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There is “no instruction” to open the Erez Border Crossing for the transfer of goods into the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said in a joint statement released on Thursday afternoon.

“Israel’s policy in Gaza is clear and has not changed. There will be no reconstruction before the disarmament of the Hamas terrorist organization and the complete demilitarization of the Gaza Strip,” Netanyahu and Katz said.

This follows reports in Israeli media of plans to reopen the border crossing from September 1.

There are preparations to open the crossing on September 1, but it still requires final approval, sources from the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.

Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report.

This is a developing story.

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Former Gaza hostage Evyatar David revealed that the started a crowdfunding campaign to help pay for his recovery efforts, and claimed that the Israeli government was not providing enough financial assistance to the former Hamas captives.

“I hope the next government will do better. I don’t know who it’s going to be, but I trust they will do better,” he told CNN in an interview on Wednesday.

He told the American outlet that his recovery is “very complicated,” and noted that he was a normal person before his time in Hamas captivity.

“Now it’s very different. It still takes time to process all this,” he said, “I’m trying to understand how to do good rehab and help myself with this.”

David was 22 when he was taken hostage by Hamas terrorists from the Nova Music Festival during the October 7 massacre. He was held hostage by Hamas for over two years before his release on October 13, 2025.

In August 2025, his Hamas captors forced him to film a video of him digging his own grave inside a Gaza terror tunnel.

Evyatar David: ‘We didn’t eat for three months’

On the day the video was filmed, David said in a previous interview with Israeli media that his captors told him and Guy Gilboa-Dalal to strip in order to compare their deteriorating physiques against each other. In the end, David was chosen as the subject of the video because the terrorists thought he looked worse.

“It’s all staged, but it relies on the truth;  we didn’t eat for three months,” he told CNN. “Everything I say and do there, they told me to do it. You can see my body, I could barely move, when I tried to dig the grave, just to hold the shovel was almost impossible, probably the hardest physical thing I ever did.”

He told Israeli media in an earlier interview that he told himself that “it was possible that if I really died, I would be lying in that pit.”

He added that after the told the terrorists that he almost collapsed, they ignored him. “I could hear them laughing, eating cakes and drinking tea, like there is nobody walking next to them that looks like a skeleton,” he said.

He went on to say that the starvation that he and Gilboa-Dalal faced in Gaza caused a great deal of anxiety and conflict between them.

“The starvation, beyond the lack of food and physical feeling that you’re always hungry, is the mental feeling that you have nothing to eat, and you don’t know if you will have food in one hour, tomorrow, two days, you have no idea what is going to happen and maybe you are going to die from starvation,” he told CNN.

In a previous interview with Israeli media, he described the fights he and Gilboa-Dalal got into over rationing the minimal food and water they were given.

“We cursed and really screamed,” he said. “It was pure rage, the kind where everything goes black.”

After David was forced to film the video, he and Gilboa-Dalal were separated.

Former hostage tells CNN he has PTSD, mental issues after Gaza captivity

He told CNN that during his captivity, he was held mostly underground. During that time, he said that thoughts of his family and friends were the only thing that kept him going.

“When you feel at your lowest is the perfect time not to give up, because that’s the point that can break you. Once you understand that and don’t let it break you, you can find yourself in a better place. It doesn’t matter what you have been through; don’t give up when you feel you are going to break because this is where the turning point can be,” he told CNN.

As he moves forward with recovery, David told CNN that he struggles with PTSD.

“It can surprise me any time; one hour I can be fine and happy, and next I can remember something from captivity and get flashbacks,” he told CNN.

“I wake up at night with nightmares, and it affects me all day after that. It’s very unstable and random.”

Notably, David said that one of his main coping tools after his release has been music.

“If I feel sad or upset, it’s one of the best things I can do if I want to run from my thoughts and feel calm and unstressed. I don’t know what I would do without music,” he told CNN.

He also told the American outlet that he will be traveling to the US next month for a series of speaking engagements.

“It’s very important for us to keep our stories alive and that people understand and remember what we’ve been through. The world needs to know what happened and can’t forget about it,” he said.

This past month, he attended his brother’s wedding and performed a song on the guitar there. He pointed to moments like this, as well as the wedding of former hostage Eliya Cohen, as proof that Hamas failed to break their spirits.

“They tried to ruin our [lives] and our families’ lives, and eventually they didn’t manage to ruin everything,” He told CNN. “It’s the biggest closure and a huge moment of victory.”

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The IDF launched a wave of strikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Thursday after the terror group launched two explosive drones toward IDF soldiers operating in southern Lebanon, the military stated.

During Hezbollah’s attack overnight between Wednesday and Thursday, IDF soldiers opened fire, downing one of the drones, while contact was lost with the second drone.

No IDF injuries were reported from either drone attack.

This is a developing story. 

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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.

While acknowledging the gravity of this 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.

Following this announcement, the foreign ministers of the UK, Australia and Canada released a joint statement saying the decision to not pursue criminal investigations is “shameful.”

“They just say it’s a shame that Israel hasn’t brought criminal charges – they don’t specify what is shameful about it,” Dr. Brian L. Cox told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.

A very thorough assessment, no evidence of war crime

Cox retired from the US Army in 2018 after 22 years of military service, including 7 years as a military lawyer. He is now a senior fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute in Canada, and taught international law at Cornell Law School from 2019 to 2026.

Cox told the Post that it makes sense for Israel to not pursue criminal charges, because they have done a “very thorough assessment based on all the evidence they can gather, and they’ve reached the conclusion that this wasn’t a war crime.”

From an International Humanitarian Law (IHL) perspective, this case is “really straightforward,” Cox explained.

“If the personnel involved believed they were attacking Hamas fighters, and not WCK humanitarian workers, then it wasn’t a war crime. And that’s just a doctrinal application of the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) distinction rule.”

He added that militaries can prosecute for violation of use of force policy, but that then it would have to be “really egregious, a wanton disregard” of policy, which was not the case here.

While it chose not to open criminal investigations, the IDF did remove several officers from their positions, and others were formally reprimanded: an outcome that Cox said would have been the exact same if the same incident had been carried out by an Australian, UK or Canadian military member.

Cox therefore said a “double standard” is being applied to the IDF here.

“Just because there was an allegation that has been leveled against Israel, the expectation is that the IDF will initiate a criminal prosecution. That expectation doesn’t exist for any other military, including the three countries that signed this joint statement.”

Some interesting legal questions do arise from this incident.

One is whether, if soldiers mistakenly believe that civilians are legitimate targets, like in this case, can they still be guilty of a war crime because it was a mistake caused by negligence.

Cox explained that while some scholars have argued that recklessness should be taken into account when considering the mens rea of a war crime (intent), this is actually a “misrepresentation of international law.”

“I traced [this argument] back to the International Committee of the Red Cross in their Customary IHL study,” he told the Post. “They say war crimes could be committed with intent. And that includes dolus eventualis, which is like the civil law equivalent of recklessness.”

The IHL study, he added, cites just one source: a decision of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) that claims that war crimes can be committed recklessly.

However, the ICTY was not actually capable of establishing international law by itself.

After the ICTY decision was published in the mid-1990s, multiple countries, including the UK, Australia and Canada, ended up negotiating and then ratifying the Rome Statute.

When the 160 state delegations came together in 1998, they rejected efforts to include recklessness as part of the Rome Statute’s mental element for war crimes.

“If you go to the Rome Statute and look at Article 30 – which is the mental element – and then Article 32 – which is mistake of fact – it’s clear that recklessness is not included as part of the mental element for war crimes.”

Cox said that, as far as he’s aware, there has never been a criminal prosecution for an incident where the personnel involved were found to be reckless.

It is worth noting that Israel has never ratified the Rome Statute, and neither has the US. Cox nevertheless said it still provides a useful framework in this case because the IDF’s doctrinal application of the law of armed conflict, specifically when it comes to war crimes, is almost identical to that in the statute.

Another question is whether the wider combat context should be considered. While this WCK convoy had not been hijacked, is it relevant that other convoys had previously been?

‘They weren’t operating in a vacuum,’ they were in a combat scenario

“This really gets to the essence of how LOAC is applied to combat operations,” Cox responded. “This is often what’s missed in public discourse, the fact that the personnel who are responsible for this outcome are not solely responsible for the process that led to this strike.”

“They weren’t operating in a vacuum. If they’re in a combat scenario, where they know that their adversary deliberately and routinely hides among the civilian population, deliberately doesn’t wear a uniform that would differentiate between them and the civilian population, then of course [the IDF is] going to make a determination based on their knowledge of the battlespace, and not just what they’re seeing in the drone/video feed.”

What Cox said is so often overlooked is that Hamas is responsible for how it fights.

“With militaries of countries that respect and care about implementing international law, the reason we wear uniforms, the reason we differentiate ourselves between us and the civilian population is, is because we are focused on military objectives. So when Hamas and PIJ and various insurgent factions don’t do this, then of course there are going to be examples of essentially mistaken identity.”

This is, and should be, taken into account when assessing whether the IDF’s determination of the nature of the convoy was reasonable under the circumstances, he added.

“A lot of public commentary ends up either inadvertently or deliberately finding a way to blame Israel when they’re completely ignoring Hamas’s responsibility,” he told the Post.

In general, Cox said most departments of foreign affairs are “so far removed” from conflict and armed conflict, especially the law of armed conflict, that they “really can’t be trusted.”

“There’s this constant struggle between military personnel and foreign affairs personnel, where foreign affairs will just jump in without realizing how ignorant they are when it comes to armed conflict.”

Another element to this discussion, he said, is that international law is “very often utilized as a convenient excuse to denounce Israel.”

“This has been happening since October 7, where foreign ministries or prime ministers are looking for an excuse to criticize Israel, and the convenient, expedient way to do that is to rely on international law.”

Cox also pointed out that – as sad as it is – war crimes are committed by almost every army in almost every conflict: not just Israel.

The condemnation of Israel’s handling of the WCK incident therefore all links back to one of two things, Cox summed up. One, ignorance. Or two, “deliberate disinformation where people are looking for a reason to criticize or condemn Israel,” and then they “work backwards from there and international law is a tool that they use.”

While some commenters and critics of Cox have accused him of a pro-Israel agenda, he disputes this.

“If I genuinely believe based on my understanding of the factual circumstances that have been conveyed to the public that the WCK convoy attack was a war crime, I would say so. This isn’t me trying to be pro-Israel; this is me trying to be pro-law.”

“My bias, if anything, is that I’m trying to protect the integrity of international law involving armed conflict and how it actually works in practice. So if I have a bias, that’s it.”

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Nearly 150 new immigrants from North America are expected to arrive in Israel on Thursday aboard six separate flights, including close to 100 who landed at Ben-Gurion Airport within a half-hour period in the morning, according to Nefesh B’Nefesh.

The immigrants are part of an unprecedented wave of aliyah taking place during the summer months, from June through September. During this period, more than 2,200 new immigrants from North America, including some 480 families, are expected to arrive in Israel on nearly 100 group flights departing from across the United States and Canada.

More than 1,100 immigrants arrived in August alone, making it one of the most active months for aliyah facilitated by Nefesh B’Nefesh since the organization’s founding, according to its data.

“The historic wave of aliyah we are experiencing this summer is the most moving testimony to the resilience of the Jewish people and to the deep connection between North American Jewry and the State of Israel,” Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, co-founder and executive director of Nefesh B’Nefesh, said.

