Vice President JD Vance’s mother, Beverly Vance Aikins, said she would “probably punch” Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed over remarks he has made about Vance’s family, Fox News reported on Wednesday.

“I’d probably punch the guy if I ever seen him, and then that would get me in trouble,” Aikins told OutKick and Fox News host Tomi Lahren. “So, I’ll just go with the flow.”

Aikins said El-Sayed’s remarks angered her because “he doesn’t know JD” or “what type of person he is.”

“I think they’re jealous, honestly,” she said, pointing to her son’s position as vice president and his family. “He’s got a beautiful wife, four beautiful children, and jealousy is the only thing I can think of.”

“I’d probably punch the guy if I ever seen him and then that would get me in trouble.”

Vice President JD Vance’s mother, Beverly Vance Aikins, is firing back at Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed over his repeated attacks on her son’s family.

In a wide-ranging… pic.twitter.com/Cm26WaHw93

— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 3, 2026

El-Sayed’s remarks about Vance family

El-Sayed has previously made remarks about Second Lady Usha Vance and the couple’s children, including during an April appearance on “The Allen Analysis Show,” according to Fox News.

El-Sayed said Vance had “brown kids” and suggested that they would one day question their father’s political views. He also appeared to encourage Usha Vance to leave her husband, saying, “Usha get out … you’ve still got time,” Fox News reported.

More recently, El-Sayed invoked Usha Vance after the vice president criticized his previous comments that efforts to ban Sharia law stemmed from white supremacy.

“So do we think JD is taking Usha with him back in time to meet Papaw, or no…” El-Sayed wrote on X/Twitter.

Vance tells El-Sayed to keep wife’s name ‘out of your mouth’

Vance responded during a political rally in Sterling Heights, Michigan, on Monday, where he was campaigning for El-Sayed’s Republican Senate opponent, Mike Rogers, according to The Wall Street Journal.

“Whatever you want to talk about, Abdul, keep my wife’s name the hell out of your mouth because she’s way out of your league,” Vance said.

The vice president said he was particularly sensitive to the remarks because Usha Vance had given birth to the couple’s fourth child five weeks earlier, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Usha Vance had addressed El-Sayed’s remarks in an interview with Fox News the previous weekend, saying his comment about whether she would accompany her husband back in time to meet his grandparents made her laugh.

Vance also accused El-Sayed of being divisive and said his views represented a “terrible evil” that was on the rise in the United States.

El-Sayed responded by accusing Vance of dividing Americans for political gain and criticized the Trump administration’s policies on healthcare, the economy, and foreign affairs.

El-Sayed is running against Rogers in Michigan’s closely watched Senate race to replace retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters.

This is a developing story.

This post was originally published on here. 

We’re still almost two months away from the fateful October 27 election, but the level of personal mudslinging has already reached a dismal nadir.

The worst are this week’s claims by Sara Netanyahu, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife, that Yair Golan, leader of The Democrats party, had prior knowledge of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack in which over 1,200 Israelis were slaughtered and that launched the war that continues to this day.

Golan is a former deputy IDF chief of staff, and as the events of October 7 unfolded, he donned his IDF uniform and drove to the Supernova music festival in the South to help.

Golan is no saint, however. By May 2025, he had soured on the war efforts and proclaimed that Israel was killing babies in Gaza “as a hobby.” As a result, Defense Minister Israel Katz was permanently barred from reserve duty and called his remarks a “blood libel.”

His political views are one thing, but thinly veiled claims of treason are another. Sara Netanyahu, in an interview with the right-wing Channel 14 on Monday, said he must have had advanced warning of the Hamas attack.

Claims Netanyahu intentionally not informed of October 7 attack

“A military man of such high rank, claiming that you fought on October 7, that already early in the morning you were there, already dressed and ready at a very, very early hour when others didn’t know, such as the prime minister…” she said.

In an Instagram post, the prime minister did not go as far as his wife, but he did say that IDF officers deliberately did not wake him for over an hour because they knew he would prevent the massacre.

According to Yaakov Katz, co-author of While Israel Slept and a former The Jerusalem Post chief editor – who wrote about Netanyahu’s comments and the failure to prevent October 7 – the prime minister would likely not have done anything differently after receiving flawed assessments from the military and intelligence echelon that Hamas was probably not preparing for a major attack.

But in election season, apparently, anything goes.

According to N12’s Dafna Liel, the media statements by both Netanyahus weren’t random but part of a deliberate Likud campaign ahead of the election to spread conspiracy theories and distance the premier from the massacre.

The October 7 conspiracy theory is nothing new and is bandied about by those on the Right whenever it comes in handy.

In a Knesset session only three weeks after the October 7 attack, Likud MK Tali Gotliev referred to a social media post by Golan in September 2023 that said, “October is approaching; the hour of decision is coming.”

Golan’s post was referring to the opening of the Knesset’s winter session and the judicial reform issue, but Gotliev’s comments unleashed a floodgate of unfounded claims that have gained steam over the ensuing three years.

Threat of lawsuit against Sara Netanyahu, conspiracy theories likely to expand

It’s time to put them to rest.

Whether Golan’s demand for an apology and threat of a hefty lawsuit against Sara Netanyahu will deter future outrageous statements about a conspiracy is questionable.

As Yashar party chief Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu’s main rival, wrote on Tuesday on X/Twitter: “The outrageous conspiracy theory of treason… is intended solely to fan hatred and perpetuate the Netanyahu government, whose only way of ruling is to divide.

“Netanyahu is running from responsibility for the worst failure in Israel’s history, to which he led us blindly – through negligence and by ignoring every warning sign. Some people claim that they ‘weren’t woken up,’ while others got up and rushed into action -without asking questions.”

The surest way to get to the bottom would be to hold an official state inquiry.

However, those opposed to the inquiry and those who have prevented it are the same ones perpetuating the conspiracy theories. Interesting.

The most infuriating aspect of the attention this issue has received is that it takes up the bandwidth that should be provided to the real, critical issues facing the country as it heads to Election Day.

Here’s some advice for all of the candidates: Instead of blaming others for what they did or didn’t do, focus the campaign on what you intend to do to help the country.

This post was originally published on here. 

The Pentagon has restricted access to decades of classified military documents on an internal computer system, The Washington Post reported on Wednesday, days after the newspaper reported that senior US commanders had raised concerns about sustaining large-scale military operations against Iran.

Documents associated with the Secretary of Defense Orders Book (SDOB) were removed from an internal web portal on the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network (SIPRNet), according to three people familiar with the matter who spoke to The Washington Post on condition of anonymity.

It was not immediately clear whether the documents remained available to US personnel through other means or how the reduction in access could affect military planning, according to the report.

SIPRNet contains information classified as “secret,” while top-secret information is held on more highly classified networks with fewer people granted access.

US military leaders raised concerns over Iran operations

The SDOB contains information on the location and availability of US warships, military units, weapons systems, and other resources. It also allows senior military leaders to formally register reservations about orders while continuing to carry them out through a process known as “non-concurring,” The Washington Post reported.

The Jerusalem Post previously reported, citing the Washington Post, that several senior US military leaders raised concerns in the classified August 14 edition of the SDOB about continuing operations against Iran.

The officials warned that prolonging the war could weaken the US military’s ability to respond to threats elsewhere. The SDOB reportedly called for some US troops deployed in the Middle East to remain in the region through September, while others would remain until 2027.

Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, head of US European Command; Gen. Francis Donovan, head of US Southern Command; Adm. Samuel Paparo, head of US Pacific Command; and Adm. Daryl Caudle, chief of naval operations, were among those who registered reservations with a “non-concur,” according to people familiar with the discussion who spoke to the Washington Post.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach and acting Army Chief of Staff Gen. Christopher LaNeve agreed with Hegseth’s plan to extend some unit deployments but emphasized that doing so would carry significant risks, according to the report.

Pentagon declines to discuss access change

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell declined to discuss the reported change with the Washington Post on Wednesday but did not dispute that it had occurred.

“As we have previously stated, the Department of War does not publicly discuss internal operational deliberative processes, including the management, handling, or access protocols for the Secretary of War Orders Book (SWOB),” Parnell said in a statement to the newspaper.

“The success of our service members is Secretary Hegseth’s top priority, and for that reason, decisions regarding operational processes, force posture, and deliberative staffing are managed through appropriate security channels to ensure mission security and operational integrity,” he added.

Following the Washington Post’s Sunday report, Parnell said on social media that much of what the newspaper published was “inaccurate,” though he did not specify which details he disputed.

“Non-concurs are standard,” Parnell said. “The Secretary sees them constantly. That’s how you run a real military. We are in great shape around the world.”

Restricted access could complicate military planning

A former defense official who routinely reviewed the documents told the Washington Post that removing the SDOB from SIPRNet or moving it to systems with higher levels of classification would “dramatically reduce the number of people who have direct access to it.”

Commanders and their staff rely on access to the SDOB for time-sensitive decisions and notifications, the former official told the newspaper.

Moving aircraft and weapons from one command to another, for example, requires urgent logistical work to redirect equipment and resources. Restricting access to the relevant information could make that process slower and more difficult, according to the former official.

The change does not make it impossible for personnel to access strategic and operational documents, but doing so is now “certainly more difficult,” the former official said.

This post was originally published on here. 

A 26-year-old man was seriously injured by gunfire in Reineh in the Lower Galilee, the Magen David Adom (MDA) spokesperson announced on Thursday morning.

MDA teams treated him for penetrating injuries at the scene before transporting him to the Italian Hospital in Nazareth.

The man is conscious but in a serious condition, MDA confirmed.

This is a developing story.

This post was originally published on here. 

The US Justice Department warned states that they could risk losing billions of dollars in federal welfare funding if state agencies fail to report immigrants known to be in the country illegally, according to a legal opinion released on Wednesday.

The Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel said states receiving funding through two major welfare programs must report people unlawfully present in the US to the Department of Homeland Security.

The new interpretation expands the reporting requirement beyond the state agencies directly responsible for administering the federal programs.

Other state bodies that may have information about immigrants without legal status, including universities and departments of motor vehicles, would now also be subject to the requirement.

“Failure to comply may lead to serious consequences, including loss of program funding,” Deputy Assistant Attorney General Joshua Craddock, who signed the opinion, said in a statement.

Trump administration increases pressure on states over immigration

Since returning to office in January 2025, US President Donald Trump has pursued a broad immigration crackdown, including deploying immigration agents to cities across the country and expanding cooperation with state and local law enforcement.

The administration has also sought to penalize states that limit their cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

The Justice Department’s new position could face challenges from Democratic-led states.

States have already sued to prevent DHS from accessing personal information belonging to recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, one of the programs affected by the opinion.

Courts have also restricted some Trump administration efforts to require the sharing of immigrants’ information with DHS, while in other cases allowing immigration authorities to obtain certain data, including Medicaid information.

Billions in federal welfare funding at stake

All 50 states, Washington, DC, and numerous US territories receive funding through the two programs affected by the opinion, which include TANF and Supplemental Security Income.

Federal TANF grants total more than $16.5 billion annually, while federal SSI benefits exceed $60 billion each year. Immigrants without legal status are not eligible for either program.

Reuters contacted eight state attorneys general, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment on how they might react to the Justice Department’s position.

The legal opinion is not itself law but is binding on federal agencies.

Craddock argued that a rule issued in 1998 incorrectly interpreted the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act by treating the word “State” as referring only to particular state agencies rather than state governments as a whole.

State agencies could hold information on millions of immigrants without legal status.

At least 19 states and Washington, DC, allow immigrants without lawful status to obtain driver’s licenses, while many state universities also admit students without legal status.

This post was originally published on here. 

Thailand will halve visa-free stays for Israeli tourists from 60 to 30 days beginning September 15, according to new regulations published in the country’s Royal Gazette on Monday.

The change places Israel among 60 countries and territories whose citizens will continue to receive visa-free entry to Thailand, but for a shorter period.

Israelis who enter the country by September 14 can still be granted stays of up to 60 days under the current arrangement. Travelers already in Thailand will also be permitted to remain until the date granted to them upon entry.

Other countries covered by the visa exemption include the US, UK, Canada, Australia, most European countries, Japan, India, and the United Arab Emirates.

Can Israeli tourists stay in Thailand for longer?

Israeli tourists seeking to remain in Thailand for more than a month will still be able to apply for a one-time extension of up to an additional 30 days through the country’s Immigration Authority.

The extension will not be granted automatically and will remain at the discretion of immigration officials. Travelers planning longer stays in advance may instead need to obtain an appropriate tourist visa before departing.

Thailand tightens entry rules

The regulations also impose restrictions on tourists entering Thailand through land border crossings under the visa exemption, generally limiting them to two such entries per calendar year.

The same general restriction does not apply to airport arrivals, though Thai authorities have tightened checks on foreigners who repeatedly leave and re-enter the country to extend their stays.

