than in the previous poll. The Tropper-Hendel party would also cross the electoral threshold in that scenario, with four seats, while Religious Zionism would remain below it with 2.9%.

Eisenkot-led merger would reach 63-seat majority for Zionist opposition

The bloc breakdown under an Eisenkot-led merger gives Netanyahu’s coalition 46 seats, the Zionist opposition 59, the Tropper-Hendel party four, and the Arab parties 11. In that case, cooperation between the Zionist opposition and Tropper-Hendel would produce a more stable majority of 63 MKs.

The poll also found that Bennett’s lead over Netanyahu on suitability for prime minister narrowed from four percentage points in the previous poll to two points, 43% to 41%. Eisenkot, by contrast, continued to widen his lead over Netanyahu, now leading him by eight points, 48% to 40%.

The Maariv poll was conducted by Lazar Research in cooperation with Panel4All on July 8-9 among 500 respondents, representing a sample of Israel’s adult population aged 18 and over, including Jews and Arabs. The maximum margin of error was 4.4%.

Twelve people were killed in a wildfire in Almería in southern Spain, with 150 firefighters working to put out the blaze, the Emergency Agency of Andalucía said early on Friday.

Spanish Presidency, Health, and Emergencies Minister Antonio Sanz called the fire “the most devastating fire to date in our region” and described the situation as an “unprecedented tragedy”.

Earlier, there were reports of six deaths from the wildfire.

“Our deepest condolences to the families of the six people who lost their lives in the Los Gallardos and the affection from all of us to the municipalities affected by the fire,” Juanma Moreno, the leader of Spain’s southern Andalusia region, wrote in a post on X/Twitter.

Some 500 evacuate in Catalonia

Earlier this week, wildfires originating in southwest France spread to the Spanish side of the border, ravaging 2,200 hectares, 97% of them in the protected natural area of Les Gavarres.

Police had arrested an employee of a company contracted by Catalonia’s regional government who is suspected of having sparked the wildfire by using an angle grinder at the side of a road.

South of Catalonia, in the eastern Castellon province, 500 people were evacuated after a wildfire entered the Sierra de Espadan national park, home to a significant cork oak forest.

Former US Marine Robert Gilman, who is serving a long prison sentence in Russia, has been admitted to a hospital, Kommersant newspaper reported on Thursday.

The business daily quoted Gilman’s lawyer as saying he was receiving treatment but that it was too early to talk about a diagnosis.

A US State Department spokesperson said: “We are aware that an American, Robert Gilman, is detained in Voronezh, Russia, and the Department is providing appropriate consular assistance. We take our commitment to assist Americans abroad seriously and will continue to track closely Mr. Gilman’s case.”

Gilman was first jailed in 2022 for assaulting a police officer while drunk, and his sentence was extended in 2024 following subsequent convictions for assaulting prison officials and a state investigator.

State media reported last December that he was facing a total sentence of 10 years after a further conviction for assaulting prison staff.

Russian media have previously cited Gilman’s lawyers as saying that he originally came to Russia to study and obtain citizenship.

Gilman’s supporters in the US say he was ill when he was first arrested, and that he was provoked while in prison into actions that led to the further charges.

Hearing postponed due to Gilman’s illness

Kommersant said that because of Gilman’s unspecified illness, a court in the southern city of Voronezh had postponed a hearing into a prosecutor’s appeal against the latest sentence.

A source close to the Kremlin told Reuters last year that Gilman was one of nine people on a list of Americans jailed in Russia that Washington wanted to be released and returned to the US

The State Department spokesperson said: “The Trump Administration has no higher priority than the safety and security of Americans.”

Palm Beach, Florida, officially renamed its airport after US President Donald Trump on Thursday, becoming the latest in a series of institutions, buildings, government programs, warships, and money to adopt the Republican’s identity.

The renaming of Palm Beach International Airport to President Donald J. Trump International Airport was a high-profile nod to the Republican leader’s support in his adopted state of Florida, home to his ornate Mar-a-Lago resort.

“I don’t think there’s anybody more synonymous with Palm Beach than Donald Trump in maybe all of Florida,” Trump’s son Eric Trump said in an interview with Fox News.

Trump’s name widely used

Since he took office for a second White House term last year, Trump’s name has been imprinted on a planned ‌class ⁠of Navy warships, a visa program for wealthy foreigners, a government-run prescription drug website and federal savings accounts for children.

He has also pursued an ambitious remaking of Washington. While the Trump name was added ⁠to the United States Institute of Peace building, courts have rejected an attempt to affix it to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation in March to rename the southeast Florida city’s airport after Trump.

The Federal Aviation Administration three-letter identifier code for the airport was changed from PBI to DJT on Thursday. But passengers will need to use PBI to book flights until August 18, the airport said on its website, when it will be reflected on baggage tags, tickets and airline reservation systems.

The airport said the name change cost $5.5 million.

Eric Trump and his family were aboard the first flight to land at the newly named airport in the pre-dawn hours on a private plane.

“There’s no way in hell I was letting UPS be the first plane to land,” Eric Trump said in an interview with “Fox & Friends.”

JetBlue Airways is the largest carrier in Palm Beach and, along with Delta Air Lines and American Airlines operates about two-thirds of flights.

Other US airports have been named for politicians, including Little Rock, Arkansas’s airport after former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but it retained the LIT airport code.

Other airports have been renamed after former lawmakers, including in Las Vegas and San Jose, California. 

The death toll from Venezuela‘s earthquakes has risen to 3,889, the country’s National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez said on Thursday, adding another 78 deaths to Wednesday’s numbers. 

Meanwhile, the number of injured stands at 16,740, and the number of homeless at 17,907, with people harboring in more than 80 temporary shelters. 

Two earthquakes, one of magnitude 7.2 and the other of magnitude 7.5, struck the country’s capital, Caracas, nearby coastal La Guaira, and their surroundings on June 24. 

Interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez renewed calls on Wednesday for international sanctions to be lifted to assist recovery efforts following increasingly stringent sanctions imposed by the US, the European Union, and other countries over the last two decades. 

“Venezuela has resources blocked ​around the world that could address this process of reconstruction,” she said on state television channel VTV. 

She added that funds were also needed for employment and education programs.

This comes amid growing frustration among Venezuelans, who have described the government’s response to the disaster as belated and inadequate. The claims were met with defiance from Rodriguez, who claimed that security forces were deployed 

Although many sanctions remain in place, the US relieved some targeting Venezuela’s oil sector following the capture of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. 

Additionally, following the earthquakes, Washington authorized earthquake relief that would have otherwise been banned by sanctions. 

A deteriorated health system

Meanwhile, the head of the Pan American Health Organization warned on Thursday that health risks, including interruptions to regular medical care, crowded shelters, and lack of access to clean water, are now widespread. 

“In the coming weeks, the greatest health risks may stem not only from injuries caused by the earthquakes, but also from disruptions to health services, overcrowded conditions, deficiencies in water and sanitation, and reduced access to vaccination and routine healthcare,” PAHO director Jarbas Barbosa said.

Venezuela’s health system has deteriorated significantly over years of economic crisis, contributing to a lack of immediate care after the quake, said Ciro Ugarte, PAHO’s director for health emergencies.

The migration of healthcare professionals in recent years – part of broader waves of people leaving the country – also left Venezuela in a difficult position.

“The shortage of essential services in the immediate aftermath was critical, and facilities that had not been intended for trauma care or emergency patient treatment had to be adapted for that purpose throughout Venezuela,” Ugarte said.