“The fact that thousands of families and young people are choosing to relocate their lives and build their futures here, especially at this time, is a Zionist shot in the arm and an enormous engine of growth for Israeli society and the economy,” Fass added. “We are proud to stand alongside them and accompany them, together with our partners, as they begin a new chapter in Israel.”

Nefesh B’Nefesh is facilitating the aliyah process in cooperation with the Aliyah and Integration Ministry, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund, and Jewish National Fund-USA. The organization’s teams accompany immigrants throughout the aliyah and integration process, from preparations in their countries of origin through their arrival in Israel and the completion of their absorption procedures.

August record follows an especially strong start to the year

The August record follows an especially strong start to the year. Since the beginning of 2026, approximately 2,700 new immigrants from North America have moved to Israel. Based on these figures, Nefesh B’Nefesh estimates that more than 4,000 North American immigrants will make aliyah by the end of the year, making 2026 one of the strongest years for aliyah since the organization’s establishment in 2002.

A demographic breakdown of this summer’s immigrants shows a young and diverse population, with an average age of 29. The current wave includes about 480 families, about 1,100 single men and women, and about 250 retirees.

In addition, approximately 700 children and teenagers are expected to begin the upcoming school year in Israel, including around 80 children entering first grade. Some 300 young men and women are also expected to contribute through service in the IDF or National Service after settling in Israel.

“I welcome the many immigrants who landed and will land in Israel today. As the summer months draw to a close, it is moving to see the large number of young immigrants and families who have chosen to establish their future in the home of the Jewish people,” Aliyah Minister Ofir Sofer said.

Referring to his ministry’s work, Sofer added, “In recent years, we have led significant processes at the Aliyah and Integration Ministry and laid the groundwork to encourage aliyah and ensure the optimal integration of immigrants from Western countries and around the world. The range of programs and reforms we have advanced will help immigrants integrate into their communities and the workforce, and will contribute to strengthening the State of Israel socially, economically, and in terms of security.”

The immigrants are also bringing a broad range of professional skills, including doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers, accountants, and professionals from other fields.

The new immigrants are arriving from across North America, with the leading places of origin including New York, New Jersey, Florida, California, Maryland, Illinois, Ontario in Canada, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Georgia.

After arriving, they are expected to settle in communities across Israel, including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Beit Shemesh, Ra’anana, Modi’in-Maccabim-Reut, and Haifa. At the same time, approximately 650 immigrants are expected to choose communities in the Negev and Galilee as part of the “Zinuk Ba’Aliyah” program, operated in partnership with Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund to encourage settlement in national priority areas.

“Behind each of the 1,100 immigrants who arrived from North America over the past month is a story of choice. Families, children, young people, and professionals who chose to build their lives here and be part of the future of the State of Israel,” Jewish Agency chairman Maj.-Gen. (res.) Doron Almog said.

“They arrive here with their dreams, their abilities, and their desire to contribute, and in doing so they strengthen Israeli society and the country as a whole.”

Addressing The Jewish Agency’s role in the aliyah effort, Almog added, “Our mission is to be there for them throughout the journey and help them turn their major decision into a home, where they can integrate and build their lives.”

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The stalled nuclear negotiations with Iran mask a fundamental shift in Washington’s strategy, one aimed less at securing a deal than at hastening the collapse of the Iranian regime itself, said Or Horvitz, a senior fellow at JPPI and former IDF officer, on the last episode of The Deep Dive podcast.

While public attention has fixated on stop-start diplomacy and Iranian propaganda, the US has quietly returned to a “maximum pressure” campaign modeled on Ronald Reagan’s pivot from containment to confrontation with the Soviet Union, said Horvitz.

“Any negotiation with this regime is pointless,” he argued, describing the current Iranian leadership as a hawkish “military junta” more extreme than its predecessor and unwilling to compromise on its core interests, the Strait of Hormuz and its nuclear program.

The analyst pointed to two camps within the Trump administration, one led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio favoring regime collapse and another associated with Vice President JD Vance still seeking a negotiated outcome, both now aligned behind escalating economic pressure.

With Iranian inflation soaring and minimum-wage earners able to afford only a fraction of the month, Horvitz said the regime’s starting point is far weaker than during the first pressure campaign, warning that a cornered, panicked Tehran also becomes more likely to launch an irrational or preemptive strike against Gulf states, Europe, or even NATO members.

In the conversation with the host, Jacob Laznik, Horvitz cautioned that toppling the regime would be a “matter of time” rather than a certainty on any timeline, noting it took eight years for Reagan’s approach to help bring down the Soviet Union, and that the West missed an opportunity to back Iranian protesters earlier in the year.

He argued that Iran’s economic weakening opens a “historic” window against its most important proxy, Hezbollah, while cautioning that a vacuum could empower Sunni jihadist groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIS.

On Syria and Turkey, Horvitz urged pragmatism over confrontation, cooperating with Damascus on shared interests and managing Ankara as a “growing challenge” that is “not Iran by any means.”

His closing warning drew on Winston Churchill: “Iran is a bully, and you cannot appease a bully.” 

This post was originally published on here. 

If you believe that Donald Trump is the most dangerous and destructive US president in recent times, if not ever, and that the threats he poses to American democracy, the rule of law, and world peace must be thwarted, is it is essential that Democrats gain control of the House and Senate on November 6.

One crucial Senate race that Democrats need to win is the Michigan seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters. That poses a dilemma for Michigan voters, particularly Jews and friends of Israel, following the Democratic primary win by Abdul El-Sayed, a harsh critic of Israel.

The subservient Republican-led Congress has dreadfully failed in its constitutional responsibility as an independent branch to combat the excesses of this president, who falsely claims Article II of the Constitution gives him the “right to do whatever I want as president.”

Two-thirds of American voters tell pollsters they disapprove of the job the president is doing, and fewer than one in eight feel that Congress is doing a good job.

All indications are this will be a change election. More so than in many years, every vote and every seat counts, particularly in the Senate, which must approve Trump’s nominees for top administration and judicial posts, a particularly critical function as he continues remaking the nation’s government in his own extremist image.

For the past two years, the GOP-led Senate has rubber-stamped Trump’s unqualified nominees, such as Pete Hegseth, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Tulsi Gabbard, Kash Patel, Todd Blanche, Pam Bondi, and Kristi Noem, among others. And it will continue to do so if they control the next Senate. More reason why Michigan is a must-win for Democrats.

El-Sayed’s nomination poses a vexing problem for Israel-focused Jewish voters. A Muslim and a physician, who holds a PhD from Oxford University, he was born in the Detroit suburbs to Egyptian immigrants. If elected, he would be America’s first Muslim senator, but not the first Arab-American senator; Michigan, South Dakota, and New Jersey have had Arab-American senators.

Four members of the current 119th Congress are Muslim, all Democrats, and in the House of Representatives. There are 10 Jewish senators, nine Democrats, and one independent, and 25 Jewish representatives.

What was supposed to be a likely Democratic seat has become the most controversial and divisive contest for the party as well as pro-Israel voters. Michigan has one of the largest Arab and Muslim populations in the nation, more than triple the state’s Jewish population. Its opposition to former president Joe Biden’s support for Israel helped swing the state in Trump’s favor two years ago.

The Republican nominee for the Senate seat is former Rep. Mike Rogers, who had a pro-Israel record in the House and good relations with the state’s Jewish community.

Many Democrats are troubled by their nominee’s Middle East views, but agree with much of his liberal domestic and social views. This is quite the reverse with Rogers, who is running on his support for the Trump agenda. Rogers lost his Senate bid two years ago to Elissa Slotkin, who is Jewish.

AIPAC support can be viewed as toxic

AIPAC and its political action committee spent more than $32 million trying to defeat El-Sayed. Its support had once been highly sought after by candidates in both parties, but in recent years, thanks to its hard swing to the Right with its embrace of Trump, election deniers, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and for Israel’s conduct of the Israel-Hamas War, the organization has become a pariah and its money is viewed as toxic in some races.

Rogers personally asked the group to drop any ads on his behalf. Pro-Israel voters yes, AIPAC no. He also recognizes that public attitudes toward Israel have turned negative. Even pro-Israel candidates have spurned AIPAC this year.

Netanyahu and AIPAC’s attacks have done more than anything else to win the nomination for El-Sayed, who has said, “I want AIPAC to cease to be a force in Democratic elections.”

El-Sayed’s primary success was a major victory for the pro-Palestinian movement and a stunning defeat for the pro-Israel lobby. As a senator, he will want to put those views on the agenda.

Many pro-Israel activists, former AIPAC staff, and supporters agree. We believe the group’s decisions to go partisan, to tie itself so tightly to the corrupt and extremist Netanyahu regime, to rate and endorse candidates and to create PACs have proven a catastrophic mistake that has done incalculable harm to the US-Israel alliance.

When asked if he believes in Israel’s right to exist as a national homeland for the Jews, El-Sayed dodges and dismisses it as a “gotcha.” “Israel exists,” he answers. According to The New York Times, he has said: “Israel should not exist as an explicitly Jewish state.”

That understandably alienates many of Israel’s supporters in the mainstream of the Democratic Party and the Jewish community.

He appears to prefer a secular binational state, or letting the parties decide whether they want one or two states. He said he doesn’t believe in “ethno-states” for anyone.

He has called for an immediate and total halt to US military aid and weapons deliveries to Israel and Egypt. He considers Israel’s response to the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, massacres a “genocide,” and has called Netanyahu “a war criminal.” He said the actions of Israel and Hamas were equally indefensible.

Many Jews were troubled by his response to the March attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, when he seemed to defend the attacker, who reportedly lost some family members in a recent Israeli attack in Lebanon.

“Hurt people hurt people,” he said, which some saw as justification for the synagogue attack.

Some Jewish Democratic donors are endorsing and raising money for Rogers. Rabbi Asher Lopatin, director of community relations for the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor, where El-Sayed lives, endorsed Rogers, saying El-Sayed “has only shown contempt for the Jews.”

He rejects the antisemitism label, insisting his commitment to Jewish safety is equal to that for his own daughters. Antisemitism and Islamophobia must both be fought equally, he added. Michigan Jewish leaders feel his denunciation of antisemitism has been too weak.

Given the threats to America and the Free World posed by an unchecked Trump administration for the next two years, the election of a Democratic Congress should be the highest priority.

El-Sayed’s election may be necessary to convince AIPAC and Israeli leaders that they have a serious problem, and kissing Trump’s narcissistic ring isn’t working. They are in great danger of losing their most important allies unless they make some dramatic changes – and quickly.

Israelis will also have a chance this fall to elect a new government, one that can move toward reconciliation not only in that deeply divided country and with the Palestinians, but also with the friends that Netanyahu sacrificed on the altar of his personal ambitions. Rebuilding bipartisan support in Washington, which Netanyahu and AIPAC have squandered, is urgently needed.

The writer is a Washington-based journalist, consultant, lobbyist, and former legislative director at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

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IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir on Thursday announced that he is expanding the Israeli forces being used to maintain public order in the West Bank leading into the upcoming fall Jewish holidays.

The Jerusalem Post understands that the volume of forces will be more than double the pre-October 7 force size of around 11 battalions, which at times has grown to 15-20 battalions, but will temporarily grow even more.

Zamir warned the government that Jewish extremist violence has run out of control and that greater backing is needed from the government, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others actively restraining political officials from provocative actions. 

Religious Zionist MK Zvi Sukkot entered the West Bank village of Madama near Nablus on Tuesday during an IDF-escorted tour and participated in destroying a monument that appeared to honor members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and Palestinians killed during the intifada.