Thai authorities said the changes are intended to prevent misuse of visa exemptions, including illegal employment, prolonged stays under the guise of tourism, and criminal activity by foreign nationals.

They stressed that the measures are not directed at citizens of any particular country.

Authorities are also expected to increase their use of the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) to cross-check travelers’ information and review their entry and exit histories.

This post was originally published on here. 

The US Justice Department is working with Elon Musk’s X/Twitter to identify those behind an attempted password-recovery attack that targeted hundreds of thousands of users this week, US Attorney General Todd Blanche said on Wednesday.

Blanche said in a statement on X that “sophisticated cyber criminals” attempted the attack, but the platform was able to disrupt it.

He did not provide further details about the incident.

A password-recovery attack generally involves attempts to gain access to online accounts by exploiting the “forgot password” or account-recovery process.

X did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Companies face rise in AI-driven cyberattacks

Companies around the world have been grappling with an increase in AI-driven cyberattacks and ransomware operations that can steal sensitive information and disrupt their operations.

The incident comes days after the US Justice Department announced an operation targeting QTFY, a Chinese cyberespionage platform.

The department said the US Senate, Federal Reserve, NASA, and other organizations were among those targeted by the platform.

This week, sophisticated cyber criminals attempted a password-recovery attack on hundreds of thousands of X users. X disrupted the attack to prevent user accounts from being captured. But, as we’ve shown, the Justice Department will stop at nothing in its pursuit of cyber…

— Attorney General Todd Blanche (@AGToddBlanche) September 2, 2026

White House moves to address AI cyber threats

The White House said in July that it was launching a coordination group bringing together AI developers and critical infrastructure operators to share information about cybersecurity vulnerabilities identified by AI systems.

This is a developing story.

This post was originally published on here. 

A violent riot broke out against IDF soldiers in the West Bank on Wednesday, the IDF spokesperson announced.

During the riot terrorists threw cinder block and stones at IDF forces. The forces responded by firing at the terrorists, in an attempt to remove the threat.

The IDF soldiers were operating in Al-Mughayyir village in the Ramallah area, working to retrieve livestock belonging to Israeli citizens that had been located in the village, the statement explained.

Two 19-year-old Palestinian citizens of the West Bank were killed, and one was seriously injured by IDF fire during the disturbance, Ynet reported. The IDF spokesperson noted that “hits were identified” from the fire, but didn’t specify further.

The events leading up to the incident and the management of the riot are under review.

This is a developing story.

This post was originally published on here. 

Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas is placing former senior police officer and longtime Yesh Atid politician Yoav Segalovich second on the party’s electoral slate in an effort to broaden the legitimacy of partnering with Ra’am and bring the party closer to a future government, while risking turning the unusual alliance into a central campaign weapon against him.

If Abbas were simply looking for another star name for his slate, Segalovich would probably not have been his first choice. He has no political camp of his own, no network of vote contractors, and he is not bringing with him the remnants of a disbanded party. But that is not what Abbas wants from him.

Segalovich is meant to help him solve a problem far more difficult than gaining another Knesset seat: legitimacy.

Segalovich will be No. 2 on the Ra’am slate, the first Jewish candidate ever placed second on its list. He will not join the party itself, will have freedom to vote independently on matters of religion and state, security, and LGBT rights, and will seek to advance civilian service in Arab society.

The arrangement leaves both men enough breathing room and a reasonable degree of political maneuverability.

Abbas can tell his supporters that Ra’am remains Ra’am, while Segalovich can explain to Jewish voters that he has not undergone a political conversion on the road to Nazareth.

Abbas wants to get back into the government

Abbas wants to return to the government. He is already saying so openly, and that calculation matters to him far more than photographs alongside Segalovich. The number of seats Ra’am wins is important, of course, but the real question that will determine its fate will come the day after the election: What will Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, and Avigdor Liberman do with those seats?

For another change of government, five or six Ra’am mandates could make the difference between a coalition and a dead end.

That is why Segalovich is there. He is the seal of approval Abbas wants from centrist Zionist voters. A former police major-general, former deputy public security minister, and longtime Yesh Atid member, Segalovich is identified above all with the “Safe Track” program and the fight against crime in Arab society.

In an internal Ra’am poll of 750 Arab citizens, 75% identified him as the Jewish politician most attuned to their needs. There is something almost inevitable about choosing a former police officer for Abbas’s boldest political experiment yet. Segalovich is one of the few Jewish politicians Abbas can present to two very different constituencies without immediately driving one of them away.

The point should be made clearly: Ra’am is not suddenly becoming an Israeli consensus party, nor does it need to. Abbas needs something more modest and practical.

He needs enough centrist and moderate liberal right-wing voters to conclude that partnering with him is not political suicide. If Segalovich lowers that price even slightly, he is worth more to Ra’am than another half a Knesset seat.

At an earlier stage in the talks, the possibility was raised of making Segalovich a candidate for national security minister. Abbas ultimately retreated from the greater demand and chose a framework that would be easier to sell: Ra’am is not demanding the ministry for him, but rather a focused role overseeing the fight against crime and violence.

A red line in negotiations

The National Security Ministry could become a red line in coalition negotiations. A project role on crime, by contrast, fits Segalovich’s record and addresses one of the most urgent needs of Ra’am voters.

Abbas has already experienced supporting a government from outside and providing it with a parliamentary safety net. This time, he wants a direct hand in one of the most pressing issues in Arab society: personal security.

He already knows the difference between standing beside a coalition and sitting inside it, where the decisions are made.

In June, Ra’am opposed the creation of an Arab joint list that would be merely “technical,” without prior agreement on cooperation after the election and without a commitment to an alternative candidate to Benjamin Netanyahu. Less than three months later, Abbas himself is pursuing a technical alliance.

The difference is that this time, his partner is Jewish.

His priorities are fairly clear. Arab unity is not worth much to Abbas if it leaves him in the opposition. Segalovich is worth a great deal if he brings him closer to the room where decisions are made.

Abbas has already been there, and he knows the difference between delivering a good speech in the Knesset plenum and having a hand on the budgetary taps.

On paper, Abbas has plenty to gain. He gets a senior Jewish candidate who speaks openly as a Zionist while also being closely identified with one of the most painful issues facing Arab society: crime.

Against the renewed Hadash-Ta’al-Balad joint list, Abbas will be able to offer a simple and potentially persuasive argument: They will sit in the opposition and shout; we will enter the room where budgets are allocated, police are deployed, and decisions are made.

The other three parties have already agreed to run together without him. The election in Arab society will therefore also be a contest between two competing concepts of leadership.

On one side is unified national representation. On the other is Abbas’s gamble on integration and influence from within the government. Last time, he brought an Arab party into the coalition. This time, he is bringing Jewish-Arab partnership into the slate itself before voters have even had their say.

A major step: A Jew in the number 2 slot of an Islamic party

The price is clear. A Jewish Zionist in the No. 2 slot of a slate rooted in the Islamic Movement is not a cosmetic change. Abbas’s rivals in Arab society will have little difficulty arguing that, in his pursuit of coalition legitimacy, he is further blurring Ra’am’s identity.

Segalovich faces the opposite problem. The more he emphasizes the differences between himself and Ra’am in order to reassure Jewish voters, the more ammunition he will give those who want to ask Abbas what, exactly, remains of the partnership.

Segalovich is also putting his political career on the line. In Yesh Atid, he was a senior member of a major centrist party. In Ra’am, he is entering a political experiment unlike anything Israel has seen before.

Success could make him the figure who connected an Arab public seeking personal security with a Jewish political center looking for an Arab partner it can live with.

Failure would leave him in the most uncomfortable political position of all: too Zionist for some Ra’am voters, and too closely identified with Ra’am for some centrist voters.

The greater danger for both men, however, lies outside the slate. Netanyahu has already received the image he needs for his campaign: a Jewish centrist politician in the No. 2 spot of an Arab party, alongside Ra’am openly declaring that it wants to return to government.

The campaign machine will not need much more. From Likud’s perspective, this is a golden opportunity to portray any future government led by Eisenkot, Bennett, and Liberman as dependent on Mansour Abbas.

Segalovich is supposed to blunt that argument. Netanyahu, presumably, will turn him into its ultimate proof.

This post was originally published on here. 

BarVox, a startup developing a verbal communication alternative to traditional AAC eye-tracking and typing devices, translates the vocal output of verbally impaired individuals into personalized, understandable speech.

Traditional AAC eye-tracking and typing devices work well for people who are fully nonverbal. But for people who are semiverbal and have verbal impairments, including those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), current AAC technology can fall short.

The company was founded after Dror Levy, BarVox’s founder and CEO, spent years interpreting verbal cues from his 27-year-old son, Bar, who has autism and is semiverbal. Despite functioning independently, Bar, like thousands of others, “struggles with pronunciation,” and his speech “isn’t clear beyond family and friends.”

Levy recalled the frustration both caregivers and children felt when others in the outside world could not understand them.

With three decades of experience in research and development, marketing, communications, and cyber hi-tech, Levy set out to develop a tool that could speed up a process typically facilitated through AAC eye-tracking or typing devices.

The system emerged five quarters ago after BarVox took part in one of Hackatism’s hackathons. Hackatism, a startup community dedicated to developing technology for people with disabilities, awarded BarVox second place after it competed against 42 other startups and was evaluated by 30 judges.

BarVox is now launching 30 new pilots

Recognizing that caregivers, family members, and users themselves often understand the intended meaning and nuance of verbal cues, Levy decided to place the technology in the hands of users and their loved ones rather than rely on a predetermined program.

“We wanted something that is much more simple,” Levy said. Current devices are complicated and frustrating, he stated. “You have to spend time selecting between different categories, wishes, emotions, and the voice is not even your voice. And it takes time to find the category.”

BarVox is not limited to a single device. It can be used as an app on a “smartphone, mobile phone or tablet,” said CMO and CFO Gil Epstein.

This accessibility allows users to express themselves immediately and in a personalized way.

Epstein added that, while preserving the authenticity of an individual’s intended verbal expression, BarVox also preserves the speaker’s dignity. When translating verbal syllables or “part-words” into complete sentences, the app does not correct mistakes in the user’s verbal output.

According to BarVox’s demo video, once a user presses “listen,” the app continues listening in the background until prompted further. If it does not recognize a particular sound, it adds it to a queue of new sounds requiring inclusion in the user’s personal dictionary.

Many existing AAC solutions, beyond eyegaze or typing, require users to browse and scroll through symbols or words to convey their intended meaning. By directly interpreting immediate verbal output, BarVox enables users to bypass that arduous step and ease the mental strain on the speaker, according to Ziv-Maxim.

“The sound of the translating voice is pleasant,” Levy said, adding that it can also be customized.

When asked whether the translating voice could be recreated from a non-generated human voice, Levy said it was possible, though the company is still evaluating which approach to take. For someone who has always had verbal impairments, Levy noted, producing a human voice could be startling for both the user and the audience.

However, Levy said recreating voices and verbal cues may make more sense for users who once spoke but developed verbal impairments because of war injuries. The goal of voice customization, he said, is to keep the user comfortable.

Levy recalled that one user’s mother asked the app to use her voice after noticing that, after years of communicating for her son, her voice relaxed him.

BarVox is already operating and assessing the system in two schools and one adult center. It is also looking to establish a pilot at a day center for teenagers.

The company is generally operating in small- to medium-sized centers as it focuses on private pilots.

It also hopes to launch a precept investment round that will “enable the addition of features and capabilities” needed to enter production and “initiate three pilots with large organizations,” Levy said. One prospective organization is ALUT, a leading organization focused on the well-being of Israelis with autism.

BarVox partners with University of Haifa

BarVox has also begun research with the University of Haifa, which is evaluating the effect of its application on the social-emotional well-being of verbally impaired users.

While organized statistics on the program’s effectiveness do not yet exist, Levy hopes that the next three months will produce more concrete results that can be compiled into a real dataset. However, he said, “We are getting feedback, and people are asking if we can add certain features. That shows that they are using it.”

Rather than a clinical or medical solution, BarVox is a social tool, Levy said: an accessible companion that can immediately facilitate communication and social integration for people with speech impairments.

“We are trying to penetrate all organizations that help individuals with verbal challenges- a different variety of people-and offer them the ability to use our application. We want these individuals to know this tool is totally different from what is already on the market. We truly believe that this will change their lives. Our vision is for us to “let them be a part of life: at work, career, family.”

The business model will eventually be offered as a monthly license to individuals, families, or the healthcare institutions caring for them.

At the end of the day, “the goal is only to make them feel understood,” Epstein said.

This post was originally published on here. 

Former British ambassador to the UN Jeremy Greenstock accused former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair of asking the Palestinian Authority (PA) to remove any mention of the word ‘Palestine’ from schoolbooks.

Greenstock, who held the ambassador role between 1998 and 2003 and then served as Special Representative for Iraq, made the claims while on the David Hearst Podcast on Wednesday. Hearts is Middle East Eye’s (MEE) Editor-in-Chief.