Care has improved with international assistance, personnel from other regions, and field hospitals, he said.

The Sudanese army has conditioned any broad acceptance of a US proposal for ending the country’s three-year-old civil war on the full withdrawal by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) from cities it has occupied, according to documents seen by Reuters.

The documents, the contents of which were confirmed by senior Sudanese officials, show that a US proposal last month called for both sides to agree to an immediate 90-day humanitarian truce, allowing for negotiation of a permanent ceasefire and a civilian-led transition to elections.

It also called for a UN-led mechanism to support limited withdrawals by the RSF, prioritizing North Darfur, where the RSF recently took over the city of al-Fashir in a violent attack, and North Kordofan, a current target of RSF drone strikes.

The army-led Sudanese government accepted most of the proposal but objected to only a limited withdrawal, saying the plan must include “the withdrawal of (the RSF) from all the cities it has occupied since May 11, 2023,” the documents showed.

The army demand for broad RSF withdrawal has been a repeated stumbling block in previous peace efforts.

The US State Department did not respond to a request for comment. The Sudanese Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

US calls for unified national army, civilian-led political process

The US proposal also called for a unified national army with disarmament, demobilization and reintegration arrangements, as well as a Sudanese civilian-led political process excluding the Muslim Brotherhood or militia elements that committed atrocities.

After initially telling the UN Security Council that Sudan had rejected the proposal, US Senior Adviser for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos said in a social media post last week that he was “extremely pleased” to hear that Sudanese army head General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan “has apparently accepted, rather than rejected, the latest peace proposal.”

The US has led previously unsuccessful attempts to end the conflict, which has displaced millions, killed hundreds of thousands by multiple estimates, and spread hunger and disease.

UN experts accuse RSF of genocide

UN experts have accused the RSF of committing genocide in the Darfur region, an area the size of France where it retains control and has begun setting up a parallel government. The RSF denies targeting civilians.

A senior RSF official told Reuters the force had received and welcomed the latest proposal and made a written response, but gave no further details. The RSF has previously welcomed peace offers while pressing on with attacks.

The paramilitary force is currently conducting a drone-led campaign in the Kordofan region that lies between Darfur and the army-controlled eastern half of the country.

The war broke out in April 2023 after the army and RSF fell out over plans to integrate their troops and a transition to civilian-led democracy.

Last Friday night, 13 mostly Russian-speaking Jews and three Arab Muslims gathered under a cherry tree next to the popular Common Grounds coffee shop in Yerevan, capital of the world’s oldest Christian country, to welcome Shabbat.

Samson Karapetyan, the son of an Armenian Christian father and a Jewish mother from Azerbaijan, recited the Hebrew blessing for wine over a glass of Georgian Palavani kosher merlot. Karapetyan, 29, stood at the head of a table piled high with hummus, falafel, pita, stuffed grape leaves, babaganoush and other Middle Eastern delicacies supplied by a local Lebanese caterer.

Then everyone, including the three invited Arabs, joined in a spirited rendition of “Lecha Dodi”, with printed transliterations in English for those not familiar with the traditional Jewish melody.

“I’m so glad we have a community here,” said Ekaterina Goldschmidt, 32, a tattooed landscape architect who showed up to the Shabbat dinner with Teya, her little black Kokoni dog.

The dinner was organized by Yerevan Jewish Home, a social network formed by Russian-born journalist and blogger Nathaniel Trubkin in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. That ongoing war spurred a large exodus from both countries and brought as many as 2,000 Jews to Armenia , boosting the ex-Soviet republic’s tiny Jewish population tenfold and injecting new blood into what had been a stagnant, dwindling community of mostly pensioners.

The explosion of Jewish life came against the backdrop of frosty ties between Armenia and Israel, the country that absorbed the most Ukrainian and Russian Jewish emigres since the war’s start. The chill has been a consequence of Armenia’s close relations with neighboring Iran as well as Israel’s unwillingness to offend Turkey by naming as a genocide the Ottoman massacre of 1.5 million Armenians during World War I. 

Another key obstacle has been resentment over Israel’s extensive weapons sales to neighboring Azerbaijan, with which Armenia has fought several border wars in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Those obstacles may be falling away. Last year in Washington, predominantly Muslim Azerbaijan and mostly Christian Armenia signed a peace treaty at the urging of US President Donald Trump , garnering praise from Jewish leaders in both countries. 

And on June 29, Israel’s Cabinet unanimously passed a resolution recognizing the 1915 genocide. That declaration now goes to the full Knesset where, despite intense lobbying from both Turkey and Azerbaijan, it will likely be ratified , making Israel the 36th country to take that step. 

“The Jewish community here is happy that Israel has finally recognized this genocide,” Trubkin told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. “Every self-respecting Jew knows what happened to the Armenians, though of course many Armenians are asking, ‘Why only now?’ It’s all about politics.”

Added Karapetyan: “Everyone understands that our two nations have a similar heritage, with a similar destiny. It is impossible, when you speak about the Shoah, to not also speak about the Armenian genocide. If we study one of them, we need to study the other.”

Both Turkey and its ally, Azerbaijan, immediately condemned the Cabinet vote; the chief rabbi of Azerbaijan’s Ashkenazi congregation in Baku, Shneur Segal, has already urged Israel to reverse it immediately.

The reaction from Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was cold. Suggesting that Israel is motivated purely by geopolitics, he told reporters the day the change was announced: “We believe that not entering into the issue of the weaponization of the Armenian genocide is in the interests of the Republic of Armenia. Therefore, we do not see any need for a response.”

What is drawing Yerevan and Jerusalem closer together?

Other external factors appear to be drawing Yerevan and Jerusalem closer together. 

Late last month, some 350 women representing the Israeli labor federation Histadrut gathered at Yerevan’s Megerian Carpet Restaurant to mark International Day of Women in Diplomacy. The event featured popular songs in Hebrew by prominent Georgian vocalist Kristi Japaridze as well as a performance of traditional Armenian music and dance.

The Histadrut visit, the largest such Israeli delegation to tour Armenia in years, was organized with help from Israeli House, an NGO based in Jerusalem. Founded in 2012 by former Jewish Agency official Itsik Moshe, the network promotes Israeli culture and business, and now operates in 30 countries including both Azerbaijan and Turkey.

Moshe, who is also president of the Israel-Georgia Chamber of Business, said Israeli House will open its next outpost in Armenia sometime in August or September. 

Assisting Moshe is Andranik Arakelyan, an educational consultant at Yerevan’s National Polytechnic University, though a specific location has yet to be decided. In its final form, he suggested, Israeli House could include a business center to showcase Israeli tourism as well as innovations in agriculture and medicine.

“I consider Israeli House as a cultural first step for strengthening ties between our two nations. The rest is up to politicians and diplomats,” said Arakelyan, 36, a Christian who spent four years in Glendale, California, a predominantly Armenian suburb of Los Angeles.

“This is the best time for our countries to get closer,” Arakelyan said, while acknowledging that “a small minority” of Armenians hold antisemitic views. “Many parties here question the timing of this [genocide] recognition, calling it a political maneuver. But when the draft becomes resolution in the Knesset, Armenians will see that it wasn’t fake.”

Marina Kozliner, a community activist who has long campaigned for this recognition, said reaction among the 10,000 or so Armenian Jews and Christian living in Israel has been mixed.

“On one hand, there is real happiness. Our community has waited for this for decades,” said Kozliner, the daughter of a Jewish father and an Armenian atheist mother who is based in Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv. “On the other, many people feel it came at the wrong political moment. Because of that, something that should have been a moral decision has become a political tool, and that has taken away part of the joy.”