According to the IDF, Sukkot requested military protection for what he told them would be an innocent tour of monuments. Soldiers were diverted from serious operational duties to provide security. The IDF stated that Sukkot double-crossed them and destroyed the monument without authorization, leading to a global uproar and condemnation of Israel for state-sanctioned destruction of monuments.

Arrests of Jewish extremists reach new lows under Ben-Gvir

All of this takes place as IDF officials have said Jewish extremist violence has reached new levels, with hundreds of extremists recently drawing out a conflict with the IDF at the Palestinian village of Kusra for nearly a week.

It also takes place as IDF and Shin Bet officials say that the police, after three years under Itamar Ben-Gvir, have reached highly problematic lows in terms of arresting and helping indict Jewish extremists in the West Bank.

None or almost none (the police have been at a low also in terms of transparency) of those involved in the Kusra actions were arrested.

Accordingly, Zamir has brought in the Golani Brigade and the Paratroopers Brigade to supplement the standard forces in the area, some of which have appeared too sympathetic to Jewish extremists attacking Palestinian villages.

However, without more backing from the government, Zamir warned that even increased military forces will be insufficient.

Deploying elite forces in West Bank at cost of Northern, Southern border defenses

Further, the IDF chief noted that moving more elite forces into the West Bank risks leaving the more dangerous northern and southern borders less defended, and also will mean fewer soldiers get off for the upcoming holidays.

Regarding the holidays, Zamir in general has reduced how many days off soldiers receive since he took office in March 2025.

One of the failures of October 7, 2023, was that half of the soldiers meant to be on duty in Gaza were off for the Simchat Torah holiday.

In the same statement, Zamir blasted the Finance Ministry for what he said were politicized and unnecessary fights over budget and side financial issues.

An IDF spokesperson said that there were three debates going on between the IDF and the ministry.

The first is that the IDF said that the ministry was due to have transferred NIS 15 billion weeks ago as part of a prior deal and that the funding has been delayed.

Second, another NIS 25 billion is due to be transferred imminently, but now the IDF is worried that this funding will be delayed like the earlier NIS 15 billion.

Third, the sides are stuck not only on funding, which nominally was already agreed to, but on future multi-year funding negotiation issues.

Currently, estimates have the IDF defense budget up to NIS 160 billion per year, around double what it was pre-October 7. 

An IDF spokesperson clarified that the NIS 40 billion under debate is part of the already-agreed NIS 160 billion number, and not related to new funding requests.

The ministry responded that the IDF should be more judicious in spending its ballooning budget.

In the past, the ministry has also accused the IDF of a mix of waste, a lack of carefulness in certain areas of spending, and some areas of unpoliced fraud.

The IDF in the past has acknowledged some errors in these areas, but mostly said that three nearly constant years of war have meant that its expanded budget cannot be viewed based on past budgets, but only based on the number of fronts Israel has constantly had to fight or be ready to fight on. 

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Iranian threats against American and Israeli leaders have expanded beyond presidents, military commanders, and senior policymakers to include members of their families. The immediate question is how much of the rhetoric represents psychological warfare and how much reflects preparations for actual operations.

Iranian state television broadcast a three-minute video this week targeting Barron Trump, the 20-year-old son of US President Donald Trump. Titled “Where To Kill Barron Trump?” the video purported to show information about locations associated with him, his security arrangements, and his movements.

Produced by media affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and aired on Iran’s Channel 3, the footage claimed that a $10 million bounty had been offered for his killing.

The purported bounty and alleged surveillance have not been independently verified, and no public evidence has emerged linking the broadcast to an operational Iranian assassination team.

The US Secret Service said Tuesday that it was aware of the footage and investigates anything that could be perceived as a threat to its protectees, while declining to discuss protective intelligence.

Barron Trump assassination threat flanked by threats to Melania, Netanyahu family

The Barron Trump video followed an earlier production released by the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency focusing on First Lady Melania Trump. That broadcast, reportedly titled “Where to Kill Melania Trump?” presented alleged details about her movements and potential weaknesses in her security. Reports about the Melania video did not indicate that a comparable multimillion-dollar bounty had been offered.

On Monday, Aug. 24, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added another allegation.

“Iran targeted one of my sons. Iran tried to kill, to murder one of my sons,” Netanyahu told Israel’s Channel 14.

Netanyahu did not initially identify whether he was referring to Yair or Avner Netanyahu or say when or where the alleged attempt occurred.

Newsmax reported Wednesday that Yair Netanyahu, the prime minister’s 35-year-old elder son, was the alleged target. Citing an unnamed US law enforcement source familiar with the matter, the outlet said Israeli intelligence learned in December 2025 that suspected Iranian operatives were in the Miami area conducting surveillance of his home and movements.

Israeli officials alerted US authorities and instructed Yair Netanyahu to leave Florida immediately, according to Newsmax. He reportedly returned to Israel without collecting his belongings and has remained there. US and Israeli authorities have not publicly confirmed his identification as the alleged target or the operational details in the report.

Israeli media had previously reported that the security establishment had known about the alleged threat for months and that details were subject to military censorship. Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Netanyahu made the disclosure while responding to reports that the Shin Bet security agency had declined to provide protection for political rival Gadi Eisenkot ahead of Israel’s Oct. 27 election. Netanyahu said the alleged threat against his son demonstrated that security protection was “not a luxury” and that appropriate protection should be provided to every candidate for prime minister.

Iran has a documented history of pursuing targets overseas.

In 2022, the US Justice Department charged IRGC member Shahram Poursafi with attempting to arrange the murder of former US National Security Adviser John Bolton. Prosecutors said the operation was likely intended as retaliation for the January 2020 killing of IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani.

European governments have also accused Iran of using criminal networks as intermediaries. Sweden’s security service has accused Tehran of using criminal groups to target Israeli and Jewish interests, while the British government sanctioned the Swedish-based Foxtrot network in 2025 over attacks allegedly carried out on Iran’s behalf.

In June 2026, the UK joined 22 other countries in condemning Iranian state-linked attacks, intimidation, kidnappings, and assassination plots overseas. A British parliamentary briefing published that month said UK security agencies had tracked more than 20 potentially lethal Iran-backed plots during the preceding year and identified dissidents, journalists, Israelis, and Jews among Iran’s targets.

The current US-Israeli war with Iran may have increased Tehran’s incentive for retaliation. The conflict began with large-scale strikes on Feb. 28 that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and senior Iranian military officials, expanding the list of figures Iran may seek to avenge.

Daniel Byman, a professor in Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service with a concurrent appointment in its Department of Government, told The Media Line that the escalation had increased Iranian incentives for retaliation. He cautioned against treating every public threat as evidence of an imminent attack.

“The current war has greatly increased Iran’s motivation for different forms of terrorism, including assassinations,” Byman said. “Iran attempted several plots in the past in response to the killing of figures like Qasem Soleimani, and the scale of the US and Israeli killings in Iran is far, far greater than what we saw in the past.”

He pointed to a possible countervailing factor: “US and Israeli operations also demonstrate a thorough penetration of Iranian intelligence networks. It is possible that the networks used for foreign assassination attempts are also penetrated…”

Byman said he could not know that for certain.

Open threats decrease likelihood of success, lead to increased security

“Highly publicized plotting, such as videos regarding the president’s family, are more likely intimidation and trolling attempts, as this will lead to increased security, making an actual plot harder,” he said.

Public threats, though, are only one part of Iran’s evolving overseas model.

Danny Citrinowicz, a senior researcher in the Iran and the Shi’ite Axis Program at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), said the scale of Iran’s losses means the drive for retaliation is unlikely to disappear even if diplomacy eventually reduces the military confrontation.

“The Iranians are now in the revenge business,” Citrinowicz told The Media Line. “This is not something that is going away. The Iranians, regardless of what will happen in terms of an agreement, yes or no, will seek revenge for Khamenei, I think, for the foreseeable future.”

Citrinowicz said Iran’s increasing reliance on criminals and other intermediaries offers Tehran deniability but also creates vulnerabilities.

“Their modus operandi is very unique. They are using third-party elements because they want to create a distance between them and the operation itself,” he said.

“The good thing for them is that they’re distancing themselves from any activity that happens. The bad thing is that you’re hiring people that are not experienced in this kind of work, and the signature they create helps local authorities discover that,” Citrinowicz said.

“I’m not underestimating their ability to do things, but I think the modus operandi is helping security services to track what the Iranians are trying to do,” he added.

Byman reached a similar conclusion from a different angle.

“Iran’s shift to using criminal networks makes detection harder in some ways, but these networks are also more likely to betray Iran and are more amateurish,” he said. “Most of these plots fail, but at a relatively low cost to Iran.”

Outsourcing allows an operation to be disrupted without exposing large numbers of Iranian intelligence personnel or directly linking Tehran to an attack.

Irina Tsukerman, president of Scarab Rising, said the distinction between propaganda and operations is not absolute. She spoke to The Media Line before Wednesday’s report identified Yair Netanyahu as the alleged target.

“Given Iran’s established record of surveillance, kidnapping plots, assassination attempts, and planned attacks against Israelis abroad, Netanyahu’s claim is plausible enough to warrant serious attention, although there is not enough public information to determine how advanced the alleged operation became,” Tsukerman told The Media Line.

She cautioned that sophisticated-looking targeting videos are not proof of physical surveillance or an active assassination cell.

“Some information presented in state media may originate from social media, commercially available databases, hacking, open-source research, exaggeration, or fabrication, so the existence of an elaborate video does not demonstrate that an assassination team has been deployed,” she said.

The danger, Tsukerman argued, can develop after the material is released.

“Criminals can respond to the prospect of money, ideological sympathizers can volunteer assistance, and Iranian intelligence can later identify useful individuals who began acting without receiving instructions from Tehran,” she explained.

“Under those circumstances, propaganda can become part of an operational environment even when the original broadcast was produced primarily for intimidation.”

That distinction also complicates the frequently used concept of Iranian “sleeper cells.”

Tsukerman said the term can suggest organized teams living covertly in Western countries while awaiting direct instructions from Tehran. Recent investigations instead point to looser systems in which intelligence officers, criminals, locally recruited individuals, foreign nationals, and other intermediaries perform separate tasks.

Such networks can still leave detectable traces. Surveillance of a target, unusual financial transfers, recruitment attempts, weapons acquisition, and communications with known Iranian intermediaries can form an identifiable pattern when intelligence and law enforcement agencies combine information across jurisdictions.

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Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service, said on Thursday that he had held a “working-level meeting” with CIA director John Ratcliffe in Moscow earlier this week and that they had discussed unspecified and sensitive matters falling within the remit of their respective intelligence services.

Naryshkin said the meeting was nothing unusual.

“During the meeting, we discussed a number of issues that fall within the purview of the intelligence services. And the purview of the intelligence services, as you well understand, is a rather delicate and special matter,” Naryshkin told reporters on Tuesday.

“The meeting took place, but there is nothing unusual about it. In the work of the intelligence services, meetings between their heads, whether in person or online, are part of our work,” the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service said. 

Trump claims Ratcliffe’s visit is ‘semi-routine’

US President Donald Trump has described Ratcliffe’s visit – which came as the war in Ukraine drags on and as efforts to reach a lasting peace between the United States and Iran have stalled – as “semi-routine,” and the Kremlin has been tight-lipped about what was discussed. 

Trump on Wednesday said in an interview on the Glenn Beck Program that something may come out of Ratcliffe’s visit to Russia.