“[Blair] recently, I understand, was asked by the Board of Peace to go to Ramallah and ask to remove from the Palestinian curriculum any mention of the word Palestine if they were to be treated by the Board of Peace as capable of coming to an agreement with Israel to end the current conflict that had stemmed from 7 October onwards,” Greenstock told Hearst, recalling information he allegedly received from a ministerial level source.

“Mahmoud Abbas would do no such thing,” he continued. “But the very fact that the Board of Peace could ask for that to be done in the Palestinian educational curriculum makes me wonder what principles the Board of Peace is working on, and what understanding they have of justice, of the sense of fairness of the history of all of this, and of where this is going to go.”

Greenstock then said he is “convinced personally that Netanyahu has the ambition to deliver for his father the return of Judea and Samaria to Israeli sovereignty, and that he saw an opportunity in the 7 October attacks in 2023 for an Israeli reaction that would take that dream forward.”

Greenstock presented contested claims as established fact

A spokesperson for Blair told The Jerusalem Post that Greenstock’s claim “is not true and a complete fabrication” and that they have complained about the published article “having told [MEE] beforehand it was not true.”

“We categorically deny the claims made in a recent media report, attributed to a former British diplomat, alleging that Mr Blair asked the Palestinian Authority to remove the name “Palestine” from Palestinian school curricula or replace it with another term.

“Mr Blair has made no such request, nor has he conveyed or endorsed any proposal to this effect.

“Given the sensitivity of the current moment and the issues surrounding ongoing peace efforts, it is important to adhere to the highest standards of accuracy and professionalism, and of verifying information before publishing claims that could mislead the public or undermine efforts to achieve peace,” the spokesperson added.

Throughout the interview, Greenstock presented several other contested claims as established fact.

For example, when asked about Israel closing the case into the killing of three British World Central Kitchen workers, he said, “Innocent civilians were clearly killed deliberately in that incident.”

There has been no evidence to suggest a deliberate killing.

On April 1, 2024, the IDF mistakenly killed seven international food aid workers working for the World Central Kitchen (WCK).

Last week, the IDF probe admitted that its surveillance officials misidentified the WCK security officials as Hamas members.

While acknowledging the gravity of its error, the chief military prosecutor of the Military Advocate-General (MAG) Corps determined that, notwithstanding serious failures in the process that led to the assessment that Hamas operatives were traveling in the vehicles, the decisions of the commanders did not raise reasonable suspicion of criminal misconduct.

The IDF therefore decided not to open a criminal investigation.

Call to end all trade with West Bank settlements

Then, later in the podcast, Greenstock called for the end of all trade with Israeli settlements in the West Bank, saying “they are illegal under international law and the Geneva Conventions.”

While Greenstock’s position reflects the prevailing view among many international institutions, Israel disputes that interpretation, arguing in part that Article 49(6) of the Fourth Geneva Convention was intended to prohibit forcible population transfers, not the voluntary movement of Israelis into the territory, and that the West Bank’s disputed legal status and the terms of previous Israeli-Palestinian agreements must also be taken into account.

This post was originally published on here. 

Moshe Rosenthal’s Tell Me Everything (with the Hebrew title Atzmaut, “Independence”), which opens in theaters throughout Israel on Thursday, is a moving, coming-of-age drama that tells a story that is different from anything we’ve seen before. It’s not a surprise that it was nominated for a record-breaking 16 Ophir Awards and is likely to take home quite a few of them when the awards are given out on September 9.

Rosenthal knows how to tell a story and create distinctive characters, which he proved in his first feature, Karaoke, an offbeat look at how a bored, long-married couple are shaken up when a seductive stranger enters their lives, which won Best Actor and Best Actress Ophir Awards for its stars, Sasson Gabay and Rita Shukrun, and praise for Lior Ashkenazi as their new neighbor.

Tell Me Everything, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival this year, the first Israeli feature film to be shown there in years, is also a portrait of an unconventional family, featuring compelling performances by the ensemble cast.

It opens in 1987, as 12-year-old Boaz (Yair Mazor) prepares for his bar mitzvah. His family lives in a cramped apartment where he shares a room with his two older sisters (Mor Dimri and Neta Orbach), and he often feels left out around them.

His mother, Bella (Keren Tzur), works as a beautician, but she seems to be a frustrated actress and is something of a drama queen in the family. She is oddly close to and intimate with Boaz, and it is he, and not Meir (Assi Cohen), her husband, that she calls when she wants a neck massage.

A family shattered by fear and hidden truths

Meir is jovial, and Boaz loves being around him, but there is tension in the household because his furniture business is going under, and Bella is furious. There are other tensions in their relationship that Boaz cannot begin to understand.

But Boaz gets a horrifying glimpse into the source of this tension when he stumbles upon his father engaged in sex with another man in the dressing room of the public pool where the whole family goes. At first, he doesn’t say anything, but he is frightened and tormented by reports he hears on the news about the AIDS epidemic, which was then at its height and which disproportionately affected gay men. Is his father dying? Will the whole family be infected?

Finally, he confides in his sisters about what he saw. Having perhaps sensed the problems between their parents, they come up with a plan to find out what is really going on: They will follow their father to what they suspect – and what turns out to be – an assignation with a man. When they tell their mother what they have seen, the family is destroyed, and for close to a decade, Boaz has no contact with his father.

The final third of the movie features Boaz as a young adult, now played by Ido Tako. Boaz works in a gas station to support his mother, who still can’t seem to get her act together, and he is fiercely homophobic. As he dreams of studying psychology and finally getting out of the house, a series of events takes place that makes it easier for him to find a way back to Meir.

A complex and unusual story

It’s a complex and unusual story that creates a sympathetic portrait of its confused, frightened hero, and it’s particularly good in the scenes when Boaz is younger. If you lived through those early years of the AIDS epidemic, when there was great fear and too much misinformation about the transmission of the disease, you will find it easy to relate to this boy, who has to deal with issues that terrified adults.

At times, the screenplay is a little heavy-handed, and I guessed what was coming and how it would be presented more often than I would have liked. But there were also wonderful moments, such as when the sisters shriek with joy, even in the middle of the grim outing to spy on their father, when the “quiet song” they love, Air Supply’s “Making Love Out of Nothing at All,” comes on the radio.

While the movie may seem autobiographical, Rosenthal has said that it isn’t; rather, it is a story that he came up with while he was reflecting on his own coming out as a gay man. The fact that it seems as if it must be his personal story speaks well of its authenticity.

The movie shares several themes with the recently released movie Just An Illusion by Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, about a French boy preparing for his bar mitzvah and trying to understand his parents better, but Tell Me Everything is different by introducing the gay theme and the essentially tragic story it tells.

The actors are all good, but Yair Mazor, who is making his movie debut, and veteran actor Assi Cohen, who is returning to the big screen after working mostly in television for years, are the standouts. These two actors seem to have a real, warm rapport in their scenes together, and when the family falls apart, you feel the tragedy more sharply because you understand what both of them are losing.

This post was originally published on here. 

The management at Jerusalem’s Basimta Cafe will decide whether or not the establishment will remain open on Saturdays amid weekly haredi (ultra-Orthodox) protests against its Shabbat operations, N12 News reported on Wednesday.

According to the report, the restaurant’s management is considering the psychological toll of the constant protests, which have continued for over six weeks, with some of the management wishing to restore a sense of normalcy to the cafe.

On August 22, haredi demonstrators set up barricades around the cafe in an attempt to prevent patrons from entering, as security footage showed at the time.

הבוקר בקפה “בסמטה” בירושלים: חרדים הניחו מחסומים בכניסה לעסק@inbartvizer pic.twitter.com/XZTMeCvcXj

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) August 22, 2026

Also in August, a 75-year-old man was arrested after he vandalized the cafe with spray paint, as well as damaging the restaurant’s lock and throwing garbage at it.

The protests have seen violence since the first one on July 4, when ultra-Orthodox activists overturned tables at the cafe and banged on its windows.

Several politicians have participated in the protests, including Democrats Party chairman Yair Golan, Party CEO Omer Lubaton Granot, and MK Meirav Cohen.

In response, secular Israelis have conducted counter-protests against the haredi activists, with Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman having joined Basimta Cafe supporters earlier in August.

Cafe targeted following revelation of being a Jews for Jesus project

The demonstrations against the cafe began following a revelation that the the eatery is an official Jews for Jesus project, a movement seen as controversial amongst mainstream Judaism.

The group, a prominent organization within the broader Messianic Jewish movement, recognizes what it believes is the divinity of Jesus while claiming to practice Judaism.

This post was originally published on here. 

A 27-year-old Tel Aviv resident had been summoned for questioning at the Tel Aviv South Police Station on suspicion of incitement to violence following social media posts targeting Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, the Israel Police announced on Wednesday.

Police said they released the suspect after questioning under restrictive conditions, adding that the investigation remains ongoing.

The investigation follows Ohana, a Likud lawmaker, posting on social media on Tuesday about his experience accompanying his children to their first day of school.

אין מחנה אלים, מתועב וכעור נפש כמו המחנה שמסוגל להכתים כך את היום הראשון ללימודים של ילדיי, אלה ודוד שעולים הבוקר לכיתה ו׳.

כך – כל המסלול מהבית עד לבית הספר. זה לא מיועד לי – זה מיועד להם, ולחבריהם לכיתה ולבית הספר.

האם זו דמותה של המדינה שאנו רוצים לחיות בה? האם כך נרצה לברר… pic.twitter.com/UfpFit9Muv

— Amir Ohana – אמיר אוחנה (@AmirOhana) September 1, 2026

Ohana said he encountered stickers featuring his image painted red, alongside the words “There is no forgiveness,” while walking with his children to school.

“There is no camp that is as violent, despicable, and ugly in spirit as the camp that is capable of staining the first day of school of my children, Ella and David, who are starting sixth grade this morning,” he wrote in a post. 

Suspect: Ohana has compassion for those who had none

The Tel Aviv resident suspected of incitement to violence responded to Ohana’s post, writing: “I agree that this is not necessarily the best service for the camp, but all 64 should be considered deserving of death in every sense of the word. Let them suffer every remaining day of their lives.

“I don’t know what it says about you that you have compassion for those who had no compassion for the hostages,” he added.

This post was originally published on here. 

A Belgian union has threatened to strike against Brussels Airlines for compelling staff to work on flights to Israel, saying that anyone with “safety or conscientious objections” should be able to refuse. 

ACV Puls, Belgium’s largest trade union, said on Tuesday that the company was breaking previous agreements to rely on volunteers for flights to Tel Aviv. The airline resumed flights to Tel Aviv on August 3, following a five-month pause because of the US-Israeli war in Iran, and its first flights were operated with volunteers.

“Serious concerns exist among the staff regarding both physical safety and the mental and ethical impact of these flights,” ACV Puls spokesperson Jolinde Defieuw said in a statement. She added that making staffing mandatory was “particularly serious in the context of the ongoing war and the genocide in Gaza.”

The notice launched by cabin crew representatives said that a strike could follow if Brussels Airlines does not reverse its decision to resume regular staffing.

They argued that flying to Israel could not be deemed sufficiently safe, citing Belgium’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which advises against “all non-essential travel to Israel and Jerusalem.” 

Ethical reasons should permit workers to decline flights, says union

ACV Puls, one of three unions active at Brussels Airlines, also said that workers should be able to decline the flights for ethical reasons. Those who have “safety or conscientious objections must be able to refuse these flights without financial, professional, or disciplinary consequences,” said the union.

Nico Cardone, a spokesperson for Brussels Airlines, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that safety was the company’s “highest priority, whether we operate with volunteers or not.”

He added that the airline was “not a political party” and made decisions about flight operations based on safety and demand. The company currently operates three flights a week to Tel Aviv.

“We do not engage in political discussions about the governments of certain destinations, and we ask our staff to uphold this same professional standard,” said Cardone.

Union says airline compels crews to work due to lack of volunteers

ACV Puls said the airline was compelling crews to work because it had not found enough volunteers. Cardone disputed that, saying the airline always aimed to return to regular crew scheduling over time. 

Along with threatening a strike, the union called on the Belgian government to weigh in. ACV Puls said the government should take a stance on the availability of commercial flights to Israel “despite the ongoing war, the massive civilian casualties, and the serious accusations of war crimes and human rights violations against the Palestinian population.”

Belgium has grown increasingly critical of Israel’s conduct in Gaza and Israeli settlements in the West Bank since 2023. Earlier this year, Belgium barred aircraft carrying military equipment bound for Israel from crossing its airspace. The government in July approved a ban on goods imported from Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories.

This post was originally published on here. 

Gadi Eisenkot presents himself as one of the most serious and honest figures in Israeli politics. His record of military and public service gives him credibility on the questions that will determine Israel’s future: security, the Palestinians, and the character of the State of Israel.