She added: “Still, I prefer to look ahead. Armenia is making real efforts to move toward peace and to normalize relations with its neighbors, including Azerbaijan. That gives many of us hope for a more stable future in the region.”

In fact, the same day Trubkin and his friends were celebrating their Shabbat dinner in Yerevan, Narek Mkrtchyan, Armenia’s ambassador to the United States, received prominent pro-Israel philanthropist and Trump supporter Miriam Adelson in Washington, DC. 

“We had an interesting and substantive conversation regarding the Armenia-US agenda, investment opportunities in Armenia, and the country’s rich historical and cultural heritage,” Mkrtchyan posted on Facebook, adding, “Mrs. Adelson expressed great interest in considering a visit to Armenia.”

Long-term view of Israel’s recognition needed

Eric Hacopian, a political analyst who made his career advising Democratic candidates in southern California, suggested that such a meeting “could not have happened a few months ago.” 

But when it comes to Armenian-Israeli relations, he said, it’s important to take a long-term view of the genocide declaration from Jerusalem.

“I think something like this five to 10 years ago would have meant a lot more. It means a lot less now,” he said. “One reason is that [Prime Minister Pashinyan] is particularly anti-nationalist and more focused on normalization of ties with Turkey and Azerbaijan, so they won’t engage directly with Israel.”

He predicted a long-term shift. “I’m very confident that over the next 10 or 15 years, we’re going to see a switcheroo, in which Israel will have much better relations with Armenia, and more problematic relations with Azerbaijan,” Hacopian said. “I see relations improving, mostly because Turkish-Israeli relations are going downhill, and Israel’s relations with Azerbaijan are entirely transactional , oil for weapons and access to Iran.”

And if and when the Islamist regime in Iran collapses, Azerbaijan’s strategic importance to Israel declines as well, and Armenia’s increases. For one thing, Hacopian noted, Armenia’s economy is booming. In 2018, per-capita GDP was around $4,500; this year, it’ll likely surpass $10,000 , helped along by the presence of information technology giants including AMD, Synopsis and Invidia.

“The one ‘X factor’ no one notices is that the IT business is booming. Israeli IT firms are already here, and data centers are being built,” he said. “You cannot be in the IT business in this region if you don’t have relations with Israel.”

Meanwhile, Jewish life is taking root in Armenia, thanks largely to the efforts of Trubkin and his friends in the Yerevan Jewish Home network.

Goldschmidt, the tattooed landscape artist with the dog, was born and raised in Saratov , a major city southeast of Moscow. She left Russia in 2023, about a year after it attacked Ukraine.

“When everything started, I shared my opinions and told everyone what I thought. Eventually, I had to leave; otherwise I’d have ended up in jail,” said the young woman, who moved to Berlin and then spent four years in Limassol and Nicosia with her Cypriot ex-boyfriend. She’s now been in Armenia for the past six months , where she proudly wears a Star of David necklace , and wants to open an art gallery here.

Karapetyan, who recently spent a semester at the European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden, sees a future for liberal Judaism among the newcomers to Armenia.

“Jews here cannot relate to the Orthodox way of life. They like their freedom, and they’re not used to having separate seating for men and women,” he said. Karapetyan said that he has discussed joint projects with Rabbi Gershon Burshteyn, who has led Yerevan’s only synagogue , the Mordechay Navi Jewish Religious Center of Armenia , since 1996.

 Trubkin says his Telegram chat has around 600 people.

“Every week, I meet several new people asking about Jewish life in Armenia , people from Russia, from Israel, from Moldova. For some of them, it’s their second round of emigration,” he said, adding that he’s looking to establish a physical presence for Yerevan Jewish Home. “And we’re also establishing a new Armenian-Israeli organization for business and culture.”

The sense of optimism is palpable, even with an undercurrent of concern about the influence that Turkey plays in the region. But if Israel fails , for whatever reason , to formally recognize the Armenian genocide after raising expectations, all bets are off.

“I sincerely hope that the Israeli government will complete this process and that the Knesset will adopt an official resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide,” said former Knesset member Alexander Tsinker, co-chair of the Armenia-Israel Public Forum. “Otherwise, it would be, to put it mildly, unacceptable.”

A federal grand jury has indicted eight men over an alleged plot to attack the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) mixed martial arts event on the White House lawn in June, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a statement on Thursday.

The FBI said last month that it had thwarted a planned attack on the White House UFC event.

All eight men,aged from 19 to 32, were charged together on Thursday in a two-count indictment returned in Columbus, Ohio. The first arrest took place in Ohio. The Justice Department said the remaining defendants have also since been arrested.

The indictment charged all of them in two conspiracies: “conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists” and “conspiracy to commit murder on federal government territory and to murder a federal government official,” the DOJ said.

The defendants allegedly planned to murder US President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, US officials, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, billionaire Elon Musk and “other high value targets” at the event, the DOJ said.

Trump attended the event, which was staged without incident on his 80th birthday, along with several senior Republican lawmakers, donors and administration officials to commemorate the 250th anniversary of US independence.

Netanyahu did not attend the event.

The defendants could not be reached for comment.

Plan involved striking White House with explosive drones, snipers

The eight men allegedly participated in online chat groups and forums on Signal, SimpleX, Discord, TikTok and Instagram, the DOJ said.

The plot involved using explosive-laden drones to strike the north side of the White House with the aim of funneling attendees toward an exit where snipers planned to open fire on fleeing politicians and others, the FBI alleged last month.

A very senior defense official told me something this week that most Americans arguing about Israel have not caught up to. Israel’s goal in the new defense talks with Washington, he said, is to move from the status of “aid” to the status of “partnership.”

Our senior military correspondent, Yonah Jeremy Bob, gave the idea a name: not an MOU, an MOP. A memorandum of partnership.

Remember that term, because Washington is about to have a loud fight over “ending aid to Israel,” and almost nobody in the fight has noticed that both governments already want it to end.

The current memorandum of understanding, $38 billion over 10 years, expires in 2028. Talks on its replacement opened last month, led on our side by Defense Ministry Director-General Maj.-Gen. (res.) Amir Baram and Israeli Ambassador to the US Yechiel Leiter. The ministry’s announcement said the goal is to “gradually transition from aid to a completely reciprocal partnership.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu put it in writing with a letter backing a resolution by Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Indiana) to phase out the annual $3.8b.: “The time has now arrived for us to move from aid recipient to partner.”

Even Gil Pinchas, the military’s outgoing chief financial adviser, waved off the “free money” as the least important part of the relationship.

So, the coming fight in Washington is over the wrong question. The aid era ends either way. What matters is what replaces it, and whether Americans have any idea what they get out of the deal.

For 50 years, the alliance has been sold in the vocabulary of charity. Aid. Assistance. Generosity. That vocabulary was never accurate, and it has become the relationship’s biggest political weakness. If it is charity, it is a gift, and gifts get withdrawn when the giver’s mood changes.

The mood is changing.

Everyone is attacking the same deal

Rahm Emanuel, the former White House chief of staff, US ambassador to Japan, and possible 2028 presidential candidate, came to Tel Aviv this week and gave the mainstream Democratic version: Israel is rich, US voters are drifting, end the subsidies, sell Israel weapons like any other ally.

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky), from the America First flank, attacked the new US-Israel defense technology initiative. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California), a progressive, attacked it from the other side.

The Quincy Institute, a Washington think tank that advocates a smaller US footprint abroad, warns of a “disappearing aid check” and visible grants reorganized into Pentagon procurement pipelines that are harder to monitor.