“Now something may come … out of it. We’re working very hard to get that war ended,” Trump said, referring to the war in Ukraine.

At least two US media outlets have cited their own sources as saying Ratcliffe warned Russia not to attack any NATO member state. Neither Washington nor Moscow has confirmed that.

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An Irish man in his sixties, suspected of making antisemitic threats and telling an Australian Jewish couple he was sorry “Hitler didn’t finish the job” inside an Avignon supermarket, was arrested by French police on Wednesday, with Agence France-Presse reporting that the case was handled by the Marseille research section and the Avignon research brigade.

The mid-August incident gained attention after video footage circulated on social media.

According to the couple’s initial account to the Australian Jewish Association (AJA), the encounter began as friendly conversation before turning hostile, when the tourist mentioned Irish policies regarding Hamas and Hezbollah.

When the tourist started recording, the man threatened them on camera, saying, “You get the f*** away from me before I put a f***ing bullet in your head, okay?”

Speaking exclusively to The Jerusalem Post, the wife of the targeted tourist provided a deeper account: “That short interaction with the Irishman who introduced himself as Paddy was such a terrifying and perfect reflection of how Jews are treated all over the world in 2026, just like in 1942. As soon as he realized we were Jews, his friendly veneer morphed into such violent hatred, and we were no longer English speakers that he wanted to banter with, but vermin he wanted to exterminate.”

The face of pure hatred. An Irish citizen visiting France, tells two Jewish visitors he’s sorry Hitler didn’t finish the job. They started videoing him and he threatens to kill them.

Identified himself as “Paddy from Ireland”. pic.twitter.com/lzDFY7chtA

— Daniel (@ListenToLewko) August 11, 2026

‘Bring back Hitler,’ threatens to murder Jews

She claimed that he did not deny his remarks on camera, saying, “I repeated on the video that ‘Paddy from Ireland’ told me he was sorry Hitler didn’t finish the job, so that he had the opportunity to deny it, but he didn’t deny it. He actually said, ‘Bring back Hitler.’ He then followed up with the threat to ‘put a f***ing bullet in my head.'”

Describing him as “sinister enough to make good on his threat,” she added that as they walked away, she looked back and saw that “he had picked up a large cantaloupe and he mimed that he was considering if could throw it at me.”

Reflecting on the broader climate, she stated that “when complicit media mindlessly repeat Hamas propaganda, it has real world impact” and that “Jews everywhere are being attacked.”

Regarding the delayed report, she explained, “As a foreigner, I didn’t know my rights, and also we were heading to Djerba the next day and didn’t want to draw attention to ourselves while we were vulnerable in a hard-line, anti-Israel country.” 

After returning to France, they connected with French Jewish security liaisons and attended the Nice police station on Monday, leading gendarmerie forces to arrest the suspect on Wednesday.

She also informed the Post that, “Paddy’s lament that he’s sorry Hitler didn’t finish the job, were not empty words to me. My father survived the Holocaust; his brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, and father all ended up in Auschwitz.” 

She recalled how, “Every time I didn’t finish my meal as a child, my father would cry and tell me he didn’t have food when he was my age, how he survived on one piece of bread that was made up partially from sawdust, how he weighed 38 kilograms when he arrived in Australia in 1946.”

She added, “So wishing for the return of Hitler is not some distant myth from a history book; it was my father’s life, and its legacy affected me daily… Even now, in 2026, at the age of 58, as we drive around the magnificent cities, villages and forests of Europe, I look at them and wonder where I’d hide.”

French police, government acts swiftly

She stated, “We really appreciate the French government and police’s response to this incident. The statements from Ministers Serge Papin and Aurore Bergé were of great comfort to us. The police were incredibly professional, and we thank them for acting swiftly.”

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez commended the authorities on social media, posting, “A suspect was able to be apprehended and will answer for his actions. Antisemitism must be fought firmly and relentlessly.”

Bravo aux gendarmes pour leurs investigations menées après des menaces et propos antisemites proférées dans un hypermarché du Pontet à l’encontre de touristes cet été. Un suspect a pu être interpellé et va répondre de ses actes.
L’antisemitisme doit être combattu fermement et… pic.twitter.com/7gZus4ZnVg

— Laurent Nuñez (@NunezLaurent) August 26, 2026

Robert Gregory, President of AJA, told the Post, “I commend the French authorities for acting swiftly. I hope the legal system now sends a strong message that this sort of behavior will not be tolerated. This is precisely the kind of firm response that Australian Jews have been calling for from our own authorities. The couple did the right thing by coming forward. By refusing to remain silent, they have helped ensure that this man is held accountable for his alleged actions and, hopefully, that others think twice before engaging in similar behavior.”

Australian security expert Daniel Lewkovitz, who published the video on his X/Twitter account (@ListenToLewko), where it was viewed over 11 million times, told the Post, “What amazed me is how many people in Ireland must have recognized him yet protected his identity. Although the story was covered in global media, I didn’t see a single Irish outlet report on it after the incident or even after the recent arrest. While the video of an Irish man threatening to kill two Australian Jews caused global outrage, there is clearly a major cultural problem in Ireland that caused the Irish to want to look away instead.”

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Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that Russia could strike British military targets inside and outside Ukraine in response to Ukrainian strikes on Russia using British missiles.

Zakharova called on Britain to back off what she called London’s hostile stance on Ukraine, which she said risked taking the conflict to an entirely new level.

She had told the same Moscow news briefing earlier that Britain and France were “playing with fire” by supplying sensitive missile technology to Ukraine.

Britain announced on Monday it would allow Kyiv access to classified technology to start its own production of Storm Shadow long-range cruise missiles, capable of carrying out strikes deep within Russia. France has already agreed to license the technology for the European missile.

Kremlin dismisses US media reports that Russia may attack NATO as ‘scare-stories’

The Kremlin dismissed on Thursday US media reports that Russia could attack a NATO member state and that the purpose of CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow this week had been to warn Moscow against such a move.

Asked to comment on the reports, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “A lot of this kind of scare-story material is being published right now. Of course, it has nothing to do with reality and nothing to do with the intentions of the Russian Federation.”

Earlier on Thursday, the head of Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service said he held a “working-level meeting” with Ratcliffe and that they discussed unspecified, sensitive matters within the remit of their respective intelligence services.

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One Israeli tourist visiting Nepal is missing after a wall of mud and rock collapsed into a Himalayan river, causing catastrophic flash floods, tourism officials said on Thursday.

In addition to this, at least 65 US citizens are missing, the Nepal tourism board said.

ZAKA is officially investigating the disappearance of one Israeli national, who has not responded to attempts at contact so far. Israel’s Foreign Ministry released a statement on Thursday warning citizens to avoid traveling to the area due to the current natural disaster. 

As many as 517 foreigners from 33 countries are among the 570 tourists missing in Nepal, officials added. 

The tally of foreigners missing in Tibet’s Gyirong county was 260, state broadcaster CCTV said, but nationality details were not immediately available.

At least 288 Indians missing after Nepal flood, Indian foreign ministry says

Neighboring India had the highest number of missing with 178, Nepal’s tourism board said. However, shortly afterward, India’s foreign ministry said that at least 288 Indian nationals are missing in Nepal and another 200 remain stranded in China.

The 288 missing included tourists and Indians working in Nepal, it said.

Nepal police say 270 bodies found after Himalayan flood, nearly 1,500 still missing

A total of 270 bodies have been found by authorities in Nepal after a torrential flood swept through the Himalayan border areas of the country and China’s Tibet, Nepal’s police said in a post on X on Thursday.

Nearly 1,500 people in total are missing across Nepal and China’s Tibet, including tourists and locals, authorities also said on Thursday.

Climate change boosted risk of devastating Himalayan flood, experts say

Climate change is creating conditions that can destabilize high-mountain rock and ice, increasing the risk of disasters such as this week’s Himalayan flood along the border between Nepal and China’s Tibet, scientists say.

At least 800 foreigners are among the nearly 1,500 missing, authorities said on Thursday, a day after a massive wall of mud and rock collapsed into a Himalayan river, sending catastrophic floods through towns and valleys.

“Climate change is generating conditions that can destabilize high-mountain rock and ice,” said Simon Cox, chief scientist at the Mountains to Sea program at Earth Sciences New Zealand.

That, in turn, makes collapses and cascading hazards like the seen this week more frequent, he added.

Exact cause of disaster still being analyzed

While scientists the still analyzing the exact cause of Wednesday’s disaster, they say it probably began with a massive ice-rock avalanche on the northern slopes of Nepal’s Langtang Lirung peak into the Lhende Khola river on the Tibetan side.

At least six major hydropower plants and infrastructure at the Gyirong Port trade hub were damaged in a multi-stage, cross-border hazard chain triggered by the initial collapse.

It also altered river channels more than 100 km (62 miles) downstream, near the Indian border.

While experts caution against describing climate change as the sole, immediate trigger for Wednesday’s collapse, they say that rising temperatures and melting glaciers probably played a role in the disaster.

Warming can reduce ice support on steep slopes, boost meltwater, and change patterns of freezing, thawing, and rainfall, which can weaken mountainsides and make large collapses more likely in some spots, Cox added.

Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.

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The Anti-Defamation League released a new report on Thursday documenting what it claims are alarming levels of anti-Jewish conduct, hostile rhetoric, and institutional failure experienced by Jewish K-12 employees across US teachers’ unions.

Titled ‘Antisemitism in US Teachers Unions,’ the study combines quantitative survey data and qualitative focus groups to assess the breadth and impact of antisemitism within labor organizations that the report states “have become sources of profound alienation and exclusion” for Jewish educators.

The findings are based on a mixed-methods study combining a survey of 307 Jewish members of US teachers’ unions across 24 states, with large representations from California, Massachusetts, and New York, alongside qualitative focus groups. Nearly all respondents, or 98.7%, worked in public schools, spanning kindergarten through high school. The study aims to give voice to experiences that the ADL states are frequently dismissed, illuminating the scope of the problem and providing a foundation for advocacy and cultural change within teachers’ unions nationwide.

ADL CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt stated in an official press release on Thursday that “teachers’ unions were built on the promise of solidarity, fairness and dignity for every worker,” but that “this report makes clear that this promise is being broken for Jewish educators across the country.” Greenblatt added that “what we found is not the work of a few bad actors,” but rather “a structural and cultural failure” where Jewish educators are “self-censoring and fearing backlash for raising concerns.”

Antisemitism drastically increased since October 7 

According to the report, anti-Jewish, anti-Zionist, and anti-Israel conduct is pervasive across local, state, and national union spaces. More than 70% of surveyed Jewish union members somewhat or strongly agreed that union statements about the Israel-Hamas war that fail to condemn Hamas or the October 7, 2023 atrocities are a problem in their union. Additionally, 71% agreed that resolutions accusing Israel of apartheid, genocide, or ethnic cleansing are a problem, and 68.1% agreed that calls to cut ties with mainstream Jewish organizations are a problem.

The report states that antisemitism existed in teachers’ union spaces before the events of October 7, but the subsequent conflict accelerated and intensified existing dynamics. The ADL claimed this empowered individuals who had previously kept antisemitic attitudes beneath the surface to express them openly, with one survey respondent describing how October 7 became a “permission structure to express their antisemitism.”

The report detailed personal accounts and survey responses where participants watched their unions pass resolutions that blamed Israel for the October 7 Hamas attack, promote curricular materials containing links to antisemitic content, and distribute unendorsed training materials. One survey respondent stated in the report that “[my local union] passed a resolution as official union policy that blamed Israel for the October 7 Hamas attack… We tried to come up with… amendments, but they voted us down and shouted us down.” 