That is why his opposition to the two-state solution deserves scrutiny. Eisenkot is entitled to oppose Palestinian statehood. But if he does, Israelis should ask one simple question: What is your alternative?

An alternative to the two-state solution

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s years in power have shown that his approach was based on the proposition that the Palestinian conflict did not need to be solved. It could be “managed.” Israel could control the West Bank, contain Hamas in Gaza, periodically use military force, and indefinitely postpone the political future of millions of Palestinians.

October 7 should have destroyed that doctrine.

Yet if Eisenkot rejects two states without offering another political destination, what fundamentally distinguishes his strategy from Netanyahu’s? Better management and more competent security policy matter enormously, but they do not answer the fundamental question.

Israelis have every reason to be skeptical of Palestinian statehood after October 7. The massacre shattered assumptions about Hamas, deterrence, and Israel’s security doctrine. But October 7 did not make the Palestinians disappear, nor did it alter the demographic and political reality between the Mediterranean and the Jordan.

There is still no viable alternative to political separation if Israel intends to remain the democratic nation-state of the Jewish people. Stronger fences, better intelligence, and more soldiers may be necessary, but they are instruments, not a strategy. The deeper lesson of October 7 is that the Palestinian question cannot be contained indefinitely.

It is legitimate for Eisenkot to insist that a Palestinian state must be demilitarized, that Palestinian institutions require profound reform, and that effective security arrangements must ensure that the West Bank never becomes another Gaza. But these are arguments about the conditions under which Palestinian statehood could safely emerge. They do not answer what replaces it.

If not two states, what? Permanent Israeli control? Annexation? Palestinian autonomy without sovereignty? Or Palestinian statehood as a future objective after reform, demilitarization, and enforceable security guarantees? Israelis deserve to know.

There are approximately equal numbers of Jews and Palestinians between the river and the sea. Neither people is going anywhere. Israel’s military superiority can defeat armies and destroy military infrastructure. It cannot make another people disappear or permanently abandon its demand for political rights.

Permanent Israeli control therefore leads toward one of two outcomes: a binational state that ends Israel’s character as the nation-state of the Jewish people, or permanent domination of millions of Palestinians without equal political rights, undermining Israel’s democracy and guaranteeing continued conflict.

That is why “I oppose two states” is not a policy unless it is followed by “and here is what I propose instead.” Perhaps Eisenkot’s position is partly electoral. “Palestinian state” has become politically toxic for many Israelis since October 7, and a politician competing for center and center-right voters may regard support for two states as dangerous.

But this is precisely where leadership matters.

The defining characteristic of leadership is not simply the ability to read public opinion and follow it but the willingness to shape it when reality demands. Leaders identify dangers, explain difficult truths, and build support for what they believe serves their country’s long-term interests.

Eisenkot, of all people, should understand this. As a former IDF chief of staff, he knows that military force must serve a political objective. Winning battles without defining the political reality that should follow them is not strategy. Replacing Netanyahu with a more competent leader while retaining Netanyahu’s fundamental doctrine toward the Palestinians would amount to better management of the same failed strategy.

There is another dimension Eisenkot should consider: Israeli leaders can influence Palestinian politics. Palestinians are approaching their first legislative election since 2006. The message they hear from Israel matters. Palestinian advocates of diplomacy have long confronted the argument that Israel will never permit genuine Palestinian independence regardless of what Palestinians do. Every Israeli leader who declares that there will never be a Palestinian state strengthens that argument and weakens those Palestinians advocating a political path.

Eisenkot could send a very different message. He could tell Palestinians: If you elect a genuinely democratic leadership that seeks peace with Israel, rejects terrorism, accepts one authority, one law, and one legitimate weapon, and recognizes the historic connection of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel, you will find an Israeli partner prepared to work with you toward two states, security, and peace.

Recognizing the Jewish connection to this land does not require Palestinians to surrender their own connection. The historical attachments of two peoples do not have to cancel each other out.

The message must also be clear on security. Israel will always do whatever is necessary to protect its people. Any agreement must include credible and enforceable security arrangements. But if Palestinians elect leaders genuinely prepared for peace, Israel should be prepared to recognize them as partners and respond.

Israel should not tell Palestinians: It makes no difference whom you elect; there will never be a Palestinian state. It should say: Choose peace, and you will find Israelis prepared to choose peace with you.

That message could influence Palestinian politics. If Palestinian voters believe that electing pragmatic leaders can advance their freedom and independence, they have a reason to choose them. If Israel tells them no political choice can ever change their situation, it strengthens those who claim diplomacy is useless.

The Israeli election can influence the Palestinian election, just as the Palestinian election can influence Israel’s future.

A future two-state agreement cannot simply reproduce Oslo or pretend October 7 never happened. Palestinian statehood must include demilitarization, accountable democratic institutions, one legitimate government and armed force, enforceable security arrangements, and regional participation in security and reconstruction. Israel must retain the ability to defend itself against genuine threats.

There is much to debate about implementation. But first Israel must decide where it ultimately wants to go. The principle is simple: Israel will never have security until Palestinians have freedom, and Palestinians will never have freedom until Israel has security. These are not competing objectives. Each depends on the other.

A Palestinian leadership that recognizes the Jewish people’s connection to this land, rejects terrorism, and accepts Israel’s legitimate security needs should encounter Israeli leaders willing to say: We recognize you as a partner. Let us work together so that both peoples can live with freedom, security, dignity, and peace.

That is leadership. It does not wait passively for the perfect partner to appear. It helps create the political conditions in which partnership can succeed.

Eisenkot has every right to reject a particular agreement, Palestinian leadership, or timetable. But a man asking Israelis to entrust him with national leadership cannot merely reflect public fear. He must tell Israelis where he intends to lead them – and be prepared to shape public opinion to get there.

Israel has already tested the proposition that the Palestinian conflict can be managed indefinitely. October 7 was the most devastating evidence imaginable that it cannot.

Eisenkot should tell us what he learned from that failure – and what his alternative is.

The writer is the Middle East director of the International Communities Organization and the co-head of the Alliance for Two States.

This post was originally published on here. 

US President Donald Trump warned that the US is prepared to strike Iran again at any time it wants after destroying newly rebuilt radar equipment along the Strait of Hormuz, during a White House press conference on Wednesday. 

“They were trying to rebuild their radar systems and a missile system,” he told reporters.

“It was a very heavy attack last night, and we’re prepared to do another one anytime we want,” Trump continued, adding that the US “blew up much more than their radars” in Monday night’s strikes.

When asked how long the renewed campaign of strikes will go on for, Trump said that he does not think it will continue for “too long.”

Trump says strikes triggered by Iran rebuilding military assets

The latest back-and-forth began on Sunday when US Central Command (CENTCOM) struck and destroyed two rocket launchers on Iran’s Larak Island after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces were seen preparing to fire towards the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump claimed that Iran had been trying to build a rocket that could drop sea mines into the waterway. 

“We took out all of the new equipment that they tried to build along the Strait of Hormuz. Some defensive, some offensive,” he said of the strikes.

“We saw that they were building it,” he said of Tehran’s efforts to rearm. “We see everything they’re doing. They can’t go to the bathroom without us seeing it.”

Monday’s strikes were ordered after Iran retaliated for the destruction of the launchers by attempting to strike American troops stationed in Jordan. 

Trump warned that Iran would be “totally wiped out as a country” if Tehran responded with further attacks, telling Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst that “If they do respond, they’ll be hit much harder.”

In regard to seeking peace-making opportunities with Tehran, Trump told Yingst that he already “gave them a lot of chances” and believes “an agreement with them isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.”

This post was originally published on here. 

Wheelchair tennis player Guy Sasson, who will soon take the court at the US Open in Queens, New York, may be one of the most accomplished Israeli athletes currently competing on the international sports scene.

He may not have the profile of NBA star Deni Avdija or artistic gymnast Artem Dolgopyat, who recently won the European floor exercise title, but Sasson’s accomplishments in wheelchair tennis are extraordinary – and he has a chance to achieve something that has never been done before.

Sasson, 46, competes in both singles and doubles in the quads wheelchair division. If he and his longtime doubles partner, 23-year-old Niels Vink of the Netherlands, win the US Open title, they will complete a calendar-year Grand Slam, having won all four major championships – the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open – in the same year.

“Our goal is all four in the same year,” Sasson told The Jerusalem Post before heading to New York. “It has never been done.”

Sasson and Vink have already won all four majors, just not in the same calendar year. In 2025, they captured the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open titles, while in 2026 they have already won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon. The US Open wheelchair tournaments begin September 8.

Only men’s doubles to accomplish a calendar Grand Slam was in 1951

The only men’s doubles team to previously accomplish a calendar Grand Slam was the Australian pairing of Ken McGregor and Frank Sedgman in 1951, in nondisabled tennis.

Sasson has also frequently faced Vink in singles, including at Wimbledon, where Vink defeated him in the semifinals. Sasson joked afterward that Vink “makes me feel young,” while also acknowledging that his doubles partner had played the better match.

“He is a very good player. I give him a lot of respect,” Sasson said. “It is a good challenge. I look forward to that.”

Looking toward a potential rematch at the US Open, Sasson added with a smile, “Hopefully, something will change.”

Despite his remarkable doubles success, Sasson remains focused first and foremost on singles.

“I look to singles first,” he said. “It is very important to me.”

He has watched the standard of wheelchair tennis continue to rise, pointing to Vink, fellow Dutchman Sam Schroder and Turkey’s Ahmet Kaplan among the leading players. “Niels and Sam are always huge competitors of mine and a huge challenge to beat,” he said. “This year, I was happy to win a few tournaments where I had to beat Sam.”

He also sees a new generation emerging, including 17-year-old Australian Jin Woodman.

“He is a new kid coming up. He beat Niels, Sam and Ahmed this year,” Sasson said.

Sasson’s own journey to the top has been remarkable. He was paralyzed in a snowboarding accident in France in 2015. After returning to Israel, he received medical treatment at Tel Hashomer Hospital and then spent a year in rehabilitation. He began playing competitive tennis in 2018 and represented Israel at the 2021 Tokyo Paralympics.

Along the way, Sasson has also become a prominent ambassador for Israel.

He has consistently expressed his support for the country while competing around the world, appearing at media events following Grand Slam tournaments wearing awareness pins for the hostages and dedicating victories to fallen Israeli soldiers. He frequently ends his speeches with “Am Yisrael Chai,” and dedicated his 2024 French Open victory to the four hostages who were released from Gaza that day.

Sasson says he has not personally experienced antisemitism while traveling internationally for tennis.

“I hear nothing. Maybe I’m lucky,” he said. “I am happy I didn’t have this experience or any bad situation until this moment – but I am ready for it if it happens.”

He makes no effort to conceal his Israeli identity.

“I am not hiding. Everyone knows I’m Israeli – the players, coaches, fans know, and the fans do too. I am not trying to hide. I wear a Star of David around my neck!”

Sasson will not be Israel’s only representative in the quads division at this year’s US Open. Fellow Israeli Sergei Lysov, 22, who has Perthes’ disease, a childhood hip disorder, will also compete. The tournament begins September 8, continues through Rosh Hashanah, and concludes with the singles finals on September 12.

While Sasson is already competing at the highest level of international tennis, Israel is now taking steps to ensure that the next generation has the professional infrastructure needed to follow him onto the world stage.

Finding future stars

At the Israel Tennis Association, CEO Danny Perekalsky smiles when young players tell him, “My dream is to play in a Grand Slam like Dan Brand.”

They are referring to 17-year-old Israeli Dan Brand of Kfar Saba, who is currently ranked among the world’s top 25 juniors. Brand has already competed at both the French Open and Wimbledon and is scheduled to begin competing in the US Open Junior Tennis Championships on September 6 or 7, in both singles and doubles.

Perekalsky believes Brand is becoming a role model for a generation that may be less familiar with Israel’s previous tennis stars.

“They don’t know Yoni and Andy,” he said, referring to 13- and 14-year-old Israelis who were not yet old enough to remember the achievements of Yoni Erlich and Andy Ram.

Erlich and Ram reached a career-high world No. 5 ranking in doubles in July 2008 and won major tournaments including the 2008 Australian Open and Indian Wells Masters. They also played a crucial doubles match in Israel’s 2019 Davis Cup victory over Russia. Ram retired in 2014, while Erlich retired in 2022.

Now, Perekalsky hopes young Israelis who know Brand will soon have the opportunity to become the next Brand.

That is the goal behind the new National Tennis Academy at the Wingate Institute, launched August 30 by the Israel Tennis Association and Wingate.

The academy is designed to provide a professional, long-term framework for a select group of Israeli 13- and 14-year-olds, helping them make the difficult transition from promising junior players to professionals capable of competing on the biggest stages in world tennis.

Eight promising young players – five boys and three girls from cities ranging from Karmiel to Ashkelon – will form the academy’s inaugural class.

Perekalsky says the initiative was born from a simple realization: Israeli junior players were lacking the comprehensive professional environment available to their peers in other countries.