Pro-Palestinian activists say co-production is just a new pipe for taxpayer money to Israeli defense firms.

Read those critiques again. Not one of them claims the relationship is shrinking. Quincy, the sharpest of the bunch, argues the opposite: The partnership is getting deeper, more industrial, less visible. On the description, the critics are right. They just skip the only question that matters in alliance politics. Is it a good deal for America?

The polling explains the urgency. A survey this month by AP-NORC, the Associated Press’s polling arm, found that 31% of Americans, including roughly half of Democrats, say Israel’s actions in Gaza constitute genocide.

Israel denies the accusation, Washington denies it, and I reject it. But the political fact stands. The generation that took this alliance for granted is leaving the stage. The one replacing it wants a transactional case. Israel had better have one.

Two numbers before we go further

The loudest American argument against the MOU has nothing to do with strategy: Why send billions to Israel when Americans cannot afford health care?

Fair anger, bad math. US health spending hit $5.3 trillion in 2024. The MOU is $3.8b. a year, roughly 0.07% of that. Real money, worth scrutinizing, and irrelevant to why an insulin prescription costs what it costs.

Second number: where the money goes. Almost none of it is cash handed to Jerusalem. The financing gets spent overwhelmingly on American aircraft, munitions, and components, and the agreement phases out Israel’s right to spend any of it at home. By 2028, essentially every dollar lands in US factories and US jobs.

Strip away the charity language and the MOU starts to look like an American industrial policy tool that arms an ally and buys Washington influence over Israeli procurement and strategy that no treaty could.

What America gets

Israel has learned air defense because it has been attacked. The US has unmatched military scale, but no American system has faced what Israeli defenses have faced: rockets from Gaza, missiles from Lebanon, drones from Yemen, ballistic missiles from Iran, and mixed barrages built to saturate and exhaust layered defenses.

Trump’s “Golden Dome” homeland-defense concept drew directly on Israel’s multitiered architecture. America can simulate missile barrages. Israel has had to intercept them over its own cities. That education flows to Washington at a fraction of what it would cost to buy alone.

Cyber runs on the same asymmetry. The US is the dominant cyber power. Israel has built rare strength in specific niches because it is attacked constantly, and the best-known example of the combination, according to foreign reports, remains the operation against Iran’s nuclear program, which The Washington Post attributed to US and Israeli experts working together.

AI-enabled warfare is the uncomfortable one. Israel’s battlefield use of decision-support and digital command systems raises hard legal and moral questions, and it should. But that is exactly why the experience matters to the Pentagon: real data on what worked, what failed, and what must be constrained, before America faces a peer war. Some of these lessons should be copied. Some should be restrained. All should be studied.

And the quietest item on the ledger may be the biggest. Israel has no NATO-style treaty. No American soldier is obligated to defend Tel Aviv. Israel absorbs the pressure from Iran and its proxies directly – in a region Washington cannot ignore but no longer wants to garrison. A weaker Israel would not make the Middle East calmer. It would make America’s choices harder.

Where the critics are right

The move from visible grants to industrial integration could weaken oversight. Take that seriously. A deeper partnership needs more accountability, not less: congressional review, reporting requirements, end-use monitoring. A democracy asking allies for support has to be able to explain how it fights.

And we should be honest about our own side of the ledger. Dependence on Washington is a vulnerability. Future administrations may attach conditions Israel cannot accept. A serious country builds its own production capacity, and Washington will respect Israel more for doing it, not less.

The bottom line

Sell the next agreement as charity, and it will lose, because charity is the weakest possible case for $3.8b. a year in a country arguing about insulin prices. The stronger case has been sitting in plain sight the whole time: a strategic investment with a measurable American return in production, technology, intelligence, deterrence, and battlefield learning. That case holds up in front of any audience, including the skeptics.

Israel should stop talking like a needy recipient. America should stop pretending this is philanthropy. Both governments have decided the aid era is over. Now they should have the confidence to name what comes next.

Not an MOU, an MOP.

There’s a new sheriff in town at Hapoel Jerusalem as the club held a festive press conference to welcome in a new era with veteran Euroleague tactician Sasa Obradovic appointed as the team’s new head coach.

Obradovic is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished and respected coaches in European basketball, having built an outstanding career both as a player and as a coach. Over more than two decades on the sidelines, the 57-year-old Serb has led several Euroleague clubs, including AS Monaco, Crvena Zvezda Belgrade, and ALBA Berlin, achieving significant success in both domestic and international competitions.

Among his most notable accomplishments is transforming AS Monaco into one of Europe’s elite clubs and guiding the team to its first-ever Euroleague Final Four in 2023, an unprecedented milestone in the club’s history. Throughout his coaching career, Obradovic has won numerous titles, including two French championships, the French Cup, the German championship, four German Cups and a Russian Cup.

“I am very happy to join Hapoel Jerusalem,” Obradovic began. “I have been coaching in the Euroleague for many years and I chose Hapoel because I was deeply impressed by the club’s vision, its standards, and its high ambitions. I truly believe in the bright future that awaits us together in the years ahead. Our goal is clear: to build a strong, talented, high-quality, and competitive team that reflects my basketball philosophy, competes for every title and fights to achieve all of the ambitious goals we have set for ourselves.

Club owner Matan Adelson added: “I am extremely happy and proud to welcome Sasa Obradovic to the Hapoel Jerusalem family. Appointing an experienced, highly respected Euroleague coach of Sasa’s caliber reflects our determination to fulfill the ambitious goals we have set for ourselves and our commitment to doing everything necessary to turn those ambitions into reality. We have chosen to lead the club in a new direction under Sasa’s leadership. It is time to write a new chapter in the history of this club, and we believe that, with Sasa at the helm, it will be an especially exciting one.

Taking Hapoel Jerusalem to new heights

“I have said this before, and I will continue to emphasize it: I will do everything in my power to ensure that this club succeeds, grows, and competes at the highest levels of European basketball as quickly as possible. I am convinced that Sasa is the right person to lead us on this journey, and I believe that together we can take Hapoel Jerusalem to new heights and achieve accomplishments the club has never reached before.”

Gal Mekel, part owner of the Reds, also commented on the hiring.

“I’m super happy to have Sasa with us as I have known him for many years and played against his teams. As a player you knew when you left the court that his team’s were extremely well coached. Defensively they knew what they wanted. Sasa’s resume speaks for itself and as the leader of the team he can take us where we want to go. We are confident that we can find the right players to fit Sasa’s philosophy.”

General Manager Dan Shamir shared his thoughts as well.

“We are very excited for this new chapter and spending time with Sasa has been wonderful. Of course Sasa’s hiring will be a change and the team will be exciting. I want to help us succeed and get to where we want to be. It’s always challenging to build a team and to have Coach Obradovic here is a plus.”

Obradovic spoke about some of the goals that are ahead of him and the team that is still in the process of being built.

“I’m really confident that we will attack all of our goals and titles both in Israel and in Europe and I’m sure we will be in the Euroleague after this season. My own philosophy is that I can promise we will play aggressive on both ends. The EuroCup will be much stronger than in the past which will be challenging but with the help of our fans we will be able to achieve our goals and be better than past years but there are no guarantees. There is trust and I believe in the people here.”

Adelson noted what stood out to him when they met for the first time during the Final Four in Athens back in May.

“This is a very special appointment for the club and we didn’t achieve our goals in the past. If our goal is to play in the Euroleague it was important to bring in someone who had the leadership, experience, presence and personality and it was clear that Sasa checked all of the boxes. What stood out was his hunger, leadership and will to take the job. He was open and willing to take the opportunity and we are thrilled that made the right match and combination that will be here for many years.