Another respondent claimed that “my union leadership actively works against Jews/Zionist…” and that “they even hosted several events promoting extremely biased and anti-Israel curriculum, including giving out flyers that praised the Al-Aqsa flood operation and glorified their martyrs… My wife… was physically intimidated at a union event. She was also attacked publicly by union leadership online on social media.”

Over the past twelve months, Jewish union members reported encountering hostile rhetoric across various union spaces, including meetings, social media, trainings, and conferences. According to the study, more than half of respondents, or 53.4%, reported experiencing inconsistent enforcement of anti-harassment norms when the targets were Jews or Zionists, while 51.8% witnessed the minimization or denial of October 7 atrocities. Nearly half, or 48.9%, heard the word “Zionist” used as a slur or pejorative, and 43.7% saw speakers who justified violence against Jews or Israel platformed at union events.

Further data showed that 36.5% of respondents encountered Jewish members being shouted down, mocked, or accused of bad faith when raising objections, and the same percentage reported Jews being labeled with pejorative terms such as “genocide supporters,” “baby killers,” or “colonizers.” Nearly three in ten respondents, or 27.4%, encountered rhetoric equating Jews or Zionists to Nazis.

Hostile environment has driven Jewish members to reduce participation

The ADL claimed that this hostile environment has driven widespread self-protection and withdrawal among members. The study found that 70% of respondents agreed that vocalizing concerns about the treatment of Jews in union spaces could lead to reputational or professional consequences, while 73.6% reported feeling a need to self-censor. Nearly half, or 47.6%, stated they had reduced their participation in certain union activities or spaces as a result. 

Personal testimonies illustrated these impacts, with respondents noting that “some have become afraid to show their Star of David” and that “Jewish educators have gone into hiding. They do not admit to being Jewish or wear any identifying clothing/jewelry. We are still being told not to speak.” One respondent stated that “we have to either claim to hate a part of our own identity, be quiet, or be shunned.” Another respondent recounted being told directly that “the way I was speaking about antisemitism in the union was causing backlash against teachers. I was asked to stop speaking publicly about it.” Others reported being mocked, minimized, or told by leadership that “I’m not in a protected class.”

Shira Goodman, VP of Public Affairs and Special Initiatives at the ADL, stated in the press release on Thursday that “Jewish educators have shown extraordinary courage, showing up to meetings, filing complaints, running for leadership positions and advocating from within, often at real personal and professional cost.” Goodman emphasized that “they are not asking for special treatment,” but rather “the same dignity and belonging that unions promise every member,” adding that “the reforms they are calling for are reasonable, achievable and entirely consistent with the values these institutions claim to uphold.”

Respondents called for reforms, not closure, of unions

Among respondents who raised concerns with union leadership, 69.1% reported being not at all satisfied with the response received, and not a single respondent reported being extremely satisfied. Furthermore, 28.3% of respondents said their union had sponsored or promoted programming related to Jews, Zionists, or Israel in the past twelve months, with 78.2% of that group stating the programs were biased.

Despite these challenges, the report notes that 85% of surveyed members were still at least a little happy with their union when setting aside the treatment of Jews, Zionists, and Israel. Rather than calling for the end of union membership, respondents urged a fundamental course correction.

Requested reforms include union leadership clearly condemning threats and harassment against Jews, supported by 75.9% of respondents, balanced and evidence-based antisemitism education supported by 73.3%, clear guardrails against harassment tied to Jewish identity and Zionism supported by 71.7%, and leadership steering the union away from resolutions about foreign conflicts supported by 67.4%.

Open-ended responses echoed these priorities, with members urging unions to refocus on their core mission of bargaining and workplace protections. One respondent stated in the report that “my union needs to focus on what it was created for, bargaining,” arguing that “our workplace protections have decreased as a result of the union’s mission creep into national and international affairs.”

Concluding the report, the ADL called on teachers’ union leaders at all levels to take immediate action to unequivocally condemn antisemitism, implement and fairly enforce protections for Jewish members, vet union programming for balance, and refocus union activity on core labor issues.

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OpenAI said Tuesday it blocked several ChatGPT accounts believed to originate in Russia and used to promote the International Burke Institute (IBI). This Israel-based think tank describes itself as an “expert community.”

According to the IBI, it “operates in Israel, publishes original research and analytical materials, and maintains an open-access library of significant works by contemporary scholars of sovereignty, with full source attribution. IBI brings together researchers, experts, journalists, and authors from different countries, cultural backgrounds, and professional traditions.”

The most notable aspect of the IBI discovery was its “sovereignty index,” according to the OpenAI report. The index appeared designed to praise Russia and its allies while maligning Western nations. The report also noted that because ChatGPT is not accessible in Russia, the account owners must have been using VPNs to change their virtual location.

OpenAI determined IBI was part of Russian influence campaign

After investigating the matter, OpenAI determined that IBI and its activities were part of a larger Russian propaganda operation. This operation also included accounts across several social media platforms, including Substack, Telegram, X, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

IBI claims to be a large-scale think tank with dozens of experts publishing research on its website, which lists a Tel Aviv mailing address. OpenAI noted in its report that many of the articles on the website were copied from real academic writings, and some had incorrect attributions; some were years old, and some articles appear to have been machine-translated from a Slavic language. 

OpenAI concluded that this suggested an attempt to look more legitimate by packing the website with academic content while fudging the actual source of the content. 

Finally, the OpenAI report explained that the impact of this Russian information operation was based more on its infrastructure than its actual reach. The IBI social media accounts generally had low engagement. Still, the posts were tied to a credible-looking institution, leading anyone who came across them to believe that the IBI and the associated social media accounts were representing verified academic research.  

Allegedly fake research institute responds to Russia propaganda allegations

IBI responded to these allegations on Wednesday, referring specifically to a report in the French news outlet Le Monde, which based its report on OpenAI’s findings.

“The Burke International Institute (IBI) strongly rejects the claims made in an August 25, 2026, publication by Le Monde that portrays the Institute as a ‘real-fake Israeli think tank’ and implicitly links it to foreign information operations.”

The group also addressed the fact that it purports to operate from Tel Aviv, saying that this was a deliberate choice and that Israel “provides a natural setting for independent thought, scholarly inquiry, and the critical examination of prevailing international interpretations.”

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Former prime minister and B’Yachad chairman Naftali Bennett welcomed longtime political adviser and IDF reservist Jeremy Saltan to the party’s candidate list for the 26th Knesset on Thursday, making him the 10th reservist to join the slate.

Saltan is also the third immigrant from the United States on the slate, alongside MK Michal Slawny Cababia and Mati Gill.

Saltan, who made aliyah from the United States 31 years ago at age 11 and comes from the Religious Zionist community, has worked closely with Bennett for nearly 15 years and has served in several key legislative, political, and party positions, including serving as Knesset faction secretary for Bennett’s party during his tenure as prime minister.

He also served as an Israeli board member at the World Jewish Congress from 2021 to 2023 and has coordinated English-language media, diplomatic, and field operations for Bennett and his political parties.

Saltan has also served as a company commander in the IDF reserves and, according to the party, has completed 636 days of reserve duty since October 7, 2023.

Saltan expressed that serving Israel has been his ‘life’s mission’

“My life’s mission has been service to the State of Israel. In the army, at the Knesset, and beyond. I’ve known Naftali Bennett for 14 years, and I know he is the right person at the right time with the right experience to lead Israel. I call on the religious Zionist public to join us – as one who has served over 630 days since October 7, I know the price those who serve and our families are paying,” Saltan stated.

“Only Bennett has the thorough plans needed on enlistment to expand the circle of those who serve and significantly reduce the burden on reservists’ families. I look forward to bringing the experience I’ve gained in the army, the Knesset, and in public life to the effort to leave our kids with a safer, more united, and better Jewish and democratic state.”

Among the issues Saltan intends to promote in the Knesset are equality in military enlistment, increased support for reservists and their families, expanding aliyah and improving the absorption of new immigrants, and strengthening Israel’s public diplomacy efforts.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said in closed conversations that he does not know how to win back the seats Likud has lost in recent polls, Kan News reported on Wednesday.

“We lost 10 seats; I don’t know how to get them back,” Netanyahu reportedly said.

According to the report, Netanyahu still does not know what kind of campaign to run, and he believes that unless things change, Likud will lose the upcoming election.

The conversations held by the prime minister indicated that he is skeptical of polls that show favorable results for him and believes that the situation is worse than those surveys suggest.

Likud responded to the KAN News report by saying: “Fake news, you’re looking at the wrong polls. Likud under Benjamin Netanyahu will win the election.”

New People of Israel party causes major Right-wing shakeup

Netanyahu’s reported worry comes after the launch of Brig.-Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter’s party, People of Israel, on Tuesday, and subsequent polling suggesting the party could receive five seats, pushing Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party below the electoral threshold. 

Winter announced the party at an event at Jerusalem’s Shalva Center, presenting the upcoming October 27 election as a choice between Israel’s existing political leadership and what he described as a new generation shaped by the failures and fighting that followed the October 7 massacre.

Winter introduced other members of the slate partly through the communities they represent, including Arab-Israeli activist Yoseph Haddad in the number two slot.

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Firefighters completed searches at Jerusalem’s Yitzhak Navon railway station on Thursday after reports of smoke prompted an emergency response, with no source of the smoke or other unusual findings discovered, Israel Fire and Rescue Services said.

Firefighters from stations in the HaUma area searched the railway station before determining that there was no continuing danger, according to the Jerusalem District of Israel Fire and Rescue Services.

Passengers were subsequently allowed to return to the station, and normal activity began resuming at the site.

“Railway stations are complex and crowded sites, where we are required to be prepared for every scenario, from fire and smoke incidents to complex emergencies involving multiple casualties,” Jerusalem District Commander Chief Superintendent Shmulik Friedman said.

“Israel Fire and Rescue Services conducts regular drills and training in station areas to ensure a rapid, professional and coordinated response during a real incident. In the current incident as well, firefighters acted quickly and carried out thorough searches until the danger was ruled out. The advance preparedness is what enables us to be ready at all times and protect the public’s lives.”

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Turkey’s Competition Authority has opened an investigation against Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. on suspicion that the Israeli company violated local laws and prevented activities by rivals in the local pharmaceutical market.

Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu reported that the local competition authority has concluded a preliminary investigation into whether Teva acted to restrict competition in generic drugs, including by using patent procedures for strategic purposes, and creating a “misleading” impression on health authorities in Ankara about the efficacy and safety of certain products.

The Turkish investigation was opened against Teva International, its subsidiary Teva Europe, and its subsidiary in Turkey to determine whether the law was violated.

The media outlets that are direct mouthpieces of the Erdogan regime noted that Teva is a pharmaceutical company that operates worldwide, and that the investigation focuses on actions “that may prevent competitors from entering the market.”

The investigation is examining whether Teva manipulated the patent applications for production methods and drug dosages by making applications after the expiration of the patent protection period, as well as the derivative cancellation methods, which could restrict rival companies.

The probe currently does not result in sanctions against Teva

For now, the investigation does not result in sanctions being imposed on the pharmaceutical company operating in the country.

Teva is one of the few Israeli companies still operating in Turkey due to the trade embargo on Israel. The pharmaceutical company’s headquarters is in Istanbul, and it also operates a commercial activity center for marketing drugs, alongside collaborations with local organizations to improve access to medical care.