He pointed to promising juniors from countries such as Bulgaria and Georgia who travel to tournaments around the world with coaches and benefit from comprehensive training programs.

“Our players don’t have a full professional environment, fitness, nutrition, mental training, and coaches to travel abroad,” Perekalsky said. “We understood that we have to do something!”

Partnership with Wingate to combine tennis with medical support, routine

The partnership with Wingate is intended to address that gap. The institute will allow the young athletes to continue their academic studies and prepare for their bagrut exams while adapting their schedules around the demands of high-level training.

The program will combine tennis training with fitness, physiotherapy, Pilates, medical support and nutrition. Candidates will undergo comprehensive fitness testing before being accepted.

The academy’s two coaches, Gal Kruchik and Danny Linetsky, were selected from 24 applicants.

“We took two who we believed are most committed to the mission of Israel tennis,” Perekalsky said.

The coaches will work with the teenagers daily, developing the skills required to progress professionally while also emphasizing the responsibility of representing the State of Israel with pride.

Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar, who attended the August 30 press conference, said Israel is determined to restore the country’s place among the world’s leading tennis nations.

“We see the potential for tennis’ success among the future generation of the sport, and we will do what is necessary to return Israeli tennis to its greatness,” Zohar said.

He said the program will provide young athletes with a professional environment encompassing tennis training, physical fitness, sports nutrition, mental support, personal and competitive planning, boarding school, professional equipment and close support at international competitions.

Zohar also announced that the academy building will be named after Major Yuval Ezra, son of Wingate employee Tanya Ezra, who fell in battle with his Samaria Brigade last July.

Wingate Institute President Ari Steinberg described the return of tennis to the institute as a natural step in helping young Israeli players reach the highest levels of international sport.

“I would like to thank the Minister of Culture and Sports, Mickey Zohar, for his commitment to making high-performance sports accessible to the future generation of Israeli athletes,” Steinberg said.

Wingate CEO Guy Atias called the launch a landmark moment.

“There are moments when you can say that something great and new begins, and today is such a day,” Atias said, recalling the era when Erlich and Ram represented Israel on the world’s biggest stages. “The uncompromising professionalism of the Academy of Excellence will undoubtedly lead us to success.”

ITA Chairman Avi Peretz likewise called the academy’s launch “a historic and exciting day for Israeli tennis,” saying it is part of the association’s broader vision of creating professional continuity and infrastructure that will give Israeli talent the tools needed to develop over time.

The academy’s first step, however, is only the beginning.

Families will be responsible for approximately one-third of the program’s cost, while the ITA continues to seek additional financial support.

“This is just the first step towards a great goal,” Perekalsky said, “to provide our young and committed players with the best competitive environment, so that they can compete on the biggest stages in the world.”

For now, that goal can be seen in two very different places: in the calendar Sasson is watching as he pursues a historic Grand Slam, and in the young players beginning their own journey at Wingate.

One represents what Israeli tennis has already achieved. The other is an investment in what it can achieve next.

This post was originally published on here. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that a potential attack from Tehran would be “one of their last decisions,” as he addressed the ongoing fighting in the Gaza Strip and threats from Iran during a visit to the Afiki Daat Hesder Yeshiva in Sderot on Wednesday.

“Pay attention also to what is happening with Iran,” said Netanyahu. “They are attacking and threatening everyone, but not here, because they already know what the significance of an attack against Israel would be.”

Netanyahu also addressed the situation in Gaza, claiming that Israel has altered the security reality in the region. “We control a wide area in the Strip and are acting against those who threaten us. Just yesterday, we took out Hamas’s Shin Bet chief, and there is no one raising their head in Gaza,” he said.

The prime minister listed several senior Hamas figures who have been killed since the October 7 Hamas massacre, including Yahya Sinwar, Mohammed Deif, Ismail Haniyeh, Mohammed Sinwar, Hassan Nasrallah, and Izz al-Din al-Haddad. “We are changing the reality around us and removing, one by one, the threats against the State of Israel,” he added.

At the start of his remarks, Netanyahu praised hesder yeshiva students for their “participation in the fighting,” as he described it.

“Hesder yeshiva students serve as an example and a model of the combination of sifra and saifa, of Torah, sacrifice, and bravery,” he said. “From the first day of the war, you and your friends have been fighting with courage for the people of Israel and the State of Israel, and I salute you on behalf of the entire people of Israel.”

Students reportedly sing anti-Palestinian songs amid visit by Netanyahu

During the event, some of the students began to sing anti-Palestinian songs in front of the prime minister, N12 News reported earlier on Wednesday, with Sderot Mayor Alon Davidi also in attendance.

According to the report, the students called for revenge against the Palestinians, singing an edited version of “Remember Me,” a song composed by Dov Shurin after the 1996 murders of Yaron and Efi Unger at the hands of Palestinian terrorists.

The song is associated with far-right Jewish extremism, according to N12. Students were filmed singing lines such as “And avenge one of my two eyes from Palestine, erase their name.”

This post was originally published on here. 

Brig.-Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter, who leads the People of Israel party, announced on Wednesday that his recently launched party would not join the next government unless a law to enforce conscription to the IDF is passed beforehand.

“We will not join a government that does not pass, before it is formed, a law that puts an end to draft evasion and requires everyone to report for service and contribute,” Winter said.

“If that does not happen, we will not be in the government. Full stop,” he added.

“Every young person of service age will report to the state. No sector is above the law. Those who serve will receive. Those who contribute more will receive much more,” Winter continued.

Winter made the announcement ahead of next week’s approaching deadline for submitting all party lists before the October elections.

Party ‘not closing the door to alliances’

He stated that the party was “not closing the door to alliances,” but would only consider joining forces with “new and clean people,” indicating unwillingness to merge with existing parties from the current Knesset.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who leads the far-right Religious Zionist Party, had called on Winter to join him and Zehut party leader Moshe Feiglin in a joint run earlier in the day.

Winter’s party includes Arab-Israeli activist Yoseph Haddad and former Jerusalem deputy mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, as well as reservists and bereaved relatives.

It has sought to bring together people who were never in the Knesset or part of the political or security failures surrounding the October 7 Hamas attacks in 2023.

Winter has also said that he will only recommend Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to be the country’s next premier.

During his remarks on Wednesday, he stated that he was “part of the right-wing camp” and would not join opposition figures such as B’Yachad leader Naftali Bennett and Yisrael Beytenu leader MK Avigdor Liberman

Winter did not directly mention prime ministerial candidate Gadi Eisenkot, who leads the Yashar party, in his remarks.

Combating crime and strengthening Arab-Israeli identity a goal for Haddad

Haddad, second on the faction’s list, also said on Wednesday that the party would put combating crime, particularly in Arab society, at the top of its agenda.

He said that it would “work to strengthen an Arab-Israeli identity in place of a Palestinian identity throughout Arab-Israeli educational institutions.”

Haddad stated that the party would want to see a government in which Winter is defense minister.

He added that the party has planned to demand the revival of the Public Diplomacy Ministry. The current government agreed to shut down the ministry in 2023.

Haddad said that the demand will be for “an influential Public Diplomacy Ministry, with a massive budget, that will fight for the reputation of the State of Israel and enable the state to carry out all the military activity necessary to ensure its security and the security of its citizens.”

This post was originally published on here. 

The IRGC’s decision to target American bases, assets and allies, barring Israel, is part of a strategy to see the US knocked out of the region before any renewed war with Israel, military historian and analyst Tom Cooper told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.

Iran launched retaliatory strikes on US-linked sites in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, following the US’s renewal of strikes against IRGC targets in Iran on Tuesday.

By focusing its attacks on Hormuz and regional neighbors, Cooper claimed the IRGC could focus on “knocking out one opponent – the USA – out of this war” while “preserving the IRGC’s firepower for whenever Israel attacks Iran again.”

Attacking the Gulf states and preventing the free-flowing transit of oil, gas, and fertilizer exports creates both indirect and direct pressure on Iran’s neighbors through rising insurance costs and shipping risks.

This pressure, Cooper offered, is Tehran’s attempt to give its neighboring states “the option of reconsidering their stance – while not expecting them to do so.”

IRGC preparing for conflict for decades

From the IRGC’s perspective, he explained, an attack on Israel would result in a larger two-front war, risking serious damage to its infrastructure in western Iran and Tehran.

Should Israel carry out these theoretical attacks, though, while painful for Tehran, “simply can’t hurt it enough” to make such an action a deciding move in the war, he continued.

The IRGC has spent decades preparing for the conflict, and its underground missile cities have meant that the IRGC could still sustain itself under a more prolonged attack from Israel and the US, even if such an event would be inconvenient, he reasoned.

“This approach aligns with the IRGC’s doctrine of asymmetric deterrence: it is precisely the kind of war for which they have been preparing for at least 20 years,” he said.

“It is a war inflicting such high costs on the US and its allies that it forces a political recalibration – but, at the same time, it manages the escalation ladder.”

Cooper added that Tehran also only needed to wait out the clock on US President Donald Trump’s patience, supplies, and/or presidency.

Claiming Trump had been promised a quick success, Cooper asserted that Israel’s declining popularity in the US would naturally be accompanied by a reluctance for American involvement in its wars, “regardless of how powerful AIPAC remains.”

Netanyahu spending American political capital 

A poll published by Pew Research last month found that 42% of the American public viewed the Israeli people negatively and 62% viewed the Israeli government unfavorably.

The American public’s attitudes toward both the Israeli people and the Israeli government have turned more negative in the past few years, the poll found, especially among those aged below 30.

On the Israeli side, Cooper said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was likely trying to “spend” American military support while he has it.

Though the White House and the Pentagon denied claims of munitions shortages last month, Cooper claimed that Iran was successfully forcing the US to “exhaust” its strategic stocks of cruise missiles and interceptors, which reduces the US capability to attack in a larger, more coordinated way.

“It is also shaming both the US and Israel, and their allies, simply because no matter how much they ‘bomb’ Iran, they can’t hit the IRGC’s capability to retaliate,” he said. “…It (the IRGC) is well on the way to knocking out the US presence in the Middle East…”

Cooper said that it was ultimately the “arrogance and incompetence of the US-Israeli leadership, at a political and a military level, of the last years, if not decades,” that had led to what he viewed as a major failure.

This post was originally published on here. 

Pro-Palestinian activists disrupted an on-campus event hosting two Israel Defense Forces veterans at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, prompting a police response and forcing attendees to use an alternate exit.

Masked protesters interrupted the gathering on Sunday, before the speakers began, chanting slogans and displaying signs accusing the military of genocide, according to student media reports and video footage of the incident.

The event, titled “Rising to the Challenge,” was hosted in a university classroom by Mustangs United for Israel and Cal Poly Chabad, in collaboration with CAMERA on Campus.

The gathering featured Eliyahu Green and Ariel Saat, two wounded IDF veterans who fought in Gaza following the Hamas-led October 7 massacre, who were scheduled to speak about their experiences surviving combat and their personal recoveries as part of a US campus tour organized by the Belev Echad organization.

According to the student newspaper Mustang News, the event drew approximately 40 students and community members.

Chants, claims of genocide by masked demonstrators

Before the veterans began speaking, nine masked demonstrators entered the classroom carrying an Israeli flag splattered with red paint that read “IDF kills,” alongside signs displaying phrases including “UN says genocide,” “The IDF kills kids,” and “End the occupation,” Mustang News reported.

Video footage circulated on social media showed the protesters standing at the front of the room while a university police officer instructed them to leave, informing the group that their actions had amounted to a disruption of the event and violated the university’s Time, Place and Manner policy.

In the video footage, the officer can be heard telling the activists, “You are not allowed to interrupt the message and the event. However, you do have a right to be present and to be in the area.”

When the activists questioned which code they were violating, officers cited section 626.6 of campus policy and directed them to a designated protest area outside. As officers moved the group out of the classroom, the protesters chanted, “Hey, hey, ho, ho, the IDF has got to go,” and “Stop killing mothers, stop killing fathers, stop killing kids, stop killing doctors.”

The activists initially moved into the hallway where they continued chanting slogans before eventually being moved outside the building by police, Mustang News reported.

Students had to leave through an alternate exit

According to a statement posted to X/Twitter by the media monitoring organization CAMERA, the university required a security presence involving eight police officers to ensure the talk took place. The organization noted that students who attended the event had to leave through an alternate exit due to the crowd of protesters gathering in the main exit area.

Following the event, Hillel of San Luis Obispo, Chabad on Campus, and Mustangs United for Israel released a joint statement on social media addressing the disruption. The organizations stated, “Agitators were present and attempted to disrupt the event; however, thanks to university police and administration officials, we were able to carry forward as planned.”

The statement added that the groups remain committed to educating about Jewish history and traditions while building positive relationships with diverse communities on campus.

This post was originally published on here. 

Just weeks after a grueling primary battle and a recent engagement, Rep. Haley Stevens (D.-Michigan) does not sound defeated.