“Leadership qualities in a coach is the most important factor. As an owner, I don’t care what style we play, the most important thing for me is to win. The personality, charisma and desire to succeed needs to be there but someone with leadership capabilities is imperative. Actions speak louder than words.”

A Euroleague coach stepping into position

Obradovic talked about how he saw in the club to attract him to the position.

“I consider myself as a Euroleague coach but the first time we met in Athens during the Final Four I quickly saw many reasons why I should accept the position. I really like to work at one place for some time so you can really see the results.

Everywhere that I stayed for a while, I made an impact on the organization. The energy that I saw and the desire to go to the highest possible level made the decision pretty easy and I’m not afraid of a security situation which is something that I will always promote.”

One of the most important and successful projects that Obradovic worked on was at Monaco, but he didn’t want to use a comparison to Jerusalem.

“There aren’t many similarities. The owner of Monaco is actually more similar in his personality to the owner of Hapoel Tel Aviv. One way to achieve success is with a big budget and I had a big budget there, but that’s not the only way to build something. Patience and continuity are the keys, creating a strong foundation. Monaco is a great example of a club that has managed to stay at the top over time. I believe that here, with these people, we’ll get there in the future as well.”

See more Israeli sports coverage at www.sportsrabbi.com/en

US President Donald Trump believes Israel will withdraw from southern Lebanon. Defense Minister Israel Katz says Israel is staying.

Those two positions cannot simply coexist.

Speaking at the NATO summit in Ankara on Wednesday, Trump said he believed Israel would withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon, citing ongoing discussions and a mutual desire to move forward. A day later, Katz rejected that suggestion in unusually blunt terms.

“We did not ask anyone’s permission to enter Lebanon, and we do not need permission to stay in Lebanon,” he said, adding that Israeli forces would remain until Hezbollah is disarmed.

The disagreement is not a minor matter of messaging. It concerns the future of Israel’s northern border, the fate of Hezbollah, the sovereignty of Lebanon, and the credibility of the US-Israel alliance.

Hezbollah entrenched itself despite international arrangements in the past

Israel has every reason to be skeptical of promises concerning Lebanon. For years, international arrangements were supposed to prevent Hezbollah from entrenching itself along the border. Instead, the terrorist organization built an arsenal, dug in across southern Lebanon, and turned Lebanese territory into a forward base for Iran.

Israel cannot return to the conditions that existed before the war. No Israeli government can responsibly ask residents of the North to return home on the basis of another promise that Hezbollah will eventually be disarmed.

On that point, Katz is right. Withdrawal cannot be a gesture of faith. It must follow verifiable changes on the ground.

But Katz’s formulation is also needlessly confrontational. The United States is not just “anyone.” It is Israel’s most important ally, the mediator of the recent Israel-Lebanon security arrangement, and the country whose diplomatic and military support has been indispensable throughout the regional conflict.

Strategic independence does not require publicly dismissing Washington.

Trump, for his part, should not announce an Israeli withdrawal before Israel has agreed to one. The US may be eager to advance a broader regional settlement, and that goal deserves serious consideration. But Israel, not Washington, will live with the consequences if Hezbollah reestablishes itself along the border.

The problem is not simply that Trump and Katz disagree. Allies disagree all the time. The problem is that the public is being presented with two incompatible policies.

Is Israel’s presence in southern Lebanon temporary?

Is Israel’s presence in southern Lebanon temporary? If so, what are the conditions for withdrawal? What does “disarming Hezbollah” mean in practice? Who will verify it? What role will the Lebanese Armed Forces play? What happens if the Lebanese state proves unwilling or unable to enforce the agreement?

These questions need answers.

The US-Israel relationship has always been strongest when disagreements are handled seriously rather than theatrically. Strategic ambiguity can be useful when directed at enemies. Among allies, it can create confusion that enemies exploit.

Hezbollah should not be left wondering whether Washington is pressuring Israel to leave or whether Israel intends to stay indefinitely. The Lebanese government should not be allowed to play one ally against the other. Israelis living near the northern border deserve to know what security arrangement is supposed to protect them.

There is also a larger opportunity.

Lebanon has a chance – perhaps its best in decades – to restore genuine sovereignty over its own territory. A weakened Hezbollah and a changing regional order have created possibilities that once seemed remote. Israel should not remain in Lebanon one day longer than its security requires. But it should not leave one day before a credible alternative is in place.

That alternative cannot be another document filled with promises. It must include enforceable benchmarks: the removal of Hezbollah’s military infrastructure from the border region, the deployment of effective Lebanese state forces, mechanisms for verification, and clear consequences for violations.

Washington and Jerusalem should be working together to define those conditions now.

Trump’s instinct to seek a diplomatic breakthrough is understandable. Katz’s insistence that Israel will not outsource its security is equally understandable. But diplomacy and security are not opposing goals. A durable agreement requires both.

The US should not promise an Israeli withdrawal that Jerusalem has not approved. Israeli ministers should not speak about America as though its position were irrelevant.

Before either side makes another public declaration, the two governments need to agree on the answer to a simple question: What must happen for Israel to leave Lebanon?

Until they can answer it together, both would be wiser to speak less.

Until recently, this city located near the Arctic Circle was one of the few places in Europe where organized Jewish life did not exist. No synagogue, no ritual bath, no communal building. That changed this week, as the Jewish community in Iceland opened the Beit Shvidler Jewish Center of Iceland, the country’s first-ever Jewish center.

The center is housed in a renovated, roughly 9,000-square-foot building in downtown Reykjavik that once operated as a bar and, before that, as the headquarters of a political party. It sits just minutes from where the husband-and-wife team of Rabbi Avraham and Mushky Feldman have lived and worked since arriving on the island in 2018. The project has been funded largely through community donations.

The center includes a synagogue, a seminar room seating nearly 80 people, a kosher shop, a community kitchen, a youth center, a library lounge, and a security center, amenities the community has never had access to in one place.

There is also a mikvah, or ritual bath, that is heated geothermally, using the abundant underground volcanic heat that provides much of the country’s power.

“Jews here were yearning for a synagogue, for a rabbi, for some sort of a community,” Avraham Feldman said of the years before the couple’s arrival, “and it has been amazing to fill that need.”

Community members agree.

“Iceland has a highly diverse, dispersed and diffused Jewish community; given that we’re an isolated island, we all kind of washed up here,” said Michael Klein, an American Jew living in Iceland since 2020.

“The Feldmans managed to pull together the resources, the building and the work to turn a disused political party headquarters and restaurant into a Jewish center that can serve not only our small community but the far larger group of visitors from all over the Jewish world who come for our natural beauty and peaceful isolation,” added Klein.

Jewish life survives

Jewish life in Iceland has always been sparse and intermittent. Jewish traders are known to have passed through as early as the 1600s. Still, the organized Jewish presence dates to the late 1800s, and the first practicing Jew believed to have settled permanently was Fritz Natan, a businessman who, in 1917, built Iceland’s first five-story building.

For decades afterward, Jewish life in Iceland survived on the efforts of a handful of dedicated volunteers who coordinated informal gatherings, often meeting in rented spaces or in the basement of Hallgrímskirkja, the country’s most recognizable church. The US Navy base in the town of Keflavík, near the international airport, occasionally provided Jewish chaplains until it closed in 2006. But there was still no permanent institution, no resident rabbi, and no dedicated building, a gap that led some to call Reykjavik the only European capital without a synagogue.