In June, Israeli sanitaryware company Hamat decided to shut down the operations of MCP, its Turkish subsidiary in Izmir, due to the difficulties in marketing its products in the local market and other markets outside Israel.

Israeli companies in Turkey

An Israeli company that is still present in Turkey as part of its global operations is ICL (formerly Israel Chemicals).

The company operates 38 sites in 13 countries, including the UK, Brazil, China, Australia, and Turkey. ICL’s offices in Turkey market calcium phosphate and industrial cleaning products.

Despite the political tensions, a prominent player in Turkey is the irrigation company Netafim.

Ownership of the company is divided between Mexican corporation Orbia (80%) and Kibbutz Hatzerim (20%).

The company’s Turkish facility is responsible for manufacturing and marketing irrigation and agricultural support products for the local economy itself, rather than for export.

Teva said, “The Turkish Competition Authority’s investigation concerns a past antitrust issue related to the drug Copaxone, similar to the process being conducted by the European Commission, which is currently under appeal before the European Court of Justice, and in which Teva rejects any claim of misconduct on its part. This is an investigative process, and we will cooperate with the authorities throughout the process.”

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An official IDF social media channel on Wednesday published a video advising haredi (ultra-Orthodox) draft evaders how to avoid arrest at Ben-Gurion Airport.

The video was later deleted after Army Radio reported it and the station asked the IDF about it.

The video, published on the military’s official Instagram channel for haredi service members, hardim.idf, came ahead of an expected surge of thousands of Israelis traveling to Uman, Ukraine, for the annual Rosh Hashanah pilgrimage.

In the video, an AI-generated figure dubbed “Dudi the Explainer” tells haredi men that they can avoid arrest at the airport with a “brief visit to the recruitment office with medical documents.”

“Imagine you arrive at Ben-Gurion Airport, your suitcase is packed, but you are blocked at the gate… this is exactly what happens when you ignore a draft order,” the AI figure says. “The immediate consequence of that is a travel ban. If you continue waiting, the next step is official designation as a draft evader and arrest.

“But this story can also have a different ending: A brief visit to the recruitment center with medical documents, and this order is behind you,” it continues.

Video removed one hour after Army Radio report

In practical terms, the video tells haredi men facing a departure restriction to report to the recruitment office before traveling to Uman, allowing them to avoid detention at Ben-Gurion Airport.

It is unclear whether the IDF has a mechanism to prevent someone from reporting for the initial summons, avoiding a departure restriction, traveling to Uman, and then failing to complete the subsequent enlistment process upon returning to Israel.

One hour after Army Radio’s report on the video, the IDF removed it from its haredi-oriented social media channels.

Tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox, Hasidic, and religious pilgrims are expected to travel to Uman this year for the annual pilgrimage to the burial site of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, founder of the Breslov Hasidic movement.

Rosh Hashanah, or the Jewish New Year, begins at sundown on Friday, September 11.

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A federal judge on Tuesday again blocked a Texas law restricting public drag performances, ruling for a second time that the legislation passed in the heavily Republican state violated the US Constitution’s free speech protections.

“For those who find such activities as described in this case offensive, the solution is relatively simple… just don’t go,” US District Judge David Hittner wrote in his opinion -the second time the Texas-based judge has found the measure in violation of the Constitution’s First Amendment.

The law, Texas Senate Bill 12, had previously been tossed by Hittner in 2023 but was allowed to take effect in 2026 during an appeal.

In his Tuesday ruling, Hittner wrote that the law is “unconstitutionally vague,” adding that performers ranging from Dolly Parton and Elvis Presley to Miley Cyrus could have been subject to penalties under the law if their performances were seen as “erotic.”

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office had defended the law, which, among other restrictions, banned “the exhibition of sexual gesticulations using accessories or prosthetics that exaggerate male or female sexual characteristics” in public, or in venues where people under 18 may see it.

GOP candidate Paxton calls decision ‘profoundly flawed’

Paxton, a Republican who is currently running for the US Senate, called the ruling “a profoundly flawed decision that endangers our children and is an affront to Texas values.”

Opponents of the law criticized it as too broad and said it was explicitly intended to target LGBT performers.

“Today’s decision confirms that the Legislature’s attempt to ban drag performances was unconstitutional from start to finish,” Brian Klosterboer, senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Texas, which represented the plaintiffs, said in a statement. “Drag has a rich history as a refuge of joy and liberation for countless Texans, and it’s not going anywhere.”

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The US Army said on Wednesday it is awarding up to $2.2 billion to five companies to build and operate tiny nuclear reactors on military bases, which it hopes will one day power remote installations.

So-called microreactors are tiny factory-built nuclear plants that developers say will be easily transported and generate up to 20 megawatts of power each.

The Army believes that developing them through a program called Janus could one day help power remote military installations such as those in Alaska or on islands. The program has a goal of deploying the first reactor by September 2028.

The companies and bases the Army selected were: Antares Nuclear Inc in Fort Bragg, North Carolina; BWXT Advanced Technologies LLC in Fort Campbell, Kentucky; General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems in Fort Hood, Texas; Radiant Industries Inc in Fort Benning, Georgia; and Westinghouse Government Services in Fort Drum, New York.

The Army did not detail how much money would be distributed to each company. But Radiant said it will get up to $750 million to develop and deploy 15 of its Kaleidos reactors in the program.

Regulated by US Army, not US Nuclear Regulatory Commission

An Army official said reactors will have to follow all environmental and safety rules that apply to commercial reactors but added that they would be regulated by the Army, not the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, which regulates commercial reactors.

“The whole idea here is that at the back end of this we want a commercial product,” said Jeff Waksman, the principal deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Installations, Energy and Environment.

Radiant’s Chief Commercial Officer Mike Starrett told Reuters in an interview that the Janus award is key to the company scaling up its business to eventually meet the needs of commercial customers like data centers in about 2030.

Critics of microreactors say they will be expensive compared to conventional reactors. Waksman said nobody thinks that microreactors will be lower in cost than conventional plants. “What we are trying to do here with Janus… is to flesh out how we can get those prices down,” Waksman said.

The military currently pays about 40 cents a kilowatt-hour to power Arctic installations, a cost it hopes to cut, Waksman said. The Army also expects that the private sector will raise more money for the reactors than the federal government, and the program will help attract that capital.

Starrett said that because Radiant’s containerized reactors can be brought to the customer, eliminating energy transmission fees, their delivered cost will be between 20 and 30 cents per kilowatt-hour.

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“I believe that when we invest in education professionals, we are investing in the State of Israel and in our children. When a teacher is doing well, the class does well.” The source of this quotation is not an educator or school principal, but entrepreneur and business leader Ari Steinberg, CEO of Ashmoret, Israel’s largest credit card company for educators and members of the Israel Teachers Union.

Steinberg strongly believes that teachers hold the key to Israel’s success. “Ultimately,” he shares, “they are responsible for all of Israel’s development—its business, economic, and social development. They are the foundation that makes all of this possible, and we must invest in that foundation.”

Ashmoret invests in educators by offering its 300,000 cardholders – teachers, principals, inspectors, education students, and their families – a variety of significant benefits, including discounted prices on travel, entertainment, and vacation packages; dining, with vouchers for restaurants, cafés, and fast-food outlets; and shopping, with discounts at supermarkets, fashion retailers, electronics stores, and home-design chains. The club also supports teachers’ well-being through preferential insurance rates, favorable loan terms from several banks, professional-development funds, and legal and professional assistance. Ashmoret has annual credit card revenues of NIS 14 billion, says Steinberg, and puts it to good use for the benefit of teachers. “We leverage our collective purchasing power and channel it into programs that support teachers’ well-being.”

Steinberg describes Ashmoret’s newest initiative, “Ashmoret School,” an online purchasing platform for elementary and middle schools that lets them order supplies ranging from office supplies, teaching materials, and furniture to technology solutions, all at significant savings.

He shares that the savings generated by purchases from  Ashmoret School are reinvested in teachers. “Most of the benefit Ashmoret receives from those savings goes back into activities for teachers and teachers’ lounges. When you provide activities for a school and its teaching staff, from our perspective, that serves the goal of offering teachers meaningful personal benefits. It is a complete win-win: the school pays less for the equipment it purchases, thanks to our substantial purchasing power and pooled resources. We then return money to the school for teachers’ lounge activities, teaching teams, personal development, and similar purposes. That is the goal of the initiative.”

Although school procurement consists largely of small purchases, says Steinberg, together they represent a market worth billions of shekels. Ashmoret School consolidates these purchases through a transparent online marketplace, enabling schools to buy directly from importers and receive products from multiple suppliers in a single delivery. By streamlining purchasing and logistics, the platform can reduce costs by as much as 20%—generating tens of millions of shekels in overall savings for schools. He adds that he expects Ashmoret School to expand soon to high schools and institutions of higher education as well.

Ashmoret is considering additional areas of expansion to benefit educators, including tourism, real estate, the automotive market, and financial services. Recently, the club launched Ashmoret Market, an online supermarket that provides home delivery to educational personnel.

“Whenever we consider a new business or economic venture,” explains Steinberg, “we ask what it will do for our members. We do not launch ventures to make money or generate profits for their own sake. The profits from our commercial activities are intended for our owners —Israel’s educators. The Israel Teachers’ Union owns 100% of Ashmoret, which means that, ultimately, the teachers themselves are our owners.

“Every venture we undertake has a direct and immediate impact on education professionals. This includes the platforms we have developed for vacations abroad, as well as Ashmoret School—even though that initiative ultimately generates resources for activities that benefit teachers’ lounges. Ashmoret Market is even more directly geared toward our members’ everyday needs, delivering high-quality food products straight to their homes. This has also led us to work directly with importers and develop platforms created exclusively for educators. Teachers and other education professionals are always our foremost consideration.”

Ashmoret will soon be entering into an agreement with a major Israeli college to promote and address innovation within education and the education system itself, says Steinberg. “We will give education professionals and the system the tools needed to introduce innovation. We must invest in it.”

Steinberg credits Yaffa Ben David, secretary-general of the Israel Teachers Union, for her vision and leadership, and adds that Ashmoret has established an adult education institute for retired teachers, which operates twenty-two branches and boasts an enrollment of over 7,000, who receive enrichment and meaningful experiences. 

Ashmoret has grown significantly in a difficult atmosphere, he adds, as Israel emerges from three difficult years of war. Steinberg says that teachers have shown remarkable resilience during this time. “Education professionals have served as a steadfast anchor since October 7, offering unwavering support to Israeli students, the education system, and society as a whole. They deserve our appreciation, and we must do everything we can to support them. Throughout the war, they were perhaps the country’s most vital source of stability, keeping the entire system functioning.

“Through our educators, we are caring for the next generation. If we care for our education professionals now, it will lead to a better society, greater security for the State of Israel, and a stronger economy.”

This article was written in cooperation with Ashmoret.

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Jeen Technologies has received its largest Defense Ministry order to date, a NIS 14.9 million contract awarded to its defense‑focused subsidiary Jeen Defense. The order, designated for immediate execution, is the third Defense Ministry contract the company has secured in five months, bringing total orders under the ongoing agreement to roughly NIS 23.5m.

According to a press release by the company, the agreement between Jeen and the Defense Ministry carries a potential value of up to NIS 45m. over 24 months. The latest order continues the Ministry’s adoption of Jeen’s enterprise AI platform, which is being integrated into operational environments across the defense establishment.