Although she recently lost her Democratic primary race in Michigan, Stevens arrived in Israel with a message that was as sharp as it was unequivocal: The movement to delegitimize Israel is not simply a policy debate – it is an infection.

“I believe that anti-Zionism is a hate movement that has taken over in America and throughout parts of the West,” Stevens said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post.

For Stevens, the rhetoric used by the far-left of her party has moved far beyond legitimate criticism of Israeli government policy.

“I think that Israel is more than just a punching bag for some of the challenges that America is facing,” she said, pointing to what she sees as a growing trend in which domestic American frustrations are projected onto the Middle East’s only democracy.

“There is this bizarre obsession that has reached pitch level with calling out one country, one tiny country in the Middle East,” she said, her voice rising with a mix of frustration and disbelief.

Stevens, who describes herself as a “traditional and classical liberal Democrat,” has long been a supporter of the US-Israel relationship.

But in the current political climate, that support has come with a heavy personal and professional price.

Rep. Stevens: I was demonized for supporting Israel 

“I was demonized for that,” Stevens recalled, reflecting on her recent years in office. “I was booed off my convention stage. I was chased out of a labor event in Detroit.”

The hostility was not limited to political rallies. Stevens described an environment in which “heightened bullying” became the norm.

When asked whether the harassment ever crossed the line into physical danger, Stevens replied: “I was on the verge of being attacked physically, and I’ve certainly been threatened. But I’m not a victim, I’m not a hero. I’m a public servant. I put up my hand to exercise my freedoms. I’m proud to do so. I’m proud to still stand.”

For Stevens, the tactics of the anti-Israel “mob” represent a fundamental threat to the American democratic fabric.

“We can’t say to people, ‘If you disagree, you get to break down civil society.’ You can’t say that. We don’t want that.”

The battle for the Democratic party

The Democratic Senate primary battle in Michigan became, in Stevens’s view, a microcosm of the national struggle over the future of the Democratic Party.

Stevens faced Abdul El-Sayed, a candidate of Egyptian origin whose approach to Israel she described as “poisonous.”

The contrast between the two candidates could hardly have been starker.

When El-Sayed was asked during the campaign whether Israel has a right to exist, he responded: “Israel exists. The question is whether or not we want a politics where our money is sent over to Israel to do genocide and apartheid instead of investing in our own kids.”

Stevens watched as support for Israel was transformed from a bipartisan consensus into what she called a “wedge issue.”

She acknowledged El-Sayed’s effectiveness in mobilizing younger voters through digital platforms.

“Abdul has done a very good job on the internet, you know, and being anti-Israel is also very popular on the internet,” she said.

Despite losing the primary, Stevens remains proud of the coalition she built, noting that she won Detroit and even secured Rashida Tlaib’s congressional district by “double digits.”

For the approximately 150,000 Jews living in Michigan who are increasingly fearful of the political climate, Stevens says her campaign demonstrated that pro-Israel Democrats can still build significant support.

“I think people here should be proud of how well I did, you know, as a pro-Israel Democrat. I think I’m hope,” she said.

‘Because there’s a war in the Middle East, we can have temples blown up?’

In March, a car-ramming and shooting attack targeted the Temple Israel synagogue. Stevens says the response from the anti-Israel left was almost as shocking as the violence itself.

El-Sayed appeared to offer a justification for the anger behind the attack, saying: “It’s just critical for us to understand that hurt people do hurt people. And the circumstances happening 6,000 miles away can affect the lives that we live here.”

Stevens was particularly critical of comments she heard from the mayor of Dearborn Heights in the aftermath of the attack.

“It hurt me to hear from the mayor of Dearborn Heights in the wake of the bombing: ‘Well, we have to stop Israel, we have to stop the war, we have to stop the bombing.’ And I thought, well, what are we saying with that? You’re saying because there’s a war in the Middle East that we can have temples now blown up in Michigan?”

Stevens traces the current “sickness” to the 2018 midterm elections, which saw the emergence of a vocal anti-Israel cohort within the Democratic Party.

Since then, she says, the hatred has “infected Democrats worse” than any other political group.

She also questioned what she sees as a double standard toward the world’s only Jewish state.

“We have one Jewish state, one teeny tiny Jewish state – why can’t we have a Jewish state? And there’s become this anti-Zionist hate and this assumption that this is colonial. And it is not. It is just people in their homeland trying to live.”

‘It’s a sickness that needs to end’

Stevens did not hold back when discussing the leadership of the progressive movement, including Senator Bernie Sanders.

“I really don’t know what Bernie Sanders has done for peace in the Middle East, for Palestinian dignity; I can’t think of anything he’s totally done. It’s a sickness that needs to end. You know, it’s a linkage towards extremism or Jihad, I don’t know.”

At the same time, Stevens acknowledged that the current Israeli government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has its flaws.

“Netanyahu has been a problem,” she said.

But she cautioned against using the policies of a particular government as a reason to delegitimize Israel itself.

“Your current government should not encapsulate a full people,” she said.

Stevens: US-Israel relationship critical for American national security

Ultimately, Stevens views her visit to Israel as a reminder of why the alliance remains a “national security strategic interest” for the US.

From witnessing advanced heart procedures at Hadassah Hospital to meeting with hi-tech entrepreneurs, Stevens said she sees Israel as an indispensable partner for Michigan and the broader US economy.

“I also see the US-Israel relationship being so critical to ways in which we can harness our own innovation and production capabilities,” she said.

“We work with Israel much more than we will work with other countries in this region on our shared interests and for the Jewish people as well, on innovation priorities.”

As she prepares for the next chapter of her career, Haley Stevens has a final message for the Israeli public, many of whom are watching the US political landscape with growing concern.

“Believe in yourselves and be proud of who you are,” she said.

“The Jewish people are a strong and resilient group. There will be voices like mine, whether I’m in elected office or not, that will be joining with other voices to stop anti-Zionism. We will continue to call it out.”

This post was originally published on here. 

During an election campaign, the question is not only what the various candidates are saying but also what is being talked about, political strategist Moshe Klughaft said on Wednesday.

Klughaft spoke on Kan Bet’s flagship 8 a.m. morning radio show Kalman Liberman about dueling lawsuits that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife, Sara, and The Democrats party head Yair Golan have brought against one another.

And the fact that he was the first interviewee on the program proved his point.

Despite the flare-up between Iran and the United States, Israel’s unusual arrest of a Hamas leader in Gaza, rising gas prices, and broken-down desalination plants, the program’s top item was the conspiracy theories surrounding October 7 – specifically, whether Netanyahu’s wife had implied that Golan, who donned a uniform and rushed South to rescue people soon after the attack began, had been tipped off in advance.

She broadly insinuated as much in a Channel 14 interview, leading to Golan’s defamation suit against her for spreading conspiracy theories and her counter-defamation suit against him. And what was her lawyer’s argument? That she never spread conspiracy theories but spoke only about solid facts that are undisputed.

Sara Netanyahu’s remarks came after shown video of demonstration against her

Her remark about Golan did not appear scripted. It came after she was shown a clip of him cheering on protesters who demonstrated loudly outside the Tel Aviv hair salon where she was sitting in March 2023, at the height of the judicial reform protests, followed by another clip in which he dismissed as disingenuous her subsequent statement that she had felt threatened at the time.

Visibly perturbed, Sara said Golan should be embarrassed “by a situation in which you are throwing your weight around against a woman in a hair salon.” She then contrasted the image of a senior military man confronting a woman in a salon with his conduct on October 7.

“When you are a military officer of such high rank and claim that you fought on October 7, you were already there early in the morning, already dressed and prepared; at a very early hour, when others did not know, such as the prime minister.”

Then she added sarcastically, “In general, who is the prime minister who needs to know that a war is breaking out? Why inform him?”

She did not complete the thought, but the implication was difficult to miss, especially since her husband has repeated in recent days in various forums that had he been awakened at 3 a.m., when senior security officials were discussing signs indicating a possible attack, then the outcome would have been much different.

And this is where the issue becomes muddled because several very different claims are being bundled together under the emotionally charged words “betrayal” and “conspiracy.”

Sara was asked directly: “What do you say about the betrayal theory?”

“I don’t want to discuss it,” she replied. “I don’t subscribe to any theories, and I don’t know. I support a genuine commission of inquiry.”

Conspiracy: Golan knew an attack was imminent and conspired against Netanyahu

The more extreme version of the conspiracy theory is not that anyone actively conspired with Hamas but that members of the country’s security elite – Golan included – knew an attack was imminent and deliberately failed to wake Netanyahu because they wanted to damage or bring down his government.

No evidence has been presented to substantiate that allegation.

Following Sara’s interview and the ensuing brouhaha, the prime minister released a short video clip saying that he has repeatedly been asked whether there was a betrayal and has consistently answered that there was not.

“I don’t think there was a betrayal,” he said. “I think there was a failure – a major failure – reflected in what happened during the night and morning before the attack.”

He elaborated in another video, saying that there were numerous warning signs before October 7 and that then-IDF chief of staff Herzi Halevi, Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) head Ronen Bar, and Military Intelligence chief Aharon Haliva knew about them.

A consultation among senior security officials was held at around 3 a.m., several hours before the attack began at 6:29 a.m. Netanyahu was not awakened. The question he is now placing at the center of the public discussion is: Why?

Netanyahu said the answer could be found in a protocol submitted to the High Court of Justice. According to his account, Bar advocated maintaining a medium-level, covert state of readiness so as not to create a “miscalculation,” while refraining from broad action that might spark an unnecessary confrontation.

“This group believed that Hamas was deterred,” Netanyahu said. “They did not believe Hamas would attack. So they were concerned that if they woke the prime minister – excuse me, ‘that madman,’ me, right? – they knew exactly what I would do. They knew I would deploy the air force there, mobilize the entire IDF, and not allow anyone to approach the fences – they would be killed immediately.

“So they said that this would lead to an attack or to an exchange of fire with Hamas, and that had to be prevented. If they had awakened me, everything would have looked different. That is the story of October 7. That is the story.”

There is an important distinction here. To argue that the security establishment badly misread Hamas, failed to respond adequately to the warning signs, and did not wake the prime minister because it feared provoking an escalation is to make an argument about a catastrophic professional and conceptual failure.

To claim that officials knew Hamas was about to invade and deliberately withheld that information in order to damage Netanyahu is something else entirely. That is an allegation of conscious betrayal and one the prime minister has not himself made. The question now is whether Sara Netanyahu implied it.

The political significance of the controversy lies less in whether Sara’s remark can withstand legal scrutiny than in what it has caused the country to discuss. And that brings us full circle to Klughaft’s observation. During an election campaign, what matters is not necessarily what is being said, but what is being talked about.

At first blush, Sara’s remark appeared to be an angry, unscripted response to an unflattering clip of Golan. But the ensuing uproar has placed a part of the October 7 story that many people were either not discussing or were unfamiliar with – the decision not to wake the prime minister – squarely in the public spotlight.

That does not validate the conspiracy theory. It does, however, ensure that the questions feeding it are now part of the pre-election conversation.

This post was originally published on here. 

New studies examining what they described as Turkey’s use of antisemitism as a tool for diplomatic attacks against Israel, including efforts to incriminate Israeli soldiers through false allegations of “war crimes,” were released by the Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry on Wednesday

The studies published by the ministry found that the WOLAS and Freedom Watch Platform organizations, which allegedly operate as “civil society” groups, use advanced open-source intelligence (OSINT) systems to identify IDF soldiers and civilians holding dual citizenship. According to the ministry, these systems are used to pursue legal action against them with the knowledge of the Turkish government.

“In recent years, Turkey has established a state mechanism in which antisemitism, delegitimization and legal warfare against Israelis are carried out at high intensity as part of an organized and predetermined policy of the country’s leadership and institutions,” the ministry said in a statement.

“The Research Division at the Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry reveals in its studies that the mechanism is rooted in the education and religious systems through to organizations operating in the international arena against IDF soldiers and Israeli citizens and accusing them of war crimes,” the statement added.

The studies describe what the ministry called a consistent process of institutionalizing antisemitism within the Turkish government. They also outline how Turkey, under Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has transformed hostility toward Israel and the Jewish people from a political message into a broader governmental framework that extends across state institutions.

According to the studies, the Turkish government is not limiting its actions to media campaigns against Israel, but is also using non-governmental organizations to target Israeli citizens who hold Turkish citizenship and attempt to incriminate them through false allegations of committing “war crimes.”

The ministry identified two Turkish organizations, WOLAS and Freedom Watch Platform, which it said maintain ties with terrorist organizations, including Hamas.

OSINT, including Israeli websites, used to identify soldiers, build evidence 

The ministry said the groups operate open-source intelligence systems to identify individuals, including through Israeli websites, and build evidence files intended to advance legal proceedings against Israelis with Turkish citizenship. The ministry also said it sends the findings to international courts in The Hague.