That began to change in 2018, when the Feldmans relocated from the United States to Reykjavik to establish a Chabad-Lubavitch presence, becoming Iceland’s first rabbi and his wife to be permanently stationed in the country’s documented history of a thousand years. The couple started small, hosting Shabbat dinners and holiday services out of their living room. Estimates of the community’s size hover around 300 self-identified Jews, out of Iceland’s total population of about 400,000.

Momentum built quickly. In 2020, the Jewish community celebrated its first native Torah scroll, commissioned by a donor in Switzerland and completed with the help of the Icelandic congregation. A year later, the Icelandic government formally recognized Judaism as an official religion, opening the door to officially recognized Jewish weddings and allowing residents to direct part of their religious tax to the community. How many have done so is not public information.

By 2024, the community had outgrown its rented rooms and church basements and purchased the building that became the new Jewish center, roughly tying one in Fairbanks, Alaska, as the northernmost Chabad houses in the world. The building sits in Reykjavik’s compact downtown, just blocks from the iconic Rainbow Street and Harpa Opera House that make the city one of the most Instagram-friendly sites in the world.

In a city that caters to tourists, and for a community built largely from immigrants, longtime Icelandic Jewish families, and people who married into Icelandic life, the new center represents something rare: a shared physical home.

“It’s been clear for a long time that we need a home for our community,” said one Jewish resident in Iceland, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because not all of his colleagues know he is Jewish. (Iceland’s relatively small number of Jews means that there is little record of antisemitism; anti-Israel sentiment is strong, with the country one of five to boycott the Eurovision song contest this year over Israel’s participation.)

Seeing center open ‘very moving and important’

“It’s not like we’ve been hiding or aren’t a strong community; we celebrate holidays together, and there are Shabbat dinners,” he continued. “But I think it’s important that we have this center. Seeing it open is very moving and important.”

Like many Jewish institutions in Europe, the center will ensure security by being open only to community members or to visitors who reach out in advance.

Avraham Feldman said the space will hold a display case with three small prayer books donated by early Jewish residents, the only known surviving physical remnants of Jewish life in Iceland before his arrival, a reminder of how recent, and how hard-won, this permanence has been.

“The result of this center is a combination of home, family, and permanence that was unimaginable when I started visiting 14 years ago and was only a mere dream when I moved here in 2020,” Klein said.

Following the implosion of Graham Platner, a harsh critic of Israel who lobbed a parting shot about “genocide” in Gaza in his video Wednesday, quitting the Maine Senate race, a number of possible replacements have emerged. And as their names have surfaced, interest and questions about their positions on issues of concern to the Jewish community also have arisen.

There is a significant range of views among the possible candidates on the American Israel Public Affairs Committee pro-Israel lobby, arms sales to Israel and whether there was a genocide in Gaza, based on their past and recent comments. 

In statements to JTA, pro-Israel groups Democratic Majority for Israel and the Jewish Democratic Council of America both urged the party to nominate a candidate aligned with their values; Platner had drawn concern from a number of Jewish groups because of his covered-up Nazi tattoo and stance on Israel. 

DMFI’s president and CEO, Brian Romick, said he doesn’t understand why progressives had supported “a candidate with so many obvious red flags, including an allegation of sexual assault and a Nazi tattoo.” (Platner has denied the assault allegation and claimed to not know what the tattoo represented when he got it.) He added, “We urge Maine Democrats to nominate a viable candidate who reflects our Democratic values and can actually win.”

The JDCA, meanwhile, wrote that it “never supported Graham Platner because he doesn’t share the values of our community,” and said it hopes to back “a Democratic candidate who reflects the priorities — and morals — of Jewish Americans, and will beat Susan Collins in November.”

Some of Platner’s former volunteers have said they want his replacement to fit his mold as a progressive and Israel critic who is taking on establishment politics in the effort to unseat GOP Sen. Susan Collins. After Platner dropped out, the Maine Democratic Party announced on Wednesday that to fill the candidate vacancy it will hold a nominating convention made up of about 600 people selected by county-level Democratic committees. The timing of the convention is not yet clear; the deadline for naming a replacement is July 27. 

“There is an unprecedented amount of energy and enthusiasm among Maine Democrats, driven in part by many of the dedicated volunteers and supporters who were inspired by Graham Platner’s campaign,” the party said in a statement. “We look forward to coming together and harnessing that energy around our new nominee as we work to defeat Susan Collins in November.”

Here are some of the replacements being mentioned and what they’ve said about Jewish-related issues, Israel and AIPAC. None of the possible nominees responded to JTA’s requests for comment.

Nirav Shah, epidemiologist and healthcare executive

Nirav Shah, who ran for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination in June, finishing second in ranked-choice voting, told Semafor reporter David Weigel on Tuesday that he supports an arms embargo on Israel, and he accuses the country of having committed genocide. Shah also said that in keeping with his policy, he would not accept funds or an endorsement from AIPAC. 

Shah has touted himself as a political outsider like Platner and said Tuesday that he had “no establishment support, and no major political endorsements” when he was running for governor. He has called on possible Platner replacement to participate in a televised debate and “multiple” town halls across the state to make the nomination process transparent.

Troy Jackson, logger and union leader

Troy Jackson, who has backing from the left, had a close political alliance with Platner until calling for him to step aside on Monday and officially launching his campaign for the nomination on Wednesday.

A number of Platner’s supporters have called for the party to nominate Jackson, who finished third behind Shah in the gubernatorial primary. He’s said little publicly related to Israel, but in his run for governor, Jackson had the backing of a number of left-wing, strongly pro-Palestinian politicians, including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and California Rep. Ro Khanna, as well as Maine’s Democratic Socialists of America chapter. 

Sanders’ group Our Revolution and left-wing streamer Hasan Piker — a staunch Israel critic who’s drawn accusations of antisemitism — are both backing Jackson to be the new Senate nominee.

In 2024, at the Maine State Democratic Convention, Jackson, who served as convention chairman, reportedly attempted to quiet down a small group of protesters who called for a ceasefire in Gaza and called Maine Rep. Jared Golden a “war criminal” during a video celebrating the Jewish congressman.

“I believe in the ability of people to demonstrate and protest,” Jackson said amid the outburst. “There is a time for that.”

Jackson, who previously ran unsuccessfully for the House in 2014, is a former Maine state senator and Senate president; he is a member of the Painters and Allied Trades and the Machinists unions.

Shenna Bellows, Maine secretary of state

Before assuming her current role, a position that is appointed by state lawmakers every two years, Shenna Bellows served as the executive director of the Holocaust and Human Rights Center of Maine. 

In May, Bellows spoke at the Jewish-Asian Friendship Dinner, hosted by the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine. Bellows said she began working with the JCA during her time leading the Holocaust museum, and said she’d attended numerous events that discussed “many stories of Holocaust survivors and of genocide around the world, and how important it is that we stand up for all of each other, and for unity, and the love that we have for all of each other.”

Bellows also commended the JCA for its response to the surge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement presence over the winter, which included mutual aid to support people who felt unsafe leaving their homes.

Bellows does not appear to have commented extensively on Israel, although she signed Maine Gov. Janet Mills’ 2023 proclamation recognizing the 75th anniversary of the founding of modern Israel that wished the country “a peaceful and prosperous future.”

Jordan Wood, ex-congressional staffer

A former staffer for former California Rep. Katie Porter, Jordan Wood spoke extensively about his views on Israel and AIPAC in an interview as a Senate candidate in Maine last fall. He was the first Democrat to enter the race for Collins’ Senate seat before being overshadowed by Platner and later suspending his campaign to run for the House.