An enterprise AI company, Jeen.ai has developed a secure platform for rapidly installing generative AI in large enterprises. Its defense-dedicated subsidiary is focused on sovereign AI systems, intelligence‑driven analytics, and mission‑support technologies for defense customers.

The company’s defense division, led by Nir Mitchell, a former combat officer in the IAF’s elite Shaldag unit and a senior official in the Prime Minister’s Office. 

Under the contract, Jeen Defense will provide software development, platform adaptations, implementation support, and ongoing maintenance as defined in the agreement. The company established the subsidiary earlier this year to concentrate on military and security customers and has since hired a management team with experience across Israeli and international defense organizations.

The second Defense Ministry order, announced in June, was valued at NIS 4.3m. and included options enabling the ministry to expand the scope of work. The new order indicates those options are being exercised as the joint program advances.

Jeen Technologies CEO Oded Tahori said the latest contract reflects growing confidence in the company’s AI capabilities and the expanding use of its platform within the defense sector. 

“The current order, which is the largest we have received to date under the agreement with the Defense Ministry, represents a significant vote of confidence in Jeen’s capabilities and in the value our platform creates for the customer,” he said. “The fact that three orders have been received within five months, with increasing order values, reflects the progress of the joint work program and the expanding use of the platform. We view our defense activities as a significant growth engine for Jeen and continue to work toward expanding these activities and deepening our collaborations with strategic customers in Israel and abroad.”

In an earlier interview with Defense & Tech by The Jerusalem Post, Tahori explained that Jeen is now part of Israel’s emerging national AI strategy, providing sovereign, secure systems that can operate without internet connectivity, something that is an essential requirement for defense and intelligence bodies.

“We’re shaping how defense agencies work with AI at scale,” he said. “For intelligence, for operations, for commanders who need cognitive support when they’re exhausted. Systems don’t feel stressed.”

Tahori told D&T that the company is hoping to build the Israeli equivalent of Palantir-a sovereign AI system designed to support intelligence, operations, and decision-making at scale.

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A federal judge on Wednesday denied a request by Minnesota to force Texas Governor Greg Abbott to immediately extradite a jailed US immigration agent facing assault charges for shooting a Venezuelan man in the leg during last winter’s deportation surge in Minneapolis.

The ruling clears the way for Christian Castro, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer arrested by Texas Rangers acting on a Minnesota court warrant, to be freed from custody on Thursday. That’s when a 90-day detention limit for someone awaiting extradition under Texas law is due to expire.

Minnesota authorities had argued in court that Castro, jailed in the Gulf Coast border city of Brownsville, Texas, since May 29, was a flight risk if he were released.

Castro is wanted in Minnesota to face four counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and a charge of falsely reporting a crime.

The charges stem from an incident in which Castro shot and wounded Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis on January 14, at the height of US President Donald Trump’s deportation campaign in Minneapolis, then fabricated his reason for using lethal force against a man who was unarmed, prosecutors say.

Shooting case a flashpoint between Texas, Minnesota governors

Castro could not be reached for comment, and it was unclear whether he had retained a lawyer.

The Minneapolis deportation sweep, called Operation Metro Surge, drew weeks of demonstrations and confrontations between protesters and ICE agents in which immigration officers fatally shot two US citizens.

The case surrounding the shooting of Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan national, has lingered as a flashpoint between the governors of Texas and Minnesota over immigration control.

Abbott, a fellow Republican, has been a supporter of Trump’s deportation efforts, while Minnesota’s Democratic leaders, including Governor Tim Walz, have condemned Trump’s surge of armed ICE patrols in Minneapolis and other cities.

In a court brief filed on Monday, Abbott questioned whether Castro should be classified as a fugitive, and thus subject to extradition, because he did not flee Minnesota but rather was reassigned to his home base in Texas by the US Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent agency, after the shooting.

US Constitution delegates extradition to state powers

Minnesota authorities countered that the issue of how or why Castro ended up in Texas is immaterial, and that the US Constitution and federal law require states to extradite people wanted for crimes in another state.

Siding with Texas officials a day after hearing arguments in the case, US District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. ruled that Abbott had not been shown to have refused the extradition request, only that he had not yet made a decision. Rodriguez concluded that the law does not require Abbott to turn over a fugitive within a certain time frame.

Rodriguez acknowledged the possibility that Castro could attempt to flee the US after his release and “impose a hardship on Minnesota’s prosecutorial efforts,” but found that prospect does not alter his legal conclusions.

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Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook’s lawyer on Wednesday offered a detailed rebuttal to the accusations of mortgage fraud that US President Donald Trump asserts provide cause to fire her, saying they rely “on untried and unproven allegations of criminal wrongdoing.”

“Governor Cook has never committed mortgage fraud or any intentional wrongdoing, and there is no legally cognizable cause for removing her from the Federal Reserve Board,” Cook’s attorney Abbe David Lowell said in a letter to the White House.

Trump has been trying to sack Cook for more than a year in an unprecedented effort widely seen as part of a broader assault on the US central bank’s independence. It’s the first time a US president has attempted to remove a central banker since the institution’s founding more than a century ago. If he succeeded in removing Cook, Trump, who has long pushed for lower interest rates, would be able to install a replacement sympathetic to his view.

Mortgage fraud allegations against Cook, the first Black woman to serve as a Fed governor, were first leveled a year ago by Federal Housing Finance Agency Director William Pulte. The accusations were promptly amplified by Trump, who announced on social media that he was dismissing her over them.

Cook denied any wrongdoing, calling the allegations a pretext to remove her for monetary policy differences, and she sued to keep her job.

In June, the US Supreme Court refused to allow her removal in a 5-4 ruling that definitively protects Fed officials from being fired at will by a president. It has since returned the case to the lower court.

The decision left open the question of whether there was any wrongdoing that could serve as cause for termination, provided Cook was given the opportunity to defend herself.

FED independence

Earlier this month, the White House took a fresh run at Trump’s firing effort, telling Cook in a letter dated August 5 that the president was “considering” removing her from her role “due to there being sufficient reason to believe that you made false statements on one or more mortgage agreements.”

The letter told Cook that “this is your chance to respond” and set a deadline of Wednesday.

“The Letter describes two acts by Governor Cook that, ‘taken together,’ supposedly constitute grounds for her removal,” Lowell’s response to the White House said. “But neither of those acts shows intentional wrongdoing or amounts to a crime, and neither constitutes ’cause’ under the Federal Reserve Act.”

Lowell said any mistakes on Cook’s mortgage applications indicating she was seeking a primary residence mortgage for a second home were inadvertent and were partly the result of errors on forms prepared by the lender.

“The pre-office conduct at issue, all of which took place in Governor Cook’s private capacity, was not fraudulent or criminal in any form, nor a basis for the President attempting to remove her,” Lowell said.

Lowell also surfaced news reports that Trump and other members of his administration had done essentially the same thing as Cook at various points in the past.

“Surely the President does not believe himself ‘unfit for office’ because he signed these contradictory ‘primary’ mortgage documents,” Lowell said, adding: “The conduct of others in this administration further undercuts any notion that the allegations against Governor Cook are grounds for removal.”

Governors appointed by Biden

Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh has not addressed Cook’s case since taking the reins at the Fed in May. But he has publicly echoed past Fed chiefs and the broader economic consensus that any loss of political independence for the central bank’s monetary policy decision-making would imperil its inflation-fighting credibility.

Trump repeatedly threatened to fire Warsh’s predecessor, Jerome Powell, for not lowering interest rates, and his Department of Justice pursued a criminal investigation of Powell over building renovations that a federal judge found to be a thinly disguised effort to pressure him into resigning.

Once Powell’s term as Fed chief ended and Warsh began his, the Republican president redirected his criticisms at other Fed board members, a majority of whom, including Cook, were appointed by Trump’s Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden.

In a criminal referral to the Justice Department a year ago, Pulte suggested Cook had committed bank fraud punishable by 30 years in prison because mortgage documents appeared to simultaneously claim more than one home as her primary residence. The referral was one of several Pulte made containing similar allegations against other targets of Trump’s disfavor.

There has been no indication a criminal investigation into Cook is moving forward. A Reuters report last year showed Cook had indicated to a lender that one of the homes at issue was a vacation property. Reuters also reported the local tax authority in Michigan said Cook had not broken rules for tax breaks on a home there that she declared as her primary residence.

The letter this month to Cook, signed by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino, said that even if there wasn’t fraud, Cook’s misstatements constitute negligence that calls into question her trustworthiness as a Fed governor.

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In its latest effort to quash rumors and concerns that it will sell off more of its assets amid reports that it is the subject of federal investigations into potential tax fraud, TWG Global said Wednesday that its stakes in both the Los Angeles Dodgers and its Cadillac Formula 1 team are not for sale.

The comments were made in a biting news release attacking the investigations and allegations of fraud.

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York are investigating the company, and more specifically, founder and CEO Mark Walter.

“Over the past several weeks, multipronged attacks against TWG have been advanced by unnamed sources with self-serving interests that have been reported in the media,” the statement began. “It is important to set the record straight. TWG stands firmly behind the integrity of its business and remains focused on continuing to deliver value to its stakeholders.

“Despite what has been reported, there has been no fraud.”

Speculation runs rampant after shares sold

Speculation about the potential sale of assets picked up last week when Walter agreed to sell his stake in the Los Angeles Lakers for a reported $12.5 billion – barely a year after purchasing majority ownership for $10 billion.

Shortly after the sale, Dodgers president Stan Kasten told the media, “The Dodgers are not being sold.”

In its statement Wednesday, TWG echoed Kasten’s words.

“Regarding the Los Angeles Dodgers, to be clear, the team is not being sold, and no sale process has been initiated,” the statement read, before later adding, “Similarly, TWG is not considering exiting its stake in the Cadillac Formula 1 team or any other part of TWG Motorsports.”

“The allegation that the Los Angeles Dodgers were acquired or have been funded improperly is false and not supported by the facts,” the statement also added.

Among Walter’s other sports endeavors, he owns the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, the Professional Women’s Hockey League and French top-flight soccer team RC Strasbourg while holding stakes in the Andretti Global motorsports operation and Chelsea of the Premier League in England.

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Two separate ancient shipwrecks were discovered in the depths of the Mediterranean over the past few weeks, providing insight into the trade routes used in antiquity. 

In late July, the wreckage of an ancient cargo ship was located near the island of Andros by officials from the Greek Culture Ministry’s Underwater Antiquities unit. 

The ship, discovered at a depth of 39 to 44 meters, was found based on the report of a private individual who had alerted Greek authorities to the presence of archaeological artifacts in the area.

Approximately 600 to 650 commercial pointed-bottom amphorae dating to the late fifth and early fourth centuries BCE were found alongside the ship’s remains, according to the ministry. 

Among the hundreds of amphorae found, archaeologists successfully identified at least three different types of commercial pointed-bottom amphorae: Mende, Peparethos, and Solokha 2. 

Mende amphorae are made of a light clay with a well-defined neck and were made in the ancient Greek city of the same name, located on the western coast of the Pallene peninsula. 

Peparethos amphorae, made on the island of Skopelos, have a rounded rim and a more rounded shape.

Solokha 2, referring to a Scythian burial mound in Ukraine, may point to ancient international trade routes connecting the Black Sea to Greece.

One amphora of each type was carefully selected as a research sample.

A section of a lead anchor stock was also discovered at the shipwreck, along with a small number of stones that may have been part of the ship’s ballast.