“The connections between the Turkish government, civil society and legal warfare create a new model of action against Israel, which is not limited to the arena of public diplomacy, but attempts to influence legal systems, international institutions and public opinion around the world,” the ministry said.

The ministry’s studies describe the two organizations as parts of the same system: The Turkish state promotes an antisemitic and anti-Israel narrative, while organizations operating in Turkey translate that narrative into practical efforts against Israelis in the international arena.

One of the sections of the reports that the ministry described as particularly concerning details the methods used by Freedom Watch Platform. According to the reports, activists use open-source intelligence to locate Israelis who also hold Turkish citizenship and previously served in the IDF.

The first stage is identification. The organization monitors social media followers and posts, particularly on pages associated with the Jewish community in Turkey. After identifying a “target,” activists map the person’s family and social connections.

Activists analyze photos for IDF indicators, unit affiliations

The activists then analyze photographs and other materials posted online to identify military indicators, IDF unit affiliations, and details related to military service. The next stage involves publishing the individual’s information online and transferring the material through lawyers the file complaints with Turkish authorities.

The report also presents a case study from February 2026 involving a former female soldier who holds Israeli and Turkish citizenship. According to the documents, activists located her through online posts, including one her mother published on the day she enlisted in the IDF.

The activists later analyzed photographs of her in an attempt to identify her military affiliation, mapped additional family members serving in the IDF, and ultimately published her details and filed a complaint.

Freedom Watch Platform did not begin its activity solely as an organization focused on IDF soldiers. According to documents from the ministry’s Research Division, the group emerged from a protest at an Istanbul port over the detention of a Gaza aid ship in 2024.

The platform later became a venue for delegitimization efforts against Israel, including campaigns targeting Israeli companies. Over time, the focus of its activity shifted from the State of Israel and Israeli companies to individual Israelis.

In February, the issue of IDF soldiers holding Turkish citizenship was brought before parliament for discussion. During February and March, the group was described as cooperating with HÜDA PAR, including through involvement by the party’s legal department.

On March 7, a lawsuit was filed against Turkish citizens with dual citizenship who had served in the IDF, after the IDF published information in February about soldiers holding foreign citizenships. According to the report, the platform increased its efforts to specifically identify and expose soldiers holding Turkish citizenship.

“Turkey under Erdogan’s dictatorial and Islamist regime is using every tool at its disposal to harm the State of Israel as much as possible,” said Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli. “Israel must cut all ties with the Erdogan regime and understand that at some point we must prepare for wild antisemitic incitement in the Turkish education system and leadership.”

Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Director-General Avi Cohen Scali accused Erdogan of “leading an antisemitic policy toward the State of Israel, and this directive is filtering down into all state institutions.”

“As a result, semi-governmental organizations are pursuing IDF soldiers with Turkish citizenship,” he said. “Instead of dealing with and arresting Hamas terrorists operating freely in their country, Turkish institutions are promoting activity against the State of Israel.”

This post was originally published on here. 

A haredi (ultra-Orthodox) commander in an elite IDF unit left the military after senior Shas party rabbi Rabbi Avraham Salim ordered him to do so, according to a KAN News report on Tuesday.

Salim reportedly told the commander to “leave the IDF because it is at war with the people of the Torah,” and warned that his family’s social standing may be harmed due to his position in the army.

The rabbi added that reserve service would be fine, but he should not take part in anything that ties him to the military.

According to the KAN report, several senior rabbis supported the commander’s enlistment in the aftermath of the October 7 massacre.

As the haredi draft crisis intensified, the religious leaders withdrew their support. Eventually, Salim ordered him to leave the IDF.

Political figures decry incident as effort to dismantle IDF

Democrats MK Naama Lazimi reacted to the report on X/Twitter, accusing both the rabbi and the commander of working to dodge mandatory military service and dismantle the army.

She criticized them for using public funding, adding, “This must change. Soon.”

Zionist Home-The Reservists party’s Yoaz Hendel also decried the incident, stating that “the haredi parties have been acting for too long to weaken and harm the IDF.”

עוד אפיקורס מבית היוצר של ש”ס. מאחל לו לחזור בתשובה ולהיות ציוני כשר.

המפלגות החרדיות פועלות יותר מידי זמן כדי להחליש ולפגוע בצה”ל. אין שום הצדקה לשיתוף פעולה עם מפלגות לא ציוניות שחותרות תחת בסיס הקיום של מדינת ישראל.

מאחל לכולנו שהציבור החרדי יתעשת ויכניס את מוטי לייטנר על… https://t.co/Tdnkxjzfh5

— Yoaz Hendel יועז הנדל (@YoazHendel1) September 1, 2026

“There is no justification for cooperating with non-Zionist parties that undermine the foundation of Israel’s existence,” he continued. “I wish for all of us that the Haredi public will come to its senses.”

This post was originally published on here. 

Yisrael Beytenu leader MK Avigdor Liberman called on opposition party leaders seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to forge alliances with smaller parties or risk failing to cross the electoral threshold in the upcoming elections.

His statement came ahead of next week’s approaching deadline for submitting party lists and as a group of right-wing and centrist parties continues to poll below the electoral threshold, including MK Benny Gantz’s Blue and White, Gilad Erdan’s Unity, and Chili Tropper’s The Zionist Home-The Reservists.

Liberman said that the opposition bloc should form alliances with Gantz, Erdan, and Tropper, noting that “they have no chance of crossing the electoral threshold, but they could cost the serving bloc [opposition bloc] three to four seats.”

אנחנו נמצאים ביישורת האחרונה לפני סגירת הרשימות. אני קורא לראשי המפלגות בגוש המשרתים לפעול באחריות – כולנו חייבים לעשות מאמץ אחרון לנסות לייצר חיבורים מול המפלגות של חילי טרופר, גלעד ארדן ובני גנץ, על מנת למנוע פיזור קולות.

אין להם סיכוי לעבור את אחוז החסימה, אבל הם עלולים לגרוע…

— אביגדור ליברמן (@AvigdorLiberman) September 2, 2026

“I call on the leaders of the serving bloc to act responsibly; we must all make one final effort to try to forge alliances,” he added.

Liberman told The Jerusalem Post in a July interview that running as part of a political alliance was not an option for his party.

Netanyahu calls on small right-wing parties to unify

Meanwhile, Netanyahu has called on small right-wing parties to make alliances with the parties in his bloc, warning that they could also harm his camp if they run independently.

Liberman’s party is a core part of the opposition bloc. Other parties in that bloc include Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar, Naftali Bennett’s B’Yachad, and Yair Golan’s The Democrats.

Gantz’s response to Liberman included reiterating his call for a broad Zionist government to be formed after the elections that would not rely on extremists.

“Faced with either a full-fledged right-wing government or a minority government reliant on the Arab parties, there is only one solution: Only the bloc of the people of Israel will establish a Zionist, cross-bloc government that can pass a genuine conscription law even before the next government is formed; and put an end to bloc-based governments,” Gantz said.

Recent reports have indicated that Gantz and Erdan have been holding talks regarding a possible alliance between their parties.

On Wednesday, Netanyahu also welcomed a newly formed alliance between Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who chairs the Religious Zionist Party (RZP), and Zehut party leader Moshe Feiglin.

Smotrich, Feiglin running together as a technical bloc

The two right-wing leaders said they would run together in the elections as a technical bloc after RZP had been polling near the electoral threshold, while Feiglin’s Zehut party had failed to cross it in recent polls.

Netanyahu had previously called on Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who leads the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, to run on a joint list, as they did in the 2022 elections. Ben-Gvir openly rejected such an alliance, prompting reports that Smotrich and Feiglin were negotiating a joint run.

Ahead of the deadline for submitting party lists, now is the final opportunity for parties to forge alliances before the elections, which will effectively lock in the final slates of competing parties.

If small parties run in the elections and ultimately fail to cross the electoral threshold, the votes that went toward them will not be counted.

For instance, in the 2022 elections, the Meretz and Balad parties in the anti-Netanyahu bloc did not cross the electoral threshold, wasting approximately 300,000 votes. The current electoral threshold stands at 3.25%.

This post was originally published on here. 

An indictment was filed on Monday morning in Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court against 22-year-old Netanya resident Eliyahu Ganah, charging him with a series of indecent acts against women throughout the city.

According to the indictment, filed by attorney Eden Hadida Barzilai of the Central District Attorney’s Office, the allegations do not concern a single incident: Ganah was questioned, released to house arrest, allegedly violated the conditions, was arrested again and released, and then, within a single day, allegedly committed a further series of acts against at least 10 different women.

On July 31, at around 11:20 a.m., a woman entered her residential building in Netanya while speaking on the phone. According to the indictment, Ganah followed her into the building, pulled down his pants, and performed a sexual act in front of her. The woman was frightened and immediately fled to her home.

The following day, during the afternoon, another woman entered the same building. This time as well, according to the indictment, Ganah was standing near the entrance with his pants pulled down and performing a sexual act. The woman shouted at him to leave, and he fled on foot.

On August 4, Ganah was questioned at the Israel Police’s Shdot station on suspicion of involvement in the two incidents. At the end of the questioning, he was released to five days of house arrest. Three days later, however, at 3 a.m., he allegedly violated the conditions of his release and left his home on a motorcycle.

That night, two women were walking along the promenade on Nitza Street in Netanya. According to the indictment, Ganah rode toward them, drove the motorcycle onto the sidewalk, slowed down beside them, and grabbed one of the women by the buttocks. He then continued riding.

The two women ran after him and reported what happened. Police later located Ganah on Kiryat Sanz Street in the city. According to the indictment, when police found him, he said, “I made a mistake, I made a mistake.” He was arrested again and was subsequently released under house arrest conditions as part of a hospitalization arrangement until August 11.

According to prosecutors, the second release did not stop the alleged pattern of conduct. Five days later, on August 16, Ganah rode a motorcycle through the streets of Netanya. Over a period of less than two hours, according to the indictment, nine separate incidents were documented in which he approached women walking in the street and touched or attempted to touch them.

The series began at 5:15 a.m. on Uzi Hitman Street, where Ganah allegedly approached a woman and grabbed her buttocks. Ten minutes later, near the Ir Yamim mall, he approached another woman walking with her young daughter and dog and grabbed her as well.

Five minutes later, near the Island Hotel, he allegedly approached another woman and touched her thigh beneath her buttocks. The woman turned toward him and asked, “Are you insane?” According to the indictment, he then continued to other streets in the city.

The man woke up at 6 a.m. and drove across the city allegedly carrying out indecent acts

At 6 a.m., he allegedly approached a woman walking on Hashiv’a Street and stroked her buttocks. About 20 minutes later, on Itamar Ben-Avi Street, he allegedly carried out a similar act against another woman who was walking beside her sister.

At 6:30 a.m., on Hama’apilim Street, he approached another woman and reached his hand toward her buttocks, according to the indictment. She moved away quickly, and he continued riding. Five minutes later, on King David Street, he passed another woman, blocked her path, and grabbed her breast. She shouted at him and struck his hand, and he fled the scene.

The series of alleged incidents did not end there. At 6:45 a.m., on Jabotinsky Street, Ganah allegedly approached another woman and stroked her buttocks. She turned toward him and said, “Excuse me, what is this supposed to be?”

At 7 a.m., on Ussishkin Street, he approached another woman and reached his hand toward her body. She moved away quickly, and according to the indictment, he touched her thigh and continued riding.

Hours later, at 10 p.m., the alleged 10th incident took place. A woman walking on Zionist Congress Street noticed Ganah approaching her on the motorcycle. According to the indictment, he lifted her skirt and grabbed her buttocks. The woman shouted and began running after him, but he fled at speed.

Prosecutors said the evidence gathered during the investigation includes testimony from the complainants and eyewitnesses, as well as calls made to the Israel Police 100 emergency hotline in real time. The callers provided identifying details that the state claims matched Ganah.

Evidence includes security-camera footage from across Netanya

The evidence also includes security-camera footage from across Netanya on August 16. According to prosecutors, the footage shows a motorcycle ridden by a person whose identifying characteristics match Ganah’s at times and locations corresponding with complaints filed that morning.

During questioning on August 18 and August 20, Ganah admitted to the acts attributed to him, according to the prosecution’s remand request, although in some cases he gave a different account of how the incidents had occurred.

Ganah was arrested on August 18, and his detention has since been extended in periodic hearings. Alongside the indictment filed on Monday, prosecutors asked the court to keep him in custody until the end of legal proceedings.

Prosecutors argued that the succession of incidents over a short period, particularly the fact that some allegedly took place after Ganah had already been questioned and while he was violating house arrest conditions, demonstrated that he posed a danger and had exhibited a recurring pattern of conduct.

The prosecution’s request said his conduct demonstrated a “lack of fear of the law,” and argued that, in the state’s view, no alternative to detention could sufficiently mitigate the danger he allegedly poses.

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Degel HaTorah leader Rabbi Dov Lando said that the Haredi community does not need to rely on any particular prime minister and depends solely on God, speaking before thousands of people in Tiberias on Wednesday.