Wood told Democratic commentator Kaivan Shroff that he would support Sanders’ resolution to restrict offensive weapons sales to Israel but backs the continuation of aid to the Jewish state with conditions.

Wood said he believes Israel has committed war crimes in Gaza, but stopped short of accusing the country of genocide, pointing to a connection between that accusation and a rise in antisemitism.

“I’ve hesitated on it because I’m also seeing a real rise in antisemitism in the United States,” Wood said. “My husband is Jewish, and the acts of violence toward Jewish Americans is very much connected to the language that we use.” 

Wood added that it would be “a huge deal for the United States Congress to designate what’s going on in Gaza as a genocide officially.” 

“There could be consequences to that for US citizens that have served in the IDF,” he said. “Do they get prosecuted?”

Wood also said he would not take money from AIPAC, and added that there is a “huge amount of distrust” of the lobbying organization among Democratic voters.

“I believe the only way to truly prove to a voter that you are voting and prioritizing policies in their best interest, and for our country’s best interest, is to remove any perception of corruption or misdealing,” Wood said.

Dan Kleban, brewery owner 

Dan Kleban, who announced on Wednesday that he is back in the race for Senate after having suspended his campaign in October and endorsing Gov. Janet Mills, who dropped out before the primary after trailing in the polls, has a very different approach from Platner to the U.S.-Israel relationship. 

In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Kleban refrained from accusing Israel of committing genocide, instead calling the military campaign in Gaza an “absolute tragedy.” Kleban said he would condition arms sales to Israel.

When Kleban — a political novice and co-founder and co-owner of the Maine Beer Company — first launched his Senate campaign last fall, he told Politico that he did not support the recent resolution from Sanders to block certain arms sales to Israel.

“I believe Israel has a right to defend itself,” he said. “I don’t think that we solve the horrific humanitarian crisis in Gaza by disarming Israel and exposing them to harm.”

Valli Geiger, state representative

Valli Geiger, one of Platner’s most ardent supporters, both before and after the sexual assault allegations were reported, wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday that Platner told her to put her name forward along with several other as possible candidates to replace him, because he sees her as “a fighter who will work to protect the movement during this transition.”

Her post focused on Platner’s economic platform and did not mention Israel or Jewish-related matters, and she does not appear to have commented much on the issues publicly. 

In May, Geiger shared a Facebook post by an environmental page called “Unwaste the Planet,” which criticized Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the latter of whom, the post said, “wants Greater Israel.” Geiger shared it with the added caption, “This! Just this!”

She has served in the Maine House of Representatives since 2020.

Members of Israeli diamond tycoon Lev Leviev’s family have called to withdraw the criminal complaint filed against Simon Leviev (born in Bnei Brak as Shimon Yehuda Hayut), aka the “Tinder Swindler,” after an agreement between the two was reached, Walla learned on Thursday.

The agreement was submitted for approval to the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court after more than four years of legal proceedings.

Under the agreement, the complaint will be dropped without an acquittal. It was also agreed that the defendants would undertake, as part of the court’s decision, not to present Hayut, directly or indirectly, as connected to the Leviev family or to the various LLD companies.

In addition, the defendants stated that despite the dismissal of the charges against them, they would not be entitled to reimbursement of legal costs or attorneys’ fees. The agreement is still subject to court approval.

Attorney Guy Ophir, who represents the Leviev family, said the agreement was reached after the court raised on its own a legal issue, according to which most of the acts attributed to Hayut were carried out outside Israel’s borders, and therefore the attorney general’s approval was required in order to conduct the proceedings.

Most of offenses happened abroad

According to Ophir, the Leviev family brought witnesses and evidence from abroad regarding Hayut’s alleged actions, but Judge Itai Harmelin ruled that since most of the charges relate to offenses allegedly committed outside Israel, the case could not continue without the attorney-general’s approval.

Ophir argued that the defense never raised any argument about extraterritorial offenses, and that it was not appropriate for the court to raise the issue on its own after the prosecution’s case had ended.

He also claimed that some of the offenses actually did take place in Israel, including the acquaintance with the Leviev family, Hayut’s name change at the Interior Ministry, and sending of Hebrew-language publications abroad.

According to him, the family asked to submit additional evidence to support that claim, but the court rejected the request.

Ophir said that because interlocutory appeals are not possible in a criminal case, continuing the trial was expected to take another two to three years, including appeals, and would end no earlier than 2030.

“Since these were acts carried out in the previous decade, there is no point in continuing such a lengthy process,” he said.

He said the agreement does not amount to an acquittal for Hayut.

“We reached an agreement that does not absolve the defendants of our claims against them, but does ensure in a judicial decision that they will not present Simon as connected to the Leviev family or to the various LLD companies,” he said.

He added that in his view, the public should examine the testimony of the witnesses who came from abroad and judge Hayut’s conduct for itself.

Because this is not an acquittal, he said, the attorney general still retains the authority to file an indictment over the alleged extraterritorial offenses attributed to Hayut. He added that he regretted that, so far, in his words, neither the police, nor the prosecution, nor other foreign authorities had found it appropriate to act against Hayut.

The criminal complaint was filed in February 2022 with the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court by four of Lev Leviev’s nine children, through attorneys Guy Ophir and Victoria Reznik.

The complaint alleged that Hayut, following his name change, had presented himself for years as Lev Leviev’s son and as a member of the Leviev family in Israel and around the world.

It was also alleged that Hayut used that identity to gain his victims’ trust and receive benefits from them, while creating the impression that the Leviev family would cover any expenses and repay the money spent.

According to the family, he also used the trademark of the diamond company LLD Diamonds and presented himself as the company’s CEO and as a family member. The complaint said that as a result of his actions, the alleged frauds became associated with the Leviev family’s name, harming its reputation in Israel and abroad.

Damage to Leviev family’s professional reputation

In one of the hearings in the case, Zbulon Leviev, Lev Leviev’s son, testified that the impersonation had also hurt the family in the business world.

“As a businessman, people came up to me and said he was connected to the case. It created confusion. He used the name ‘Simon Zbulon Leviev’ and there is no greater impersonation than that. Instead of talking about business, they immediately talked about how it was connected to us. There was a claim that someone named Simon Zbulon Leviev had rented a yacht, and that is definitely not me. It was even published in the media as if it had been sent through our office in the US,” Zbulon Leviev testified.

Zbulon Leviev added that “in our field, in diamonds, a word is the most important thing, more than any contract. Once someone impersonates you, it damages people’s trust. This is very damaging, especially when he is impersonating you and he is a famous con man.”

A criminal complaint is a relatively unusual procedure, in which a private individual files a criminal charge instead of the state, for offenses that the law allows.

Hayut became known worldwide following the documentary “The Tinder Swindler,” which dealt with the method attributed to him.

According to reports, he contacted women through the app Tinder, won over their trust, and later said he was threatened by enemies and therefore could not use his family’s money. Using that pretense, he allegedly asked his victims to fund flights, hotel stays and other expenses, while promising to repay the money within a short time, a promise the complainants said was never fulfilled.

In December 2019, Hayut was sentenced to 15 months in prison after being extradited to Israel from Greece. He was convicted as part of a plea deal on four separate counts, including stealing checks, forgery of signatures and passing a stolen check. He was also fined and ordered to pay compensation to the victims.

Simon Leviev’s attorney, Sharon Nahari, said in response: “We are pleased to announce that after dialogue between the sides, an agreement was reached under which all charges against Simon Leviev [Hayut] will be dropped.”