Over 2,000-year-old Roman shipwreck found off of Sicily

At the start of August, Italy’s Culture Ministry announced that a 2,100-year-old Roman-era shipwreck had been discovered off the coast of Mazara del Vallo in Sicily.

Italian Culture Minister Alessandro Giuli deemed the discovery “one of the most important underwater archaeological discoveries of recent years.”

Scoperto al largo di Mazara del Vallo un relitto romano del II-I sec a.C., con centinaia di anfore.
«Una delle più importanti scoperte archeologiche subacquee degli ultimi anni», dichiara il Min Giuli, congratulandosi con @_Carabinieri_ Nucleo TPC e SopMare della Regione Sicilia pic.twitter.com/H1JbfX8MzF

— Ministero della Cultura (@MiC_Italia) August 8, 2026

Underwater fisherman Giacomo De Mola, who first discovered the ship during a sonar survey about three miles off Sicily’s coast, described the breathtaking moment he noticed the wreckage. 

“Visibility was not the best,” Mola wrote in his post. “I moved closer. And my heart stopped. It was not a rock. Beneath me was an immense field of amphorae.”

“Hundreds of amphorae that had remained on the seabed for more than 2,000 years. A Roman ship asleep in the silence of the Mediterranean.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Giacomo De Mola (@giacomodemola)

Notifying his fellow fisherman of the discovery, the pair immediately alerted the Sicilian Regional Superintendency of the Sea to the find.

The wreck was found at a depth of around 46 meters, with hundreds of Dressel 1A type amphorae buried in the surrounding sea floor, along with two lead anchor stocks and another structure made from the same material.

Mola noted that alongside the Dressel 1A amphorae, Lamboglia 2 amphorae, North African amphorae and Neo-Punic amphorae were also found. 

A 3D survey of the wreck has also been carried out, Mola said.

“The sea never stops surprising us,” he concluded. “This time, we did not find only a wreck. We found a piece of our history.”

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Former Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob was charged on Thursday with failure to declare assets, the third former premier prosecuted in recent years over alleged graft-related offenses.

Ismail Sabri, who was Malaysia’s prime minister for just over 15 months from 2021 to 2022 during a period of political upheaval, was accused of concealing assets that consisted of local and foreign currencies as well as gold bars and silver.

Ismail Sabri’s defense counsel Amer Hamzah Arshad said at a press conference that the charge was essentially a failure to comply with a notice to declare certain assets.

“We will be studying the charge, and as we informed the court, we are raising certain concerns about the propriety and legality of the charge, but we won’t go into detail here,” he said.

Ismail Sabri pleaded not guilty at a lower court in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday and was released on 300,000 ringgit ($74,534) bail. If convicted, he faces jail of up to five years and a fine of up to 100,000 ringgit ($24,828).

16kg gold bars, millions of dollars in cash seized

The anti-graft agency in March last year said Ismail Sabri had submitted an assets declaration after being ordered to do so as part of its investigation into alleged graft and money laundering, following the seizure of nearly $40 million in assets allegedly linked to him.

Cash amounting to 170 million ringgit ($42.2 million) in various currencies and 16 kg of gold bars were seized following the raids, the agency said at the time.

16kg of gold bars is equivalent to approximately $2.4 million.

A trained lawyer, Ismail Sabri has served in various roles in politics, including lawmaker and cabinet minister under three prime ministers, with portfolios that included rural and regional development, agriculture and domestic trade.

Jonah Davidov contributed to this report.

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Soldiers from the Givati Brigade’s Rotem Battalion refused to board an armored personnel carrier with a female paramedic on Wednesday and are expected to face disciplinary proceedings over the incident.

The Rotem Battalion conducted an operational drill overnight on Wednesday, during which the force was required to use an armored personnel carrier.

“In accordance with the Joint Service Order, soldiers who maintain a religious way of life are entitled to carry out operational activity in a gender-segregated framework, except in exceptional cases,” the IDF said in a statement. 

“In the incident described, the force refused to carry out the operational activity, and as a result, the activity was canceled. The incident is being investigated, and command measures will be taken in accordance with the findings.”

The incident was brought to the attention of commanders in the battalion, who decided that the soldiers would be tried in a disciplinary hearing. The IDF said that they had not yet faced proceedings.

In June, amid the public and legal debate surrounding the integration of women into combat roles, the IDF issued a clarification stating that the High Court of Justice had not ordered the recruitment of female combat soldiers to the Armored Corps, but had only instructed the military to conduct a pilot program on the issue.

The IDF stressed that the pilot was intended as a preliminary examination of the possibility and that the trial did not commit to fully integrating women into such roles.

“After approximately two and a half years of fighting on multiple fronts and an expansion of missions, the IDF needs every male and female combat soldier,” the military said in its statement at the time.

IDF begins to integrate women in combat in pilot programs

After the announcement that the pilot would take place, hesder yeshivas said they would stop sending their students for enlistment.

Shortly afterward, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir addressed the issue at a conference of the IDF Employees Organization, referring to a letter issued by rabbis affiliated with the hesder yeshivas.

“The IDF is the people’s army, and therefore there is paramount importance in integrating all sectors of the population into its ranks, especially in the combat array,” Zamir said, emphasizing what he described as the army’s unique character.

In his remarks, Zamir focused on the logistical and social challenges involved in such integration.

“This complex integration of women in the military will always be carried out in a manner that allows one sector of the public to serve alongside another, and not at its expense,” he said.

Several days later, during a discussion on preparations for the pilot program, the chief of staff stressed that there was no intention to place men and women together in tank crews, either during training or during operational missions.

“If the trial is successful, the integration of women will be carried out within a designated framework, at least at the company level,” Zamir said.

According to Zamir, adjustments would be required when operating as part of a combat team, in accordance with the IDF’s Joint Service Order.

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held direct contact and negotiations with Hamas behind the security establishment’s back during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, using Israeli businessman Shlomi Fogel as an intermediary.

The talks did not follow the traditional channels used in negotiations between Israel and Hamas over the years, which involved Egypt, Qatar, or another intermediary. Instead, the parties spoke directly.

The discussions differed from the negotiations Netanyahu previously held with Yahya Sinwar – during which Sinwar sent the famous note reading “Take a calculated risk” to then National Security Council chief Meir Ben Shabbat – as even those contacts were conducted through a third party, Egypt.

This time, Fogel was sent by Netanyahu, under the guidance of then National Security Council chief Yossi Cohen, to speak directly with senior Hamas figure Razi Hamed in the Gaza Strip.

The conversations took place by phone and continued for several weeks, with Netanyahu setting the guidelines, Cohen shaping the messages, and Fogel conducting the talks.

Defense officials confronted Netanyahu, who reportedly denied involvement

Netanyahu, who sought a ceasefire during Operation Protective Edge, sent a security delegation to Egypt that included generals Fuli Mordechai, Nimrod Sheffer, Amos Gilad, and then-Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen. The delegation conducted ceasefire negotiations through Egyptian mediators with representatives of Hamas and other factions in Gaza.

However, the negotiations stalled, and no breakthrough was achieved. At one point, defense officials discovered, to their surprise, that while the Israeli delegation was traveling back and forth from Cairo, a secret backchannel was operating in parallel. Through that channel, the prime minister was engaging directly with Hamas without the knowledge of the defense establishment.

Officials later learned that Fogel, who was close to Netanyahu, was the person conducting the talks with Hamed, who at the time served as deputy minister in the Hamas government in Gaza.

Senior defense officials confronted Netanyahu and asked him for an explanation. Netanyahu denied the matter and instructed them to contact Fogel and ask him to stop. However, it later became clear that Fogel had been acting with authorization and approval, behind the defense establishment’s back.

Fogel was initially warned, but after he continued the contacts despite the warning, officials discovered that he was acting with Netanyahu’s approval. Netanyahu directed his actions, while Cohen drafted the messages for him.

Hamed is a known Hamas terrorist, currently serving as chairman of the Gaza Energy Authority and previously serving as deputy foreign minister and adviser to senior figures in Hamas’s military wing. He conducted the ceasefire discussions with Fogel, who was managing them on Netanyahu’s behalf.

When the existence of the channel became known, the reaction among the heads of Israel’s security branches was one of complete shock.

“People’s jaws dropped,” one anonymous security official told Maariv.

“This was 2014; it was not the situation today, when Netanyahu had already declared war on the entire system long ago. He appointed all of us; he sent us to conduct negotiations in Cairo, and at the same time he was conducting direct negotiations with Hamas without us knowing about it.”

“When this was confronted with him, he denied it. But when Shlomi Fogel was called in and questioned about it, he proved to us that everything was done with authorization and approval. This was a formative event, a kind of writing that was already on the wall, but we did not see it.”

This post was originally published on here. 

A US Air Force judge on Wednesday ordered Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, and three co-defendants to go on trial before a military tribunal in June 2028.

The trial-scheduling order entered by Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Michael Schrama marked the latest milestone in a military prosecution beset by two decades of legal deadlock surrounding the four detainees held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Last month, a US appeals court refused to allow Mohammed and two of his co-defendants to plead guilty under agreements that would have spared them the death penalty.

The appellate decision reversed decisions of a military judge and the US Court of Military Commission Review in support of the plea deal.

The agreement had been offered last year and accepted by the official who oversees the Pentagon’s Guantanamo war court, only to be revoked last August by then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin amid criticism of the deal from Republican lawmakers.

Jury of service members will hear, decide case 

Under Schrama’s 11-page order, Mohammed and three co-defendants, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak bin ‘Atash, Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, will stand trial starting on June 5, 2028.

The proceedings open with selection of a panel consisting entirely of service members who will act as the jury to hear the case according to rules of military justice.

Opening statements will commence 30 calendar days after the panel is seated, followed by presentation of the prosecution’s evidence, after which the defendants may file motions for findings of not guilty.

The order gives both sides opportunities to argue those motions and rebut one another, and for prosecutors to reopen their case. The defense presents its principal evidence starting 60 calendar days after the prosecution concludes its case.

The trial ends with a sentencing phase.

Schrama rejected the prosecutors’ proposal to open the trial in January 2027, saying that would leave too little time for the “resolution of pretrial evidentiary and compliance motions.”

Mohammed remains the most well-known inmate at the Guantanamo detention facility, which was set up in 2002 by then-US President George W. Bush to house foreign militant suspects following the September 11, 2001, attacks.

He is accused of orchestrating the plot to fly hijacked passenger jetliners into the World Trade Center in New York City and into the Pentagon. The 9/11 attacks killed nearly 3,000 people.

This post was originally published on here. 

Japanese avant-garde artist Yayoi Kusama, who transformed hallucinations into art and was known for her obsessive dot-covered paintings and pumpkin motifs, has died at the age of 97.

The announcement made on her official website said she died on August 14 but did not give a cause of death.

Frustrated with the confining nature of Japanese society, Kusama left for New York at 27, where she quickly made a name for herself with her paintings, inspired by hallucinations of flashing lights, dots and flowers she had seen since childhood.

She also wrote, took part in anti-war activities during the 1960s, and reportedly influenced artists such as Andy Warhol.

‘Dots come flying everywhere… and I paint them’

Kusama, who was candid about her mental health struggles, said New York gave her neuroses. Around 1977, a few years after returning to Japan, she voluntarily entered a mental hospital and lived there for decades, being driven to her nearby studio each morning.

“I still see hallucinations even now,” Kusama said in 2017.

“Dots come flying everywhere, on my dress, the floor, things I’m carrying, throughout the house, the ceiling. And I paint them.”

This post was originally published on here.