“We are not dependent on this person or that person, or on one prime minister or another, but only on the Creator of the world,” he declared. “We all hope and pray that He will have mercy on His people, and particularly on the world of Torah.”

Lando recently decried members of the modern Orthodox community who support the enlistment of yeshiva students, arguing that the state sends soldiers to wars that are fought not only for the purpose of saving lives but also “for the honor of the state.”

He made the remarks during a meeting at his home with Mir Yeshiva head Rabbi Eliezer Yehuda Finkel and the yeshiva’s spiritual supervisor, Rabbi Binyamin Finkel.

Lando claimed Israel ‘incites to murder for the honor of the state’

“If the state sends people, soldiers, for the honor of the state, and people are killed, is that also permitted? Actual murder. 

“Then they are inciting to murder; that is what they are doing. They wage wars not only for the purpose of saving lives, but for the honor of the state. The wicked are here; what can be done? There are wicked people, including among those in the modern Orthodox community, who are no better than them,” he said.

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres came under fire from watchdogs after he failed to publicly address the killing of protesters in January and executions carried out by the Iranian regime during a meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian earlier this week.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and Shanghai Plus summits in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on Tuesday.

According to Iranian state media, Pezeshkian told Guterres that “the attack by the United States on Iran, the martyrdom of the country’s leadership and a number of officials and citizens, including schoolchildren, as well as the targeting of our country’s infrastructure, demonstrated that the most basic principles of humanity and international law have been disregarded.”

Pezeshkian also complained that the conflict in Gaza and Lebanon was “unacceptable.”

The UN’s official readout of the meeting said Guterres and Pezeshkian discussed the humanitarian and economic consequences of the conflict between Iran and the US.

I asked the UN today why executions, torture allegations and detained protesters were missing from the readout of Secretary-General António Guterres’ meeting with Iran’s president-
as more than 60,000 Iranians were detained following January’s protests.
HRANA says 78 people were… pic.twitter.com/olDQqHABXU

— Efrat Lachter (@EfratLachter) September 1, 2026

Issue of Iranian crackdown on protesters not broached

However, the issue of Iran’s treatment of protesters and detainees did not appear in the readout.

A UN spokesperson confirmed to investigative journalist Efrat Lachter that the issue had not been raised during the meeting, while asserting that Guterres had raised it with Iranian officials on other occasions. The spokesperson also said the UN had condemned the use of the death penalty in Iran, “as we stand against the death penalty in every country.”

Human rights groups say that upward of 30,000 protesters were massacred by the Islamic Republic’s security forces in January, though an official figure has been hard to surmise due to the mass disappearances and nearly three-month internet lockdown imposed by the regime.

Following the meeting, Guterres wrote on X/Twitter, “The conflicts in the Middle East have had far-reaching effects. Agreements & ceasefires are constantly violated, and strikes continue.”

The conflicts in the Middle East have had far-reaching effects.

Agreements & ceasefires are constantly violated, and strikes continue.

I appeal for maximum restraint & for agreements &international law to be respected.

More than ever, we need negotiations towards a just,…

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) September 1, 2026

“I appeal for maximum restraint & for agreements & international law to be respected. More than ever, we need negotiations toward a just, lasting peace in line with international law, including the @UN Charter & relevant UN resolutions,” he added.

Thousands slaughtered, UN Watch director criticized Guterres

UN Watch director Hillel Neuer criticized Guterres over the meeting and wrote on X that, according to the official readout, “the regime’s slaughter of tens of thousands of civilian protesters was not discussed.”

UN spokesman effectively confirms: Secretary-General Guterres just met with the Iranian regime president and failed to say one word about the tens of thousands of Iranian protesters whom they massacred.

What happened to all that UN talk about human rights and international law? https://t.co/Xr6bRjX0jT pic.twitter.com/iQJl43FhRf

— Hillel Neuer (@HillelNeuer) September 1, 2026

The criticism comes amid continued scrutiny of the Iranian regime’s treatment of protesters and detainees, including allegations of executions and other serious human rights abuses.

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A Missouri law mandating public schools and universities to define antisemitic behavior in their codes of conduct and report those cases to state officials has sparked concerns that it may infringe on First Amendment rights.

House Bill 2061 – Antisemitism in Schools Prohibited – came into effect on August 28.

It requires Missouri public educational institutions to define antisemitism using the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition, including its contemporary examples.

It mandates that educational institutions treat antisemitic harassment or discrimination against students or employees “in an identical manner to discrimination motivated by race.”

Schools and other educational institutions must have a policy defining antisemitism and include it in their codes of conduct for students, faculty, and staff.

Schools must include rules against antisemitism in staff codes of conduct

They must also prohibit antisemitic behavior when it interferes with people’s ability to work, study, visit, or use the school’s facilities, or when it creates an environment of fear or intimidation.

Additionally, regarding defining antisemitism, schools must include rules against antisemitic behavior in their student, faculty, and staff codes of conduct.

They must include consequences for harassing or discriminating against Jewish people, in line with federal anti-discrimination rules under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.

Before it passed, the bill was changed significantly. Now it only applies in the context of harassment or intimidation and includes the provision that it cannot be “applied in ways that diminish or infringe any right protected under the First Amendment.”

It also includes a specific clause saying that “criticism of Israel that is similar to criticism toward any other country shall not be construed to be antisemitic.”

In order to determine whether speech relating to criticism of Israel is antisemitic, educational institutions are asked to consider whether the speech is explicitly related to public policy or applies “materially inconsistent standards, expectations, or condemnation to Israel as compared with other nations in comparable circumstances.”

The provision only applies when the speech or related conduct also interferes with people’s ability to participate in school activities or creates fear or intimidation.

The law is not new as such; it simply amends the existing state legislation.

The Missouri legislature says that everyone is entitled to equal treatment and equal rights under both the Missouri and US constitutions, and condemns discrimination of any kind.

Antisemitism recognized as a form of discrimination

The new law simply recognizes antisemitism as a form of discrimination.

Does it protect criticism of Israel?

Nevertheless, there has been criticism and concern about whether the new law will infringe upon the right to protest.

Attorney Javad Khazaeli of the law firm Khazaeli Wyrsch told St. Louis Public Radio that “the whole point of this – this is to chill speech.”

“You could come up with absurd outcomes where a Jewish student who criticizes Israel could be deemed antisemitic, and then their university could possibly lose funding over this,” he said.

Attorney Brenda Talent said she is concerned that educational institutions are “going to develop codes of conduct that go too far – that in fact do violate the First Amendment.”

Michael Berg, a St. Louis member of Jewish Voice for Peace, said, “We’re talking about codifying into law a definition of antisemitism which would restrict and punish accurate and necessary criticisms of Israel.

“It’s an attack on the ability to say things that are objectively true.”

When questioned by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the sponsor of the law, Rep. George Hruza, said that calling Israel genocidal would count as antisemitic under the law.

“Calling Israel’s actions in Gaza ‘genocide’ does not comport with the situation on the ground, or it is some kind of twisted definition of genocide.

“No other country would be accused of genocide for fighting a defensive war after an unprovoked attack and bending over backward to minimize civilian casualties, only Israel,” he said.

However, Hruza said that such speech, if not used to harm or create fear, would still be protected. The same would be the case for comparing Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.

“HB 2061 explicitly protects free speech, including such abhorrent antisemitic speech. It is when the speech causes harm to others through harassment, intimidation, bullying, or an atmosphere of fear that it becomes an issue for schools to address.

“Free speech ends at the end of one’s nose. When it causes harm to others, it is no longer protected speech.”

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Russian investigators said on Wednesday they had detained children’s hospice founder Lida Moniava and charged her with deliberately spreading false information about the actions of Russian armed forces against Ukrainian civilians.

Moniava, a well-known advocate in Russia for critically ill children, has publicly criticized the four-and-a-half-year war in Ukraine on the Telegram messaging app, calling it a crime that must end.

In a statement, Russia’s state Investigative Committee said Moniava had been charged with disseminating on Telegram “knowingly false information presented as credible reports about actions by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation against Ukraine’s civilian population.”

It said she had not admitted guilt during questioning.

Moniava’s Lighthouse charity, which provides hospice care for children and young adults in Moscow and the surrounding region, said it was waiting for news about its founder.

“We will continue operating as usual … At the moment, we have no further information,” it said in response to a request for comment.

Russia cracks down on alleged ‘false information’

Since invading Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has intensified its crackdown on dissent and introduced laws prescribing long prison terms for those found guilty of “discrediting” the military or deliberately spreading false information about it.

Moniava was fined earlier in 2026 for allegedly discrediting the army. At the time, she said she could not leave the country to escape the threat of further prosecution, because if she did “more children needing palliative care (would) end up lying in institutions and intensive care units.”

“But I also cannot stay silent, as if there were no war,” she said on Telegram.

Over 1,380 people have faced criminal prosecution for expressing anti-war views since the full-scale war began, with around 350 currently in prison or pre-trial detention, according to Russian rights group OVD-Info.

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Two separate criminal cases across Britain focusing on antisemitic offenses have concluded, with defendants receiving suspended prison sentences earlier this week.

The first case involved Michael Brown, 45, from Newhaven, East Sussex, who was handed an eight-week prison sentence suspended for one year at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, according to court reporting of the proceedings.

Brown had posted on Facebook suggesting throwing eggs, fruit, and stink bombs at synagogues and Jewish businesses, concluding his message with the words, “Does anyone have a good recipe for roasted synagogue?”

District Judge Sam Goozee, presiding over the case, stated during sentencing remarks recorded by reporters: “The message was targeting the Jewish community and their synagogues and Jewish businesses.”

The judge added, “It would be inevitable any member of the community who would read that post would be alarmed by its content.”

Offense aggravated by racial hostility

Noting that the offense was aggravated by racial hostility, the judge stated, “It was posted at a time when the backdrop and environment was such that it was inevitable the words you used would affect the Jewish community.”

According to statements made in court by prosecutor Emily Thornton, the post was made on February 28, the day the US and Israel launched their war on Iran, responding to an original post by the Brighton and Hove Palestine Solidarity Campaign.

In a police interview detailed by the prosecution, Brown claimed his post was a “joke” and that he “didn’t mean any offense.” But court records show he ultimately pleaded guilty to sending by a public communication network an offensive, indecent, obscene, or menacing message.

Defense solicitor James Yates told the court in mitigation that Brown had recently lost his job, was spending too much time isolated online, and had been diagnosed with ADHD, though court proceedings noted he has since deleted his Facebook account and engaged in a wellness program.

Brown was ordered to complete 15 rehabilitation activity days and 80 hours of unpaid work.

The second legal development involved Syeda Khatun, 39, from Hackney, who was sentenced at Stratford Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday to 12 months in prison, suspended for two years, according to an official case summary published by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

Antisemitic abuse hurled at children, father physically attacked

Khatun had hurled antisemitic abuse at Jewish children waiting outside a Jewish secondary school in Stamford Hill on May 10 after returning from a school trip, before physically attacking a father and pulling his beard, as detailed in CPS and police findings.

According to CPS case announcements, the sentence was increased from eight months to 12 months after prosecutors successfully argued that her hostility towards the victims’ Jewish ethnicity should be treated as an aggravating factor.

Case files show Khatun first shouted antisemitic abuse at a mother carrying a baby before aggressively swinging her arms at the schoolchildren.

When the father of one of the children challenged her behavior, Khatun struck him in the face and pulled his beard while continuing to shout antisemitic slurs.

CPS records confirm Khatun was convicted following a trial on July 3 of three counts of racially aggravated assault, one count of racially aggravated assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and one count of racially aggravated words and behavior causing harassment, alarm, or distress.

Ragvesh Singh, senior Crown prosecutor in CPS London North, stated in an official press release: “This was a shocking attack where Syeda Khatun targeted people with antisemitic abuse in a public place, including children who were waiting outside their school.”

CPS documentation notes that Khatun was also made subject to a restraining order.

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The IDF destroyed a terror tunnel in the Gaza Strip, the military said on Wednesday, noting that Israeli soldiers have demolished 26 kilometers of such tunnels east of the Yellow Line since the ceasefire with Hamas began.

According to the IDF, one of the tunnels destroyed over the past few weeks was about one kilometer in length. 

The announcement came following a visit by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to an IDF outpost near the Yellow Line in the Gaza Strip earlier on Wednesday.

“We control 60% of the Strip, and there is more to come because we are eliminating the terrorists who threaten us,” he said, stressing that efforts to disarm Hamas will continue until completed.

IDF seals two tunnels, kills Hamas commanders

On August 19, the IDF sealed off two Hamas tunnels with a combined length of two kilometers, the military said at the time.

That same week, the IDF struck and killed several Hamas commanders who were meeting at a northern Gaza City port cafe to plan imminent attacks against Israeli soldiers.

Jonah Davidov contributed to this report.

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