“Simon will continue on his path, in creation, in action and in developing his ventures, and we are happy that the proceeding has ended with understandings between the sides.”

Simon Leviev said that he is “so happy that all the charges against me will be dropped. That was also the case in Germany and in other places around the world. I am moving on with my life to work and action.”

This brings to an end, at least for now, the private criminal proceeding the Leviev family pursued against Simon Leviev for more than four years.

However, according to the family’s lawyer, the dismissal of the complaint does not amount to an acquittal, and the attorney general still has the authority to examine filing an indictment, if deemed appropriate, over the extraterritorial offenses allegedly attributed to Yehuda Hayut.

Israel shared new intelligence with the US about a new Iranian plot to assassinate US President Donald Trump, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday night, citing people familiar with the matter.

The report follows the newest bout of attacks between the US and Iran over the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Israel’s embassy in Washington declined to comment on the matter and Iran’s Mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to the outlet’s request for comment.

The White House, however, reportedly refered the Wall Street Journal to comments Trump made on Wednesday while speaking to reporters in Ankara during the NATO summit.

“They want to take out the US leader, me,” Trump had said to reporters in Turkey. “I’m on every list. I saw this morning, I’m on every single one of their lists. And so far, I guess I’ve been a little bit lucky, but that maybe doesn’t last very long.”

However, earlier on Thursday, crowds in Mashhad awaiting former supreme leader Ali Khamenei’s funeral cortege chanted slogans demanding revenge on Trump for his killing.

“I swear by the blood of the Supreme Leader, Trump, we will kill you!” they shouted, with women holding up placards reading “Kill Trump.”

The roads leading to the shrine were a sea of black-clad mourners on Thursday, some responding to shouted chants in praise of Khamenei and against Iran’s enemies, including the old revolutionary slogan of “Death to America.”

Trump, Netanyahu speak over the phone about Iran conflict

Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke over the phone on Thursday night as part of the two countries’ ongoing coordination amid the current conflict with Iran. 

Trump updated Netanyahu on current American moves in the Gulf and the United States’s attacks against Iranian assets, while Netanyahu warned Trump against approving the F-35 deal with Turkey. 

Netanyahu also raised the matter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s severe comments against the existence of the State of Israel, as well as the need for security zones along Israel’s borders.

No other details of the phone call were shared.

Despite the phone call and unfolding situation, a White House official confirmed to Walla on Thursday that at the moment, there are no plans for the two leaders to meet.

Reuters, Idan Kweller, and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke on the phone with US President Donald Trump on Thursday night, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a late Thursday night statement, as part of the ongoing coordination between the two countries.

Trump updated Netanyahu on current American moves in the Gulf and the United States’s attacks against Iranian assets, the statement said, while Netanyahu warned Trump against approving the F-35 deal with Turkey.

Netanyahu also raised the matter of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s severe comments against the existence of the State of Israel, as well as the need for security zones along Israel’s borders.

No other details of the phone call were shared.

Despite the phone call and unfolding situation, a White House official confirmed to Walla on Thursday that at the moment, there are no plans for the two leaders to meet.

US ‘wasted a lot of time’ with Iran negotiations, Trump says

The conversation comes against the background of the United States renewing its strikes against Iran on Tuesday night.

The Jerusalem Post on Thursday reported that Israel is not expected to join this bout of fighting between the US and Iran, though IDF officals said the military is ready for any eventuality.

According to US Central Command (CENTCOM), the strikes came in response to Iran’s attempts to “impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.”

On Wednesday, Trump said he felt that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Iran was nullified following overnight strikes between the US and Iran in the Strait of Hormuz.

“To me, I think it’s over,” he said at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, in comments to the press.

Trump also stated he felt the US had “wasted a lot of time” negotiating with Iran, and he did not wish to continue talks.

Amichai Stein, Yonah Jeremy Bob, Idan Kweller, Shir Perets, and Jonah Davidov contributed to this report.

Andy Burnham, who is expected to be named as Britain’s new prime minister later this month, wants to exert more pressure on the Israeli government over its actions in Gaza, the Guardian reported on Thursday.

In an interview with the newspaper, Burnham was critical of how current Prime Minister Keir Starmer had initially reacted to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza in October 2023, which came after an attack on Israel by Hamas-led gunmen.

“We’ve got to do more to put pressure on the Israeli government … Yes, we have taken some important steps … But let’s be honest, the UK was too slow to call for a ceasefire. And we must now do more to strengthen our approach,” he said.

Starmer initially resisted calls from within his party, including from Burnham, who was a regional mayor at the time, to demand a ceasefire, instead backing a humanitarian pause in the fighting.

Criticizes Israel’s conduct in Gaza, ‘looking at further sanctions’

He later called for a ceasefire and has since criticized the Israeli government’s conduct in Gaza. His government has imposed sanctions against far-right Israeli cabinet ministers and formally recognized a Palestinian state.

Although a ceasefire last year brought the two-year war to an end, Israel’s military has continued to carry out strikes in Gaza during the wider regional conflict involving Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon, citing threats or fire from Hamas.

“We need to do more, which includes looking at further sanctions, both on those involved in the violence in Gaza but also looking at measures to ban trade in goods with illegal settlements,” Burnham said.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and former Gaza hostage Yarden Bibas together dedicated an olive tree to murdered Gaza hostages Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas at a ceremony in the northern Israeli community of Moshav HaYogev on Thursday.

“The sacrifice that your family made for the people of Israel is one that obviously is not being forgotten,” Huckabee told Yarden and Ofri during the dedication. The dedication event was done through the My Tree in Israel initiative, through which Huckabee, US President Donald Trump, and many others have trees sponsored in their names.

“With the plaque on the tree, it’s a reminder that life is still coming. The olives, every year, will produce wonderful, beautiful olive oil that you’ll be able to have and share, and know that it’s in memory of Shiri and your two sons.”

Yarden Bibas and his wife Shiri, along with their sons, four-year-old Ariel and nine-month-old Kfir, were taken hostage during the October 7 Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel. Only Yarden was returned alive.

The event also saw the dedication of a tree to Ambassador Huckabee’s daughter, Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The sign on Ambassador Huckabee’s tree was also updated to reflect his position as ambassador, replacing the former “Governor Mike Huckabee” sign.

Also at the event, Avi Harush, the father of Sgt. Reef Harush, a soldier who was killed in combat in southern Gaza in April 2024, presented Huckabee and his wife, Janet Huckabee, with a tree that was planted in his memory.

Harush, who was 20 years old when he fell in battle along with three older soldiers in the Oz Brigade, had been undergoing training in the commando training school.

Speaking to Harush, Huckabee commended his son’s sacrifice, saying that Sgt. Harush’s sacrifice was also made on behalf of Americans.

Huckabee: Fallen IDF soldiers also protecting Americans

“Anything that happens to Israel is going to happen to Americans because there are so many of us who are here,” he said. “When someone falls in battle, they’re certainly fighting for Israel, but they are also defending the 700,000 US citizens who are here as well.” 

Avi Harush thanked the ambassador, saying that, with the dedication of the tree, “I think that now [Reef] is happy.”

Following the ceremony, My Tree in Israel CEO Kobi Assaf hosted the ambassador for a tour of the local olive press facility, which My Tree in Israel says is the largest in the Middle East.

My Tree in Israel lets supporters abroad adopt an Israeli olive tree, grapevine, or whisky-barrel share, supporting local farmers while receiving annual products from their plot and the chance to visit it. More information is available on the organization’s website.